Banned Books Essay -- Reading Literature Libraries Essays

Banned Books The problems with banned books has been a controversial issue between parents as well as adults. The concerns that parents have are with the fact that these certain books are to be banned to keep their kids from being exposed to some of the ways of the world. Some of the concerns that these parents have are with usage of some derrogatory words or lanuguage not preferrred by some parents. The things that parents fail to realize is that by law, a librarian has the responsibility that they must uphold; including their responsibilty to the stocking of books on their shelves. I would take the side of the librarian because their position would be worthless because their rights would be useless, and their job would no longer rest in the hands of their employer but parents themselves. The main objetcive of libraries are to maintain a family-oriented institution.The libraries offer a broad selection of reading materials for everyone to use including parents, teachers, young adults, and children. Many public libraries facilities have special areas for children and teens with materials that appeal to those particular ages and particular interests. Libraries also offer programs for children and young adults to assist them with learning how to read or even grasping them concepts of some story books. These programs help kids learn to enjoy libraries and use them for their information and entertainment needs. There is then a major difference in school libraraies and what they have to offer. â€Å"School libraries have a responsibility to support their school’s curriculum and to provide materials that serve the diverse backgrounds, interests, maturity levels and reading levels of the entir... ... Nancy Kranich( President, American Library Association (2000–2001)), since the adoption of the Constitution, â€Å"Americans have believed that maximum access to public information sources and channels of communication is necessary so that everyone can participate in a vigorous democracy. Libraries are the only American institutions that make knowledge, ideas, and information freely available to all citizens. They serve as the source for the pursuit of independent thought, critical attitudes, and in-depth information. Libraries in a free society perform the important function of keeping the public well informed. They ensure the freedom of speech, the freedom to read, the freedom to view. They provide safe spaces for public dialogue.† They provide the resources needed for the public to inform itself in order to participate in every aspect of our information society.

Dispostional Personality Theories Essay

The two most common dispositional theories are Allport’s psychology of the individual theory and the trait and factor theory. Allport’s psychology of the individual theory emphasized that people are unique, even though they may share traits in common, and those unique qualities are what should be focused on. â€Å"More than any other personality theorist, Gordon Allport emphasized the uniqueness of the individual. He believed that attempts to describe people in terms of general traits rob them of their unique individuality†. In order to focus on the individuals uniqueness Allport felt that a broad theory is more useful than a narrow one and he would use information from different theorist in his research. For many years there has been much debate about how many traits actually have an effect on an individual’s personality. In recent years the majority of theorist have come to the conclusion that five is the magic number. Esyneck, McCrae, and Costa have focused their studies on the trait and facto theory and have done much research using standardized tests, clinical observations, and observations from friends and families of the individuals studied. â€Å"Trait and factor theories of personality are based on factor analysis, a procedure that assumes that human traits can be measured by correlational studies†. Each of these theories have different approaches to explaining an individual’s behavior. Both Allport’s psychology of the individual theory and the trait and factor theory have its own effect on individual personalities. Interpersonal relationships are influenced by each of these theories in its own way as well.

Choosing a Topic Essay

Autism: Evaluations of biomedical and dietary intervention and their impact on autistic individuals. Interesting: yes it is something that is interesting to many people not just me. I feel that it is something that people need to know about. With the increase of autism it is an option that needs to get out there for people to know. Researchable: Yes it is very researchable. There are so many web sits on this. You can find so much on the internet. Most schools for the autistic also have some information on the biomedical and dietary intervention. One that is researching this can also talk to the older highly functional autistic individuals. These individuals can let you know there personal experiences. Important: It is very important with the increase of autism. I only had one person respond to my post. My class mate wanted to know if there was a connection between autism and celiac disease. She has a friend that has this disease and her friend has gone through a dietary intervention and she thought that there may be a connection in the two. To tell the truth I have never heard of celiac disease, but I will look into it to see if there is anything in commune. Describe two controversies surrounding this topic. Yes this is a very controversial topic. This is due to the fact that when one is on a biomedical or dietary intervention most of the time they stop taking their pharmaceutical drugs. The thought behind the intervention is that if you remove some foods from the diet such as gluten or dairy you may remove the problem. The problem is a gastrointestinal disturbance. The other is that when you take some foods out of your diet you also take out the vitamins that are in that food, so the patient has to take supplements in order to get what the body needs. Some families look at it as you take away one or two drugs just to change the diet just to add a hand full of supplements. I don’t know about you but as a mother I would rather have my child take a hand full of supplements just to get rid of a few harm full pharmaceuticals. Describe which side of the argument you feel is the right and why. I feel that it should be tried. What could it hurt? If your child if allergic to the food he/she eats then get rid of the problem, the food. If you could make your child feel better and not be on all kinds of medicine what would you do? It is just that simple. Yes you will have to change the way you shop but what parent would not go to the ends of the earth for their child? Formulate a working thesis statement. Autism: Evaluations of biomedical and dietary intervention and their impact on autistic individuals. There is not a cure for autism but we can help decrease the frequencies of the autistic outburst.

The World Is Not Enough Essays

The World Is Not Enough Essays The World Is Not Enough Essay The World Is Not Enough Essay James Bond films have a completely individual genre, their ongoing action style is different from any others of its kind. The Bond films are a very popular mainly British icon, although they do hold a global appeal. They are all made by MGM, holding a huge budget, which enables its ongoing success. Therefore, the director will try to meet the demands of the huge audience who have come to expect certain things from the film such as its iconography, eg. the contrast between good and evil characters, the constant sense of danger and the race against time, etc. The money supporting this Blockbuster brings about expectation of spectacular effects, various locations, big high-status stars, sexy women, the well-known Bond theme tune, etc. However, the story line, the settings and the characters must all signify Bond and these particular expectations of the audience. The extract I have chosen to study is one of immense action and great suspense. We begin by viewing the meeting of the Bond girl and the Bond villain. The use of media language is therefore crucial at this stage in enabling the audience to understand the importance of these first key scenes. The first scene establishes the setting, a wide shot of an open location showing Bond landing in Kazakhstan. This is signified by their landing, on a dusty airstrip, with graphics to give the location on screen. The Bond theme tune is meanwhile playing in the background, connoting that Bond has arrived in the foreign territory and that there may soon be danger on its way. This is signified by the exposed airstrip and warning music that we are used to in these situations. Bond then travels to the key location in which the scene is further set, with further establishing shots which are important in giving the audience a clearer pictur of where the action will take place and who will be involved. This suspense and danger is signified mainly by the people who Bond shares a jeep with all with shaven heads, wearing dark overalls, portraying of course an evil darkness. The changing of the music further emphasises this point in which it increases in pace and adds to the present situation by the special effects of explosions in the vicinity, and faster cutting to add speed to the sequence. There is a lot of non-verbal communication going on here, to begin with showing evil signs of danger and authority. Thus the narrative is starting to be built up. As we see a laboratory, the music transforms to more intricate, computer like music. It is well lit with people wearing white suits. This connotes that this will be a key location, adding to our knowledge and stirring at our curiosity levels. It also signifies a place of delicacy in comparison to the previous fast and loud scene, hereby adding to the connoted level of meaning within the scene. A wide shot establishes the next scene as Bond enters an important nuclear facility. We recognise this from the mise-en-scene with people moving about, their clothing, the explosions, warning signs, alarms, etc. These aspects all contribute to a sense of danger. As it cuts to the star Bond, we can basically understand that he is in a dangerous position, adding to the effect of us as an audience, feeling the danger. This is further signified by Bond being met by a burly, uniformed man with a Russian accent and the juxtaposition of shots from below the ground of warheads being taken from the bunker. The next key location involves the meeting between Bond and Dr Christmas Jones (Denise Richards). She stands out as a star and her importance is demonstrated within the the scene by being shot removing a clinical, white radiation suit. The camera then tilts to reveal a stunning body drawing a positive reaction from Bond, possibly signifying a possible interest. This encounter with the Bond girl is common, however this is the first time in which Bond reaches the nemesis. Whilst they meet and interact, there are many cus, this connotes that they are both key characters and the star is clearly shown. NVC is important particularly here as Jones shows no interest in Bond, this perhaps signifies a non-conformist Bond girl who has adapted more to the social beliefs of the late 90s. However, as expected, Bond stays cool throughout, for example when he is questioned by Jones on his Russian, he replies in russian; I studied at Oxford, signifying his coolness and his position as our hero is is secured by Jones double-take as he walks away. The signifiers of glamour further support the star quality of Jones, she is always shot with soft lighting and wears make-up, with a necklace that somehow contrasts with her working clothes of tight shorts and vest. She is portrayed as a strong woman presumably this has been developed through the political changes within society, so in fact she is demonstrating an attitude of the expected new 90s woman. These things are key in connoting sexiness and a love interest. Throughout this scene, mise-en-scene was very important a spark was established between two main characters, we learn much about them and also the surroundings that they are both working in. The next scene begins with Bond entering the bunker. Effects are used here as Bond is travelling downwards, the FX are accompanying him into what is signified as an abyss. There various signifiers at this point, he is shot from a high angle, losing his normal position of authority. He then enters the darkness followed by random, eerie sfx, all connoting danger and risk. As we are introduced to the setting from Bonds point of view, adding to our empathy, we see low lighting, smoke, controls and explosives. The scene is set with these shots and the audience is quite easily able to gain meaning from the various signifiers. Our next focus is at the end of a tunnel in which sparks are flying. The scene, again is established through the use of a long shot demonstrating to the audience that they are experiencing a key location of the scene. Following Bonds approach, suspense is added as the mystical Bond music increases pace and we are left to wonder what lies through the tunnel. However, this information is slowly revealed as Bond sees some me working on a nuclear warhead. At this point, we are shown at the same time as Bond, creating a sense of realism and timing. There is a sudden change in the music at this point signifying the presence of Renard whose nvc can be immediately interpreted as villainous. He has a shaven head, wearing a completely dark outfit and is shouting whilst being approached from a high angle. This connotes his power and his sense of evil, being mainly shotin darkness. Throughout the sequence, the music increases the intensity with the action.This is mainly demonstrated when Bond confronts Renard. As the shot is from Renards POV at a high angle, this perhaps suggests that Bond is still not on top of things. However, the main focus is on Bonds gun and his good figure is signified by the blue tint of lighting surrounding his face, in comparison to Renards face of darkness. Whilst the two of them exchange remarks, the pace is signified through the use of hand-held camera shots with increased cuts, signifying again the star status , although more importantly to the audience, these being the key characters within the film. As the narrative develops, again we learn more about the characters, much of this can in fact be learnt through the signifiers such as, Bonds white shirt in comparison to Renards fully zipped, dark uniform. Also, Renards voice connotes an eastern villain, linking to previous Bond sagas. Music does, however play a key part throughout the entire scene. The iconography does play a large part all through the film, it does not fail to live up to the audiences expectations, for example, the commonly known Bond catchphrase is included The names Bond.James Bond etc. as usual, this is mentioned mid-action on an elevator, whilst saving Dr Christmas Jones whilst Renard escapes. As Bond films have been going for such a long time, it has become easier to distinguish the advance in the technology used over time and how the representaions of this have developed, according to its era. The action is ongoing and Bond doesnt stop until hes achieved his victory. The amazing quality of each Bond film demonstrates just how much effort and money has been put into it, it is completely obvious that it has had a huge budget by just focusing on the use of actors, special effects, cuts and angles, etc.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Review

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Review The Old Man and the Sea was a big success for Ernest Hemingway when it was published in 1952. At first glance, the story appears to be a simple tale of an old Cuban fisherman who catches an enormous fish, only to lose it. Theres much more to the  story a tale of  bravery and heroism, of one mans struggle against his own doubts, the elements, a massive fish, sharks and even his desire to give up. The old man eventually succeeds, then fails, and then wins again. Its the story of perseverance and the machismo of the old man against the elements. This slim novella its only 127 pages   helped to revive Hemingways reputation as a writer, winning him great acclaim, including the Nobel Prize for literature.   Overview Santiago is an old man and a fisherman who has gone for months without catching a fish. Many are starting to doubt his abilities as an angler. Even his apprentice, Manolin, has abandoned him and gone to work for a more prosperous boat. The old man sets out to the open sea one day off the Florida coast and goes a little farther out than he normally would in his desperation to catch a fish. Sure enough, at noon, a big marlin takes hold of one of the lines, but the fish is far too big for Santiago to handle. To avoid letting the fish escape, Santiago lets the line go slack so that the fish wont break his pole; but he and his boat are dragged out to sea for three days. A kind of kinship and honor  develop between the fish and the man.  Finally, the fish an enormous and worthy opponent grows tired, and Santiago kills it. This victory does not end Santiagos journey; he is still far out to sea. Santiago has to drag the marlin behind the boat, and the blood from the dead fish attracts sharks.Santiago does his best to fend off the sharks, but his efforts are in vain. The sharks eat the flesh of the marlin, and Santiago is left with only the bones. Santiago gets back to shore weary and tired with nothing to show for his pains but the skeletal remains of a large marlin. Even with just the bare remains of the fish, the experience has changed him  and altered the perception others have of him. Manolin wakes the old man the morning after his return and suggests that they once again fish t ogether. Life and Death During his struggle to catch the fish, Santiago holds on to the rope even though he is cut and bruised by it, even though he wants to sleep and eat. He holds onto the rope as though his life depends on it. In these scenes of struggle, Hemingway brings to the fore the power and masculinity of a simple man in a simple habitat. He demonstrates how heroism is possible in even the most seemingly mundane circumstances. Hemingways novella shows how death can invigorate life, how killing and death can bring a man to an understanding of his own mortality and his own power to overcome it.  Hemingway  writes of a time when fishing was not merely a business or a sport. Instead, fishing was an expression of humankind in its natural state in tune with nature. Enormous stamina and power  arose  in the breast of Santiago. The simple fisherman became a classical hero in his epic struggle.

The Siege and Capture of San Antonio

The Siege and Capture of San Antonio In October-December of 1835, rebellious Texans (who referred to themselves as â€Å"Texians†) laid siege to the city of San Antonio de Bà ©xar, the largest Mexican town in Texas. There were some famous names among the besiegers, including Jim Bowie, Stephen F. Austin, Edward Burleson, James Fannin, and Francis W. Johnson. After about a month and a half of siege, the Texians attacked in early December and accepted the Mexican surrender on December 9. War Breaks out in Texas​ By 1835, tensions were high in Texas. Anglo settlers had come from the USA to Texas, where land was cheap and plentiful, but they chafed under Mexican rule. Mexico was in a state of chaos, having only won its independence from Spain in 1821. Many of the settlers, in particular, the new ones who were flooding into Texas daily, wanted independence or statehood in the USA. Fighting broke out on October 2, 1835, when rebellious Texians opened fire on Mexican forces near the town of Gonzalez. March on San Antonio San Antonio was the most important town in Texas and the rebels wanted to capture it. Stephen F. Austin was named commander of the Texian army and immediately marched on San Antonio: he arrived there with some 300 men in mid-October. Mexican General Martà ­n Perfecto de Cos, brother-in-law of Mexican President Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna, decided to maintain a defensive position, and the siege began. The Mexicans were cut off from most supplies and information, but the rebels had little in the way of supplies as well and were forced to forage. The Battle of Concepcià ³n On October 27, militia leaders Jim Bowie and James Fannin, along with some 90 men, disobeyed Austins orders and set up a defensive encampment on the grounds of the Concepcià ³n mission. Seeing the Texians divided, Cos attacked at first light the next day. The Texians were greatly outnumbered but kept their cool and drove off the attackers. The Battle of Concepcià ³n was a great victory for the Texians and did much to improve morale. The Grass Fight On November 26, the Texians got word that a relief column of Mexicans was approaching San Antonio. Led once again by Jim Bowie, a small squad of Texans attacked, driving the Mexicans into San Antonio. The Texians found out that it was not reinforcements after all, but some men sent out to cut some grass for the animals trapped inside San Antonio. Although the â€Å"Grass Fight† was something of a fiasco, it helped convince the Texians that the Mexicans inside San Antonio were getting desperate. Who Will Go with Old Ben Milam Into Bexar? After the grass fight, the Texians were indecisive about how to proceed. Most of the officers wanted to retreat and leave San Antonio to the Mexicans, many of the men wanted to attack, and still others wanted to go home. Only when Ben Milam, a cranky original settler who had fought for Mexico against Spain, declared â€Å"Boys! Who will go with old Ben Milam into Bexar?† did the sentiment for attack become the general consensus. The attack began early on December 5. Assault on San Antonio The Mexicans, who enjoyed vastly superior numbers and a defensive position, did not expect an attack. The men were divided into two columns: one was led by Milam, the other by Frank Johnson. Texan artillery bombarded the Alamo and Mexicans who had joined the rebels and knew the town led the way. The battle raged in the streets, houses and public squares of the city. By nightfall, the rebels held strategic houses and squares. On the sixth of December, the forces continued to fight, with neither making significant gains. The Rebels Get the Upper Hand On the seventh of December, the battle began to favor the Texians. The Mexicans enjoyed position and numbers, but the Texans were more accurate and relentless. One casualty was Ben Milam, killed by a Mexican rifleman. Mexican General Cos, hearing that relief was on the way, sent two hundred men to meet them and escort them into San Antonio: the men, finding no reinforcements, quickly deserted. The effect of this loss on Mexican morale was enormous. Even when reinforcements did arrive on the eighth of December, they had little in the way of provisions or arms and therefore were not much help. End of the Battle By the ninth, Cos and the other Mexican leaders had been forced to retreat to the heavily fortified Alamo. By now, Mexican desertions and casualties were so high that the Texians now outnumbered the Mexicans in San Antonio. Cos surrendered, and under the terms, he and his men were allowed to leave Texas with one firearm apiece, but they had to swear never to return. By December 12, all the Mexican soldiers (except for the most gravely wounded) had disarmed or left. The Texians held a raucous party to celebrate their victory. The Aftermath of the Siege of San Antonio de Bexar The successful capture of San Antonio was a big boost to the Texian morale and cause. From there, some Texans even decided to cross into Mexico and attack the town of Matamoros (which ended in disaster). Still, the successful attack on San Antonio was, after the Battle of San Jacinto, the rebels biggest victory in the Texas Revolution. The city of San Antonio belonged to the rebels...but did they really want it? Many of the leaders of the independence movement, such as General Sam Houston, did not. They pointed out that most of the settlers homes were in eastern Texas, far from San Antonio. Why hold a city they did not need? Houston ordered Bowie to demolish the Alamo and abandon the city, but Bowie disobeyed. Instead, he fortified the city and the Alamo. This led directly to the bloody Battle of the Alamo on March 6, in which Bowie and nearly 200 other defenders were massacred. Texas would finally gain its independence in April  1836, with the Mexican defeat at the battle of San Jacinto. Sources: Brands, H.W. Lone Star Nation: New York: Anchor Books, 2004.the Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence. Henderson, Timothy J. A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States.New York: Hill and Wang, 2007.

Creating of a Legally Binding Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Creating of a Legally Binding Contract - Essay Example The formation of a legally binding contract requires an offer to be made properly which should be accepted properly. An offer once accepted becomes a promise and when it forms a consideration for the parties, it becomes an agreement. When the parties to an agreement have an intention to create legal relations, the agreement becomes a contract. A legally binding contract gives legal rights to a party to a contract in case of breach of a contract by the other party. Let us take a deeper look at the formation of a contract. The most important thing is the competence of the parties to enter into a contract. Every person is competent to contract unless he is a minor or of an unsound mind. A contract with a minor is not a valid contract. Also, it cannot be validated by ratification by a minor when he reaches the age of majority. Simon and Davina can be easily assumed to be of the ages of majority. A contract with a person of unsound mind is also not a valid contract. There are some people who are occasionally of sound mind and occasionally of an unsound mind. The contracts made with them at the time of their sanity are valid contracts. However, the burden of proof falls on the party which contracted with such a person that he was of a sound mind when he entered into the contract. The first ingredient of a legally binding contract is an offer. When a person signifies to another person, his intention to do something or refrain from doing something in return of a promise that the other person would do or refrain from doing something, the first person is said to have made an offer to the second person. The first person would be called an offeror or proposer and the second person would be called an offeree. An offer should be made properly. It should be communicated to the offeree. There should not be any ambiguity in the terms of the offer i.e. the terms should be definite, clear and easy to understand. In Guthing v Lynn [1831] 2 B & Ad 232, 9 LJOSKB 181, the buyer of a horse promised to pay extra  £5 â€Å"if the horse is lucky for me†. It was held that this promise was not enforceable as the statement was too vague to explain that in what way the horse was required to be lucky. An offer may be made generally to a variety of people or it may be made spe cifically to a particular person. It may contain a condition for acceptance which must be fulfilled for a valid acceptance. In this case, Simon is in the process of negotiation with Davina. It can be said that Simon’s offer to Davina is wide and open. He has made the offer of hiring Davina as a mentor to support the finalists of his TV program â€Å"Your Hired†. It is assumed here that Simon has offered Davina a definite sum of money for her services.