Using Contests as Door Openers

Using Contests as Door Openers In a world where its near impossible to land an agent or publisher, and indie publishing appears to be a monstrosity of complexities, it might be time to consider contests. And dont talk about how most of them are scams, either. There are more publishing scams out there than contests, my friend. Why focus on contests when your goal is publishing? Because contests are a roundabout way to open a door to getting published. And you get to toy around with submitting more than that book youve obsessed over. You can also submit novellas, short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. Suggestions on entering contests to aid your career: 1) Stick to contests that result in publication. Whether its a website, a journal, or a publishing house, getting publication credits in your portfolio matters. You need credibility. 2) Extract from your book-length work and create a short piece or two. There are way more short story competitions than novels contests. Take the gist of your longer piece and turn it into a short submission. The point is to make people realize you can write. If you win, THEN tell them you also write novels. 3) Choose reputable contests, not something cutesy and cheap, so that when you win you are respected, not chuckled at. Show that even when you enter contests, you are a professional. 4) Be willing to pay entry fees. They fund the publishing, the judging, and the prize money. Better to pay $25 to enter and win $1,000 than pay $0 and win $50. The latter doesnt look as good on a resume or pitch letter. 5) Consider those contests that offer feedback. Those critiques might right some wrongs in your work. 6) Choose contests where the judges are agents, publishers, or editors. Even if you dont win, you might catch someones eye. Some authors enter contests regularly while still pursuing publication. Theres no point in passing up this sort of opportunity. Especially during a time that writers are a dime-a-dozen and landing attention is like screaming into the wind. While youre planning your query letters or indie promotion, make time for a contest or two each month. It might be the catalyst to take that stalling writing career to a higher level.

Rule of Thumb

Rule of Thumb Rule of Thumb Rule of Thumb By Maeve Maddox Reader Cynthia Turney  asks Do you know where the phrase rule of thumb came from? This is a figurative expression that means a general guideline that has a broad application, but which is not strictly accurate in every case. I hope that by now everyone knows that this expression does not come from an ancient law limiting the circumference of the stick a man could use to beat his wife. The expression originates from some forgotten literal context in which a craftsman or farmer used his thumb (about an inch) as a unit of measurement. The word rule in this expression does not mean principle or maxim as in Roberts Rules of Order. It has more to do with ruler, meaning something to measure with or a strip used for making straight lines. Body parts have long been used as units of measurement. See the DWT post Body Parts As Tools of Measurement. This Wikipedia article on rule of thumb will tell you all you can want to know about the expressions false etymology. (There used to be an article on this expression at Snopes.com, but I couldnt find it last time I looked.) 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 Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply withWriting the CenturyHonorary vs. Honourary

Explain how the molecular structure of cell membranes accounts for Essay

Explain how the molecular structure of cell membranes accounts for their selective permeability - Essay Example Other than proteins and lipids the cell membrane also consists of carbohydrates which form a layer outside the cell membrane to serve specific functions of the body. The proteins have a very important role to play in maintaining the shape of the cell membrane which is crucial for maintaining the form and working of the cell as well. They have other important roles not only restricted to the maintenance of functioning and integrity of cell membrane but also in the intracellular metabolic activities. This is because proteins act as receptors for several hormones as well as transmitters which then alter the metabolic activities taking place within the cell. Another important aspect of proteins is that most of the enzymes in the human body are proteins. Most of the intracellular reactions that take place are catalyzed by enzymes and hence proteins are central to the normal functioning of the cells. In the cell membrane certain proteins act as enzymes and they assist in carrying out react ions on the cell membrane surface. Proteins also act as cell adhesion molecules. These molecules possess the capability of attaching the cells to each other and also attaching the cell to the basal lamina. Proteins also have the ability to work as pumps for the passage of ions by the process of active transport which works against the normal diffusion gradient. They also act as carriers and work in moving substances by the process of facilitated diffusion which involves the movement of secondary substances in association with proteins for the purpose of transport. Another important role is as ion channels which only work upon stimulation and activation and allow the movement of ions in the intracellular or extracellular space. Glycoprotein’s present on the cell membrane also have functions related to the immune system. They function in the activities of the antibodies within the body and assist in recognizing the cells of the body from the foreign cells. Thus they protect the cells of the body from undergoing an autoimmune attack. The lipid bilayer of the cell membrane also plays an integral role in the selective permeability of the cell membrane. The bilayer is composed of phospholipids which are hydrophobic at one end and hydrophilic at one end (Guyton & Hall 2006; Ganong 2005). The question now arises as to how these two important molecules help in the selective permeability of the cell membrane. The lipid layer acts as a barrier for water soluble products such as glucose and urea whereas fat soluble substances can be moved through this lipid bilayer because of its properties. The steroid cholesterol plays an important role in maintaining the permeability of the cell membrane. Cholesterol has properties of lipids with a steroid nucleus and hence it only allows fat soluble products to pass through. It is through this lipid bilayer that the cell membrane gets the property of impermeability. The lipid bilayer of the cell membrane also does not allow the complex processes of active transport to occur through it. It only allows passive diffusion of certain substances inside the cell. One may ask as to how the cell survives without essential water soluble products of glucose when the lipid bilayer does not allow them to move inside the cell. The answer to this lies in the complexity of the protein molecules embedded in the cell membrane. It is for this purpose that specific carrier proteins have

Large Scale Software Development Research Paper

Large Scale Software Development - Research Paper Example College diploma courses take three years and are offered by various colleges across the country. The majority of the people i.e. 80% live in abject poverty i.e. they cannot spend more than one dollar per day. Due to this most students cannot afford to pay for their education expenses which cover tuition, building and development expenses, food and catering, money to buy books and lastly the school uniform. Before free education was introduced most of the student dropped out of school due to lack of school fees. The government at that time was corrupt and very inefficient, these lend to a massive deterioration of the country education sector, and international funds were also not available as donor funds were withheld due to the many corruption scandals. In January 2003, the national rainbow coalition government took power with the promise to bring free primary education to help the poor illiterate student to attain basic education. Free primary education was implemented. This saw a massive enrollment of a student with classes which had 50 students now have more than 100 students . In Nairobi, the student population tripled. Free primary education has been advantageous. Many unlearned Kenyan have benefited from it. It was surprising that even old men joined the primary school. The limitations were however noticeable as the teacher's workload became enormous such that they were not able to handle the number of students. This, in a way, lends to a decline in the overall performance of public primary schools or. The classes are typically overcrowded. In 2008 the government implemented free secondary education, free secondary education has many setbacks as a student are still required to pay some amount in terms of development fees. Education in private schools, unlike the public school, is high tech with state of the art computers, swimming pools, well-trained teachers, student boarding facilities among other facilities. The student is however required to pay a lot of money to join these schools, these schools are dominated by the middle class and high-class citizens who can afford the fees charged.

Black People Essay Example for Free

Black People Essay Tar Baby Toni Morrison’s novel might for some be a novel of cultural awakening. One also might at their first reading and perhaps also by reading the different studies made on Tar Baby, restricted to an interpretation that sees Jadine, Morrison’s protagonist, as woman who has, consciously or unconsciously, lost her â€Å"ancient properties† (305) and internalized the values of a white culture. Jadine has totally disconnected herself from her racial identity and cultural heritage. This reading is supported by the fact that Jadine has got her education in Europe with the financial assistance of Valerian Street (her aunt’s and uncle’s employer). Paraphrasing Marylyn sanders Mobley – the characterization of the protagonist, Jadine, draws attention to a fundamental problem as one that Morrison wants to affirm the self-reliance and freedom of a black woman who makes choices for her own life on her own terms. She also seeks to point out the dangers that can happen to the totally self-reliant if there is no historical connection. While the conflict in Tar Baby is undoubtedly â€Å"between assimilation and cultural nationalism represented by the sealskin coat Ryk has given her and the pie table† (Rayson, 94), the limiting categories which Jadine is continually forced into do not come from the white characters but primarily from the black community in which she finds herself because she (Jadine) has embraced white stereotypes along with white culture. While Valerian is portrayed as the traditional master-figure in the novel, it is actually Son, Sydney and Ondine, and the folk past represented by the different women in different places that try to conquer and dominate Jadine, who retain and represent their culture in the very colour of their skin. On the other hand, one could argue that it is as a result of Jadine’s university education in Europe and her career that further draws her away from her culture and identity and therefore (paraphrasing Mobley in Toni Morrison critical perspectives past and present) contributes significantly to the emotional and spiritual uncertainty that plague her as well as the many different roles that are imposed upon her by her aunt and uncle as well as the ‘society’ that caused her to seek upward social mobility. Sydney and Ondine, Jadine’s uncle and aunt in the novel can be seen as representative of one of the tar pits for Jadine. They do not accept all black people equal in the community in which they live because they employ racial hierarchies. Ondine sees herself as the only woman in the house (209), while Sydney notes more than twice that he is a Philadelphia Negro, â€Å"the proudest people in the race† (61). They seem to have a clear vision of what they want for Jadine their niece. As the story progresses, though, it becomes clearer that it is not actually a question of what they want for Jadine but what they want of her or expect her to do. In addition to them wanting Jadine to provide them safety and credit for their race, Ondine admits by the end of the novel, â€Å"maybe I just wanted her to feel sorry for us [ ] and that’s a lowdown wish if I ever had one† (282). Jadine understands that Sydney and Ondine â€Å"had gotten Valerian to pay her tuition while they sent her the rest† (49) and Ondine keeps reminding that she â€Å"would have stood on her feet all day all night to put Jadine through that school† (193). Ondine sees Jadine as her â€Å"crown† (282), and she and Sydney are continually â€Å"boasting† (49) about Jadine’s success to the point that Margaret calls Ondine â€Å"Mother Superior† (84). In return, they seem to want Jadine to offer them safety for the rest of their lives as Ondine claims that â€Å"Nothing can happen to us as long as she’s here† (102). They are not comfortable with the idea of Jadine marrying Ryk, who is â€Å"white but European which was not as bad as white and American† (48), but they are terrified of her running off with a â€Å"no-count Negro† (193) like Son. Although their views on racial hierarchies seem to alter from time to time, on the outside they seem to want what is best for Jadine. Jadine refute Ondine’s views of black womanhood when she tells her some of the things that are expected of her from society Jadine tells Ondine that: â€Å"I don’t want to learn how to be the kind of woman you’re talking about because I don’t want to be that kind of woman† (282). This, according to Rayson (1998), might be interpreted as Jadine’s â€Å"rejecting the roles of mother, daughter, and woman to stay the tar baby† (Rayson, 95), however it marks her becoming aware of what kind of woman she is by the end of the novel. Jadine‘s inclination toward upward social mobility leads to her separation from the Afro-American roots and the tar quality that Morrison advocates. This kind of flaw in Jadine effectively disqualifies her as a black woman capable of nurturing a family and by large the community. Jadine‘s perception of an ancestral relationship from which she is estranged occurs when she sees an African woman in a Parisian bakery. When she is celebrating her success as model evidenced in her appearance on the cover of Elle, Jadine becomes nervous or perhaps uncomfortable by the African woman in yellow attire. She triggers an identity crisis in Jadine at the moment when she should have felt more secure with her professional achievement assured by beauty and education. In his African woman, Jadine catches a glimpse of beauty, a womanliness, an innate elegance, a nurturer, an authenticity that she had never known before: ? That woman‘s woman – that mother/sister/she/; that unphotographable beauty? (p. 43). By calling the African woman ? that mother/sister/she,? J. Deswal (online source â€Å"Tar Baby- Shodhganga) claims that â€Å"Morrison presents a threefold definition of womanhood which can thrive within the confines of family and community only. The three eggs she balances effortlessly in her ? tar-black fingers? (p. 44) appear to Jadine as if the woman were boasting of her own easy acceptance of womanhood†. Wendy Harding and Jacky Martin in A World of Difference: An Inter-cultural Study of Toni Morrison explain the importance of the African woman‘s presence as such: â€Å"Whereas Jadine has just been rewarded for her conformity to Western ideals of feminity, the African woman suggests a more powerful version of black womanhood. Like some fertility goddess, she holds in her hand the secret of life. She is the mother of the world in whose black hands whiteness appears as something as easily crushed as cared for (71). When Jadine measures herself by the idea of black womanhood that she sees in the African woman the insecurities of her rootless condition surface in her mind. The women in yellow makes Jadine confront her female role and her sexuality†. Jadine sees ? something in her eyes so powerful? (p. 42) that she follows the woman out of the store. The writers also claim that â€Å"As a symbol of repudiation of Jadine‘s westernized lifestyle, the African woman ? looks right at Jadine? (p. 43) and spits on the pavement†. Jadine hates the woman for her spitting, but what she cannot do is escape feeling ? lonely in a way; lonely and inauthentic? as she tells the readers on page 45. When the sense of self is based on the denial of one‘s ethnic roots, one is certain to experience mental chaos and alienation. So, the woman‘s insult to Jadine had the powerful effect of challenging Jadine‘s choices: her white boyfriend, her girlfriends in New York, her parties, her picture on the cover of Elle and the way she lived her life. One can say that it is as a result of the African woman that Jadine desided to visit her aunt and uncle on the island. Jadine is confused and even questions her plans to marry Ryk, her white boyfriend: I wonder if the person he wants to marry is me or a black girl? And if it isn‘t me he wants, but any black girl who looks like me, talks and acts like me, what will happen when he finds out that I hate ear hoops, that I don‘t have to straighten my hair, that Mingus puts me to sleep, that sometimes I want to get out of my skin and be only the person inside – not American – not black – just me? (p. 45) It is through Son, however, that Morrison offers Jadine the ultimate opportunity to ‘redeem’ herself to her heritage, adapt it and revive her womanhood. Son picks up from where the African woman left off in a sense by making Jadine confront her inauthenticity. Jadine and Son enjoys their stay in New York because it is the place where Jadine feels at ease. She feels loved and safe: ? He ‘unorphaned’ her completely and gave her a brand-new childhood? (p. 231). In turn, Son is encouraged by her need and by his apparent ability to redefine Jadine culturally and emotionally. Son insists that he and Jadine goes to Eloe his hometown where Jadine will see how Son is rooted in family and cultural heritage. He attempts to rescue Jadine from her ignorance and disdain for her cultural heritage, trying in a sense to mould Jadine into the image of his black female ancestors. Son assumes that a relationship with Jadine will mean that they will have children together. He presses claims for family and community: ? He smiled at the vigour of his own heartbeat at the thought of her having his baby? (p. 220). Thus, he wants Jadine to love the nurturing aspects of home and fraternity. He is fed on dreams of his community women. The dreams of ? yellow houses with white doors? and ? fat black ladies in white dresses minding the pie table? (p. 119) are nourishment to Son. Sandra Pouchet Paquet (The ancestors as foundation in their eyes were watching god and tar baby) observes: ? In Son‘s dreams of Eloe, the African-American male ego is restored in a community of black man at the center of a black community. But however appreciative Son is of the beauty, the strength, and the toughness of black women; his vision is of male dominance; of the black women as handmaiden? (511). The image feminity that Son cherishes – of the black woman taking passive role as a nurturer of the hearth – is flagrantly opposite to Jadine‘s perception of the modern black woman. This terrifies Jadine and narrows the possibility of their forming a family. The modern, educated black woman seems to snivel at the aspects of traditional female- specific role as the nurturer of hearth and home. Decadent white values and life style thwart the black woman’s vital roles of building families and raising children. The modern black woman cannot be a complete human being, for she allows her education to keep her career separate from her nurturing role. The black woman is increasingly becoming able to define her own status and to be economically independent. She tries to seek equality in her relationship with men. Robert Staples gives an insight into the faltering dynamics of modern couples: ? What was once a viable institution because women were a subservient group has lost its value for some people in these days of women‘s liberation. The stability of marriage was contingent on the woman accepting her place in the home and not creating dissension by challenging the male‘s prerogatives? (125). The black woman‘s intrinsic quality of ? accepting her place in the home? is Morrison‘s tar quality. However, in advocating the tar quality Morrison does not admonish the educational and professional accomplishments of the black woman. In fact, the black woman is expected to achieve a balance between her roles in the domestic and professional fields. â€Å"It is the historical ability of black women to keep their families and careers together. In an era where both the black male and female seek to fulfill individual desires, relationships falter and, consequently, the prospects of the propagation of a family are not too bright. Jadine‘s tar quality is submerged by the white-like urge for freedom and self-actualization. As a result, she finds the conventions of black womanhood antithetical to her own value system†. At Eloe, Jadine is determined to resist rigid male-female role categorization. Jadine cannot ? understand (or accept) her being shunted off with Ellen and the children while the men grouped on the porch and after a greeting, ignored her? (p. 248). While at Eloe, Jadine is provided with yet another chance to attain certain qualities that is for black women. She is accustomed to living an upper-class white lifestyle so she finds the people of Eloe limited and backward. Their stifling little shacks are more foreign to her than the hotel-like splendor of Valerian‘s mansion. She stays in Aunt Rosa‘s house where she feels claustrophobically enclosed in a dark, windowless room. She feels ? she might as well have been in a cave, a grave, the dark womb of the earth, suffocating with the sound of plant life moving, but deprived of its sight? (p. 254). It is in this very room where Jadine and Son were having sex that she had a second awakening vision, which is more frightening than the one she had in Paris about the African Woman. Here, Older, black, fruitful and nurturing women – her own dead mother, her Aunt Ondine, Son‘s dead wife, the African woman in yellow and other black women of her past – become a threatening part of Jadine‘s dreams: I have breasts too,‘ she said or thought or willed, I have breasts too. ‘ But they didn‘t believe her. They just held their own higher and pushed their own farther out and looked at her,? (p. 261) and ? the night women were not merely against her not merely looking superior over their sagging breasts and folded stomachs, they seemed somehow in agreement with each other about her, and were all determined to punish her for having neglected her cultural heritage. They wanted to bind the person she had become and choke it with their breasts. The night women? accuse Jadine for trading the ? ancient properties? (p. 308) of being a daughter, mother, and a woman for her upward mobility and self-enhancement. All these women are punishing Jadine for her refusal to define herself in relation to family, historical tradition and culture. As they ‘brandish’ their breasts before her eyes, they mock and insult her with their feminity. Jadine finds these women backward and sees no self-fulfilling value in the roles that they serve. However, she is constantly haunted by dreams of the black female image that she seems to have lost throughout life. Ondine express shame and disappointment over her lack of concern for her family, the African woman, at the Parisian bakery, spits at her in disgust and the night women, in the vision at Eloe taunt her with their nurturing breasts. Having refuted her own black culture and heritage, Jadine face the consequence of a divided consciousness and a mental death. Her decision to end the love affair with Son— ? I can‘t let you hurt me again? (p. 274) is an evidence of her shunning womanhood and losing her Afro- American roots as she chooses Ryk her white boyfriend over Son who refused to become the person or image that Jadine wants him to be . Jadine is compelled to make her choice and she decides that it is in Paris, away from Son, where there are prospects of financial success and personal independence. She doesn‘t want what Son and Eloe have to offer: To settle for wifely competence when she could be a beauty queen or to settle for fertility rather than originality and nurturing instead of building? (p. 271). Jadine makes it clear to the reader that she is self-sufficient and independent of men, family and community.

Following Martin Luther King, Jr :: essays research papers fc

Following Martin Luther King, Jr "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." (King, Jr.) Following Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech in the United States capital, many laws, including the Civil Rights Act and the Affirmative Action Act, were amended into the constitution. Despite these laws enforcing the equality of race, the US still faces the same dilemma of 1963: racism. Racism, or the discrimination of a distinguished group of people, remains a problem in businesses, government, universities, in relationships, and in many other situations. Although current laws prohibit the people of the United States to discriminate and harass people of other races, racial incidents continue to remain across the country, and even, around the world. For many years, humanitarians have been trying desperately to eliminate racism. The problem is the attempt to correct the effects of racism, without eliminating the cause of racism itself. In order to eliminate racism and achieve the ultimate dream of justice and equality of all people, Americans must start with teaching children the fallacies of racism and value of diversity. A new curriculum especially for race equality, should be introduced to young students all over the United States, providing all the facts and false stereotypical assumptions about races and racism surrounding them. Racism can be eliminated by creating a curriculum for understanding races. Providing a required racial understanding program for young students, will help them to understand different backgrounds and identities that surround them. Understanding the many identities that distinguish each and every person, will break down stereotypes that identify groups. Understanding creates knowledge and empathy towards people of different backgrounds. Racism can be eliminated by understanding the history of racism. By understanding the history of racism, students can learn how racism started, where it started, how racism is adopted, why it was adopted into our concept, and how its made its way to America, etc. If everybody understands that racism is, and always was, irrelevant to a person’s character, then racism will be eliminated. Racism can be eliminated by confronting the issue. Confronting the issues and being aware of racism’s destruction to society, will allow students, starting at a younger age, to be conscious of racism and its negative effects on life. Being conscious of racism will

Comparison Between Ipad and Galaxy Tab

Maria Andrea Trujillo Villatoro A01321564 Homework COMPARISON BETWEEN IPAD 3 AND GALAXY TAB 2 Tablets are portable, slim, internet-connected computers. They are bigger than smart phones but operate in a similar way with touch screens and downloadable apps. They generally differ from laptops and net-books by having no built-in keyboard, and being thinner and lighter. Tablets are primarily designed for interactive entertainment, whether that’s listening to music, watching movies, reading e-books, playing games or surfing the web.If we compare the iPad 3 and the Galaxy Tab 2, we can notice that the iPad 3 has a 4:3 aspect ratio Retina display while the Galaxy Tab has a widescreen display. The iPad 3 still retains the 9. 7-inch screen, but the pixels are the double now, reaching 1536 x 2048 pixels. The high amount of pixels gives a better visual experience, including sharper images and text. In addition, the 4:3 aspect ratio display works well in browsing the webpages compared to a widescreen display. You are able to view more content on the screen without scrolling the page down.Additionally, the iPad 3 has a better rated camera compared to the Galaxy, because the Ipad has 5 megapixels while the Galaxy has 3. 15-megapixels. Plus, it is equipped with a 2. 4 aperture lens that allows more light to hit the image sensor, resulting in clearer and sharper images. The camera is also capable of recording a 1080p full HD video which its competitor could not. The iPad 3 also offers LTE support in addition to the usual 3G and WiFi connectivity. Despite having a bigger battery capacity, Ipad is 11560 and Galaxy is 7000 mAh.The Ipad is still thinner than the Galaxy Tab 2 (10. 1). On the other hand, the Galaxy Tab 2 is great for watching movies with its widescreen display. Unlike the iPad 3, it has a microSD card slot that accepts cards up to 32GB. Each tablet is running on their respective operating system. The iPad 3 runs on iOS 5. 1 and the Galaxy Tab 2 runs on Androi d 4. 0. Both are equally powerful platforms, and it is subject to the individual’s preference to pick either one. Pricing-wise, expect the iPad 3 have a steeper price than the Galaxy Tab 2.The Galaxy Tab 2 (10. 1) is definitely a decent tablet for the price-conscious, but those who expect more from a tablet should go for the iPad 3. In conclusion I think that like all electronics, any tablet has pros and cons. Among the pros we can found that they are very portable, easy to handle, quickly to switch on, lots of apps to choose and more and the cons can be that they are quite expensive, some don’t have 3G connectivity and typing is not as easy as on a laptop, but now this devices have become very common among people.