My Little Quiet Place Essays - Quiet, , Term Papers

My Little Quiet Place Back home in South Carolina, my quiet place was a cabin my grandfather owned in the woods. He would take me out there to hunt and fish. The place was so quiet, you could hear the quietness. It's the sound of a tone that settles in your ear. As I got older, I use to go there to get away from the city and city problems. I miss that place. A quiet place is something everyone needs regardless if they think so or not. To some, it may be their bedroom or bathtub, or any secluded place. My quiet place here and now is Piedmont Park. Now that I reside in Atlanta, Georgia, Piedmont Park is a decent quiet place. Every Sunday I would go out to Piedmont Park and relax. It's a peaceful place in such a busy city. I would find a secluded shaded area. Every Sunday was the same routine, I would prepare the night before. I would pack in a sack, a little blanket, a few Sade CDs, and a blunt. Lying there under the clear blue sky, smelling the fresh cut grass, and the sweet smell of honeysuckle would take me into a trance. There would be couples picnicking, and families barbecuing, there would be masters walking their dogs, and kids throwing Frisbees. I would think about the previous week and prepare myself mentally for the coming week. I would sit there for hours just relaxing and vibing on Sade. I think about all the time I have wasted. I think about how we all take time for granted. I remember one time I thought about time as a bank. Each day we are credited $86,400 or 86,400 seconds. Every day we have to spend all of that money, you can't save or invest the money. To understand the value of a day, ask a mother who has given birth to a pre-mature child one day to early, to understand the value of an hour, ask someone who is waiting for a vital organ. To understand the value of a minute, ask someone who has missed the bus. To understand the value of a second, ask someone who has just been through a car accident. To understand the value of a millisecond, ask an Olympic silver medalist. Time is just one thing I think about in my quiet place. I try to accept the past and prepare for the future. Family, health, future endeavors, new friendships, friendships that you know need to end, secrets, ambitions, goals, and solitude are many things that go through my mind--and the best thing about it.......... no one interrupts you!

Who is Jesus Essays

Who is Jesus Essays Who is Jesus Essay Who is Jesus Essay Jesus Christ is the Son of Man; born of a virgin, and child of the Lord. He was born in Bethlehem, in modern day Israel, in the year 0AD, and lived a humble life of poverty.   He was a carpenter, in a poor household, and never sought fame or wealth, or anything selfish for himself, and was all-loving. This love and kindness is the reason he suffered such awful pain on the cross, for the purpose of saving all of mankind, and welcoming us with open arms into the Kingdom of Heaven, and freeing us from eternal condemnation. Throughout his life he stopped raging seas, walked himself upon their water, raised a man from the dead, and fed thousand’s from one boy’s lunch, and yet still rode humbly on a donkey. These miracles have proved to millions of people for the past 2,000 years that he is truly the Son of Lord, and the Christ. His mission on earth was simple; to share God’s love and goodwill, but this love was so strong that not even King Herod, nor Satan nor any Roman could prevent it spreading throughout the world. Jesus Christ’s desire is for us to all be at one with our Lord, and to accept him into our hearts, and he has promised to be patient, and gentle until we make the final step, and save ourselves.

Anti-dumping case of Vietnam Catfish in US market

Anti-dumping case of Vietnam Catfish in US market Abstract The â€Å"Vietnam Catfish war† was a famous yet controversial case in recent trade disputes. The U.S. Anti-dumping law protects American industries from supposedly unfair import competitions (Lindsey, 1999, p.2). On June 28, 2002, the coalition Catfish Farmers of America (CFA) and eight individual fish processors filed an anti-dumping petition against imports of â€Å"certain frozen fish fillets from Vietnam† under the US. Anti-Dumping Law to the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) (Le, 2004, p.1). Over one year after the original investigation conducted by the US. DOC, the case was finally concluded with the imposition of anti-dumping duties on imports of fish fillets from Vietnam. The range of the duties is between 37 and 64 percent on value of imports (Reynolds & Su, 2005, p. 40). This is what the US. Government said, is it true that the Vietnamese government subsidizes Vietnamese firms in Mekong Delta to unfairly gain a better market share in the U.S.? Or is it just the result of domestic political lobby in the U.S.? This paper will try to discuss related issues surrounding the story of that catfish war. The paper will go through the steps used in the class: issue, rules, analysis, and conclusion (I.R.A.C). Introduction the ISSUE Raising catfish is an important source of income for households residing in the Mekong Delta in Southern Vietnam for more than 50 years (Nguyen, Nguyen & Phillips, 2004, p.20). Catfish is also produced in the Southern United States where it is a major source of income for fish farmers in Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana (Hanson, 2005, p.1). In 2002, aquatic products represented 12 percent of total exports from Vietnam, and export value frozen fillets (mostly catfish) is 18 percent of the total value of aquatic exports (VASEP website). The increase participation of cheaper Vietnamese catfish in the U.S forced the Catfish Farmers of America (CFA) to lead a move to halt catfish imports. First, Vietnamese products were forced to be labeled as â€Å"Tra† and â€Å"Basa† instead of â€Å"Catfish†. Second, on the ground that Vietnamese government subsidized Vietnamese catfish farmers, in January 2003, the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled in favor of the antidumping claim and established duties ranging from 37 to 64 percent on imports of frozen catfish from Vietnam (Reynolds & Su, 2005, p. 40). In July 2003, the U.S. International Trade Commission ratified the ruling. As a result, Vietnamese exports of catfish to the U.S. plummeted, almost being shut down completely. Other facts According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, the catfish industry is the largest farm-raised fishing sector in the U.S. In 1999, it accounted for 80 and 64 percent of aquaculture production in volume and value, generating 440 million U.S. dollars (Hanson, 2005, p.1). The delta of the Mekong river, in South Vietnam, also provides a good hab itat for catfish. Known as Basa and Tra, Vietnamese catfish raised in ponds and cages that are placed in the river itself. In 1996, two years after the trade embargo of US. against Vietnam was lifted, Vietnam started exporting frozen fillets of Basa and Tra to the U.S. with sales of a few hundred tons and initially marketed as â€Å"Chinese sole†. West Coast Chinese restaurants responded allowing Basa to take one percent of the US. catfish market (Nguyen, Nguyen & Phillips, 2004, p. 22). The level of exports increased significantly in the early 2000s, reaching a market share in U.S. consumption of catfish of 8.4 percent in 2000 and 19.6 percent in 2002 (Hanson, 2005, p. 4). Also between 2000 and 2002, Vietnamese production capacity expanded by 100 percent, and approximately 50 percent of Vietnamese Tra and Basa was sold in the U.S. market.

TRADE LIBERALIZATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Essay

TRADE LIBERALIZATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES - Essay Example As part of its conclusion, the paper also provided some recommendations in relation to the overall improvement of some problems identified in the conduct of the research. Introduction The African continent has been divided into three regions to be able to account for the differences in the level of development. The disaggregation is a manifestation of the level of development – North Africa, the South African Customs Union and the ‘Rest of Africa’. The South African Custom Union is composed of South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Botswana. Both North and South Africa are middle-income countries while most countries in the category of Rest of Africa are low-income countries1. North Africa is consists of seven countries namely: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara. As of today, the region has an estimated population of more than 208 million2. Among the African countries, North Africa has the biggest non-black population that com prise the more than half of the population at 160 million3. Largely, North Africa is an Arab region with the most number of Arab populations in the world. This can be traced from the historical, cultural and religious influence of the Middle East. North African countries have diverse cultural and historical backgrounds that affect the variance of their political, economic and cultural policies. Apart from being collectively referred to as part of the same region, sharing of a common adherence Islamic cultural identity, and colonial history, it is now difficult to find commonality among the countries of North Africa4. As the African continent is known for its enormous wealth of natural resources, with one of the world’s largest countries with vast deposits of diamonds, gold chrome, uranium, copper, iron, cobalt and many other minerals, the same is true with the North African region. It is endowed with richness of natural resources especially in terms of agriculture and mineral s. Libya and Algeria are also known to have large amounts of petroleum5. North Africa is a region that can rouse development internally with all of its’ natural and human resources. The full use and maximization of its natural resources alone can help this region into full economic development. The North African region is not a rookie when it comes to globalization. It basically relies on oil, natural gas, phosphates and agricultural products for exports. Tradable industrial output, non traded goods and services play a not-so significant role in North African’s economy in terms of manufacturing and most of the existing firms and entrepreneur are mainly family-owned and out of date if compared to other emerging markets in the global industry6. The North African region had also been a region of dispute. Just recently, three of its countries have suffered from political chaos, namely Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The growing discontent of the people has greatly affected the r uling power in these countries and the government’s retaliation has further destabilized their respective governments. Protests come in different forms, yet, the peoples’ clamour is the same: protests against political suppression and significant economic reforms. It has been apparent from the series of

Texas History. How to Get Rid of Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Texas History. How to Get Rid of Slavery - Essay Example Texas Secession Convention: †¢ In the month of January and February of the year 1861, a meeting was stages in Austin and voted to succeed from the Union. †¢ The call to secession actually began from October 1860, when it became apparent that Abraham Lincoln would be given the charge of presidency. †¢ The secession of South Carolina and five other states exacerbated the situation even further and added on to the intensified pressure that already existed for the implementation of secession policy. †¢ In Texas, only the governor could summon the legislation to hold a special session, but Governor Sam Houston refused to do so in the light that the secession hype would cool down. †¢ This compelled, Oran M. Roberts, the chief justice of Texas Supreme Court, John S. Ford and other imminent leader to take the situation into their own hands. †¢ They made a call for elections on January 8, 1861 in the press of delegates to a secession convention, which was duly granted by the legislature. †¢ On January 28, 1861, the delegates to the convention elected O. M. Roberts as the presiding offer and on 29th January, John H. Wharton moved "that without determining now the manner in which this result should be effected, it is the deliberate sense of this Convention that the state of Texas should separately secede." †¢ The convention delegates called for a proper referendum to solve the secession issue. †¢ On February 1 the House with the governor sat to give its final vote, which resulted in 166 votes in favor of secession and 8 against it. The Texans ratified the Secession on February 23rd; due to the Convention’s Public Safety Committee’s move to authorize the seizure of federal property in Texas. In March, the Convention organized various meetings, which resulted in taking Texas out of the Union and allied it with the confederacy. Battle of Sabine Pass The battle took place on September 8, 1863, which was an attempt by the Union to invade and occupy regions of Texas during the Civil War. The motivation behind the attack was the need of cotton by northern textile mills and concern about French interference in the Mexican Civil War. In September 1863, the Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks was sent with 4000 soldiers under the command of Gen. William B. Franklin to capture Sabine Pass, where the Sabine River flows to the Gulf of Mexico. The Western Gulf Blockading Squadron of the United States Navy sent forces to protect the piece of land. The Union lost their opportunity to launch a surprise attack when a blockader missed its scheduled meeting with the ships from New Orleans. However, a plan took shape and the Navy Commander scheduled the gunboats to enter the fort through the passes so that the troops could pass without being noticed. Meanwhile the Confederates remained in hiding and gathered reinforcement near the fort Odlum. The Union armed ships began their advancement into the fort, continually firing in the process. The Confederates cannoneers also geared up for the attack when the Union ships came under the 1200 yards radius. The Confederate artillery man shot the cannon with such precision that it destroyed the Union warships Sachem, made Arizona run for its life, grounded Clifton which resulted in ground combat between the two contenders and compelling another ship Granite City to flee the battleground. This led to the conclusion of the war and the Confederate captured 300 Union prisoners and two gunboats. The artillery skills had won the battle for the Confederates Andrew Jackson Hamilton He was born in Huntsville, Alabama on January 28, 1815 and was the son of James and Jane (Bayless) Hamilton. He had the privilege to become the governor of Texas; he was educated and admitted to the bar in Alabama. For three years, he practiced law in La Grange, Fayette Country He tied the marital knot with Mary Bowen and had two sons and four daughters form her. His political career began in 1849, when Gov. Peter Hall. Bell appointed him as his acting attorney general. In 1859 won

The Grapes of Wrath Essay Example for Free

The Grapes of Wrath Essay There are two general groups of people at conflict in the novel the rich bosses and the labor force. Steinbeck writes heart wrenching characters of the lower class which are just barely surviving. These workers are victimized by the greedy upper classes, their bodies treated like commodities. The audience can feel nothing but empathy for these immigrant workers who toil the land drawing figures in the dust with bare toes, (10), while the men that own the land [sit] in their cars to talk out of the window, (43), making money on the backs of the poor folk. Steinbeck explains that these capitalists have never done a day of hard work in their life and their only motive in using big earth augers into the ground for soil tests (43) is to squeeze more money from the land they own. Steinbeck is also quick to point out that farmers and these land owners are different. While landowners corrupt the land leaving it near death with their iron penes [and] orgasms set by gears [rape] methodically, [rape] without passion. (50). Whereas the farmer works with the land keeping it healthy. He explains A bank isnt like a man. Or an owner with fifty thousand acres, he isnt like a man either. Thats the monster. (46). Steinbeck does offer an alternate choice to this capitalistic nightmare which is represented by the Weedpatch Camp. This a town in which folks elect their own cops (400), and everyone who lives and works in the town has say about the choices are made. It is within Weedpatch, that all people including immigrant are treated fairly and with kindness. Steinbeck asserts that it is socialism that ensures that there is respect, and equality between all its citizens. It is in Weedpatch that Joads family ends up and while their struggle is not over, at least their victimization is. Steinbeck fully explores the cruel experiences that many migrant workers had to face in the 1930s and continue to face today. Steinbeck accurately and historically portrays the perils which many family has to overcome in the newly capitalistic culture in the United States. It would hard to find anyone who could not sympathize with the farm workers during the depression. Steinbeck so intimately describes their situation that the audience finds himself hoping that the Joads and families like the Joads survive to find happiness and comfort. Steinbeck also does not overreach with his criticism of big business. The concerns of the 1930s are still the concerns today. Big businesses believe they have the right to anything they can buy up or sell, including the earth and the people inhabitating it. The novel created for me a real sense of humanistic history. The great depression is often read from a purely factual point of view with data and numbers. However, from the cold, hard facts Steinbeck creates warmth and a sense of unity by exploring the common human experience of struggle displayed in the Joads endeavors. I dont know that I fully understood the horrible conditions that migrant families live under during the great depression. I think that Steinbecks novel is also still relevant in todays modern society. The issue of immigration is at the forefront of legislation and public debate. The United States still takes advantage of poverty classes families who are not able to get legal working papers, allowing them to work â€Å"under the table† for less than minimum wage. He gives his audience an explicit view of exactly what life was like in the Dust Bowl. He carefully weaves a tale of emotional struggle, family bonding, and historical facts. He is careful not to sugar coat the topic and his real goal was to bring to light the long suffering and often forgotten migrant worker which America has used to build and maintain farms throughout the country. I thought it was appropriate that Steinbeck did not write a happy ending for the Joads. They were unable to achieve the supposed American dream that so many people in the United States are promised but never actually have. Steinbecks authorship is stunning and undeniable accurate. He utilizes several literary devices including vivid images, specific dialect, and historic fact. With the use of personification he brings the depression ear United States to life. His depictions of nature, character personalities, and the Joads adventure are heroic recounted to the reader. I believe that the Grapes of Wrath is a timeless piece of literature which is sincere and authentic. The Grapes of Wrath is the perfect piece of historic fiction which should accompany any course of study of the Great Depression in the United States. Works Cited Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath, 1939. New York: Viking, 1989.

Christopher Columbus :: Christopher Columbus Essays

Christopher Columbus, born in 1451, was the oldest son of Domenico Colombo. A controversial figure blamed for the eradication of the natives in the island he â€Å"discovered†, Columbus nonetheless should be credited with opening Europe’s eyes and ears to the Caribbean. Throughout his lifetime Columbus made 4 pilgrimages to the New World.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the first trip on Aug. 3, 1492, Columbus sailed from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa Marà ­a, commanded by Columbus himself, the Pinta under Martà ­n Pinzà ³n, and the Nià ±a under Vicente Yà ¡Ãƒ ±ez Pinzà ³n. After halting at the Canary Islands, he sailed due west from Sept. 6 until Oct. 7, when he changed his course to the southwest. On Oct. 10 a small mutiny was quelled, and on Oct. 12 he landed on a small island (Watling Island; or San Salvadort) in the Bahamas group. He took possession for Spain and, with impressed natives aboard, discovered other islands in the neighborhood. On Oct. 27 he sighted Cuba and on Dec. 5 reached Hispaniola. On Christmas Eve the Santa Marà ­a was wrecked on the north coast of Hispaniola, and Columbus, leaving men there to found a colony, hurried back to Spain on the Nià ±a. His reception was all he could wish; according to his contract with the Spanish sovereigns he was made â€Å"admiral of the ocean se a† and governor-general of all new lands he had discovered or should discover.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the second trip fitted out with a large fleet of 17 ships, with 1,500 colonists aboard, Columbus sailed from Cà ¡diz in Oct., 1493. His landfall this time was made in the Lesser Antilles, and his new discoveries included the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. The admiral arrived at Hispaniola to find the first colony destroyed by Native Americans. He founded a new colony nearby, and then sailed off in the summer of 1494 to explore the southern coast of Cuba. After discovering Jamaica he returned to Hispaniola and found the colonists, interested only in finding gold, completely disorderly; his attempts to enforce strict discipline led some to seize vessels and return to Spain to complain of his administration. Leaving his brother Bartholomew in charge at Hispaniola, Columbus also returned to Spain in 1496.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On his third expedition, in 1498, Columbus was forced to transport convicts as colonists, because of the bad reports on conditions in Hispaniola and because the novelty of the New World was wearing off.