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Wednesday, October 2, 2019

The Utopian Philosophy of Shangri-La in James Hiltons Lost Horizon Ess

The Utopian Philosophy of Shangri-La in James Hilton's Lost Horizon    For some people life may not be satisfactory. Life has many troubles including death, pain, and suffering. It leaves little hope. There are ways in which people can live to have a good life. This method of how a person should live is viewed differently thoughout the world. James Hilton represents this combination of ideas and cultures in the novel, Lost Horizon (1933). This novel tells the tale of four distinctively different people retreating from a war zone. In their retreat they are kidnapped and taken by plane deep into the Himalayan mountain wilderness. Little did they know that here in the confines of the mountains there is a paradise. This paradise is called Shangri-La and is a Tibetan Monastery and community in a place of splendid beauty. Surprisingly, the kidnapped group finds that they are considered guests in this elevated community. They are apprehensive of the cerebrated treatment that they receive, but soon accept and enjoy their "misfortune." Shangri-La is a paradise, but the guests become held prisoner to pleasure and happiness. In the time they spend at Shangri-La they learn that this is a Utopia where they do not age. Because of the people's long life, they find time to become educated and "achieve calmness and profundity, ripeness and wisdom, and the clear enchantment of memory" (155). Surprisingly, the paradise is rich in culture. It contained work of art that "museums and millionaire alike would have bargained for" (94). Along with the arts, Shangri-La's library contains "a multitude of books †¦ that the whole atmosphere was more of wisdom than of learning" (95). The distinct philosophical views of Shangri-La create the essence of th... ...bligation. Kant's theory to portray virtue is evident throughout the novel's setting to make sure that everyone will "find everything quite satisfactory" (68).    These four distinctively different philosophical theories create a complex web of mental environment, which is the most important aspect of the setting in this novel. These philosophies are so effectively blended into the spirit of Shangri-La, that they created a new philosophical fusion: a perfect society. The philosophical beliefs of the Shangri-Lain culture is what frames it into a Utopia. The philosophy is not only the setting, it is the deeper meaning of the story. This setting gives hope to the weary, and may be a link into the development, through philosophical understanding, of a perfect world. Works Cited Hilton, James. Lost Horizon. PocketBooks: Simon & Schuster Inc. New York, 1960.

Skins: A whole new look on everything :: Peter Dykstra Technology Essays

Skins: A whole new look on everything Concept Background: Dykstra's concepts of linear programming and modularity take on a whole new look. Peter Dykstra the father of linear programming suggested that anything that could be done in programming could be done with a combination of three basic procedures. Sequence- procedures performed in a linear order Decision- Expressions evaluated to determine between two routes of action. Repetition- The ability of a machine to perform an operation millions of times a second. In order to clean up the commonly used "spaghetti code" of the times, Dykestra then proceeded to say that all code should be divided up into "chunks" related to a specific tasks called modules. The idea was that by abstracting these modules into "black boxes" that with well-defined input they would perform their tasks and generate predictable output. This would allow a programmer to not know anything about the modules he was using except what goes in and what comes out and still be able to use it. This modular thinking was eventually applied to a GUI interface, but is still not widely utilized. What is a "skin"? The term "skin" was first coined by a MP3 player called xxx-AMP. The GUI interface of a program is modulated and broken out from the program as explained in the previous paragraph and given the ability to be swapped with other skins to change the entire appearance of the program. Would you ever guess them to be the exact same program? Would you ever guess the creators of these GUI interfaces were not paid to do it, or necessarily even professionals? My first introduction to a program that had some characteristics of skin like behavior was a shopping cart program with a â€Å"Look and Feel Module† that they had made public to great success. Groups of users would congregate around their site and support each other by swapping self generated custom modules and knowledge on how to create them. However it was far from easy and involved more Perl than HTML or graphics work. How Does it work? Skins in the HTML world follow the same concept. A skin is a simple HTML page with special hooks for the CGI (or ASP, etc.) to connect to. For example: in the HTML a variable that must be replaced with output from the CGI would be named '$$varname:' This will cause the tag to be replaced with the CGI Perl variable $varname.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Law Enforcement Today Essay

Law enforcement is something that is needed in our country. As time has passed, crime rates have gone up. New types of crimes are created by just about anything. Let’s take a look at an example of a new crime starting up. People who are driving and texting is now becoming a crime. This may seem like something minor, but it can lead to something horrible, like the cause to a fatal accident. The driver who was busy texting his buddy that he was on the way to the bar could of caused him to get to close to another car and crash into it, causing vehicle damages and even death. With technology advancing, crime has gone up with it as well. Now people commit crime online by stealing credit card numbers and even a person’s identity. Our law enforcement agencies now have to stay on top of things in today’s world, because if they don’t, the bad guys will win. Our law enforcement agencies are made up of local, state, and federal. They interact with the U. S. Department of Homeland Security to ensure success with enforcing the law and keeping communities safe. They might not have the best relationship but there can be ways to improve that. Many people do not really understand the importance of law enforcement until they desperately need them to help in their time of need. Some of the things that we do not understand are that the law enforcement officers face many challenges in today’s society. Our officers have to go through much training to be where they are at today. They have witnessed horrible crimes that could possibly leave them traumatized for life. Aside from that, they face issues of racial profiling, extreme dangers during work hours, and learning how to deal with stress and facing a multicultural society. These officers have to suppress their emotions from what they face every day. They might even have to keep their business private from family members or they could face some type of judgment. People already act different toward any police officer. In some people’s eyes, the police are the bad guys. It is understandable because there have been many corrupt police officers that make it hard for the good guys. Some people feel that if the officer is a certain race, the officer will be for their own race and against theirs. For instance, a black police officer may be judged on his skin color and the citizens might feel that officer is protecting the black criminals. We have many law enforcement agencies with good people who are doing their best to serve and protect the people. The local law enforcement consists of different agencies, like the city police department, county sheriff’s office, transit authority police, school district police, and university police. Those are just a few. The state enforcement agencies consist of the attorney general, highway patrols, and department of criminal justice and there are more. The federal law enforcement agencies consist of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, U. S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement, the FBI, and more. All of these agencies work together to keep our country balanced and in order. The Department of Homeland Security has the local, state, and federal agencies set to handle situations that involve natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other types of disasters created by people. All agencies have a person who supports or recommends causes or policies that have to be enforced. These agencies are also provided with a point of contact for DHS in case of any situation arising that might involve them. With the law enforcement agencies working together, crime can be controlled and even prevented. I think if the police departments could be trained more on what the DHS does, maybe the relationship between them could become better. A way to build a better relationship would be to empower state and local agencies to have more power over things so in case of some type of terrorism or natural disaster, they will know what to do. Communication is a big factor in building the relationship between the agencies and DHS. If the right information is passed along the departments, this could allow for everyone to stay up-to-date with current crime and could possibly be prevented in the future, or help to better handle the situation once it happens. The relationship between law enforcement agencies and the people of our country needs to be improved as well. Many people do not realize what these officers go through. If a relationship bond could be formed with the people and the agencies, then that could also help for crimes to be stopped and prevented. Ensuring the safety of our country is what we need to focus on. There are too many crimes going on where it is basically our people against each other and that needs to stop. References http://www. golawenforcement. com/LawEnforcementAgencies. htm http://www. spiritofthelaw. org/sol1art6. html http://www. golawenforcement. com/StateAgencies/TexasLawEnforcement. htm http://www. dhs. gov/xlibrary/assets/foia/plcy_directive_252-11_office_for_state_and_local_law_enforcement. pdf http://www. heritage. org/research/reports/2011/08/homeland-security-4-0-overcoming-centralization-complacency-and-politics Schmalleger, F. 2011 Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Te4xt for the 21st Century

Monday, September 30, 2019

How will science and technology change your lives in the future Essay

Ans The role of Modern Technology and Science is increasing and has major impact on day-to-day lives of today’s people, as it will in the future. One way or another, advancements in Science and Technology are affecting people all around the world, in New York and in an unknown place in Africa. Technology affects people’s lives by improving medicines, provides better treatment for diseases and insures a longer life. It improves transportation by helping people move from one corner of the world to other in hours by using transportation services such as Airways, Railways, or even Bus Transportation. Modern Technology changed people’s lifestyle and the way they live. For example, now it’s possible to surf Internet on TV, watch programs, pause Live TV, and even playback live shows. Internet surfing is a technology revolution. Because of that technology, a person could know what is happening on the other side of the world, chat with others about different matters and even talk using Instant Messaging Services. Watching TV on computers too is possible. Due to Internet, it is now possible to say that the world is at your fingertips. Recent discoveries and scientific breakthroughs such as Cracking the DNA code and Mapping the Genome may completely change the way people look even before they are born. Parents can change color of their unborn son’s eye from blue, black or brown. Diseases that are passed through generations, like diabetes, chronic diseases may be eliminated from the unborn child. Such changes will create a child who is disease free and completely immune from world diseases. This might be helpful, as people would be healthier than before. Due to genetic alteration it maybe possible to extend human life expectancy, therefore an average person may possibly live up to 150 years healthily. These are few and best examples that Modern Technology and Science have greater impact on Human beings and the Earth than anything else mankind has done before. Even though with these many Scientific and Technological advancements, there are huge backdrops and disadvantages, Scientific and Technological advancements are improving our way of life, but in this conquest of knowledge, this advancement is hurting the Earth and also acting in a negative way people live. Development of Nuclear Arsenals is one such example, which could seriously harm Earth’s environment. Chernobyl blast is the best example of how these Nuclear Plants could lead to death of millions of lives now and in the future. Use of chemical and destructive weapons might one day bring the world to a dead end where there is no more humanity because of people’s quest for knowledge. Other matters of concern are continuous use of limited resources such as oil and coal, and increase in pollution in atmosphere due to these minerals. Therefore, Scientific Advancements may also make the world worse. If after 10 years, Genetic Mutation is made possible to extend life expectancy, people will live longer and death rate will decrease thus creating a serious problem where more resources will consumed and lead to eventual destruction of forests and natural habitats to make way for people. Therefore, Scientific and Technological advancement is not always good even if it is making the lives of people better and their lives healthier. It is also making social condition and Earth’s environment worse. In conclusion, Modern Technology has great impact on our day-to-day life and also shapes our future.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Jane Austen – Sense and Sensibility

Class, society, and politics in the home, on an interpersonal level among the characters, are themes of outmost importance in the novel â€Å"Sense and Sensibility† by Jane Austen. In this short essay, we shall discuss these themes in relation to the characters, as presented in the novel. Austen presents these social conditions throughout the story, as they were dominant in the society of her time. Laws surrounding inheritance, and property, social etiquette, and money matters in a time were gender limitations were very apparent, signified a person's position in the social scale. The Dashwood women, as they appear in â€Å"Sense and sensibility†, suddenly find themselves in a humiliating situation, when the mother, Mrs. Dashwood, becomes a widow. They were immediately cast into a dire situation. They were deprived of their estate and income when Mr. John Dashwood, became the legitimate heir of all of Mr. Dashwood's fortune, and decided not to support the Dashwood women financially. Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters, Marianne, Elinor and Margaret had no entitlement to any of Mr. Dashwood's wealth. Having no income resources, they depended on John's charity for support. This was a standard practice of the eighteenth century legal system. In Victorian times, women had, by law, no rights on property. They were seen as dependent on men not only to survive, but also in order to keep their status and respectability. Class divisions, social status and the struggle for its gaining and maintenance are important themes in the novel. All characters in the story come from wealthy, upper class backgrounds. They all belong to high society and their interests and occupations imply this. Sir John Middleton seems to symbolise the best of upper class society. Like the majority of upper class people, his occupation and marital status defined his high position within his social circle. His occupation is hunting, his wealth is inherited, and his wife's only occupation is to raise children. Lady Middleton gathers all the characteristics of the ideal upper class woman: she stays in the home, marries, and is very formal and extremely polite, perhaps to the point of irritation. Characters constantly seem to compete for financial and social power. Inherited wealth is presented as the trademark of high social status. The Dashwood women become deprived of both. As a result they are driven into hardship when they have to give up their house in Norland and all its comforts and luxuries and move to smaller, less luxurious premises in Devonshire. By using this relocation theme, Jane Austen could imply their descent from a high social position to a lower one. It seems almost as if the Dashwoods were â€Å"expelled† from Norland's â€Å"paradise† to Barton Cottage's â€Å"hell† merely because of their female nature. In Austen's world, being a woman in a man's world is a harsh, cruel reality. Marriage for status is an issue of great importance in Sense and Sensibility†. It was seen as a common way in order to gain status. What is more, it was not seen as a choice, but a necessity. Men would seek status through inheritance and/or a wealthy marriage. Edward Ferrars is a typical example of this type of a man in the story. Women would not only opt for handsome and educated men, but mainly for wealthy ones, like Lucy Steele. Wealthier women were also more likely to be legitimate for marriage depending on the dowries they could offer. This put Marianne and Elinor in immediate disadvantage to other women in the novel (i.e. the Steele ladies), and subsequent pressure, in terms of their legitimacy. Their strife for successful marriages mainly stemmed from a desire for social settlement and a restoration of their loss of status. However, in Marianne's case, the main motive for marriage seems to be love (sensibility) and not money (sense), unlike Elinor. Nevertheless, she seems to be almost pushed in a â€Å"proper† marriage with Colonel Brandon in the end. Men seem to have a lot more space for manoeuvering through suppressive social rules than women do in the novel. Society appears to allow them more freedom in marriage and age issues; Colonel Brandon makes a good example in this case. His advanced age did not eventually stop him from getting married to Marianne. In Jane Austen's world as presented in the novel, social integration and acceptance depends on one's status and his/her sensible, controlled behaviour. There seems to be very little room for individuality and deviance. Elinor, Edward Ferrars and the Middletons make fine examples of sensible, controlled characters. As Austen describes: â€Å"Elinor †¦possessed a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgment†¦She had an excellent heart; her disposition was affectionate, and her feelings were strong: but she knew how to govern them† (p4-5). Edward's propriety and the Middletons' formality also signify their extreme level of political correctness and adherence to strict codes of conduct in order to be accepted in society. Social etiquette, formal code of conduct, and discretion to the point of concealment of one's feelings, are also important features in the novel. Desire for social advancement is also evident. Mrs. John Dashwood, for example, was fast to install herself â€Å"mistress of Norland†. In the struggle for financial and social power, women appear to act within their own sphere of action: the home. Women like Mrs. J. Dashwood and Mrs. Ferrars, use domestic and financial politics to ensure their control over situations, within and outside their home environment. Financial and domestic politics seem to be the only means women can use to have their own way in the world of the novel. Ironically enough, even though the story is set in a male-dominated society, the male characters possess little power over women like, for example, Mrs. J. Dashwood and Mrs. Smith and Ferrars. In terms of politics in the home environment, it almost seems as if under the surface of a male-dominated society, what is actually going on is beyond what eyes can see. Austen successfully conveys this idea.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

#InsertTitleHere

Welcome back to the black-hole time-sucking wasteland known as Youtube, HipsDontLie6969! It’s been an eternity since we’ve last seen you. What, a whole two days? Unacceptable. You have 53 videos piled up in your subscription box– a record high! How have you managed to survive without staring at Michelle Phan slap makeup on for five minutes or watching yet another adorable puppy video? No, don’t look away from the screen. You still need your daily dose of prank-gone-wrong videos and low-budget trailers for movies you’ll never see. There we go, two hours you’ll never get back! Oh, but you’re not done yet. In fact, we’ve barely just started! To tell you the truth, we’ve been worried about you. First you haven’t posted an Instagram picture in three days, now you’re talking with your friend and haven’t checked your phone in over five minutes. What’s next, no more selfies every three seconds?Don’t make Siri ask you what’s wrong. This is getting incredibly unhealthy and you’re showing signs of all the symptoms: being attentive to other people, engaging in conversation, good god, even LOLing (or as the prehistoric barbarians used to call it, â€Å"laughing†). I’m afraid you have a severe case of the â€Å"Life’s So Much Better Not Looking Through A Screen But Actually Enjoying the Present Syndrome†. I’m afraid recovery is not going to be an easy process. People complain about recovering from cancer or a surgery, yet they don’t understand the amount of work it takes to find a post-worthy selfie with just the right cleavage-to-duckface ratio. Then you need to find an adequate (usually irrelevant) caption, maybe another Taylor Swift lyric or movie quote? How about a good ‘ole hashtag? â€Å"#selfiesunday #hashtag #love #girl #boobs† it is . Oh, don’t even get me started on the filters. Yet the hardest part of healing is relearning the unspoken rules of â€Å"text language†: to be able to typeâ€Å"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA† without a remnant of a smile on the face or decimate the English language so u tlk lik dis and sound rly smart lol:) Recovery is also hard on your loved ones, as you slowly sink back into to the habit of taking pictures of your food at the dinner table instead of eating it or texting while your Mom has, or at least attempts,a one-sided conversation. This journey back to health will be full of glazed eyes and relapses back to reality, but #webelieveinyou. We see a large cause of this sickness is due to that boy you’ve been flirting with in math class. Don’t think we haven’t noticed like Google, we know everything. Also like Google, we’re here to help and make sure you don’t have to use your own brain for anything. If you would like to talk to him, text him instead! Everyone knows talking online is the same if not better than in person. You get to filter your true thoughts and hide behind a rampage of smiley face emojis. If that doesn’t work out, welcome to Tinder! With just a swipe right, this mobile dating app matches you with sweet sentimental guys who are looking for nothing short of a lifelong romance (long walks on the beach and kisses in the sunset not included). Next, we’ll prescribe a strong dose of Twitter; make sure to take this at least once an hour. After all, everyone is dying to know where you are, what your mood is, and what youre wearing at all times, Now don’t forget, if you want to heal faster, make sure to also subtweet your ex-boyfriends new girlfriend around once a week, because who doesn’t love a good twitter fight.Sure you could be paying attention in class, but Nicole’s status on the cloudy weather seems much more important . Favorite. As the saying goes, pictures/videos or it didn’t happen. This treatment is one of of the best cures towards your diagnosis. What would be the point of going to a concert if you didn’t take a video? Concerts used to be about the live experience, the intimate connection between artist and fan, and the swarming energy that causes people to dance, laugh, sing along. Never mind that when now you can capture it and just re watch it again later. This applies when you hang out with friends as well. Make sure to take as many pictures as possible so you can brag about your friendship through â€Å"candid† laughter photos and Snapchat storiesthen you can go back to â€Å"hanging out†, aka being in each other’s presence as you both stare away at your phones. Have you ever walked into a silent room where everyone’s heads were craned down, scrolling through their Facebook newsfeed? Satisfying, isn’t it? Silence speaks louder than words. You seem to be doing much better pale ghastly skin, a sore neck from constantly looking down, and the inability to go to the bathroom, or anywhere really, without your phone seemingly attached to your hand. You used to make small talk with the stranger in the elevator or only Facebook friend people you really knew, but fortunately we’ve successfully removed those malignant actions. Now you’re a living success story: socially impaired with+800 Facebook friends who couldn’t give a rats ass about you! With our current treatment, less and less people are getting struck with this contagious virus. Luckily, we are starting vaccinations at a younger age, with little kids playing on smartphones instead of outside and taking bathroom mirror pictures before they’re tall enough to reach it. By the next five years, kids are projected to have smartphones handed to them right out of the womb! In the age of technology and advancement, those struck down with the syndrome are dying out while the rest of the population is progressing forward. I’m glad you were able to recover and join us.Make sure to follow the necessary steps to prevent the â€Å"Life’s So Much Better Not Looking Through A Screen But Actually Enjoying the Present Syndrome† from resurfacing. Have as many social media applications as possible and when in doubt, never look up. Your screen is your reality. If you’re reading this off paper (does that still exist?), you’re doing it wrong. Oh , well pardon me, I forgot to look at the time! It’s that time of the day again. Welcome back to the black-hole time-sucking wasteland known as Youtube, HipsDontLie6969! It’s been an eternity since we’ve last seen you. What, a whole two hours?