Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Essay on Pros and Cons to Biofuels - 1152 Words

Over the past years, planet Earth has been warming up. According to NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies, average temperatures have risen around1.4 degrees Fahrenheit/0.8 degrees Celsius since 1880. In fact, the rate of warming is increasing. It was reported by a number of climate studies that the last two decades were the hottest in 400 years. Global warming is a major threat to the planet. It is agreed that humans have caused most of the past centurys warming by releasing greenhouse gasses, as we power our electronic lives. The â€Å"greenhouse effect† is performed when the gasses let out into Earth’s atmosphere trap heat from the sun. Through the burning of fossil fuels, humans are enhancing the greenhouse effect and increasing the†¦show more content†¦Instead of dumping the waste in a landfill site and leaving it to rot, it can be used to produce biofuels. People have been using all kinds of waste to produce biofuels. Marginal lands unsuitable for crop production can also be used to grow woody biomass for biofuel production. By running on this renewable energy source, we can reduce our waste and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. Another important advantage of biofuels is that there is zero carbon emission. The burning of biofuels will emit carbon into the atmosphere. However, the plants or crops will absorb the carbon as they grow. It seems like biofuels is a good solution after all. Also, from an economical point of view, biofuel-manufacturing plants can hire thousands of workers, creating job opportunities. Biofuel production will also increase the demand for certain biofuel crops, leading to further economic development for the agriculture industry. According to economist John Urbanchuk, it is estimated that â€Å"producing 10 billion gallons of biofuels a year from corn would add $46 billion to the economy and create over 200,000 new jobs†. However, the production of biofuels can heavily harm the environment by contributing to global warming. When farmers grow crops for biofuels, the land must come from somewhere. Sometimes, land conversion is done to produce cropland. For example, in Brazil, an Amazon Rainforest was converted into cropland to grow soyShow MoreRelatedThe Pros and Cons of Biofuel 859 Words   |  3 PagesBiofuel is a natural alternative fuel created from carbon fixation. Carbon fixation happens in both living and dead material and is known as biomass conversion. In other words, Biofuel uses naturally grown plant matter or plant-derived materials, (biomass) to convert energy and must contain over 80% renewable matter. The biomass can then be converted in three different ways: thermal, chemical, and biochemical. The conversion of biomass creates fuel in solid, liquid, and gas form. The product of thisRead MoreAlternative Fuels Essay 81070 Words   |  5 Pagessolutions have been brought forth, yet none o f them have been sophisticatedly acted upon. Through the list of pros and cons, one shall determine the importance of alternative fuels, and how bad the pros outweigh the cons, thus forcing the reality of the matter that we need to start moving towards these alternate forms of energy, and fuel. Despite the minor faults in using alternative fuels, the pros are very evident, and exploration of this matter should definitely be a factor in the studies of scientistsRead MoreEssay on Alternative Fuels1055 Words   |  5 Pagessolutions have been brought forth, yet none of them have been sophisticatedly acted upon. Through the list of pros and cons, one shall determine the importance of alternative fuels, and how bad the pros outweigh the cons, thus forcing the reality of the matter that we need to start moving towards these alternate forms of energy, and fuel. Despite the minor faults in using alternative fuels, the pros are very evident, and exploration of this matter should definite ly be a factor in the studies of scientistsRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Reusable And Non Reusable Energy Sources1727 Words   |  7 PagesThe Pros and Cons of Reusable Non Reusable Energy Sources There are many things that we rely on that are naturally provided by nature from the water that is used to replenish our systems to prevent dehydration, to the air that we breath down to some portions of food that we eat. One of those natural elements are used daily but are often not thought about outside of the scientific or political fields is energy. Energy is all around us there is nothing that is done in the day to day life thatRead MoreAdvantages And Disadvantages Of Thermodynamics1765 Words   |  8 Pagesorganisms cease to take in energy and die (Farabee,2001). The third law of thermodynamics states that entropy system approaches the consistent value as the temperature is absolute zero (The Three Laws of Thermodynamics, 2017). The pros and cons of fossil fuel. The pros of fossil fuel are that it’s cheap source of energy on the planet (Advantages of Fossil Fuels - Conserve Energy Future, 2017). Fossil fuel safe and stable to transport easily and efficiently over long distances (Advantages of FossilRead MoreThe World ´s Demand of Fossil Fuels927 Words   |  4 Pagesgrowing use of biofuels. May it be ethanol or biodiesel its one step closer to a greener earth. From peanut oil to bark, science is being done to convert plants into energy. Creation of Biofuel Some might think that biofuels are new but they have been in use ever since man discovered fire. Wood is a solid biofuel used for cooking and heating. The types of biofuels are solid gas and liquid. The most common is liquid made popular by the automobile industry as a source of fuel. Biofuel is a fuel thatRead MoreScience Debate : Alternative Energy1157 Words   |  5 Pagesin the past. Alternative sources are the more eco-friendly source which makes our world a better place to live in. Examples of alternative energy sources are wind and wave energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, and biofuels. There are many pros for alternative energy and many cons for conventional energy. As I have said before, I will prove to you that alternative energy is better than conventional energy. One source of alternative energy is wind and wave energy. An advantage of this is thatRead MoreRenewable Energy: Is It the Solution?1571 Words   |  7 Pages2012). Biomass: Biomass is classified as all matter that is based in carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (Christopher B. Field, 1998). Biomass can also be converted to biofuels such as biodiesel, and ethanol. Wood is the most common method of utilizing biomass energy. Biofuel: Biofuels are produced from living organisms. The most common biofuels are bioethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol can be used in gasoline based engines and can be mixed with gasoline to any percentage. Ethanol is produced by using the sugarsRead MoreThe Country Of Cameroon Is Considered A Third World Country And Production And Quality Of Energy810 Words   |  4 Pagespower by the means of biofuels. Solar cells: The main idea of having solar cells is that every hut or community centres could have power for their lighting and cooking options direct power, however there are a few pros and cons involved. For instance 47% of Cameroon is rainforest, this means that tribal people living in the thick of rainforests, they won’t get much power. This is due to the tree covering. Another issue is transportation. Biofuels: The idea behind biofuels is that Cameroon’s terrainRead MoreA Critique of â€Å"Why the Gasoline Engine Isn’t Going Away Any Time Soon† by Joseph B. White605 Words   |  3 Pagesrevolution. Environmentalists want car companies to determine how to make alternatives to the regular petroleum-fueled engine. White explains alternative methods that could persuade the automotive industry to go green, such as using ethanol or other biofuels to power one’s car (332). However, while explaining these particular processes, he gives his own opinion on how well these changes will really affect the industry in the long run. The author adds that â€Å"technological change is best done incrementally†

Monday, December 16, 2019

Life, Death and Toefl Essay Samples 2017

Life, Death and Toefl Essay Samples 2017 DO speak in English as much as you can when talking to buddies and relatives that are fluent themselves. It is a famous fact by everybody that schools play a substantial part in our lives. Many students have trouble thinking of certain examples, but it's a valuable part of very good writing. Consult your parents to spell out the rear row to you. Again, usually you'll need to choose between two opposite arguments. You are able to also practice brainstorming or planning reasons even if it's the case that you don't compose a comprehensive reaction. Use certain reasons and examples to back up your opinion. Include certain reasons and examples to back up your answer. Now almost any sort of information can be found on the internet, usually free. Our iBT free information page and iBT sample topics will reveal to you that our online tests contain the exact same kind of academic topics you will encounter on the actual examination. Additio nally, there are websites like Magoosh that offer detailed information concerning the forms of questions. Students may go through various types of sample questions online to have an in depth comprehension. If you are concerned about your writing, you ought to have a look at our sample essay page. By this time, you understand how important it's to form a very clear and concise argument in your essay. These seven sample essays respond to a selection of thought-provoking questions. Please note that a few of these college essay examples could possibly be responding to prompts that are no longer being used. You get nothing out of it, and you'll probably just wind up annoying them. In addition, it is a lot simpler to find the kids together for a house movie since they don't need to leave the house to see the movie alongside you. By comparison, in case you go to the movies, you face a great deal of inconveniences. Not just that, but watching movies is simply less expensive. Toe fl Essay Samples 2017 - the Story There are online tutorials offering tips and strategies on the best way to do well. It's very beneficial to take writing apart to be able to see just the way that it accomplishes its objectives. In addition, you can want to stick to this list of DOs and DON'Ts when it regards preparing. Another finding was that some projects simply didn't move very fast. Whispered Toefl Essay Samples 2017 Secrets The following two sections will explain the format and requirements of every one of the writing tasks together with how they'll be scored. When articulating or planning your response, you'll have the option to return to the passage, but will not have the capacity to re-hear the audio. Each paragraph starts with a new key point that's then explained. You don't require an introductory paragraph, but you need to definitely compose a thesis statement. It's the details that truly make this little experience come alive. Though the evidence wasn't hard to locate, only this independent website was prepared to write about doing it. Usually, an effective response is going to be 150 to 225 words. Nevertheless, the topics will most likely be very similar overall. The remainder of your essay will be constructed around this sentence which strongly and clearly states your opinion on this issue. Here, you're given an essay questionthat usually pertains to a particular issue or topic. During the next few posts, we will take a look at some sample high-scoring essays and break down what's good about them (and how they may improve!) The Toefl Essay Samples 2017 Stories DON'T become frustrated if you're less great at English on test day as you need to be. In addition, we offer completely free grammar exercises. Students will receive 1 score report. It is very important to understand formal English, yet to get by in a university setting, you should also have the ability to understand casual conversations. The Chronicles of Toefl Essay Samples 2017 You have more choices of what things to watch at home because it's possible to watch movies which are on TV or the web. Ideally, you must have accessibility to samples of all four components of the test so you know what things to expect. Tons of movies are offered at no cost online and on broadcast TV, and you are able to eat and drink affordable refreshments from your own kitchen at the same time you watch. The collection of movies is tiny. Our completely free grammar exercises will allow you to learn the advanced grammar that you require for the exam. A great prep book can be absolutely the most important study tool you use, and we've got information on all the very best TOEFL prep books you need to consider. Eventually, you will want to have a comprehensive TOEFL practice examit's the only method to be fully ready for the TOEFL. While you might have studied hard and practiced speaking and listening to English, it's still true that you have to deal with the re alities of the TOEFL should you wish to enter the college or university of your pick. It's a good idea to make a small plan before you get started writing your TOEFL response. Being aware of what graders want to get and reviewing TOEFL Writing samples can go a very long way towards assisting you to get a high score on this section. For our prompts, we'll be studying some of Kate's excellent suggestions within this post on TOEFL writing. It can likewise be beneficial to review other TOEFL writing samples to receive a better idea about what a wonderful TOEFL essay appears like. You have to practice this, particularly if you aren't very good at typing on a computer keyboard. It's particularly important to examine samples if you are a person who gets anxious or nervous when it's time to have a test. As a non-native speaker, you're most likely to produce innocent grammatical errors that you can overlook as you write in a rush. Don't attempt to be perfect once the clock is ticking. TOEFL raters study your ability to produce unique kinds of sentences. That, together with the relatively few mechanical errors, provides the essay a top score. You don't have to be a grammar expert, but you need to demonstrate sentence variety. To acquire the greatest scores, you will need three different, well-written reasons together with specific specifics.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Great Ages Essay Example For Students

Great Ages Essay When we think of history we dont often think of art. We dont realize how the history of art can help us learn more about the people, the cultures, and the belief systems of those who lived hundreds and thousands of years before us. Art has developed, influenced, and contributed starting from the great Stone Age to the present day. Art gives an insight into the changes and evolution that man and culture have gone through to become what is today. Art is culture, art is the essence of the people who make it and the best way to appreciate art is to look at the history of it and its evolvement through time. The Great Ages consists of four distinct ages: The Old Stone Age, The New Stone Age, The Bronze Age, and The Iron Age. These four Great Ages is the complete history of art from the beginning to the present day. Each age is named characteristically for the type of material used for that time. Stone was used in the Old and New Stone age, bronze in the Bronze Age, and iron in the Iron Age. The Great Ages began with The Old Stone Age starting at 100,000 BCE. The people lived in tribes and clans and often moved from place to place, hunting and gathering to live. They believed all life was sacred and all beings were divine, including animals. The tribal teachings taught that man and nature are one. Hunting and gathering was a sacred ritual because they would often believe they were at one with the animal being hunted. Shamens and shamenesses, spiritual healers and seers between the people and spirits of animals, would often lead hunts and call forth the spirit of the animal to which they would ask the animal to offer their life willingly for a successful hunt. An illustration in Art Through The Ages, 1-4, Hall of the Bulls found in Lasacux, c 15,000-13,000 b. c. Largest bull approx. 116 long a beautiful cave painting of Bulls. It shows how sacred these animals were to the people. The painter took the time not only to paint such a true to nature image but also purposely put it in a remote location hundreds of feet above the entrance. The location of the painting suggest that it was used as a spiritual image that perhaps shamans would use to communicate with the spirit of the animal. The Shamans were necessary to the tribe, not only for healing and for favorable hunts but also for communing with the Great Goddess, who represents all forms of life. The Great Goddess is the pivotal figure among the tribal people. She is worshiped and prayed to in hopes that she is fertile and fruitful for, She is the lone creator of all that is. She is female in all aspects, but yet she has male powers. Many consider the Great Goddess to be an androgyne because she is self-created, self-fertilizing, and self-existent. She is both male and female. An Androgyne was thought to have achieved balance of reason and intuition, of wisdom and compassion; they are supreme beings. She is the creator of the universe, of life and of death and special rituals would be carried out to insure that she would continue to create. One of the first images of the Great Goddess is represented in Illustration 1-8 Venus of Willendorf Australia, c 28,000-23,000 b. c. Limestone, approx. 4ÂÂ ¼ high. Naturhistorisches museum, Vienna. She is only 4 inches tall, but a very sacred piece of sculpture. Her body is significantly voluptuous, representing fertility. She appears to be pregnant and her breasts heavy with milk. She is faceless, emphasizing that She is everything. She has no particularity, no image, because she is beyond particularization, she is everything known to man in the universe. As 10,000 BCE came around so came about the starting of the New Stone Age and the end of the Old. In the Old Stone Age, the Great Goddess, alone made the universe, but as the New Stone Age emerged, it was thought that she needed a male partner. This is one of the significant differences between the Old and New Stone age. Art Of The Ancient Greeks, Romans And Christians EssayTribalism was slowly being replaced by individualism, where we was turning into I and where sprit and matter are not longer one but separate. Great changes occurred in the Iron Age, which started in the West in 1200 BCE and spread and still continues, to the present day. The Iron Age came into being with the use of iron in tool and weapon making. With weapon increasingly stronger and more advanced; violence and destruction and hence power began to over take the mind set of many people; leading to destruction and barbaric acts. These barbarians were warriors who gave little or no regard to the Goddess. They saw females as mere objects and pieces of property. The once Great Goddess was no longer sacred. It was due to her worship that spirited gender equality in the Stone and Bronze Age. The Iron Age became primarily male oriented, which in turn changed many aspects of the culture from past history. The Iron Age consists of stages; beginning with the Early Iron Age starting 1500/1200 BCE, where Greek art was very dominant. The art itself was very individualistic and had become secular. Artists were painting for themselves and in a very optical realistic way. Artists who were eager to show the individualism of their subjects were creating full human forms, free standing, and secular. An example of such a subject is Michaelangelos David, 22-19 1501-1504. Marble, 143 high. Galleria dellAccademia, Florence. One of the significant developments in the later part of the Early Iron Age was the rise of monotheistic cultures of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Monotheisum emerged from within a male dominated society, where priestesses, women, played no roles in religious matters as they once had in the Ages before, now only priests remain. Gender balance had come to an end. The Great Goddess was completely pushed out; putting to an end the great partnership that had been the essence of so many cultures. At the end only one God remained who was solely male. With the fall of Rome in 500 CE so marked the end of the Early Iron Age and the beginning of the Middle Iron Age. The fall of Rome had little impact on Christianity; churches began popping up, with extravagant gothic architecture. Many churches had high volt ceilings; attached figures that seem almost unattached as if floating alongside the edifice and stained glass windows that were mystically illuminated with the suns rays. 3-29 Interior of Ste. -Chapelle, 13-33 St. Martin, St. Jerome, and St Gregory, c. 1220-1230, from the Porch of the Confessors, Chartres Cathedral France.. The beginning of the Renaissance around 1500 CE is considered the start of the Late Iron Age, which is still on going. The Renaissance was the age of enlightenment the rebirth of learning and culture where men were going beyond their ability, where artists were considered geniuses, and private pleasure became the subject of art. Great artists like Leonardo de Vinci, Raphael, and Titian emerged from the great period of the Renaissance; they were not only geniuses, but also great individual intellects, who defined the greatness of art. Individualism still prevails today and is the very core of modern society. Male-dominated societies still exist, but slowly the demand for equality is changing that. During the Four Great Ages, many things have changed, many things have been lost, but time has not taken a sudden halt, nor the art; people, cultures, and mentalities continue to grow and change, and from growth comes greatness.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Reconsidering the History Holocaust Denial. The XXI Century Prospects

Introduction: The Price of Holocaust. When a Murder Is Justified Whenever one thinks of the most dreadful events of the past, the history stages at which the humankind became so cruel and unreasonable that from the retrospective of our times it seems almost unbelievable, such event as the Holocaust is bound to come to one’s mind.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reconsidering the History: Holocaust Denial. The XXI Century Prospects specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Because of the scale and the violence of the event, it cannot be erased from the memory of the world, ad is never to be forgotten as one of the most dreadful acts of segregation against the other race. However, according to the recent statements, the denial of the Holocaust events is currently one of the world major tendencies, which offers certain arguments concerning the reasonability of the movement and its controversy. Despite the fact that Ho locaust was one of the hideous crimes against the humanity that is never to occur again, some tend to represent the tragic event as the stage of the history that people should not pay such attention to, which creates the air of considerable controversy and presupposes debates concerning the significance of the event and its meaning for the modern humankind. Therefore, it cannot be doubted that such phenomenon as Holocaust denial is to be discussed and its absurdity must be proven. The Wind of Changes Is Blowing: When Holocaust Is not a Crime There is no doubt that Holocaust is one of the most dreadful events in the world history. However, once trying to find a suitable definition for the event, one inevitably faces certain problem – as a matter of fact, there is no actual definition of the issue, as the phenomenon cannot be classified according to the existing standards. As Landau (1998) says, â€Å"What was the Nazi Holocaust? So uncomprehended and incomprehensible is the d read event still, a whole generation after, that in this brief space we can answer this question only with a series of negations† (p. 13). According to the author, Holocaust was not a war, neither was it a war crime or a part of the war, or a case of genocide, or racism. Therefore, in the light of the abovementioned, one should agree that Holocaust as it is does not have a suitable definition. However, one can supposedly explain the given issue by the uniqueness of the phenomenon. It is quite peculiar, though, that the Holocaust denial does have certain definition, which can be interpreted as â€Å"an Anti-Semitic propaganda movement active in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe that seeks to deny the reality of the Nazi regime’s systematic mass murder of six million Jews during World War II,† according to Anti-Defamation League (2001). Hence, it can be concluded that, generally, the Holocaust denial is posed as a negative concept.Advertising Looki ng for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Reasons to Reconsider the History: Mayer’s Case Since the outcomes of the World War II were unanimously considered by all states of the world as the act of utter inhumanity, the roots of Holocaust denial mood are rather essential issue which offers plunging into the complexity of the interracial and international relationships. Despite the fact that the origins of the given movement are rather vague, one still can spot the starting point of the Holocaust denial ideas development. According to the recent statement of historians, the Holocaust denial originated from the assumptions of Mayer, which were further on critiqued by Browning (2011), which means that the ideas of the latter are to be reconsidered. It is important that Browning dies give credit to Mayer’s assumptions. According to browning, Holocaust does not need reassessment, since Mayer’s att empt to reconsider the course of history seems rather futile: Mayer does indeed attempt to set the ‘Judocide’ (a term he prefers to Holocaust) within various comparative frameworks, as the subtitle promises. But as the book progresses, the real thrust of Mayer’s argument becomes apparent. He is not so much placing the ‘Final Solution’ in a wider historical context as he is redefining it. (p. 77) Therefore, it should be admitted that the idea of Holocaust as the event that did to have the significance that people believed it to have first originated due to Mayer. However, despite the fact that Mayer’s objections to the significance of Holocaust are quite debatable and were offered quite a while ago, the Holocaust denial movement is currently gaining momentum. Reinventing People’s Perception of Truth It is evident that there is considerable change of people’s perception of the Holocaust all over the world, as Jewish Virtual Library says. The latter belittles the importance of the fact that millions of Jews were killed in the course of the WWII, thus, diminishing the role of Jews in the WWII; on the other hand, reinforcing the idea of Holocaust denial and offering it to the population, the latter make people think carefully over the events of the tragedy and, hence, spurs the discussion. According to what Holocaust Denial (2011) claims, the phenomenon of Holocaust denial is supposed to diminish the role of Jews in the WWII and spread anti-Semitic ideas all over the world: One of the most notable anti-Semitic propaganda movements [†¦] has been known in recent years primarily through the publication of editorial-style advertisements in college campus newspapers. The first of these ads claimed to call for â€Å"open debate on the Holocaust†; it purported to question not the fact of Nazi anti-Semitism, but merely whether this hatred resulted in an organized killing program. (Holocaust Denial, 2011)Adve rtising We will write a custom essay sample on Reconsidering the History: Holocaust Denial. The XXI Century Prospects specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hence, it should be concluded that the Holocaust Denial movement is aimed at belittling the Jews’ assistance and suffer in the WWII, as well as convince the world in the necessity to follow the anti-Semitic ideas. However, Holocaust denial movement is rather efficient. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the Holocaust denial ideas and compare them to the ones that support the fact of Holocaust. Hence, one will be able to see if the Holocaust denial ideas have some grounds to base on. Consider the Ideas of Anti-Holocaust: Lost in†¦ Interpretation However, even though most people might consider the ideas of anti-Holocaust movement hideous, it is necessary to consider the major points of the Holocaust Denial theory. Once envisioning the main concepts of the Holocaust de nial theory, one is most likely to confront it successfully. Therefore, the major ideas concerning the Holocaust denial are to be viewed. According to what Raul Hilberg says, Jones Icke (2009) claim, one of the greatest mistakes of the people who learn the issue of Holocaust is the attempt to see the entire picture from the every beginning, skipping a number of essential details, and, thus, being an easy prey for those who can lure the public into believing the futility of Holocaust.. According to the researcher, it is important to consider the niceties of the Holocaust first before trying to see the whole picture: In all of my work I have never begun by asking the big question, because I was always afraid that I would come up with small answers, and I have preferred, therefore, to address these things which are minutiae, or detail, in order that I might then be able to put together in detail a picture which, if not an explanation, is at least a description, a more full description [†¦] (Jones, Icke, 2009). Thus, it is necessary to consider the details of the event without trying to embrace the whole concept of Holocaust, the scientist claims. However, the given idea offers considerable complexities as well, since it does not allow to consider the entire concept if Holocaust and, thus, leaves much room for the Holocaust Denial ideas, which is quite undesirable. Once the Holocaust denial supporters are able to manipulate the concept of Holocaust and people’s vision of the latter, the change of the attitudes towards the historical event is inevitable. Concerning the Motifs and the Ideas: The New Concept It is essential to mark that in the given case, when the ideas of tolerance and the political correctness can intertwine to be used a shield for the Nazi-like behavior, one should consider the concept of the Holocaust denial movement closer. According to the recent news, the issue is currently getting out of control. As Sandy Allan (2011) report, F riends of a high-flying Tory MP are ‘facing prosecution’ for chanting offensive Nazi slogans in a crowded restaurant at a French ski resort – where one of the party dressed in an SS uniform.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Aidan Burley, MP for Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, was with 12 friends, some of whom chanted ‘Hitler, Hitler, Hitler’. One toasted the ‘Third Reich’ and one taunted a waiter for being French. (Sandy Allan, 2011) Judging by the above-mentioned example, the motifs of the movement adepts can be hardly viewed as another attempt at restoring the Nazi regime. The given trend is rather a tendency to conduct the policy of political correctness and forgiveness. However, it is worth mentioning that the given policy allows and actually promotes the idea that the tortures of millions of people were insignificant. Hence, the Holocaust denial is the concept that does not have the right to exist. The Argumentation of the Holocaust Rejecters: Lame Excuses Among the most essential proofs that support the fact that Holocaust could not have taken place the way in which it is described nowadays, the ideas offered by the U.S. forensic expert concern the opposite side of the conflict, namely, the way in which the mass extermination of Jews took place. As a result of the research conducted by Fred A. Leuchter, it became evident that the capital punishment tools used in the WWII by the Nazi were not designed for conducting mass executions and, hence, could not be used as the weapons of the Holocaust as it was depicted in a number of sources. As Leuchter explained, his discovery was an utter surprise for him as well: One by one I determined that this state equipment was not functional, this state equipment was not functional; and suddenly, one day I said, â€Å"None of the equipment is functional!† Many of the electric chairs were built by inmates and electricians who had no idea of what they were building. They took a picture of another state’s electric chair and they made something that was looked like it. (Leuchter, 2006) Therefore, it can be suggested that in some of the cases, mass manslaughter did not take place in the course of the Hol ocaust. Though the fact that the data concerning the Holocaust victims was imprecise or exaggerated has not been stated yet, there are certain reasons to think that the number of Jews who have suffered death for their nationality I the course of the WWII and the Holocaust is much smaller than it is estimated, Leuchter thinks. However, it still must be admitted that the observations offered by Leuchter are not precise calculations, but merely suppositions and the researcher does not have the sufficient evidence to prove his point, having only the circumstantial one at his disposal. Bringing Back the Ideas of the Past: No More Misunderstandings Despite the fact that the ideas offered by Leuchter do contain certain evidence which can be used as a proof for the reasonability of the Holocaust Denial, it is still obvious that denying the fact of mass slaughter of the Jews is completely absurd. Taking into account the existing evidence concerning the concentration camps, the anti-Semitic i deas that the Nazi proclaimed, and the attitude towards the Jewish people in the epoch of the WWII, one can still observe the violent treatment of Jews, which confirms the fact that Holocaust did take place. As Lipstad (1999) explained, the fact that the fact of the Holocaust can be denied is one of the most outrageous ideas of the XXI century. According to the author’s own words, When I turned to the topic of Holocaust denial, I knew that I was dealing with extremist anti-Semites who have increasingly managed, under the guide of scholarship, to camouflage their hateful ideology. However, I did not then fully grasp the degree to which I would be dealing with a phenomenon far more unbelievable than was my previous topic. (p. 12) Hence, there can be no possible doubt that the idea of Holocaust denial is absurd. Defying the Jewish people several years of fighting for justice and the acknowledgement of their nationality is one of the crimes of the XXI century. With the help of ef ficient evidence, one can easily prove that the Holocaust did take place in the distant 1939-1745. The Analysis: When the Obvious Needs to Be Proven Comparing the two existing viewpoints, one must admit that, no matter how absurd the fact that the Holocaust did not take place could seem to the humankind, there are certain proofs that the theory offered by Raul Hilberg is quite worth believing. Since restoring the historical facts does not seem possible, one is supposed to rely on the evidence remaining since the end of the WWII, which might have failed to pass the time testing. Therefore, there are certain concerns as for the veracity of both theories. It is worth mentioning that the Holocaust denial theory offers sufficient proofs that can be considered worth taking a closer look at. Providing profound scientific basis for the ideas that Raul Hilberg conveyed with his observations of the German weapons of mass destruction and the Nazi concentration camps, the followers of the theor y create the environment that favors the development of the Holocaust denial ideas. It is essential to emphasize that at present, specific techniques of Holocaust denial are suggested for faking the results of the independent researches concerning the Holocaust issue. As Stein (n.d.) explains, these are aimed at creating the impression that the Jews were not as oppressed in the WWII as they claim and, hence, undermine the trust in the Jewish nationality: One thing â€Å"scientific† Holocaust deniers like Berg and Fred Leuchter count on is the fact that many non-scientists can’t follow scientific debates, and assume that if it is dressed up in scientific terms, it must be right. But there are many other scientific debates we see today – pollution, cancer, global warming, etc. – which enter into the political arena. Some of these arguments are made to support a hidden ideological agenda, and the science is dishonest. Therefore, it cannot be doubted that the research results are faked. Noting the tiniest discrepancies in Berg’s conclusions, Stein (n.d.) explains that the Holocaust denial is actually another attempt at conducting anti-Semitic policy. Be Upstanding in Court: Passing the Judgement Even with the evidence presented so far on the issue of Holocaust denial, there can be no possible doubt that the Holocaust did take place, taking away the lives of millions of Jews. Taking into account the stories that have been told, the things that have been seen and the issues that were documented on the subject of the Nazi concentration camps, one must admit that the Holocaust as a phenomenon of utter violence and incredible cruelty did take place, which means that the assumptions of those who support the Holocaust denial are completely wrong. Even though there is a considerable lack of the documented evidence of the genocide of the Jews, as Shermer Grobman (2009) explain, it is still worth keeping in mind that the facts of tortures and murders are still evident. Thus, it can be deduced that the Holocaust denial does not have enough sufficient ground to base on and is an abuse for the Jewish people. Conclusion: When There Is Nothing to Find. The Holocaust as It Is Judging from the afore-mentioned facts, it can be concluded that the Holocaust did exist. Moreover, it I necessary to admit that people must not forget the Holocaust; nor may they pretend that the given event had no significance in the course of the WWII. Hence, the situation concerning the attitude towards the Holocaust is slowly getting out of control and becoming increasingly controversial. However, the situation can still be changed. Once offering sufficient proof of the inconsistency of the Holocaust denial ideas, one is likely to restore the self-esteem of the Jewish nation and the relationship of the latter with the rest of the states. In the given situation, it is crucial that people should not follow the false leads and be confused into misc onceptions by the half-baked claims. Only with the help of the mutual respect and careful consideration of the historical facts, one is likely to find out the truth. Reference List Anti-Defamation League (2001). What is Holocaust denial. ADL. Web. Browning, C. R. (1995).  The path to genocide: Essays on launching the final solution. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Holocaust denial (2011). Jewish Virtual Library. Web. Jones, A., Icke, D. (2009). One third of the Holocaust – conspiracy. Nazi, Hitler, Israel, Zionism, Jews. Google Video. Web. Landau, R. S. (1998). Studying the Holocaust : Issues, readings, and documents.  New York City, NY: Routledge. Leuchter, F. A. Jr., et al. (2006). Mr. Death. The rise and fall of Fred A. Leuchter Jr.  Google Video. Web. Lipstad, D. E. (1999). The growing assault of truth and memory. With a new preface  by the author. New York City, NY: Plume. Sandy, M., Allen, P. (2011). ‘A toast to the Third Reich!’ Oxford -educated louts ‘face prosecution’ for dressing as Nazi and taunting French waiter†¦ while Tory MP looked on. Daily Mail. Web. Shermer, M., Grobman, A. (2009). Denying history: Who says the Holocaust never  happened and why they say that? Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Stein, M. P. Deceit misrepresentation. The techniques of holocaust denial.  The Nizkor Project. Web. This essay on Reconsidering the History: Holocaust Denial. The XXI Century Prospects was written and submitted by user Omari Diaz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Fainting Goat Facts

Fainting Goat Facts The fainting goat is a breed of domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) that stiffens when startled. Although the goat may fall over and appear to faint, it remains fully conscious in a state of myotonia. Since it doesnt actually faint, the animal is properly known as the myotonic goat. Fainting goats have a hereditary disorder called myotonia congenita. Although the goat freezes when panicked, it suffers no harm and leads a normal, healthy life. Fast Facts: Fainting Goat Scientific Name: Capra aegagrus hircusCommon Names: Fainting goat, myotonic goat, falling goat, Tennessee goat, stiff-legged goatBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 17-25 inches tallWeight: 60-174 poundsLifespan: 15-18 yearsDiet: HerbivoreHabitat: Originally from Tennessee, USAPopulation: 10,000Conservation Status: Not Evaluated Description Fainting goats are a breed of small meat goats (heavily muscled). A typical adult ranges from 17 to 25 inches tall and weighs between 60 and 174 pounds. The breed has distinctive prominent eyes set in high sockets. While the most common fainting goat coat color is black and white, the breed occurs in most color combinations. Either long or short hair is possible, but there is no angora strain of fainting goat. Fainting goats come in a variety of colors and coat lengths. passion4nature / Getty Images Why Fainting Goats Faint All fainting goats have an inherited muscle condition called myotonia congenita or Thomsens disease. The disorder is caused by a missense mutation of the CLCN1 gene that reduces chloride ion conductance in the chloride channels of muscle fibers. When the animal is startled its muscles tense up and dont immediately relax, causing the goat to fall down. Specifically, startling the goat causes its eyes and ears to send an electrical signal to the brain initiating the fight or flight response. When the response is initiated, the brain determines whether to stay or flee and the voluntary muscles momentarily tense. In myotonic goats, the balance between positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions is out of balance, so muscles have enough sodium to relax, but not enough chloride. It can take 5 to 20 seconds for the ion balance to resolve and the muscles to relax. The severity of the condition varies according to individual, age, water availability, and taurine supplementation. Younger goats stiffen and fall more often than older goats, in part because mature individuals have adapted to the condition and are less easily startled. Based on understanding of myotonia congenita in humans, its known that the condition is painless and has no effect on the individuals muscle tone, consciousness, or life expectancy. Young kids are more susceptible to fainting than older adults. Redleg / Wikimedia Commons Habitat and Distribution Fainting goats were brought to Marshall County, Tennessee, in the 1880s. Today, they are kept throughout the world, although they remain most numerous in the United States. Diet and Behavior Like other goats, fainting goats are herbivores that feed on vines, shrubs, trees, and some broad leaf plants. While goats taste most objects to gain information about them, they dont actually eat everything. Nightshade plants and moldy feed may be deadly to fainting goats. Like other goats, this breed is naturally inquisitive. They are intelligent and can solve simple puzzles. Goat are social animals, but they will form herds with animals of other species, such as sheep, and can form close bonds with humans. Reproduction and Offspring Goats reach sexual maturity between the ages of 3 and 15 months, ideally when they have reached 70% of their adult weight. Females (does) come into estrus every 21 days and indicate willingness to mate by vigorous tail wagging. Males (bucks) curl their upper lips (flehmen response) and urinate on their forelegs and face to increase their odor. Gestation lasts around 150 days, usually resulting in twin births. Does start milk production when they give birth or kid. Domestic goats typically live 15 to 18 years. Conservation Status Because fainting goats are domestic, the IUCN has not evaluated the breed to assign a conservation status. However, the Livestock Conservancy lists it as threatened. According to the International Fainting Goat Association, there are around 10,000 fainting goats in the world. Fainting Goats and Humans Because of their rarity, fainting goats typically arent raised for meat. The animals are usually kept as pets or show animals. Fainting goats are easier to care for than most other breeds because they are smaller, have a friendly disposition, and dont jump fences over 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) high. Sources Beck, C. L., Fahlke, C., George, A. L. Molecular basis for decreased muscle chloride conductance in the myotonic goat. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 93(20), 11248-11252, 1996. doi:10.1073/pnas.93.20.11248Bryant, S. H. Myotonia in the Goat. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 1979.Conte Camerino, D.; Bryant, S.H.; Mambrini, M.; Franconi, F.; Giotti, A. The action of taurine on muscle fibers of normal and congenitally myotonic goats. Pharmacological Research. 22: 93–94, 1990. doi:10.1016/1043-6618(90)90824-wHegyeli, A., Szent-Gyorgyi, A. Water and Myotonia in Goats. Science, 133(3457), 1961. doi:10.1126/science.133.3457.1011Lorenz, Michael D.; Coates, Joan R.; Kent, Marc. Handbook of Veterinary Neurology (5th ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier/Saunders, 2011. ISBN 978-1-4377-0651-2.

Friday, November 22, 2019

E.B. Whites Drafts of Once More to the Lake

E.B. White's Drafts of 'Once More to the Lake' At the start of every fall term, countless students are asked to write an essay on what must be the most uninspired composition topic of all time: How I Spent My Summer Vacation. Still, its remarkable what a good writer can do with such a seemingly dull subjectthough it may take a bit longer than usual to complete the assignment. In this case, the good writer was E.B. White, and the essay that took more than a quarter century to complete was Once More to the Lake. First Draft: Pamphlet on Belgrade Lake (1914) Back in 1914, shortly before his 15th birthday, Elwyn White responded to this familiar topic with uncommon enthusiasm. It was a subject the boy knew well and an experience that he fiercely enjoyed. Every August for the past decade, Whites father had taken the family to the same camp on Belgrade Lake in Maine. In a self-designed pamphlet, complete with sketches and photos, young Elwyn began his report clearly and conventionally This wonderful lake is five miles wide, and about ten miles long, with many coves, points and islands. It is one of a series of lakes, which are connected with each other by little streams. One of these streams is several miles long and deep enough so that it affords an opportunity for a fine all-day canoe trip. . . .The lake is large enough to make the conditions ideal for all kinds of small boats. The bathing also is a feature, for the days grow very warm at noon time and make a good swim feel fine. (reprinted in Scott Elledge, ​E.B. White: A Biography. Norton, 1984) Second Draft: Letter to Stanley Hart White (1936) In the summer of 1936, E. B. White, by then a popular writer for The New Yorker magazine, made a return visit to this childhood vacation spot. While there, he wrote a long letter to his brother Stanley, vividly describing the sights, sounds, and smells of the lake. Here are a few excerpts: The lake hangs clear and still at dawn, and the sound of a cowbell comes softly from a faraway woodlot. In the shallows along shore the pebbles and driftwood show clear and smooth on bottom, and black water bugs dart, spreading a wake and a shadow. A fish rises quickly in the lily pads with a little plop, and a broad ring widens to eternity. The water in the basin is icy before breakfast, and cuts sharply into your nose and ears and makes your face blue as you wash. But the boards of the dock are already hot in the sun, and there are doughnuts for breakfast and the smell is there, the faintly rancid smell that hangs around Maine kitchens. Sometimes there is little wind all day, and on still hot afternoons the sound of a motorboat comes drifting five miles from the other shore, and the droning lake becomes articulate, like a hot field. A crow calls, fearfully and far. If a night breeze springs up, you are aware of a restless noise along the shore, and for a few minutes before you fall asleep you hear the intimate talk between fresh-water waves and rocks that lie below bending birches. The insides of your camp are hung with pictures cut from magazines, and the camp smells of lumber and damp. Things dont change much. . . .(Letters of E.B. White, edited by Dorothy Lobrano Guth. Harper Row, 1976) Final Revision: Once More to the Lake (1941) White made the return journey in 1936 on his own, in part to commemorate his parents, both of whom had recently died. When he next made the trip to Belgrade Lake, in 1941, he took along his son Joel. White recorded that experience in what has become one of the best-known and most frequently anthologized essays of the past century, Once More to the Lake: We went fishing the first morning. I felt the same damp moss covering the worms in the bait can, and saw the dragonfly alight on the tip of my rod as it hovered a few inches from the surface of the water. It was the arrival of this fly that convinced me beyond any doubt that everything was as it always had been, that the years were a mirage and there had been no years. The small waves were the same, chucking the rowboat under the chin as we fished at anchor, and the boat was the same boat, the same color green and the ribs broken in the same places, and under the floor-boards the same fresh-water leavings and debristhe dead hellgrammite, the wisps of moss, the rusty discarded fishhook, the dried blood from yesterdays catch. We stared silently at the tips of our rods, at the dragonflies that came and went. I lowered the tip of mine into the water, pensively dislodging the fly, which darted two feet away, poised, darted two feet back, and came to rest again a little farther up the rod. There had been no years between the ducking of this dragonfly and the other onethe one that was part of memory. . . . (Harpers, 1941; reprinted in One Mans Meat. Tilbury House Publishers, 1997) Certain details from Whites 1936 letter reappear in his 1941 essay: damp moss, birch beer, the smell of lumber, the sound of outboard motors. In his letter, White insisted that things dont change much, and in his essay, we hear the refrain, There had been no years. But in both texts, we sense that the author was working hard to sustain an illusion. A joke may be deathless, the lake may be fade-proof, and summer may seem to be without end. Yet as White makes clear in the concluding image of Once More to the Lake, only the pattern of life is indelible: When the others went swimming my son said he was going in too. He pulled his dripping trunks from the line where they had hung all through the shower, and wrung them out. Languidly, and with no thought of going in, I watched him, his hard little body, skinny and bare, saw him wince slightly as he pulled up around his vitals the small, soggy, icy garment. As he buckled the swollen belt, suddenly my groin felt the chill of death. To spend almost 30 years composing an essay is exceptional. But then, you have to admit, so is Once More to the Lake. Postscript (1981) According to Scott Elledge in E.B. White: A Biography, on July 11, 1981, to celebrate his eighty-first birthday, White lashed a canoe to the top of his car and drove to the same Belgrade lake where, seventy years before, he had received a green old town canoe from his father, a gift for his eleventh birthday.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Risk and the Unkown of the Genetically Modified Foods Research Paper

The Risk and the Unkown of the Genetically Modified Foods - Research Paper Example Although resistance to change is something that is innate in almost each and every individual, oftentimes this resistance to change and predisposition to a level of conservatism act as a built-in evolutional mechanism that serves to protect the human beings from the unknown. True, humans have long sought to push the boundaries and experiment well outside the zones of comfort and recommendation. Such pushing of the envelope has given us the age of jet travel, space exploration, advanced science, and many other inventions and realities that we would not otherwise have. Yet, the fact remains that pushing the envelope and seeking to engage in something that is unknown is a process which only certain individuals within society have been comfortable at performing. Due to such an understanding, it becomes obvious that expecting all of society to engage in an activity that might be entirely outside of their comfort zone is neither ethical nor advantageous. This is very much the situation wit h regard to the use of GMOs within food supplies around the globe. With the rapid advance of science, scientists and researchers have been able to genetically modify a host of different plants and organisms as a means of tweaking the way in which they produce. This level of scientific manipulation has been able to provide the world with heartier and more productive crops; however, the fact of the matter is that the true levels of drawbacks that are exhibited within these genetically modified organisms are not fully understood. Due to the level of incomplete knowledge that exists with regard to GMOs within food, many nations around the world have banned them entirely. However, the United States and several other developed nations have not. As a means of analyzing the potential drawbacks and negatives that GMO might exhibit within a nation’s health and food supply, this particular analysis will focus upon several of these determinants and seek to provide relevant and up-to-date information as a means to prove why GMO should be restricted from the food supply until a further level of knowledge is able to be derived with regard to its overall health impacts. Perhaps the first and most obvious reason that GMO food exhibits a clear and definitive concern to the human population is with regard to the unknown level of impact that GMO necessarily poses to human health. Shockingly, very little independent research has been performed on GMOs to determine the level of impact, if any, that they might have with regard to human health. Moreover, seed company agreements forbid the sale or use of any of their seeds for the process of independent research, all but stymieing any attempt that an independent researcher might make in order to draw a level of inference with regard to whether or not GMOs are harmful, beneficial or neutral. However, the fact that seed manufacturers are so particular about including the caveat that their products cannot be sold or utilised for i ndependent research sheds a level of particular doubt in the mind of the reader with regard to the overall health concerns that use of GMO might present for any society’s food supply. Moreover, another particular level of the unknown that exists with regard to the use of GMO in food is the fact that many of the GMO food sources currently in the market have been proven to have a built-in resistance to certain types of antibiotics. For instance, Amflora, a type of

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 51

Reflection - Essay Example Most of the early motor racing activities were informal affairs that involve just a few close friends and their relatives perhaps on a dirt road or some remote place where the people can show off their driving skills and their beloved machines. It is not surprising the motor events soon attracted enough following to become formal big sports events in later years. Drag racing is the name given for the motor racing in which there is usually only two people involved as contestants. The race follows a short but straight course (over an open field or even a rarely used or abandoned city street) and the rules are straightforward too: just to see who of the two racers can get to the designated finish line first. Drag racing along the streets is kind of illegal and so it is banned as it can endanger people while the motor sports version is legal but is highly regulated by authorities and sports officials. The early drag racers were more concerned in how they and their machines performed against a competitor and were not so overly conscious of whether there are few or many people watching the event. These racers were more into their own passion for the sports in terms of its speed and of course the inherent risks involved in racing. In this paper, the discussion revolves on how the sport of drag racing evolved over the years. Drag racing evolved from a participant sports to a spectator sports due to development of the slingshot dragster; the racers and the people watching wanted a faster machine and so the slingshot dragster came into being. This is a type of racing car with the engine out in the front supposed to make it go faster and gain speed easier but this very design is also inherently unstable (wrong engineering) so crashes and explosions were quite common. Many race drivers got seriously injured or even killed; the term

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The American Dream Essay Example for Free

The American Dream Essay What is the American Dream? The American Dream is an idea people have that they can have happy and successful lives if they work hard enough. Since the Mayflower brought over the first settlers, America has attracted people all over the world to relocate to our country just to start a new and free life. They all had a dream, something we call the â€Å"American Dream†. We may think the American Dream doesn’t mean much but for some it could mean everything. The American Dream can mean different things to each individual. For example, in the novel Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck, George and Lennie mentioned that they wanted to live on the fat of the land. This was their dream because George doesn’t want anybody around telling him what to do and Lennie wants to tend many of his own rabbits. Whereas, in the nonfiction story Of Plymouth Plantation written by Bradford, the pilgrims are brought to America to seek better lives. They wanted to escape religious persecution. Their dream was to be able to worship God and find land to own. America is known as the land of opportunity. People from other countries dream of bringing their families to the United States of America. They just want to own their own home and have stable jobs. We Americans don’t realize how lucky we are to be free. Other countries would give up anything to be given the opportunity to come here. The desire among many parents is for their children to lead happy lives. This is especially for immigrants because many of them left their home countries die to difficult living conditions. Although the concept of the American Dream is well known most people don’t realize how long it’s been around. Back in the 1900’s it was about being free and treated equal. Being free and treated equal meant more to African Americans because they were done with being so discriminated against. They worked so much harder than whites and got little to nothing in return. For example, Langston Hughes’ poem, â€Å"I, Too, Sing, America† is about an African American that gets mistreated. He has to eat dinner away from everyone else when company comes over. He finally plans to stand up for himself by eating at the table no matter what anyone says. His dream was to be free of racism and treated equal. Now days, it’s difficult for people to capture their American Dream. The economy has gotten so bad overtime to where people have to get more than one job to bring in enough income. In reality, your income decides your way of living which is utterly ridiculous. Money shouldn’t have to play such a big role in our lives. I think one job should be enough to buy all the necessities and then some but, unfortunately its not. My mom has 3 jobs with loads of stress piled on her shoulders and it’s still not enough to 100% support us. Her American Dream shouldn’t be about having less stress and more money but should be about her living a happy stable financial life. In other words, the American Dream can mean so many different things but in the end it all related in some way. Everyone wants to be successful with no worries. Not everyone is as lucky as us Americans to have a dream that we at least have an opportunity to achieve. People all over the world dream about coming to America for better lives. If you try hard enough, you may be lucky enough to achieve your dream.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Christopher Columbus Essay -- Christopher Columbus Essays

On October 12, 1492, two worlds unknown to each other met for the first time on a small island in the Caribbean Sea. While on a voyage for Spain in search of a direct sea route from Europe to Asia, Christopher Columbus accidentally discovered the Americas. However, in four separate voyages to the Caribbean from 1492 to 1504, he remained convinced that he had found the lands that Marco Polo reached in his overland travels to China at the end of the 13th century. To Columbus it was only a matter of time before a passage was found through the Caribbean islands to the cities of Asia. Columbus was not the first European to reach the Americas Vikings from Scandinavia had briefly settled on the North American coast, in what is now Newfoundland, Canada, in the late 10th or early 11th century. Ho...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Berlin Wall Essay

The Berlin wall caused much strife during its existence. It started with the conflict between the USSR and the Allies and quickly escalated from there. The long years it stood were full of separation and conflict. The story of the Berlin wall is not one easily forgotten. During WWII the Soviet army captured the German city of Berlin. The U.S., Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union all occupied a sector of Berlin. The United States, Britain, and France occupied sectors in West German and Berlin while the Soviet Union occupied the East. Because of this, when the Cold War started, East and West Berlin were divided both in opinion and territory. The Soviets were communist and the leaders of West Germany were determined that all of Germany should be communistic. The Soviets tried to force the Western powers to give up their control over their three sectors. After their attempts to convince them to give up their control failed, the Soviet side cut West Berlin, which was isolated in the middle of East Germany, from all land and air travel. West Berlin was frozen and starving, but they refused to give in. The Western Allies started what is commonly known as the Berlin Airlift. Great amounts of food and supplies were dropped by plane. West Berlin was not given up by the Allies. East Germany however, did give up the blockade of West Berlin after a year. They determined that something else must be done. East Berlin lost many people to West Berlin. It was said approximately two and a half million people escaped the communistic East Germany simply by crossing the border from East Berlin into the West. A common method of this escape was by subway. At one station they believed that one out of every three people leaving the station was actually an escaping citizen of East Germany. East Germany was rapidly losing its much needed work force. Walter Ulbricht was the man most blamed for the building of the Berlin Wall. In public, he denied all rumors of even the consideration of cutting off the border routes. The denial of the idea of closing the border was a plan to keep the flow of people escaping from increasing before the wall was built. Ulbricht believed that people would desperately flee as soon as they heard of the plans for the wall. On a Saturday night in 1961, the wall was hastily built. Since it was the weekend, the unsuspecting people were vacationing after their week of long work and did not notice the hidden rolls of barbwire and timber slashed away where the wall was to be built. People whose houses stood where the separation was were no longer allowed to use their Western doors. Many used the windows to escape but others were caught by the East police or lost their lives in the process. By the end of the first couple weeks, the windows and doors were sealed off with bricks. The Berlin was more than a sliver of grey concrete. It was watchtowers, guards, guns, barbed wire, and even mines. As determined as many East Berliners were to cross to freedom, they had to risk so much in the process. For many, the risk led to their deaths. The wall was disapproved of by many of the citizens. Because of the sudden construction, many families were instantly separated. The dangers sometimes outweighed the thought of unification. Wanting to at the very least see their loved ones, platforms were built on the West side of the wall and families would find some comfort in mere glimpses of their loved ones. Another negativity of the wall was the sheer conflict of beliefs. Some who did not share the opinions of Germany were quickly forced in a problematic situation. They couldn’t escape from the strict rules of communism. The wall had clearly put them on the wrong side. Family and beliefs were not the only things the wall separated. Though not physically, the Berlin wall drew a line right through Germany. You were either East German or you were West German. There were no in between grey sections. People had to choose sides or their side was chosen for them. Of course, through all this, France, Britain, and the United States stood beside their West German sectors. Tension of the cold was thick. Many showed what side they were on by simply choosing to support East or West Germany. Those who supported the East were Communistic. Those who supported West Germany were supporters of democracy of freedom. The problems within East Germany became more and more obvious as time went on. The most obvious problem was the existence of the wall itself. Many died from the wall and it wasn’t just the start. The problems of East Germany were from social to economic. At first, it was very possible to make it across the wall. People would break through with trucks, dig tunnels, fight their way across, sneak across during construction, forge papers, and all manner of escape. People didn’t let the risk of death keep them from their freedoms and families. Not everyone was lucky enough to make it across. One example of misfortune was a pair of young men who determined to sneak across a weak part of the wall. The first made it successfully across, but his friend did not. Shot by the guards, the young man lay injured and bleeding at the wall. Still on the East side, people from the West could not retrieve the dying young man. The guards waited for him to bleed out before disposing of his body. His screams and cries for help haunted and outraged the people. Fearing a future uprising, the guards were commanded to move bodies and dying individuals out of sight so the people wouldn’t be quite as disturbed by their deaths. After many made it across the Berlin wall, it was decided to reinforce the wall. This reinforcement crushed many people’s hope of ever crossing and killed many of those that retained their hope. The wall at first had been simply a tall concrete wall with armed watchtowers, searchlights, and barbed wire. The reinforcement included a higher fence with a column of concrete that was seemingly impossible to grip, extra fences, tripwires connected to automatic machine guns, and a seemingly hopeless run to safety. Forged papers at the gates were the most likely means of escape after the reinforcement. In East Germany, the work hours were long, the opportunities were few, the tension was high, and the rules were strict. Music was censored and lives were limited. East Germans created a distinct culture because they had to avoid breaking so many rules. You watched what you said and who you were with. Rules in East Germany were not taken lightly because the people never knew when they were being watched. The neighbors, their best friend, their lover, or even their mother could’ve been one of them; one of the agents for Germany’s secret police, that is. The secret police were called Stasi. Anyone could be suspected of being part of the Stasi, since the Stasi used anyone they could. The Stasi was a huge network of agents who watched over East Germany. They had their eyes on over one-third of the population. The Stasi spied on, arrested, and manipulated countless people. They picked up on plans of escape, wormed their way into possible rebellion for information, and even kept records of their target’s lives in incredible detail. Along with the suspicious activity they stored in the files pertaining to the lives of their targets, they included elaborate plans for their victims. These plans interfered with lives, ruined marriages, kept certain kids from getting into universities, and even destroyed futures. They didn’t stand for any possible uprising. They snuffed out any spark that could lead to anything contradictory to East Germany’s policies. Pollution was a major problem in East Germany. Their pollution was actually so great that it actually caused diseases not seen since Victorian ages. The diseases killed many of the people. People started environmental programs to try and do something about the pollution and stop the tragedy of diseases. A bit of freedom was the beginning of change and the start of hope in East Germany. The rules were loosened on churches across the land. Slowly but surely the church became the centers of protest across the land. People came to meetings with the accepted excuse of praying for the country or involvement at environmental programs at the church. The church quietly became the center of reformists. Because of the hope sprouted by the reformist church meetings, a protest of seventy-thousand people occurred openly in East Germany. The world watched in tense concern. Many feared that East German officials would use the â€Å"China option† where they would simply massacre the protestors like what had recently occurred in China. The world was shocked when there seemed to be no immediate consequences for the massive protest. The opening of the Berlin wall was a great event and actually an accident. After many years of separation and conflict, one man’s misunderstood words caused the great event. While an East German bureaucrat, Gà ¼nter Schabowski, was at a press conference on November 9th, 1989, his uncertain answer to a simple question was misunderstood. The misunderstanding was that travel restrictions were being lifted and effective immediately. People flooded to the gates of the wall demanding access they believed was granted by one man who simply misspoke. These people could not be turned away though what Schabowski had said was far greater than what the authorities had intended to do. For hours, the gates remained closed and the guards were hammered by questions and demands from the eager citizens. The guards tried to get an order from the higher ups, but at the time the whole system of authority was in chaos and disorder. No one seemed to know what to do. Finally, at about 11:30 that night, after countless meetings and useless phone calls, the order went out to open the gates. This order was given by Lieutenant-Colonel Harald Jà ¤ger, the senior officer in charge at the Bornholmer Strasse border crossing. When he gave the order, people flooded through the gates and climbed the walls. Harald Jà ¤ger later gave his report of what had occurred that night. It was apparent to all of the guards that something was amiss and that people would soon show up trying to pass through the gates as they watched the press conference. They were all surprised at the words spoken at the press conference but did not understand the enormity of the consequences that were to come. He said, â€Å"All I thought was: Now you’ve got to find out whether they’re allowed to travel immediately or not.† He called his higher up to ask, but it was apparent that he was just as surprised and simply ordered him not to let anyone through. Harald apparently held countless meetings with his officers all that afternoon. Everyone demanded that he tell them what to do. Fearing the consequences of letting them through and wanting to know if the men would support his decision, he had asked if they should open fire on the people. When the guards objected he knew what he must do. The people were bound to get hurt in a scuffle if he waited too long so he reached his decision. â€Å"†¦ I gave my people the order: Open the barrier!† The destruction of the wall was almost immediate. The world watched in awe as the socialistic experiment on East Germany quickly crumbled as the East and West citizens of Germany united in joy and merriment. The opening of the wall was well received by the West. That very night, they made their way over the wall to join and rejoice with their Eastern brethren. Even the Chancellor of West Germany called the current President of the U.S., George H. W. Bush, and ecstatically relayed the events of the night. They knew Germany would never be the same. Despite all the official government problems with the occasion of the wall falling, the East and West strove to be together again. After forty years of that cursed wall, the people finally had their chance to tear it down. They gladly took that chance. The people of the White House shared the Chancellor’s enthusiasm and encouraged the President to go to Germany. The President refused to take any credit in the happening, â€Å"This is the German moment.† The people of Germany jumped at their chance to seize freedom and unity. They feared they would lose the opportunity as abruptly as it came. Germans wanted freedom to decide their own fate. They wanted the freedom to see their loved ones and choose who they wanted to lead them. They wanted to be a whole nation again. As joyous as the world was at the fall of the wall, many feared what was to come. How would the world take it? What would it lead to? How was the Soviet Union going to handle this? The very symbol of socialism had fallen by the hand of its own people. Was this reunion of sides going to be allowed? Or would there be a violent backlash? Leaders and the world watched anxiously. There were so many consequences that could occur, but everyone simply wondered whether they would be positive or negative. Mikhail Gorbachev was a name well known among the USSR. He was the man who was trying to reform the Soviet Union from the inside. He was trying to make a stronger, greater Soviet Union, but even his supporters in the Soviet began to think he had taken it too far with the opening of the wall. It had never been his intention to open the wall, but it had happened on his watch. Everyone feared that this would somehow end up in violence. A man by the name of Helmut Kohl, the Chancellor of Germany, saw this even at the opportunity to reunite Germany. Many called his idea premature and the very idea made people uneasy. The concept of having a reunified strong Germany struck concern into Germany’s neighbors and nations around the world and Europe. People feared another German attack and the change that could take place. As much as the concept of reunification was feared, it turned out that it was actually out of the European leaders’ hands and in the people’s. The people of Germany started the ball rolling on the reunification of Germany. Within the first day of the fall of the wall, over one million East Germans made their way to West Berlin and within the first week over nine million had done the same. It was almost a large party. The mood was full of celebration. They were even given a welcome gift as they came. People went to shop and to drink and simply enjoy the fact that they were now on the other side of the wall and the gates were open. It became extremely obvious to the East Germans that personal freedom meant that they had the option of doing whatever they desired to do. They could lose their job, try to find a new one, follow their dreams, and they all had to change. The economy of East Germany couldn’t avoid a drastic change. It was unstable, but the Germans determined that they were going to do what they wanted. Though it was roughly known that the German Chancellor Helmut Kohl desired a reunified Germany, he had not officially stated any means of doing so. Upon hearing that others were already beginning to discuss their own plans for East and West Germany, the Chancellor felt that he should hold a speech that stated his views and display his plan for reunification. The plan was supposed to take about five to seven years to complete and had been carefully crafted within his group of trusted advisors. Helmut Kohl had not consulted with his allies before holding his bold speech for the entire world to hear. Had he done so, he believed the speech would have never been made. Thought his speech had been a gamble, it was one that paid off. Because of it, he was personally identified with reunification of Germany. The United States decided to fully support Kohl’s plan for reunification. The only problem now lay in convincing the leaders of France and Britain that a reunified Germany would be beneficial to Europe. While world leaders struggled to decide what was to be done and what Germany was to become, the people of Germany had gathered their own to plan their new land. They continued to daily tear down more and more of the ugly wall that had so long separated them. The people didn’t want a Germany that was simply a larger West Germany, but a completely new Germany that took both the best of the West and the East. The people planned on taking this into their own hands and becoming a form of Democracy. The group who were planning such an event was a group called the Round Table. Among one of the first things they strove for was and open election in East Germany, something that hadn’t been done in over sixty years. Of course, not everything would turn out right. One major cause of concern was when the Round Table had received a report that things were turning violent. An angry mob was reported storming the East German secret police’s, the Stasi’s headquarters. They feared that many were about to be lynched, but to their surprise, the mob simply stormed the headquarters and no violence actually seemed to occur. They now found themselves surrounded by mass amounts of information, years of spying and reports written about them. They had overthrown the Stasi. In March of 1990, East Germany held their first election in over sixty years. Many were torn between voting for the conservative West German runners since they had the money to pull them out of their bad economy and the Democratic candidates of the East that had pulled them out of their situation in the first place. As time when on, many began to realize that the people were pushing for materialism over all other things. The feeling of revolution was quickly dying out as they voted for those they believed would grant them prosperity. It was all too obvious that a new Germany was no longer desired. The East simply wanted to be like the West. The majority of the elected officials were rich conservative Westerners and only a handful of reformists. A major problem with the gradual reunification was the horrid, polluted economical state of East Germany. It dawned on many Westerners that they would have to pay a lot of the price for the East German pollution problems. It was estimated that as the lifelong security of jobs guaranteed by the strict East Germany was destroyed that almost every two out of three jobs were lost by East Germans. They abruptly had to face the reality of joblessness and strive to succeed in other places. Despite the hardships, Germany was indeed being unified. One of the symbols of reunification was when the leaders of France, Germany, the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union gathered to watch the removal of checkpoint Charlie, one of the focal points of the Cold War. The Soviets were facing the reality that their East German socialist empire was quickly meeting its end. The last thing blocking German unification was Soviet permission for Germany to join North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). When this was surprisingly overcome, there was nothing standing in the way. On October 1st, 1990, the four victorious powers formally gave up their rights to Germany. Germany was now free to do as they chose. Less than a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall on October 3rd, 1990, Germany became one nation. Mikhail Gorbachev was forced to resign and blamed for the fall of the Soviet empire who suffered a great loss when Gorbachev chose to give up Germany. Despite this, he believed he had done the right thing in the end. The leaders involved in the reunification of Germany all seemed to stand by their decisions that it was right to let Germany choose who it was going to be. The Cold War had peacefully ended. The people of East Germany were now free and unified. They were free to enjoy music, free to see their families, free to choose their own jobs, free to say what they wanted, and free from fear of the Stasi. East and West Germany ceased to exist, and though there is still a distinction between the people, they grow more and more unified as time passes on. Parts of the wall still stand, but people now simply see it as a reminder of what had been and a way to urge themselves to look to a greater future.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Eating with Your Hands Essay

Society today is one big melting pot. People bring their customs and cultural traditions and it conglomerates with others creating these norms we follow. We live by, what time has created over time, a status quo, or social rights and wrongs. In the passage, Eating with Your Hands, the author opens the topic about etiquette, one of the major social controversies. She talks about why some foods are only acceptable to be eaten with proper utensils while others can be â€Å"finger food†. It’s true—but why is that a known rule? And why is it frowned upon? The passage has some background history of people groups within certain countries eating food with their hands, and how it almost gives an individual a better sense of what he or she is eating. The author brings up how it’s the meeting of the soul and the skin; whereas silverware places a distance between you and your food. She compares it to that of two people making love—giving food and yourself an intimate relationship. I got the sense that society has changed the soul and feeling behind food and meals due to the kosher norms of modern day etiquette. Personally I have never given thought to how I eat my food in comparison with other cultures. Growing up in twenty-first century America I have always eaten the way I’m â€Å"supposed† to; I never gave it a second thought. My culture has almost given me tunnel vision, letting me focus only on what I know as acceptable or natural. This topic opens my mind to what else I might be blinded to. I have never explored what other cultures grow accustomed to like religion, style, relationships, family dynamics or even school. I have always considered myself incredibly fortunate for the life I live, and therefore I never examined the varying cultural aspects of differing nations or people groups. As far as the message of society erasing the intimacy of our meals to ourselves, I can absolutely sympathize with the author’s thoughts. In retrospect, the singular thing that could most certainly bring my family together was the warm meal that awaited us. The physicality of sharing a meal together provided each of us the opportunities to engage, with every member of my family, our singular experiences. Food is a social activity! Assuredly, eating is an activity. When an individual goes out with his or her friends, more often than not they all get dinner together. When one throws a birthday party, a favorite restaurant or catering or favorite home-cooked meal is involved. Social interactions like dating usually incorporate food of some sort. In the generation of everything digital, it is common to take a picture of a meal and post it to a social media. Food has always been a part of social interaction. I do think that society has put a strain on the comfort of eating how we desire, without our conscious recognition. Perhaps because we grew up learning that we couldn’t eat spaghetti with both hands.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

How to Check Cross-References

How to Check Cross-References How to Check Cross-References How to Check Cross-References By Mark Nichol A word, phrase, or sentence that directs the reader to related information in the same document (or, in the case of online content, perhaps a different document), whether said document is an article or a book, is called a cross-reference. This post discusses best practices in employing cross-references. In printed or online content, a cross-reference is a text element that introduces the reader to a subsequent element of content, whether text or one or more graphic elements. For example, an observation or assertion may be followed by a statement such as â€Å"See further discussion in chapter 6† or â€Å"See the columns labeled ‘Cause’ and ‘Effect’ in figure 1 below.† Note a couple of details about these examples: First, neither example uses page numbers to locate the cross-reference; this is because, in the case of a printed document, pagination may change when the content is reprinted or is posted online. (Also, the designations for types of content- chapter and figure- are not capitalized, nor are similar terms such as appendix, part, and table, and numbers are always styled as numerals, not spelled out.) For the same reason, avoid directions such as â€Å"See next page†; write â€Å"See below,† instead, especially to direct the reader’s attention to a figure or table. Cross-references can also refer to preceding elements, either by specific references or by calling attention to, for example, â€Å"the abovementioned factors† or â€Å"the aforementioned locations,† â€Å"the foregoing discussion,† or â€Å"the participants mentioned above.† General references similar to these seldom precede their referents, and equivalents of abovementioned and aforementioned that replace the first half of each word with below and after are not valid words, nor is aftergoing. (Prementioned is a real world, but I have never seen it used in this context.) On a related note, it is essential to check all cross-references in a given piece of content. Any references to the title of the overall content itself that appear in the content should match, and the writer, and/or an editor or proofreader, should verify that all elements listed in the table of contents- part and chapter titles and any headings and subheadings- and related lists of such elements as figures and tables should be verified against the lists. (At the proofreading stage, page numbers in the table of contents and similar lists, which are entered in the electronic file from which the publication is created only after the text is paginated, should also be cross-checked against the respective pages.) In addition, all cross-references discussed in the foregoing discussion should be checked to make sure that, for example, when figure 5 is mentioned in regard to a certain topic, fact, or data point, that information appears in figure 5. Likewise, a caption for an illustration or a photograph, or a reference to the image in the running text, should be inspected to verify that it correctly identifies what is shown in the image. Chapter numbers and other identifying information should be cross-checked in the proofreading stage as well; such indicators may have been changed at some point because, for example, two chapters have been combined, one has been deleted, or a new one has been inserted. At the same time, or in a separate review, spelling or treatment of terms in the text should be checked to ensure that it matches those shown in figures. For example, if a table with a list of names refers to someone as Smythe, but the text uses Smyth, the correct choice should be verified and the error corrected, or if a map identifies the most populous city in India as Bombay but the text uses the newer standard form Mumbai (whether in reference to the map or in isolation), the map should be relabeled, or replaced with one that uses the modern form. Also, when footnotes or endnotes are employed, text that prompts a note should be checked against the wording of the note to ensure that they are pertinent to each other, and when a citation is noted, it should be checked against a list of references to make sure, first, that an entry for each citation is listed and, second, that the information in the citation (for example, a last name and the year of publication) matches the information in the references. In a separate step, the references should be cross-checked against citations to make sure that every reference in the list has one or more corresponding citations; reference entries without a citation should be deleted. URLs and links to email addresses should also be verified, and links should be tested to ensure that the destination of the link is correct and correctly identified. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of Infinitives50 Nautical Terms in General UseIs Your Novel "Mystery," "Thriller," or "Suspense"?

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Offensive and Otherwise Inappropriate German Words

Offensive and Otherwise Inappropriate German Words Warning: This article may contain  examples of the following language: unanstndig  dirty, obscene, indecent; improper, rude, ill-manneredunanstndige Wà ¶rter gebrauchen  Ã‚  to use four-letter words, bad languagedie Unanstndigkeit  (-en)  dirty joke, obscenityUnanstndigkeiten erzhlen  Ã‚  to tell dirty jokes You may find some of the words and expressions  contained in this German  glossary objectionable.  As with English, most should  only to be used when and if you really know what youre doing. This article isnt explicitly (ha) meant to promote the use of these expressions, but to arm you with information. As  Goethe  said, a lack of knowledge can be a dangerous thing.   Cursing and Swearing  (das Fluchen) While most swear words in English are sexual or have to do with your parentage, German leans more towards the scatological (having to do with excrement or feces). Although Germans sometimes borrow  the English f-word, the German version is rarely used in swearing. German terms roughly equal to American bullsh or British bollocks include:   der BockmistScheiß redenScheiße!Quatsch mit Soße Donnerwetter!  Darn it! Zum Donnerwetter!  , it depends on the tone of your voice and how it is said. As an interjection of acknowledgment, it is more like My word! You dont say. die Drecksau/der Dreckskerl  filthy swine, bastard die Hà ¶lle  hell   Ã‚  Ã‚  Fahr zur Hà ¶lle!   Go to hell!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Zur Hà ¶lle mit...   To hell with...  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sie machte ihm das Leben zur Hà ¶lle.   She made his life a living hell. NOTE: Avoid anglicisms like  was in der Hà ¶lle!  Most English hell expressions are Teufel expressions in German. Der Mist  is a mild German word meaning dung, manure, or rubbish/nonsense. However, when used in some compound words (der Mistkerl,  das Miststà ¼ck), it is no longer fit for polite society! der Mistkerl  bastard, dirty swinedas Miststà ¼ck  bastard (m.), bitch (f.) verdammt  damned, bloody Verdammt!   Damn!/DammitVerdammt noch mal!   Damn it all!/Damn it to hell!/Bloody hell! (Br.)Verdammter Mist!   Goddamn it!/Sod it! (Br.) verflucht!  damn! Verflucht noch mal!   For chrissake!/Goddamn it! der Scheiß  /  die Scheiße Variations of this German word [literally, sh, crap, damn, bloody (Br.)] are so ubiquitous as to warrant an entire section of its own.  It is important to know that the German and English versions of the s-word are not always equal. The English subtitles of German movies often mistranslate the German expletive  Scheiße!  Its use in German is frequently closer to English Damn! or Dammit! To say This town really sucks, you could say:  Diese Stadt ist echt Scheiße.  Although it sometimes isnt as strong a curse word as English Sh! that doesnt mean you should casually use  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Scheiße!  in German. An expression such as  Dieses Scheißauto!  could mean This f-ing car! or This damned car! - depending on how it is said and by whom.   Scheiß-  prefix  lousy, shty, bloody (Br.), crappy, damned (thing).  This prefix, like its cousin above, often should be translated as damned (thing), or something more mild than you might think. For instance, when a German says  So ein Scheißwetter!, it only means that the weather is really bad: Such awful weather! By the same token,  Diese Scheißpolitiker!  means These damned politicians! (a universal complaint).   scheißegal  adj.  of no damned importanceDas ist mir  (doch)  scheißegal!  I dont (really) give a damn/f-/sh (about that)!scheißen  to sh, crapDu scheißt mich an!  Youre sh-in me!/Youre a pain in the ass!Ich scheiß drauf!  I dont give a damn/f-/sh (about that)!der Scheißkerl  bastard, son-of-a-bitch, motherf-er Obscene Hand Gestures While we dont include inappropriate gestures in this glossary, you should know that some hand signs or gestures are universal, but others are not. In some parts of the world, the American OK sign (finger and thumb forming an O) is an insult having to do with a body orifice. If a German taps his/her forehead with the index finger in someones direction, that is a bad thing (meaning the other person is an idiot), and punishable by a fine if a policeman sees it or someone files charges. Sexual Terms and Body Parts Many of the terms in this glossary relate to human sexuality. Some of them have a double meaning that you should be aware of. If you refer to an animals tail in German (der Schwanz), thats OK, but you should also know that the same term is a crude way of referring to the male sex organ. The German verb  blasen  can have many of the same multiple meanings that blow has in English. But if you want to enjoy a good German erotic novel, youll find some of that vocabulary here as well. blasen  Ã‚  to blow (fellatio) jemandem einen blasen   to go down on s.o., do fallatioSie hat ihm einen geblasen.   She gave him a... ficken  Ã‚  to fk, have sex (vulgar),  mit jemandem ficken   to fk s.o. NOTE:  The German forms of  ficken  are used only in a sexual sense. Most English fs: Fk him!   Der kann mich doch am Arsch lecken!; This f-ing car!   Dieses Scheißauto!; We were just f-ing with you.   Wir haben dich nur verarscht.; Fk off!   Verpiss dich! geil  horny.  This word (along with  supergeil) has become slang for cool or great in German.  Das ist ja geil!   Thats really cool! die Eier  (pl.)  balls, nuts (lit.  eggs) einhandsegeln  (teen slang)  to jerk off, wank, spank the monkey einparken  (teen slang)  to have sex, get laid, bang die Kiste  boobs, tits; (big) buttDie hat ne große Kiste.   Shes got big tits.Note: In some regions, this can mean a big butt rather than boobs. knallen  to bang, screw der Knutschfleck  (-en)  hickie, love bite The Bottom Line der Arsch   ass, arse; butt.am Arsch der Welt in the middle of nowhere, in a Godforsaken holeam/im Arsch sein to be screwed upDas geht mir am Arsch vorbei! I dont give a sh (about that)!in den Arsch gehen to get screwed upDu kannst mich! (am Arsch lecken) You can kiss my ass!Leck mich am Arsch! Kiss my ass!/F- off!Setz deinen Arsch in Bewegung! Get your ass in gear!er Arschkriecher/der Arschlecker (-)  ass-kisser, brown-nosedas Arschloch  a-holeder Po  bottom, behind, butt kommen  to come, have an orgasm der/das Kondom  condom.  Also known by many slang terms:  Gummi,  Pariser, etc. die Mà ¶pse  (pl.)  tits, boobs pissen  to piss, pee.   sich verpissen   to piss off, f- off der Sack  (Scke)  bag, sac, sack; scrotum, balls (testicles); bastard, bugger, sod ein fauler Sack  a lazy bum, lazy bastard/bugger (degree of harshness depends on circumstances/tone of voice)eine faule Socke  a lazy bum (less harsh than fauler Sack) die Sau  sow, bitch, bastard.  alte Landsau  stupid old bitch, dumb bastard (lit., old country sow).  Also see Schwein below!  In German, words related to the pig (sow, swine) fill in for English terms of illegitimacy (bastard, son-of-a..., etc.).   Sau-  prefix  bloody, damn, lousydie Sauarbeit  damned/bloody/lousy workdas Sauwetter  damned/bloody/lousy weather die Scham  shame; private parts, genitals, vulva (fem.) das Schamhaar  pubic hair scharf  hot, horny, sexually aroused Ich bin scharf auf ihn.  I have the hots for him. die Scheide  Ã‚  vagina.  The  Rammstein  song lyric bis der Tod der Scheide is a play on this word and the phrase bis der Tod euch scheidet (till death you do part) in their song Du hast. See  full lyrics. der Schwanz, die  Schwnze, das  Schwnzchen (diminutive)  tail, slang for penis das Schwein  pig, bastard, son of a bitch, swine.  This is one of the worst words in German! NEVER use it (or its compounds) unless you know what youre doing, and probably not even then! Ironically,  Schwein haben  means to be lucky:  Wir haben Schwein gehabt.   We were lucky. (We came out smelling like a rose.) Schweine:  So eine Schweinerei!  How disgusting!/What a dirty trick! der Strich  prostitution; red-light district.  auf den Strich gehen  to be a prostitute, ply her / his wares der Teufel  devil Zum Teufel!   Dammit!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wer zum Teufel hat das gemacht?   Who the hell did that?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Der Teufel soll mich holen, wenn...   Ill be damned if...  Ã‚  Ã‚  Geh zum Teufel!   Go to hell!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hol dich der Teufel!   Go to hell!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scher dich zum Teufel!   Go to hell!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Der Teufel wird los sein.   The sts gonna hit the fan. All hells gonna break lose. ​die Unaussprechlichen  (pl.)  ones unmentionables (humorous) die Zuckerstange  (slang)  penis (candy cane) German Slang Terms for Masturbation Lest you think that German has an abnormally large number of terms for masturbation,  let me point out that English does as well. sich abzapfenaus dem Handgelenk schà ¼ttelnden Fleischtopf rà ¼hrenden Schimmel schà ¼ttelnden Trumpf in die Hand nehmendie Hnde in den Schoß legendie Ladung là ¶schen, entsaftendie HandmassageHuptling Schnelle Vorhauthobelnkrumme Finger machenOld Schà ¼ttelhandsein eigenes Sà ¼ppchen kochenselbst ist der Mannsich einen runterholensich einen von der Palme schà ¼ttelnsich entschleimensich Luft machenTaschenbillarddas ÃÅ"bel an der Wurzel packenwichsen Derogatory Terms for  Other People  (Xenophobia,  der Auslnderhass) Like English and other languages, German  has many derogatory and insulting terms for groups of people most of which, not surprisingly, should be avoided at all times.  Some Germans, Austrians, and Swiss, particularly members of right-wing (rechtsextreme), neo-Nazi, or other hate groups, express their dislike of foreigners and other enemy categories (leftists, women, gays) with derogatory German slang terms. Because of their inflammatory nature, we have included only a few terms here, but others are easy enough to find elsewhere online. Of interest, the simple German phrase Im proud to be a German â€Å"Ich bin stolz, ein Deutscher zu sein.† is considered a typical German right-wing slogan.  While in many countries, such a statement is considered normal and patriotic, in Germany it has overtones going back to the Nazi era.   Other phrases associated with right-wing extremist groups include the following: der Hitlergruß: Nazi salute (Hitler salute).  A right-wing symbol of neo-Nazi groups such as the skinheads in Germany. Any display of Nazi symbols, the swastika, Nazi flags, or Nazi-related regalia is against the law in Germany.Unarische  non-AryansUndeutsche  un-GermansRotfaschisten  red fascistsZecken  ticks, blood-suckersRechte  (Rightists)Faschos  fascistsGlatzen  skinheads (baldies)Neonazis  neo-NazisRechtsextremisten  extreme right-wingersSkinheads  skinheadsUnrechtssystem  unjustice systemUnterrassen  sub-racesweißer Spiesser  WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) More Insults Subkulturen  (Subcultures, e.g., Punks, Goths, etc.)Dekadente  decadentsAsseln/Assis/Asoziale  asocialsVertreter der Wirtschaft  (Business People)Kapital- und Politbonzen  capitalistic and political fat-catsLinke  (Leftists)der Piefke  (PEEF-kah)  Kraut, Heini, Jerry (German person).  Austrians use this word as a disparaging term for a German, somewhat like the Mexican use of gringo for an American. Even in Germany, a  Piefke  is a pompous idiot, so it is not a word to be used lightly.  Ein kleiner Piefke  is a little pipsqueak. Bodily Functions der Pups  fartfurzen  to fart, cut onepupsen  to cut one, fartdie Kacke  caca, crap, sh. Example:  dann ist aber die Kacke am Dampfen.  | Then the sh will really hit the fan.die Flitzerkacke  (teen slang)  the shs, diarrhea (der Durchfall)kacken  to crap, poop, sh