A Smile free essay sample

I parked my car in the drive way and walked through the garage. My mother met me at the door. She wore an expression that I couldn’t read, that scared me. She was clutching her chest trying to tell me something but the words seemed to collect stubbornly in her throat. They wouldn’t come out. As I was soon to find out, they were words that should never of had to come out. The words; â€Å"Tylerâ€Å", â€Å"killedâ€Å", and â€Å"himselfâ€Å", should have never been linked as one sentence, one idea, one truth. Yet they were forced to be spoken and my mother said them, her voice quaking as she choked them out. I heard myself swear. My mom knew what was coming next so she waited patiently for the heavy load of her words to take full effect and suffocate me. She knew I would need her. Then I sobbed. I didn’t stop for a week for I was only left the option of remembering Tyler. It was back in October 2000, I was in the fourth grade and bored to tears as I sat on a rock in the middle of what was supposed to be my new home in less then a year. Visiting the bare lot my parents had just bought was something we did far too often. It sat at the foot of an intimidating mountain and nothing but dirt, sage brush and tumble weeds surrounded it. That crept me out. Where were all the kids that normal neighborhoods had? As if as an answer to an unspoken question, a family of six came trekking across our lot and the parents waved at me. My mother and father came to meet them and I was introduced to all of their children, including their smiling son Tyler. He was a boy but hey, he was better then a tumble weed. His family was going to buy the lot right next to ours. We played while our parents chatted. Tyler was disappointed to find out that I was not eligible for a future crush because he was three months younger then me and that would just be weird. But being friends w ould be ok. I left for home that night with the satisfaction that I had made my first friend in my new neighborhood. After a long day of sixth grade I jumped off the school bus into brain numbing coldness. I started the climb up my steep neighborhood as fast as I could as to miss the whizzing snowballs that were now being thrown by Adrian Goulart (aka Adrian Gooeyfart) and Tyler. I had grown to sincerely dislike these boys over the past couple years. When were they ever going to grow up?! A tightly packed snowball flew by my head, missing it by a few inches. I turned around furious. â€Å"Wow Gooeyfart, you throw like a girl! Actually on second thought, I am a girl and I can throw ten times better then that!† I taunted him. â€Å" Oh ya?† he replied. Adrian started running at me as fast as the snowy sidewalk would let him. When he got to me I threw punches at him but before I could do any real damage he had me on the ground and was threatening to shove a snowball in my face. â€Å"You do and my dad will punch your face in!† I screamed. He rose his right arm and was about to allow the icy snowball to collide right in between my eyes when Tyler yelled at him. â€Å"Goulart come off it! Leave her alone!† he shouted. I glared at Adrian then kicked him off me. Tyler was the only guy that Adrian listened to. I muttered a thanks to Tyler who returned it with a beautiful smile. I then walked up the steep side walk to my house. Maybe he wasn’t that bad. The nights were getting colder I realized as I walked up a dirt road to a pavilion in American Fork Canyon. My church organization was having a barbeque and somehow I had managed to make it. Being one of the oldest in my church’s youth program gave me the same â€Å"senioritis† condition that being a senior in high school did. All the youth in our ward seemed to easily annoy me and I tried to keep a safe distance from them. As I searched the pavilion, hoping to see someone that wouldnaˆ?t give me a headache, I saw Tyler. Over the years Tyler and I had really grown to be good friends. Unlike most teenage boys, he actually talked. Not only did he talk, but he could talk about deep things and wasn’t afraid to let some emotion show. I went over excitedly and sat by him. He greeted me with one of those smiles that even as a sixth grader I couldn’t help but love. He wore a Mexican poncho with embroidered llamas on it. He always wore that. We talked and laug hed. He was happy. He made me happy. After awhile my friend Marissa pulled me away to play a game of Frisbee. I thought she knew me better then to think I would actually enjoy a game of Frisbee. But I said good bye to Tyler and witnessed the last beautiful smile he would give me. Three days latter he killed himself. Tyler took his life without realizing it wasn’t his to take, without knowing how many souls would quickly erode when he left them without his smile, like a flood tearing at a once peaceful landscape, like the storm after a time of peace. While I live through the small Hell he’s left me, while I try to reestablish peace in that Hell, he reestablished his life in Heaven. How is that fair? How is it fair that he lives in bliss while the people who love him try to sew up the painful wounds he’s caused? I know Tyler is happy now, but that doesn’t make everything better. His family will suffer and continue to do so for the rest of their lives. What he did will not go away. Each day his mother will remember him. She will remember how much she gave him. She’ll remember his smile and how much money went into making it look perfect. She’ll remember how much she taught him about life and about not burping in public. She’ll remember how much love she gave him. She’ll remember the pain it caused her to see when he was sad. She’ll remember how much food she had to make for his growing body. She’ll remember the hugs she gave him that he always returned. She’ll remember the good times she had with him. Surely his mother will remember that all of that seemed to not be good enough for him, because Tyler ended his life. At a time like this where the world seems untrustworthy, it is easy to lose hope. One would think that no good could come out of a tragic situation such as this. That isn’t true. I have never seen people come together as much as I have seen the ones that love Tyler and his family. It is a miracle to see hundreds of luminaries line the streets of my neighborhood in honor of Tyler, meals continually exported in and out of Tyler’s home, neighbors acting as family, Tyler’s family coming to church every Sunday with smiles on their faces and hope in their eyes, and the general feel of love that is more present than ever before. Hope exists in every part of what seemed to be strictly an awful situation. I have learned that through trials we never have to be alone, that there is always hope and that a smile means everything.

Merger Negotiations between Boeing and Airbus Company

Introduction Mergers refer to business associations that involve two or more companies amalgamating to form a single business entity. Through mergers, companies can achieve greater levels of efficiency through exploitation of benefits that are associated with economies of scale as well as enabling the company to exploit new markets and freeze out competition from other firms in the same industry.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Merger Negotiations between Boeing and Airbus Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this case, Airbus, an aircraft manufacturing company based in France and Boeing, a US based aerospace company which is one of the largest in the world are interested in forming a merger. Through this business association, the two companies would reap benefits associated with economies of scale such as increased overall output and diversified markets which would consequently increasing profita bility and investment of the new entity. The new company would also gain from the popularity of the two companies in Europe, America and Asia hence marketing its services will be much easier across the world. However, careful corporate strategic negotiations are essential for the two companies to reap the benefits associated with company mergers failure to which may result in merger failure causing detrimental effects to the company. Companies should adhere to the general rules when engaging in mergers. First, both companies should hold open and extensive negotiations to ensure that the entire process promotes the interests and goals that the new entity wants to achieve. Both companies should critically analyze financial prospects and performance that allow them merge without posing the risk of future business failures. Both aerospace companies perform well financially in the industry and the merger is likely to succeed without risk of bankruptcy. Both companies should uphold trustw orthiness to ensure credibility of the process especially through presentation of accurate financial records and other records required to justify the merger. Evaluating merger prospects In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the merger, Boeing company board of directors should appoint a special negotiation committee that is charged with the responsibility of evaluating and justifying the merger. The committee should be comprised of experienced and high integrity board members who should negotiate the terms of the merger with the team from Airbus Company.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The committee members and negotiators should ensure that the negotiation process yields the required results through identification and addressing the fundamental goals on the onset of the process in order to highlight the key issues relevant for the successful accomplishment of t he merger (Kimathi Kimathi, 2010). The committee should seek expert assistance from competent advisors in addressing the key and major issues such as profitability and future projections of Airbus. These experts provide guidelines on complex issues such as financial evaluation, design and implementation of the merger as well as legal and taxation regulations (Kimathi Kimathi, 2009). Failure to consult experts on various fields may result to lack of credibility as well as biased and uninformed decision making by the Boeing negotiating committee. These members should be appointed in such a way that they do not portray any elements of conflict of interest to ensures that the committee decision is based on the corporate merits of the associations and not merely from external influences geared towards personal gain (Kimathi Kimathi, 2010). If an individual has potential gains from the business association between Boeing and Airbus, he should not be appointed as a negotiating member si nce his decision may be biased. The committee should also assess the suitability of the deal by reviewing financial records of Airbus, management depth and succession, business plans and projections among other important information in order to make the decision as to appropriateness of the merger (Kimathi Kimathi, 2010). It should keep proper and accurate records for references during the process and should remain focused to the accomplishment of their task which striking the best financial deal with Airbus.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Merger Negotiations between Boeing and Airbus Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Once the merger between Airbus and Boeing has been justified, extensive financial analysis of Airbus Company must be conducted. Through this process, problems may be detected that eliminates the company from further consideration of the merger. However, problems that can easily be rectified should not hinder the commencement of the process (Madura, 2006). Mergers often require a lot of money to finance since they may involve one firm purchasing the existing stock of another (Madura, 2010) hence the Boeing should assess whether it has available resources to finance the merger in order to go ahead with negotiations. Boeing Company and Air bus merger is justified on the grounds that both companies are in the same industry and dominate in terms of profitability. Merging the two companies would link the American and the European market as well creating the incentive to exploit the world market at large. It would also lead to increased profitability of the new establishment hence availing resources for investment and innovations in the aerospace industry. Process of Negotiating a Merger In order to negotiate effectively, I would ensure I have done adequate research on Airbus Company before hand. Collection and evaluation of information that is important in the neg otiation process as well as devising a defensive plan to protect sensitive information that may be required by Airbus Company but the company may not be legally required to submit it (James, 2007). The company should set realistic expectations from the merger to enable the negotiators insist on the company’s aspirations during negotiations and continually reassess them as new information from Boeing company is obtained through out the negotiating process (James, 2007). The negotiator should take control of the bidding process to ensure that the Boeing Company achieves the best realistic deal. As the lead negotiator I would ensure sustained credibility throughout the negotiation process (James, 2007). When a negotiator proposes a position he should be objective and should support himself with the appropriate rationales. He should also act within limits of time which have been reasonably set by both companies by avoiding wastage of time from the onset of negotiation process.Adv ertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The negotiator should also be aggressive and upon determination that the deal is appropriate he should see to it that the merger is signed. He should actively participate in drafting of the contract to ensure that the interests of Boeing that negative issues do not crop up before the deal is concluded (James, 2007). As a negotiator, I would strongly uphold the values of Boeing Company. However I would also ensure that I am flexible such that I can accommodate values of Airbus Company. Factors that Hinder Effective Negotiations However, there are various issues that may render the negotiation process unsuccessful such as unreasonable preconditions whereby if the two CEOs cannot agree on division of power in the integrated business (James, 2007), Strategic leaks may destroys trusts among Boeing and Airbus and delay tactics employed by either of the companies to delay the process for calculated purposes. In addition, companies may use musical chairs whereby the negotiators are constant ly substituted leading to overall derailment of the process (James, 2007) Conclusion Merging business is a complex process that requires careful considerations by the companies involved. This is because it involves restructuring of various departments of both companies to fit the strategic plan of the new entity. In the event that Boeing and Air bus companies decide to merge, it is important for the two aerospace companies to follow the necessary procedure to asses the suitability of the merger to ensure its success. Reference List James, G. (2007). James Freund, ten rules of mergers and acquisitions bargaining, CBS Interactive. Web. James, G. (2007). Four common deal killers, CBS interactive. Web. Kimathi Kimathi, Corporate attorneys, (2009). Seven top strategies for negotiating a merger and acquisition transaction. Worldwide legal directories. Web. Madura, J. (2006). Introduction to business, New York: Cengage learning. This research paper on Merger Negotiations between Boeing and Airbus Company was written and submitted by user Angelica Pennington to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Ten Ways to Avoid Gender Bias

Ten Ways to Avoid Gender Bias Ten Ways to Avoid Gender Bias Ten Ways to Avoid Gender Bias By Mark Nichol How do you write around the outmoded usage of the pronoun he or him when a male is not necessarily the subject of the reference? Here are ten strategies none ideal in every circumstance for achieving gender neutrality. 1. Use He or She Before: â€Å"Ask the student whether he is prepared to give a presentation.† After: â€Å"Ask the student whether he or she is prepared to give a presentation.† This solution is stiffly formal and is awkward in repetition; use sparingly. Using he/she, s/he, or any such alternative (or an invented neutral pronoun like ze) is not advised. 2. Alternate Between He and She Before: â€Å"Ask the student whether he is prepared to give a presentation. If he is ready, tell him that he may begin when he is ready.† After: â€Å"Ask the student whether he is prepared to give a presentation. If she is ready, tell her that she may begin when she is ready.† This solution works only in the case of two or more references to a hypothetical subject of either gender. In the proximity of the references in the examples, this solution is awkward, but when the references are at some distance from each other, it can be effective in moderation. 3. Omit the Pronoun Before: â€Å"Ask the student whether he is prepared to give a presentation.† After: â€Å"Ask whether the student is prepared to give a presentation.† This revision does not clearly indicate whether the student or another person is being asked; writers must recognize and respond to such lack of clarity if it affects comprehension. 4. Repeat the Noun in Place of the Pronoun Before: â€Å"Ask the student whether he is prepared to give a presentation.† After: â€Å"Ask the student whether the student is prepared to give a presentation.† When the noun is repeated in the proximity shown above, the sentence is awkward; in a more complex sentence, the repetition may not seem so obvious. 5. Use a Plural Antecedent for the Pronoun Before: â€Å"Ask the student whether he is prepared to give a presentation.† After: â€Å"Ask the students whether they are prepared to give their presentations.† Employing a plural noun and a plural pronoun may change the meaning somewhat; writers must be alert as to which other nouns, if any, should be made plural as well. 6. Replace the Pronoun with an Article Before: â€Å"Ask the student to prepare his presentation.† After: â€Å"Ask the student to prepare a presentation.† 7. Revise the Sentence to Use the Pronoun One Before: â€Å"A prepared student is more likely to succeed than if he has not done sufficient research.† After: â€Å"A prepared student is more likely to succeed than an unprepared one.† 8. Revise the Sentence to Use the Pronoun Who Before: â€Å"A student is more likely to succeed if he does sufficient research.† After: â€Å"A student who does sufficient research is more likely to succeed.† 9. Revise the Sentence to the Imperative Mood Before: â€Å"A student must be well prepared for his presentation.† After: â€Å"Be well prepared for the presentation.† 10. Use a Plural Pronoun Before: â€Å"Ask the student whether he is prepared to give a presentation.† After: â€Å"Ask the student whether they are prepared to give a presentation.† Many writers reject this solution because traditional grammar rules frown on using a plural pronoun when the antecedent is a singular noun. However, the bewildering absence of a gender-neutral plural pronoun in English calls for a radical solution. This one is widely used in informal writing and in conversation, and it’s commonsensical to welcome it in formal writing. That welcome, however, has not yet been forthcoming, and, regrettably, writers should use the plural pronouns them and they in place of singular pronouns with caution. Some writers reject the notion that one should avoid gender-specific pronouns in universal contexts at all. After all, why change long-standing usage that has only recently been challenged? But these writers, though sensible in the logic of their argument, are culturally insensitive and, ultimately, are on the wrong side of linguistic history. I hope, too, that integration of the singular they and them in any usage will eventually occur. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund PhrasesDisappointed + PrepositionPreposition Mistakes #1: Accused and Excited

Free Essays on Dr. Faustus

but little depth. As one looks at the little detail presented, and at the broad spectrum of his desires, it is easy to infer that Faustus has little real understanding either of magic or his desires. The second definition of conceit implies that the word is synonymous with fantasy. So one can then infer that Faustus is filled with this fanciful notion that is magic. â€Å"Resolve me of all ambiguities [†¦] and search all the corners of the new found world,† (Marlowe 1.1.81-85). His vague desires and huge expectations of magic as a device seem to make more sense if one looks at the idea Faustus is overcome by fantasy. Unfortunately the meaning of the work within the speech comes not only from its definition, but also form the context in ... Free Essays on Dr. Faustus Free Essays on Dr. Faustus In the last scene, the Devils carry Faustus into Hell after he fails to repent and ask God for forgiveness. The quest or thirst for knowledge leads Faustus on a slow decent into the depths of Hell. In order to understand the criticisms used by Marlow, one must first understand the period in which this piece was composed. Scholars who studied anything but the Bible where regarded as having hubris. Nowadays people view the quest for knowledge as noble and honorable. Intellects and scholars are considered necessary to our society and are usually well respected. The central criticism used throughout the play emphasizes the idea of an â€Å"unhealthy quest for knowledge†. This need for knowledge justifies the reason the whole play. Marlow’s criticism is church friendly, he agrees with the extremely powerful church. When this play was written in 1590, the church controlled everything, and they were the absolute authority. It was common practice in the middle ages that at any coronation, that the Cardinal or Pope would place the crown upon the head of the King or Queen, it was a powerful symbol of how even the power of the King came from God. Marlow had to deal with the intellectually and spiritually confining church. He wrote about what he could which was a religious play. Marlow sort of acts as the Church’s critic, he ends up condemning Faustus to Hell, after he signs a deal with the devil. The deal says that Faustus will be given twenty fours years of power and delight in exchange for his soul. The Good Angel and Evil Angel argue with Faustus whether or not to sign the pact with Lucifer. This is an example of one of the many chances that the good Doctor is given to repent and serve God. Faustus serves as an example to all watching the play, that you must repent now and throw yourself on the mercy of God. This is a universal teaching of the Church and Marlow was a member of the Church. He would more than likely insert this religiou... Free Essays on Dr. Faustus Dr. Faustus tells the story of a middle-aged man who, disillusioned by the futility and restraint of life, rejects reason and God in favor of the power supplied by the Devil. This descent calls into question the reason for the disillusionment and the damning choice of Diabolism. Certain words and specific thematic elements, within Dr. Faustus, provide an insight into the mind of the character. Dr. Faustus staunchly rejects his old beliefs of God, yet they still permeate his thoughts as seen through his speech and treatment of magic. His descent into darkness is not a passage into evil but tragic path of self-destruction. In the very beginning of Faustus’ speech he says, â€Å"How I am glutted with conceit of this,† (Marlowe 1.1.79). The word conceit in this instance elicits several meanings, two in particular will be investigated and their validity within the speech shown. The first meaning of conceit deals with the idea of understanding. Faustus, then, is full with the understanding of magic and its capabilities. Ultimately, though, he simply wants magic to satisfy his desires, as he goes on to describe in many words but little depth. As one looks at the little detail presented, and at the broad spectrum of his desires, it is easy to infer that Faustus has little real understanding either of magic or his desires. The second definition of conceit implies that the word is synonymous with fantasy. So one can then infer that Faustus is filled with this fanciful notion that is magic. â€Å"Resolve me of all ambiguities [†¦] and search all the corners of the new found world,† (Marlowe 1.1.81-85). His vague desires and huge expectations of magic as a device seem to make more sense if one looks at the idea Faustus is overcome by fantasy. Unfortunately the meaning of the work within the speech comes not only from its definition, but also form the context in ... Free Essays on Dr. Faustus DOCTOR FAUSTUS AS A MORALITY PLAY Doctor Faustus has many features of a morality play: the conflict between good and evil, the creation of Good and Bad Angels, the Old Man as Good Counsel, the pageant of the Seven Deadly Sins and the appearance of Faustus’ enemies to ambush and kill him. The conflict between Good and Evil was a recurring theme in the medieval morality plays. From this point of view, Marlowe’s play is a dramatization of the medieval morality play, Everyman. Doctor Faustus becomes a morality play in which heaven struggles for the soul of a Renaissance Everyman, namely Doctor Faustus. The Good Angel and the Bad Angel are characters derived from the medieval morality plays like The Castle of Perseverance. They are sometimes regarded as an externalization of the thoughts of Faustus. This is a twentieth-century view. The Angels are independent absolutes, one wholly good and one wholly evil. They appear in Doctor Faustus like allegorical figures of a morality play. They reflect the possibility of both damnation and redemption being open to Faustus. A close examination shows that the Evil Angel declines in importance as the play advances. The angles work by suggestion, as allegorical characters in morality plays do. The audience also observes the pageant of the Seven Deadly Sins in Doctor Faustus. This is another feature borrowed by Marlowe from the tradition of the morality play. In Marlowe’s play, to divert Faustus’ attention from Christ, his savior, Lucifer, comes with his attendant devils to rebuke him for invoking Christ and then presents the pageant of the Seven Deadly Sins as a diversion. Benvolio’s attempts to ambush and take revenge on Faustus is also a device taken from the medieval morality play. Faustus loses his head, only for it to be revealed as a false one. This theatrical device was originally used in the medieval morality play, Mankin...

The Salem Witch Trials - How Did it Lead to a Less Religious Society Research Paper

The Salem Witch Trials - How Did it Lead to a Less Religious Society - Research Paper Example During the year of 1692, the Massachusetts Bay colony was deemed as an isolated but emerging puritan community in the wilderness of North America. The population in the area was significantly scattered. People inhibiting the isolated communities of the Salem village, were efficiently threatened due to the wild animals present there, and also the frequent attacks by the Native Americans. The most essential and interesting scenario of the Salem community was the spiritual beliefs and aspects of the members of the community. The vulnerable nature of the puritans inhibiting in the Salem village was deeply due to their religious beliefs, methods, and practices. The fundamentals of the puritans stressed on the fact that everything was in the hand of the almighty (Wilson, 7). It is god who determines the good fortune and prosperous health of a human being. Salvation was a gift from god. The puritan’s practice of worship included worship services, devotion, prayer, and self examinatio n to achieve the blessings of the almighty. The puritans also effectively believed in the fact that god permitted Satan to cause temptation and torment the ones who deviated from the path of righteousness and acted immorally or those whose faith the almighty wanted to test (Wilson, 7). It was believed that the people who failed to follow the path of righteousness was subjected to misfortune, sickness, and endured with a prominent period of grief. It is also to be notified that the puritans had the belief that a Satan might also enter a person’s life in the form of a witch. This was very much prominent in the era of Salem’s witch trial, which was also a significant cause of the evolution of the American civil society (Wilson, 7-8) The thesis acknowledges the fact, â€Å"Salem Witch Trials was a significant factor of the evolution of American civil society. Separation of Church & State, and a breakdown of the strict puritan codes led to a less religious society, improvi ng the justice system which later allowed for fair trials.† It is essentially problematic to actually ascertain the fact about what had occurred in Salem during the year of 1962, but a majority of historian and scholarly sources suggest that the Salem’s witch trial originated due to a particular incident. A group girls from the Salem village was diagnosed with unpredictable fits, followed by hysterical reactions, laughter and crying which was not intentionally provoked, incoherent babbling, attempts to fly, and also in some cases a hypnotic trance. The thing that preceded these incidents of bizarre fits were presumably a secret enchanting session with a woman named Tituba, a salve of the Indian origin from the Caribbean What preceded these bizarre fits apparently were secret enchanting, during which the woman Tituba, accompanied by several girls from the village practiced folk magic in order to predict the nature and identity of their husband before they are married. Wh en the girls were diagnosed by the local doctor, no effective physical cause was found for such bizarre behavior. Due to the attitude and beliefs of that era, it was concluded as no logical explanation could be concluded, then there has to be a disturbing influence of the Satan. Due to the fact that two of them were from the house of a local minister, reverend Parris, he subsequently called the ministers from

Analysis of British Petroleum's management of the 2010 Gulf of Essay

Analysis of British Petroleum's management of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico's oil spill - Essay Example There was also a huge fouling of beaches in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama which meant that the leisure activities of many people had to be put to a halt not to mention the many beach hotels that suffered huge losses due to lack of customers (Eilperin, & Mufson, 2010; Tangley, 2010). The spill resulted into hundreds of law suits that were filed. A special investigative panel consisting of officials from the coast guard office as well as the department of Interior was constituted by President Obama to look into the issues that surround the oil spill. BP began an assessment of the resource damage as soon as they managed to control the spillage. The losses incurred by the company are huge since at least 185,000,000 gallons (which comes to around 4.4 million barrels) of oil was lost. The clean up process might have succeeded to remove the spilt oil but the ramifications on the environment are probably going to last for decades to come (Jervis, & Levin, 2010; Jervis, 2010) Th ere are many questions concerning the resource damage that might not be fully answered any time soon. The extensive media coverage during the duration of the spill raised important questions that unfortunately did not have very comprehensive answers. For instance: the delay in response to the emergency, the companies that are to blame and most importantly and if the environment could survive such a disaster. Who is to blame? Before the OPA 90 was passed, it was not very clear who amongst the federal state, private players and the other local officials was directly responsible in the event of an oil spill of the magnitude of the BP Mexican gulf spill. The current legislation now demands that federal government should step in immediately when such a disaster strikes. The responsibility on the government according to the OPA 90 covers spills on the land as well as coastal spills. Offshore incidents like the recent BP Gulf of Mexico spill lie well in these boundaries. In the same breath e; the OPA 90 also includes the coast guard as a party that should be in charge of evacuations and control of the spillage. The biggest challenge of this is that the coast guard may not have access to the kind of equipment and personnel that it requires to handle such spills. However, legislation gives the coast guard the authority to acquire the equipment from private companies. BP was consistently present during the control of the spill and though it was largely in charge of the process, it was also assisted by personnel and equipment that the coast guard had acquired. There was some tension between the government and BP originally. This tension was addressed by the reports made by the president’s commission. Ideally, the responsible party is both the partner and the adversary since they are in charge of containing the spill and they are also required to take responsibility for all damages. It is a relationship that often confuses the general public but it is something that was established in the OPA 90 (Schwartz, 2010). Oil spill management is usually based on the National Contingency plan. The National Contingency plan identifies the national, regional as well as the local infrastructures. It integrates the different agencies that might be involved in the event of a spill. The National Contingency plan usually comes up with an initial disaster response team both nationally and regionally. It coordinates the efforts by setting up an on-site coordinator as well as a centralised command

Meaning of Life and Happiness Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Happiness Essay I do not think that there is a single person in the world who can say that knows what happiness actually is and, more importantly, that knows how to achieve it. We sometimes get the glimpse of pure happiness but those moments are so rare and so intense that we only recognise them too late. Each of us understands this feeling in a different way†¦I, for instance, see it as the one that can make you feel that there is no worry in life and nothing and nobody can hurt you anymore. For me, it is when you feel like you can do anything and forget about the past, the future, just enjoying the mere present. In my case, it is one of two feelings that can make you cry with all your heart†¦because it is too much for you to express in plain words or pointless gestures. â€Å"Tears are words that the heart can’t express† a wise man once said and could have never said it better, as happiness is that joy which is so strong that sometimes even hurts. However, I never remember the recipe for happiness and even if I did I do not think it would work again because one of its components is also hazard. Still, this does nt make me stop searching for it and devote it everything I do, I am and I achieve. Likewise, each person I’ve ever met, consciously or not, did the same†¦we want to get something, to become someone. Why? Not because that would make us feel miserable, but fulfilled and maybe a little bit more: happy. Hence, I strongly believe that happiness is the main purpose of our lives, the whole aim of our ephemeral existence. We are born happy and we want to die the same; this is the true ideal that we all crave for reaching. Money, wealth, knowledge mean nothing, without someone who cares about what you have achieved. Human beings, whether they like admitting it or not, need other human beings to share their secrets with, to share their joy or sorrow; as genuine joy can only become happiness if there is another person by your side. In other words, happiness is, in my opinion, the actual meaning of life; and life seems so complicated especially because we seldom get to its core, we almost never get to know what happiness feels like†¦and afterwards all that remains is an unclear memory of the moment and a wish of feeling it again.