The Host Chapter 24: Tolerated

It was true that I did not smell good. I'd lost count of how many days I'd spent here-was it more than a week now? more than two?-and all of them sweating into the same clothes I'd worn on my disastrous desert trek. So much salt had dried into my cotton shirt that it was creased into rigid accordion wrinkles. It used to be pale yellow; now it was a splotchy, diseased-looking print in the same dark purple color as the cave floor. My short hair was crunchy and gritty; I could feel it standing out in wild tangles around my head, with a stiff crest on top, like a cockatoo's. I hadn't seen my face recently, but I imagined it in two shades of purple: cave-dirt purple and healing-bruise purple. So I could understand Jeb's point-yes, I needed a bath. And a change of clothes as well, to make the bath worth the effort. Jeb offered me some of Jamie's clothes to wear while mine dried, but I didn't want to ruin Jamie's few things by stretching them. Thankfully, he didn't try to offer me anything of Jared's. I ended up with an old but clean flannel shirt of Jeb's that had the sleeves ripped off, and a pair of faded, holey cutoff sweatpants that had gone unclaimed for months. These were draped over my arm-and a bumpy mound of vile-smelling, loosely molded chunks that Jeb claimed was homemade cactus soap was in my hand-as I followed Jeb to the room with the two rivers. Again we were not alone, and again I was miserably disappointed that this was the case. Three men and one woman-the salt-and-pepper braid-were filling buckets with water from the smaller stream. A loud splashing and laughing echoed from the bathing room. â€Å"We'll just wait our turn,† Jeb told me. He leaned against the wall. I stood stiffly beside him, uncomfortably conscious of the four pairs of eyes on me, though I kept my own on the dark hot spring rushing by underneath the porous floor. After a short wait, three women exited the bathing room, their wet hair dripping down the backs of their shirts-the athletic caramel-skinned woman, a young blonde I didn't remember seeing before, and Melanie's cousin Sharon. Their laughter stopped abruptly as soon as they caught sight of us. â€Å"Afternoon, ladies,† Jeb said, touching his forehead as if it were the brim of a hat. â€Å"Jeb,† the caramel woman acknowledged dryly. Sharon and the other girl ignored us. â€Å"Okay, Wanda,† he said when they'd passed. â€Å"It's all yours.† I gave him a glum look, then made my way carefully into the black room. I tried to remember how the floor went-I was sure I had a few feet before the edge of the water. I took off my shoes first, so that I could feel for the water with my toes. It was just so dark. I remembered the inky appearance of the pool-ripe with suggestions of what might lurk beneath its opaque surface-and shuddered. But the longer I waited, the longer I would have to be here, so I put the clean clothes next to my shoes, kept the smelly soap, and shuffled forward carefully until I found the lip of the pool. The water was cool compared to the steamy air of the outer cavern. It felt nice. That didn't keep me from being terrified, but I could still appreciate the sensation. It had been a long time since anything had been cool. Still fully dressed in my dirty clothes, I waded in waist deep. I could feel the stream's current swirl around my ankles, hugging the rock. I was glad the water was not stagnant-it would be upsetting to sully it, filthy as I was, if that were the case. I crouched down into the ink until I was immersed to my shoulders. I ran the coarse soap over my clothes, thinking this would be the easiest way to make sure they were clean. Where the soap touched my skin, it burned mildly. I took off the soapy clothes and scrubbed them under the water. Then I rinsed them again and again until there was no way any of my sweat or tears could have survived, wrung them out, and laid them on the floor beside where I thought my shoes were. The soap burned more strongly against my bare skin, but the sting was bearable because it meant I could be clean again. When I was done lathering, my skin prickled everywhere and my scalp felt scalded. It seemed as if the places where the bruises had formed were more sensitive than the rest of me-they must still have been there. I was happy to put the acidic soap on the rock floor and rinse my body again and again, the way I had my clothes. It was with a strange mingling of relief and regret that I sloshed my way out of the pool. The water was very pleasant, as was the feeling of clean, if prickling, skin. But I'd had quite enough of the blindness and the things I could imagine into the darkness. I felt around until I found the dry clothes, then I pulled them quickly on and shoved my water-wrinkled feet into my shoes. I carried my wet clothes in one hand and the soap gingerly between two fingers of the other. Jeb laughed when I emerged; his eyes were on the soap in my cautious grasp. â€Å"Smarts a bit, don't it? We're trying to fix that.† He held out his hand, protected by the tail of his shirt, and I placed the soap in it. I didn't answer his question because we weren't alone; there was a line waiting silently behind him-five people, all of them from the field turning. Ian was first in line. â€Å"You look better,† he told me, but I couldn't tell from his tone if he was surprised or annoyed that I did. He raised one arm, extending his long, pale fingers toward my neck. I flinched away, and he dropped his hand quickly. â€Å"Sorry about that,† he muttered. Did he mean for scaring me now or for marking up my neck in the first place? I couldn't imagine that he was apologizing for trying to kill me. Surely he still wanted me dead. But I wasn't going to ask. I started walking, and Jeb fell into step behind me. â€Å"So, today wasn't that bad,† Jeb said as we walked through the dark corridor. â€Å"Not that bad,† I murmured. After all, I hadn't been murdered. That was always a plus. â€Å"Tomorrow will be even better,† he promised. â€Å"I always enjoy planting-seeing the miracle of the little dead-looking seeds having so much life in them. Makes me feel like a withered old guy might have some potential left in him. Even if it's only to be fertilizer.† Jeb laughed at his joke. When we got to the big garden cavern, Jeb took my elbow and steered me east rather than west. â€Å"Don't try to tell me you're not hungry after all that digging,† he said. â€Å"It's not my job to provide room service. You're just going to have to eat where everyone else eats.† I grimaced at the floor but let him lead me to the kitchen. It was a good thing the food was exactly the same thing as always, because if, miraculously, a filet mignon or a bag of Cheetos had materialized, I wouldn't have been able to taste a thing. It took all my concentration just to make myself swallow-I hated to make even that small sound in the dead silence that followed my appearance. The kitchen wasn't crowded, just ten people lounging against the counters, eating their tough rolls and drinking their watery soup. But I killed all conversation again. I wondered how long things could last like this. The answer was exactly four days. It also took me that long to understand what Jeb was up to, what the motivation was behind his switch from the courteous host to the curmudgeonly taskmaster. The day after turning the soil I spent seeding and irrigating the same field. It was a different group of people than the day before; I imagined there was some kind of rotation of the chores here. Maggie was in this group, and the caramel-skinned woman, but I didn't learn her name. Mostly everyone worked in silence. The silence felt unnatural-a protest against my presence. Ian worked with us, when it was clearly not his turn, and this bothered me. I had to eat in the kitchen again. Jamie was there, and he kept the room from total silence. I knew he was too sensitive not to notice the awkward hush, but he deliberately ignored it, seeming to pretend that he and Jeb and I were the only people in the room. He chattered about his day in Sharon's class, bragging a little about some trouble he'd gotten into for speaking out of turn, and complaining about the chores she'd given him as punishment. Jeb chastised him halfheartedly. They both did a very good job of acting normal. I had no acting ability. When Jamie asked me about my day, the best I could do was stare intently at my food and mumble one-word answers. This seemed to make him sad, but he didn't push me. At night it was a different story-he wouldn't let me stop talking until I begged to be allowed to sleep. Jamie had reclaimed his room, taking Jared's side of the bed and insisting that I take his. This was very much as Melanie remembered things, and she approved of the arrangement. Jeb did, too. â€Å"Saves me the trouble of finding someone to play guard. Keep the gun close and don't forget it's there,† he told Jamie. I protested again, but both the man and the boy refused to listen to me. So Jamie slept with the gun on the other side of his body from me, and I fretted and had nightmares about it. The third day of chores, I worked in the kitchen. Jeb taught me how to knead the coarse bread dough, how to lay it out in round lumps and let it rise, and, later on, how to feed the fire in the bottom of the big stone oven when it was dark enough to let the smoke out. In the middle of the afternoon, Jeb left. â€Å"I'm gonna get some more flour,† he muttered, playing with the strap that held the gun to his waist. The three silent women who kneaded alongside us didn't look up. I was up to my elbows in the sticky dough, but I started to scrape it off so I could follow him. Jeb grinned, flashed a look at the unobserving women, and shook his head at me. Then he spun around and dashed out of the room before I could free myself. I froze there, no longer breathing. I stared at the three women-the young blonde from the bathing room, the salt-and-pepper braid, and the heavy-lidded mother-waiting for them to realize that they could kill me now. No Jeb, no gun, my hands trapped in the gluey dough-nothing to stop them. But the women kept on kneading and shaping, not seeming to realize this glaring truth. After a long, breathless moment, I started kneading again, too. My stillness would probably alert them to the situation sooner than if I kept working. Jeb was gone for an eternity. Perhaps he had meant that he needed to grind more flour. That seemed like the only explanation for his endless absence. â€Å"Took you long enough,† the salt-and-pepper-braid woman said when he got back, so I knew it wasn't just my imagination. Jeb dropped a heavy burlap sack to the floor with a deep thud. â€Å"That's a lot of flour there. You try carryin' it, Trudy.† Trudy snorted. â€Å"I imagine it took a lot of rest stops to get it this far.† Jeb grinned at her. â€Å"It sure did.† My heart, which had been thrumming like a bird's for the entire episode, settled into a less frantic rhythm. The next day we were cleaning mirrors in the room that housed the cornfield. Jeb told me this was something they had to do routinely, as the combination of humidity and dust caked the mirrors until the light was too dim to feed the plants. It was Ian, working with us again, who scaled the rickety wooden ladder while Jeb and I tried to keep the base steady. It was a difficult task, given Ian's weight and the homemade ladder's poor balance. By the end of the day, my arms were limp and aching. I didn't even notice until we were done and heading for the kitchen that the improvised holster Jeb always wore was empty. I gasped out loud, my knees locking like a startled colt's. My body tottered to a halt. â€Å"What's wrong, Wanda?† Jeb asked, too innocent. I would have answered if Ian hadn't been right beside him, watching my strange behavior with fascination in his vivid blue eyes. So I just gave Jeb a wide-eyed look of mingled disbelief and reproach, and then slowly began walking beside him again, shaking my head. Jeb chuckled. â€Å"What's that about?† Ian muttered to Jeb, as if I were deaf. â€Å"Beats me,† Jeb said; he lied as only a human could, smooth and guileless. He was a good liar, and I began to wonder if leaving the gun behind today, and leaving me alone yesterday, and all this effort forcing me into human company was his way of getting me killed without doing the job himself. Was the friendship all in my head? Another lie? This was my fourth day eating in the kitchen. Jeb, Ian, and I walked into the long, hot room-into a crowd of humans chatting in low voices about the day's events-and nothing happened. Nothing happened. There was no sudden silence. No one paused to stare daggers at me. No one seemed to notice us at all. Jeb steered me to an empty counter and then went to get enough bread for three. Ian lounged next to me, casually turning to the girl on his other side. It was the young blonde-he called her Paige. â€Å"How are things going? How are you holding up with Andy gone?† he asked her. â€Å"I'd be fine if I weren't so worried,† she told him, biting her lip. â€Å"He'll be home soon,† Ian assured her. â€Å"Jared always brings everyone home. He's got a real talent. We've had no accidents, no problems since he showed up. Andy will be fine.† My interest sparked when he mentioned Jared-and Melanie, so somnolent these days, stirred-but Ian didn't say anything else. He just patted Paige's shoulder and turned to take his food from Jeb. Jeb sat next to me and surveyed the room with a deep sense of satisfaction plain on his face. I looked around the room, too, trying to see what he saw. This must have been what it was usually like here, when I wasn't around. Only today I didn't seem to bother them. They must have been tired of letting me interrupt their lives. â€Å"Things are settling down,† Ian commented to Jeb. â€Å"Knew they would. We're all reasonable folks here.† I frowned to myself. â€Å"That's true, at the moment,† Ian said, laughing. â€Å"My brother's not around.† â€Å"Exactly,† Jeb agreed. It was interesting to me that Ian counted himself among the reasonable folks. Had he noticed that Jeb was unarmed? I was burning with curiosity, but I couldn't risk pointing it out in case he hadn't. The meal continued as it had begun. My novelty had apparently worn off. When the meal was over, Jeb said I deserved a rest. He walked me all the way to my door, playing the gentleman again. â€Å"Afternoon, Wanda,† he said, tipping his imaginary hat. I took a deep breath for bravery. â€Å"Jeb, wait.† â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Jeb†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated, trying to find a polite way to put it. â€Å"I†¦ well, maybe it's stupid of me, but I sort of thought we were friends.† I scrutinized his face, looking for any change that might indicate that he was about to lie to me. He only looked kind, but what did I know of a liar's tells? â€Å"Of course we are, Wanda.† â€Å"Then why are you trying to get me killed?† His furry brows pulled together in surprise. â€Å"Now, why would you think that, honey?† I listed my evidence. â€Å"You didn't take the gun today. And yesterday you left me alone.† Jeb grinned. â€Å"I thought you hated that gun.† I waited for an answer. â€Å"Wanda, if I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have lasted that first day.† â€Å"I know,† I muttered, starting to feel embarrassed without understanding why. â€Å"That's why it's all so confusing.† Jeb laughed cheerfully. â€Å"No, I don't want you dead! That's the whole point, kid. I've been getting them all used to seeing you around, getting them to accept the situation without realizing it. It's like boiling a frog.† My forehead creased at the eccentric comparison. Jeb explained. â€Å"If you throw a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will hop right out. But if you put that frog in a pot of tepid water and slowly warm it, the frog doesn't figure out what's going on until it's too late. Boiled frog. It's just a matter of working by slow degrees.† I thought about that for a second-remembered how the humans had ignored me at lunch today. Jeb had gotten them used to me. The realization made me feel strangely hopeful. Hope was a silly thing in my situation, but it seeped into me anyway, coloring my perceptions more brightly than before. â€Å"Jeb?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Am I the frog or the water?† He laughed. â€Å"I'll leave that one for you to puzzle over. Self-examination is good for the soul.† He laughed again, louder this time, as he turned to leave. â€Å"No pun intended.† â€Å"Wait-can I ask one more?† â€Å"Sure. I'd say it's your turn anyway, after all I've asked you.† â€Å"Why are you my friend, Jeb?† He pursed his lips for a second, considering his answer. â€Å"You know I'm a curious man,† he began, and I nodded. â€Å"Well, I get to watch your souls a lot, but I never get to talk with 'em. I've had so many questions just piling up higher and higher†¦ Plus, I've always thought that if a person wants to, he can get along with just about anybody. I like putting my theories to the test. And see, here you are, one of the nicest gals I ever met. It's real interesting to have a soul as a friend, and it makes me feel super special that I've managed it.† He winked at me, bowed from the waist, and walked away. Just because I now understood Jeb's plan, it didn't make things easier when he escalated it. He never took the gun anywhere anymore. I didn't know where it was, but I was grateful that Jamie wasn't sleeping with it, at least. It made me a little nervous to have Jamie with me unprotected, but I decided he was actually in less danger without the gun. No one would feel the need to hurt him when he wasn't a threat. Besides, no one came looking for me anymore. Jeb started sending me on little errands. Run back to the kitchen for another roll, he was still hungry. Go fetch a bucket of water, this corner of the field was dry. Pull Jamie out of his class, Jeb needed to speak with him. Were the spinach sprouts up yet? Go and check. Did I remember my way through the south caves? Jeb had a message for Doc. Every time I had to carry out one of these simple directives, I was in a sweaty haze of fear. I concentrated on being invisible and walked as quickly as I could without running through the big rooms and the dark corridors. I tended to hug the walls and keep my eyes down. Occasionally, I would stop conversation the way I used to, but mostly I was ignored. The only time I felt in immediate danger of death was when I interrupted Sharon's class to get Jamie. The look Sharon gave me seemed designed to be followed by hostile action. But she let Jamie go with a nod after I choked out my whispered request, and when we were alone, he held my shaking hand and told me Sharon looked the same way at anyone who interrupted her class. The very worst was the time I had to find Doc, because Ian insisted on showing me the way. I could have refused, I suppose, but Jeb didn't have a problem with the arrangement, and that meant Jeb trusted Ian not to kill me. I was far from comfortable with testing that theory, but it seemed the test was inevitable. If Jeb was wrong to trust Ian, then Ian would find his opportunity soon enough. So I went with Ian through the long black southern tunnel as if it were a trial by fire. I lived through the first half. Doc got his message. He seemed unsurprised to see Ian tagging along beside me. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I thought they exchanged a significant glance. I half expected them to strap me to one of Doc's gurneys at that point. These rooms continued to make me feel nauseated. But Doc just thanked me and sent me on my way as if he were busy. I couldn't really tell what he was doing-he had several books open and stacks and stacks of papers that seemed to contain nothing but sketches. On the way back, curiosity overcame my fear. â€Å"Ian?† I asked, having a bit of difficulty saying the name for the first time. â€Å"Yes?† He sounded surprised that I'd addressed him. â€Å"Why haven't you killed me yet?† He snorted. â€Å"That's direct.† â€Å"You could, you know. Jeb might be annoyed, but I don't think he'd shoot you.† What was I saying? It sounded like I was trying to convince him. I bit my tongue. â€Å"I know,† he said, his tone complacent. It was quiet for a moment, just the sounds of our footsteps echoing, low and muffled, from the tunnel walls. â€Å"It doesn't seem fair,† Ian finally said. â€Å"I've been thinking about it a lot, and I can't see how killing you would make anything right. It would be like executing a private for a general's war crimes. Now, I don't buy all of Jeb's crazy theories-it would be nice to believe, sure, but just because you want something to be true doesn't make it that way. Whether he's right or wrong, though, you don't appear to mean us any harm. I have to admit, you seem honestly fond of that boy. It's very strange to watch. Anyway, as long as you don't put us in danger, it seems†¦ cruel to kill you. What's one more misfit in this place?† I thought about the word misfit for a moment. It might have been the truest description of me I'd ever heard. Where had I ever fit in? How strange that Ian, of all the humans, should have such a surprisingly gentle interior. I didn't realize that cruelty would seem a negative to him. He waited in silence while I considered all this. â€Å"If you don't want to kill me, then why did you come with me today?† I asked. He paused again before answering. â€Å"I'm not sure that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He hesitated. â€Å"Jeb thinks things have calmed down, but I'm not completely sure about that. There're still a few people†¦ Anyway, Doc and I have been trying to keep an eye on you when we can. Just in case. Sending you down the south tunnel seemed like pushing your luck, to me. But that's what Jeb does best-he pushes luck as far as it will go.† â€Å"You†¦ you and Doc are trying to protect me?† â€Å"Strange world, isn't it?† It was a few seconds before I could answer. â€Å"The strangest,† I finally agreed.

IT Control

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Buddhism - Research Paper Example Although its spread was initially slow, it was aided by Ashoka, who was the emperor of Maurya and the religion’s ardent supporter. He, together with his descendants, promoted the construction of religious memorials of Buddhism known as stupas, and their efforts spread the religion beyond the inflated Maurya Empire into adjacent territories. They brought Buddhism into Central Asia and Afghanistan’s regions that spoke Iranian, as well as Sri Lanka. This paper will research on the history of Buddhism and its reflection on the culture of Southern India including Arts, Epics and architecture such as temples and tombs. There is general consensus among most historians that the origins of Buddhism are in north India’s era of the fifth century BCE. Its traditions can be traced to the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, popularly known as Buddha and denoting the Enlightened or Awakened one, who was born in Nepal’s Lumbini area. Buddha observed the world’s suffering and committed himself to find its remedy. He achieved a state of enlightenment through analysis and mediation, which characterized the end of suffering caused by attachments and liberty from the sequence of rebirth upon death. Buddhism’s earliest phase, the Pre-sectarian Buddhism, had the Vinaya Pitaka as its main scriptures and Nakayas’ four principles, also known as the Agamas (Takakusu 134). The Early Buddhist Schools opine that the Buddhist council was conducted after the death of Buddha (or parinirvana), where teachings were orally transmitted. The council was primarily to recite teachings collectively so as to ensure there were no errors in the oral transmissions. The monastic code, also known as Vinaya, was recited by Upali, and Buddha’s favorite disciple and cousin Ananda recited his lessons known s the Sutras. The Early Mahayana Buddhism was formed around 100 BCE and fully established in 100 AD on the assumption that its existence was separate from the competition of the Hinayana schools. The Late Mahayana Buddhism saw the development of four key thoughts which were Madhyamaka, Tathagatagarba, Yogacara and the most recent Buddhist Logic (Takakusu 114). Hinduism greatly influenced Esoteric Buddhism. The era of Ashoka is greatly credited with the spread of the religion outside India as emissaries were deployed to other countries, especially the eastern provinces that neighbored the Seleucid Empire and further on to the Hellenistic kingdoms. That spread ensured that Buddhism interacted with other diverse ethnic groups, exposing it to various influences that came from the Greek and Persian civilization. Buddhism’s originality started fragmenting in subsequent centuries, with the most noticeable split occurring after conducting the second council which came a century after the first was held. Following debates between traditionalists and liberal groups, the liberal groups termed themselves s the Mahasangha and left, eventually e volving into North Asia’s Mahayana tradition. On their part, the traditionalists labeled themselves as Sthaviranda, which meant the way of the elders, came up with a set of complex philosophical concepts collectively known as Abhidharma, which went beyond the ones that Buddha had revealed. However, the Abhidharma soon gave rise to disagreements, encouraging more splinter groups to leave the fold, eventually developing 18 different schools that had different interpretations of

New York Computer Forensics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New York Computer Forensics - Essay Example New York Computer Forensics Company has skilled and expert computer forensic staff and experts. These people effectively utilize the proven methods and sophisticated software, and tools which can be used to analyze and retrieve the entire data on a crime scene system to as absolute level as probable. In this scenario, this kind of material can include deleted files and e-mail and logs and other details that can be related to the problems and issues being examined. In addition, experience in a variety of investigation scenarios over the years has permitted and skilled New York Computer Forensic Services to build up procedures and started measures that make results matchless in the Computer Forensics field (Global Digital Forensics, 2012).Services offeredThe reality is that almost all information and data formed in this day as well as age is in the form of electronic design. Additionally, New York Computer Forensic Services support a wide variety of businesses in all aspects of compute r forensic authentication achievement, protection, and arrangement by minimizing expenditures and making sure that proof does not become tainted. In addition, New York Computer Forensic Services Company specializes in a number of forensic services, which are: (Global Digital Forensics, 2012)Â   Guidance Software Professional Services Company offers their clients most effective and direct access to technical capability with a personalized practice that enhance their return on business investment.... ly, New York Computer Forensic Services support a wide variety of businesses in all aspects of computer forensic authentication achievement, protection, and arrangement by minimizing expenditures and making sure that proof does not become tainted. In addition, New York Computer Forensic Services Company specializes in a number of forensic services, which are: (Global Digital Forensics, 2012) E-mail Forensics Computer Forensics Network Forensics Data Acquisition Full Computer Forensic Investigations Evidence Processing Database Forensics Backup Tape Analysis Correlation and Link Analysis Forensic Analysis Expert Testimony Guidance Software Professional Services Guidance Software Professional Services Company offers their clients most effective and direct access to technical capability with a personalized practice that enhance their return on business investment as well as speeds-up their time to value. In addition, using the Professional Services from Guidance, business employees atta in a trusted consultant to meet their objectives in all regions of digital analysis of any walk of life. Additionally, the Guidance Software Advisory Program (GAP) is aimed at ensuring successful acceptance and implementation of the EnCase application suite of the software system into a company’s business operations and processes. Moreover, the tactic of Guidance Software Professional Services for investigation is based on examine, plan, and frequent assessment of procedures enhancement and risk (Guidance Software, 2012). Services Offered There are many services and support areas offered by Guidance Software Professional Services Company. Given below are some of them: (Guidance Software, 2012) Casework Services Implementation Services Cyber Security Assessment Services Data Mapping

Mexican War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mexican War - Essay Example ico was becoming quite nervous about the number of Americans migrating into California, since they had no desire to go through another annexation such as Texas had been (Heidler and Heidler 48) It was also the belief of most politicians at the time, including President James K. Polk to achieve Manifest Destiny which stated that it was the wish of God to have all of the land under one government, from the Eastern coast of the Atlantic Ocean to the Western Coast of California (Heidler and Heidler 143). Between the wish to have the land of Texas under the flag of the United States, as well as the philosophy of Manifest Destiny, the United States declared and entered a war with Mexico in order to gain new land to add to the United States and achieve the dream of a coast-to-coast United States. Though Mexico and the United States had never been friends, the annexation of Texas in 1845 was a major blow to Mexico. Upon learning that Texas had, in fact, been annexed, Mexico banished the American ambassador and cut all diplomatic ties to the United States (Mintz, Moores, and Moores). Though the attempts made by Mexico to retake Texas in 1842 had been unsuccessful, they still refused to recognize the authority of Texas as a separate nation, holding out the hope that they could indeed retake the country (as it was then thought of) that had originally been part of Mexico (Mintz, Moores, and Moores). The United States offered Mexico $5 million to recognize the border of Texas as the Rio Grande River, rather than the Nueces River 130 miles northeast(Mintz, Moores, and Moores). The United States also offered up to an additional $5 million for the territory of New Mexico, and an additional proposal offering up to $25 million for the land of California (Mintz, Moores, and Moores). The Mexicans refused any and all offers due to their anger over the loss of Texas (Mintz, Moores, and Moores). Despite attempts to preserve peace, it was soon felt that war was the only

Ratio analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ratio analysis - Essay Example The former is used to compare the performance of the firm within itself in terms of aspects such as improvement in management skills and finance handling. The latter is used to compare the performance of the firm within its industry of operation. Such comparisons will consider fundamental aspects of operations like profitability. In profitability, an increase or decrease is established and the causes of each including what can be done to stabilize profitability and grow it further. The liquidity of the firm is also quite fundamental as this would enable management know how to plan operations and sources of financing. Therefore, ratio analysis is used in the determination of trends as it strives to expose the strengths and weaknesses of the company. Ratios can be either favorable or unfavorable depending on whether the increase or decrease is in the desired direction (Dess 2012). For our analysis of Apple Incorporation’s financial statement of the year 2012 compared to that of the year 2011, we will categorize ratios into the following - Profitability Ratios; Liquidity ratios; Efficiency Ratios and Capital structure ratios. Profitability Ratios They measure the ability of the company to generate profits from their asset investments. Such ratios include- Gross Profit margin, which is the profit before expenses generated by sales as a percentage. There is the Net Profit margin which are the earnings before depreciation and tax generated by sales; Then there is the Return on Equity(ROE)/Net Worth/ Shareholders funds/ Investments(ROI), this is the ratio of the earnings after tax plus preference dividends contributed by share capital and reserves. The fourth ration in this category is the Return on total assets (ROTA) which indicates how much the Fixed and Current Assets of a company contributes to the Earnings before Interest and Tax (EBIT). Return on Capital Employed is the next, it indicates how equity and Fixed interest capital contributes to the EBIT, and finally we have the Operating Expenses Ratio indicating the percentage of sales consumed by the operating expenses. An increase in these ratios from the previous period is considered favorable while a decrease in the last ratio is considered favorable. The ratios as shown by the financial data by Apple incorporation between the years 2011 and 2012 financial statements are as shown in the table below. RATIO FORMULA YEAR 2012($ in Millions) YEAR 2011($ in Millions) 1. Gross Profit Margin = (Gross Profit/Sales)*100 (66,662/156,508)*100 = 43.87% (43,818/108,249)*100 = 40.48% 2. Net Profit Margin =(EBIT/Sales)*100 (55,241/156,508)*100 = 35.30% (34,790/108,249)*100 = 32.14% 3. ROE/ROI =(EAT+ Pref. dividends/Owner’s Equity)*100 (41,733/118,210)*100 = 35.30% (25,922/76,615)*100 = 33.83% 4. ROTA =(EBIT/Total Assets)*100 (55,241/176,064)*100 = 31.38% (34,790/116,371)*100 = 29.90% 5. ROCE =(EBIT/Total Capital Employed)*100 (55,241/118,210)*100 = 46.73% (34,790/76,615)*100 = 45.41% 6. O perating Expenses Ratio =(Operating Expenses/Sales)*100 (13,421/156,508)*100 = 80.58% (10,028/108,249)*100 = 9.26% As indicated by the profitability ratios, there was a general increase in profitability of Apple Inc between the year 2011 and 2012. The gross profit margin shows a rise from 40.48% in 2011 to 43.87% in 2012. Such an increase was because of the increase in; sales from 108,249 in 2011 to 156,508 in 2012. An increase of the net profit margin from 32.14% to 35.3% is because of the i

Natural resources Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Natural resources - Research Paper Example So, there are several industries that are considered as natural resource industries such as mining, fishing, forestry and many others but agriculture is barred from this list. The name ‘natural resource’ was suggested, by E.F. Schumacher in the book published in the era of 1970s called as Small is Beautiful (Longstreth, 2011, p.4). Categorization of Natural Resources Natural resources are categorized into renewable and the non-renewable ones. Renewable resources are the ones, which can replenish themselves, provided that they are not over-harvested and are utilized wisely (Perman, 1999, p.9). The examples include fishes, forests, trees and other things. Once, these renewable resources are utilized at a speed which is greater than their normal tempo of replacement, the entire reserves will decrease in quantity and ultimately be depleted. The speed of utilization of a natural resource should be equal to the replacement speed and the quantity of reserve stock of a particula r natural resource. Inorganic renewable natural resources comprise of soil and water. Flow renewable resources can be harmonized with renewable resources but the difference is that they do not require renewal like the renewable ones. Renewable power sources that are incorporated in the list of Flow renewable resources are of sun: solar, of earth: geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, of sea: tides and wind. Resources can be further categorized on the grounds of their source of origin: biotic ones and the abiotic ones (Perman, 1999, p.9). Biotic resources result from the living beings but the abiotic resources are originated from the non-living components of the earth such as land, air and water. Other resources such as those related with minerals and power are also in the abiotic category, though some of them are derivative of the natural resources. Non-renewable resources A natural resource, which is present in rigid amounts and cannot exist, grow or renew itself at a speed as it is u tilized, is a non-renewable resource. Few of the non-renewable resources can become renewable but they require very long time duration to come into this category such as the fossil fuels which need millions of years to build up in moderate amount but they cannot be called as exactly renewable. Natural capital Natural resources can become natural capital when they are used up as a commodity that can help to increase the infrastructural capital developments (Perman, 1999, p.9). These can comprise of loam, timber wood, various oils, different minerals and some other sort of products that are digged from the earth. Both the mining of the essential resource and then refining them to an unpolluted, straightly functional form, for example, some metals and the refined oils, are usually designated as the natural resource capitals, although the latter may perhaps not essentially happen next to the former one. A country’s natural resource, sometimes, verify its capital and the repute in the world economic structure, via depicting the political affect in it. Urbanized states in the world are actually not reliant on natural resources for riches, because of their increased dependence on infrastructural capital for fabrication of new products. Though, some view this resource nuisance which might harm the future vistas of a nationalized country because of the time that is wasted in offering bribes for other similar sort of economically non-productive activities that do not lead

Bunisness management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bunisness management - Essay Example This change should come in different forms such as strategic, structural, cultural, process oriented and people oriented. The use of soft and hard approaches to change can be useful in this regard. As the power of the regional heads is one of the major obstacles in bringing change, Gerstner needs to define the company’s objectives and the relative course of action to meet the desired goals. On the other hand, he needs to empower the junior staff with decision making capabilities and innovation in order to create more value and discover more efficient ways of implementing the change process. A participative style of leadership would be appropriate to handle the current situation at IBM. This will allow the employees to analyze a given situation and come up with solutions regarding what to do and how to do it. Gerstner should critically understand and assess the culture and behaviours at each level of IBM. This will help in identifying the core values, attitudes, assumptions and perception of the employees that are essential for the successful change to occur. It will serve as a common baseline for developing the elements of change such as the new corporate strategy, infrastructure and programs to drive change. The implementation of the change process should be followed with the direction of business plans and tactics to meet the customer needs and competition. A continuous reassessment of the organization’s ability to move towards a new wave of transformation is necessary. Soft Approach with the employees: Coetsee (1999) states "any management's ability to achieve maximum benefits from change depends in part of how effectively they create and maintain a climate that minimizes resistant behavior and encourages acceptance and support" (p. 205). This means that Gerstner along with the management of IBM should choose the democratic leadership style as it offers a great deal of flexibility to handle a range of situations. In this way, ideas will move fr eely amongst the group and discussion will be relatively free-flowing. This will facilitate the conversation with the employees and will encourage them to share their ideas and synthesize the available information in the best possible way. It will capitalize their skills and talents by increasing their involvement in decision making activities coupled with new concepts and opinions. At present, the authoritarian atmosphere of the regional heads and other senior management uses the downward or vertical flow of communication to direct the managers and their subordinates. This is suitable in order to tackle such situations where the employees have less knowledge or have no sense of direction and close supervision is required. According to the present condition, Gerstner should restructure it as a flat organization. This will promote team spirit and better flow of communication among the employees. Change in the organizational culture: The culture of IBM is characterized with low tolera nce for change by the involvement of the higher authorities. The degree of formality is high and there are boundaries to separate the top from the ground. Thus, new activities and processes will be very difficult to implement if these characteristics don’t mesh with the culture. Gerstner must use a collective approach to define the ‘shared meaning or purpose’

Violence in the Media and how it Affects Society Essay Example for Free

Violence in the Media and how it Affects Society Essay The effect of media is profound and far-reaching. All over the world, the media influences our values and intrudes upon our deep-seated ideologies and beliefs. Indeed the media has been a powerful force in influencing people’s perceptions, and more importantly, their behavior as well. Business, politicians, and showbiz personalities pay huge sums of money to media firms in order create an image or change an existing one. Politics in particular, has been making use of the media to generate public support for their campaigns and support for certain policies and legislations. Indeed, the power of the media to affect our behavior has long been proven. Among the most pressing issues about media nowadays is how the proliferation of media violence can affect society. People have long believed that constant and chronic exposure to violence through various forms of mass media can erode the values of an individual, especially if the person does not have a strong system of moral support. (Croteau Hoynes 23) However while it is easy to say that violence in media has an adverse effect in society, there are scholars who argue that it is not media per se that causes the negative effects, rather it is a complex interplay of many elements in society, and media is but one element in the issue. (Freedman 54) Media violence and its effect on society cannot be separated from these other factors and therefore, media alone cannot be held responsible for violence in society. As such, this paper intends to understand media violence and its effects on society by understanding the issues that underlie the argument. Violent behavior has long been a source of confusion among sociologists, psychologists and society in general. While there have been many extensive researches that have attempted to study, understand, and explain criminal acts, none thus far has been found to satisfactorily explain all the complex processes and the interplay of factors that pushes an individual to commit violence. Among these theories, the most widely-accepted is the constitutive criminology. According to this theory, violent behavior is the result of the complex interplay between man and the social structures that he interacts with on a regular basis. (Sanders Ferrell 146) As such, perpetrators of violence cannot be analyzed separately from the social processes that they interact with. Following this theory, it is easy to understand why media has often been implicated in the increase of aggressive or violent behavior. Media has been growing more powerful and omniscient by the minute. In particular the Internet, has amplified the power of the media to effect change and influence society’s behavior. The effects of these technological advances have been discussed by Croteau and Hoynes, â€Å"The increase in media options in recent years has even led to an increase in ‘multi-tasking’- using more than one form of media at a time. † (5) With the ubiquitous media surrounding us in all aspects of our lives, it is easy to realize that the media is a big and indispensable part of contemporary life. Indeed the media has become the most dominant and powerful force in our modern world, displacing religious and educational institutions as the primary molder of our individual and collective ideologies. (Croteau and Hoynes 6) And if media can be used to influence buying, voting, and other forms of behavior, it follows that is also affects violence and aggressiveness among people. How media influences people may be explained by Bandura’s social learning theory. According to Bandura (1977), the need to be accepted and conform to society is the main driving force for an individual’s actions. If media then creates the image of what is acceptable and popular, then it is only logical that society acts in accordance to this media-created image. The following figures are taken from the official website of the National Institute on Media and the Family (2006): ? Based on average viewing time, an individual would have seen some 200,000 acts of violence including 40,000 murders on television by the time he or she is eighteen years old (Huston, et al qtd. from the National Institute on Media and the Family). ? Children between the ages of 8 and 18 spend more time exposed to various forms of media (TV, computer, game consoles, music, etc) than any other activity in their lifetime. (Kaiser Family Foundation qtd. from the National Institute on Media and the Family). ? Of over a thousand studies that have been done on the effects of violence in television and movies, majority of them conclude that individuals, especially children who spend significant time watching violence on TV and movies are more likely to display aggressive or violent behavior, attitudes and values. (Senate Committee; Congressional Public Health Summit qtd. from the National Institute on Media and the Family) According to these figures, the younger the age of the individual, the more susceptible they become to the adverse effects of exposure to media violence. (Trend 93) The aggressiveness are often latent and presents later in life which is adds to the difficulty of measuring the actual effects of media violence. (Freedman 137) Women who spend long hours watching TV violence are more likely to respond violently towards their spouses. There is an increase in physicality among women with higher media violence exposure. (Partenheimer) In the same vein, men who watched more media violence exhibit increased physical violence and aggressive behavior towards others as well. Both men and women who watch violence on the Internet, movies, and TV are three times more likely to commit traffic violations and other misdemeanors and felonies. Regardless of any theory, there is no denying the fact that any violent actions or aggressive behavior is a product of a highly complex process, the mechanics of which may forever elude social scientists. However, while violence may indeed be just the end product of a series of interactions between the perpetrator and the world around him, the question still remains why some people who grow up watching the same levels of media violence grow up to be normal people while others become social deviants. As the individual makes the choice to commit an aggression, how much of this is because of media influence and other social and physical factors, and how much of this is purely the individual’s choice? For social scientists the challenge is to create theories that will help prevent violence rather than analyze the aggressive after the fact, after the harm has been done. As previously mentioned, learning does not take place in a vacuum; it does so within a social context. Young children are very impressionable, and they need constant supervision and explicit direction from their parents. Children should be made to realize what behaviors are acceptable and those that are not. Parents should exhaust all efforts to monitor what their children see and hear and provide proper and consistent guidance Indeed the media is very powerful and highly influential. But it is a neutral instrument and can be used for both good and bad. By virtue of its platform of delivery, films and television are highly accessible and are able to reach an enormous audience within a short span of time. The elements of compelling narrative, appealing characters, vivid imagery, and technological achievements, make a powerful combination that is able to stir deep emotions and leave lasting impressions in the psyche of the individuals who are watching. Shows and music that carry positive themes of justice, equality, and honor are very effective in shaping public opinion, and by extension, positive behavior as well. A well-made film or TV show can galvanize a society into action and initiate positive change. Media should temper violence by featuring shows that promote values as well. Works Cited Bandura, Albert. Social Learning Theory. Prentice-Hall. 1977 Croteau, David. Media Society: Industries, Images and Audiences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 2003. Freedman, Jonathan. Media Violence and Its Effect on Aggression: Assessing the Scientific Evidence. University of Toronto Press. 2002. Partenheimer, David. Public Affairs Office. Childhood Exposure To Media Violence Predicts Young Adult Aggressive Behavior, According To A New 15-Year Study. 2003. Retrieved on March 7, 2008 from http://www. apa. org/releases/media_violence. html

Dark Romanticism In The Modern World

Dark Romanticism In The Modern World The label Dark Romanticism is used by people in different contexts to describe gothic novels from the 18th century as well as culture from todays society. Imagination and mystery are key features in the Dark Romanticism movement. The poem I heard a Fly buzz by Emily Dickinson utilizes both the imaginative and natural worlds true colors. Like Dickinson uses dark romanticism in her poems, modern day author J.K. Rowling uses ideologies of Dark Romanticism in her series Harry Potter. Harry Potter uses the imagination as a means to show the mysterious nature of leading to discoveries of the true evil in the world. Dark Romanticism authors use imagination to elevate our thinking. They use objects with little meaning and give it a whole image. The death in Emily Dickinsons poem I heard a Fly buzz is painless, yet the vision of death presents itself as gruesome. The appearance of an ordinary, insignificant fly at first merely startles and disconcerts us. But by the end of the poem, the fly has acquired dreadful meaning. Being imaginative gives the will to understand the meaning of the fly. The fly may be insignificant, but the use of being imaginative allows there to be deeper meaning. Dickinson uses the fly as a symbol within her poem: she describes the fly morel role before her death With blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz, Between the light and me (Dickinson 1). The symbol of the fly is the last thing that comes between Dickinson and the light. The light representing heaven is in her path, but the fly passes right through. Dickinson develops the ideas of death with the use of the simple fly. The usage of the fly buzzing is very critical itself within the poem. If Dickinson were to use the symbol too much it would take away from the moment of focusing on death and cause people to think more about the fly. The flys buzz is in the text because it is something a person would under a normal situation ignore, but when you are dying you become more in touch with your senses. The sense of hearing is one of the five senses a person will loose as the process of dying comes closer. The tie in between death and the fly buzzing is one that must be looked at closely. The buzzing is not something that the average living person would notice, but under the particular circumstances, even the smallest of details become noticeable as one dies. As the voice in the poem is painting the picture the reader becomes more intoned to the idea of death through the use the figurative language and symbols, when the voice speaks about the mourners who have gathered, the sound of a fly buzzing and the clos ing of the window. The mourners watching, eyes beside had wrung them dry (Dickinson 1). Within the poem Dickinson uses figurative language to her full advantage. She uses figurative language to assist her in painting the picture of there being a sad moment in time letting the reader use his or her imaginative ways. The usage of the past tense when setting the scene where all the people were standing around grieving was done excellent through the choice of words. When using the word wrung it helps to suggest that the grieving is over for now. The idea of a window being closed is very symbolic in this poem of a persons life coming to an end. When the window shuts it cuts off all the light to the persons eyes, and therefore the idea of death is being used. The window in this case may very well not even be a glass window a person would look out, yet instead the lid to the coffin this individual is lying in. Being imaginative is the only way for one to find the deeper meaning behind all the images Emily Dickinson uses. Without being imaginative there is no meaning to the poem at all. I heard a fly buzz shows the natural worlds true colors. Emily Dickinson writes to the reader about what the world holds in her poem. She reveals how the world should be seen. The room is silent except I heard a fly buzz when I died; The stillness round my form Was like the stillness in the air Between the heaves of storm (Dickinson 1). There is a moment of expectation. There is stillness in the air, and the watchers of her dying are silent. And still the only sound is the flys buzzing. The speakers tone is calm; her narrative is factual. The I heard a Fly buzz poem is a solemn nature, talking about the last moments of ones life and the simple things that may be seen in the last of memories. It first talks of change in ones perception, the stillness, comparing it to the calm in the eye of the storm. Life is so busy that one rarely has the time or the want to listen to the small things. Her life is slowly coming to an end And breaths were gathering sure or that last onset, when the ki ng Be witnessed in his power (Dickinson 1). Her breathing indicates that the last onset, or death, is about to happen. The last onset is an oxymoron; onset means a beginning and last means an end. For Christians in the world, death is the beginning of the eternal life. Death brings revelation when God or the nature of eternity becomes known. This is why the king may be God, Christ, or death. The thought and description of the last moments of life and the changes that take place in ones perception are true in the real world. Without them there would be no free thinking or the truth in the world would be unseen. The natural worlds true colors need to be reveled in order for there to be life. The world in the series Harry Potter is dark and mysterious. Harry Potters world is filled with mystery in both the muggle world and wizarding world. When Harry was just a baby his parents were killed by Lord Voldemort, the evil dark wizard who plans to take over the wizarding world. With no parents, Harry is sent to the muggle world consisting of non-magical things. Harry Potter is a miserable, lonely boy. Hes shunned by his relatives, the Dursleys, that have raised him since he was an infant. He is forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs, forced to wear his cousin Dudleys hand-me-down clothes, and forced to go to his neighbors house when the rest of the family is doing something fun. Harry is treated like a slave by his Aunt Petunia ordering him to look after the bacon. And dont let it burn, I want everything to be perfect on Duddys birthday (Rowling 19). His life is full of misery. Harrys life has been filled of dark, mysterious things. As Harry enters the wizarding world he learns the history of Voldemort. Voldemort sets out to destroy Harry and take over the world. As Dumbledore tells Harry Voldemort himself created his worst enemy, just as tyrants everywhere do! Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realize that, one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one who rises against them and strikes back! (Rowling 510). Voldemort may be the dark force, but he does have a fear of defeat. Voldemorts defeat happens at Hogwarts. Hogwarts is the stronghold of the series. The most defining aspects of the school are the magic that fills and surrounds it. It is by far one of the most mystical and fantastical geographic locations in the book. Hogwarts is a mystery itself, full of ghosts, hidden chambers, and secret passages. Hogwarts sometimes takes on a life of its own, when it produces the Room of Requirement, or moves entrances and exits at its will. Although most of the seventh book takes places outside th e school, it is here that the final battle between Harry and Lord Voldemort takes places. The climax of the series, in its entirety, returns to the only home Harry has ever known as well as Voldermort. At Hogwarts, Harry finally defeats Lord Voldemort in a dramatic wizarding duel that results with the demise of the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord that has caused all the terror in the wizarding world is finally gone. To create the world of Harry Potter, imagination plays a big role. Rowling is responsible for creating some of the most mind-blowing elements of fantasy found in literature. One of the most enchanting aspects of the novels is the wide variety of magical places that Rowling visits with her readers as we follow Harry Potter on his journey to leave the muggle world behind and grow up in the wizarding world. Starting in London, Rowling places Harry at Charing Cross Road, an actual street in London that runs north from Trafalgar Square to St. Giles Circus. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, Hagrid and Harry travel to this particular street to reach the Leaky Cauldron, a pub and inn that is in between a large book store and record shop. At first glance, the building appears to be relatively normal. As J.K. Rowling states in the first novel Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it (Rowling 68). It has food and drinks and rooms that over look Charing Cross Road. Everything a person might expect to find at a normal inn with the exception that the building is invisible to a large portion of those people, specifically muggles. Imperceptible to non-magical individuals, the Leaky Cauldron serves as a magical portal that links the muggle world to the magical one. It is here, at the Leaky Caldron, that Harry Potter gets his first taste of celebrity. Exiting the Leaky Cauldron, Hagrid and Harry find themselves at a brick wall that when tapped on opens to Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley, a magical street of the wizarding world, is hidden within London that can be accessed off of Charing Cross Road, as well as through the Floo Network and Apparition. The journey continues at Kings Cross Station in London. Harry searches amongst the muggles for Platform 9 3/4 and the train that will depart from it. Inquiring as to where he might find this train that is scheduled for departure, Harry is informed by a guard there wasnt one (Rowling 9 1), thereby leaving the tracks available for magical use and, once again, revealing Rowlings transposition of the magical and muggle worlds. Harrys journey to enrollment is finished when he finally arrives at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To muggles, the institution appears to be a moldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance warning visitors to stay out. Without imagination this serious would be incomplete. Imagination is the center for it all. Rowling uses her imagination to open up a whole new world for the reader. The world is unrealistic, but that is what makes the series Harry Potter open up and take a persons imagination to new heights. Dickinson and Rowling are from different time periods, but their ideologies are the same. Both are wrapped up in the Dark Romanticism movement. Rowling uses principles of Dark Romanticism, like imagination and showing how the world is dark and mysterious, today just as Dickinson used back in 1830. J.K. Rowlings series Harry Potter creates an everlasting belief in a world that is not normal and usual. The mind and imagination is explored to the highest of levels which excites and thrills. For that brief period in time, there is true belief in the unreal and impossible. Without Dark Romanticism or authors like Dickinson, there may never have been Harry Potter.

Literature Review discussing British Petroleum’s environmental effects

Literature Review discussing British Petroleum’s environmental effects Societies today, more than ever, are faced with more complex and environmental problems with the proliferation of technological advancement as human populations mounts. It is paramount for large energy companies to balance the needs of stakeholders  [1]  and demonstrate their intent of environment stewardship. In BPs strategy on their corporate website, they state their goals for value creation while producing affordable energy that is secure and doesnt damage the environment  [2]  . In other words, this means progressing forward through the expansion of their energy production while bearing in mind the impact of their activities on the environment. This, in essence, illustrates BPs stance on sustainability and their environmental awareness. Policy of environmental awareness in British Petroleum Environmental awareness is defined as a broad philosophy and social movements with respect to the environmental conservation concerns and improvement in the state of the environment. It ties in with the responsible initiatives that demonstrate a corporations commitment to key environmental and safety issues. Recently, BP has came under the spotlight following the April 2010 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig which killed 11 people and caused one of the worst oil spills in history  [3]  . Given its status as one of the worlds largest energy providers, this catastrophe has brought about a lot of clout over BPs environmental and safety practices. Subsequently, this led to exhaustive investigation that revealed inadequate controls and incompliance with major aspects of offshore drilling safety. As a result, BP announced its commitment to continue working with government officials and other operators to identify and boost industry-wide safety measures  [4]  . Nevertheless, BP publicizes a sustainability report annually to demonstrate their sustainability efforts in action while aligning themselves to their environmental policy. BPs policy follows a fundamental belief that it can make a difference in the world  [5]  . It strives to be the local energy company by the production of energy with minimal impact on the environment. New initiatives have been launched to incorporate benefits to the local community and help in establishing its position as a responsibility energy provider. For example, BP has invested around $1billion  [6]  annually in low-carbon energy in the last 5 years, putting them well positioned in reaching their commitment of $8 billion  [7]  by 2015. In light of climate change, BP showed recognition to the significance of climate change. Its environmental policy embraces legislation changes and aligns the firms sustainability actions to ensure environmental stewardship. This includes stringent protocols imposed to ensure that all projects and operations are designed and conducted in accordance with legal and internal environmental standards  [8]  . For example, BPs major operating sites today are all certified under the international environment management system standard ISO 14001  [9]  , demonstrating the huge strides in minimizing their environmental impact. According to BPs sustainability review report 2009, it demonstrates BPs awareness of their responsibility as a major energy provider to manage the environmental impacts of energy production and consumption. They have led a programme of action that have since brought about reduction of 7.9 million  [10]  tones of greenhouse gas emissions from their operations. BP actively seeks out new environmental technologies and methods to reduce the environmental impact of providing energy  [11]  . For instance, it has developed technologies such as wide azimuth tower streamer (WATS)  [12]  that enables BP to discover reservoirs previously obscured and maximize recovery and efficiency of their exploration activity. Initiatives taken by BP to Sustainability Issues BP operates according to strict internal control systems that extend from board-level policies to operational process to ensure businesses conduct their business responsibly  [13]  . Over the years, they have progressed significantly in their environmental sustainability issues. Sustainability is defined as the capacity to endure. At BP, this definition is extended to include the renewal of assets, creation and delivery of better products and services that meet the ever-changing needs of society, attracting successive generation of employees, contribution to a sustainable environment and retain the trust and support of their customers, shareholders, and the communities in which they operate  [14]  . Initiatives for Climate Change With greenhouse gases rising at an ever increasing rate, governments are urged by the risk of climate change to introduce new measures to limit emissions. On this front, BP has outlined emissions assessments to enforce the most efficient environmental methods. This is executed through their proprietary framework for both developed and developing countries to commit to identify mitigating action and quantify emission targets  [15]  . In addition to that, the BP website  [16]  offers a myriad of environmental tools to provide transparency and insight into BPs environmental efforts and allow individuals to assess their own carbon footprint and lifestyle  [17]  . ISO 14001 and Environmental Sustainability BP follows the ISO 14001 environmental management standards and publishes a sustainability review to track its environmental sustainability issues. In the fiscal year of 2009, the organization has launched several initiatives in light of environmental sustainability. Notably, one of these initiatives is BPs stance and support on carbon pricing. They firmly believe that the provision of carbon price will make energy conservation a more attractive venture and encourage investments in alternative energy space to cut down the carbon usage in organizations. Moreover, BP has designed a plan of action in their environmental sustainability efforts by optimizing their own operations towards a more energy efficiency model and had led in the creation of new products to lower customers carbon footprint  [18]  . Their drive in the former has saw the inception of projects such as the reducing flaring and venting, process optimization projects and waste heat recovery. This initiative will bring about a total reduction of about 7.9 million tonnes of carbon usage. In the latter, BP has worked in collaboration with Ford to engineer advanced Castrol lubricants  [19]  that sole advantage bring improvement in fuel efficiency and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, BP has placed emphasis on building its low-carbon energy portfolio with substantial investments in biofuels, wind power and solar photovoltaic systems. Initiatives in the public domain Besides these programmes, BP is active in its participation of policy debate with its push to drive climate change at international and national levels. For example, they have signed the Copenhagen Communiquà © to demonstrate their support in the private sector call towards a long term ambitious, robust and equitable global deal on climate change  [20]  . These measures have paved the way in BPs efforts to measure the environmental sustainability issues. Last but not least, BP has been a generous contributor in research programmes in particularly on climate change and low-carbon options. These include several high profile research such as the Carbon Mitigation Initiative at Princeton University  [21]  , its collaboration with Chinese Academy of Science on the Clean Energy Facing the Future programme  [22]   as well as the Energy Initiatives launched at MIT and Caltech. BP Commitment to Health and safety measures BP is committed to seek out improvements in its safety performance through the implementation of procedures and processes in pursuit of their mission statement of no accidents and no harm to people  [23]  . In light of the 2010 Gulf oil spill disaster, BP has came down upon a lot of scrutiny with respect to its safety practices. As a result, the organization announced its commitment to continue working with government officials and other operators to identify and boost industry-wide safety measures  [24]  . Improvement and Initiatives made In wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, BP announced its decision for an overhauling reorganization that would give safety a higher priority. This first measure implemented saw the creation of a new safety division  [25]  that would preside over the companys operations. This division will use a systematic approach to seek improvements in safety performance through promoting safe operations and upping their efforts on process safety. BP is also shifting away from the use of contractors in light of the accident which caused 11 deaths of rig workers. Despite outsourcing certain functions to contractors, BP is still the company that is solely responsible for the accidental damages. On top of these changes, BP is currently assessing its executive bonus scheme that puts more weight to financial and operational targets. This new restructured bonus schemes would take into account more on key safety measure to align employees objectives to its safety practices. This will help improve the health and safety practice by perpetuating its safety culture to yield results. For example, BP reviews employee views on various dimension of safety with the Pulse plus survey  [26]   to achieve continued progress in integrating safety into their business. Furthermore, BP has launched an internal safety awards to foster pride in attaining BPs values. This recognition on the importance of safety across all aspects would further elevate BPs profile of safety  [27]  and help rebuild the trust in BP. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and British Petroleum Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis  [28]  . Today, CSR is more relevant than ever, in particularly for a large energy company such as BP that engages in the exploration and production of oil. CSR is often debated as the appropriate actions that companies should take that goes beyond its philanthropic efforts and delves further into the fundamental question of how companies produce their goods and provide their services  [29]  . At BP, CSR is recognized as the primary responsibility to maximize the value of the firm and operation of the company in accordance with the norms and values of its shareholders  [30]  . This broad notion as defined by BP reflects its concern about the operating environment, its license to operate within it, which provides the impetus for BP to undertake a broader role in societal affairs  [31]  . BPs CSR practice and Workforce Welfare BPs CSR involvement goes well beyond than just minimizing its emissions. According to the corporate website, BP is involved in their contribution to policy debate, supporting research and development for newer, cleaner technologies in power and transport  [32]  . Besides that, this also includes the consideration of building business skills of the local people through community based development programmes, supporting education and giving aid to local organization. In the instance of building business skills, BP has ran a range of programmes designed to build the skills and impart knowledge on supply chain management to geographical locations like Azerbaijian, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago. This programmes helps accomplish a win-win situation for both parties, providing local companies with the expertise and know-how while enabling BP to source goods and services locally. This sharing of technical expertise extends to local governments where BP draws from their expertise and glo bal reach to support local governments in the development of their economic sustainability. For example, BP funded an EU-based think tank, to consult the Azerbaijian Ministry of Economic Development on macroeconomics analysis, economic planning and policy formulation  [33]  . BP is also active on supporting education, investing in resources to build strengths in management education. A case in point is the post-graduate degree in energy law in Angola that BP played a vital role in the development and financing, while working alongside governments, state oil company and academia  [34]  . They have offered educational resources such as books, classrooms, teachers training and management training. BP have delivered immunization exercises for the Tangguh community and educated the local residents on reproductive health and personal hygiene. Their active involvement resulted in a plunge in malaria prevalence from 23% in 2000 to less than 1% in 2009  [35]  . As a result of BP CSR practices, many of these communities and villages have been provided with better facilities such as rainwater harvesting systems and villagers are able to substantial improvement in their workforce welfare. BP Building a sustainable talent pipeline BP has a clear understanding that people are fundamental to the success of business operation. Over the years, they have focused their efforts on building a sustainable talent pipeline  [36]   where they recruit graduates and trained them from the ground up to progress their career into roles that could help maximize their contribution to the business. Cross culture and Diversity Cross culture issues simply refers to the issues that involve dealing of two or more different cultures  [37]  . BPs understanding of cross culture issues can be reflected in their commitment to build a diverse organization, where people of different cultures are embraced to foster an environment that is collegial and respectful. They firmly value a multicultural workplace and embed diversity and inclusion across the organization. BP runs a global diversity council where diversity plans are established and tailored accordingly to each strategic performance unit (SPU). Here, the diversity plans sets specific targets and organizes networking events for affinity groups whereby certain sub-sets of employees can network and exchange experiences. For example, BP currently has the BP Womens International Network; the BP Pride group for homosexuals; BP Global Reach Group; BP Gray Matters and the US-based BP Asian, African-American and Latino networks  [38]  . The availability of such affinity groups demonstrates BPs understanding of cross cultural issues and practice of diversity. Within these affinity groups, members come together to discuss key issues and learn from each other. These groups would provide them with an informal setting to build their network and gather contacts. The BP Womens International Network, for example, is a global network with a sole purpose of connecting women and encourage women to stay with BP to fulfill their career goals  [39]  . This openness of BP with its core focus on diversity and inclusion is certainty a strategy that will enable its success in the 21st century global marketplace  [40]  . It leverages diversity exemplified by gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, sexual orientation and identity, religion, and tribe, among other things-while preparing itself for the future by continuing to diversify its employee base  [41]  . Ultimately, BPs diversity practice will inevitably help spur innovation, creativity and a deepened awareness of diversity and inclusion concepts  [42]  . Comparative analysis with key competitors In this task, I will seek to do a comparison of BPs equal opportunity and diversity practice with its key competitors such as Shell and Conoco Phillips. BP At BP, the equal opportunity and diversity practice consists of three basic tenets which are (i) fair treatment and equal employment opportunity; (ii) respectful, harassment-free workplace; and (iii) privacy and employee confidentiality  [43]  . These tenets strive to draw from BPs diversity as strength to create an environment that fosters mutual trust whereby diversity and inclusion are valued. BP follows a policy that fair treatment, courtesy and respect are entitlement given to every employee and would show no tolerance for offensive and belligerent behavior. The last tenet is a rule that protects the confidentially of their employees personal information. Royal Dutch Shell Similarly, Shells motto is to embed diversity and inclusion (DI). They firmly believe that this would help create a stronger future for Shell and help achieve their aspirations. Shell defines the management of DI to involve addressing the factors of difference and fully capitalizing on the potential contribution of all employees to continue to build their leadership in place. At Shell, DI is seen as a competitive advantage that will enable Shell to cultivate a competitive culture  [44]  . On the equal opportunity front, Shell also emphasizes their position as an equal opportunity employer that strives to recruit based on technical and competencies. ConocoPhillips At ConocoPhillips, a similar stance on diversity is taken where the company strives to represent and reflect the global communities in which we live and work  [45]  . They stand by the creation of an inclusive environment that respects contributions and differences of every individual  [46]  . Here, the same catchphrase of Diversity and Inclusion encompasses the creation of a multicultural work environment, together with an inclusive culture to ensure individuals contributions and differences are respected and valued  [47]  . In terms of equal opportunity aspect, ConocoPhilips wholly supports the principle of equally opportunity in employments and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified individuals  [48]  . Conclusion To conclude, this report examines the many responsibilities that falls on a large organization like British Petroleum (BP). Given its status as one of the worlds largest energy providers, BP has demonstrated their sustainability efforts in action while aligning themselves to their environmental policy. Over the years, they have launched several initiatives to tackle their sustainability issues and progressed significantly in their environmental awareness. This includes initiatives for climate change, imposition of ISO 14001 environmental management standards and initiatives in the public domain. In the wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, a comprehensive overview of their safety practices and social responsibilities initiatives are examine. This details the contribution and improvements made in the improvement of workforce welfare in geographical locations such as Azerbaijian, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago. Finally, this segues to a discussion on the cross-culture issues at BP and its practice of diversity. The last bit of the report is a comparative analysis of the equal opportunity and diversity practices in BP and across its key competitors.

Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution :: History

Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution In Britain about two hundred years ago, great changes took place in making goods and transport, which has moulded the way our world works today. These changes made big differences to many people’s lives and work methods; and put together these are called the Industrial Revolution. They started in Britain and spead to Europe and on to the United States. A lot of the Industrial Revolution’s changes helped the lives of people as transport was more secure and faster, but also mass production was brought in. Before the Industrial Revolution people made goods on a small-scale from their own homes, or in workshops beside their house, The whole family would be involed in producing and selling the product (This can be called by the ‘Domestic System’). It was safe to work at home as they only used hand tools and simple machinery, these worked by hand or foot. In some situations a few bigger machines were used and water wheels were used as a power source. The Domestic System moved aside for more complex machines and new methods were invented in the eighteenth century which were powered by steam and gathered together in factories to produce more goods. It meant that people would work regular hours and not when they wanted too. Before the invention of steam engines, wind mills and water wheels were used for powering big machinary. The first steam engine in the early seventeen hundreds was mainly used in the mines for pumping out water. James Watt in 1782 developed a new steam engine that was able to power factory machines. By that time factories had built up, particually in the cotton industry, which took over from wool. In 1733 John Kay, a workman from Bury (Landcashire), invented his â€Å"flying† shuttle, which made the making of cloth (weaving) much faster. To keep the weavers busy, more spub thead (yarn) was needed, But James Hargreaves with his ‘spinning jenny’, Samuel Crompton with his ‘mule’ and Sir Richard Arkwright, who was more of an organiser than a inventer, made it possible to increase the yarn supply. Further improvements came later to weaving. Edmund Cartwright invented the powered loom in 1785, but it was not efficient until thirty years later. They were use d in the cotton industry and also in the older woollen industry as well. More machines were built and some were not in factories, since farmers were also using machinary for faster and more efficient methods of growing crops. Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution :: History Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution In Britain about two hundred years ago, great changes took place in making goods and transport, which has moulded the way our world works today. These changes made big differences to many people’s lives and work methods; and put together these are called the Industrial Revolution. They started in Britain and spead to Europe and on to the United States. A lot of the Industrial Revolution’s changes helped the lives of people as transport was more secure and faster, but also mass production was brought in. Before the Industrial Revolution people made goods on a small-scale from their own homes, or in workshops beside their house, The whole family would be involed in producing and selling the product (This can be called by the ‘Domestic System’). It was safe to work at home as they only used hand tools and simple machinery, these worked by hand or foot. In some situations a few bigger machines were used and water wheels were used as a power source. The Domestic System moved aside for more complex machines and new methods were invented in the eighteenth century which were powered by steam and gathered together in factories to produce more goods. It meant that people would work regular hours and not when they wanted too. Before the invention of steam engines, wind mills and water wheels were used for powering big machinary. The first steam engine in the early seventeen hundreds was mainly used in the mines for pumping out water. James Watt in 1782 developed a new steam engine that was able to power factory machines. By that time factories had built up, particually in the cotton industry, which took over from wool. In 1733 John Kay, a workman from Bury (Landcashire), invented his â€Å"flying† shuttle, which made the making of cloth (weaving) much faster. To keep the weavers busy, more spub thead (yarn) was needed, But James Hargreaves with his ‘spinning jenny’, Samuel Crompton with his ‘mule’ and Sir Richard Arkwright, who was more of an organiser than a inventer, made it possible to increase the yarn supply. Further improvements came later to weaving. Edmund Cartwright invented the powered loom in 1785, but it was not efficient until thirty years later. They were use d in the cotton industry and also in the older woollen industry as well. More machines were built and some were not in factories, since farmers were also using machinary for faster and more efficient methods of growing crops.

Black Panther Party :: Huey P. Newton

In the late 1960's and early '70's posters of the Black Panther Party's co-founder, Huey P. Newton were plastered on walls of college dorm rooms across the country. Wearing a black beret and a leather jacket, sitting on a wicker chair, a spear in one hand and a rifle in the other, the poster depicted Huey Newton as a symbol of his generation's anger and courage in the face of racism and classism. He is the man whose intellectual capacity and community leadership abilities helped to found the Black Panther Party (BPP). Newton played an instrumental role in refocusing civil rights activists to the problems of urban Black communities. He also tapped the rage and frustration of urban Blacks in order to address social injustice. However, the FBI's significant fear of the Party's aggressive actions would not only drive the party apart but also perpetuated false information regarding the Panther's programs and accomplishments. In recent years, historians have devoted much attention of the early 1960's, to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and have ignored the Black Panthers. The Panthers and Huey P. Newton's leadership of the Party are as significant to the Black freedom struggle as more widely known leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. A typical American history high school textbook not only neglects to mention Huey Newton but also disregards the existence of the Black Panthers altogether. Huey's experiences growing up were central in his conception of the Black Panthers. Unlike King and many other civil rights leaders who were religious Southerners, from middle class and well-educated families, Huey P. Newton was a working class man from a poor urban black neighborhood. Born February 17, 1942, in Oak Grove Louisiana, Huey moved to Oakland, California when he was just two years old. During childhood, his baby face, light complexion, medium height, squeaky voice and his name "Huey", forced him to learn how to fight early on in life. Huey's remarkable quick wit and strength earned him the respect of his peers and the reputation of being a tough guy (Seale 40). Upon his enrollment at Merrit College Huey's academic achievements quickly began to surpass other students, while at the same time he was still able to relate to those he grew up with on the streets of Oakland. Autobiographer, Hugh Pearson in Shadow of the Panther reports that Huey "remained comfortable on the street corners with young Negro men who drank wine all day†¦and fought one another - young men whom most college-bound Negroes shied away from (Pearson 115).

Locating Macbeth at the Thresholds of Time, Space and Spiritualism Ess

In the preface to Folie et dà ©raison, Michel Foucault unmistakably locates madness at the limen of cultural identity: European man, since the beginning of the Middle Ages has had a relation to something he calls, indiscriminately, Madness, Dementia, Insanity. †¦ [It is] a realm, no doubt, where what is in question is the limits rather than the identity of a culture. (Foucault xi) By describing madness in this way, he demonstrates his understanding of madness as a cultural phenomenon, defined not by the analysis of a subject’s symptoms, but rather the shared assumption that a subject is not ‘right’, does not conform to the prevailing ideological norm. Written in the late twentieth century, his work is a treatise about the wider cultural effects produced by a policy of confinement of the social outsider. Three centuries earlier, William Shakespeare completed and staged what are now considered the greatest and most evil of all his tragedies, the tragedy of Macbeth. Themes of witchcraft, infanticide, suicide and death pervade the fabric of the play, which possibly contributes to the theatrical superstition that surrounds its production to this day. Nevertheless, it seems curious to me the play is seldom discussed as one that focuses on madness, when it deals with two of the most insane and depraved characters in all of Shakespeare. 1 It seems curious to me that Shakespeare’s tragedies so often revolve around common themes of â€Å"Madness, Dementia, Insanity,† and there is much scholarship as to how this discourse of madness should be interpreted1, but less with particular reference to Macbeth. Curiouser still is that Shakespeare’s Renaissance understanding of madness, as demonstrated in his portrayal of this madness is... ...ephen, et al. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. Print. Somerville, Henry. Madness in Shakespearian tragedy. London: The Richards Press Ltd., 1929. Print. Styan, J. L. "The Drama: Reason in Madness." Theatre Journal 32 3 (1980): 371-85. Print. ---. Perspectives on Shakespeare in performance. Studies in Shakespeare vol. 11. New York: P. Lang, 1999. Print. Weimann, Robert. Shakespeare and the popular tradition in the theater :studies in the social dimension of dramatic form and function. Ed. Schwartz, Robert. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1978. Print. ii Wheelwright, Philip. "Philosophy of the Threshold." The Sewanee Review 61 1 (1953): 56-75. Print. Wilson Knight, G. The wheel of fire : interpretations of Shakespearian tragedy, with three new essays. University paperbacks, U. P. 12. [4th rev. and enl. ed. London: Methuen, 1965. Print. iii

Heinrich Isaac; Research Paper

Heinrich Isaac is noted as a central figure in late 15th and early 16th century musical development. He was one of three leading composers of the Franco Flemish or Netherlandish School with Jakob Obrecht and Josquin Des Prez. Although Josquin Des Prez was undoubtedly the major figure of the middle renaissance and is most often mentioned before Heinrich Isaac, Isaac is one of several that also deserve recognition. Heinrich was born around ten years after Josquin in 1450-1455. Historians are somewhat certain he was born in Flemish Brabant, a province of Flanders#.Very little is recorded of Heinrich’s early life. It is believed that he was educated in the same area, the Low Countries, due to its excellent standards in musical education. Isaac is also noted to have been a pupil of the Florentine organist Antonio Squarcialupi. It is supposed that Heinrich had begun composing music by 1470. All of this is very hard to establish; the first documented reference to Heinrich Isaac is da ted September 15, 1484, thirty or so years after his estimated birth.This document comes from Innsbruck, southwest Austria and refers to Heinrich as a hired member of a royal choir owned by Duke Sigismund of the House of Hapsburgs. The following year Heinirch traveled to Florence. Multiple documents show that Isaac acquired a position in 1485 as a designated singer at the church Santa Maria del Fiore, commonly known as the Duomo. Heinrich Isaac was known for his close association with the Medici family. It is suspected that Lorenzo de’ Medici was responsible for Isaac’s move from Innsbruck.Heinrich maintained close ties with the family throughout his entire life. He is said to have worked for the Medicis as an organist and a musical teacher however recent findings of documentation explain that â€Å"the Medici’s organist† was a title held by another Isaac. Isaac did work with the family as a teacher and choir director. While in Florence Isaac composed a g reat deal of music including masses and motets. Some of these linked Heinrich’s association with the Medici family. Lorenzo died in 1492 and Piero inherited everything including his father’s musical groups.Isaac wrote two motets in remembrance of Lorenzo. Piero took these groups to Rome to perform for the coronation of Pope Alexander VI. This was the same time and the same pope by which Michael Angelo was commissioned to reconstruct St. Peter’s Basillica. The Medici family was banished from Florence in 1494. In 1496 Heinrich was employed by Maximilian I the newly Holy Roman emperor. In 1497 Isaac was appointed court composer of the Hapsburg empire. Payment documents impose that Isaac traveled with the court through Augsburg, Wels, and Innsbruck between 1497 and 1501.Around 1502 Heinrich traveled to the Este court in Ferrera, Italy to compete with Josquin des Prez for a position. We do have a letter from the family that reads â€Å"Isaac is a disposition among h is companions, and he will compose new works more often. It is true that Josquin composes better, but he composes when he wants to and not when one wants his to. † Recent scholarship says that Isaac never asked for the job. Heinrich was commissioned by the Constance cathedral in 1508 after traveling though Constance, Augsburg, and Florence for several years to write his outstandingly large Choralis Constatinus.Isaac returned to Florence in 1514 and died in 1517. Though most sources confirm that Isaac fled from Italy, newer historical findings suggest that Isaac actually never left Florence. Not only did Isaac not leave Florence after Lorenzo’s death but Heinrich Isaac later married a native Florentine, settled down, and became an established citizen of Florence. Isaacs’s marriage was supposedly arranged through Lorenzo Medici. Isaac was able to include both German and Italian aspects in his work, something that made him very distinct from his contemporaries.Most contemporary composers, who called themselves Florentines like he did, limited their traveling to France and Italy. Heinrich is described as one of the most prolific composers of his time. He made significant contributions to both secular and church music; of Germanic and Italian influence; of the splendor of the church and the secularism of the renaissance of which he was such a part of. â€Å"His work spanned from Flemish styled polyphony to bright Italian and French love songs, from ceremonial music expressing the pageantry and power of the church and state to rollicking songs in French,Italian and German embodying the popular, secular spirit of the Renaissance, and from rich choral textures for the church to exquisite chamber music for courtly entertainment. †# Isaacs output includes about forty Mass Ordinaries, 100 proper mass cycles (though most were published posthumously in the three- volume Choralis Constantinus), over fifty motets; and close to fifty secular songs m ade of French chansons, Italian Frottole, and a large amount of German Tenorlieder. Isaacs best known work is probably Innsbruch, ich muss dich lassen, a Tenorlieder written on the theme of a Germanic folk song.The same melody was used for the Lutheran chorale O Welt, Ich Muss Dich Lassen. Later both J. S. Bach and J. Brahms used the famed theme. Heinrich Isaac’s significance stands not only in his scope and quality but also in his influence particularly seen in Germany. Heinrich acted as an ambassador of the Netherlandish style to Germany. Heinrich had a great effect on the musical development of Germany, leading it into the mainstream European musical tradition and the further development of contrapuntal music.Heinrich’s music directly influenced German composers like Bach and Brahms who in turn influenced aspects in all of western music. As a professionally successful musician and patroned person of the three most powerful men in Europe, Heinrich Isaac’s musi c was most definitely seen and heard. Sources- The New Oxford History of Music: volume III Wikipedia Encyclopedia Britannica online www. bach-cantatas. com Absorbing Heinrich Isaac by David J Burn, Blake Wilson, And Giovanni Zanovello