Atticus Essays - Atticus, Ron Hansen, Detective Mystery, Dad Scott

Atticus Essays - Atticus, Ron Hansen, Detective Mystery, Dad Scott Atticus Atticus, a deeply affecting novel by Ron Hansen, opens in winter on the high plains of Colorado to the tropics of Mexico, as well as from the realm of whodunit detective mystery to the larger realm of the Mystery, which has its own heartbreaking, consoling, and redemptive logic. Misunderstanding, dissolute, prodigal, wayward, wastrel, alias, and bribery are only a few words that tell the powerful story of Atticus. The case was labeled as a suicide. The body was identified as forty-year-old Scott William Cody, a blue-eyed white male. The plot of the book takes three sharp turns. It begins as a conventional novel about the relationship between a father and his troubled adult son. After one character dies, it zigs into a murder mystery, and by the end has zagged into something entirely different, a parable, let's say, in which characters find redemption. Atticus Cody, Colorado cattle rancher turned oilman, appears at first to be a remote and judgmental dad, but as we observe the gentle, persistent concern he shows for his wayward son Scott, we discover nothing less than the ideal dad. Scott's testing of his father's love goes way beyond normal bounds: his alcoholism and general irresponsibility actually cause the deaths of several other characters. Scott's peregrinations take Atticus from his home in Colorado to the slums and bohemian underworld of a Mexican town. There, Atticus confronts a seamy and labyrinthine corruption that tries to separate him from the love of his son. Atticus, the Father, won't let go, and that's the point. In my humble opinion, the message of the book is that an ultimately moving meditation on the ineffable, unmatchable love between a parent and a child should always be a close bond, because you might not have a second chance for reconciliation. Atticus Cody receives a surprise Christmas visit from Scott, his estranged son who has been leading the life of a wastrel expatriate in Mexico. The friction between them is electric, and despite Atticus's profound love for his son he is unable to overcome the differences between them, and Scott returns to Mexico with their conflicts unresolved. Any hopes for reconciliation end when Scott supposedly commits suicide a few weeks later. Atticus journeys to Mexico to recover the body and he uncovers the story of his son's death, fitting together the pieces of mosaic that was Scott's life in Mexicoand encountering a group of disturbing characters along the way. Upon learning the circumstances surrounding his son's death, Atticus begins to suspect Scott was murdered. Unsatisfied with the police investigation, the sixty-seven year old father begins his own, struggling to comprehend the enigma of Scott's life and final days. It is an investigation that leads Atticus to an unexpected, but emot ionally satisfying conclusion. Scott alias Reinhardt Schmidt, finally stopped the charade and disclosed his true identity and reunited with his father, bringing them closer than ever before. Scott Cody was in a lot of turmoil. He felt as if he was nothing, and couldn't do anything productive with his life. He was suicidal and was treated for it, where he also madly fell in love with Renata, his on-and-off girlfriend. He felt devastated when he lost her to another man. Scott was in even greater trouble when he was involved in a hit-and-run accident, where he killed a seventeen-year-old girl. The girl's boyfriend went after Scott, and accidentally murdered Reinhardt Schmidt instead of Scott. Scott realizes that will be a dead man if he doesn't take on Schmidt's identity. But soon enough, Scott realizes all the devastation that he brought to his family and to his friends, and so then he decides to unfold the truth behind his identity. I think I speak for everyone when I say this, we usually take people for granted. We don't talk the way we should, or express ourselves to the fullest. We later regret our behaviors when it's too late. Each day is a new day, and no one can really predict the contents, whether its good or bad. We should all treat each other with respect and love for one another, and treasure every moment you have with one another, because you never know what life will have in store for

Barbie as the Epitome of Beauty essays

Barbie as the Epitome of Beauty essays Short skirts, tiny waists, large breasts, and flawless airbrushed smiling faces. These are the images of womanhood that I have seen while I was growing up. I see them on the television, on the sides of buses, on billboards, magazines, and everywhere else. And I wonder why so many female adolescents have self-image and weight issues? Add these limited images of feminine beauty a little baby pink, blond hair, blue eyes, and what do we have? I would have to guess the beloved plastic childhood toy that smiles out to us in the Pepto-Bismol coloured isles at Wal-Mart - Barbie. Since the time I was a toddler, I have witnessed the preaching of society that, features like Barbie's are the epitome of what it means to be beautiful woman. Tiny waists and large breasts were beginning to come out as the image of feminine beauty. Society has unconsciously made women focus their attention on their looks, which in my opinion has turned into a social disease. I think that Barbie was an early advocator of the "beauty myth". A doll who, if she were real, would be too thin to fit all of her internal organs and is too busty to stand under her own power. Barbie living in her pink palace and riding her pink corvette with her molded man Ken. Barbie had taught me that every member of society was living this very same life. I have to question if the weight of responsibility for this beauty myth falls only on Barbie's tiny plastic shoulders? But of course not! To be fair, Barbie was not the only culprit, I can remember getting dolls whose main purpose was to remove or apply make-up, style hair, or spend fake money with a fake credit cards, as if that's all it meant to be a woman! Barbie had now redefined what is was like to be a feminine in our society. Although today I can see more of an ethnic variety when it comes to dolls, but the majority has perfect white skin. I still believe that Barbie reigns as Queen of it all; queen of pink, of po...

Is it possible for EU Multinational investment in China to benefit Essay

Is it possible for EU Multinational investment in China to benefit both the EU and China - Essay Example This, Oehler-Sincai (2011:74) notes can be attributed to the high growth rate in these economies and the high level of transformation from efficiency driven economies towards innovation driven economies. China in particular, has experienced the strongest growth among the emergent countries over the past three decades. This has been characterised with a high level of investment projects from various developed countries, the European Union (EU) the world’s leading source and host of foreign direct investment, being among them (Vanino, 2012:70). Both China and the EU are among the largest host and source of foreign direct investment in the world and the two countries have over the past years developed an integrated industrial and commercial relationship (Bustillo and Maiza, 2012: 355). Despite the continuously increasing trading relationship between the EU and China, increase investment flows between the two countries have remained limited in comparison. While the European invest ors agree and concur to the suitability of China as a desirable investment location that has high unexploited potential, there are still high concerns concerning a ‘lack of level playing field’ in the region as well as uncertainty and persistent barriers in the Chinese business environment (European Commission, 2012). In recent years, EU investment in China has reached about 20% of all foreign direct investment (FDI) in China. At the same time, China is also growing to be an active investor globally with a growing share invested in the EU market (Vanino, 2012:70). The high optimism on the growth potential within the Chinese market however does not translate immediately to EU confidence in China market as a predictable and sustainable investment environment. This is mainly because of the persistent barriers in China. Furthermore, the EU feels that China has obtained more benefits from their trading and investment relationship, as EU investment environment is more open to China, than China is to EU investors (Vanino, 2012:70; Bustillo and Maiza, 2012: 355). Taking into account the rising importance of China as an investment destination for EU investors, it is important to examine whether it is possible for EU investments in China to benefit both EU and China. Hence, this paper seeks to accomplish this purpose. Background to EU Multinational investment in China Over the past three decades since the Chinese reforms which liberalised the economy to adopt a more market based economy, China has rapidly experienced high growth rates, which has elevated economic development in the country (European Commission, 2011). Over this period, China has experienced a 9% annual average growth rates with its GDP rising exponentially to 5% of the global GDP. This growth resulted to the highest drop in poverty within a country in world history as the people living under a dollar a day reduced by 170 million between 1990 and 2000, and as the country experienced a sudden surge in middle class with a large purchasing power (Commission of the European Communities, 2006). The increased integration of China into the World’s trading system, mainly spurred by the country’s inclusion in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001, provided China with export markets that were open, hence elevating the country into a trading power. Furthermore, China became a major recipient of FDI with more than

Ronald Reagan, Lyndon B. Johnson and Franklin D. Roosevelt - most Essay

Ronald Reagan, Lyndon B. Johnson and Franklin D. Roosevelt - most dominant and active presidents of the United States of America - Essay Example President Roosevelt regarded public welfare considerations to eclipse individual autonomy in importance; however, he prepared to use the influence of the government to force people to act in the public interest. Unlike Roosevelt, we find that Ronald Reagan acknowledged or considered the government as being part of the problem and not the solution in the economic impasse. On the other hand, President Lyndon Johnson was the major proponent of the thought that the government, particularly a big national government, was the best solution to most of the problems of the United States. During the presidency of Johnson, the first debates regarding minimum wage was initiated, being extensively backed by the Equal Opportunities Office. These individuals believed that if the redistribution of income were to be done in an appropriate manner, then a ware rate would actually be a big step (Tim 56-85). Just like Reagan, we find that Johnson also had a dislike for communism and promised to bring it to an end in Vietnam.

Amoco Cadiz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Amoco Cadiz - Essay Example It persisted in the form of asphalt crust and continued rescinding marine life. The spill affected vacationer’s shores at Plougasnou and rock beaches of Perros-Guirec and Tregastel. The rough sea contributed to the rapid emulsification of water and oil, which further convoluted the cleanup scuffles making the sea wary forever. Devastatingly, fishermen continued fishing despite the sheer fact that fish had developed skin tumors and ulcerations (Patrick, 1982). Despite destroying marine ecosystem, the tragedy transpired through the food chain into human beings and affected several generations. Two weeks after Amoco Cadiz grounded, its effects were felt far-flung and evident. Simmering with indignation, inhabitants of injured communities initiated a frantic battle against the mischance (Patrick,1982). Despite the French media’s attempt to verbose the apocalyptic images of the enormous oil slick, the entire nation was traumatized with the tragedy. Astilleros, the manufacturer, was indicted under the tort of negligence where the affected local communities and the government received 190 million euros after 14 years of multifaceted proceedings. The significant effects of the tragedy gave the French government an inordinate opportunity to review its Polmar Plan (oil response strategy), to create Cedre, and acquired Polmar stocks. This was in an effort to curb future marine accidents and augment environmental fortification and

Structural and Optical Properties of Pulsed Laser

Structural and Optical Properties of Pulsed Laser Structural and Optical Properties of Pulsed Laser Deposited ZnO/TiO2 and TiO2/ZnO Thin Films R. K. Jain, Praveen K. Jain Abstract. ZnO/TiO2 and TiO2/ZnO thin films have been deposited on single crystal Si (100) substrate using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique in order to improve structural and optical properties of ZnO and TiO2 thin films. It was observed that the deposition of TiO2 film prior to ZnO, exhibited higher crystallinity along (002) diffraction peak, small compressive strain and stress and thereby rendering better optical properties as compared to ZnO films deposited directly on Si substrates. On the other hand, TiO2 thin film deposited on Si substrate exhibited pure anatase phase while the use of ZnO buffer was found to improve the crystallinity of TiO2 thin film. The photoluminescence spectra showed that TiO2 and ZnO buffer layers enhanced ultraviolet emissions of the ZnO and TiO2 thin films to a larger extent, respectively. Keywords: ZnO, TiO2, Optical properties, Photoluminescence PACS: 78.66.Hf, 78.55.Et, 68.37.Ps Introduction ZnO is suitable for the production of light emitting devices and a promising candidate for the next generation of electronic devicesdue to its wide band gap (3.37 eV) and large exciton binding energy (60 meV)[1]. ZnO thin films play an important role in solid-state display devices, solar cells and exciting acoustic waves at microwave frequencies[2]. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most important semiconductors with high photocatalytic activity, non-toxicity, stability in aqueous solution, and is relatively inexpensive. The excellent photocatalytic property of TiO2 is due to its wide band gap and long lifetime of photogenerated holes and electrons [3-4]. It has been reported that the deposition of ZnO or TiO2 thin films on Si substrates at elevated temperature leads to increase in oxygen vacancies as the surface Si atoms easily capture oxygen atom from ZnO or TiO2, which deteriorates the quality of the these films [5]. So it is required to improve various properties of ZnO and T iO2 films for their potential applications. In the present study, a systematic investigation has been performed in order to improve the structural and optical properties of these films using buffer layers. ZnO and TiO2 are chosen as a buffer layer material on the basis of following considerations: (a) Both are wide-band-gap materials, (b) both exhibit high chemical and thermal stability, (c) both have high refractive indices, high transmittance in the visible region and intense absorption in the ultraviolet band and (d) both are low cost material. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILs ZnO and TiO2 thin films have been deposited on Si (100) substrate by ablating high purity (99.9%) ZnO and TiO2 ceramic target using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The KrF excimer laser with wavelength of 248 nm was used for deposition. The pulse repetition rate was 10Hz with laser fluence of about 2–3Jcm−2. The target to substrate distance, working O2 pressure and deposition temperature were kept 35mm, 50 mTorr, and 500Â °C respectively. The thickness of the film and buffer layer was measured using cross section FE-SEM and found to be ~200 nm and 50 nm, respectively. The phase and orientation of as-grown thin films were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (Bruker AXS D-8 Advance Diffarctometer) using CuKÃŽ ± (ÃŽ »=1.5407 Ã…) radiation. The surface morphology was examined using atomic force microscope (NTMDT: NTEGRA model). Absorption spectra have been taken using UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer (Varian Cary 5000) and PL study was performed using photolumines cence spectrometer (Perkin Almer LS-55). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION XRD pattern reveled that ZnO thin film grown on Si (100) substrate was preferentially oriented along the c-axis with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and the use of TiO2 buffer layer increases crystallinity along (002) diffraction peak as shown in Figure 1. On the other hand, TiO2 thin film exhibit pure anatase phase and crystallinity was improved along (004) plane by inserting the ZnO buffer layer between substrate and TiO2 thin film. The improved crystallinity of thin film using buffer layer resulted from the mismatch in thermal expansion coefficient between ZnO and TiO2, which is smaller than that of between ZnO and Si or TiO2 and Si. The lattice mismatch between ZnO and Si (1 0 0) are 40%, whereas for their counterparts i.e. between ZnO and anatase-structured TiO2 are 14% [6]. Therefore, the decrease of lattice mismatch is another reason for the improved crystallinity. The crystallite size calculated using Scherer’s formula is shown in Table 1. The strain along the c axis, zz is given by the following equation [7]: (1) where c is the lattice parameter of the strained ZnO films calculated from x-ray diffraction data and c0 is the unstrained lattice parameter of ZnO. The lattice mismatch between film and substrates can result in varying degrees of stress during the growth process of thin films. The results show that the compressive strain is present in all fabricated ZnO and TiO2 films, which is derived from lattice mismatch between substrates and films owing to increase in crystallite size, and the stress is decreased with the buffer layer. Figure 2 shows the AFM image of the deposited thin films. The grain size and average surface roughness increases when buffer layer is used due to enhancement in crystallinity. Figure 3 shows the room temperature PL spectra of ZnO and TiO2 thin films grown on Si substrate with and without buffer layer. The ZnO film deposited on Si (100) substrate exhibits strong ultraviolet emission peak along with weak green–yellow emission band. The ultraviolet emission of ZnO films is generally considered to be resulted from recombination of free exciton, whereas the green emission is mainly resulting from oxygen vacancies [8]. The PL spectra of TiO2 thin film deposited on Si (100) substrate shows a broad emission band from 390 to 450nm and there are two emission peaks superimposed on the broad emission band. The peak before 350nm (~3.5eV) is ascribed to direct electron-hole recombination which should be equal to or slightly bigger than the TiO2band gap. The emission band from 390 to 450nm (corresponding to 3.2–2.75eV) arises from indirect band gap and surface recombination processes. Further observation indicates that there are two small peaks at the wavel ength range from 460 to 500 nm. These PL signals are attributed to excitonic PL, which mainly result from surface oxygen vacancies and defects of the films. It is observed that ZnO thin film deposited on the TiO2 buffer layer shows stronger ultraviolet emission, as compared to ZnO thin film grown without buffer layer, with no visible emission. The absence of visible emission shows the defect free formation of film. Similarly, the use of ZnO buffer layer also removes the oxygen defects emission peak of TiO2 thin film. The enhanced ultraviolet emission from ZnO thin films grown on TiO2 buffer layer is also probably connected with fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between ZnO and TiO2. After the excitation of electron–hole pairs in TiO2 layer, the energy is easily transferred to ZnO films due to resonance effect [9] as a result, the band gap emission of ZnO is enhanced. From optical absorption spectra of ZnO and TiO2 thin films, It is observed that ultraviolet absorption edge of ZnO and TiO2 film with buffer layer has a red-shift, compared with ZnO and TiO2 thin film grown on bare Si (100) substrate. The value of direct band gap was found to be 3.29 and 3.24 eV for ZnO thin films grown on Si substrate without and with TiO2 buffer layer, respectively. On the other hand, the value of indirect band gap was found to be 3.24 and 3.19 eV for TiO2 thin films deposited on Si (100) substrate without and with ZnO buffer layer. The decrease in optical band gap of the films could be related to the enhancement in crystallite (grain) size leading to a smaller number of grain boundaries. On the other hand the compressed lattice will provide a wider band gap because of the increased repulsion between the oxygen 2p and the zinc 4s bands [10]. CONCLUSISON ZnO, TiO2, ZnO/TiO2 and TiO2/ZnO thin films on Si (100) substrate were prepared by pulsed laser deposition technique. XRD and AFM result demonstrate that the crystallinity of ZnO and TiO2 thin films are considerably improved by using TiO2 and ZnO buffer layer, respectively. Compared with PL of ZnO thin film, UV intensity of ZnO grown on TiO2 buffer layer has increased about two fold. Similarly, the ZnO buffer layer improved the UV emission of TiO2 thin film. The band gap of ZnO and TiO2 thin film grown on buffer layer found to decrease due to improved crystallinity. REFERENCES [1] X. Teng, H. Fan, S. Pan, C. Ye, G. Li, Materials Letters 61 (2007) 201–204. [2] G. C. Yi, C. R. Wang, W. I. Park, Semicond. Sci. Technol 20 (2005) S22. [3]X. Zhang, F. Zhang, K. Y. Chan, Material Chemistry Physics 97 (2006) 384. [4]A. B. Bodade, A. M. Bende, G. N. Chaudhari, Vaccum 82 (2008) 588. [5] X. M. Fan, J. S. Lian, Z. X. Guo, H. J. Lu, Appl. Surf. Sci. 239 (2005) 176 [6] L. Xu, L. Shi , X. Li , Applied Surface Science 255 (2008) 3230–3234 [7] H. C. Ong, A. X. E. Zhu, and G. T. Du, Applied Physics Letter 80 (2002) 941. [8] Y. Zhang, B. Lin, Z. Fu, C. Liu, W. Han, Optical Materials 28 (2006) 1192. [9] H.Y. Lin, Y. Y. Chou, C. L. Cheng, Y. F. Chen, Optical Express 15 (2007) 13832. [10] R. Ghosh, D. Basak, S. Fujihara, Journal Applied Physics 96 (2004) 2689.

Lewis And Clark :: essays research papers fc

The Lewis and Clark expedition across the present day United States began May 14, 1804. With the approval of President Jefferson and the U.S. Congress, Lewis and Clark gathered an exploration party of about four dozen men. These men headed off to discover Western America. On September 1, 1805, they arrived at the Bitterroot Mountains, near present day Idaho. This began a nightmare that would not end until they reached modern-day Weippe. September 1, 1805, the explorers set out traveling west, heading into rough, seldom traveled, mountainous country. They stopped at today’s North Fork of the Salmon River, known as Fish Creek to Lewis and Clark, where they caught five fish, and were able to kill a deer (MacGregor 125). Some of the men’s feet and horse’s hooves were injured due to the rough, rocky terrain. The next day, they were entering mountains far more difficult to pass than any American had ever attempted (Ambros 284). Clark describes the route: "Throuâ⠂¬â„¢ thickets in which we were obliged to cut a road, over rocky hillsides where horses were in perpetual danger of slipping to their certain distruction and up and down steep hills†¦" (De Voto 232). Traveling along the steep hills, several horses fell. One was crippled, and two gave out. Patrick Gass described the trip that day as, "†¦the worst road (If road it can be called) that was ever traveled" (MacGregor 125). To make conditions even worse, it rained that afternoon, which made the trail even more treacherous. The party was only able to travel five miles that day. On September 3, snow fell and the team’s last thermometer broke. Several more horsed slipped and injured themselves. Later that day, the snow turned into sleet. The expedition family consumed the last of their salt pork and fish and began their descent into the Bitterroot Valley. That night, was the coldest yet. The next day, the party went down a very steep descent to a river that Le wis named, Clark’s River, (Today known as The Bitterroot River.) There, they encountered a band of Salish Indians, whom the captains called Flatheads. They stayed there with the Indians the next couple of days to trade. They acquired thirteen new Appaloosa Horses, including three colts, for seven worn out horses. The Salish Indians shared berries and roots with the men for their meals. On September 6, they set off traveling northward along the Bitterroot River for about ten miles.