“What Thanksgiving means to me.

In my country, Korea, having same holiday Thanksgiving called by Chu-Seok. Thanksgiving is upon us. I have to say, fall is one of my most favorite times of the year – first Halloween, then Thanksgiving, and then Christmas, all right in a row. The decorations, the music, the food, the holiday spirit – I like it. Coming from a large family – and having a large extended family – only heightened the holiday cheer growing up, and I used to help create that cheer for my own family. So I think I’d take a moment to talk about what Thanksgiving means to me.There is always the traditional Korean food, of course. But it’s not just the act of eating Thanksgiving dinner. The hours of preparation and the delicious smells that fill the house that entire week are just as important, as are the leftovers that last for days. In my family, the cooking of Christmas cookies has always begun the day after Thanksgiving – if not before. The preparation, eating , and preserving of food becomes both a family tradition and a ritual of community and togetherness.There is also family. For me, Thanksgiving has almost always involved time spent with extended family, whether they come to me or I go to them. And for me, extended family has always meant time spent playing board games such as Yut-Game, Gostop-Game. or just sitting around reminiscing. There are also the family projects that we’ll all tackle together, whether it’s simply fixing that drawer that never ran straight or building an entire new porch. Thanksgiving has always meant all of that.In addition to centering around the ritual of food, the embrace of family, and the richness of history, Thanksgiving has always served for me as a time of contemplation and gratitude. It’s good to take stock from time to time, not to ignore problems or challenges but rather to remember and think about the good. Sometimes we get so caught up in the daily grind of life that we focus more on what we don’t have than on what we do have. Thanksgiving helps me slow down and refresh my focus.

A Literary Analysis of Margaret Atwoods Happy Endings

In the story â€Å"Happy Endings† the author Margaret Atwood gives 6 scenarios in alphabetical order from A to F of how a couples life could play out over the span of their lives. In these six scenarios Atwood uses satire to emphasize how interchangeable and simple each couples life is. In this story Atwood uses character, style, and point of view to chastise the desire for the everyday common life and the concern for only the â€Å"whats† in life and not â€Å"how or why†. The use of flat characters in â€Å"Happy Endings† is one of the ways Atwood’s satirical tone is especially emphasized. The first characters introduced, Mary and John, are barely developed and we only learn simple details about their life that appears to be happy and comfortable. For example, we learn that they both have jobs but not what they do for these jobs. The narrator describes them as â€Å"worth while and remunerative jobs, which they find stimulating and challenging. † We also learn that they continue to enjoy their lives but are still not given any exciting details. For example, all the important aspects of their life are described by the narrator as â€Å"they buy a charming house†, â€Å"when they can afford live in help, they have two children. They turn out well. † â€Å"They go on vacations together. They retire† , â€Å"They both have hobbies they find stimulating and challenging. † Atwood uses this lack of detail to emphasize how flat and dull the characters are, building the idea that the main desire in life is focused on the â€Å"whats†. Throughout the different scenarios Atwood continues to use the writing style of repetition to make the point that the root of each story is the same. For example, almost everything in the characters lives throughout the six scenarios are described as â€Å"stimulating and challenging†, all the houses in the story are described as â€Å"charming†, and the real estate market is always mentioned. The most important thing that is repeated at the end of every story is that they all die, no matter what happened in their life, they all eventually die. Death is key to this story because regardless of the â€Å"whats† the characters have in life, Atwood wants to emphasize that death will always equal us out. For example, in scenario F these exact ideas are mentioned by the author â€Å"you’ll have to face it, the endings are always the same however you slice it† and â€Å"the only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die. † The third person objective point of view that this story is written in is what makes the characters so flat, the repetition so empty, and the story so simple. For example, a much more descriptive story in B is emotionally detached and flat because of how the author purposely lacks passion by writing, â€Å"Mary falls in love with John but John doesn’t fall in love with Mary. He merely uses her body for selfish pleasure and ego gratification of a tepid kind. † This statement is so emotionally loaded and could be very upsetting but the way its delivered, so fat and blunt, takes away the emotional attachment. The death as well in story B is a dark and heart breaking part but is also told so bluntly to remind you of death being the equalizer. For example, the author writes so easily about the death â€Å"Mary collects all the sleeping pills and aspirin she can find, and takes them and a half bottle of sherry. You can see what kind of woman she is by the fact that its not even whiskey. She leaves a note for John. She hopes he’ll discover her and get her to the hospital in time and repent and then they can get married, but this fails to happen and she dies. † The non-emotional way her death is described is an indicator of the flatness. The use of character, style, and point of view that Atwood uses to write this story gives you a real feeling of pity for these characters, only having horrible lows or average highs in their relationships. It appears that there is no great place to be in her story. Reading this story for the first time, the reader could assume Atwood has an obsession with bad relationships, boring average marriages, and death. The key to understanding what the author is trying to convey is realizing how the stories all link together and how they all lack the essence of excitement and desire. The author brings the idea that without focusing on the â€Å"how and why† of life and only focusing on the â€Å"what, what, what† will leave you with an average life. Reference Endings, and Margaret Atwood. 2016. Happy Endings. Goodreads. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28673445-happy-endings. Topics, Sample Papers Articles Online for Free. (2016). Happy Endings – Margaret Atwood. [online] Available at: http://studymoose.com/an-analysis-of-margaret-atwoods-happy-endings-essay [Accessed 21 Nov. 2016]. Happy Endings Summary. 2016. Www.Bookrags.Com. http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-happyendings/chapanal001.html.

Creative Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Creative Media - Essay Example These building blocks include the sounds and images. The value of aesthetics in animation cannot be quantified. It may appear subtle. However, aesthetics in animation plays a vital role. In other fields like cinemas, the content within a storyline as well as the storyline itself play the aesthetic role. By use of aesthetics, a story may be delivered as intended, or it may deliver the contradictory message. The thrill in collaboration of images and pixels of objects surpasses the verbal grasp. For this reason, animation may appear to be imaginary or real (Kreowski & Ehrig, 2005). In order to deliver the best aesthetics in animation, one needs to consider the coherence of the artificial models. Poor aesthetics, on the other hand, may be able to result in delivery of the wrong message. This could make a film to appear disengaging or even unprofessional. When making animated films, attention to aesthetics is inevitable. Proper aesthetics helps the audience to build their trust in the product. Consequently, they may forget that they are watching a film. This helps in impacting the intended emotions in the audience (Pikkov, & Näripea, 2010). In animation, style may be referred to as the preferences of the filmmaker in the choice of aesthetics. A filmmaker’s style may be determined by the kinds or models of worlds that he chooses to lean on. The choice of style depends on the consideration of its purity and authenticity. In addition, they may choose to exploit their prowess, experience and knowledge. Often, the filmmakers may not be quite aware of their choice of style. These filmmakers perform their chores so faithfully and naturally (Carroll, 2001). Style generates itself through a combination of ideals of the filmmaker. In essence, style emanates through the product as compared to the inputs. Sometimes, style may be misinterpreted as the superficial change of the appearance of an

A monkey's uncle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A monkey's uncle - Essay Example John Scopes a school teacher from Tennessee was indicted in violation of law by teaching a evolution theory in the public school. The case promised to be an unprecedented show due to the controversial topic and number of eminent participants. Local town leaders could not but use the publicity in order to help their small town. Jennings Bryan considering the evolution theory improbable worried about the erosion of the young people’s moral health. According to his logic the evolution theory and the low percentage of the believers among youth presented a real threat to the future of the society. Having received the strong support from the worried parents he decided to fight teaching Darwinism at schools. In early 1925 his political campaign resulted in a legislative changes, known as the Butler Act which prohibited the denial of the Biblical account of man’s origin and teaching of the evolution theory in the public schools of Tennessee.1 So it was no surprise when Bryan re ceived a request to join the prosecution team in the Dayton trial on behalf of the World’s Christian Fundamentals Association and local prosecutor Sue Hicks (Linder, â€Å"William Jennings Bryan†). In contrast Clarence Darrow, as a modernist, had opposite views on the religion vs. science issue. He was convinced that religious fundamentalism threatened the entire system of public education by doubting the skepticism of inquiry that moved the progress (Linder, â€Å"Clarence Darrow†). When Darrow found out that Bryans was going to lead the prosecution team, he decided to volunteer to challenge Bryan’s program and him personally. In spite of the reluctant attitude of the American Civil Liberties Union leadership, the defendant John Scopes insisted on the Darrow’s participation as a defender. Though the case resembled with the eternal struggle of the opposite good and evil, it still was a prosecutor and defender matter which strategy was rigidly prepa red by both sides. The Prosecution focused on two things: the prove of the actual violation of the Butler?s Act by John Scopes; and influence on the public and jury by using the religious rhetoric and socializing with the local population. The defense in its turn made a stake on the repealing the indictment on the state and federal constitutional levels seeking the declaration in higher instance of that the prohibiting evolution theory in public schools was unconstitutional. Here should be made a short remark over the constitutional grounds of the issue. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment guaranties the protection of the of the US citizens from the using public fund or establishments to favor any particular religious tradition over another, or non-religion over the religion, or religion over non-religion. Hence, teaching of evolution as a scientific theory does not contradict to the First Amendment. Today the controversy between evolution and creationism remains as an i mportant question in the American society. The status of teaching these topics is under constant debate in legal, religious and political circles. While some religions do not reject the evolution theory several fundamentalist branches of Christianity zealously resist its teaching. However, after normally it is taught in the science courses. Teaching of creationism and intelligent design as science due to its obvious religious background were declared unconstitutional. The core of the current debate lies in the different views on whether evolution/intelligent design

Law and Finance in Emerging Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Law and Finance in Emerging Markets - Essay Example In this endeavour the back ground and characteristics of microfinance, the strengths and weaknesses of microfinance, impact of microfinance on poverty, and the various microfinance institutions and their governance have been discussed. Lastly, drawbacks in the working conditions of microfinance had been scrutinised. In addition, several innovations with regard to the alleviation of poverty, by promoting access to finance to the poor, developed by various countries, have been examined. Finally, conclusions were arrived at. The microfinance innovation has not been restricted to the developing countries. Europe has witnessed such innovations during the 19th century. For instance, the credit union notion was developed by Raiffeissen and his supporters. This initiative emerged from an earnest intention to break the stranglehold of the moneylenders over the rural populace and to better their lot. Such unions have burgeoned, since the 1870s, in the Rhine Province and other regions of the Ge rman States. This cooperative movement was adopted by the countries of Europe and North America, and finally spread to the developing nations. Poverty alleviation and enhancement of economic growth are objectives that can be realised by improving access to financial services. ... These innovations include; contract designs, product innovations, and regulatory policy. Recent developments in behavioural economics and randomised evaluation techniques have provided greater insight into improving financial access to poor and low income households.2 It is crucial to provide access to financial services, as the number of adult individuals without such access is of the order of 2.7 billion. The betterment of access to financial services enables families to create assets, countenance risks and defray regular expenses in a planned manner. Microfinance that addresses the genuine needs of the poor has the capacity to enhance family income.3 In addition, it improves the health and education of the children in the family, which in turn leads to less absenteeism from school. Access to finance for small market vendors has been discussed in the sequel. The provision of saving facilities to small market vendors enables them to maintain higher inventories of stock and thereby g enerate higher income. It is to be realised that microenterprises constitute the largest employer in many countries with low income. However, these entities frequently do not have access to credit and savings facilities, which has a detrimental effect on their growth.4 As such, this lack of access to financial services prevents microenterprises from investing in fixed capital, improving their turn over and employing the required number of staff. In addition, firms require savings, insurance and payment services. These services enable them to address risks in a better fashion and provide them with the required confidence to participate in new investments.5 As such, lack of access to finance markets causes many unwarranted difficulties to small firms. In general, the

International Market Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Market Report - Essay Example Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana, Qatari business group partnership with the Harvey Nichols to open eight international stores in Doha. The proposed plan was established to open store in the year 2017. According to chief executive of Harvey Nichols, Doha is an exciting place to increase market portfolio. The store of Harvey Nichols provides ultimate fashion experience for customers. Harvey Nichols has three small-format stores and four large-format stores within the Ireland and United Kingdom. Research states that brand name perceived by people of Qatar is on higher level. The Qatari customers translate brand awareness well. The prime purpose of the report is to assess various strategic options and marketing environment to develop international presence. Additionally, the strategy of Harvey Nichols for international growth is effectively presented in the paper. The situational analysis is referred as the assemblage of strategies that are analyzed by managers on basis of external and internal environment of an organization. Moreover, it benefits to understand the business environment, customers and capabilities of organization. The business measurement tools implemented for situational analysis are SWOT analysis, PEST analysis and Porter five forces. It is a structured planning method that is useful for understanding strengths, weakness, opportunity and threats involved in a corporate venture or a project. The prime purpose of this method is to determine the effectiveness of opening store in Qatar. One of the major strengths of Harvey Nichols is its brand awareness. It is regarded as one of the most luxury and fashionable departmental stores globally. The deal struck by Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Qatari firm to bring one of the highly famous departmental stores in the world to make its debut in Qatar. One of the beneficial strengths of opening Harvey Nichols store in Qatar is high level of existing sales and distribution networks (Table 1). There

Visit to California Science Center Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Visit to California Science Center - Essay Example In contrast with the other institutions, the California Science Center has sufficient hands-on exhibitions to go around (Falk, pg 38). For children under seven years of age, the discovery rooms create an imaginative world over there. Apart from this, it has some great gift shops, technical museum books, geeky t-shirts and souvenirs, games, which are based on science and technology and a superb collection of books for every age group. Admission to the science center is free of cost if we do not seek an IMAX film or any other special thing but we can give donations inside the center. Although everything was of great interest, but the thing, which attracted me the most was the model of solar energy transportation and a wind tunnel. I saw the model of solar energy transportation at the creative world, which explores the discoveries of people from communication to transportation. At the creative world, one can learn about the historical as well as latest technologies of transmitting sound and fuel-cell technology. Besides this, visitors can run the cars, which are solar powered and can discover the ways in which buildings were created to be free from the threats of earthquake. I learnt about the solar energy transportation by visiting there. The transport, which runs through solar energy travels at a speed of 200 miles at 35-40 mph. Such type of transport does not produce any kind of pollution because it generates energy through the Photovoltaic effect (Falk, pg 38). Photovoltaic Effect The photovoltaic effect was discovered by Edmond Becquerel. According to his research, when some type of solid is exposed to the sunlight, it generates some amount of electricity. This effect further showed that it is a transformation of light energy into electricity at the atomic level. It is due to this effect that electricity is generated through the light energy to run the transport (Fonash, pg 39). Solar Panels By combining many photovoltaic cells, solar panels are produced. The se solar panels generate one and two watts by operating fifteen percent efficiently. In order to form modules, these cells are linked into a group of 40. For forming an array, a group of 10 is formed. Array can generate 800 watts of electricity (Fonash, pg 34). Batteries Since storing of the solar energy was difficult, so for this purpose, Lithium ion and Nickel-metal hydride batteries are made. Nickel-metal hydride battery can bear heavy load. These batteries lose half of their charge in a year but this obstacle is not of much significance. Other Obstacles The transport model, which I saw at the California Science Center, has the capacity of only two persons. This is a great obstacle of transportation through solar energy because solar transportation does not have much engine power. In spite of these little barriers, it is likely that the transportation through solar energy will bring a rapid change in the transportation industry in the near future. The other thing, which excited m e the most, was a wind tunnel, which had both ends open. When one person speaks from one end of the tunnel, the other person hearing at the other end of the tunnel can clearly hear the person. It was looking like a magic and attracted me so much. Although it seems to be a magic but there is a logical theory behind it. Sound is a complete set of ordinary decompression and compressions, which are also referred as rarefactions. The theory behind the wind tunnel was that sound wave is a longitudinal