Backshift the Sequence-of-Tense Rule in English

In English grammar, backshift is the changing of a present tense to a past tense following a past form of a reporting verb. Also known as the sequence-of-tense rule. Backshift (or backshifting) may also occur when a verb in a subordinate clause is affected by the past tense in the main clause. Chalker and Weiner offer an example of backshift where logically the present tense would be used: I didnt apply for the job, although I was female and had the right degree (Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar, 1994). See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: Indirect SpeechSequence of Tenses (SOT)TenseTense Shift Examples and Observations Notice the contrast between has and had in this pair: i Kim has blue eyes. [original utterance: present tense]ii I told Stacy that Kim had blue eyes. [indirect report: preterite] If I say [i] to Stacy, I can use [ii] as an indirect report to tell you what I said to Stacy. . . . My utterance to Stacy contained the present tense form has, but my report of it contains preterite had. Nonetheless, my report is entirely accurate. This kind of change in tense is referred to as backshift.The most obvious cases of backshift are with verbs of reporting that are in the preterite, like told or said. . . .[B]ackshift also happens quite generally in constructions where one clause is embedded within a larger one containing a preterite verb: i Stacy didnt know that Kim had blue eyes.ii I wondered at the time whether they were genuine.iii I wish I knew if these paintings were genuine. All the [highlighted] verbs have backshifted tense.(Rodney D. Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, A Students Introduct ion To English Grammar. Cambridge University Press, 2005)Backshifting occurs not only with indirect speech, but also with reported feelings and thoughts expressed frequently with verbs such as know, think, realize, and forget. (19a) She knows that we are meeting tomorrow.(19b) She knew that we were meeting tomorrow. In (19a) the reporting verb (knows) is in the present tense, as is the verb in the reported clause (are). In (19b), when the reporting verb is past tense (knew), the verb in the reported clause is backshifted to past tense (were). Note that the time of the situation (we are meeting) has not changed; it remains in the future.(Dee Ann Holisky, Notes on Grammar. Orchises Press, 1997)Exceptions to Backshifting- In certain situations, the sequence of tense rules are relaxed and backshifting is not required. Essentially, backshifting is not required if a statement about the present or future still holds. . . .A shift is not necessary if: - the original statement is a general t ruth.Torrecelli concluded that the atmosphere is/was a sea of air pressing down on the earth.- the speaker is reporting something that is still true.Fred said he drives/drove a 1956 Belchfire Special.- the speaker is reporting something still possible for the future:The forecast said we will/would be having lots of rain.- the speaker repeats something he or she just said.John: I like opera.Bill: What did you say?John: I said I like opera. (Ron Cowan, The Teachers Grammar of English: A Course Book and Reference Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2008)- Backshift . . . is optional when what was said applies equally at the time of reporting: Benjamin said that he is/was coming over to watch television tonight. Such traditional shifts are not, however, used in certain types of relaxed, colloquial reporting and storytelling: Then he says hes coming and she says that he could come or not for all she cared.(Tom McArthur, Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University P ress, 2005) Also Known As: backshifting, sequence-of-tense (SOT) rule, succession of tenses

The History of Domestication for Broomcorn Millet

Broomcorn or broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), also known as proso millet, panic millet, and wild millet, is today primarily considered a weed suitable for birdseed. But it contains more protein than most other grains, is high in minerals and easily digested, and has a pleasant nutty taste. Millet can be ground up into flour for bread or used as a grain in recipes as a replacement for buckwheat, quinoa or rice. Broomcorn History Broomcorn was a seed grain used by hunter-gatherers in China at least as long ago as 10,000 years. It was first domesticated in China, probably in the Yellow River valley, about 8000 BP, and spread outward from there into Asia, Europe, and Africa. Although the ancestral form of the plant has not been identified, a weedy form native to the region called P. m. subspecies ruderale) is still found throughout Eurasia. Broomcorn domestication is believed to have taken place about 8000 BP. Stable isotope studies of human remains at sites such as Jiahu, Banpo, Xinglongwa, Dadiwan, and Xiaojingshan suggest that while millet agriculture was present ca 8000 BP, it did not become a dominant crop until about a thousand years later, during the Middle Neolithic (Yangshao). Evidence for Broomcorn Broomcorn remains which suggests a highly developed millet-based agriculture have been found at several sites associated with Middle Neolithic (7500-5000 BP) cultures including the Peiligang culture in Henan province, the Dadiwan culture of Gansu province and the Xinle culture in Liaoning province. The Cishan site, in particular, had more than 80 storage pits filled with millet husk ashes, totaling an estimated 50 tons of millet. Stone tools associated with millet agriculture include tongue-shaped stone shovels, chisel-edged sickles and stone grinders. A stone millstone and grinder were recovered from the early Neolithic Nanzhuangtou site dated to 9000 BP. By 5000 BC, broomcorn millet was flourishing west of the Black Sea, where there are at least 20 published sites with archaeological evidence for the crop, such as the Gomolava site in the Balkans. The earliest evidence in central Eurasia is from the site of Begash in Kazakhstan, where direct-dated millet seeds date to ca 2200 cal BC. Recent Archaeology Studies of Broomcorn Recent studies comparing the differences of grains a broomcorn millet from archaeological sites often vary a great deal, making them difficult to identify in some contexts. Motuzaite-Matuzeviciute and colleagues reported in 2012 that millet seeds are smaller in response to environmental factors, but relative size also can reflect the immaturity of the grain. depending on charring temperature, immature grains can be preserved, and such size variation should not rule out identification as broomcorn. Broomcorn millet seeds were recently found at the central Eurasian site of Begash, Kazakhstan, and Spengler et al. (2014) argue that this represents evidence for the transmission of broomcorn outside of China and into the broader world. See also Lightfoot, Liu, and Jones for an interesting article on the isotopic evidence for millet across Eurasia. Sources and Further Information Bettinger RL, Barton L, and Morgan C. 2010. The origins of food production in north China: A different kind of agricultural revolution. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 19(1):9-21.Bumgarner, Marlene Anne. 1997. Millet. Pp. 179-192 in The New Book of Whole Grains. Macmillan, New York.Frachetti MD, Spengler RN, Fritz GJ, and Maryashev AN. 2010. Earliest direct evidence for broomcorn millet and wheat in the central Eurasian steppe region. Antiquity 84(326):993–1010.Hu, Yaowu, et al. 2008 Stable isotope analysis of humans from Xiaojingshan site: implications for understanding the origin of millet agriculture in China. Journal of Archaeological Science 35(11):2960-2965.Jacob J, Disnar J-R, Arnaud F, Chapron E, Debret M, Lallier-Vergà ¨s E, Desmet M, and Revel-Rolland M. 2008. Millet cultivation history in the French Alps as evidenced by a sedimentary molecule. Journal of Archaeological Science 35(3):814-820.Jones, Martin K. and Xinli Liu 2009 Origins of Agricul ture in East Asia. Science 324:730-731.Lightfoot E, Liu X, and Jones MK. 2013. Why move starchy cereals? A review of the isotopic evidence for prehistoric millet consumption across Eurasia. World Archaeology 45(4):574-623. doi: 10.1080/00438243.2013.852070Lu, Tracey L.-D. 2007 Mid-Holocene climate and cultural dynamics in eastern Central China. Pp. 297-329 in Climate Change and Cultural Dynamics: A Global Perspective on Mid-Holocene Transitions, edited by D. G. Anderson, K.A. Maasch and D.H. Sandweiss. Elsevier: London.Motuzaite-Matuzeviciute G, Hunt H, and Jones M. 2012. Experimental approaches to understanding variation in grain size in Panicum miliaceum (broomcorn millet) and its relevance for interpreting archaeobotanical assemblages. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 21(1):69-77.Pearsall, Deborah M.2008 Plant domestication. Pp. 1822-1842 In Encyclopedia of Archaeology. Edited by D. M. Pearsall. Elsevier, Inc., London.Song J, Zhao Z, and Fuller DQ. 2013. The archaeobotanical significance of immature millet grains: an experimental case study of Chinese millet crop processing. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 22(2):141-152.Spengler III RN, Frachetti M, Doumani P, Rouse L, Cerasetti B, Bullion E, and Maryashev A. 2014. Early agriculture and crop transmission among Bronze Age mobile pastoralists of Central Eurasia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281(1783). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3382USDA. Panicum millaceum (broomcorn millet) Accessed 05/08/2009.Yan, Wenming. 2004. The Cradle of Eastern Civilization. pp 49-75 In Yang, Xiaoneng. 2004. Chinese Archaeology in the Twentieth Century: New Perspectives on Chinas Past (vol 1). Yale University Press, New Haven

Persuasive Essay On School Uniforms - 723 Words

Imagine a world where from the moment you are born, there is a role that you are forced to fit, a society where your freedom of choice, expression, and individuality are ripped from your grasp. Although some critics may argue that it should be mandatory for students to wear uniforms, they have evidently been misled. Uniforms kill individuality and creativity, are too expensive for some, and can lower both self-esteem and performance of students in school. Many critics are bringing to light the crisis of dropping individuality and creativity; we cannot afford let it plummet any further. School uniforms destroy diversity and kill courage, on top of preventing individual student expression. In addition, school uniforms provide an almost jail†¦show more content†¦Having to pay for an expensive $600 school uniform would do nothing but hinder their education as well as their chances for a brighter future. According to expert statistics provided by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015, 1 4.5% of American families were living below the poverty line. Thats over 45 million Americans that cannot spare money for school uniforms. Furthermore, these families might be ones who have recently immigrated to the United States looking for a new start or are struggling to support their loved ones. Trivial things such as school uniforms should not be the reason why students cannot attend school or are ostracised by their peers. Above all, uniforms can severely lower both self-esteem and performance in students. According to a study done by Karen Pine, a professor and researcher in psychology, â€Å"[When wearing heroic clothing] not only did it make [people] more confident, but it also made them actually think they were physically stronger... the students rated themselves as more likeable and superior to other students.† Essentially, Pine is attempting to convey that a person’s attire affects their confidence and how they perform. It is the mentality of the person that affects their overall performance during the day. School uniforms are proven to have lowered the confidence and overall achievement. Pine further goes on to state that â€Å"[when] women were ask to do a maths test in a swimsuitShow MoreRelatedSchool Uniforms Persuasive Essay1069 Words   |  5 Pagesmany schools around the world enforce uniforms, requiring students to wear specific clothing. School uniforms, which was first established in 16th century England, are a topic of much debate in the public school s ystem of the United States. Many people feel that uniforms reduce competition among students and bring a sense of unity in school. People who are against school uniforms think that they prevent students from expressing themselves and inhibits creativity. Many students dislike school uniformsRead MoreSchool Uniforms Persuasive Essay1001 Words   |  5 PagesMake a Difference? If schools could automatically have more safety, a stronger sense of unity within students, and higher self esteem for every individual student at a minimal cost without transgressing any laws, or stepping over students rights it is doubtful that many would turn up their nose to all of these things. There is no difference between this situation and the benefits that school dress codes would provide. While the majority of public schools do not require uniforms, the ones that do reportRead MorePersuasive Essay On School Uniforms979 Words   |  4 PagesThe age old argument of whether or not uniforms and dress codes should be enforced in schools seems to never conclude. The issue of appropriate clothing in schools is controversial and provoking. Many argue that abolishing a student’s choice in their attire violates their freedom of expression. Students use what they wear to express themselves; their clothing gives them a sense of a unique style and identity. Others argue that pe rmitting students to wear whatever clothing they like can create unnecessaryRead MoreSchool Uniforms Persuasive Essay1127 Words   |  5 PagesAssociation (2016), an estimated 160,000 students missed school every day due to a fear of violence and harassment from their peers. Students at many schools, including my own, have become more divided. This division has resulted in bullying especially towards students that stand out from the crowd with the way they look and dress. Along with continuing the anti-bullying programs already in place, public schools should implement a school uniform in order to reduce divisions among students, which shouldRead MorePersuasive Essay On School Uniforms1422 Words   |  6 PagesCatholic elementary school, middle school, and high school. I found it easier to attend and focus on school when wearing the same clothes as everyone else. Today, tiny southern towns even to the nations largest cities, public school uniforms have become so common this year t hat in many areas, they are no longer the exception, but the rule (Lewin â€Å"Dress for Success: Public School Uniforms†). Imagine a parent’s comfort in knowing their child was being treated as an equal at school each and every dayRead MorePersuasive Essay On School Uniforms717 Words   |  3 Pages The idea of school uniforms has been a vital point within school districts for a long time now. As a parent with two kids within the school system, it is a popular trend amongst schools as both my children’s schools require for their student to wear uniform. However, more recently, students as well as parents are beginning to disagree with the enforcement with school uniforms as they believe uniforms are possibly taking away the right of self-expression for students. Although this is a valid complaintRead MoreSchool Uniforms Persuasive Essay1470 Words   |  6 PagesBenefits of Uniform Adoption in Public Schools Ever wonder what it would look like to have all students wearing the same white polo shirt, black pants, and a district sweater walking in the hallway? Nowadays, public school and many districts are discussing the possibilities of enforcing the uniform policy. In most places, many private schools already require students to have their mandatory uniforms; however, there are only a few public schools adopting this mandatory school-uniform policesRead MorePersuasive Essay On School Uniforms1671 Words   |  7 Pages Hari Mainali South University School Uniform â€Æ' Abstract Freedom of dress is violated by restricting on school uniform. A school and university have their own dress code which does not require a particular dress. Some researcher and scholar suggest misbehavior in the student are the result of banning uniform. But misbehavior is what they acquired in their life. Banning uniform, student can exercise their right to express themselves freely. Student will be able to focus on education and saveRead MoreSchool uniform persuasive essay2016 Words   |  9 Pagesï » ¿ School Uniforms: Agree or not? Uniforms are globally used at schools around the world, especially schools in Asia. In Asia, the policy of wearing uniform enforces strongly during school hours and whenever at schools. The policy is enforced because schools want to teach discipline to their students and prevent unanticipated troubles at school. The policy of school uniforms is not completely implemented in the United States, especially public schools. According to the US Department of Education,Read MorePersuasive Essay On School Uniforms1889 Words   |  8 Pagesfor all schools to implement school uniforms in the classroom for all students. Schools everywhere across the America are changing their policies due to changes of their dress code. Whether it be due to vulgar language, inappropriate content, or the same outfit for all students, this is becoming more popular across America. In a recent study done by Statistic Brain it has shown that twenty three percent of countries across of America have implemented a pol icy that requires school uniforms. The school

The Influence of the Internet on our younger Generation free essay sample

Mass media in general but especially today’s Internet plays a big role in our society. Our global communication is functioning based on the Internet as it transmits all kinds of information. The American Academy of Pediatrics shows that according to a study, teenagers spend in average up to 11 hours a day with variety of different media. For up to 1.5 hours from this time, they are sitting in front of a computer, which seams not so much. However, in the last few years Internet became more popular and there are different opportunities to use it, because of the progress in technology. Except of using the computer, teenagers have access to Internet on smartphones and tablets. Even though there are positive aspects, the Internet has a bad influence to teenagers’ lives in different ways. On one side, the Internet gives new opportunities and it is probably the greatest invention in the 20th Century. We will write a custom essay sample on The Influence of the Internet on our younger Generation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Teenager, which the biggest part are students, are able to gather more detailed information for school or the private life, because of the quick access to information and knowledge online. Furthermore a lot of colleges offer to their students online classes, which requires an access to Internet. As a reason of the Internet invention, communication did a huge step forward. Teenagers are able to use e-mail, Skype or other social networks to communicate with friends all over the world. In connection with that, the Internet has a negative impact on the social life of teenagers. The way teenager communicate has totally changed. According to Brent Staples, â€Å"†¦ the heavy use of the Net actually isolates younger socially connected people who are unwittingly allowing time online to replace face-to-face interaction with their families and friends†. This causes not just problems in the social live, but it also discourage teenager to be physically active, which affects in a bad influence to the health. Which means that the Internet is often saying what is right or wrong. Positiv: online shopping Negative: Violence, major source for entertainment, websites that contain violent, porn, and other inappropriate information. Not every information is true

Government spying on Citizens free essay sample

Even now – after all of the revelations by Edward Snowden and other whistle-blowers – spying apologists say that the reports are â€Å"exaggerated† or â€Å"overblown†, and that the government only spies on potential bad guys. In reality, the government is spying on everyone’s digital and old-fashioned communications. For example, the government is photographing the outside information on every piece of snail mail. The government is spying on you through your phone †¦ and may even remotely turn on your camera and microphone when your phone is off. As one example, the NSA has inserted its code into Android’s operating system †¦ bugging three-quarters of the world’s smartphones. Google – or the NSA – can remotely turn on your phone’s camera and recorder at any time. Moreover, Google knows just about every WiFi password in the world †¦ and so the NSA does as well, since it spies so widely on Google. But it’s not just the Android. We will write a custom essay sample on Government spying on Citizens or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In reality, the NSA can spy on just about everyone’s smart phone. Cell towers track where your phone is at any moment, and the major cell carriers, including Verizon and ATT, responded to at least 1. 3 million law enforcement requests for cell phone locations and other data in 2011. (And – given that your smartphone routinely sends your location information back to Apple or Google – it would be child’s play for the government to track your location that way. ) Your iPhone, or other brand of smartphone is spying on virtually everything you do (ProPublica notes: â€Å"That’s No Phone. That’s My Trackerâ€Å"). Remember, that might be happening even when your phone is turned off. The government might be spying on you through your computer’s webcam or microphone. The government might also be spying on you through the â€Å"smart meter† on your own home. NSA also sometimes uses â€Å"man-in-the-middle† tactics, to pretend that it is Google or other popular websites to grab your information. The FBI wants a backdoor to all software. But leading European computer publication Heise said in 1999 that the NSA had already built a backdoor into all Windows software. Microsoft has long worked hand-in-hand with the NSA and FBI so that encryption doesn’t block the government’s ability to spy on users of Skype, Outlook, Hotmail and other Microsoft services. And Microsoft informs intelligence agencies of with information about bugs in its popular software before it publicly releases a fix, so that information can be used by the government to access computers. The most under-discussed aspect of the NSA story has long been its international scope. That all changed this week as both Germany and France exploded with anger over new revelations about pervasive NSAsurveillance on their population and democratically elected leaders. As was true for Brazil previously, reports about surveillance aimed at leaders are receiving most of the media attention, but what really originally drove the story there were revelations that the NSA is bulk-spying on millions and millions of innocent citizens in all of those nations. The favorite cry of US government apologists -–everyone spies! – falls impotent in the face of this sort of ubiquitous, suspicionless spying that is the sole province of the US and its four English-speaking surveillance allies (the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). There are three points worth making about these latest developments. †¢ First, note how leaders such as Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted with basic indifference when it was revealed months ago that the NSA was bulk-spying on all German citizens, but suddenly found her indignation only when it turned out that she personally was also targeted. That reaction gives potent insight into the true mindset of many western leaders. †¢ Second, all of these governments keep saying how newsworthy these revelations are, how profound are the violations they expose, how happy they are to learn of all this, how devoted they are to reform. If thats true, why are they allowing the person who enabled all these disclosures –Edward Snowden – to be targeted for persecution by the US government for the crime of blowing the whistle on all of this? If the German and French governments – and the German and French people – are so pleased to learn of how their privacy is being systematically assaulted by a foreign power over which they exert no influence, shouldnt they be offering asylum to the person who exposed it all, rather than ignoring or rejecting his pleas to have his basic political rights protected, and thus leaving him vulnerable to being imprisoned for decades by the US government? Aside from the treaty obligations these nations have to protect the basic political rights of human beings from persecution, how can they simultaneously express outrage over these exposed invasions while turning their back on the person who risked his liberty and even life to bring them to light? †¢ Third, is there any doubt at all that the US government repeatedly tried to mislead the world when insisting that this system of suspicionless surveillance was motivated by an attempt to protect Americans from The Terroristsâ„ ¢? Our reporting has revealed spying on conferences designed to negotiate economic agreements, the Organization of American States, oil companies, ministries that oversee mines and energy resources, the democratically elected leaders of allied states, and entire populations in those states. Can even President Obama and his most devoted loyalists continue to maintain, with a straight face, that this is all about Terrorism? That is what this superb new Foreign Affairs essay by Henry Farrell and Martha Finnemore means when it argues that the Manning and Snowden leaks are putting an end to the ability of the US to use hypocrisy as a key weapon in its soft power. Speaking of an inability to maintain claims with a straight face, how are American and British officials, in light of their conduct in all of this, going to maintain the pretense that they are defenders of press freedoms and are in a position to lecture and condemn others for violations? In what might be the most explicit hostility to such freedoms yet – as well as the most unmistakable evidence of rampant panic – the NSAs director, General Keith Alexander, actually demanded Thursday that the reporting being done by newspapers around the world on this secret surveillance system be halted (Techdirt has the full video here): The head of the embattled National Security Agency, Gen Keith Alexander, is accusing journalists of selling his agencys documents and is calling for an end to the steady stream of public disclosures of secrets snatched by former contractor Edward Snowden. I think its wrong that that newspaper reporters have all these documents, the 50,000 – whatever they have and are selling them and giving them out as if these – you know it just doesnt make sense, Alexander said in an interview with the Defense Departments Armed With Science blog. We ought to come up with a way of stopping it. I dont know how to do that. Thats more of the courts and the policy-makers but, from my perspective, its wrong to allow this to go on, the NSA director declared. [My italics] There are 25,000 employees of the NSA (and many tens of thousands more who work for private contracts assigned to the agency). Maybe one of them can tell The General about this thing called the first amendment. Id love to know what ways, specifically, General Alexander has in mind for empowering the US government to come up with a way of stopping the journalism on this story. Whatever ways those might be, they are deeply hostile to the US constitution – obviously. What kind of person wants the government to forcibly shut down reporting by the press? Whatever kind of person that is, he is not someone to be trusted in instituting and developing a massive bulk-spying system that operates in the dark. For that matter, nobody is. The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell. The Guardian, after several days of interviews, is revealing his identity at his request. From the moment he decided to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, he was determined not to opt for the protection of anonymity. I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong, he said. Snowden will go down in history as one of Americas most consequential whistle-blowers, alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning. He is responsible for handing over material from one of the worlds most secretive organisations – the NSA. In a note accompanying the first set of documents he provided, he wrote: I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions, but I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant. Despite his determination to be publicly unveiled, he repeatedly insisted that he wants to avoid the media spotlight. I dont want public attention because I dont want the story to be about me. I want it to be about what the US government is doing. He does not fear the consequences of going public, he said, only that doing so will distract attention from the issues raised by his disclosures. I know the media likes to personalise political debates, and I know the government will demonise me. Despite these fears, he remained hopeful his outing will not divert attention from the substance of his disclosures. I really want the focus to be on these documents and the debate which I hope this will trigger among citizens around the globe about what kind of world we want to live in. He added: My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them. He has had a very comfortable life that included a salary of roughly $200,000, a girlfriend with whom he shared a home in Hawaii, a stable career, and a family he loves. Im willing to sacrifice all of that because I cant in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine theyre secretly building. Three weeks ago, Snowden made final preparations that resulted in last weeks series of blockbuster news stories. At the NSA office in Hawaii where he was working, he copied the last set of documents he intended to disclose. He then advised his NSA supervisor that he needed to be away from work for a couple of weeks in order to receive treatment for epilepsy, a condition he learned he suffers from after a series of seizures last year. As he packed his bags, he told his girlfriend that he had to be away for a few weeks, though he said he was vague about the reason. That is not an uncommon occurrence for someone who has spent the last decade working in the intelligence world. On May 20, he boarded a flight to Hong Kong, where he has remained ever since. He chose the city because they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent, and because he believed that it was one of the few places in the world that both could and would resist the dictates of the US government. In the three weeks since he arrived, he has been ensconced in a hotel room. Ive left the room maybe a total of three times during my entire stay, he said. It is a plush hotel and, what with eating meals in his room too, he has run up big bills. He is deeply worried about being spied on. He lines the door of his hotel room with pillows to prevent eavesdropping. He puts a large red hood over his head and laptop when entering his passwords to prevent any hidden cameras from detecting them. Though that may sound like paranoia to some, Snowden has good reason for such fears. He worked in the US intelligence world for almost a decade. He knows that the biggest and most secretive surveillance organisation in America, the NSA, along with the most powerful government on the planet, is looking for him. Since the disclosures began to emerge, he has watched television and monitored the internet, hearing all the threats and vows of prosecution emanating from Washington. And he knows only too well the sophisticated technology available to them and how easy it will be for them to find him. The NSA police and other law enforcement officers have twice visited his home in Hawaii and already contacted his girlfriend, though he believes that may have been prompted by his absence from work, and not because of suspicions of any connection to the leaks. All my options are bad, he said. The US could begin extradition proceedings against him, a potentially problematic, lengthy and unpredictable course for Washington. Or the Chinese government might whisk him away for questioning, viewing him as a useful source of information. Or he might end up being grabbed and bundled into a plane bound for US territory. Yes, I could be rendered by the CIA. I could have people come after me. Or any of the third-party partners. They work closely with a number of other nations. Or they could pay off the Triads. Any of their agents or assets, he said. We have got a CIA station just up the road – the consulate here in Hong Kong – and I am sure they are going to be busy for the next week. And that is a concern I will live with for the rest of my life, however long that happens to be. Having watched the Obama administration prosecute whistleblowers at a historically unprecedented rate, he fully expects the US government to attempt to use all its weight to punish him. I am not afraid, he said calmly, because this is the choice Ive made. He predicts the government will launch an investigation and say I have broken the Espionage Act and helped our enemies, but that can be used against anyone who points out how massive and invasive the system has become. The only time he became emotional during the many hours of interviews was when he pondered the impact his choices would have on his family, many of whom work for the US government. The only thing I fear is the harmful effects on my family, who I wont be able to help any more. Thats what keeps me up at night, he said, his eyes welling up with tears. Snowden did not always believe the US government posed a threat to his political values. He was brought up originally in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. His family moved later to Maryland, near the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade. By his own admission, he was not a stellar student. In order to get the credits necessary to obtain a high school diploma, he attended a community college in Maryland, studying computing, but never completed the coursework. (He later obtained his GED. ) In 2003, he enlisted in the US army and began a training program to join the Special Forces. Invoking the same principles that he now cites to justify his leaks, he said: I wanted to fight in the Iraq war because I felt like I had an obligation as a human being to help free people from oppression. He recounted how his beliefs about the wars purpose were quickly dispelled. Most of the people training us seemed pumped up about killing Arabs, not helping anyone, he said. After he broke both his legs in a training accident, he was discharged. After that, he got his first job in an NSA facility, working as a security guard for one of the agencys covert facilities at the University of Maryland. From there, he went to the CIA, where he worked on IT security. His understanding of the internet and his talent for computer programming enabled him to rise fairly quickly for someone who lacked even a high school diploma. By 2007, the CIA stationed him with diplomatic cover in Geneva, Switzerland. His responsibility for maintaining computer network security meant he had clearance to access a wide array of classified documents. That access, along with the almost three years he spent around CIA officers, led him to begin seriously questioning the rightness of what he saw. He described as formative an incident in which he claimed CIA operatives were attempting to recruit a Swiss banker to obtain secret banking information. Snowden said they achieved this by purposely getting the banker drunk and encouraging him to drive home in his car. When the banker was arrested for drunk driving, the undercover agent seeking to befriend him offered to help, and a bond was formed that led to successful recruitment. Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world, he says. I realised that I was part of something that was doing far more harm than good. He said it was during his CIA stint in Geneva that he thought for the first time about exposing government secrets. But, at the time, he chose not to for two reasons. First, he said: Most of the secrets the CIA has are about people, not machines and systems, so I didnt feel comfortable with disclosures that I thought could endanger anyone. Secondly, the election of Barack Obama in 2008 gave him hope that there would be real reforms, rendering disclosures unnecessary. He left the CIA in 2009 in order to take his first job working for a private contractor that assigned him to a functioning NSA facility, stationed on a military base in Japan. It was then, he said, that he watched as Obama advanced the very policies that I thought would be reined in, and as a result, I got hardened. The primary lesson from this experience was that you cant wait around for someone else to act. I had been looking for leaders, but I realised that leadership is about being the first to act. Over the next three years, he learned just how all-consuming the NSAs surveillance activities were, claiming they are intent on making every conversation and every form of behaviour in the world known to them. He described how he once viewed the internet as the most important invention in all of human history. As an adolescent, he spent days at a time speaking to people with all sorts of views that I would never have encountered on my own. But he believed that the value of the internet, along with basic privacy, is being rapidly destroyed by ubiquitous surveillance. I dont see myself as a hero, he said, because what Im doing is self-interested: I dont want to live in a world where theres no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity. Once he reached the conclusion that the NSAs surveillance net would soon be irrevocable, he said it was just a matter of time before he chose to act. What theyre doing poses an existential threat to democracy, he said.

Midnight in Paris Analysis Essays

Midnight in Paris Analysis Essays Midnight in Paris Analysis Essay Midnight in Paris Analysis Essay Essay Topic: A Farewell to Arms In the film Midnight in Paris . there are a batch of interesting sights in the most beautiful metropolis in the universe. During the movie. Woody Allen showed us how Paris is beautiful in the forenoon. charming in the afternoon. and enrapturing in the eventide. but it is charming and has a batch of surprising things after midnight. Get downing with the Eiffel Tower. there were a batch of iconic shootings of Paris at its most touristic points like its beautiful streets under the rain. the celebrated river in the metropolis La Seine . and the wide gardens that makes this metropolis the most beautiful finish for the celebrated creative persons who were looking for a quiet topographic point to develop their endowment as authors. The film is a nice combination of Paris in 2010 and Paris in the yesteryear. when the celebrated creative persons and authors were there like Ernest Hamingway. F Scott Fitzgerald. Picasso. Gertrud Stein. and Salvador Dali. Throughout the film the manager didn’t merely demo us Paris and its tourer locations. but besides took us to destinations out of the metropolis such as Versailles and Monet’s gardens in Giverny. Then. there were all the warmly illuminated shootings of the coffeehouse. eating houses. and the celebrated stores such as Coco Channel and Dior. In add-on. the beauty of the sights and the exposures grabbed the viewer’s attending to desire to watch this film and to detect a batch of more information about some of the most celebrated creative persons in the early nineteenth century. The film Midnight in Paris . had win with engagement of group of people who were capable and successful in their occupation as creative persons. The author and manager was Woody Allen. and the lead histrions were: Owen Wilson. Rachel Mc Adams. and Kathy Bates. The dramatis personae was by Marian Cotillard. Michael Sheen. Adrien Brody. and Alison Pill. The studio was Gravier Production. Mediapro. Televisio de catalunya TV3. and it was made in May 20. 2011 by Sony Pictures Classics. The romantic comedy phantasy movie had many incredible minutes get downing by detecting the metropolis in the minute to going back in clip each dark after midnight. On one manus. the film had a batch of interesting minutes between the yesteryear and the present. The narrative was about an American household who went to France for a concern trip. and the two immature people Gil and his bride-to-be were engaged to be married even though their outlook and their thought were different. She used to reason with him all the clip and she didn’t like him to be a author every bit much as to work in Hollywood. Gil was the sort of individual who likes to compose and to be a successful author. and by the clip he was in Paris. he believed that this ity is the lone topographic point he will happen himself in. Suddenly. and while he was walking around the Parisian streets. he found himself coming back in clip to the nineteenth Century when all the celebrated authors and painters were at that place. Therefore. this minute Gil had a large alteration in his life. Get downing by interrupting up with his bride-to-be and falling in love with a Gallic adult fem ale. He found himself with the stars of art in Paris in its aureate clip. and he didn’t believe that he had a batch of conversations with the best author of all time. Ernest Hamingway. On the other manus. Paris in its aureate clip was the best finish for a batch of creative persons around the universe. Ernest Hamingway was an American writer and journalist who chose to populate in the metropolis of art. Paris in the aureate age. His economical and unostentatious manner had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction. while his life of escapade and his public image influenced ulterior coevalss. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s. and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He published seven novels. six short narrative aggregations. and two non-fiction plants. Three novels. four aggregations of short narratives. and three non-fiction plants were published posthumously. Many of these are considered classics of American literature. Hemingway was raised in Oak Park. Illinois. After high school. he reported for a few months for The Kansas City Star before go forthing for the Italian forepart to enlist with the World War I ambulance drivers. In 1918. he was earnestly wounded and returned place. His wartime experiences formed the footing for his novel. A Farewell to Arms. In 1922. he married Hadley Richardson. the first of his four married womans. The twosome moved to Paris. where he worked as a foreign letter writer. and fell under the influence of the modernist authors and creative persons of the 1920s Lost Generation expatriate community. The Sun Besides Rises. Hemingway’s foremost novel. was published in 1926. In my sentiment as a spectator. Hemingway was one of the most interesting personalities in the film because he had made a alteration on batch of creative persons after him and he was a good illustration for those want to be successful in their life as a Gil. and the most interesting portion in the film was the conversation that was in the old Peugeot auto when they were speaking about work forces and their fright of decease. Last. Midnight in Paris . had bundle of information everyone should cognize. Thus. I recommend watching this film. because it wasn’t merely a narrative like what we normally see in other movies. but had much information about some celebrated creative persons in the nineteenth century. Besides. we went back with the film to see how those people used to populate in nice and quiet universe particularly in the art metropolis. Personally. I liked the film from the beginning to the terminal. because and while I was watching it. I enjoyed its quiet music they used to listen to. The music and the rain in the Parisian streets had made a beautiful image about this metropolis and besides I enjoyed seeing some touristical topographic points I had visited while I was in holiday at that place. In add-on. I liked the narrative about Gil and how he was promoting himself to acquire on the right manner in the art. by holding a good self-pride. even though he had a batch of obstructions with his bride-to-be and her parents.

Evidence vs. Dogma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evidence vs. Dogma - Essay Example They continue to advocate the Biblical version of events, that an alien being of undetermined construction and origin made not only the earth and everything on it but the entire universe too. Eventually, society will universally embrace evolution as a fact but, as life itself does, society evolves slowly. People who, despite all evidence to the contrary, continue to â€Å"believe† that the God, as described in the Bible, Koran and/or Torah, created everything in the universe are described as â€Å"creationists†, and the pseudo science they ascribe to is called â€Å"creationism.† Creationism attempts to offer evidence to support superstitious beliefs by challenging the scientific theory. Creationists claim that evolution has not been conclusively proven, that it’s just â€Å"a theory.† Creationists require a higher standard of verification from scientists than they are willing to offer for creation. Scientists are asked to satisfy all questions, whe ther realistic or not, pertaining to the origin of life. It’s an impossible task to answer with certainty the question â€Å"how we got here† unless one accepts the Biblical version of events which is all the evidence they need. ... No one has ever actually seen an atom. No one has ever directly observed either electricity or gravity. To even suggest that science cannot deal with unobservable is to display an ignorance of the nature of the scientific enterprise† (Albert, 1986). Scientists can track the ancestry of living things by comparing similar traits and gene mapping techniques. Evolutionists utilize this scientifically sound method, and it has been conclusively demonstrated that human’s nearest relatives are chimpanzees. Genetically speaking, in addition to physically observable similarities, activities such as tool making and similar social structures, the different types of primates, chimps and people are very similar, too much so for it to be just a coincidence. â€Å"Biologists can cite many instances of parallel evolution in which forms that are only distantly related have developed similarities in structure—for example, the almost identical structures of human and octopus eyes.â €  (Albert, 1986). Darwin theorized that animals physically acclimate to a new surrounding over millions of years, a process which he called natural selection. Since Darwin’s lifetime, scientists have also been pointing to mutation as a method of evolution that can be employed in conjunction with Darwin’s theory. On his historic journey to the Galapagos Islands located about 600 miles off the western South American coast, Darwin carefully documented tangible verification for his evolutionary theory. There are 13 islands of the Galapagos chain, all located relatively together, yet they are greatly different geographically, some had tropical-like conditions, others resembled a desert, some rocky, some sandy, for example. Darwin observed clear physical