Gone Fishing :: Personal Narrative Essays

Gone Fishing    It must have been 4 feet long and must have weighed at least 30 lbs.   It was one of the slimiest ones we ever caught.   The tentacles were almost a foot long and the scales where the size of quarters.@   AYeah right, we believe you, (Paste your name here).@  Ã‚   While my peers were playing video games or hide-and-go-seek, (a friends name) and I were out ether exploring the unknown, or sleeping from staying out all night.   None of the students in my sixth grade class Ashow and tell@ believed me when I told them about the unforgettable experiences (a friends name) and I endeavored. To tell the truth, I didnt really want them to believe me.   If one of them told my mom what (a friends name) and I did then our little butts would have been grounded for a serious amount of time.   The fishing stories that I told where true, all true.    (a friends name) and I had gone on many explorations to far off places.   We had sneaking out at night down to such an art that if we could put it on paper then it would be more famous then Leonardo da Vinci's painting, The Last Supper.   We would sometimes make dummy bodies that would lie lifeless all night under tightly nitid sheets.  Ã‚   The Abig yellow house@ is where we met.   From there we would do whatever sounded like the most fun.   Sometimes it was hanging out and eating ice cream all night. Other times we would go tick someone off by tee- peeing their house.   And yes, there were even times when we would go fishing at this lake that was out in the middle of nowhere.   We called this lake the back- lake because it was the lake way in the back of the golf course.   One night (a friends name) and I had an experience there that would shake us up for a long time to come.    The night started out like a lot of other nights.   First we went to go eat some ice-cream from Foster-Freeze, then we would get on our bicycles and pedal our little butts all the way to the golf course.   Once there, we would get on this road that golf carts use to drive around. The road was very windy.   When we arrived we would just throw our bikes down and run like little rabbits down to the lake.   We would start casting as fast as we could.   We would cast so fast that I don't think we remembered to put bait on the hook.

Cause and Effect Essay - McDonalds Causes More Deaths than Terrorists

Cause and Effect Essay - McDonald's Causes More Deaths than Terrorists It was probably inevitable that one day people would start suing McDonald's for making them fat. That day came this summer, when New York lawyer Samuel Hirsch filed several lawsuits against McDonald's, as well as four other fast-food companies, on the grounds that they had failed to adequately disclose the bad health effects of their menus. One of the suits involves a Bronx teenager who tips the scale at 400 pounds and whose mother, in papers filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, said, "I always believed McDonald's food was healthy for my son." Uh-huh. And the tooth fairy really put that dollar under his pillow. But once you've stopped sniggering at our litigious society, remember that it once seemed equally ludicrous that smokers could successfully sue tobacco companies for their addiction to cigarettes. And while nobody is claiming that Big Macs are addictive -- at least not yet -- the restaurant industry and food packagers have clearly helped give many Americans the roly-poly shape they have today. This is not to say that the folks in the food industry want us to be fat. But make no mistake: When they do well economically, we gain weight. It wasn't always thus. There was a time when a trip to McDonald's seemed like a treat and when a small bag of French fries, a plain burger and a 12-ounce Coke seemed like a full meal. Fast food wasn't any healthier back then; we simply ate a lot less of it. How did today's oversized appetites become the norm? It didn't happen by accident or some inevitable evolutionary process. It was to a large degree the result of consumer manipulation. Fast food's marketing strategies, which make p... ...d McDonald's just suffered its first quarterly loss since the company went public 47 years ago. The obvious direction to go is down, toward what nutritional policymakers are calling "smart-sizing." Or at least it should be obvious, if food purveyors cared as much about helping Americans slim down as they would have us believe. Instead of urging Americans to "Get Active, Stay Active" -- Pepsi Cola's new criticism-deflecting slogan -- how about bringing back the 6.5-ounce sodas of the '40s and '50s? Or, imagine, as Critser does, the day when McDonald's advertises Le Petit Mac, made with high-grade beef, a delicious whole-grain bun and hawked by, say, Serena Williams. One way or another, as Americans wake up to the fact that obesity is killing nearly as many citizens as cigarettes are, jumbo burgers and super-size fries will seem like less of a bargain.

Judaism religion and practices Essay

Judaism is a religion that is practiced mostly by the residents of the Jewish country, all followers of Judaism whether they are born in the Jewish country or not are called Jews. Judaism is the Jews monotheistic religion which traces its genesis to Abraham, its ethical and spiritual principles are engulfed mainly in the Talmud and the scriptures of the Hebrews. This religion is mostly characterized with the traditional rites and ceremonies of the Jewish people and religion. Its practices are also deeply rooted in the religious, social, and cultural practices of the Jewish people who consider themselves as one community or people (Steinberg, 1965). Judaism religion and practices Judaism is based on the premises of monotheism, the belief of a special covenant with the almighty God that makes the Jews to claim that they are the God’s chosen people. It is also based on the territorial and ethnic identity, whereby the territory of the Jews is known as the Promised Land. This religion has specific laws and practices. The origin of Judaism finds its roots either from the formulation of monotheism by Moses or God’s covenant with Abraham, the religion recognizes that the laws attributed to Moses incorporated the Pentateuch. However, the political part of Judaism is much related to King David, the king who had Judah as his capital and who planned the Jerusalem temple, which was later built by Solomon who was his son. During the period of the Jewish captivity in Babylon the Judaism religion was much consolidated, the Mosaic was also written during this period (Grabbe, 2000). The Jews believe that the difference between civil and divine law is not clear at all. They believe that the supreme power comes from God and thus the command of God is law, whether it is civil or religious. The Mosaic Law dates back to the 5th BC. This law was then interpreted by Midrash and the Talmud. The Talmud incorporates civil and religious laws that are not in the Torah as proper and thus goes ahead to explain them (Steinberg, 1965). The Jews firmly believe that they are the God’s chosen people who have the duty of shedding light to all other nations around the world. God made a covenant with the Jews through Abraham and later renewed the same covenant with Moses, Isaac and Jacob. The worship of Yahweh was mainly centralized in Jerusalem ever since the time of King David. The demolition of the 1st Jerusalem temple by the people of Babylon which was later followed by the Jews exile ushered in a new hope of national reinstallation under messiah leadership. The Persians later freed them from exile, but the rebellion failed against the Romans made the second temple to be destroyed and the subsequent dispersal of the Jews around the world (Grabbe, 2000). Judaism religion emerged to substitute the practices and beliefs linked with the Jerusalem temple, this was mainly because the Jews carried with them their religion and culture through their strict observance and via a scholarship of tradition. The greatest part of the commentaries and oral law were written down by the Mishna and Talmud. Judaism religion continued despite that it experienced very harsh persecutions by several nations around the world (Steinberg, 1965). The Judaism religion regards itself as a widespread religion; this is due to the fact that it views is laws to be appropriate for all mankind. It has a distinction between the non Jews and the Jews. The traditional Judaism requires all the Jews to follow all the commandments found in the Bible. On the other hand the non Jews should only follow seven laws out of the six hundred and thirteen laws. These seven laws demand that everyone whether a Jew or a non Jew to believe in only one God, they forbid murder, blasphemy, sexual immorality and theft. They also prevent anyone from feeding on a living creature’s limb. The seven laws also mandate the setting up of law courts. The Jews believe that, a non Jew who follows all the seven laws to be righteous, and is therefore, just like a Jew who follows all the six hundred and thirteen laws that are upon him (Fine, 2001). The fundamental orientation of Judaism is practical. It has no body of doctrine that is officially recognized, but it has various beliefs that are quite essential to all the Jews. The Jewish belief is rooted in the Jewish law and not in any systematic Theology. The issue about punishment and reward in life after death is a new development in this religion. Pre occupation and asceticism with life after death are discouraged. Redemption is obtained via good conduct and not through faith. Judaism believes that everyone has a duty to contribute towards perfecting this world (Steinberg, 1965). The practice of this religion of Judaism has never been restricted to only the people who were born of the Jewish community. However, the attitudes towards one being converted to Judaism have varied significantly in various localities and periods. It has always been doable for the non Jews to join Judaism. In fact, some of the greatest individuals of Judaism were either people who had been converted into Judaism or their descendants. A good example is King David; he was one of Ruth’s descendants. Since people hood and religion are quite inseparable in the religion of Judaism, acceptance of the beliefs of Judaism makes one to eventually become one of the Jewish people (Grabbe, 2000). Judaism emphasizes that each and every Jew should be responsible for the other and they should therefore live like one big community, this has made the Jews to develop a great sense of unity. No Jew should look at another Jew nonchalantly when he or she is suffering. They are required to do all that is possible to make sure that they alleviate such Jews from the suffering they are going through. Hebrew does not have charity, but it uses tsedakah which means justice. It means that it is only proper and just for those Jews who are blessed with more to share them with the less fortunate Jews in the society. The Jews mutual responsibility for each other stretches to include even violation of law cases: if a Jew finds another Jew violating the law, he or she is supposed to rebuke the Jew who is violating the law (Fine, 2001). Judaism religion also emphasizes on the need to elevate profane to the holiness state. Thus, most of what would have been considered ordinary includes ritual components which are intended to sanctify. For example, while eating there has to be benedictions before starting to eat the food and after eating it. This makes the table to be similar to the altar. Judaism has a lot of laws which are meant to regulate the daily life of the Jews; the aim of this regulation is to modify the actions of man into God’s service. Judaism also regards the restrictions of Torah myriad upon the conduct of a Jew as ones that elevates him. It views the uncontrolled expression of mankind’s appetite similar to that of the animals and the control measures placed upon mankind serves him by raising him higher. Thus, before a Jew eats any food, he has to first consider whether the food in question meets all the dietary law requirements. If it fails in any then he cannot proceed to eat it as he will consider doing so as violating the law (Fine, 2001). Asceticism is not considered as a virtue in Judaism. The Midrash provides that when everyone accounts for herself or him self following his or her death, such a person has to account for all the allowed pleasures of the world which he restricted himself from doing while on earth (Grabbe, 2000). Conclusion Judaism religion is mainly found in among the people of the Jewish nation but has never been restricted among these people only as it also accepts people from other origins to join them and thus practice the doctrines of the religion. The Jews, who are the members of Judaism, consider themselves to be the people who have been chosen by God and thus all other tribes in the world should follow them. The laws of the Jews, according to Judaism are applicable in all circumstances to all nations around the world which makes the Jews to claim that their religion is universal. Reference: Fine, L. (2001): Judaism in practice: from the middle Ages through the early modern period; ISBN 0691057877, Princeton University Press. Grabbe, L. L. (2000): Judaic Religion in the Second Temple Period: Belief and Practice from the Exile to Yavneh; ISBN 0415212502, Routledge. Steinberg, M. (1965): Basic Judaism; ISBN 0156106981, Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich.

Andrew Jackson DBQ Essay

Andrew Jackson was the first enlightened president, he was a common man and thought of the common people in his presidency. He may have been a terrible person sometimes, but he was a pretty decent president. There are three main reasons why Andrew Jackson was a decent president. There is one social reason why Andrew Jackson was a decent president. Jackson enacted the Indian Removal Act, the Indian Removal Act evicted Native Americans from their homes and their land. Jackson passed the law because he thought he was aiding the indians by removing them because settlers were moving onto their land and the settlers and indians would fight. Go to war. Jackson was a decent president because he was thinking of his people, and kind of the Native Americans, just not from the right perspective, he wasn’t exactly the best human because of how he dealt with the indians on the land that was purchased. There is one economical reason why Andrew Jackson was an okay president. The National Bank, started by Alexander Hamilton, only loaned money to the rich and not to the poor farmers and middle-class settlers. Since farmers, among others, couldn’t take out loans, they couldn’t purchase land and grow crops to sell for a living, therefore making them poor and miserable. Jackson saw this problem and took money from federal banks and put the money into state banks so farmers and other settlers could take out loans and actually live. Due to him realizing there are other people besides the rich and putting money into state banks for the common person, Andrew Jackson was an okay president. There is one political reason Andrew Jackson was an alright president. Jackson created the Democratic party. He actually listened to the people and became very popular among them. He held rallies In summation, Andrew Jackson was a decent president sometimes, I’m assuming it was often enough because he was a president. Jackson put money in state banks so the farmers, among others, could take out loans and buy to land for agriculture. Though he was not looking at things in the right perspective,

Information System of Air Asia

2. Information System of Air Asia Information systems are implemented within an organization for the purpose of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of that organization. Capabilities of the information system and characteristics of the organization, its work systems, its people, and its development and implementation methodologies together determine the extent to which that purpose is achieved. Air Asia has carry out three type of information system such as yield management system (YMS), customer reservation system (CRS), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. This system make Air Asia more effective and efficiency and possibly able to reduce the cost and eliminated inefficiency in their business. 2. 1 Field Management System (YMS) Yield management system as revenue management system it understands, anticipates, and reacts to the behavior of customer to maximize revenues for the organization. In this system, Air Asia used it to takes into account the operating costs and aids Air Asia to optimizes price and allocate capacity to maximize expected revenues. Air Asia has done two level of optimization that is Seat and Route. For Seat is considered an opportunity to maximize revenue. Seats are available at various prices in different time. A reservation done at a later date will be charged more than the one done earlier (for the same seat). Next is Route, Route is the adjustment of price through a demand when the demand is higher compared to other. The effective method however is to combine these two levels for all flights, all routes so that both the seat and the route are effectively priced for all the flights. Air Asia can more understand the behavior of customer and offering the effectives and efficiency strategy. It also can allocate capacity to maximize the expected revenue. Air Asia can make efficiency to know their customer using IT technology with lowest cost by using this system. 2. 2 Customer Reservation System (CRS) Customer Reservation System is the second system that Air Asia implemented. It is an integrated web-based reservation and inventory system. It is includes Internet, call center, airport departure control. It also a direct sales engine that effectively eliminates the travel agents and the sales commissions that need to be paid to them. By using this system, Air Asia can reduce the cost and eliminates the travel agents and the sales commission to pay them. After that, this system are very customer friendly because the entire customer if want to buy or make a reservation a ticket directly via online, and no need to come to the ticket counter. In conclusion, by using this system effectively, efficiency, customer satisfaction, fast and secure in buying a ticket already met. It means the lowest cost can possibly achieve. 2. 3 Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) The last system that Air Asia used in maximized IT to meet the lowest cost during their business activities is the implementation of enterprise resource system (ERP). ERP can represent a comprehensive software approach to support decisions concurrent with planning and controlling the business. ERP is the system that integrated comprehensive software to make the information technology system more effectively and efficiently. By implementing this package, Air Asia is looking to successfully maintain process integrity, reduce financial month-end closing processing times, and speed up reporting and data retrieval processes. In addition, it is a system focusing on capturing transactions in daily operations and helping Air Asia to save its operational costs as well as to increase the efficiency and integrity in its operation. REFERENCE http://itsaboutmymot. wordpress. com/2009/08/31/the-airasia-company-strategic-management-%E2%80%9C-how-airasia-can-be-a-leader-in-the-lowest-cost-carrier-in-the-airplane-industry%E2%80%9D/

My family’s relationship to nature and the environment

The history of my family demonstrates the drastic change in the relationship with environment that has occurred over the past few generations. Seeing the change in attitudes and lifestyles between my grandparents, parents, and my own generation is very educational, Examining the changing relationship with environment across this timeframe, one can make conclusions about the relative importance of natural surroundings in the life of people as changing over time. My family history naturally reflects the situation in Thailand, as I come from this nation, but I believe that it to a great degree parallels the events in other parts of the globe. My grandparents lived in a rural area in Thailand and made their living by farming. This is still a common situation in Thailand where 65% of the land is engaged in agriculture (Assumption University, n.d.). Their occupation made them strongly aware of their natural environment as they depended upon it for their livelihood. However, this relationship was not one of adoration or concern – land, water, plants were to them something matter-of-fact, something they perceived as their daily routine. Besides, their attitude was one of consumption. They saw the resources of the land as something they were entitled to merely because of being born in this land, since soil, skies and water were simply vehicles for growing food, not much else. There was little concern as to what will happen in the next generations, and little awareness of the need to implement new agricultural techniques in order to extend the land’s capability to generate harvests over generation. At that time, Thailand’s population was not so large, and it was at many times simpler to move to a new plot of land than to tend to the old one, trying to improve its productivity. With all this said, I would like to note that my grandparents were successful as farmers and developed some new crops that allowed them to outstrip the rest of the farmers in terms of financial gain. In the next generation, the income received by my grandparents enabled my father to receive a college education and obtain a white-collar job. Thus, nature offered them this opportunity to improve their lifestyle and life standards. As a result, my father who grew up on a farm, found himself working in an office in Bangkok, only occasionally visiting his elderly parents in their place. The same is true for my mother who also changed her rural motherland for an urban life. This made nature seem something of a holiday setting to them, rather than an everyday reality. In their office jobs, they did not need to care whether land preserved its fertility and whether the climate remained mild enough for the crops to grow. Although Bangkok and other cities in Thailand are made up of landscapes skillfully integrating trees, lawns and buildings to create a coherent image, this nature is very ‘cultured’ and very far removed from the roughness of the village landscapes. Thus, in my parents’ urban life, nature was very much a distant reality, something they saw on TV and enjoyed in our little Sunday outings. However, they identified with Thai nature as associated with their place of birth and motherland. Given their rural background, they remembered toiling in the fields and gardens, trying to turn the gifts of nature into material benefits. Somewhere deep inside their souls, they looked upon this connection, although on a subconscious level. One change that occurred in the relationship to nature in my parents’ generation was the rising awareness of nature as a global phenomenon. Thanks to books, periodicals, TV, and now Internet, their generation was able to realize that the boundaries of nature transgressed those of nations, and that nature was facing a threat from too much human interference. Seeing pictures of nature all around the world, they began to see in color how different various places on earth were, and realize how unique their own natural surroundings were. This ‘global’ realization, I believe, happened more or less in the time my parents’ generation was active, as millions of people throughout the world realized that the rest of the world has become closer, and reality is such that we live in a small, interdependable world. With the move to the US that happened when I was only 17, the connection with nature as some place in Thailand where my parents were born and grew up, has become even weaker. Here, we were surrounded by a rich and diverse natural setting, even if it seemed alien to us at first. However, the beauty of American nature took our hearts, and as a family we made quite a few ‘nature-focused’ outings, such as, for instance, a trip to the Grand Canyon or the Yellowstone park. More important is, however, the revolution in thinking that occurred in my generation. With globalization trotting over the planet at a dramatically increased speed, environmental plight is no longer something distant and incomprehensible, but instead has become something that threatens us already in out lifetime. With evidence of the global climate change and warming happening on a large scale, no one can ignore the significance of what is happening. Basing my judgment not only on my personal experience, but also on that of my colleagues and fellow students, I can claim that we are much more likely to make environmentally conscious choices. Personally, I agree with the words of James Gustave Speth, dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, that environmental issues today have turned into â€Å"chronic problems,† that emerge and have a long-term nature† (Laverdiere, 2000). The fact that today’s ecological issues such as greenhouse effect, ozone depletion and loss of biodiversity cannot be solved by the efforts of one nation or dealt with effectively on a local level. Their solution requires the coordination of effort on an international level, translating into significant changes in our mentality. My generation is much more aware of the existence of other nations, better informed of their struggle for a cleaner environment and has better opportunities to join with representatives of other countries in the struggle for a safer and cleaner environment. Personally, I have participated in a few demonstrations focused on environmental issues and at one point attended the Ecological Club in my high school. I also know a lot of peers who take this action seriously. This is something my parents and grandparents would not think of doing since they had a totally different perception of their relationship to nature and environment. Thus, over three generations, my family went through a revolution in our relationship to environmental cause. To my grandparents, land and nature was commodity, something they consumed in order to receive material benefits for themselves and their kids. My parents were to a great degree alienated from nature that remained to them very much a childhood memory that bound them to their birthplace; at the same time, their understanding of nature and environment was considerably broadened to include places far away from their motherland. Finally, in my present generation, nature became a source of concern, something that requires distinct political action to protect and save it for future generations. References Assumption University, Bangkok. (n.d.). Agriculture. Retrieved January 27, 2006, from http://sunsite.au.ac.th/thailand/agriculture/AgriRes.html Laverdiere, M. (2000, January 27). â€Å"Forestry dean discusses hidden environmental problems†. Yale Daily News. Retrieved January 27, 2006   

Chocolat Book Report Essay

Publishers: First Published in Great Britain in 1999 by Doubleplay, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, Black Swan edition published 2000, Black Swan edition reissued 2007 Chocolat is a 1999 novel by Joanne Harris. It tells the story of Vianne Rocher, a young single mother, who arrives in the French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes at the beginning of Lent with her six-year-old daughter, Anouk. Vianne opens a chocolate shop, La Celeste Praline, right opposite the village church, and throughout the traditional season self-denial Lent, proceeds to gently change the lives of the villagers who visit her chocolaterie with a combination of sympathy, determination and a little magic. This scandalizes the parish priest, Francis Reynaud, and his supporters who are convinced Vivian is evil. As tensions run high, the community is increasingly divided, and as Easter approaches, pitting the ritual of the Church against the indulgence of chocolate, Father Reynaud and Vianne Rocher face an inevitable battle I personally really loved the book; Joanne Harris really did a great job in creating an enticing plot with a bunch of strong and unique characters. My favorite is Anouk who although is only six years old brings such life to the book and manages to give a bit of light heartedness to points where the book can become heavy. This is a wonderful tale of family and magic and hope. It is not your typical romance and well worth the time. The book is a full of strong opinions and characters; Ms. Harris manages to capture your attention with her delicious descriptions and fast moving plot. There really is never a boring moment in this book, its fantastic for anyone who loves books that are thought provoking yet still enjoyable and fun. An Important moment in this book is when Vianne decides the hold the Easter Chocolate Festival. At this point in the book you begin to see the rivalry between Vianne and Father Francis Reynaud through the chocolates and the church. Although the rivalry mostly comes from Father Reynaud, Vianne can feel the dislike he has for her. Many of the town’s folk really began to divide at this point. We also began to see Reynaud began to go mad with his obsession for Vianne and the destroying of her chocolates. We see Reynaud change quite considerably throughout the book. Francis Reynaud, like any religious man in a small town, has a big influence on all the people of Lansquenet. He is quit oppressive with his views and tends to carry a very much holier than thou attitude towards his parish. At one point in the book he compares himself to a sheapard and how his flock need him â€Å"Sheep are not the docile, pleasant creatures of the pastoral idyll. Any countryman will tell you that. They are sly, occasionally vicious, and pathologically stupid. The lenient shepherd may find his flock unruly, defiant. I cannot afford to be lenient. † His suspicions begin with the arrival of Vianne and Anouk and his initial strategy is to try and befriend the enemy. He offers her help in repairing the bakery but she refuses politely, emphasizing that she has got it all under control. He hopes that people will realize that she should be evicted on their own in fear of tarnishing his reputation. His plan works at first as concerned mothers begin to forbid their children from spending time with Anouk, as she plants wild ideas in to their heads. Also business is not running very smoothly at the chocolate shop and Reynaud begins to believe that it is just a matter of time before they leave with the changing of the wind. We see him slowly began to grasp for desperation that he is right that Vianne is evil and that he is still better than all his parishioners. He reaches boiling point when madness and rage take over his mind and he breaks into La Celeste Praline the morning before Mass and gobbles down chocolate after over a month of fasting. His reputation is tarnished and respect vanished. He runs away and is never heard of again. Josephine Muscat first appears as a nervous introvert. She is quiet and slumps when she walks. She is gossiped about and pitied throughout Lansquenet, as the fact that her husband physically abuses her is one of the worst kept secrets around. She does not mutter a word about it and her thoughts are so cloudy that even Vianne, with all her power, fails to understand what lies in her head. With time, Josephine begins to talk to Vianne more and begins to spend more time in the chocolate shop. Vianne’s influence and advice eventually result in Josephine leaving her husband Paul and moving in with Vianne in the chocolate’s shop spare room. The more time she spends with Vianne, the more Josephine’s personality blossoms. She now walks with her head held high and has substituted her dark wardrobe for a new, more colorful one. She speaks with an audible, confident voice and can now look people in the eyes. A spark is felt between her and Roux as they indulge in conversation and become closer when she moves to the chocolate shop and he settles in Lansquenet. She even faces Paul one last time on her own. She is transformed from the average, abused housewife to the confident, independent female as the novel develops. Joanne Harris is a very descriptive writer, which you find quite early on in the book. Although she does use quite descriptive writing she does it very well and it transcends into beautiful pieces of writing that are hard to follow â€Å" We came on the wind of the carnival. A warm wind for February, laden with the hot greasy scents of frying pancakes and sausages and powdery-sweet waffles cooked on the to plate right there by the roadside with the confetti sleeting down collars and cuffs and rolling in the gutters like an idiot antidote to winter. Something really interesting about the author is that she mixes French with English. So while most of the book is English, songs, signs or names are still very much French. She also uses her chapters as a way to create a timeline for the book. At the begging of each chapter we receive a date allowing us to process where we are in the year. Joanne Harris is a popular British writer, who has written a total of fourteen books many of which w ere bestsellers. Joanne’s book Chocolat has been adapted into the Oscar nominated movie staring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. She lives with her Husband and daughter in Yorkshire and her hobbies include â€Å" Mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quite subversion. † She can speak both French and English and she was strongly influenced by Grimm’s’ Fairy Tales and the tales of Charles Perrault, as well as local folklore and Norse mythology. The cover for Chocolat I think it is very appropriate and gives you a successful looking into the plot before you even look into the book with the bright colours of Vianne’s clothes to the chocolate Easter eggs. By the time you finish the book you complete understand the symbolism of a woman sitting and holding a nest full of Easter Eggs. I think that this book would be suited to mostly older men and woman but it can defiantly appeal to young adults as well. Personally I think it would get to heavy for younger readers and not all would understand the issues brought up in the book. The book has been made into a movie starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche, standing on its own the movie is absolutely fantastic a wonderful love story. Yet when compared along side the book it fails completely. Not only is the book completely different to the movie with a change of couples and villains but also with the plot line it just lacks the darkness found in the book. There is something captivating about the transition from Vianne’s thoughts to Father Reynaud’s and the slow build up of the plot through it. Also I hate the disregarded for the lesser characters in the movie half of the people in the book aren’t even mentioned in the movie! And although many of them don’t have huge significant roles they still help shape the story.