Do You Beleive in Magic? – Harry Potter Fanfiction

Do you believe in Magic? by  Harry Potter – Stories from Tumblr  on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 7:09am â€Å"This is outrageous! Outrageous I say! First  we have to deal with post on Sundays, and  now  we have to leave the house on a freezing cold day to take the boys on a bloody train journey?! Are these freaks so ignorant that they are completely unaware of the fact that the golf is on the TV?! † grumbled Vernon Dursley as he trailed after his family towards King’s Cross Station. Dudley kept up his brisk walking pace, not stopping while he looked over his shoulder at his father – he was determined to get his family out of the cold September rain and the biting chill that the wind carried as it blew through the car park. Regina stayed close by her husband’s side, wrapping her Burberry trench coat tighter around herself to stop more goose bumps from forming on her arms. â€Å"Considering that they don’t  have  TV’s, I’m guessing not Dad. And watch what you say, my sons are not ‘freaks’ as you so affectionately stated† Dudley countered with a roll of his eyes as he lead his family through the doors of the Station. Regina was confused when she saw Dudley smirk and she too looked over her shoulder and had to actually bite her bottom lip to suppress her smile. Petunia was glaring and tutting at her husbands behavior. Vernon, who was now well into his mid-sixties was standing in the doorway to the train station looking positively gob-smacked. His hair, which had once been thick and black, was now very thin due to the fact that he was going bald, as well as being a silvery shade of grey – as was his bristly moustache. Much to Petunia’s dismay, Vernon had not lost any weight whatsoever over the years – despite the amount of diets he went on and exercise equipment they had bought. In fact he had done the complete opposite and gained weight, making him even more obese than he had been 19 years ago. As a result, he was now blocking one of the main entrances into the station. Not that he took much notice of this mind you, he was too busy acting like a surprised fish – his beady little blue eyes protruding out of their sockets as he opened and closed his mouth continuously. For the first time that day, Vernon had stopped his complaining – he was speechless. This shouldn’t have surprised Dudley though; his father had been speechless for the past two weeks. Ever since the owls had arrived with corresponding letters informing Regina and Dudley that their twin boys, David and Richard would be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. *** â€Å"And so to conclude my speech, I would just like to say†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Dudley had to stifle as yawn as he listened to his pompous Father’s incessant rambling. He insisted upon doing this every single year – making a ‘short speech’ about his Grandchildren’s many accomplishments. Short speech my arse’ Dudley mentally scoffed as he leaned back in his dining chair and put his arms behind his head. Vernon’s speeches were always like War and Peace – he simply didn’t shut up. Dudley wouldn’t have minded if his Father prattled on at him any other time, but this was a special day and judging from his families facial expressions they were as bored as Dudley was. Regina, always considerate and polite, was the only person at the long rectangular dining table giving Vernon her full attention. That is, she was the only person who was not practically falling asleep. From the looks of it though she was not far off it. Her golden blonde hair shone in the sunlight that streamed through the conservatory roof and French windows. A soft breeze swirled through the leaves of the tall Oak trees and the Rose bushes that filled the garden. It drifted into the conservatory through the open double-doors and as the warm breeze caressed her face, it lulled her into a calm state and her eyes began to droop shut – meaning that Dudley no longer had the privilege of admiring her beautiful Emerald-green eyes. â€Å"-So now I’d like you all to join me in a toast! To David and Richard, Happy Birthday boys! Vernon announced, startling Regina out of her comatose state and bringing Dudley back to the present. â€Å"Five quid please† Dudley heard his son whisper to his brother on his right. He looked over just in time to see David’s lips pucker and his eyebrows furrow together in a frown as he dug his hand into his pocket and handed a five-po und note over to his brother. Just another two minutes and Richard would have been the one paying  him  five pounds. As David examined his new watch he nodded with an appreciate smile – this was quite impressive, Vernon’s speech had only gone on for about 28 minutes. Usually they lasted over half an hour! Dudley smiled at boys antics and got out of his seat to give his boys a hug. â€Å"Happy Birthday sons† he whispered into his boy’s messy hair as he wrapped his arms around both of their shoulders. â€Å"I hope it’s been a wonderful day† he told them both. â€Å"Well it’s not over yet! We still have presents! † exclaimed Regina as she walked back into the conservatory, her arms struggling to hold the amount of presents they carried. â€Å"Oh Mum, Dad, you really didn’t have to! † cried Richard, his eyes widening at the amount of wrapped presents his mother laid on the table in front of him and his brother. Ye, you really shouldn’t have. Really. This is too mu-â€Å" â€Å"Rubbish, it’s a special day! It’s not every day your young men turn 11 now is it? † Dudley told them whilst patting them both on the shoulder reassuringly, smiling with pride. He loved it when his boys got nervous about receiving presents and thanked God every day that they took after their mother, and were nothing like the spoiled, selfish, demanding, ungrateful child that he had been growing up. The boys exchanged a look, a smile tugging at the corner of their lips and shrugged. Well if you insist† they replied in unison and began tearing the wrapping paper and pretty red bows off of the boxes in front of them. Of course, just because they were not as selfish as Dudley did not mean they didn’t  enjoy  getting presents. They were just humble and genuinely appreciative about it all – reminding Dudley of someone he had not seen for a very long time†¦somebody he was only on Christmas card terms with†¦ No, Dudley would not think about that right now, for fear that the guilt welling up inside of him would cause angry tears to spill down his cheeks. He had to focus, he had to keep an eye open for the sign he had been waiting for since his boys were little – the sign that confirmed his suspicions. As if on cue, a loud hoot sounded off in the distance drawing everyone’s attention to the open Conservatory doors. Regina could not quite understand why Petunia gasped and put a hand over her heart in surprise, or why Vernon began choking on his birthday cake and dropped his brandy glass, and she definitely didn’t understand why her husbands face lit up and his lips curved into a huge smile as he ran to open the doors wider. â€Å"It can’t be, it simply can’t be! Vernon protested in between violent splutters and coughs, his round pig-like face turning every colour of the rainbow as he tried to clear his throat. Just as Dudley reached the doors to open them wider, two owls soared through them – landing gracefully on the dining table in front of Richard and David, an envelope with a strange emble m clasped in each of their beaks. Dudley couldn’t help but smile at the nostalgia of the moment – this was all so familiar. Contrary to what people may believe, Dudley was not surprised at all to have two owls delivering Hogwarts acceptance letters to his children. In fact, he would have been surprised if it hadn’t happened at all! Having grown up with a magical cousin, Dudley knew the signs to look for in children who were beginning to develop magical abilities. Dudley started to suspect something was going on when his boys turned four. He was watching them chase each other around the garden with sticks, pretending to be knights when David pushed his brother over. After he stood back up, Richard proceeded to chase his twin around the garden with green and yellow sparks erupting from the end of his ‘sword’ as the anger coursing through the brains caused his magic to go slightly haywire. The next incident occurred later that year on Christmas Eve. That was the year that Dudley’s Aunt Marge insisted on spending Christmas with them. Unfortunately for the Dursleys, she was also most persistent that she brought her two dogs along: ‘Ripper II’ and ‘Rex’. Regina and her husband could not say they were upset when the two dogs mysteriously went missing on Christmas Eve and reappeared the next day – multicolored and acting as though they had been Confunded, if there was such a thing. Marge didn’t stick around for very long after that. Regina was confused as to how it had happened, especially when her sons couldn’t properly explain it. But Dudley knew better, after all he’d experienced his fair share of unexplainable incidences due to his cousin growing up. Up until now, the years had been filled with incidences like that, giving Dudley more reasons to believe that when the boys turned eleven they would be receiving some kind of acceptance to a school for magic, But now that it was actually happening, Dudley positively speechless. â€Å"Well what are you waiting for boys? Open them! † Petunia prompted from the head of the table next to a dumbfounded Vernon. *** As Dudley remembered that day, he was still shocked at his Mother’s reaction to the letters. It didn’t make sense that she would be so calm about this considering the way she treated Harry whilst he had been growing up. She had been unusually calm about the whole thing, even scolding Vernon for his childish rants about how ridiculous this whole situation was. Dudley was not the only one in the Dursley family who regretted the way they had treated Harry over 20 years ago. Petunia regretted it every second of the day. After the way things had ended up between her and Lily, she knew that she should have known better than to treat Harry that way and was determined not to make the same mistakes with her Grandchildren. Vernon close your mouth please, you are not a codfish† she chastised whilst shaking her head as her husband continued to stand in the entrance, openly gaping at his son. â€Å"H-how can you be taking this so calmly?! Our Grandchildren are freaks Petunia! Fr-â€Å" â€Å"Now stop right there Vernon Dursley. For years I stood by and let you treat our n ephew as though he were dirt beneath our feet. And even though I took part in it, it is probably one of my biggest regrets. You cannot despise people for something that they have absolutely  no  control over. Now weare  going to be supportive. We  are  going to be happy and we  are  going to see our Grandchildren off! Got it? † If Vernon was flabbergasted before, then he was downright astounded now. Never had he seen Petunia act like this towards anything even remotely related to ‘magic’ – it was ridiculous to even think of the word. Magic didn’t exist! But as he took in his wife’s death glares and the way she was pointing her bony well-manicured finger at him, he dared not even to utter those words. â€Å"Dad? † Dudley’s attention was taken away from his Mother’s startling revelation as he felt a soft tugging on his jacket sleeve. What is it Ricky? † he asked his son as he bent down in front of him. His son’s blue eyes were sparkling with concern and his chubby cheeks were puffed out as he pouted. â€Å"I think we’re lost† he admitted as he examined the little piece of paper in his hands. â€Å"Well let’s see here-†Å" Dudley replied, taking the ticket from his son and examining it, â€Å"-It says Platform 9 ? †¦Perhaps if we ask someone? † he asked aloud to no one in particular. â€Å"I already did† came Dave’s voice from beside his mother. I just asked that conducter over there, he asked me ‘if I was taking the piss’† he quoted with an edge of annoyance evident in his voice. Dudley loved that about his boys, rather than wait around for someone to do things for them, they just did it themselves! It made Dudley proud to know that his boys were nothing like he was at their age. â€Å"Language†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Regina cautioned her son as she ruffled his dark hair. He may be leaving home for the first time, but he was still her little boy. â€Å"Sorry Mum† he mumbled in response. â€Å"I’m just annoyed, why can’t anybody help us? † he asked looking around the crowded platform. He had one hand on his trolley which had all of his belongings – including his new snowy white owl, Archimedes, balanced precariously on top – and his other hand grasping his train ticket firmly to save it from blowing away in the cold gusts of wind. â€Å"I can help† Petunia offered with a sigh. Dudley couldn’t help but blink at his mother, was this actually happening? â€Å"I remember the gateway that my sister walked through every year, I can lead the way† she announced in response to her families questions looks. She walked away from her husband and began weaving her way through the bustling crowd. Everyone stared after her before Dudley shrugged his shoulders and beckoned for his family to follow him. He didn’t know what to do, and his wife certainly didn’t – so what else were they supposed to do? They followed Petunia, taking care not to hit anybody with the twin’s overloaded trolleys as they navigated their way through the station. After a few minutes of walking and making sure Vernon hadn’t fainted from his wifes actions, they stopped at a red-brick wall that separated platform 9 and 10. They each huddled around it, exchanging uncertain looks. What happened now? What now Gran? † Dave asked excitedly, his eyes wide and fixed on the wall in front of him. This was about to be his first real experience with magic! â€Å"I-I don’t know to be honest! I never went through the barrier†¦only my parents and L-â€Å" she hadn’t said her sister’s name in years, and she struggled to get the name past the emotional lump in her throat â€Å"-Lily did†. Dudley was both impressed and astonished. His mother never spoke about his late aunt or uncle, or anything related to the world of magic that Petunia had intentionally blocked out for the most part of her life. Right then! Well that’s enough of  that  nonsense! Come along Petunia, we’re leavi-â€Å" â€Å"Big-D? Is that you?! † came a rather familiar voice from behind them. As Vernon turned around, his eyes widened to the size of cup saucers and popped out of his head. Walking towards them was another family. One lead by somebody that Vernon had purposefully hated ever since he could remember first laying eyes on him. A person who Vernon had neither seen nor spoke to for almost 20 years. Harry Potter. Of course this was not the same Harry Potter that Vernon remembered. The man walking towards them was much happier than he had been in his youth – as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His dark hair was combed to the side, although a few messy strands fell into his Emerald-green eyes. He had also filled out over the years, sporting a pair of strong arms and a little bit of stubble on his well-defined jaw. He wore a simple pair of jeans, a dark collared shirt and a black leather jacket over the top to protect him from the cold. Although he was dressed casually and his hair was blowing around in the blustery wind, Vernon had never seen his nephew look happier – or better for that matter. Petunia couldn’t believe her eyes, not just when it came to Harry but the stunning red-head by his side or the children trailing after them. As Petunia surveyed the lady who was scrutinizing Petunia in return, she couldn’t help but find this somewhat ironic. Here was Harry, a grown man, practically a clone of his Father (except the eyes, he had Lily’s eyes) with a beautiful fiery red-head at his side. ‘Must be a thing with Potter men’ Petunia reasoned as she saw Harry step closer to Dudley. â€Å"You are Dudley Dursley aren’t you? † Harry asked curiously. He and the rest of the Potters had been approaching the barrier to Platform 9 ? when he heard Vernon’s irreplaceable grumbling voice, and he figured that the man standing between him and his aunt must have been Dudley. Unlike his father, Dudley had lost weight over the years. He was still a good head taller than Harry was, but he was in shape! No trace of the chubby whale-like boy that Harry remembered from his childhood remained in the man standing before him. His features were also a lot kinder, much to Harry’s surprise. ‘Are those†¦wrinkles around his eyes? From smiling? From  laughing?! Surely not, not on Dudley Dursley’ Harry rationalized in his head. â€Å"It’s me Harry† Dudley responded in a dazed sort of voice as he stared open-mouthed at his cousin. Dudley had absolutely no idea what to do when you met someone you hadn’t seen in what felt like a lifetime. So he did the first thing that came to mind – he extended his right hand in a handshake gesture. Harrys eyes moved between Dudley’s face and his hand. His face, his hand. His face, his hand, and over and over again. He had no idea what to do either in a situation like this, but he knew that a handshake wasn’t the right thing. So he did the first thing that came to mind – he extended his arms and wrapped them around Dudley’s shoulder and pulled him into a manly embrace, patting him on the back as he did so. To say Dudley was taken aback was putting it mildly. The two men hadn’t even breathed a word to eachother in years and yet they were acting like they were family! ‘What are you thinking you numpty, ofcourse you’re family! He’s your cousin for God’s sake! ’ the voice inside his head reprimanded him. ‘My cousin†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Dudley thought to himself, and then the walls in Dudley’s mind came down and the memories came flooding back to him. All of the times he had bullied Harry. All of the times he had pushed him around. All of the lost opportunities he had to tell him that he actually didn’t hate him, that he was grateful to him for saving his life all of those years ago. An emotional boulder began to form in his throat and he had to blink to hold back the guilty tears. He regained movement of his arms and embraced his cousin back, trying to communicate without words how sorry he was. How much of a Prat he felt. Neither of them knew how long they had stood their like that, but Harry immediately felt better when he pulled away from his cousin and smiled up at him. Ye, Dudley had been a Prat when they had been growing up together. But judging from how he had just responded to Harry’s hug, he felt pretty bad about it. Dudley’s eyes began to well up with tears that he dare not let fall, he was ashamed to admit that this was the first time he had ever shown public affection for his cousin. Somebody cleared their throat to Dudley’s left and he turned to see Regina standing there with a shy, awkward smile on her face. Regina didn’t need to be told who this person was that had just hugged her husband – she could tell from the way that he and his parents were acting that this was Harry Potter. Also, she remembered Dudley mentioning once how much little David resembled his estranged cousin and now that she saw him – she realized it was true. She stepped forward and like her husband had done only minutes before, extended her small, pale hand to greet him in a handshake. â€Å"I’m Regina Dursley, I can’t tell you how very happy I am to finally be meeting you Harry† she said with as much sincerity as she could muster in this emotional moment. Harry took in the woman by Dudley’s side. ‘Bloody hell, I guess she is the cause of his happiness†¦who’d have thought Dudley would settle down with someone who was genuinely nice?! Harry thought to himself. As Harry grasped her hand in his own, he realized that this woman might have just been Dudley’s saving grace. Truthfully she was very beautiful, on the inside as well as the out. Her blonde hair hung in ringlets over her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face and stunning gr een eyes. Her lips were a soft shade of pink to compliment the baby-pink scarf she had wrapped around her neck to stop her rosy cheeks from flushing anymore with the chilly air. As dazzling as she was, she was also incredibly natural looking, especially her warm and friendly smile. It’s a pleasure to meet you too. I’m Harry, Harry Potter. And this is my wife-â€Å" he motioned for the pretty red head to step forward and she did so happily, taking Regina’s hand in her own and shaking enthusiastically. â€Å"-And his better half† she teased her husband with a coy smile and turned her head back to Regina. â€Å"I’m Ginny, it’s nice to finally meet the lovely lady who’s been sending us Christmas cards all these years† she remarked playfully. â€Å"Actually, it was Dudley who sent you the cards every year Ginny – I just took them to the post-office† Regina replied with a smile as she looked up at her husband. She said it as a joke, but there was no denying the truth that filled her words. Dudley looked down at his feet and shuffled from side to side awkwardly. ‘Trust the wives to bring up the Christmas cards and make things awkward’ he mentally mumbled to himself. â€Å"Really Dudley? You were the one th-â€Å" â€Å"Dad who’s that? † Harry was interrupted by a curious voice and he looked around to find it’s source. He couldn’t contain his startled gasp when he saw a small boy peaking his head around his Mothers body to get a look at Harry. The boy looked exactly like Dudley when he had been young: chubby cheeks, blue eyes and a head of short, blonde wavy hair. Sweetheart it’s not polite to interrupt† Regina lectured in a motherly voice, running her fingers through her son’s hair while she said it. Harry could tell that Regina was strict, but very gentle and incredibly caring. He had to admit he liked that about her. â€Å"â €™Dad’ eh? † Harry remarked as he smirked at his cousin. â€Å"It’s alright Regina, really –â€Å" Harry insisted as he knelt down so that he was at eye-level with the boy. â€Å"Hello, I’m your Uncle Harry – what’s your name? † he asked with a smile. He couldn’t believe that he was actually meeting his nephew – could he call him that? I’m Richard Dursley† the little boy proudly announced and smiled up at his Dad. â€Å"Well it’s very nice to meet you Richard, this is your Auntie Ginny† Harry introduced his wife who was also smiling down at the little boy. â€Å"Guys! Come on over, don’t be shy! † Harry called over his shoulder to his own children who were huddled around the trolleys a few feet away. A tall boy with a self-assured smirk and mischievous sparkling eyes was the first to step forward. His shaggy brown hair swayed in the breeze and he flicked it out of his eyes – not dissimilar as to how girls in shampoo commercials do – and stood inbetween his Mum and Dad. Brilliant – I could use a new cousin to torture, the other ones were getting boring† James said before his mother swatted him over the head. â€Å"Ouch, I’m just joking! Nice to meet you mate, I’m James† he said with a chuckle as he took in his little cousins shy face. James smirked when he held out his hand for the little guy to shake, but he looked hesitant to do so. â€Å"Come on, I don’t bite† he joked and smiled when Richard reached out his hand slowly and took James’s hand in his. â€Å"See? That wasn’t so hard now was it? † he asked in a light-hearted voice. Richard shook his head, smiling too. He had always wanted a big cousin. â€Å"You should write a book James, ‘How to Freak People Out in Ten Syllables or Less’† somebody scoffed from behind James who was pushed out of the way as a miniature version of Harry smirked at his older brother. â€Å"Ignore this numpty, I always do. I’m Albus, Albus Severus Potter† the boy introduced himself. James couldn’t help but roll his eyes – why did his brother  always  have to say his entire name when ever he met someone? â€Å"I’m Ricky† Richard replied, excited to be meeting someone who looked the same age as him. â€Å"And this little rascal is L- Harry where’s Lily? Ginny asked, sounding worried as her eyes darted around the platform looking for her daughter. â€Å"I don’t know love, where did you last see her? † Harry responded, copying his wife and looking around frantically for his little Princess. â€Å"She was over by the tro- Lily Luna Pot ter! What have I told you about petting animals that  don’tbelong to you? † Ginny demanded as she cocked an eyebrow at her daughter and crossed her arms. â€Å"But Mummy isn’t he lovely? † Lily chirped back at her mother as she reached up on tiptoe to put her fingers through the bars of the Snowy owl’s cage. Yes darling he is, but he’s not yours – wait, who’s is he? † Ginny asked looking to Regina and Dudley for an explanation. Harry followed his wife’s line of vision and his breath caught in his throat when he saw the owl. It reminded him so much of Hedwig! â€Å"He’s mines. His name is Archimedes. I’m David† a timid voice registered in Harry’s ears and his jaw practically hit off of the floor as another boy stepped around his Father and stood infront of Harry. Harry couldn’t believe it – he simply couldn’t. Where the other boy looked like a smaller version of Dudl ey, this one looked so much like Harry had done when he was young. Dark brown hair, with even darker shades spread throughout his messy hair which fell into his eyes – much the same as James’s did. Oh Merlin, those eyes! They were Harry’s eyes! Lily’s eyes! Petunia’s sisters eyes! As odd as this was, Harry couldn’t help but find it sweet at the same time. Dudley’s boys were loving, caring, kind miniature versions of themselves when they had been this age. Albus couldn’t quite believe it either. Besides his Father, he had never met anyone else with his Grandma Lily’s eyes before. â€Å"Wow, we’re identical! † the two boys said in unison as they looked at eachother for the first time. Ginny couldn’t suppress her watery smile as she was reminded of a young version of Fred and George, and Dudley and Harry exchanged knowing smiles as they watched their sons interact with eachother – their conversation growing more animated as Ricky joined their conversation too. It was as if the Universe was giving Dudley and Harry a second chance through their sons. That’s when something else clicked in Harry’s brain and his head snapped around to take in the sight of the trolleys, loaded with two trunks with the Hogwarts symbol on them. Could it be? â€Å"Are y- are you two- what I mean to ask is, are you two w-w-wi-â€Å" Yes† Dudley answered for him. He could just imagine how big a shock this must be to Harry. Just the thought alone of two wizards being spawned by the son of Vernon Dursley was enough to make you want to faint and then burst out laughing. â€Å"Well I’ll be†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry replied in a far away voice. He certainly di dn’t see this one coming. â€Å"It’s been a while Harry† Petunia acknowledged from her spot over by the barrier. Harry didn’t quite know how to react. He’d just met his two nephews, reunited with his cousin, met his cousins wife and now he was running into Petunia too? His head just might explode. â€Å"It has Aunt Petunia, you’re looking well though† he replied somewhat reserved. He was wary around Petunia given the way she had always felt about magic. â€Å"Thankyou dear, you are too† she knew it wasn’t much, but hopefully she was on the right track to some sort of reconciliation with her nephew. ‘She’s calling me ‘dear’? Blimey, someone must have spiked her morning tea with happy juice. Hmmm maybe she has changed’ Harry thought to himself as the corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile. Petunia smiled back and was about to keep up the conversation, when she was rudely cut off. â€Å"Well where is this flipping train then? I want to see it! I thought the boys were supposed to be getting on it!? † Vernon exclaimed in a rather huffy voice as he stamped his foot on the ground and crossed his arms like a moody child. â€Å"Hello to you too Uncle Vernon. And well that depends, you can come onto Platform 9 ? if you want to. But do you believe in magic? † Harry asked, knowing fine well what the answer would be, but it couldn’t hurt to try could it? â€Å"There’s no such  thing  as magic boy! Vernon retorted, his face turning purple with frustration. â€Å"I’ll take that as a no then. Ginny? Would you mind escorting the kids through the barrier with Regina and my aunt please? I’ll take Dudley through† â€Å"Come on then Ricky! I can’t wait to tell you all about Quidditch! † James called to his little cousin who’s face was the very definition of confusion as he closed his eyes and followed James through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. â€Å"What’s Quidditch? † was the last thing Dudley heard his son ask before he disappeared infront of his very eyes. Come on Dave, I’ll take you through† Albus offered as he and Dave lined their trollies up alongside eachother and raced to get through the barrier before the other one could. Ginny, Regina and Petunia smiled at the boys antics and Ginny offered her arm to Regina. â€Å"Shall we then? † she asked kindly, motioning towards the brick wall. Regina was a little nervous but excited at the same time. This was her first proper experience with magic. â€Å"We shall† she replied playfully. Before the women were at the wall, Ginny turned back around to face Petunia. â€Å"Aren't you coming Mrs. Dursley? Ginny inquired. She no longer felt the same hostility she had before to the woman, she seemed ready to make amends after all these years. â€Å"I think I am. You know, I always wanted to walk through this barrier. For some reason, it feels like it’s the right thing to do† Petunia stated with a smile and followed her daughter-in-law and her nephews wife, giving Harry one last smile before disappearing through the veil of magic. â€Å"Ready Dudley? † Harry asked, excitement coursing through his veins. â€Å"H-Harry, I don’t know how† Dudley admitted, sounding a bit dejected and scared. What if the barrier didn’t let him through? Harry gave his cousin’s shoulders a reassuring squeeze and smiled up at him. â€Å"Don’t worry Dudley, we’ll do it together† Harry assured him. Dudley wiped away a sentimental tear that spilled over his bottom eyelid and down his cheek – this is what he had been wanting for him and his cousin for almost 20 years. He nodded and that was all the encouragement Harry needed to lead Dudley through the barrier. He kept his eyes closed the whole time, but when he heard a whole new set of noises and felt the steam in the air, Dudley opened his eyes. He honestly couldn’t believe it. Families were huddled around the platform in groups, saying their last goodbyes. Owls soared through the air and through the open windows of the train to meet their owners. The train, how could Dudley not ogle at the train?! It was huge, shiny and incredible to look at. It’s red glossy paint sparkled in the light of the old-fashioned oil lanterns that lined the walls of the platform and it appeared to radiate a sense of warmth, of welcoming. Dudley couldn’t believe that he was finally here – in Harry’s world. A world that was far better than he ever could have imagined. Dudley’s marveling of the world around him was interrupted by a grunting sound and a loud thud behind him, and he and Harry turned around – unable to contain their laughter. Vernon had apparently felt left out, standing out on the Muggle platform by himself and had felt the need to run through the barrier with his eyes closed – meaning he tripped over his own feet and face planted the ground on the other side of the barrier. Witches and Wizards looked with concern at the odd man, who lifted his head and took in his surroundings – his eyes boggling and his mouth hanging open. L-looks like Da-dad believes in m-magic after all! † Dudley managed to say inbetween outbursts of hysteric laughter. â€Å"What? Oh no, that was just something I made up. The barrier will let anyone through that has a right to – he’s a grandparent of two students, so it let him through no problem. I just wanted to get the satisfaction of hearing Vernon Dursley admi t that magic was real, althought I'm pretty sure that man will go to his grave swearing it's not – even after this! † Harry confessed and wiped away the tears on his cheeks from laughing so much. That day, Harry and Dudley reunited and waved goodbye to their children. Dudley was thankful that Albus was starting school that year too, at least Ricky and David would have someone they knew in their year. That was also the day that Harry and Dudley realized something. Standing with their families, on the platform of the Wizarding world, together after all of these years as family should be – both men had never been happier. If two people could come together after almost 20 years and put aside their differences like this, then it definately proved something – something that Vernon would still refuse to admit. Magic definitely did exist.

MCHC Paper

Perhaps what he as most well known for is the fact that he performed many late-term abortions on these women. Late term abortions are heavily criticized and debated throughout the world today and thus, he received much scrutiny, eventually paving the road for his future (Masters, 2013). Late term abortions are those that take place late into the term of the woman's pregnancy and can be done as late as 35 weeks into a pregnancy. The process for these types of abortions is very graphic: a lethal dose of Dioxin, a heart medicine, is injected into the heart of the baby in the amniotic fluid through the woman's abdomen.This causes the baby to have a earth attack and die. Labor is then induced and the woman gives birth too non-living child (Operation Rescue, 2013). Connell was performing what many people refer to as partial birth abortions. This is when the baby is born and then essentially killed. This raised a lot of issues, most notably whether he was performing abortions of committing murder. Most people believed that this type of abortion was occurring well past the, â€Å"gray area,† of whether the fetus is a living being or not.There were also some issues on whether the clinic that he was running was legitimate. These started to take shape when an untrained and unlicensed clinic worker gave Ackermann Monger, a woman who came into Counsel's clinic in 2009, an overdose of painkillers, which caused Monger to die (Who is Connell? , 2014). Abortion and the notions of Pro-Choice and Pro-Life are very' important topics in the world today, both politically and religiously, thus Connell and his actions were highly criticized which in turn led to his rise in fame.Connell has had many prior complaints starting in 1 989 and the FBI eventually brought his actions to light after a raid of his clinic in 2010. The raid was performed to investigate suspected illegal drug use at Counsel's Lenin, which was called Women's Medical Society. When the clinic was raided, they a lso discovered unsanitary conditions throughout the facility, use of untrained staff, and use of powerful drugs without proper medical supervision and control (Williams, 2013).Connell was arrested in January Of 2011 and he was charged seven counts Of first degree murder, which was reduced to four at trial, one count of third degree murder, for the death of Monger, infanticide, which was dismissed at trial, five counts of abusing a corpse, also dismissed at trial, multiple counts of conspiracy, criminal solicitation and violation of state law that forbids abortions after the 24th week of a pregnancy (Sullivan, 2013).Connell also received some non-murder charges ranging from 24 counts of violating Pennsylvania Abortion Act by performing illegal third-trimester abortions, 227 counts of violating a twenty-four hour waiting period requirement and failing to counsel patients (Sullivan, 2013). Connell violated many moral and ethical principles during his time as a doctor. First and foremos t is personality. Connell had no remorse for human life and did not treat it as sacred or special when he murdered children post birth. Next is demonology and beneficence.Connell failed to do what was best for his patients because if he would have done so he would have not only counseled the mothers, but would have never hurt those babies. Connell was also in violation of non-malfeasance because failed in his mission to do no harm to his patients. While he may not have harmed most of the mothers, the babies that these women were having were certainly harmed. He failed to realize the teleology Of the acts that he Was performing and did not realize the ultimate consequences of his actions. Perhaps his biggest ethical violation was the lack of respect that he showed towards all of is patients.Connell performed these medical acts in unsanitary conditions and enlisted the help of unqualified people. His biggest lack of respect was that of human life. He allowed those mothers to give birt h to their babies and then he proceeded to kill them by snipping their spinal cord through the neck. My opinion on abortion is simple. I do not support it and I am one hundred percent pro life. This may be because both of my parents share the same views as I do and I come from a traditionally republican family, but it is my belief that human life is sacred and is a special gift from God.Thus, it is to be treated as such and an abortion is a violation of that belief. In my opinion, human life begins at the moment of conception so an abortion is a clear ending of that life. Another factor in my opinion of abortion could also branch from my Catholic background, I have gone to catholic schools since preschool and continue my catholic enrichment here at Gowned Mercy and it is also the catholic position on abortion to be pro life. In my opinion, what Connell did was horrible and a clear violation of human rights. He is right where he belongs, which is in prison serving a life sentence. No t even begin to think of a reason that he may have for doing what he did. His actions were morally and ethically wrong and luckily he is now paying the price for them. Connell is essentially a murderer and violated state abortion laws countless times in his medical career. In no way, shape, or form is what he did correct, he lost sight Of the importance of life a performed unforgivable actions. Whether it was out of greed, or whether he thought what he was doing was right, Connell deserves the punishment that has been given to him. Works Cited Masters, Teresa (March 19, 2013).

Carnival Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Carnival - Essay Example This paper aims to discuss the statement of Bakhtin stating that carnival has undergone a great deal of transition from medieval time to romanticism. Furthermore, a discussion or implementation of the idea that was presented by Bakhtin will be done on Batman (1989) and Night before Christmas (1993). It is important to understand the context of carnival theory presented by Bakhtin before discussing the difference between medieval and modern carnival and the reasons behind transition. The contextual understanding of carnival by Bakhtin is based upon the European tradition of carnival. Critics claimed that Bakhtin took interest in assessing the seventh century forms of the grotesque because he was impressed by carnivals as he viewed them as occasions where the lows and highs of the society submerged together for some time. In simpler words, the authority of the church and state came together without any control. It will not be incorrect to state that Bakhtin’s account of carnival was anarchic where everyone liberated as audiences and performers (McNay, 1994). It has further been stated by Bakhtin that Carnivalesque bodies were involved in the use of absurd or laughter in order to present the difference between life and death. Festivity lingered all these years in order to provide people to express their views about life. In short, carnival was just a way to provide a platform for expression for people in all geographic locations of societies over the years. It should be noted that carnival rather gave a way to people to cherish their identity and presence by giving up undertaking a re-birth of experiences (Muggleton, 2000). Bakhtin celebrates the mediaeval culture of the carnival, but he does this in the context of its relevance to the development of the classic  literature of the  Renaissance  ; Rabelais, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Dante and Boccaccio etc. Moreover, Bakhtin asserts that  the Renaissance would not have happened without the carnival  ,

USA-Census 2010 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

USA-Census 2010 - Essay Example es have added new sets of questions such as nativity and industry as well as questions about occupations, military service, income, education and other important information. And so, besides its original mandate of providing data to be used in congressional apportionment and redistricting, it now collects information for organizations and individuals who make decisions and policies in a wide range of issues. These issues are usually about matters of public relevance including health and education, transportation planning, housing, community service, welfare, economic strategies, among others. The US Census Bureau’s website displays the questions in the 2010 Census form. If it would not be modified, the form would be considered the shortest in the Census history. (The Census Form 2010) It would not use the previous forms and, instead, only 10 questions will be asked. These would include the person’s name, background, house, family and ethnicity. The census form will be sent through mail to be returned once it is filled. The 2010 Census is important for several reasons. Again, it determines the correct representation of Americans in the House of Representatives especially in the coming 2012 elections. Then, the data collected would also help the government allocate the $400 billion dollars of federal funding released each year. (Groves 2010) Because of the Census, this fund is going to be appropriately allocated on infrastructure (i.e. roads, bridges), welfare services (i.e. hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers), as well as other emergency services. Participation in the 2010 Census is vital to the US national interest. The US government would not be able to function well because the outdated Census information would make it difficult to: 1) fund projects that are most needed; and, 2) support community decisions about their own future. This is the reason why taking the census is mandatory. Section 6 of the Census Act provides that, â€Å"each

Under the Whiplash by Lara Oruno Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Under the Whiplash by Lara Oruno - Essay Example First used by the Greeks, slavery has roots in the antique forced labor practices of the Egypt of pharaohs, Greece, Italy and the Middle East, particularly in Babylon and Assyria. A people stripped of any right to demand status of origin or title [name], slavery, apparently has a long history that saw Europe enslave approximately 20 percent of their own population at some point; a practice that only faded out in the fifteen century with the newfound sources from the far continents of Africa and Asia (Coates 18). With the advent of large scale plantations in the Americas, tens of millions of Africans became victims of slavery. Like the antique slaves, they were not only subjected to forced labor, but had to yield to the sexual demands of their masters. Keeping with the old tradition, all male slaves, irrespective of their ages, acquired the tittle "boy". Unlike the old slavery that offered a relief through some form of emancipation, slavery in the Caribbean was but a totalitarian syst em based on extreme exploitation driven in part by racism (Coates 19). The only alternative to freedom to such cruelty were brave flight efforts with a subsequent strong resistance. While the two terms, forced labor and slavery, have historically been used interchangeably, there exist a thin line in between. According to the International Labor Organization, forced labor refers to â€Å"work imposed on a person under the threat(s) of a penalty and for which the willingness to offer such a service is non-existent† (ILO par 3). Slavery, however, is an elastic concept that not only covers forced labor, but includes the dimension of the subjects involved being treated as property worth some definite price. (Laura 162). In the second article, â€Å"Who was responsible?† Elikia M'Bokolo tries to navigate the thicket of who should take the responsibility on the massive shipments of Africans to the Americas. A controversial subject that has left historians with more of a guess work, M'Bokolo works extracts extra hard to deconstruct the myth placing the Africans themselves right in the middle. From slave-raiding that involved outright abduction to slave-trading, either of the processes engaged the expedition of man-hunts that carried maximum risks, including mass killings; the 1446 massacre near the Cap Vert peninsula in present-day Senegal was but a clear indication of the Africans determination to fight off enslavement. Accordingly, the Europeans, particularly the Portuguese, were the pioneer traders in slaves, perhaps to minimize the risks of deaths in millions, of people whose services were increasingly needed to sustain plantation farming in America. Understandably, slave-raiding continued even after the routinisation of slave-trade, occasionally becoming a buffer source of slaves’ supply for traders. M'Bokolo goes to note that the terms of trade were never in the hands of Africans; the occasional raids coupled with the building of forts along the coastline sent a clear message to the rulers of the continent that left them with no choices other than to comply (Coates 21). As such, though Africans got involved in selling their fellow brothers, Europe’s domination shaped every aspect of the trade, leaving Africa counting its losses as they [th e Europeans] reaped massively. Bluntly put, slave trade, to Africans, was a kind of diabolical-plot which forcefully made them [Africans] accomplices or otherwise perish in the merciless expeditions. The section â€Å"A Controversial Question† highlights the controversy on who between the Europeans and Africans should bear the blame in perpetuating the

Robert E.Lee Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Robert E.Lee - Research Paper Example Robert was the fourth child in the family. He was mainly raised by his mother. She instilled in little Robert bases of strict discipline, patience and religiosity. Robert spent only four early years of his life here in Stratford, but these very years largely determined the character and the fate of the future General. Sometimes it happens that one of the children inherits from the previous generations only the best traits. That was the case with Robert Lee. From the ancestors from the mother’s side he got a handsome appearance; from the father’s - physical strength and sense of duty and responsibility, which during the years of revolution General George Washington himself noted in Henry Lee. Even the financial problems of father positively affected his son: for his entire life Robert Lee was extremely meticulous and careful in all the matters concerning money and business. Ann Carter Lee also instilled in son the perception of the importance of the family values. Robert tenderly loved his mother. By the time he turned 12, his father died and his brothers had left home so he was the only son living with his mother. He had to become a head of a big house, and took a great care of his mother and sisters, who were weak health wise. Robert Lee chose a military career because of the financial concerns. His older brother Charles Carter was studying in Harvard and the family did not have money for Robert to do likewise. So he took the only option available, which is of entering West Point Military Academy. During his cadet years, Lee did not receive a single penalty and served as the cadet corps’ adjutant. He was loved and respected by his schoolmates, and graduated second in his class. Years later, in 1852, Lee returned to the West Point academy as the superintendent. The best graduates were assigned into Engineer Corp; the same applied to Robert Lee. Among his first assignments in the practical military field was dam construction in Saint Louis a nd strengthening coast forts in Brunswick and Savannah. He carried out engineer projects in Georgia, Virginia and New York. On June 30, 1831 he married Mary Ann Randolph Custis, a distant relative. Mary was the only daughter of George Washington Park Custis, adopted grandson of George Washington. Robert Lee always honored the memory of George Washington and really admired his great services to his country. In 1846 Mexican-American war broke out, and Robert was sent on mission into Mexico to supervise roads construction, where he first served under the command of the General John Wool. His mission was to scout the land to find best routes for attack. At the time of the Mexican campaign, to the addition to his engineer expertise, he was also noticed by General Winfield Scott, American forces’ Commander-in-chief, for his cavalry deportment and outstanding abilities of intelligence officer, and made Lee a part of his staff. This experience taught Lee many great lessons on battle strategy and tactics, which were successfully applied by Robert 16 years later. Lee was entrusted the task of maps composition and correction. To the addition to it, he also had to lead soldiers into hand-to-hand combat. Here in Mexico Lee it was introduced to the people, which would play major roles in the soon- to- start Civil War: Thomas Jackson, George Piketon and Ulysses Grant. In spite of irreproachable service and heroism and courage manifested in the course wars, the Lee career growth was extremely slow. He was sent to the most remote and wild places. He repeatedly

Japanese Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Japanese Cinema - Essay Example We have observed that in the 21st century that there has been a drastic increase in the rate of rape cases that are reported, sexual harassment, child molestation in Japan."Japanese film-makers were beginning to spice up their period stories with a dash of  sex and violence." Sigmund Freud a very famous psychologist believed that sex and violence are one of the requirements of every human. According to Freud if an individual involves insexual activities as a result of these movies it is quite legit as this is what we see and adapt. I completely disagree with his approach as exploitation due to any reason is not acceptable at any cost as it propagates the spread of social evils in the society. After the Second World War there was immense brutality and violence in Japan. It has been observed that the rules that deal with sexuality and violence in Japan are quite gender biased and the content is usually loaded with sexuality and violence causing indirect propagation of these sins."Not only was there more sex and violence, but the very manner in which they were made appealed to the young." The reason why such content is quite popular is because most of the people prefer watching such stuff as a source of entertainment but they do not realize that this leaves a profound impact on their mind resulting in creating desires within them. These desires cause them to opt for various ill means to overcome their temptations which force them to involve in these misdeeds. Today what I believe is the reason behind incorporating sex in the movies is because it sells.Like I mentioned earlier that people prefer watching stuff with bold content hence the reason to add such scenes is basically to attract the masses. At times it is quite relevant to add such stuff as it helps to bring about the depth of the characters and to show the level of intimacy between them. The issue has merely gained so much popularity is because today movies, TV shows novels etc. sell such content on regular basis. It has been recorded that in Japan when there is any form of sexual exploitation or any physical violence against women are considered to be standard form of entertainment which people thoroughly enjoy in movies which belong to the action or adventure genre. It is pretty astonishing that when it comes to Japan there is a vast variety of content available that deals with sexually provoking material but the rape rate tends to be tremendously low within the region. The the mes that involve sexual activities are quite common when it comes to Japanese legacy and they do not find any type of shame when associating themselves to it. There is a very controversial issue about pictorial representation of genetical areas. Japan does not allow to replicate/represent in pictorial form but does not prohibit the exploitation of such parts in movies, novels, TV shows etc. unlike the united states. The rape cases that take place in japan are majorly underreported and are usually done by underage individuals or gangs. Since the Japanese society is based on virtues like cooperation, order, duty etc. hence such activities are considered to be shameful for the families and majority of the time are not reported at all. This provokes those individuals who involve in such

Introduction To Undergraduate Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Introduction To Undergraduate Study - Essay Example In finding an understanding of this work, the way in which society now views the female form and how it is commercialized for the purposes of selling fashion can be realized. According to Bate (2003: 22), surrealism is â€Å"semiotically speaking, a signifying effect, the confusion or a contradiction in a conventional signifier - signified relations in representations and where a meaning is partially hidden, where the message appears enigmatic regardless of how it was produced†. The art of surrealistic photography is found where the imagery reveals something more than what is visually available, where the form provides a clue to the intent, rather than a specific and defined point of reference. The singular importance, simplified in order to provide a point of further discussion, within the photographic art that Man Ray created is in manipulation. Through creating the concept of manipulation in order to create surrealistic work, Man Ray began discoveries that would revolutionize many aspects of the medium of photography. One of the significant ways in which Man Ray created innovation was in the process of development so that different effects could be achieved. According to Miller (1996: 75), every error was an opportunity for greater innovation. The process of solarization was developed through a laboratory accident. The great numbers of innovations that he created were then very generously shared within the photography world, thus furthering the advancement of the medium. Man Ray had no respect for his equipment and did not hold to the idea that expensive equipment changed his process for the better. He believed in using what he had to make the commentary that he desires, thus promoting creativity in his process. However, it is the manipulation of the form that had the greatest impact on fashion photography. Man Ray developed a way of elongating the female form, creating a more idealized look. Through techniques that manipulated the image, he created

Otitis media, analyeses and evaluation the care delivered to a patient Essay

Otitis media, analyeses and evaluation the care delivered to a patient with otitis media - Essay Example Currently, decision-making processes have to be approved by the patient due to the consequences that may arise during treatments. As for otitis, the decisions have to be controlled by the doctor due to the various determinants. Additionally, the doctors use the factors to assist the patients on the decisions they can make on their treatment. Notably, previous research has simplified decision-making processes by having connection between symptoms and specific treatment methods that can be applied. Acute otitis media (AOM) – it is caused by blockages in the Eustachian tube due to poor drainage and ventilation of the inner and middle ear cavity (Rosenfeld 102). It does not take long, and its symptoms are short-term. The symptoms include increased temperature, nausea, ear ache and irritability among others. However, they may vary based on age body resistance. Chronic otitis media – it involves the entry of bacteria into the middle ear leading to infections (Bluestone and Jerome 103). The excreted fluid may cause conductive hearing loss and takes place after a period of more than three months. It is also referred to as the glue ear. Chronic suppurative otitis media – it is also referred to as the runny ear due to the presence of an opening in the eardrum. There is consistent discharge of fluids that may affect the inner bones (Bluestone and Jerome 5). This stage may lead to permanent hearing loss if treatment is not administered. Age is a factor affecting the choice of diagnostic approaches (Block and Christopher 56). Otitis media is commonly found in children below the ages of ten (Bluestone and Jerome 4). Moreover, the approach styles in children are different from those in adults. For example, an adult can explain in detailed the symptoms that he/she is undergoing; hence making it easy for the decision-making process. Children will have different diagnosis styles whereby the doctor will have to carry out tests and

Fair Trade Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Fair Trade Principles - Essay Example Scarce commodities are considered much more important than commodities available in abundance hence there is a significant difference between the prices of scarce commodities and the commodities which are available in abundance. Let us now consider the demand aspect of the price theory, the demand aspect of the price theory is driven by an important factor which is how desperately a consumer is in need of that commodity or service. If a consumer is urgently in need of the service or commodity, he/she wouldn't mind spending even double the amount of money which they would have spent in normal circumstances. So the demand aspect of the price theory is all about the desire of the consumer to have that particular commodity or service at his/her disposal. Another important aspect which is very important is the demand curve; demand curve gives a good enough indication of the will of consumers to buy the commodity or the service at that particular price. Demand curve and supply curves are studied by an organization to arrive at an equilibrium price. Equilibrium cost is the fixed cost and this changes only when the demand and supply is changed and it does not change unless the demand and supply changes. Let us now take into consideration the difference between luxury goods and necessities, the ... he level of income of an individual goes on to decide what luxury is and what is necessity For instance a rich person can stop buying bikes and as a replacement start collecting cars, this purely depends on the level of income of people. The word luxury has more meanings than one, one often mistakes luxury as a status symbol, for instance a person can buy a Nike shoe considering as a luxury knowing very little about how good the shoe is, so it depends on individuals on how they define luxury. Euro Star and its Price Theory Euro star is a high speed train which covers areas in London, Brussels and Paris. The price theory of the high speed train will be highlighted in the remaining of the paper. There are three different classes namely, the standard class, the Leisure select and the last one is Business Premier. The rates vary depending upon the class, for a journey from London to Paris it would roughly cost about 178 if one chooses to travel in Standard class, on the other hand the fare is higher if one chooses to travel by Leisure select, it would cost roughly about 325 if one chooses a two way journey from London to Paris and back. The third and the most expensive class is the Business Premier which would cost a person roughly about 328.50 for a one way journey from London to Paris. The demand factor of the price theory comes into effect here; people opt to travel by Euro star because they have the willingness to pay for the service offered by the train. This is a very essential concept in price theor y, if the people don't feel the willingness to travel by the train they will stop travelling by the train. This goes to show that the prices of the services offered by the train are quite reasonable and this is exactly why the people feel willing to travel

Speech as a Patriot Essay Example for Free

Speech as a Patriot Essay They ask everything from us but give nothing in return. For to long have they taken away from us. We need to stand up to them and declare independence for ourselves. In the words of Thomas Paine Man did not enter society to be worse off, or to have fewer rights, but rather to ave those rights better secured. We did not come here to pay taxes and subjected to these injustices, we came to build a life of independence. We need to fight back and take what is ours. We need to stand up to the British and show them that together we stand strong. As a whole we need to come together to fight this battle for independence. Again Paines words ring true in stating, Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it. We must fght for what we want, and if that means fighting a war against the British then so be it, e will carry that burden to fght for a free country. When we have independence we will have the right to our own government and our own democracy. We have a right to follow any religion along with the rights to our property, which includes paying taxes. We will have the right to many things that currently we have had taken away from use due to monarchial dictatorship of Britain. Paine also states, The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government. And right now the British government is abusing their power. They are using us, and we have done nothing. How long will this go on until we decide that enough is enough? We need to stand up to them now and claim what is rightfully ours. We have varieties of goods that we can trade in order to build our economy, however under the rules of the British we may only trade within their constraints. We have the potential to build up a strong and independent nation, as long as we sever ties with our dead weight mother. We have few numbers as an individual colony, but with the colonies combined to fight we have enough to beat the British. Paine states, It is not in number but in unity, that our great strength lies; yet our present numbers are sufficient to repel the forces of the world. The continent hath, at this time, the largest body of armed and disciplined men of any power under Heaven; and is Just arrived at the pitch of strength, in which no single colony is able to support itself, and the whole, who unite can accomplish the matter, and either more, or, less than this, might be fetal in its effects. We have distinct advantage in numbers as long as we unite as one, not to mention fghting on ur own soil gives us the upper hand in resources. If we refuse to let the British live in our houses, decline them food and leave them with nothing but the ship they came on we will force them back to where they came from. They have no power over us as long as we stand up and fight. The longer we sit submissive to their rules the harder it will be to tight bac k. We do not need them they need us. In closing I leave you with another quote from Paine fighting for independence is Nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense.

Theory of Parabolas Essay Example for Free

Theory of Parabolas Essay A parabola is designed on a basic formula, Y=ax^2+bx+c, which allows it to achieve a curve not seen in a normal line graphed using a Y=mx+b format. To the left is a graph who’s formula is y=x^2, where a=1, b=0, and c=0. I have isolated the (a) factor to see its effects on the parabola. Below is a graph where I have changed the (a) multiple times. The result is that as the (a) decreases, the mouth of the parabola widens due to the fact that (a) is essentially the slope of the parabola. Now, watch what happens when the (a) becomes negative. Now the mouth of the parabola is opening down and as we increase (a), the parabola widens. When (a)1, the parabola closes up horizontally. So from this, we can infer that if (a) is 0, then the result will be a straight line going along the X axis which is no longer a parabola. Now we will look at how the (b) factor changes the parabola, below is the origional graph from the top of the paper except the red line represents the same parabola with a (b) added onto it. The original equation was Y=x^2(blue line) and the new equation is Y=x^2+x(red line). The change is moving the vertex of the parabola left ? and down ? but the shape of the parabola it’s self is unchanged. Here are some other examples of changing (b) in a parabola with a steady (a) As seen in the graph, (b) only moves the parabola to the sides and down (as the numbers increase, the vertex moves left and down and decreasing is vice versa), but somehow fails to move the parabola up past the point X=0 on its own (making the (a) negative will flip the parabola). So now we have a slope (a) and a vertex (b), but we still need our Y-intercept which will be our (c) As shown from the graph, our parabolas Y-intercepts match up with our (c) factor, completing the equation -Fun fact, the word parabola came from the Greek words para, meaning beside, and bole, meaning to throw

The Causes Of The Spanish Civil War History Essay

The Causes Of The Spanish Civil War History Essay The Spanish civil war is frequently remembered as a crucial and important moment in the history of Spanish people. To be possible to understand how thousands of persons were killed during this war, it must be ask why the Spanish civil war broke out in first place. In fact, there are five main reasons or causes (fig.1) which almost simultaneously led to the civil war in Spain in 1936. Before the Spanish civil war Spain was ruled by the king but due the great depression that drove the country into an economic collapse and massive unemployment in Spain and as a result the king was forced to abdicate on 14 April 1931 and Spain becomes a republic. The new republic emerges and immediately faced a number of major problems due the current circumstances: Two important regions in Spain wanted independence Catalonia and the Basque region. Had their requests been successful, it would have lead to the breakup of Spain. The Roman Catholic Church was hostile to the republic and the republic was hostile to the highly influential Roman Catholic Church. The government believed that the army had too much say in politics and determined to reduce its influence. Spain was primarily an agricultural nation and the 1930s depression had hit prices for crops. Prime exports such as olive oil and wine fell in value and previously used agricultural land fell into disuse. The little industry that Spain had was also hit by the Depression. Iron and steel were especially hit as no one had the money to pay for the products. Iron production fell by 33% and steel by 50%. Unemployment in both agriculture and industry rose and those in work had to put up with a cut in wages as the economy struggled to survive the Depression. The Republic faced losing the support of those whose support it desperately needed the working class. (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/causes_spanish_civil_war.htm) There are several versions or way to tell about the Spanish civil war however this essay will focus only in the causes of the Spanish civil war and how theses causes had led to the Spanish civil war. Figure1: The main five causes of the Spanish civil war (http://www.scribd.com/doc/2530517/Causes-of-the-Spanish-Civil-War-Conclusion) The main causes for the beginning of the Spanish Civil War and why these causes had lead Spain into the Spanish civil war The Political Situation in Spain (1931 to 1936). Disparate most of the other countries of Western Europe at that time, the Spain have never completed its revolution. Significant economic and social sectors of the country remained under the control of the feudal classes. In other hand the weak and vacillating bourgeoisie was unsuccessful in take effective measures to insure social and economical progress while the economic and political privileges of the dominant classes were left intact. As a result of this the progress and development of some sectors were suppressed during the 19th century until the situation of 1931. On April 13 of 1931 unsolvable contradictions between the financial, landowning and the popular forces reached the point of rupture and the king was forced to abdicate giving place to the Second Republic. Throughout the year 1932 the working class was divided into social democracy and anarchist tendencies. The communist Party was not sufficiently strong to assert its leadership of the labour movement. (http://www.mltranslations.org/Spain/civilwar.htm) In 1933, in response to the actual situation, during two years, the government unleashed a severe campaign of repression and terror known as the Bienio Negro. Furthermore, in October 1934 the formation of the Popular Front was begun with an extensive popular uprising against the government, especially in Asturias, Madrid and Barcelona (see fig. 2). The formation of the Popular Front had strong Communist support and participation. On 15th January 1936, Manuel Azaà ±a helped to establish a coalition of parties on the political left to fight the national elections taking place on following month. This included the Socialist Party (PSOE), Communist Party (PCE) and the Republican Union Party. The Popular Front, as the coalition became known, advocated the restoration of Catalan autonomy, amnesty for political prisoners, agrarian reform, an end to political blacklists and the payment of damages for property owners who suffered during the revolt of 1934. The Anarchists refused to support the coalition and instead urged people not to vote. (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/SPelections.htm) In the elections of 1936, the forces of reaction suffered a devastating defeat mainly because its management was weak and vacillating. However, its fatal mistake was to ignore the repeated warnings of the Communist Party in honour the election agreement, the reaction to defeat was not taken quietly. Therefore when Franco attacked on July 18 of 1936, the country was completely unprepared for the attack and the civil war begun. Regional situation (1936 -1939) The regional situation begun much before 1936 however the situation stars to intensify violently in 1921when an army was sent to Spanish Morocco to bring down a rebellion, critics said that was a massacre and that just emphasise how incompetent Spains government was. In the following years, Spain people experienced a new regime when King Alfonso agreed that General Primo de Rivera should take control of Spain. He ruled as a military dictator until 1930. Riveras approach to leadership was fully supported by Alfonso. However, Rivera did not display the classic features of a dictator. He introduced public works schemes building roads and irrigating the land. Industrial production increased by three times from 1923 to1930. Rivera also ended the rebellion in Morocco in 1925. (http://www.lacolumna.org.uk/article_asturian%20uprising.htm) Just after the morocco incident, in 1934the northern province of Asturias arose (Popular Front), not against progress, but for it and against the newly elected right wing government. The Asturias revolt was of enormous significance to the Spanish people. In the first place, it showed the capitalists and land holders that the people were not going to wait further but were going to divide the land and control their jobs. In the second place the Asturias revolt taught the people that to win they would have to expel the government and perform their own laws and traditions. In the third place combating the government make the workers and toilers understand the value of unity in action and the meaning of revolution also gave them great experiences in the art of civil war. The defeat of the workers forced the revolutionary identities to take to parliamentary activity in the next election. Anyway, Asturias was at the time a region with great potential for progress. In fact, Asturias was among the most industrialised areas of Spain in the 1930s just like Catalonia and Basque (see fig.2) which wanted their independence because of the diversity of employment in Asturias, the traditional competitive unions (CNT National Confederation of Labour and the UGT General Union of Employers), represented members in the industries, agriculture and service sectors. They were prepared when the crisis came. Hence, the present government could not allow the country to split out by giving them the independence, these provinces were actually essential for the country progress and development as a whole taking into consideration its industrialization and geographic location, see map below . http://www.lacolumna.org.uk/article_asturian%20uprising.htm In summary such regions were more advanced organizationally and industrially comparing with the rest of the country therefore they wanted the independence not just because of its socio-economic advantage but also to keep their traditions such as benefits (reform), language and habits. Later, the traditional language was prohibited in those acts involving the public administration or the mass media, being only tolerated at some folkloric or clerical activities but in other hand the most important reason was that the people in these regions wanted make themselves free of the oppression and incompetency of the present government and this in fact contributed considerably for the Spanish civil war broke out in 1936. Figure 2: The Spanish map showing the locations of Asturias, Catalonia, and Basque just before the war in 1936 (Frances Lannon, Page 10) Socio-economic situation Not hindering the fact that Spain were already in the middle of political and regional crisis when the World Wide Recession reached Spain the country was upside down, World Wide Recession had led to a dramatic cut in the demand for coal and to reduce costs the mine owners have reduced the wages and employees. Simultaneously, the National Federation of Farm Workers was cut in the agrarian reform and as result became involved in a bloody strike in June 1934. The Civil Guard had been called in to deal with strikes in industrial areas in May and September of the same year. On 1st September an attack on a Socialist Womens meeting by the Civil Guard saw 6 people killed. All this was boiling away and by October the region was ready for revolt. The election of a right wing government and their hostility in relation to reforms was the final straw. (http://www.lacolumna.org.uk/article_asturian%20uprising.htm) The liberal-left alliance which has ruled the first Republican government collapsed. This let in a right wing coalition which included ministers from the extreme CEDA (Confederatià ³n Espanola de Derechas Autà ³nomas) party. On the 3rd October, CEDAs assumption of the Agriculture, Labour and Justice Ministries seemed to point in Fascism by legal means, as elections had done in Germany and Austria. Across Spain attempts at a General Strike faltered and failed. http://www.lacolumna.org.uk/article_asturian%20uprising.htm The historic privileges of the Roman Catholic Church were reduced and Priests are now paid by the Roman Catholic Churchs chest. The government and the Roman Catholic Church were made two separate entities which should be like that since the beginning. Religious education in schools was stopped. Many army officers were made to retire early, the wages of those who worked in industry were increased but they were to be paid by the owners of those industries not by the government. Industries had to deal with the lack of energy resources and the weakness of the domestic Spanish market. They were helped out by protectionist policies, which reduced the competition from foreign products. As in so much of Europe, the popular classes were moulded into an industrial proletariat, living and working in inhuman conditions. (http://www.mltranslations.org/Spain/civilwar.htm) Due to all this circumstances the socio-economic situation could be highlighted as one of the main factors that contribute for beginning of the Spanish civil war, the lack of jobs, the poverty, the political regime and the governments abuse of power let the people more susceptive to create a revolt. Religious situation Accià ³n Nacional traced its ideological lineage to the social Catholic movements initiated in the late nineteenth century by Pope Leo XIII. Originally conceptualized in the Rerum Novarum of 1891, social Catholicism presented itself as an alternative to Socialism, arguing for the peaceful coexistence of capital and labour. It argued in favour of social reforms but rejected class struggle and collectivization in favour of social justice and the extension of property ownership, explaining that cooperation more effectively sustained workers rights. The Catholic political intervention make the social Catholicism became the basis for Catholic movements throughout Europe, most notably in France, Germany, Belgium, and Italy, (Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, 1891). Azaà ±a believed that the Catholic Church was responsible for Spains backwardness. He defended the elimination of special privileges for the Church on the grounds that Spain had ceased to be Catholic. Azaà ±a was criticized by the Catholic Church for not doing more to stop the burning of religious buildings in May 1931. He controversially remarked that burning of all the convents in Spain was not worth the life of a single Republican. The establishment of the Second Republic 1931 several reforms suggested the loss of wealth and privilege for the wealthy, the church and the army. Example: Agrarian Law 1932 allowed the distribution of all unworked estates over 56 acres to the peasantry; The church and the State was separated, the Jesuit order was expelled (and its assets expropriated), divorce was legalized etc.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦; In the Army 40% of the officer corps was retired, republican officers were appointed and soldiers were now liable to civil law (not as before only military law!). The progressive alliance of Republicans and Socialists were in power 1931 until 1933 when they were replaced by a more conservative government. CEDA (Confederatià ³n Espanola de Derechas Autonomas). CEDA had been established as a reaction to the Republican policies this was the united right. The governments between 1933 and February 1936 tried to slow down and erode the advances that been made the previous years Military situation The victory of fascism in Spain has for the present time blocked the march to socialism. In making this critique, however, we do not mean to demean its great accomplishments. For after all is said and done, the Communist Party of Spain was the soul of the war, the most heroic and self-sacrificing of all the political parties involved. Without its leadership and support the people of Spain would have been crushed in a few weeks and would not have been able to inflict such heavy losses on the fascists. Mao Tsetung has shown that the fact that objective conditions are right does not automatically insure victory. What is needed in addition is the conscious activity of man that is, how the war is directed and carried out. Our national war against fascism was by nature a just war. The Popular Front enjoyed the overwhelming support of the popular masses. Although the international situation was difficult, never has there been such a display of solidarity with any cause. And yet the war was not won. Hence, the logical conclusion is that the conscious activity of the Party was misdirected; that it did not know the proper way to carry on the war. The government tried to attack those it deemed as having too many privileges in society. But by doing this it angered all those sectors in society that had the potential to fight back the military, industrialists, land owners and the Roman Catholic Church. These four (potentially very powerful bodies) were unwilling to support the republican government in Madrid. They were also aware that there were countries in Europe that would be willing to give support to their plight as many nations in Europe were scared of communism and Stalins Russia. Fascist Italy under Mussolini would be an obvious ally as would Germany once Hitler had got power in January 1933. In January 1932, a number of army officers tried to overthrow the government lead by Manuel Azana, the prime minister. The attempt was unsuccessful as the army, for now, was loyal to the government after all, it had won the elections fairly and, therefore, had legitimacy. However, a new political party was formed called the Ceda. This was a right wing party dedicated to protecting the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and landlords. The government of Azana, having lost support from the right, also lost support from the left. Two powerful left wing political parties, the anarchists and syndicalists (powerful trade union groups), felt that Azanas government was too middle of the road. Both wanted a more communistic state and the overthrow of capitalism. Above all, Azana was despised for forming a political union with the middle ground in Spains political life. He was deemed to have betrayed the working class. The extreme left organised strikes and riots in an effort to destabilise the government of Azana. Matters came to a head when in January 1933, 25 people were killed by government troops who were attempting to catch some anarchists near Cadiz. This lost the government a great deal of support among the working class and the socialists withdrew their support from the government. Azana resigned as prime minister and elections were called for November 1933. In this election, the right wing won a majority of support and the largest party in the parliament (known as the Cortes), was the Ceda lead by Gil Robles. The new right wing government immediately over-turned all of the changes brought in by the Azana government. This angered many but especially the Catalans who had their privileges withdrawn. This was a serious error of judgement as the Catalans and Basques had supported the government in the elections. The way ahead for Robles became clear to many an attack on the left wing parties of Spain. It forced the many parties of the left to come together to form the Popular Front. They organised strikes, riots and took part in acts of violence such as derailing main line trains. In 1934 there was a general strike. Coal miners in the Asturias went on strike but were ruthlessly put down by the army lead by General Franco. Spain appeared to be heading for all out chaos. In a last minute attempt to avoid serious trouble, a general election was called for February 1936. In this election, the Popular Front won and Azana, once again became prime minister. However, the government of the Popular Front was a farce after the socialists withdrew their support from it; more and more public disturbances occurred and the government had clearly lost control of Spain. In July 1936, a leading right wing politician, Sotelo, was murdered and the right wing politicians and their supporters believed that they were now in serious danger. They wanted to put their faith in a military dictatorship. The military had, in fact, already made preparations for a takeover of Spain. General Franco assumed control of the military. He took control of Spanish Morocco after overthrowing the civilian government there. His next target was to invade mainland Spain, establish a military government there and rid the country of all those involved in left wing politics. The left would have to fight for survival. The civil war started in July 1936. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/causes_spanish_civil_war.htm The emergence and ideological characteristics of Basque and Catalan nationalism in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Spain are a dramatic expression of conflict between modernity and tradition in the ethnically heterogeneous Spanish state. Confirming Nairs theory of peripheral nationalism, uneven development in Spain during the nineteenth century overlapped with spatially delimited ethnic communities, Catalans and Basques, thus enhancing their ethnic identity and facilitating the expression of class conflict in nationalist terms. However, the social bases and the ideologies of peripheral nationalism in each region eventually came to reflect the different patterns of development that they experienced and the relative economic power of their capitalist à ©lites. These structural factors shaped the Basque and Catalan nationalist movements through their influence on class conflict and class alliances within the Basque Country and Catalonia, as well as conflict and alliances b etween these classes and the Spanish state. Of course, differences between Basque and Catalan nationalism cannot be explained in purely structural terms. The developmental factors I have outlined in this article helped to reproduce longer-term cultural and economic processes, which had progressively defined the cultural identity of the upper classes in Catalonia and the Basque Country. Describing and explaining this process, however, exceeds the objectives set for this article. This comparison of Basque and Catalan nationalism shows that overdevelopment does not necessarily lead to bourgeois or other pro industrialization nationalistic ideologies. In particular he Basque case illustrates that, as long as the leading classes of overdeveloped regions are able to influence state political and economic decisions, they will refrain from the formulation of nationalist programs. Moreover, the Basque case shows that in the analysis of peripheral nationalism, scholars should focus simultaneously on the relationships established between the different social classes in the peripheral community and the central state and on those established between classes within the peripheral community. In 1936, the main part of the Christian democrat PNV sided with the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War. The promise of autonomy was valued over the ideological differences, especially on the religious matter, and PNV decided to support the republican legal government, including member of the Popular Front. Autonomy was granted in October 1936. A republican autonomous Basque government was created, with Josà © Antonio Agirre (PNV) as Lehendakari (president) and ministers from the PNV and other republican parties (mainly leftist Spanish parties). conclusion The Spanish Civil War contributed to bringing about the Second World War most historians argue that the Spanish Civil War was the prelude to the Second World War. Though A.J.P. Taylor, a famous revisionist, has a different opinion (in his classic book The Origins of the Second World War) he argues that the Spanish Civil War was without significant effect in causing the Second World War. He also criticizes the Anglo-French appeasement policy British and French policy, or lack of it, not the policy of Hitler and Mussolini, decided the outcome of the Spanish civil war. The republic had greater recourses, greater popular backing. It could win if it received the correct treatment to which it was entitled by international law: foreign arms for the legitimate government, none for the rebels. It could even win if both sides received foreign aid, or if both were denied it.

The Influence of Role Models on Young People Essay -- A Role Models I

Role models have an astounding effect on the lives of young people in our society. A role model has the ability to shape the views, ideals, and actions of a young person. Role models help youth to discover how they wish to become in the future. The influence that role models have over young people is tremendous. It is important for role models to be positive and responsible in instilling good morals and values because future generations are directly dependent on the role models of today. By examining the influence of role models, role models in the community, and role models in the media, we will be able to determine the true effect that role models have on the lives of youth. Community role models are people that youngsters interact with on a daily basis. They are our parents, coaches, or mentors. These are people that young people encounter frequently, who are, in part, responsible for the young person’s perceptions of the world. It is important for community role models to set good examples for youth. The judgments that young people make are often helped to be formed by the e...

John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: Essays Papers

Of Mice and Men When writing the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck made many themes clear to his readers. Some of these themes were good statements to live by, and others weren’t. Most of these themes were about people’s social lives, because that was what a good part of the book was about. They addressed friendship, equality, and death. The first, and probably most important lesson taught by this book was the value of friendship. From the very beginning of the book, readers can tell that George and Lennie are very close friends. Later, the book tells of this odd duo’s past. Because Lennie was never too bright, George often took advantage of him. Eventually, though, George decided Lennie needed someone to take care of him and lead him through life. The two stuck together, though Lennie often got them both into trouble. Another theme the book contains is negative statements about human equality. On the ranch where George and Lennie worked, the ranch hands were considered more inferior than the wealthy boss, his son, and his daughter-in-law. One of the ranch hands, Crooks, was a black man and also a cripple. He was considered more inferior than the ranch hands and had a private room out in the barn. Some of the other ranch hands did respect him, though; as much as someone could expect from anyone at the time the story takes place. Throughout the story, Lennie found out just how fragile life was in his strong hands. When he was younger, his aunt would give him mice to play with and pet. Because he was so strong, he would pet them too hard and kill them. When Slim gave Lennie a pup, he eventually pet it too hard and accidentally killed it too. Then, while talking to Curley’s wife in the barn, she invited Lennie to touch her hair. When she wanted him to stop, he got scared and held on. When she screamed, he shook her and told her to stop so he wouldn’t get in trouble. With his incredible strength, he accidentally broke her neck.

Farming Essay -- Personal Narrative Agriculture Papers

Farming "Beep , beep, beep, " the alarm clock sounded. "Shoot another day at work" I thought. It is 5:30 and time to head off to work. I go into the shoe room and throw on my once worn set of clothes, which consist of a tee-shirt, sweatshirt, long johns, pants, and some winter boots. I also grab a coat on the way out. I opened the door and the cold wintry blast hit my pale face. "Damn it's cold", I thought to myself. I trudged through the two feet of crusty snow and hop into my 87' Ram 50 pick-up truck. "rue, rur, rur, whiinee " the engine started. "Yes" I thought, "I don't want to jump my truck this cold morning". I started down the road into what seemed like a dark oblivion with only my headlights to guide me through. I came to the first stop sign and almost slide through it. "Whew that was close!" I shouted to myself . I start up again, a little slower this time as hoping not to slide through another stop sign, I then realize my heater is starting to kick in. It's getting warm in my truck. ,it's comfortable though. I finally arrive at work and walk in. "Good afternoon" my boss states sarcastically. It's 6:00 in the morning and its still cold in the barn. I go into the silo room and start to fill up the corn cart. The room is off to the side of the barn so it is also freezing in this part of the barn. I roll the full cart onto the cement lane ,it seems really heavy in these early morning hours. I pull in front of the first cow and think "Oh yea only 59 more to go." I get done feeding corn and move on to feeding the mineral; this only takes about five minutes because I don't have to feed as much. Next I move on to feeding protein out of the cart this takes a little more time than mineral, b... ... turn the first bolt and my wrench slips. "Ouch", I scream. "Whadidchya do?" my boss asks. " Hit my damn finger", I say. " Well don't slip off the burr and that won't happen." He instructs me. " Thanx" I said. We get the girder replaced and go in for a late afternoon dinner. I sit down and think, "warmth, ahh". Feeling begins to come back into my hands and they hurt from banging them several times on things. I eat the prepared meatballs and boiled potatoes with peas and carrots with rigorous vigor. "Will you pay me today please", I ask. "Sure", my boss says. I get my check and tell my boss and his family I'll see the tomorrow. I hop into my truck and finally start to go back home. I arrive home to find that my family has gone some where so I go in take a shower and proceed to call my buddy up on the phone to see where the party is at.

Why K-Pop Should Be Banned

Argumentative Essay K-Pop wave should be banned in Malaysia. Nowadays, in the fast pacing world, the explosion of technology has brought everything underneath our hand. We can clearly see the generation gap that made the world now and the past ten years is different. The patterns of life changing and all sorts of routine thing that involved us are different too. In the past ten years, the outside culture will take a long time to absorb in our country.It’s a different situation now, with everything at our fingertip, and the simple example would be in the entertainment industry. The latest fashion, style, music, film, movie and in a simple word, an entertainment will easily enter our country without hesitation and no boundaries. I don’t agree that K-pop culture should be banned in Malaysia. We should see this matter in a positive side essay writer no plagiarism. There may be advantages of this wave. For example, it will add a variety of music in our country.If we can acce pt the western culture and their entertainment, why should we ban others? We should be more open-minded but it doesn’t mean that we should just blindly receive; we are now in the world of 21st century where all people are gifted with education and high knowledge so, we need to consider all the good and bad sides of the entertainment that will get into our country. Next, most of teenagers are attracted to K-pop culture because they want to release their tension or stress from their work because sometimes the day just won’t go the way you wanted it to be.The bands from Korea are known for their energetic performance and full of spirit. They gave their all when they stand on the stage and treat their fans will lot of love. When we are bored, the vitamin that we need is their ambitious performance that will surely rise up our mood and make us smile and completely cure our fatigue. Although some might said that k-pop will only addicted and wasted our time but as long as we can manage our life and make everything under control, we can handle everything. It’s all depend on us. We are the one who ave the right on ourselves. So make sure we control and manage our life, consider everything and take only a good thing and avoid all the bad influence that may come after us. As a conclusion, I strongly believe that k-pop shouldn’t be banned in Malaysia because we should spice up our entertainment industry with lot types of music genres. As long as we still consider every good and bad side of the things, we will surely not make a wrong decision. We also can raise up our own music industry and compete healthily with the current trends.

Culture Difference in Business Negotiation

Globalisation, the expansion of intercontinental slyness, technical advances and the increase in the number of companies relations on the inter interior(a)istic stage clear brought around a dramatic qualify in the frequency, context and nub by which multitude from polar cultural backgrounds interact, particularly cross-cultural communication in inter domainal occupancy. Global communications bring countries and destinations proximate to each separate every solar day steady though they whitethorn be on separate continents.However, barriers to communicating up to now h gray-headed out due to cultural differences as well as dialects. In the vocation world, cross-cultural barriers go off be world-shattering in conducting global commerce. International trade presents multi-level challenges needing with cross-cultural communication. Language is the biggest riddle and global companies recognize the need for employees who argon fluent in several manner of sayings. O f course, in addition to language, religion, customs, methods of dealing with concourse to a fault play a signifi merchant shipt share in international dialogues.Once either(prenominal) link has the problem, which testament lead to the sectionalisation of talkss. at that placefore, This requests negotiations both brasss correctly utilize the negotiations skill, qualification the negotiations complete smoothly. 1. Definition Intercultural communication refers to the polar cultural backgrounds of communication between individuals, that is, race from distinct cultural backgrounds of the inter movement. In modern years, it causes nigh peoples anxiety.In China, the language teachers to direct great interest, reflecting the changes of the times and demands, has attracted people from the aspect of cross-cultural education of foreign language teaching in-depth thinking. 2. Case description Ma Ping works in a joint-venture high society as an executive in China. His boss i s an Ameri lot named Steve. They are tidy adepts Once, at a meeting with generally Chinese participants including Ma Ping, Steve didnt listen to much contrasting ideas when asking for any suggestions on his new estimate.So he took it for granted that his new pop the gesture would be quite satisfactory to everyone present at the meeting and decided to implement the plan. but to his great surprise and puzzlement, after the meeting, Ma Ping came to his office and told him that there were problems with the project, and the project might non work properly. This time, to Ma Pings surprise, Steve didnt wait happy but crimson vexed with this. Analysis In China, if you disagree with your jockstrap at the meeting, you weedt speak out in public. Because if you do that, your friend leave alone lose his face.The outmatch action is to talk with him in private . eon in the westbound coun return, if you see a different idea about the project of your friend at the meeting, you m ust try out an objection instantly rather than in private later. I conclude that in care enterprise negotiations, cultural differences between the negotiating parties lead oftentimes become an obstacle to the negotiations,and even lead to the crack-up of negotiations. Therefore, we should open attention to nearly skills in the negotiations to avoid the breakd knowledge of negotiations 3. Intercultural communication skillsBusiness negotiation faecal matter be understood as a process in which both or more parties come together to plow common and conflicting communication channel interests in order to reach an agreement of coarse benefit . Negotiation hatful be con attitudered a delicate business, do even more delicate by different cultural understandings. How can we avoid the penetrating pitfalls and make deals go smoothly? There is a token port to work out this ituation. 3. 1The preparation before the intercultural negotiation A good pre-preparation is a key disma ntle to give up a victorious negotiation.If we make believe a negotiation in hurry, we will subsist little about our checkmate and we can not get the most benefits during the intercultural negotiation. And of course, our partners will think that we did not pay much attention to this negotiation, so it can show our careless(prenominal) attitude about the business and our partner. Therefore, we will fail in the negotiation. So it is authoritative to make a good preparation before we go into the intercultural negotiation, but how to make preparations before we set forth the negotiation? Next there is some advice. First we must organize our police squad well, because the free radical is the oundation of our successful negotiation. We can hold the line our team as small as viable. except it does not mean what the less people our team has, the more efficacious work we can get. Some people who have specialized skills, communication ability, team spirit and gamesmanship must be contained in our team . 3. 2The bridge-building between the different cultures But just making those preparations are not enough, we must know what will communicate during the intercultural negotiation. Next this thesis will let us a detail description to the problems. Supposed there are two persons Tom in the West and get hitched with in the Eastern country.They have the analogous likes and dislikes, and Tom recently spoke for eld with Marry, his potential business partner and provided the barriers between them were never broached and the deal didnt get inked . The problem had to do with different conceptions of the negotiation process itself and misinterpretations of the early(a)(a)s behavior. For Tom, negotiation is about move through a deal period. When he didnt think their discussion was lamen circuit board forward as quickly as he thought it should, his arguments became increasingly forceful. Because his frigid read this as disrespect, the negotiation basically ended days before their dialogue did.Although globalizing communications and marketing have made the world smaller in more a(prenominal) carriages, deep differences between cultures remain. Despite kindred tastes, Tom and Marry each advancement negotiation in a way heavily conditioned by his national culture. Because they sat down at the table without understanding the others assumptions about the negotiation process, all they ended up with was an impasse. So, we must pay attention to the question that is how to build the bridges between the different cultures so that the degree of mistrust is decrease until it is non-existent.In order to prepare for our negotiations try the following (1) Get to know the individuals that we will be personally dealing with. making a one-to-one human fraternity is one of the best ways to outmatch mistrust (2) Background checks into the company that we are doing business with. Get to know the company as much as affirmable. entertain up cred it checks done on the company. contemplate about their financial blank space in any way possible. (3) Research the culture of the foreign company and sensitize ourselves to the possible differences that we may be confronted with. 4) Get the assistance of a company that is expert in dealing with such cultural differences that can give us some tips. 3. 3 Learn the other sides culture It is very important to know the basic components of our counterpartys culture. Its a sign of respect and a way to build trust and credibility as well as advantage that can help us to choose the right hand strategies and tactics during the negotiation. Of course, its impossible to direct another culture in detail when we learn at short identity card that a foreign delegation is visit in two weeks time.The best we can do is to try to identify steer influences that the foreign culture may have on making the deal. 3. 4 foundert stereotype Making saaumptions can creat distrust and barriers that expose both your and the other sides need, positions and goals. The way we deliberate other people tends to be close and cautious. We usually expect people to comport adventage of a situation, and during the negoations the other side in all likelihood thinks the same way, especially when there is a lack of trust between counterparts.In stead of generalizing, we should make an effort to divvy up everyone as individuals. Find the other sides determine and beliefs independently of values and beliefs characteristic of the culture or group being represented by your counterpart. 3. 5 Find ways to bridge the culture gap Apart from adopting the other sides culture to adjust to the situation and environment, we can also try to hold the other side to use elements of our own culture. In some situations it is also possible to use a combination of both cultures, for example, regarding joint venture business.When there is a diffculty in finding common ground, focusing on common professional cul tures may be the initiation of business relations. 4. outcome International business negotiation is contend a more and more important role in our economic lives in modern society. Obviously, international business negotiations take place across national boundaries. This means that understanding the different cultural environments that exist among nations and considering cultural differences in all facets of business are crucial for negotiators in the effect of international business negotiation.International business negotiators are distinguished from each other not only by geographic location, language spoken, more importantly by the specific cultures in which they grow up. ethnical differences influence negotiation in many aspects, even before the face-to-face negotiation starts The understanding of negotiation in the western culture is alien to that of the eastern culture. more Americans see negotiation as a good approach to resolve conflicts speckle Japanese or Chinese do n ot like it at all. The small-arm of negotiation team relies greatly on culture that defines the number and the selecting criteria of negotiators.Japanese or Chinese negotiation team is often large, usually led by an old person with high status. Whereas,American team tends to be small and its negotiators are chosen on the basis of competence at the electrical outlet under negotiation. Simultaneously, people from different cultures privilege to use different negotiating strategies and styles. Therefore option of different strategies and tactics heads in different outcomes in international business negotiations. divergent selection of pragmatic strategies may assume different results in a business negotiation a win-lose result, a win-win result or lose-lose result.In order to observe a long-term cooperative business relationship between both negotiating parties refer in a win-win business negotiation situation, the selection of strategies should be of crucial importance. Our n ation is mentioning to establish harmonious society, if we want to be a successful negotiator, we should set up an atmosphere of harmony. I think the best result is a win-win result in international negotiation. So we will have many chances cooperate with our foreigner. Our Chinese people also can become the successful men.