My Best Friend Essay Example for Free

My Best Friend Essay Believe it or not, my best friend is an elderly woman in her late 70s. Her name is Maria. She is Spanish decent, married, with no children. We couldn’t appear to be more different. Maria and I met at the gym last year. That’s about all we had in common when we met – that we were both active and healthy. Many people would question why I would develop such a close relationship with someone more than twice my age. It was our differences that actually brought us close. Maria had already been through all of the things that I had yet to face in my life, and she had a lot to teach me. I was a ready listener, as I was facing things in my life that I had never experienced before. I needed guidance and friendship, and Maria was like an angel sent to guide me. I enjoy spending time with Maria. She is pleasant all the time and very easy going. I can talk to her about anything, and she seems to know just what to say or when not to say anything at all. She is very confident and doesn’t try to impress anyone by pretending to be someone she is not; perhaps this is why I am so drawn to her. Maria is very happy with her life despite the fact that she never had children and is in the winter of her life. She has given me the opportunity to look at my life in a different perspective and to accept and be proud of all of the choices that I have made, while at the same time offering guidance for my future. Every moment I spend with Maria is a gift. I cherish it. I hope she gains as much from our friendship as I do.

The Left Hand of Darkness :: Left Hand of Darkness Essays

The Left Hand of Darkness      Although the author of The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin discussed in the introduction that this book is not extrapolative or a prediction of future, the plots in the book are extraporative to some extent.   Since the story takes place in the past, Ekumenical Year 1490-97, this book is different from other science fictions which the stories take place in the future.   However, the issues that the author deal with in the book are a prediction of the future; it can happen.   Guin also claimed that "if I could have said it non-metaphorically, I would not have written all these words, this novel."   Her metaphoric settings and words confuse whether or not our world is natural.      Since Guin set the story in the past with extraordinary imagination, it was very hard to get into her world from the first chapter, Winter, Hainsh Cycle 93, Ekumenical Year 1490-97.   In the first chapter, the way that Guin introduces the story pulling the readers in mysterious or mythic worlds even beyond any imaginative worlds.   She explains her imaginative worlds in detail every once in a while yet it is not easy to share and to understand her worlds.   The main reason might be the story takes place in the past instead of 'future.'   We normally perceive a mythic future.   And also, we think that we can not change our history.      The author of Utopian and Science Fiction by Women: Worlds of Difference, Naomi Jacobs pointed out that Guin's theme is gender differences and sexuality in the frozen landscape.   In the story, Gethen describes the setting as a place of gender freedom.   Gender issues are sensitive issues in our culture and will remain as it is.   In Guin's imaginative world, men's pregnancy is a natural phenomenon.   This imagination is used in many other books and movies even today.   (For more info, see Jason's paper)   However, Guin's use of the imagination is difficult to share because her imaginative world has already passed.      The theme that Guin discussed in the book was similar to other science fictions.   Death and fear are always the theme in science fiction.   Throughout the story, people died in the frozen landscape and they have fear in their life.

Old Growth Forest Essay

Question: a strong opponent of logging old growth forests Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I am Leeson, and today I am going to talk about whether we should log the old growth forests. Firstly, what are old growth forests? Old growth forests are those where the overstore is in the late mature growth stage with the presence of relatively large old trees, many containing hollows and often with the presence of dieback or dead branches in the crown. They are so important to the human life, as they are like the climate change mitigation. Also, a lot of animals can only live in old growth forests, just like fish can only live in water. In Victoria, we know old growth forests to be â€Å"Forests which contain significant amount of its oldest growth stage in the upper stratum. † What does this mean? It means these forests are historically, culturally, ecologically significant and valuable. Therefore, we human have no reason to log any of the old growth forest. Firstly, the old growth forests mitigate the climate change. Old-growth forests store large amounts of carbon in wood, humus, and peat, they are an important part of carbon sequestration and its impacts on climate change and climate change mitigation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in its 2007 report: â€Å"In the long term, a sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fibre or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit. As we know, the climate problem is one of the most serious problems that human are facing to, if we keep logging the old growth forests for human living while we are polluting the environment for human development, we will not have a nice future to be with. So stop logging the old growth forest! Secondly, old growth forests are the only home for a lot of animals. Image if I drive a bulldozer through in your home, how would this make you feel? Where would you go? The ecologically value and significance of old- growth-forests is they can do something that other forests cannot do: they act as the home of various forms of wildlife. Without old growth forests, where would they live? The report from Bureau of Rural Sciences from Australian Government said: â€Å"A number of wildlife species are reliant on these types of forest because of the range of nesting hollows and greater structural complexity they have in comparison with forests in earlier stages of development. Obviously logging the old growth forests indicates killing plenty of wildlife, and it is not humane at all! That’s why we shouldn’t log the old growth forests. In conclusion, the old growth forests are acting a important role in nature, not only do they house various forms of wildlife, but they also store more carbon then they emit, so that to mitigate the climate change. Hence, we should not log the old growth forest, for any human use. Thank you!

Eddie loves Catherine Essay

The reason why Eddie loved Catherine so much is because she knew everything about him and had the qualities that Eddie liked. Eddie treated her like a child because he did not want he to realise that she was growing up. Eddie liked this because he could have control over her. At this point this is when the audience realises that Eddie has no hopes except from the hopes of having a woman he can never have. The audience may think that Eddie is selfish because he will not let Catherine lead her own life. By looking at the way eddies personality changes I think that he is having a mid-life crisis. There are different types of relationships in the play: The relationship with Eddie and Catherine is incestuous love. The relationship between Beatrice and Eddie is platonic love. The relationship between Rodolpho and Eddie is they are like rivals trying to get Catherine. The relationship between Marco and Eddie is hatred. The relationship between Alfieri and Eddie that Alfieri is eddies lawyer. I feel that Catherine is partly to blame because she knew everything about Eddie and so she should have realised his feeling to wards her. Also she should have not acted like a child all the time allowing Eddie to have control over her. I feel sorry for Marco because he is a good person trying to give his family a good future but Eddie destroys his plans. I also feel sorry for Rodolpho because he done what everyone does, falls in love. We can tell that he is a good person because he tries to make up with Eddie. I think Beatrice has no self-esteem because she does everything that Eddie tells her and does not stick up for herself. I think that Eddie is helpless. He is obsessed with work and I think that he has no future. I think that because he did not get his only hope that he did not mind dying. I do not feel sorry for Eddie dying because he is a back stabber and should not of done what he done. I think that he is very over protective and over reacted when he found out that Catherine was in love. The audiences’ reaction might be different to mine but I was shocked when Marco killed Eddie because I thought that it might have been Rodolpho that killed him because of all the things that Eddie done to him.

Crown, Cork and Seal in 1989

Crown, Cork and Seal in 1989 Introduction Crown, Cork and Seal Company was one of the metal can industries that dominated the United States market in 1989. It had a market share of seven percent in the metal can industries with Avery as the Crown’s new CEO who was determined to change industry outlook.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Crown, Cork and Seal in 1989 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The five-force analysis of industries determines the attractiveness of a market based on competitive intensity where attractiveness in the five-force analysis of industries refers to the industry’s profitability. Threat of new competitors Industries with high profitability tend to attract many new firms that aim at yielding high returns for their investments. The new firms that enter into the market reduce profitability for all firms in the industry, which leads to perfect competition. The metal container industry in United States repre sented sixty one percent of packaged products in 1989. The presence of a large market share attracted many firms in the industry because of profitability, which was evident in the market. The metal can industry was dominated by five major firms, which had a large market share whose balance was being served by more than a hundred firms. This led to high competition in pricing which resulted to decrease in operating margins for Crown Company and other firms in the industry. Threat of substitute products The threat is caused by existence of other products that are able to substitute the common products in the industry. The threat of substitute products means that customers may prefer alternative products instead of the common products. The metal container industry in 1989 had the threat of substitute products, which split its market share. Glass and plastic containers were the substitute products and they had a market share of thirty nine percent. Absence of substitute products would m ean that metal can industry would have a hundred percent of market share.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of buyers or customers tends to pressure firms in price changes, which may be due to buyer volume or availability of substitute products in the industry. The force of the bargaining power of customers affected firms in the metal can industry. This is because customers as well as the buyers through cut-in-order sizes, which led to low profitability, punished firms with uncompetitive prices (Bradley 2005, p.53). The bargaining power of customers in the metal can industry led to competitive pricing and firms encouraged large orders by offering large discounts to customers. The firms in the industry gave in to customers bargaining power by giving large discounts with the aim of protecting their market share. Comp etitive rivalry Every industry has competitiveness, which is determined by firms with the same products within the industry. Due to competition in the industry, Crown, Cork and Seal Company decided to gain competitive advantage by having new technologies and innovations to develop their product line. This helped the firm to gain a powerful competitive advantage over the other firms by meeting the customer’s needs in a more convenient way than other firms in the industry meet. Bargaining power of suppliers Industries rely on suppliers who supply them with labor, raw materials, services and other components. Suppliers may charge high prices to the firms if there are few substitutes. The main suppliers of the Crown Company were aluminum and steel producers. Aluminum had the largest market share but steel had an advantage over aluminum because of its price.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Crown, Cork and Seal in 1989 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion The metal container industry in 1989 was characterized by the five-force analysis of industries. The major threats that affected Crown, Cork and Seal Company were availability of substitute packaging materials like glass and plastic substitutes. There was also a threat in the industry, which was caused by in house manufacture of metal cans by brewers and food producers. Reference Bradley, S., 2005. Crown, Cork Seal in 1989. Harvard: Harvard UP.

The Ignudi of Michelangelos Sistine Chapel Frescoes

The Ignudi of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Frescoes The Ignudi is the phrase coined by Michelangelo to describe the 20 seated male nudes he incorporated into the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes. These figures are interesting in that they do not fit the theme of the paintings, so their true meaning has been a mystery in the art world. Who Are the Ignudi? The word ignudi comes from the Italian adjective nudo, meaning naked. The singular form is ignudo. Michelangelo adopted the name The Ignudi for his 20 figures, giving it a new art-historical context. The youthful, athletic male figures are depicted in pairs of four. Each pair surrounds five center panels on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (there are nine panels in total). The ignudi appear on the panels: The Drunkenness of Noah, The Sacrifice of Noah, The Creation of Eve, The Separation of Land from Water, and The Separation of Light from Darkness. The ignudi  frame the biblical stories, one on each corner. A  pair of bronze-like medallions depicting scenes from the Old Testament rest between two of the figures along the outer edges. One of the medallions is left incomplete for unknown reasons. Each ignudo  is depicted in a relaxed pose that does not match the others. The figures are all seated and leaning on a variety of objects. In the earliest paintings, the ignudi  were in a similar pose to those in the same panel. By the time Michelangelo got to The Separation of Light from Darkness, the poses show no similarities. What Do the Ignudi Represent? Each ignudo represents the male human figure at its most idealized. They are painted in a sort of blending of ancient Classicism and modern naked superheroes (a topic about which Michelangelo could not have known). What adds to their intrigue is that none had anything at all to do with Bible stories. This leads people to question their meaning. Are they merely supporting characters in this detailed scene or do they represent something deeper? Michelangelo did not leave any clues as to the answer. Speculations include that the ignudi represent angels who oversaw the events depicted in the Bible scenes. Others believe that Michelangelo used the ignudi as representations of human perfection. Their physique is, after all, perfectly sculpted and their mannerisms have much more freedom than other figures in the frescoes. There is a possible meaning behind the objects surrounding the ignudi as well. Acorns are depicted with each ignudo  and many people believe these refer to Pope Julius II, Michelangelos patron. The pontiff was a member of the Della Rovere family as was his uncle Popes Sixtus IV who built the Sistine Chapel and for whom it was named. The Della Rovere name literally means of the Oak Tree and a tree is used on the Italian noble familys crest. The Controversy of the Ignudi One look at any of Michelangelos work in the Sistine Chapel reveals quite a bit of nudity. This was shocking to a number of people, including a pontiff or two. Its said that Pope Adrian VI did not enjoy the nudes whatsoever. When his papacy began in 1522, just ten years after the completion of the frescoes, he wanted them removed because he found the nudity vulgar. This did not come to fruition because he died in 1523 before any destruction could be done. Pope Pius IV did not target the ignudi specifically, but he did confront the chapels nudity. He had naked figures in The Last Judgment covered with fig leaves and loincloths to protect their decency. That occurred in the 1560s and during renovations to the artwork in the 1980s and 90s, restorers uncovered the figures to Michelangelos original state.

The Unlikely Secret Agent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

The Unlikely Secret Agent - Essay Example Eleanor’s race, class and gender affected how others saw and treated her in ways that were advantageous and disadvantageous to her, and these advantages would not have been present for working-class black men; also, however different she may be to those directly affected by apartheid, she was still effective in opposing it because she showed that these differences did not justify the inhumanity of apartheid, and that her race, class, and gender also led to similar experiences of oppression. Eleanor’s race and class are advantages for her because they helped her elude suspicions and maltreatment. Eleanor is not black or a Jewish man, but a Scottish woman who is romantically involved with a Jew. Because of her race, she evaded the initial roundups of the Secret Police who targeted male Jews and blacks first. In addition, her race had been a good source of prevention of police brutality that normally showed against anti-apartheid demonstrators. Eleanor remembered that it was possible that without the presence of the white couple, Harold and Maggy Strachan, heading a rally and facing armed policemen ready to fire, another massacre of black working-class protesters would have followed the Sharpville Massacre (39). Because of her class, she also earned some form of respect. As a middle-class South African, she was also not an immediate target of suspicion, for how many middle-class people would sacrifice their comfortable social status for the risks involved in fighti ng against the apartheid? In addition, Eleanor had a bookstore, and so she was also able to order subversive books from America and use it as a front line for sending and receiving messages for ANC members. Her class provided money and social status that enabled her to serve the ANC and to end apartheid. As a woman, Eleanor also accessed greater social support, respect, and care than men. Eleanor’s gender was a source of social support. She remembered being imprisoned