EXPERIENCE OF THE BEAUTY SALONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

EXPERIENCE OF THE BEAUTY SALONS - Essay Example Now, we define beauty in terms of our perceptions of it which is greatly influenced by the flawless looking faces on our TV screens. In today’s world, people have become increasingly aware of the importance to look their best as your outlook is not only the primary factor that can make or break your impression but is also a booster of self confidence and esteem levels. In this never ending pursuit of beauty, our best facilitators, after the cosmetics, have been the beauty salons. Theirs is the one organization that primarily caters to the fairer sex and is known to do wonders for their outlook. It is generally believed that if you are having issues with your skin, go the beauty salons regularly and they will cure it for you. If you are subject to pressures and stress in the daily routine, go to the salon occasionally for a massage and you will forget all your worries (Michelle). Other than that, if we deem ourselves not to be as fancy as to go to the salon for petty issues as the ones mentioned previously, even then it is inevitable for us to go there for the periodic requirements of nail care or haircuts if nothing else. Beauty salons are a perfect haven of female pampering. It is a business that not only caters to our requirement of enhancing the beauty but also happens to be a luxurious medium of relaxation. On the other hand, a beauty salon is a sort of business that greatly relies on customer retention. Due to this aspect, once you become a regular customer, you get to see a lot of familiar faces around on your every trip. Not only that, due to these periodic trips one also gets to know the employers over there and both the parties are also able to develop sort of a mutual understanding. In my particular case, I am bound to go to the salon every once in a while most often for a haircut if nothing else and have now been going to the same parlour for the past couple of years. I know the place by heart and can see its whole alignment right in my head. It is a small salon in the market two blocks from my home and I can usually go there by foot. Out of all the shops around it, theirs is the board that is the hardest one to miss. With its big windows of tinted glass with posters of beautiful women adorning the campaigns of famous cosmetics, to its big pink sign above the doors with the name of the saloon written in the curly font, it is the one domain that stands out from the rest and screams of female dominion. On going through its sliding doors, one finds herself in a small room that farther leads down different sections of the salon. My first impression whenever I enter the salon is of overwhelming surprise due to all the pink around. The walls of the salon are pink; the flooring is in a different shade of pink; and on top of that all the workers there have also been assigned to wear pink shirts as their uniform so that they also blend in with the whole theme. I am personally always overwhelmed by the whole uniformity of colour a s soon as I step in the door. The inside of the salon is all filled with things to enhance the beauty. There is a small reception area on the right of the door where the clients are received and the transactions take place for their orders. The rest of the room is dominated by an area specified for haircuts and other hair treatments with high backed chairs that have each a mirror hanging in front of them. Below the mirrors is a long shelf that runs across all the chairs and has drawers filled with the tools of the workers for working in the hair department. This room is always buzzing with the sounds of the blow dryers drying and setting hair of the customers that are done with their hair treatments. Farther down, the room branches off to a number of

The Strength of a Marketing Communication of a Japanese or Korean Auto Research Paper

The Strength of a Marketing Communication of a Japanese or Korean Auto Manufacturer - Research Paper Example Evidently, it has initiated novel processes such as electric vehicles, which it has sold on the global platform. It is worth indicating that Toyota is categorized as one of the outstanding entities both within the country and within the US. It is the foremost entity to come up with produce hybrid vehicles and pushing them into the US market. These hybrid vehicles include the â€Å"Camry hybrid and the Highlander Hybrid† (Toyota 2011). The company is speeding up at developing vehicles that only run on electricity (Mytelka & Boyle, 2008). The company is known in making formula 3 engines and their auto parts. Toyota also develops multitask robots destined for leisure and for caring the elderly. As it seeks to continue being dominant in the automobile industry in producing luxurious vehicles, Toyota makes the new Kluger appealing to the luxurious generation through divergent communication methodologies. Reinkingh & Stobart (2005) indicates that the new Kluger is portrayed as a familial car that caters for families needs. A fancy car that appears elegant and most importantly safe for the family. This car is ideal for the family as it is a â€Å"seven roomy seater vehicle† (Toyota 2011). It offers litheness of changing the seats arrangement to the one that is deserving to an individual. This car facilitates family trips as it has a DVD player at the rear seat backed by three wireless headphones to keep both children and adults content on their way to their destination. Toyota (2011) indicates that this car is designed to alter entertainment from the living room to the vehicle. Since the children are fond of listening music and watching movies, this car is portrayed as facilitating their enjoyment by offering them a form of entertainment during the journey. At times, the journey may be tedious and boring and to eliminate this, a medium of entertainment is therefore necessary to prevent the drive from being extremely

Questions Educators must ask Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Questions Educators must ask - Essay Example Ever since Charles Darwin published his book , 'The Origin of the Species' in the nineteenth century, scientific thought has been focused on the theory of evolution. Many experiments have been conducted on the subject of evolution. According to a recent report in The Economist, many of the researches are motivated by "pre-conceived ideas that one lot of people are somehow better than another lot rather than being a disinterested investigation of regional variations in a single species and the evolutionary pressures that have created them." (The Economist ) This attitude of some scientific researchers questions the methods and assumptions that they follow. The assumption that experiments on animals give us a better insight into human nature also falls in this category. Human beings belong to the family of mammals, which inhabit the earth with millions of other organisms, from the largest to the tiniest. The erect walk, freeing the hands , the retractable thumb and the big brain with its enormous problem solving capacity, makes the human being seem to be highly advanced. But at the same time we must not forget that all inhabitants of the earth share the same water and atmosphere. This makes them partners in a symbiotic relationship. To think that human beings are advanced animals seems to be logical, but at the same time, the actions of human beings in jeopardizing the health of the planet we live in seems to show that they are not so advanced after all. No other animal on earth causes wars, is so greedy that it steals from its own home, nor changes the climate. An important question that an educator must ask himself is, "Are we innocent or evil Are we pre disposed to make appropriate or inappropriate choices" All human beings are born with a conscience which tells them whether an action is good or bad. According to Kantian theory, a human being is pre disposed to make choices for the good of the society as a whole. As Will Durant puts it, ""The most astounding reality of all our experience is precisely, our moral sense, our inescapable feeling, in the face of temptation, that this or that is wrong".(Durant 270) According to Kant, people follow the moral law regardless of profit or loss to themselves. As human beings, we are predisposed to make the appropriate choices. We are born with a feeling of goodness in our hearts. The so called evil actions are a result of greed and hatred fomented by circumstances. To the question, "Are we a collection of components or a unitary structure" the answer is obvious. Since we are a part of the planet, with a symbiotic relationship with myriad other living things small and big, we cannot consider ourselves as a unitary structure .Our nature as human beings has made us gregarious. We learn better in social settings. Since our brains are programmed to learn by active construction of meaning and design, we acquire knowledge by the Active learning process. Human learning is enhanced by the social interaction. Life itself is interaction with other persons or animals. A small

A Tale Of Two Cities Essay Example for Free

A Tale Of Two Cities Essay We learn that the Signal man has seen very disturbing events such as the train crash and the bride dying and what is more troubling is that he seen it coming, throughout the story we see how the signal man opens up to the narrator on how he is troubled and is emphasizing how he saw a ghost but the narrator starts to doubt his new friends mind and starts to have a very patronizing attitude towards the signal man. Throughout the story the fear is spreading. Dickens also uses tactile imagery Frozen finger tracing out my spine and also Dickens uses olfactory imagery an earthly deadly smell. The relationship between the narrator and the signal man is one of trust as the signal man opens up to him on their second meeting do the signal man and the narrator linked in some way? Dickens has made the story raise some doubts about the afterlife and fate. However Bram Stoker famed for his book Dracula has created a short story that is much like The Signal Man but has a different approach to the horror genre for the first few pages are a little bit of a mysterious Draculas Guest is full of suspense the title alone raises the expectation for the reader as it does not give away the plot but creates a feeling of intrigue making the reader want to read on, this is a clever ploy Stoker has used and it was also a popular theme to use as in the middle ages and Victorian era the legends of vampires have been popular among the people of Britain and Ireland and perhaps the world. The short story contains many dark themes that create mystery and also adds to the mounting tension that is created by the title Draculas Guest Bram who is Known for his Dark stories that contain major supernaturalist elements such as Mythism and oppressive that are including as the novel The Lair of the White Worm, Bram creates the prefect atmosphere for the short stor y and for the century as the Victorian era had a thing for vampirism stories. The story begins in Munich the weather is idyllic The sun was shining brightly on Munich, and the air was full of the joyousness of the early summer is the weather too idyllic? Bram cleverly opens the story this way to lull the reader into a sense of false security a very smart move I think personally, but that all ends when still holding his hand on the handle of the carriage door is used which is very arousing and causes a lot of interest, He also uses personification a shiver in the north wind adds more dramatic effect so does the use of alliteration Sudden Storm but the line But I am sure you will not be late, here he smiled and added for you know what night is it mysterious what is the night in question? And why is it so important? The 1st paragraph creates a sense of importance for the night and adds to the mystery and we then learn the reason the maitre and coachman fears the night and also we learn the name Walpurgis Nacht which translated from German means Night of Evil this term is very important to Catholics this is the first relation to religion, later on we here Walpurgis nacht! , Stoker uses the language barrier and the fail to understand adds to the suspense and surreal aspect, later the weather changes to dark clouds drifted rapidly across the sky the atmosphere changes to a sinister dull mood. Again the language barrier is there and the personification has the desired effect the storm of snow he comes before long time also the dialogue become vague and broken creating more tension here vampirism applied mouths red with blood, we see that the protagonist seems to doubt his sanity a lot like Dickens character The Signal Man it seems he also is succumbing to his fear Paroxysm of the fear- white face perspiring, trembling Bram Stokers technique second to none he uses detailed descriptions for his characters and settings and his use of the language devices such as metaphors glistening white carpet and his alliteration Sudden Storm and lastly repetition Walpurgis nacht. Each writer Dickens and Stoker uses different methods to create a spine-chilling effect on the reader each could even be masters of horror and suspense, all the aspects that the gothic genre needs to be successful and The Signal Man and Draculas Guest where very successful in that age and successful today in the study of literature . In conclusion after close analysis of both stories I have seen that both stories are great for maintaining tension and use techniques such as alliteration, pathetic fallacy and are good to create confusion among the readers. This wining combination gives the story a kick and keeps the reader engrossed in the story. I believe that stoker is perfect for building suspense and tension while Dickens plays on the readers emotion by lulling them into a sense of security and then confuses them and then plays on their confusion. Gavin Teggart Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Racism In Contemporary Britain

Racism In Contemporary Britain The existence of races in a given society presupposes the presence of racism, for without racism, physical characteristics are devoid of social significance (Van den Berghe, 1978, p.11). This represents a tension, explored within this essay, between the inability to categorise human beings into separate races on the basis of physical difference (Peoples and Bailey, 2011) and the fact that such categorisation occurs, based on the misconception that socially constructed concepts of racial difference are an objective reality (Barak et al., 2010). As the existence of race relies fundamentally upon its construction within society (Marger, 2011), it appears, within this essay, as race. In examining the existence of racism in contemporary Britain, a number of definitions will be explored, however, a commonality among them is their dependence on the definition of race, demonstrating, I would argue, the equally, socially, constructed, nature of racism (Capdevila and Callaghan, 2007). By examining Immigration and Asylum policy, this essay will analyse how differing definitions of racism, explain its continued existence, within a seemingly tolerant society (Wemyss, 2009). It also considers how immigrants and asylum seekers are perceived and treated within society, because in addition to occurring at policy level, racism is a lived experience (Lentin, 2011). I do not consider the definitions examined, namely biological, new, institutional and cultural racism, to be an exhaustive list and recognise that considering its existence from other constructs, may give a different picture of contemporary Britain, further demonstrating the need for a critical approach to concepts of racism and its existence within society (Zamudio et al., 2011). I will conclude by exploring whether accurately defining racism, impacts its prevalence, or whether pursuing the eradication of negative life chances, for minority ethnic groups, is not more beneficial than the categorisation of discri mination. Although it is now commonly recognised that there are no biological differences, by which races can be categorised (Nanda and Warms, 2010), this concept continues to create the foundation for biological racism and associates such difference with a behavioural hierarchy in terms of morals and intellect (Smedley and Smedley, 2005). This concept of hierarchy, I would argue, is integral to racism, in that the self is constructed as superior and the other as inferior (Rivers, 2008). Having proven the non-existence of race, this form of racism could be considered outdated and irrelevant, however, I would argue that its prevalence is still apparent within scientific discourse and public opinion (Lentin, 2011). In recent political debate, for example, around reducing the spread of HIV within the UK, by providing free treatment to foreign nationals (HAUK Select Committee, 2011), objectors have argued that this will increase immigration, out of a desire for free medical treatment (Department o f Health, 2005). Whilst I would not deny the greater prevalence of HIV in some parts of the world, and therefore some ethnic groups, associating this with the motivation for immigration, within such ethnic groups, being to take advantage of free resources, I would argue, has biologically racist undertones. In addition, there is no evidence that the provision of free HIV treatment would create such health tourism (NAT., 2008). With racism being legislated against (Race Relations Act, 1976), racist undertones are now more common than overt racism, when taking a biologically racist perspective (Jiwani and Richardson, 2011) and the denial of racism within Immigration and Asylum policy, arguing that its not racist to impose limits on immigration (Conservative Party, 2005), is unsurprising. Whilst immigration rules, by their nature, discriminate between those who have, and do not have, the right to remain in the UK, I would argue that this discrimination is only biologically racist, if decisions are made on the basis of physical difference. As such, it could be argued that the Conservative discourse is justified, in that some criterion are required for immigration control, but that such rules do not refer to particular racial groups having characteristics determining their suitability for immigration (Sriskandarajah, 2006). Whilst this argument does not necessarily prove the lack of racism within Immigration Po licy, it demonstrates how one definition of racism, in this case biological, can be used to deny its existence, whereas, as this essay will demonstrate, constructing alternative definitions highlights greater prevalence of racism within Immigration and Asylum policy. A combination of factors, including legislation, scientific rationale behind the non-existence of race and eugenics movements, have resulted in traditional forms of racism being constructed as socially unacceptable, causing a reduction, although not eradication, in overt, racist behaviour and a denial of racist intent (Romm, 2010). If my understanding of racism, therefore, were restricted to a biological definition, I might argue that its existence within contemporary Britain has reduced. By redefining racism, however, in the light of its social unacceptability, to subtler, indirect forms, the existence of racism, I would argue, in both Immigration and Asylum policy and wider British society, can still be seen. This subtler definition, known as New Racism (Collins and Solomos, 2010), argues that the same belief in racial superiority underpins many current discourses, but that new language is used to represent these traditional beliefs, for example, substituting race with immigrant or asylum seeker (Kimber, 2010). Returning to the Conservative Manifesto (2005), if no inference of racism exists within policy proposals, then why is there a need for rhetoric which defends a non-racist position? The powerful use of language is evident in this kind of discourse, because in addition to denying racist intent, arguments are constructed, such that, accusations of racism are deemed irrational, making any covert or indirect forms of racism difficult to challenge (Goodman and Burke, 2011). In Conservative leader, Michael Howards election campaign (2005), for example, the need for stricter immigration control is argued to be based on common sense, rather than racist principles. Mr. Howard categorises immigrants as good and bad, with those being different and not encompassing British values, deemed bad (Btihaj, 2006). Being a child of immigrants, he classifies himself a good immigrant, for whom racism is unacceptable because he is one of them, however, Michael is white, and therefore does not look different and his immigrant Father is Romanian, a Christian, European country whose values and cultures are more in line with Britishness than perhaps, non-white, non-Christian countries, making conforming to the image of good immigrant, much easier for him (Capdevila and Callaghan, 2007). In this way, I would argue that, although new language is used, racist beliefs underpin this discourse, in describing acceptable immigrants as white, with similar culture and values, and conversely less acceptable immigrants, as non-white individuals, refusing to conform to our culture and values. A biological definition would deny racism within this speech, whereas, a new racism definition highlights underlying racist discourse, which may result in the implementation of racist immigration policies. I would argue that this further demonstrates the contested and constructed nature of racism, which can be made to exist, or not, on the basis of its definition. This coded use of language can also be seen in wider public attitudes, within the UK. Where terms like lazy, stupid and unprincipled were historically used to describe racial groups, they are now connected with immigrants and asylum seekers (Craig, 2007). Similarly, Finney and Peach (2006) found that although discriminatory views have shifted from race to immigrants and asylum seekers, similar language, and reasons for feelings of animosity, are used in describing both groups. A biologically racist perspective, could argue that attitudes toward ethnic minorities have improved within the UK, but I would argue that, considering a new racism definition, although language and focus have changed, racist attitudes still prevail within contemporary British society. Another perspective in understanding racism, is to consider how policies, decision making and institutional practices create and define racism, rather than individual belief systems. This institutional definition of racism, argues that, policies are constructed to both subordinate, and maintain control over, particular racial groups (Carmichael and Hamilton, 1969). In this way, racism is the creation of inferiority through the implementation of organisational policies and procedures (Better, 2008) and is rooted in the processes of established and respected forces within society, which I would argue makes them less likely to be challenged than individual acts of racism (Carmichael and Hamilton, 1969). Institutional racism can occur unintentionally, by unwitting prejudice and racial stereotyping creating policies and cultural practices which disadvantage ethnic minorities (Macpherson, 1999). The complexity of institutional racism is that, organisations cannot make decisions or policies , without the presence of individuals and therefore questions whether an institution can be racist, or whether racism results from the influence of individuals within that institution (Roush, 2008). The UK Border Agency, in working predominantly with immigrants and asylum seekers, in my view, holds significant potential for institutional racism. Whether such racism is intentional is contested, but irrespectively, I would argue that, some immigration policies disproportionately disadvantage certain ethnic minorities. Recent changes to work permit policies, for example, mean that restaurants employing chefs from outside the EU, must find applicants with at least 5 years experience and graduate-level qualifications, paying them at least  £28,260 a year (Home Office, 2011). Although this policy is applied to all restaurants and its implementation aims to prioritise jobs for British citizens, I would argue that restaurants providing cuisine originating outside Europe, are likely to be disproportionately impacted by this policy and that such businesses are likely to be owned by, and employing individuals of, ethnic minorities (Khaleeli, 2012). In this way, whether intentionally or n ot, I would argue that these immigration changes are institutionally racist, in that their negative impact, upon ethnic minorities, is unjustifiably disproportionate. This again demonstrates, I would argue, how the definition of racism taken, can significantly impact its perceived existence within contemporary British society. A biological definition, for example, would argue that decisions are not being made on the basis of physical difference, as all individuals are receiving the same treatment, and therefore the policy is not racist. Similarly, new racism, by examining the language used, could still conclude that the intention of this policy, is not to favour any particular racial group. The difference, I would argue, with institutional racism, is that intent is less important than impact and therefore, racism can be deemed to exist if the outcomes for ethnic minorities are disproportionately worse than the general population, which in regard to this policy, I would argue, could be the case. The final perspective being explored, cultural racism, is argued by some to simply be an extension of new racism (Jacobson, 2008). Within immigration and asylum discourse, however, I would argue, the language of culture so frequently replaces that of race, as to make a distinct exploration of cultural racism beneficial (Diller, 2010). Cultural racism relates to the belief that less dominant cultures are dysfunctional, maladaptive or even deviant, emphasising individual failings, rather than a societal failure to accommodate difference (Williams, 2007). Although it could be argued that this moves too far from a valid definition of racism, this depends upon how race is defined and if there are no biological differences by which races can be categorised, then the socially constructed differences which create racism, may also be cultural differences (Pon, 2009). In this way cultural racism is both the negatively, differential treatment on the basis of cultural difference (Hill, 2008) and the denial of opportunity to express ones culture (Ford, 2005). Muslims are frequently constructed, for example, as a homogenous group, when in reality the diversity of individuals classifying themselves as Muslim, is too vast to validate a single identity (Al-Azmeh, 2007). Despite this, the term Muslim has become a way of describing ethnicity, both in politics and public opinion (Wilson, 2007). This process of homogenisation, I would argue, has caused ideas of fundamentalism, and terrorist intent, to be attributed to the Muslim identity, constructing them, in some respects, as an enemy of British society (Todorov and Brown, 2010). This is not only a discriminatory and inaccurate portrayal of a diverse group, but also culturally racist in the way such beliefs are played out in the implementation of policy and treatment of Muslims within British society (Qasmiyeh, 2010). This can be seen in proposed legislative changes, following the terrorist attacks of September 2001, where Prime Minister, Tony Blair, argued a need for increased ability to exclu de and remove those suspected of terrorism and those seeking to abuse the asylum system (Hansard, 2001). In addition, in describing the attacks, Mr. Blair highlighted the terrorists motivation as a religious obligation set out in the Islamic Holy text, the Koran (ibid). This demonstrates, I would argue, an underlying discourse associating both Muslims and asylum seekers with terrorism (Huysmans and Alessandra, 2008). Further political statements in the subsequent decade, I would argue, cemented this construction of Muslims as the enemy (Pantazis and Pemberton, 2009). In 2006, for example, a report on countering terrorism (Cabinet Office, 2006) concluded that the most prominent threat came from Islamist extremists. Furthermore John Denham, as Home Office minister, suggested that behind a minority group of terrorists, sat a wider Islamic community, who considered terrorism to be a legitimate response to current concerns (Denham, 2007). A consequence of this negative construction of Muslims, I would argue, is the discriminatory treatment of immigrants and asylum seekers who identify as Muslim (Pantazis and Pemberton, 2009). Risk-profiling computers, for example, determining on entry to the UK who should be scanned, searched and questioned, have been found to focus upon Muslim-specific behaviours, categorising practising Muslims as high risk (Webber, 2012). This is a clear demonstration, I would argue, of cultural racism, in determining negatively, differential treatment on the basis of cultural identity, further highlighting how the existence of racism, is very much dependent upon the way in which it is defined. Biological racism, for example, would argue that the range of ethnic diversity within Islam, indicates that any discriminatory treatment toward Muslims, cannot be racist, as underlying, discriminatory, motivations are not based upon biological difference. Similarly, although much of the discrimination explor ed, occurs at an institutional level, Institutional Racism is based on the impact of policies and practices upon racial, not cultural or religious, groups and so would not consider the matters explored to prove the existence of racism, within contemporary British society. Having considered varying definitions of racism, I would conclude that its existence, within contemporary British society, is complex and can be argued to be both prevalent and a thing of the past (Rattansi, 2007). By taking a biological perspective, this essay has considered that, although racist undertones may exist in some immigration and asylum discourse, its prevalence within British society is decreasing (Day, 2011). Alternatively, by taking an institutional view, where it is not intent but impact which is measured, the existence of racism has been highlighted, through some UK policies and institutions disproportionately, disadvantaging ethnic minorities. Similarly, by considering racism from the perspective of new language being used in place of traditionally racist terms, the prevalence of racism increases significantly, specifically, as this essay had demonstrated, within Immigration and Asylum policy. Finally, by extending this new racism definition to the replacement of ra cialised language, with that of culture, this essay has demonstrated how specific groups continue to experience significant levels of racism within British society, both in terms of policy construction and public attitude (Allen, 2010). Reflecting upon these various constructions of racism, I would argue that its perceived existence is highly dependent upon the definition used. Whilst this analysis has examined the existence of racism, it could be said that it does not explain its existence. Why is it that some groups consider it appropriate to negatively treat others, on the basis of their race? I would argue that the answer to this, is power. With biological racism, it is seen in the superiority and inferiority of racial groups, on the premise that biological difference creates a natural hierarchy. With new racism, it is seen in powerful discourses which paint racist ideologies as rational and in the best interests of Britain, whilst in reality maintaining the authoritative position of the powerful (Capedevila and Callaghan, 2007). With institutional racism, it is seen in those with the power to create policy and organisational procedures, constructing these to maximise the benefits for themselves and maintain their position of authority. Finally, with cultural racism, it is seen in the view that inferior and less developed cultures should be discarded an d individuals from such cultural groups assimilated into the dominant culture, accepting the superiority of these cultural norms. In light of this, I would argue, that if the existence of racism is determined by its definition and the purpose of racism is to maintain power, then a critical understanding of the constructed nature of racism, is paramount in assessing the discourses and policy proposals of those with such power. This reflection has also caused me to question the extent to which an academic pursuit of categorising behaviours, policies and ideologies as racist, is beneficial and if instead, it is deflecting the focus from challenging negative discrimination, faced by certain groups, irrespective of their experience fitting our socially constructed definition of racism. In conclusion, however, I would argue that, as racism is now considered both legally and morally wrong, if it can be accurately defined and its existence proved and highlighted, then work can be achieved towards its eradication (Cole, 2009).

Humans and Nature: Depletion of Natural Resources by Humans Essays

Humans and Nature: Depletion of Natural Resources by Humans Early in human history, people used energy for heating, lighting, and cooking. As humans began to farm larger areas of land, their energy demands changed. Domesticated animals were used for energy sources to pull plows. When the Industrial Revolution occurred, people's energy demands further changed to meet the needs of industry. Work that was done by people and animals were then transferred over to machines. These machines required more natural resources such as iron and coal to produce large amounts of steel for tractors, pipes, and other devices. As the population increased, the demand for more products, such as clothing, shoes, and household items required more energy to be produced. The increased use of machines eventually led to an increased need for power. The needed power could only come from natural resources. The abundance of natural resources used to be generally assumed, but in recent years, questions are beginning to be raised, including the availability of fuel and other minerals. Decreasing supplies of natural resources and increasing world population growth has added pressure to the world's search for energy. Humans have harmed nature by overusing, wasting, and abusing its supply of natural resources. Growth in human population and in material living standards leads to increased production. More production, given the technologies that are currently employed, result in a rapid depletion of many natural resources and to the production of numerous pollutants which are not only dangerous to the environment, but are also, employed on a scale which cannot be absorbed and diluted by the natural environment. Th... ...html (10 March 1999). 4. Bard, Fossil Fuels and Energy Conversion. 14. 5. Talbot, Jeffrey â€Å"The Value of Ecological Resources.† EPRI Journal, July 1998, 8-17. 6. Maret, Susan â€Å"Natural Resources.† Choice, October 1998, 294-295. Works Cited - Bard, Stephen, Fossil Fuels and Energy Conversion. New York: GEM, 1995. - Crites, James. "The War for America's Natural Resources." The American Political Science Review, December 1998, 947-948. - Maret, Susan â€Å"Natural Resources.† Choice, October 1998, 294-295. - Stockett, William R. "The Energy Story" http://www.energy.ca.gov/ education/story/story-html/chapter05.html (10 March 1999). - Talbot, Jeffrey â€Å"The Value of Ecological Resources.† EPRI Journal, July 1998, 8-17.

Carrie Chapter Five

She would not break this time. But of course she did break. It took six hours but she broke, weeping and calling Momma to open the door and let her out. The need to urinate was terrible. The Black Man grinned at her with his jackal mouth, and his scarlet eyes knew all the secrets of woman-blood. An hour after Carrie began to call, Momma let her out. Carrie scrabbled madly for the bathroom. It was only now, three hours after that, sitting here with her head bowed over the sewing machine like a penitent, that she remembered the fear in Momma's eyes and she thought she knew the reason why. There had been other times when Momma had kept her in the closet for as long as a day at a stretch-when she stole that forty-nine-cent finger ring from Shuber's Five and Ten, the time she had found that picture of Flash Bobby Pickett under Carrie's pillow – and Carrie had once fainted from the lack of food and the smell of her own waste. And she had never, never spoken back as she had done today. Today she had even said the Eff Word. Yet Momma had let her out almost as soon as she broke. There. The dress was done. She removed her feet from the treadle and held it up to look at it. It was long. And ugly. She hated it. She knew why Momma had let her out. ‘Momma, may I go to bed?' ‘Yes.' Momma did not look up from her doily. She folded the dress over her arm. She looked down at the sewing machine. All at once the treadle depressed itself. The needle began to dip up and down, catching the light in steely flashes. The bobbin whirred and jerked. The sidewheel spun. Momma's head jerked up, her eyes wide. The looped matrix at the edge of her doily, wonderfully intricate yet at the same time as precise and even, suddenly fell in disarray. ‘Only clearing the thread,' Carrie said softly. ‘Go to bed,' Momma said curtly, and the fear was back in her eyes. ‘Yes, (she was afraid i'd knock the closet door right off its hinges) Momma,' (and i think i could i think i could yes i think i could) From The Shadow Exploded (p. 58): Margaret White was born and raised in Motton, a small town which borders Chamberlain and sends its tuition students to Chamberlain's junior and senior high schools. Her parents were fairly well-to-do; they owned a prosperous night spot just outside the Motton town limits called The Jolly Roadhouse. Margaret's father, John Brigham, was killed in a barroom shooting incident in the summer of 1959. Margaret Brigham, who was then almost thirty, began attending fundamentalist prayer meetings. Her mother had become involved with a new man (Harold Alison, whom she later married) and they both wanted Margaret out of the house-she believed her mother, Judith, and Harold Alison were living in sin and made her views known frequently. Judith Brigham expected her daughter to remain a spinster the rest of her life. In the more pungent phraseology of her soon-to-be stepfather, ‘Margaret had a face like the ass end of a gasoline truck and a body to match.' He also referred to her as ‘a little prayin' Jesus.' Margaret refused to leave until 1960, when she met Ralph White at a revival meeting. In September of that year she left the Brigham. residence in Motton and moved to a small flat in Chamberlain Centre. The courtship of Margaret Brigham, and Ralph White terminated in marriage on March 23, 1962. On April 3, 1962, Margaret White was admitted briefly to Westover Doctors Hospital. ‘Nope, she wouldn't tell us what was wrong,' Harold Alison said. ‘The one time we went to see her she told us we were living in adultery even though we were hitched, and we were going to hell. She said God had put an invisible mark on our foreheads, but she could see it. Acted crazy as a bat in a henhouse, she did. Her mom tried to be nice, tried to find out what the matter with her was. She got hysterical and started to rave about an angel with a sword who would walk through the parking lots of roadhouses and cut down the wicked. We left.' Judith Alison, however, had at least an idea of what might have been wrong with her daughter; she thought that Margaret had gone through a miscarriage. If so, the baby was conceived out of wedlock. Confirmation of this would shed an interesting light on the character of Carrie's mother. In a long and rather hysterical letter to her mother dated August 19, 1962, Margaret said that she and Ralph were living sinlessly, without ‘the Curse of Intercourse'. She urged Harold and Judith Alison to close their ‘abode of wickedness' and do likewise. ‘It is,' Margaret declares near the end of her letter, ‘the only [sic] way you & That Man can avoid the Rain of Blood yet to come. Ralph & I, like Mary & Joseph, will neither know or polute [sic] each others flesh. If there is issue, let it be Divine.' Of course, the calendar tells us that Carrie was conceived later that same year †¦ The girls dressed quietly for their Monday morning Period One gym class, with no horseplay or little screaming catcalls, and none of them were very surprised when Miss Desjardin slammed open the locker-room and walked in. Her silver whistle dangling between her small breasts, and if her shorts were the ones she had been wearing on Friday, no trace of Carrie's bloody handprint remained. The girls continued to dress sullenly, not looking at her. ‘Aren't you the bunch to send out for graduation,' Miss Desjardin said softly. ‘When is it? A month? And the spring Ball even less than that. Most of you have your dates and gowns already, I bet. Sue, you'll be going with Tommy Ross. Helen, Roy Evarts. Chris, I imagine you can take your pick. Who's the lucky guy?'. ‘Billy Nolan,' Chris Hargensen said sullenly. ‘Well, isn't he the lucky one?' Desjardin remarked. ‘What are you going to give him for a party favour, Chris, a bloody Kotex? Or how about some used toilet paper? I understand these things seem to be your sack these days.' Chris went red. ‘I'm leaving. I don't have to listen to that.' Desjardin had not been able to get the image of Carrie out of her mind all weekend, Carrie screaming, blubbering, a wet napkin plastered squarely in the middle of her pubic hair-and her own sick, angry reaction. And now, as Chris tried to storm out past her, she reached out and slammed her against a row of dented, olive-coloured lockers beside the inner door. Chris's eyes widened with shocked disbelief. Then a kind of insane rage filled her face. ‘You can't hit us!' she screamed. ‘You'll get canned for this! See if you don't, you bitch!' The other girls winced and sucked breath and stared at the floor. It was getting out of hand. Sue noticed out of the corner of her eye that Fern and Donna Thibodeau were holding hands. ‘I don't really care, Hargensen,' Desjardin said. ‘If you or any of your girls – think I'm wearing my teacher hat right now, you're making a bad mistake. I just want you all to know that you did a shitty thing on Friday. A really shitty thing.' Chris Hargensen was sneering at the floor. The rest of the girls were looking miserably at anything but their gym instructor. Sue found herself looking into the shower stall – the scene of the crime – and jerked her glance elsewhere. None of them had ever heard a teacher call anything shitty before. ‘Did any of you stop to think that Carrie White has feelings? Do any of you ever stop to think? Sue? Fern? Helen? Jessica? Any of you? You think she's ugly. Well, you're all ugly. I saw it on Friday morning.' Chris Hargensen was mumbling about her father being a lawyer. ‘Shutup!' Desjardin yelled in her face. Chris recoiled so suddenly that her head struck the lockers behind her. She began to whine and rub her head. ‘One more remark out of you,' Desjardin said softly, ‘and I'll throw you across the room. Want to find out if I'm telling the truth?' Chris, who had apparently decided she was dealing with a mad-woman, said nothing. Desjardin put her hands on her hips. ‘The office has decided on punishment for you girls. Not my punishment, I'm sorry to say. My idea was three days' suspension and refusal of your prom tickets.' Several girls looked at each other and muttered unhappily. ‘That would have hit you where you live,' Desjardin continued, ‘Unfortunately, Ewen is staffed completely by men in its administration wing. I don't believe they have any real conception of how utterly nasty what you did was. So. One week's detention.' Spontaneous sighs of relief. ‘But. It's to be my detention. In the gym. And I'm going to run you ragged.' ‘I won't come,' Chris said. Her lips had thinned across her teeth. ‘That's up to you, Chris. That's up to all of you. But punishment for skipping detention is going to be three days' suspension and refusal of your prom tickets. Get the picture?' No one said anything. ‘Right. Change up. And think about what I said.' She left. Utter silence for a long and stricken moment. Then Chris Hargensen said with loud, hysterical stridency: ‘She can't get away with it!' She opened a door at random, pulled out a pair of sneakers and hurled them across the room. ‘I'm going to get her! Goddammit! Goddammit! See if I don't! If we all stick together we..' ‘Shut up, Chris,' Sue said, and was shocked to hear a dead, adult lifelessness in her voice. ‘Just shut up.' ‘This isn't over,' Chris Hargensen said, unzipping her skirt with a rough jab and reaching for her fashionably frayed green gym shorts. ‘This isn't over by a long way.' And she was right. From The Shadow Exploded (pp. 60-6 1): In the opinion of this researcher, a great many of the people who have researched the Carrie White matter – either for the scientific journals or for the popular press – have placed a mistaken emphasis on a relatively fruitless search for incidents of telekinesis in the girl's childhood. To strike a rough analogy, this is like spending years researching the early incidents of masturbation in a rapist's childhood. The spectacular incident of the stones serves as a kind of red herring in this respect. Many researchers have adopted the erroneous belief that where there has been one incident, there must be others. To offer another analogy, this is like dispatching a crew of meteor watchers to Crater National Park because a huge asteroid struck there two million years ago. To the best of my knowledge, there are no other recorded instances of TK in Carrie's childhood. If Carrie had not been an only child, we might have at least hearsay reports of dozens of other minor occurrences. In the case of Andrea Kolintz (see Appendix II for a fuller history), we are told that, following a spanking for crawling out on the roof, ‘The medicine cabinet flew open, bottles fell to the floor or seemed to hurl themselves across the bathroom, doors flew open and slammed shut, and at the climax of the manifestation, a 300-pound stereo cabinet tipped over and records flew all over the living room, dive-bombing the occupants and shattering against the walls.' Significantly, this report is from one of Andrea's brothers, as quoted in the September 4, 1955, issue of Life magazine. Life is hardly the most scholarly or unimpeachable source, but there is a great deal of other documentation, and I think that the point of familiar witnesship is served. In the case of Carrie White, the only witness to any possible prologue to the final climactic events was Margaret White, and she, of course is dead. Henry Grayle, principal of Ewen High School, had been expecting him all week, but Chris Hargensen's father didn't show up until Friday-the day after Chris had skipped her detention period with the formidable Miss Desjardin. ‘Yes, Miss Fish?' He spoke formally into the intercom, although he could see the man in the outer office through his window, and certainly knew his face from pictures in the local paper. ‘John Hargensen to see you, Mr Grayle.' ‘Send him in, please.' Goddammit, Fish, do you have to sound so impressed? Grayle was an irrepressible paper-clip-bender, napkin-ripper, corner-folder. For John Hargensen, the town's leading legal light, he was bringing up the heavy ammunition – a whole box of heavy-duty clips in the middle of his desk blotter. Hargensen was a tall, impressive man with a selfconfident way of moving and the kind of sure, mobile features that said this was a man superior at the game of one-step-ahead social interaction. He was wearing a brown Savile Row suit with subtle glints of green and gold running through the weave that put Grayle's local off-the-rack job to shame. His briefcase was thin, real leather, and bound with glittering stainless steel. The smile was faultless and full of many capped teeth – a smile to make the hearts of lady jurors melt like butter in a warm skillet. His grip was major league all the way-firm, warm, long. ‘Mr Grayle, I've wanted to meet you for some time now.' ‘I'm always glad to see interested parents,' Grayle said with a dry smile. ‘That's why we have Parents Open House every October.' ‘Of course.' Hargensen smiled, ‘I imagine you're a busy man, and I have to be in court in forty-five minutes from now. Shall we get down to specifics?' ‘Surely,' Grayle dipped into his box of clips and began to mangle the first one. ‘I suspect you are here concerning the disciplinary action taken against your daughter Christine. You should be informed that school policy on the matter has been set. As a man concerned with the workings of justice yourself, you should realize that bending the rules is hardly possible or-‘ Hargensen waved his hand impatiently. ‘Apparently you're labouring under a misconception, Mr Grayle. I am here because my daughter was manhandled by your gym teacher, Miss Rhoda Desjardin. And verbally abused, I'm afraid. I believe the term your Miss Desjardin used in connection with my daughter was â€Å"shitty.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Grayle sighed inwardly. ‘Miss Desjardin has been reprimanded.' John Hargensen's smile cooled thirty degrees, ‘I'm afraid a reprimand will not be sufficient. I believe this has been the young, ah, lady's first year in a teaching capacity?' ‘Yes. We have found her to be eminently satisfactory.' ‘Apparently your definition of eminently satisfactory includes throwing students up against lockers and the ability to curse like a sailor?' Grayle fenced: ‘As a lawyer, you must be aware that this state acknowledges the school's title to in loco parentis – along with full responsibility, we succeed to full parental rights during school hours. If you're not familiar, I'd advise you to check Monondock Consolidated School District vs Cranepool or-‘ ‘I'm familiar with the concept,' Hargensen mid. ‘I'm also aware that neither the Cranepool case that you administrators are so fond of quoting or the Frick case cover anything remotely concerned with physical or verbal abuse. There is, however, the case of School District No. 4 vs David. Are you familiar with it?' Grayle was. George Kramer, the assistant principal of the consolidated high school in S.D. 14 was a poker buddy. George wasn't playing much poker any more. He was working for an insurance company after taking it upon himself to cut a student's hair. The school district had ultimately paid seven thousand dollars in damages, or about a thousand bucks a snip. Grayle started on another paper clip. ‘Let's not quote cases at each other, Mr Grayle, were busy men. I don't want a lot of unpleasantness. I don't want a mess. My daughter is at home, and she will stay there Monday and Tuesday. That will complete her threeday suspension. That's all right.' Another dismissive wave of the hand. (catch fido good boy here's a nice bone) ‘Here's what I want,' Hargensen continued. ‘One, prom tickets for my daughter. A girl's senior prom is important to her, and Chris is very distressed. Two, no contract renewal of the Desjardin woman. That's for me. I believe that if I cared to take the School Department to court, I could walk out with both her dismissal and a hefty damage settlement in my pocket. But I don't want to be vindictive.' ‘So court is the alternative if I don't agree to your demands?' ‘I understand that a School Committee hearing would precede that, but only as a formality. But yes, court would be the final result. Nasty for you.' Another paper clip. ‘For physical and verbal abuse, is that correct?' ‘Essentially.' ‘Mr Hargensen, are you aware that your daughter and about ten of her peers threw sanitary napkins at a girl who was having her first menstrual period? A girl who was under the impression that she was bleeding to death?' A faint frown creased Hargensen's features, as if someone had spoken in a distant room. ‘I hardly think such an allegation is at issue. I am speaking of actions following-‘ ‘Never mind,' Grayle said. ‘Never mind what you were speaking of. This girl, Carietta White, was called â€Å"a dumb pudding† and was told to â€Å"plug it up† and was subjected to various obscene gestures. She has not been in school this week at all. Does that sound like physical and verbal abuse to you? It does to me.' ‘I don't intend,' Hargensen said, ‘to sit here and listen to a tissue of half-truths or your standard schoolmaster lecture, Mr Grayle, I know my daughter well enough to-‘ ‘Here,' Grayle reached into the wire IN basket beside the blotter and tossed a sheaf of pink cards across the desk, ‘I doubt very much if you know the daughter represented in these cards half so well as you think you do. If you did, you might realize that it was about time for a trip to the woodshed. It's time you snubbed her close before she does someone a major damage.' ‘You aren't-‘