Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time review Essay Example for Free

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time review Essay Plot: Christopher Boone lives with his father in a village. His mother died when he was younger from a heart-attack and the dad was left alone with the challenge of upbringing an autistic child who does not respond like a normal child would. The father has limited money and mental stimulants for the child and does his best to hold back his frustration. However, the reader soon learns that Chris has not been told the complete truth and perhaps that the people he loves have a hidden past. He then begins to understand what has happened and Mark Haddon portrays the challenges he is faced with without the constant safeguarding he needs to feel secure. My Thoughts: I understand that this book is renowned and took the book sales by storm; managing to pick up â€Å"Best novel† and â€Å"Book of the Year† at the Whitbread book awards in 2003, but I do not find it at all appealing. I find myself unable to sympathise with Chris despite Haddon’s brilliant depiction of the mind of a child with autism, as Haddon does writes convincingly through the eyes of an autistic child. I do not think that this is a book that revolves around Asbergers; but instead about being different in general and Haddon is trying to make us see the world through a different lens. He just uses Asbergers as a means of conveying this. Furthermore, as Chris is very rational yet unemotional, there is no depth of character in the novel as Chris is only able to see the world through one plane and cannot build up good character depth, which most popular books have, eg. â€Å"Harry Potter† and â€Å"The Lord of the Rings†. This direct approach also means that there is no humour apart from the main reoccurring joke of how Chris responds to things which lands im in all sorts of faux pas, (and the novelty of this soon wears off). However, this does not mean to say that I do not understand why it is so popular; it just isn’t something that really enraptured me, and to be honest, it seemed like a waste for a storyline that had the potential to be so rich in dramatic emphasis to be written in such a simplistic style. I have given it two stars but the average for this book is a four/five. Recommendations: If you liked this book I would strongly recommend these as they are both written in a diary style and are about people who do not necessarily fit the norm. The Diary of Adrian Mole (4/5) Molesworth (5/5)

The Ghost Of Hamlet’s Father Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

The Ghost Of Hamlet’s Father  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   What would Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, be like without the character of the Ghost? The drama simply wouldn’t BE! The Ghost, though not a human character in most senses of the word, is crucial for the development of the play. This essay will analyze this interesting character.    The ghost’s apparition has deep significance. It touches the very spiritual underpinnings of the Denmark state. Frank Kermode in â€Å"Hamlet† explores the spiritual dimension of this spectral visit:    But meanwhile the ghost – â€Å"this thing† – has appeared. (Horatio as skeptic raises questions as to its status which could have been avoided.) There has been speculation as to its purpose, but one thing seems sure: it has to do with the state of the nation – it   â€Å"bodes some strange eruption to our state† – and with the armaments drive now in progress under the threat from Norway. That it genuinely has to do with the state of the nation – its spiritual rather than its merely political state – we shall learn; and to give us a â€Å"musical’ sense that this is so, there is the unexpected speech about Christmas (1138).    Let it be said that the Ghost makes his appearance even before the drama has begun. Marchette Chute in â€Å"The Story Told in Hamlet† describes the ghost’s activity prior to the opening scene of Shakespeare’s tragedy:    The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle of Elsinore. For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father. A... ...: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Excerpted from Stories from Shakespeare. N. p.: E. P. Dutton, 1956.    Edwards, Philip. â€Å"The Ghost: Messenger from a Higher Court of Values?† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from Introduction to Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Philip Edwards. N. P.: Cambridge University P., 1985.    Kermode, Frank. â€Å"Hamlet.† The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Mack, Maynard. â€Å"The World of Hamlet.† Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Rev. ed. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. New York: Oxford University P., 1967.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.      

Leadership order

NO. I differ with him since one should not assume a problem while hoping that solutions will be found after sometime. The partnership had grown from having 2 to 27 people in one town and has spread into three separate towns. The partnership being a law firm has increased the number of attorneys to 18 resulting into increased number of cases being handled by the firm, increased number of employees and increased number of clients. Hiring a General Manager-operations (G.M) was intended to assist in promotion of production in the company. Instead he was sending away clients without accepting the liabilities. Further efforts showed be put into place into retain them as well as bring back those who had already left. These clients have been with the company for a long time and the firm could not afford loose because of a mistake of one individual. This is because the firm was likely to face problems key among them being, loss of jobs for its employees as a result of reduced number of clients. Additionally, the company will not be able to run its day to day business since there will be reduced income. The partners should insist on meeting the clients and ask them to return to their firm since they knew their services. The partners should first deliberate on the issue of retaining the general manager because he was not result oriented. The G.M-operations overstepped is mark and instead of improving the customer relations, expanding the customer base as well as enhancing the relations with the local communities he severed both the customer and client relations. The top management team should move very fast and replace the general manager immediately so as to save the company. Power sharing is a very important aspect of leadership since, the problems facing the junior staff, decision-making and implementation is increased. De-concentration of power also promotes efficiency and effectiveness since the leaders involved will have few responsibilities to shoulder and thus they will perform their duties to the maximum for the advantage of the group. Leadership is not about directing and guiding people to do a particular task but is an issue where a group member influences the rest of the group to accomplish an objective. A leader should direct the organization towards greater cohesiveness and coherence (Schriesheim, Chester A. 221-228, Lewin, K, LIippit, R and White R.K. 271-301). The authority that a leader possesses should be directed to accomplishment of the groups’ goal. Good leadership should be one that makes the followers and the junior staff desire to achieve higher goals rather than to simply ride over the juniors. The manner and approach in which an individual provides direction, implement plans and motivate people normally defines the leadership style his/her leadership style. A General Manager-operations of a fast growing firm should be one not limited to a specific leadership style. He should however be ready to employ all styles depending on the situation. Â  Participatory/democratic leadership style which involves one or more members of the group in making decisions has been found to be very appropriate. This style should have worked very well since the G.M-operation was new in the legal firm as he had come from insurance company where he had worked for long. Instead of spending a lot of time of learning about the organization, its members and books of account he would have instead involved the longest serving employees in decision making. This style would allow members to own the decisions reached upon since the were part of their generation. This leadership style is so pronounced in individuals who are cooperative, dedicated and team players as well as solely motivated to achieve tangible results not for their benefit but that of the larger firm. However, since a formal organization is prone to have employees of different skills, personalities and temperaments, a leader should be well conversant with all leadership styles which include: authoritarian/autocratic, participative/democratic and delegative/free reign and be ready to use any of them alternately depending on the surrounding circumstance Although I have used all the leadership styles very successfully the most pronounced style that I posses is autocratic/authoritarian which I demonstrate without a lot of struggle .With this style I prefer being a leader of newly formed group member of whom giving directions and receiving advice is never a problem. I also prefer leading new team members since I derive a lot of pleasure in showing off my capacities. It also reduces deliberation time and decision making since the members are rarely consulted and decision making is top down. However, I will never prefer leading a group composed of highly skilled and knowledgeable members since they have a potential of critiquing my style. They may require participation in decision-making as well as delegation of duties. Additionally since I desire being recognized as a boss I will rather be a leader for an inexperienced group. References Schriesheim, Chester A. The Great High Consideration – High initiating structure Leadership myth: Evidence on its generalizability. The journal of social Psychology, April 1982, 116, pp 221-228 Mind tools: Leadership styles, using the right one for your situation. Accessed online on Lewin, K, LIippit, R and White R.K. Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally Created social climates. Journals of social psychology 1999, 10, 271-301

Why Fear National ID Cards?

Featured in 2001 in the New York Times Alan Dershowitz’s article â€Å"Why Fear National ID Cards? † presents the idea of a National ID Card system being put to use in the United States. The reasoning behind such an idea is this, with the sacrifice of some of the individual’s privacy a greater level of security, equality, and productivity can be achieved while discarding some of the insensitive and inefficient methods of identification we use today.A National ID Card consisting of a name, address, photo and fingerprint print would be the first national uniform ID that would replace the high number variations of identification that are issued state by state. This would drastically decrease the chances of forgery by the use of a unified system and strict means of distribution. A more comprehensive ID will allow for accelerated wait times at high security locations such as airports, and for those who decline to show such an ID would be subjected to further security measures.The criteria in which people are required obtain or present identification would remain the same this allows for remnants of the old policy to remain in effect and further safe guards the citizens from a potential over stepping government. A more radical policy or criteria change could lead to an abuse of power or jumpstart similar non-popular policies to be acted on. It would also enable the rate of deportation of illegal immigrants to increase along with providing a better means to legal immigrants to display their status to authorities.â€Å"Rights are a function of experience, and our recent experiences teach that it is far too easy to be anonymous — even to create a false identity — in this large and decentralized country† (Barnet and Bedau). This point taken directly from the article puts into perspective the very real threat of the terrorism. Terrorist hide amidst the general public, this is a concerning reality. No system can prevent all acts of terror but a National ID card with an embedded corresponding fingerprint can reduce the likely hood of the creation of false identities and catch those who are using the weaknesses of the current system to slip by unnoticed.Alan Dershowitz’s stresses the importance of the elimination of the current trend of racial and ethnic stereotyping that acts as a countermeasure for possible threats to security. Improving civil liberties for these targeted groups is achieved by eliminating the need to target these groups in general. By utilizing security measures such as criminal-history retrieval systems and a corresponding fingerprint on the card itself we can remove the reason for profiling individuals due to their appearance alone.

Oppression in early days essays

Oppression in early days essays In many ways, our founding father's idea of oppression differed greatly from Frederick Douglass' thought of oppression during his lifetime. Thomas Jefferson, a highly influential leader during our nation's birth, claimed that Great Britain, led by King George III, was infringing on the fundamental laws that colonists were entitled to. In many ways, Frederick Douglass uses fundamental laws to try and define his oppression by slave holders of the United States. In both cases, oppressed people were fighting for freedom. Although each view, Thomas Jefferson's and Frederick Douglass', had the idea of oppression, these ideas were no closer to each other in definition. One oppression that was clear in both cases was the ability of the upper social classes to infringe on economic profit and economic freedom to their respective oppressed classes. In Douglass' case, the upper class constituted of wealthy land owners who owned enslaved Africans. This bridge in social standing created a status quo of white slaveholders to keep their slaves to work in a field or a trade which generated income solely for the slaveholder. One might create an argument by stating the slave could buy his way to freedom, which some slaves did. The decision to let slaves create or maintain a steady income was solely up to the slaveholder, in most cases, restricted the slave to mere pennies if any at all (Douglass, p. 319-320). Mere pennies could not buy freedom, and in most cases slaves worked for very little food let alone money, as stated in Douglass' case (Douglass, p. 100). Slaves were not able to go out and live a free life not even for one day. Frederick Douglass was bo und to a master and even though he persevered and took in a substantial amount of money per week for Master Hugh during his life as a tradesman, if he were to leave on a given Saturday night to partake in any activity at all, he should expect harsh treatment on his return home, which did happen t...

The Odds of Winning the Lottery

The Odds of Winning the Lottery What are the chances that the lottery ticket that you’re holding in your hand is a winner? This sort of question is an applied probability problem. With millions of dollars on the line, it would be good to have a solid answer. What are the odds of winning the lottery? How Does The Lottery Work? To answer this sort of question we need to know how a lottery works. In lotteries, a person plays by buying a ticket with a choice of numbers from a certain range. At a specified time the organization running the lottery randomly generates numbers from this same range. The grand prize, sometimes worth several millions of dollars, is awarded for matching all of the numbers. In some lotteries, lesser amounts are paid for matching all but one or two of the numbers. Those are the generalities, but we need to know the specifics of the game that you purchased a ticket for. These specifics will calculate the exact probability that you have of winning. A Sample Game One game, known by various names such as Daily 4 or Pick 4, involves choosing four numbers from 0 to 9. The order of these digits is important, so 1234 is a different choice of digits than 1243 or 1324. The probability of winning this lottery is given by determining the total number of ​four-digit numbers possible. Since each of the numbers is chosen independently and there are ten choices for each, the total number of four digit numbers is 10410000. This means that the probability of winning is 1/10000 0.01%. Games of this sort typically do not pay that much and are not what people associate with winning the lottery. A typical payout for a $1 bet on a lottery such as this is $5,000. While this sounds good who wouldn‘t want to multiply their money by 5000 realize that on average you would have to play thousands of times to make winning likely. Another Lottery Game Another type of lottery game pays more if you win it, but it is much harder to win. An example is where six numbers are chosen from 1 to 48. Here the order of the numbers is not important, and so we need to calculate a combination. We can choose six number from 48 in a total of C(48, 6). By the combination formula this number is 48!/(6!42!) 12,271,512. As matching all of these numbers perfectly accounts for one of these combinations, the probability of matching and winning millions is 1/12,271,512. How Likely Is It? So those are the numbers, is there any good way to interpret them? Let’s look at the millionaire game and its probability of winning at 1/12,271,512. Winning this is very unlikely. To be assured of a 50% chance of winning you would need to buy over eight million different tickets. The number 12,271,512 is roughly that of the population of the entire metro area of Los Angeles, California. So the probability of winning the lottery is the same as running into a particular person, chosen in advance while walking the streets of LA. Another way of looking at this is to look at other probabilities. Numbers are somewhat hard to come by, but it’s been estimated that 100 people a year in the U.S. are struck by lightning. With the current population at 307 million, the probability that you will be struck by lightning this year is 100/307,000,000 1/3,070,000. So you’re four times more likely to be struck by lightning than to win the lottery. Sure, some people win millions in the lottery. It’s just very likely that it’s not going to be you.

Freedom of Information in Nigeria Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Freedom of Information in Nigeria - Term Paper Example The explanation for this secretive policy may not be very clear but most of the nations that have taken this orientation of secrecy including Nigeria have cited national security as one of the greatest motivations for the secrecy policy. This paper seeks to highlight the issues and prospects as far as the freedom of information and national security in Nigeria are concerned. Freedom of information may be defined as the right of any citizen in any state to be informed in writing or in any form appropriate on request of disclosure from a governmental agency and if the agency refuses the citizen can demand the reason for refusal. In other words, any citizen has a right to demand any kind of information from the government or its agent upon which if the government or agent deems otherwise then the citizen has a right to demand an explanation as to why he or she has been denied the information requested for (Horrigan, 1998: pp90). Freedom of information legislation is sometimes known as open records is a set of rules that allows for access to government held information by the public. These sets of rules form the legal framework that puts the government under obligation to avail government information to the public as need may be. Most countries in the world have legislated FOI. Actually, more than 70 countries countrywide enjoy this freedom to information with Sweden's FoI legislation termed as the Freedom of the Press Act dates far back to 1766 and it is deemed to be the oldest worldwide. In Africa, only three countries have legislated FoI and these are Angola, S. Africa and Uganda. Nigeria is in the process of legislating FoI even though the process has been very slow and often laced with controversy. However there are hopes that with the present pressure on the government from stakeholders in FoI i.e. the public, press/media, judiciary, human rights activists, NGOs etc, the bill is likely to sail through the House of Representatives sooner than later. National security on the other hand refers to the obligation to preserve the endurance and survival of a nation or state through by the use of political, military and financial power. It is an investment that the nation makes to make sure that her citizens are safe and they lack nothing. Further, the national territory together with its institutions may uphold integrity and this integrity is what is called national security. In other words, national security is the integrity of the national territory and its institutions (Raskin, 1979). What relationship exists between freedom of information and national security The two are closely related that when you mention one the other is implied. There are restrictions to the freedom of information legislation simply because of national security. As much as people need to have freedom of security for the functioning of democracy, the degree should not reach a point that can injure national security. A nation has to have its secrets which must not reach the hands of enemies who may threaten the political, financial and even physical safety if the citizens. Therefore the two are related in that if a nation overindulges in one, the other suffers loss i.e. if a nation overemphasizes national security, freedom of information may not prevail sufficiently and if a nation gives too much freedom of inform