For example, a liberal arts education has little to do with ideology and everything to do with living a full and meaningful life and appreciating culture, art, music, drama and creativity. Liberal arts as a term dates to the Middle Ages, but it is generally referred to as a college-level course of instruction that provides general knowledge about the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences, as opposed to professional or technical subjects. Its origin is from the Latin artes liberales, or works befitting a free man.

During my years at the University of Virginia, I was enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Back then my fellow students, pursuing business or law degrees, railed mightily at the courses in languages, English literature and the humanities they were required to take. They thought it was a waste of time to wade through Moby Dick. They also would ask me, somewhat superciliously, what I planned to do with my liberal arts degree while their lucrative career paths in law or business were paved with dollar signs.

The answer? “Life is liberal arts. Students are headed out for life; they won’t be 100 percent sitting at a computer,” says Regan Ronayne, a consultant with Directions To College. “If they are going to go anywhere with their careers, they will have to have those people skills.”

While I must admit that the question “what good was it?” has occurred to me on occasion over the ensuing years, it is impossible to imagine my life without the foundation that a liberal arts education provided.
Colleges should include an introduction to art, music and drama; they are works that befit a free person.

First off, parental supervision of trick-or-treating for young kids is ideal. Cars can speed around those corners quickly, and no amount of protection is comparable to the frantic grab of a mother. For older children, however, who might fear embarrassment from a hovering parent, there are other precautions. Costumes should have reflective pieces on them if possible, and children should be equipped with a flashlight to alert oncoming traffic. Costume choice is also important, as long, baggy costumes may cause a fall and masks can compromise a child’s vision.

Parents can also help their children with a pre-trick-or-treating chat, or a Halloween 101. Children should be reminded never to go inside a stranger’s house, or go up to a porch that’s not lit. They should also be warned against candy or food that isn’t wrapped. Parents should also check all candy once it enters the house. Filling children up with a nice dinner before they head out can also deter excessive Halloween snacking.

In terms of older children or teenagers, it always helps when there is school the next day to discourage any late-night partying, but in the case of a weekend, a curfew should still be enforced. In addition, it wouldn’t hurt to make plans for the next morning that the child can’t get out of. That way, they have some incentive to keep the partying to a minimum.

For as much fun as Halloween is, it can also be dangerous without proper parental involvement. If these minimal precautions are taken, parents can take pleasure in providing a fun, safe, and worry-free Halloween.

        

Markham presents vivid recollections of Napoleon’s life, providing an in depth biography of his character. He begins with a brief note of his Corsican background to describe the roots of his subject and follows the course of his life through to his downfall on the island of St. Helena. However, he devotes most of his attention to the intervening years, years that he contends made Napoleon great. He was “born on a small island, dying in another, and, in between, such a fantastic career.”(p.254) Markham relies on two primary sources most often. The first is Napoleon’s own writings and dictations which he readily quotes to provide insights as to his mindset. Second, he draws on the memoirs of those close to and in contact with him. From these two sources, the author notes that from the beginning, Napoleon is shown as devoting all his thought to military matters. Markham shows his advancement in career from Lieutenant to his ultimate reigning title as Emperor, spanning the years 1785-1815 when he abdicated for the second and final time. He attributes Napoleon’s military genius to his unbridled success and his his political achievements.

Markham used primary sources for his conclusion, drawing heavily on letters and correspondence from Napoleon, his family and compatriots, but much of this documentation was recorded long after the events occurred and is subject to memory lapses and personal prejudices. His writing is intelligible and clearly ordered in a chronological fashion, describing events from the perspectives of those involved or of impartial observers. But Markham is not entirely unbiased himself and occasionally inserts his own views in his writing. He states that Napoleon “would have done better with an army of half the size and higher quality.”(p.178) Markham also makes constant reference to these sources to back up his contention that Napoleon used military tactics to secure a palatable situation to effect change in procedures, laws and structures. He portrays him as a feared man but respected as a leader. For instance, when retreating from the catastrophic defeat in Russia “not one murmur was heard against the Emperor”(p.185) according to Markham.

Markham uses historic inference to great effect. He makes it well known in his book of Napoleon’s “decided theories about the art of ruling” with his employment of “absolute power, constant supervision and fear.”(p.124) He supports his arguments by indicating which source he received it from following it’s inclusion. He devotes a chapter to the implementation and failure of the continental system which was a blockade of English exports to the continent. Napoleon used his miltary strength to impose this political policy on all conquored territories and used fear to control the neutral countries in following suit. Markham notes how it hurt England and France to provide a balanced view.

Markham makes continual reference that Napoleon well understood the power he could wield by being the dominating figure in the military. As in the Continental System, he shows how it affected every quadrant of Europe, so through his victories on the field he could impose his political will on others around him. In France he gained such favour in battles that eventually he had himself appointed Emperor, the ultimate promotion in the political field. “By 1802 Napoleon had proved himself to be a great stateman … as well as a General.”(p.84) Markham argues that after attaining such distinction on the battlefield, he turned his thoughts to diplomatic themes. With this power and on his own innitiative, he had drafts drawn up for a criminal, commercial and rural code along with a code of Civil procedure. Another chapter is devoted to Spain where Napoleon installed his brother Joseph as ruler. Again, this was a political structure imposed singularly by military might. Without military backing, the regime in Spain would have been subverted. Napoleon also tried to encourage the enlightenment in the country as had been done in France. Napoleon aspiring to bring political change in a foreign nation by use of armed force. But his lasting legacy to Europe was his adoption of the Code Napoleon. This was a principle based on the absolute rights of property and the legal right of equality of all citizens. Like a proud politician, Napoleon decreed that serfdom was abolished. This code was applied to all within Napoleon’s reach and through his strength in men and arms he was able to make this a reality.

Because this book is a biography, it is difficult to pick up any specific point the author is trying to make. In the bibliography, some 100 books are cited to create a vivid description of Napoleon and 38 portraits are included, generally of military stature, which give the reader a visual picture of the dictator. These show him as taking a military route in life followed by an embarkation onto a political path. He also assumes that the reader has prior knowledge of Napoleon’s background as he often explains the significance of an event but not recounting the actions of it until further chapters.

As mentioned, newly discovered insight in the form of letters, official records and diaries, provide further insight into the regime and the man who led it. “Napoleon”, published in 1962, incoperates these findings of a decade earlier after caferful examination of the material. Markham analyzes the documentation in order to see the direction he wanted for France, both as a dominating power in the world and in how he hoped to takes the country’s newfound views of equality to all parts of the globe. This biography differes from other previous volumes of work about Napoleon because of this. Markham attempts to present Napoleon as a magnanimous miltary and political ruler respected even by his enemies. His detested foe on St. Helena, the govenor Sir Hudson Lowe, wrote upon Napoleon’s death that he had “been England’s greatest enemy, and mine also, but I forgive him everything.”(p.241)

Markham readily discusses Napoleon’s military shrewdness and how it was the governing factor in his life. While most books on him deal solely with his military prowess, Markham follows up on these heroic exploits with his desire for political change. In the end, he backs up Napoleon’s perceived destiny for France with reference to one of his own boasts that “with the help of my soldiers and my auditeurs I could conquer and rule the whole world.”(p.85)

        

The emperor of the Qin Dynasty, known as Shi Huangdi, wanted to brush away old kingdoms and establish precedent through the creation of a new imperial structure. His programs emphasized conformity and centralization. Maintaining a great bureaucracy, he divided China into many counties grouped into several dozen provinces, each with a military governor, civil administrator, and lesser supervisory officials. The emperor also shifted populations about China according to work projects and military necessity. The state maintained public works, built canals, and operated an efficient network of roads.

In his external programs, Shi Huangdi expanded China’s frontiers. In the north he consolidated earlier sections of the Great Wall into one continuous fortification. In western campaigns, the emperor contained the Huns active on China’s borders for a long time. He then expanded his borders south, where no strong peoples blocked Chinese emigration and military campaigns. By 214 B.C., Qin troops had penetrated into northern and central Vietnamese coastal and valley areas. Their action foreshadowed almost twenty-two centuries of Chinese overriding interest or involvement in the southern neighbor.

Although Shi Huangdi had believed that his empire would last for ten thousand generations, it died with him. In the succession struggles that ensued, he was killed, and a new dynasty assumed the mandate of heaven.

        

Odess was founded in 1886 mostly because of the oil there. Odessa got its name by the Russians because the Russians thought it looked like their old home in Odessa, Russia thats why Odessa is named Odessa (Odessa, 637). In 1835 C.W. Rat burn became the first postmaster in the area that would soon be Odessa in a year. In 1927 Odessa incorporated as a city and elected its first mayor to lead them through the years. The crater in Odessa was formed by meteorites. It is 17 feet deep and 500 feet deep wide. The crater was discovered in 1921. The latter built in 1887 is on the National Register of Historical Places, a Texas record and is also a historical landmark.

Odessa has a very valuable economy to Texas. Odessa has a Petochemichal Complex that makes rubber from gas and oil production. In 1925 Odessa discovered oil its population grew from 700 to 50,000 people in a ten years. Right now Odessa has about 90,000 people in their city. Odessa gets its water from the Colorado River. Odessa is the chief shipping point for livestock as well as a center for the oil and gas industry.

The weather in Odessa is very nice and beautiful. Odessa has a warm, dry climate. It is mostly warm in the wintertime not cold. Odessa normally has about 300 days of sun. It is never to warm nor too cold in Odessa. Odessa never snows so you could not miss school.

Odessa has plenty of schools for education. Odessa has one college Odessa College. Odessa takes a lot of pride in its college. It has its own recreational building, library and its own dormitory. Odessa College has added a public television station to its facility (kcotv-tv) is one of nine stations license to a community college. Odessa College has its own replica of the English Shakespeare theatre. Odessa and Permian High have both won a couple state high school champions (Macky, 102).

Odessa has become a great city growing in every way. I have told you about Odessa’s location, history, economy, weather, and education. Odessa is the largest town and county seat of Ector County. Odessa is the chief shipping point of livestock as well as a center for the oil and gas industry. Odessa’s weather is beautiful and its schools are performing well in grades and sports. Odessa is one place a person can live and enjoy.