Reading More Translated Books Will Make You a Better Person

Reading More Translated Books Will Make You a Better Person One of my literary New Years resolutions was to read more works in translation, and so far, Ive done pretty well. According to my records, nearly 50% of my reading has been translated fiction. Why did I make this one of my resolutions? Because reading a book that wasnt written in my native language, by someone whose culture Im probably unfamiliar with, will help make me a better person. Now, Im no la-dee-dautopia-flowers-unicorns-loooooooove-sparkly-stars! kind of girl. As you know. But I do know, from my own experience and from reading essays and posts by translators, as well as articles and introductions by translated writers, that the very act of translation is a bridging of (seemingly disparate) cultures. Of course, American culture is different from French culture is different from Indonesian culture, etc. Ultimately, though, we are all plain ol humans, and humans have some, you know, cross-cultural/national/ethnic similarities. We all love, hate, fight, care for one another, dream, and above all, tell stories. When we read a translated text, were stepping into another country and its history, with all of its traditions, songs, wars, art, religion(s), and languages/dialects. Just the simple act of reading about, for example, a young girls experience growing up in Northern Ireland, or a middle-aged man remembering his boyhood in Communist-era Bulgaria, forces us to confront that which were (probably) clueless about. But isnt it always more comfortable to read about what you know? Isnt it easier to stay locked up in a bubble of sameness and recognition? Well, as Book Riot has pointed out many times, reading about the experiences of people who dont look like you will make you a better reader and a better person. Youll further develop such basically human traits as compassion, tolerance, and understanding. You may not run outside and join hands with all of humanity and sing, but at least youll recognize that its at least more interesting when we all share our different experiences. To be clear, no ones offered me the Nobel Peace Prize, and I dont think I should be crowned with laurel and hoisted up on shoulders and declared awesome. Rather, Im saying that immersing myself recently in the texts of Japanese, Bulgarian, Finnish, and Polish writers has forced me out of my comfort zone. Ive learned about post-war Japan (Red Girls), Communist-era Bulgaria (The Physics of Sorrow), Finnish fantasy/magical realism (The Rabbit-Back Literature Society), and Polish sci-fi (Nest of Worlds,  The Old Axolotl) in ways I never would have from simply learning the facts about these countries in school. And Im stressing fiction here (though I do need to get back into poetry, as well) because the ways in which we humans tell stories reveals our differing worldviews but also brings us together. I can now, for instance, talk to my friend who recently moved back to Japan about contemporary authors that she reads, and about how theyre received in their home country. We can discuss how translation has changed/enriched the text that we both read, just in different languages. I plan to continue reading translated fiction and getting in your faces about how awesome these books are so youll read them, too. The more we read in translation, the more well get of it here in the U.S. So read more books in translation. Support publishers who bring us those books. Lets do this. ____________________ Follow us on Twitter for more bookish goodness!

How Can Bim Technology Assist in Optimising the Life Cycle...

Paper for the 16th Pacific Rim Real Estate Society Conference Wellington, New Zealand 24-27 January 2010. How can BIM Technology assist in optimising the Life Cycle Cost of a Building? By Francis Pf Lai, Dulani Halvitigala, John Boon, Roger Birchmore Department of Construction, Unitec New Zealand Abstract The complexity of a modern construction project, especially in a fast track environment, necessities the use of Building Information Management (BIM) system to manage such a project to provide the necessary probable cost outcomes of alternative designs ahead of the actual construction times. The visualization of such alternative designs through ‘prototyping’ design solutions has the definite advantage of identifying†¦show more content†¦The full Ecotect analysis is then applied to the design to capture the effects to the building over time by simulated visualized outcomes in the form of 2D drawings representing the differing time spans of the life of the building. The benefits of using BIM in modern construction project management have been well recognized. Eastman et al (2008)[7], for instance, have described the use of BIM for developing models that enable computational based analysis and simulation to be undertaken. Soubra (2008)[8] has discussed the ability of BIM to model â€Å"comforts† including thermal, visual, acoustic and air quality. Vaizidou (2007)[9] has highlighted the benefit of BIM’s modelling technique in using the x-y-z axes for representations of time line: project tasks: design outputs in projects. The concept of the x-y-z axes, which will be discussed to a fuller detail later in this paper, is of particular relevance as it illustrates the simple idea of representation of the outcomes from Ecotect applications. The use of BIM techniques has therefore achieved widespread commercial use in building designs. â€Å"The Contractors’ Guide to BIM† published by The American General Contractors Association[10] identifies BIM as a tool that enables the construction industry to: â€Å"more efficiently operate in new and increasingly expeditious ways. Initially, BIM and 3D models have primarily helped eliminate design conflicts with farShow MoreRelatedSwot Analysis Finance Department Accounts Department13110 Words   |  53 Pages ...................... 35 Vision ...................... 36 2013–2014 STRATEGY AND BUSINESS PLAN 1 FOREWORD FROM CHAIRMAN AND CEO Welcome to this BRANZ 2013–14 Strategy and Business Plan, foreshadowing a busy year for the building and construction industry and for BRANZ as its independent research organisation. This plan continues to build on the strategic intent agreed by the BRANZ Board and Executive Team at their combined retreat in late 2011, resolving that BRANZ

What You Dont Know About Write College Papers for Money Could Be Costing to More Than You Think

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Real vs Reality TV Free Essays

string(50) " The numbers climb out of the ring as fast as in\." Television has become a â€Å"member† of almost every single family on our planet. And not just an ordinary member, but a very important one, because the time spent next to it exceeds the amount of time spent together with any other family member. You do not have to apply any efforts to talk or listen to complaints while â€Å"communicating† with it. We will write a custom essay sample on Real vs Reality TV or any similar topic only for you Order Now You do not have to play with your little son after a hard working day. You are SO tired! Can anybody respect that? You can simply turn the TV on and everything is done. The kids are quiet, your significant other is not complaining. It is so simple that it has become an integral part of the culture of every family. It is the only time, when a person can forget about all the family troubles and the failures of the day. The sofa opposite the TV set has become the place of â€Å"reconciliation and spiritual unity† of the family. And what is it that we’re watching? Is it an educational or discovery channel? Although some might, the majority of the shows we consume are reality shows. But â€Å"what is reality television? † one might ask. Reality TV is defined by MSN Encarta as â€Å"television programs that present people in live, though often deliberately manufactured, situations and monitor their emotions and behavior. † Within this genre of television are subgenres such as Game or Elimination, Talent, Talk, Makeover, Documentary, and Spoofs. It was first introduced by Allen Flunt’s 1948 program Candid Camera. The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show’s catch phrase, â€Å"Smile, you’re on Candid Camera. † The show became a top rated TV show in both network runs and syndication. Reality television enjoyed a renewed popularity in the 2000s with shows like American Idol that featured an interactive aspect, asking viewers to call in to vote for favorites. Today you cannot turn the television on without coming across reality television. The final ratings for the 2009-2010 television seasons show that reality TV lead the pack and bring up the rear end. It is everywhere and although it has spread in popularity there is often more negative remarks made against it than positive. Critics of reality TV often argue that the shows promote sex, drinking, violence and racism. Although reality TV may be fun to watch, it is very dangerous for teenagers who don’t have set morals and self-identities. Reality TV is questionable because of the messages some of the shows depict. While these messages can have an effect on everyone who views them, the audience that may be the most susceptible is teenagers. The most contested issues are whether reality TV is, in fact, â€Å"reality† and whether teenagers may develop perceptions from the reality shows that may lead to poor choices and negative consequences. In a 2004 issue of â€Å"Pediatrics,† Rebecca L. Collins, senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corp. , and her colleagues presented the results of a survey that measured the amount of sexual explicit television that teenagers watched and how much sexual experience the teenagers had had at a one-year follow up survey. They found that teenage exposure to sexual content on television shows increased the likelihood of initiating sexual acts and the effect of shows that depicted sexual behaviors and those that just discussed sex had the same effect on teenage audiences. Similarly, in a 2008 edition of â€Å"Pediatrics,† Anita Chandra, a behavioral scientist at the RAND Corp. , and her colleagues released the results of a survey conducted over a three-year period that measured teenagers’ exposure to sexual content on television and any resulting first-hand experience with pregnancy. They found that teenagers who regularly watch television programs containing a significant amount of sexual behavior are two times more likely to become pregnant or impregnate someone than those teenagers who do not watch programs with sexual content. Reality TV is also dangerous because of the way it depicts the characters as heavy drinkers. Many programs include segments that show the main characters drinking, partying and engaging in rambunctious behavior, but they often fail to show to the consequences that the characters must face for these actions. When teenagers see these types of behaviors, they might be led to believe that they too should consume large amounts of alcohol and act in a similar manner. Television violence in reality TV is another major concern. Studies show that the amount of violence that is watched on television affects the amount of aggression and violence displayed in the individual (Fernandez, Roberto, Juan and Amy 137). Reality shows such as The Bad Girls Club and The Real World have more than its share of the violence. The target viewers for MTV are ages twelve to thirty three, this demographic makes up approximately thirty three percent of the U. S. population (Smith 89). Thirteen year olds are already susceptible to influence, and are more at risk to be adversely affected by violent television than are those of later years (Comstock 1205). If life is really like it is depicted to be on an episode of The Bad Girls Club, the average person should wake up to a side of pointless fight, brunch to a cussing war, and eat supper around the time someone breaks a nose. Studies of US television airings discovered that there was a consistent rate of five to six violent acts per hour (Fernandez, Roberto, Juan and Amy 137). In watching an episode of the Ultimate Fighter, one can expect to see at least twenty to thirty violent acts within the thirty minute airing with three minute commercial interruptions. Arriving at twenty to thirty violent acts in an episode is when you only count each individual match as one act. The numbers climb out of the ring as fast as in. You read "Real vs Reality TV" in category "Essay examples" If this is what young adolescents are taking is as â€Å"reality† than it is no wonder there are problems with violence and aggression in schools and on the streets. In a behavioral science study, it was stated that â€Å"Aggression [†¦ is the product of social categorization† and that it is not a natural phenomenon (Comstock 1206). According to a study conducted at Syracuse University in New York, â€Å"There is a statistically significant, positive relationship between exposure to television or film violence and aggressive and antisocial behavior† (Comstock 1186). The study concluded this theory by stating that by viewing violent television in everyday life, antisocial and aggressive behaviors and tendencies would be facilitated (Comstock 1191). With this outlook, it seems much more likely that the significant amount of aggression present in society today can very well be influenced if not caused by the vast ocean of aggression harbored in television culture. Racism is very prevalent in crime reality television. There is a vast overrepresentation of violent crime (e. g. Kooistra, Mahoney, Westervelt 1998; Oliver, 1994; Potter et al, 1997), crimes cleared (e. g. , Kooistra et al, 1998; Oliver, 1994) and non-whites as offenders and whites as law nforcement officers. In a direct test of the cultivation hypothesis, a social theory which examined the long-term effects of television on American audiences of all ages, Oliver Armstrong (1998) reported that whites who watched more reality TV were more likely to report higher crime prevalence estimates. The construction of these programs is considered from a cultural, qualitative perspective focusing on the ideal perspectives conveyed about law and order, social threats, and audience empowerment (Cavender, 11998; J.  Fishman, 1999). For example, Cavender and Bond-Maupin (1993) argue that these programs make use of story-telling conventions to encourage empathy with an unsuspecting victim who falls prey to evil, which, in turn, primes the notion that no place is safe. They also indicated that reality-based crime shows such as America’s Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries depict crime in ways similar to those used in fictionalized crime shows which reinforces existing cultural stereotypes about criminals and victims. The First 48 is one of the most watched non-fiction investigation series which aires on AE. Set in several cities across the U. S. , the series offers an insider’s look at the real-life world of homicide investigators. Each episode picks one or more homicides in different cities, covering each alternately, showing how detectives use forensic evidence, witness interviews and other advanced detective skills to identify suspects. The cops on this show are mainly White, with the exception of a couple of Black investigators that are shown on few episodes. This show is very biased in the fact that it depicts only the black communities across the nation and that which is full of criminals, gang violence drug saturation. One would almost think that there are no White people who commit the same types of crime(s) in those cities. Or is it that the Police Departments in the white communities of those ( other) cities don’t permit the exploitation which is presented by this programming’s directors? The genre has also created a slew of reality stars, as a result of the fame game. It seems that many are random people with no apparent talent. Keeping up with the Kardashians has made famous a whole family who appear to be famous without reason except that they have a reality show. Another reality TV favorite is The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The series has been going strong for three seasons. Everything about the show is a mess. This season has been about even more drama than ever before. Will Cynthia marry Peter? Is Phaedra married to a convict? Will â€Å"NeNe† and Greg get divorced? Will Brice get it together? The craziness and complexity of it all is never ending. Why do we care? These people are just ordinary people with no real celebrity other than what we the viewers give them. The uses and gratifications perspective, the assumption that a media channel cannot influence an individual unless that person has some use for the medium or its particular message (e. g. Katz, 1959; Rubin Rubin, 1985), may be a clear explanation of the genre’s appeal. The uses and gratifications framework includes five primary beliefs. The first is that an individual’s behavior is goal directed and motivated. Second, people select and use media to satisfy biological, psychological and social needs. Third, individuals are influenced by various social and psychological factors when selecting among communication alternatives. Fourth, those media consumers are aware of their needs and whether these needs are being satisfied by a particular medium. Fifth, that different media compete with one another for attention, selection, and use. In sum, uses and gratifications theory states that individuals are aware of their needs, evaluate various channels and content, assess functional alternatives and select the media or interpersonal channel that they believe will provide the gratifications they seek. Reality TV also offers some positive aspects as well. American Idol, which is the leader of reality TV, had over 24,000,000 viewers. The show starts off with thousands of people auditioning in hopes of becoming America’s next superstar. Some can sing, but many just make utter fools of themselves on national television. Just a week ago an American Idol hopeful auditioned in front of the judges with her opera rendition of Justin Beiber’s song â€Å"Baby†. As she belts the notes Randy immediately puts his head down and motions for her to stop. Steven Tyler and â€Å"JLo† look as if they don’t know what is going on and as she hits the high note Steven marks the end with the sound of an explosion. They break out with laughter, just as we do sitting at home watching. â€Å"What the hell was that? † may be what comes to mind. Beside it being purely entertaining because we like to see others humiliate themselves, the show offers stories of success. For the people who volunteer themselves for the likes of American Idol and America’s Next Top Model, winning the show is potentially a life-changing experience and a springboard to a career in the entertainment industry. The reward is there for the taking, but it’s often not just the winners who can make a name for themselves. Jennifer Hudson, a finalist on season 3 of American idol and Tocarra Jones, a participant on season 3 of America’s Next Top Model, may not have won the shows, but they both went on to have major success. Jennifer Hudson made her film debut in the 2006 film Dreamgirls, which won her many awards such as an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe Award. She also won a Grammy award for her debut album. Tocarra is a working plus-size model today and she is signed to the largest modeling agency in the world. Reality TV can also provide learning on dating, family relations, friendships and dealing with sensitive issues. Pedro Zamora’s 1994 appearance on MTV reality show The Real World was a landmark media event: the first openly HIV-positive gay man on a nationwide TV series. Zamora, who died at 22 just as Real World: San Francisco ended, was a teen when he learned he was HIV-positive, a diagnosis that led the diminutive Miami resident to become an AIDS activist and educator. His MTV fame ultimately drew the attention of President Clinton. Zamora’s role on Real World: San Francisco was memorable not only for lecturing housemates and viewers about HIV and preventative measures but also for his combative relationship with the abrasive Puck Rainey, one of the most polarizing roommates in the show’s 21-year history. Things got so testy between Zamora and the politically incorrect Rainey that the roommates ultimately banned Rainey from their collective home. Even those reality shows that aren’t competitions can still make a name for the stars. Lauren Conrad started her career on MTV’s â€Å"Laguna Beach: The Real OC,† and with subsequent exposure on â€Å"The Hills† has become a best-selling author, spokesperson and fashion designer–not bad for a normal California girl. Watching these successes has also inspired a generation of youngsters to aspire to make something of themselves. They want to better their lives and find inspiration from the success stories after the cameras have stopped rolling. Reality TV also offers a source of distraction and diversion to everyday life. It gives you a break away from your stress and frustration. Of course this does not solve the root case, but it helps take away from the root source of the stress. Although taking a walk or reading a book may be better alternatives for distractions, reality TV still allows you to momentarily forget your problems because you’re consumed in others on television. Although reality TV offers some positive aspects such as success stories, positive learning experiences, distractions and others, the negatives outweigh them all when it comes to the teenagers which the shows are aimed at. They presume that reality TV is actually â€Å"reality†, which it is not by any means. Teenagers do not have the understanding so they could and probably will fall subject to all the negative side it can entail. Some solutions to the problem may be for the parents to parent more and as they should. Parents should have the knowledge about what reality TV is and explain it to their children. Parents or society should not rely on reality TV or any genre of television to teach our children or ourselves for that matter. It will indefinitely lead us in the wrong direction. It is not to teach, but to entertain. If we have the knowledge about what reality TV actually is, in turn, we will be able to keep it in the context of entertainment and not reality. For those who don’t take it seriously it can provide entertainment for 30 minutes or so. But if taken as â€Å"reality†, it then has a danger of harming its audience with unrealistic expectations. How to cite Real vs Reality TV, Essay examples

Lesson rationale for micro teach free essay sample

The importance of hand hygiene in a Veterinary Practice Introduction The lesson aim is to introduce the complex subject of microbial transference and the role that hand hygiene plays. Within the fifteen minutes allocated to this lesson, learners will be involved in a couple of exercise’s that directly relate to hand hygiene and will assist the learner to build on knowledge throughout the session. The subject has been chosen in part because it is within the tutors subject knowledge and specialism, the subject is also relevant to current media interest due to the increase in hospital acquired infection and the resistance of pathogens to antibiotics, therefore although this presentation is pertaining to Veterinary Surgery protocol, it is very relevant to all medical type establishment and will also be of current interest to many learners including those with no prior medical training. Delivery This lesson has been devised to achieve learning that caters for a range of learning styles, the lesson should achieve as equal learning for all learners involved as is possible, the lesson is predominantly student led with some short tutor led areas. We will write a custom essay sample on Lesson rationale for micro teach or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page To ensure that the objectives can be achieved in the limited time constraints of the sessions, the session must be actively managed by the tutor and learners will need to be kept on track throughout. Visual aspects – Power point, pictures, glow bright solution Auditory aspects– Tutor led discussion, peer review of practical areas Reading/writing aspects– Learners may take notes throughout the session, handouts given for later recap Kinaesthetic aspect– Practical elements such as carrying out the hand wash The lesson structure Tutor to introduce objectives of the session to learners Objectives ?Identify 2 ways infection transmission can occur ? Identify the importance of hand hygiene in infection control ? Integrate five evidence based hand hygiene methods into clinical practice Objectives will allow learners to understand what they will achieve by the end of the session; this will in turn motivate learners to actively engage in the session, to fulfil the expected learning outcomes. A very brief over view of what pathogens are and how they can be transferred directly and indirectly. Due to the groups of learners involved potentially having minimal prior learning/knowledge in this area an introduction to pathogens and how they may be transferred is required to underpin the importance of hand hygiene. Integration of hand hygiene into the flow of clinical work – 5 moments of hand hygiene (Adapted from the WHO 5 moments of hand hygiene) Illustrate to learners the need for hand hygiene to be a ‘culture’ within the clinical setting to ensure essential hand hygiene ‘moments’ are not missed. Practical element – learners to rub glow bright over their own hands to identify how effective their own hand hygiene is currently Learners will be informed of what glow bright will identify i. e areas of the hands that have not been effectively cleaned, or have had pathogen transfer since the last hand wash. Tutor will inform learners that anyone feeling uncomfortable may participate in peer review but not use the glow-bright on themselves. This part of the lesson will highlight to the learners the need for a standardised hand wash protocol without such protocol the standards of hand hygiene vary dramatically from individual to individual. Tutor will demonstrate the standardised WHO hand hygiene alcohol hand gel method, learners will demonstrate this method back to the tutor, and tutor will ensure that all learners are able to carry out this method competently. Learners need to understand what this standardised method achieves, that all areas of the hand are effectively cleaned, reducing the transient population of pathogens on the hand surface, therefore reducing the ability for these transient pathogens to be passed on to objects and patients. The lesson will end with re-scanning of the hand with a UV lamp to see if areas of glow bright have reduced on learner’s hands. This will allow students to assess themselves on how effectively they feel they carried out the hand clean. Assessment for learning will occur through the three main practical sessions within the lesson structure. Initial assessment will involve the tutor asking students to state a number between 1-5 as to level of current knowledge of subject, one be low and five being high. Formative assessment will be carried out during the three practical’s this will be peer assessed and tutor assessed. Summative assessment will not be achieved within this session due to time constraints Resources required Laminated pictures †¢Sticky spots (two colours) †¢Handout of the WHO hand gel rub method †¢Alcohol hand rub †¢Glow bright solution †¢UV light †¢Paper towel Conclusion This session is designed to educate learners about the importance of hand hygiene, how hand hygiene is integrated into clinical work and how effective hand hygiene methods can be employed. This is achieved through tutor and student led activities that culminate in students assessing their own hand hygiene effectiveness.

Looming Tower Essay Example

Looming Tower Essay Example Looming Tower Paper Looming Tower Paper Lawrence Wright’s, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. : Outline I. Introduction A. An overview of the book II. Discussion A. Discussion on the issues covered by the book. III. Conclusion and recommendations A. This part of the report will cover an overview of the books strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations. Introduction Wright has a special way of explaining things. When reading this book, a reader need not have a background knowledge on terrorism, Wright crafts the book in such a way that it consists of a ten page list of the main characters, fifty pages of notes, a list of interviews held, a bibliography and a clear bibliography for those who would love research the topic more. He also uses pictures of the main characters in the book, so that a reader can see the person being discussed. The book can be divided into two major parts with the first part focusing on giving the reader a comprehensive background and beginnings of militant Islam and the terror group Al Qaeda. In the book’s first three chapters, the writer writes bibliographies of three important persons. He writes about an Egyptian named Qutb who is seen as the father of militant Islam, he also writes about Zawahri who also is an Egyptian and a co founder of Al Qaeda. The last character in the three chapters he talks about is Bin Laden who is the central character of the book. After reading the first three chapters a reader gets to learn about the internal politics of two most important countries in the history of Al Qaeda: Saudi Arabia and Egypt (Wright, 2006). The author tries to explain how the governments of both countries might have influenced the rise of radical Islam movement. This is helpful for the reader to understand why Al Qaeda is against everything represented by the West. Through the book, a reader can visit the towns and cities where these men grew up. After writing the bibliographies, the author then looks at the bigger picture and writes two chapters on Saudi Arabia. In these two chapters the writer talks of a spy master, Turki, who is instrumental in the search of bin Laden. The hapters also discusses the political and social structures of the Saudi Kingdom, the Soviet-Afghan war, the Afghanistan – Pakistan border jihadist movement and lastly how jihadism has spread around the world. Wright at this point builds a strong groundwork so that when he starts to discuss about the Al Qaeda attacks a reader can understand the context. Wright then takes 200 hundred pages of the book to discuss the American Security and Intel ligence agencies, The FBI and CIA. He tells of how the agencies reacted to the first cases of jihadists. This section of the book ends with a chapter dedicated on Osama’s life in Sudan (Bergen, 2010). The second part of the book looks at the Al Qaeda’s activities in the rest of the world. He begins by writing about how, in 1995, the Al Qaeda raided and bombed a building in Saudi Arabia that was housing Americans in the town of Riyadh. The chapters in this second part of the book are not very detailed and the writer talks of various key players. It is also in this second part we learn of the gruesome murder of tourist by Zawalhri. The author describes how Zawalhri stormed the Queen Hatchupset temple located in Egypt and killed all the tourists that were there. Wright then looks at the evolution of the terror group Al Qaeda on how they recruit, leadership, and their use of suicide bombers in carrying out their attacks. He looks and blames the actions of the CIA who had no right to with hold crucial information from the sole mandated agency, the FBI, to carry surveillance on the people who later committed the attacks. The last two chapters the author talks of the aftermath after the attacks. He explains in heart-wrenching details about the fear and desperation after the attacks. Wright in this book can be praised for his making it compelling and emotional. Discussion Al Qaeda is a terrorist group that has been behind many terrorist attacks. The book investigates some of their attacks especially the September 11 carried out in the United States. The author of the book, Lawrence Wright, is a famous writer and for his work Al Qaeda the Road to 9/11 won him a Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction. The book largely focuses on the persons involved in the attack. It covers things like, who they are, reasons that drove them to undertake the attack, and the people they associated with closely. The book begins with Sayyid Qutb who is an Egyptian religious intellect. Sayyid visited the U. S during the 1940’s, upon return to his homeland, he became an anti-West activist, and in the end, he became a martyr for his beliefs. The book also portrays Ayman al-Zawahiri, it looks at his story from childhood in Egypt and follows his life up to the time he participated and became the leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. The Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the book states was later to merge with the Al Qaeda. The author in his book writes the story of head of Al Qaeda, Osama bins Laden. He traces Osama’s childhood in Saudi Arabia where he was born and brought up in a rich family. The book continues to give a detailed account of how Osama participated in the war between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. It writes of his role as a financier to terrorist groups, his life in Sudan, his stay in Afghanistan upon his return and his association with the Taliban. The book also covers on the 1998 terrorist attacks, which were done in Kenya and Tanzania as well as the bombing done on the USS Cole in the year 2000 (Wright, 2006). The author also writes of famous American who were involved, particularly Richard A. Clarke who at the time of 9/11 attack was the chief counter terrorism adviser sitting on the U. S National Security Council. The other personality featured in the book is John P. O’Neill who was the assistant Deputy Director of Investigation in the FBI. Until his retire in August 2001, he was actively involved in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. After his retire from the FBI he headed the security of the World Trade Center where he was later to die in the 9/11 attacks (Bergen, 2010). The book covers some of the problems faced in the fight against terrorism, especially the lack of cooperation between the American Security Agencies, the CIA, and the FBI, which are blamed for not preventing the attacks. The Looming Tower is a story mostly based on the lives of the people involved in the 9/11 attacks rather than the attack. It focuses on the background and situations that led the perpetrators to plan and stage the attacks. The title â€Å"the Looming Tower† is described as appearing in the Quran and according to the author Osama had uttered the words before the 9/11 attacks during a wedding he attended. The line is quoted from the fourth Sura of the Holy Quran and Osama is claimed to have said, Wherever you are, death will find you, even in the looming tower. † When Mohamed Atta and his accomplices hijacked a Boeing 767 and flew the plane into the World Trade Center, a tragic story ensued. This attack was so gruesome that years down the line people still cringe at the mention of the events that took place that day. The events of 9/11 are in many ways a start of a tale or maybe the climax of a story that began years ago in different locations such as Cairo, mosques in Hamburg, streets of Jordan and the town of Greeley. This is a story of how few individuals from impoverished places planned and carried attacks on a world super power. It is also a story of how some individuals desperately tried to convince the government security agencies of an imminent attack. Many years after the attack questions were still being asked about the why and how a super power like America could fail to prevent it (â€Å"The Plot against America†, 2006). The Looming Tower is full of details of how the Al Qaeda had once abandoned plans to stage an attack on American soil owing to the lack of foot soldiers that could pass credibly as westernized Muslims. Later the Al Qaeda found the credible persons to facilitate the attack in Atta, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Ziad al-Jarrah and Marwan al-Shehhi, who had been attended schools in the United States. Wright gives accounts of Islamic Militancy in his book and looks at it from the intellectual, religious, and economic situation of the places where the attackers came from. Wright portrays a picture of Sayyid Qutb the man credited with the rise of modern day Islamist Fundamentalism. He shows Sayyid as a frail, middle-aged scholar who visited the United States and as a student in the university town of Greeley in the 1940’s (Bolton, 2008). Sayyid is overwhelmed at the unrestrained luxuries and godlessness of the American culture. He was disgusted with the American women and how the women freely they expressed their sexuality. He writes, â€Å"A girl looks at you, appearing as if she were an enchanting nymph or an escaped mermaid, but as she approaches, you sense only the screaming instinct inside her, and you can smell her burning body, not the scent of perfume, but flesh, only flesh. Tasty flesh, truly, but flesh nonetheless. † Later Sayyid upon returning his country he started to write elaborate reasons why the Muslims should rise and wage war against the West and its rotten culture. Years later, the book writes of how Atta openly expressed his disgust for women especially from the West. The book is based on many interviews, which the author held with various persons. The interviews range from Osama’s best friend from school, Jamal Khalifa and Yosri Fouda a reporter working for Al Jazeera. He also writes of the interviews he had with Richard A. Clarke who worked in the White House as a counter terrorism chief. In his accounts, the author gives the reader an intense view of the terrible events of 9/11. Though the events the author writes in his book have been told many times before, Mr. Wright tells the story with myriad new details. He gives accounts and describes them in the context of politics and culture. He focuses on the lives and occupation of the key players involved in the attacks while succeeding in writing a historical story that possesses all the propinquity and poignant power of a novel (Wright, 2006). The author writes that, â€Å"The charisma and vision of a few individuals shaped the nature of the contest between Islam and the West. † He further asserts, â€Å"While the tectonic plates of history were certainly shifting, promoting a period of conflict between those two cultures. The emergence of Al Qaeda depended on a unique conjunction of personalities most notably Mr. Zawahri, who promoted the apocalyptic idea that only violence could change history, and Mr. bin Laden, whose global vision and leadership held together an organization that had been bankrupted and thrown into exile† (Wright, 2006). The author suggests that the events of 9/11 were evitable. Unfortunately, through bad luck, indecisiveness of American officials and war between the CIA and FBI contributed to the success of the attack by Al Qaeda. Compared to other writers like Peter L. Bergen who authored Holy War: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden as well as Jonathan Randal the author of Osama: the Making of a Terrorist, Lawrence in his book does not concentrate on the role played by the Soviet- Afghan war in influencing Osama’s jihadist cause. Rather, he draws his stories from documents written in Arabic and carries interviews with jihad activists who offer chronicles of the many things that influence Al Qaeda and the long road against America Osama took. The book gives a very detailed account of the Al Qaeda’s way of life, motivations, and doubts. It also goes further to give what each individual member wanted to achieve politically. The author captures certain events that are claimed to have influenced the Islamist Movement such as the execution of Sayyid Qutb by Gamal Abdel Nasser’s regime in 1966. In the eyes of the Islamist Movement Sayyid was a martyr and hero, this did not wane but increased their faith in the war against the West. Wright then goes on to describe how Osama, the heir of one the largest family fortune in Arabia, grows from a timid child into a religious adolescent. He says one of the most influential people in Laden’s life was a charismatic gym teacher. This teacher was the one who introduced Osama to the Muslim Brothers Organization. Another person who influences Osama was Mr. Zawahri, who became acquainted with Osama in Peshawar in the early 1980’s. Mr. Zawahri was a doctor from Egypt and in the book; he is drawn as the evil mentor who transformed the political view of the Young Saudi. The author argues that before Osama met Mr. Zawahri, he was â€Å"not much of a political thinker,†. The author goes to take a quote from Essam Deraz who was the first biographer of Osama. He says that he once thought Osama had the potential of becoming â€Å"another Eisenhower,† who could turn his celebrity status he had got after fighting in the Afghan- Soviet war into a serene political life(â€Å"The Plot against America†, 2006). This is can be seen was not the plan Mr. Zawahiri had for Osama. The writer notes that as a young man, Mr. Zawahri was tortured in the Egyptian prisons and this powered his resolve to fight the Westernized culture. He is credited as pioneering the use of suicide bombers was seen from the start very keen to use biological and chemical weapons (Bolton, 2008).. For Osama, it took him a long time after leaving the war in Afghanistan to settle on a plan of action. In the time, he was exiled from Saudi Arabia and leaving in Sudan the author says that Osama â€Å"was wavering the lure of peace being as strong as the battle cry of jihad. Agriculture captivated his imagination. † It is further reported he was contemplated of quitting Al Qaeda and going into farming. The author tells of how after the first Gulf war the continued stay of the American troops in Saudi Arabia gnawed on Osama. He was also aggravated by the invasion of Somalia by American troops who were on a humanitarian relief mission. The Al Qaeda in 1992 the book claims met and â€Å"turned from being the anti-communist Islamic army that bin Laden originally envisioned into a terrorist organization bent on attacking the United States† (Bolton, 2008). The book traces not only the evolution of Al Qaeda first as a resistance group to the Soviet and Saddam Hussein and then a sworn enemy of the United States, but also gives the reader a clear picture of life at an Al Qaeda training camp. The author’s description of Osama bin Laden concurs with that made by security experts such as former CIA official Michael Scheuer. He states that Osama was not opposed to the American culture rather he was angry at the American political and military actions it was carrying out in Muslim countries(Bergen, 2010).. The author observes that Osama occasionally allowed his young sons to play Nintendo and in the Al Qaeda training camps, recruits would be allowed to watch Hollywood thrillers. Their favorite movies, as the book says, were those done by Arnold Schwarzenegger and tried to gather tips on being American from them. One of the many wives Osama had was known to love â€Å"brand-name cosmetics and lingerie, preferring American products. He also had a wife who had graduated with a doctorate in child psychology (â€Å"The Plot against America†, 2006). Wright is categorical in his book blaming former and present administrations for failing to prevent the 9/11. He writes of the failures in the CIA, FBI, and NSA refusal to share information with each other as the main reason the attackers were successful. If the agencies had cooperated, they might have foreseen the entering of two known terrorist in America. He blames the Bush and Bill Clinton administration of laxity in tackling problem of terrorism in the world. He notes that when Bush entered office terrorism was a low priority to his administration. Like other authors on the issue of terrorism, he criticizes the actions that the Clinton administration took after the 1998 bombing in East Africa. The administration of the day launched missiles at one of the Al Qaeda training camp located in Afghanistan and desperately failed to kill Osama. The writer notes helped turn Mr. Laden into a global celebrity and this allowed the terrorist to mythologize himself (Bergen, 2010).. Wright writes, â€Å" Mr. in Laden’s goal in striking the American embassies and bombing the American destroyer Cole in 2000, was to lure America into the same trap the Soviets had fallen into: Afghanistan. His strategy was to continually attack until the U. S. forces invaded; then the mujahedeen would swarm upon them and bleed them until the entire American empire fell from its wounds. It had happened to Great Britain and to the Soviet Union. He was certain it would happen to America. When neither the embassy bombings nor the Cole bombing was enough to provoke a massive retaliation, Mr. Bin Laden decided he would have to create an irresistible outrage. The outrage in this case happens to be the 9/11 attack. The author continues to write that Laden had gotten what he wanted and cites the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 attack of Iraq as his wins. In both this invasions, the American Army has seen deaths of more than 2500 soldiers, just the thing that Osama fervently wanted (Bolton, 2008). In the book, the writer portrays what has caused the Islamic militancy. He says at the heart of Islamic militancy lays anger, hatred of modernization, and feeling of humiliation which terrorist group cite as reason for killing. The author looks at failure of autocratic governments to offer their citizens reasons to face the future as the reasons why some of this terrorists turn to Islam, which offers dignity and hope more so in death. He says that these â€Å"theological amateur,† will turn to be religion extremist and join terror groups(Bergen, 2010).. Atta and the hijackers felt this as the author writes, â€Å"Their motivations varied, but they had in common a belief that Islam - pure and primitive, unmitigated by modernity and uncompromised by politics - would cure the wounds that socialism or Arab nationalism had failed to heal. They were angry but powerless in their own countries. They did not see themselves as terrorists but as revolutionaries who, like all such men throughout history, had been pushed into action by the simple human need for justice. Some had experienced brutal repression; some were simply drawn to bloody chaos. From the beginning of Al Qaeda, there were reformers and there were nihilists. The dynamic between them was irreconcilable and self-destructive, but events were moving so quickly that it was almost impossible to tell the philosophers from the sociopaths. They were glued together by the charismatic personality of Osama bin Laden, which contained strands, idealism, and nihilism, in a potent mix. † Before there was proof of an imminent attack as the book talks of John O’Neill who was a supervisor for the FBI in their offices in New York. John O’Neill and the team he headed were assigned to trace and find information about Al Qaeda operatives in America. O’Neill had the hunch that the Al Qaeda was preparing to stage an attack on the American soil. He was an ardent investigator and when he saw the agency was not taking him seriously, he quit. After quitting, he said he could not work for a government bureaucracy that did not intend to move quickly to avert an attack as he did desperately trying to do. It is unfortunate that O’Neill was among the people who died during the 9/11 he had foreseen. Other agents in the bureau had premonitions of the Al Qaeda being successful in making attack on America. The supervisor posted in the Minneapolis office was cautioned in the month of August for raising his fears of an attack happening. He expressed fear that a known Islamic radical was attending a flight school could have been as well planning an attack. When being admonished he retorted, â€Å"I am trying to keep someone from taking a plane and crashing into the World Trade Center. † Astonishing you might say (â€Å"The Plot against America†, 2006). The Author talks of how the CIA had information of high level Al Qaeda members had attended a meeting in Malaysia in the early months of 2000. He says they also knew of two of those who attended the meetings had entered America. This two would later play a role and implement the attack as was later uncovered. The CIA had failed to avail this information the FBI, which is mandated to carry out internal surveillance of known and suspected terrorists. The struggle between the two agencies is highlighted in the book as the author writes of a meeting held prior to the attack. In the meeting CIA analysts are claimed to have dangled pictures of would be attackers at the faces of FBI agents. When the CIA agents refused to give the information they had on the two, the FBI agents realized they were the same persons they were pursuing and the tension between the two agencies increased. Three months prior to the attack, both agencies held a meeting, which ended in both the FBI and CIA agents shouting at each other. In the book, the author illustrates a scene where an FBI agent named Ali Soufan reacts after being shown the pictures of the terrorists. Ali Soufan was working on the Al Qaeda case and when on September 12 he was shown the names and pictures of the hijackers, he just rushed into the bathroom and threw up. These people the CIA had information about their activities but refused to share with the FBI (Bergen, 2010). The writer has covered many things in his book, though it seems he left out some important things such as the hijackings. There is no chapter that the writer explicitly discusses the hijacking as he has on so many things. He takes the reader straight to the moments of the burning towers. This maybe he did thinking that many other authors had covered it and wanted to be different. The other thing about the book is the way the author draws up verbatim reconstruction of various conversations. He travels a lot in such of this information and writes of conversations that had taken place more than a decade before. This brings the question of how true and detailed the conversations are because it is hard to believe people have such good memories. The book ends with Zawahri or someone else riding a horse on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. This person disappears into the mountains and the book lacks a definitive end. This is a point the author tries to put that the story about the Al Qaeda is still not over (â€Å"The Plot against America†, 2006). Conclusion and Recommendation The book focuses on the lives of two men who have shaped the Al Qaeda. He tells of the Egyptian doctor al- Zawahiri and the life of Osama bin Laden. Wright skillfully dissects the relationship the two have. He gives on one hand the story of the ideologist al-Zawihiri, who is a skilled combatant and on the other hand, he tells the story of the determined and charming Osama bin Laden. From their first interaction in the 1980s, the author follows how they join to form Al Qaeda and how al-Zawahiri mentors Osama. Wright gives accounts of how the attack affected the United States and the most depressing scene is that of Ali an FBI agent throwing up after realizing the CIA had knowledge of the people responsible. The book as seen is a magnificent read and ay person looking to learn about the rise of the Al Qaeda should look for this book. The book gives detailed accounts of occurrence that happened before the 9/11 attack. It also looks into the lives of those people who are seen as instrumental in the rise and growth of the terror group. Wright in his unique intelligent way delivers the occurrences and reasons of the attack on American soil with emotion. The strengths of this book in informing about the road to 9/11 lies in the deep research the writer carried out and the way he reconstructs conversations that had been taken more than a decade ago. This is also the greatest weakness of the book owing to questions of how true these conversations are because people are not known to have search kind of memory. References Bergen. P. , (2010). The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al-Qaeda. New York: Simon and Schuster Bolton, M. , (2008). U. S. national security and foreign policymaking after 9/11 present at the recreation. Lanham : Rowman Littlefield. The Plot against America. (2006). Retrieved September 16, 2011, from nytimes. com/2006/08/06/books/review/06filkins. html Wright, L. , (2006). The looming tower: Al-Qaeda and the road to 9/11. New York : Vintage Books.

5th Grade Science Fair Projects

5th Grade Science Fair Projects By the 5th grade, students are expected to shoulder more responsibility in designing in doing a science fair project. There will still be a lot of parent and teacher help, but you want a straightforward project that ideally takes no longer than a week or two to complete. The ideal project is one the student can do pretty much by himself or herself, with guidance from adults as needed. 5th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas What household chemicals repel insects? Pick one particular type, common to your area, such as flies, ants, or roaches and test herbs, spice, etc. to see if you can come up with a non-toxic way to keep bugs away.Make a model tornado or vortex. You can use two bottles taped together or can make a cool tornado using water and vegetable oil. For the project, explain how the vortex works.Can people taste the difference between drinks sweetened with Stevia (a natural non-caloric  sweetener) and sugar? Which do they prefer?Are there any dyes you can add to water living plants that change the color of their flowers? Hint: Some modern orchids are tinted blue using dyes, so its possible.Do people have the same sensitivity to smell? Place people at one end of a room. Have another person open a scent, such as lemon oil or vinegar. Have your test subjects write down what they smell and what time they smelled it. Is the time the same for different scents? Does it matter whether the test subject was male or female? Use the streak test to try to identify different mineral samples. What other tests might you try to confirm your results?Does storage temperature affect popcorn popping? Store popcorn in the freezer, refrigerator, at room temperature, and in a heated location. Pop the same amount of each sample. Count how many unpopped kernels remain. Can you explain the results?Does food cooked in the microwave cool at the same rate as food cooked in the oven or on the stove top? Heat foods to the same temperature. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature at set times. Explain your results.Can you sip the same amount of liquid through two straws at once as one straw? What about 3 straws?Collect a group of different substances. Rank the materials according to best to worse heat conductors (or insulators). See if you can explain your findings.Does the color of a light affect how bright it appears in fog? in water?For your project, explain how traffic lights work. What is the reason for the delay b etween when a light turns yellow and then turns red? How many cars are needed to trip a turn arrow? If youre examining a particular light, does its behavior change according to the time of day? Where is the best place to store apples? Where is the best place to store bananas? Are they the same?Does the temperature of a magnet affect its magnetic field lines? You can trace the magnetic field lines of a magnet by putting iron filings on a sheet of paper over the magnet.What brand of battery lasts the longest?Make ice cubes starting with different temperatures of water. Does the starting temperature of water affect how long it takes to freeze?Make a homemade sundial and explain how it works.