Y2K Essays (1192 words) - Calendars, Software Bugs, COBOL, Hazards

It is hard to believe that two numbers have the potential to turn the eve of the 21st century from a worldwide party into a worldwide economic breakdown. Computers in most industries will have the problem of seeing the year two thousand for the year nineteen hundred. Y2K as some people call is going to be a problem that we all must face. Y2K is essentially a storage problem that early programmers failed to solve successfully. The date format that they stored in their programs is two digits for the month two digits for the day and two digits for the year, this only allows 2 digits for the year 2000 which is 4 digits long. Y2K is going to hit and hit hard. Large corporations are scurrying around trying to get this fixed so it won?t affect them. It is coming down to the end of the wire. The problems Y2K will cause are potentially devastating. If the worst case scenario comes true, stores could be looted and there will be no restocking of shelves. Delivery trucks will have no gas due to fuel pumps being offline because of electricity outages. That?s even if the products can even make it in the trucks due to the companies not even being able to produce any goods. The worldwide cost of Y2K could reach up to $600 billion dollars. Absorbing a good chunk of the worlds available funds from last year up until the millenium. Fixing Y2K is necessary, I never thought I would see the day Bill Gates didn?t have enough money for something. Because of legal statements, companies will have to include the cost of Y2K in their yearly statements. Investors or the people that rely on these companies services need to be aware that some of the year end statements and will be obscure because of the increase in spending. Most companies have prepared for this bug but maybe too late. Some people are not even aware of the problem. Some are even dismissing the problem all together. Organizations in retail and utilities are out of touch with the severity of the situation. Therefore causing the bills we have to pay overdue by over 100 years. I am thankful that some companies like banks and health services are recognizing the problem and should become or already are Y2K compliant. The stock market will drop I suspect but not completely crash. If everyone gets all of his or her own money out of the bank it will cause a shortage of cash on top of the shortage already caused by the cost of Y2K. Overseas markets may see a problem at the millenium. International mutual funds or stocks of many foreign companies are basically hands off at this point because most foreign companies are still only halfway compliant and it is way passed the point of no return. I know when it comes to money people tend to get worried about its security. That is why I believe that a rush of the ba nks will happen and I hope it will be recoverable in a timely fashion. Some people in the media are saying that everybody needs to get enough cash to run on for at least a couple of months, but that is nonsense. If everybody would take just a little cash, but not too much then maybe the banks won?t take a bad hit. If everybody goes and gets a thousand dollars out of the bank, again this could cause some money shortages. The panic will cause most of the problems in the U.S. Banking systems are particularly sensitive to this kind of panic. There are hundreds and thousands of nodes in banking networks. If you Think about how many people use Credit Cards and MAC machines and the possibility that the software in any one of these systems is not working properly it can cause problems anywhere in the network. These problems could range from money not being deposited or ducted from accounts properly, problems with interests and investment situations, or even a complete crash of the network. Testing the solutions for Y2K may be the safest bet we can make in these unsure times. The scariest

Cyrano le film essays

Cyrano le film essays C'tait une formule trs simple. Ils prenaient l'acteur franà §ais le plus populaire et prenaient la pice de thtre franà §ais la plus clbre, et ils tournaient la meillieure version de Cyrano de Bergerac de toute lhistoire. Dix ans plus tard, personne na fait une production de cette pice, parce que tout le monde connait linterprtation de Grard Dpardieu. C'tait la meilleure interprtation de lanne et le meilleur Cyrano (en francais, il y a des gens qui prfrent Jose Ferrer) qu'on ait jamais vu. Le jeu de Dpardieu tait un grand raison pour le succs du film. Mais, la mise en scne tait parfaite. Tout les scnes, extrieure et intrieure avaient lair de lpoque. Certainement le ralisateur, Jean-Paul Rappeneau, avait lamour veritable pour Cyrano. Il a decid rapporter la pice aux Franà §ais aprs beaucoup dans en anglais. Mais la production tait une proposition extrà ªme. Parce que Cyrano est une pice dpoque, il tait trs difficile faire une scne hisotrique et authentique. Mais toute la film avait l'air depoque de seizime sicle merveilleux. Les costumes taient entirement authentiques avec de grands chapeaux et des plumes. Mais les petites choses taient captivantes aussi. Par exemple, tout les hommes avaient les barbes de cette poque. Les rues taient brique et les vieille maisons fabriquaient en pierre ou bois sans peinture. En dtail seul, Cyrano de Bergerac tait un triomphe. Bien sà »r, le scnario venait de la pice lgendaire. La premiere scne avait Cyrano dans un th ...

Prescription Drug Abuse on Teenagers Research Paper

Prescription Drug Abuse on Teenagers - Research Paper Example Since most of the teens tend to avoid reality in life, they take these drugs in order to control their moods, feelings and mental status. Teenagers have become familiar with the names of the brands of numerous prescription drugs and are in fact able to explain the effects that specific drugs have on them. The disadvantage with taking prescription drugs is that they change one’s state of the mind in a harmful manner. For instance, teenagers who take barbiturates tend to engage in socially unacceptable behavior such as stealing. A survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in 2004 indicated that overall drug abuse by teens had decreased but abuse of prescription drugs indicated an increase. Pain killers are among the most commonly used prescription drugs by the teenagers. Prescription drugs have remained popular in the US because even without the prescription of the doctor there are a big numbers of those using these drugs. Prescription drugs are perceived by teena gers as milder in effect, less costly and safer than hard drugs. They are hence perceived to be better evil compared to hard drugs found in the streets such as marijuana. In most cases, teenagers use prescription drugs in order to get high which is an important feeling when identifying with fellow friends. Apart from getting high, prescription drugs are used by teens to increase concentration or alertness and to reduce pain or anxiety. Since prescription drugs are taken under doctor’s prescription, teenagers do not experience a lot of stigmatization when they are known to use them by their peers or superior others.

A school as a young child might see it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A school as a young child might see it - Essay Example Probably this will be the first time they are going to be out of the family. Initially children may feel depressed to come out of the family but most of them get used to it and gradually starts to enjoy school. There are several things that parents and teachers can do to help their children enjoy the school life (NAEYC, 2005). Children in kindergarten express good feeling toward the school. They enjoy going to school as they get to make friends, play and have food together. The majority of the children feel very happy in this environment. School is the place where the first steps to socialize is learned. Some of the children express their feelings about the school as "I make a lot of new friends," "I have many friends now to play with." Some of them like the uniforms they wear particularly when they are new. They are excited to wear these new uniforms and look smart. Many children are fascinated about the physical features of the school, such as facilities like canteen, library, etc. These are the places where they learn to have there own choices. For example, what food they want to eat, what are the different books other than the syllabus they would like to read etc. However, there are some of the children who do not enjoy schools. For instance, they feel that is a noisy place, if the teachers are strict they feel that they do not have any freedom to do what they wish to do. Some of them have an introvert character, and they do not enjoy mingling with other children or make new friends. They restrict themselves to only a few selected friends. As the children move from kindergarten to primary, secondary school and further, they have more things to learn and less time for play. Some children are concerned about teachers speaking "noisily" to them and scolding / beating them. Some of the children who are keen on

The Role of the Deity in the Hebrew Bible or the development of Satan Essay

The Role of the Deity in the Hebrew Bible or the development of Satan in the Hebrew Bible - Essay Example This is far from the beastly and prophetic visions of Satan that come later in the additional Christian texts, for example in Revelations, in which Satan is effectively demonized or polarized, to represent the extreme side of evil, versus the extreme side of good. Satan in the Old Testament is more simple and straightforward, and also has a more direct relationship with God. There are cues about Satan in Genesis and other Old Testament books. â€Å"In Genesis, God not only promises consequences for disobedience but that a battle will be fought-at great cost to God-to set all free from the destructive power of evil and human sin† (Weissenmuler, 2002). However, in terms of explicit mention of Satan by name, to represent an alternate side of God, the book of Job is the book of focus. In the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, there is not really much explicit mention of Satan before the book of Job. As mentioned above, of course, in Genesis, there is the portrayal of evil, and the representation of evil through the snake which tempts Eve with the apple, but even here the snake is not explicitly identified as Satan. It is a more symbolic meaning. And, although there are occasional uses of â€Å"satan† as a verb or noun to mean terrorize or enemy, respectively in the Old Testament before the book of Job, Job is the first book in which the reader is introduced to Satan as a personage with a direct relationship to God. The reader sees that Job is a man who â€Å"feared God, and eschewed evil† (KJV,Job,1,1), who has been given a bountiful and prosperous life by his God. Satan is introduced early in the book through a series of tests by which God is to measure Job’s faith by taking away the abundance that he has given him; Satan acts as an agent of God in carrying out the disruption of Job’s plenty and the corruption of his body. In this way, the reader can see that, rightfully so in a book

Religion In Pompeii And Herculaneum Religion Essay

Religion In Pompeii And Herculaneum Religion Essay Archaeologists in the past and today have recovered and excavated sources to reveal aspects and facts of past societies. The two main cities of Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum have undergone such excavations, enabling historians of today to reveal facts, in particularly, about religion in the cities. Religion was an important part of an individuals life in both Pompeii and Herculaneum. The religion of the time was polytheistic, meaning that the civilisation believed and worshipped spirits of the Gods. Religion was an active part of everyday life and the worship of offerings was performed in order to keep the Gods satisfied, to ensure the prosperity and safety of all aspects of ones life, and ones family. A number of sources both written and archaeological have provided todays society with facts and evidence of the household Gods and foreign cults of that civilisation. The sources and what they reveal about religion, household Gods and foreign cults, will be explained below. Most sacred, the most hallowed place on earth is the home of each and every citizen. There are his sacred heart and his household Gods, there the very centre of his worship, religion and domestic ritual Cicero. This written source clearly identifies and reveals that the citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum were intertwined both mentally and emotionally with their religion and spirituality. Cicero describes the religion to be most sacred, revealing that religion played an important, central and significant role in the daily lives and households of an individual and their family. Not only does this source emphasise the importance of religion, but it shows its importance and passion of worship and action within the home. This is revealed through the use of the words, most hallowed place on earth. The worship and rituals of the Household Gods were central and essential within the household and home of an individual. Hence the household Gods were a major and significant aspect of religion in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Many religious practices were celebrated by citizens in their home and household shrine known as the Lararium. Larariums have been found and excavated all over Pompeii and Herculaneum, by modern archaeologists such as Guiseppe Fiorelli. Household Gods sought to save the family from any misfortune or negativity that may enter the door; a spiritual place of the home that needed to be protected by the guardian spirits (Lares) of the households, from incoming evils that may try and enter the home. A lararium excavated in the House of the Vetti, containing a wall painting of the lares (household Gods), a genius (the god of the male line of decent), the Mercury God of commerce and the Dionysus God of wine, depicts and reveals aspects and facts of such household Gods and their importance to an individual and their family. The lararium was found in the atrium, at the entrance of the house. This source is structured and built depicting the front of a temple with columns. This observation revealed to archaeologists that the source has a religious meaning. A wall painting within the infrastructure depicting a temple is an image of the spirit family of genius, Lares, household Gods and other deities. The figure on the furthest left of the image is the genius. The genius wears a toga, in purple symbolising its high ranking and importance, as its the line of male decent to the paterfamilias of the household; prospering fertility for the families continuation. On either side, the Lares o f the household are holding a drinking horn in one hand and a wine bucket in the other. The drinking horns and wine buckets symbolise the offerings of worship and praise towards the Mercury God of commerce (right) and the Dionysus God of Wine (centre).The depiction of drinking horns and wine buckets also symbolise the household prayers and worship that were led by and was a responsibility of the paterfamilias and the offerings of fruit, incense and special cakes were made at the shrine. The snakes below the Lares, which move towards a small altar, have been interpreted as a protective spirit of the Lares and the offerings made to them. The snakes were protectors of prosperity. Pompeii and Herculaneum contained a society that was tolerant and accepting of the worship and rituals brought about by foreign Gods and imported cults. Pompeii and Herculaneum were bombarded with influences from Egypt and Eastern Mediterranean, which affected the structure, traditions and rituals of their religion. Two cults that had a significant affect and presence in Pompeii were the Egyptians cult of Isis and the cult of Bacchus. The cult if Isis, was the goddess of life, fertility and rebirth;A temple of Isis was excavated in Pompeii, revealing that such a cult was worshipped among many in the civilisation as the temples structure proved to be complex and extravagant compared to other temples eg. Surrounded by high walls, initiation hall and an underground chamber storing a basin of holy water retrieved from the Nile River. The worshippers of the cult performed daily rituals and ceremonies carried out by priests at dawn and in the afternoon. Source four, a fresco found in Herculaneum depicts and reveals the ceremonies that took place for the cult of Isis. The fresco shows the high priest standing at the entrance of the temple, looking down on the ceremony beneath. One priest tends to the sacred fire and another priest leads the followers of worship in two rows. In the foreground of the source there are two ibises, sacred to Isis. This source also reveals that women in Pompeii were drawn to this cult, as most worshippers in the fresco appear to be women. It reveals that this cult was widespread, worshipped daily and extremely influential. It also reveals that foreign cults in Pompeii and Herculaneum were accepted and prominent within the civilisation. There is also evidence suggesting the presence of other foreign cults in the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Through the excavation of archaeological sources, cult objects found in Pompeii and the cult of Sabazius has been suggested. There is also various evidence of the existence of Judaism including graffito of Judaic names, frescos and the presence of Jews nearby. Till today, there is much speculation as to whether or not Christianity was present in the cities, as evidence of the crucifixion was found. Religion in Pompeii and Herculaneum was an important and significant part of each individuals homes and daily lives. From the archaeological sources excavated and the written sources produced, it is revealed that the household Gods of each home were the central aspect of living and worship. Each individual lived to favour and fulfil the Gods wants and needs. The sources also reveals facts about the foreign Gods that were brought about to Pompeii and Herculaneum through external influences, like Egypt (cult of Isis), and the significance of such worship for the civilisation. The sources that have been excavated and brought about to todays society reveals facts and helps modern archaeologists gain insight to the unknown of the past. With reference and study of the sources provided in this explanation, the religion of Pompeii and Herculaneum has been revealed. The lares themselves were painted in the lararium. In the lararium painting from the house of the Vetti shown below, the genius is depicted wearing the toga praetexta , bordered in purple, the garment of high-ranking Roman magistrates. The Thermopolium of the Lares in Pompeii shows a typical painting including the snakes associated with protection of food from vermin below the group. The group contains the two lares, the genius of the house, and two further figures Mercury god of commerce and Dionysus god of wine. The paterfamilias was responsible for leading the household prayers at the lararium, and offerings of significance such as first fruits of crops and special cakes, were made at the shrine. The shrine was also garlanded with flowers so there are hooks nearby for this purpose. Of particular importance were family occasions such as birth, marriage and the coming of age of a young man.

History of christmas :: essays research papers

History of the Celebration of Christmas People have celebrated a mid-winter festival since pre-historic times. They marked the beginning of longer hours of daylight with fires and ritual offerings. The Roman festival of Saturnalia -- a time for feasting and gambling -- lasted for weeks in December. Germanic tribes of Northern Europe also celebrated mid-winter with feasting, drinking and religious rituals. It's thought that Jesus of Nazareth was born in springtime. A Pope, Julius I, chose December 25th for the celebration of his birth in the 4th century -- to include a Christian element in the long-established mid-winter festivals. Also in the 4th century, a bishop in Turkey who came to be called St. Nicholas was known for good deeds involving children. St. Nicholas is illustrated in medieval and renaissance paintings as a tall, dignified and severe man. His feast day on December 6 was celebrated throughout Europe until about the 16th century. Afterwards, he continued to be known in Protestant Holland. Dutch children would put shoes by the fireplace for St. Nicholas or "Sinter Klaas" and leave food out for his horse. He'd gallop on his horse between the rooftops and drop candy down the chimneys into the children's shoes. Meanwhile, his assistant, Black Peter, was the one who popped down the chimneys to leave gifts behind. Dutch settlers brought the legend of Sinter Klaas to North America -- where we came to know him as Santa Claus. Clement Clarke Moore first described the â€Å"jolly old elf† with his sleigh drawn by reindeer, in the poem "The Night Before Christmas. Although it was never celebrated in biblical times, Christmas is celebrated in local churches here in Visalia, California in praise of the fact that God loved us so much; he sent his one and only son to earth. He was wholey god and wholey man. Whereas we have succumbed to the temptations of this earth, Jesus was able to overcome all temptations and live a sinless life. He was then crucified as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. One cannot understand why we celebrate the birth of Christ without seeing the other end of his life. He was crucified for our sins and resurrected. Christmas was declared a Federal Holiday in America on June 26, 1870 under the government headed by President Ulysses S.

Commentaries on Catullus’ Poetry (Poems 72 & 42) Essay

There is great nuance and sensitivity in poem 72. We are told very early in the poem that it is addressed to Lesbia, Catullus’ love to whom a moderate number of poems in the collection are addressed (or concern). Earlier â€Å"Lesbia poems† had shown Catullus’ simple and insatiable love for â€Å"my girl†1 in very romantic language: for example, the lines describing the number of times he wished that they could kiss, in poem 5, which caused Aurelius and Furius to describe Catullus as a â€Å"sissy† poet2. However, in poem 70 we begin to see Catullus’ feelings for Lesbia turn sour as he tells us that a woman’s words to her lover are as trustworthy as those written on wind or water after presumably disbelieving her when she told him that there was no one she would rather marry than him, â€Å"not even if asked by Jove himself†3. If we assume that Lesbia was Clodia Metelli, we know that she was already married, so if her words are not suggesting that she has become available, she must be describing an unfulfillable wish and it is perhaps the fact that she says these words but is unable to act on her marriage vow which causes Catullus to be so untrusting4. Compared to the â€Å"outbursts of joy and fury† in the poems of what has been described as the first book, poem 72 is much â€Å"cooler and more analytical†5: Catullus here seems to be writing from his head rather than this heart. He uses, in the poem, two striking, and contrasting, similes to try to understand his love for Lesbia. He loved her (note the past tense) as a common might love his girlfriend (72.3), but in addition to that he loved her also as a father might his sons and sons-in-law (72.4). This is touching because it obviously implies that the latter relationship might be closer, with more of a connection, than the former, and, most importantly, that Lesbia was as dear to him as a son would have been, his own flesh and blood. Wray finds this comparison interesting because it is evidence against the long-standing assumption that Roman paternity was â€Å"a tyrannical and grimly loveless exercise [of parental power]†6 However, from here on in, the tone of love and affection darkens to one of cynicism. Now that he knows Lesbia he is has less affection for the woman. Catullus uses the language of obligation and Lesbia, as he sees it, has â€Å"wronged him†7. The poem ends with the enigmatic but powerful statement that, because of the hurt she has caused him, Catullus loves Lesbia more, but likes her less. At first, this may seem like nonsense and a contradiction in terms. However, when Catullus uses the verb amare (â€Å"to love†) he is describing his attraction to her, a kind of lust or natural allure, something that he seemingly has no control over. As much, then, as he does not like Lesbia for what she has put him through (i.e. her adultery), his love for her remains from the simpler time when he wished to â€Å"kiss you just so many kisses† (7.9) Poem 85 is where Catullus perhaps expresses the ambiguity and seeming contradiction inherent in his feelings best: I hate and I love. Perhaps you’re asking why I do that? I don’t know, but I feel it happening, and am racked. We can again see here clearly that Catullus â€Å"is less a master than a subject†8 of his emotions. The fact that he paints himself as being so emotionally powerless gives such poems as these a tragic quality; it also, arguably, helps to make Catullus such a universal poet who can still touch people through the ages. Poem 73 also carries some of the injustice that Catullus had expressed in 72: the attack on a friend who is probably Rufus (though we do not realise that the poem is addressed to him until it becomes evident later in the collection) is because he has returned honest kindness with no more than ingratitude. â€Å"We now realise why the lampoons on Rufus alternated with Lesbia-poems at 69-72†.9 This whole section of Catullus’ collection is a study of betrayal and adverse emotions. In the very first line of poem 72, Catullus talks about himself in the third-person, and this seems to be a literary device which emphasises the fact that he is not in control: it is Lesbia (and her actions) who is the subject of the poem. By declaring that his â€Å"passion is more intense† (72.5) Catullus leads us to think that he is about to, also, tell us how much he therefore loves Lesbia. However, by introducing the dichotomy in the last line between his love and dislike for Lesbia, our expectations are finally overthrown, which makes the contrast seem to be huge. It is by means of literary effects such as these that Catullus manages to express the almost inexpressible nuance of his emotion. This poem, ultimately, is most successful when read as part of the collection, as one can then draw links between the subtle issues in the â€Å"Lesbia poems† and see the complex web of emotions that Catullus paints for us. The development from a romantic, devoting relationship between Lesbia and Catullus to the trauma of that relationship breaking down is fascinating, and may reflect the emotions of millions of people alive today in similar situations. Poem XLII This poem is perhaps most interesting because it in itself can be seen as an imitation of the Roman practice of flagitatio10, which was a form of popular justice involving a crowd surrounding the man suspected of wrongdoing (or his house) whilst shouting ‘roughly rhythmical phrases’ in unflattering language, demanding redress11. This was a very effective tactic because in a small community fear of defamation was strong; though it did, of course, rely on having friends willing to engage in the practice in order for what was seen as justice to be done. In this case, Catullus tells us that the crime was the theft of a notebook and the subsequent refusal to return it12. We can only speculate about the girl who stole them (though it has been inferred from the fact that she is described as an ‘adulteress’13 that she may well be Lesbia) and we also have just as little knowledge about what Catullus’ stolen notebook may have contained (and why it seems to be s o precious to him): we may guess that it contained poetry, but that is no more than a guess. If that were true, the first two lines would contain a sweet irony: Catullus deploys poetry himself, hendecasyllables, as his â€Å"flagitatio mob†. He orders the hendecasyllables to come â€Å"from everywhere† (42.2), to metaphorically surround her. The image is an intimidating one: the lines of poetry have become men enclosing in on the suspect, shouting about her crime. When Catullus demands, ‘Dirty adulteress, give back the notebook. Give back the notebook, dirty adulteress’ (42.11-12), he is using a technique common to flagitatio: ‘the reversal of word order belonged to a very old popular custom as a means of intensifying the demand’14. Catullus’ readership, we can surely assume, would have been aware of such devices and would at once have understood what Catullus was doing. Between the demands for the notebook, there is much invective and abuse hurled at the girl. Catullus tells us that she has an ugly gait, a â€Å"face like a Gallican puppy’s† (42.9) and is a â€Å"filthy trollop† (42.13) and a â€Å"brazen bitch-face† (42.17). Newman describes this as â€Å"a fine example of carnival caricature† included for primarily humorous effect15. However, it is not hard to see how these lines could be intended to have a hurtful effect, too, shaming the thief into repentance. Catullus is also â€Å"all too aware of his social superiority†10 and may simply be arrogantly showing his self-importance by making such a fuss over the loss of his notebook. This idea can be seen in, for example, poem 84, in which Catullus mocks Arrius’ incorrect use of aspirates which is surely caused by the politician’s less privileged upbringing: Catullus’ attack, in this case as could be argued is the case in poem 42, is really then a display of his own aristocratic superiority. There is also a general link with poems such as 46, in which Catullus advertises his social status by documenting his travels with a sense of entitlement to faraway Roman lands. Perhaps the most pleasing feature of this poem is its conclusion. After all the fortissimo shouting, invective and carmina (chanting typical of flagitatio16), Catullus decides that he needs to change â€Å"tone and tactics† (42.22). He thus, seemingly sarcastically, ends the poem by asking for the notebook not by calling her a â€Å"dirty adulteress† but a â€Å"virtuous lady† (42.24), as we see that his invective has, somewhat comically, failed in its objective. On the other hand, the last line could more literally be interpreted as an acknowledgement of the flaws of this kind of public system of obtaining restitution. It does not seem unlikely that the girl would have responded more positively to flattery than flagitatio: Catullus could thus be making a wider point about the role of invective in society. The poem, in the collection, sits between invective poems on either side of it, with the previous three poems containing invective, some quite rude and obscene: in poem 43, for example, Mamurra’s mistress is described as being ugly from head to toe and, in poem 41, Ameana is called â€Å"the female fuck-up†. Perhaps, then, poem 42 is in the perfect location to show Catullus’ invective being tempered: it is in that poem that he shows that such anger does not always produce the desired effects. In poems 41 and 43, however, we are not shown any consequences of Catullus airing his opinions. We are simply told, in each, that there is an ugly girl in whom he is not interested: there is not intended to be the nuance and comedy value that poem 42 contains. To conclude, Catullus’ adopting the form of flagitatio for this poem ‘underscores the poet’s association with the traditional purposes and values inherent in Roman invective’17; not only does he derive authority from the tradition of the technique, but it also allows him to attack her harshly and eloquently. However, ultimately, he couldn’t force a blush from, in Catullus’ words, the â€Å"brazen bitch-face†. We, therefore, see the limitations of invective: perhaps Catullus is admitting to us that we should see it as little more than entertainment. More importantly, though, the twist at the end of the poem is of stylistic and comedic value and can, perhaps, be said to show Catullus’ eloquence. Moreover, the fact that he feels no qualms at using such openly offensive language can be attributed to the fact that Romans would surely have sympathised with his demands for justice in face of a thief and may, also, be a reflection of his superior social status (not to mention the lower regard with which women were held generally) and consequent security in his right to show his anger in whatever way that he pleased. Ultimately, the poem makes character assassination into an appealing and technically adept art. Bibliography Dyson, J.T. (2007). â€Å"The Lesbia Poems†, in M.B. Skinner (ed.), A Companion to Catullus (Oxford) 254-275. Fitzgerald, W. (1999). Catullan Provocations: Lyric Poetry and the Drama of Position. London. Fraenkel, E. (1961). â€Å"Catullus XLII†, in J.H. Gaisser (ed.), Oxford Readings in Classical Studies: Catullus (Oxford) 356-368. Newman, J.K. (1990). Roman Catullus. Bodenheim. Selden, D.L. (1992). â€Å"Catullus and the Rhetoric of Performance†, in J.H. Gaisser (ed.), Oxford Readings in Classical Studies: Catullus (Oxford) 490-559. Tatum, W.J. (2007). â€Å"Social Commentary and Political Invective†, in M.B. Skinner, A Companion to Catullus (Oxford) 333-354. Wiseman, T.P. (1985). Catullus and his World: A Reappraisal. Cambridge. Wray, D. (2001). Catullus and the Poetics of Roman Manhood. Cambridge. 1 Catullus 2.1. 2 cf. Catullus 16. 3 Catullus 70.2. 4 Dyson (2007) 269. 5 Wiseman (1985) 166. 6 Wray (2001) 112. 7 Fitzgerald (1999) 117. 8 Selden (1992) 541. 9 Wiseman (1985) 167. 10 Fitzgerald (1999) 62. 11 Fraenkel (1961) 364. 12 Catullus 42.4 (â€Å"refuses to give me our notebook back†). 13 Catullus 42.12 14 Fraenkel (1961) 363. 15 Newman (1990) 192. 16 Fraenkel (1961) 364. 17 Tatum (2007) 337.

Biography of Noel Coward

Few writers have invested as much care into the personal image they publicly project as did Noel Coward. As a result, within popular culture the name â€Å"Coward† has become synonymous with a certain English style: the elegant silk dressing gown, the cigarette holder, charm, wit, clipped phrases, upper-class accents, and sex appeal. His plays reinforced this image, and Coward was not averse to audiences confusing him with his leading male heterosexual characters.Coward's homosexuality is now well understood, as is the fact that his public persona was a careful construction designed to hide his homosexuality from the general public. He was, for example, unimpressed with Oscar Wilde, calling him â€Å"a silly, conceited, inadequate creature . . . a dreadful self-deceiver† (The Noel Coward Diaries, 135). Although by the 1960s Coward was writing openly about the Homosexual Bill in Parliament in both his diaries and his play Shadows of the Evening, he failed to realize that his whole mannerism–the silk dressing gown, the cigarette holder, the raised eyebrow–was deeply artificial and camp.In addition to the creation of an immensely enjoyable persona, Coward's homosexuality may have also led him to the acidly witty exposure of society characteristic of so many of his plays and the comedy of manners ( Lahr). He well understood society's double standards and knew exactly how they might best be exposed through language. However, his success lay not with the epigrammatic phrase, but rather with the timing so that ordinary phrases become witty, hilarious, hysterical, or loaded with desperation. The recent revival of Coward in London, labeled by some critics as Coward for the nineties, attests to Coward's enduring qualities.To a certain extent he ignored modernism and sweeping changes in the theater, preferring instead to perfect the comedy of manners. Yet his sparse but witty dialogue that relies on situation and moment, his consciousness of la nguage as a weapon that can damage, and the gap between the grace of the language and what people actually do to one another ensure that Coward is more than merely an entertaining period comedy writer. Even Coward's birth date of 16 December 1899 seems suspiciously auspicious, falling at the end of an old century, and early on Coward appeared determined to embody the new century.He was born into a middle-class suburb in Teddington, Middlesex, and not into the world of cocktails and dressing gowns that his plays were to celebrate. His devoted mother Violet had married a piano salesman, Arthur, from a musical family, and she adored the theater and certainly passed that on to her son. With her encouragement, Noel took acting lessons at the age of ten in Miss Janet Thomas's Dancing Academy, and in September, 1911 he auditioned for his first part in The Goldfish.The year 1911 saw the beginning of his relationship with Charles Hawtrey, one of the great Edwardian actor-managers, when Noel first appeared in Hawtrey The Great Name. Hawtrey cast him in a series of plays: The Great Name, Where the Rainbow Ends, A Little Fowl Play, and The Saving Grace. Between 1911 and 1917 Coward appeared in a number of plays and quickly learned to appreciate the pleasure of an audience, which, he claimed, launched him on his writing career. He was finally drafted into the army in 1918, but his tubercular tendency and neurasthenia ended his army career after a few short months.Between 1918 and 1920 Coward survived by acting in a few small roles and writing stories for magazines and song lyrics. Early success came with I'll Leave It to You, a vehicle he wrote for himself and Esme Wynne-Tyson staged in Manchester and London. Critics agreed that a new talent had emerged. At the age of twenty-four, Coward confirmed this with The Vortex. Coward was hailed as a sensational talent. He shocked audiences with the subject matter of the play, but those who got beyond shock appreciated Coward's tal ent for writing. He seemed to epitomize the age's need to live life at a fast rate.His early success was confirmed with Hay Fever, produced in 1925, and Easy Virtue. Coward's finest play, Private Lives, written, like so many others, at high speed and as a vehicle for his dear friend Gertrude Lawrence, opened the 1930s. During this decade Coward wrote his finest work. In 1931 he wrote Cavalcade, in 1932, Design for Living, in 1935, ten one-act plays in Tonight at 8:30, and in 1939, This Happy Breed. During this decade he also acted as a somewhat unsuccessful spy and more successful patriot. In 1940 he toured Australia for the armed forces and in 1941 toured New Zealand.In that same year Blithe Spirit was produced, and he wrote the screenplay for In Which We Serve. During the early 1940s Coward enjoyed success with films. In 1943 he produced This Happy Breed; in 1944 he produced Blithe Spirit; also in 1944 he wrote the screenplay for Brief Encounter, based on Still Life, a play from t he ten in Tonight at 8:30, and the film was produced in 1945. With the end of the war Coward's popularity declined. His musical Pacific 1860 was not successful and was followed by the equally unsuccessful Peacein Our Time in Our Time, written in 1946 and produced in 1947.These failures continued through the 1950s with the musical Ace of Clubs in 1950 and the plays Relative Values in 1951 and Quadrille in 1952. In 1953 his career took a new shift when he performed as a cabaret entertainer at Cafe de Paris. In 1954 he wrote Nude with Violin and moved first to Bermuda and then in 1959 to Switzerland. During the late 1950s and 1960s Coward once more enjoyed success with a production of Waiting in the Wings in 1959, the musical Sail Away, and an attack on the new drama written by Coward himself in 1961 for The Sunday Times. In 1964 Hay Fever was revived and directed by Coward at the National Theatre.His last appearance on the West End stage came in 1966 with Suite in Three Keys. In 1970 Coward was knighted, and there followed in 1972 a revue in London named Cowardy Custard and Oh! Coward in Toronto, which reached Broadway in 1973. Coward died of a heart attack in 1973 at his retreat in Jamaica. This play, dealing with a mother's affair with a young man the same age as her son, and a son addicted to drugs, launched Coward's career. Both characters long to be adored, and both promise to change at the end of the play and give up their respective vices.Although the Lord Chamberlain almost refused the play a license, Coward managed to obtain one by persuading the Lord Chamberlain that the play was really a moral tract. Agate noted that Coward lifted the play from disagreeable to â€Å"philosophic comment,† but complained that â€Å"the third act is too long† (Mander and Mitchenson, 69). Hastings commented firmly that this was a â€Å"dustbin of a play† (Morley 83). Nevertheless, most critics praised the play, especially those in America such as the reviewers for the New York World, the New York Post, and the New York Tribune, who called it â€Å"the season's best new play† (Cole 47).Later critics such as Lahr (18-26) and Gray (34-41) still praised the play for the literary leap Coward exhibited. The 1952 revival was set in the 1920s and received mixed praise: the London Daily Mail complained about its â€Å"frantic piano-playing at every crisis† but noted that â€Å"the wit still sparkles and that final hysterical scene between the son and the mother with a lover of just his own age has lost little of its old dramatic sting† (Mander and Mitchenson 21-22). Coward's finest play, Private Lives, claims no political message, and each element is fully resolved in this beautifully symmetrical play.Amanda and Elyot have each remarried and meet on their honeymoons with their exceedingly dull spouses. Elyot and Amanda appear in turn on their Riviera balconies, each having a similar conversation with their new spouse s. The play begins by contrasting balanced scenes in which Amanda and Elyot discover that the only way to communicate with their new spouses is through language, but they are unable to do so. Thus, when Elyot attempts to probe Sibyl's mind and discover her future plans, she responds: â€Å"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about.† She functions on the simplest level of language as talk, of words having a precise and limited meaning. Similarly, Amanda finds Victor equally limited. When she articulates her belief that communication depends on â€Å"a combination of circumstances† and takes place â€Å"if all the various cosmic thingummys fuse at the same moment, and the right spark is struck,† Victor can only reply that she is not nearly as complex as she thinks she is. For Elyot and Amanda, language communicates all too well on a literal level, but their feelings do not align with the words or with each other's words.They use the language of the com monplace as a weapon. In one of their most memorable scenes, they display their sophisticated barbs when Amanda asks, â€Å"Whose yacht is that? † and Elyot replies â€Å"The Duke of Westminster's, I expect. It always is. † Amanda, opening herself for the next retort, exclaims, â€Å"I wish I were on it,† to which Elyot replies, â€Å"I wish you were too. † None of these lines is especially witty alone, but given their context and the timing, they are funny and sad.This couple cannot live apart, and yet as act 2 reveals, neither can they live together. Indeed, in the second act language becomes too effective a weapon, so that periodically Amanda and Elyot must resort to a technique to literally stop communicating. When language threatens to communicate their old jealousies and recriminations too starkly, they resort to using the word â€Å"sollocks†; the device fails and language refuses to submit to such control. When Amanda and Elyot refrain from relying on language, they can communicate.Thus, if they divert themselves with word games such as deciding whether it is a â€Å"covey of Bisons, or even a school of Bisons,† or perhaps â€Å"the Royal London school of Bisons,† they succeed. But when they try to discuss something meaningful, such as their five years apart and the question of other lovers, they find language powerful and disturbing. Amanda says that she would not expect Elyot to have been more or less celibate than she was in their five years apart, but he cannot separate the words from the meaning they imply.He cannot bear the thought that she was not celibate, and in the ensuing argument he concludes, â€Å"We should have said sollocks ages ago. † They should have ceased conversation because language is too destructive. What makes Coward very much a twentieth-century writer is his refusal to restore harmony to this chaos. We must accept that Amanda and Elyot cannot live together without fighti ng and there will be no happy ending because their attempts to control language are futile.Moreover, this futility infects Victor and Sibyl so that their previous united front disintegrates, and as they echo the arguments of Amanda and Elyot, Amanda and Elyot sneak out to fight another day. Coward's couples find that language communicates only too well so that they can neither live together nor apart, and in this, Coward embodies the awful dilemma of the human condition. Contemporary scholarship should continue to explore Coward to dispel the notion that he is just a period writer. Works Cited Cole Stephen. Noel Coward: A Bio-Bibliography.Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1993. Coward, Noel. Private Lives, Bitter Sweet, The Marquise, Post Mortem. London: Methuen, 1979. Gray, Frances. Noel Coward. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan, 1987. Lahr, John. Coward the Playwright. London: Methuen, 1982. Mander Raymond, and Joe Mitchenson. Theatrical Companion to Coward. London: Rockliff, 1957. M orley Sheridan. A Talent to Amuse: A Biography of Noel Coward. Boston: Little, Brown, 1985. Payn, Graham and Morley, Sheridan. The Noel Coward Diaries. Ed. Boston: Little, Brown, 1982.

Absolute Beginner Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Absolute Beginner Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns Your learners have now learned some basic vocabulary, simple positive and negative statements with to be, as well as questions. Now you can introduce the possessive adjectives my, your, his, and her. It is best to stay away from its at this point. You can work on getting students to know each other by using their names for this exercise, before going on to objects. Teacher: (Model a question to yourself changing places in the room, or changing your voice to indicate that you are modeling. ) Is your name Ken? Yes, my name is Ken. (stress your and my - repeat a few times) Teacher: Is your name Ken? (ask a student) Student(s): No, my name is Paolo. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. If a student makes a mistake, touch your ear to signal that the student should listen and then repeat his/her answer accenting what the student should have said. Part II: Expand to Include 'His' and 'Her' Teacher: (Model a question to yourself changing places in the room, or changing your voice to indicate that you are modeling. ) Is her name Jennifer? No, her name isnt Jennifer. Her name is Gertrude. Teacher: (Model a question to yourself changing places in the room, or changing your voice to indicate that you are modeling. ) Is his name John? No, his name isnt John. His name is Mark. (Make sure to accent the differences between her and his) Teacher: Is his name Gregory? (ask a student) Student(s): Yes, his name is Gregory. OR No, his name isnt Gregory. His name is Peter. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. If a student makes a mistake, touch your ear to signal that the student should listen and then repeat his/her answer accenting what the student should have said. Part III: Having Students Ask Questions Teacher: Is her name Maria? (ask a student) Teacher: Paolo, ask John a question. (Point from one student to the next indicating that he / she should ask a question thereby introducing the new teacher request ask a question, in the future you should then use this form instead of pointing to move away from the visual to the aural.) Student 1: Is his name Jack? Student 2: Yes, his name is Jack. OR No, his name isnt Jack. His name is Peter. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. Part IV: Possessive Pronouns Its a good idea to teach possessive pronouns together with possessive adjectives.   Teacher:  Is that book yours?  (ask yourself to model) Teacher: Yes, that book is mine. (Make sure to accent yours and mine) Alessandro ask Jennifer about her pencil.   Student 1:  Is that pencil yours? Student 2:  Yes, that pencil is mine.   Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. Move on to his and hers in the same manner. Once completed, begin to mix the two forms together. First alternating between my and mine and then alternating between other forms. This exercise should be repeated a number of times.   Teacher: (holding up a book)  This is my book. The book is mine.   Write the two sentences on the board. Ask students to repeat the two sentences with various objects they have. Once finished with my and mine continue with your and yours, his and hers. Teacher:  That is your computer. The computer is yours. etc.

Starbucks in Mihaylo Hall Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Starbucks in Mihaylo Hall - Essay Example The Starbucks proximity to the student study lounge gives the students a number of options while studying for those stressful exams and reports. Unlike other Starbucks franchises which are located in business districts, this particular branch is located inside the Mihaylo Hall College of Economics and Business Building at CSUF. Thus it does not have the same look or feel as the run of the mill Starbucks branches located off campus. However, this particular Starbucks branch does not cater exclusively to the student body of CSUF. The coffee shop has a public entrance facing the street as well. Starbucks benefits from being located inside the the newest building on campus, Mihaylo Hall, which also boasts of a newly opened study lounge area located a stones throw away from the cafe. ( â€Å"Spotlight: Mihalylo Hall† )Students in particular, benefit from having this particular Starbucks branch on campus as they are assured of physical security and protection since they do not have to leave the secured area of the college campus to get an Espresso anymore. Contrary to public opinion, students do not go to Starbucks just because it is the latest fad on campus. Nor do they just want to flash around their cash by showing off their designer coffee drinks. Thanks to the quiet and relaxing interior design of Starbucks, it has actually become one of the great places to go if you want to seriously study but cannot do so because of all the activities going on in the dorm rooms. At Starbucks, one can kick back and relax and and enjoy the quiet surroundings being enjoyed by the other students as well. Although the student study lounge also offers the same type of learning friendly environment, there is just something about studying at Starbucks that makes it a more conducive area to read the study materials in. Which is probably why there is regular traffic between the two areas during the time when the coffee shop is open. Unlike the study lounge,

Coca-Cola Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

Coca-Cola Company - Assignment Example The company produces ready to drink juices and teas in over 100 flavors. There has been a visible decline in the consumption of carbonated drinks as a result of the rising health concerns. Carbonated drinks make up a significant portion of Coca-Cola's sales. This is a good opportunity to increase sales of the non-carbonated drinks by entering into newer untapped markets. This document serves as a marketing plan for Minute Maid healthy beverages for the subsequent 12 month period. 2. Situation Analysis 2.1 SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is used to determine the internal strengths and weaknesses of an organization and the external opportunities and threats. The SWOT Analysis for Minute Maid is as follows: Strengths Weaknesses Strong brand with world wide recognition Strong supply chain Established distribution channels Excellent financial performance Quick response to market need Partnerships and licenses with other brands Standing out against competition in the saturated market More customer loyalty to the core the Coca-cola products Dormant market demand for soft drinks Opportunities Threats Changing consumer trends towards soft drinks Entering new market segments Developing further partnerships with other brands Competition Health concerns Risk of cannibalization Table 2.1 SWOT Analysis 2.2 FEPSOS Analysis Marketing Functions Marketing functions for Minute Maid include its strong branded high quality products which are designed around customer needs. The products are priced to deliver value and quality to the customers in monetary and non- monetary terms. The products are backed by and effective, extensive and result oriented marketing mix. Minute Maid also has a... Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest manufacturer, marketer and distributor of carbonated soft drinks and other beverages. The company was established in 1886 and has been successfully operating business over a span 123 years. Coca-Cola has established its presence in more than 200 countries and has 92,400 employees across the globe. The company boasts a product portfolio of over 3000 beverages and has a world wide market share of 47.2% with sales of 4107.1 million cases (1). There has been a visible decline in the consumption of carbonated drinks as a result of the rising health concerns. Carbonated drinks make up a significant portion of Coca-Cola's sales. This is a good opportunity to increase sales of the non-carbonated drinks by entering into newer untapped markets. Marketing functions for Minute Maid include its strong branded high quality products which are designed around customer needs. The products are priced to deliver value and quality to the customers in monetary and non- monetary terms. The products are backed by and effective, extensive and result oriented marketing mix. Minute Maid also has a strong distribution network which delivers its goods to the customers where and when they are needed. Porter's Five Forces Model can be used to analyze th