Slavery and African Slave Traders Essay Example for Free

Slavery and African Slave Traders Essay 1. What was indentured servitude like in the colonies? Was it much different from being a slave?: Indentured servants either agreed to serve for a stated period usually about five years or upon arrival to the colonies they bargained with wealthy Englishmen, Dutchmen or High German, for how long they would serve for their passage money. In the colonies indentured servants where under strict control of their masters and were not given any compensation for their work. It was much like slavery but not everything was the same. Indenture was a contract and unlike slaves servants could sue their masters if they failed to fulfill their half of the bargain. Where as slaves had no civil rights at all. Also unlike slaves servants were able to be freed after they have completed their years of labor. Usually the former servant was entitled an outfit with that most servants become land owners. 2. Compare/contrast the Middle Passage to the voyage of indentured servants. In The Middle Passage they were not treated the same as were the people in The voyage of the Indentured Servants . The people in the Middle passage were beaten and deprived of food even after the crew was full from eating fish they did not give any to the slaves. The servants were allowed to bring their own food or drinks which most still went bad but they were not deprived entirely of food. As soon as the servants got to the colonies if they had paid their passage they were free to go unlike the slaves that were sold. The condition of living on both ships were much the same as far as the diseases and illness that plagued both ships. 3. Compare/contrast Olaudah Equiano’s document with Alexander Falconbridge’s. Are these documents reliable? Why or why not? Both documents are personal accounts of what each man viewed on the slave ships. The two documents spoke of disease, malnutrition, and punishment endured by the slaves. I believe both of the documents are a reliable source because they both spoke of relatively the same conditions as the other. Both of the documents spoke of African slave traders that traded and sold African slaves to the slave trade. In both passages they spoke of the much more cruel punishment the slaves would undergo from the white men as opposed to their prior black owners. 4. Whom did the slave trade serve? How many different types of people were involved? The slave trade served mainly American merchants. For the majority French, Dutch, English, and African slave traders. Slave ships would go abroad and capture as many people they could enslave.

Hinduism and Buddhism Essay Example for Free

Hinduism and Buddhism Essay Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the renowned religions world widely. Hinduism is the religion of the great majority of the people of India. The word comes from the Sanskrit sindhu, â€Å"river,† and originally referred to the Indus. Hinduism is actually a collection of many native Indian religions, past and present. It is responsible for the social structure of India, especially for the caste system (a hereditary class system). Hinduism has about 20 sects, with beliefs that range from primitive forms of animism to the highest reaches of mysticism and philosophy. Many of the sects and cults seem to be separate religions. Yet all have a family relationship since they spring from common traditions and thrive. Hindus believe in rebirth, or reincarnation, and in what they call the law of karma. Under this law the conditions of each new lifetime are determined by the actions of the preceding life. To the Hindu, salvation consists of liberating the soul from attachment to worldly desires in order to gain union with Brahman. If a Hindu dies liberated he must be born again into this world and again endure its suffering (Stutley, 2004). The Vedas describe four main castes. 1. The Brahmins exercise spiritual power. (Brahmin is also spelled Brahman). 2. The Kshatriyas are warriors who exercise secular power. 3. The Vaisyas are merchants and cultivators. 4. The Sudras are artisans and laborers. Hindu worship for most part takes place in the home. A Hindu temple or shrine is considered an abode of deity and is not used for communal worship. There are kinds of Hindu clergy. Temple priests collect offerings and care for the temples and shrines. Domestic priests perform rites involving births, marriages, and deaths. Gurus are spiritual teachers. Sadhus are monks; most live in monasteries, but many live as wandering mendicants (beggars) (Chaudhuri, 1999). While Buddhism is a religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (â€Å"Buddha,† or â€Å"The Enlightened One†) in India about 500 B. C. Buddhism is the chief religion of Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Kampuchea, Laos, and China. It has been estimated that about one-fifth of the world’s people are Buddhists. Because many Buddhists also practice Confucianism or Taoism, however, some authorities estimate world membership to be much smaller. In the United States, there are a number of organized Buddhist congregations (Carrithers, 2003). Buddhism consists of numerous sects with varying practices and beliefs. Some of these sects are so different from the others that they appear to be separate religions. But all sects have in common the belief that they are following the principles laid down by Gautama. Early Buddhism, the religion as taught by Gautama, developed into two branches—Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism (Mizuno, 2001). Although Buddhism was originally a reform movement that rejected certain beliefs and practices of Hinduism, the two religions have several important beliefs in common. Among them are reincarnation, the ideas that a living thing can be reborn in a new body; the law of karma, which holds that events in life are effects whose cause lies in previous lives and acts; and liberation, or salvation, the state of being free of the law of karma and rebirth (Conze, 2002). According to Buddhism, liberation is attained through understanding and practice of the Four Noble Truths: 1. There is suffering in life. 2. Suffering is caused by desire for pleasure, existence, and prosperity. 3. Suffering and rebirth cease when one ceases such desires, leading to enlightenment, or Nirvana, a blessed state in which peace, harmony, and joy are attained. The Eightfold Path is also called the Middle Way—because of its emphasis on avoiding such extremes as following sensuous pleasures on the one hand, and self-punishment on the other. The Buddhists must at all times observe in the high moral principles described in the Eightfold path, which emphasizes nonviolence and the brotherhood of all. Reference: 1. Carrithers, Michael. The Buddha (Oxford University 2003). 2. Chaudhuri, N. C. Hinduism: A Religion to Live by (Oxford University, 1999). 3. Conze, Edward. A Short History of Buddhism (Allen Unwin, 2002). 4. Mizuno, Kogen. Basic Buddhist Concepts (Tuttle, 2001). 5. Stutley, Margaret James. Harper’s Dictionary of Hinduism: Its Mythology, Folklore, Philosophy, Literature, and History (Harper Row, 2004).

The Important Parts Of Giving A Speech

The Important Parts Of Giving A Speech Firstly, the most important part of presenting a speech that cannot be done wrongly is the preparation for the speech which the speaker is about to deliver. There are a few mistakes made by the speaker that obviously shows that he is not prepared for his speech. One of the most obvious mistakes done by him was he did not rehearse his slides before his presentation. He even forgot the title of the speech he is delivering and had to refer back to the slides to see what his title was. As part of his preparation, he should rehearse his slides at least 7 times before he starts presenting his speech. He should stand in front of the mirror and practice presenting his speech so he can analyze what his presentation is lacking. With that tried, he could improve his speech delivery. Based on the text book written by Stephen E. Lucas, he quoted that a powerful speech could have genuine impact on the listeners and as a speaker he should have an ethical responsibility to consider that impact and t o make sure he is fully prepared so as he do not convey misleading information to the audience (Lucas, 2008). Misleading information could have cause tragic result to the audience as they trust the speaker for what they say. No matter what the topic is, the speaker should do extensive research to avoid any misleading or inappropriate information. Besides that, the title of the speech was too broad as well. This shows that he did not narrow down the topic. This part of his preparation is vital, as his topic should not be too broad and should be more focused before delivering to the audience. Otherwise, audience will not pay attention to what he is saying. Another mistake by the speaker was that his goals are not ethically sound. Based on the textbook, a speakers goal should be strong on its ground (Lucas, 2008). In his book, Stephen E. Lucas also mentioned that a responsible public speaker cant escape the ethical soundness of their goals. The speaker should also prepare cue cards so that he can refer and also to remind him about his points when he is delivering his speech. Cue cards should contain the key words which reminds the speakers of their points and explanations. No audiences want to see their speaker stutter on stage, because this shows the lack of confidence and lack of preparations for the speech. Thus, the preparation before a speech is a vital process in giving a speech. Secondly, another important part on presenting a speech is that cannot be done wrongly is the delivery to the audiences. The speaker made a few mistakes on the delivery aspects of his speech. To start off, he pauses frequently when delivering his ideas or thoughts due to the lack of preparations. Therefore, there are many awkward silences in the middle of his speech. Moreover, the speaker always filled the silence with the sound erm ah and so on and this is actually a very crucial mistake for a speaker. A speaker should not do that while delivering a speech because it will give the audience a negative perception or thoughts on that particular speakers intelligence. A good speaker should pauses his speech at the right time which means he should pauses in the end of his thoughts or ideas but not in the middle of it because it will confuse the audience. Secondly, the speakers voice is not clear and he likes to babble when he delivering the speech. These will actually make it difficult f or the audiences to listen to his points. As a result, the audience may not able to get full and precise information from the speaker. Therefore, voice clarity is actually an important factor in order to have an ideal speech delivery. Therefore, the speaker should speak and pronounce the word by word clearly to the audience regardless whether it is slow or fast.(Lucas, 2008) Besides that, another mistake the speaker made is that he did not use transitional devices or connectors in his speech. As a result, this could make the speech delivered ineffective because normally, connectors or transitional devices are used to signal the beginning and the end of the ideas, thoughts and sentence. In addition, the speaker also has problems with his body gestures when he is delivering his speech. To begin with, his body gesture throughout the speech delivery seems to be unnatural. As a result, the audience will feel that the speaker is not well-prepared or confident enough in delivering his spee ch. As we all know, body gestures normally appears naturally because it helps to clarify and reinforce the speakers idea. On the other hand, the speaker has a problem with his eye contact. He seems to not have eye contact with his audiences mainly because he is always looking back at the slides because he is not sure whether which point he should deliver next. Therefore, he loses his eye contact with his audience so he failed to analyze the audiences reactions and feelings while he was delivering his speech. He should prepare well and focus more on his eye contact with the audience because it is crucial to know what the feelings and reactions of the audience are while he is delivering his speech and identify his mistakes if he feels that audience is not comfortable with his speech delivery. Other than that, he is also having problems with his body movement when he gave the speech. From the video, we can see some of the body movement he likes to do. For instance, he likes to put his hand inside his pocket, lean forward, and shift his weight from one foot to another. This actually shows that he was nervous during the speech delivery. Moreover, there is also a disadvantage when a speaker leans forward because when a person leans forward, his head will look down to the floor so it will affect his voice projection. As a result, the voice is not projected straight to the audience instead the voice is projected to the floor. He should instead stand straight up while delivering the speech as to project his sound towards the audiences.( Lucas, 2008) To conclude, the delivery of a speech is a very important criteria. If done wrongly, it could cause mislay and inaccuracy of information. Thirdly, another important part of presenting a speech that cannot be done wrongly is the visual aids used. The mistakes that were made by the speaker while using visual aids can be categorized into two different categories, which is under the preparation of visual aids, and the presentation of visual aids. The first mistake that the speaker made from the category of preparations of visual aids is that the points in PowerPoint slides is not well organized and is complicated. Visual aids should be simple, clear, and straight to the point. Besides that, the points should be narrowed down and limit to a manageable amount of information. The basic rule is to include in your visual aid on only what you need to make your point. The second mistake is that the visual aids are too small for the audiences to see. There is no point for a visual aid if no one can see it. So bear in mind the size of the room in which you will be speaking and make sure your aid is big enough to be seen easily by e veryone. The third mistake is the use of unsuitable fonts. Not all fonts are suitable for visual aids. The speaker should avoid decorative fonts. He should try to use a limited number of fonts. Some variety of fonts in a visual aid is appealing, but can be distracting. (Lucas, 2008) Using two types of fonts as per heading and per content is sufficient for a visual aid as suggested by experts. The second category, presentation of visual aids, under which the speaker made a mistake, is that he actually talks to his visual aid instead of the audience. The speaker should talk to the audience and not to the visual aid. When explaining the visual aid, it is easy to break eye contact with audience and speak to the aid. Of course, the listeners are looking at the aid, and will need to glance at it time after time as the speaker talk. He may lose his audience if u keeps his eyes on his visual aids during the speech. By having eye contact with the audiences he may benefit from the feedbacks b y the audience on the visual aid he is using. Another mistake the speaker made is that the explanation is insufficient, not clear and not concise. Everyone knows visual aids do not explain it selves; the speaker needs to explain his visual aid to the audience. But sadly, all he does is reading from it. It is a fundamental knowledge of giving a speech that explaining the points on a visual aid is a must. The speaker should explain in detail what he included in the visual aid as it is vital information on his speech and it is important for the audience to understand it as it is the whole point of using a visual aid. The speaker should remember that a visual aid is useful only if the explanations come with it. (Lucas, 2008) Therefore, to fully utilize the visual aid, the speaker should avoid making these fundamental mistakes as it will cost him the audiences attention. Last but not least, another important aspect of giving a speech that cannot be done wrongly is the method of usage of the PowerPoint slides. The mistakes that the speaker made when he was using the PowerPoint slides can be divided into two categories, which is the format of the slides, and the delivery of the speech with the slides. The format of the PowerPoint slides consists of color, text, fonts, images, space, and animation of the slides. The first mistake the speaker made in the format of the slides is including too much texts in she slides. He should not include too much text in a single slide; including too much text will cause the font size to decrease, thus causing difficulty in reading for the audiences. He should instead limit himself to a few lines per slide and make it brief. The second mistake the speaker made is that he failed to give enough spaces for the contents in the slides due to the overload of texts per slide. This causes the slide to lack visual balance and co uld be hard for the audiences to read. According to textbook by Lucas, one must make sure that ones slide is provided with adequate amount of visual balance no matter what kind of element was included in a slide.( Lucas, 2008) Subsequently, the speaker also made a number of mistakes in delivering his speech using the PowerPoint slides. As we know, to deliver a speech using the slides needs good timing and careful planning. It will be disastrous if the slides went wrong during the presentation. The first mistake the speaker made in the delivery of the speech with the slides is that he could not find the slide he was looking for during the presentation. This means that he did not recheck his slides after doing them and may have left out some vital information. What he should do is to always double-check his slides for mistakes or in this case, left-out information. (Lucas, 2008) The second mistake that the speaker made is that he did not prepare and rehearse with his slides. This can be seen during which he had trouble linking his hand notes with his slides. The speaker abandoned the notes and read from the PowerPoint slides instead. He should have rehearse with his slides before presenting because using PowerPoint in presentation needs good timing and careful planning. Another mistake the speaker made is that he did not check the room and equipments provided before the speech. Judging by the fact that he did not use a projector to project is slide could mean two scenarios; either the room does not have a projector or the fact that his computers port is not compatible with the projector port. One way or the other, he should have checked the room and equipments and make necessary preparations or adjustment before deciding on doing a PowerPoint presentation. (Lucas, 2008) Thus, the mistakes that the speaker made in using the PowerPoint slides is very fundamental and should be avoided at all cost because it will gravely affect the outcome of the presentation. In conclusion, these four aspects, preparations, delivery, visual aids, and methods of using PowerPoint slides are of utmost importance and shouldnt be taken lightly by the speaker if he wants to give a good speech. Delivering a good speech is not a natural talent but a talent nurtured by the speaker themselves. Everyone can be a good speaker; all you need is sufficient preparation, proper delivery, easy to understand PowerPoint and also attractive visual aids. We believe that if all of these aspects were properly done then the speech delivered by the speaker will be convincing and attracting to the audiences. Good preparations for the speech will help the speaker so that he wont be nervous when he is delivering his speech and also to prevent him from forgetting his point. When delivering the speech the speaker should improve on his body gesture so that they dont look dull and unnatural to the audience. This is very important to prevent the audiences from losing attention to the spea ker. Attractive visual aids will further enhance the speakers point and help the audience to understand the speech better. Lastly the PowerPoint slides used to help the audience to understand the speech better should not have too many words so that it will not confuse the audience. It should be kept simple. With all that above done in by the speaker, the speech delivered by the speaker will be interesting and the messages will be conveyed successfully.

Critos Argument Essay -- essays research papers

The purpose of "Crito" seems intended to exhibit the character of Socrates in one light only, not as the philosopher, fulfilling a divine mission and trusting in the will of Heaven, but simply as the good citizen, who, having been unjustly condemned is willing to give up his life in obedience to the laws of the State. The main argument that seems to entail the discussion between Crito and Socrates is the opinion of the majority on Socrates’ fate. In the "Crito" Socrates states, "Why should we care so much for what the majority think?" (Plato 45) Socrates believes that we should not care what the majority thinks because those who are reasonable people will understand. However, Crito’s counter-argument to this is that the majority can cause great harm; therefore we should care what they think. Socrates further goes on to say the majority acts haphazardly; therefore, they cannot do great good or great harm (Plato 45). Crito says that "the opinion of the many" would judge us wrong if we didn't help you (and anyone in your position would agree that you ought to escape). Socrates notes that some opinion is right and some opinion is wrong. It is not simply a matter of mere opinion, but of correct opinion. The authority in this case is the actual truth of the matter. Socrates introduces a distinction between true opinion and false opinion. And the path to the latter is through argu ment and reason. By appealing to the opinion of "the many," Crito seems to be committing the Ad Populum Fallacy (i.e., something is right, true, etc., because the majority of the population says it is). Socrates seems to pose an open argument: the opinion of the many says that escaping from jail is right – but is it right? Socrates seems to believe that although the majority believes it is right for him to escape from jail he is going against what he believes to be true. Socrates believes that he has a tacit consent with the state by living in Athens for 70 years he has accepted their laws. Furthermore disagrees with retaliation and rejects Crito’s suggestion to flee to Thessaly he will be welcomed there and free to speak. Socrates seems to have adhered to the belief that if he was born and raised in this state and had children here he must have agreed with the ways in which the state operates; therefore, he cann... ...ur country to intervene and help countries less able. South Vietnam needed the support of the U.S.—especially when the North Vietnamese forces threatened them. 	Thus, in conclusion I believe that Socrates was correct to disregard the opinion of the majority. Socrates accepts his fate, for this reason alone he is not a coward. Socrates disagrees with retaliation and has faith in the government of Athens. Although Socrates may not agree with the decision of the assembly to put him to his death, he realizes that he was done wrongly by the assembly rather than the laws of Athens themselves. I believe Socrates feels this way because he has lived under the laws of Athens for 70 years and he has raised his children under the same principles. Socrates accepts the fact that being a member of society demands a certain respect and obedience. Without the rules and punishment system Athens would not be able to function properly. As Socrates decided to become a citizen of the state of Athens he also takes along with him the responsibility of being a citizen of that state. In following the more reasonable people I believe Socrates is merely followi ng the path in which the Gods intended.

Grateful Dead Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout history there have been many musical "influences". One extremely important influence to modern music is The Grateful Dead. The group was formed in 1965 by bluegrass - enthusiast Jerry Garcia on guitar and vocals, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan on vocals and organ, Bob Weir on guitar and vocals, classical music student Phil Lesh on bass and vocals, and Bill Kreutzmann on drums. From the beginning, they brought together a variety of influences, from Garcia's country background to Pigpen's feeling for blues (his father was an R&B radio DJ) and Lesh's education in contemporary serious" music. Add to that, the experimentation encouraged at some of the group's first performances at novelist Ken Kesey's "acid test" parties-multimedia events intended to replicate (or accompany) the experience of taking the then-legal drug LSD-and you had a musical mixture of styles often played with extended improvisational sections that could go off in nearly any direction. The band signed to Warner Brothers in 1967, experiencing some difficulties early on with the restrictions of standard recording practice s and the company's interest in producing a conventionally commercial product. As a result, the group's first few albums were somewhat tentative but showed promise for the future, especially with the key additions of Mickey Hart as a second drummer in 1967 and Garcia's old friend Robert Hunter as the band's lyricist. The Dead finally hit their stride with the release of Live Dead, a double album, in 1969. (They were always more comfortable on stage than in the studio.) Two studio albums in 1970, Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, found them exploring folk-rock and more tightly constructed song forms and, along with extensive touring, won them a much larger audience. In the second half of the '70s, the Dead recorded a series of commercially - oriented albums for Arista, then concentrated on roadwork for the better part of the '80s. In the Dark, released in 1987, was their first studio album in seven years. It sold a million copies and produced the band's first Top Ten hit in &quo t;Touch of Grey." One of the aspects of the Grateful Dead that made them stand out was their mixing of several different kinds of music. As mentioned earlier, the Dead's music is a hearty mixture of bluegrass, classical, and good old-fashioned rock... ...ot;, is Blues Traveler. On the scene since 1984, John Popper (lead vocals and unbelievable harmonica) has lead this band up from the depths of the local party circuit to having a multi-platinum album (1994's Four). Also with the same blues-rock feeling, deadheads are sure to flashback to yesteryear with one of Popper's unreal harmonica riffs. Traveler has also touched millions of college kids and drawn them in with their unique musical style, just as the Dead were reeling them in in the 60's and 70's. The Grateful Dead's immense musical influence has by far been an underlying factor in many bands that we would consider influential today. Bob Dylan considered Jerry to be like an older brother. The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers, and countless other legends have played under the Dead's tutelage. This only shows that they have so greatly influenced the world of music as we know it today. Just as they were influenced to create their own unique style, they are still influencing bands today, thirty-four years after it all began. The Grateful Dead were certainly an implausible influence over the music world today. There is only one thing left to say. We are truly Grateful.

The Process of Writing: Composing through Critical Thinking, by Roberta

Sally caught the ball. The long-haired, athletic Sally gathered up all her strength and stretched, like Stretch Arm Strong, to grab that ball right out of the sky above. Which one sounds better? Which one would you rather have in your paragraph? With some simple things to keep in mind, you too can write better. The book entitled, The Process of Writing: Composing through Critical Thinking, by Roberta Allen and Marcia Mascolini, taught you everything from thinking before you write to putting things together, all the way to how to prepare specific forms of essays. It's definitely something you should read before even thinking about another paper. First of all, before you can write and actual paper, you must first go through certain steps in order to prepare the essay, and then when the time comes you can write your essay with ease and add detail. When you have a clear head you can write so much easier, although it is hard to obtain that mind set. Getting your thought down on paper without worrying about the perfection and detail helps the whole writing process and analysis. The first thing to do before even starting to brainstorm is to figure out whom your audience is, who are you aiming the paper to? You need to make your message meaningful to your audience, and make sure you think about what the audience needs, expectations, knowledge, and attitudes towards your subject are. Anticipate their questions and how they will respond to your answers. Some key ideas to think about when assessing your audience are to think of the primary and secondary readers are. Then what do they already know about your subject, and what c haracteristics about your audience will affect how the paper will look? Then think about what i... ... memos, shows you how to write proposals and progress reports, and how to document secondary sources. In conclusion, this book was amazingly informative and very helpful. It is definitely something that every student should read before writing another paper. It lays out the dos and don'ts of the writing process; it is great way to improve your technique. This book went all the way from showing you exactly how to write certain types of papers, such as long messages and memos all the way to compare and contrast papers, to showing you how to write in detail with all papers. This book is definitely something that I would recommend to future students. Especially in business classes, or any writing classes for that matter. Writing is a huge part of communication, and this book helped with the fundamentals that many people lack but are essential in the long run.

How to Buy an Used Car Essay

First of all, when you find a car that you are interested in, you can ask a dealer or an owner about the VIN to learn more about it. The VIN, vehicle identification number, is a unique serial number for every modern car. Basically, it includes a car’s brand, model, years of car, engine type, and many other things. The first digit of the VIN shows the country number and the tenth digit is the year of the car. For example, if the tenth digit is 9, that car is made in 2009. You can also check the vehicle history report with the VIN. This shows how many people have owned a certain vehicle, accident records, and how many times that car has been maintained. This could be the most important for your decision making process, giving you complete peace of mind about the vehicle you are buying or saving you thousands of dollars in unexpected repair costs down the road. It is a good idea to look for another car if those cars have been transferred to others too many times or have been involved in major accidents. KBB (Kelley Blue Book) or CarFax are online companies that offer the most reliable information in the U. S. for checking the VIN. Another thing that you might look at before you buy a used car is the car’s body. It is wise to check out both the interior and exterior in detail. For instance, you can examine the windshield wipers, if the body panel colors match, if there are any scratches or dents, and many other things you can see. Sometimes you can’t find any records of accidents with the VIN if the owner fixed his or her car by himself or herself. When you have a chance to look at a used car, it’s a lot easier to do if the car is clean and dry. If it is dirty, you have to ask the owner to clean it, or you will probably miss something. If the vehicle is clean, you can look at the vehicle from different angles to check if everything looks smooth, straight, and if the paint texture of different panels match. You want to pay a lot of attention to the paint job. Repainting is usually done to remove minor scratches and small areas of cracked paint. It may be found a repair job after a bad accident involving damage. If you are unsure whether or not the car has been repainted, you can simply ask the seller about this problem. If the previous owner or dealer doesn’t give you the answer clearly, you can look for signs such as paint overspray inside door jambs, inside the gas filler cap, on exterior moldings, inside the wheel, on the bumpers, and any other place near the painting spot. However, repainting is not always a sign of previous damage. Some people have their cars repainted for cosmetic reasons, especially if it is an older model. You should not miss that the interior is just as important as the exterior. Take a look at the overall condition of the car. Usually, people will wash the car and vacuum inside of it before they sell it. Even if it is clean, you need to focus on every part that you can see. You might check if there is any water or if there are any oil stains inside. That means there must have been water leaking from the windows, sunroof, or anywhere on the car that is cracked due to rain. It doesn’t look like a big deal, but over time, it will harm a driver’s breathing due to exposure to mold. You also have to be sure all gauges are in the right place and are in working condition. If you notice any part missing, ask what was there and why it was removed. Then, you can turn the ignition to â€Å"ON† to inspect if all gauges and warning lights are operating properly. After inspecting the dashboard, you can check the accessories; the radio, speakers, tape deck or CD player, air conditioner, defroster, horn, mirror adjustment buttons, washer and wiper, all door and window locks, and any other functions you can see. Pay more attention when examining the windows. It is important to check if the windows slide all the way up and down easily because they do not work properly if there is damage inside the door. Finally, mechanical problems are the most important to check up on before you purchase a used vehicle. There are hundreds of things you have to look at, but it is not possible to check every detail within a short period of time and when you are lacking tools. Not every person has the technical capacity of a mechanic. So it is highly recommended to have a used car inspected by a mechanic before purchasing, but it would be costly to do this for every car you are interested in. If you don’t want to bother your mechanic or don’t want to spend money for vehicle inspection, you can do it yourself. The most important thing you have to know about inspecting mechanical issues is finding leaks. Leaking fluid or oil is the most common and worst problem for older models of cars. You can use a flash light to see under the hood and try to find any leak spots. Engine oil, coolant, refrigerant, brake fluid, and power steering fluid are some examples of fluids that may leak. You would also want to look at any other parts connected either rubber or metal hoses. Buying a used car is stressful. It’s like walking through a mine field. Some people are lucky to buy used cars for a good price without any problems and others have serious problems with their cars as soon as they get them. There are so many things to observe when you’re looking for used vehicles. It is hard to know where to begin.