Digital Marketing: December 2016

Monday, December 26, 2016

A Good Citizen

A good citizen is one who has the good of his country at heart. He tries to work for the greatness and glory of his country. He is faithful to his country and is prepared to sacrifice his all for the honor of the land. A good citizen is not a mere law abiding citizen.

Earthquake

Earthquake is one of the natural calamities. Its origin can be traced to the early days of earth formation. It is responsible for a lot of damage to living and non-living beings. For many centuries man didn’t know why earthquakes occur and how they occur and to what extent they would damage. He only felt that mother earth was angry with him and so caused the earthquake and he always feared it. It was left to Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, to relate the phenomenon of earthquake to physical factors. According to Aristotle, when the air compressed within the arch escapes, it shakes some part of the land. This emission is called volcanic activity. When the volcano bursts, lots of lava, gas etc come out of the earth and fail out. This causes pressure and imbalance and results in producing earthquake waves in the surrounding areas. It was thus identified that volcanic activity is one of the reasons for earthquakes. The volcanic activity results in faulting. To fill up the new faults the movement of earth takes place. This causes tremor. The second reason is isostatic adjustment. The surface of the earth has certain raised up blocks and certain depressed blocks. They keep the balance of the earth, when it moves revolving on units of axis. These raised up blocks are washed down due to various reasons and cause imbalance. Then also the earthquakes occur to regain and maintain that balance. We could therefore see that earthquakes commonly occur in volcano prime areas and under the feet of hills and mountains, no well settle Earthquakes frequently occur in China, Japan, Philippines, southern parts of the Himalayas, volcano prime parts of Europe and western parts of North and South America. They are also likely to occur in Rajasthan in India and Arabian countries. One cannot say that earthquakes do not occur in other places. They may occur in any part of the world at any time. We are not very sure of the underground movements of the earth and its pressure points. So one can only identify areas, where they are likely to occur. All earthquakes do not cause severe damage. Those which are of severe intensity are really dangerous. There are scales to measure the intensity of the earthquake. The first one was Mercall’s scale. It is qualitative scale and not a quantitative scale and so not useful to measure the intensity. The second one is Richter scale. Richter scale is released from within. It is measured with numbers. If the earthquake measures 7 points on Richter scale it causes severe damage as it is of severe intensity. Those measuring 5 and less points may not cause much damage. The scientists are now able to study and define the secondary waves and tertiary waves also in earthquakes. Scientists are able to study the underground movements of wave’s with the help of a machine called Seismograph. With its help one can also predict the likely possibility of earthquakes’ occurrence as to where and when they are likely to occur. In India most of the earthquakes occur in the Himalaya zone, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra valleys. Only a few earthquakes have occurred in the Deccan Plateau. The earthquake of 1967 at Icwyna and the earthquake of 1993 at Latur in Maharashtra are the recent ones in this area. In the matter of natural calamities man cannot be a master unless he becomes a master over nature completely. That is not possible for man with the limited knowledge of nature he has at his command.

About House On Fire

A House On Fire

"Free sample essay on A House on Fire. One day, I was studying at home. Suddenly there was a loud noise. I came out of my house to know what had happened in the neighborhood. What I saw, I could not stop my scream. A house in my neighborhood had caught fire; people from the neighboring areas were rushing towards the house. They were pouring buckets of water to extinguish fire. Many people were throwing sands and dust over the fire. A few people were trying to control fire by throwing blankets on it. But the fire was ravaging. It was a horrible sight. This house was a three-storeyed building. Some inmates of the house were on the second floor. The fire started from the ground floor. Soon, it spread to the first floor. The inmates of the house who had been entrapped on the second floor were crying for help. Someone in the crowd informed the fire brigade. The flames were rushing towards them. Their lives were in danger. Some of entrapped inmates of the house took the risk of rushing out through the ravaging flames. They sustained minor burn injuries. Those who were on the second floor had no way to escape their lives. They were just crying for help. The people outside were at a loss how to help the victims to come out. Meanwhile the fire brigade arrived. People took a sigh of relief, because despite their best efforts they could not extinguish the fire. The staff of the fire brigade fought bravely with the fierce flames. Water pipes were laid to extinguish the fire. A staircase was set to the window of the first floor. He took great risk. He brought out the inmates and came down amidst flames. By doing so he himself was injured. The moment he brought down one of the inmates, he fell unconscious. Even the rescued inmate had serious burn injuries. The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital. However, with a great deal of efforts fire could be extinguished but it caused great damage and destruction to the house. Furniture, valuable articles and other belongings worth lac, of rupees were burnt to ashes. The whole house presented a dismal picture. The kitchen, the dining room, and the drawing room were badly affected. But thankfully no life was lost. The inmates were rescued with timely help and assistance by the staff of the fire brigade who put their lives to risk saving them. In course of which he sustained injuries. Later, when investigation was made, it was found that the leakage in the gas pipe had led to the outbreak of the devastating fire. However, government offered free treatment to the victims and the inmates were also compensated."

A Cricket Match

Cricket is a very interesting game. It is also educative. The sense of discipline, team-spirit, fellow-feelings, and the spirit of sportsmanship make it really significant. It is very interesting and absorbing thing to witness a cricket matches. Last winter I witnessed a cricket match at Barabati Stadium played between the Orissa team and the Andhra team. Before the match I had to purchase five tickets for my parents, my brother, sister and myself. The counter for tickets which was opened two days before the match remained crowded throughout and to secure tickets was a very strenuous affair. However, I could secure five tickets, with the help of one of my friends and I witnessed the match on the appointed day. The match began and the two teams met on the ground. There was a big gathering of onlookers who cheered the players in course of the play. A good bowling or a deft batting created a good deal of enthusiasm among the onlookers. There were very good cricketers in the team. The game of Ashok of Orissa was very interesting. He was a fine batsman and in thirty minutes he scored 80 runs after which he was unluckily out and Damodar took his place. Although Damodar are comer, he played well and his score was beyond our expectation. In 40 minutes he collected 63 runs and after that he hit two sixes. This time the onlookers did not remain idle. They almost stood up and cheered him. Before the lunch break he collected two more runs. Thus the Orissa team collected 263 runs for four wickets before the lunch break. In the next innings the Orissa Players started bowling and the Andhra team batted. Sri T.V.N. Rao was the first batsman who was out before making any run. The play had a very dull moment in the beginning. But soon Sri Venketeswar came for batting. In the first fifteen minutes of his batting he, too, did not make any mark in the match. But the wind blew in his favour and he made 94 runs. He had hit five sixes. Now the spectators had a very pleasant occasion. They forgot that they were witnessing a game of cricket. They stood up and clapped and cheered him for his batting, which was very interesting. He, too, was out and was replaced by Chandra Sekharan who made 103 runs before going out. When the match came to an end, the spectators cheered the Andhra team which secured 321 runs for 7 wickets. The game was over and the players of both the teams congratulated Chandra Sekharan and cheered him. The players went to the pavilion and the spectators gradually dispersed. I came to home with my parents, brother and sister. The stage of the stadium was so crowded that it was difficult for us to come out. We could not find a rickshaw for home journey and so we had to walk the distance. It was a memorable experience for me.

An Accident

Accidents are common in big cities. We daily hear of road accidents and read about them in newspapers. Such accident often results in loss of life and material. These are caused by the carelessness of the drivers and their negligence of the traffic rules. At present, accidents have become so common that they don’t look strange. Rather we are mentally prepared now for the accident. One evening my brother and I decide to see a film at galaxy cinema in Lahore. As we were getting late for the show, we began walking faster along the crowded road. All of a sudden, there was a noise. I saw a man rolling on the ground. He was knocked down by a car. The driver was driving it at a normal speed. He saw a lorry coming from the opposite direction. He tried to turn the vehicle a side but his Dutch wire broke and the machine got out of his control. It ran into a passerby and hit a save man. The man was seriously wounded. He sustained injuries on the head end face. His nose was bleeding and his leg was badly brushed. He lost his senses. He fell unconscious. He was in a pitiable condition. The moment I saw him, I was very upset. I ran to the person to help him. The crowd gathering on the spot. The wounded man was removed to a nearby hospital. Some people started abusing and hitting the car driver. Someone tried to convince them that it was not his fault, it was just an accident. Luckily the victim was declared out of danger. His wounds were dressed and he was advised to rest in bed to get over the shock. I heaved a sigh of relief when I came to know it. I thank God that his life was saved. The police also arrived at the place of accident. The car driver and lorry driver were taken to the police station. Their statement was recorded. The car driver was let off but lorry driver detained. It is a matter of great concern that with rush driving; we endanger the lives of people. There is no doubt that we are supposed to die but it does not mean the people should die in accident. In short on the read in very important. Accident is not good in any way. They always cause harm to the people.

A Journey By Train

Train

Journey is always fascinating. It charms our mind and makes us happy. Journey is a relief in our monotonous everyday life. After a journey we feel relaxed and fresh. It also fills our heart with peace. During the last winter vacation, I got an opportunity to make a journey by train with my family members from Dhaka to Rajshahi. My uncle lives there. We generally go to Rajshahi by bus. But that time my father decided to go there by train. It was 11 December, 2010. We got up early in the morning, took preparation and got on two rickshaws. It took almost half an hour to reach Kamlapur Railway Station. My father bought four tickets from the ticket counter for the 'Ekota Express'. We got into the train and found our seats beside the window. Within a few minutes, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag and the train started to move slowly at about 7.30 am. The train left the platform and gradually it attained speed. The window was opened and I could see outside easily. The train was moving at a great speed and there was a great jerking. The village women were seen carrying pitchers of water, farmers were seen working in the fields and young boys and girls were shivering in cold. All these left a permanent impression on my mind. As it was an intercity train, it did not stop in many stations and was not very crowded. When it was crossing small stations, it seemed speedier. There were a few hawkers selling boiled eggs, chanachur and betel leaf and fried ground nut. We had our breakfast with bread and boiled eggs. Later an attendant was ordered to bring tea. The time passed by. During the journey, my father showed me the Indian boarder at hilly station. I was enjoying everything around me. In this way we passed ten hours and at last reached Raajshahi. My uncle was waiting for us with a car. After coming out of the station, it took only ten minutes to reach my uncle’s house. We were greeted cordially. Thus the train journey came to an end. Though I made the journey last year, the memory of it is ever fresh in my mind.

The Land of the Dead in Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea

The theme of the journey to the “land of the dead” is not confined to the ancient exploits of Orpheus or Jesus discussed in other articles in this issue. Over the millennia, many storytellers in many cultures have invented tales about this journey, and each time a storyteller narrates their own account of the journey, there are many possibilities for their imaginations to explore. What is the geography of this “land of the dead” and what are its distinctive features? How do people, living or dead, come to this land? Is it possible for anyone, living or dead, to return again to the land of the living? In this article, I will explore how Ursula K. Le Guin depicts the land of the dead in her Earthsea trilogy; in subsequent issues, I will ask these same questions about Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. In 1968 Ursula K. LeGuin published The Wizard of Earthsea, the first volume in the Earthsea trilogy, followed by The Tombs of Atuan in 1971 and The Farthest Shore in 1972. Although Le Guin has since returned to the land of Earthsea in other writings, the trilogy focuses on the central character, a wizard named Ged, whose exploits unfold in a series of confrontations between the land of the living and of the dead. In the first volume, the young Ged uses a forbidden spell to summon a spirit from the land of the dead. Another wizard exerts all his power to send the spirit back. As that wizard then lies dying, we glimpse his journey from life into death: The death of a great mage, who has many times in his life walked on the dry steep hillsides of death’s kingdom, is a strange matter: for the dying man goes not blindly, but surely, knowing the way. (63) We learn more about “the hillsides of death’s kingdom” when Ged later attempts to heal a dying child. His spirit follows the child’s spirit, “running fast and far ahead of him down a dark slope, the side of some vast hill.” Ged realizes he has come too far, and he struggles up the hill and over the low wall that divides life and death: Either he must go down the hill into the desert lands and lightless cities of the dead, or he must step across the wall back into life. (81) Ged returns into life, but he will indeed later go down into those lightless cities, in The Farthest Shore, third novel in the trilogy. As The Farthest Shore begins, Earthsea is stricken by a strange disaster. Magicians no longer remember their spells, singers no longer remember their songs, and there is gloom and madness everywhere. It turns out that a wizard named Cob, seeking immortality, has opened up a breach between the world of the living and the dead so that he can freely pass back and forth, never dying. The hole he has created is sucking out the forces of life itself which power the wizards’ spells and and inspire the singers’ songs. It is up to Ged, now the greatest wizard of his age, to find Cob and close the breach. On his journey Ged is accompanied by a boy, Arren, whose presence fulfills an ancient prophecy. For centuries, the throne of the King of Earthsea had been empty, awaiting the one “who has crossed the dark land living and come to the far shores of the day” (17). These “far shores of the day” by which Ged and Arren reach the land of the dead — and which give the novel its title — lie at the western edge of the world, on the island of Selidor, a “beautiful and desolate place” (158), where there are no homes of men or of animals. As Ged and Arren walk the island of Selidor, looking for Cob, the desolation of the place prompts Arren to exclaim that Selidor is “as dead as the land of death itself” (165). Ged swiftly corrects him: Look at this land; look about you. […] The hills with living grass on them, and the streams of water running . . . rising cold out of the earth where no eyes sees it, running through the sunlight and darkenss to the sea. (165) In contrast to the springs of the living land, the land of the dead will be a dry place, unwatered by the streams of being. Ged and Arren follow Cob into the land of the dead, descending the sloping hillside, and crossing over the wall, going farther than Ged had gone in pursuit of the dying child long ago. They enter the cities of the dead: The marketplaces were all empty. There was no buying and selling there, no gaining and spending. Nothing was used; nothing was made. (172) The dead show no signs of their dying or their death: “quiet were their faces, freed from anger and desire, and there was in their shadowed eyes no hope” (173). There is no song or any other craft in the realm of the dead, and those who loved each other in life do not know each other now. Leaving behind the cities, Ged and Arren then follow the Dry River, which runs beneath the Mountains of Pain, until they find the door that Cob has opened between the worlds, which is at the dry spring of that dry river, the “mouth of dust, the place where a dead soul, crrawling into earth and darkness was born again, dead” (183). Using all his magic powers, Ged closes the door. Ged and Arren lack the strength to go back to the low wall on the hillside, so they must try to climb over the mountains themselves. When Ged collapses, Arren picks him up and carries him towards the summit. From that summit, he sees the shore of that westernmost island, Selidor, where they had left their bodies behind to make this journey among the dead. Arren then awakes, but Ged’s spirit has still not returned to his body. The journey had been a dream, but it was none the less real for having been a dream: Arren’s thirst is that of someone who had been a long time in the dry land. After a while, Ged too finally awakens, and they travel back to the inner islands of Earthsea, and to the royal island of Havnor, where Arren is crowned king, having fulfilled the ancient prophecy. Ged and Arren have brought nothing and no one out of the kingdom of the dead, only themselves — but they did close the gap in the world, so that the springs of life are no longer flowing out of Earthsea. In LeGuin’s imaginary world, the land of the living and the land of the dead must be kept separate. Death is something to be feared, indeed, but the land of the dead is not a place of punishment; rather, it is part of the natural balance of the world, the balance of light and dark, of water and dust, of waking and sleeping. This hero’s journey has won Arren a kingdom, but we also see the toll paid on such a journey, as Ged has lost his powers of magic. Ged had suspected this would be the price he would pay for having long ago used a forbidden spell to summon one of the dead into the land of the living. That was the terrible mistake he had made as a “Wizard of Earthsea,” and only by making this journey beyond “The Farthest Shore” was he able to set things right again, at last.

Totem Poles: Myths Carved In Cedar

The Native Americans of the northwest Pacific coast carved magnificent vertical columns in cedar. These columns, commonly known as “totem poles,” were only created by tribes living along these coasts: from the Tlingit tribes in southeastern Alaska, to the Haida and Tsimshian tribes along both the mainland and island coasts of British Columbia, as far south as the Kwakiutl tribes on Vancouver Island. While other cultures around the world, from West Africa and Madagascar to New Zealand and Polynesia, have produced vertical columns with carved surfaces, nowhere did they achieve the beauty, the grandeur, or the sheer size of those carved in this region. These great columns are often referred to as “story-telling poles” (Malin 104) because the multiple figures depict or illustrate a narrative. These narratives might recount recent historical events involving members of a particular family or timeless legends involving mythological characters. The Raven pole belonging to a Tlingit tribe in Wrangell, Alaska, for example, depicts a story found among various tribes that explains the origins of the sun and moon. In addition to its aetiological components, the story includes many elements similar to those in narratives from various Western traditions — the theft of fire, the trickster who benefits mankind, and even the virgin birth — and more mundane themes like the danger of spoiling grandchildren.

grandchildren

Long ago, the world was covered with darkness. (This story appears with minor variations in many tribes; the summary here includes details from the Tlingit tradition.) Raven grew tired of stumbling around and went in search of light. As he came near the house of an old chief, he overheard the chief talking with his daughter. Raven learned that the chief kept all the light of the world locked away in a box; predictably, he promptly devised a plan to steal that box. He transformed himself into a hemlock needle and landed in the river; the chief’s daughter became pregnant after unknowingly drinking him and in time gave birth to a son — Raven in human form. The chief loved his new grandson greatly. Raven soon began begging for the box as a toy. When his grandfather refused, Raven began crying and screaming and throwing tantrums and pleading for the box. After many days of this, the chief reluctantly gave him the box. Raven immediately changed back to his bird form, carried the box through the smokehole of the house, and placed the light (in the forms of the sun, the moon, and the stars) in the sky. The Raven pole shown in the three photographs above contains this story. It was carved in 1896 for Chief Shakes of a Tlingit tribe, and it stood for eighty-two years before collapsing in a windstorm. After that, a replica was built for a nearby park (Stewart 104). A detailed drawing of each figure on the pole is shown below.

Saint Sylvester and the Dragon

The legendary lives of the saints were, once upon a time, as famous as stories from the Bible itself. Throughout the Middle Ages, the lives of the saints were well known all over Europe and those stories were told and retold in all manner of religious art, from the tiny miniature illustrations in medieval manuscripts to the grand frescoes and monumental sculptures decorating the churches of Europe. While the cult of the saints is still of tremendous importance in the Catholic church, the Protestant churches have downplayed the lives of the saints. As a result, many people today may be baffled by the unfamiliar stories they see depicted prominently in Europe’s churches and museums. Let’s take, for example, this fresco by Maso di Banco (d. 1348), an Italian painter of the early Renaissance who worked in Florence, Italy. His most important surviving frescoes are in the beautiful Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. Those of you who are admirers of Italian painting might notice similarities in style here to the work of Giotto di Bondone (d. 1337), who was a great influence on Maso: Miracle of the Dragon. By Maso di Banco. Circa 1340. View larger image » Take a close look at the painting: do you recognize the story? It is the legend of Saint Sylvester and the Dragon. Saint Sylvester was one of the early popes of Rome, who lived at the same time as the Emperor Constantine, who famously converted to Christianity. The legends of Saint Sylvester are closely entwined with those of the Emperor Constantine. In addition to the story of Saint Sylvester and the Dragon depicted here, Maso’s cycle of frescoes in Santa Croce showing the life of Saint Sylvester includes paintings of the Baptism of Constantine by Saint Sylvester, Constantine and the Magicians, and the Dream of Constantine. To discover just what story Maso tells us in this painting, we can turn to the life of Saint Sylvester as recorded in the famous Legenda Aurea (“Golden Legends”), a massive collection of the lives of the saints compiled by Jacobus de Voragine around the year 1260. The Legenda Aurea was translated into the vernacular languages of Europe starting already in the fourteenth century, and the advent of printing in the fifteenth century allowed the book to become even more widely known. The pioneering English printer William Caxton published his first edition of the Golden Legend in 1483. Here is an excerpt of Caxton’s version of the story: In this time it happed that there was at Rome a dragon in a pit, which every day slew with his breath more than three hundred men. Then came the bishops of the idols unto the emperor [Constantine] and said unto him: O thou most holy emperor, sith the time that thou hast received Christian faith the dragon which is in yonder fosse or pit slayeth every day with his breath more than three hundred men. Then sent the emperor for S. Silvester and asked counsel of him of this matter. S. Silvester answered that by the might of God he promised to make him cease of his hurt and blessure of this people. Then S. Silvester put himself to prayer, and S. Peter appeared to him. Peter gives instructions for how Silvester can subdue the dragon, which Silvester follows. Here is what happens next: When [S. Silvester] came to the pit, he descended down one hundred and fifty steps, bearing with him two lanterns, and found the dragon, and said the words that S. Peter had said to him, and bound his mouth with the thread, and sealed it, and after returned, and as he came upward again he met with two enchanters which followed him for to see if he descended, which were almost dead of the stench of the dragon, whom he brought with him whole and sound, which anon were baptized, with a great multitude of people with them. Thus was the city of Rome delivered from double death, that was from the culture and worshipping of false idols, and from the venom of the dragon. (Read a full version online.)

Imagination in Where The Wild Things

Where The Wild Things Are, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, won the Caldecott Medal as the most distinguished American picture book in 1964. It is now considered a classic of American children’s literature. This book has been a favorite in my family now for going on three generations, with my two-year-old son asking me to read it to him almost every night. While the short text of the story is good, the book is more famous for its beautiful artwork. These images do more than just illustrate the story; in this article, I look at some small details from the artwork and explore how they contribute to what the book has to say about the transforming power of imagination. The book begins with a boy named Max dressed in a wolf suit misbehaving, terrorizing the dog and talking back to his mother. He is sent to bed without any supper. But a strange thing happens: his room magically transforms into a forest with a nearby ocean. He boards a boat and sails across the ocean for nearly a year before he comes to an island inhabited by terrible monsters known in the book as “wild things.” Max manages to tame them, and they crown him king of all the wild things. After an indefinite amount of time, he grows lonely and wishes to return home. He gives up being king, boards his boat, sails back across the ocean, and returns to his room. He finds there his supper waiting for him.