Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Mulimedia :: Essays Papers

Mulimedia Presentation The following are the consequences of examination taken out to get to various sight and sound structures and their inside segments that empower them to contend in a forceful situation Question One Web Site †The National Bank (www.nationalbank.co.nz) Technique While making a site for a huge organization the utilization of the cascade strategy is required. The Steps engaged with the cascade advancement are:  · Planning (recognize scope, plan advancement techniques and objectives.)  · Requirements examination (what the site ought to do)  · Design (How the site is going to function)  · Implementation and Testing (Using the site and checking whether it works)  · Support (revising blunders, improving and upgrading) This procedure was utilized on the grounds that so as to deliver a powerful PC based application, especially where the venture is huge or potentially intricate, plans should be met, costs controlled, quality kept up and particulars clung to structure techniques should be followed. (Vehaart 2000) This is apparent in view of the web based financial that is given by the National Bank and there requirement for applicable forward-thinking data at there site which is a huge venture to control without the utilization of Planning, Analysis and Design. Basic segments Basic segments for a site (Ruth Kastenmayer Webmaster and style control editorial manager at Judson College (http://home.judson.edu/styleguide/contents.html)) are:  · Web page autonomy (Who, What, When, Where)  · User-focused plan (target crowd)  · Ease of route (clear simple to follow route)  · Access speed (furnish clients with data they need in least advances)  · Simplicity and consistency (straightforward, comparative arrangement)  · Page setting, and (where you are and where the following connection is going to take you)  · Functionality (guaranteeing things ‘e.g., links’ consistently work) On the above parts I will get to the National Bank site. At the point when you initially enter the landing page for the National Bank you are welcomed with an enormous flag clarifying what webpage you have entered, a rundown of snap capable connections clarifying what is held inside, down the base of the page it has when the site was made yet no indication of updates, all however you trust they do, and it has a tab header outline at the highest point of each page to take you to there landing page or different pages inside their website. This webpage has its intended interest group as a top priority they are Mr and Mrs Joe Bloggs and understudies. This is obvious through their utilization of picture cycling on their landing page where it goes through pictures of couples, singles and understudies and the customized accounts that they offer for them. The shockingly better part is the point at which you click on these pictures it takes you to the data about that account.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

The disadvantages and advantages for study outside your country Essay

The detriments and favorable circumstances for concentrate outside your nation - Essay Example This paper presents an investigation of the focal points and drawbacks of concentrating abroad, encounters looked by a larger part of understudies. There are various favorable circumstances related with concentrating abroad. To start with, since learning happens in an alternate domain, one associates with individuals of various societies. This is advantageous since the understudy can comprehend the way of life and how best to adapt to it, which is exceptionally basic at working environment. In that capacity, the understudy will have smooth collaboration with his/her individual coworkers in future. Besides, the understudy can assemble understanding, just as training autonomy, which sets them up from school life to adulthood. Thirdly, the understudy might be compelled to gain proficiency with an unknown dialect, which may be an additional preferred position in making sure about various assignments in future. Fourth, while concentrating abroad, one can work in low maintenance work, which collects some cash meeting individual costs and may be an opening to a superior paying activity, in future. There are various disservices related with concentrating abroad. Initially, the way of life in these nations is normally high, which causes the understudies to go through high measures of cash in meeting their essential needs. All things considered, the understudy needs to demand more assets from relatives just as embrace low maintenance employments. Also, social stun coming about because of various food stuffs, language and custom are obvious and may take well before the understudies adjust; along these lines, making them home debilitated. Thirdly, being in a remote nation, there are not many people who are eager to deal with an outside individual once s/he is wiped out. In that capacity, s/he may not profit the best treatment, in view of the human services issue. Fourthly, if the examination time frame is long, understudies may lose their way of life and receive the upgraded one, which may make it trying for him/her to perform ideally once they return to their nation of origin. Actually, I do concur that the two points of interest and

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Choosing a Major

Choosing a Major Ive been reading a lot of comments lately about which majors are harder than others and omg my friend says this class is impossible and dont be concerned about the difficulty of majors its all about what you love! theres obviously a lot of strife here, and I just wanted to address the topic in a proper way. First, some questions. Is Physics major popular at MIT or not? Yes? No? What do you think of when you think popular? There are about 50 physics (full 8) majors each year (judging by junior lab roster), and perhaps 20 more 8-B majors. Add that all up and it makes up ~7% of the class each year. Is that a lot? Thats hard to say, there are 22 majors. its not as popular as say, course 6, which is home to maybe 20-25% of the students in each year. But its big enough that youll need to share resources. Fun Fact! There are 92 physics faculty at MIT- and 5 of them are women. Luckily, the ratio of men to women physics majors is slightly more reasonable. Im thinking, just by looking around, maybe 13 out of 50 for the course 8 folks. I dont have any idea of 8-B. I cant believe you do all of this?!?! How do sleep? Do you sleep at all? I dont sleep much: maybe 5-7 hrs on weekdays and 7-9 on weekends (I have been occasionally known to sleep some 14 or 15 hours though)? But keep in mind those classes I listed werent like taken all during the same term or something. Im not on speed. This semester is the only semester that Ive taken more than 2 8-classes a term. And let me tell you this is too many 8-classes. Hi Lulu.I have a small question to ask.In Part 2,section 3 of the application,there is a question asking students to list any scholastic distinctions won since entering high school.Can this include,for example,honors won in oratory in the annual English-Day competition when in grade 8 or 9? Im unfamiliar with your system, but I probably wouldnt list that, personally. How much do you have to study to get really good marks in Physics (Maj.) Depends on how smart you are. Really. Which brings me to my main point: You hear it a lot. Do what you love. F*** the rest. (Little miss sunshine?) Its very good advice for most things but Id be careful when applying this to choice of major. I know, like, what? Am I crazy? Why am I allowed on here? But theres a very good reason for this. Reasons, even. Reason number 1: There are many paths to the same destination. So you love space technology, the natural choice might then be a major in course 16- do what you love, right? Well, maybe. But you should explore your options first, and here, you have quite a few. Sure, course 16 might get you what you want, but so might course 2 (mech e), or 2-A, or 8 (physics), or 8-B, or 6-1 (ee), or even 3 (material sci) or 12 (earth/planetary), depending on the specifics. There are a lot of options. You should look through them all! Take some intro classes, talk to upperclassmen, theres a lot of valuable information out there. Narrow your field of major choices down to only subjects that really have potential or you have not tried. Never eliminate something because it is unfamiliar. High schools dont teach Chemical Engineering or Nuclear Engineering as a rule. Find out about them. Ask questions. Reason number 2: All majors are not created equal. Maybe youve already heard from person A that asking about relative difficulty of majors is shallow and theres no such thing as hard majors and easy majors, it just depends on what youre into. Well, thats very interesting and all, person A, but you are very wrong and you are doing freshmen a disservice by preaching that. While there is no value in trying to determine an absolute hardest major, you HAVE to have a sense of what youre capable of and what youre getting yourself into. I know quite a few people who have either not graduated or not graduated on time as a result of failing classes within their major and/or changing majors too many times or some combination thereof. Some majors have a lot of requirements. Take course 16 for example. 198 units of credit are required OUTSIDE of GIRs in order to graduate. Take a look at this page, thats about 16 classes. On top of the 17 classes everyone has to take. You have 8 semesters here, and the average classload is 4/semester. 33 classes in 8 semesters doesnt allow for too many electives. Thats hard in its own right. Bad at memorizing things? Maybe chemistry or brain and cog sci isnt for you. Impatient? Hate doing grunt work? Maybe cross off some of the engineering majors. Some majors may be too easy for you and bore you to death. Some majors cover some really difficult material. Some of the abstract math classes here are among the hardest in the world. You should love a challenge, youre an MIT student, but you should also love yourself. A major that is too difficult for you will only make you miserable and insecure. You wont enjoy the course material and you wont enjoy the work, you wont sleep, and worst of all, you wont learn. Whats the point of taking classes to get them over with? So what if youre not smart enough to enjoy that stuff (Im not smart enough to enjoy that stuff), your talents may lie elsewhere. Pick a field in which you will really be able to participate and positively contribute. I say this because at MIT there is a real hidden (and sometimes not so hidden) pressure to do things just because they are hard. Or, the inverse, to not pick things just because they are by and large considered easy. Kids here are on the whole pretty smart, but that doesnt mean they dont need validation. Some kids try to earn the respect of others by taking on way more than ever reasonable, dont be like that, because these kids are often the same who will, in a couple of years, feel superior to their classmates just because their major is considered harder. And you just dont want to be like that. Nobody wants to be friends with that. I said to a freshman tonight, who was trying to find a suitable second major in the sciences to her course 15 (management) intended major, Why? Because some people had informed her that 15 was a slacker major and she wanted to prove she wasnt. This made me very sad and I told her that if someone picked one major that was right for them and did it well, learned it inside out, was really excited about it, no matter what the major, I would respect him orders of magnitude more than someone else who sacrificed a deeper education in something they were really interested in just for the sake of adding the name of a second subject to their diploma. Im really bored of the people who gave her this advice. Dont take it. Its dumb. (me) Ive been through two majors myself, I started off in 16 (while taking classes in 8) and switched to 8. I wrote an entry a year ago about my switch into 8 halfway through sophomore year. Watch out, its a little dramatic. But, I ended up not at all behind in the coursework since Id kept both options open as a tentative double major and taken all the usual physics classes up until that point. Thats something you might want to consider, prefrosh/freshmen- taking classes in 2+ subjects first semester sophomore year (and/or spring semester freshman year) so you can really get a feel for the different departments. And they are very different. And yes, this matters. Reason #3, 4, n: why really its not only about what you love: Departments. Curriculum. Staff. Resources. Career options. Size. Flexibility to do what you want. Whats more important to you? Having a tried and true certified-damn-good education from MIT in a subject matter (in my case, physics)? Or, having the freedom to design your own curriculum and indulge in your fancies? This isnt rhetorical- it matters. This is what Im deciding between now with 8 and 8-B. To be quite honest I was 2 weeks ago leaning toward 8-B for the option of taking General Relativity or Astrophysics next term, however, I had this thought a few days ago that was big enough, at least in Lulu-world, to have actually tipped the scale toward 8. The thought was that I wanted a physics education from MIT, the way that theyve been training physicists for years, and though I may feel like I know better at times, I probably dont, and I could do well to finish what I started and trust in their judgment. Anyways, thats just me. Teaching styles vary wildly between departments. Yes, let that affect your choice. A clash of learning and teaching styles is one of the most disastrous things that could happen to a student in college. It will make you lose interest, and fast. Higher level math classes dont have recitations: you are expected to either understand the lecture material or visit the professor privately with questions. Are you comfortable in that kind of a setting for 4 years? Engineering classes have a lot of repetition and hand-holding, this can get annoying if youre normally independent. Course 6 is impersonally large and they compensate by having 4-5 person mandatory tutoring sections once a week, these are all things that you should know. To make things easier later on, before you pick a major, reflect a little on what youd like to do. If you dont have any idea (dont worry, I dont either), an important feature of your degree track should be later flexibility. Will it allow you to attend medical school if you decide? Grad school? Work on wall street? Babysit? There are lots of majors (8, 18, 6, 2, ) that are really good for branching out later on into all kinds of fields. Your interests may change, especially as you get deeper into a field, you may find it not at all what you were expecting (this happens all the time, I cant even stress that enough), you can develop interests in things you never thought possible: sometimes this is out of necessity, sometimes just because every subject in its own right is interesting (or else you wouldnt have organic chemists) and you just needed some time to really get into it. I see this happen all the time. Your interests may change, but with some thought put into your choice of major, this doesnt have to mean extra semesters or no diploma. Alllll this talking aside, undergraduate majors by name are not a big deal. Graduate schools, still a faraway thought for you guys, but looming ever nearer for me, dont give two hoots about the name of your major, they care about whats in your head, your coursework, your research In fact, Ive been told quite a few times that taking Grad-level courses and having more than one major will actually hurt your chances at grad schools- they like to see that you have built a solid foundation in their subject and view anything else as a distraction. Anyways, I made up a really crappy but maybe useful timeline for when you should be doing what with regard to your major/choice of major. And it starts NOW! (only if youre a freshman, NEXTYEAR! if youre a prefrosh). Fall Semester Freshman Year: Talk to people! Research! Ask Questions. IAP Freshman Year: Decide what major(s) you may be interested in/want to try out. Plan some spring semester classes that explore these options. Spring Freshman Year: Take these classes. Reevaluate. End of Spring Freshman Year: Pick a major. It doesnt have to be permanent, but youll make it easier on yourself to do some exploring before you pick, since, though switching majors is easy, catching up in classes, isnt. Summer after Freshman Year: You are assigned your department advisor! This is fun, because youll come back and meet them probably with food or canoeing involved (the latter may just pertain to my advisor may not be an actual rule). End of Sophomore Year: Deadline for deciding to stick with your major unless you are considering a 5th year or a 9th semester or you have already been taking cohesive classes in the major that you want to switch into. This is because most degree tracks are designed to take 2-3 years. If you havent started on that after the end of sophomore year, you may need to only consider flexible options for fewer requirements. For an outdated (but still interesting) overview of some departments published in 2002 by the Tech, take a look at this: http://www-tech.mit.edu/V122/N5/5majbr.5n.html. Anyways, Im doing this because my freshman friend Larisa is having a major crisis (that is, a crisis regarding her major, though it also appears to be quite troubling for her). Please feel free to ask questions about specific majors and I will try my best to answer them or find a satisfactory answer from someone who knows. I like feeling helpful. Sorry there arent any pictures in this one I took pictures of junior lab, so Ill put that together soon. -lulu

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Different Types of Natural Selection

One important thing for teachers to do after introducing a new concept is to check for complete student understanding of the main ideas. They also must be able to use the new knowledge and apply it to other situations if a deep and lasting connection of other scientific and evolution concepts is to be obtained. Critical thinking questions are a good way to monitor a students understanding of a complex topic such as the different types of natural selection. After a student has been introduced to the concept of natural selection and given information about stabilizing selection, disruptive selection, and directional selection, a good teacher will check for understanding. However, sometimes it is hard to come up with well constructed critical thinking questions that apply to the Theory of Evolution. One type of somewhat informal assessment of students is a quick worksheet or questions that introduce a scenario to which they should be able to apply their knowledge to come up with a prediction or a solution to a problem. These types of analysis question can cover many levels of Blooms Taxonomy, depending on how the questions are worded. Whether it is just a quick check on understanding vocabulary at a basic level, applying the knowledge to a real world example, or connecting it to prior knowledge, these types of questions can be adapted to the class population and the teachers immediate needs. Below, there are some of these types of questions that use a students understanding of the types of natural selection and links it back to other important ideas of evolution and various other science topics. Analysis Questions Use the scenario below to answer the following questions: A population of 200 tiny black and brown birds is blown off course and ends up on a fairly large island where there is a lot of open grassland with small shrubs right next to rolling hills with deciduous trees. There are other species on the island such as mammals, many different types of vascular and non-vascular plants, an abundance of insects, a few lizards, and a somewhat small population of large birds of prey similar to hawks, but there are no other species of small birds on the island, so there will be very little competition for the new population. There are two types of plants with seeds edible for the birds. One is a small-seeded tree that is found on the hills and the other is a shrub that has very large seeds. 1. Discuss what you think might happen to this population of birds over many generations with respect to the three different types of selection. Formulate your argument, including backing evidence, for which of the three types of natural selection the birds will likely undergo and debate and defend your thoughts with a classmate. 2. How will the type of natural selection you have chosen for the population of birds affect the other species in the area? Choose one of the given other species and explain what sort of natural selection they may undergo because of this sudden immigration of small birds to the island. 3. Choose one example of each of the following types of relationships between species on the island and fully explain them and how co-evolution may occur if the scenario plays out how you described it. Will the type of natural selection for these species change in any way? Why or why not? Predator and Prey relationshipMutualistic relationshipCompetitive relationship (for food, mates, etc.) 4. After many generations of offspring of the small birds on the island, describe how natural selection could lead to speciation and macroevolution. What would this do to the gene pool and allele frequency for the population of birds? (Note: Scenario and questions adapted from Chapter 15 Active Learning Exercises from first edition of Principles of Life by Hillis)

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Lord Of The Flies By William Golding - 818 Words

William Golding’s survivalist, dystopian novel, Lord of the Flies, reveals the civilizing influence of good order and discipline in human society, and the consequences of the absence of these conditions. Throughout the work, Golding’s employment of the conch shell as a symbol illustrates the importance of authority, discipline, and civility in the young boys’ lives on the island. In the first place, the conch represents authority on the island. Undoubtedly, Ralph retrieves the conch shell out of the water with the prospect of power in mind. Piggy comments, â€Å"‘Ralph!†... â€Å"We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us—† ...â€Å"That was what you meant, didn’t you? That’s why you got the conch out of the†¦show more content†¦Hence, Ralph is evaluating the situation and the children s response by holding up the conch. The children respond, â€Å"Let him be chief with the trumpet-thing† (Golding, 22). Clearly, Ralph is using the conch to establish authority on the island. In the second place, Ralph uses the conch to discipline the children on the island. Golding writes, â€Å"They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority† (59). Indeed, this clearly demonstrates established authority, and the children obey Ralph because he displays leadership ability. The children see the conch as a powerful instrument, worthy of reverent obedience. Ralph further introduces discipline by using the conch to silence the children when he wants to address them at the meeting. Golding writes, â€Å"Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence† (23). To clarify, Ralph holds up the conch, indicating that he displays the conch as a symbol of his demand for obedience. Golding says, â€Å"there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch† (22). Once again, the conch in this case commands respect and establishe s obedience. In the third place, the conch inaugurates civility amongst the children. As an example, during one of the meetings, Jack silently requests to hold the conch to speak, â€Å"Jack held out his hands for the conch...holding the delicate thing

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Twilight Saga 2 New Moon Chapter 2 STITCHES Free Essays

CARLISLE WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO STAYED calm. Centuries of experience in the emergency room were evident in his quiet, authoritative voice. â€Å"Emmett, Rose, get Jasper outside. We will write a custom essay sample on The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 2 STITCHES or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Unsmiling for once, Emmett nodded. â€Å"Come on, Jasper.† Jasper struggled against Emmett’s unbreakable grasp, twisting around, reaching toward his brother with his bared teeth, his eyes still past reason. Edward’s face was whiter than bone as he wheeled to crouch over me, taking a clearly defensive position. A low warning growl slid from between his clenched teeth. I could tell that he wasn’t breathing. Rosalie, her divine face strangely smug, stepped in front of Jasperkeeping a careful distance from his teethand helped Emmett wrestle him through the glass door that Esme held open, one hand pressed over her mouth and nose. Esme’s heart-shaped face was ashamed. â€Å"I’m so sorry, Bella,† she cried as she followed the others into the yard. â€Å"Let me by, Edward,† Carlisle murmured. A second passed, and then Edward nodded slowly and relaxed his stance. Carlisle knelt beside me, leaning close to examine my arm. I could feel the shock frozen on my face, and I tried to compose it. â€Å"Here, Carlisle,† Alice said, handing him a towel. He shook his head. â€Å"Too much glass in the wound.† He reached over and ripped a long, thin scrap from the bottom of the white tablecloth. He twisted it around my arm above the elbow to form a tourniquet. The smell of the blood was making me dizzy. My ears rang. â€Å"Bella,† Carlisle said softly. â€Å"Do you want me to drive you to the hospital, or would you like me to take care of it here?† â€Å"Here, please,† I whispered. If he took me to the hospital, there would be no way to keep this from Charlie. â€Å"I’ll get your bag,† Alice said. â€Å"Let’s take her to the kitchen table,† Carlisle said to Edward. Edward lifted me effortlessly, while Carlisle kept the pressure steady on my arm. â€Å"How are you doing, Bella?† Carlisle asked. â€Å"I’m fine.† My voice was reasonably steady, which pleased me. Edward’s face was like stone. Alice was there. Carlisle’s black bag was already on the table, a small but brilliant desk light plugged into the wall. Edward sat me gently into a chair, and Carlisle pulled up another. He went to work at once. Edward stood over me, still protective, still not breathing. â€Å"Just go, Edward,† I sighed. â€Å"I can handle it,† he insisted. But his jaw was rigid; his eyes burned with the intensity of the thirst he fought, so much worse for him than it was for the others. â€Å"You don’t need to be a hero,† I said. â€Å"Carlisle can fix me up without your help. Get some fresh air.† I winced as Carlisle did something to my arm that stung. â€Å"I’ll stay,† he said. â€Å"Why are you so masochistic?† I mumbled. Carlisle decided to intercede. â€Å"Edward, you may as well go find Jasper before he gets too far. I’m sure he’s upset with himself, and I doubt he’ll listen to anyone but you right now.† â€Å"Yes,† I eagerly agreed. â€Å"Go find Jasper.† â€Å"You might as well do something useful,† Alice added. Edward’s eyes narrowed as we ganged up on him, but, finally, he nodded once and sprinted smoothly through the kitchen’s back door. I was sure he hadn’t taken a breath since I’d sliced my finger. A numb, dead feeling was spreading through my arm. Though it erased the sting, it reminded me of the gash, and I watched Carlisle’s face carefully to distract me from what his hands were doing. His hair gleamed gold in the bright light as he bent over my arm. I could feel the faint stirrings of unease in the pit of my stomach, but I was determined not to let my usual squeamishness get the best of me. There was no pain now, just a gentle tugging sensation that I tried to ignore. No reason to get sick like a baby. If she hadn’t been in my line of sight, I wouldn’t have noticed Alice give up and steal out of the room. With a tiny, apologetic smile on her lips, she disappeared through the kitchen doorway. â€Å"Well, that’s everyone,† I sighed. â€Å"I can clear a room, at least.† â€Å"It’s not your fault,† Carlisle comforted me with a chuckle. â€Å"It could happen to anyone.† â€Å"Could† I repeated. â€Å"But it usually just happens to me.† He laughed again. His relaxed calm was only more amazing set in direct contrast with everyone else’s reaction. I couldn’t find any trace of anxiety in his face. He worked with quick, sure movements. The only sound besides our quiet breathing was the soft plink, plink as the tiny fragments of glass dropped one by one to the table. â€Å"How can you do this?† I demanded. â€Å"Even Alice and Esme† I trailed off, shaking my head in wonder. Though the rest of them had given up the traditional diet of vampires just as absolutely as Carlisle had, he was the only one who could bear the smell of my blood without suffering from the intense temptation. Clearly, this was much more difficult than he made it seem. â€Å"Years and years of practice,† he told me. â€Å"I barely notice the scent anymore.† â€Å"Do you think it would be harder if you took a vacation from the hospital for a long time. And weren’t around any blood?† â€Å"Maybe.† He shrugged his shoulders, but his hands remained steady. â€Å"I’ve never felt the need for an extended holiday.† He flashed a brilliant smile in my direction. â€Å"I enjoy my work too much.† Plink, plink, plink. I was surprised at how much glass there seemed to be in my arm. I was tempted to glance at the growing pile, just to check the size, but I knew that idea would not be helpful to my no-vomiting strategy. â€Å"What is it that you enjoy?† I wondered. It didn’t make sense to methe years of struggle and self-denial he must have spent to get to the point where he could endure this so easily. Besides, I wanted to keep him talking; the conversation kept my mind off the queasy feeling in my stomach. His dark eyes were calm and thoughtful as he answered. â€Å"Hmm. What I enjoy the very most is when my enhanced abilities let me save someone who would otherwise have been lost. It’s pleasant knowing that, thanks to what I can do, some people’s lives are better because I exist. Even the sense of smell is a useful diagnostic tool at times.† One side of his mouth pulled up in half a smile. I mulled that over while he poked around, making sure all the glass splinters were gone. Then he rummaged in his bag for new tools, and I tried not to picture a needle and thread. â€Å"You try very hard to make up for something that was never your fault,† I suggested while a new kind of tugging started at the edges of my skin. â€Å"What I mean is, it’s not like you asked for this. You didn’t choose this kind of life, and yet you have to work so hard to be good.† â€Å"I don’t know that I’m making up for anything,† he disagreed lightly. â€Å"Like everything in life, I just had to decide what to do with what I was given.† â€Å"That makes it sound too easy.† He examined my arm again. â€Å"There,† he said, snipping a thread. â€Å"All done.† He wiped an oversized Q-tip, dripping with some syrup-colored liquid, thoroughly across the operation site. The smell was strange; it made my head spin. The syrup stained my skin. â€Å"In the beginning, though,† I pressed while he taped another long piece of gauze securely in place, sealing it to my skin. â€Å"Why did you even think to try a different way than the obvious one?† His lips turned up in a private smile. â€Å"Hasn’t Edward told you this story?† â€Å"Yes. But I’m trying to understand what you were thinking† His face was suddenly serious again, and I wondered if his thoughts had gone to the same place that mine had. Wondering what I would be thinking whenI refused to think ifit was me. â€Å"You know my father was a clergyman,† he mused as he cleaned the table carefully, rubbing everything down with wet gauze, and then doing it again. The smell of alcohol burned in my nose. â€Å"He had a rather harsh view of the world, which I was already beginning to question before the time that I changed.† Carlisle put all the dirty gauze and the glass slivers into an empty crystal bowl. I didn’t understand what he was doing, even when he lit the match. Then he threw it onto the alcohol-soaked fibers, and the sudden blaze made me jump. â€Å"Sorry,† he apologized. â€Å"That ought to do it So I didn’t agree with my father’s particular brand of faith. But never, in the nearly four hundred years now since I was born, have I ever seen anything to make me doubt whether God exists in some form or the other. Not even the reflection in the mirror.† I pretended to examine the dressing on my arm to hide my surprise at the direction our conversation had taken. Religion was the last thing I expected, all things considered. My own life was fairly devoid of belief. Charlie considered himself a Lutheran, because that’s what his parents had been, but Sundays he worshipped by the river with a fishing pole in his hand. Renee tried out a church now and then, but, much like her brief affairs with tennis, pottery, yoga, and French classes, she moved on by the time I was aware of her newest fad. â€Å"I’m sure all this sounds a little bizarre, coming from a vampire.† He grinned, knowing how their casual use of that word never failed to shock me. â€Å"But I’m hoping that there is still a point to this life, even for us. It’s a long shot, I’ll admit,† he continued in an offhand voice. â€Å"By all accounts, we’re damned regardless. But I hope, maybe foolishly, that we’ll get some measure of credit for trying.† â€Å"I don’t think that’s foolish,† I mumbled. I couldn’t imagine anyone, deity included, who wouldn’t be impressed by Carlisle. Besides, the only kind of heaven I could appreciate would have to include Edward. â€Å"And I don’t think anyone else would, either.† â€Å"Actually, you’re the very first one to agree with me.† â€Å"The rest of them don’t feel the same?† I asked, surprised, thinking of only one person in particular. Carlisle guessed the direction of my thoughts again. â€Å"Edward’s with me up to a point. God and heaven exist and so does hell. But he doesn’t believe there is an afterlife for our kind.† Carlisle’s voice was very soft; he stared out the big window over the sink, into the darkness. â€Å"You see, he thinks we’ve lost our souls.† I immediately thought of Edward’s words this afternoon: unless you want to dieor whatever it is that we do. The lightbulb flicked on over my head. â€Å"That’s the real problem, isn’t it?† I guessed. â€Å"That’s why he’s being so difficult about me.† Carlisle spoke slowly. â€Å"I look at my son. His strength, his goodness, the brightness that shines out of himand it only fuels that hope, that faith, more than ever. How could there not be more for one such as Edward?† I nodded in fervent agreement. â€Å"But if I believed as he does† He looked down at me with unfathomable eyes. â€Å"If you believed as he did. Could you take away his soul?† The way he phrased the question thwarted my answer. If he’d asked me whether I would risk my soul for Edward, the reply would be obvious. But would I risk Edward’s soul? I pursed my lips unhappily. That wasn’t a fair exchange. â€Å"You see the problem.† I shook my head, aware of the stubborn set of my chin. Carlisle sighed. â€Å"It’s my choice,† I insisted. â€Å"It’s his, too.† He held up his hand when he could see that I was about to argue. â€Å"Whether he is responsible for doing that to you.† â€Å"He’s not the only one able to do it.† I eyed Carlisle speculatively. He laughed, abruptly lightening the mood. â€Å"Oh, no! You’re going to have to work this out with him.†But then he sighed. â€Å"That’s the one part I can never be sure of. I think, in most other ways, that I’ve done the best I could with what I had to work with. But was it right to doom the others to this life? I can’t decide.† I didn’t answer. I imagined what my life would be like if Carlisle had resisted the temptation to change his lonely existence and shuddered. â€Å"It was Edward’s mother who made up my mind.† Carlisle’s voice was almost a whisper. He stared unseeingly out the black windows. â€Å"His mother?† Whenever I’d asked Edward about his parents, he would merely say that they had died long ago, and his memories were vague. I realized Carlisle’s memory of them, despite the brevity of their contact, would be perfectly clear. â€Å"Yes. Her name was Elizabeth. Elizabeth Masen. His father, Edward Senior, never regained consciousness in the hospital. He died in the first wave of the influenza. But Elizabeth was alert until almost the very end. Edward looks a great deal like hershe had that same strange bronze shade to her hair, and her eyes were exactly the same color green.† â€Å"His eyes were green?† I murmured, trying to picture it. â€Å"Yes† Carlisle’s ocher eyes were a hundred years away now. â€Å"Elizabeth worried obsessively over her son. She hurt her own chances of survival trying to nurse him from her sickbed. I expected that he would go first, he was so much worse off than she was. When the end came for her, it was very quick. It was just after sunset, and I’d arrived to relieve the doctors who’d been working all day. That was a hard time to pretendthere was so much work to be done, and I had no need of rest. How I hated to go back to my house, to hide in the dark and pretend to sleep while so many were dying. â€Å"I went to check Elizabeth and her son first. I’d grown attachedalways a dangerous thing to do considering the fragile nature of humans. I could see at once that she’d taken a bad turn. The fever was raging out of control, and her body was too weak to fight anymore. â€Å"She didn’t look weak, though, when she glared up at me from her cot. â€Å"Save him!’ she commanded me in the hoarse voice that was all her throat could manage. â€Å"I’ll do everything in my power,’ I promised her, taking her hand. The fever was so high, she probably couldn’t even tell how unnaturally cold mine felt. Everything felt cold to her skin. â€Å"You must,† she insisted, clutching at my hand with enough strength that I wondered if she wouldn’t pull through the crisis after all. Her eyes were hard, like stones, like emeralds. ‘You must do everything in your power. What others cannot do, that is what you must do for my Edward.† â€Å"It frightened me. She looked it me with those piercing eyes, and, for one instant, I felt certain that she knew my secret. Then the fever overwhelmed her, and she never regained consciousness. She died within an hour of making her demand. â€Å"I’d spent decades considering the idea of creating a companion for myself. Just one other creature who could really know me, rather than what I pretended to be. But I could never justify it to myselfdoing what had been done to me. â€Å"There Edward lay, dying. It was clear that he had only hours left. Beside him, his mother, her face somehow not yet peaceful, not even in death.† Carlisle saw it all again, his memory unblurred by the intervening century. I could see it clearly, too, as he spokethe despair of the hospital, the overwhelming atmosphere of death. Edward burning with fever, his life slipping away with each tick of the clock I shuddered again, and forced the picture from my mind. â€Å"Elizabeth’s words echoed in my head. How could she guess what I could do? Could anyone really want that for her son? â€Å"I looked at Edward. Sick as he was, he was still beautiful. There was something pure and good about his face. The kind of face I would have wanted my son to have. â€Å"After all those years of indecision, I simply acted on a whim. I wheeled his mother to the morgue first, and then I came back for him. No one noticed that he was still breathing. There weren’t enough hands, enough eyes, to keep track of half of what the patients needed. The morgue was emptyof the living, at least. I stole him out the back door, and carried him across the rooftops back to my home. â€Å"I wasn’t sure what had to be done. I settled for recreating the wounds I’d received myself, so many centuries earlier in London. I felt bad about that later. It was more painful and lingering than necessary. â€Å"I wasn’t sorry, though. I’ve never been sorry that I saved Edward.† He shook his head, coming back to the present. He smiled at me. â€Å"I suppose I should take you home now.† â€Å"I’ll do that,† Edward said. He came through the shadowy dining room, walking slowly for him. His face was smooth, unreadable, but there was something wrong with his eyessomething he was trying very hard to hide. I felt a spasm of unease in my stomach. â€Å"Carlisle can take me,† I said. I looked down at my shirt; the light blue cotton was soaked and spotted with my blood. My right shoulder was covered in thick pink frosting. â€Å"I’m fine.† Edward’s voice was unemotional. â€Å"You’ll need to change anyway. You’d give Charlie a heart attack the way you look. I’ll have Alice get you something.† He strode out the kitchen door again. I looked at Carlisle anxiously. â€Å"He’s very upset.† â€Å"Yes,† Carlisle agreed. â€Å"Tonight is exactly the kind of thing that he fears the most. You being put in danger, because of what we are.† â€Å"It’s not his fault.† â€Å"It’s not yours, either.† I looked away from his wise, beautiful eyes. I couldn’t agree with that. Carlisle offered me his hand and helped me up from the table. I followed him out into the main room. Esme had come back; she was mopping the floor where I’d fallenwith straight bleach from the smell of it. â€Å"Esme, let me do that.† I could feel that my face was bright red again. â€Å"I’m already done.† She smiled up at me. â€Å"How do you feel?† â€Å"I’m fine,† I assured her. â€Å"Carlisle sews faster than any other doctor I’ve had.† They both chuckled. Alice and Edward came in the back doors. Alice hurried to my side, but Edward hung back, his face indecipherable. â€Å"C’mon,† Alice said. â€Å"I’ll get you something less macabre to wear.† She found me a shirt of Esme’s that was close to the same color mine had been. Charlie wouldn’t notice, I was sure. The long white bandage on my arm didn’t look nearly as serious when I was no longer spattered in gore. Charlie was never surprised to see me bandaged. â€Å"Alice,† I whispered as she headed back to the door. â€Å"Yes?† She kept her voice low, too, and looked at me curiously, her head cocked to the side. â€Å"How bad is it?† I couldn’t be sure if my whispering was a wasted effort. Even though we were upstairs, with the door closed, perhaps he could hear me. Her face tensed. â€Å"I’m not sure yet.† â€Å"How’s Jasper?† She sighed. â€Å"He’s very unhappy with himself. It’s all so much more of challenge for him, and he hates feeling weak.† â€Å"It’s not his fault. You’ll tell him that I’m not mad at him, not at all, won’t you?† â€Å"Of course.† Edward was waiting for me by the front door. As I got to the bottom of the staircase, he held it open without a word. â€Å"Take your things!† Alice cried as I walked warily toward Edward. She scooped up the two packages, one half-opened, and my camera from under the piano, and pressed them into my good arm. â€Å"You can thank me later, when you’ve opened them.† Esme and Carlisle both said a quiet goodnight. I could see them stealing quick glances at their impassive son, much like I was. It was a relief to be outside; I hurried past the lanterns and the roses, now unwelcome reminders. Edward kept pace with me silently. He opened the passenget side for me, and I climbed in without complaint. On the dashboard was a big red ribbon, stuck to the new stereo. I pulled it off, throwing it to the floor. As Edward slid into the other side, I kicked the ribbon under my seat. He didn’t look at me or the stereo. Neither of us switched it on, and the silence was somehow intensified by the sudden thunder of the engine. He drove too fast down the dark, serpentine lane. The silence was making me insane. â€Å"Say something,† I finally begged as he turned onto the freeway. â€Å"What do you want me to say?† he asked in a detached voice. I cringed at his remoteness. ‘Tell me you forgive me.† That brought a flicker of life to his facea flicker of anger. â€Å"Forgive you? For what?† â€Å"If I’d been more careful, nothing would have happened.† â€Å"Bella, you gave yourself a paper cutthat hardly deserves the death penalty.† â€Å"It’s still my fault.† My words opened up the floodgate. â€Å"Your fault? If you’d cut yourself at Mike Newton’s house, with Jessica there and Angela and your other normal friends, the worst that could possibly have happened would be what? Maybe they couldn’t find you a bandage? If you’d tripped and knocked over a pile of glass plates on your ownwithout someone throwing you into themeven then, what’s the worst? You’d get blood on the seats when they drove you to the emergency room? Mike Newton could have held your hand while they stitched you upand he wouldn’t be righting the urge to kill you the whole time he was there. Don’t try to take any of this on yourself, Bella. It will only make me more disgusted with myself.† â€Å"How the hell did Mike Newton end up in this conversation?† I demanded. â€Å"Mike Newton ended up in this conversation because Mike Newton would be a hell of a lot healthier for you to be with,† he growled. â€Å"I’d rather die than be with Mike Newton,† I protested. â€Å"I’d rather die than be with anyone but you.† â€Å"Don’t be melodramatic, please.† â€Å"Well then, don’t you be ridiculous.† He didn’t answer. He glared through the windshield, his expression black. I racked my brain for some way to salvage the evening. When we pulled up in front of my house, I still hadn’t come up with anything. He killed the engine, but his hands stayed clenched around the steering wheel. â€Å"Will you stay tonight?† I asked. â€Å"I should go home.† The last thing I wanted was for him to go wallow in remorse. â€Å"For my birthday,† I pressed. â€Å"You can’t have it both wayseither you want people to ignore your birthday or you don’t. One or the other.† His voice was stern, but not .is serious as before. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. â€Å"Okay. I’ve decided that I don’t want you to ignore my birthday. I’ll see you upstairs.† I hopped out, reaching back in for my packages. He frowned. â€Å"You don’t have to take those.† â€Å"I want them,† I responded automatically, and then wondered if he was using reverse psychology. â€Å"No, you don’t. Carlisle and Esme spent money on you.† â€Å"I’ll live.† I tucked the presents awkwardly under my good arm and slammed the door behind me. He was out of the truck and by my side in less than a second. â€Å"Let me carry them, at least.† he said as he took them away. â€Å"I’ll be in your room.† I smiled. â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Happy birthday,† he sighed, and leaned down to touch his lips to mine. I reached up on my toes to make the kiss last longer when he pulled away. He smiled my favorite crooked smile, and then he disappeared into the darkness. The game was still on; as soon as I walked through the front door I could hear the announcer rambling over the babble of the crowd. â€Å"Bell?† Charlie called. â€Å"Hey, Dad,† I said as I came around the corner. I held my arm close to my side. The slight pressure burned, and I wrinkled my nose. The anesthetic was apparently losing its effectiveness. â€Å"How was it?† Charlie lounged across the sofa with his bare feet propped up on the arm. What was left of his curly brown hair was crushed flat on one side. â€Å"Alice went overboard. Flowers, cake, candles, presentsthe whole bit.† â€Å"What did they get you?† â€Å"A stereo for my truck.† And various unknowns. â€Å"Wow.† â€Å"Yeah,† I agreed. â€Å"Well, I’m calling it a night.† â€Å"I’ll see you in the morning.† I waved. â€Å"See ya.† â€Å"What happened to your arm?† I flushed and cursed silently. â€Å"I tripped. It’s nothing.† â€Å"Bella,† he sighed, shaking his head. â€Å"Goodnight, Dad.† I hurried up to the bathroom, where I kept my pajamas for just such nights as these. I shrugged into the matching tank top and cotton pants that I’d gotten to replace the holey sweats I used to wear to bed, wincing as the movement pulled at the stitches. I washed my face one-handed, brushed my teeth, and then skipped to my room. He was sitting in the center of my bed, toying idly with one of the silver boxes. â€Å"Hi,† he said. His voice was sad. He was wallowing. I went to the bed, pushed the presents out of his hands, and climbed into his lap. â€Å"Hi.† I snuggled into his stone chest. â€Å"Can I open my presents now?† â€Å"Where did the enthusiasm come from?† he wondered. â€Å"You made me curious.† I picked up the long flat rectangle that must have been from Carlisle and Esme. â€Å"Allow me,† he suggested. He took the gift from my hand and tore the silver paper off with one fluid movement. He handed the rectangular white box back to me. â€Å"Are you sure I can handle lifting the lid?† I muttered, but he ignored me. Inside the box was a long thick piece of paper with an overwhelming amount of fine print. It took me a minute to get the gist of the information. â€Å"We’re going to Jacksonville?† And I was excited, in spite of myself. It was a voucher for plane tickets, for both me and Edward. â€Å"That’s the idea.† â€Å"I can’t believe it. Renee is going to flip! You don’t mind, though, do you? It’s sunny, you’ll have to stay inside all day.† â€Å"I think I can handle it,† he said, and then frowned. â€Å"If I’d had any idea that you could respond to a gift this appropriately, I would have made you open it in front of Carlisle and Esme. I thought you’d complain.† â€Å"Well, of course it’s too much. But I get to take you with me!† He chuckled. â€Å"Now I wish I’d spent money on your present. I didn’t realize that you were capable of being reasonable.† I set the tickets aside and reached for his present, my curiosity rekindled. He took it from me and unwrapped it like the first one. He handed back a clear CD jewel case, with a blank silver CD inside. â€Å"What is it?† I asked, perplexed. He didn’t say anything; he took the CD and reached around me to put it in the CD player on the bedside table. He hit play, and we waited in silence. Then the music began. I listened, speechless and wide-eyed. I knew he was waiting for my reaction, but I couldn’t talk. Tears welled up, and I reached up to wipe them away before they could spill over. â€Å"Does your arm hurt?† he asked anxiously. â€Å"No, it’s not my arm. It’s beautiful, Edward. You couldn’t have given me anything I would love more. I can’t believe it.† I shut up, so I could listen. It was his music, his compositions. The first piece on the CD was my lullaby. â€Å"I didn’t think you would let me get a piano so I could play for you here,† he explained. â€Å"You’re right.† â€Å"How does your arm feel?† â€Å"Just fine.† Actually, it was starting to blaze under the bandage. I wanted ice. I would have settled for his hand, but that would have given me away. â€Å"I’ll get you some Tylenol.† â€Å"I don’t need anything,† I protested, but he slid me off his lap and headed for the door. â€Å"Charlie,† I hissed. Charlie wasn’t exactly aware that Edward frequently stayed over. In fact, he would have a stroke if that fact were brought to his attention. But I didn’t feel too guilty for deceiving him It wasn’t as if we were up to anything he wouldn’t want me to be up to. Edward and his rules â€Å"He won’t catch me,† Edward promised as he disappeared silently out the door . . and returned, catching the door before it had swung back to touch the frame. He had the glass from the bathroom and the bottle of pills in one hand. I took the pills he handed me without arguingI knew I would lose the argument And my arm really was starting to bother me. My lullaby continued, soft and lovely, in the background. â€Å"It’s late,† Edward noted. He scooped me up off the bed with one arm, and pulled the cover back with the other. He put me down with my head on my pillow and tucked the quilt around me. He lay down next to meon top of the blanket so I wouldn’t get chilledand put his arm over me. I leaned my head against his shoulder and sighed happily. â€Å"Thanks again,† I whispered. â€Å"You’re welcome.† It was quiet for a long moment as I listened to my lullaby drift to a close. Another song began. I recognized Esme’s favorite. â€Å"What are you thinking about?'† I wondered in a whisper. He hesitated for a second before he told me. â€Å"I was thinking about right and wrong, actually.† I felt a chill tingle along my spine. â€Å"Remember how I decided that I wanted you to not ignore my birthday?† I asked quickly, hoping it wasn’t too clear that I was trying to distract him. â€Å"Yes,† he agreed, wary. â€Å"Well, I was thinking, since it’s still my birthday, that I’d like you to kiss me again.† â€Å"You’re greedy tonight.† â€Å"Yes, I ambut please, don’t do anything you don’t want to do,† I added, piqued. He laughed, and then sighed. â€Å"Heaven forbid that I should do anything I don’t want to do,† he said in a strangely desperate tone as he put his hand under my chin and pulled my face up to his. The kiss began much the same as usualEdward was as careful as ever, and my heart began to overreact like it always did. And then something seemed to change. Suddenly his lips became much more urgent, his free hand twisted into my hair and held my face securely to his. And, though my hands tangled in his hair, too, and though I was clearly beginning to cross his cautious lines, for once he didn’t stop me. His body was cold through the thin quilt, but I crushed myself against him eagerly. When he stopped it was abrupt; he pushed me away with gentle, firm hands. I collapsed back onto my pillow, gasping, my head spinning. Something tugged at my memory, elusive, on the edges. â€Å"Sorry,† he said, and he was breathless, too. â€Å"That was out of line.† â€Å"I don’t mind,† I panted. He frowned at me in the darkness. â€Å"Try to sleep. Bella.† â€Å"No, I want you to kiss me again.† â€Å"You’re overestimating my self-control.† â€Å"Which is tempting you more, my blood or my body?† I challenged. â€Å"It’s a tie.† He grinned briefly in spite of himself, and then was serious again. â€Å"Now. why don’t you stop pushing your luck and go to sleep?† â€Å"Fine,† I agreed, snuggling closer to him. I really did feel exhausted. It had been a long day in so many ways, yet I felt no sense of relief at its end. Almost as if something worse was coming tomorrow. It was a silly premonitionwhat could be worse than today?’ Just the shock catching up with me, no doubt. Trying to be sneaky about it, I pressed my injured arm against his shoulder, so his cool skin would sooth the burning. It felt better at once. I was halfway asleep, maybe more, when I realized what his kiss had reminded me of: last spring, when he’d had to leave me to throw James off my trail, Edward had kissed me goodbye, not knowing whenor ifwe would see each other again. This kiss had the same almost painful edge for some reason I couldn’t imagine. I shuddered into unconsciousness, as if I were already having a nightmare. How to cite The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 2 STITCHES, Essay examples

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Reflection on Venediction Without Understanding free essay sample

But because majority of the Filipino was not educated, they could not see what Rizal wanted for all of them. They could not see what he was planning for our country and they did not see how it could benefit all of them, including the indios. Rizal is really intellectually excellent. He did not want to be separated from Spain because he knows that we can greatly benefit being a part of the country of Spain as a province. All of the indios will not be looked down since their rank will be elevated. If Spain has given us good education and better attention, there could be no revolution or act against the Spaniards. I admired Rizal’s intelligence.As a student who lives in this century, I can understand why our national hero did those things. He did not only think of the consequences of the action of the Filipinos but also their welfare after the proposed revolution. We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection on Venediction Without Understanding or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I strongly agree that we must be first educated on how to run a government properly so that we can appreciate what it really does before taking it from the colonizers. Taking over the government without really knowing how to run it will make the matter worse. People will be assigned to offices which does not really suit them and by that, they can be making wrong decisions that can affect the whole country.Rizal knew that Filipinos does not yet have the capacity to lead its own country. Rizal was not entirely sided with the Spaniards. He also saw flaws in the way they run our country. They have been cruel to Filipinos, which Rizal did not really like. His family was one of the people who have experienced maltreatment from the Spaniards. He himself is exposed to it. Hailing Rizal as our national hero was right. Many had sacrificed their lives for our country but it was Rizal’s unique ability that set him above the rest. He opposed rebellion because he thought it could do nothing good to our country.He knows that attached to rebellion is criminal methods which includes killing people and bombing. He never advocated independence, nor did he advocate armed resistance to the government. Rizal fought for national unity but feared the revolution. For example, there are many children in a room, each of them wanted to go out in the yard to play but the teacher will not allow them. Then the children will just wait until the teacher gets tired of watching for them and when the teacher is tired of containing them all inside the classroom, the teacher would eventually let them out to play.That is what Rizal was thinking. He thought that by obeying the rules set by the Spaniards and by following them, the Spaniards will give them reward and that reward in this setting is by letting them enjoy being part of the Spain’s territory. Rizal’s novel had awakened the Filipino who was immune to the treatment of the Spaniards. It had brought up the reality of those times which was really terrible. Rizal brilliantly exposed how awful the friars treated the Filipinas, how Filipino people wanted to become one of the Spaniards just to be famous and how hard it was to live during those times.The released of the novels made the Spaniards angry because they were part of it. But whatever they did to stop the novel from reaching Filipino hands, they were not successful. Although only few Filipino have copies, it was already enough to ignite the desire to be free, from the bondage of the Spain’s rule, within each of the hearts of the Filipino people. Having read the document, it helped me understand more Rizal and his every action. I realized that every decision made by Rizal was really studied on every angle. He was really a brilliant man. He really loved the Philippines that he really sacrificed himself for us to be free.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

An Essay on the History of Pickles Essays

An Essay on the History of Pickles Essays An Essay on the History of Pickles Essay An Essay on the History of Pickles Essay Let us commence a journey into the much travelled topic of history of pickles. In depth analysis of history of pickles can be an enriching experience. While it is becoming a hot topic for debate, spasmodically it returns to create a new passion amongst those who study its history. Since it was first compared to antidisestablishmentarianism much has been said concerning history of pickles by socialists, obviously. In the light of this I will break down the issues in order to give each of them the thought that they fully deserve Social Factors Society is a simple word with a very complex definition. Back when Vealinger reamarked ‘the power struggle will continue while the great tale of humanity remains untold’ [1] he failed to understand that if one seriously intends to not judge a book by its cover, then one must read a lot of books. Much has been said about the influence of the media on history of pickles. Observers claim it is crunchy on the outside but soft in the middle. Did I mention how lovely history of pickles is? It is intrinsically linked to adolescent inner acclimatisation. Economic Factors Is unemployment inherently bad for an economy? Yes. We will primarily be focusing on the Custard-Not-Mustard model, making allowances for recent changes in interest rates. Inflation history of pickles It is apparent from the graph that the influence of history of pickles is strong. What is the secret to its strength? Of course inflation, ultimately decided by politicians, will always be heavily influenced by history of pickles due to its consistently high profile in the portfolio of investors. Supply Side Economic Tax Cuts Tax deductions could turn out to be a risky tactic. Political Factors Politics has in some areas been seen to embrace an increasing ananiathesis of intergovernmentalism leading to neo-functionalism. Placing theory on the scales of justice and weighing it against practice can produce similar results to contrasting 0 In the words of that most brilliant mind Augstin Lionel Forbes Dickinson political change changes politics, but where does it go? [2] This quotation leads me to suspect that he was not unaccustomed to history of pickles. It speaks volumes. If I may be as bold as to paraphrase, he was saying that political ideals are built on the solid cornerstone of history of pickles. Where do we go from here? Only time will tell. Conclusion In conclusion, history of pickles plays a large part in the lives of all. It brings peace, puts out fires, and figures show its a winning formular. Ill leave you with this quote from Demi Lopez: I wouldnt be where I am today without history of pickles. [3] [1] Vealinger Turtle Power 2003 ICJ [2] Dickinson I Am The Dickinster 1999 Hughs Books [3] Everything you always wanted to know about history of pickles, but were afraid to ask. Issue 287 QKS Publishing

Friday, March 6, 2020

How to Write a Conclusion Paragraph for an Essay - Paperell

How to Write a Conclusion Paragraph for an Essay How To Write A Conclusion Paragraph For An Essay: Guidelines, Advices And Examples Students are rarely properly taught how to conclude an essay. Many even do not have an idea of what it really is. In fact, in case with any academic work, a final paragraph (conclusion) is a sort of a short summary of all thoughts and ideas that were discussed in your paper’s other sections. How should it look like? To write a strong conclusion paragraph, be sure to include your main argument that you want to get across to the reader. In a way, it should be similar to your introduction (though in different wording), but it should also add something to your essay, rather than simply reiterating your previous ideas. Below are a few points to consider. Your introductory paragraph should be your guide. If you start your essay with â€Å"History will remember the 20th century as the century of warfare due to the high number of conflicts that have taken place†, you might want to conclude your essay with â€Å"Even though the century of warfare ended almost two decades ago, t he world does not seem to have put an end to armed conflicts†. It is important to understand how to write an essay introduction. In longer academic papers, it is a good idea to look at what each paragraph was about, then you would go on to list or summarize what they have in common. For instance, when writing a conclusion for essays about sports where each paragraph was devoted to a different discipline, you can start with â€Å"Sports like football, tennis, and basketball are played all over our planet†. Leave an impression on your reader. Give a call to action with the sentence like â€Å"There’s a lot more to explore about sailing†. Also, you can suggest they do something after reading your paper: â€Å"It has never been easier to get in touch with your relatives. They are a few clicks away from you.† The main purpose of the conclusion is to wrap up your writing by briefly summarizing your main arguments for your reader. A smooth ending creates a wellsHow to make a perfect conclusion? To learn better, you need to see a good example or several examples of a conclusion: Topic: The Causes Of The Civil War â€Å"The debates related to the significance of different reasons that have caused the American Civil War can last for a long time. However, there is no reasons to argue that there were several factors that have influenced the secession of the South: state’s right, slavery, and election of a new president Abraham Lincoln, despite the fact that no Southern states have supported him. All of these reasons played a significant role. And what do we have now? Regardless of the fact that the Civil War took place about 150 years ago, some misunderstanding and contradictions between the North and South are still observed even in modern America.† Topic: What causes homelessness? Unfortunately, today it is not an odd situation to pass by a homeless person on the city’s streets. This is an overwhelming fact. Howeve r, if you dig deeper, you can discover that homelessness, in fact, is caused by a whole complex of reasons that also include lack of support from family, job loss, and lack of affordable living space. Despite this fact, many people feel comfortable thinking that this issue is caused by laziness or mental illnesses. However, there are many other factors to take into account. Thus, only when we see the whole scope of causes, our society can find a reasoned and effective solution to this matter, and make a change.†Writing a conclusion can be challenging. However, with the examples, tips, and recommendations provided in this article, you will easily cope with this section of your paper and make an outstanding final clause that will help you get the highest assessment!

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

General George S. Patton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

General George S. Patton - Essay Example As a way of expressing his feelings and thoughts he was also writing poems. General to be George Patton was born in 1885 in San Gabriel California to the wealthy family of an attorney. His parents, being well educated themselves, were also giving good education to their son from an early age, main subjects being classic literature and history. The other subject his father grounded him in was the Bible, which Georgie, as he was known later throughout his life, knew mostly by heart. Christianity became a guiding light in his life, along with his passion for battles and war. Though he had an early start with the education and was very intelligent, he did not know how to read or write until the age of 11. It seems Patton suffered from dyslexia, which could not be diagnosed at that time. It manifested itself in George’s inability to spell properly, and his problems in mathematics. George Patton Jr. attended Virginia Military Institute just like his father and a grandfather. He had a blood of a military officer running through his veins. His grandfather was a colonel in the Confederacy in the War Between the States, and was killed in one of the battles; many of George’s uncles were also participating in the war. After the war has ended, many war heroes were visiting Patton’s house and George was listening to stories told by the battle veterans themselves. Patton’s father also told his son many stories about the war and battle heroes; he took his son to visit battlefields of Civil War. All this had such a great influence on George Jr. that at the age of 10 he set a goal of becoming a hero and a famous general. He was very determined to reach this goal, and spent most of his childhood in studying what he thought a general needs to know. Entering Virginia Military Institute was a next step toward his dream. His problems in mathematics continued so much so that he had to have a permission to repeat the first year. However, his learning disabil ities did not hinder him from graduating successfully. Being good at sports also helped him in obtaining his diploma. His sport achievements were so great that Patton represented the United States in the Olympics of 1912 in Stockholm. He placed 5th out of 46 in the first modern Pentathlon. Patton really liked physical competitions, and believed in the fair play. Also, when in army, he was initiating forming teams for different sports such as football and polo. While at Cavalry School in France, he also learned how to fence. While still a student, he designed and taught a course in swordsmanship. Later he received orders to return to Kansas, and continued teaching fencing. The title of â€Å"Master of Sword† that he received was his rightfully. During all these years Patton never engaged in the real battle. Pursuing his dream of becoming a hero, Patton asked General John J. Pershing to accompany him in the Mexico Border campaign, in 1915. During this time Patton got recognitio n from the general and notoriety back in United States. This campaign became the first real war combat Patton had engaged in. When the WWI began, Patton was accompanying General Pershing, the commander of Headquarters Troop, in his trip to France. Patton was promoted to Captain, then, temporarily, to the Major. He was given a command of the Army Tank Corps – a novelty in the Army at that time. The Battle of Cambria was the first battle where large number of tanks was used. Patton attended this battle only as an observer, but, after what he had witnessed, he was convinced

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Obtaining services within community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Obtaining services within community - Essay Example ing the notable move from the medical based models for care to the social models, which incorporate an interdisciplinary approach to identification, support and delivery of support services and recourses within the community (Sheppard & Unsworth, 2011). However, despite these milestones in the care services and resources in the community, considerable barriers to the entire integration and establishment of maximum independence for the developmental disability care. Nonetheless, within the community setting, several structures, resources and services are evident for supporting the development of the disability cases. The Washington state facilitates a vast composition of resources to assist the parents and families of children and youth among other individuals with developmental disabilities (Sheppard & Unsworth, 2011). The course entails focusing on the successful support for the individuals with developmental disabilities to achieve independence in their lives. The vast composition of developmental disability cases in the community demands a comprehensive establishment of support services and resources that enable the care within the community. There are vast services and resources for support across the Washington State, allowing for the families and individuals to make a choice of the intermediary support best fitting for the needs. For instance, there is the Division of Disability and Aging Services, whose partnership with the developmental disabilities support systems is significant component (Moore, Washington, Ningning, Johnson, Davis, Eugene-Cross & Quinn, 2015). The Division facilitate s funding which is a key resource for developing the systems and, training, quality assurance and technical assistance entailed in the disability care programs. Additionally, the Division is also key in its conceptual support through providing guardianship services to the individuals with developmental disabilities and who the court determines that they need the guardianship

Monday, January 27, 2020

Analysis The Three Sisters English Literature Essay

Analysis The Three Sisters English Literature Essay Review of Three Sisters Three sisters is a fictional Russian drama. The play was written and produced in 1900s.anton Chekhovs three sisters is produced specifically for Moscow art theatre .the writer has also written two other plays, the seagull and uncle vanya .the captivating drama has extra ordinary characters. The Three Prozorov sisters who are in their twenties namely Olya, Masha and Irina And their only brother Andrey .solders in a nearby camp are the supporting characters. Its about three unhappy prozorov sisters who despise the life of small town in Russia which is miles away from the nearest railway station .the town is enlivened by the presence of a military facility. The all yearn to go to Moscow where they previously lived. The fictional drama starts with commemoration of the sisters father first anniversary which coincides with Irinas baptismal day. Soldiers and the family members pay tribute to the late father. Olga the eldest sister gets elevated to a headmistress position. Olga is presented as a teacher in this act but later in the play shes is promoted to a Headmistress position. Masha, the middle sister, is a trained pianist married to a younger and witty teacher Feodor Kulygin.. Irina, the youngest of the three sisters is obsessed about to visit Moscow. Andrey is only boy in the family is in love with Natasha who is naive .the three sisters becomes unhappy with the marriage of their only brother who goes ahead and gets a child. In the twist of events Natalie is extra marital affairs with Andrey boss, Protopopov. Strong bond starts to form between Masha and lieutenant-colonel Vershinin secretly. Two solders, Tuzenbach and Solyony compete for Irinas love. Masha, Olga and Irina are angry with their only brother, Andrei, for mortgaging their house, spending money on gambling debts and relinquishing all his authority to his infidel wife Natasha. the eldest sister, Olga, is not interested with teaching career and longs quietly for an out, but her dreams for marriage are slowly fading away; Masha, the middle sister, so unhappy with her husband. She seeks extra marital affair from married soldier, the youngest, Irina, moves from one soul-crushing job to another. She resists getting married to noble man. More adrenaline is released in the climax the play. There are bloodshed and friendship bonds in this scene. Solders have created an everlasting bond with the three sisters. Aristocratic Tuchenbach is murdered by his lover Solyony competitor in a challenge. This section reveals that Masha and Vershinin get married after a brief stint of romance. Natasha maintains her hatred nature and Andrey is stuck in the maternal led marriage with two children. The play ends on a happy note. Olga embraces her two sisters as the band music is playing. She encourages her sisters. Anton Chekhov has managed to point out the major theme to his audiences. The Major theme that is emerging is the uncomplaining nature of women in the Russian society. The play brings out vividly the loneliness and desperation of the three sisters. They therefore, accept their situation without complaining. According to the play Moscow is symbolic to three sisters. Each of the sisters is yearning to go back to Moscow. The city is associated with happy and perfect life. However, their aspirations to go back to Moscow remain only mere dreams. Irina initially believes by going to Moscow she will get her true love there The play lacks a flowing story line at some point as an audience I got lost along the way. The story development is complicated such that audience can be confused. Conflict has not been maturely developed. On the first scene, a delicate tone is constructed as the three sisters celebrate the anniversary of their deceased father which coincides with Irinas baptismal day. Unfortunately, the tone is not maintained the rest of scene one. The play has been translated from Russian to English. Therefore, the rich meaning of the plot has been diluted by the translation. Three sisters is a story that cannot get old. This is because it echoes what is happening in the contemporary time. The very same issues such as infidelity, romance, gambling, and marriage are still happening in the contemporary times. The roles of Andrey and the three sisters are brought out clearly. Andrey is supposed to relinquish his intellectual ambitions. He is trapped in very complicated marriage. The three sisters yearn for Moscow is well introduced in the plot of the story. The costumes of the play are supposed to be a combination of military wear for the solders and the 1900 civilian clothes. This is well depicted in the play. However, the aristocrat Baron Tuchenbach costumes have no large difference with the other cast. The baron should have expensive clothes in order to bring out the issue of bourgeoisie and proletarians. The costumes did manage to convince the audience the play was a staged in 1900s.The lighting and sound of the overall play were excellent. the audience enjoys the band music that plays at the climax of the play. In my views, Anton Chekhovs three sister play is a very captivating. The play has managed to bring out the traditional picture of the modern day Russia. The choice of characters is excellent. They have managed to communicate the intended message from Chekhov. Symbolism has been brought forward as a tool to glue the audience to the play. The play should improve on conflict and flow of the storyline.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Friendship in the West & Friendship in Islam Essay

It is natural for people to form friendships with others whom they interact with on a regular basis. Friendships can be formed through growing up in the same neighbourhood, meeting at school, college, university, social gatherings and via a number of other activities. Friendship is something common amongst people, however there are different conceptions of it. Some common conceptions include the following: friends will always stick by your side, you can always rely on a friend, you can speak freely to your friend and tell them your problems, friends like you for who you are, etc. When people have personal problems such as disputes with their family members or if they require advice they usually turn to their friends. Friendship in the West Friendship in the West is based on benefit. Friends come together on the basis of mutual interest, so they will go to the cinema, parties and clubbing together. They talk about the opposite sex freely to each other and hide each others secrets even if they involve evil actions. They often gain comfort in backbiting and winging about other people who they don’t like. Unfortunately some Muslims carry the Western notion of friendship as they follow the crowd rather than to looking to Islam for solutions. Due to the fact that friendship is based on benefit in the West, it is easy for people to ‘break out’ with each other, have rows and even become enemies. This happens when their interests conflict and can be over petty things such as not going for a night out with them or larger things such as betrayal. In many cases people even talk negatively about some of their friends in front of others and even betray them by having affairs with their wife, sisters or girlfriend. Friends even become status symbols, so people long to ‘hang out’ with a particular crowd to look cool. Often crowds have leaders with egos, so staying on the right side of certain people is important if you want to be accepted. For some this means ‘sucking up’ to them, for others it means undertaking actions to make them think you’re ‘cool’. Friendship in the West is based on using each other. The proof of this can be seen in the fact that when friends became unusable they drift apart. Typically, if someone’s friend was to suddenly change and stop clubbing, partying and drooling over the opposite sex at every opportunity they would start treating them differently and normally ‘break out’ with them. Especially if this person begins to account them when they are wrong and advise them upon their actions repeatedly. As an example if someone begins to practise Islam and stops committing Haram and advises his friends to do the same. Those with the Western concept of friendship would change their attitude towards them and they would be distanced and only occasionally spoken to. The reason for this is that it there is no more benefit in their eyes to keep a close relationship with them, in fact it completely contradicts their lust for pleasure as when the person speaks about Islam it is seen as an attack on their lifestyle. Friendship in Western societies is normally false as the society is founded on greed, individualism and following lusts. Friendship in Islam is true as it is based on sincerity, trust and Taqwa (piety). Friendship in Islam Islam recognises that a Muslim will naturally spend more time with certain people and be more comfortable with them in raising their personal problems and issues. This does not mean in any way that the rest of the Muslims are not their brothers and sisters whom they love, rather all that it means that they will be closer to certain people than others just as people are usually closer to their family than others. Islam recognises that friends have a strong influence on people and that their environment will affect the strength of their relationship with Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala). The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"A person follows the Deen (way of life) of his close friend; therefore let each of you look carefully at whom he chooses for friends† [Tirmidhi] A Muslim should choose friends that will advise him and remind him of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) rather than lure him to the path of Shaytan. It has also been narrated that our friends in the Dunya (world) will be our friends in the Akhira (afterlife). It is therefore vital for a Muslim to choose good friends. The love between two Muslim friends is such that they would confide in each other, help each other in times of need and strengthen each other’s commitment to the Deen of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala). The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) encouraged for Muslims who have love for each other not to keep it to themselves. It has been narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Adaabul-Mufrad (no. 191) that Allah’s Messenger (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"If one of you loves his brother for Allah’s sake, then let him tell him since it causes familiarity to endure and firmly establishes love†. Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not guide you to something which if you carry out you will love one another. Spread as-Salaam amongst yourselves.† [Muslim] Friendship in Islam is not based on using each other; on the contrary, helping each other to stay away from the Haram is fundamental to it. How could someone watch his brother burn without doing anything to save him? A person who did that would be ones worst enemy rather than a friend. Therefore Muslims always warn and advise each other. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"Each of you is the mirror of his brother, so if he sees any fault in him he should wipe it away from him.† [Tirmidhi] This means the purpose of confiding secrets to each other wouldn’t be as in the Western values where people confide their secrets to feel good knowing that they will not be a comeback. Rather in Islam we confide our secrets to our friends to seek their sincere advice and help. So a Muslim will ask his friends about issues relating to marriage, problems within his family, troubles he feels at work or fears that he has. Friendship has rules in Islam unlike in the West – to visit them especially when they are ill, to inquire about their family, feeding them when they are hungry, attending to their needs, keeping their private affairs to yourself and sharing your wealth with them without hesitation. It is related that Ibn Umar (ra) was looking about from right to left in the presence of the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam), who asked the reason for doing so. Ibn Umar replied, â€Å"There is someone dear to me and I am searching for him, but do not see him†. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) then said, Umar bin Al-Khattab (ra) said, â€Å"Encountering your brothers lifts all grief. If Allah blesses you with good relations with another Muslim, hold fast to it†. Rule of friendship with non-Muslims As Muslims living in the West we interact with non-Muslims on a daily basis whether at work, University, college or in society at large. It is incorrect for us to cut ourselves completely from them and live in isolation. We should aim at building relationships with them in order to give them Da’wa to embrace Islam. Therefore we should have them as acquaintances, however this does not mean that we are allowed to have them as close friends, as Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) says: â€Å"O you who believe, take not into intimacy those outside your ranks: they will not fail to corrupt you.† [TMQ Al-Imran: 118] Not taking them as close friends means that you don’t share with them your innermost thoughts and feelings. For no matter how well you know them, they reject Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) and His Messenger (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam). The bond of Iman is even stronger than that of kinship. An example of this can be seen after the great battle of Badr, the Quraysh prisoners of war were bought to the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) who assigned them to the custody of individual Muslims. The Messenger (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"Treat them well.† Amongst the prisoners was Abu Aziz ibn Umayr, the brother of Mus’ab ibn Umayr (ra). Abu Aziz narrates what happened, â€Å"I was among a group of Ansaar†¦Whenever they had lunch or dinner they would give me bread and dates to eat in obedience to the Prophet’s instruction to them to treat us well. My brother, Mus’ab ibn Umayr, passed by me and said to the man holding me prisoner, â€Å"Tie him firmly†¦ His mother (i.e. Mus’ab’s own mother) is a woman of great wealth and maybe she would ransom him for you.† Abu Aziz ibn Umayr could not believe his ears. Astonished, he turned to Mus’ab and asked: â€Å"My brother, is this your instruction concerning me?† Mus’ab ibn Umayr (ra) replied, â€Å"He is my brother, not you!† pointing to the Ansaari Sahabi holding him, affirming that in the battle between the Haq and the Batil, the bonds of Iman are stronger than the ties of kinship. Prohibition of backbiting, slander, envy, jealousy & grudges The relationship of friendship is one of trust as a good Muslim is trustworthy and not deceitful, betraying or a backbiter. In reality this makes the love between friends in Islam stronger than friendship according to Western values as there is no constant thinking about whether your friend is speaking ill of you to other people or whether they are having a hidden relationship with your sister or wife. Islam has prohibited backbiting and slander and thus removing the cause of suspicion and doubt amongst people. Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) says: â€Å"Neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother. You abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.† [Al-Hujarat: 12] It is narrated by Abu Dawud on the authority of Anas (RA), the Messenger of Allah said: â€Å"On the night of Isra I passed by some people who had copper nails and they were clawing their faces and chests with them. I asked Jibriel: Who are these persons? He said: These are the people who eat the flesh of human beings and disgrace them.† Islam also forbids envy and jealousy which are the common causes of problems amongst friends in Western societies. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"Do not have malice against a Muslim; do not be envious of other Muslims; do not go against a Muslim and forsake him. O the slaves of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala)! Be like brothers with each other. It is not violable for a Muslim to desert his brother for over three days†. [Sahih Muslim, Tirmithi] Belittling each other is almost a pastime in the West. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"The believer can do no worse than belittle his brother†. [Iyah Uloom ad Deen] A Muslim should not hold grudges against another Muslim even if they are differing personalities. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) warned against this when he said, â€Å"The gates of Paradise will be open on Mondays and on Thursdays, and every servant [of Allah] who associates nothing with Allah will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. [About them] it will be said: Delay these two until they are reconciled; delay these two until they are reconciled; delay these two until they are reconciled†. [Muslim] Friends should feel at ease with each other without feeling inferior or superior. Ego’s must be tamed according to Islam. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"A man is on a par with the Deen of his friend and there is no good in the fellowship of one who does not regard you as highly as himself†. [Iyah Uloom ad Deen] Concealing faults It is important to conceal a friends faults, this does not mean that we ignore them; it means that we advise them and help them overcome their shortcomings. Uqbah ibn Amir narrated that the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"He who sees something which should be kept hidden and conceals it, it will be like the one who has brought to life a girl buried alive† [Hadith 2292: Abu Dawud] Abu Hurayrah narrated that Allah’s Apostle (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"He who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant so long as the servant is at the back of his brother.† [Hadith 1245: Muslim] Generosity & Kindness Sharing wealth with others is greatly encouraged in Islam. This encourages trust and closeness amongst people. It is sometimes difficult for Muslims to grasp this principle especially when they are affected by Western society which promotes greed and selfishness. Giving someone something without expecting anything in return is uncommon in the West even amongst friends. When the non-Muslims give each other presents such as on Birthday’s, Christmas, New Year’s or when someone leaves the work place it is done more out of tradition and knowing that they will get something in return rather than sincerity. Imam Bukhari narrated that our beloved Messenger Muhammad (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said: â€Å"None amongst you believes (truly) till one likes for his brother, that which he loves for his himself†. Examples of this perspective towards others can be clearly seen in the companions of the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam). It is transmitted by Imam Ahmad, in Al-Bidayah, volume 3, page 228 that Anas (ra) narrated, â€Å"When Abdur-Rahman ibn Auf (ra) immigrated to Medina, the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) established brotherhood between him and Sa’d ibn Al-Ansari (ra). Afterwards Sa’d said to Abdur-Rahman ibn Auf, ‘O my brother! I am a wealthy person of Medina. Look! Here is half of my wealth, take it! I have 2 wives. I will divorce one of them whom you like more so that you may marry her.’ Abdur-Rahman ibn Auf replied, ‘May Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) prosper your family and wealth, just show me the way to the market so that I may make my fortune with my own hands.† The Ansaar of Medina were extremely generous to their brothers, the Muhajireen from Makkah. Abu Hurairah (ra) reported that they once approached the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) with the request that their orchards of palm trees should be distributed equally between the Muslims of Medina and the Muslims of Makkah. But the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) was reluctant to put this heavy burden upon them. It was, however, decided that the Muhajireen would work in the orchards along with the Ansaar and the yield would be divided equally amongst them. Friends should have informality with each other so that they are not hesitant in asking for anything when in need. This can be seen from the example of the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) and his dear friend Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) had stayed at his house when after arriving into Madina whilst he was waiting for the mosque to be built. The Prophet stayed in Abu Ayyub’s house for almost seven months until his mosque was completed on the open space where his camel had stopped. He then moved to the roots which were built around the mosque for himself and his family. He thus became a neighbour of his friend Abu Ayyub. Abu Ayyub continued to love the Prophet with all his heart and the Prophet also loved him dearly. There was no formality between them. The Prophet continued to regard Abu Ayyub’s house as his own. The following anecdote tells a great deal about the relationship between them. Abu Bakr (ra) once left his house in the burning heat of the midday sun and went to the mosque. Umar (ra) saw him and asked, â€Å"Abu Bakr, what has brought you out at this hour? Abu Bakr said he had left his house because he was terribly hungry and Umar said that he had left his house for the same reason. The Prophet came up to them and asked; â€Å"What has brought the two of you out at this hour?† They told him and he said, â€Å"By Him in Whose hands is my soul, only hunger has caused me to come out also. But come with me.† They went to the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. His wife opened the door and said, â€Å"Welcome to the Prophet and whoever is with him.† â€Å"Where is Abu Ayyub?† asked the Prophet. Abu Ayyub, who was working in a nearby palm grove, heard the Prophet’s voice and came hurriedly. â€Å"Welcome to the Prophet and whoever is with him,† he said and went on â€Å"O Prophet of God, this is not the time that you usually come.† (Abu Ayyub used to keep some food for the Prophet every day. When the Prophet did not come for it by a certain time, Abu Ayyub would give it to his family). â€Å"You are right,† the Prophet agreed. Abu Ayyub went out and cut a cluster of dates in which there were ripe and half ripe dates. â€Å"I did not want you to eat this,† said the Prophet. â€Å"Could you not have brought only the ripe dates?† â€Å"O Rasulullah, please eat from both the ripe dates (rutb) and the half ripe (busr). I shall slaughter an animal for you also.†. â€Å"If you are going to, then do not kill one that gives milk,† cautioned the Prophet. Abu Ayyub killed a young goat, cooked half and grilled the other half. He also asked his wife to bake, because she baked better he said. When the food was ready, it was placed before the Prophet and his two companions. The Prophet took a piece of meat and placed it in a loaf and said, â€Å"Abu Ayyub, take this to Fatima. She has not tasted the like of this for days†. When they had eaten and were satisfied, the Prophet said reflectively: â€Å"Bread and meat and busr and rutb!† Tears began to flow from his eyes as he continued: â€Å"This is a bountiful blessing about which you will be asked on the Day of judgment. If such comes your way, put your hands to it and say, Bismillah (In the name of God) and when you have finished say, Al hamdu lillah alladhee huwa ashbana wa anama alayna (Praise be to God Who has given us enough and Who has bestowed his bounty on us). This is best.† [Iyah Uloom ad Deen] In putting others first, the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) demonstrated for us excellent examples. He (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) once entered a thicket with one of his companions and gathered two toothpicks, one of them crooked and the other straight. He gave the straight one to his companion, who said, â€Å"O Messenger of Allah, you are more entitled to the straight one than I!† The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) replied, â€Å"When a friend accompanies a friend, if only for one hour of the day, he will be asked to account for his companionship, whether he fulfilled his duty to Allah therein or whether he neglected it†. [Iyah Uloom ad Deen] On another occasion the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) went out to a well in order to wash. Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman took a robe and stood screening the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) whilst he washed. Then Hudhayfa (ra) sat down to wash himself and Muhammad (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) took the robe and screened Hudhayfa (ra) from view. Hudhayfa objected saying, â€Å"My father be your ransom, and my mother too! O Messenger of Allah, do not do it!† Yet he (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) insisted on holding the robe and said, â€Å"Each time two people are in company together, the dearer to Allah is he who is kinder to his companion [Ihya Uloom ad Deen] The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) also said, â€Å"The companions whom Allah considers best are those who are best to their companions†. [Ahmad & Tirmidhi] Giving of gifts has also been recommended by the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) and he explained that it creates love between people. It was reported by al-Bukhari in al-Adaabul-Mufrad (no. 594) that Rasool-Allah (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said: â€Å"Give gifts and you will love one another†. Kindness to our friends, helping them in need and consoling them in times of grief should become natural for us for everyone needs help, a shoulder to cry on and someone to share their joy. Ali ibn Abi Talib (ra) said, â€Å"Pay attention to your brothers for they are your provision in this life and in the hereafter. Do you not listen to the cry of the people of the fire? â€Å"So we have no one to intercede for us nor any dear friend† [Ash-Shu’araa: 100-101] Loving someone for the sake of Allah In the West people love each other for the sake of material benefits whereas in Islam we are encouraged to love each other for the sake of Allah. This means that we would undertake actions with regards to each other that even contradict our personal interests in order aid a friend or further our relationship with them. It was reported by Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said: â€Å"A man went to visit a brother of his in another town and Allah deputed an angel to await him on his way, so when he came to him he said, â€Å"Where are you going?† He replied, â€Å"I am going to visit a brother of mine in this town.† He said, â€Å"Have you done him some favour which you desire to be returned?† He said, â€Å"No, it is just that I love him for Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent.† He said, â€Å"Then I am a messenger sent by Allah to you (to inform you) that Allah loves you as you have loved him for Allah’s sake.† The Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) also said, â€Å"Whoever would like to taste the sweetness of Iman (belief) then let him love a person only for Allah’s sake† [Ahmad] It was reported by Abu Dawud that Umar ibn al-Khattab narrated that the Prophet (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"Indeed from the servants of Allah there are some who are not Prophets, yet they will be envied by the Prophets and the martyrs†. It was asked, â€Å"Who are they? That we may love them†. He (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, â€Å"They are people who have mutual love through light from Allah, not due to kinship or ancestry, their faces will be enlightened, upon pillars of light, they will not fear when the people fear, or grieve when the people grieve†. Then he (SallAllahu alaihi wasallam) recited: â€Å"No doubt! Verily, on the friends of Allah there is no fear nor shall they grieve† [TMQ 10: 62] In conclusion, it should be apparent that we can’t live in isolation and require company. Friendship provides a natural support structure the Muslim community. Therefore we should ensure that the company we keep helps us in remembering Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) and strengthens our commitment to Islam. This is more important for us living in the West as the corrupt society continuously bombards us with its poisonous culture and attempts to catch us in its net.