Star Wars Essays (804 words) - X-wing, Fiction, Star Wars

Star Wars Star Wars. Characters: Lieutenant Corran Horn: The main character of the book. He's an ex-security man (a police force called CorSec) from the planet Corellia. Finally after going through the galaxy under aliases he joins Rogue Squadron to fight the Empire. He fights for freedom, but his main vendetta is more personal. He went into CorSec because his father did before him. An Imperial Intelligence Officer was also stationed there that had authority over that CorSec office. When he and his father were in a cantina in Corellia, his father was shot and killed before his very eyes. Corran hunted the murderers down and apprehended them. However the Imperial Intelligence Officer in charge, Kirtan Loor, freed them. Since then Corran had no respect for the Empire. He is the best pilot in the squadron, except for Wedge Antilles and Tycho Celchu. He proves to be resourceful and an excellent fighter pilot. He's got a resourceful R2 droid, nicknamed Whistler, too. Commander Wedge Antilles: The leader of Rogue Squadron. He formed the squadron with Luke Skywalker after the first Death Star was destroyed, since he and Luke were the only X-wing pilots left after the battle. He proves to be a strong leader knowing how to treat his squadron. Since Rogue Squadron is known to be a threat to the Empire so he has to train his pilots to be the very best. He's highly charismic. Sometimes has a rough time with a few of his superiors. He is the best pilot in the squadron. He has survived countless battles and entanglements with Imperial ships and fighters. He had to reform the squadron because only 4 of the original pilots remained since Luke and Wedge formed the squadron. Luke went to start reforming the Jedi. The other two went to go train other squadrons. Wedge is now faced with the problem of liberating Coruscant. He forges a commando-undercover type operation to infiltrate and liberate Coruscant. Ysanne Isard, Director of Imperial Intelligence: She controls what's left of the Empire. Some Admirals proclaimed themselves warlords and took their local planets. Isard has all the rest. She rests upon Coruscant, Imperial Center. A planet that is purely made up of a city. Her nickname is Iceheart because one of her eyes is icy blue and the other is molten red. She got her position as head of Intelligence by turning her own father in as a rebel sympathizer. Rumor had that she was a mistress to Emperor Palpatine. She is ruthless and unforgiving. She has a plan that will hopefully bring down Rogue Squadron and the rest of the Rebel Alliance's New Republic. Her plans now are to let the capital of the Empire, Coruscant, fall to the New Republic. The catch is though she will unleash a virus that only effects non-humans. This will weaken the trust of humans and non-humans, hurting the New Republic. Also the virus can be cured by a substance known as bacta, but only in large quantities. This will greatly cause economic and social stress for the price of bacta is high and is only manufactured on a certain planet. Kirtan Loor, Intelligence Agent: The bad guy who has a vendetta against Corran Horn. He's smart and witty but his ego about his smarts is a weak point and that makes him turn out to be stupid. Isard's number one agent. He helps prepare the virus and makes sure Rogue Squadron does not liberate until the production of the virus is complete. He also has a spy in the squadron that is feeding him info to help retard the capturing the planet. The identity of the spy is not known. Settings: Mostly takes place on Coruscant, which is like a planet that is almost entirely a city. Slums, and more high-class buildings are within the scenery. Plot: Now that the New Republic has liberated Borleias, a planet very close to Coruscant, they aim to somehow liberate it. They go through plans and ideas of trying to take it. They come up with a plan that will cause the least bloodshed. They make Rogue Squadron go as a in undercover to somehow find a plan to take down Coruscant's planetary shields. After the shields are down the New Republic Fleet will invade and liberate the planet. The catch is though Isard wants the New Republic to take over the planet. She is secretly making a virus that slowly kills non-human races experience every single type of pain before they finally turn into a pile

50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid

50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid 50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid 50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid By Mark Nichol In conversation, it’s easy in the midst of spontaneous speech to succumb to verbosity and duplication. In writing, redundancy is less forgivable but fortunately easy to rectify. Watch out for these usual suspects: 1. Absolutely certain or sure/essential/guaranteed: Someone who is certain or sure is already without doubt. Something that is essential is intrinsically absolute. A guarantee is by nature absolute (or should be). Abandon absolutely in such usage. 2. Actual experience/fact: An experience is something that occurred (unless otherwise indicated). A fact is something confirmed to have happened. Actual is extraneous in these instances. 3. Add an additional: To add is to provide another of something. Additional is extraneous. 4. Added bonus: A bonus is an extra feature, so added is redundant. 5. Advance notice/planning/reservations/warning: Notices, planning, reservations, and warnings are all, by their nature, actions that occur before some event, so qualifying such terms with advance is superfluous. 6. As for example: As implies that an example is being provided, so omit â€Å"an example.† 7. Ask a question: To ask is to pose a question, so question is redundant. 8. At the present time: â€Å"At present† means â€Å"at this time,† so avoid the verbose version. 9. Basic fundamentals/essentials: Fundamentals and essentials are by their nature elementary, so remove basic from each phrase. 10. (Filled to) capacity: Something filled is done so to capacity, so describing something as â€Å"filled to capacity† is repetitive. 11. Came at a time when: When provides the necessary temporal reference to the action of coming; â€Å"at a time† is redundant. 12. Close proximity/scrutiny: Proximity means â€Å"close in location,† and scrutiny means â€Å"close study,† so avoid qualifying these terms with close. 13. Collaborate/join/meet/merge together: If you write of a group that collaborates or meets together, you imply that there’s another way to collect or confer. To speak of joining or merging together is, likewise, redundant. 14. Completely filled/finished/opposite: Something that is filled or finished is thoroughly so; completely is redundant. Something that is opposite isn’t necessarily diametrically opposed, especially in qualitative connotations, but the modifier is still extraneous. 15. Consensus of opinion: A consensus is an agreement but not necessarily one about an opinion, so â€Å"consensus of opinion† is not purely redundant, but the phrase â€Å"of opinion† is usually unnecessary. 16. (During the) course (of): During means â€Å"in or throughout the duration of†), so â€Å"during the course of† is repetitive. 17. Definite decision: Decisions may not be final, but when they are made, they are unequivocal and therefore definite, so one should not be described as â€Å"a definite decision.† 18. Difficult dilemma: A dilemma is by nature complicated, so omit difficult as a modifier. 19. Direct confrontation: A confrontation is a head-on conflict. Direct as a qualifier in this case is redundant. 20. End result: A result is something that occurs at the end, so omit end as a modifier of result. 21. Enter in: To enter is to go in, so throw in out. 22. Estimated at about/roughly: An estimate is an approximation. About and roughly are superfluous. 23. False pretense: A pretense is a deception, so false is redundant. 24. Few in number: Few refers to a small number; do not qualify few with the modifier â€Å"in number.† 25. Final outcome: An outcome is a result and is therefore intrinsically final. 26. First began, new beginning: A beginning is when something first occurs, so first and new are superfluous terms in these cases. 27. For a period/number of days: Days is plural, so a duration is implied; â€Å"a period of† or â€Å"a number of† is redundant. It’s better to specify the number of days or to generalize with many. 28. Foreign imports: Imports are products that originate in another country, so their foreign nature is implicit and the word foreign is redundant. 29. Forever and ever: Ever is an unnecessary reduplication of forever. 30. Free gift: A gift is by definition free (though cynics will dispute that definition), so free is extraneous. 31. Invited guests: Guests are intrinsically those who have an invitation, so invited is redundant. 32. Major breakthrough: A breakthrough is a significant progress in an effort. Though major is not directly redundant, the notable nature of the event is implicit. 33. [Number] a.m. in the morning/p.m. in the evening: The abbreviations a.m. and p.m. already identify the time of day, so omit â€Å"in the morning† or â€Å"in the evening.† 34. Past history/record: A history is by definition a record of past occurrences, and a record is documentation of what has already happened. In both cases, past is redundant. 35. Plan ahead: To plan is to prepare for the future. Ahead is extraneous. 36. Possibly might: Might indicates probability, so omit the redundant qualifier possibly. 37. Postpone until later: To postpone is to delay. Later is superfluous. 38. Protest against: To protest is to communicate opposition. Against is redundant. 39. Repeat again: To repeat is to reiterate an action, so again is unnecessary. 40. Revert back: Something that reverts returns to an earlier state. Back is superfluous. 41. Same identical: Same and identical are just that (and that). Omit same as a qualifier for identical. 42. Since the time when: Since indicates a time in the past; â€Å"the time when† is superfluous. 43. Spell out in detail: To spell out is to provide details, so â€Å"in detail† is repetitive. 44. Still remains: Something that remains is still in place. Still is redundant. 45. Suddenly exploded: An explosion is an immediate event. It cannot be any more sudden than it is. 46. Therapeutic treatment: Treatment in the sense of medical care is by nature therapeutic, so the adjective is redundant. 47. Unexpected surprise: No surprise is expected, so the modifier is extraneous. 48. Unintended mistake: A mistake is an inadvertently erroneous action. The lack of intention is implicit. 49. Usual custom: A custom is something routinely and repeatedly done or observed, and usual is redundant. 50. Written down: Something written has been taken down. Down is superfluous. 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 Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a SentenceHow Long Should a Paragraph Be?Honorary vs. Honourary

Tesla AutoPilot Review †Becoming a Car Supervisor

Tesla AutoPilot Review – Becoming a Car Supervisor Autopilot –assistance for driving If we say that the present day automobile industry is greatly developed, that can be even a huge understatement. This industry is one of the best developed nowadays and is evolving with ultra-rapid speed. Modern cars design and modeling can impress even an experienced automobile expert. But in any sphere, yet thoroughly investigated from many sides, there can be still found a lot of interesting facts and details. Among all the new features that the motor-car world provides for us, there can be distinguished the autopilot functions. First of all it is an assistant for any driver, but at the same time it is promised to make the driving process the most secure, eliminating the human factor. This feature is often argued, whether it is useful or not and whether it should be present. Apparently, Tesla Inc. has achieved great results in autopilot construction and the company devotes a lot of efforts to this aspect. Autopilot feature –life-saving or superfluous function? In regard to any situation there can be found different opinions and thoughts. And the situation with automation definite life areas, such as car driving, is not an exception. Attempts to automate the driving process have been takes a long time ago and for the present moment it is significantly developed. And anyway there are many doubts concerning autonomous driving, as when it comes to influencing the human’s participation in any process, it has much speculated and argued. If it will be adjusted for urban driving, it will be possible for almost all the drivers to use it all the time. On the one hand, autopilot-enabled cars will be really safer and will make the lives of drivers easier on the roads. Most of the drivers, who had a chance to try it, provided positive feedback and were rather happy to use it. Just imagine that you can safely talk by your cell-phone, repeat your notes before the lecture or review your essay, while you autopilot does the driving. But on the other hand, no computer system is perfect and flawless, no matter how complex and â€Å"clever† it is. And in urban conditions the system will not read road signs or obey stop signs. But anyway, this technology is worth attention of society and this contribution into technology development is significant. It has a great meaning for automobile technologies development and improvement. Autopilot is your safe assistant First of all, an autopilot function was designed and developed to make the driving process the most secure and safe. When some process is controlled by a computer, there can be no discredit that it is deprived of such human factors, as fatigue, bad health condition, blindness etc. Automation means that the process is going on constantly and no unexpected events can take place. And anyway, at the same time it means that the driver should be prepared to take control of the vehicle at any moment. In some way the driver is supposed to be â€Å"on alert† to interfere into the process of driving and to control it. But, for example, this system wonderfully suits for long-distance trips and can intensely help a driver to control the car in bad weather conditions. It has many sensors and the radar that can control a car, no matter what conditions are around. Autonomous driving is the future It is usual that new and unknown to some extent thing can appear as something strange and cause â€Å"fearful† feelings. The point feature is one of such things and it has many of those who adore it and also those, who think that it is superfluous. Anyway, Tesla autopilot proved that it makes the driving safe and there are known cases, when it greatly helped drivers in various situations. Tesla Autopilot is constantly developed and improved, so in future we will undoubtedly see new features and this function will be â€Å"must-have† for any driver some day.

Research Paper on the topic of The greatest Prime Minister in Canadian

On the topic of The greatest Prime Minister in Canadian History for promoting ethnic diversity and communities was Pierre Trudeau - Research Paper Example Trudeau can be regarded as the most important Prime Minister in Canadian history for promotion of ethnic diversity and enhancement of community. The concepts that Trudeau established came from his regard toward these philosophies of diversity. More important, the time frame in which Trudeau lived and the external environment which created change allowed the Prime Minister to make specific decisions that were directly linked to the need for ethnic diversity and community. World War I, changes in Canadian ethnicities and expansion into a global perspective were some of the several alterations which forced the Prime Minister to create a specific perspective about the concepts of ethnic diversity. This research paper will examine how Trudeau offered this to the country as well as whether his policies for reform allowed him to become the greatest leader in history for Canadian diversity and community. The examination in this paper will look at the trends which were established by this Prime Minister as well as how he began to alter policies because of personal beliefs as well as external pressures which were creating a demand for ethnic diversity and changing communities. The examination will not only include actions which were taken by the Prime Minister, but also will incorporate other aspects of the changes made, such as how responses occurred throughout Canada and what the other demands in politics altered in terms of ethnic diversity and community. These perspectives will show how and why Trudeau became the most effective Prime Minister for establishing ethnic diversity and community. When looking at the research, there were several resources which were used. The library began the main search, which led to various books and reviews that were associated with Canadian politics and the way in which this related to the time frame of Trudeau as a leader. When looking at the books and pieces of information, questions began to arise

History of Europe in the 20th century. Were conservatives responsible Research Paper

History of Europe in the 20th century. Were conservatives responsible for the rise of Hitler - Research Paper Example There is no denying the fact that the life for the ordinary Germans got quite difficult and worrisome after the culmination of this treaty. Germany was pushed to borrow considerably from the United States of America, to compensate the UK and France (Gibbons, 1982, p. 72). The Great Depression in the late 20s made it almost utterly difficult for the Americans to lend more money to Germany. The fall of the imperial Germany gave way to the rise of parliamentary parties interested in running the political affairs in the defeated nation. It goes without saying that a fair number of political parties and mainstream leaders in the war ravaged Germany were affiliated to a conservative frame of mind and political thought. The nation was already suffering from the guilt of defeat and national humiliation. Above it, it was required to pay heavily in terms of compensation. The political parties and groups supporting the infant Weimar Republic were they Democrats, Socialists or Catholics, were st rongly denounced by the Conservative Nationalists. Hence, it was in the background of a nationwide social and political crisis, that the German Conservatives resorted to political machinations, which led to the rise of Hitler. Economic Situation in the Post War Germany In the period 1924-1928, the economic situation in Germany was somewhat stable. However, this stability was deceptive and stood on hollow economic foundations. The German investments and economic recovery in a post war scenario relied heavily on the loans extended by the US. With the crash of the Wall Street in 1929, the Americans were simply left unable to support the German recovery and economic growth. As the impact of the US economic depression was felt universally, so Germans were utterly not in a position to check its fallout on the German society and economy. The industrial production in Germany plummeted threateningly, the wages crashed and the workers were left jobless (Goemans, 2000, p. 173). Such circumstances left the German masses weary, anxious and scared. The Germans resorted to the crisis by opting for a reckless printing of currency, resulting in a devaluation of currency and rampant and unchecked inflation (Braun, 1990, p. 39; Eubank, 2004, p. 9)). Political Situat ion in the Post War Germany Just when the Weimar Republic was in its nascent stages, Germany witnessed the rise of radical political thoughts in the form of communists, throughout the length and breadth of the Republic (Bessel, 1993, p. 57). The communists gained hold in many German towns and villages. The political atmosphere in Berlin was strongly in favor of a USSR style of governance. Still the Weimar Republic accrued immense support in the form of democrats, Catholics and socialists (Mueller, 2000, p. 46). The Weimer Republic managed to restrain the communists with a strong hand. The post war Germany faced a twin pronged problem. Both the communists and hardcore nationalists were in the favor of a radical solution to the German problems and issues (Kolb, 2005, p. 39). It was such a political environment marred by economic

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management Essay -- Tourism Hospita

The need for high-quality leaders in the hospitality industry has been readily recognised and is seen as critical to the long-term well-being of the industry. In recent years, the industry has undergone something of a sea change in its gender composition, with increasing numbers of females graduating from hospitality and tourism management courses. This suggests that the gender composition of managerial ranks is likely to change in the medium term, with concurrent changes in the typical leadership style valued in the industry. This article seeks to explore and quantify the differences in gender-based perceptions of leadership styles and outcomes in the hospitality industry. Using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ; Bass & Avelio, 1995), a well-established self-administered instrument, the researchers used a "snowballing" technique to recruit a self-selected sample of 264 hospitality employees. These employees work in a variety of sectors in the hospitality industry, includ ing large international-style hotels, small franchised motels, food and beverage operations and contract catering, and at levels ranging from junior staff to senior property and site managers. The data indicated that despite their similarities, there were a number of subtle but significant differences between males and females in terms of the behaviours used and the extent to which various behaviours contributed to successful leadership outcomes, One potentially confounding result was the high emphasis placed upon the "contingent reward leadership style" by females and may be explained by the female's desire for clear, open and transparent communication. More generally, the differences between males and females were manifested in the form of the males placing greater emphasis on "confronting" and "sporting" leadership styles while the females placed greater emphasis on leadership styles which are built upon clear and concise communication and a greater focus on personal consideratio n for the team members. However, these subtle differences warrant further investigation--possibly using a more holistic approach-such as a 360 degree assessment or semi-structured interviews. ********** This study sought to explore and quantify the differences in gender-based perceptions of leadership styles and outcomes in the hospitality industry. Leadership studies in the hospitality industry ... ...use, R.J., & Shamir, B. (1993). Toward the integration of transformational, charismatic and visionary theories. Leadership theory and research perspectives and directions (pp. 81-107). New York: Academic Press. Howell, J.M., & Avolio, B. (1993). Transformational leadership, transactional leadership, locus of control and support for innovation. Key predictors of consolidated business unit performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 891-902. Manning, T.T. (2002). Gender, managerial level, transactional leadership and work satisfaction. Women in Management Review, 17(5), 207-216. Tejada, M.J., Scandura, T.A., & Pillai, R. (2001). The MLQ revisited. Psychometric properties and recommendations. The Leadership Quarterly, 12, 31-52. Tracey, J., & Hinkin, T.R. (1994). Transformational leaders in the hospitality industry. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 35(2), 18-24. Correspondence Paul Whitelaw, Senior Lecturer, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Marketing, Faculty of Business and Law, Victoria University, PO Box 14428, Melbourne, Vic 8001, Australia. Email: Paul.Whitelaw@vu.edu.au Paul Whitelaw and Romana Morda Victoria University, Australia

Personal philosophy of success Essay

I think a personal philosophy of success should be a hope or dream to both people who want to achieve a dream in the future and to people who hasn’t achieved their dream in life. For instance, someone has many degrees of higher education; but has the need to want a higher degree; so his/her philosophy of success would be to get a senior degree. Another example would be someone who doesn’t have anything in life; but want to achieve a dream to make his/her life worthy; so his/her philosophy would be to earn a dream that he/she has been yearning. I would be one of those people who have a diploma; but want to achieve a superior degree. As I quote from Albert Einstein â€Å"The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, they have been Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. . . . The ordinary objects of human endeavor — property, outward success, luxury — have always seemed to me contemptible.† see more:philosophy of life examples This quote makes me think of my background, where I came from, how far I’ve come, and looking back at all the people who have supported me in life. My personal philosophy of success would be to achieve my personal dream as a doctor. I have had the dream of one day becoming a doctor since the death of my grandparents and the people around me that are sick, dying, and in need of medical care. I always wanted to be the person who saves another life. I want to be an example for my peers, my children, and children peers. I want to be someone that both my generation and the generation that follows to respects, honor and follow not only in my footsteps; but in other honorable wonderful successful individuals who make something of themselves. I am strongly willing to bring forth my dream by preventing and stopping anything that comes in the direction of my path to success. For example: drugs, alcohol, and peer pressure. I think those three things will not prevent me from not achieving my goals if I wasn’t as strong as I am today. My most personal philosophy that I will keep with me until the day I die and I rest in piece is a quote from my mother â€Å"success is something anyone can do especially if a person loves something he/she do such as a career, something he/she wants to achieve such as degrees, that person should make something of his/her self and/or life, that person should go for it and take a shot towards that dream or goal because if that person doesn’t go for it now that person will regret some decision made towards life. If a person does go for that dream the person will definitely be successful and he/she won’t regret  anything in life. He/she will be a happy person.† Retaining that information in my mind has certainly made me a better person and has helped me overcome all of my obstacles.