The Value of Fiction - The uses of fiction in bringing history to life

The Value of Fiction - The uses of fiction in bringing history to life We history buffs are a rare breed. Happy are the hours we spend poring through pages of dusty old books, wandering through museums full of armor and tapestries, and deciphering forgotten languages in primary sources. Those who have never been bitten by the history bug find it hard to understand what attracts us until they are bitten themselves. There are many different ways history lovers have been drawn into the fascinating world of the past, but perhaps the most common is through a good story. The moment we begin viewing history as stories about real human beings with human motivations instead of mere dates, places and statistics, history can take on a whole new luster. Period literature can help bring the past alive with an epic tale, and so can modern historical fiction. If you are a history buff hoping to get a friend to share your passion for the past, or if you are new to history as a hobby and are trying to understand what others see in it, the best introduction may very well be a historical novel or film. Entertainment has ways of opening the mind to ideas that even the friendliest or most erudite of straight historical texts can never hope to achieve. It helps, of course, when the book is well-written or the film well-directed, and unfortunately historical fiction, just like any other genre, has many more mediocre examples than it does splendid ones. Yet once you find a truly excellent piece of historical fiction, the results can be highly rewarding. However, the trouble with getting your history from fiction is that its, well, fiction. This may seem excruciatingly obvious, but its surprising how many intelligent, educated, well-read individuals take what they read in a historical novel or see in a period film as fact. The Trouble with Fiction When done really well, fiction leaves its audience thinking they know what the medieval world was really like. If the work is accurate, thats wonderful; but alas, novels and films have been known to present a skewed version of events and to perpetuate common misconceptions about the Middle Ages. Of course, most readers realize that much of the dialogue and the private moments of real historical figures that are captured in text or on film are only speculation. They may be aware on some level that events are open to interpretation, and that what they read or see is just one of many versions of what might have happened. Yet even readers who are acutely aware of these facets of historical fiction often ignore any question of accuracy concerning general historical background, settings and costumes, and the details of daily life, accepting as given that this much, at any rate, is authentic. This may be the most dangerous pitfall of using fiction as a doorway to the past. In order to enjoy the experience of fiction, we can (and should) suspend disbelief, and suspend as well any analysis of its veracity as history while reading the story or watching the film. But once you close the book or leave the theater, its time to think again. Even the most carefully-researched historical novel can contain errors of fact, and the sad truth is that many such novels arent carefully researched to begin with. Unlike a historian writing a scholarly treatise, novelists dont have to support every assertion with documentary, archaeological or even secondary evidence in order to get their work published;* they just have to write a good story. And films are so notorious for lacking accuracy that some moviegoers take particular delight in counting the mistakes. Furthermore, scholarly views of the medieval world are constantly evolving; what was considered a fairly accurate picture of the Middle Ages in, for example, the 1970s may be rendered much less authentic by the research and new evidence uncovered in the last few decades. You will sometimes find authors standing on the shoulders of earlier writers and passing along the erroneous or outdated details of their predecessors, with very few readers ever the wiser. Evaluating Fiction Fortunately, historical fiction doesnt always misrepresent the past. There is excellent fiction available, works that bring the Middle Ages to life in a wealth of accurate detail (and tell a good story, too). And more and more, modern historical novelists are making serious efforts to provide an accurate version of medieval times. But how do you know how much of whats presented in fiction is true to life? Do you take the word of the blurb on the back cover? Can film reviewers really tell you when a picture of the past is realistic? Theres only one way to know for sure: find out for yourself. Pick up a factual history book, visit some websites, go to a museum, join a discussion list, and start your journey into the fascinating world of historical discovery. If fiction is the trigger that launches you into the past, its value cannot be denied. Review a Medieval NovelShare your thoughts on a medieval-set historical novel good or bad at this review page. Note *Unfortunately, the same could be said of much popular history that gets published, as well. Guide Note: This feature was originally posted in May of 2000, and was updated in August of 2010.

Cracking the Alumni Magazine Market

Cracking the Alumni Magazine Market Cracking the Alumni Magazine Market  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      In December, 1996, my wife Tina was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had her last radiation treatment in August, 1997. (Shes doing fine today.) I wrote a piece about the experience (David, I Have a Lump: Breast Cancer, One Husbands Story) and sent it off to several womens magazines. No magazines bit, although one person responded that while she loved the piece it didnt meet their current requirements. That was a kind way of saying that it didn’t fit in a magazine filled with such lofty pieces as Ten Ways to Please Your Man and How to Lose 25 Pounds in Two Weeks.  A few years later, I decided to tackle the alumni magazine market. (My career to that point had focused on writing admissions and fund-raising materials for colleges and schools.) Id always admired CC, the alumni magazine of Tinas alma mater Connecticut College, so I wrote to the editor, complimenting her on the magazine, expressing my intention to write for the magazine and including the cancer piece as a sample o f my work. She immediately offered to buy the piece, and it was published in 2001.  Since that time, Ive written over 50 articles and profiles for about 15 alumni magazines.   A cover article about one woman led to a deep friendship and to my writing her

Should overweight passengers be charged for two seats when flying Essay

Should overweight passengers be charged for two seats when flying - Essay Example This is already happening in the United States. The argument is raised since this is discrimination against passengers with obesity. To be charged by the kilo is quite embarrassing for somebody with twenty kilograms above the limit. If an individual is 20kg above the limit and is a regular flyer, they will actually suffer both emotionally and financially. Having to meet the fat tax expenses will be rather embarrassing (Sullivan 6). The majority of obesity and health organizations are supporting this suggestion claiming that it is only fair since the airline will need to carry extra weight. A number of airlines as an alternative make passengers who can not fit into one seat pay for two seats, for twice the cost of the journey (Appleton). Those who require extra seatbelt extension will have to buy a new an update or purchase an extra seat. America has for a long time taxed and charged to discourage some manners. Taxes in cigarettes are increasing, taxes in liquor are rising in various states, seatbelts are now mandatory by law and some particular areas are currently charging obese workers more for health insurance. For better or worse, the tendency to transform behavior through economics is upon us. As medical expenses rises the debate over charging for obesity is indeed only going to grow. Airlines are too increasingly subject to customer grievances and even losing court cases over travelers being injured by fellow obese passengers. Using two seats uses twice the fuel. This actually sounds nice even though this may not be true. The space which a passenger takes does not affect the amount of fuel used but the weight may affect (Appleton). It sounds good even if it is not actually true. The space you take does not impact on fuel, the weight does. The question arises as to whether a weight lifter weighing more and has more mass of muscles must also be charged more. This could be just a technique used by the airlines to get more money from the passengers. There are writings seen in one of the American airlines. It said something to the effect that if you can not fit into the seat, you will have to pay for a second seat and that if the seats are not fully occupied; you will only pay a child's fare on the second seat (Kate) There are some necessities regarding the seat being a window seat or something of that sort. The airlines prerequisite is that if an individual can not fit in the seat without hanging over the arm rest then he will be charged twice and it sounded like a fair rule. The airline companies should come up with a practical means of determining who is overweight and who is not. It is even better to argue that an individual is overweight due to medical reasons other than the notion that one is lazy and overweight. The airlines must not be forced to give an individual a free extra seat since he or she can not fit in one. The person has to pay for his or her seat, likewise to overweight individuals. That is prejudice and another effort by the airlines to make more money. The airline seats are actually too small period. Tall individuals, overweight individuals and skinny individuals are all not comfortable in a flight. The airlines in their effort once more to make more money squeezed in as many seats as possible at the expense of comfort of passengers. People complain that they don not want to sit next to an overweight passenger as a trick to get bumped

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design Essay

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design - Essay Example On the other hand, professional differences, which entail approach to assignments, skills and knowledge, also lead to conflicts, especially when an assignment is handled by a team. In the current world, various technological developments have led to more efficiency in the conduction of various assignments. As such, when two people conduct the same assignment using varying technologies, conflicts usually arise. Moreover, as businesses develop, there is usually the necessity of mergers or recruitment of new professionals, which may lead to the rise of conflicts. Despite the presence of such conflicts, many people usually find themselves in unhealthy conflicts, which usually poison the work environment. As such, it is necessary for employees, and management to understand the best way to solve such conflicts when they arise. This paper seeks to give an in-depth evaluation of the negotiation strategies used to address various workplace conflicts. Additionally, how evidence-based managemen t could be applied to the work environment, blocks, stages, and methods of creative decision making to determine the best approach T-Mobile should follow when making managerial decisions, and the environmental and strategic factors that affect the organizational design of T-Mobile will be evaluated. How I could apply negotiation strategies to address potential conflicts in the workplace. Negotiations are very essential in coming up with the best solution for different engagements in the workplace. In most cases, negotiations are unavoidable and thus being knowledgeable on the best negotiation strategies is essential. Negotiation involves various stages, which include preparation, dialogue, clarification of goals, negotiating towards a win-win situation, agreement and implementing the solution realized. Since conflicts also occur in my workplace as a customer service professional for T-Mobile, a clear understanding of how to handle conflicts as they arise and avoid poisoning of the w ork environment is necessary. Therefore, an understanding of factors such as technological developments, culture, age, personality, professional differences among others will help in taking the best approach in handling conflicts by making good negotiations. In this case, getting a clear overview of the underpinning factors leading to such differences is essential. In most cases, when conflicts arise, people usually make personal judgments, which in some cases do not solve the conflicts as anticipated. As such, having been well informed on how conflicts arise, I will always withhold judgment and use efficient problem solving techniques to ensure that the problem is solved completely, and that future occurrences of such conflicts are effectively handled. I will never ignore any conflict that arises as they usually arise out of something. In this regard, I will always utilize the structures implemented by T-Mobile to effectively handle the conflicts. Additionally, I will be very obser vant on how I handle every person or situations to avoid being at the centre of any conflicts. This is because, despite an act being minute, it can have adverse effects, which are beyond the expectations of many. Thus being extra cautious will help a great deal in avoiding occurrences of conflicts in future. Sharpening my negotiation skills and conflict management skills will be very effective in handling confl

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Essay Example for Free

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Essay Whether or not there is a doomed afterlife in which is called â€Å"hell†, everybody has their own perception of what their â€Å"hell† would be like. Rather your view of hell is eternal detonation or a place consisting of deathly flames and Satan’s head down in a bucket of ice, most people do not wish to be summoned into the depths of hell. However; Jonathon Edward’s sermon, â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,† portrays briefly the vivid imagery of how hell was represented during the Second Great Awakening. In addition, Edwards aim was to teach his listeners about the horror of hell. Thus, Edwards’s dramatic interpretation of hell frightened the people who followed by God’s word and urges those who don’t to call upon Christ to receive forgiveness. Jonathon Edward’s briefly described hell in his sermon. His justification regarding hell was a â€Å"lake of burning brimstone,† (Edwards 98). Edward’s Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, emphasized the belief that hell is real and he did not tolerate the voices of opposing opinions, urging that they had a â€Å"black cloud of God’s wrath now hanging directly over your heads†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Edwards 98). Edwards anticipated that the imagery and the message contained in his sermon would instill the reality of being doomed into hell if they did not take the step into following Christ. Therefore, the preaching’s made by Edwards were not sympathetic toward the nonbelievers, and infused the believers with terror of being summoned to hell. There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of Hell, but the mere pleasure of God (Edward 100). Edward’s words represented God’s power in being able to cast wicked people in hell at any moment. The people sitting in the pews of the Church were most likely coped with fear as a result of Edward’s harsh speech. He further warns the people of the only thing keeping them from hell is the thin air which God creates as a barrier. According to Edward’s, God would have no pity for those people casted into hell since he provided humans with a chance to resolve their sins. Since the sermon of Edwards was conducted during the Second Great Awakening when people were regaining their religion, people would most likely be on edge from the words of Jonathon Edwards. In summation, the brief representation of hell from Edwards commended God’s lack of sympathy for those people who did not abide by God’s words and instilled fear in the hearts of people who attended Church. Accordingly, Edwards’s remarkable explanation of hell frightened the people who pursued in God’s word and recommend those who didn’t to follow Christ in order to receive forgiveness. Edwards, in addition assisted in teaching his community the horrors and lifelong detonation of hell. Therefore, in Jonathon Edward’s sermon, â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,† his brief but vivid descriptions of how hell was characterized gave the era of the Second Great Awakening great fear if they did not chose to obey by Christ. He wanted to preach to the people about the lasting effects not obeying by God had. Thus, Jonathon Edwards approached the people of his teachings with fear of hell and the representation he had of hell.

The Legend of The Scottish Play :: Urban Legends

The Legend of "The Scottish Play" 1) Background I interviewed a freshman theater major at the University on the topic of urban legends. The interview was conducted in my dormitory room. The nineteen-year-old female college student is originally from Delaware, and her parents are both real estate appraisers. When inquired about urban legends, she recalled the theater lore and superstitions that she knew intimately as an actress. The interviewee was particularly eager to talk about the curse associated with Macbeth, the Scottish Play. 2) Transcription of the Legend of the Scottish Play Macbeth! That’s not a superstition! That’s truth and fact! [gestures emphatically with fist] If you do Macbeth, something bad will happen; if you say, â€Å"Macbeth† in the theater, something bad will happen. I have true stories to testify to that one. Let’s see, umm what show were we doing?... Our Town, we were doing Our Town. And there are [clears throat] people in my school like to mess with people like me who believe in the Macbeth superstition, and so they’ll go into the theater and they’ll just go, â€Å"MACBETH!† and I will freak out and I tell them to go outside and spin around three times and spit over their left shoulder, because that’s the [antidote]. But they don’t, because they’re trying to mess with me, and something bad always happens. So when we’re doing Macbeth, this kid, who is one of the stage managers, I wasn’t there when it happened so I couldn’t make him go outside, but my director told me that he said, â€Å"Macbeth,† in the theatre, and so I was like freaking out and everyone was like, â€Å"don’t freak out, it’s not a big deal,† but it was, because our curtain broke. That day. Later that day, the curtain broke. It was two days before the show. Yeah. His fault. Another example. We were doing Romeo and Juliet and okay, now I know this is not an accident, but it doesn’t matter. Still, somebody said â€Å"Macbeth† in the theatre, and I told them to go outside and spin around but they didn’t do it, and then somebody stole all my costumes, and I was Juliet so it was kind of a big deal and kind of bad. It came from, because the um, the spells that are said

Market Development

In this report I will be analysing and comparing the marketing techniques used by ASDA and Cancer Research UK taking into account the similarities and differences between them and how they contribute to the company’s success. Igor Ansoff developed a description of the strategies available for growing in a business in 1957. He have identified for categories for the growth of the business these are Market Penetration, Market Development, Product development and Diversification. Ansoff used these four categories in a matrix to show how the opportunities differ in term of new and existing products and markets. Marketing Techniques used by ASDA Market Penetration What is Market Penetration? Market Penetration is when increasing market share of an existing product, or promoting a new product, through strategies such as bundling, extensive advertising, lower prices, or volume discounts. ASDA uses TV adverts to advertise their product. Advertising on TV will catch the interest of their customers as it will have sound and colour. They also use their own website to advertise. By having a website it will allow their customers to see what products they have with prices and also to shop online. They also let their customer know what product they have and also to promote by giving out leaflets. To make sure that their new products are trustworthy ASDA will have samples for their customers to try. ASDA will advertise their business by using newspapers and Billboards. ASDA should advertise as much as possible for the business to run for a long term. They also make sure that they are presenting their brands well from till receipts, plastic bags and staff uniform. Cancer Research sells its existing products into existing markets by advertising their new campaigns such â€Å"Race for Life†. The charity advertises their campaigns on TV’s, Newspapers, Leaflets, Charity shops, posters, billboards on busses and using their own website. Cancer research uses these methods of advertising to increase the awareness and encourage people to donate. Tesco have supported Race For Life for ten years, which has contributed to Cancer Research UK raising over ? 62m for the fight against cancer sine the series began in 1994. Tesco now is working in partnership with Cancer Research to recruit 1 million women and raise ? 80million to fund life-saving work. Market Development What is Market Development? Market Development is a marketing technique aimed at increasing a company’s market in order to widen the customer base for the pur pose of selling more products. ASDA is continuing to open new stores in UK. They are now planning to open ASDA in Tottenham High Street. Opening new stores gives the idea of them doing really well in the business and is meeting the needs of their customers. They also advertise themselves online and in the store. However, they can use different languages on website for the people who are not able to understand English. As there are different ethnic backgrounds in UK, Cancer research should have different languages available in their website. This will allow them to attract more people to the charity from different ethnics. Cancer research can also operate overseas such as Europe. This will help to

Health Information Essay

Not only is that important it also needs to be accurate and reliable medical information. All of the above information is not only very important it also impacts the HIPAA privacy rule. The Office for Civil Rights is responsible with its enforcement of the HIPPA Privacy Rule. Not only does it need to be enforced it needs to be constantly upheld at all times. This is necessary to protect both the patient and the medical professionals from unauthorized use of their health records and to allow medical providers access to secure, safe, accurate, and reliable medical information. The demand for information has risen from not only third party payers but in fact has risen from governmental entities. Patients now have to consent in order to accept health care treatment. As a result from the demand for patient information has brought forth a huge development between the law and medicine. There’s also the term informed consent. This is used in law to indicate that the consent a patient gives falls under certain minimum standards. Any informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications, and future consequences of an action. Any patient who is concerned must have adequate reasoning faculties and must be in possession of all relevant facts at the time the consent was given. Both of these are needed in order to give an informed consent. To understand the responsibilities that confidentiality and informed consent place on health-care providers, The United States Congress created the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996. This act provides protection of health care coverage for workers, and also protects the privacy and security of medical information. The HIPAA laws allow authorized medical professionals or healthcare organizations to have access to your private medical records. Anything a doctor, nurse or other health professional has written or discussed about your personal medical treatment is confidential. Medical data that is being held by your health insurance company is also kept confidential and also any billing information which is submitted by patients or a medical facility or your health insurance company. HIPAA restricts who can and can’t request access to patient medical information. It is very important that your medical provider have access to all of your health history. There are entities that can access your medical information without your written consent such as: employers, workers compensation are all exempt. School districts, state agencies, and law enforcement agencies or institutions are exempt from HIPAA laws and are not required to follow the privacy and security rules. It is very important that you fully understand your HIPAA rights before anyone consents to release any medical information to organizations that are not required to follow the privacy and security rules HIPPA has put in place to protect confidential information. ROI policies and processes need to be adaptive. The process should be changed to meet new regulatory requirements and technology. Changes to the HIPAA rules regarding the accounting of health information disclosures expected this year have the potential to dramatically expand HIM and ROI responsibilities and pose operable disputes. Health information exchanges are pushing the frequency and scope of how patient information gets transferred. All HIM professionals must continue to remain aware and on top of all changes to ensure HIPAA compliance and change processes accordingly. The HIPAA privacy rule has received both positive and negative effects on the release of patient information by healthcare facilities. The intention of HIPAA was to protect patient privacy and to promote security and confidentiality of all patient information; it has had some unintended consequences for facilities. Some of these unintended effects, discovered about some issues directly related to the release of patient information which has had an impact with the implementation of HIPAA. The biggest issues that were found were. Increases in the public’s misunderstanding about release of patient information, lack of an umbrella policy, regulation defining infractions, enforcement that allows individual institutions to make their own version, and challenges to health information management professionals in controlling safeguards related to release of information given the transition to electronic health records and the increased involvement of information technology. The findings from this research suggest there is a need for additional clarification of the regulations that are governing HIPAA, and its standardized instructions and extensive training of its healthcare workers. I have learned so much about how the release of information impacts the HIPPA Privacy Rule. I do believe the most impact comes from the public because most people don’t understand new health care practices such as: record keeping, obtaining verbal or written consent.

Free Essays on Medusa

Medusa’s Myth Long ago, on the island of Guana, there lived two elderly Gods, Phorcys and his wife Ceto. For a long time they had been waiting for a child. Finally, to there delight, Ceto gave birth to not just one, but three beautiful daughters named Stheno, Eurwale, and Medusa. The daughters where so beautiful that they could attract any and every man they saw. Although this was a very useful factor, it also had its downsides. One of them was that the ugliest of the ugly where attracted to them as well. One night, as the wonderful family of five slept, the women of the island plotted against the three beautiful sisters. The next morning, the women of the island had the ugliest of the ugly men chase the three sisters out of there house. As the sisters ran, each chose their own path. Stheno ran north, Eurwale ran south, and Medusa ran east. Eventually Medusa came across Poseidon, supreme God of the sea. As Medusa began to explain her story, she spotted the men and women of the island coming after her. When Poseidon saw them, he created a massive title wave, destroying the boat of villagers and temporarily saving Medusa. After a short time, Medusa thanked Poseidon and planned to meet each other at the temple of Athena in two weeks. Eventually those two weeks passed and Medusa went to meet Poseidon at the temple of Athena. This meeting marked the beginning of Medusa and Poseidon’s 3 year long affair. During this affair, the goddess of wisdom, Athena, became jealous of Medusa’s beauty. As time passed on, Athena’s jealousy turned to an addiction and a hate like no other. Eventually, Athena came up with a plan to ruin Medusa and her family. Athena summoned Poseidon to come to her and when she did, she began the process of ruining Medusa. Athena tricked Poseidon into thinking Medusa was having a separate affair with the God of the underworld, Hates. At this, Poseidon became enraged and depressed at the same time. At his next e... Free Essays on Medusa Free Essays on Medusa Medusa’s Myth Long ago, on the island of Guana, there lived two elderly Gods, Phorcys and his wife Ceto. For a long time they had been waiting for a child. Finally, to there delight, Ceto gave birth to not just one, but three beautiful daughters named Stheno, Eurwale, and Medusa. The daughters where so beautiful that they could attract any and every man they saw. Although this was a very useful factor, it also had its downsides. One of them was that the ugliest of the ugly where attracted to them as well. One night, as the wonderful family of five slept, the women of the island plotted against the three beautiful sisters. The next morning, the women of the island had the ugliest of the ugly men chase the three sisters out of there house. As the sisters ran, each chose their own path. Stheno ran north, Eurwale ran south, and Medusa ran east. Eventually Medusa came across Poseidon, supreme God of the sea. As Medusa began to explain her story, she spotted the men and women of the island coming after her. When Poseidon saw them, he created a massive title wave, destroying the boat of villagers and temporarily saving Medusa. After a short time, Medusa thanked Poseidon and planned to meet each other at the temple of Athena in two weeks. Eventually those two weeks passed and Medusa went to meet Poseidon at the temple of Athena. This meeting marked the beginning of Medusa and Poseidon’s 3 year long affair. During this affair, the goddess of wisdom, Athena, became jealous of Medusa’s beauty. As time passed on, Athena’s jealousy turned to an addiction and a hate like no other. Eventually, Athena came up with a plan to ruin Medusa and her family. Athena summoned Poseidon to come to her and when she did, she began the process of ruining Medusa. Athena tricked Poseidon into thinking Medusa was having a separate affair with the God of the underworld, Hates. At this, Poseidon became enraged and depressed at the same time. At his next e...

Myths About Obama - The 5 Wackiest Myths About Obama

Myths About Obama - The 5 Wackiest Myths About Obama If you believe everything you read in your email inbox, Barack Obama is a Muslim born in Kenya who is ineligible to serve as U.S. president and he even charters private jets at taxpayer expense so the family dog Bo can go on vacation in luxury. And then there is the truth. No other modern president, it seems, has been the subject of so many outrageous and malicious fabrications. The myths about Obama live on through the years, mostly in chain emails forwarded endlessly across the Internet, despite being debunked over and over again. Here is a look at five of the silliest myths about Obama: 1. Obama is Muslim. False. He is a Christian. Obama was baptized at Chicagos Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988. And he has spoken and written often about his faith in Christ. Rich, poor, sinner, saved, you needed to embrace Christ precisely because you had sins to wash away - because you were human, he wrote in his memoir, The Audacity of Hope. ... Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt Gods spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth, Obama wrote. And yet nearly one in five Americans - 18 percent - believe Obama is a Muslim, according to an August 2010 survey conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The are wrong. 2. Obama Nixes National Day of Prayer Numerous widely circulated emails claim President Barack Obama refused to recognize the National Day of Prayer after taking office in January of 2009. Oh Our wonderful president is at it again .... he has cancelled the national day of prayer that is held at the white house every year .... sure glad I wasnt fooled into voting for him! one email begins. Thats false. Obama issued proclamations setting the National Day of Prayer in both 2009 and 2010. We are blessed to live in a Nation that counts freedom of conscience and free exercise of religion among its most fundamental principles, thereby ensuring that all people of goodwill may hold and practice their beliefs according to the dictates of their consciences, Obamas April 2010 proclamation read. Prayer has been a sustaining way for many Americans of diverse faiths to express their most cherished beliefs, and thus we have long deemed it fitting and proper to publicly recognize the importance of prayer on this day across the Nation. 3. Obama Uses Taxpayer Money to Fund Abortions Critics claim that the health care reform law of 2010, or Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, includes provisions that make up the broadest expansion of legalized abortion since Roe v. Wade. The Obama Administration will give Pennsylvania $160 million in federal tax funds, which weve discovered will pay for insurance plans that cover any legal abortion, Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, said in a widely circulated statement in July 2010. Wrong again. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department, responding to claims that federal money would fund abortions, issued a stern rebuttal to anti-abortion groups.Pennsylvania will - and has always intended to - comply with the federal ban on abortion funding in the coverage provided through our federally funded high risk pool, the Insurance Department said in a statement. In fact, Obama signed an executive order banning the use of federal money to pay for abortion in the health care reform law on March 24, 2010. If the state and federal governments stick to their words, it does not appear taxpayer money will pay any part of abortions in Pennsylvania or any other state. 4. Obama Was Born in Kenya Numerous conspiracy theories claim that Obama was born in Kenya and not Hawaii, and that because he was not born here he was not eligible to serve as president.The silly rumors grew so loud, however, that Obama released a copy of his certificate of live birth during the presidential campaign in 2007. Smears claiming Barack Obama doesnt have a birth certificate arent actually about that piece of paper - theyre about manipulating people into thinking Barack is not an American citizen, the campaign said. The truth is, Barack Obama was born in the state of Hawaii in 1961, a native citizen of the United States of America. The documents prove he was born in Hawaii. Though some believe the records are phony. 5. Obama Charters Plane for the Family Dog Uh, no. PolitiFact.com, a service of the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, managed to track down the source of this ridiculous myth to a vaguely worded newspaper article in Maine about the first familys vacation in the summer of 2010. The article, about the Obamas visiting Acadia National Park, reported: Arriving in a small jet before the Obamas was the first dog, Bo, a Portuguese water dog given as a present by the late U.S. Sen Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and the presidents personal aide Reggie Love, who chatted with Baldacci. Some folks, eager to jump on the president, mistakenly believed that meant the dog got its own personal jet. Yeah, really. As the rest of us toil on the unemployment line, as millions of Americans find their retirement accounts dwindling, their hours at work cut, and their pay scale trimmed, King Barack and Queen Michelle are flying their little doggie, Bo, on his own special jet airplane for his own little vacation adventure, one blogger wrote. The truth? The Obamas and their staffer traveled in two small planes because the runway where they landed was too short to accommodate Air Force One. So one plane carried the family. The other carried the Bo the dog - and lots of other people. The dog did not have its own private jet.

Recommendation to an ivoirian scholar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Recommendation to an ivoirian scholar - Essay Example In addition, in America, it is not common for people to just show up at another person’s home unless the latter person has invited them. It is instead customary for them to call beforehand and ask whether the person they intend to visit is either free or not. In addition, it is often necessary for the person visiting the United States to be aware that the family relationships in this country are not often the same as in other parts of the world. This is because while in other countries, it is normal for a family to have a mother, a father, and numerous children; this is often not the case in the United States. It is not uncommon to find single-parent families or individuals who have been married and divorced several times (Goransson 903). However, the American way of life is extremely liberal and this will likely ensure that one has a most pleasant visit. Among the most prevalent obstacles to research in the United States is the fact that there tends to be a lack of adequate f unding for the researcher. This is because for a researcher from outside the country, it is not easy to acquire the funding that one needs unless the said researcher has his or her own funding (Brew 423). It is also a time consuming process for the researcher to obtain permission from the authorities to conduct their research, and even if the researcher does get permission, it is often difficult for him to conduct their research in a manner which is familiar to them. One of the biggest obstacles in conducting research in the United States is the fact that the researcher might not have enough knowledge about scientific methods of research which might end up compromising the research that he intends to conducts (Thompson, Ritenbaugh, and Nichter 112). When conducting research in the United States, the researcher should ensure that all their personal issues that might end up compromising their research are dealt with before the beginning of the research process and this will help the r esearcher to give their full attention to the work at hand hence lending legitimacy and credibility to their research work.2 The official language of the United States is English and being aware that this language might not be the first language of the researcher, it would be best if he was made aware of it so that he can start acquainting himself with it (Collins 146). It may be extremely difficult for an anthropological researcher to conduct his research in country whose official language is unknown to them. It is a fact that the language barrier tends to make a lot of the researchers uncomfortable in their new environment and this would be a great hindrance for them in their research because they do not have the capacity to understand the meanings behind the actions of their research subjects.3 In fact, the language barrier may make the anthropological researcher feel isolated, especially in cases where there are no others from their home countries nearby with whom they can assoc iate. The researcher might end up taking a lot of time and hard work to get to be familiar with the local language so that they might get to conduct their research efficiently. Most researchers who tend to go to other countries tend to forget that