10 Words That Dont Mean What You May Think They Do

10 Words That Dont Mean What You May Think They Do 10 Words That Don’t Mean What You May Think They Do 10 Words That Don’t Mean What You May Think They Do By Mark Nichol As English evolves, word meanings shift and turn, sometimes reversing themselves altogether. These ten words have shifted their senses over the years. In some cases, we are wise to likewise be flexible; in others, we relax our vocabulary at the expense of useful distinctions: 1. Decimate The literal meaning of this word, as all you lovers of Latin (not to be confused with Latin lovers) know all too well, is â€Å"to reduce by one-tenth,† supposedly from the punitive custom of selecting one out of ten captives by lot and killing those so selected. But the senses for this rhadamanthine Roman policy have proliferated, so that now it means â€Å"tithed,† â€Å"drastically reduced,† or â€Å"destroyed† as well. 2. Disinterested Commonly employed to mean â€Å"not interested,† disinterested has a precise, useful meaning of â€Å"neutral, unbiased.† 3. Enormity Some people would reserve this word to mean â€Å"monstrously wicked,† but, in truth, it is properly invoked to refer to anything overwhelming or an unexpected event of great magnitude, and thus it need not be invariably corrected to enormousness except when it is clearly in reference to a loathsome occurrence. Refrain, however, from diluting the word’s impact in such usage as â€Å"The enormity of the new stadium struck them as they approached the towering entrance.† 4. Fortuitous This word means â€Å"occurring by chance,† but its resemblance to fortune has given it an adopted sense of â€Å"lucky.† For meticulous adherence to the traditional meaning, use fortuitous only in the sense indicated in this sentence: â€Å"His arrival at that moment was fortuitous, because her note had not specified the exact time of her departure.† Nothing in the context qualifies his arrival as fortunate; the sentence merely states that he arrived in time without knowing that he would do so. The informal meaning is expressed here: â€Å"His fortuitous arrival at that very moment enabled him to intercept the incriminating letter.† In this sentence, the time of his appearance is identified as a lucky stroke. 5. Fulsome This term originally meant â€Å"abundant, generous, full,† but that sense was rendered obsolete when the word acquired a negative connotation of â€Å"offensive, excessive, effusive.† Conservative descriptivists rail against the use of fulsome in a positive sense, but the cold, hard fact is that this sense has been increasingly resurgent for many years, and the adulatory meaning is now much more common than the condemnatory one. If you wish to stand fast before the tsunami of inevitability, be my guest, but fulsome as an exquisite insult has been consigned to the dustbin of history. Some commentators recommend that because of the word’s ambiguity, it’s best to avoid its use altogether. If you insist, make sure the context is clear. 6. Ironic The impact of ironic has been diluted because many people use it to mean â€Å"coincidental,† when its traditional definition is â€Å"counter to expectations or what is appropriate.† 7. Literally Some folks get exercised when this term is used in place of its antonym, figuratively. However, in a hyperbolic sense, that meaning is justified. Unfortunately, that sense is literally overused. 8. Notorious This term is occasionally used in a neutral sense, but that’s not an error, but the word literally means â€Å"known.† However, its dominant connotation is that the fame is a result of infamy. 9. Peruse This victim of definition reversal literally means â€Å"to use thoroughly,† and its first sense is that of careful steady or attentive reading. However, many writers (myself included) have employed it as a synonym for scan enough writers, as a matter of fact, that its second sense is â€Å"to look over or through in a casual or cursory manner. Unfortunately, these mirror meanings mean that if you use the word, I advise you to support it with context that clarifies the intended sense. 10. Plethora Plethora originally referred to an excess of something, but that usage is rare now, and more often the sense is simply of abundance. The medical meaning of swelling caused by an excess of blood is all but unknown. 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 Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Types of Narrative ConflictThat vs. WhichHow to Style Legislative Terms

Assignments on the book after the fact Assignment

Assignments on the book after the fact - Assignment Example Therefore, initially we will tell something on the plot of the story; then, we will go to the perceived ‘truth’ of the story; then, to the ‘truth’ as it perceived today; and, finally, we will come to how it influences ‘history’ itself. Firstly, it must be stated that Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti ‘were suspected anarchists who were convicted of murdering two men during a 1920 armed robbery of a shoe factory’ in Massachusetts (current excerpt was brought from internet sources). Except this factual background, it is clear that historical truth as it appeared to be in 1920s and how it is nowadays totally differ, as two contradictive images of the story. It was believed that these Italian immigrants with evident anarchistic backgrounds were found guilty for double murdering and armed attack, but is stated clearly by different reliable internet sources of different origin that ‘there is a highly politicized disput e over their guilt or innocence, as well as whether or not the trials were fair’ and ‘the dispute focuses on contradictory evidence.’ (given excerpts are from internet sources) Obviously, they were blamed in their crimes unjustly and nowadays many historians of the 1920s suggested that basis of evidences in that case was particularly weak. Nevertheless, these two images of the story of ‘Sacco and Vanzetti’ told us the aged truth that we do not need to trust in overall historical facts cause they were fabricated by one or another request, of social, political, or cultural nature/interest. From the other perspective, these ‘facts’ could be fabricated not even in terms of ‘natures,’ but following the particular interests of group of people in the society or in the government. In other words, ‘history’ is written due to the evident interests of elites, groups of people who are in the authority in the given society o r social network with its vertical or horizontal socialization. Watergate Summarizing the story we will find out, equally with the previous sub-chapter, ‘what was the perceived truth of the situation and what do the writers find out;’ and, also, ‘how does it differs.’ Secondly, it can be regarded as necessary to pick a quote that I personally enjoyed telling why; furthermore, it is interesting from the perspective of how it changed perception of the ‘truth.’ Moreover, it will be clear afterwards how has this story of Watergate and President Nixon ‘changed the way you think about history and why.’ Initially, the most interesting citation concerning the case of Watergate, 1974, to my mind, is the next one which summarizes the case briefly: ‘As a result of the June 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration’s attempted c over-up of its involvement, the scandal eventually led to the resignation of Richard Nixon, the President of the United States, on August, 1974, the only resignation of a U.S. President.’ (the excerpt was brought from the internet sources) Thus, let us compare two images of the story, ‘perceived’ one and another one, ‘contemporary’ version of the events. Then, afterwards, we will successfully answer on a question about how these versions of the historical fact changed my personal

Alcohol problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Alcohol problem - Essay Example These questions can be used for a person with a current at risk behavior, but people with past or future at risk behavior are not analyzed. This quiz could be given to all ages due to the generality of the questions. However, only current at risk, moderate risk, and low risk can be determined at the time of the quiz. This quiz should include questions about past behavior. Instead of asking about recent or within a year, the quiz should ask the same questions with no time limit set. If high risk behavior is detected, maybe a more detailed timeline could be used. Finally, the most important question is missing from the quiz. I believe family drinking habits should be visited. For example, I have alcoholics on both sides of my family tree. This is an important factor to determine at risk individuals. 2. What is the difference between binge drinking and alcoholism? Why does society accept binge drinking in so many circumstances? In your life, what shaped your beliefs (acceptance, participation, or abstinence) regarding binge drinking? What do you think could change the culture of bingeing, especially in the college setting? Binge drinking is more hardcore alcoholism or for social reasons. It starts at parties and socially, but soon a person has to have that much alcohol. My views were shaped by my father’s drinking. At first on the weekends and then through the week. At the end, he was drinking 2 1/2 cases a day, plus a bottle of tequila. The violence, vomiting, and psychological belittlement made me want to abstain. Unless a college or university banned drinking totally on and off campus, I do not think that binge drinking would ever really change. 3. Taking what we have talked about in class so far regarding the pathophysiological changes in the brain that occur with addictions, what is the main area of the brain that might be involved with why young adults choose to consume alcohol.

Using writing for meaning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Using writing for meaning - Essay Example Living in poor families decreases a child’s expectations of their life. This may lead to a cycle of poverty whereby generation after generation lives in poverty. As adults, these children are likely to be unemployed, homeless and involved in antisocial behaviors like crime and substance abuse. In order to break this cycle, there is need to invest in education through which development of skills is possible. Children who live in households with an income of less than 60% of the national average (below poverty line) are referred to as poor children. However, child poverty should take into account whether a child has access to a good education, good home and a stable family. Child poverty constitutes the greatest threat to the well being of children and families. This is because it affects the social, educational and personal development of a child. In the UK, about 3.5 million children are estimated to be living in poverty. Poverty Unemployment, low paid work and inadequate benefits are the causes of poverty in the UK today. According to Child Poverty Action Group; in 2009/10, 42% of all families below UK poverty line contained no working members while 58% contained at least 1 working member and jobless individuals entitled to benefits and tax credit only received 65% of the amount they required in order to live above the UK poverty line (n/d). Statistics show that a child is likely to be at risk of poverty if they live in a household where there is only one parent. This could be attributed to the possibility of the parent feeling isolated and stigmatized by the community. They are also likely to be in poor physical and mental health leading them to be socially excluded. Children from ethnic minority groups are likely to be poor as majority of these families have no working members. Disability is also a cause for child poverty. This is because it is costly to take care of a disabled member of a household and i t is therefore

Computer Hardware And Software

Computer Hardware And Software In this topic Management Information System is about the information systems knowledge is essential for creating competitive firms, managing global corporations, adding business value, and providing useful products and services on the way to customers. What is an information system? The information system is defined technically as a set of interrelated apparatus that collect, process, store and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organization. In other also determination supporting decision making, coordination, and manage, information systems may also help manager and workers analyze problems, visualize complex subjects and create new products. So information system contain about significant people, place, and things within the organization or in the environment surrounding it. Selecting the global system is from other countries, such as United States, Europe and Asia. Then local is just at state to state or city to city. While want to work outstation or management company, it must know local environments, with different, culture of countries, and local knowledge, time deliver service on a global, and time intense platform. In this question ask that become a mangers hot develop a company in many countries. By the way, management, organization, and technology are one point to show global application how to work and manage it. Question 1 Why is selecting computer hardware and software for the organization an important management decision? What management, organization and technology issue should be considered when selecting computer hardware? Answer of Question 1 Nowadays, computer is a device that accepts information and manipulates on a program or sequence of instructions on how the data to be processed. The computers also include the means for storing data. Computers variable have two parts are software and hardware. Computer hardware is physical foundation for the firm`s information technology infrastructure. Information technology infrastructures include software, data and networks. Computer hardware requires their storage or operation. Then, computer software is detailed instructions that control the operation of a computer system. However, hardware is without software to perform the tasks to associate with computers. Subsequently, in this question ask that why is selecting computer hardware and software for the organization an important management decision? Computer hardware is accordingly representing an important organizational benefit that must be properly managed. Managers need to balance the cost of acquire hardware capital with the need to provide a responsive and reliable platform for delivering information system applications. The most important issues in managing hardware assets are understanding the new technology requirements for electronic commerce and the digital firm, it also determining the total cost of ownership of technology assets, and identifying technology trends impacting the organization`s information technology infrastructure. While the software is represents a major organizational software asset that should be carefully managed. System software coordinates the different parts of the computer system and mediates between application software and computer hardware. As a result, the application software is used by application programmers and some end users to develop specific business application. Then, operating system is system software that to manages and controls the activities of the computer. This system acts as chief manager of the information system, allocation, assigning, and scheduling system resources and monitoring the use of the computer. Computer system resources allow to be used more efficiently such as multiprogramming, multiprocessing, virtual storage and time sharing are operating system capabilities. In PC operating systems have to developed complicated capability like support for multiple users on networks. PC operating system is leading area include Window XP, Window 98 and Window Me, Win dow CE, Window 2000, OS/2, Unix, Linux, Mas OS and DOS. Software also have general trend, can toward user-friendly, high level languages that both increase professional programmer productivity and make it easily for end users to work information systems. Principal programming languages used in business include C, C++ and Visual Basic and each is designed to explain specific types of problems. Software assortment should be based on criterion such as efficiency, compatibility with organization`s technology platform, vendor support, and whether the software tool is appropriate for the problems and tasks of the organization. Another view computer hardware and software technology can enhance or organizational performance. Two of them are major organizational assets that must be carefully managed. By the electronic commerce and electronic business have put new strategic importance on technologies that can store vast quantities if operation data and make them immediately available online. So manager and information systems specialists need to pay individual attention to hardware capacity planning and scalability to ensure that the firm has enough computing power for its current and upcoming needs. Then they also need to balance the costs and benefits of owning and maintaining their own hardware and software versus renting these assets from external service providers. In the online storage service provider (SSPs) rent out storage space to subscribers over the Web, to selling the computer storage as a pay-per-use utility. Type of application service providers (ASPs) is rent out to the software applications an d computer services from private network or remote computer centers to subscribers over the Internet. The companies will pay technology service provides only for the amount of computing power and services by a utility computing model. Cost is one of the point for calculating the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the organization`s technology assets can help to provide managers with the information they want to manage these assets and decide whether to rent or own these assets. Finally, the total cost of technology resources includes not only the original cost of computer hardware and software but they also same costs to upgrades, maintenance, technical support, and training. Management Computer hardware technology is to profound impact on business performance. Thus, it represents an important organizational asset that must be properly managed. Then, the alternative computer hardware topologies are available to processing and storing data while they are using this technology for their business. Computer system have many modern and can be categorized into six major components such as a central processing unit (CPU), primary storage, input devices, output devices, secondary storage, and communications devices (in figure 1). Figure 1:hardware components of computer system CPU is the part of computer where the manipulation of symbol, letter occurs and numbers. CPU has two types of components such as an arithmetic-logic unit and a control unit. CPU is a closely tied primary memory, or primary storage, which are stores data and program instructions temporarily before or after processing. However, more than a few difference kinds of semiconductor memory chips is RAM ( random access memory) is use for short term storage of data and program instruction, then ROM (read only memory) eternally stores important program instructions. Computer processing power depends in part of speed in microprocessors, which is computer`s logic and control on a single chip. The input devices have included keyboards, computer mice, magnetic link and optical character recognition devices audio input devices and radio frequency identification devices. Maintenance of computer hardware is one of a series of cost components that mangers must consider when selecting and managing hardw are technology assets. Total cost of ownership (TCO) is designates the total cost of owning technology resources including cost of hardware, maintenance, and training. Anywhere, to improve firm of management and information systems specialists, so they must pay more attention to hardware capacity planning and scalability. For this system of capacity planning, is the process of predicting when the computer hardware system become saturated. For issue of capacity planning, most of the users that using the system can accommodate at one time. Second issue is the impact of existing and the future software application. Then, is a performance measure like minimum to response time for the processing business transaction. Currently, capacity planning is ensures for the firm has enough computing power and upcoming needs. Salability is refers for the ability of a computer, product, or system to expand to provide a large number of users without breaking down. Organization Computer hardware technology can either improve or delay organizational performance. Computer hardware selection should consider how well the technology meshes with the organization`s culture and structure with its information processing requirements. Technology Information technology today is not incomplete to computers but must be viewed as an array of digital devices networked together. Thus, type of computer and arrangement of processing that should be used by business in the nature organization. Computers type as well as mainframes, PCs, midrange computers, workstation, or supercomputer. While, computers also can be networked together to distribute processing among different machines. Network computer can help organization to maintain the central control over computing, linking PCs, workstations, peer-to-peer, or other computers through the internet or sharing data by private network, and disk space. Different ways of configuring hardware components in management side. Question 2 If you were a manager in a company that operates in many countries, what criteria would you use to determine whether a new system should be developed as a global application or local application? Why? Answer of Question 2 In this question is asking that if I am a manager will chooses global application or local application to operating a new system in many countries of the company. What is global application mean? Global application is for a world order is sweeping away many national corporations, national industries, and national economies control by domestic politician. Most of the countries like United States, Europe and Asia, many of their local firms will be replacing by fast-moving networked corporations that rise above national boundaries. Global application is the overall market forces, or business drivers, that are pushing to industry toward the global competition. So, want to be a good manager must known how to management, organizational and technology using a new system to operate the company in many countries. To develop a global application in new system, a manager would need to learn the cultures, face political and legal uncertainties, global environmental and social expectations, develop a global position and reorganize business strategies. The global market may run up against governmental or cultural restrictions. One of the criteria to be considered to develop the global application is global cultural which include the forms of religious, nationalistic, ethnic, regionalism, and geopolitical position. The differences of culture influence the concept of a shared global culture and reject the penetration of domestic markets by foreign goods and services. The expansion of international communication has created a world culture with stable expectations or norms. However for some of the middle and low level, software systems will equip with their local languages. Every country have their own terms of business trade, therefore political stability and a growing global knowledge base that is widely and essential for the world culture during develop of global application. These common factors are also creating the conditions for global markets, global production, coordination, distribution, and global economies of scale. In addition, different cultures produce different political and legal issued. Many countries are using different laws to lead the movement of information, information privacy of their citizens, origins of software and hardware in systems, and radio and satellite telecommunications. For instance in Germany, a vendor cannot accept payment via credit card until two weeks after an order has been sent. While in Malaysia, a vendor is accept payment via credit card before order goods deliver. Moreover, the criteria of social expectation are another point will need to be concentrate. Different of working hours are vary across countries. So the specific like the reliability that phone network not reliable. For the developing global business have four basic international strategies such as domestic exporter, multinational, franchiser, and transnational. The domestic exporter strategy is characterized by heavy centralization of corporate activities in the home country of origin. For second strategy is multinational, it is concentrates financial management and control out of a central home base while decentralizing production and marketing operations to units in other countries. Third strategy of franchiser is an interesting mix of old and new. Last strategy is the transnational, this for managed the activities from a global perspective without reference to national borders, optimizing sources of supply and demand wherever they become visible. In the information technology, the global telecommunications must improve because they are giving for international firms more flexibility to shape their global strategies. Thus, the protectionism is serve local markets better encourage companies to disperse production facilities. To develop a global company in many counties, how a firm organize and how to control the information support structure by manger? By the way, the entire branch in other counties needs to follow these principles. There are including organize, develop, and establish. For organize value adding activities along lines of comparative advantage. For example, marketing or sales functions should be located where they can best to present, for least cost and maximum impact. Other organizes like production, finance, human resources and information system. Second is develop, it to operate system units at each level of corporate activities regional, national, and international. Local company and global company, theirs develop not same to manage. For local company, there should host country system units of some magnitude. Then the global company is using regional systems units to handle telecommunications and system development across national boundaries that take place within major geographic regions. Last is establish, at world center of operations is a single office responsible for development of international system. Management Managers are responsible for devising an appropriate organizational and technological framework for international business. Global business strategies have four basic for global firms organizational structure. Transnational firms should develop networked system configurations and permit considerable decentralization of development. Second strategies are franchisers, nearly to duplicate systems across many countries and use centralized financial controls. Multinationals is third strategy, it typically rely on decentralized independence among foreign units with some movement toward development of networks. Lastly is domestic strategy is exporters typically are centralized in domestic headquarters with some decentralized operations permitted. To develop a global firm or company and information systems support structure, be a firm or company needs to known these principles. To identifying core business process is to perform a business process analysis. There have three type are organize develop and establish. Hence, organize is the value adding activities along lines of comparative advantage. After that, develop and operate systems units at each level of corporate activity regional, national, and international and establish is at world headquarters a single office responsible for development of international system, it is a global chief information officer (CIO) position. Managers must know how to handle the most vexing problem facing managers developing the global information systems architectures. Applications developed just about the global by different divisions, different people, and for different kinds of computing hardware. If the problem are magnified in an international environment, then just to imagine the challenge of integrating system based on Window, Unix, Linux and many other hardware in many different operating units in many different countries. Organization Global information systems pose challenges because of culture, political, and language diversity magnifies in organizational culture and business processes and encourages proliferation of disparate local information systems that are difficult to integrate. Usually, international systems have evolved without a conscious plan. The remedy is in the direction of a small subset of core business process and focus on building systems to support these processes. Usually, for managers must have to get somebody on board widely dispersed foreign units to participate in the development and operation of these systems, being careful to maintain overall control. Technology Global systems also must using hardware, software, and networking pose special technical challenges in an international setting. Mean that want finding some way to standardize a global computing platform when using have variation form operating unit to operating unit and from country to country. The universal acceptance of the internet around the global has greatly reduced networking problems. While, the internet does not guarantee that information will flow seamlessly throughout the global organization. Because all business units not use the same applications, and the quality of internet service can be highly variable. Other way, the hardware and telecommunications issues are systems integration and connectivity. Integration is to go either with a proprietary architecture or with open systems technology. Then the global networks are particularly difficult to build and operate. However, firms or company can build their own global networks or also can create global networks based on i nternet.

Impact of the Internet on Relationships and Community During Adolescence :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

From birth, humans seek connectedness. Regular social interaction is almost as important as eating or sleeping, and is achieved through social activities and relationships with family and friends. Creating and maintaining these relationships is a process that occurs throughout an individual’s lifetime. Yet, during adolescence these interpersonal relationships start to have a particularly important function. Interactions with family and peers are vital to adolescent identity formation, and the crucial role of these relationships places additional stress on the bonds during this life stage. As Steinberg mentioned in a recent paper, â€Å"Adolescence has long been characterized as a time when individuals begin to explore and examine psychological characteristics of the self in order to discover who they really are, and how they fit in the social world in which they live†(Steinberg, 2001). The idea that adolescence is a time of â€Å"role experimentation† and a â€Å"stage of identity formation† (Erikson, 1956) has existed for decades, dating back to Erikson’s definition of the life stage: Identity vs. Role Confusion. In this stage, as the adolescent begins to be conscious of how their identity is perceived by others, a heightened level of identity awareness develops. Although Erikson’s idea of a life stage with perfect delineated boundaries is now fairly obsolete, the struggle to define one’s identity during adolescence is still very present and relevant. With the advent of the internet, the possibilities for defining the self have expanded dramatically. The youth sector latched onto this technology, using it to help ease and facilitate connections with others. Email and Instant messenging allowed people to communicate quickly in a non-confrontational fashion, and weblog communities encouraged individuals to share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions with others online. All of these methods of communication allow the individual to assume multiple identities. According to (Lenhart, 2001) almost one quarter of teens admit to pretending to be someone else over Instant messenger or email. Thus, it is undeniable that this online medium is forum where the expression of role confusion and diffusion can occur freely. But, what impact doe s this have on the formation of a single identity that is congruent with the ego? An important part of the adolescent identity formation process is the recognition that others notice the outward expression of the self, and that this outward expression must agree with others in order to fit into a social group.

Beyond The Human Essay

Nature is benevolent. It may condone one mistake of the human being. It may accommodate him in his yet another folly. But when the human beings continue with the deliberate, malicious and intentional negative activities to destroy Nature, Nature will hit back with tremendous vigor, for it has to recoup its original, natural ‘health. ‘ Man is not the creature of Nature. Rather he is the product of the divine creative force that sustains the world. This novel by Atwood is grim and depressing and the contents therein, if it were to become true, do not augur well for the wellbeing of humanity. This book can be categorized as Science Fiction or speculative fiction, but as one goes through the contents, it reads like predictions that will come true. There is a method in the imaginative narrations which reach the borders or truth. At the end of each chapter, the reader is compelled to nod his head and say-yes, this can happen! How then to make this Planet Earth heaven-like? The answer is simple and direct. Eyes full of understanding, heart full of love and deep respect for the laws of Nature and the life that refuses conflicts—enough, these alone are enough! Two main themes dominate the book, Oryx and Crake. The novel relates to the distant future, the global warning has taken its toll, it has created many changes to the geography of Earth, that the coastal cities do not exist, and the name of New York is New New York. Umbrellas won’t do to go outside in the sun; one invites certain death. The wealthier areas of the world still dominate, well-protected under places known as compounds and areas known as The Pleebands still exist. People live the normal life here, and understand Nature and its glory better. They know the real worth of God’s gifts to humanity. The plot of the book has three central characters. The narrator, Snowman, formerly known as Jimmy, is the only surviving human being on this Planet Earth. The sad beginning of the novel describes this terminally ill Snowman, sleeping in a tree. Food is in short supply; the sun is so hot that the Snowman has blisters on his body. The genetically engineered beings wolvogs and the pigoos that have managed to escape are now roaming the grounds, with no human beings to control them. At this stage, Atwood makes the reader ponder, as to what a sad pass the human race has arrived and the responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of the captains who led the human race. The role of the scientists becomes suspect here. No doubt, they obey the orders of the politicians and do research on weapons of more and more and destruction. When questioned, their reply is that they have no responsibility for its use. Atwood provides the imperative advice to those who govern the affairs of humanity that if proper review is not made in time, even the desperate remedies will not be able to avert the forthcoming desperate situations. The important question is not who is responsible but what will happen to the Planet Earth, when such irreversible grim situations confront humanity—in this particular story, the humanity itself is extinct so who is there to tell the story and also listen to the story! To what a calamitous situation this mad craze for unending research has brought the human race, the so-called crown of creation! How the human beings are unable to know the real source of happiness? True happiness is not in reading more and more books, creating innovative materialistic objects. The products of mind related thinking can never be the permanent source of happiness. To achieve the state of bliss, an individual has to cross the barrier of mind, rather transcend it. Now the only surviving human being the Snowman, has the added responsibility of looking after a group of humanoid creatures named the Crackers. His best friend Crake invented them and created such class of people. They are supposed to be ideal human beings. If only the individual who created such human being were to know the exact nature of ideal human beings! Crakers are strange creatures, with no emotions, no desires, and no sex drive. They just procreate, as matter of reflex action. They are without any motivation. The concept of war is not known to these creatures, and this aspect seems to be the only good point about them. Being strict vegetarians, they have no desire for meat. They are simple people, but the meaning of their simplicity is not amenable to human reason. The question is, why for these Crakers were created at all? An important conclusion is the mind-less craze for research must stop. How to stop it and where to stop it, should be the concern of the leadership of the humanity. A popular protest to halt the undesirable and unhealthy growth of research that affects the human life must be on the top of the agenda. This aspect of research can be illustrated with an example. An over the counter medication for diabetes claims—the cure for diabetes is guaranteed with this medicine. But the side effects reported are, hypertension, night-blindness, hair fall, palpitation of the heart, with possible heart attack, high blood pressure, blisters etc. Further research is in progress as to how to avoid these side-effects. Is it not prudent to own the original disease, instead of extending a cordial invitation to so many side effects? So, this much about the world of research related to the medical world. So, the important question is why the world ended and why should it have ended thus. Due to the follies of the miniscule of minority of human beings, the majority had to face the ultimate disaster—total extinction! —Atwood elucidates this aspect convincingly and indicates her deep concern for the real happiness of human beings, which is an attainable reality provided right type of efforts are made. Conclusion: One must read this book; one must re-read and ponder over the contents. The points mentioned in the book are logical and the conclusions are frightening. Just remember the atomic blasts done over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That was the time when the research on atomic weapons was still in its infancy. What if some mad political authority should initiate triggering the push-buttons of these silent demons? There won’t be a Snowman to collect the ashes of humanity perhaps! Does the humanity deserve this? Perhaps not! Are we taking action and thinking strongly to avert such a situation? Perhaps not! Then who is to blame? Perhaps ourselves! The science-community, especially the bio-engineering division, is taken to task by Atwood and her deep suspicions about the craze of unending research are absolutely right. So, the scientists! —you may cross the moon and beat the stars; but probe and research you must the mysteries of a happy human heart! ************************** References Cited: Atwood, Margaret (Author) Book: Oryx and Crake. Paperback: 376 pages Publisher: Anchor (March 30, 2004) Language: English ISBN-10: 0385721676 ISBN-13: 978-0385721677