Beyonce: An Inspiration to All Essay

Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter, or better known as Beyonce, is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Beyonce would be considered an African-American figure of musical inspiration because she is the epitome of hard work and dedication. For over 16 years, Beyonce has proven to be an icon in the female music industry, not to mention African-American female music industry. Even through family issues, marriage, and business complications, Beyonce today is one of the leading artists of the millennium and a woman of many talents. Beyonce was born in Texas along with her parents and her younger sister. As a child, she entered many competitions and church choirs which later revealed her love and talent for musical performance. She would compete in talent shows where she would beat kids twice her age with just her vocal range, and later on went to high school that specialized in performing arts. As she grew older, she was entered into a national talent search, and later her dad managed he r musical career in a girl group, which later on became known as Destiny’s Child. Beyonce’s musical career wasn’t always as successful as it may have seemed. In fact, before the group was known as Destiny’s Child, they were kicked off record labels and just weren’t good enough. However under new management, the group later on became one of the top girl groups and won many awards. One of their most recognized hits, â€Å"Say My Name†, won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B Song at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards. On April 4, 2008, Beyonce married Jay-Z, and unlike most celebrities, to this day they keep most of their private life, well, private, but we can still see them relaxing on the topic in recent years. Beyonce’s first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, and led o many depressions, but nothing a recording session couldn’t fix. Later, however, Blue Ivy was born, and all became well. Jay-Z had recorded his next single, in which Blue Ivy’s cries were heard, and only at two d ays old, was the youngest person to arrive on the National Billboard. Read more:  Essay Inspiration Through many hardships, Beyonce not only is such an amazing and talented singer/actress, but also has a heart made out of gold. She sometimes gives away all her salaries and earnings to charities of her choice, and even teamed up with our First lady, Michelle Obama in helping people across  America fight child obesity. In most recent light also, Beyonce not only is a significant artist, but now is also a national icon for the soda that America drinks best: Pepsi. It is said that Beyonce has signed off on a $50 million contract with the company to promote the drink. All in all, I think that Beyonce is such an amazing person and helps us value and realize our worth as an individual. I mean, we all have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyonce, so why not make it count? What I have gained through looking inside the life of such a huge icon is that we can all take our hardships in life and use them to strengthen us and a way to help mold our future for success. Yes, there will be many wrong turns, but Beyonce believed in what she could do and never gave up. I believe that this is what we should gain. A belief in ourselves and know what we are worth.

Salvage the Bones

The novel is narrated by the character Each. Having lost her mother and being the only girl in the family beside China, Each is desperately trying to find herself. Each began having sex at an early age and now is pregnant believing the father to be Cheetah's friend, Many. The relationship is obsolete, Many uses Each as a sex object. She'd like him to love her or at least notice her more. But he is with another throughout the novel. Ward uses metaphors about Greek goddesses to describe Each and her conflicting feelings. Each looks to the women in Greek mythology for power and strength in her femininity and sexuality.These are things she is missing in her life. Each has been sexually active since the age of 12, she is always looking for love in sex. â€Å"The pulpy ripe heart. The sticky heart the boys saw through my boyish frame, my dark skin, my plane face. The girl heart that, before Many, I let boys have because they wanted it, and not because wanted to give it. Lid let boys have it because for a moment, I was Psyche or Eurydice or Daphne. Was beloved† (Ward 17). Although when it comes to Many, Each thinks she knows what she wants. † But with Many, it was different; he was so beautiful, and still he chose me, again and again.He wanted my girl heart; gave him both of them† Ward 17). Ward has created a character so conflicted within herself. Each is always looking to the goddesses for help in defining the way she is feeling. Aphrodite, goddess of romance and passion, known for her numerous affairs of the heart. Also known as the roman goddess Venus, Aphrodite had one gift and that was to make love. Salvage the Bones The novel is narrated by the character Each. Having lost her mother and being the only girl in the family beside China, Each is desperately trying to find herself. Each began having sex at an early age and now is pregnant believing the father to be Cheetah's friend, Many. The relationship is obsolete, Many uses Each as a sex object. She'd like him to love her or at least notice her more. But he is with another throughout the novel. Ward uses metaphors about Greek goddesses to describe Each and her conflicting feelings. Each looks to the women in Greek mythology for power and strength in her femininity and sexuality.These are things she is missing in her life. Each has been sexually active since the age of 12, she is always looking for love in sex. â€Å"The pulpy ripe heart. The sticky heart the boys saw through my boyish frame, my dark skin, my plane face. The girl heart that, before Many, I let boys have because they wanted it, and not because wanted to give it. Lid let boys have it because for a moment, I was Psyche or Eurydice or Daphne. Was beloved† (Ward 17). Although when it comes to Many, Each thinks she knows what she wants. † But with Many, it was different; he was so beautiful, and still he chose me, again and again.He wanted my girl heart; gave him both of them† Ward 17). Ward has created a character so conflicted within herself. Each is always looking to the goddesses for help in defining the way she is feeling. Aphrodite, goddess of romance and passion, known for her numerous affairs of the heart. Also known as the roman goddess Venus, Aphrodite had one gift and that was to make love.

The effectiveness of tourism as an economic developmental model for Research Paper

The effectiveness of tourism as an economic developmental model for underdeveloped countries - Research Paper Example Earnings from the tourism sector are impressive, providing about 50 percent of Seychelles’ GDP (Seychelles - THE ECONOMY, n.d.). Unlike majority of the African countries, Seychelles is one of the most developed countries in the African region. Even though most of the African countries are blessed with dense forests and natural beauties, none of those countries exploited it as did by Seychelles. The administrators of Seychelles did everything possible to transform Seychelles as the tourist’s paradise in the African region. It should be noted that the administrators have developed the necessary infrastructure facilities for tourism development in Seychelles. Plenty of world class hotels and restaurants are available in Seychelles so that tourist may not face any problems in the country. Moreover, the government has liberalised the procedures for getting tourists visas to Seychelles. An international airport was opened at Anse Dejenner, Mahe in July 1971 by the government of Seychelles to encourage tourism. Since then, the number of tourists visiting Seychelles has been gradually increasing. â€Å"From a relatively small number of 3,175 tourists in 1971, the figure exceeded the 100,000 mark for the first time in 1990†(Gabbay and Ghosh, n.d., p.1). The number of tourists in has already been crossed the 200000 mark. The case of Botswana is also similar to that of Seychelles. â€Å"Tourism income at present is valued at around $240 million per year in Botswana† (Botswana, 2011). Plenty of game reserves with hunting and photographic safaris are available in available Botswana. Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the most famous park in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. More than one million tourists are visiting Botswana every year.... This paper offers an thorough analysis of the effectiveness of tourism as an economic developmental model for underdeveloped countries taking Seychelles, Botswana, Mauritius and Caribbean islands as examples. One of the major reasons for underdevelopment in poor countries is lack of resources. However, majority of the poor countries are full of natural beauty and hence such countries can develop tourism as a major revenue source. For example, Seychelles, Botswana, Mauritius and Caribbean islands are some countries, which have lack of internal resources, but have beautiful beaches, seashores and landscapes. Unlike majority of the African countries, Seychelles is one of the most developed countries in the African region. It should be noted that the administrators have developed the necessary infrastructure facilities for tourism development in Seychelles. Plenty of world class hotels and restaurants are available in Seychelles so that tourist may not face any problems in the country. Moreover, the government has liberalised the procedures for getting tourists visas to Seychelles. The case of Botswana is also similar to that of Seychelles. Plenty of game reserves with hunting and photographic safaris are available in available Botswana. As in the cases of Seychelles and Botswana, Mauritius is also utilizing tourism revenue for economic development.Antigua is the most developed Caribbean island with the help of tourism followed by Bahamas and Barbados. Underdeveloped countries can definitely promote tourism as a major revenue source.

Social Media and Its Impact Worldwide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Media and Its Impact Worldwide - Essay Example Some of the websites include social bookmarking such as Blinklist; social news, e.g. Propeller; social networking e.g. Facebook; social photo and video sharing, e.g. YouTube; wikis, e.g. Wikipedia. Social media has both the negative and the positive impact on the users. However, as much as we criticize social media, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Social media connects people, allows them to interact with different people and hence exposes them to different opinions and ideas (Pernisco 5). People are also given an opportunity to share their opinions with a wide variety of social media users. This kind of interaction has made the world smaller. People can communicate with friends and beloved ones from any part of the world. Information is passed much faster compared to other media, and organizing events and workshops have been made easier especially for the young generation since it is easier to find them on social media than anywhere else. Businesses and individuals are using so cial media for advertising (Faraz and Zohaib 2). For companies to prosper in this generation, they must embrace social media. In social media, one is able to contact more friends than they would if they did it personally. Therefore, companies are taking advantage of this to advertise their products online. Zuckerberg's Facebook is the most successful social media with over 500 million users, and the number is still increasing. Many companies have turned to Facebook for their advertising by creating groups, pages, events, and social ads. These Facebook tools are used to promote a company’s product. Discussions about the products are generated, and the consumers are enlightened more about the product. Pictures, videos, and links are also shared (Faraz and Zohaib 3). In job hunting, the network is key, and hence, individuals are creating their profiles on various websites for the target employers to view them and offer them jobs. Children and adolescents have benefited a lot fro m social networking. They can connect with their mates and exchange notes on their school work.

Development in banking and finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Development in banking and finance - Essay Example With passage of time things turned more complex; bankruptcy of big financial institutions like Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America disturbed the sentiment of the market. Such state of affairs affected the global stock markets and soon almost all the developed nations were engulfed by economic recession (p.63-67) To support the economy, the government of different nations infused stimulus packages for injecting liquidity in the market. Government also provided bails to several corporate companies to save them from bankruptcy. The increasing financial crisis was aggravated by a decline in demand; hence government had to enhance spending so as to raise the demand. To raise the demand and boost confidence among the investors, government reduced tax rate on several direct as well as indirect tax instruments so that the investors can have more money in their hand. To boost expenditure among the investors and to enhance supply of cash in the market, government reduced prime lending rate as low as possible. From the above given fact it appears that government of almost all the developed nations are following expansionary monitory and fiscal policy. Through expansionary monitory policy governments were able to reduce the rate of interest to a great extent. Through open market operations the central bank enhanced total money circulating in the economy whereas the government enhanced the monitory supply through sovereign bond transactions. The governments of developed nation enhanced disbursement of cash through banking sector by reducing cash reserve ratio i.e. the cash which the banks need to maintain as deposit with central bank. Reserve banks gave loans to the financial instructions at lower rate so that they can disburse loans to the investors and supply of money increases. Interest rate is the most commonly used monitory tool to

Potential Causes for the Growth of Organic Food Market in UK Dissertation

Potential Causes for the Growth of Organic Food Market in UK - Dissertation Example Potential Causes for the Growth of Organic Food Market in UK 2.1. Relevance of Choosing the Research Topic As elaborated above, familiarity is a significant aspect for the enlargement of the organic food market. Orlikowski, (2010) reported that according to the researchers’ individuals are uninformed about the practises and process employed for organic produces and lots of them are puzzled about the term ‘organic’. In view of the existing market conditions it very vital to identify what customer means by the term ‘organic’. The UK consumer’s awareness about organic food and the reasons that persuade them to demand organic food can be explored by this research. A foundation to appreciate what customers believe regarding organic food is presented by this research. To promote their products, marketers require exploring the motive for demands and apply it as an instrument to even target definite segments. 2.2. Importance of this Research Consumer’s awareness of the product and its production has an extremely significant role in their purchase decision making. The decision regarding purchasing a product can be influenced by familiarity. Even customer is encouraged to procure the particular product because of superior knowledge. It directs and transforms them into habitual purchasers and develops an optimistic attitude about the manufactured goods in them. To promote the product and to seek(target) different segments, causes for product’s demand may possibly be employed as a tool.

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

English - Essay Example An architect has to be persistent with his audience and his ability to write will most likely ensure that he is able to provide useful reference material for those who are viewing his work. There are certain audiences or buyers who require an architect’s persistence in order to develop an interest in the design and a written description would go a long way in ensuring the development of this interest. It is therefore important that the architect maintains their writing skills at their level best so that when the occasion arises, they may be able to express their designs to their audience with little or no additional help other than the written materials they may have provided. It is, therefore, a fact that architects have to do their best to ensure that they have developed their writing skills to such an extent to being able to efficiently describe their designs. Therefore, by developing good writing skills, the architect will be able to anticipate the questions that his audie nce is likely to ask after making a presentation, and will be able to answer these questions effectively. It is therefore a fact that an architect who is also a good writer will be more efficient in his or her work. Furthermore, architects will be able to leave behind details concerning their designs that will be studied by future generations of architecture students. In this way, the architects with good writing skills, leaving behind their works to be studied, will ensure that this work will continue to influence the work of future architects for generations to come. Revision Paper Censorship is one of the major issues of concern of the 21st century and this is because the advancement of technology has led to a lot of development in the media, entertainment as well as the communication sectors. Therefore, the censorship act has been endorsed globally as it features in the constitution of almost every nation in the world. It prevents people from exposing materials that are morally considered to be perverse as well as sensitive to viewers. Censorship is the destruction of destructive, objectionable or inconveniencing information from reaching the public. In some countries, censorship is seen as a way of interfering with the citizens' right to free speech. This is because of the rights to democracy as well as the media’s right to independence; therefore, the media, individuals' conversations, films and music among others can be controlled. From my personal perspective, censorship has been interpreted as a way of preventing vital information from reaching the public. Ideally, the bodies giving censorship to books, films, and music, radios or television programs and artistic expression ensure that the information they think is unacceptable to the members of the public and threatens the social economic and political order of the state has been altered. Specific bodies like the government, religious body or even private groups are capable to impose censorshi p on artworks, film, music, and television and radio programs among others. Various forms of censorship exist namely, preventative which is done before publishing the

Regulation of Industrial Relations in the UK Essay

Regulation of Industrial Relations in the UK - Essay Example Up to the 1950s, the UK state’s role in industrial relations was characterized as involving minimum intervention (Kahn-Freund, 1969). However, since the end of the Second World War, the UK state has increasingly intervened in industrial relations. It is fair to state that given the increased intervention by the UK state in industrial relations it is reasonable to conclude that there has been a determined shift away from voluntarism relative to collective bargaining agreements toward state intervention in supporting some minimum standards within the employment contract. The government or state’s intervention has moved toward a more active role in regulating the relationship between employee and employer and working conditions in the UK. This paper demonstrates the UK state’s shift from voluntarism to actively supporting minimum standards within the employment contract by tracing state intervention and the methods by which state intervention has been utilized. In general, states intervene in industrial relations in a variety of roles and capacities. They may intervene as an employer or as a supervisor or regulatory agent for income and price setting. States may also intervene as economic management, or for the protection of standards. States intervene in industrial relations as legislators and rule-makers. States may also intervene in industrial relations in an attempt to establish and promote the parameters of social order (Hyman, 2009). Historically, the UK has operated as an employer in its own right signifying private employers should follow the state’s example in how it treats its employees. As a result of this approach to employment principles, it was expected that employees in the public sector would seek to avoid tensions and conflicts in the workplace (Rollinson & Dundon, 2007).

A report on impact of Crime and Deviance on a Sustainable Business Coursework

A report on impact of Crime and Deviance on a Sustainable Business Practices and draw a crime prevention strategy for your busin - Coursework Example 7 5.0 Results interpretation †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ... 8 6.0 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... 8 7.0 Security Strategy For Preventing IE Crime/Deviance †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Abstract Just as ecological economics and green chemistry, industrial ecology is a recent field of research. It deliberately crossed to two distinct disciplines: substance and name. As a result, there has been several issues for industries including field content and difficult to crack questions regarding boundaries. The issues are challenging for the business practicing sustainable practice as industrial ecology. The study provides an overview of IE and offers the strategies for solving the deviance/crimes affecting the practice. 1. Introduction Economic policies and structu res create a context for the throughput, which describes the business operations responsible for delivering throughput activities as pertaining the production of services and goods. In the entire world, businesses undergo challenging times in the process of developing humanity since people have come to the realization that the current living style is never sustainable (Baas & Powell, 2005, 191). The situation can only change when the same businesses and individuals make immediate changes in relation to safeguarding the life of the current and future generations. As the businesses administer the right measures for saving the society, it finds itself in myriad of concepts and term for expressing the numerous array of approaches, priorities and prospects of addressing the critical issue (Allenby & Graedel, 2010, 110). The discussion focuses on the impacts of crime and deviance on industrial ecology as a major sustainable business practice. In addition, the report outlines a crime preve ntion strategy that the business should take to prevent its ecology practices. Environmental sustainability for the industry requires the provision and design of services and products that promote and incorporate: effective, efficient re-use and use of resources, and waste minimization. The increase of trade and drastic industrialization impacts the business environment in terms of the faster consumption of natural resources than the level by which people restore them; expanding a country’s economic growth; pollutants and waste release which is faster that the extent of the earth to absorb them (Allenby & Graedel, 2010, 110). As a result, there is an increasing conflict of the ecological systems and industrial activities. Increasing world concerns relating to the plethora of social and environmental problems about the working in equity, safety, health and circumstances have recently fostered all the sustainability approaches suitable for industries. Legislations, high quality products/services demand from clients, open market, rapid industrialization and the increased competitiveness between industries globally and locally have introduced a high demand not only for the product’s structured design, but also in the innovation process in the industry (Sadler, 2002, 54). On this note, there is an immediate need for the industries, especially in the production business, to develop several approaches

Renaissance architecture, sculpture, & painting Essay

Renaissance architecture, sculpture, & painting - Essay Example The essay "Renaissance architecture, sculpture, & painting" explores architecture, sculpture, & painting of Renaissance. The Renaissance artists depicted the world in its natural situation in their art forms. They had the sense of space and perspective that medieval artists lacked. Their representation of the natural world is most evident in the paintings of the time. Landscapes became the â€Å"earthly settings† of the paintings. For instance, consider Andrea Mantegna’s Arrival of Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga. This fresco, completed in 1474, features a landscape as the setting, depicting the trees, hills, and the surroundings in their natural look. Pietro Bruegel, the Elder, in his The Peasant Dance (1568), painted his subjects over a natural setting of a village. It is not only in the settings of the Renaissance art forms that the beauty of the natural world was portrayed; it was depicted as well in the human figures as subjects. As paintings of the time became less of religious forms, they came to portray subjects realistically. Apart from the representation of the natural world in the paintings, the liveliness of the human form became evident in the artworks. Da Vinci’s ever-famous Mona Lisa was such a humanistic portrayal. The smile on that womanly face had caught the attention ever since. In sculpture, Michelangelo’s Moses is a good example. He was dedicated to portraying lifelike human details that he even pared muscles and veins. The humanistic approach to paintings was also implied.

Qing China and the consequences of the golden age Essay Example for Free

Qing China and the consequences of the golden age Essay The â€Å"Prosperous Age† was a period where Qing China experienced a drastic increase in population, flourishing trade and commerce, and a remarkable level of social and political stability during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. However, its brilliance was overshadowed by its subsequent consequences and China was soon at its breaking point in the 19th century. This essay would then evaluate on the implications of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† and how the long-term consequences proved to be more negative in the 19th century due to a string of crisis, and subsequent problems that continued even in modern China of the 20th century. Negative Unanticipated Long Term Consequences Reversal of Trade Fortunes with Britain During the 18th century, there was mounting European demand for Chinese goods (Hung, 2011). Britain in particular, had strong liking and demand for Chinese goods especially tea. Hence, it led to the outflow of British silver into China, but little inflow of silver back into the British economy resulted in China enjoying a trade surplus (City University HK, 2007) while Britain suffered from a trade deficit. To redress this deficit, Britain began to smuggle and sell opium in China (City University HK, 2007). China’s attempt to prohibit opium then resulted in the Opium Wars and suffered a tragic defeat. The defeat in the Opium War led to the signings of unequal treaties . Upon signing of the unequal treaties, much Chinese marked it as the beginning of a century of shame and humiliation. Although China was never formally colonized, the lack of ability to defend its basic sovereign rights and ability to govern its own country made it look like a like semi-colonized state of Britain. Consequently, the Qing government was seen as weak and inefficient to combat against the foreigners and much Chinese lost faith in the Manchurian Qing government. As a result, this gave rise to the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) where violent revolts and attacks were targeted against foreigners as a sign to resist their influence. Boxers, supported by China, suffered a yet another defeat and were forced to sign yet another unequal treaty: Boxer Protocol, where the reparations drastically crippled the Chinese economy till the mid 20th century (Zheng, 2009). Thus, we can see that the initial trade surplus, a sign of â€Å"Prosperous Age† resulted in British to redress the situation by selling opium to the Chinese led to the Opium Wars and the unequal treaties which greatly weakened Qing China internally and externally in the 19th century. China’s failure to counter foreign influence led to their continued defeat in the Boxer Rebellion at the end of 19th century, where another unequal treaty continued to cripple her till mid 20th century , thereby demonstrating the long term consequence of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† was indeed negative in the long run, especially since the consequences did not confine just to the 19th century but even stretched to the 20th century. Reforms did not keep up with population boom During the â€Å"Prosperous Age†, China’s population tripled from less than 150 million to over 400 million (Perkins, 1969). Civil Service Exam however continued its strict quota for passing (Bentley Ziegler, 2003) and that meant a lower ratio of scholar to population passes. The frustration of students led to the rise of influential leaders like Hong Xiuquan who sought for reforms which led to the Taiping Rebellion . Coincidentally, the backbone of his rebels were the poor peasants who were forced out of arable lands and were socially upset and frustrated, which was also due to the consequence of the population boom. The consequence of the Taiping Rebellion led to a weakened Qing as they were forced to decentralize power to provincial elites to deal with the crisis and this power was never fully recovered even after the rebellion was suppressed (Sng, 2011). Provincial elites who did not return the power were a growing sign of defiance and could have the possibility of rising up against the imperial court. The unneeded civil unrest caused by Taiping Rebellion also served to exacerbate subsequent crisis like the Northern Chinese Famine (1876-1879) where the government was severely blamed for not providing sufficient aid. The excess unrest and loss of power proved to be detrimental in the 19th century as it crippled China and the country with no official political bloc stepping up to assist with the problems and crisis. In short, China was in a total disarray and chaotic. Lack of technological advancement Qing China favoured political and social stability over technological innovation which they feared would lead to unsettling changes. Furthermore, the vast population available to firms was a cheaper alternative to increase output, rather than investment of new technologies which was costly (Bentley Ziegler, 2003). This proved to be adverse in the 19th century when China engaged in wars. In the Opium Wars, the Qing military was no match against the British who utilized better technology to triumph (Tanner, 2010). The first defeat resulted in Treaty of Nanjing which ceded Hong Kong to Britain. Subsequent wars like the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1985) had China suffering a crushing defeat against a more superior and modernized Japanese army. China then ceded Taiwan, Penghu and the Liaodong peninsular to the Japanese. It clearly implied that China could not defend its own sovereign ground and indicated how backward the Chinese army. It questions the right of China to even claim rights over those territories if she could not even defend it properly. The problem gets exemplified into the 20th century when China continued to suffer several defeats to the Japanese in the Second Sino-Japanese War . Even with the Self-Strengthening Movement (1861-1895) which was embraced to modernize China was insufficient. The subsequent defeats to Allied forces in the Boxer Rebellion and Japanese in the Sino-Japanese Wars marred the success of the movement. Especially significant was the defeat in First Sino-Japanese war as for the first time in over 2000 years of history, regional dominance in East Asia shifted from China to Japan (Johnson, 2010). Coupled with the defeat, China’s international and regional standings were challenged and staged subsequent revolutions that led to other problems and the eventual demise of Qing. Positive Long Term Unanticipated Consequences Building a new foundation based on common people The end of Taiping Rebellion inspired nationalists (Del Testa Lemoine Strickland, 2001) to fight for the betterment of Chinese. It was because of the consequence of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† that led to the decisive rise of nationalist to seek for reforms. An example would be the decentralizing of power, which meant many parties would be involved in decision-making process, rather than just the monarch government. This would ensure that concerns are taken into deliberation before decision-making that will benefit majority of the Chinese, rather than the imperial court only. The nationalist dream then culminated in the 1911 Revolution in the early 20th century, where the Qing was overthrown and the Republic of China was established. Nevertheless, the dream of the nationalist was short-lived due to a power struggle within. Even though election was scheduled for 1913, but it soon became clear than Yuan Shikai wanted to establish his own power base. Sun Yat Sen was then forced into exile after he stepped down as head of the newly formed Kuomintang (Foster, 2007). The new government was then monopolized by Yuan and led to decades of political division and warlordism, including monarchy restoration (Blecher, 2010). Therefore we can see that the perceived benefits from the consequence of â€Å"Prosperous Age† in the 19th century did not fully materialize in the 20th century. Monarchy restoration was attempted and defeats the purpose of the promised sharing of power with the people initially. Political and social unrest persisted even with the new government which culminated in the May Fourth Movement (1919). Hence, we can see that China did not become better even with the end of Qing. It would be judgmental to argue that the initial rise of nationalists had resulted in a better China. It would be fairer to argue that the initial rise of nationalists led to more power struggle and dissident movements like the Chinese Warlord Era (1916-1928) as there were no strong political forces to enforce stability and order until the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came in 1949. Conclusion Hence, we can see that the consequences of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† proved to be more negative. The severity of the negative consequences shed light on the crises in the 19th century which crippled China internally and externally. The impact of the consequences was so overwhelming that it even snowballed to the 20th century and further crippled modern China. In contrast, the perceived positive consequences was that it built the foundation but the problem was that the foundation was weak and unstable which in turn led to more problems which culminated in more movements and revolutions. Furthermore, problems like sovereign issues were not solved by reforms or China’s surge in military strength but rather treaties that returned territories to her under imminent conditions . Thus, we can see that the long term consequences were more negative in the 19th century as it continued the crippling of China economically, socially and militarily and as well as set the stage for the movements and revolutions in the 20th century which did not necessary bring about stability and communal power amongst its people until the CCP came into power in 1949. References Hung, H.F. (2011), Protest with Chinese characteristics: demonstrations, riots, and petitions (p24-26). USA: Columbia University Press Qian Long Emperor’s Letter to George III, 1793, retrieved from Sanders Morillo Nelson Elleberger (2005), Encounters in World History: Sources and Themes from the Global Past, Volume 2 (p289). McGraw-Hill Sng, T.H (2011, Oct 4). Size and Dynastic Decline: The Principal-Agent Problem in Late Imperial China 1700-1850. City University of HK Press (2007), China: Five thousand years of history and civilization (p109). Hong Kong: City University of HK Press Perkins, D.H. (1969). Agricultural development in China, 1369-1968. Chicago: Aldine Bentley Ziegler (2003). Traditions and Encounters (p724-740). New York: McGraw-Hill Tanner, H.M. (2010), China: From the Great Qing Empire through the People’s Republic of China 1644-2009 (p77). USA: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Del Testa Lemoine Strickland (2001). Government leaders, military rulers and political activist (p86). Greenwood Publishing Group Foster, S (2007). Adventure Guide China (p18-19). Hunter Publishing, Inc. Blecher, M.J. (2010). China against the tides: restructuring through revolution, radicalism, and reform (p205). Continuum International Publishing Group Johnson, R.E. (2010). A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches (p267). Cambridge University Press Zheng, J.G. (2009). Historical dictionary of modern China 1800-1949 (p32). USA: Scarecrow Press

What Causes Economic Growth? Institutions or Human Capital?

What Causes Economic Growth? Institutions or Human Capital? Introduction An increasing amount of empirical research has been focused on measuring and approximating the effects of historical variables on the economies of today. There seems to be a chicken or the egg story in the literature: Do political institutions cause economic growth or does economic growth, through human capital, lead to better institutions? There seems to be a gap in the literature around the colonization period concerning human capital and institutions. We would like to add to this debate by researching the period before the colonization, using empirical research. We would like to add to this debate by researching the period beforearound the colonization period: Could it be possible that the human capital people broughtbrought by people to the colonies was gained due institutions in their native countries and that therefore institutions cause better human capital and therefore growth? In this essay we will bring across a simple message: you first need institutions to create human capital, in order to foster growth.? First we will lay the foundation of our theory by discussing empirical works that cover theperiod before the age of imperialism. Then we shall discuss the empirical proof that institutions do cause growth, after which we will analyze refute the human capital side argument. Finally, we will sum up our findings and provide suggestions for further research. Reversal of fortune and the importance of institutions Acemoglu et al. (2003) deliver a detailed analysis on different outcomes of today’s post-colonial countries. It was found that the divergence in economic development that is observable among former colonies is caused by the way the settlers established institutions in the area. Indeed, it is easily seen that regions like North America have shown to perform much better than countries located in Central and Southern America and in other parts of Africa colonized by roughly the same populations. Essentially, in the areas where resources were relatively scarce and population density was low, the pioneers established institutions pretty similar to the ones they had in their homeland, implementing systems of property rights protection that stimulated investments. In areas where resources and indigenous inhabitants were abundant, the settlers created â€Å"extracting institutions†, where their goal was not a long lasting development, but just a depletion of resources. These in stitutions were based on property rights restricted to an enclosed elite that consisted of the European settlers, in which the indigenous population was not included. not of indigenous people but that excluded the indigenous people., who The indigenous peopley were forced to work, mostly in conditions of slavery, in order to yield the highest profit possible. This explains why countries which were prosperous before the colonization, are today performing much significantly worse than countries where institutions were accessible to by all the inhabitants. Therefore, what these findings really show is that human capital is not the ultimate deep cause of eof better institutionsconomic development, but that instead it is the proximate cause., Indeed the true cause of why some colonies thrived and others haven’t ofare institutions and these institutions which supplied the legal foundations, including property rights  being the ultimate cause. More evidence on thisin favor of our thesis is given by Acemoglu et al. (2014), who gathered data about the literacy of the different settlers. They showed that the conquistadores that who colonized South and Central America where much moresubstantially better educated (at least speaking about literacyusing literacy as a proxy for the level of education) than the English settlers colonizing North America. Nevertheless, the latter turned out to be better developed in the future. Acemoglu et al. (2014) finds again that the primethe reason forof this difference is into the kind of institutions that were in place. Besides this explanation, there is another key variable missing; the education these settlers received in their homeland. Institutions and human capital did not come out of the blue, but most of the papers written supporting the human capital argument assume everyone starts off from square one, so to say, when they arrive in the colony. For example, a person educated as an engi neer does not lose his engineering knowledge, once s/he arrives in the colony, like the human capital argument suggest. Furthermore, Acemoglu et al. (2014) show that there is no significant support for the human capital argument that differences in the human capital endowments of colonists have been a crucial factor in the institutional development of these institutions. The way institutions were established by the colonists was deeply influenced by the institutions in their home countries. Especially before those colonies became independent they were legally dependent on their homeland, with roughly the same institutions, the difference being that these institutions were reshaped in order to comply with territorial needs. The new communities established would base their institutions on the ones they were used to in their native country. Of course with time some switched to different systems, but the so-called seed that let the tree grow was coming from somewhere else. And this â₠¬Å"somewhere else† is indeed their country of origin and its institutions. Considerations on the human capital theory In this section we are going to better explain why we consider the claim that human capital is the prime cause of economic development is wrongeconomic growth causes better institutions is inconsistent. In a prominent human capital argument article by Glaeser et al. (2004) the relation between human capital and growth is the point of discussion. The authors claim that countries possessing more human capital in the past performed better than others, independently by which institutions they were established before the introduction of human capital. They affirm that human capital is not caused by institutions, but that instead it causes themhuman capital causes growth and therefore better institutions. Granted, Glaeser et al. (2004) has the same requirement as we propose for growth; property rights. However,We strongly disagree with that view. A population can have as much human capital as they can accumulate, but if it is not pushed to its real potential, it fails to improve a societyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s economic situation. we then wonder how a society can gain human capital, without well-functioning institutions that provide property rights. If that society does not protect property rights or does not give to all its components roughly equal rights, growth will be slower, if not completely absent. people will not invest in human or physical capital, since the payoff of the investment is uncertain. Think about a generic example: if a society does not protect anyone’s property but just the property of a closed elite, outsiders who might have groundbreaking ideas, will probably not get to develop their ideas, given that in this way they might not have the means to do so or they might just not be given the incentive to fulfill their potential. This is exactly what we think has happened in the extracting societies: even if the conquistadores were better (according to the literacy measurements made by Acemoglu et al.) were pretty educated on average, the indigenous popula tion wereas not allowed to participate in the society improvement process or to hold property; instead they were forced to work in conditions of slavery. The opposite happened in North America and we can see how ithistory tells how it turned out: most of the population was composed by emigrants from the Old Continent, whom wereto whom were given the same rights, and even if there were some minorities like the African American who were granted less rights, there were still more people enjoying the benefits of the institutions than in the countriesthe countries where extracting institutions persisted. Further evidence in support of our argumenton this topic is given by Weil (2013): when comparing a country’s wealth with its amount of human capital seen as education, he shows that there is no direct correlation. The difference in wealth is not entirely explained by education. If this was the case, for example, Mozambique would have had 43% of the U.S. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per worker, but in reality it produces only 1.9% of it. Weil explains this discrepancy using the quality of education, which changes the effect of education on wealth drastically. These differences in quality of schooling are directly related to the institutions present; the students of richer countries learn faster and more effectively, because they are provided better educational facilities and means of learning. Conclusion As we have shown in this brief essay, in order to foster growth potential in the first place, one needs institutions that create and protect property rights. Indeed, we have shown, using empirical research, that human capital is caused by institutions in the first place, which then indirectly causes growth. However, we do not say that human capital cannot feed into the quality of institutions at a later stage, the relation is far more elegant and complex than that, we simply wanted to show that the institutions are the beginning of the story. Furthermore, we think that institutions placed in colonial countries did not directly originate there, but that they were derived from the institutions that were present in the native countries. As a final remark, we strongly urge that more research should be done on the development of institutions and human capital and how they compare to their native country around the colonization period, which has only been treated superficially in the lite rature. References Acemoglu, D., Johnson, S. and Robinson, J. (2002). ‘Reversal of Fortune: Geography and Institutions in the Making of the Modern World Income Distribution’. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 117(4), pp.1231-1294. Acemoglu, D., Gallego, F., and Robinson, J. A. (2014). ‘Institutions, human capital and development’. Unpublished working paper. University of Harvard, Cambridge. Glaeser, E., La Porta, R., Lopez-de-Silanes, F. and Shleifer, A. (2004). ‘Do Institutions Cause Growth?’. Journal of Economic Growth, 9(3), pp.271-303. Weil, D. (2013). Economic growth. Boston: Pearson, pp.170-197.

The Safety Of Seafarers Going To Sea Engineering Essay

The Safety Of Seafarers Going To Sea Engineering Essay This report aims to educate readers about the safety of seafarers going to sea and the possible dangers that they face. The report will also elaborate about the ongoing issues and measures taken to ensure the safety of the seafarers. Marine Industry has been a major platform for investment and income since the ancient times. Seafarers face possible dangers from collision of ships, fire and weather conditions. Therefore, the casualties onboard a ship have been increasing due to lack of awareness towards safety on board the ship. The International Maritime Organisation( IMO) took steps to prevent such disasters from happening. Rules have been set up to make sure the equipments onboard the ship are up to date, certified and are regularly inspected. Workers onboard must be well trained in the safety aspects. According to the International Maritime Organisation(2009),ship safety is a subject that is currently receiving high attention by most countries. The International Maritime Organisation(2009) said that this was due to a number of serious vessel casualties that have occurred in recent years. 1.3 Methodology The information for this report was obtained from the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) 1974 edition, reference books, research about shipping companies and the internet. Case studies were taken from online news articles. 1.4 Scope As there are many possibilities that could happen onboard a ship, this report will investigate solely about the possible cause of fire at sea, preventive measures, consequences of fire, actual events that took place due to fire, types of fire and much more. 2.Fire Hazards onboard the Ship 2.1 Causes of Fire According to John G. Antherson (2000),the causes of fire on a ship arent a lot different than the causes of fires in any urban setting. As there are electrical circuits onboard the ship, there is a chance for an electrical fire is to occur. Machinery onboard a ship can get hot when its operating. An overheating bearing could cause a fire.(John G. Antherson 2000) Ships uses combustion systems to generating steam, and internal combustion engines are used generate electricity. These combustion system will get very hot and can cause a fire.(John G. Antherson 2000) Closed machinery spaces and the volatility of fuel, lubricants and hydraulic fluids around the hot machinery can lead to a fire or an explosion. A collision at sea could initiate a fire. The galley where food is prepared is another fire hazard on board a ship.(John G. Antherson 2000) During ship repairing, metal cutting and welding equipment is carried and used to faulty equipment. Sparks from this equipments could also start a fire. There are some more possible ways fires could be started. Fire hazards in the cabin could also cause fire to occur. An article (Anon: Fires In Ships 2002) states that careless smoking is the main cause of fires in ships. In one case scenario, sixteen Chinese nationals have been taken to the hospital after a fire broke out in their ship(APL Columbia) at port Botany on 5 January 2010.A crew member onboard the 45,000 tonne APL Columbia(IMO:9252242) noticed a fire in his cabin about 1.30am.The man tried to put out the fire but was unsuccessful.The crew members had suffered from smoke inhalation and the fire was put out about 5.30 am using the ships own firefighting equipment. In another case scenario, a fire broke out in the engine room. A Maersk container ship (Maersk Duffield) crossed Brisbanes Moreton Bay with its engine room on fire and the Emergency Management Queensland helicopter is en route to assist. One crew member required treatment. Shipping Database,2009-2010[Online] Available from: http://www.shippingdatabase.com/ [Accessed 31 January 2010] Figure 1 [International Maritime Statistics Forum 2007 p.g 15] Figure 2 [International Maritime Statistics Forum 2007 p.g 16] According to the chart ( figure 1) made by the Maritime Institute in Gdansk(2007), most fire accidents occur during ship repairs. Fire caused from ship repairs take up 79.3% of most fire accidents in their case study. Meanwhile, figure 2 showed that 24.11% of fire occurring on board a ship is located at the Cargo holds and tanks. 2.2 Classes of Fire There are 4 types of fire that might occur onboard a ship. There are Class A , Class B , Class C and Class D fires. The U.S Department of Agriculture, Forest Service(2007) said that Ordinary combustible fires are the most common type of fire, and are designated under Class A fire . These occur when a solid, organic material such as wood, cloth, rubber, or plastic become heated to their flash point and ignite. This class of fire is fairly simple to combat and contain .According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 2008),the most common way to do this is by spraying the burning material with water, oxygen can also be removed by smothering the fire with foam from a fire extinguisher. Meanwhile, flammable liquid are categorized under Class B fire. The National Fire Protection Association(2008) reports that this fire follow the same basic fire tetrahedron (heat, fuel, oxygen, chemical reaction) as ordinary combustible fires, except that the fuel in question is a flammable liquid such as gasoline, or gas such as natural gas. An efficient way to extinguish a liquid or gas fueled fire is to disrupt the chemical chain reaction of the fire, which is done by dry chemical and Halon extinguishing agents. According to an extract from Industrial Hygiene and Information Management (2008): ESH Manual Chapter 40, Hazardous Materials, class D fire are fires that are caused by flammable or combustible metals. Examples given by the ESH manual Chapter 40, Hazardous Materials, of such metals are titanium , sodium ,magnesium, potassium, uranium and calcium. Generally, metal fire risks occur when sawdust, machine shavings and other metal are present. These fires can be ignited by the same types of ignition sources that would start other common fires. Wikipedia, Fire Classes [Online] Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_classes [Accessed 1 February 2010] A crew onboard a fishing vessel said that If a fire was to start onboard a ship, crew members onboard must know what type of fire it is. If a wrong extinguisher or method is being used, the fire might spread even more. ( Florida Sport Fishing Crew 2002) 3. Consequences of fire 3.1 Loss of Revenue and Marine Environment The International Maritime Organisation (2009) said that most accidents onboard a ship will result in a loss of revenue. Cargos onboard a ship might be damaged and millions of dollars worth of cargos and resources will be affected. Fire onboard a tanker ship will have a high chance of causing an explosion and fuel leaked into the sea will cause water pollution and that will affect the marine environment. Thousands of dollar will be used to clean up the oil spill. A case study given by the Port State Information exchange (2006) was that of Hyundai Fortune where an accidental fire broke out on 21st March 2006. The combined cost of the ship and damaged cargo is estimated at over 300 million US dollars. According to an online article by Brisbane Times, oil spill clean-up can be rather costly. In a case study by the article, an insurer of a Hong Kong-based cargo ship had to foot the bill for a 20 tonnes of diesel fuel into waters off Stradbroke Island. Authorities announced that the estimated cost of the clean-up will reach about $100,000 a day and take seven days to complete. Daniel Hurst 2009 , Oil spill clean-up to cost $100,000 a day[Online] Brisbane times Available from: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/oil-spill-cleanup-to-cost-100000-a-day/2009/03/12/1236447368184.html [Accessed on 7th February 2010] 3.2 Political Fallout Political fallout might also occur if swift action is not taken. Political fallout will cause the reputation of the government or authority to be at stake.(M.Masellis and S.W.A.  Gunn 1992) The disasters that occur within the Maritime Industries can be used as an example for opposition parties to blame the government and this might change the mindset of the society towards the government. According to an online article by BBC news, an oil well in the Timor Sea off the north-west coast of Australia caught fire. The oil rig had been leaking oil and marine fire fighters were struggling for ten weeks to stop the leak. The National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority had been called out to help combat the fire and other teams such as the Geoscience Australia and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority were on standby. However, an opposition spokesman accused the Environment Minister of Australia of doing nothing to stop the oil leak. BBC News 2009 , Australia well catches fire [Online] Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8336564.stm 3.3 Human Casualties Accidents onboard a ship will also cause human casualties to occur. Fire especially will be life threatening onboard a passenger ship and it will cause chaos and panic among passengers. ( L.M. Collins 1999) A good way to ensure that human life is not lost is for the crew and passengers to follow instructions given by the Captain. If the passengers follow the instructions swiftly, they will be able to escape from the ship safely.( L.M. Collins 1999) One of the major events that had many human casualties was that of RMS Titanic. According to David G , Titanic was struck by an iceberg and sank in two hours and forty minutes on 15 April 1912. The sinking of the Titanic resulted in 1517 deaths out of the 2223 people on board. The high casualty rate was due to the fact that the ship was not carrying enough lifeboats for everyone onboard. Brown, David G. (2000). The Last Log of the Titanic. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 0071364471. Most fire cases are quickly dealt with and the only losses that the crew face are the cargos or raw materials onboard. Up to this day, passenger ship have not faced any fire incidents that resulted in major human casualties. 4.Fire Safety Measures 4.1 Safety of Life at Sea(SOLAS) M.  Masellis and S.W.A.  Gunn(1992) said that fire casualties on ships lead almost certainly to disastrous results because of the limited and isolated areas of the vessels and the lack of immediate and easy access for the rescue team. Preventive measures are therefore much more effective in the effort to avoid such casualties than rescue and fire-extinguishing procedures or devices. [Marine fire casualties in merchant ships: the Greek statistics 1992 Available from: http://www.springerlink.com/content/h8362077847j9127/] In 1914, The International Maritime Organisation had a convention among international leaders and maritime leaders to talk about maritime safety. Of all the international conventions dealing with maritime safety, the most important is the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea(SOLAS). There have been many versions of SOLAS adopted by the International Maritime Organisation but the present version was adopted in 1974 and entered into force in 1980.The SOLAS conventions have all covered many aspects of safety at sea. The convention in 1914 included chapters on safety of navigation, construction, fire protection and life-saving appliances.(International Maritime Organisation 2009) This shows that the International Maritime Organisation is constantly trying to find ways to improve the aspects of safety at sea to ensure the safety of seafarers life by introducing the Safety Of Life at Sea(SOLAS) and updating it. 4.2 Fire Safety Test and Safety Equipment One of the fire safety measures is to conduct fire safety test for the ship. Fire safety of ships is an extremely important area. Before any material can be used onboard a ship, it must have successfully passed strict tests and have been certified for use. This is to ensure that the material or equipment does not pose a fire hazard onboard the ship. (SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden 2008) Another safety measure is to install safety equipments on the ship. Equipments such as fire extinguisher, sprinkler system , gas monitor and other safety equipments are being implemented. The International Maritime Organisation(IMO) is taking steps to introduce new and more sophisticated equipments onboard the ships. IMO hope to reduce the amount of accidents from occurring onboard the ship and will rely on this new equipments to combat the problem more efficiently. 4.3 Service of ships and Equipments According to The Safety of Life At Sea 1974 edition, the ship and its safety equipments have to undergo service once every few years. Safety equipments include components that can deteriorate over time. Therefore, this can decrease the effectiveness of the equipment. Examples of such equipments stated in the Safety Of Life At Sea 1974 edition (SOLAS) are fire extinguishers, EPIRBs, flares, life jackets, life rafts and smoke signals. Servicing of the equipment must be done by the manufacturer or an authorised agent by the expiry date. The expiry date must be clearly marked on the equipment. Most life raft needs to be serviced every two or three years. Equipment that cannot be serviced or no longer works must be replaced if it is to be carried as part of the safety equipment onboard the ship.(The International Maritime Organisation 2009) In the event that an emergency were to occur and the safety equipments were to be faulty as they were not sent for servicing, the manufacturer should not be blamed as the expiry date have been stated clearly on the equipment. It is the duty of the crew onboard and its owner to send the equipments for servicing once the expiry date is over. According to the IMO 2009, maintenance and inspections of equipments must be recorded to provide objective evidence that these work have been carried out according to the manufacturers instructions. 4.4 Proper training for the crew According to the Maritime Port Authority Singapore(MPA) 2010, Seafarers working on board a ship must have the valid certification or endorsements. In Singapore, these are issued by the Training Standards Department of MPA. Seafarers working on board a ship are required to have a valid Certificate of Competency (CoC) or endorsement, which comply with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). The crew must also be well trained in fire fighting and First Aid. Those who wish to work onboard a ship must have an Advance Fire Fighting Course certificate and Elementary First Aid certificate as well before they are qualified to work onboard (Maritime Port Authority Singapore 2010). The crew will also conduct regular safety drills after each departure from port. The crew are to follow their duty that had been assigned on the Muster List. By having proper trained crews onboard a ship, this will minimise the chance of human error and accidents from occurring. Furthermore, the crew are well trained to handle any emergencies such as fire . The International Maritime Organisation(IMO) 2009 once said that the quality and familiarisation are directly affected by the frequency and quality of the drills carried out. IMO added that a crew debrief after each drill is essential to emphasise lessons learned and to give additional training where necessary. 5. Conclusion 5.1 Further Improvements Every year, the International Maritime Organisation and other Maritime Body are working hand in hand to improve a seafarers life in terms of their living condition and to ensure that they are working in a safe environment. The organisation are trying to find constant improvement to reduce marine casualties, loss in revenue due to unwanted accidents. One improvement that can be introduce to the ship is the All-in-One fire extinguisher. This extinguisher would be able to combat any types of fire such as Class A , Class B, Class C or Class D fires. By having this fire extinguisher onboard the ship, the crew will not need to waste time to find different methods to combat different types of fire. Another improvement that could be introduced is the fire isolating system. This system will isolate the fire from spreading to other rooms and this will reduce the damage caused towards the ship. The Maritime Port Authority said that this new inventions will further improve the safety aspects but it still needs to undergo more tests before it can be implemented towards the ships. 5.2 Human Error is still the Main Cause The International Maritime Organisation have taken steps to ensure that the technology and safety equipments being implemented are up to date. Even thought this is so, nothing can be done if the accident caused is by human error. Even if the crew had gone for proper training, human error will still occur. An article by B.S Dhillon(2007), human error costs the Maritime Industry $541 million per year and a study of 6091 major accident claims revealed that 62% of the claims were attributed to human error. B.S Dhillion(2007) added that human error contributes to 84% to 88% of tanker accidents. [B.S Dhillon 2007. Human Reliability and Error in Transportation Systems, Springer Series in Reliability Engineering . Page 1.] These incidents will result in crew injuries or death and the ship will be delayed or damaged. Even if there is mechanical failure, human error can play a role in terms of lack of maintenance , monitoring or a breakdown in communication. The Bahamas Maritime Authority added that crew fatigue and complacency can be a major factor in this incident. The Bahamas Maritime Authority said that Good equipment can cost more, but safety should be accorded a higher priority because a ship cannot be operated safely without the seafarer.

Racism, Prejudice, Fear and Silence :: Sociology Racism Prejudice Essays

Fear and Silence There are some experiences that have such an impact they change your life forever. The tragedy that occurred on September 11th was certainly one of those. After the bombing, my mom and brother forbade my grandmother to leave the house because of all the discrimination against Muslims. We were scared for her because she wears a scarf. Then the question of how she would attend my brother's wedding became an issue. My brother asked her to take off her scarf during the wedding. I don't blame him for asking because he had good intentions, but I still feel that he should have let her decide for herself. My grandmother, who lived in Iran for many years, is a very simple, but intelligent woman who has her principles. "Take off my scarf? Are you crazy?" was her response. My grandmother has been wearing her scarf since she was a child when the Shah ruled in Iran. The Shah forbade anyone to wear a scarf and would order his police to take them away. It was very difficult for her to go out because of that. To think, she has been through so much and still managed not to take off her scarf - at least until now. The wedding was marvelous. The band played, people danced and happiness set the stage for the momentous day. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, except one miserable old woman. She sat at the far end of the room with no scarf to cover her short hair, no sense of pride, and not a drop of happiness in her. She was hiding in a place where no one could have eye contact with her. Her expression revealed her discontent. It looked like her heart was shattered into many pieces. She was cajoled into doing this, and even though I had not participated in persuading her, I still regret not having done something. With this incident in my mind, I recently visited the mosque with my family. As I peered out the window of the car I saw police cars. I was told they were there to protect the mosque from harm, and a strange feeling came over me. I knew why the police were needed, but the thought of people trying to harm us because some lunatic and his whole crew of idiots were Muslim made me furious. Racism, Prejudice, Fear and Silence :: Sociology Racism Prejudice Essays Fear and Silence There are some experiences that have such an impact they change your life forever. The tragedy that occurred on September 11th was certainly one of those. After the bombing, my mom and brother forbade my grandmother to leave the house because of all the discrimination against Muslims. We were scared for her because she wears a scarf. Then the question of how she would attend my brother's wedding became an issue. My brother asked her to take off her scarf during the wedding. I don't blame him for asking because he had good intentions, but I still feel that he should have let her decide for herself. My grandmother, who lived in Iran for many years, is a very simple, but intelligent woman who has her principles. "Take off my scarf? Are you crazy?" was her response. My grandmother has been wearing her scarf since she was a child when the Shah ruled in Iran. The Shah forbade anyone to wear a scarf and would order his police to take them away. It was very difficult for her to go out because of that. To think, she has been through so much and still managed not to take off her scarf - at least until now. The wedding was marvelous. The band played, people danced and happiness set the stage for the momentous day. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, except one miserable old woman. She sat at the far end of the room with no scarf to cover her short hair, no sense of pride, and not a drop of happiness in her. She was hiding in a place where no one could have eye contact with her. Her expression revealed her discontent. It looked like her heart was shattered into many pieces. She was cajoled into doing this, and even though I had not participated in persuading her, I still regret not having done something. With this incident in my mind, I recently visited the mosque with my family. As I peered out the window of the car I saw police cars. I was told they were there to protect the mosque from harm, and a strange feeling came over me. I knew why the police were needed, but the thought of people trying to harm us because some lunatic and his whole crew of idiots were Muslim made me furious.

Essay on Dream Deferred in Song of Solomon -- Song Solomon essays

The American Dream Deferred in Song of Solomon      Ã‚   Beginning with the first African American literary works through the more recent successes such as Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon the topic of literacy is almost inextricably connected to freedom and power. A closer investigation, however, leads the reader to another, less direct, message indicating that perhaps this belief in literacy as a pathway to the "American Dream" of freedom and social and financial success is contradictory or, at least, insufficient in social and cultural terms. In this way, African American literature reconstructs the "American Dream" into an even more complex "dream deferred."    Toni Morrison deconstructs the "American Dream" and the "literacy myth" in The Song of Solomon by deriding formal education and literacy while emphasizing oral family history. A most blatant ridicule of formal education comes to the reader in the story of First Corinthians Dead, the only character in the novel to attend college. First Corinthians finds that education made her "a little too elegant" (188), and that "Bryn Mawr had done what a four-year dose of liberal education was designed to do: unfit her for eighty percent of the useful work of the world," (189). At forty-two, First Corinthians is untrained, unmarried and unfulfilled, thanks to her college education.    Milkman, on the other hand, is not sent to college and is ultimately educated by the oral family history revealed by Pilate and the townspeople of Shalimar, Virginia. Milkman's freedom comes only after he breaks the chains of the "American Dream" myth his father is slave to and seeks out his history, his culture, and his identity.    Milkman's father, Macon Dead II, is certain that... ...eedom, independence and equality built on the successful negotiation of not just illiteracy, but of a history of social and cultural denial. Such is the nature of the dream deferred.    WORKS CITED Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Views: Toni Morrison. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 1990. Graff, Harvey J. The Literacy Myth: Literacy and Social Structure in the Nineteenth-Century City. New York: Academic Press, 1979. McKay, Nellie, editor, Critical Essays on Toni Morrison, G.K. Hall, 1988. Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: The Penguin Group, 1977. Sapphire. Push. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1996. Peterson, Nancy J. Toni Morrison: Critical and Theoretical Approaches. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1997. Rice, Herbert William. Toni Morrison and the American Tradition: A Rhetorical Reading. New York: P. Lang, 1996.

American History X Essay -- essays research papers

Theory Assignment on American History X This movie tells the story of a young man, from Southern California, that is the product of several unfortunate incidents, and his misguided search trying to answer the question why his life is the way it is. I. Daniel appeared to be dealing with the adolescent stage. Daniel seems to have developed his sense of self worth by mimicking his older brother. Daniels significant relationships, since his brothers incarceration has been derricks old friends (the skin head group). The scene in the principle’s office shows that Daniel is trying to live up to what he believes are his older brother’s ideals, which he believes are following in the foot steps of Nazis. Hate anyone that is not white and protestant. His own self image is one of an up and coming skin head; so he believes his identity is that of a racially intolerant neo-Nazi. Daniel’s search for that identity terminates when Derrick tells him about the experience of his prison time. This scene played out after Derrick confronted Conner at the skin head party and had to flee from his former admirers because he beat up their leader. Daniel followed Derrick and questioned him as to why he was behaving like a â€Å"Nigge r lover.† Daniels since of loyalty was shaken, and the explanation Derrick gave appeared to have turned Daniels beliefs around. Stacey is derrick’s girl friend at the beginning of the film. Stacey’s conscious and sexual identity seems to have been developed somewhat askew to the norms of middle class America, but she shows her comfort in her self during the dinner scene where the school teacher is discussing oppression of minorities with Derrick. Stacy voices an opinion that states blacks and Hispanics are a bane on society. She is a yes man to all of Derricks opinions, and during the same scene she shows her sexuality when she sensuously caresses Derrick after the altercation with Derrick’s family and his mother’s date. This scene showed that Stacey’s role models were other racist, and her beliefs were based on the rhetoric that is espoused at hate monger meetings. Stacey’s young adult stage is shown when she refuses to listen to Derrick during the skin head party scene. She had completely immersed herself in the â€Å"Derrick† persona. The idea of what she pe rceived Derrick would be like when he returned from prison. Stacey told Derrick, during the party scene t... ...s that Daniel took the same psychological ride as Derrick. The other characters remained at on a level psychological playing field. The skin heads may have become more radical, but that appeared to be because of the strength in numbers. The social view of aging in the film seemed to encompass the hatred of the time between two factions in a community in flux.The the presentation of community leaders trying to heal the community, the police captain and principal bob trying to enlist Derrick to help quell the possible uprising in the final scenes, also showed some social aging. 17. The roles of men in the film were depicted at the beginning by Derrick and his father as dominant figures in their household. Principal Bob was another strong male figure. The main female characters differed only in that Stacy seemed to bedcome independent of Derrick at the end of the film. Derricks mother and sister seemed to be typical obedient females. Derricks mom Derricks mom was â€Å"just† a housewife, and when her husband died Derrick filled the head of household role. Derricks oldest sister remained a liberal democrat throughout the movie, but showed no real interest in taking charge of her life.

British Architecture

Finally, the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, currently known as RCHME was added to this body on April 1st, 1999. English Heritage's principal role is as the steward of over 400 significant diversified, historical and archaeological sites. Concerning the ownership of these sites, they are principally owned by the body of government or by private that are managed under guardianship contracts. Its major missions are to watch the conservation of the buildings, to give advice, to register and to protect the historic environment.Finally, English Heritage owns a public archive: the National Monuments Records better- known as the English Heritage Archive. English Heritage improves its performances year atter year by asking any various groups and members ot the public to take part in consultations and web-based surveys in order to give views on specific issues. 1 1] English Heritage is governed by the Commission which is chaired by Baroness Andrews since 2009. The Com mission provides the strategic direction of the organization within the policy and resources framework agreed with Government.The Commission is composed by 17 people who are called commissioners and are appointed by the Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. [1 1] http://www. english-heritage. org. uk/ The Commission's role is also to delegate operational management to the Chief Executive, Dr Simon Thurley who is supported by an Executive Board of four directors. Moreover, numerous advisory committees and panels advise the commission and administer specialist areas such as The London Advisory Committee or Battlefields Panel.English Heritage has the status of I-JK Government's adviser and a statutory consultant on all aspects concerning the environment and historic sites. Archeology on land and under water is topics considered by this organization such as historic buildings sites and numerous designated landscapes and their historic elements. English Heri tage also has the mission to gather official statistics for the Government by publishing the annual Heritage at Risk survey. Its main goal is to insure the conservation of heritage of England in order to offer future generations the benefit of enjoying this fantastic heritage.English Heritage main precise missions are: Managing the national collection of sites, monuments, archive records and photographs Giving grants national and local organizations for the conservation of historic buildings, monuments and landscapes. Advising central UK government on which English heritage assets are nationally important and should be protected by designation Administering and maintaining the register of England's listed buildings, cheduled monuments, registered battlefields, conservation areas and protected parks and gardens known as â€Å"The National Heritage List for England†.

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 21~22

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE I Lick the Body Electric The Maui sunset had set the sky on fire and everything in the bungalow had taken on the glowing pink tone of paradise – or hell, depending on where you were standing. Clay dismembered the bird and put the severed pieces on a platter to transport them to the grill. â€Å"You'll need something to bring those in on,† Clair said. Her dress was a purple hibiscus-flower print, and the orchid she wore in her hair looked like lavender dragonflies humping. She was dicing pickles into the macaroni salad. â€Å"What's wrong with this?† Clay held up the plate with the raw chicken. â€Å"You can't use the same plate. You'll get salmonella.† â€Å"Fine, fuck it,† Clay said, tossing the plate into the yard. The chicken parts bounced nicely, breading themselves with a light coating of sand, ants, and dried grass. â€Å"When did chicken become like plutonium anyway, for Christ's sake? You can't let it touch you or it's certain fucking death. And eggs and hamburgers kill you unless you cook them to the consistency of limestone! And if you turn on your fucking cell phone, the plane is going to plunge out of the sky in a ball of flames? And kids can't take a dump anymore but they have to have a helmet and pads on make them look like the Road Warrior. Right? Right? What the fuck happened to the world? When did everything get so goddamn deadly? Huh? I've been going to sea for thirty damned years, and nothing's killed me. I've swum with everything that can bite, sting, or eat you, and I've done every stupid thing at depth that any human can – and I'm still alive. Fuck, Clair, I was unconscious for an hour underwa ter less than a week ago, and it didn't kill me. Now you're going to tell me that I'm going to get whacked by a fucking chicken leg? Well, just fuck it then!† He didn't know where to go, so he came back in and slammed the screen door behind him, then opened it and slammed it again. â€Å"Goddamn it!† And he stood there, breathing hard. Not really looking at anything. Clair put down her knife and pickle, then wiped her hands. As she came toward Clay she pulled a large bobby pin from the back of her hair, and her long, thick locks cascaded down her back. She took Clay's right hand and kissed each of his fingertips, licked his thumb, then took his index finger in her mouth and made a show of removing it slowly and with maximum moisture. Clay looked at the floor, shaking. â€Å"Baby,† she said as she placed the bobby pin firmly between Clay's wet thumb and index finger, â€Å"I need you to go over to that wall and take this bobby pin and insert it ever so firmly into that electrical outlet over there.† Clay looked up at her at last. â€Å"Because,† she continued, â€Å"I know that you aren't mad at me and that you're just grieving for your friends, but I think you need to be reminded that you aren't invulnerable and that you can hurt even more than you do now. And I think it would be better if you did it yourself, because otherwise I'll have to brain you with your own iron skillet.† â€Å"That would be wrong,† Clay said. â€Å"It is a cruel world, baby.† Clay took her in his arms and buried his face in her hair and just stood there in the doorway for a long time. Amy had been missing for thirty-two hours. That morning a fisherman had found her kayak washing against some rocks on Molokai and had called the rental company in Maui. A life jacket was still strapped on the front of the boat, he said. The Coast Guard had stopped looking already. â€Å"Now, let me go,† Clair said. â€Å"I have to get that chicken out of the yard and rinse it off.† â€Å"I don't think we should eat that.† â€Å"Please. I'm going to cook it up for Kona. You're taking me out.† â€Å"I am?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"After I stick this in the outlet, right?† â€Å"You can grieve, Clay – that's as it should be – but you can't feel guilty for being alive.† â€Å"So, I don't have to stick this in the outlet?† â€Å"You used foul language at me, baby. I don't see any way around it.† â€Å"Oh, well, that's true. You go get Kona's chicken out of the yard. I'll do this.† On the second morning after Amy was lost at sea, Clay walked to the seaside, a rocky beach between some condos north of Lahaina – too short for morning runners, too shallow for a bathing crowd. He stood on an outcropping of rocks with the waves crashing around him and tried to let pure hatred run out of his heart. Clay Demodocus was a guy who liked things, and among the things he had liked the most was the sea, but this morning he held nothing but disdain for his old friend. The sapphire blue was indifferent, the waves elitist. She'd kill you without even learning your name. â€Å"You bitch,† Clay said, loud enough for the sea to hear. He spit into her face and walked back home. That old trickster Maui had been sitting on a rock nearby watching, and he laughed at Clay's hubris. Maui admired a man with more balls than brains, even a haole. He cast a small blessing at the photographer – just a trinket for the laugh, a trifling little mango of magic – and then he headed off to the great banyan tree to fog the film of Japanese tourists. Back in what was now only his office, Clay dug Amy's resume out of his files and made the call. He braced himself, trying to figure out how, exactly, he was going to tell these strangers that their daughter was missing and assumed to have drowned. He felt sad and alone, and his elbow hurt from the jolt of electricity he'd taken the night before. He didn't want to do this. He reached for the phone, then stopped and closed his eyes, as if he could make the whole thing go away, but on the back of his eyelids he saw the face of his mother as he had last seen her, looking up at him out of her barrel of brine, â€Å"Make the call, you pussy. If anyone knows how not to get bad news, it's you. Part of loyalty is following up, you sniveling coward. Don't be like your brothers.† Ah, sweet Mama, Clay thought. He dialed the phone – a number with a 716 area code, Tonawanda, New York. It rang three times, and the recorded operator came on, saying that the number he'd reached was not in service at this time. He checked it, then dialed the next number down, which also turned out not to be working. He called Tonawanda information for Amy's parents, and the operator told him there was no such listing. At a loss, he called Woods Hole Oceanographic Center, where Amy had gotten her master's. Clay knew one of her advisers, Marcus Loughten, an irascible Brit who had worked at Woods Hole for twenty years and was famous in the field for his work in underwater acoustics. Loughten answered on the third ring. â€Å"Loughten,† Loughten said.: â€Å"Marcus, this is Clay Demodocus. We worked together on –  » â€Å"Yes, Clay, I bloody know who you are. Calling from Hawaii, are you?† â€Å"Well, yes, I – ; â€Å"Probably, what, seventy-eight degrees with a breeze? It's seven below zero Fahrenheit here. I'm out installing bloody sound buoys in a monthlong blizzard to keep right whales from getting run over by supertankers.† â€Å"Right, the sound buoys. How are those working out?† â€Å"They're not.† â€Å"No? Why not?† â€Å"Well, right whales are stupid as shit, aren't they? It's not like a supertanker is quiet. If sound was going to deter them, then they'd be bloody well deterred by the engine noise, wouldn't they? They don't make the connection. Stupid shits.† â€Å"Oh, sorry to hear that. Uh, why keep doing it then?† â€Å"We have funding.† â€Å"Right. Look, Marcus, I need some information on one of your students who came out here to work with us. Amy Earhart? Would have been with you guys until fall of last year.† â€Å"No, I don't know that name.† â€Å"Sure you do, five-five, thin, pale, dark hair with kind of unnatural blue highlights, smart as a whip.† â€Å"Sorry, Clay. That doesn't fit any of my students.† Clay took a deep breath and trudged on. Biologists were notorious for treating their grad students as subhuman, but Clay was surprised that Loughten didn't remember Amy. She was cute, and if Clay could judge from a night of drinking he'd done with Loughten at a marine mammal conference in France, the Brit was more than a bit of a horndog. â€Å"Great ass, Marcus. You'd remember.† â€Å"I'm sure I would, but I don't.† Clay studied the resume. â€Å"What about Peter? Would he –  » â€Å"No, Clay, I know all of Peter's grad students as well. Did you call to confirm her references when you took her on?† â€Å"Well, no.† â€Å"Good work, then. Abscond with your Nikons, did she?† â€Å"No, she's missing at sea. I'm trying to contact her family.† â€Å"Sorry. Wish I could be of help. I'll check the records, just to be sure – in case I've had a ministroke that killed the part of the brain that remembers fine bottoms.† â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Good luck, Clay. My best to Quinn.† Clay cringed. It turned out he really wasn't up for bearing bad news. â€Å"Will do, Marcus. Good-bye.† Clay hung up and resumed staring at the phone. Well, he thought, I knew absolutely nothing about this woman that I thought I knew. Libby Quinn had already called (sobbing) to say that they should have some kind of joint service at the sanctuary for Nate and Amy, and that Clay should speak. What was he going to say about Amy? Dearly beloved, I think we all knew Amy as scientist, a colleague, a friend, a woman who showed up out of nowhere with a completely manufactured history, but I think, because she saved my life, that I came to know her better than anyone here, and I can tell you unequivocally, she was a smart aleck with a cute butt. Yeah, he'd need to work on that. Damn it, he missed them both. Clay decided to kill the day by editing video: time-eating busywork that supplied at least an imaginary escape from the real world. The afternoon found him going through the rebreather footage he'd taken on the day the whale had conked him, for the first time going past the point where he was unconscious, just to see if the camera picked up anything usable. Clay let the video run: minutes of blue water, the camera tossing around at the end of the wrist lanyard, then Amy's leg as she comes down to stop his descent. He cranked the audio. Hiss of ambient noise, then the bubbles from Amy's regulator, the slow hiss of his own breathing through the rebreather. As Amy starts to swim to the surface, the camera catches his fins hanging limply against a field of blue, then Amy's fins kicking in and out of the frame. Both their breathing is steady on the audio track. Clay looked at the time signature of the video. Fifteen minutes when the motion stops. Amy making her first decompression stop. On the audio he hears the chorus of distant singing humpbacks, a boat motor not too far off, and Amy's steady bubbles. Then the bubbles stop. The camera settles against his thigh and drifts, the lens up, catches light from the surface, then Amy's hand holding on to his buoyancy vest, reading the data off his dive computer. Her regulator is out of her mouth. On the audio there's only his breathing. The camera swings away. Ten minutes more pass. Clay listens for Amy's breathing to resume. The motion from her hooking into the rescue tank on the rebreather should move the camera, but there's just the same gentle drift. They move up. Clay guesses maybe to seventy-five feet. Amy is doing another decompression stop, doing it by the book, despite the emergency. Except he still can hear only one person breathing. She pulls him to more shallow depth. The frame lightens up, and the camera swings around, the wide angle showing Clay's unconscious form and Amy kicking, the regulator out of her mouth, looking at the surface. She hasn't used the bail-out tank on Clay's rebreather, and she hasn't taken a breath for, as far as Clay can tell, forty minutes. This can't be right. He listens, watching until the time signature shows sixty and the tape ends – the entire thing having been dubbed to the hard drive. He rewinds it on-screen, slowing down when the camera shows anything but blue, listening again. â€Å"No fucking way.† Clay backed away from the monitor, watching as the video ran out again and froze on the image of Amy holding him steady at twenty or so feet down, no regulator in her mouth. He ran out the door, calling, â€Å"Kona! Kona!† The surfer came shuffling out of his bungalow in a cloud of smoke. â€Å"Just tracking down navy spies, boss.† â€Å"Where did you guys put the rebreather? The day they took me to the hospital?† â€Å"She's in the storage shed.† Clay made a beeline for the bungalow they used to store dive and boat equipment. He waved Kona after him. â€Å"Come.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Did you guys refill the oxygen or the bail-out tanks?† â€Å"We just rinsed it and put it in the case.† Clay pulled the big Pelican case off a stack of scuba tanks and popped the latches. The rebreather was snug in the foam padding. Clay wrenched it out onto the wooden floor and turned on the computer that was an integral part of it. He hit buttons on the display console and watched the gray liquid-crystal display cycle through the numbers. The last dive: Downtime had been seventy-five minutes, forty-three seconds. The oxygen cylinder was nearly full. The bail-out air supply was full. Full. It hadn't been touched. Somehow Amy had stayed underwater for an hour without an air supply. Clay turned to the surfer. â€Å"Do you remember anything that Nate showed you about what he was working on? I need details – I know in general.† Clay wasn't sure what he was looking for, but this had to mean something, and all he had to fall back on was Nate's research. The surfer scratched the dreadless side of his head. â€Å"Something about the whales singing binary.† â€Å"Come show me.† Clay stormed through the door and back to the office. â€Å"What you looking for?† â€Å"I don't know. Clues. Mysteries. Meaning.† â€Å"You gone lolo, you know?† CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Deep Below, Bernard Stirs About the time that Nathan Quinn had started to master his nausea in the whale ship's constant motion (four days on board), another force started working on his body. He felt an uneasiness come over him in waves, and for twenty or so seconds he would feel as if he needed to crawl out of his skin. Then it would pass and leave him feeling a little numb for a few seconds, only to start up again. Poynter and Poe were moving around the small cabin looking at different gobs and bumps of bioluminescence as if they were gleaning some meaning from them, but, try as he might, Nate couldn't figure out what they were monitoring. It would have helped to be able to get out of the seat and take a closer look, but Poynter had ordered him strapped in after he made his first break for the back orifice. He'd nearly made it, too. Had dived at it just like he'd seen the whaley boys do, except that only one arm had gone through, and he ended up stuck to the floor of the whale, his face against the rubbery skin, his hand trailing out in the cold ocean. â€Å"Well, that was phenomenally stupid,† said Poynter. â€Å"I think I've dislocated my shoulder,† Nate said. â€Å"I should leave you there. Maybe a remora or two will latch on to your hand and teach you a lesson.† â€Å"Or a cookie-cutter shark,† said Poe. â€Å"Nasty bastards.† The whaley boys turned in their seats and snickered, bobbing their heads and blowing the occasional raspberry, which could inflict considerable moisture off a four-inch-wide tongue. Evidently Quinn was a cetacean laugh riot. He'd always suspected that, actually. Poynter got down on his hands and knees and looked Nate in the eye. â€Å"While you're down there, I'd like you to think on what might have happened if you'd been successful at launching yourself through that orifice. First, we're at – Skippy, what's the depth?† Skippy chirped and clicked a number of times. â€Å"A hundred and fifty feet. Beyond the fact that you'd probably have blown out your eardrums almost immediately, you might think on how you were going to get to the surface on one breath of air. And should you have gotten to the surface, what were you going to do then? We're five hundred miles from the nearest land.† â€Å"I hadn't worked out the whole plan,† Nate said. â€Å"So, actually, I might be looking at success, right? You just wanted to test the outside water temperature?† â€Å"Sure,† said Nate, thinking it might be best to stay agreeable. â€Å"Can you feel your hand?† â€Å"It's a little chilly, but, yes.† â€Å"Oh, good.† And so they'd left him there a couple of hours, his hand and about six inches of his arm hanging out in the open sea as the whale ship swam along, and when they finally pulled him up, they put him in his seat and kept him restrained except to eat and go to the bathroom. He'd tried to relax and observe – learn what he could – but then a few minutes ago these waves of uneasiness had started hitting him. â€Å"He's got the sonic willies,† said Poe. Poynter looked away from Skippy's console. â€Å"It's the subsonics, Doc. You're feeling the sound waves even though you can't hear them. We've been communicating with the blue for about ten minutes now.† â€Å"You might have said something.† â€Å"I just did.† â€Å"Couple of hours you'll be in the blue, Doc. You can stand up again, walk around a little. Have some privacy.† â€Å"So you're communicating with it in low-frequency sound?† â€Å"Yep. Just like you thought, Doc, there was meaning in the call.† â€Å"Yeah, but I didn't think this, that there were guys, and guylike things, riding about inside whales. How in the hell can this be happening? How can I not know about this?† â€Å"So you're giving up on the being-dead strategy?† asked Poe. â€Å"What is it? Space aliens?† Poynter unbuttoned his shirt and showed some chest hair. â€Å"Do I look like a space alien?† â€Å"Well, no, but them.† Nate nodded toward the whaley boys. They looked at each other and snickered, a sort of wheezing laughter coming from their blowholes, paused, looked back at Nate, then snickered some more. â€Å"Maybe on their planet sentient life evolved from whales rather than apes,† Quinn continued. â€Å"I can see how they might have landed here, deployed these whale ships, and kept under the radar of human detection while they looked around. I mean, man obviously isn't the most peaceful of creatures.† â€Å"That work for you, Doc?† asked Poynter. â€Å"On their planet they developed an organically based technology, rather than one based on combustion and manipulation of minerals like ours.† â€Å"Oh, that is good,† said Poe. â€Å"He's on a roll,† said Poynter. â€Å"Unraveling the mystery, he is.† Skippy and Scooter nodded to each other and grinned. â€Å"So that's it? This ship is extraterrestrial?† Quinn felt the small victory rush that one gets from proving a hypothesis – even one as bizarre as space aliens riding in whale ships. â€Å"Sure,† said Poe, â€Å"that works for me. You, Cap?† â€Å"Yeah, moon men, that's what you guys are,† Poynter said to the whaley boys. â€Å"Meep,† said Scooter. And in a high, squeaky, little-girl voice, Skippy croaked, â€Å"Phone home.† The whaley boys gave each other a high four and collapsed into fits of hysterical wheezing. â€Å"What did he say?† Nate nearly snapped his neck trying to turn around against the restraints. â€Å"They can talk?† â€Å"Well, I guess, if you call that talking,† Poe said. He exchanged high fives with Poynter at the expense of the whaley boys, who paused in their own laughter to roll the whale ship in three quick spirals, which tossed the unsecured Poe and Poynter around the soft cabin like a couple of rag dolls. Poynter came up with a bloody lip from connecting with his own knee. Poe had barked his shin on one of the whaley boys' heads as he went over. Strapped in, Nate concentrated on not watching a rerun of his lunch of raw tuna and water. â€Å"Bastards!† said Poe. â€Å"That what you expected in your race of super-intelligent, space-faring extraterrestrials, Nate?† Poynter wiped blood from his lower lip and flung it at Scooter. Carl Linnaeus, an eighteenth-century Swedish doctor who specialized in the treatment of syphilis, is credited with inventing the modern system that is used for classifying plants and animals. Linnaeus is responsible for naming the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, or â€Å"big wings of New England,† and later naming the blue whale Balaenoptera musculus, or â€Å"little mouse†: at 110 feet long, over a hundred tons, an animal whose tongue alone is larger than a full-grown African elephant – the largest animal to ever live on the planet. â€Å"Little mouse†? Some speculated that this ironic misnomer was perpetrated entirely to confuse Linnaeus's lab assistants, as in Run out and bring me back a â€Å"little mouse,† Sven. Others think that the pox had gone to Carl's head. Quinn was crouched over the back orifice, Skippy and Scooter holding him by either arm, Poynter and Poe crouched before him, saluting. He could feel the texture of the opening under his bare feet, like wet tire tread. â€Å"It's been a pleasure, Doc,† Poynter said. â€Å"Have a great trip.† â€Å"We'll see you back at base,† said Poe. â€Å"Now, just relax. You're barely going to contact water. Hold your nose and blow.† Quinn did. Poynter counted, â€Å"One, two –  » â€Å"Meep.† Nate was sucked out the orifice, felt a brief chill and some pressure pushing back against his ears, and found himself in a chamber only a little taller than that in the humpback, with a fairly amused woman. â€Å"You can stop blowing now,† she said. â€Å"Yet another phrase I didn't think I'd be hearing in this lifetime,† Nate said. He let go of his nostrils and took a deep breath. The air seemed fresher than in the humpback. â€Å"Welcome to my blue, Dr. Quinn, I'm Cielle Nu;ez. How do you feel?† â€Å"Pooped.† Quinn grinned. She was about his age, Hispanic with short dark hair peppered gray and wide brown eyes that caught the bioluminescence off the walls and reflected what looked like laughter. She was barefoot and wearing generic khakis like Poynter and Poe. He shook her hand. â€Å"Cute,† she said. â€Å"Come forward with me, Doctor. I'm sure it's been a while since you were able to stand up straight.† She led him down the corridor, which reminded Nate of when, as kids, he and his buddies had explored storm drains in Vancouver. It was tall enough to walk in, but not tall enough to stand in comfortably. â€Å"Actually, Cielle, I'm not a doctor. I have a Ph.D., but the doctor thing –  » â€Å"I understand. I'm captain of this rig, but if you call me ‘Captain, I'll ignore you.† â€Å"I wanted to hear the humpback sing before I left. You know, from the inside.† â€Å"You will. There'll be time.† The corridor started to widen as they moved forward, and Nate was actually able to walk normally, or as normally as one can walk when barefoot on whaleskin. This skin had a mottled appearance, whereas on the humpback it had been nearly solid gray. He noticed that on this ship there were wide veins of bioluminescence on the floor, casting a yellow light up upward that gave everything a sinister green glow. Nuà ±ez paused by what appeared to be portals on either side of them. â€Å"This is as good a place as any,† she said. â€Å"Now, turn sideways and take my hand.† Quinn did as he was asked. Her hand felt warm but dry. She was a small woman, but powerfully built, he could feel the strength in her grip. â€Å"Now, we're just going to walk as the ship moves. Don't stop until I say, or you'll fall on your ass.† â€Å"WHAT?† â€Å"Okay, Scooter, roll it.† â€Å"Scooter?† â€Å"All pilots are called Scooter or Skippy. They didn't tell you?† â€Å"They weren't very forthcoming with information.† â€Å"Humpback crews are a bunch of yahoos.† Nuà ±ez smiled. â€Å"You know the type, like navy fighter pilots topside? All ego and testosterone.† â€Å"I got more cretin than yahoo,† Nate said. â€Å"Well, with that particular bunch, yes.† The whole corridor started to move. â€Å"Here we go, step, step, step, that's good.† They were walking across the walls as the ship rolled. When they were standing on the ceiling, the roll stopped. â€Å"Nice, Scooter,† Nuà ±ez said, obviously communicating through some sort of hidden intercom. Then, to Nate, â€Å"He's so good.† â€Å"We were upside down to make the transfer?† â€Å"Exactly. You're a smart guy. Look, these are cabins. She touched a lighted node on the wall, and a skin portal folded back on itself. Again Nate was put in mind of the blowhole of a toothed whale, but it was so big, nearly four feet across, it was just†¦ unnatural. Lines of light pumped to life past the portal to reveal a small cabin, a bed – apparently made of the same skin as the rest of the interior – but also a table and a chair. Nate couldn't make out what material they might be made of, but it looked like plastic. â€Å"Bone,† Nu;ez said, noticing him noticing. â€Å"They're as much a part of the ship as the walls. All living tissue. There are shelves and cubbyholes for your stuff in the bulkheads, closed now. Obviously everything has to be stowed for little maneuvers like the one we just performed. The motion isn't as bad as on the humpbacks. You'll find you'll get used to it, and then you can move about just as if you were on land.† â€Å"You're right. I didn't even notice we were moving.† â€Å"That would be because we're not,† said Nu;ez. The sound of whaley-boy snickering wheezed down the corridor toward them. â€Å"You guys are supposed to be working,† Nu;ez said to the air. â€Å"Prepare to get under way.† She turned to Quinn. â€Å"Can I buy you a cup of joe? Maybe answer some of your questions?† â€Å"You're offering?† Quinn felt his heart jump with excitement. Information, without Poynter and Poe's goofing obfuscation? He was thrilled. â€Å"That would be fantastic.† â€Å"Don't pee all over yourself, Quinn. It's just coffee.† The corridor opened up into a large bridge. The head of the blue was huge compared to the humpback's. On either side of the entry a whaley boy stood grinning at them as they passed. They were both taller than Quinn, and unlike the Scooter and Skippy of the humpback, their skin was mottled and lighter in color. Nate paused and grinned back at them. â€Å"Let me guess – Skippy and Scooter?† â€Å"Actually, Bernard and Emily 7,† said Nu;ez. â€Å"You said they all were –  » â€Å"I said all pilots were named Skippy and Scooter.† She gestured to the front of the bridge, where two whaley boys sitting at control consoles were turning in their seats and grinning. Maybe, thought Nate, they always appeared to be grinning, much like dolphins. He'd made an amateur mistake, assuming that their facial expressions were the analog of human expressions. People often did that with dolphins, even though the animals had no facial muscles to facilitate expression. Even sad dolphins appeared to be smiling. â€Å"What are you two grinning at?† asked Nuà ±ez. â€Å"Let's get on the way.† The pilots frowned and turned back to their consoles. â€Å"Well, crap,† Nate said. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Nothing, just another theory shot in the ass.† â€Å"Yeah, this operation does that, doesn't it?† Nate felt something stirring in his back pocket and spun around to see a thin, fourteen-inch-long pink penis that was protruding from Bernard's genital slit. It waved at him. â€Å"Holy moly!† â€Å"Bernard!† Nuà ±ez snapped. â€Å"Put that away. That is not procedure.† Bernard's unit drooped noticeably from the scolding. He looked at it and chirped contritely. â€Å"Away!† Nuà ±ez barked. Bernard's willy snapped back up into his genital slit. â€Å"Sorry about that,† Nuà ±ez said to Nate. â€Å"I've never gotten used to that. It's really disconcerting when you're working with one of them and you ask them to hand you a screwdriver or something and his hands are already full. Coffee?† She led him to a small white table around which four bone chairs protruded from the floor. They looked like old-style Greek saddle chairs – no backs, organic curves, and the high gloss of living bone – but more Gaudi than Flintstone. Quinn sat while Nuà ±ez touched a node on the wall that opened a meter-wide portal that had concealed a sink, several canisters, and what looked like a percolator. Nate wondered about the electricity but forced himself to wait before asking. While Nuà ±ez prepared the coffee, Quinn looked around. The bridge was easily four times the size of the entire cabin in the humpback. Instead of riding in a minivan, it was like being in a good-size motor home – a very curvy, dimly lit motor home, but about that size. Blue light filtered in through the eyes, illuminating the pilots' faces, which shone like patent leather. Nate was starting to realize that even though everything was organic, living, the whale ship had the same sort of efficiency found on any nautical vessel: every spaced used, everything stowed against movement, everything functional. â€Å"If you need to use the head, it's back down the corridor, fourth hatch on the right.† Emily 7 clicked and squealed, and Nu;ez laughed. She had a warm laugh, not forced; it just rolled out of her smooth and easy. â€Å"Emily says it seems as if it would be more logical for the head to be in the head, but there goes logic.† â€Å"I gave up logic a few days ago.† â€Å"You don't have to give it up, just adjust. Anyway, facilities in the head are like everything on the ship – living – but I think you'll figure out the analogs pretty quickly. It's less complicated than an airliner bathroom.† Scooter chirped, and the great ship started to move, first in a fairly radical wave of motion, then smoothing out to a gentle roll. It was like being on a large sailing ship in medium seas. â€Å"Hey, a little more warning, Scooter, huh?† said Nu;ez. â€Å"I nearly dumped Nathan's coffee. Okay if I call you Nathan?† â€Å"Nate's good.† Moving with the roll of the ship, she made it back to the table and put down the two steaming mugs of coffee, then went back for a sugar bowl, spoons, and a can of condensed milk. Nate picked up the can and studied it. â€Å"This is the first thing from the outside that I've seen.† â€Å"Yeah, well, that's special request. You don't want to try whale milk in your coffee. It's like krill-flavored spray cheese.† â€Å"Yuck.† â€Å"That's what I'm saying.† â€Å"Cielle, if you don't mind my saying, you don't seem very military.† â€Å"Me? No, I wasn't. My husband and I had a sixty-foot sailboat. We got caught in a hurricane off of Costa Rica and sank. That's when they took me. My husband didn't make it.† â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"It's okay. It was a long time ago. But, no, I've never been in the military.† â€Å"But the way you order the whaley boys around –  » â€Å"First, we need to clear up a misconception that you are obviously forming, Nate. I – we, the human beings on these ships – are not in charge. We're just – I don't know, like ambassadors or something. We sound like commanders because these guys would just goof off all day without someone telling them what to do, but we have no real authority. The Colonel gives the orders, and the whaley boys run the show.† Scooter and Skippy snickered like their counterparts on the humpback ship, Bernard and Emily 7 joined them – Bernard extending his prehensile willy like a party horn. â€Å"And whaley girls?† Nate nodded toward Emily 7, who grinned – it was a very big, very toothy grin, but a little coquettish in the way one might expect from, say, an ingenue with a bite that could sever an arm. â€Å"Just whaley boys. It's like the term ‘mankind, you know – alienate the female part of the race at all costs. It's the same here. Old-timers gave them the name.† â€Å"Who's the Colonel?† â€Å"He's in charge. We don't see him.† â€Å"Human, though?† â€Å"I'm told.† â€Å"You said you'd been here a long time. How long?† â€Å"Let me get you another cup, and I'll tell you what I can.† She turned. â€Å"Bernard, get that thing out of the coffeepot!†