Life on Mars as a human :: essays research papers

"PLANET MARS, POPULATION 13,000", says the sign at the entrance of Mars, a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" dot on the map of the solar system. It's a perfect story book planet: only six sets of traffic lights for our hover cars, a main street where you can say hello to any of the friendly, talkative beings nearby, lots of blazing rocks and a beautiful big canyon with an over-looking red sky. One thing a person from the planet would notice instantly, aside from the abundance of red rock and my planet's obsession with leaning buildings, is the fact that people of different races, other than green, stand out like flashing lights in a dark sky. See, the thing with Mars is the percentage of green beings is roughly 95 per cent. Don't get me wrong; in principle, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm just stating the facts. Given that my mother is Human and my father is from Uranus, however, I really stood out in Mars. For someone so physically and culturally distinctive, you may think that a small planet would be terrible to live in. But, for me, the experience was the total opposite. I never acknowledged my racial difference because no one else did. The only times I felt slightly out of place or uncomfortable was during discussions about different cultures at school. I'd always have this feeling that everyone was thinking about me and looking at me, wondering if I lived like the people we were discussing or not. To make myself feel better, I just thought of it as flattery. As their only real life subject, they could feel free to ask me questions. In my experience, being a minority is only a negative thing if you allow it to be. I didn't try to be someone I wasn't, so my race never did matter. Many people have blamed a lot of their problems on racism, stereotypes, and discrimination. Unfortunately, there are times when that is the reason. In some cases, however, people make it into a reason. They become so obsessed with the thought that anyone who is 'this' or 'that' is the problem. I have three words for them, just drop it. Stop making more problems, we already have enough. Sometimes the solar system would be better off colour blind. At times, I have been called an ‘apple,' green on the outside and white on the inside.

How Do Cell Phones Affect Society? Essay

Mobile phones have changed how we negotiate our relationships with family, spouses and close friends. Increased levels of mobile phone subscriptions are linked with improvements in education, gender equality and political participation, particularly in developing countries. They are also associated with higher economic growth. These are among the findings of a research report by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research, which explores the ways in which mobile technologies influence economics, society and people’s private lives across 10 countries – the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, India, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa. The report – ‘Mobile Technologies: The Digital Fabric of Our Lives’, commissioned and published by the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications – bases its findings on numerous sources, including interviews with 10 top academic researchers and a worldwide survey of Vodafone country experts. Among the findings: Relationships: Mobile phones have altered our relationships with family, spouses and close friends. But while they seem to promise a wider social network, more than half of the average person’s calls and texts go to only four to six different people. Health: Mobile phones significantly help to maintain physical and psychological health when family members move away from home. And they enable women to maintain three roles within the household, simultaneously being wives, mothers and wage earners. Political participation: More mobile phone subscriptions are correlated with more democratic participation, less gender inequality and longer time spent in education. In all three areas, the impact of mobiles on social development indicators is stronger in developing countries. Economic growth: Mobile technologies contribute significantly to GDP growth, with a forecast range of between 1. 8% in the UK and 24. 9% in Egypt over the years 2010-2020, compared with today’s GDP. Again, the effects will be larger in developing countries.

Comparing and Contrasting the Lottery and Young Goodman

In the story, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, is written in a historical point of view. â€Å"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. † Their main food source is corn and to make sure that the corn will come they have to have human sacrifices. If they don't they say â€Å"First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. † The corn doesn't come if they don't have human sacrifices and they have to eat other food than corn. Shirley Jackson wrote this in a cultural form in this passage. Jackson uses irony and comedy in her story, about how weak human individuals are.In the story, Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, writes in a more linguistic way. He uses many descriptive words and figures of speech. â€Å"There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree. † Nathaniel is talking about there being bad things around every corner in life. â€Å"What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow! † Nathaniel explains everything so well in his writing and he seems very smart with the words that he uses. Goodman Brown believes that the devil is taking over the minds of the people he loves.Nathaniel Hawthorne explains that Goodman Brown believes in the goodness of people until he meets the devil. In the stories, The Lottery and Young Goodman Brown, they both are very different but then yet very similar. These stories are different because Shirley Jackson writes in a cultural form and Nathaniel Hawthorne writes in a linguistic form. They both are very good writes and explain things well. Jackson's writing is deep and kind of dark. Hawthorn’s is very dark especially when Goodman Brown is in the woods. Both of these stories and authors are very good at their work.

Describe the causes, events, and consequences of the Salem Witch Essay

Describe the causes, events, and consequences of the Salem Witch Trials - Essay Example In truth the Salem witch trials involved accusations of witchcraft, which is essentially perceived as devil worship, by people against their neighbors, family members, and friends. There were no witches in Salem Massachusetts casting spells or harming people. In fact, in took very little to earn an accusation as a witch, but surviving such an accusation is a whole other story. The Salem Witch Trials represent the power of fear and false accusations that can consume an entire community until it turned itself inside out. The era of the Salem Witch Trials is a time period that would have been rather frightening to be living in. Salem Massachusetts in the late 1600s had been through a great deal of hardship. There was rampant disease, poor harvests, and a number of Indian attacks that was making people fearful and on edge all of the time. With all of this unpleasantness the atmosphere was ripe for some kind of violent outburst in response. It all began in 1692 in the home of Reverend Sam uel Parris. Whose daughter had begun having seizures or spasms, suffering delusions, and had fallen in to a strange trance-like state. It was the doctor that examined her that brought him the side effects of witchcraft as a cause. He suggested that Betty Parris was either a practitioner of the dark craft or a victim of it.1 All of the girls who were companions of Betty, Mary Warren and Abigail Williams, admitted that they had danced and carried on in the woods under the encouragement of Tituba, the Parris’s foreign servant. Soon enough all of the girls, including Tituba are accused of witchcraft; but to save themselves they confess and ask forgiveness. They begin behaving as if other witches and the devil, himself, were attempting to punish them and torment them because they no longer wished to serve the devil. Soon enough this group of girls began naming names of, mostly woman in the community who may be witches. The Courts were established to try those accused. From here it is important to mention that most people associate the events in the story of the Salem Witch Trials through the play the â€Å"The Crucible, â€Å"by Arthur Miller. However, his work changed certain elements for dramatic effect that strayed from the true history a bit. For example, Miller portrays Tituba as more of a slave of African descent. In truth, Tituba was an Indian from the island of Barbados. Another major plot in the â€Å"The Crucible† is the love affair between Abigail Williams and John Proctor, a respected citizen of Salem. It is Proctor’s spurning of Abigail’s attention that caused her to turn on him and accuse his wife of witchcraft. However, in reality, Abigail Williams was only 12 years old; there is no verifiable historical proof that there was any relationship at all between Abigail and John Proctor. This as part of the cause of the trials is only an invention of the theatre.2 However, there are 4 specific reasons that can be attributed to the cause of the Salem Witch Trials. â€Å"Religious hysteria† is one of these theories. The Puritans were a very devout sect, who believed fully that both God and the Devil can play interactive roles in the lives of mortal men. The idea that witchcraft and devil worship was rampant in their town would have been terrifying for many of the residents. Another theory suggests that it may have begun with a legitimate illness, but not one caused by the Devil. Rye poisoning was a possible culprit. The consumption of it acts like LSD on the system and could produce

Global business venture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global business venture - Research Paper Example The battery life is the same 10 hours as of it predecessor. This iconic tablet is available in two colours, black or white, and supports HDMI output using a separate cable. It has front-facing cams with the traditional rear camera and a few cool accessories offered first time by Apple (Apple iPad, 2012). Till now, the product has been launched in many different counties but not in Japan. The other products of Apple have been successfully launched in Japan previously. Therefore Apple Incorporation is now planning to introduce iPad 2 in Japan. For this purpose government, political and economic analysis was carried out. Japans government is a constitutional monarchy and has a parliamentary government. Sovereignty, previously embodied in the emperor, is vested in the Japanese people, and The Emperor is the symbol of the state with sovereignty bestowed to the people of the country. Cabinet composes of Prime Minister and State Ministers and holds the executive power. The members of the cabinet must all be civilians and the power to appoint and remove state minister lies with the prime minister. The judiciary here is independent, with judicial system being drawn from civil law, customary law and Anglo-American common law. The final judicial authority is with the Supreme Court, though there are several levels of courts. The Japanese constitution includes a bill of rights similar to the U.S. Bill of Rights, and the Supreme Court has the right of judicial review. The court verdicts are made in accord with legal statutes. Since the 1980’s Japan has faced political instability. To put Japan back on the path of vibrant growth, the nations tax system was changed; there was a cut in corporate tax and a hike in sales tax, to escape sovereign debt crisis. There were a few other changes in government policies to attract investors towards Japan which had given positive outcomes (Takenaka, 2010). The free-market economy of Japan is the third-largest economy in

Cultural Sensitivity Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Sensitivity Reflection - Essay Example A culturally competent teacher knows perfectly well how to relate the skill of cultural awareness with his/her work which includes dealings with the students, parents, staff, and community members almost on daily basis. Acting in a culturally competent manner becomes especially important in a classroom as that is the place where a teacher has to deal with the students in a very direct manner. â€Å"Culturally responsive teaching does not incorporate traditional educational practices with respect to students of color† (Gay, 2000). Parents often have a hard time adjusting to the reality of teaching their children in a culturally sensitive environment. This is why teachers should take care to acknowledge cultural sensitivity when dealing with the parents of their students and they can do so by effectively bridging the communication gap in order to win the trust of the parents. When dealing with parents, a teacher should help them understand how he/she intends to use cultural refe rents to groom the students academically, emotionally, and intellectually in a culturally sensitive environment. A teacher can also relate cultural competency with his/her work when dealing with students in a classroom by deeply acknowledging the cultural heritages of various ethnic groups and regarding them. He/she should also stimulate the entire class to respect each other’s cultural heritages. There also exists a difference in the extent to which each student adapts to the learning process which is why a culturally competent and sensitive teacher should employ a variety of instructional strategies addressing different learning styles. Cultural sensitivity should be practiced whether a teacher teaches a multilingual or a monolingual class (Stubbs, 2011). Moreover, cultural sensitivity requires a teacher to instill the same sense and skill into other staff members as the learning process can never be controlled by a single teacher alone. It is the job of

In the United States, we do not need to plan for retirement. Social Essay - 2

In the United States, we do not need to plan for retirement. Social Security will cover our needs when we are retired - Essay Example However, this program is under scrutiny as it is estimated that in the next decades, as more and more citizens of the Baby Boomers generation retire, the payouts would be higher than that of the benefits. The current stress on the economy along with an uncertain future about the Social Security program adds further concerns. The wide speculation is that the benefits gained out of this program would not be enough for retirement and there is a need to look at additional investment options such as IRA and 401K. Hence, relying on Social Security program would not be enough to suffice for the entire retired life. Retirement planning in the United States is essential and Social Security program is not enough to cover all the needs post retirement. The social security program came into existence in 1935 and has undergone several amendments since then to include many different social welfare clauses. This program works through the payroll taxes, where the individual pays a certain amount and the employee also adds that amount. This constitutes a fund that is released at the time of retirement along with the interest amount added to it. Hence, the goal Social Security is to work as a unique program where citizens do not have to undergo financial stress to save money for retirement. For a participant of the Social Security program, the benefits are given out in the form an annuity, which is paid for the rest of the beneficiary’s life. The benefits are also adjusted according the level of inflation in order to make sure that the benefits are not less as time passes by (Brown et al, 2009). In addition, this program also has benefits for the spouse and the dependents to support the family even in an event of death. Hence, this program aims to provide real benefits to the retiree. The social security program was designed in such a manner that it should cover all the needs for a retiree and there should be no need of an additional investment in terms of retirement plan ning. However, in the recent times, there have been apprehensions about whether social security would be enough to cover all the needs during retirement. There are some main reasons that are causing this concern among the American citizens and forcing them to consider other factors. They are the funds of the Social Security program getting exhausted, weak economy and demographic trends. One of the main concerns is how the social security program would be drained out of all its funds in the years to come. This would happen because a huge chunk of population, the Baby Boomers generation would retire in the next decade, causing a huge deficit on the funds of social security. In 2010, the total income that was earned through the tax payroll was $781.1 billion, where as the amount that was paid through the taxes were $721.5 billion. Hence, there was a total increase in assets of only $68.6 billion (Whibey, 2011). According to the estimation done by Ohlemacher, this fund would totally dra in out by the year 2037. In 2011, it is projected that social security would collect around $45 billion less in payroll taxes than what it would pay out during retirement (Ohlemacher, 2011). Therefore, according to the rate at which the Social Security funds are getting exhausted, it would be impossible to sustain this program without any legislative intervention. It