Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Heart And Soul Of Change - 1125 Words

INTRODUCTION This packet contains some of the therapeutic assumptions, interventions and experiments we use when working with children and adolescents in adventure therapy settings. We will also provide a brief overview about using each client’s unique key strengths for tailor-fitting adventure therapy practices to further emotional processing and collaboration between adventure therapists and program participants. Our program model was developed through ongoing evaluations allowing our adolescent clients and their families to be the best judge of the experience and what contributed to positive outcomes. By distancing ourselves from arguments about processes and models, we are looking to do more of what works and avoid prescribing more of the same treatments for clients that have been through the widespread network of numerous services and professionals. WHY PEOPLE CHANGE Instead of focusing solely on the process of therapy, we have benefitted from tailor-fitting our approach to the unique factors most often reported by clients as to why they have changed. Hubble, Duncan, and Miller (1999) report in their book The Heart and Soul of Change: What Works in Therapy that client factors such as strengths and resources (40%) and the therapeutic relationship (30%) have more of an impact on client change than factors such as treatment models and therapeutic processes. In our work we allow our adolescent clients, their parents and outcome-focused literature to inform ourShow MoreRelatedThe History Of Madness By Daniel Defoe1255 Words   |  6 PagesWhat Soul Has Become Daniel Defoe once said, â€Å"The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear†. Just like the refinement of a diamond is a process, the refinement of the soul is also a process. Both Hillman and Cheetham look at soul as a deepening of experience inwardly through the human heart and how it relates outwardly to the world soul, or Anima Mundi. In his book, The History of Madness, Michel Foucault takes us on a journey throughRead MoreA Dialogue Between The Soul And The Body Summary1465 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A Dialogue between the Soul and the Body,† the tension between those two entities is explored. This poem highlights the struggle between the soul and the body and, more specifically, why they hate being paired together. They both need each other to be whole, but they both live a tortured existence while the other is present in their life. Through Marvell’s use of metaphor and paradox, the b ody is proven to have a harder time than the soul. â€Å"A Dialogue between the Soul and the Body† is made upRead MoreDiscipleship : A Curriculum For Christlikeness785 Words   |  4 Pagesgiven to change a person heart from their way of thinking about the unbeliever and feelings of rejection because evangelism is not about the person but God. So, the first thing of a curriculum for Christlikeness is to change what people believe. Willard also states, In order to become a disciple of Jesus, then, one must believe in him. To be at home in his kingdom, learning to reign with him there, we must share his beliefs. (319) Otherwise, the individual character and behavior cannot change. TheRead More The Picture of Dorian Gray - Comparing Dorian to His Self-Portrait917 Words   |  4 Pagesthe picture could change, and I could be always what I am now! Why did you paint it? It will mock me some day - mock me horribly! (22) This is the turning point of the novel as Dorians wish is granted. The picture has now taken on the role of D orians soul and conscience. This is where the idea of doubleness exists. The picture has become Dorian, and Dorian himself is nothing more then a body and pretty face. Holding all of Dorians secrets and thoughts it is his true soul, his true personRead MoreThe Influence Of Calvinist Ideas On The Early Nineteenth Century900 Words   |  4 Pagesthis movement that was lead by Ralph Waldo Emerson, though not the only important figures in this movement, another vital name included Henry David Thoreau. The transcendental movement focused on the heart, in a time where focus was on god, this new focus on ones feelings and one’s heart began to change the views on Calvinism and Puritanism. (Garcia, Lecture 4, p.3) This was an important phenomenon in the nineteenth century that allowed man to think freely, an important foundation for the new era toRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1482 Words   |  6 Pagesmethods regarding both symbolism and  ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬heart disease from hi s book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor will be discussed and applied to one of Oscar Wilde’s novels. Throughout his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde uses the portrait of the young protagonist as a symbol of many things, one of them being a mirror. Wilde also uses Gray’s death to not only signify suicide, but his true unhappiness through the stabbing and thus killing of his own soul. Throughout the novel The Picture ofRead MoreEssay on John Donnes Sonnet 141380 Words   |  6 Pagesshine. These words have biblical background and are justified by verses in the New Testament of the Bible. Jesus uses a parable in a book of the Bible saying that He knocks on peoples hearts and they are the ones who open the door to Him. The translation of this is, that Jesus only enters a persons heart or life if we let Him in. Donne wants Jesus to knock on the door of His life because he is willing to let Him in. God is often referred to as the Person who breathes life into man. TheRead MoreCriticism Of The Alchemist1568 Words   |  7 Pagesbeing right where he begins, but it is evident that his voyage is essential to finding it because he learns crucial lessons about the world along his adventures. People that Santiago meets along his adventure help him and teach him about love and the Soul of the World. They encourage him to follow his Personal Legend and to never give up on it. Spain, the desert, the oasis, and other locations that Santiago must travel through produce complications that he has never dealt with before. Santiago mustRead MoreHow Can Anyone Ever Changed On You?1240 Words   |  5 Pageswill make you laugh like comedy and not even do stand-ups, but the funniest is when they leave you on that same stage while they resign as actors. Either way the blame s on you, your priceless love got you wondering why people change on you. It’s like your mind and soul are auctioned but instead of getting offers..of love; no one’s willing to bail you out of this unacknowledged dump. It’s like picking out a suspicious face from that long selection, can’t tell real from fake — ‘cause either way theirRead MoreMusic And Music : The Impacts Of Music In Globalization1162 Words   |  5 Pages 1. In many different events however were sad or happy, most people use music as a way to express their feelings. C. Music planets pleasure everywhere that it exists. 1. Music touches hearts, souls and brain in many different places, people are all very much similar when it comes to the human heart, mind, and soul when they need pleasure. a. Tourists can go to another country and not understand a word of their language, but let the music from that county start to ring out, and instantaneously their

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Imperialism And The United States Experience During...

During World War One, the United States encountered many challenges, affecting America and Foreign Nations and their respective populations. Imperialism, economic expansion and industrialization impacted the United States’ experience during World War One. Americans were forced to recognize their strengths and weaknesses internally and externally. Imperialism is defined as a policy or practice by which a country increases its power by gaining control over other areas of the world . Prior to United States engagement in World War One, imperialism, infectiously occupied the world. In Europe, four great imperial powers existed, the German, Russian, Austrian-Hungarian and Ottoman . Each of these empires were struggling to exert authority over†¦show more content†¦Americans began to question their own imperialistic values within. At the same time, they were questioning the imperialism abroad and how, if at all it would affect them directly. Initially, the United States remained unconcerned and involved keeping their distance. A national foreign policy of neutrality reflected America’s inward looking focus on construction and management of its new powerful industrial economy but in large part with foreign capital . However, as conflict progressed in Europe, it became apparent that the threat to America’s intere st was conceivably imminent and in need of immediate intervention and oversight. President Wilson believed an imminent German victory would drastically and dangerously alter the balance of power in Europe . The United States decided the time had come to intercede and for the better of their country. The United States exerted itself in the service of American interest around the world . Moreover, the Unites States expanded upon a long history of exploration, trade, and cultural exchange to practice something new that looked much like an empire . World War 1 allowed for economic expansion. The need to acquire and maintain foreign territory for America’s special interest remained as a priority and the goals were set. With the war progressing, America’s exports were threatened. The United States had long been involved in Pacific commerce with American ships traveling to China since

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Adventures Of Huck Finn And Society Essay Example For Students

Adventures Of Huck Finn And Society Essay All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn, according to Ernest Hemingway. Along with Ernest, many others believe that Huckleberry Finn is a great book, but is the novel subversive? Since this question is frequently asked, people have begun to look deeper into the question to see if this novel is acceptable for students in schools to read. First off subversive means something is trying to overthrow or destroy something established or to corrupt as in morals. According to Lionel Trilling, No one who reads thoughtfully the dialectic of Hucks great moral crisis will ever again be wholly able to accept without some question and some irony the assumptions of the respectable morality by which he lives, or will ever again be certain that what he considers the clear dictates of moral reason are not merely the engrained customary beliefs of his time and place. Trilling feels that Huck Finn is such a subversive character that this will not make people believe in something totally again, because they will fear being wrong like the society in Huckleberry Finn was. I believe this and I think the subversion in the novel is established when Mark Twain begins to question the acceptable morality of society. Twain uses humor and effective writing to make Huckleberry Finn a subversive novel about society in the 19th century. Huck Finn, a boy referred to as white trash, is a boy that has grown up believing totally what society as taught him. This passage shows an example of how society teaches him. And keep them till theyre ransomed. Ransomed? Whats that? I dont know. But thats what they do. Ive seen it in the books, and so of course thats what weve got to do. Well how can we do it if we dont know what it is? Why, blame it all, weve got to do it. Dont I tell you its in the books? Do you want to go to doing different from whats in the books, and get things all muddled up? 8-9 This is a conversation between Tom Sawyer and his gang of robbers. This shows how the boys are influenced by society and believe they most follow exactly what is in the books, bec ause that is the right way to do things. In todays society, ransoming someone is a huge crime and is totally unacceptable. In this book, Twain makes ransoming a humorous issue. In fact, throughout the novel Twain makes violence a humorous issue and does not act upon it as a serious issue. This goes with the whole theme of the novel that there is no moral. The way Huck has been raised, he has no clue that what Toms gang wants to do is ludacrist, and should be totally unacceptable. Twain uses this conversation also to show the beginning of questioning throughout the novel. This will show a pattern of how Huck questions things to learn. Whatever Hucks hears, he believes is the  right and acceptable answer. Toms Gang of Robbers was a part of humorous violence in the novel, but Huck would run into real violence as well. Huck faked his death, and headed down the river, and he decides to go ashore and stays with a stranger family named the Grangerfords. The Grangerfords who were a very nice family, but a family that was obsessed with death. The Grangerfords and another family called the Sheperdsons have had a feud going on for 30 years, but no one knows why. Whats a feud? Why, where was you raised? Dont you know what a feud is? Never heard of it before-tell me about it. Well, says Buck, a feud is this way: A man has a quarrel with another man, and kills him; and then that other mans brother kills him; then the other brothers, on both sides, goes for one another; then the cousins chip in-and by and by everybodys killed off, and there aint no more feud. Buts its kind of slow, and takes a long time. Has this one been going on long Buck? Well I should reckon! It started thirty year ago, or somers along there. .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b , .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b .postImageUrl , .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b , .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b:hover , .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b:visited , .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b:active { border:0!important; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b:active , .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ubf9674378db90249b46605c783aa516b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Call Of The Wild EssayThere was trouble bout something and then a lawsuit to settle it; and the suit went agin one of the men, so he up and shot the man that won the suit-which he would naturally do of course. Anybody would. 108 This conversation is a very important role in determining if this novel is subversive or not. The Sheperdsons and Grangerfords never question the principle of a feud. They are not even sure why they are having a feud in the first place. They are not positive on how it started, or who started it. The irony in this, would be that both families are totally fine with this, and continue with the killing of each other. Twain uses this scene to portray the real violence that also occurs in the novel. The killing of each other being acceptable is an example of subversive writing, and another is when Huck sees Jim as an equal person as himself. As the novel goes on, and while Huck and Jim continue their voyage down the Mississippi, Huck begins to realize many things. In fact, the climax of the novel occurs when Huck is trying to decide to turn Jim in to Miss Watson, or not to. And I got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me all the time: in the day and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a-floating along, talking and singing and laughing. But somehow I couldnt seem to strike no places harden against me, but only the other kind. Id see him standing my watch on top of hisn, stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him again  in the swamp, and would always call me honey, and pet me, and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was;..and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one hes got now; and then I happened to look around and see the paper..All right, then, Ill go to hell-and tore it up. 214 Huck Finns conscience is what he has learned, or what society has taught him, and it is telling him that it is not right to keep Jim with him. Hucks real conscience, or his heart, is telling him the right thing to do. Huck Finn has a sound heart and a deformed conscience. Huck thinks that he is doing something very evil, but the reader knows that he is not. This is important because it shows that Huck believes him and Jim are equal. The effect Jim has had on him as caused him to believe that a black man is not inferior to the white man. Now that Huck has realized this, him and Jim must re-enter society, because that is the only place they have to go. When Twain reaches this point in the novel, the only thing that he can do is try to bring Huck and Jim back into society. The conversation between Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn where they were talking about The Great Evasion plays a significant role in this. Well, by the end of three weeks everything was in pretty good shape. The shirt was sent in early, in a pie, and every time a rat bit Jim he would get up and write a line in his journal whilst the ink was fresh; the pens was made, the inscriptions and so on was all carved on the grindstone; the bed-leg sawed in two, and we had et up the sawdust, and it give us the most amazing stomach-ache. .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed , .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed .postImageUrl , .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed , .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed:hover , .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed:visited , .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed:active { border:0!important; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed:active , .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7726466039aab7b4077c64fc67a83eed:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Abigail Diary EssayWe reckoned we was all going to die, but didnt. 267 This occurs when the boys finally have all their plans done to free the Jim out of captivity. Huck had a plan in the beginning that was much easier then the one Tom had planned, but Tom insisted they do his. It was so important to Tom to use his because, it was what they did in the books, just like with his band of robbers. Little does Huck know, that this was a cruel joke played on Jim. They could have freed Jim much easier, but Tom wanted to play this joke on Jim. In the end, Jim was freed from his dungeon and Twain now must bring him and Huck back into the real world. Jims escape led to Huck and him being discovered by Aunt Polly and brought back into society. Jim finds out all along he was a free man, and Aunt Sally decides to adopt Huck and sivilize him, which Huck cant stand, cuz hed been there. Mark Twain clearly  has written a subversive novel in Huckleberry Finn. In the society that Huck and Jim lived in blacks were inferior to the whites, but that is not the way Twain portrays them in this novel. The fact that killing people is humorous is another way that Twain shows subversion in the novel. He is trying to prove that sometimes what is accepted is not always the correct way. This causes Twains novel to be portrayed as a very subversive novel. After all, Mark Twain has put together a very interesting and entertaining, but subversive novel named Huckleb.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Trademark Act in India free essay sample

A reference to goods will imply services also, unless the context prohibits it. Trade Marks are at the centre of global business today. They are the major source of product differentiation and non-price competition in a modern, market driven economy. Consumers come to associate certain value in terms of performance, durability, price, after-sales service etc in the goods sold under specific brands, which may be among the greatest assets of the enterprise. In the language of the law, brand names are known as trade marks. Several products, of the same category or of different categories, can be marketed under one brand name. Recently, non-visual signs have made a strong claim for recognition as trade marks. Smell and sound signs fall under such category though they are not yet recognised in India. Several broadcasting organisations and film producers have specific signature tunes to identify their programmes. The concept of identifying the source of manufacture by a mark is an ancient one. We will write a custom essay sample on Trademark Act in India or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Signatures of craftsmen have been found engraved on goods sent to Iran from India some 3000 years ago! But trade mark gained importance after the industrial revolution when large-scale production and istribution of goods all over the world became possible and publicity through print and audio-visual media became necessary. The use of modern trade mark as a distinctive sign to indicate the origin or source of the product, carrying with it an association of high quality, goes back to the eighteenth century England, as in the case of cutlery trade. The real boost to trade mark came with Unilever. It marketed its soap under the brand Sunlight, emphasising not the product as such but the brightness that its use will bring to the clothes cleaned with it. The similarity of the products in the same market has necessitated the marking of goods by a symbol, which could distinguish one’s products from similar goods made by others. Trade Marks play a highly complex role in market driven economies, operating in the context of rapid integration of world economy. Through advertisement and other strategies, large market shares are captured by a few brands leading to concentration of market power in a few hands. If care is not exercised, a developing country may find itself flooded with foreign brands, unaccompanied by any flow of technology and 97 Awareness Course on Intellectual Property Rights uilding up of national capabilities. Of course, indigenous brands are exposed to severe and unequal competition in which they have to prove themselves. In 1940 the then British Government of India passed the Trade Marks Act for uniform and systematic registration of trade marks in India, which came into force on June 1, 1942. The Trade and Merch andise Marks Act, 1958, which came into effect from November 25, 1959, replaced it. It became necessary to effect changes in the trade mark law as India joined WTO as an original member in 1995 and it was obligatory to bring the Indian law in consonance with TRIPS. Hence new Trade Mark Act, 1999, repealed the old Act. The Act of 1999 makes important departures from the Act of 1958 in two important respects: †¢ †¢ Shape of goods is recognised as a trade mark; and Trade Marks are now granted for services also, besides goods. Goods is defined as anything which is the subject of trade or manufacture. Service means service of any description offered to users. Banking, finance, insurance, transport, energy supply, construction, hotels, entertainment, information and broadcasting etc. are all examples of areas where services are offered in connection with business, industry or commerce. Definition of service is meant to be all subsuming. The Registration of Trade Marks is done in Mumbai where the Trade Marks Registry is situated. There are branch offices of the Registry at Calcutta, Delhi and Chennai with separate jurisdictions. Objectives After studying this unit, you should be able to: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ explain the meaning of trade mark; understand the philosophy of trade mark; distinguish between what kind of trade marks can be registered and what cannot be; explain the procedure for registration of trade mark; and highlight the characteristic features of Indian Trade Mark Law. . 2 WHAT IS A TRADE MARK? A trade mark, as currently recognised in India, is a visual symbol (in the form of a word, a name, a device, a symbol, or a label) which identifies any merchants or manufacturers goods or services and distinguishes them from similar goods or services of competitors in the trade. It may include shape of goods, their packaging and combination o f colours. The Act makes a distinction between a trade mark and a well-known trade mark. If a substantial segment of public associates a trade mark with a particular class of goods and services, and if this trade mark is used for other goods or services, and the public is inclined to associate the new goods/services with the earlier goods/services, then the mark is a well known trade mark. If the proprietor of a trade mark is an association of persons, who do not make a partnership within the meaning of the Indian Partnership Act, 1932, the trade mark is called a collective mark. A special class of trade marks is termed as certification trade marks. These trade marks do not indicate the origin of the goods, but are certified by the proprietor of the mark as conforming to certain characteristics, like quality, ingredients, geographical origin etc. Agmark used for food items in India is a certification mark. 98 A trade mark is a sign used on, or in connection with the marketing of goods. Saying that the sign is used on the goods means that it may appear not only on the goods themselves but also on the container or wrapper of the goods. Saying that the sign is used in connection with the marketing of the goods refers mainly to the appearance of the sign in advertisements (in newspaper, on television, etc. ) or in the windows of the shops in which the goods are sold. Where a trade mark is used in connection with services, it may be called service mark, e. g. service marks used by hotels, restaurants, airlines, tourist agencies. The worth of a trade mark may amount to huge sums. According to Business Week/Interbrand’s Annual Ranking of the 100 Best Global Brands, 2003, the value of the brand name Coca-Cola is estimated to be $70 billion and that of Nescafe $12 billion! A person who sells his product under a particular trade mark acquires an exclusive right to the use of the mark in relation to those goods. Such a right can be registered under the new Trade Mark Act 1999, which repealed the Trade Mark and Merchandise Marks Act 1958. A registered trade mark can be protected against unauthorised use by others by an action for infringement. An unregistered trade mark can also be protected against unauthorised use by others by an action of passing off.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

What Is a Good SSAT Score Understanding Your Scores

What Is a Good SSAT Score Understanding Your Scores SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re looking at applying to a private elementary, middle, or high school, there’s a good chance you’ll need to take the SSAT first. But what is a good SSAT score? How can you get the score you need to get into the school of your dreams? Unfortunately, there's usuallynot a clear cutoff for what SSAT scores are acceptable. In this article, we'll try to remove some of that uncertaintyby going over how scoring on the SSAT works and what counts as a good SSAT score. How Does SSAT Scoring Work? On their SSAT score reports, students receive scaled section scores for Verbal, Quantitative/Math, and Reading (each of which is out of the same number of points). They'll also receive a total sum score that adds together all three of their section scores. The score range of the SSAT sections and the total sum scores differs depending on whether you've taken the elementary, middle, or upper level SSAT. Level Section Score Range Sum Score Range Elementary 300-600 900-1800 Middle 440-770 1320-2310 Upper 500-800 1500-2400 SSAT scores aren’t just straight conversions that account for number of questions answered correctly, incorrectly, and skipped on the test; instead, the tests are equated, and scores are scaled so that scores can be compared across the years. For example, a 650 on Verbal from 1980 should have been roughly as difficult to get as a 650 on Verbal was in 2017. On your score report, you'll also receive a percentile rank for each of your section scores, which is determined by how your scaled SSAT score stacks up against the scores of other students same grade/gender from US and Canada who took test for the first time in last three years. You'll also find out the range that your section scores are expected to fall in if you retook the test and your total sum score (Verbal + Quantitative + Reading). You can compare your scores to the average scores for students in your grade and, for upper level score reports, to average scores for students in your grade and of your gender. What Is the Average SSAT Score? Unfortunately, information about percentiles for the middle and upper level SSAT is only available to schools who are members of the Enrollment Management Association. If you want to learn more about what score reports for the middle and upper level test look like, you'll need to watch the SSAT's webinar on understanding the middle and upper level score report. The information for the elementary level SSAT, however, was released publicly January 2017. Below, we've pulled out the average scores for 3rd and 4th graders into one handy table: Average Scores 3rd Grade 4th Grade Verbal 471 479 Quantitative 472 469 Reading 478 478 Total Sum Score 1421 1426 If you want a detailed look at the percentiles for each score for the elementary level SSAT, the full tables are available on the SSAT website. Not that kind of table. How Do Schools Use SSAT Scores? What Is a Good SSAT Score? Schools use the scaled SSAT score and percentiles to compare you to other applicants and to judge if you’re likely to succeed in that school, based on how students currently enrolled there have done on the SSAT in the past. Admissions offices don't consider your SSAT scores in a vacuum, though - often, SSAT scores are weighed against grades and other factors. High SSAT scores and low grades in school might indicate a student is underachieving or taking more rigorous courses, while low SSAT scores but high grades in school could indicate either a hard-working student or a student who’s not taking challenging classes. Schools may also use teacher recommendations to clarify which of these categories a student falls into. So what is a good SSAT score? As the SSAT site states, what a good score is changes depending on the school you're applying to. Most schools won’t directly state specific score ranges they’re looking for. Instead, they’ll probably say something in the vein of this statement from the Riverdale admissions office: â€Å"While there is no minimum score required for entry, outlying low scores on these tests tend to be predictive of future difficulties.† Therefore, as a test-taker, you can only deal in generalities, like knowing that getting a large percentage of questions wrong (even up to 50%) is not all that unusual, but that getting an extremely low scaled score (like 1650/2400) will make it more difficult for you to get accepted. Ultimately, as the SSAT's own webinar on reading your score report states, â€Å"a good score is one that you feel best represents your ability and that it’s consistent with what you know to be true about your academic abilities.† If you don’t think your SSAT score shows who you are as a student, then it’s worth retaking it (with studying) to try to get a higher score. What's Next? Want to learn more about what's covered on the elementary, middle, and upper level tests? Then be sure to read our complete guide to the SSAT. Because SSAT scores have high reliability, your score isn’t likely to change from one testing date to another unless there’s a big change in your level of preparedness. Learn the most effective ways to study for the SSAT with this article. Looking for free materials to use for SSAT practice? We've gathered links to the best free SSAT practice tests here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Friday, November 22, 2019

History of Witches Signing the Devils Book

History of Witches Signing the Devil's Book In Puritan theology, a person recorded  a covenant with the Devil by signing, or making their mark, in the Devils book with pen and ink or with blood.  Only with such signing, according to the beliefs of the time, did a person actually become a witch and gain demonic powers, such as appearing in spectral form to do harm to another. In testimony in the Salem witch trials, finding an accuser who could testify that the accused had signed the Devils book, or getting a confession from the accused that she or he had signed it, was an important part of the examination. For some of the victims, the testimony against them included charges that they had, like specters, tried to or succeeded in forcing others or persuading others to sign the devils book. The idea that signing the devils book was important is probably derived from the Puritan belief that church members made a covenant with God and demonstrated that by signing the church membership book.  This accusation, then, fit with the idea that the witchcraft epidemic in Salem Village was undermining the local church, a theme which Rev. Samuel  Parris and other local ministers preached during the beginning phases of the craze. Tituba and the Devils Book When the slave,  Tituba, was examined  for her supposed part in the witchcraft of Salem Village, she said she had been beaten by her owner, Rev. Parris, and told she had to confess to practicing witchcraft. She also confessed to signing the devils book and several other signs that were believed in European culture to be signs of witchcraft, including flying in the air on a pole.  Because Tituba confessed, she was not subject to hanging (only unconfessed witches could be executed).  She was not tried by the Court of Oyer and Terminer, which oversaw the executions, but by the Superior Court of Judicature, in May 1693, after the wave of executions was over. That court acquitted her of covenanting with the Devil. In Titubas case, during the examination, the judge, John Hathorne, asked her directly about signing the book, and the other acts which in European culture signified the practice of witchcraft.  She had not offered any such specific until he asked.  And even then, she said that she signed it with red like blood, which would give her some room later to say that she had fooled the devil by signing it with something that looked like blood, and not actually with her own blood. Tituba was asked if she saw other marks in the book. She said that she had seen others, including those of Sarah Good and Sarah  Osborne.  On further examination, she said shed seen nine of them, but could not identify the others. The accusers began, after Titubas examination, including in their testimony specifics about signing the devils book, usually that the accused as specters had tried to force the girls to sign the book, even torturing them.  A consistent theme by the accusers was that they refused to sign the book and refused to even touch the book. More Specific Examples In March of 1692, Abigail Williams, one of the accusers at the Salem witch trials, accused Rebecca Nurse of trying to force her (Abigail) to sign the devils book. Rev. Deodat Lawson, who had been the minister in Salem Village before Rev. Parris, witnessed this claim by Abigail Williams. In April, when Mercy Lewis accused  Giles Corey, she said that Corey had appeared to her as a spirit and forced her to sign the devils book.  He was arrested four days after this accusation and was killed by pressing when he refused to either confess to or deny the charges against him. Earlier History The idea that a person made a pact with the devil, either orally or in writing, was a common belief in witchcraft lore of medieval and early modern times.  The  Malleus Maleficarum, written in 1486 - 1487 by one or two German Dominican monks and theology professors, and one of the most common manuals for witch hunters, describes the agreement with the devil as an important ritual in associating with the devil and becoming a witch (or warlock).

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Discuss some of the reasons why the Greeks were successful in every Essay

Discuss some of the reasons why the Greeks were successful in every major battle during the Persian Wars (490-79 BC) - Essay Example The Persian Empire under the rule of Xerxes and Darius were defeated. There was a series of battles which took place in the Persian Wars, some lost by the Greeks, and some won. Following is a short account of how the Greeks managed to win most of the battles in the Persian Wars.1i The Siege of Naxos took place in 499 BC. This battle marks the start of the Persian Wars which lasted for about fifty years. The Milesian tyrant Aristagoras had the full support of Darius the Great of the Persian Empire in the futile attempt to take over the island of Naxos in the name of the Persian Empire. This attempt of Aristagoras however failed horribly. Aristocrats who had been exiled from the island of Naxos and were looking for a way to go back to their land contacted Aristagoras. Aristagoras saw this as an opportunity to make his position in the Miletus stronger. For assistance in this matter, Darius the Great and Artaphernes the local satrap were consulted and plans were made to conquer Naxos. The Persians agreed to g on the mission of conquering Naxos and a force of 200 triremes was assigned to Megabates. The mission however soon turned out to be a complete disaster. On the way to Naxos, Aristagoras and Artaphernes broke out into a quarrel and the Naxians were informed a bout the oncoming force beforehand, quite possibly by Artaphernes. Upon the arrival of Persians at the gate of Naxos, they encountered Naxos as a city which was prepared to the fullest to undertake and go through a siege. The attackers were obliged to attack in spite of the great defense as they had travelled a long way but after four months of no success in the battlefield they ran out of money and resources and had to retreat back to Asia Minor. Aristagoras sensed that after this disaster he would no longer be appointed to rule and so he turned the people of Ionia against Darius the Great and rebelled against him. The Ionian Revolt and the failed attempt to conquer Naxos angered Darius

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Ending the Federal Reserve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ending the Federal Reserve - Essay Example The principal way that the Fed manages the economy and financial crises is to manipulate the money supply. The Fed does its work by adjusting three things: the reserve requirement, the discount/federal funds rates, and open market operations. There are a number of positive outcomes that can result if the Fed was abolished. One positive outcome is the end of the yo-yo monetary policies that leads the country to move from recessionary to inflationary periods. A second positive outcome is greater competition and safer investment among financial institutions. There are negative outcomes to ending the Federal Reserve. The principal negative outcome is that the business cycle will run unchecked. Financial crises will tear the nation apart even more than already do. The United States has wrestled with the idea of centralized banking since its birth. After suffering through serious financial crises in the 1880s and early 1900s, the United States settled on the Federal Reserve system. The country embraced central banks twice before creating the Fed. The country created the First Bank of the United States in 1791 and then let the charter lapse in 1811. Congress created the Second Bank of the United States in 1816 and then let that charter lapse in 1828 (The Federal Reserve, 2010). Both banks failed because they were seen as answering to big city money interests and not the ordinary agrarian citizen. (The Federal Reserve, 2010). Today the Fed is also associated by some with big financial conglomerates. The United States created the Fed after enduring a series of financial crises. Several banking panics rocked the country in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The United States took action after the panic of 1907. In that year, the nation faced a dire banking crisis caused by speculation. Private industry, led by J.P. Morgan, had to step in to save the economy. The government created an independent government body, the Fed, in

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Pategonias Expansion Strategy Essay Example for Free

Pategonias Expansion Strategy Essay 1. Patagonia’s Current Strategy: Key Processes and Customer Perception In the context of our business model our number one key process is our Rules and Norms (a complete breakdown of Patagonia’s current business model and a to-be-proposed business model are available for review in Exhibit I). This ethos that started with the founding of Chouinard Equipment continued through the creation of Lost Arrow and indeed Patagonia. Our self-proclaimed â€Å"dirtbag† culture has resulted in some unorthodox business practices over the years. We pride ourselves on our efforts to reduce the social and environmental impact of the lifetime of the goods and services we produce. This is something that our competitors recognize but do not focus efforts on; for us it is of the utmost importance. I took this liberty to draft a Customer Value Proposition (CVP) for our current model: â€Å"We provide high quality, durable outdoor athletic clothing and accessories that are produced with a high standard for environmental and social impact. We make the products that we want to use.† To extrapolate on the latter portion of our CVP, we expect our employees to not only share in the environmental and social consciousness that Mr Chouinard has weaved into the culture of Patagonia but we expect employees to be users of our products as well. This gives us an incredible insight into the functionality and durability of our products. This is exemplified in our generous sabbaticals and midday surfing breaks at our corporate headquarters. Additional insight in this regard is provided by our investment in brand ambassadors, who also provide us with the core of our visual marketing in our catalogs, our website, and social media. In order of volume we move our products through three main channels: wholesale, retail, catalog/internet. In order of profitability the channels are arranged as such retail, catalog/internet[1], and wholesale. There is an additional product repair arm of Patagonia’s structure that at the moment is not profitable. Our commitment to the ethical fiber that binds the core of what Patagonia as a brand stands for results in a product that comes at a premium price, however we believe that the money you spend on Patagonia products is a contribution to our commitment for care when it comes to the environments and social spheres within which we operate. So far we have seen success as shown below. 2. Financial Review of Current Business Model The competition analysis in Exhibit III outlines our industries averages for financial health. It would seem that our â€Å"dirtbag† approach to business has boded well for us over the last ten years. While our total market share (annual sales) is far below the industry average over all the company is making money. Our gross profit margin is over 6% higher than the industry average and our pre-tax profit margin is right in line with the industry average. While Patagonia’s ROE and ROA are below the industry average it is not my much and our debt to equity ratio is far below the industry average. So while we holds more equity and assets on hand than our competitors we has enough liquid cash flow to finance operations without having to incur much debt. Our 12 month revenue growth is trending along with the industry however our 12 month net growth income is nearly 13% higher than our competitors. Thus while we are experiencing growth that is on par with the industry we are experiencing a downward turn in our operating and/or material costs. It should be noted that the information here is of companies who compete in our industry but not exclusively. Columbia is the competitor that competes most directly with our niche in the industry and on every account except for debt/equity our numbers are favorable and even in the case of debt/equity the difference is negligible. The standards for philanthropy and an ethical purview for production and material sourcing at Patagonia are much higher than the industry average. We donate 1% of gross sales to environmental initiatives and causes, and our COGS are higher than competitors as a result of our ethical stance. However, once again (as shown in Lost Arrow: Financials, Exhibit III) we have been operating in the black for the last decade. This may also be explained by our company ethic. We focus on a curbing of consumption and that focus has limited how much we are willing to spend on advertizing. Conversely our competition holds advertisement as a high priority when establishing sales and brand. This observation is not trivial and could more than account for the balance between our costs and those of our competitors. 3. Moving Forward As discussed the current model for Patagonia works. You can be a â€Å"dirtbag† and make make money. The question is how do we continue on with the goal of 10% growth per year for the next five years? Whatever we choose we must operate within that moral fiber that helped us to achieve who we are today. Following are two suggestions for how to move forward, one uses our current business model, the other proposes a change. Please reference Exhibit I for business model analysis and Exhibit II for strategy. Strategy: Current Business Model Tactic One: A Focus on Retail – Our best margins are derived from retail sales however this accounts for just one third of our sales volume. The best type of marketing asset we have are our retail employees. Our Dirtbag Ambassadors are out there skiing, snowboarding, climbing, camping, bouldering, and living the life that Patagonia wants to be an integral part of. We must expand our retail channel and focus on those areas where dirtbags convene. A quick review of the 26 stores in the United States can be found in Exhibit V. Portland, Seattle, St. Paul, Chicago, Atlanta, DC. Sure dirtbags live in cities but where are our stores in Telluride, Tahoe, Bend, Cheyenne, or Buffalo? An expansion of our retail stream increases profitability as well as the reach of our marketing, the Patagonia way. These are the places our competitors don’t wants stores for lack of traffic, but our stores are more than commerce they are community centers for dirtbags. Tactic Two: Research and Development – Our industry ethic has produced one of the best research and development laboratories in the industry. We can leverage this in two ways. First and foremost we must fund research to produce material with the ethical and physical integrity that also helps lower our gross margins. We have pioneered ethical durable material in the industry, now we must find a way to do so cheaper. Doing so would open up the market for those dirtbags who dont have as much money and would normally go to a competitor based on price point. Second we hold patents for these materials we could offer to sell material to other outdoor companies, or begin a joint venture. In either of these cases we must make sure that the material we produced is being utilized in an end product that is up to the standards of Patagonia. Strategy Two: A New Business Model There comes a time in a business life when you have to ask: While what we are doing has worked, how long will it work? To achieve the goal of 10% growth per year we may have to think outside of our wheelhouse and think about how committed we are to our ethical and social standards. As long as we continue to produce more clothing people will buy it. As it stands our customer base has expendable income. How can we convince them to only buy what we need? Through an expansion of our clothing repair services and clothing swap market. A case is made for the business model change in Exhibit I. Tactic One: Expansion of Repair and Retail – It is not our goal to abandon what has made Patagonia the company it is today, thus once again we will need to expand retail stores however we do so in a way that will facilitate clothing repair. Each store should have a mending workshop staffed and equipped to repair what comes their way. To really take advantage of this service we must willing to mend non-Patagonia clothing. This will do two things: it will reduce the overall number of unnecessary purchases in our market and it will introduce people to the Patagonia lifestyle through our retail store. These store can also facilitate a recycling program for those articles of gear that are beyond repair. Something as simple as an in store credit can get people who would otherwise go to Nike experience Patagonia CA. Additionally the expanded retail presence will be an opportunity to create a network for clothing swaps Tactic Two: Expansion of Internal Repair – Expand the repair infrastructure behind retail presence. That is to say, as opposed to expanding retail and having repair work centers in-store, invest in larger repair facilities that stores can send garments to. In our current business model we are reaching critical mass with regard to how much clothing repair we can handle. If we strategically place lager facilities near our exiting stores we can handle this work load our selves. This also ensures that the materials and process of clothing repair is within the ethical conduct of our company without having to do audits of our outsourced partners. The clothing repair infrastructure for our market is basically nonexistent at this point and with research and development focused on this new business model we can create and dominate this market. This will once again involve repairing more than just Patagonia products but in the end that’s what this business model is about. To survive and grow into the next decade we must not just reduce the consumption of our customer base but we must reduce the consumption of our competitors as well. When a dirtbag holds on to a coat for another year he helps reduce Patagonias impact on the earth and its inhabitants. When Patagonia repairs a Columbia or North Face coat and it lasts for another year we have slowed the consumption of unethically produced clothes and possibly created another dirtbag. Exhibit I: Four Components of Business Model Framework (Johnson, Christensen, Kagerman) Customer value proposition (CVP): Current: Providing high quality durable outdoor athletic clothing and accessories (CA) produced with a high standard for environmental and social impact. Proposed: In addition to production, engage the consumer in the environmental and social impact of their outdoor athletic CA by involving them in the maintenance/repair/swap of CA. Profit formula: Revenue model: Current: Standard industry mark up on goods sold. Proposed: Lower the price of goods sold and charge a small fee for repairs or continue with current price structure charge cost for repairs of Patagonia clothing/accessories, charge premium repair rates for non-Patagonia clothing and accessory repair. Cost structure: Current: COGS = 80% materials 20% parts with a wholesale margin of 45% and a retail margin of 65% Proposed: A modified cost structure that emphasizes retail sales and profits off of repairs Margin model: Current: Largest channel of sales in wholesale 44%, second retail 33%, and finally Catalog/internet 23% Proposed: Shift focus from wholesale to retail/catalog/internet sales, add additional emphasis on repair cost structure for maximum profitability Resource velocity: Current: In general keeping inventory exhausts resources, something which Patagonia wants to minimize. Thus production should match as close to demand as possible. Assets should be available, although they do not need to be incredibly liquid. Proposed: Same as current model. Key resources. Current: People: There is a certain type of person who works for Patagonia. Ideally a person who works at Patagonia is the ideal consumer of their goods. Brand: With a strong brand associated with high environmental and social standards combined with a strong dislike of standard advertising channels for the industry the reputation Patagonias brand has gained is remarkable (this is achieved through the people they employ as well). Technology: Their ethical commitment to responsible sourcing and production has resulted in some profitable patents of great CA material. Proposed: The current Key Resources should not be lost but the Technology will shift to the new business model – a focus on materials , threads, and substances for repair. Additionally there would be a re-purposing of Facilities to reflect this model change as well. Key processes. Current: Rules and Norms: Patagonias Rules and Norms inform every aspect of their business and it is no different when it comes to their Key Processes. So while manufacturing, service, and training are all important, it all comes down to the Rules and Norms. Propsed: This would not change. When a new business model is needed. 1. The opportunity to address through disruptive innovation the needs of large groups of potential customers who are shut out of a market entirely because existing solutions are too expensive or complicated for them. The product repair market is just this. As it stands now such jackets tend to be luxury purchases as they hobbies they are designed for are not generally cheap ones to keep. 2. The opportunity to capitalize on a brand new technology by wrapping a new business model around it or the opportunity to leverage a tested technology by bringing it to a whole new market Patagonia isn’t capitalizing on a new technology when it comes to CA per se but the market could motivate their RD department to develop a technology that could be incorporated into the repair model. 3. The opportunity to bring a job-to-be done focus where one does not yet exist The expansion of clothing repair for Patagonia and other non-Patagonia CA provides a real opportunity for an existing market that consumers may not know they need. It creates a job to be done (clothing repair as opposed to replacement). 4. The need to fend off low-end disrupters. Patagonia would be a low end disrupter in the repair market; repair is cheaper than replacement. 5. The need to respond to a shifting basis of competition. Patagonia would be shifting the basis of competition.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Leonardo Da Vinci :: Visual Arts Paintings Art

Leonardo Da Vinci Leonardo Da Vinci is a world renowned Italian painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist. His curiosity for the things around him and the research was the fundamental point of his artistic and scientific accomplishments. His creations in painting influenced Italian art centuries after his death and his scientific studies (anatomy, optics and hydraulics) have helped made many developments of modern science. His famous paintings for example the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper are known world wide. People crave to own his paintings, or even just to have a look at them; Leonardo had influenced everyone up to this present day. Even Bill Gates used $30 million US for Leonardo’s painting ‘Codex Leicester’! Who is this remarkable man? And what did he do that taught the world to look at art and science in a new perspective? Leonardo told us that he was born on April 15th 1952 in the city of Vinci in Italy and was the son of a notary and a peasant girl. His parents had a lot of kids, but not with each other and having him ending up with 17 half sisters and brothers. He said that living in Vinci was the place where he developed his creativity and interest in nature. He was also exposed to the ancient Vinci painting tradition at that time. In 1466, he moved to Florence where he was apprenticed in the famous workshop of ‘Andrea Del Verrochio’. While working there, he painted an angel in Verrochio’s ‘Baptist of Christ’. His painting was so much better than his master that Verrochio never painted again. In 1482, Leonardo wrote a letter to the Duke of Milan telling him that he could build portable bridges that would enable dry routes for people to travel. At this time, he carried notebooks and started to keep all his ideas, opinions on everything including domestic, personal, scientific and philosophical along with explanatory sketches. These notebooks were full of advice for science and art not only for the people in the Renaissance but also useful painters now. The Duke gave lots of jobs to him that included designing weapons, buildings and machinery. He produced lots of ideas for nature, flying machines, geometry and mechanical things. His eager to start new things made it hard for him to complete the things that he had started making him only completing 6 of 17 works that he had done. He started to find himself interested in painting, architecture, the elements of mechanics and human anatomy from 1490 to 1495. He spent this time studying science or locking himself up in his room

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Criminal Law Intoxication Essay

For hundreds of years, it has been assumed that individuals behave more aggressively while under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol related crimes cost the UK taxpayer  £1.8 billion on average per year . However, society has taken an ambivalent attitude towards intoxication. Alcohol consumption is generally depicted as a puritanical moral barrier used to escape pain and the harsh realities of life. Intoxication can conversely be portrayed as a sign of weakness, impeding human reasoning leading individuals to behave in an unacceptable manner. Does this lack of consistency in society’s opinion reflect the clarity of the law as regards to when intoxication can be a defence? Drunkenness was a crime punishable by imprisonment in the form of stocks or a fine from 1607 to 1828. The law in this area concentrates on whether the accused who committed the prohibited act, has the necessary mens rea due to voluntary or involuntary intoxication. There are two extreme approaches that the law could follow on intoxication; the strict subjective theory emphasizes the defendant lacked the required mens rea and supports the idea of absolute acquittal from liability. The absolutist policy theory highlights the importance of public protection and endorses punishment. This arena consisting of the two aforementioned principles have created a tangled web that leaves numerous questions unanswered. The law has tried to achieve an intermediate compromise, rejecting both theorems in favor of adopting different strategies for each criminal offence. An initial distinction has to be drawn between being drunk and being intoxicated. It was expressed in R v Sheehan and Moore that ‘a drunken intent is nevertheless an intent.’ A drunken individual would not be able to use the defence of intoxication, as he is still capable of forming the necessary mens rea. The case of R v Stubbs stated that intoxication needed to be ‘very extreme’ as it is impossible to form the mens rea due to the effect of copious amounts of alcohol. This essay will investigate the situations when intoxication can be used as a defence, analyzing the decision in R v Majewski and its impact on the specific and basic intent dichotomy. The Law Commission has taken a ‘stripped-down approach’ attempting to codify the main principles of the common law regarding voluntary and involuntary intoxication. There is an opinion that ‘there is much in the Report to commend it’ but others have drawn attention to the production of ‘head scratching provisions’ leading some to question whether intoxication should be called a defence at all. The Scottish Law Commission have recognized the difficulty in reforming the law and have stated ‘intoxication as a complete defence in all circumstances would be extremely serious.’ To what extent is intoxication used as a defence in criminal law and should the legal boundaries be clearer? Voluntary Intoxication Voluntary intoxication is defined in the Butler Committee Report as ‘the intentional taking of drink or a drug knowing that it is capable in sufficient quantity of having an intoxicating effect.’ In reality, the law does not support the stringency of this explanation. The main rationale is that the intoxicant must be able to impair the defendant’s rationality and human reasoning abilities. In the case of R v Hardie, the question of whether valium could be classed as an intoxicant arose. The defence was that the valium was only administered for relaxant purposes and according to Lord Parker, ‘there was no evidence that it was known that the appellant could render a person aggressive.’ Does this mean the court has to decide whether a substance is an intoxicant individually for each case? The Law Commission believes this approach is overall inadequate. The law in England and Wales presumes that intoxication is voluntary unless evidence is produced that allows the court or jury to conclude that it was involuntary. Recent government proposals refrain from attaching a definition to ‘voluntary intoxication,’ preventing the creation of a narrow approach developing. Consequently, voluntary intoxication is not a defence in the law but it can become a mitigating factor and be considered as a â€Å"partial excuse† reducing the echelon of criminal liability. This area has caused serious problems in English criminal law, as it is fraught with ambiguity and uncertainty. How should the law decide the effect voluntary intoxication has on the defendant’s liability? The effect of voluntary intoxication on the mens rea of criminal acts is often comprised of the defendant foreseeing the consequences or intending their occurrence. The strict subjective theory emphasizes that intoxication will always be relevant to the outcome of the case but the absolutist policy theory allows the possibility to escape liability completely. Each theorem supports contrasting trains of thought and makes the options for reform more unenviable and unclear. In an attempt to reach a ‘compromise’ and stabilize the theoretical problems and public policy issues involved, the law has categorized criminal offences into two groups; specific and basic intent offences. Despite the broad scope for divergence, the Law Commission has approved the common law’s implementation of this â€Å"midway course† distinction. Specific and Basic Intent Dichotomy ‘All people have the right to a family, community and working life protected from accidents, violence and other negative consequences of alcohol consumption.’ The essence of the law in England and Wales is not dissimilar to this aim in that intoxication can provide a defence to crimes that are of specific intent, but not to those that are of basic intent. The House of Lords in the leading case of Majewski depicted this approach, which has been dubbed a ‘dichotomy.’ They declared it must be proved in specific offences that the defendant lacked the necessary mens rea at the time of the offence. It is for the prosecution to establish the actual intent of the defendant, taking into account the fact that he was intoxicated. In crimes of basic intent, the actuality that intoxication was self-induced provides the necessary mens rea. The original distinction between crimes of specific and basic intent initially appeared to be clear: the courts did not want a defenda nt to escape liability for his crimes caused during his intoxication. In practice, the distinction is difficult to ascertain and has created incongruity in the law. The courts also desired the dichotomy to be flexible allowing partial defences and mitigation in some cases. Simester argues this similarity is ill founded, as ‘intoxication is a doctrine of inculpation†¦and work in opposite directions.’ Simester’s view regarding the dichotomy is persuasive but I believe clarification is needed before the law can be deemed acceptable. Lord Simon developed another analysis where ‘the prosecution must in general prove that the purpose for the commission of the act extends to the intent expressed or implied in the definition of the crime.’ Another approach put forward was the ‘ulterior intent test,’ which was more widely accepted. This supports the idea that in specific intent crimes, the mens rea extends beyond the actus reus and in basic intent crimes, the mens rea goes no further than the constituents in the actus reus. However, the most prevalent explanation, the â€Å"recklessness test,† which was given by Lord Elwyn-Jones and later approved in the House of Lord’s decision in the case of R v Caldwell. An individual is Caldwell-type reckless if the risk is obvious to an ordinary prudent person who has not given thought to the possibility of there being any such risk, or if the individual has recognized that there is some risk and has nevertheless persisted in his actions. This test states intoxication can only be relevant to crimes that require proof of intention and it is immaterial to crimes that are committed recklessly. Lord Diplock took the objective view that classification of offences into basic or specific intent was irrelevant where â€Å"recklessness† was satisfactory to form the mens rea. However, the distinction between the varying offences is important if the intoxicated person who is charged with an offence of basic intent has thought about a possible risk and wrongly concluded it to be negligible. In this case, there is a lacuna in the â€Å"recklessness test.† The defendant would be acquitted unless convicted under the Majewski ruling on the basis that the actus reus of an offence of basic intent has been committed. Lord Edmund-Davis dissented arguing ‘however grave the crime charged, if recklessness can constitute its mens rea the fact that it was committed in drink can afford no defence.’ Is this too harsh to adhere to the justice proclaimed in the English legal system? The case of R v Heard, the Court of Appeal rejected the recklessness test in favor of the â€Å"purposive intent† and â€Å"ulterior intent† test. The judgment contains vast amounts of ambiguity with the difficulty of ‘fitting an offence into a single pigeon hole.’ The â€Å"recklessness† test was finally confirmed in the 1980 Criminal Law Revision Committee Report and provided an ample explanation for voluntary intoxication. The offence of rape provides a good illustration of the difficulties involved in the â€Å"recklessness† test. The case of R v Fotheringham concerned the rape of a 14-year-old girl by an intoxicated husband who mistakenly underwent sexual intercourse in the belief that the girl was his wife. The offence of rape at that time could be committed recklessly but this has been altered to the principle of ‘reasonable belief.’ The court had to decide whether the defendant had an intention to carry out unlawful sexual intercourse or whether recklessness was sufficient for conviction. Public policy of protection triumphed over the strict subjective theory where intoxication would prevent liability and defined rape as a basic intent offence. The recent case of R v Rowbotham (William) concerning the offences of murder, arson with intent to endanger life and burglary were invalidated where defence expert evidence showed the defendant’s mental abnormalities combined with extreme intoxication had prevented him from forming the specific intent necessary. This case illustrates the dichotomy is still used by courts today despite aspirations for reform. Involuntary Intoxication The courts have taken a moderate approach to defendants who have become intoxicated through no fault of their own. The most common cases of involuntary intoxication involve intoxication that is unknowingly induced by a third party. The main principle is that a defendant will not be held liable for any crimes they carried out while involuntary intoxicated. Their transparency and lack of knowledge shields their ability to form the necessary mens rea. This is not a â€Å"blanket† rule and there are various requirements as to what satisfies the definition of ‘involuntary intoxication.’ Lord Mustill in R v Kingston described the phenomenon as a ‘temporary change in the mentality or personality of the respondent, which lowered his ability to resist temptation so far that his desires overrode his ability to control them.’ He declared the Court of appeal supported the view that protection flows from the ‘general principles’ of the criminal law, b ut what exactly does the term â€Å"general† entail? The first criterion is that the defendant cannot claim they are involuntarily intoxicated if they were misinformed about the description or specific alcohol content. This is illustrated in R v Allen where a man was convicted of indecently assaulting his neighbour even though he had no knowledge of the high alcohol content of the home made wine that he was drank at home having returned from the pub. The second criterion imposed by the courts is that the defendant must have been intoxicated to the point where it would be impossible to form the mens rea to commit the crime. The case of R v Beard created the rationale that there is no remedy if an individual’s inhibitions are lost due to involuntary intoxication. This case was more complex as it involved succession of acts; the defendant whilst intoxicated, raped a 13-year-old girl, placed his hand on her mouth to stop her from screaming, and thus suffocating her resulting in her death. The trial judge at first instance erred in a pplying the test of insanity to a case of intoxication, which did not amount to insanity. Has the ambiguity in this case been eradicated? A recent paradigm of involuntary intoxication can be seen in the Kingston case involving a situation where a 15-year-old boy was drugged and indecently assaulted after the defendant’s drink was spiked. The trial judge directed the jury to convict if they found that the defendant had assaulted the boy pursuant to an intent resulting from the influence of the intoxication. The Court of Appeal upheld the appeal on the basis that it was the defendant’s ‘operative fault.’ Smith has depicted this outcome as ‘surprising, dangerous and contrary to principle.’ The opinion of the House of Lords, who took a narrow view of blame, was Smith’s preferred alternative but others favor the creation of a new common law defence determined by character assessment. Sullivan has described this as comparing the defendant’s â€Å"settled† character with their â€Å"intoxicated† character. If the character is ‘destabilized, he should have an excuse.’ Should the blame not be directed at the 3rd party instead of the defendant though? This method creates a schism between the relevant blame and moral fault. As a consequence, mens rea is being given a more normative meaning negating its cognitive counterpart. However, the Commission is adamant to reject the creation of a new approach and wishes to give statutory effect to the decision in Kingston. They believe that ‘there should be no defence or reduced inhibitions or blurred perception of morality where the defendant’s condition was caused by involuntary intoxication.’ Only time will tell, if the legal reform bodies will cling to their orthodoxy or embrace change. Dutch courage and diseases of the mind To what extent is alcohol-related crime attributable to those with already dysfunctional lives, with a propensity to problematic behaviors, rather than apparently ‘normal’ people engaging in criminal acts when intoxicated? The union of actus reus and mens rea is known as contemporaneity. It is necessary to establish for a conviction to be successful. However, the Dutch courage rule, where the accused gets into a drunken state after deciding to commit a crime, is an exception to this principle. It was decided in Attorney General for Northern Ireland v Gallagher that the accused would be liable for the crime even though they were too drunk to satisfy the required mental element. Lord Denning declared ‘the wickedness of his mind before he got drunk is enough to condemn him.’ Although, it has been recognized that ‘it is almost inconceivable that the case envisaged could ever arise.’ The sale and consumption of alcohol are legal so should we accept t he consequences of diminished responsibility as a cause of criminal activities if perpetrated whilst under the influence? There has been more discussion surrounding the affiliation between alcohol and diseases of the mind. The case of R v Dietschmann concerned a defendant who was intoxicated at the time of the killing that suffered from a mental abnormality due to a recent bereavement. Lord Hutton said ‘drink cannot be taken into account as something which contributed to his mental abnormality.’ The main principle is that drunken defendants are not excluded from pleading diminished responsibility or insanity if they suffer from mental abnormalities. Ashworth believes the task of the jury to decide whether the mental abnormality affected the mens rea is ‘fearsomely difficult.’ Medical experts to some extent aid the task of the jury but the margin for error is significant as the effect of drink and drugs is unique to every individual. It has also been argued that there could potentially be a genetic predisposition to alcoholism but the scope of this is unknown. Tolmie’s conceptualizations of the ‘disease model’ and the ‘habit model’ are eccentric and provide light recovery from psychoanalytic evaluations. I particularly enjoy the fact that she has highlighted the importance of ‘normal human processes†¦and bad choices,’ which are often overlooked. She concentrates on the need for treatment for defendants and does not fall into the trap of defining intoxication as an express defence. The current position of the law in this area is unfair as it deforms other doctrines, supports unprincipled sentencing and punishes some defendants far more than they deserve. Adoption of a generic, doctrinal mitigating excuse of â€Å"partial responsibility† with application to all crimes would solve these problems. This alternative option would function in a similar manner to the ‘not proven’ verdict used in Scotland. In the end, to provide blame and punishment reduction based on fair respon sibility ascription will not support a denial of responsibility. Reform Certain statutes expressly state that a defendant has a defence if they possess particular beliefs. Does this apply where a belief is acquired through intoxication? There is only one type of case where an intoxicated belief can be used as a â€Å"defence.† In the case of Jaggard v Dickinson, the defendant appealed against a conviction of reckless criminal damage to property. The accused, owing to voluntary intoxication, mistakenly but honestly believed that she was damaging the property of a friend and that they would have consented to her doing so. A major anomaly in the law is found when the approach taken in Jaggard is contrasted with that taken in Majewski where the Criminal Justice Act 1967 was not relied upon. Wells has commented that ‘it is difficult to see how†¦the sections perform any different function.’ The area surrounding drunken mistakes is just one theme encircled with uncertainty. There has been much discussion of reform regarding the position of intoxication in the law. The concepts of basic and specific intent are ambiguous, confusing and misleading. The Law Commission has created a proposal to abandon them but the substance of the distinction has been retained. The main question regarding the specific and basic intent dichotomy is the affect it has on the voluntary intoxicated defendant’s liability. The blameworthiness of the defendant is expressed by an evaluation of criminal liability. An enlightened system of criminal justice should respond differently to ‘common criminals’ and voluntary intoxicated defendants. If a man commits mischief when intoxicated, should society take steps in the framework of the criminal law to prevent him? Judicial insistence upon the requirement of mens rea might remove the problem of antisocial drinking but alternatives will not develop if the courts allow these problems to be thrust upon them. The Majewski decision has been criticized as it allows conviction for causing harm where mens rea has not been formed. This is even the case where a defendant is convicted of a basic intent offence instead of a stricter specific intent offence. The House of Lords decision acknowledged the principle of allowing intoxication to be adduced to show that the mens rea for specific intent offences did not exist. They were persuaded by policy objectives to convict of basic intent offences despite the intoxication. This â€Å"midway course† is acceptable on policy grounds but it fails to accord with the basic principles of justice in the criminal law. Is this a clear and logical compromise? The idea to secure conviction for serious offences without satisfying the criteria of mens rea is conjured. This conflicts with the burden of proof, which is placed on the prosecution. This means the fictitious objective â€Å"recklessness† test allows conviction of offences, which require proof of subjective â€Å"recklessness.† The current rationale of the law is that the subjective reckless involved in becoming intoxicated is the moral equivalent of the subjective recklessness usually required for liability. A further criticism is that â€Å"recklessness† relates to the risk of becoming intoxicated and not to the risk of specific harm being caused. As a result, the liability for the harm caused whilst intoxicated goes against the principle of contemporaneity and is constructive, which is contrary to the trend of current law reform. The English law reform bodies have created proposals to replace Majewski with a separate offence of intoxication. This separate offence would remove the possibility of a complete acquittal, which is available in specific intent crimes. A disadvantage to the proposal would be the construction of a â€Å"status† offence with no mens rea involved. This contrasts with previous social policy illustrated in the case of Reniger v Fogossa where a drunken killer was hanged to death to protect human life. However, the Criminal Law Revision Committee rejected the idea of a new offence of intoxication and instead suggested the codification of the law, whilst approving the â€Å"reckless test.† Authors such as Jeremy Horder, who depicted the Law Commission’s efforts as making ‘little effort to discern any deeper principles underlying the common law’, have criticized the Law Commission attempts at clarifying the law. The reform bodies now intend to amend their previous proposals and return ‘to the subject with a stripped down approach.’ Conclusion Why is it taking an unbounded amount of time to evaluate reform of the law on intoxication when 61% of the population perceives alcohol-related violence as worsening? The bare components of the law on intoxication are complex but the added series of exceptions that the Law Commission have proposed to introduce, in my opinion, will undermine the principle of justice in England and Wales. The common law has found a reasonable balance between the subjective and absolutist theories but the ‘midway course’ of specific and basic intent is not satisfactory. The dichotomy requires the courts to evaluate individual criminal acts on their merits putting them into a category of specific or basic intent, which squanders the court’s time and thus, decreases the overall inefficiency of the legal system. Child’s innovative approach involving the correlation with subjective recklessness is an alternative to the recent reform proposals. He declares intoxication will constitute fault only where the burden is replaced by subjective reasonableness and if the defendant would have foreseen the risk if sober. The ‘midway course’ is preserved but in a clear and logical manner without a list of exceptions. However, I disagree with Child’s interpretation of intoxication as the equivalent to recklessness. I believe more research needs to be given to determine the extent of their connection and ultimately decide whether they are analogous or mutually exclusive. Ultimately, liability is ascertained by the intention element but how can this truly be deduced when automatons are intoxicated? Lady Justice Hallett in the recent case of R v Janusz Czajczynsk commented that ‘drinking to excess and taking drugs seems to us to be something of a two edged sword.’ It is tempting to view the defence of intoxication as denying a defendant ‘a valueless opportunity to exculpate himself by pleading his own discreditable conduct in getting drunk.’ However, it is impossible to accurately determine an individual’s thoughts at a precise moment and draw a line where a defendant’s account matches the truth. Simester suggests the intoxication doctrine is reversed to benefit prosecution, becoming constructive liability instead of a defence. I believe there is some accuracy in this initiative but it fails to address the main problem regarding the mental state of the accused. Should there be a common law or statutory defence of intoxication expressly declared? The courts and the Law Commission know the law is not clear and desire to reform the law only after exploring every open avenue. The Law Commission has rightly prioritized consistency, precision and simplicity in their Reports but ‘another round of re-evaluation’ is definitely needed before a firm conclusion can be established. We can only hope that time does run out, allowing the reform debate to finish sooner rather than later.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Globalisation VS regionalisation Essay

Discuss with the Introduction to part III (pp. 289-293) and Chapter 20 in Stubbs & Underhill as a starting point the relationship between globalisation and regionalisation. Characterise in continuation of this the differences between regional integration in Europe and The Far East. For instance, you may reflect upon whether the recent financial crisis has set a new agenda for regional integration (Stubbs & Underhill, Chapters 21 and 24) In the past decades, numerous trading blocs have been created throughout the world, playing a significant role in the world economy and trade. However, as regionalization became of an increasing interest, there has been much discussion on its effects on globalisation and their relationship, as it is the other important trend in the world economy development next to regionalization. Discussion on the relationship between these two trends has been filled with ambiguity and will be clarified through the following pages. Furthermore I will take a look at differences between regional integration in Europe and Far East in regards to globalization. Additionally the impact of the recent financial crisis on regional integration will be discussed incorporating my own understanding of the subjects. Historically, before 1980, globalization was perceived rather negatively, leading to efforts of governments to protect their markets from the global competition by encouraging regional developments. Accordingly, regionalism was their response to the need for stressing their independence from global economy, caused by the growing force of globalization. 1 After the end of Cold War, globalization started to be perceived not as the ? enemy? , but more as a phenomenon of the age that has the capacity to bring advantages of a significant scale to those who can keep up with the flow and adapt to the changing enviroment, shifting the emphasis of the philosophy of regionalism into „ positioning a region so as to strenghten its participation in the global economy in terms both trade and capital flows. â€Å" 2 Furthermore the economic globalization affects the state also in political terms, creating a need for transformation of nation-state into competition-state as the nation-state can no longer protect its market in the same way as before, due to political globalization. Due to increasing global competition changes are made. These changes affect the states in a way that reduces their domestic political effectiveness and autonomy in order to enhance international competiveness. 3 In that sense, one of the crucial factors that triggered expansion of regionalism after 1980 was the political globalization. More specifically, the speeding globalization has led to increase in sense of regional identity, resulting in greater perception of common economic political and cultural interests of neighbouring countries that distingiush them from the rest of the world, enabling these countries to realize the benefits emerging from being a part of a region,4 and consequently the fast development of the European Union encouraged the need to counteract its increasing collective economic power. 5 „ The comparative advantage of the regional project is that it may be more effective in governing globalization than the nation-state while at the same time potentially offering more legitimacy and collective identity than globalization itself. â€Å" 6 Throughout the literature, scholars argue that the trends of regionalization and globalization reflect counterproductive relationship, as they stand in opposition to one another. Such tighter connections, as provided by regionalization, can lead to greater preference for trade with countries within the region, rather than in a global scale, which can be perceived as a concerning fact in relation to globalization. However, as I perceive it , these two trends do not compete, on the contrary, they complement each other. Regional developments strive to put states on fair trading terms, resulting in stronger regional economies. Stronger regional economies enable states to participate in world trade more effectively and therefore, regionalization contributes to the overall expansion of globalization. Similarly, in order to diminish the growing regional competition, states will form regional trading blocs and therefore, globalization contributes to the deepened regional trade. „New regionalism†¦ rather than being constructed in opposition to globalisation, it is, on the contrary, buttressed by a growing enmeshment while at the same time creating an institutional and political capacity to ? modify the conditions of globalisation. â€Å" 7 Regional integration of European Union (UN) has a comparatively longer and more intensive tradition compared to East Asia. Europe was the first one to realize, after WW2, the interdependence between its own welfare and stability of the region they were located in, expanding the European regional organizations, which they managed to reboost after the end of Cold War. After the period of euro-scepticism and euro-sclerosis, the goal of relaunching of Europe became of an increasing importance. This was intented to be managed through the unification of european market. Deepening globalization led to strenghtening neo-liberal forces, which meant the commitment to global free trade, i. e. internal and external market globalisation, with the aim „ to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. â€Å"8 Different reasons for the formation of regional groupings reflect different circumstances surrounding the actors. The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), for instance, represents smaller or economically weaker countries that may seek for the regional integration in order to resist the emergence of a regionally dominant state. Conversely, as with the candidates for EU, they may choose to link themselves as closely as possible with the regional leaders. In case of EU, the regionalization is a result of political, institutional, and cultural factors as well as those related to transformation in corporate organization. This can be explained through the link between the region and the identity, that is most advanced in Europe. Inspite of representing the most advanced form of integration, the member states of the EU, especially the larger ones, do not appear ready to give up the role that they play individually in the regional and global settings, but still, to a large extent are involved in â€Å"steering† both regionalization and globalization collectively, that is, through the EU and its institutions. The East Asian crises emerging in 1997-98 had two main implications for the political economy of the region. Firstly, the increase in discussions about regional integration as a more intensive regional co-operation became desirable, leading to expansion of ASEAN by the participation of China, Japan and South Korea. 9 Secondly, the crisis enhanced the prospects for the continued development of an â€Å"East Asian† , as opposed to a â€Å"Pacific†, understanding of the region. 10 At the same time, two significant trends arised including the growing interest in monetary co-operation and bilateralism. Regarding the monetary integration, in contrast to EU, East Asia has failed to attempt to establish an Asian Monetary Fund, continuing in search for new monetary regionalism. Secondly, the growth in bilateral trading agreements can be partially explained through the growth in interregional agreements, such as between EU and MERCOSUR. EU gaining competitive advantage in the field of political agreements on market access in other regions leaves other actors in position of cathcing up with EU in this circle of bilateral competition : „ The more Europe and other regions integrate, the more will East Asia, not the least China, turn from its traditional bilateralism towards increased emphasis on regional co-opertain as a political instrument. â€Å" 11

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Keats essays

Keats essays The first reaction that we had when reading the poem was sadness. In the first stanzas, the poet is very depressed, at the point that he says something related to having some poison In order to commit suicide. We think it is an easy way to get rid of his problems and avoid his suffering. Maybe in order to escape from a world full of pain, the poet tries to move us to a world of imagination. So through this device, we can again find Keats ability to encourage the readers mind to imagine more things than those actually printed in a paper. Moreover, we have the presence of dualism, which is another important element in Keats works. We can see this through the idea of presenting things in such a manicheistic way. For instance, the concepts of joy and pain, We compared this work with Poes poem The Raven, which is about a man who evokes, through listening to a bird, the memory of a loved woman. This raven represented in some way the lyric speakers unconscious. The same happens in Ode to a nightingale where the lyric speaker is very sad in a certain moment of the story, but afterwards, and also through listening to a bird- a nightingale- the poet is carried away to another level, something very spiritual and sensitive. The level in which the lyric speaker is now is definitely less painful and has helped him to feel much better. Another possibility is that the lyric speaker not only evokes her lover through listening to this bird, but also imagines her so that gives him some pleasure. Due to the presence of the bird we have the concept of beauty since it makes reference to nature, which is a fundamental concept for romantic poetry ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Brief History of Transportation

The Brief History of Transportation Whether on land or at sea, humans early on successfully sought to go forth more efficiently by taking advantage of transport systems mother nature already had in place. The earliest examples of such resourcefulness are boats. Those who colonized Australia roughly 60,000 to 40,000 years ago have been credited as the first people to cross the sea, though there is some evidence that early man carried out seafaring trips as far back as 900,000 years ago. Early Boats and Horses In any case, the earliest known boats were simple logboats, also referred to as dugouts. Evidence for these floating vehicles come from excavations of artifacts that date back to around 7,000 to 10,000 years ago. The Pesse canoe is the oldest boat unearthed and dates as far back as 7600 BCE. Rafts have been around nearly as long, with artifacts showing them in use for at least 8,000 years.  Ã‚   Next, came horses. While it’s difficult to pinpoint when humans first began domesticating them as a means of getting around or to transport goods, experts generally go by the emergence of certain biological and cultural markers that indicate when such practices started to take place. Based on changes in teeth records, butchering activities, shifts in settlement patterns, historic depictions and many other factors, experts believe that domestication took place around 4000 BCE. Roughly around that period, someone invented the wheel finally. The archaeological record shows that the first wheeled vehicles were in use around 3500 BC, with evidence of the existence of such contraptions found in Mesopotamia, the Northern Caucuses and Central Europe. The earliest well-dated artifact from that time period is the Bronocice pot, a ceramic vase that depicts a four-wheeled wagon that featured two axles. It was unearthed in southern Poland. Steam Machines: Steamboats, Automobiles, and Locomotives The Watt steam engine, invented in 1769, changed everything. Boats were among the first to take advantage of steam-generated power. In 1783, a French inventor by the name of Claude de Jouffroy built the Pyroscaphe, the world’s first steamship. But despite successfully making trips up and down the river and carrying passengers as part of a demonstration, there wasn’t enough interest to fund further development. While other inventors tried to make steamships that were practical enough for mass transport, it was American Robert Fulton who furthered the technology to where it was commercially viable. In 1807, the Clermont completed a 150-mile trip from New York City to Albany that took 32 hours, with the average speed clocking in at about five miles per hour. Within a few years, Fulton and company would offer regular and freight service between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi. In 1769, another Frenchman named Nicolas Joseph Cugnot attempted to adapt steam engine technology to a road vehicle and the result was the invention of the first automobile. The heavy engine added so much weight to the vehicle that it was ultimately too impractical for something that had a top speed of two and  ½ miles an hour. Another effort to repurpose the steam engine for a different means of personal transport resulted in the Roper Steam Velocipede. Developed in 1867, the two-wheeled steam-powered bicycle is considered by many historians to be the world’s first motorcycle.   It wasn’t until 1858 that Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir of Belgium invented the internal combustion engine. Even though his subsequent invention, the first gasoline-powered automobile, technically did work, credit for the first â€Å"practical† gasoline-powered car goes to Karl Benz for the patent he filed in 1886. Still, up until the 20th century, cars were not a widely adopted means of transport. One mode of land transport powered by a steam engine that did go mainstream is the locomotive. In 1801, British inventor Richard Trevithick unveiled the world’s first road locomotive, called the â€Å"Puffing Devil,† and used it to give six passengers a ride to a nearby village. It was in 1804 though that Trevithick demonstrated for the first time a locomotive that ran on rails when another one he built hauled 10 tons of iron to the community of Penydarren in Wales to a small village called Abercynon. It took another fellow Brit, a civil and mechanical engineer named George Stephenson, to turn locomotives into a form of mass transport. In 1812, Matthew Murray of Holbeck had designed and built the first commercially successful steam locomotive â€Å"The Salamanca† and Stephenson wanted to take the technology a step further. So in 1814, Stephenson designed the Blà ¼cher, an eight wagon locomotive capable of hauling 30 tons of coal uphill at a speed of four miles per hour. By 1824, Stephenson improved the efficiency on his locomotive designs to where he was commissioned by the Stockton and Darlington Railway to build the first steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public rail line, the aptly named Locomotion No. 1. Six years later, he opened the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first public inter-city railway line serviced by steam locomotives. His notable accomplishments also include establishing the standard for rail spacing for most of the railways in use today. No wonder he’s been hailed as Father of Railways. Modern Machines: submarines, aircraft, and spacecraft Technically speaking, the first navigable submarine was invented in 1620 by Dutchman Cornelis Drebbel. Built for the English Royal Navy, Drebbel’s submarine could stay submerged for up to three hours and was propelled by oars. However, the submarine was never used in combat and it wasn’t until toward the turn of the 20th century that designs leading to practical and widely-used submersible vehicles were realized. Along the way, there were important milestones such as the launching of the hand-powered, egg-shaped Turtle in 1776, the first military submarine used in combat as well as the launching of the French Navy submarine Plongeur, the first mechanically powered submarine. Finally, in 1888, the Spanish navy launched the Peral submarine, the first electric battery-powered submarine, which also so happened to be the first fully capable military submarine. Built by Spanish engineer and sailor named Isaac Peral, it was equipped with a torpedo tube, two torpedoes, an air regeneration system, the first fully reliable underwater navigation system and posted an underwater speed of 3.5 mph. The start of the twentieth century was truly the dawn of a new era as two American brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, pulled off the first official powered flight in 1903. In essence, they had invented the world’s first airplane. Transport via aircraft took off from there with airplanes being put into service within a few short years during World War I. In 1919, British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown completed the first transatlantic flight, crossing from Canada to Ireland. The same year, passengers were able to fly internationally for the first time. Around the same time that the Wright brothers were taking flight, French inventor Paul Cornu started developing a rotorcraft. And on November 13, 1907, his Cornu helicopter, made of little more than some tubing, an engine, and rotary wings, achieved a lift height of about one foot while staying airborne for about 20 seconds. With that, Cornu would lay claim to having piloted the first helicopter flight. It didn’t take long after air travel took off for humans to start seriously considering the possibility of going further up and toward the heavens. The Soviet Union surprised much of the western world in 1957 with its successful launch of sputnik, the first satellite to reach outer space. Four years later, the Russians followed that up by sending the first human, pilot Yuri Gagaran, into outer space aboard the Vostok 1. The achievements would spark a â€Å"space race† between the Soviet Union and the United States that culminated in the Americans taking what’s perhaps the biggest victory lap among national rivals. On July 20, 1969, the Lunar module of the Apollo spacecraft, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, touched down on the surface of the moon. The event, which was broadcast on live TV to the rest of the world, allowed millions to witness the moment Armstrong became the first man to ever step foot on the moon, a moment he heralded as â€Å"one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.†