Analysis of Superstitions :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Superstitions Mysterious happenings are all around us today. I personally have done extensive studies in the histories of many of these superstitions, from the common to the absurd. Science tends to claim that all superstitions are pointless, and, in some cases, I agree, such as the fear of black cats, but the fact of the matter is that some superstitions come from a rich pre-Christian background. Many superstitions have been doubted since the rise of science, but it has been said that "In spite of advances and science, people are still superstitious." First, today's superstition is yesterday's magick; second, many people still practice the old ways; and finally, even common people practice. Superstitions are a part of our everyday lives and always have been. First, today's superstitions are yesterday's magick. Magick is the term practitioners use to describe the direct but subtle influence over reality; magic is a term for stage tricks. Long before the age of science, magick was a common element in every religion, even Christianity. Even science in its beginning, was based on old magicks like numerology, begun by Pythagoras, and alchemy. Since then, we have several leftovers from the old ways, my favorite of which is knocking on wood. The ancient Celts (pronounced Kelts) began this practice as a way of thanking the wood fairies, who were seen as mostly responsible for good luck. Today, when speaking of one's good fortune, it is common to knock on wood, though most people do not know why. Despite science's attempts to turn the old ways into useless or forgotten superstitions, the remnants of them are still around. Second, many of us still practice magick, roughly 10,000 in America. Collectively, the religion is known as Wicca, though not all Wiccans practice magick, and not all of those who practice magic are Wiccan. Obviously, the scientific community would prefer to believe that we are either insane, delusional, or con-artists, but none of that is true. I have seen magick work and have done it myself. In fact, my favorite way to gain the trust of a new friend is by granting him or her one wish, as long as the wish is not too grand; as I said before, magic is subtle.

One Step Home Brewing Kit Essay

There are a lot of home brewing kits available in market but all have a typical problem associated with it. We have come with a new â€Å"One Step Home Brewing Kit† based on our patented technology. Soon we plan to launch it in market. We did a market research for such product and gained a lot of valuable information. Based on all those observations we have come with the following plan. We would be operating through internet instead of setting up a shop for it, at least for the initial phase. Not only it reaches to more people but also is more convenient to operate. We won’t run the website ourselves but would outsource to a separate company. Our research shows that outsourcing would be cheaper. We have finalized our hosting company and hosting plans. The initial one time cost comes to be around $10,000/-. Regarding our financials For the first month our primary target is set our infrastructure right. We need to get comfortable with the setup, optimize our settings. So, for the first month we won’t be spending much on advertising but would mainly focus on our acquaintance and word-of-mouth publicity to get our customers. We have kept a modest sales target of 100 units. Each kits selling price would be $30/-. Cost of revenue is assumed to be 45% of revenue. Biggest expense during this time would be of setting up the website which includes one time cost of website hosting, web designing and taking photographs of our product. The setting up process will take around 20 -25 days. From the last few days of the month we would increase our advertisements and also would put user experiences of our product on the website. Rough estimate shows a loss for the first month which is very well expected at the beginning of a business firm. In the second month we expect sales of around 500 units. This increase is expected due to increase in our advertising and the positive feedback given by our customers for our product. We ourselves have no doubt that our product is best and hence expect strong positive atmosphere for our product in the market. To cater to this increasing need we would need to purchase a new computer and hire an operator for that. The New system’s cost is put in office equipment expenses field. This would increase our staff from 1 to 2. We also would have to work in those positions to curtail our staff requirements For the 3rd month we expect sales of around 800 units and hope to induce a new staff and a new computer to keep up with our increasing customer visits and their database. We hope to reach our break even point by the end of 3rd month. For the next quarter we hope to keep a calm speed and again check our system and get the work boundaries of everyone more finer. We would take one more employee at non technical position. For 3rd quarter we again expect a rapid increase in our sales due to the previous quarter’s corrective steps. We will introduce a new staff in our team to concentrate specifically on our advertising. So our advertising cost reaches an all time high. For final quarter we hope to keep up this good trend. For 2nd year we will try to outsource some of our processes like dispatching, packing etc. so that we focus more on our core competence i. e. our product. We will also try to start R&D around our product. This will help us bring out some new product. We will first be looking to bring some product that would complement our product. Also we may venture out in new areas if they seem perfect for our conditions. Our Rent is going to increase by 20% In 3rd year we will double our infrastructure. This may be for our new product or to keep the increased volume of sales of our existing product. This year we will definitely setup our R&D if they are not setup to the full extent in the second year. As the world is progressing fast in technology fields and future would hold golden days for technology products. We will surely bring some product in this domain. Our core product would of course be always our focus and we will always try to better it. As we move past the expected milestones we would surely be getting more experienced and will fine tune our expenses, Mobilize our staff to specific positions. This is our plan till now and we hope to surpass it every month, quarte

Essay on Huckleberry Finn Hypocrisy in “Civilized” Society

Lambert Kelsey Mrs. Gunn A.P. English Literature 6 18 December 2012 Huckleberry Finn: Hypocrisy in â€Å"Civilized† Society The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a sequel to the Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain illustrates the Southern states and slavery. Published in 1884, the novel focuses on the important issues that affected America. These issues included racism, slavery, civilization and greed. The book has become one of the most controversial books ever written. The controversy has grown to the point that the novel became banned in several states due to its racial and slavery context. Various symbols, quotes and events have been used in the novel to show hypocrisy in the civilized society in the novel. Hypocrisy in†¦show more content†¦The reason that led to the dispute between the two families resulted from the elopement of Sophia Grangerford, Buck Grangerford’s sister and Harney Shepardson. However, the families have always been in a dispute that has lasted for 30 years for reasons that are unsure. The two families after learning of the elopement bring weapons to church. However, both families, using their guns, kill their family members at the growth of the feud. Regardless of the families’ civilized status, hypocrisy is shown where both families kill each other over a meaningless feud. Another example that indicates hypocrisy in the civilized society in the novel is the biased punishment of crimes according to the society’s rules and regulations. This is shown by the non-judgment of the Duke and the King regardless of the fraudulent schemes that both con artists involved in the community. Huck and Jim rescue the Duke and the King and offer them their raft. The first scheme begins when both criminals present fake identities to Huck and Jim. The Duke introduces himself as the English Duke’s son, also known as the Duke of Bridgewater whereas the King presents himself as the Lost Dauphin as well as Louis XVI’s son and France’s designated King (Twain, 144-145) . Additionally, one of the con artists, the Duke, takes advantage of Jim’s race and position as a runway slave and prints leaflets that offer $200 reward to any person that manages to catch the runaway slave. The Duke isShow MoreRelatedA Doll s House And Mark Huckleberry Finn1310 Words   |  6 Pages In the relatively short time of human existence, society has sanctioned written regulations to shape and form the way in which individuals, as well as the masses, function on a daily bases. What began as the written forms of quotidian lives – democracies, freedom rights, religion, news and stories, among others – has been passed on through generations and has quickly found its way into the very essence of humanity. 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Twain himself says, â€Å"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.† The side of majority in most cases can refer to the norms of society, in which Twain claims is where you wouldn’t like to be. That is because Twain’s views society as feeble in weak. He sees society at an almost hypocritical view, which can be seen through his great American classic. In Mark Twain’s novel Adventures of Huckleberry FinnRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain2239 Words   |  9 Pages 531-06 3 March 2015 Term Paper Final Draft All American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since. These famous words by Ernest Hemingway, a world renowned author, go to prove that Huckleberry Finn truly is a literary masterpiece. Even though Huckleberry Finn is classified as one of the best novels ever created does not mean that it is filled with butterflies and rainbowsRead More Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn Essay790 Words   |  4 PagesMark Twains Huckleberry Finn No one who has read the novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain can deny not seeing the faults of the civilized world that Twain so critically satires. This element of the novel plays the perfect backdrop to the thing Twain uses to compare civilization with: The ideal way of living. Every time the main characters Huck and Jim are away from the influences of the civilized world, Twain’s vision of the ideal way of living reveals itself to theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn 1310 Words   |  6 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been a topic of debate for a long time. The most heated topic of debate is if the novel is racist and if it should then be included in school curriculum whether. Many believe this book should be taken out of school curriculum for being racist. Huckleberry FInn should be taught in schools because of its satire, views on slavery and morals, and depiction of antebellum America. Huck Finn still remains a classic Twain s use of satire is one of the many things