Courseware Management System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Courseware Management System - Assignment Example This project tends the college administration work automatically using the machine. Their time assumption and moreover loads of work are lessened as instead of searching paper to paper file to file; searches are made automated. Similarly, manipulating data from one file to another takes number of hours for only organizing the profile of one student but now in the era of computers, using automated information system lessened the time in few minutes. Research for developing Information System is being held. The administrators, instructors and other staff faculty were questioned and queried. The answers made us think in different strategies the college is working on or you can say number of processes being held. One of the major and most tiring jobs that is done manual is making course profile for each student and maintaining its records. Few major laws of college while making a course calendar for students kept in mind are detailed. Different courses for professional field are taught in the college. Though there are many different fields. For example; BSCS, BBIT etc. For each filed there are number of different courses. Few courses are shared in the field of sciences. Going a bit in detail describes how each and every process works How the data is taken input and processed to other manipulations and evaluated till the end as a profile of the student Who uses it How it is used The following detail note from the research may reply to these questions. Higher administrative staff that has the knowledge of courses well makes this outline or calendar and decides for teaching; the instructors who can best teach each course available in the premises. The administration decides which course is important to study first and which to later. And though they make a prerequisite Course outline. Keeping all the above points and pre-requisite list in mind, administrators sit and consult the courses which are important to complete for the program. Now making an information system that automatically generates this outline; it has to keep checking all the points. Information System must have in database: List of programs offered in the college. List of courses to each program. (Note that each course is connected to a program that is while making a database course can be paired with the program) Number of units each course holds. (As this can be change later in years, so its better to hold it dynamically from database in code instead of hard-coding it and at time of maintenance opening each file to make the change in code.) Number of credit points each unit is of. (Similar to units this can vary in some later years.) Number of elective and core courses require to complete a program must also be defined. (Like above two they can also vary in later years.) There must be a column to against each course that gives the

The film Mississippi Masala Essay Example for Free

The film Mississippi Masala Essay The film Mississippi Masala portrays the Asian’s varied and confused identity in a multiethnic together through an interracial love affair between Uganda-born Indian woman Mina (Sarita Choudhury) and an African-American man Demetrius (Denzel Washington) in the American South in 1990. The results of this union are intolerance and hostility from both communities. Nair’s film is controversial and complicates the double complications of black and white but also challenges of huge problems of national and ethnic belonging. Mina’s culture origin is Asian Indian, Ugandan by birth, and is American by migration. This interracial couple is strongly opposed by the minority of (White Americans) communities; namely Mina’s. The film addresses the characters identity politically, in the interethnic encounter. The end finds the couple forced to elope to escape the pressures and pursue a new life outside of Mississippi. Mina embraces her memory of her childhood in Uganda in the 1970’s. She feels comfortable in the black disco in Greenwood. She embraces her identity as African despite her family’s exile from Africa and migration to America. Mina, on the other hand settles in Mississippi with her family via England and works as a maid in her parents motel and belongs to the Asian Indian community in her adopted country. She is very close to her relatives and attends all the groups wedding ceremonies and other social events. Mina represents herself as the good girl, never an outcast among her Indian friends and relatives until her relationship with Demetrius is found out. Mina’s identity here becomes more complicated than her inheritance from her Indian culture. Mina is the Masala in the title; a metaphor, describing her embracing her Ugandan, African, and American roots. Director Mira Nair chose the word Masala to describe diaspora’s concern with identity and group structure. â€Å"I believed strongly that to be a Masala is to be mixed is the new world order. So many of us think one language and are forced to speak another. † Works Cited Mira Nairs Mississippi Masala. Ed. Peter X. Feng. Screening Asian Americans. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2002. Dir. Mira Nair. Burbank, Calif: Columbia TriStar Home Video, 1992. First released by Mirabai Films, 1991.

Role Of Government Intervention In Environmental Issues :: essays research papers

Role of Government Intervention in Environmental Issues In environmental cases, a policy framework is sometimes more effective when there is less government intervention. As the level of government intervention diminishes, this allows more flexibility for corporations to achieve efficiency. Furthermore the traditional command and control approach has proven to be costly, bureaucratic and often inefficient. It is important to address the fact that there are numerous benefits that can be achieved for both policy makers and industries, if a policy framework is based on market forces. However it is important that there is a need for some government intervention, but should be as minimal as possible. I have chosen to examine the article from the New York Times entitled RU.S. Seeking Options of Pollution RulesS. Although pollution is detrimental to our environment, you have to take into account that it is almost impossible to entirely prevent pollution. This is scientifically impossible and it would have severely negative economic impact on the industries. So the core issue becomes the fact no matter what, there will always be pollution, as long as these industries exist. So we should focus on how we can minimize this and yet at the same time have an efficient market system? Furthermore, we should also focus on how we can accomplish this so that sustainable growth and development can take place. So there is definitely a need for some form of government intervention to enforce and monitor this. Reason being that there is always an element of equality that has to be enforced, when dealing with cases such as this. For instance, larger corporations may have an advantage over smaller corporation, since they have stronger influence on politicians and lobbyists. So the governmentUs role should be to ensure that all industries (regardless size and/or power) have equal opportunities to benefit from this type of approach. In another words, the government should simply be a RwatchdogS. Government should monitor so that the distribution and transaction of the permits are done in an appropriate manner. The case of Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Corporation is a classic example of tradable permit approach. Under this model corporations are able to buy, sell and trade permits that legally allows emission. Many economists have favored this approach because this also provides incentives for technical improvement. So the aggregate effect would be that most industries would try to maximize their profits by trying to come up with new techniques to reduce the level of emission. This in turn would allow them to reduce the cost that they would have to pay from polluting. Norm Miller also endorses this approach by

Nutritional Health Essay

Explaining the terms: food, diet, meals and snacks, nutrients Food: Food is a nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink in order to carry on life and growth. Food has been categorised as carbohydrates, including fibre, protein, fat and vitamins and minerals. Food allows us to keep on living. For example bread contains carbohydrate, meat contains protein, milk contains fat but it depends what milk you take, fruit and vegetables both contain vitamin and minerals. Examples of non food are tea, it has no nutritional value. Diet: Diet means the different food types that have been eaten regularly by a person. It doesn’t always mean losing weight. A diet means everything a person has eaten throughout the day. In the UK people might eat 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can also have special diets such as losing weight which means you are reducing your fat on your body. Being more careful with sugar because you are diabetic or because you are anaemic you will need to eat food with iron such as red meat and green vegetables. Meals and snacks: A snack is a portion of food which is smaller than a meal. Snacks are eaten between meals. Snacks designed to be small, quick and enjoyable. For example you have snack and jacks it doesn’t contain fat or fruits such as bananas or apples. You eat a meal 3 times a day which are breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is reasonable amount of food in a day. Nutrients: The process by which people take in food and use it for growth and repair. Examples of nutrients are: protein which you can find in fish, fat which you can find in milk, carbohydrate which you can find in bread or pasta and minerals which you can find in spinach. Malnourished and undernourished: Malnutrition is a serious condition that comes when a person’s diet does not have enough nutrients to meet the expectations of their body. This can affect the growth, your physical health, mood and behaviour. Being malnourished does not always mean that you’re thin or underweight. It is possible to eat a diet which contains high calories but a few vitamins and minerals. This means that you can become malnourished when you are obese or overweight. Symptoms of being malnourished are: Lack of strengths or energy to do activities Lack of energy and breathlessness because of anaemia Changes of your skin and nails Mood changes An increase of illnesses or infections Undernourished is a lack of calories or nutrients from eating not enough food or unable to break down nutrients from the diet because of medical condition such as Marasmus and Kwashiorkor. Marasmus means having problems with: Growing A huge amount of weight loss Muscle wasting Diarrhoea Irritability Kwashiorkor means having problems with: Bad growing Muscle wasting A long time of diarrhoea and infections Deterioration of hair, skin and nails A swollen liver and abdomen Swelling of the face, hands and feet The most common symptoms of being malnourished is unplanned weight loss. If your BMI is lower than 18.5 or you experience the symptoms you will need to contact your GP. To calculate your BMI you can use a chart or you can calculate it like this BMI = weight (kg) height (cm) BMI CHART Young children are taken to the health care centre at least once a week to look at their weight and height. They are looking if the baby is gaining weight in a healthy way or gaining weight too fast and also to check if the baby is growing. The babies are going to be compared to other babies of their age to see if their weight and height is normal. They mostly use growth charts too at the weight and height. GROWTH CHART They also look at someone’s gender and height to see what their weight has to be. For female the weight looking is different than that of a male because a male is builder than a female and also a man needs to take 2500 calories as to which a female has to take 2000 calories a day. Male Female To prevent yourself from getting malnourished and undernourished you will need to have a good diet which has enough vitamins, minerals, fat and carbohydrate. To make sure you take enough and healthy food you can use the eat well plate which shows varieties of food we need to eat and what proportion we should eat it, to have a good and balanced diet. You can also use the five-a-day which means eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This makes sure you get all the right things your body needs. You can eat sweet things because your body needs fat but you will need to take a small amount. Here are some easy and healthy recipes to give some ideas. A recipe for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks: Breakfast an avocado on toast: INGREDIENTS 2 avocados 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lime A little splash of Worcestershire sauce 4 slices of sour dough/rye bread Salt and pepper Small bunch of basil, roughly chopped 2 sweet tomatoes, roughly chopped METHOD How to make simple avocado on toast breakfast 1. Mash the avocado with a fork to a rough puree, adding the olive oil, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce as you go. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 2. Toast the bread, drizzle a little olive oil over each piece then spread over the avocados. Sprinkle with basil and the diced tomatoes. Lunch Italian turkey club sandwich: INGREDIENTS 2 tbsp olive oil 4 turkey breast steaks 3 tbsp fresh red or green pesto 200g carton half-fat crà ¨me fraà ®che 1 baguette, cut into 4 pieces 4 ripe, plum tomatoes, sliced Small bag baby leaf salad METHOD How to make Italian turkey club sandwich 1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a griddle pan. Season the turkey and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, turning, until lightly charred and cooked through. Set aside. 2. Meanwhile, lightly mix the pesto into the crà ¨me fraà ®che and season to taste. Split each baguette piece in half lengthways, to give 8 halves. Brush the cut-side with the remaining oil, then griddle or toast under a hot grill in batches until golden. 3. Assemble the sandwiches. Spread a little pesto and crà ¨me fraà ®che sauce on 4 baguette halves, then top with sliced tomatoes. Top with a turkey breast, add a handful of salad leaves and another spoonful of the pesto and crà ¨me fraà ®che sauce. Top each sandwich and serve. Dinner chicken pasta soup: INGREDIENTS 5–6 chicken thighs 1 large white onion, sliced 1 tbsp olive oil 4 medium carrots, chopped into small dice 6–8 closed cup mushrooms, quartered  ½ red pepper, seeds removed and chopped into small dice 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes 600ml chicken stock 175ml white wine 100g frozen sweet corn (use tinned if you cannot find any frozen) Salt and freshly ground black pepper 150g pasta shells Handful of fresh coriander, chopped Method 1. Preheat the oven at 190ÚC/gas mark 5. Place the chicken thighs on a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 30–40 minutes, until cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cooled, remove the skin and separate the meat from the bones before cutting the meat into pieces. 2. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan over a medium heat, add the onions and fry for a minute or two before adding the carrots. Cook until the carrots and onions start to soften, about 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and red pepper. Mix thoroughly and continue to cook until the mushrooms have shrunk in size and begin to brown. 3. Next, add the can of tomatoes, chicken stock, wine, sweet corn and chicken pieces and season well with salt and pepper. Leave to simmer on a low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes. 4. Add the pasta to the soup and leave to simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked, stirring occasionally to avoid the pasta sticking to the pan. Once ready, remove from the heat and set aside for half an hour, covered, to allow the flavours to infuse. When you’re ready to serve, reheat the soup, pour into bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of fresh coriander. Snacks: You can have snacks such as: Banana Apple Cookie Snack and jack Overweight and obese: Overweight means that you’re BMI is 25 or over 25. If you are overweight you will have a great risk of getting: Arthritis Type 2 diabetes High blood pressure. When people talk about being overweight they mean that the person is not eating enough healthy or they could eat healthy food but they will eat a big portion. It will not only affect somebody health but their self esteem as well. They won’t be able to do activities when people of their same age can do all the things they won’t and wear the clothes they want to wear. Obesity means that your BMI is 30 or over 30. Being obese increases your risk of getting serious and life-threatening diseases such as: Type 2 diabetes Heart disease Some types of cancer, such as breast cancer and colon cancer stroke Obesity can affect your life in a serious way than being overweight it could damage the way life and it often leads to depression. There are simple ways for you can see if you are obese or overweight, for example you could go to the GP or to a dietician, they are able to give you advice at how you could live a healthier life. You could also use a BMI chart or you could look at the weight for height and gender. Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) is something that also could be use to see what you are recommended to take in. The DRVs shows you what your daily intakes should be, they have made charts to show you what you should take in. The charts are: Chart made for age and gender Chart made for ageïÆ'   Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNTs) is part of the DRVs which shows the amount of nutrients each individual is recommended to take in to maintain good health. If you look at the backside of the product it shows you how much nutrients you take in per portion and per 100 g of food. It can help you see if you eat too much. You could also look at your actual food intake which means that you are looking what you eat everyday and compare it to you should have been eating every day. What I would recommended for people who are overweight or obese is to look at the portion of what you eat. Go to your GP or dietist they are able to help you make a diary of you should eat every day. Also eat things of the food groups which are: If you eat at least one of the things in each food group you will be able to stay healthy. Examples of using the different types of the food group are: In the morning drinking milk with bread and peanut butter For lunch eating a fruit salad For dinner eating vegetables with pasta and fish. Also using the right food preparations and processing methods will also make a huge difference in your diet. Example of good preparations and processing methods is using fresh food. If you buy fresh it means that the vitamins and minerals are still in the food but if you buy old food it could be that the vitamins and minerals already left the food. Good ways of cooking your food is grilling and steaming it makes sure that every vitamin and mineral stays in the food. Make sure that there are varieties of colours on your plate which will make it more interesting for you to eat. Eat small portions which will make sure that you ate enough. Use small plates which will make it look like you are eating a lot. Not only eating healthy food is a good thing for you to stay healthy but also doing exercise every day for at least 30 minutes. 30 minutes a day exercise is enough. A few examples of exercises you can do at home are: You can also go to the gym and get a personal trainer who will help you do the right exercise every day. Eating healthy food and doing exercise will make your body stay fit.

The old man and the sea by Earnest Hemmingway, alternate ending

He took all his pain and what was left of his strength and his long gone pride and he put it against the fishes agony and the fish came over to his side and swam gently on his side, his bill almost touching the planking of the skiff, and started to pass the boat, long, deep, wide, silver and barred with purple and interminable in the water. The old man dropped the line and put his foot on it and lifted he harpoon high and drove it down with all his remaining strength. He watched as it passed straight through the side of the great fish, staining the deep blue waters red, leaving swirls of maroon in its wake, little ghost fish sent to mock me he thought. The great fish swam away with the little rope going straight through the flesh near the base of its tail. ‘I feel your pain' the old man spoke out loud to the fish. The harpoon must be jammed against his side and unable to come back through, he thought. Oh great fish, fine friend, what an ignoble end this will give, why this is worse than bone spurs, it must be. The pressure against his shoulders had lessened, the acute pain from the line cutting his right hand eased. ‘So, I have no strength left you, have beaten me worthy adversary, but to do so you will die a long drawn out slow death, like a criminal chained to another' The words hurt his dry lips increasing the depth of the furrows in the flesh. ‘I will not bring you in like this' he spoke again to the marlin, not after all that we have been through, he thought, no I will not shame either of us like this. If the fish managed to free itself before he could untie the rope from the bitt the resulting hole left behind would equivalent to a feast for two families. His head was getting fuzzy again, but the thought to free the fish remained strong. ‘I will cut you loose' he said ‘yes I have my knife, I will make both my hands work for this'. He took his knife and sawed at the rope, back and forth, back and forth cutting it with the rhythm of the waves. He used his left hand to press down on top of the other as much as it would allow him to. After what felt like an age he broke right through the rope, as the last few strands were severed, his left hand cramped again causing him to drop his knife into the vast waters. But the rope was cleaved in two, he had freed his adversary. He rested then, dipping his hands one at a time in the healing cleansing salty sea. Taking time to recover from his efforts, the pressure of the line a constant ache across his shoulders, he pondered the repercussions of sailing the skiff so far out. I shouldn't have gone out so far fish, he thought, aloud he said ‘I'm sorry'. As he continued to ponder the wiseness of the distance his head started to clear. The loss of his knife playing on his mind. ‘Oh why am I so stupid?' he whispered in a harsh tone. Of course he thought to himself, ESTUPIDO! He silently cursed his foolishness. It was my head, it was unclear, the flying fish I ate was long ago. Why didn't I just untie the rope from the bitt? Why did I cut it? How much energy did I waste sawing? My knife, my knife, it would be here if I had not been so stupid, the thoughts wound around and around his head. ‘Oh great fish I bet you'd of never committed such a stupid act' He said to the moving fin of the fish. The great fish carried on swimming, slowly but steadily, the phosphorescent trails of its blood faint now, almost gone. The marlin had slowed, the old man noticed, he thought the lack of food must be taking its toll on him as well by now. He must get some rest, even the great DiMaggio must rest sometimes, even before the bone spurs he must have worn himself out, he must have tired and wanted, no, longed for rest. Longed for rest, just like he did. I bet the wonderful DiMaggio's' father the great fisherman would understand, he said to himself, he must of fought some great battles on the sea, to be able to pass on the great wisdom help Joe to be so great. Just a few minutes rest, even a few minutes would be good he didn't want to get confused again. Yes he would rest, and then try to catch a fish, a flying fish that would be good; they taste nice even without salt or lime. But first he would rest. He was disturbed about 15 minutes later. By a tugging on his right hand, an increased pressure cutting into his shoulder blades. The fish was turning! He had started circling; he was on the path to the fisherman's hands now. He adjusted the line drawing it in slowly, he didn't want to break it. ‘I must be gentle, I must be smooth,' he thought, ‘I can be tricky, I can be clever, I won't let the line snag.' He knew that any sudden tugging on the line could tear the hook from its slender hold in the marlins mouth. The fish had circled nearly 360à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ it had taken what seemed like a lifetime to the old man. All the while slowly and carefully drawing the thick line through his useless almost lifeless left hand, across his martyred back and then through his right hand, his strong hand. ‘Gentle, I can be gentle, I can be crafty, wily, I am a great fisherman, like father DiMaggio, come to me, my friend, my equal, come to me I am experienced, it will be sure and swift.' He chanted to the fish. The fish carried on its slow turn all the while, in perfect ignorance of what the old man was telling it. It continued its circle until it had turned another half, and straightened out all the time swimming steadily. ‘You tease me' he said to the marlin ‘you do not think of me as worthy, I can best you I am not dead yet.' He settled into the salty planks of the skiff, resting his back but careful of the line running across it. I will rest for a while he thought to himself, then I will try to get a fish. After taking a few sips from his water bottle he felt for the excess coil securing it on his toe, and closed his eyes. The world started spinning, he opened his eyes a feeling of nausea rising in this throat. I am so tired he thought to him self, so tired and weak he closed his eyes again swallowing down the bile that was threatening to come out. Trembling he tried to rest, many minutes passed before the compulsive swallowing stopped and his breathing steadied. He dreamt of the lions on the beach again, but it was different this time. The lions came not to gamble and play, but sat quietly and still on the sand, almost as though they were waiting for something. It was dark again when he awoke, the tendrils of fog dancing and swaying in the moon beams. It took him a few moments to adjust to being awake. He thought for a while that he was in his shack, lying comfy and cosy on his bed of newspapers. Then the pressure of the line filtered through his hazy thoughts. I am in my boat, I am fishing, then the realisation of his fight to snare the marlin rushed towards the surface. ‘the fish!' he croaked jumped up, his head spinning around to locate the fish, when he saw it swimming along unconcerned at the private battle aboard the skiff, the relief that washed over him was like a healing balm, a balm that melted away as he fumbled for the line realising that it had slipped from his shoulders. His cold and sleepy hands nearly dropped the line, but he managed to flounder around until his right hand grappled and gripped at the line, then his slower left hand finally found purchase and finished the job of adjusting the line so it was snug against his shoulder blades. He gazed around at the stars realising that he was heading in the direction of home. Well my fine friend, we best end this soon or the waters will get too shallow, and you will scrape your fine scales, he chuckled silently casting his gaze around searching for his fish. He had surfaced again in the night; it must be getting close to an ending the old man thought. It'll soon be time for the home run, where's that water; he reached over feeling for his bottle. Sipping slowly Santiago glimpsed a shape moving around the skiff. ‘What's that?' he started, more quietly now he said, ‘that's a snub nose, no, no there are two' he said as he spotted a second fin gliding towards the boat. The circled the boat coming at it from different directions, then one changed course heading towards the fish. He must be leaving blood trails calling out to the shark, diner time come and get me, thought the old man. As the snub nose headed towards the fish the old man started beating the surface of the water with an oar. He screamed at them in a cracked and wasted voice ‘here you bastardos, here, leave him alone, you are nothing but unworthy scavengers, brainless useless scum' he continued to beat the ocean erratically , splashing and churning up the expanse of blue, making it turn to darker and lighter blues, vermilions and a lilac that was reminiscent of the marlins stripes. ‘He's mine' he screamed at the sharks. One of the came close to the boat, he could see it cold, pitiless eyes. Gathering what little strength he had he lifted the oar above his head, cursing his decrepit left hand, as he brought the oar down in a solid blow between its eyes. The shark twitched violently lunging at the oar, snapping the blade with his fearsome teeth. Santiago twisted the shards round and managed to pierce an eye. He watched the shark back off. You are no match for me, he thought, even the boy, as green as he still is could beat you. He continued to beat the water but in a gesture of triumph now, ‘get lost, get lost you scum' he shouted as he thrashed his hands around in the water. ‘You won't have my fish, it's not for you!' Suddenly he felt a searing, burning pain, then a wave of blackness threatened to overcome him, but some basic animal instinct took over and he shook his head clearing it. The pain took over again then. What is this, what is happening? He thought to himself, feeling strangely detached from the excruciating pain. I have been bitten, ‘I have been bitten!' he shouted in shock, ‘the shark has bitten me' he said in a quieter weaker voice, as he saw the partner to the shark he had hit gliding away. He must have sneaked in behind me, he thought getting groggy by now, they were jealous of my fish, my fish that fly's, my fantastic friend. He was swaying but not in time with the ocean now. The old man crumbled gently to the deck of the skiff. Flee, fly my friend, he mumbled as the dark fog enclosed him. The fish carried on smoothly through the water, appearing impervious to the wound it had sustained. Manolin was on the beach early, as he had been every day since the old man had been gone. When his father had mentioned it to him, whilst complaining that he boy was half asleep when fishing, Manolin had replied I will look for him, I will wait for him, I will not abandon him for I believe in him. As the boy gazes out to see he spots a deeper shadow in the sea, what is that? He thinks squinting his eyes, trying to see clearer. It is to far to be sure but he knows that it is Santiago, returning home. ‘Pedrico! Pedrico, it is Santiago, he is returning home, his luck has turned!' he shouted down the beach, thinking to himself, I hope his luck has returned, I so want him to be coming back with a good catch. It is not right that he should have such bad luck; he will not be able to take much more. Meanwhile Pedrico had gathered more of the locals, they were making their way to the edge of the sand. Chattering and gossiping amongst themselves. The boat was close enough now to be sure that it was a skiff, but what was that in front of it? ‘My god it's a fish', ‘no, it's a shark', ‘it's not real, it's a demon' ‘a fish?', ‘it's unnatural' were some of the mutterings that could be heard from the crowd. The boy just stood with his mouth slightly open and a waxen hue to his face. It was closer now they could see without a shadow of a doubt, that it was a huge fish in front of the skiff pulling it along, in fact even those that were slow to believe were starting to realise it was a marlin. The boy started shaking and crying as it got closer and closer, he could hear the intakes of breaths and gasps from the crowd next to him fade into to silence as they all realised that the fish was not going to stop. Manolin wasn't sure what or even how he was feeling, he had never encountered a situation like this, and it was way beyond anything his emotions had ever strived to cope with before, let alone made sense of. The whole beach waited agog as the fish reached the edge of the sand still towing the skiff behind. It seemed to him the only two sounds in the world were the beating of his heart hammering in his ears and the unusually grating sound of the waves breaking on the shore. He tensed as the fish drove himself on to the unnatural environment of the sandy shore; pushing and pushing its ravaged body until it was well and truly grounded. Before the crowd had recovered enough from the shocking spectacle unfolding in front of them to move, the boy had waded out to the small boat, a true fisherman now perhaps, as even under the strain of what had transpired, a part of his mind noticed and admired the sheer size of the marlin. The crowd had just began to recover from their collective stupor enough to move when a howling keening sound arose from the boys mouth, ‘NOoooooooooooooo. He can't die, not now look at his catch, SANTIAGO†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Santiago' The boy trailed off into a soft whimper, shrugging off the hands that appeared to try and pat him with gestures of comfort. Then he jumped up suddenly shouting ‘get off, GET OFF! GET OFF!' as he started to dash towards the fish he pushed the onlookers out of the way, and rounding on a pair of fishermen that had been about to club the fish and screeched ‘ NO!' He drew a ragged breath before he carried on, ‘don't you see Santiago has brought his catch home?' the men nodded shocked. ‘Well don't you think that is a special fish, leading him home? If fact grounding itself in the process' before they could reply he continued ‘well, don't you think that they must of shared spirits, two so brave and clever, despite bad luck?' with that he turned to the most superstitious member of the village and said ‘that is right isn't, it that's what the old stories tell us?' The old man stared at the boy for a second then said ‘yes they will have shared courage therefore their spirits would have mingled' in a slow and halting voice, then stronger ‘yes he is right! This great marlin, noble marlin is as Santiago' The boy turned back towards the fish, ‘then we have to save this fish, we should revere such a miracle not haste its passing. Would you club Santiago's body if it were that in front of you? The crowd denied this as a group; hurt a member of their community? Never. Right said the boy in a more confident tone ‘lets get him to the water, come on, I cant move him on my own' the others started to help, all the while encouraged by the boy who was not a boy anymore ‘gently, careful now' ‘look at that wound, it is very bad, but one as strong as this will heal' silently to himself, he prayed that it would heal. They got the fish to the water before they noticed the hole in its lip where the hook had finally ripped away. The boy checked the unnaturally still fish over for ropes, lines and hooks then trying to get a quick look to assess the condition of the fish. All the while the fish stayed still. The boy whispered ‘goodbye, and thank you, Joe DiMaggio rules' The fish turned its kingly head towards the boy, and with the flick of a tale was gone, going beneath the surface as soon as it could. The crowd thinned until it was just the boy watching, alone, his eyes all bleary from unshed tears; just as he turned he thought he saw the glistening body of the majestic fish leaping through the air. But when he turned back to see clearer, there was nothing there.

Teaching Cinco de Mayo to Kids

Teaching Cinco de Mayo to Kids Cinco de Mayo! Its everyones favorite Mexican holiday, a chance to listen to cool music, grab some chips and salsa and maybe even speak some Spanish with friends. But whats it all about? Most folks know enough Spanish to understand that Cinco de Mayo is May fifth, so it must be a special date in history, but why do Mexicans celebrate that particular day? What is Cinco de Mayo? On Cinco de Mayo, Mexicans remember the Battle of Puebla, fought on May 5, 1862. On that day, Mexicans won an important battle against the French army, which was invading Mexico. Why Was France Invading Mexico? France had a long history of interfering in Mexicos business, dating back to the famous Pastry War of 1838. In 1862, Mexico was having big problems and owed money to other countries, mainly France. France invaded Mexico to try and get their money. Why is the Battle of Puebla So Famous? Basically, the battle is famous because the Mexicans werent supposed to win. The French army had about 6,000 soldiers and the Mexicans had only about 4,500. The French had better guns and were better trained. The French had already beaten the Mexicans a few times as they made their way to the city of Puebla, from which they planned to go to Mexico City. No one thought the Mexicans were going to win the battle†¦except maybe the Mexicans! What Happened at the Battle of Puebla? The Mexicans had made defenses around the city of Puebla. The French attacked three times, and each time they had to retreat. When the French cannons ran out of ammunition, the Mexican commander, Ignacio Zaragoza, ordered an attack. The Mexican attack forced the French to run away! The Mexicans cheered and President Benito Juarez said that May fifth would forever be a national holiday. Was That the End of the War? Unfortunately, no. The French army was driven off but not beaten. France sent a huge army of 27,000 soldiers to Mexico and this time they captured Mexico City. They put Maximilian of Austria in charge of Mexico and it was a few years before the Mexicans could kick the French out. So Cinco de Mayo isn't Mexico's Independence Day? Lots of people think so, but no. Mexico celebrates its Independence Day on September 16. Thats the day when in 1810 Father Miguel Hidalgo stood up in his church and said that the time had come for Mexico to be free from Spain. Thats how Mexicos battle for independence began. How Do Mexicans Celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Mexicans love Cinco de Mayo! Its a day that makes them feel very proud. There are parties, parades and lots of food. There are festivals with concerts and dancing. Mariachi bands are everywhere. Where Are the Best Places to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Of all the places in the world, the city of Puebla in Mexico is probably the best. After all, thats where the big battle was! Theres a huge parade and a re-enactment of the battle. There is also a mole festival. Mole, pronounced mo-lay, is a special food in Mexico. After Puebla, the best place to go for Cinco de Mayo is Los Angeles, California, where they have a big party every year. Is Cinco de Mayo a Big Deal in Mexico? It is, but September 16, Mexicos Independence Day, is a bigger holiday in most of Mexico than Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo is a bigger deal in other countries like the USA. Thats because Mexicans who live in other countries like to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and because most foreigners think its the most important Mexican holiday. Cinco de Mayo is surprisingly NOT a national holiday in Mexico, although its a local holiday in Puebla. How Can I Celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Thats easy! If you live in a city where there are a lot of Mexicans, there will be parties and festivals. If you dont, your local Mexican restaurant will probably have special food, decorations and maybe even a mariachi band! You can host a Cinco de Mayo party by getting some decorations, serving some Mexican food like chips, salsa and guacamole and playing Mexican music.

The Penguin Atlas of Human Sexual Behavior

The Penguin Atlas of Human Sexual Behavior Published in 2000, the 128 page The Penguin Atlas of Human Sexual Behavior contains a plethora of facts and data about sex and sexuality worldwide. Unfortunately, the data used in the atlas was not often available for each country in the world so the author, Dr. Judith Mackay, was left to map incomplete data which is sometimes from as few as a dozen or so counties. Nonetheless, the book provides a fascinating insight into the cultural geography of sex and reproduction. Sometimes the data, maps, and graphics seem a bit sketchy. One example of a non-cited graphic is titled Breasts Are Getting Bigger and implies that in 1997, the average breast size in the U.K. was 36B but that it grew to 36C in 1999. A longer time period is provided for Asia - the graphic shows that in the 1980s average breast size was 34A and the 1990s it was 34C, not quite as dramatic as the U.K.s single-cup size increase in two years. The data I mention below in this article comes from reputable sources listed in the references section of the atlas. On with the facts... First Encounters Maps in the atlas provide information about the age of first sexual intercourse worldwide for several dozen countries where data was available. For women, the countries with the youngest average age of first intercourse are in central Africa and the Czech Republic with an average age of 15. The countries where womens first sexual experience comes at age 20 and older are Egypt, Kazakhstan, Italy, Thailand, Ecuador, and the Philippines. According to the map, the first sexual intercourse comes at 16 in the U.S. and 18 in the U.K. For men, the earliest average age of first intercourse is 16 in Brazil, Peru, Kenya, Zambia, Iceland, and Portugal but the highest average age is 19 in Italy. A male in the U.K.s average age of first intercourse is 18. There are far fewer countries with mens data than womens in the atlas (even the U.S. is missing from the map.) Sexual Intercourse and Contraception According to the atlas, on any given day, sexual intercourse takes place 120 million times on earth. Thus, with 240 million people having sex daily and a world population of just under 6.1 billion (as of 2000), about 4% of the worlds population (1 out of every 25 people) is having or had sex today. The country boasting the longest amount of time during sexual intercourse is Brazil at 30 minutes. The U.S., Canada, and the U.K. follow with 28, 23, and 21 minutes respectively. The quickest sex in the world takes place in Thailand with 10 minutes and Russia at 12 minutes. Among sexually active 16-45-year-olds, the most active countries are Russia, the U.S.A., and France, where people report having sex more than 130 times a year. Sex is least frequent in Hong Kong at under 50 times a year. Modern contraception is most frequently used in China, Australia, Canada, Brazil, and western Europe but least in central Africa and Afghanistan. Condom use is highest in Thailand with 82% of people claiming to always use a condom. Marriage The atlas tells us that 60% of marriages around the world are arranged so theres little choice of partners in most marriages. The age difference between prospective partners is interesting. Western European, North American, and Australian men usually search for a partner who is less than two years younger while men in Nigeria, Zambia, Colombia, and Iran all prefer women at least four years younger. China has the worlds highest minimum age for men to get married - 22; however, women in China can marry at 20 years of age. Its interesting to note that the minimum age for marriage for both sexes varies throughout the U.S. on a state-by-state basis and ranges from 14 to 21 years. Divorce rates are highest in Australia and the U.S.A. but are lowest in the Middle East, North Africa, and East Asia. Sex outside of marriage is most common in women under twenty in Germany and the U.K., where over 70% of young women have sex outside of marriage but in Asia, the percentage is less than ten. The Dark Side The atlas also covers the negative aspects of sex and sexuality. A map shows that female genital excision is highest in the countries of northeast Africa - Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia. Rapes per 100,000 women mapped out shows that among others - the U.S., Canada, Australia, southern Africa, Sweden have the worlds highest rates of rape (over 4 per 10,000). A map of the legal status of homosexuality around the world tells us that many countries in northern Africa and the Middle East can punish homosexual sex acts with the death penalty. We also learn that adultery is punishable by death in Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Overall, The Penguin Atlas of Human Sexual Behavior is a very interesting compilation and reference for facts about human sexual behavior and reproduction worldwide and I do recommend it for students of cultural geography or sexology.