A Tale of Magic Beans-Creative Prose Essay Example

A Tale of Magic Beans-Creative Prose Essay It was a dismal eve when Jack returned home from the market after buying seeds from a vile looking character. Jack!, Wheres that bread! Jacks mom screamed. What the heck are these? Beans, magic beans Jack replied sullenly. Stupid, useless wretch! His mother exclaimed as she lashed out at Jack. I hate you! Jack yelled as he ran out the door. I am never coming back, never! he screamed. Jack ran away from the house past the market and into the woods. It was midnight by the time Jack stopped running and he looked around. The putrid smell of the damp rotting wood covered with moss was overpowering. The woods were eerily silent, but for the raspy winds that were Jacks only companions that night. Alone and exhausted Jack decided to stop here and sleep. But before sleep could come Jack withdrew the accursed seeds and threw them at his feet and spat at them for his undeserved misfortunes.Jack woke the next morning with only a clump of dirt as a pillow and the mist as his moist blanket. As he tried to decide what his next course of action was to be he looked over in to the clearing. To his disbelief where the beans had been was a giant beanstalk. As Jack walked towards it he followed it with his eyes all the way up into the clouds. Jack decided to climb up the bean stalk to get a better view. As he neared the clouds he decided to see how tall the bean stalk was. As he emerged from the clouds he noticed a dark and sinister castle sitting on top of the clouds. As he moved towards it he noticed how immense it was. He walked up to the huge door with the grotesque gargoyle door knocker. He grabbed the huge knocker and slowly heaved the heavy door open. Jack slowly entered the castle and moved down the hall while staying in the shadows.After searching the castle and finding it empty Jack returned to the kitchen and quenched his hunger and thirst. After eating Jack found an empty room to sleep in. Jack woke late in the day to the sound of heavy footsteps entering the castle. Ja ck sat paralyzed listening to the footsteps moving down the hall towards the room Jack was in then past it towards the kitchen. After what seemed an eternity but was only a few minutes Jack slowly opened the door enough to see down the hall and into the kitchen. Jack saw a man who must have been 12 feet tall, a giant! Jack watched as the giant prepared a huge bird for dinner. Jack then noticed a thick coil of green rope. It moved, Jack then saw this was no rope but an enormous snake with one of its eyes replaced with a blood red ruby. Jack continued to watch the giant eat the bird and noticed how much the giant reminded him of his deceased abusive father. He decided then and there that he would kill the giant.Once the giant and snake had gone to sleep, Jack slowly opened the door to the room he had sat in. He found in the kitchen the giants hatchet and axe; since the axe was so big, Jack took the hatchet. He slowly moved down into the bowels of the castle where the snake slept. The snakes room was damp and warm and filled with the musty smell of rat. Jack walked up to the giant head of the snake, the size of Jack whole chest. He slowly moved towards the snake with the one ruby eye open and watching him. Quietly Jack moved behind the beasts head, lifted the hatchet high above his head and swiftly struck the blade on the creatures neck breaking its spine and instantly killing it. Jack then went and hacked off the snakes large and poisonous fangs with the hatchet.Jack then proceeded up to the giants sleeping chambers. It was midnight when Jack slowly and quietly entered the giants chamber. He slowly walked up to the giants bed, pulled the fangs from his pockets and drove them into the giants eyes. The giant awoke with a roar of pain. He immediately got up and ran for the door, tripping over Jack along the way. Who are you? Why did you do this? screamed the giant as he tried to grab Jack. Jack ran out the door and down the stairs with the giant close behind him in chase. Get back here! the giant roared after Jack. Jack lead the giant through the castle and out the front door. The giant in a crazed rage chased Jack knocking over things as he went. Once outside Jack lead the giant away from the castle and past the beanstalk. Slowly the clouds began to thin and Jack quickly realized that he was sinking into the clouds as he ran. The giant still chasing and being heavier dropped through the clouds and plummeted towards the earth. Jack watched and to his glee the giant landed on his mothers house. Jack became the new owner of the castle and never saw his mother or the giant again.

Number of Supreme Court Nominees By President - List

Number of Supreme Court Nominees By President - List President Barack Obama successfully chose two members of the U.S. Supreme Court and has a chance to nominate a third before his term ends after 2016. If hes able to push a candidate through what can be a politically charged and sometimes lengthy nomination process, Obama will have chosen a third of the nine-member court. So how rare is that? How many times has a modern president gotten an opportunity to choose three justices? Which presidents have nominated the most Supreme Court justices and had the largest impact on makeup of the highest court in the land? Here are some questions and answers about the number of Supreme Court nominees by president. How did Obama get the chance to nominate three justices? Obama was able to nominate three justices because two members of the Supreme Court retired and a third died in office. The first retirement, that of  Justice David Souter, came a short time after Obama took office in 2009. Obamas chose Sonia Sotomayor, who later become the first Hispanic member and third woman justice to serve on the high court. A year later, in 2010, Justice John Paul Stevens gave up his seat on the court. Obama picked Elena Kagan, a former Harvard Law School dean and solicitor general of the United States who was widely seen as a consensus-building liberal. In February 2016, Justice Antonin Scalia died unexpectedly. Is It Rare For a President to Get to Nominate Three Justices? Actually, no. Its not that rare. Since 1869, the year Congress increased the number of justices to nine, 12 of the 24 presidents preceding Obama successfully chose at least three members of the Supreme Court. The most recent president to get three justices on the high court was Ronald Reagan, from 1981 through 1988. In fact, one of those nominees, Justice Anthony Kennedy, was confirmed in a presidential-election year, 1988. So Why Were Obamas 3 Nominees Such a Big Deal? That Obama had the opportunity to nominee three Supreme Court justices was not, in an of itself, the big story. The timing - his final 11 months in office - and the impact his choice would have on setting the ideological course on the court for decades to come made his third nomination such a big news story and, of course, a political battle for the ages. Related Story: What Are Obamas Chances of Replacing Scalia? Which President Has Chosen the Most Supreme Court Justices? President Franklin Delano Roosevelt got eight of his nominees on the Supreme Court over the course of just six years in office. The only presidents who have come close are  Dwight Eisenhower, William Taft and  Ulysses Grant, whom each got five nominees on the court. So How Does Obamas 3 Picks Compare to Other Presidents? With three picks for the Supreme Court, Obama is exactly average. The 25 presidents since 1869 have gotten 75 nominees on the high court, meaning the average is three justices per president. So Obama falls right in the middle. Here is a list of presidents and the number of their Supreme Court nominees who made it to the court since 1869. The list is ranked from presidents with the most justices to those with the least. Franklin Roosevelt: 8 Dwight Eisenhower: 5 William Taft: 5 Ulysses Grant: 5 Richard Nixon: 4 Harry Truman: 4 Warren Harding: 4 Benjamin Harrison: 4 Grover Cleveland: 4 Ronald Reagan: 3 Herbert Hoover: 3 Woodrow Wilson: 3 Theodore Roosevelt: 3 Barack Obama: 2* George W. Bush: 2 Bill Clinton: 2 George H.W. Bush: 2 Lyndon Johnson: 2 John F. Kennedy: 2 Chester Arthur: 2 Rutherford Hayes: 2 Gerald Ford: 1 Calvin Coolidge: 1 William McKinley: 1 James Garfield: 1 * Obama has not yet nominated a third justice, and it remains uncertain whether his choice will will confirmation.

Compare and Contrast the metatheoretical assumptions that underly Essay

Compare and Contrast the metatheoretical assumptions that underly Idealism and Realism - Essay Example Idealism concerns itself with ideas and places its existence over the nature of the material world, that is, the material world must adhere to the ideas that are presented, whatever they may be. Idealism may be Subjective or Objective, depending on how the idealists view the existence of the sensing world. Idealism is said to be subjective when the external world is believed to be non-existent and that the world beyond sensation cannot be understood. However, it is said to be objective when the external world is the expression of the ideal forces, which may be expressed as the Will of God or the Absolute Idea, that the Mind has direct access with. Because of this latter belief, several methodologies were developed to aid this search for the Absolute Idea. One of the idealistic methods involves elemental analysis - concepts are divided into simple elements which are then subjected to simple and self-evident axioms similar to mathematical principles. In this method, complexity of the s ocial structure is reduced in its elemental form. Another method, considered as the most popular one is the a priori method - an object is understood in terms of logically deducing a general conception of its nature. In this method, premise development is critical in ensuring that the deduction is in its most accurate form. On the other hand, realism claims that ideas must adhere to what is experienced in this world, and hence, upon the materials present in this world (MIA: Encyclopedia of Marxism). In this respect, the debate between idealism and realism is whether what comes first - ideas or materials - and what is more important to pursue. Both philosophical approaches have distinct impact in the operation of the world since their conception. Idealism is able to influence its mode of thinking in politics, philosophy and religion (Hutchison). In politics, Conservative and Liberal idealism takes the center stage. Because the nature of politics is concrete in terms of its actions, these political streams are commonly objective. Nevertheless, they have significant differences in how they act politically. First, the conservatives aim to restore a Golden Age from the past, whereas the liberalists seek to make progress through Utopia (Hutchison). Although the end goal is that of an ideal world, the way in which they view how and especially when to reach these goals is basically different. The conservatives were also more successful in their program. The Christian Republics in Geneva, early Massachusetts and Holland were flourished more than the experimental liberal Utopian communities in terms of economics and culture (Hutchi son). The impact of idealism in philosophy is seen from the development of German mode of thinking such as Existentialism, Postmodern Deconstructionism and the concept of the New Age (Hutchison). In religion, idealism was able to influence Greek Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic spirituality in terms of their divine missions. The Greek Orthodox monks, for instance, longs for the restoration of Eden; the Protestant church idealized the state of the early church characterized by simple small sects richly blessed by God; and the Catholics from the words of Pope Gregory VII who calls himself the "vicegerent of Christ" prophesize the restoration of Kingdom of Christ in the millennium or after it (Hutchison).

International Bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Bank - Essay Example With this combination of traits, F.C. will be perceived by her subordinates as highly professional and a less emotionally-attached supervisor. With the probable high-esteem perceived by these loan officers, they are being sent a clear and firm directive that this boss ‘means serious business.’ Thus, F.C.’s work characteristics will positively impact the subordinate loan officers’ behavior through the reinforcement of discipline and due diligence. To aid me in deciding which candidate is best for the position, I may require the invaluable information about the candidate’s capacity to solicit and rationalize the subordinate’s responses on the bank’s organizational approaches. This capacity is important because an understanding of the subordinates’ behavior is the primary key in formulating solutions in work problems like selling loans to low credit-worthy clients to reach or exceed the allotted quota, or lowering the set standards to accommodate all types of clients. Another criterion for judging the candidate’s suitability in the position is the capability to enforce individual accountability among the subordinate loan officers. The lack of such accountability may be the probable culprit behind the loan officers’ reckless exposure of the bank to financial risks. Moreover, the bank evidently fails or has a considerable lapse in enforcing accountability to these loan officers (else there would be no financial bath). The candidate who possesses such enforcing capacity and serves as a model of accountability has the potential to further and reinforce the bank’s risk-mitigating measures. For this particular supervisory position, personality assessment should be given as much weight as the technical qualifications. This is because technical tasks are difficult to delegate or coordinate without a healthy framework of soft skills. Moreover, decisions and actions are

Blockbuster Hbr Case Essay Example for Free

Blockbuster Hbr Case Essay One of Blockbuster’s biggest value drivers is geographic location. Most people, especiall in urban areas live pretty close to a Blockbuster location. Availability of titles is also a value driver that not all video stores can provide. Their reputation is also a value driver. Economies of scale are one of Blockbuster’s largest cost drivers. The ability to negotiate with movie studios with leverage while their competitors can’t as effectively win lower prices for inventory purchases gives a huge advantage. The aforementioned reasons are ammunition to defened against competitors. Geographic location and leveraging the brand name recognition are two of the most important advantages that Blockbuster has that none of its competitors can easily overcome. After the formation of Blockbuster, the first major technological substitute to come along was the DVD (the digital versatile disc) and the DIVX (digital video express disc). There was a fierce battle between these two rival substitutes as they waged war. Both were looking to become the sole technology that would replace VHS. Blockbuster remained on the sidelines for the first few years after these technologies were introduced even though 8 major motion picture studios had committed to either DIVX or DVD (6 for DIVX and 2 for DVD) Once Antioco had made a decsion as to back DVD for a multitude of reasons, Blockbuster’s decision would lead to the demise of DIVX. Antico decided that DVD offered the most promise. They were more widespread, DVD player units were more readily available and they were cheaper. About a year after Blockbuster decided to back DVD, Circuit City decided to give up on the DIVX technology. Blockbuster also faced competition from consumer’s decsion to buy DVDs as opposed to renting them(sell through). Antioco saw this as a potential threat and decided to sell through used DVDs at a discount at Blockbuster stores. Along with some promotions, such as a free rental with the purchase of a movie, Antioco’s plan was expected to triple Blockbuster’s share of the video sales market. In 2003 Disney developed a technology much like DIVX called EZ-D. The plan was eliminate the return of rented videos as the disc would be discared 48 hours after opening because a chemical would render it useless. The technology ultimately failed as Blockbuster did not back the technology because for just a few dollars more (EZ-D discs retailed at $5-$7) consumers could outright purchase a DVD with unlimited use. One of the newest substitutes to threaten blockbuster is online video sales. This market is cannabilizing Blockbuster’s sell through numbers and Blockbuster is countering with their own online sales. Another is home delivery service. Even though this service had promise with more than a few firms, they all failed for a multitude of reasons and never posed a real threat. Netflix, a video subscription service with no late fees is also a substitute that Blockbuster is facing. After much initial success, Blockbuster decided to start their own subscription pricing model in which consumers can pay a flat fee each month for unlimitied rentals at their retail outlets. Eventually adding the feature where consumers can opt to either receive/return the discs through the mail similar to netflix or to receive/return them at a retail location to satisfy an immediate need. This option gives them a competitive advantage over Netflix.

Michael Wigglesworths Wrathful Poetry Essay -- Michael Wigglesworth

Michael Wigglesworth's Wrathful Poetry Michael Wigglesworth was born in England in 1631. He came over to America with his family at the age of seven. He was raised in the town of New Haven, Connecticut until he went to Harvard at sixteen. He graduated in 1651 but remained a tutor for three years. He was called to the ministry and accepted a call to a church in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1655 and remained in that town the rest of his life. He had three wives and eight children. Wigglesworth was a small and extremely frail man. Due to his sickness, he went to Bermuda for seven months in 1663, and there he began to study medicine, which was his initial interest before the ministry. After this trip, he was a physician as well as a preacher. However, Wigglesworth was not known for his preaching. He was not very well liked in his hometown and turned to poetry due to his rejection in the pulpit. Samuel Sewall commenting on his death mentioned two things: the fact that he wrote "The Day of Doom" and that he was "very useful as a physician." The fact that Sewall did not comment about Wigglesworth being a preacher helps verifies that he was not well known for his preaching. Wigglesworth wrote a lot of poetry, but his piece "The Day of Doom" was by far his most famous work The poem sold 1800 copies in its first year of publication, and sold many copies after the first year as well. About one in every twenty people in New England bought a copy, and it was supposedly America's first bestseller. Children memorized verses of the poem along with their catechism, and others memorized it as well. This poem affected the people of his day and the new American culture. The poem was written in common hymn meter, which made it easy to memor... ...rtheless, it should be read and remembered for a few reasons. First, it captures the spirit of one of the main religious bodies at the beginning of this Country, Puritanism. The Puritans were one of the first peoples to come over to America and set up a colony, and for this we owe them our gratitude and remembrance. Also, the fact that this poem was probably America's first bestseller is reason enough to read it. It is important to know our heritage. So, let's celebrate America's religious and literary heritage by reading "The Day of Doom" by Michael Wigglesworth. Works Cited: Lawson, Stephen. "About Michael Wigglesworth and His Poetry." Ed. Milton Stem. New York: Viking, 1962. http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/wigglife.htm. "Michael Wigglesworth" The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 5th ed. Vol. 1. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: Norton, 1998. 283-284.

Employee Motivation at FMC Green River and Other Organizations Essay

Organizational behavior theories are known to differ as to what motivates employees, not because the essential characteristics of all employees are varied across organizations and industries. Rather, the motivational needs of employees differ from organization to organization because separate work situations, ethics and settings, in addition to their interaction with individual personalities, teams, and managements call for different employee needs to be prioritized. Employee motivation is simply referred to as an organizational method to satisfy employees in areas where they feel unsatisfied. Whereas poor health and safety conditions might be the Number One challenge to encounter in Company ABC, it is possible that the employees of FMC Green River would be more motivated by higher salaries. Moreover, the employees of FMC Green River may hold a collective opinion that their working conditions are the best in the industry. Hence, the management of FMC Green River would not be as focused on improving health and safety conditions as Company ABC should be. Given that job performance is a function of ability and motivation, it is appropriate to inquire into the specific needs of the workers in order to employ the correct mix of employee motivation strategies to boost job performance, company-wide (â€Å"Employee Motivation,† 2007). As an example, the employees of the Piketon Research and Extension Center and Enterprise Center were asked about the main motivating factors at their particular workplace. According to the research findings, the employees believed themselves to be motivated by the following, in the order of importance: â€Å"a) interesting work, (b) good wages, (c) full appreciation of work done, (d) job security, (e) good working conditions, (f) promotions and growth in the organization, (g) feeling of being in on things, (h) personal loyalty to employees, (i) tactful discipline, and (j) sympathetic help with personal problems (Lindner, 1998). Contrary to these findings, a peer reviewed study on employee motivation found that most employees across various organizations believe the following to be the chief motivators at the workplace: â€Å"enjoyment of the work; work/life balance; pay satisfaction; link between pay and performance;† and â€Å"adequate staffing levels† (Katcher). Thus, it appears essential to increase employee motivation only after inquiring into the main motivators in a specific organization. Also within a single organization, the blue collar workers are expected to be more motivated by an increase in pay, while the white collar employees might believe that enjoyment of work is more important. In this case, the organization would have to divide up its employees in two separate groups to inquire into the particular motivators for the blue collar workers as opposed to the white collar employees. It is best, therefore, for employee motivation strategies to be based on group by group studies, although organizations may also apply the rule of generalization. In that event, Company ABC would believe that it could effectively use the motivators of FMC Green River’s employees to improve the job performance of its own workers.