An In-depth Analysis of the Socio Political and Economic Conditions of the Production of Three Kings essays

An In-depth Analysis of the Socio Political and Economic Conditions of the Production of Three Kings essays Last year was a year which was described by many as a disappointing year for film, with very little of significance coming from the film industry, in terms of ground breaking or memorable movies. For me last year was the year that Hollywood decided to make some interesting (The Insider), un-conventional (Being John Malkovich) and epic (Gladiator) films. In Three Kings I surprisingly found all three and more. Advertised as a buddy-buddy war/action movie, with the obligatory main stream actor (George Clooney) and the equally obligatory rap star (Ice Cube) which Hollywood movies tend to be moving towards recently. Three Kings (TK) is a story adapted from a short plot summary called Spoils of War. Based at the tail end of the Gulf War, it follows the story of four American soldiers who find a map leading to millions of dollars worth of gold. Predictably as with all heist movies, not everything goes according to plan and the soldiers are brought into the front line, forced into helping refugees escape Iraq. Up until now the Gulf war was deemed too close for comfort... this so called media war was considered out of bounds... Adios to delicacy, because David ORussells battering ram of a war movie has by-passed the usual 15 years of telling it how it wasnt filmmaking to go straight for the historical jugular Ian Nathan (Empire April 2000 #130) Agreeing, as I do, with the quote, it was for this reason that I found Three Kings so compelling. Instead of coming out of the cinema feeling that I had just seen the American Dream on film I felt that what I had seen was an American film questioning the US army and its handling of the situation in the Gulf. It came with rave reviews, unusual for a Hollywood film, and was a sleeper hit at the box office. This essay will look at the production of the film, encompassing the processes and incidents. As well I will look at the films place in Hollywood an...

Free Essays on Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is the author of six symphonies and the finest and most popular operas in the Russian repertory. Tchaikovsky was also one of the founders of the school of Russian music. He was a brilliant composer with a creative imagination that helped his career throughout many years. He was completely attached to his art. His life and art were inseparably woven together. â€Å"I literally cannot live without working,† Tchaikovsky once wrote, â€Å"for as soon as one piece of work is finished and one would wish to relax, I desire to tackle some new work without delay.† The purpose of this paper is to give you a background concerning Tchaikovsky’s biography, as well as to discuss his various works of art. Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840 in Vatkinsk, a town about 600 miles east of Moscow. His father, Ilya Petrovich, earned a profitable living by working as a director in the metal working industry and as a mine inspector. His mother Alexandra was a bu sy housekeeper and mother of six, with Peter being the second oldest. Peter began his studies of music when he was just five years old. Music had became an important pastime to upper-middle class. It was only a short while before Peter’s talents began to shine. Peter, after taking some basic lessons, began to have a great feel for the piano. At the age of 10 he enrolled at a Russian boarding school called Jurisprudence in the town of St. Petersburg. There he would study the basic arts where he soon found a passion for music. Only four short years later Peter’s mother died in 1854. This tragic event, some say, sparked a great emotion in the young 14-year-olds life. His mother’s death had a lot to do with the drive and passion behind his music. This parting from his mother was quite a shock and very painful, because he and his mother were very close. The young Peter would enter a ministry of Justice as a clerk in 1859 (Mason 1). Tchaikovsky stayed there four years despite th... Free Essays on Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Free Essays on Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is the author of six symphonies and the finest and most popular operas in the Russian repertory. Tchaikovsky was also one of the founders of the school of Russian music. He was a brilliant composer with a creative imagination that helped his career throughout many years. He was completely attached to his art. His life and art were inseparably woven together. â€Å"I literally cannot live without working,† Tchaikovsky once wrote, â€Å"for as soon as one piece of work is finished and one would wish to relax, I desire to tackle some new work without delay.† The purpose of this paper is to give you a background concerning Tchaikovsky’s biography, as well as to discuss his various works of art. Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840 in Vatkinsk, a town about 600 miles east of Moscow. His father, Ilya Petrovich, earned a profitable living by working as a director in the metal working industry and as a mine inspector. His mother Alexandra was a bu sy housekeeper and mother of six, with Peter being the second oldest. Peter began his studies of music when he was just five years old. Music had became an important pastime to upper-middle class. It was only a short while before Peter’s talents began to shine. Peter, after taking some basic lessons, began to have a great feel for the piano. At the age of 10 he enrolled at a Russian boarding school called Jurisprudence in the town of St. Petersburg. There he would study the basic arts where he soon found a passion for music. Only four short years later Peter’s mother died in 1854. This tragic event, some say, sparked a great emotion in the young 14-year-olds life. His mother’s death had a lot to do with the drive and passion behind his music. This parting from his mother was quite a shock and very painful, because he and his mother were very close. The young Peter would enter a ministry of Justice as a clerk in 1859 (Mason 1). Tchaikovsky stayed there four years despite th...

Mintab assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mintab assignment - Essay Example HSE makes utilization of money matters in assessing the costs and profits of its mediation and in understanding the most extensive financial connection for well-being and security. The primary point of Health and Safety Executive (HS) is to break down the respects between laborers in the four separate segments furthermore to complete the strength of professionals in relationship between them. The Health and Safety Executive likewise asked to do an analysis in relationship between the length of administration and recorded well-being issues, for example, silicosis. Tile, porcelain and precious stone glass commercial enterprise. This study however, will incur and make use of variance test both H0 and H1. The samples associated with variance H1 will have different variances while H0 will have no difference in the variances between the samples. From this perception we realize that if one rejects the alternative if the p value is greater than 0.05, he or she will be forced to reject the null if the p value is less than 0.05 The main objective of this study is to analyse the deference’s between workers in the four different sectors and also to carry out the health of workers in relationship between them as far as Health and safety Executive (HS) is of concern. However, this study constitutes two hypotheses. The first hypothesis is H0 where there is no links in the recorded health of the workers and there is no variance in the health of the workers. The second hypothesis is H1 where there is a link in the recorded health of the workers and there is a variance in the health of the workers. The study will analyse and give justification on both hypotheses to oversee the null perception as far as p value is taken into consideration. In the light of the HSEs concentrate on empowering associations successfully to handle work-related stress using Variance approach, one would anticipate that the relationship will exist between

Reasons behind Britains decision to participate in World War I Essay

Reasons behind Britains decision to participate in World War I - Essay Example The news was a surprise because until then Britain had aptly deployed a diplomatic foreign policy, and had substantially refrained from wars and European predicaments (Turner, 1988, p.23). Britain was referred to as the possessor of â€Å"Splendid Isolation,† and, until 1900, it was not a part of any significant military convention with any other states (Woodward, 1967, p.3). The factors that provoked Britain to enter this war has been debated a lot lately and no single factor can be termed as the sole reason behind Britain’s decision to enter the war. This paper is an attempt to unveil those salient factors that pushed Britain to join the Great War. German connection: In early 1500s, Europe entered a modernized era, and nations developed a strategy of "Balance of powers" (Orakhelashvili, 2011, p.123). It was done to eradicate or prevent the evolution of any single state as supremely powerful. However, this equilibrium was drastically shaken due to the occurring of seve ral historically influencing incidents. These include the 16th century Hapsburg Crisis, which resulted in Thirty Years’ War that greatly affected Europe from Hungary to Spain and later broke Hapsburg Monarchy in smaller kingdoms (Kann, 1980, p.45). The period of 1792 to 1815 saw France became a domineering empire on the continent during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. The German Crisis further deteriorated the situation and let Germany gain assertive control all over the Europe, which nullified the strategy of Balance of Powers. Hence, as an outcome of this unsettling scenario, two regions substantially gained the status of separate unified powers namely Germany and Italy. Kaiser Wilhelm II transformed Germany into an aggressive state, and ignored the long followed foreign policy of a status quo. (Wintle, 2002, p.55) Germany wanted to become as strong at sea as Britain, and hence, instead of renewing its treaty with Russia, Germany collaborated with Austria. The fear of Berl in’s resentment compelled Russia and France, two significant neighbouring states located on eastern and western sides of Germany, to come together for an alliance. Thus, the power in Europe was divided into two influential groups Central and Entente, and each group shared equal military strength. In 1879, Germany and Austria-Hungary collated together under a treaty called the Dual Alliance and Italy joined in early 1900s, which converted it into Triple Alliance whereas France and Russia collated and formed Dual Entente in 1892 (Wintle, 2002, p.55). In the last decade of 19th century, Germany started to build its navy, which posed great threat to the world’s most influential and powerful maritime state, I-e Britain. Germany’s naval in-charge Admiral Von Tirpitz formulated a new policy in 1897 targeting Britain’s naval powers and decided to outnumber them on Home Waters by building High-Seas Fleet. The Austrian Ambassador in Berlin wrote: Germany’s a lready swiftly growing position as a world power into a dominating one. England is now regarded as the most dangerous enemy which, as long as Germany is not sufficiently armed at sea, must be treated with consideration in all ways (cited in: Afflerbach & Stevenson, 2012, p.116). Before the onset of 20th century, Britain and Germany shared friendly ties. However, this transformation of policy clearly projected the intentions of Germans and by 1907, British government realised that the most potential threat posed to its stability, and supremacy was from Germany. Hence, Britain had no other choice but to collaborate with rival nations Russia and France and the mutual alliance became Triple Entente. (Afflerbach & Steve

Management at Apple Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management at Apple - Research Paper Example Apple Company is located at Cupertino, California was established in 1976 and deals in personal computers, computer software other consumer electronics such as iPods, iPads, iPhones and tablets among others. In addition, the company has about 60, 400 permanent workers with 2,800 part time spread in more than ten countries and operating in about 357 retail stores with a present $65.23 billion â€Å"It plans to open a total of 25 stores in China by the end of 2011† (Head, 2007). Furthermore, Apple Company being a technology organization has used the location-based services strategy. This involves using an advertising platform that sends various offers to its clients from the nearby shops and restaurants. Similarly, Apple Company has been able to increase its sales and profits through venturing into the international markets such as China and Japan. In addition, departing from the domestic market to enter the international market by Apple has lead to reduced costs of production a nd the ability to trade in various markets hence lessening the dependency on one market. Supply chain management Supply chain management involves the organization and control of assets such as equipment, human, components and relationships such as customers, staff and suppliers among others in the production and delivery of customer’s commodity from unprocessed product to completed product as competently as possible. Apple Company is known to conduct its sale with a minimal physical supply sales chain. Instead, Apple uses digital supply chain involves distribution of digital media such as video or music though electronic medium from the provider to the client. For instance, through its virtual stores, Apple has been able to generate about $ 1 billion from iTunes sales only. â€Å"This can be considered as the first step by Apple towards implementing agility in its supply chain† (Sanders & Reid, 2007). In addition, the company has the ability to make sales worth more th an I billion of MP3 files without factors of physical supply management such as material sourcing, production, warehousing and transportation among others. These sales extend to iPhone mobile that do not use the normal supply chains. There are numerous advantages that are enjoyed by Apple in its usage of digital supply chains. For instance, increase in margin of hardware sales, increased maneuvers in the market because of higher flow of cash and the ability to provide what is on demand at right time. Therefore, because of this innovative idea of modern supply management, competition has increased among IT companies such as HP, Dell and IBM adopting and improving their methods. On that note, Apple has come up with its new design of supply chain called product lifecycle management (PLM). It is a programmed software that allows manufacturers from around the world to process the products they want using a collaborative design. â€Å"Thus the equation of achieving agility in supply chai n versus risk in meeting demand had to take shape for Apple† (Lebreton, 2007). Similarly, it permits the manufacturer to share and manage complicated design and commodity detail that aims at ensuring the proper development process of commodity. Inventory management Inventory management involves indicating the shape and percentage of completed products an organization has to sell. Numerous factors affect inventory of management of Apple Inc. Company. For example, there are the physical place of the

The Postmodernism Of The White Noise English Literature Essay

The Postmodernism Of The White Noise English Literature Essay While the cultural and sociological landscape of White Noise is situated primarily in a postmodern world, the town of Blacksmith, the city that the Gladneys call home, seems to occupy a space between modernism and postmodernism. The intrusion of technology, a factor which is often attributed with the end of modernism and the beginning of postmodernism, in Blacksmith is described by Jack when he says Babette and I and our childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦live at the end of a quiet street in what was once a wooded area with deep ravines (4). Here, technology has transformed the physical and historical landscape of the town in such a way that makes the notion of progress, in regards to the progress of nature, a trope for society, impossible, a defining characteristic of postmodern existence. Old Man Treadwell is yet another example of the tension between modernity and postmodernity within Blacksmith. Treadwell, symbolic of the towns history, its modernity, has Babette read tabloids to him once a week. Within White Noise, tabloids represent the postmodern certainty of information and it is only through Babette, an interpreter of sorts, that Treadwell is allowed access to the new world and the new language of information. Understanding Blacksmiths transformation from a seemingly pastoral town to a modern city full of shopping malls, homes, and a host of other technological advancements is important in that it helps, in part, to understand how Jacks historical sense of self, possibly an extension of the town in which he has lived in for twenty-one years, is at odds with the new postmodern world. More so than any character within White Noise, Jack, much like Blacksmith, exists between the cultural divide of modernism and postmodernism. While he maintains an acute awareness of the eternal and the immutable (HARVEY #), the greater forces at work outside the sphere of existence, he is also overly infatuated with the object rather than the subject, that is to say, his sense of identity is the product of consumerist behaviors and goods. After Wilder, Jack and Babettes youngest, suddenly stops crying after a seven-hour long fit, Jack says It was as though hed just returned from a period of wandering in some remote and holy placeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a place where things are said, sights are seenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦of the most sublime and difficult dimensions (79). Here Jack is acknowledging the existence of otherworldly, interpersonal realities, a strong indicator of his modern sentiments given that one fundamental characterization of modernism is the power it bestows on the individual to crea te, improve, or reshape his or her environment, a la Wallace Stevens. During the Airborne Toxic Event, Jack describes the sight of the chemical plume as an enormous dark mass that moved like some death ship in a Norse legend (127). Later, when speaking of Babette, he says When she shoveled snow, she wore a furry headbandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it made me think of the fifth century A.D. men standing around campfires speaking in subdued tone in their Turkic and Mongol dialects (171). In both instances, Jack, lending himself to the modernistic value of looking to the past to understand the present, seems to suggest that he is aware that life, and all of the images, situations and occurrences that comprise it, existed, in some fashion, before him, an idea that directly contradicts the shallow, superficial sense of time and place associated with postmodernism. However, this notion of Jack as strictly a modernist is complicated early in the novel by his addiction, in every sense of the word, to ob jects and goods. When Jack and Babette run into Murray at the supermarket, Jack immediately begins to list the contents of Murrays shopping cart. He mentions the generic food and drink, the nonbrand items, the white packaging and simple labeling (18). His fixation on the objects that Murray is buying is directly related to his own sense of identity, one that is enveloped in a matrix of material goods, and so he searches for clues relating to Murrays identity, Murrays character, not within Murray himself but from the objects associated with Murray. While Jack is aware of the utter shallowness which constitutes his identity, and subsequently everyone elses, saying I am the false character that follows [my] name around (17), he is unable to remove himself from the depths of consumerism. This obsession, in large part, is due to Jacks struggle and overwhelming desire to participate in the emerging postmodern world. Another characteristic of Jacks which highlights his modernist sensibilities is his understanding that certainty, or the notion of absolute knowingness, is subjective, and as such, should be questioned and critically examined whenever it is presented as entirely established. For example, when Babette is reading horoscopes aloud to the family, which, like tabloids, operate within the novel as mediums of absolute certainty, Jack thinks to himself I tried not to listen when she got to mine (18), implying that he does not worry himself with trivial information that has become so pivotal, so meaningful, in the new era of postmodernity. However, Jack and his subjective notion of certainty are constantly at odds with the emerging culture and society of the novel. Throughout White Noise the most emblematic illustration of Jacks struggle to maintain his opposition to the idea of total certainty while trying to become an active participant in the new postmodern world is through various interactions between Jack and his son, Heinrich. Heinrich, in both his youth and his vast array of knowledge, represent the first generation of the postmodern world. While the other children, like Heinrich, have grown up in a hermetically sealed environment comprised entirely of technological and mass-media influences, Heinrich is old enough to understand the postmodern world around him and as such he rebels against the notion of modernism. While, for instance, Jack and his family gather to watch the sunset, one that occurred before the Airborne Toxic Event (after which point the sunsets are described as being postmodern), Jack says Only Heinrich stayed awayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦he believed there was something ominous in the modern sunset (61). Jack is aware of the disco nnect between his son, a product of postmodern life, and himself, someone who still appreciates modern sunsets. While it may be read as an attempt by a father to connect with his son, Jacks numerous attempts at communication with Heinrich within the novel serves as a microcosm to Jacks attempt to communicate in the new cultural plane of postmodernism. In a conversation with Heinrich regarding the weather, the two banter back and forth about whether or not it is currently raining. After a series of sharp counters between the two, Jack taking the subjective position (look at the windshieldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Is that rain or isnt it), Heinrich taking the objective position, or the idea of a media controlled collective subjectivity (Im only telling you what [the radio] said), the two arrive at the root of Heinrichs postmodern ideology. Jack, obviously frustrated by his failed attempt to participate in Heinrichs world, tries to coax Heinrich into admitting that it is in fact raining by presen ting a situation in which a gun-toting man demands the truth to which Heinrich replies What truth does he want? (23). The preceding conversation centers around Heinrichs notion of language and relativity in regards to the notion of truth, or reality, in which the text seems to convey the notion that mass-media derives its power in the postmodern world by being acclimated to an individuals immediate desire for knowledge. Heinrich exudes information, Jack actively seeks it; the tension here exemplifying one of the largest barriers standing between Jack and Heinrich and, more importantly, between Jack and the new postmodern world. As Jack progresses within the novel it becomes increasingly evident that while he recognizes the allure of objectness and the materialized notion of identity, in other words, postmodernism, he seems unable to wholly participate in it. More so than any other character, Jack is sensitive to the friction between the worlds of modernism and post-modernism. While he grasps the motives of the postmodern man to exist within the collective social network, saying to become a crowd is to keep out death. To break off from the crowd is to risk death as an individual, to face dying alone (73), he also constantly questions the role of the new social ideology in regards to truth, knowledge, certainty, and simulation, notably observed in his interactions with SIMUVAC personnel where he questions the importance placed on simulations rather than subjective reality, or experienced reality. However, as momentum builds in his urges to break free from the understanding of postmodernism and exist within in it while maintaining his modernist awareness, his interactions with Vernon Dickey, his father-in-law, complicate his attempts to be a passive member of the object-centric, postmodern culture. From the idea that an individual has the power to create, improve, and reshape their environment to the importance of creative destruction, or the notion that in order to make something new, the old must be abandoned, destroyed, or disassembled, Vernon, in stark contrast to Jack, embodies modernism. Saying that he is shingling here, rustproofing there, his hands described by Jack as scarred, busted, notched and permanently seamed with grease and mud, his attention fixed on trying to spot something that needed replacing or repair (245), Vernon is very much in control of his environment; reshaping it, building it, creating it. Jack, however, views himself against Vernon as fundamentally useless, mentioning that it put Vernon at an advantage to talk about gaskets and washers, about grouting, about the things that built the world (245). Vernon, of course, recognizes the difference between himself and the postmodern world, asking Jack were people this stupid before television? (249). Whil e Jack, to some degree, shares this sentiment, his desire to participate in the postmodern separates himself from Vernon, from modernism. Of creative destruction, Vernon, again contradictory of Jack, is not afraid of death. In fact, Jack notices that Vernon takes on a sardonic pleasure in his own hacking and spasms, chronic coughs that, either from smoking or old age, or both, suggest a progression towards death, a progression towards something new: the afterlife. In these instances, Jack realizes that his previous notion of existing within postmodernity as a passive modernist is unattainable given the fact that in the face of modernism, Vernon, he does not recognize the image of himself that is reflected. This realization propels him towards his decision to be what Murray calls a killer rather than a dier, that is to say, someone who acts in the world instead of simply being acted upon; in other words, he refuses to be an object within the postmodern world who simply succumb, accep t, and absorb. Jack, while no longer the fragmented modernist he once was, maintains his ability to examine and scrutinize, thus deciding for himself that the path of surrender and inaction required in the postmodern world is unacceptable and so, in what will lead to the climatic encounter with Willie Mink, Babettes sexual liaison, he decides to become a subject, a killer, and heads to Iron City with the purpose of murdering Willie. Jacks encounter with Willie Mink, the physical embodiment of post-modernism itself, is an allegory which speaks to Jacks resolve to overcome, with respect to himself, the seemingly impenetrable and nonparticipatory nature of the postmodernist world. However, Jacks interaction with the insensible, lobotomized Willie ultimately undermines his meaningful resolve to defeat postmodernism due primarily to the fact that Willie proves to be too strong in his objectness. Adorned with Budweiser shorts, the first indication of his physical personification of post-modernism, Willie drones out TV phrases and indecipherable riddles, saying some of these sure-footed bighorns have been equipped with radio transmitters (306) and the pet under stress may need a prescription diet (307). Like the diers described by Murray, Willie simply disarms and absorbs Jacks attempts at communication and dispatchment. The postmodern aura, or the collective unity of information, materiality, technology and knowledge, proves too powerful to be measurable and overcome by Jacks common standard of logic, reason, and discernment. So overwhelming, in fact, was the realm of postmodernism which existed within both Willie Mink and the motel room itself that it began to consume Jack. He says things began to glowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the air was rich with extrasensory materialà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[Willie] appeared to grow more vividà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦things in their actual stateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦white noi se everywhere (309-310). Overwhelmed and frightened, Jack puts into action his meticulously overstated plan to kill Willie, the last-ditch effort to obtain the subjectness and authenticity that he felt would be realized by surmounting postmodernism. However, Willie, and the aura of postmodernity, again dispels Jacks attempts by literally absorbing the gunshot in his gut. Jack, overcome with disappointment and frustrated in the face of the inevitability of defeating Willie, then recognizes the fundamental impossibility of bridging the gap between subject and object, between modernism and postmodernism, between himself and the new world. Instantly, Jack, for the first time in the novel, sees the world as it truly is: The extra dimensions, the super perceptions, were reduced to visual clutter, a whirling miscellany, meaningless (313). Ultimately, Jack learns that the most important aspect of existence is being able to step back from the cultural frays of modernism and postmodernism, of subject and object, of reflection and criticism and certainty, in order to understand the rationality which gave rise to them in the first place. When one exists outside the realms of either movement, as Jack does at the end of White Noise, the beauty of being reveals itself in the mysteries of not knowing what comes next, what came before, or what forces drive our existence. Certainly there is awe, it is all awe, it transcends previous categories of awe, but we dont know whether we are watching in wonder or dread, we dont know what we are watching or what it means, we dont know whether it is permanent, a level of experience to which we will gradually adjust, into which our uncertainty will eventually be absorbed, or just some atmospheric weirdness, soon to pass. (324-25)

Why I Chose An All Womens College :: essays research papers

Rasheedah Phillips Why Bryn Mawr? As a young woman growing up in an urbanized setting and attending public schools all of my life, when the time came to start planning and searching for colleges, I searched for schools that I felt fit my persona, that I would be comfortable attending for some of the most integral years of my life. My search included schools such as Temple University, and Pennsylvania State University, higher education institutions that allowed me to challenge myself, but at the same time would put me in a setting where I would be with others just like myself, fitting into the standard American university fashion. The thought of an all women’s college never once crossed my mind in envisioning my â€Å"perfect school†, and when it was introduced to me, it was through the prodding of a high school counselor who felt that my intelligence would be better realized and liberated at a school such as Bryn Mawr. After carefully researching Bryn Mawr and all it had to offer as an elite academic institution with stringent admissions requirements and its strong reputation as one of the best liberal art colleges in the nation, I had little doubt that, as far as my intellect and devotion to a rigorous curriculum went, I could run with the best of them. But I remained skeptical that, socially, financially, mentally, and to some degree, academically, I could fit in with the top women in the country who got accepted into a school such as this. I certainly had my biases about all-women colleges, and to find that Bryn Mawr was the best of the best certainly did not help to curb them; if anything, i t created more. My prejudices remained intact up until the day of my scheduled campus visit, overnight stay, and interview on October 7-8, 2001. Stepping up to the door of the admissions office, many of my resolves all but dissolved, as I was kindly greeted by several groups of women who guided me through registration, campus tours, alumnae speeches, and a most excellent dinner, attended by the College President and a presentation of classical music played by four talented young women. I was absolutely enthralled by the beauty of the campus, and pleasantly taken aback by the size, cleanliness, and grandeur of the residence halls. Though these things did help to curtail much of my cynicism about the â€Å"all-women college†, I believe that the experience that really attracted me to Bryn Mawr began when my hostess picked me up in the admissions office.