Catcher In The Rye- Movie Proposal Essay examples

Movie Proposal: The Catcher in the Rye To the Producer: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The Catcher in the Rye, a contemporary novel by J.D. Salinger, is a thought-provoking, fascinating look at society’s values and issues in the 1950’s. This book would make an excellent transition to film because it is full of both action and implication. It focuses on a four-day period of time in the life of a sixteen-year-old cynic with emotional problems. The book follows Holden Caulfield as he struggles with others and himself to find his way through the â€Å"phoniness† and disillusionment involved in his adolescent life. These struggles essentially make up the novel, occurring during a long â€Å"flashback† of the four days as he†¦show more content†¦If possible, the author should be contacted for opinions and criticism throughout the filming of the movie. The beginning of the movie could or could not be modified from the beginning of the book; either way would still appropriately capture the atmosphere of the psychoanalyst and Holden. One way to begin is by actually showing Holden lying in a psychoanalyst’s office, where he begins his narration. The camera would then fade into Pencey Prep, with Holden standing atop Thomsen Hill. Another approach could just be to begin directly with the scene on the hill, with Holden voicing over the picture. Of course, not every scene could have narration. Otherwise the movie would be unrealistic. Some of the thoughts that run through Holden’s head would have to become dialogue, for example, Holden would mumble â€Å"Phony† under his breath while talking to certain characters. Locations: All of the scenes occurring at Pencey would be filmed at another prep school resembling the descriptions given by Holden throughout the book. (â€Å"...Way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill, right next to this crazy cannon that was in the Revolutionary War...You could see the whole [football] field from there...†-The Catcher in the Rye, p.2) One of the more grotesque scenes would be the suicide of James Castle. This is a critical scene because Holden tells the reader about

The Big Lie Human Restoration Of Nature Essay - 1987 Words

Ethical restoration has been a controversial topic in environmental ethics over the last couple of decades. Its premise is simple, rebuild or relocate ecosystems that have been destroyed by human development. Many believe it is paramount to build a connection between humans and nature, but there are others who argue its just another form of anthropocentric behavior. Eric Katz rejects ethical restoration in his piece, â€Å"The Big Lie: Human Restoration of Nature†. He argues ethical restoration is just another artifact created by humans. When humans create an ecosystem, they really mean to control it and therefore dominate the environment. I argue against this point. Humans are actually just modifying their surroundings like every other natural entity, and while it appears to be domination, it actually is not. My paper will be split between two views, first I will give the view of Katz in his paper, then I will give my critique, then a possible counter argument of his, and fin ally my counter argument. Ethical restoration can not be considered morally wrong because it is a natural phenomena for humans to affect their nature and it is helpful to the environment. In his article â€Å"The Big Lie: Human Restoration of Nature†, Katz argues ethical restoration is another example of anthropocentricism and is a wrong stance to take on environmental ethics. Katz makes two important claims; he declares that humans dominate nature, and he concludes that humans’ actions are artificial, so theirShow MoreRelatedGay Marriage Should Not Be Denied Service1457 Words   |  6 Pagestown pizzeria was asked what their position was on the Religious Restoration Freedom act, and stated that they were a Christian establishment and could not cater to gay marriages. However they would serve gay people and couples in their store. The gay community and supporters immediately bashed at the pizzeria, saying they discriminated the gays, causing them to close down, possibly having to leave town. Religious freedom has been a big part of the US. It is there to provide a religious sanctity forRead MoreEssay about The Everglades: Floridas Unique Landscape of Change1987 Words   |  8 PagesThe Everglades is a diverse ecosystem located in southern Florida, yet urbanization has created a considerable amount of impact that has altered the physical landscape of the region, resulting in a symbiotic environment between humans and nature. Based on geographical research, the original Everglades spanned an area of approximately 12,000km2, and now because of urbanization and agricultural growth in this sub-region the area of the Everglades has been condensed to half of its original size (WillardRead MoreNative Son : Who Made Bigger Thomas?1644 Words   |  7 Pageshim. Pride, in that he knows who he is as a man in regards to his race, culture, and faith. â€Å"He acted like an earlier missing link in the human species. He seemed out of place in a white man’s civilization†, â€Å"despite his dead-black complexion, may have a minor portion of white blood in his veins, a mixture which generally makes for a criminal and intractable nature†, and â€Å"†¦the North encourages Negroes get more education than they are organically capable of absorbing† (Native Son 280,281). All of theseRead MoreThe Water Quality And Health Risk The Ohio State Park Of Buckeye Lake1890 Words   |  8 Pagesand informing the community about the water pollution issue.We as a community can only do this together, to bring the glory days back to the future of what once was a beautiful lake. The toxic algal blooms in Buckeye Lake are not just harmful to humans, but detrimental to wildlife, killing massive amounts of fish. Therefore this algae is hurting the water quality of the lake, but also killing every living thing in its path. As it produces â€Å"microcystin, a liver toxin, the amount was on average 9Read MoreAnalyzing Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill4163 Words   |  17 PagesState of Alabama (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Geological Survey of Alabama), State of Florida (Department of Environmental Protection; Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), State of Louisiana (Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority; Department of Environmental Quality; Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; Department of Natural Resources; Oil Spill Coordinators Office), State of Mississippi (Department of Environmental Quality), State of Texas (Texas CommissionRead MoreRagamuffin Earth3188 Words   |  13 PagesNEWS FEATURE Vol 460|16 NATURE|Vol 460|23 July 2009 RAGAMUFFIN EARTH A small group of ecologists is looking beyond the pristine to study the scrubby, feral and untended. Emma Marris learns to appreciate ‘novel ecosystems’. J oe Mascaro, a PhD student in a T-shirt and floral print shorts, is soaking in the diversity of the Hawaiian jungle. Above, a green canopy blocks out most of the sky. Aerial roots wend their way down past tropical trunks, tree ferns and moss-covered prop roots toRead More Cruelty and Insanity in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Essay1847 Words   |  8 PagesCruelty and Insanity in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Wide Sargasso Sea provides unique insight into the gradual deterioration of the human mind and spirit. On examining Antoinette and her mother Annette, the reader gains a new perspective of insanity. One realizes that these two women are mentally perturbed as a result of numerous external factors that are beyond their control. The cruelty of life and people drive Annette and her daughter to lunacy. Neither mother nor daughter have aRead MoreThe Effects Of Plastic Pollution On The World s Oceans Essay2272 Words   |  10 PagesSince it’s commercial inception in the late 1930’s, plastic has revolutionized, modernized, and undoubtedly eased the human experience. Unfortunately, this leap in consumer and industrial technology also came with an unforeseen and devastating side effect. Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is serious and disgustingly under-looked problem. Due to the influx of hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic, the marine landscape is changing rapidly. This issue isn’t just exclusive to oceans eitherRead MoreAccounting Fraud4137 Words   |  17 Pagesmore conducive to ethical behavior. I will say up front that as I start this paper I do not believe anything has improved in America or in the world ethically speaking. I say this with confidence but not with pride. After all we are all human and we all have a sin nature. I do not care if a person tells me they do not believe in God or if they tell me they do believe in God. Research has proven conclusively that all of us cheat. We essentially weigh everything based upon a simple cost-benefit analysisRead MoreWhat Happened - Description Of The Abuse3386 Words   |  14 Pagesstill be termed as sexual abuse as the perpetrator did exploit my cousin’s inability to give informed consent (Southwell, 2003; Health Community Services, 1993) and coerced her into performing acts which made her feel uncomfortable. Given the nature of the sexual abuse and the ages of the perpetrator and victim, who in this case was below the statutory age of consent (Southwell, 2003; Health Community Services, 1993) at the time of the abuse, this can also be classified as paedophilia where

Grocery store free essay sample

The two meals that I have chosen are breakfast and dinner. We will discuss breakfast first. This morning I had two fried eggs with salt and pepper, a piece of toast with blackberry jam, and a diet coke. The origins of the Kroger brand eggs and the Kroger brand black pepper were from Cincinnati, OH, the Morton’s kosher salt is from Chicago, IL, the Nature’s Own bread was from Thomasville, GA, the Kauffman’s blackberry jam was from Montezuma, GA, and the Diet Coke was from Atlanta, GA. For dinner I made Purdue chicken breast with salt and pepper, Kroger brand name frozen green beans and roasted potatoes. The origins of the Purdue chicken came from Salisbury, MD, the Kroger brand name greens beans were from Cincinnati, OH. The potatoes I’m not sure were they came from because I normally just by two or three individuals potatoes. But I would like to assume since Kroger name brand products seem to come from Cincinnati, OH I would like to say the potatoes were distributed from Ohio but more than likely grown in Idaho. If you haven’t notice already, all these items for breakfast and dinner were purchased from Kroger except the blackberry jam that I bought Yoder’s Marketplace in the Amish country in Montezuma, GA Trying to find out how these different companies take the product from the farm to the table was a little difficult but I was able to get some information on the process. According to the How Products Are Made, the process of chicken farming for slaughter is fairly the same a crossed the nation. When the chicken is at its peak of growth, the chickens are sent to the slaughterhouse where the byproducts processing occur. The carcasses are then in the process of the meat being removed. It then goes to the meat product wholesale stage. It is then refrigerated in warehouses and then sent to the grocery store. When it came to the eggs, farmers or automates gathering belts collect the eggs from the nest. The eggs are then washed, which sanitizes the eggs and remove the â€Å"bloom†, a coating the hens’ body applies when she lays the egg. The eggs are then sent through a candling process that inspects the interior for cracks and quality. This is when the eggs receive their grade. The grades are classified as AA, A, or B. The eggs are then sorted and packaged according to size. The eggs are then shipped and within approximately three days they reach the store. When comes to vegetable they seem to be processed all the same way. The vegetables then are harvested by machinery operated by farmers in the field. Each type of vegetable is harvested by different machinery. Most of the time after they are harvest they go through a washing process and stored properly. When it comes to frozen vegetables they go through a flash freezer that freezes them in a matter of minutes and then are packaged and sent to the store. Coca-Cola in Atlanta, GA manufactures diet coke. The process in which they go about it is hard to find. But like most manufacturing companies, they start by mixing all the ingredients together, package and ship. One of the benefits of a global market would be more specialization. Global markets would be able to use the best products and services from qualified parts of the world at a decreased cost. With more specialized products on the market; the consumer would have more options and choices at their disposal. In short term and long term will result in greater products for the consumer and it would be less expensive for the businesses. Another benefit of a global market would more competition. Competition is good. Since consumers have a wide range of products and services to choose from, then companies would compete to have the best product or service. In the short term consumers will not have to settle for what the local market is offering. In the long term companies will become more innovative in order to be the best. One of the negative impacts would be that it could become a financial and operational challenge local producers because they will have to come up with new ways to deliver products and services at decreased prices. In short term it is benefitting the consumer by paying less for a product or service. In long term local producers could be forced to shut down their business that would mean less employment for those local workers. Another negative impacts would be that the global market could result in low quality of products or service. When hiring foreign one cannot always count on the work or services. There is less monitoring of their work, which in turn can create poor quality products or service. In long term business could lose money because of the poor quality of products or service. â€Å"Think Globally, Act Locally†. This phrase could have many meanings but for me it seems very simple. When companies do business internationally, which can be good for the economy, the company still needs to think about having their roots in the local market. For instance, here in GA the grocery stores sell collard greens, pig feet and pickled everything. I’m originally from Chicago and these weren’t apart of my grocery shopping experience. A business may have several locations across the world but you need to appeal to the local market. I would have to say that the research I did has changed the way I would choose goods in the future. I didn’t really think too much about the global market before this assignment. I try to buy locally from the farms in GA. I think the produce that is grown down the street taste fresher. But when it comes to things that aren’t made locally I buy them from the grocery store. I would like to find more information on local grocery stores in my area and see how that part of the business works. I think sometime we forget that there is a huge process from the farm to the shelves. References Basu, Chirantan. Pros and Cons of Global Marketing. (n. d. ).

Medical School and Pediatrician free essay sample

Many job opportunities are available in different types of careers. Pediatricians like children and science; they help take care of sick patients. Becoming a pediatrician requires a lot of schooling and training; it involves many different skills for every day work. The salary of a pediatrician varies on the amount of education and on the skill level. There are many job opportunities in this profession; it is most likely to increase with openings. A pediatrician requires a generous amount of education after high school. The minimum education required to become a pediatrician is 4 years of college, 4 years or medical school, and 3 years of residency(YourPediatrician. com 1. ) The basics that most medical schools recommend are Biology; 1 course of genetics, 1 course of microbiology, and 1 course of molecular biology(2. ) Also, Chemistry, 1 -2 courses of organic chemistry, Physics, I course is basic, and Math 2 courses in calculus (2. ) A good way to get into colleges and medical schools is to have a lot of volunteer work on the applications, colleges love to see people are getting involved with your community and getting hands on training (Prerequisites for Becoming a Pediatrician 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Medical School and Pediatrician or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ) It may take a lot of schooling and be very time consuming to become a pediatrician but it defiantly pays off. Pediatricians need to have many different skills and talents. To be a successful pediatrician they need to have a strong love for children and a lot of patience (Prerequisites for Becoming a Pediatrician 1. )Children respond best to people who care about them (1. ) Students must get hands-on training and care for children with illness and their unique problems (1. ) They need to be exposed to a hospital setting as well as an office setting and be familiar with critical care issues (1. ) Some other major skills needed is to be able to instruct people on what to do, coordinating and using scientific rules to and methods to solve problems(California Career Zone 2. ) Being a pediatrician is a hard thing to do, not just talking about the education but about all the skills and experience needed.

minority and ethnic relations essays

minority and ethnic relations essays What do we mean by the social construction of identity? Any attempt to compare the suffering of the blacks and Jews would seem likely to be felled by the waves of invidious comparisons. That is because any such comparison is likely to be seen, however obliquely, as an endeavour to answer the question: which group has suffered more- blacks or Jews? Indicatively, this question could be perceived to address the point of not who suffered more, but why did they suffer? This can be answered in relation to the social construction of identity. The Jews and Blacks identities were socially identified and regarded by others as not belonging to the majority group during that historical period. So what do we mean when we talk about the social construction of identity? The concept of identity has always been blurred but in recent years, the study of identity has been greatly enhanced by cross-cultural studies in history, sociology, anthropology and psychology. The key point of departure for much discussion is the real world observation that nationalist, regional, racial and ethnic mobilisations are occurring globally and pervasively (Cohen, 1994). However, at the same time, within national, racial or regional units of identification, there are other kinds of groupings that are organised often on the social axes of age, gender, class, religion, race or disability that form their own identity. These too are claiming rights or advantages in the name of their particular social affiliation. Before we can begin to understand the social constructions of identity we need to analyse how and why these identities come to be assimilated in our society? Although identity construction may occur in any part of a society through social change and circumstance and of human interpretation and action, it must be noted that social construction occurs contingently upon the situation in which the groups find themselves: the context ...

Former Schools of Bill Gates and 90 Other Celebrities

Former Schools of Bill Gates and 90 Other Celebrities Many celebrities, including Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft,  have attended private high schools. including For some- including the children of politicians, diplomats, and royalty- security was an issue and attending private school kept the paparazzi at bay. For others, private school was a matter of pursuing academic excellence. For these and other reasons, private schools all over the world have educated many famous alums. So, which school did Bill Gates attend? He attended the Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington. Here are some other famous private school alums and the schools they attended. Adlai Stevenson Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTAlbert Gore, Jr. St. Albans School, Washington, DCAlexandra Ripley Ashley Hall, Charleston, SCAli McGraw Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTArchibald MacLeish The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CTArthur Golden Baylor School, Chattanooga, TNBarbara Bush Ashley Hall, Charleston, SCBenicio Del Toro Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PABette Davis Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, MABill Gates Lakeside School, Seattle, WABill Fritz Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville, TNBrandt Snedeker Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville, TNBruce Weitz Ransom Everglades, Coconut Grove, FLChelsea Clinton Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DCChristian Bale, Bournemouth School, Charminster, Bournemouth, Dorset, EnglandCole Porter Worcester Academy, Worcester, MACondoleezza Rice St. Marys Academy, Englewood, CODaniel Radcliffe City of London School, London, EnglandDeWitt Wallace Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MADiana, Princess of Wales Riddlesworth Hal l, Diss, Norfolk, England Senator Edward Kennedy Milton Academy, Milton, MAEliot Spitzer Horace Mann School, New York, NYEnrique Iglesias Gulliver Preparatory, Miami, FLGlenn Close Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTFarrah Forke The Hockaday School, Dallas, TXFrank Shorter Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MAGeorge Carlin Cardinal Hayes High School, New York, NYGeorge Prescott Bush Gulliver Preparatory, Miami, FLGeorge Herbert Walker Bush Phillips Academy, Andover, MAGeorge Walker Bush Phillips Academy, Andover, MAGore Vidal Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NHGwyneth Paltrow The Spence School, New York, New YorkHoward Baker McCallie School, Chatanooga, TNHumphrey Bogart Phillips Academy, Andover, MAIan Kiernan The Armidale School, NSW, AustraliaIvanka Trump Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTJacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Miss Porters School, Farmington, CTJames Stewart Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PAJames VanDerBeek Cheshire Academy, Chesire, CTJamie Lee Curtis Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wall ingford, CT Jane Fonda Emma Willard School, Troy, NYJennifer Anniston Rudolf Steiner School, New YorkJodie Foster Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTJohn Dos Passos Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTJohn OHurley Kingswood-Oxford School, West Hartford, CTJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTJohn Irving Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NHJohn Kerry St. Pauls School, Concord, NHJohn McCain Episcopal High School, Alexandria, VAJon Meacham McCallie School, Chatanooga, TNJulia Louise-Dreyfus Holton-Arms School, Bethesda, MDKathleen Kennedy Townsend The Putney School, Putney, VTLaura Linney Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MALisa Loeb The Hockaday School, Dallas, TXLouise Fletcher All Saints School, Vicksburg, MSMadeline Albright Kent Denver School, Englewood, COMadeleine LEngleAshley Hall, Charleston, SCMadison Smartt Bell Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville, TNMario Van Peebles St. Thomas More School, Oakdale, CTMary Higgins Clark Villa Maria Academy, Bronx, NYMel Gibson St Leos College, Waitara, Sydney, Australia Michael Douglas Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTMinoru B. Makihara St. Pauls, Concord, NHMorgan Entrekin Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville, TNNatalie Cole Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MAOliver Stone The Hill School, Pottstown, PAParis Hilton The Dwight School, New York, NYPatricia Richardson The Hockaday School, Dallas, TXPeter Cousens The Armidale School, NSW, AustraliaPrince Harry Eton College, Windsor, EnglandPrince William Eton College, Berkshire, EnglandQueen Noor Concord Academy, Concord, MAReggie Love Providence Day School, Charlotte, NCReese Witherspoon Harding Academy, Nashville, TNRichard Speight Jr. Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville, TNS. Presley Blake Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MAShepard Smith Marshall Academy, Holly Springs, MSSky Dayton Delphian School, Sheridan, ORSunny von Bulow The Chapin School, New York, NYStephen Crane The Pennington School, Pennington, NJSteve Forbes The Brooks School, North Andover, MAStewart Mott Deerfield Aca demy, Deerfield, MA Stockard Channing The Madeira School, Mclean, VAStrobe Talbott St. Albans School, Washington, DCTed Danson Kent School, Kent, CTTed Turner McCallie School, Chatanooga, TNTim Russert  Canisius High School, Buffalo, NYTommy Lee Jones St. Marks School of Texas, Dallas, TXTucker Carlson St. Georges School, Newport, RIUma Thurman Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MAWill Ackerman Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MA

Based on what state you choose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Based on what state you choose - Essay Example The day age view states that the biblical days were much longer that mere 24 hours common humans believe. The restoration viewpoint states that there was a gap between the first and second chapters of genesis and this is enough proof that days were more than 24 hours (Boyd & Eddy, 2002). Finally, the literally framework view which according to creationists the author of genesis never intended to talk about God’s creation only wanted to elaborate on monotheism. The essay will relay more information on the day age viewpoint of creation in addition to its refutation. The day age viewpoint has a number of questions that are yet to find a solid solution; this is concerning how the day period differences during the Biblical age and the present. Presently, a day is represented by 24 hours but this is not the case during the Biblical years. In Genesis 1, the word yom is used to as a reference to day. In Hebrew, yom has three different meanings, which are day light period, normal 24-hour duration and an indefinite period (Hankins, 2008). According to Hankins, God’s creation could have taken much more time than the mere six days that humans believe. There is enough evidence in the Bible that God’s days were much longer than the common 24 hour-days those human beings are used to. For instance, in the scriptures, Adam was asked to name all the animals in the Garden of Eden. The garden had about 12000 animals but the scripture says that Adam named the animals one day (Boyd & Eddy, 2002). Suppose Adam spent at least five minutes naming each animal, by the end of 24 hours he would have named only 288 animals, but since he named more than 12000 species of animals in single day is enough proof that God’s days were longer compared to human’s days that only take 24 hours. By reading the Bible scriptures, it is evident that God’s days were longer. For instance, psalms 90 states that, â€Å"†¦a thousand years in your

Things That Garbage Can Reveal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Things That Garbage Can Reveal - Essay Example The garbage from the trash bin depicts variety and the corresponding quantity of materials in regard to distinct socioeconomic discrepancy amidst the underlying activities and prevailing eating habits of every property(Pellow, 34-156).Cheap and widely available foods such as grains, fruits, nuts, local fish, chicken eggs and corresponding lentils depict relatively lower socioeconomic class since they are of minimal cost. Conversely, expensive meat and corresponding remains of salted fish depict the high socioeconomic class of household. Moreover, the waste from the neighboring drains that turned up less of a diversity of foods depicted immersed socioeconomic discrepancy amidst neighbors. Garbage also reveals the economic status of the household in regard to the quantity packages they buy that is relatively lower income families purchase products in smaller packages whilst corresponding upper-income families purchase massive economy-size substances. A larger packet of pizza, sausages, burger, crisps, ice cream and soft drinks reveals that the underlying family had relatively higher income(Pellow, 34-156). Larger quantities also reveal that the families were large whilst few packets depict relatively smaller family. In sum, the kind of garbage normally depicts the socioeconomic class of the underlying household, the number of persons within the household, economic welfare and culture. Moreover, archaeologists largely depend on garbage in determining of the culture of a family and consequently neighborhood.

The Devil and Tom Walker Essay Example for Free

The Devil and Tom Walker Essay The Devil and Tom Walker is a cautionary tale about the result of greed and cruelty. The parable is filled with dark ruminations of nature, forbidding forests and secret, stolen wealth. 1 The proverb assumes the reader is familiar with Biblical terminology, such as Israel or ZionWalkers. These terms presume the reader is intimately familiar with Christianity. The story is precluded to a particular region, Boston and New England. This is an interesting tidbit, the proverb appears to be as familiar to Northerners as are the tales of Brer Rabbit are to Southerners. Each are filled with types of behavior and an ultimate moral conclusion. The aspects of nature in this story is an interesting aspect of American Romanticism. The forests are dark and danger is implied throughout the story. The description of Toms house as something of such pallor, of such demeanor to forbid strangers or travelers from coming near. Even the lone horse is described as decimated and longing for escape from this cruel entrapment. This type of treatment carries over, even when Tom achieves success. His greed only grows, as does his cruelty. The story continues in cautioning the reader in engaging in false Christianity. The life of Tom is filled with loneliness, cruelty, greed, and a form of religion that cannot offer solace to the insincere. The reader is assumed to have an intimate form of knowledge of Christianity. The terms Israel, the City of God and Zionwalkers those who at the least profess the faith of Christianity. The fable appears to take a negative aspect of Christianity, clearly warning the reader of any form of false religion. Although Tom begins to attend Sunday Service and carry his Bible in his pocket and even kept a bible on his workshop table. In the end the Bible is not a saving factor, left perhaps forgotten in the end in the heat of Tom greedily taking from the poor, an express sin in Biblical terms. This tale appears to have been known throughout New England. Quakers and Anabaptists1 are mentioned twice in the story. These two types of beliefs were considered exceptionally odd compared to the Puritan belief. The Quaker2 faith has always been considered strange, because of the way the faith is practiced. The Quakers are unusual in that those of this faith are extremely devoted in that these people of faith attempt to live out their faith through non violence and acts of contrition and charity. This is adverse of the Puritan faith which equates secular wealth with the blessings of God. 3, that is, one who is materially successful must be of or blessed by God and therefore destined for Heaven. The Anabaptists1 were considered unusual in that those of this faith acted independently from any type of hierarchical method of church administration. Anabaptists acted independently from any authority other than the believed hierarchy of God, that is there was nor could there be any authority higher than God alone. 3 The tale of Tom Walker and the Devil is very reminiscent of a story reminiscent of a book by Stephen King, Needful Things4, especially in the ending. Throughout the story the protagonist is described as being dark and gruff, which is also true of another story by Stephen King, The Stand. Stephen King of a New England background would have likely been very familiar with this very old story, this being so, his writing reflects the character of Old Scratch. In the ending of Needful Things the protagonist escapes via a horse drawn hearse, which takes easily to the air granting this creature or being immediate escape. The protagonist in both The Stand and Needful Things is described as ethereal, without any true form, but with the ability to take the form of that which is acceptable to the desired soul.

joseph king :: essays research papers

Joseph King was born 25th July 1886 at Bulli NSW Australia. His father, Edward, was born in Surrey England in 1842 and migrated to Australia with his family during the gold rush to Hill End NSW in 1861. His mother, Jane, was born in 1852 at Portland Head on the Hawkesbury River in NSW. His father had a previous marraige to Rebecca Maris who bore him four children and died having a fifth. Two of those children subsequently died on the goldfields. He was one of seven born by Jane and was the second youngest. In 1880 the family moved to Bulli where Edward became a coal miner. He died in 1889 of \'black lung\' leaving Jane with nine children, Joseph was 21/2 y.o. Joseph and his brothers all worked in the mines up until the Great War of 1914-18. Joseph enlisted at Goulburn NSW on 24th February 1916. He was 271/2 years old, 5ft 6in high and weighed 130lbs. He had fair hair, fair complexion and blue eyes. He was accepted as part of the 4th Reinforcements 55th Battalion on the 8th March 1916. Originally assigned to \'D\' company he was transferred to \'B\' company before leaving Australia. The 55th Battalion was raised in Egypt on 12th February 1916 as part of the \'doubling\' of the AIF. Half of its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 3rd Battalion, and the other half were fresh reinforcements from Australia. Most of the men from the 4th Reinforcements came from the Monaro area. For Joseph to walk across the mountains from the coast to Goulburn to enlist at 27 years of age and so late in the war, he must have been motivated by patriotic fervour brought on by reports of the Gallipoli campaign which would have been sweeping Australia by then. (Gallipoli landing was 25th April 1915 and evacuation was 20th December 1915). After 6 months training in Australia 4/55th Battalion embarked from Sydney 4th September 1916 and disembarked Plymouth England 29th October 1916. More training in England followed until they embarked from Folkstone England 14th December 1916 and disembarked at Boulogne France 15th December 1916 and were marched into the base depot at Etaples. Here all the drafts - though they had already been passed in England as fully trained - were subjected to further tests laid down by GHQ which involved at least 10 days additional training by English instructional officers. Joseph was marched out to his unit and taken on strength in the field on Christmas eve 24th December 1916.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 110-112

CHAPTER 110 Director Sato stood alone in the study, waiting while the CIA satellite-imaging division processed her request. One of the luxuries of working in the D.C. area was the satellite coverage. With luck, one of them might have been properly positioned to get photos of this home tonight . . . possibly capturing a vehicle leaving the place in the last half hour. â€Å"Sorry, ma'am,† the satellite technician said. â€Å"No coverage of those coordinates tonight. Do you want to make a reposition request?† â€Å"No thanks. Too late.† She hung up. Sato exhaled, now having no idea how they would figure out where their target had gone. She walked out to the foyer, where her men had bagged Agent Hartmann's body and were carrying it toward the chopper. Sato had ordered Agent Simkins to gather his men and prepare for the return to Langley, but Simkins was in the living room on his hands and knees. He looked like he was ill. â€Å"You okay?† He glanced up, an odd look on his face. â€Å"Did you see this?† He pointed at the living-room floor. Sato came over and looked down at the plush carpet. She shook her head, seeing nothing. â€Å"Crouch down,† Simkins said. â€Å"Look at the nap of the carpet.† She did. After a moment, she saw it. The fibers of the carpet looked like they had been mashed down . . . depressed along two straight lines as if the wheels of something heavy had been rolled across the room. â€Å"The strange thing,† Simkins said, â€Å"is where the tracks go.† He pointed. Sato's gaze followed the faint parallel lines across the living-room carpet. The tracks seemed to disappear beneath a large floor-to-ceiling painting that hung beside the fireplace. What in the world? Simkins walked over to the painting and tried to lift it down from the wall. It didn't budge. â€Å"It's fixed,† he said, now running his fingers around the edges. â€Å"Hold on, there's something underneath . . .† His finger hit a small lever beneath the bottom edge, and something clicked. Sato stepped forward as Simkins pushed the frame and the entire painting rotated slowly on its center, like a revolving door. He raised his flashlight and shined it into the dark space beyond. Sato's eyes narrowed. Here we go. At the end of a short corridor stood a heavy metal door. The memories that had billowed through the blackness of Langdon's mind had come and gone. In their wake, a trail of red-hot sparks was swirling, along with the same eerie, distant whisper. Verbum significatium . . . Verbum omnificum . . . Verbum perdo. The chanting continued like the drone of voices in a medieval canticle. Verbum significatium . . . Verbum omnificum. The words now tumbled through the empty void, fresh voices echoing all around him. Apocalypsis . . . Franklin . . . Apocalypsis . . . Verbum . . . Apocalypsis . . . Without warning, a mournful bell began tolling somewhere in the distance. The bell rang on and on, growing louder. It tolled more urgently now, as if hoping Langdon would understand, as if urging his mind to follow. CHAPTER 111 The tolling bell in the clock tower rang for three full minutes, rattling the crystal chandelier that hung above Langdon's head. Decades ago, he had attended lectures in this well-loved assembly hall at Phillips Exeter Academy. Today, however, he was here to listen to a dear friend address the student body. As the lights dimmed, Langdon took a seat against the back wall, beneath a pantheon of headmaster portraits. A hush fell across the crowd. In total darkness, a tall, shadowy figure crossed the stage and took the podium. â€Å"Good morning,† the faceless voice whispered into the microphone. Everyone sat up, straining to see who was addressing them. A slide projector flashed to life, revealing a faded sepia photograph–a dramatic castle with a red sandstone facade, high square towers, and Gothic embellishments. The shadow spoke again. â€Å"Who can tell me where this is?† â€Å"England!† a girl declared in the darkness. â€Å"This facade is a blend of early Gothic and late Romanesque, making this the quintessential Norman castle and placing it in England at about the twelfth century.† â€Å"Wow,† the faceless voice replied. â€Å"Someone knows her architecture.† Quiet groans all around. â€Å"Unfortunately,† the shadow added, â€Å"you missed by three thousand miles and half a millennium.† The room perked up. The projector now flashed a full-color, modern photo of the same castle from a different angle. The castle's Seneca Creek sandstone towers dominated the foreground, but in the background, startlingly close, stood the majestic, white, columned dome of the U.S. Capitol Building. â€Å"Hold on!† the girl exclaimed. â€Å"There's a Norman castle in D.C.?!† â€Å"Since 1855,† the voice replied. â€Å"Which is when this next photo was taken.† A new slide appeared–a black-and-white interior shot, depicting a massive vaulted ballroom, furnished with animal skeletons, scientific display cases, glass jars with biological samples, archaeological artifacts, and plaster casts of prehistoric reptiles. â€Å"This wondrous castle,† the voice said, â€Å"was America's first real science museum. It was a gift to America from a wealthy British scientist who, like our forefathers, believed our fledgling country could become the land of enlightenment. He bequeathed to our forefathers a massive fortune and asked them to build at the core of our nation `an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.' † He paused a long moment. â€Å"Who can tell me the name of this generous scientist?† A timid voice in front ventured, â€Å"James Smithson?† A whisper of recognition rippled through the crowd. â€Å"Smithson indeed,† the man on stage replied. Peter Solomon now stepped into the light, his gray eyes flashing playfully. â€Å"Good morning. My name is Peter Solomon, and I am secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.† The students broke into wild applause. In the shadows, Langdon watched with admiration as Peter captivated the young minds with a photographic tour of the Smithsonian Institution's early history. The show began with Smithsonian Castle, its basement science labs, corridors lined with exhibits, a salon full of mollusks, scientists who called themselves â€Å"the curators of crustaceans,† and even an old photo of the castle's two most popular residents–a pair of now-deceased owls named Diffusion and Increase. The half-hour slide show ended with an impressive satellite photo of the National Mall, now lined with enormous Smithsonian museums. â€Å"As I said when I began,† Solomon stated in conclusion, â€Å"James Smithson and our forefathers envisioned our great country to be a land of enlightenment. I believe today they would be proud. Their great Smithsonian Institution stands as a symbol of science and knowledge at the very core of America. It is a living, breathing, working tribute to our forefathers' dream for America–a country founded on the principles of knowledge, wisdom, and science.† Solomon clicked off the slides to an energetic round of applause. The houselights came up, along with dozens of eager hands with questions. Solomon called on a small red-haired boy in the middle. â€Å"Mr. Solomon?† the boy said, sounding puzzled. â€Å"You said our forefathers fled the religious oppression of Europe to establish a country on the principles of scientific advancement.† â€Å"That's correct.† â€Å"But . . . I was under the impression our forefathers were devoutly religious men who founded America as a Christian nation.† Solomon smiled. â€Å"My friends, don't get me wrong, our forefathers were deeply religious men, but they were Deists–men who believed in God, but in a universal and open-minded way. The only religious ideal they put forth was religious freedom.† He pulled the microphone from the podium and strode out to the edge of the stage. â€Å"America's forefathers had a vision of a spiritually enlightened utopia, in which freedom of thought, education of the masses, and scientific advancement would replace the darkness of outdated religious superstition.† A blond girl in back raised her hand. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Sir,† the girl said, holding up her cell phone, â€Å"I've been researching you online, and Wikipedia says you're a prominent Freemason.† Solomon held up his Masonic ring. â€Å"I could have saved you the data charges.† The students laughed. â€Å"Yes, well,† the girl continued, hesitating, â€Å"you just mentioned `outdated religious superstition,' and it seems to me that if anyone is responsible for propagating outdated superstitions . . . it would be the Masons.† Solomon seemed unfazed. â€Å"Oh? How so?† â€Å"Well, I've read a lot about Masonry, and I know you've got a lot of strange ancient rituals and beliefs. This article online even says that Masons believe in the power of some kind of ancient magical wisdom . . . which can elevate man to the realm of the gods?† Everyone turned and stared at the girl as if she were nuts. â€Å"Actually,† Solomon said, â€Å"she's right.† The kids all spun around and faced front, eyes widening. Solomon suppressed a smile and asked the girl, â€Å"Does it offer any other Wiki-wisdom about this magical knowledge?† The girl looked uneasy now, but she began to read from the Web site. â€Å"`To ensure this powerful wisdom could not be used by the unworthy, the early adepts wrote down their knowledge in code . . . cloaking its potent truth in a metaphorical language of symbols, myth, and allegory. To this day, this encrypted wisdom is all around us . . . encoded in our mythology, our art, and the occult texts of the ages. Unfortunately, modern man has lost the ability to decipher this complex network of symbolism . . . and the great truth has been lost.'† Solomon waited. â€Å"That's all?† The girl shifted in her seat. â€Å"Actually, there is a little bit more.† â€Å"I should hope so. Please . . . tell us.† The girl looked hesitant, but she cleared her throat and continued. â€Å"`According to legend, the sages who encrypted the Ancient Mysteries long ago left behind a key of sorts . . . a password that could be used to unlock the encrypted secrets. This magical password–known as the verbum significatium–is said to hold the power to lift the darkness and unlock the Ancient Mysteries, opening them to all human understanding.' â€Å" Solomon smiled wistfully. â€Å"Ah, yes . . . the verbum significatium.† He stared into space for a moment and then lowered his eyes again to the blond girl. â€Å"And where is this wonderful word now?† The girl looked apprehensive, clearly wishing she had not challenged their guest speaker. She finished reading. † `Legend holds that the verbum significatium is buried deep underground, where it waits patiently for a pivotal moment in history . . . a moment when mankind can no longer survive without the truth, knowledge, and wisdom of the ages. At this dark crossroads, mankind will at last unearth the Word and herald in a wondrous new age of enlightenment.' â€Å" The girl turned off her phone and shrank down in her seat. After a long silence, another student raised his hand. â€Å"Mr. Solomon, you don't actually believe that, right?† Solomon smiled. â€Å"Why not? Our mythologies have a long tradition of magic words that provide insight and godlike powers. To this day, children still shout `abracadabra' in hopes of creating something out of nothing. Of course, we've all forgotten that this word is not a toy; it has roots in ancient Aramaic mysticism–Avrah KaDabra–meaning `I create as I speak.' â€Å" Silence. â€Å"But, sir,† the student now pressed, â€Å"surely you don't believe that a single word . . . this verbum significatium . . . whatever it is . . . has the power to unlock ancient wisdom . . . and bring about a worldwide enlightenment?† Peter Solomon's face revealed nothing. â€Å"My own beliefs should not concern you. What should concern you is that this prophecy of a coming enlightenment is echoed in virtually every faith and philosophical tradition on earth. Hindus call it the Krita Age, astrologers call it the Age of Aquarius, the Jews describe the coming of the Messiah, theosophists call it the New Age, cosmologists call it Harmonic Convergence and predict the actual date.† â€Å"December 21, 2012!† someone called. â€Å"Yes, unnervingly soon . . . if you're a believer in Mayan math.† Langdon chuckled, recalling how Solomon, ten years ago, had correctly predicted the current spate of television specials predicting that the year 2012 would mark the End of the World. â€Å"Timing aside,† Solomon said, â€Å"I find it wondrous to note that throughout history, all of mankind's disparate philosophies have all concurred on one thing–that a great enlightenment is coming. In every culture, in every era, in every corner of the world, the human dream has focused on the same exact concept–the coming apotheosis of man . . . the impending transformation of our human minds into their true potentiality.† He smiled. â€Å"What could possibly explain such a synchronicity of beliefs?† â€Å"Truth,† said a quiet voice in the crowd. Solomon wheeled. â€Å"Who said that?† The hand that went up belonged to a tiny Asian boy whose soft features suggested he might be Nepalese or Tibetan. â€Å"Maybe there is a universal truth embedded in everyone's soul. Maybe we all have the same story hiding inside, like a shared constant in our DNA. Maybe this collective truth is responsible for the similarity in all of our stories.† Solomon was beaming as he pressed his hands together and bowed reverently to the boy. â€Å"Thank you.† Everyone was quiet. â€Å"Truth,† Solomon said, addressing the room. â€Å"Truth has power. And if we all gravitate toward similar ideas, maybe we do so because those ideas are true . . . written deep within us. And when we hear the truth, even if we don't understand it, we feel that truth resonate within us . . . vibrating with our unconscious wisdom. Perhaps the truth is not learned by us, but rather, the truth is re-called . . . re-membered . . . re-cognized . . . as that which is already inside us.† The silence in the hall was complete. Solomon let it sit for a long moment, then quietly said, â€Å"In closing, I should warn you that unveiling the truth is never easy. Throughout history, every period of enlightenment has been accompanied by darkness, pushing in opposition. Such are the laws of nature and balance. And if we look at the darkness growing in the world today, we have to realize that this means there is equal light growing. We are on the verge of a truly great period of illumination, and all of us–all of you–are profoundly blessed to be living through this pivotal moment of history. Of all the people who have ever lived, in all the eras in history . . . we are in that narrow window of time during which we will bear witness to our ultimate renaissance. After millennia of darkness, we will see our sciences, our minds, and even our religions unveil the truth.† Solomon was about to get a hearty round of applause when he held up his hand for silence. â€Å"Miss?† He pointed directly to the contentious blond girl in back with the cell phone. â€Å"I know you and I didn't agree on much, but I want to thank you. Your passion is an important catalyst in the coming changes. Darkness feeds on apathy . . . and conviction is our most potent antidote. Keep studying your faith. Study the Bible.† He smiled. â€Å"Especially the final pages.† â€Å"The Apocalypse?† she said. â€Å"Absolutely. The Book of Revelation is a vibrant example of our shared truth. The last book of the Bible tells the identical story as countless other traditions. They all predict the coming unveiling of great wisdom.† Someone else said, â€Å"But isn't the Apocalypse about the end of the world? You know, the Antichrist, Armageddon, the final battle between good and evil?† Solomon chuckled. â€Å"Who here studies Greek?† Several hands went up. â€Å"What does the word apocalypse literally mean?† â€Å"It means,† one student began, and then paused as if surprised. â€Å"Apocalypse means `to unveil' . . . or `to reveal.' â€Å" Solomon gave the boy a nod of approval. â€Å"Exactly. The Apocalypse is literally a reveal-ation. The Book of Reveal-ation in the Bible predicts an unveiling of great truth and unimaginable wisdom. The Apocalypse is not the end of the world, but rather it is the end of the world as we know it. The prophecy of the Apocalypse is just one of the Bible's beautiful messages that has been distorted.† Solomon stepped to the front of the stage. â€Å"Believe me, the Apocalypse is coming . . . and it will be nothing like what we were taught.† High over his head, the bell began to toll. The students erupted into bewildered and thunderous applause. CHAPTER 112 Katherine Solomon was teetering on the edge of consciousness when she was jolted by the shock wave of a deafening explosion. Moments later, she smelled smoke. Her ears were ringing. There were muffled voices. Distant. Shouting. Footsteps. Suddenly she was breathing more clearly. The cloth had been pulled from her mouth. â€Å"You're safe,† a man's voice whispered. â€Å"Just hold on.† She expected the man to pull the needle out of her arm but instead he was yelling orders. â€Å"Bring the medical kit . . . attach an IV to the needle . . . infuse lactated Ringer's solution . . . get me a blood pressure.† As the man began checking her vital signs, he said, â€Å"Ms. Solomon, the person who did this to you . . . where did he go?† Katherine tried to speak, but she could not. â€Å"Ms. Solomon?† the voice repeated. â€Å"Where did he go?† Katherine tried to pry her eyes open, but she felt herself fading. â€Å"We need to know where he went,† the man urged. Katherine whispered three words in response, although she knew they made no sense. â€Å"The . . . sacred . . . mountain.† Director Sato stepped over the mangled steel door and descended a wooden ramp into the hidden basement. One of her agents met her at the bottom. â€Å"Director, I think you'll want to see this.† Sato followed the agent into a small room off the narrow hallway. The room was brightly lit and barren, except for a pile of clothing on the floor. She recognized Robert Langdon's tweed coat and loafers. Her agent pointed toward the far wall at a large, casketlike container. What in the world? Sato moved toward the container, seeing now that it was fed by a clear plastic pipe that ran through the wall. Warily, she approached the tank. Now she could see that it had a small slider on top. She reached down and slid the covering to one side, revealing a small portal-like window. Sato recoiled. Beneath the Plexiglas . . . floated the submerged, vacant face of Professor Robert Langdon. Light! The endless void in which Langdon hovered was suddenly filled by a blinding sun. Rays of white-hot light streamed across the blackness of space, burning into his mind. The light was everywhere. Suddenly, within the radiant cloud before him, a beautiful silhouette appeared. It was a face . . . blurry and indistinct . . . two eyes staring at him across the void. Streams of light surrounded the face, and Langdon wondered if he was looking into the face of God. Sato stared down into the tank, wondering if Professor Langdon had any idea what had happened. She doubted it. After all, disorientation was the entire purpose of this technology. Sensory-deprivation tanks had been around since the fifties and were still a popular getaway for wealthy New Age experimenters. â€Å"Floating,† as it was called, offered a transcendental back-to- the-womb experience . . . a kind of meditative aid that quieted brain activity by removing all sensory input–light, sound, touch, and even the pull of gravity. In traditional tanks, the person would float on his back in a hyperbuoyant saline solution that kept his face above the water so he could breathe. In recent years, however, these tanks had taken a quantum leap. Oxygenated perfluorocarbons. This new technology–known as Total Liquid Ventilation (TLV)–was so counterintuitive that few believed it existed. Breathable liquid. Liquid breathing had been a reality since 1966, when Leland C. Clark successfully kept alive a mouse that had been submerged for several hours in an oxygenated perfluorocarbon. In 1989, TLV technology made a dramatic appearance in the movie The Abyss, although few viewers realized that they were watching real science. Total Liquid Ventilation had been born of modern medicine's attempts to help premature babies breathe by returning them to the liquid-filled state of the womb. Human lungs, having spent nine months in utero, were no strangers to a liquid-filled state. Perfluorocarbons had once been too viscous to be fully breathable, but modern breakthroughs had made breathable liquids almost the consistency of water. The CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology–â€Å"the Wizards of Langley,† as they were known within the intelligence community–had worked extensively with oxygenated perfluorocarbons to develop technologies for the U.S. military. The navy's elite deep-ocean diving teams found that breathing oxygenated liquid, rather than the usual heliox or trimix, gave them the ability to dive to much greater depths without risk of pressure sickness. Similarly, NASA and the air force had learned that pilots equipped with a liquid breathing apparatus rather than a traditional oxygen tank could withstand far higher g-forces than usual because liquid spread the g-force more evenly throughout the internal organs than gas did. Sato had heard that there were now â€Å"extreme experience labs† where one could try these Total Liquid Ventilation tanks–â€Å"Meditation Machines,† as they were called. This particular tank had probably been installed for its owner's private experimentation, although the addition of heavy, lockable latches left little doubt in Sato's mind that this tank had also been used for darker applications . . . an interrogation technique with which the CIA was familiar. The infamous interrogation technique of water boarding was highly effective because the victim truly believed he was drowning. Sato knew of several classified operations in which sensory- deprivation tanks like these had been used to enhance that illusion to terrifying new levels. A victim submerged in breathable liquid could literally be â€Å"drowned.† The panic associated with the drowning experience usually made the victim unaware that the liquid he was breathing was slightly more viscous than water. When the liquid poured into his lungs, he would often black out from fear, and then awaken in the ultimate â€Å"solitary confinement.† Topical numbing agents, paralysis drugs, and hallucinogens were mixed with the warm oxygenated liquid to give the prisoner the sense he was entirely separated from his body. When his mind sent commands to move his limbs, nothing happened. The state of being â€Å"dead† was terrifying on its own, but the true disorientation came from the â€Å"rebirthing† process, which, with the aid of bright lights, cold air, and deafening noise, could be extremely traumatic and painful. After a handful of rebirths and subsequent drownings, the prisoner became so disorientated that he had no idea if he was alive or dead . . . and he would tell the interrogator absolutely anything. Sato wondered if she should wait for a medical team to extract Langdon, but she knew she didn't have time. I need to know what he knows. â€Å"Turn out the lights,† she said. â€Å"And find me some blankets.† The blinding sun had vanished. The face had also disappeared. The blackness had returned, but Langdon could now hear distant whispers echoing across the light-years of emptiness. Muffled voices . . . unintelligible words. There were vibrations now . . . as if the world were about to shake apart. Then it happened. Without warning, the universe was ripped in two. An enormous chasm opened in the void . . . as if space itself had ruptured at the seams. A grayish mist poured through the opening, and Langdon saw a terrifying sight. Disembodied hands were suddenly reaching for him, grabbing his body, trying to yank him out of his world. No! He tried to fight them off, but he had no arms . . . no fists. Or did he? Suddenly he felt his body materializing around his mind. His flesh had returned and it was being seized by powerful hands that were dragging him upward. No! Please! But it was too late. Pain racked his chest as the hands heaved him through the opening. His lungs felt like they were filled with sand. I can't breathe! He was suddenly on his back on the coldest, hardest surface he could imagine. Something was pressing on his chest, over and over, hard and painful. He was spewing out the warmth. I want to go back. He felt like he was a child being born from a womb. He was convulsing, coughing up liquid. He felt pain in his chest and neck. Excruciating pain. His throat was on fire. People were talking, trying to whisper, but it was deafening. His vision was blurred, and all he could see was muted shapes. His skin felt numb, like dead leather. His chest felt heavier now . . . pressure. I can't breathe! He was coughing up more liquid. An overwhelming gag reflex seized him, and he gasped inward. Cold air poured into his lungs, and he felt like a newborn taking his first breath on earth. This world was excruciating. All Langdon wanted was to return to the womb. Robert Langdon had no idea how much time had passed. He could feel now that he was lying on his side, wrapped in towels and blankets on a hard floor. A familiar face was gazing down at him . . . but the streams of glorious light were gone. The echoes of distant chanting still hung in his mind. Verbum significatium . . . Verbum omnificum . . . â€Å"Professor Langdon,† someone whispered. â€Å"Do you know where you are?† Langdon nodded weakly, still coughing. More important, he had begun to realize what was going on tonight.

Great Gatsby Criticism Essay

In Marilyn Roberts’ criticism of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby she compares the main character Jay Gatsby to another main character of another novel and movie, Tony Guarino of Scarface. Marilyn Roberts states in her criticism that the writers of Scarface used Jay Gatsby as a model to represent the rise of their own protagonist, Tony Guarino. Scarface is much like The Great Gatsby, a classic rag to riches stories by means of not so legal practices. Affluence, power, and lives of luxuriant ease are what these two men portray. With money and power these men also need high-status women in their lives. For Jay Gatsby the woman he chases after is Daisy Buchannan, the wife of Tom Buchannan. In the world of Tony Guarino the woman in his life is named Poppy. Influence from The Great Gatsby is shown here and throughout the two stories, the name Poppy is a flower like Daisy’s name also is a flower. Poppy and Daisy are also much alike asides from both their names originating from a flower. Both Poppy and Daisy are shallow, self-absorbed, and deceitful. Another comparison brought up is that both women are in their own relationships not with Tony or Jay. Jay Gatsby and Tony Guarino are determined to take these women out of their relationships so that they can be together with them. Tony uses his wealth to try and win over Poppy buying her clothes and even a home, Jay also uses his immense wealth to try and win Daisy over which is not successful. To show their characters immense wealth the writers of both Scarface and The Great Gatsby used shirts as symbols. These shirts are used as symbols to represent the American Dream, limitless freedom, wealth, and ambition. The men also use the shirts to try and win over their love interests. In The Great Gatsby, Jay pulls out his shirts collection to show Daisy, â€Å"They’re such beautiful shirts,† she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. â€Å"It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such–such beautiful shirts before. â€Å"(Fitzgerald). Jay does this to show off his wealth, throwing expensive and high quality shirts onto the floor. The writers of Scarface made their own rendition of the scene. While touring Tony’s house Poppy seems unimpressed but when Tony takes her to his bedroom he pulls out his shirt collection and throws them on the floor, Poppy eases up when shown the shirts. Both men are also considered as gangsters in Roberts’ criticism. Jay runs an illegal alcohol bootlegging ring and Tony runs a drug cartel. Along with Gatsby’s death Tony is also killed for pursuing the woman he thinks he loves and not by a fellow gangster. Tony’s death like Gatsby’s is rooted in jealousy. Jay Gatsby is killed by a jealous husband (Wilson) thfdafa at thought Jay killed his wife (Myrtle).

The Unforgetable Man

The Unforgetable Man Being an orderly at Scottsdale Memorial Hospital was a fun job that required a strong heart. The hospital was a great place for me to experience the beauty of life and the unwanted death of humans. Throughout my year of employment at the Community Hospital, I was able to enjoy my work by interacting with many kinds of interesting patients. Without the hospital, I would have never imagined to be carrying on conversations with most of these people. Aiding curses required many long exhilarating hours of work each day, but I loved experiencing the daily recovery of patients, in which I was able to be some part.The night of August sixth became a different story. Just as my shift was coming to a normal close, a nurse‚s call light from one of the patient‚s rooms had illuminated. On one of my many repetitive walks down from the station to a patient‚s room, I had nothing else on my mind except for my evening plans with friends.Nurse log, Quinault Rain Forest Nature TrailI was extr emely happy that this would surely be the last call light I would be answering that shift. As I entered the room, a crying relative came yelling at me. "He is going, something happened, do something, do something now!", demanded the distressed lady standing right at the bed side. I had seen this man before, although I had never spoken to him. I had know idea that he was not in a stable health."All right, all right," I replied in frustration, not knowing exactly what to do first. I looked at the 84 year old overweight male patient. He appeared very pale with his brown colored eyes half shut looking desperately at me for some sort of help. My mind was becoming blank, as I could not believe what...

The Benefits of a Postgraduate Year

The Benefits of a Postgraduate Year While many students have discovered the benefits of a gap year between high school and college, some students choose to take a postgraduate or PG year after graduating from high school. Students can take advantage of this year-long program at their own private school or at another school. Many students attend a boarding school just for their postgraduate year, as boarding school allows these students to experience life away from home while still having the requisite structure and guidance from teachers and advisors. While the PG year has been traditionally known to support boys, an increasing number of girls are taking advantage of this important program. Here are some reasons students can benefit from a PG year at private school: Greater maturity It’s not news that students at both public and private four-year colleges are taking longer than ever to graduate from college. In fact, according to the ACT, only about half of all students graduate from four-year colleges within five years. In addition, also according to the ACT, about one-quarter of students at four-year colleges drop out and don’t return to school. Part of the reason for this high drop-out rate is that students don’t arrive on campus ready for independent college life. A PG year allows students to develop maturity by living on their own in a structured environment. While students at boarding schools must advocate for themselves and take responsibility for their work without their parents’ constant guidance, they have advisors and teachers who help them structure their time and who help them when needed. Better chances for college acceptance. While parents are often afraid that students who defer going to college for a year are fated never to go, the colleges themselves prefer to accept students after a so-called â€Å"gap year.† Colleges find that students who travel or work before college are more committed and focused when they arrive on campus. While a PG year isn’t technically the same as a gap year, it can also help students have an additional year of experience, and it can help them be more attractive to colleges. Many private schools offer PG programs that allow students opportunities to play sports, travel, and even participate in internships, all of which can greatly increase a students chances of getting into the college of their choice. Better academic skills. Many students who go on to be great college students simply don’t come into their own until later in high school. The later developmental curve tends to be particularly true of boys. They simply need one more year to build their academic skills when their minds are better able to learn and improve. Students who have learning disabilities may derive particular benefit from a PG year, as they may need time to assimilate new skills and improve their ability to advocate for themselves before confronting the independent world of college. A PG year at a boarding school will allow these types of students the ability to advocate for themselves in the supportive world of a high school, in which there are deans and teachers looking out for them, before being expected to do most of this work completely on their own in college.   Ability to build one’s athletic profile. Some students take a PG year so that they can add luster to their athletic profile before applying to college. For example, they may attend a boarding school known for excellence in a particular sport before applying to college to play that sport. Some boarding schools not only have better teams, but they also tend to attract the attention of college sports scouts. The extra year of school and training can also help players improve their strength, agility, and overall mastery of the sport. Private schools offer qualified college counselors who can help with the college search, too.   Access to better college counseling. Students who take a PG year may also enjoy access to better college counseling, particularly if they take their gap year at a top boarding school. A student applying to college from these types of boarding schools will benefit from the school’s experience and long record of admissions to competitive colleges, and the resources at these schools may be better than what the student had at his or her previous high school. Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

Public Key Infrastructure Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Key Infrastructure - Case Study Example dly, there is the idea of encryption where encryption algorithms ensure that the communications are secure and that data remain private as it is sent from one computer to another. Finally, through digital signatures, PKI helps to provide non-repudiation. The concept of non-repudiation helps prove that a particular individual performed a certain operation at a certain time (El-Ashqar, 2012). Therefore PKI can be of great benefit to the organization by guaranteeing the quality, source & destination, the timing and privacy of information. The PKI could help in signing the company’s software by providing code signing certificates. This certification is done by the Certification Authority (CA) unit under the PKI which uses its private key to assign a certificate and signs it with the private key for that certificate authority (Zissis & Lekkas, 2013). The CA in this case refers to the company itself which will be involved in issuing and revoking of the digital signatures. In addition to the private key, the CA has its public key which is published. Therefore, the company may take advantage of this process and assign its software products digital certificates. The public key that is used in the authentication of the code signature can be traced back to the root Certification Authority (Zissis & Lekkas, 2013). Clients make use of the root certificate generated by the CA to verify that the signatures have originated from that certificate authority. This will help the user know that a given software product is from t he stated source or company. This will help show the user that the software is authentic and is from the trusted company. Companies have to choose whether to use an external certification authority (CA) or an in-house CA that is controlled by the organization. Each of these approaches has its own merits and drawbacks. First, when it comes to internal CAs, it is easy for the organization to manage since there is no need to consult another party. Internal CAs

Homeschooling Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Homeschooling - Research Paper Example Home schooling program has been legal in the United States. Its rapid growth comes as a big surprise to educators both in public and private schools. An estimate from The National Center for Education Statistics of the US Dept. of Education sets it at 1.1 million in 2003 an increase from 850,000 in 1999 and 1.1 million in 2003. Parents cited many reasons favoring this system. But there are evidences that lead me to an argument that this program needs tighter regulation, either banned or to conclude that it is an educational neglect. If you are a parent, and convinced that home study program is right for your child, see the disadvantages first and weigh its consequences after. Disadvantages Personality change. Home schooling deprives the child of the opportunity of gaining social skills that could only be gained or developed when the child is with his/her peers. A child learns to interact with other students from all walks of life in a school environment, thus leading to growth and development. Studies of Scott, White et.al. supports my argument such that their Examination of Previously Homeschooled College Students with the Big Five Model of Personality showed that the unique socialization practices of homeschooled families may impact their children’s personality development. Communication. A regular school gives children a chance to work with other people, hear different opinions, values, and beliefs.

Burger Kingcustomer centrality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Burger Kingcustomer centrality - Essay Example Beginning in 1974 they began offering consumers the empowerment to have burgers made to you're own specifications. Burger King opened their first drive-thru window in the US in 1975, and is currently offering healthier menu items for the calorie and cholesterol conscious consumers. Burger King has always placed an emphasis on customer choice and satisfaction. Customer satisfaction can be gauged by employing and combining the results of the customer value models described in the article, 'Customer Value: a Review of Recent Literature and an Integrative Configuration'. (Khalifa 2004: 655-662) By combining the outcomes of the value exchange model, value buildup model, and value dynamics model, Burger King receives high marks in providing customer value. Burger King strives to make the consumers' experience with them as positive as possible. By offering a quality product at a competitive price in a timely, convenient, and friendly manner, Burger King has managed to grow and become one of the worlds' largest fast-food franchise businesses. Convenient locations, ease of service and consistency of quality in their products, in addition to the empowerment provided to all customers purchasing their products, allows for greater customer benefits in relation to sacrifices made in the procurement of these services. This means Burger King scores well based upon the criteria used in rating customer value using the value exchange model. (p. 655) The value build model correlates four aspects of the relationship between customer and supplier: How the customer is treated and their level of satisfaction with that treatment, longevity of the interaction, thoroughness and thoughtfulness between the customer and the supplier, and the consumers' placing an emotional value on their interaction. (p. 656) Consumers of Burger King's services are encouraged to interact with suppliers, or how else would they have their meal made to suit their preferences This is further reflected in Burger King's employee training which places a major emphasis on friendly, courteous customer service tailored to the needs of the consumer. (Careers, 2005, ) By these standards the company receives high marks. The value dynamics model places focus on product/service and delivery, and meeting the needs of the consumer as a person. (Khalifa 2004: 658) It has already been stated that Burger King strives to provide a quality product, which is competitively priced, and easy to receive. Over the years the corporation has expanded their menu options to meet the needs and desires of health-conscious consumers, which has expanded their client base, the core of which is made up of consumers aged 18 to 35, who eat burgers and fries, (BK (UK) 2005: PDF: 3) and allowed for the meeting of individual needs in a more thorough manner. They have managed to accomplish this without sacrificing ease and/or speed of delivery. By making these options available to all customers they have enhanced the individualization of customer interaction. Again, Burger King receives exemplary marks in customer value. By combining these various models, all of the factors and results, and Burger King's own policies

Force majeure and hardship

Force majeure and hardship INTRODUCTION A basic and universally accepted principle of contract law is pacta sunt servanda. This principle means that each party to an agreement is responsible for its non-execution, even if the cause of the failure is beyond his power and was not or could not be foreseen at the time of signing the agreement. The principle reflects natural justice and economic requirements because it binds a person to their promises and protects the interests of the other party. Since effective economic activity is not possible without reliable promises, the importance of this principle has to be emphasized. On the other hand, practice has demonstrated that on many occasions application of this principle may lead to the opposite of its aim. That is to say, the situation existing at the conclusion of the contract may subsequently have changed so completely that the parties, acting as reasonable persons, would not have made the contract, or would have made it differently, had they known what was going to happen. This situation is unlikely to arise with short-term contracts, which often exhibit a simple structure where non-performances are exchanged for money. In international trade, however, many contracts are of a more complicated structure, and even if they are not long term contracts, they frequently exist over a substantive period. International trade transactions generally imply a greater element of uncertainty because they are subject to political and economic influences in foreign countries. Different legal concepts deal with this problem of changed circumstances and provide for the discharge of the duty to perform of one or both parties when a contract has become unexpectedly onerous or impossible to perform. The classic concept of force majeure is primarily directed at settling the problems resulting from non-performance, either by suspension or by termination. Concepts likeimpr ¿Ã‚ ½visionor hardship are mainly directed at the adaptation of the contract. Although all legal systems take notice of the situation of changed circumstances, the conditions under which they allow the defence of force majeure vary. Furthermore, the adaptation of the contract is not universally accepted. Attempts have been made to tackle these problems on an international level. In particular, the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) addresses the issue of changed circumstances. It avoids reference to the existing concepts because it has developed a system of its own. This concept, however, is generally not regarded as being able to solve the problem entirely. Parties to international sales transactions, therefore, frequently include special clauses in their contracts dealing with matters of hardship and force majeure. This paper aims to give some idea of the concepts of hardship and force majeure in the context of international sales transactions. First, the concepts will be discussed on a theoretical basis. The different approaches to the situation of changed circumstances in the major legal systems will then be discussed. Article 79 of the CISG will be introduced, interpreted, and its scope determined. It will then be possible to ascertain if, to what extent, and what kind of clauses dealing with the matter of changed circumstances, should be inserted into international sales contracts. Force majeure and hardship clauses will then be discussed in more detail. Finally, the use of standard forms of contract, with special regard to the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts, will be considered, and a recommendation as to force majeure and hardship clauses will be made. FORCE MAJEURE AND HARDSHIP THE CONCEPTS IN GENERAL The two major legal concepts dealing with the problem of changed circumstances are those of force majeure and hardship. In order to understand the interpretation and discussion of Article 79 of the CISG and the deliberations on force majeure and hardship clauses in international sales contracts, the two concepts first have to be considered on a general and theoretical basis. 1. Force majeure The concept of force majeure, providing for the discharge of one or both parties when a contract has become impossible to perform, has evolved progressively in international trade practice by assuming many original and autonomous features distinct from similar legal concepts. The approach of municipal legal systems to situations of force majeure varies from country to country. Despite these circumstances, certain general characteristics of the conception of force majeure can be determined. The roots of the classic concept lie in the Code Napol ¿Ã‚ ½on, from which the words force majeure (an irresistible compulsion or coercion) are taken. An English courts interpretation of the words held that they have a more extensive meaning than act of God or vis major. Act of God is defined as an event happening independently of human volition, which human foresight and care could not reasonably anticipate or avoid. According to the judgment, the words force majeure could cover the dislocation of a business due to a universal coal strike or accidents to machinery, but would not cover bad weather, football matches, or a funeral.In Brauer Co. v. James Clark it was held that a party could not rely on force majeure simply because the price it was required to pay for the goods was considerably in excess of the price at which it had contracted to sell them. In more general terms, it can be said that force majeure occurs when the performance of a contract is impossible due to unforeseeable events beyond the control of the parties. The following is a possible definition of force majeure: Force majeure occurs when the law recognizes that without default of either party a contractual obligation has become incapable of being performed because the circumstances in which the performance is called for would render it impossible. I promised to do this but I cannot due to some irresistible unforeseeable and uncontrollable event. A similar definition is contained in Article 7.1.7 of the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts where, under the headline of Force majeure, it is stated that a partys non-performance is excused if that party proves that the non-performance was due to an impediment beyond its control, and that it could not reasonably be expected to have taken the impediment into account at the time of the conclusion of the contract or to have avoided or overcome the impediment or its consequences. The aim of the classic concept of force majeure, as is reflected in Article 7.1.7 of the UNIDROIT Principles, is to settle the problems resulting from non-performance either by suspension or termination. 2. Hardship The concept of hardship is usually discussed in the context of hardship clauses, which are frequently introduced into contracts in international trade. The term hardship, however, has also been used in legislation, e.g., in the Australian National Security (Landlord and Tenant) Regulations and the Landlord and Tenant (Amendment) Act 1948-1964. With respect to those rules, courts had to interpret the term hardship and determine its scope. Thus, it was held that hardship, as used in the National Security Regulations, may be regarded as the subjective effect of a detrimental nature upon the person concerned. In another decision interpreting the Landlord and Tenant Act, hardship was said to include any matter of appreciable detriment whether financial, personal or otherwise. The circumstances in which hardship generally exists (as usually set out in hardship clauses) normally incorporate three elements. First, the circumstances must have arisen beyond the control of either party; self-induced hardship is irrelevant. Second, they must be of fundamental character. Third, they must be entirely uncontemplated and unforeseeable. A clear descriptive definition of hardship is contained in the UNIDROIT Principles. It reads as follows (Article 6.2.2): There is hardship where the occurrence of events fundamentally alters the equilibrium of the contract either because the cost of a partys performance has increased or because the value of the performance a party receives has diminished, and the events occur or become known to the disadvantaged party after the conclusion of the contract; the events could not reasonably have been taken into account by the disadvantaged party at the time of the conclusion of the contract; the events are beyond the control of the disadvantaged party; and the risk of the events was not assumed by the disadvantaged party. The concept of hardship intends to solve problems of such fundamentally altered circumstances by adapting the contract to the new situation. 3. Differences between the two concepts The concepts of hardship and force majeure seem to be related to each other, particularly since they share some features: they both cater to situations of changed circumstances. The difference between the two concepts is most aptly described in such a way: hardship is at stake where the performance of the disadvantaged party has become much more burdensome, but not impossible, while force majeure means that the performance . . . the party concerned has become impossible, at least temporarily. Moreover, there seems to be a functional difference between the two concepts. Hardship constitutes a reason for a change in the contractual program of the parties. The aim of the parties remains to implement the contract. Force majeure, however, is situated in the context of non-performance, and deals with the suspension or termination of the contract. DIFFERENT APPROACHES OF DOMESTIC LEGAL SYSTEMS The approach of municipal legal systems to the problem of changed circumstances varies from country to country. Although all these concepts are related to each other, since they share important features, the distinction between them is extremely important in drafting choice of law clauses in international contracts. Furthermore, it is important to have knowledge about the law that will apply when a force majeure or hardship clause is left out of a contract, and no unified international rules are applicable. Moreover, in order to have relevance and serve a purpose, force majeure and hardship clauses should differ from the doctrine that would be applicable to the problem of changing circumstances, if such clauses were left out of the contract. Thus, the scope of those doctrines has to be determined. The illustration and comparison of force majeure and hardship will also give a deeper insight into the structure and functioning of these concepts in general. For this purpose English, American, French, German and South African law and their approaches to the situation of changed circumstances will now be analyzed. 1. England Consistent with the common law approach to strict liability for breach, the traditional common law rule was that conditions rendering performance impossible, that occurred after the execution of a contract, did not excuse performance. The reason for this was stated inParadine v. Janewhere the Kings Bench held that: When the party by his own contract creates a duty or charge upon himself, he is bound to make it good, if he may, notwithstanding any accident by inevitable necessity, because he might have provided against it by the contract. Such a rigid interpretation prevailed in the United Kingdom until 1863. InTaylor v. Caldwell the court changed its traditional opinion: the strict rule should only apply when the contract is positive and absolute, and not subject to any condition either express or implied. The court held that in contracts where performance depends on the continued existence of a given person or thing, a condition is implied that the impossibility of performance arising from the perishing of the person or thing shall excuse the performance. With this theory of implied condition, the doctrine of impossibility was introduced into English law. The concept of frustration, which developed from the doctrine of impossibility, is based on the sole interpretation of the intent of the parties. If stemming from an act of God, the performance of a contract is to take place under circumstances which are totally different from what the parties envisaged, and therefore, the agreement is frustrated. The concept originates from the famousCoronation cases. For instance, in one such case, an apartment was rented for one day because it afforded a privileged view of the Coronation parade of Edward VII. When the parade was cancelled due to the Kings illness, the landlord sued for the rent. The court, however, decided the contract was frustrated because its execution was fundamentally and essentially different from what the parties had intended. According to the doctrine of frustration, the concept dealing with situations of changed circumstances in English law today, a contract can be frustrated by impossibility, physical, e.g., destruction of the subject-matter, or for legal reasons, e.g., illegality, or by the occurrence of a radical change in circumstances, so that the foundation of the contract has been vitiated. If the contract were to retain its validity under such changed circumstances, it would amount to a new and different contract. The doctrine, by covering situations which do not amount to the impossibility of the performance is thus wider than the concept of force majeure. When a contract is frustrated, a judge cannot amend or adjust it to the new situation. Frustration simply discharges the contract. Although the prerequisites of frustration are rather similar to those required by the concept of hardship, the former is final, by disallowing the adaptation of the contract, directed at another aim. 2. United States Also based on the doctrine of impossibility and its further developments, the United States doctrines regarding changed circumstances are carefully defined in both the U.S. Restatement (Second) of Contracts and the Uniform Commercial Code. Section 261 of the Restatement (Second) is entitled Discharge by Supervening Impracticability and reads as follows: Where, after a contract is made, a partys performance is made impracticable without his fault by the occurrence of an event, the non-occurrence of which was a basic assumption in which the contract was made, his duty to render that performance is discharged, unless the language or the circumstances indicate the contrary. The Uniform Commercial Code, in Section 2-615, entitled Excuse by failure of presupposed conditions also employs the term Impracticable. In both statutes this term encompasses impossible. The relevant paragraph of U.C.C. Section 2-615 reads: Except so far as a seller may have assumed a greater obligation and subject to the preceding section on substituted performance: (a) Delay in delivery or non-delivery in whole or in part by a seller who complies with paragraphs (b) and (c) is not in breach of his duty under a contract for sale if performance as agreed has been made impracticable by the occurrence of a contingency the non-occurrence of which was the basic assumption on which the contract was made or by compliance in good faith with any foreign or domestic governmental regulation or order whether or not it later proves to be invalid. U.C.C. Section 2-615 Paragraph (b) contains an allocation requirement in the event only part of a sellers capacity to perform is affected. Paragraph (c) states a notice requirement. According to its wording, U.C.C. Section 2-615 only excuses the seller from the delivery of the goods contracted for. The general belief, however, is that this provision is to be considered equally applicable to buyers. The concept of commercial impracticability, which discharges a partys duty although the event has not made performance absolutely impossible, has been adopted in order to call attention to the commercial character of the context in which the excuse defence is used. Courts, however, have been reluctant to accept anything short of impossibility as an excuse for performance. The United States approach to situations of changed circumstances is broader than that of the classical concept of force majeure. The United States approach does not allow the adaptation of the contract and because of the courts way of treating impracticability, it is not as far-reaching as the concept of hardship. 3. France Under French law, the line is drawn between the impossibility of the performance on the one hand, i.e., force majeure, and, on the other hand, circumstances which destabilize the contract where economic conditions are such that fundamental and far-reaching changes occur. The latter is called the doctrine ofimpr ¿Ã‚ ½vision. In France, the principlepacta sunt servanda(as incorporated in Article 1134 of the French Civil Code) prevails over the principlerebus sic stantibus. If the contract does not contain any provision regarding events of changing circumstances, then, the performance of the contract will be enforced without any changes to the contract. A judge is not supposed to appraise the economic situation of the parties or to rule in equity against the wording of a contract. In principle, the only excuse for non-performance of the contract is force majeure. The doctrine ofimpr ¿Ã‚ ½visionhas not been adopted by French courts. Article 1142 of the French Civil Code stipulates that any obligation to do, or not to do, is dissolved by damages whenever the debtor does not execute the obligation. Article 1148, however, specifies that damages are not due in the case of force majeure. While courts have applied those Articles strictly, some change and more flexibility is noticeable in recent case law. Although courts do not apply the doctrine ofimpr ¿Ã‚ ½vision, they have not explicitly rejected it. The application of Article 1148 requires four conditions to be fulfilled simultaneously: the event is irresistible (this clearly distinguishes the force majeure fromimpr ¿Ã‚ ½vision): the event must be unforeseeable: the event is to be an outside one: The failure of suppliers or subcontractors or associates is no excuse for the contractor: the debtor is not at fault: The event should be unavoidable and absolutely beyond the control of the debtor. Article 1148, in recognizing that a contract can be discharged due to force majeure, is not mandatory law. Parties are free to give their definition to force majeure events and the judge has to respect such definition. As the roots of the classical concept of force majeure lie in the Code Napol ¿Ã‚ ½on, this concept and the present approach to the problem of changed circumstances in France, correspond widely. A greater degree of flexibility in the latter has only been noted recently. The doctrine ofimpr ¿Ã‚ ½visionis the counterpart of the concept of hardship. The former, however, is not part of French law. 4. Germany The German approach to the problem is rather flexible. Under German law, the rulepacta sunt servandais certainly not adhered to anymore in the strictest sense. This is not surprising in a country where, after World War I, the value of the items on the menu in a restaurant could change between the placing of the order and the arrival of the bill. As a general rule, section 275 of the B ¿Ã‚ ½rgerliches Gesetzbuch discharges the debtor of his obligation if, after the conclusion of the contract, its performance was rendered impossible for reasons other than negligence, his own fault, or the negligence of his employees. The impossibility of performance (Unm ¿Ã‚ ½glichkeit) can be of a physical or legal nature. The performance may still be possible at a later time without unreasonable damage to the other party. As a consequence of World War I, some judges and legal scholars began advocating the doctrine ofUnm ¿Ã‚ ½glichkeitfor application to economic impossibility. According to such experts, the debtor cannot be forced to comply with efforts or sacrifices which are beyond what parties reasonably envisaged in good faith. This doctrine is called Opfergrenze. The doctrine ofOpfergrenzeis a suitable stepping stone to the famous German doctrine of theWegfall der Gesch ¿Ã‚ ½ftsgrundlage. According to the latter doctrine, every contract has a basic aim, emanating from a basic intention of the parties, which cannot be achieved or realised in the absence of an existing environment, e.g. the prevailing economic and social order, the value of the currency, normal political conditions, etc. This definition of theGesch ¿Ã‚ ½ftsgrundlagebears close resemblance to therebus sic stantibus doctrine in international public law treaties. A line should be drawn between the so-called erg ¿Ã‚ ½nzende Vertragsauslegung (an interpretation of the contract which fills gaps) and theGesch ¿Ã‚ ½ftsgrundlagenlehre.According to the former, which requires a gap in the contract, the function of the judge is to complete the contract, whereby he should give an interpretation of what the parties actually would have wanted if a given event had been contemplated. According to theGesch ¿Ã‚ ½ftsgrundlagenlehre, the judge is not only allowed to complete a contract, but depending on the object of the contract, the judge can also change its terms or terminate it. There is a little difference and if so, not an essential difference between the reasoning in the classical force majeure concept and the German reasoning in theUnm ¿Ã‚ ½glichkeit. Furthermore, the doctrine of theWegfall der Gesch ¿Ã‚ ½ftsgrundlage, aiming at an adaptation of the contract, is very similar to the concept of hardship. 5. South Africa Until 1919, there was a general assumption that . . . no difference between South African law and English law on the effect of supervening impossibility. The English approach was adopted in a number of cases until the case ofPeters, Flamman andCo v. Kokstad Municipality was decided. According to this case, if a person is prevented from performing his contract byvis majororcasus fortuitus. . . he is discharged from liability. In applying the principle that supervening impossibility discharges the contract, impossibility must be given the same meaning as when initial impossibility is under consideration, i.e., the impossibility must be absolute (as opposed to probable and relative) and it must not be the fault of either party. Most important is the fact that, ifvis majororcasus fortuitushas made it uneconomical for a party to carry out its obligations, it does not mean that it has become impossible. Additionally, sincePeters,Flamman and Co.there is no room in South African law for the English doctrine of frustration. The decision in the recent case ofKok v. Osborne and Another, however, could be a first step toward recognition of the concept of commercial impossibility in South African law. The plaintiff in this case (Mrs. Kok) entered into a contract of sale as the buyer . . . wrongly assumed that the seller had already been paid by a third person. The court held that the contract between the litigants hinged on the assumption that the defendant indeed had been paid, which in fact did not happen, and that the contract failed due to supervening impossibility of performance. In this case, the courts opintion was that South African law recognises commercial impracticability as a form of supervening impossibility as does the English. This decision, however, has been heavily criticised by commentators for different reasons. As a result, the doctrine of frustration under the English law is not a recognised part of South African law. Moreover, it is properly stated that supervening impossibility is not applicable in the present case. For these reasons, it is not likely that the case ofKok v. Osborne and Anotherconstitutes the starting point for a change in the South African approach to the problem of changing circumstances. Thus, one can conclude that the South African approach corresponds with the concept of force majeure. Situations of hardship do not discharge a party of its liability. ARTICLE 79 CISG Article 79 is the provision of the CISG, that deals with situations of changed circumstances. More precisely, it deals with the circumstances in which the buyer or seller may be excused from performance of his contractual obligations because of an extraneous event that is judged sufficiently important to warrant the excuse. This is a situation which is referred to as frustration, force majeure orWegfall der Gesch ¿Ã‚ ½ftsgrundlagein different legal systems. In subsequent chapters the legislative history of Article 79 and its significance for international trade will be outlined. Its contents, scope of application, and legal effect will also be analysed and evaluated. A. The significance of the CISG for international sales transactions Never before has the increase in international commerce been as significant as it has been during recent decades. Many difficulties occur in the context of an international sale of goods as a consequence of the considerable differences in the national rules governing the law of sales. Thus, the expanding volume of international sales requires a common understanding of the legal rights and duties among partners to an international transaction. The CISG is understood as a modern uniform substitute for the wide array of foreign legal systems. It is based on the Uniform Law for the International Sale of Goods (ULIS) and the Uniform Law on the Formation of Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (ULF), drafted by the Rome Institute. These two Conventions had a rather limited success; only nine countries have become members. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), therefore, in a further attempt to unify the law governing the international sale of goods, prepared the Draft Convention on Contract for the International Sale of Goods. This was finalised at a diplomatic conference in Vienna in 1980 and entered into force in 1988. Nations are now ratifying or acceding to this Convention at a pace comparable to that of the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards when it was promulgated. The latter is said to be the most successful instance of international legislation in the history of commercial law. The CISG harmonised interests and ideas of different legal systems and of countries on different levels of economic development. Thus, a text that is suited for implementation in civil law countries and common law countries and for economies that are developed and those which are developing. According to Article 1, the Convention applies to international contracts for the sale of goods (if the parties have not rejected its application in their contract Article 6) when the States where the parties have their places of business, are in different contracting states, or the rules of private international law lead to the application of the law of a Contracting State. As more than fifty countries have already enacted the Convention, among them major trading nations like the United States, Germany, France, or China, the Convention can apply to a large number of transactions. This number will continue to increase with the accession of further countries to the CISG. Only ten years after entering into force, the Convention can already be considered a success. Its significance for international sales transactions will increase in future years. B. Legislative history of Article 79 1. The role of legislative history As previously discussed, the CISG was created to free international commerce from a babel of diverse domestic legal systems. The ultimate goal of the Convention is the uniform application of the uniform rules. The Convention will often be applied by tribunals (judges or arbitrators) who are only intimately familiar with their own domestic law. These tribunals will be subject to a natural tendency to read the international rules in the light of the legal ideas of those specific systems. In order to control the damage, there will be long-range correctives through international critique of questionable interpretations; to this end measures have been taken for the collection and publication of caselaw produced under the Convention, e.g., CLOUT (Case Law On UNCITRAL Texts). These measures, however, take time to become effective. Fortunately, there need not be a delay in using the legislative history, which sets out the evolution of the uniform law, to counteract the tendency to view the Convention through the lenses of domestic law. The Conventions legislative history provides an international reference point in applying the uniform international law, and its record clarifies the purpose and in tent of the Conventions words. 2. The evolution of Article 79 Article 79 is a revised version of the exemption clause in ULIS (Article 74). Its development, as a part of the CISG, went through three stages: (1) The UNCITRAL Working Group (1970-1977); (2) Review by the full Commission (1977-1978); (3) The Diplomatic Conference (1980). Article 74 ULIS was criticised during the discussions of the Working Group. The clause was thought to make it too easy for the promisor to excuse his non-performance of the contract. Grounds for relief were not only physical or legal impossibility, or circumstances which fundamentally altered the character of the performance owed, but the provision could also apply to situations where performance had unexpectedly been made more difficult. Several members of the Working Group were, therefore, in favour of restricting the grounds for relief and making them more objective. The Working Group set up a drafting party, but it could not agree on a revised wording. It submitted a draft which was provisionally adopted by the drafting party (Alternative A) and an alternative proposal of the Norwegian observer (Alternative B). Following a study by the British delegate, the Working Group adopted a version which largely followed Alternative A. This based the promisors liability on fault, but transferred the basic concept of the impediment taken from Alternative B into the first paragraph. The version was adopted as Article 50 in the 1976 Geneva Draft. In reformulating the grounds for exemption in Article 51 of the 1977 Vienna Draft, the former Article 50, the requirement of the promisor not being at fault was abandoned and replaced by an objective test of the impediment beyond control. The 1978 New York Draft adopted Article 51 of the Vienna Draft relatively unchanged as Article 65. At the Vienna Conference, the Norwegian delegation proposed that paragraph (3) be supplemented by stating that if a temporary impediment ceased and the circumstances had radically changed to such an extent that it would clearly be unreasonable to continue to hold the promisor to his obligation, he should be released from that obligation. It was, however, argued that such an extension would introduce theth ¿Ã‚ ½orie de limpr ¿Ã‚ ½visioninto the Convention, and the proposal was therefore rejected. There was, nevertheless, agreement that the limitation in paragraph (3) should be deleted, i.e., that an exemption was only for the period during which the impediment existed. Contents of Article 79 CISG The meaning and purpose of the different provisions of Article 79 will now be considered in more detail. 1. The general rule paragraph (1) Paragraph (1) sets out the conditions under which a party is not l