Book Review of The World is Flat, Written by Thomas L. Friedman essays

Book Review of The World is Flat, Written by Thomas L. Friedman papers Several years prior, Christopher Columbus came back from the New World to the Old World to pronounce that the world was not level, however round. Presently, in the 21st century, New York Times reporter Thomas Friedman comes back from the creating scene to the created world to pronounce that the world is level, as level as that screen on which a maturing Indian business visionary can have a gathering of his entire gracefully chain (Friedman 7). By level, Friedman implies that globalization has made a level playing field for increasingly more of the countries, ventures, and people in the advanced, mechanically ground breaking world. Friedman sees globalization, for the entirety of its issues, as a power for good. It has the ability to join more than it has the ability to isolate, and to make uniformity instead of increment the pressures between those who are well off and the poor, as is here and there asserted. Be that as it may, in spite of the fact that his excitement and energetic w riting is on occasion irresistible, at last Friedman appears to be alarmingly indifferent about the expenses to the creating and the created universe of the unchecked intensity of worldwide organizations. Globalization may have profited a few people in the creating scene, similar to the youthful Indian business people, bookkeepers, and specialists that so dazzle Friedman, however it is sketchy if their prosperity can be utilized to represent all laborers in ever half of the globe of the globe. Friedmans postulation rotates around the suggestion that the world is leveling rapidly on account of assembly of variables. The breakdown of the Berlin Wall finished the divisions between the socialist and entrepreneur countries of the world. While the possibility that the finish of socialism as an overall development was a seismic political occasion is not really new, Friedman accepts that the capacity of this development to separate political and correspondences hindrances between countries in financial terms is similarly as significant as the opportunities and territorial hazards it brought forth. &q... <!

Understanding the Big Five Personality Traits

Understanding the Big Five Personality Traits Todays therapists concur that character can be portrayed by five expansive attributes: receptiveness to encounter, principles, extraversion, suitability, and neuroticism. Together, these qualities make up the five-factor model of character known as the Big Five. Key Takeaways: Big Five Personality Traits The Big Five character qualities are receptiveness to encounter, reliability, extraversion, suitability, and neuroticism.Each attribute speaks to a continuum. People can fall anyplace on the continuum for each trait.Evidence recommends that character is profoundly steady during adulthood, albeit little changes might be conceivable. Root of the Big Five Model The Big Five, just as different models that indicate human character qualities, emerges from the lexical theory, which was first proposed by Francis Galton during the 1800s. The lexical theory expresses that each normal language contains all the character depictions that are applicable and essential to the speakers of that language. In 1936, spearheading therapist Gordon Allport and his partner Henry Odbert investigated this theory by experiencing an unedited English word reference and making a rundown of 18,000 words identified with singular contrasts. Roughly 4,500 of those terms reflected character qualities. This rambling arrangement of terms gave analysts inspired by the lexical theory a spot to begin, yet it wasnt valuable for investigate, so different researchers endeavored to limit the arrangement of words down. In the long run, during the 1940s, Raymond Cattell and his partners utilized factual techniques to decrease the rundown to a lot of just 16 qualities. A few extra researchers broke down Cattell’s work, incorporating Donald Fiske in 1949, and they all arrived at a comparable determination: the information contained a solid, stable arrangement of five attributes. In any case, it wasnt until the 1980s that the Big Five started to get more extensive insightful consideration. Today, the Big Five is a pervasive piece of brain science research, and clinicians to a great extent concur that character can be gathered into the five essential attributes indicated by the Big Five. The Big Five Traits Each Big Five attribute speaks to a continuum. For instance, the characteristic of extraversion’s inverse is self preoccupation. Together, extraversion and inner-directedness make up contradicting parts of the bargains for that Big Five quality. Individuals can be extraverted or exceptionally independent, however the vast majority will fall some place in the middle of the boundaries of the spectrum.â Its likewise critical to recall that every quality of the Big Five is wide, speaking to a bunch of numerous character attributes. These qualities are more explicit and granular than every one of the five attributes all in all. In this way, every attribute can be characterized when all is said in done and furthermore separated into a few features. Receptiveness to Experience On the off chance that you have high receptiveness to encounter, you are available to all the first and complex things life brings to the table, both experientially and intellectually. Something contrary to receptiveness to encounter is close-mindedness. People with this characteristic are for the most part: CuriousImaginativeArtisticInterested in numerous thingsExcitableUnconventional Honesty Honesty implies having great motivation control, which empowers people to satisfy assignments and meet objectives. Principled conduct incorporates arranging and association, postponing satisfaction, staying away from enthusiastic activity, and following social standards. Something contrary to good faith is absence of bearing. Key features of principles include: CompetenceOrder, or authoritative skillsDutifulness, or an absence of carelessnessAchievement through hard workSelf-disciplineBeing conscious and controlled Extraversion Extraverted people who draws their vitality from their associations with the social world. Extraverts are friendly, loquacious, and active. Something contrary to extraversion is contemplation. Extraverts are regularly: GregariousAssertiveActiveExcitement-seekingEmotionally positive and enthusiasticWarm and active Appropriateness The quality of pleasantness alludes to a positive and philanthropic direction. This attribute empowers people to see the best in others, trust others, and act prosocially. Something contrary to appropriateness is enmity. Pleasant individuals are frequently: Trusting and forgivingStraightforward and undemandingAltruisticAffable and amenableModestSympathetic to other people Neuroticism Neuroticism alludes to a propensity towards negative feelings and incorporates encounters like inclination on edge and discouraged. Something contrary to neuroticism is passionate steadiness. Key features of neuroticism include: Uneasiness and tensionAngry antagonistic vibe and irritability,Depression,Self-awareness and shyness,Being imprudent and moodyLack of self-assurance The abbreviation OCEAN is a convenient gadget for the characteristics determined by the Big Five. Would personality be able to Be Changed? Character qualities will in general be profoundly steady during adulthood. While some slow moves in character characteristics might be conceivable, these movements are commonly not extreme. As such, if an individual is low on the attribute of extraversion (which means they are more withdrawn than extraverted), they are probably going to remain as such, however they may turn out to be marginally pretty much extraverted after some time. This consistency is mostly clarified by hereditary qualities, which assumes a huge job in the attributes one creates. For instance, one twin investigation indicated that when the Big Five character qualities of indistinguishable and brotherly twins were surveyed, the impact of hereditary qualities was 61% for receptiveness to encounter, 44% for principles, 53% for extraversion, and 41% for both pleasantness and neuroticism. Condition may in a roundabout way fortify acquired qualities too. For example, in making a domain that works with their own qualities, guardians additionally make a situation that works with their children’s characteristics. Thus, as grown-ups, individuals pick conditions that fortify and bolster their attributes. The Big Five in Childhood Research on the Big Five has been censured in the past for concentrating basically on grown-up character improvement and overlooking the advancement of these attributes in kids. However, ongoing examination has indicated that kids as youthful as five can depict their character and that by six, youngsters start to show consistency and strength in the qualities of principles, extraversion, and pleasantness. Two different investigations indicated that while the Big Five appears to show in kids, childrens characters may likewise incorporate extra characteristics. One investigation of American immature young men found that notwithstanding the Big Five characteristics, members likewise showed two extra attributes. The specialists marked these as irritabilityâ (negative influence that prompted formatively unseemly practices like crying and fits of rage) and action (vitality and physical action). Another investigation of Dutch offspring of both genders between the ages of 3 and 16 likewise discovered two extra character attributes. While one was like the movement characteristic found in the recently talked about examination, the other, reliance (depending on others), was unique. Age Differences in Personality Traits Research has recommended the Big Five characteristics advance with age over the life expectancy. In an investigation of 92 longitudinal examinations that inspected changes in character qualities from youth to mature age, researchers found that individuals turned out to be increasingly reliable, less psychotic, and increment in social strength, an aspect of extraversion, as they get more established. Individuals likewise turned out to be increasingly pleasing in mature age. And keeping in mind that youths were increasingly open to understanding and exhibited more prominent social imperativeness, another feature of extraversion, particularly during the school years, individuals diminished in these characteristics during mature age. Sources Allport, Gordon W. what's more, Henry S. Odbert. â€Å"Trait-Names: A Psycho-Lexical Study.† Psychological Monographs, vol. 47, no. 1, 1936, pp. I-171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0093360Cattell, Raymond B. â€Å"The depiction of Personality: Basic Traits Resolved Into Clusters.† Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, vol. 38, vol. 4, 1943, pp. 476-506. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0054116Costa, Paul T., and Robert R. McCrae. â€Å"The NEO-PI-R: Professional Manual.† Psychological Assessment Resources, 1992. sjdm.org/dmidi/NEO_PI-R.htmlDigman, John M. â€Å"Personality Structure: Emergence of the Five-Factor Model.† Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 41, 1990, pp. 417-440. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.41.020190.002221Fiske, Donald W. â€Å"Consistency of the Factorial Structures of Personality Ratings from Difference Sources.† Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, vol. 44, 1949, pp. 329-344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0057198Jang, Kerry J., John Livesley, and Philip A. Vernon. â€Å"Heritability of the Big Five Personality Dimensions and Their Facets: A Twin Study.† Journal of Personality, vol. 64, no. 3, 1996, pp. 577-592. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1996.tb00522.x John, Oliver P., Avshalom Caspi, Richard W. Robins, Terrie E. Moffitt, and Magda Stouthamer-Loeber. â€Å"The ‘Little Five’: Exploring The Nomological Network of the Five-Factor Model of Personality in Adolescent Boys. Kid Development, vol. 65, 1994, pp. 160-178. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00742.xJohn, Oliver P., Laura P. Naumann, and Christopher J. Soto. â€Å"Paradigm Shift to the Integrative Big Five Trait Taxonomy: History, Measurement, and Conceptual Issues.† Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, third ed., altered by Oliver P. John, Richard W. Robins, and Lawrence A. Pervin, The Guilford Press,

Persuasive Essay Topic Samples

Persuasive Essay Topic SamplesPersuasive essay topic samples are among the most important ingredients you should learn how to create. These samples are essential, because it can be difficult to write an essay if you don't have a good guide or reference. At the same time, you don't want to end up having to copy-paste everything from one place to another, as this can be frustrating and distracting.So, what does it take to write a persuasive essay? First of all, it is important to make sure that you write with passion and enthusiasm. If you do, this will show when you're writing your topic samples. In addition, you also need to ensure that you get the word out in such a way that it doesn't bore the reader.A key part of writing a good essay is having to be able to convert thoughts into words, as well as thought into words. This is where your persuasive essay topic samples will come in handy. They should give you a clear idea of how to convey information in an effective manner.So, how can you use persuasive essay topic samples? Well, first of all, you should try to think of topics that are relevant to your topic. But, if you want your essay to be different from all the others, you must be prepared to put forth a powerful argument. After all, that's what makes an essay different from any other.Now, let's talk about some of the most common topics that will be utilized by essay writers, whether they're students or professionals. For example, students will commonly go after personal essays on an individual's life. Such topics include relationships, achievements, hobbies, and so on. Professionals who write for a living, as well as those who are writing for pleasure, may have more specific subject areas to choose from.For example, someone who writes for a living may find that the world of politics is the best area to focus their essays on, because politics is such a large subject area. On the other hand, someone who writes for a hobby may find that statistics, art, and ev en religion can be very useful topics in their essays.Now, how do you get hold of persuasive essay topic samples that will make you a better writer? Well, it isn't hard to find these, as you can visit the World Wide Web to find a plethora of them.When you're looking for persuasive essay topic samples, make sure that you focus on a number of different ones. Remember, different people will have different requirements for different essays. You should also consider the major points that you want to get across to your readers, and then find a way to use your subject matter in a way that it will highlight the benefits of writing an essay in the first place.

The French Genre of Reverie - 4445 Words

Introduction It is irony rather than paradox that the French genre of rà ªverie should have been born of the rationalist 18th century, the sià ¨cle des lumià ¨res, which saw the emergence of scientific rationalism as the supreme authority in philosophy. Yet that was the period during which was also born what with hindsight we have decided to call pre-Romanticism, a movement connected with the cultivation of tenderness, the expression of feeling, and concern with the nonlogical, irrational forms of human experience, including rà ªves or dreams. The connection between the French Romantic movement and pre-Romanticism is actually tenuous, but continuity is apparent in the increasing interest in mental states, of which the rà ªverie represents one type, existing outside the sphere of strict logic and relaxing the enforcement of strict rational control. As a mental event, the rà ªverie, to which the English daydream is merely an approximation, represents only a moderated relaxation of rational control, such as used to be cultivated chiefly by imaginative artists and their followers in developing their sensitivity to nature and beauty, in search of aesthetic stimulus or satisfaction. Our inadequate vocabulary for dealing with such phenomena nonetheless allows us to distinguish the realm of imagination, in which the rà ªverie explores with some degree of realism the meaning of emotional experience, together with any possible alternative forms which it might take, from the realm of mereShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Chesterton And His Literary Masterpiece1794 Words   |  8 Pages1936, but it doesn’t matter. To those who know him and are passionate readers of his works, his wisdom lives on. To those like me who simply stumbled upon him, he lives again. In our hearts, his wisdom is timeless. Versatility of topic, address, genre, device, whatever more there is in the heaven and earth of mind and spirit brought to letters–such is the hallmark and mandate of Chesterton. He can be straightforward and for right, crisp and to the point, or witty, with a certain malice aforethoughtRead MoreThe Question of Ideology in Amitav Ghoshs the Hungry Tide5019 Words   |  21 Pagesto define ‘ideology’ that has become a key concept in Marxist criticism of literature and other arts, though it was not much discussed by Marx and Engels after The German Ideology which they wrote jointly in 1845-’46. Marx inherited the term from French philosophers of the late eighteenth century who used it to designate the study of the way that all general concepts develop from sense-perceptions. In Marxist criticism it is claimed that Human consciousness is constituted by an ideology – thatRead MoreAnalysis the Use of Stream of Consciousness in Mrs Dalloway8784 Words   |  36 Pagessuicide at home by throwing himself out of window in escape of being sent to one of Sir William’s homes. The two lines join together when Sir William Bradshaw tells Clarissa, in the midst of her party, of Septimus’s death, which inspires her vivid reverie of life and death at the end. In Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf not only depicts the English society after the first World War, which, although recovering from the tragedies of battle, death, and loss, lacks the calming influence of consistency and connection

Term Papers about Electronic Crime

Electronic or cyber crime is a criminal activity, committed through the use of information technologies. Economies worldwide, business and individuals are effected by electronic crime increasingly more often every year. According to Internet Crime Complaint Center, in 2008 the number of electronic crimes in the USA has increased from 207 to 275 thousand, and resulted in a total loss of 264.6 million dollars (Limbach, n.d.). Multiple types of computer crime include cyber theft, cyber terrorism, creation of obscene or offensive content, harassment, drug trafficking, spam, information warfare, phishing scams, spreading computer viruses and malware. Types of Electronic Crime Cyber Theft Computer hackers use numerous methods to steal identities, break passwords and credit card numbers. In order to execute it they apply remote access programs like â€Å"trojan† and â€Å"worm†, or conduct phishing on the Internet to attract potential credit card holders to their website. In this way they not only steal money from an account, but ruin person’s credit and ability to obtain credit loans in the future. Credit card fraud is the most common Internet crime because 95% of all deals are made using credit cards (Krebs, 2009). Since consumers cannot control the way companies store their private information in databases, it becomes significantly hard for an individual to reduce the risk of identity theft. In any case each person should take precautions and never give access to his/her credit card to other people; be careful while entering pin-code, and do it quickly, preferably pressing numbers with more than one finger; notice possible micro-cameras, that ca n be installed on the top of automatic cash terminals. Email Fraud This type of fraud is related to spam that all Internet users receive every day. Frequently emails are sent from fake commercial or personal addresses, advertising products or investment offers. Spam senders buy private email addresses, create huge databases and send thousands of emails in a short period of time. Email fraud has to be under jurisdiction of web-police that in many countries simply does not exist or does not have enough knowledge or recourses to investigate this type of cyber crime on high level. Cyber Terrorism Computer terrorism is a deliberate politically founded attack of computer information, computer net or system, which poses a threat to life and well-being of people, provided that these activities are conducted, aiming at destroying public safety, intimidating of people, or provoking armed conflict. Cyber terrorism became one of the most dangerous kinds of cyber crime. Computer virus I love you is one of the examples of such terrorism. American group Computer Economic claims that this virus became the most harmful act of cyber terrorism ever registered in human history. During the first five days of its existence it crashed forty-five million computer networks and programs, even in the Pentagon and British parliament. Various ways to fight against cyber terrorism include effective cooperation with other countries and their special cybercrime combat units, as well as expand and strengthen international cooperation on legal aid matters connected to computer crime combat (Golubev, n.d.). Obscene or Offensive Content Spreading unlawful content means creating Internet websites with child pornography, blasphemous or racist content, or any other information that can cause cross-cultural or cross-religious hatred. There are no universal laws that would determine legitimacy of such content. Every country has its own legislation regulating this kind of issues. As for child pornography, it is illegal in most counties of the world. In the United States it is prohibited under 18 U.S.C. Chapter 110, Sexual Exploitation and Other Abuse of Children. The violation of this law by consuming child pornography can lead maximum five years in federal prison, and up to fifteen years for distribution of it. Drug Trafficking Drug traders create websites where they sell illegal substances, or send enciphered email to potential consumers. Internet investigation of 2008 in the USA found 365 websites, where people could buy forbidden drugs freely (Busko, 2008). Some of the drug traffickers meet with buyers in special chat rooms or internet cafes to arrange their deals. Information Warfare Computer attack on embassies and foreign ministries, coming from enemy countries, terrorist groups or individual hackers are called cyber or informational warfare. This term first appeared in 2007, after multiple information attacks on American embassy in Estonia (Bloomfield, 2007). This kind of warfare can deprive population of public transportation, elevators and communication. It can happen because critical infrastructure is connected to informational space, and becomes vulnerable to cyber piracy. Computer Viruses Harmful viruses, created by hackers, are able to jump from one communication system to another, spreading like infection. Viruses cannot be located at the time, because they are frequently used in combination with â€Å"logic bombs† or â€Å"time bombs†, which are able to hide the virus during a certain period of time. Real troubles appear as soon as it starts taking over the control and infecting programs, or even operational systems or web drivers. Quality licensed virus guard together with a â€Å"firewall† can protect computers from dangerous viruses and ensure their long-term use. Computer Crime Counteraction A research conducted by Dataquest Inc in March 2003 showed that the vast majority of companies are not able to fight against computer attacks and minimize their loss. As a result, 1/3 companies have lost valuable information and 24% of them failed to develop an action plan in case of a similar situation in the future (Lack of Disaster Plans, 2003). Professional approach to computer security matters within companies solves the problem by creating unique and complicated passwords, or setting strict corporate rules and punishment for employees. Nevertheless these measures do not guarantee absolute security for a company because â€Å"internal† hackers, namely company employees themselves, are more dangerous than â€Å"external† hackers. To effectively combat cyber crime is imperative to understand specific reasons for its spread, and use specific means to overcome it. In the beginning of 2003 the national system of cyber crime counteraction was created in the United States. It is described in National Cyber security Strategy and National Strategy for Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures, where Critical infrastructures are shown as systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters. Punishment The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a law passed by the US Congress in 1986 over time became a part of the US Code, where in paragraph 1030 (a) (4) computer fraud is defined as intentional unauthorized access with intention to obtain anything of value. The punishment for this crime is a fine or/and imprisonment for not more than 10 years. At present there are no less than six cyber crime federal laws operating in the United States. They are meant to fight against crime and protect information and telecommunication systems. However in each state there exist own special computer crime laws. For instance, computer crime section of Texas Penal Code includes only one type, defined as â€Å"intentional access to the computer, computer net or computer system without owner’s consent†. At the same time the California Penal Code contains a whole list of electronic crimes (paragraph 502). New anti-terrorism US legislation, passed in January 2003, implies a severe punishment system for computer crime, which are compared to grave federal crimes and acts of terrorism, and can result in a life sentence or long-term incarceration. Conclusion Progress granted humankind with immeasurable achievements and at the same time created electronic crime, which is viewed as increasing threat not only for the security of separate countries, but for the whole world community. Spam and pornography is imposed to users every day more often. Social crime shifted to the Internet, took a form of cyber crime, and created new dangerous threats such as information warfare and cyber terrorism. Computer crime is an issue of the outmost importance to the world governments. Every country has its own experience and laws to counteract cyber crime, as well as every modern person is aware of the methods to protect one’s own identity and computer from hacking. References Bloomfield, A. (2007). Russia accused over Estonian ‘cyber-terrorism’. The Telegraph. Retrieved November 30, 2010, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1551850/Russia-accused-over-Estonian-cyber-terrorism.html Busko, M. (2008). Internet trafficking of controlled prescription drugs remains extensive. Medscape Today. Retrieved November 30, 2010 from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/577728 Golubev, V. (n.d.). Cyber terrorism as a new form of terrorism. Retrieved November 29, 2010, from www.crime-research.org/library/Gol_tem3_eng.htm Krebs, B. (2009). Investment firms report increased debit and credit card fraud. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 1, 2010, from http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/05/usg_credit_debit_card_fraud_re.html Limbach, J. (n.d.). Internet crime on rise. Retrieved November 30, 2010, from http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/03/internet_crime.html Study Shows Lack of IT Disaster Plans. (2003). Retrieved November 30, 2010, from http://www.idg.net/ic_1192210_9677_1-5046.html

The science of Star Wars is book written by Jeanne...

The science of Star Wars is book written by Jeanne Cavelos, it tries to link the content of the Star Wars trilogies with modern science. It offers the readers the plausibility of the phenomena that occurs in the world of Star Wars. The book is divided into five chapters excluding the introduction. She proceeds from environments to aliens and androids to spaceships and weapons to end with a chapter on â€Å"The Force†. The first Chapter is called Planetary Environments. It has four essays and seven section, sections headings include â€Å"You Can’t Have an Empire without Real Estate† and â€Å"The Bright Center of the Universe† and â€Å"A Planet a Day Keeps the Empire Away† etc. The topics she covers in this chapter includes things like formation of planets,†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Dawn of Wookiee† tells us about which bi- and quadrupedalisms are assessed and raises questions about why Wookiees originally lived in trees. The section â€Å"Slugfest† characterizes Jabba the Hutt and the predator space slug and what its diet would probably be. â€Å"When Teddy Bears have their Picnic† reviews the physiological and psychological characteristics of koalas, chimpanzees and Ewoks, and â€Å"Did You Leave Your Headlights On?† describes and evaluates Jawas and Sand People, optics, Photoreceptors and Bioluminescence. There is one signif icant point, that it is highly unlikely for aliens from different planets to survive in a single environment such as the Mos Eisley cantina. Example, Jabba being a slug supposedly moves using a mavelike motion by creating a coating of secreted slime, but in the 1997 version of the Episode IV, Jabba is seen easily moving around in the xerophytic environment of Tatooine where he should in fact be desiccating. The third chapter of the book is named â€Å"Droids† and is comprised of eight topics and two essays. The section â€Å"Wheels or Legs† assesses the relationship between body shape, coordination and locomotive capabilities of the droids. While the section â€Å"I, Droid† delves into the subjects of neural networks, rule based vs. case based intelligence systems and memory wipes. The other sections in this chapter include â€Å"Do You Hear What I Hear† which assesses the concepts of speaking with intelligence, the nature of

Frank Black or Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV Essay Example For Students

Frank Black or Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV Essay Frank Black, also known by the stage name Black Francis real name Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV, born April 6, 1965 in Boston, Massachusetts, is an American musician. He was one of the founding members of the alternative rock band Pixies. Thompson was raised in Harbor City, California. He studied in the University of Massachusetts, before taking off to Puerto Rico as part of an exchange program. It was there where he reportedly spent six months in an apartment with a weird, psycho, roommate,Timeline 1 who inspired the song Crackity Jones. Many of the Pixies early songs refer to Thompsons experiences in Puerto Rico, most notably Isla De Encanta, incorrectly named after the islands motto, Isla Del Encanto Island of Charm. Thompson finally left his studies after thinking whether he would go to New Zealand to view Halleys Comet or to start a rock band with his former roommate from Massachusetts, Joey Santiago. The Pixies were active from 1986 to 1992. They found success primarily on college radioTimeslines 2 in America and became very popular in Britain and throughout Europe. They have kept a following, and have since been seen as one of the best and most influential rock groups of that style. His lyrics are noted for their sometimes weird references to unusual topics like outer space, unexplained phenomena such as UFOs, and even The Three Stooges. He has also used the Bible as a source for his stories, most known in the tale of Nimrods Son and the stories of Uriah and Bathsheba in Dead and Samson in Gouge Away. Lyrics with a focus on science fiction were mostly used on his three solo albums of the mid-1990s which were Frank Black, Teenager of the Year, and The Cult of Ray.All Music 3 With the Catholics, his lyrics have more often tended towards historical topics; for example, on Dog in the Sand, there is a song called St. Francis Dam Disaster, which is about the catastrophic collapse of the St. Francis Dam near Los Angeles in March, 1928 and the All My Ghosts ep featured an account of the Humboldt County Massacre of Wiyot Indians on February 26, 1860 near Eureka, California. This shows in in Thompsons songcraft, one left in two murder victim tributes: The Last Stand of Sh azeb Andleeb, eulogizing a Pakistani student at Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California who was beaten to death on May 18, 1995; and I Gotta Move, a copy for Eraserhead actor Jack Nance, who died from head trauma apparently sustained during an alteraction in the parking lot of Winchells Doughnut House in Pasadena on December 29, 1996. Other lyrics celebrate film, music and literature like directors Luis Bunuel in Debaser and Jacques Tati in The Jacques Tati; rockers Jonathan Richman The Man Who Was Too Loud, the Ramones I Heard Ramona Sing and singer Johnny Horton If It Takes All Night and writers Ray Bradbury The Cult of Ray and Madeleine LEngle Headache.