Digital Fortress Chapter 49

Becker dragged himself off the floor of the bus and collapsed in an empty seat. â€Å"Nice move, dipshit.† The kid with the three spikes sneered. Becker squinted in the stark lighting. It was the kid he'd chased onto the bus. He glumly surveyed the sea of red, white, and blue coiffures. â€Å"What's with the hair?† Becker moaned, motioning to the others. â€Å"It's all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Red, white, and blue?† the kid offered. Becker nodded, trying not to stare at the infected perforation in the kid's upper lip. â€Å"Judas Taboo,† the kid said matter-of-factly. Becker looked bewildered. The punk spit in the aisle, obviously disgusted with Becker's ignorance. â€Å"Judas Taboo? Greatest punk since Sid Vicious? Blew his head off here a year ago today. It's his anniversary.† Becker nodded vaguely, obviously missing the connection. â€Å"Taboo did his hair this way the day he signed off.† The kid spit again. â€Å"Every fan worth his weight in piss has got red, white, and blue hair today.† For a long moment, Becker said nothing. Slowly, as if he had been shot with a tranquilizer, he turned and faced front. Becker surveyed the group on the bus. Every last one was a punk. Most were staring at him. Every fan has red, white, and blue hair today. Becker reached up and pulled the driver-alert cord on the wall. It was time to get off. He pulled again. Nothing happened. He pulled a third time, more frantically. Nothing. â€Å"They disconnect 'em on bus 27.† The kid spat again. â€Å"So we don't fuck with 'em.† Becker turned. â€Å"You mean, I can't get off?† The kid laughed. â€Å"Not till the end of the line.† Five minutes later, the bus was barreling along an unlit Spanish country road. Becker turned to the kid behind him. â€Å"Is this thing ever going to stop?† The kid nodded. â€Å"Few more miles.† â€Å"Where are we going?† He broke into a sudden wide grin. â€Å"You mean you don't know?† Becker shrugged. The kid started laughing hysterically. â€Å"Oh, shit. You're gonna love it.†

Thai Pantene Ad: You Can Shine

Yesterday, I saw an impressive video posted by my friend on Facebook. It’s a Thai Pantene commercial about a deaf and mute girl who plays the violin. At first, I didn’t know that it was actually a shampoo commercial because it’s quite long (4:30) and looks more like a movie trailer. A lot of people was inspired by the advertisement while a few contradicted it. I, for one was captivated by the video but I have to admit that the advertisement failed in so many levels. Well, for being a shampoo commercial, it failed. The story is unrelated and too deep and dramatic for a shampoo. But if it was a movie trailer, it would have been brilliant. The plot and storyline are beautifully intertwined. It actually ruined the mood when one founds out that it was just for a shampoo. (The â€Å"Pantene. You Can Shine.† part) Though putting the shampoo concept aside, this is still a great idea well executed. Honestly, what I really liked about this ad was the use of the piece, Pachelbel Canon in D Major. Maybe because it is my favorite piece. It’s actually the reason why I wanted to play the piano because every time I hear it, it makes me want to play the piece so I can really feel the music. I agree with the old man in the ad who said that â€Å"Music is a visible thing. Close your eyes and you will see.†

Group Communications Essay

Three videos of different group and team interaction will be reviewed for this paper. After they have been viewed they will be discussed on matters of the relationship between group members, member diversity and communication style. The first case study to be reviewed is: Helping Annie. In this video a school nurse has called a meeting with a psychiatrist and a social worker to discuss the case of a High school student, Annie, who possibly suffers from depression and an eating disorder. Right off the bat the school nurse is interrupted by the psychiatrist before she can finish giving the background information on Annie. He wants facts immediately not â€Å"impressions.† He makes a quick decision as to her problem and her treatment within minutes of their meeting and seems to believe that they are done, no more needs to be said. The Social worker does not agree with his decision and offers a counter solution but is again interrupted by the psychiatrist. The psychiatrist wants to use medication and the Social workers wants to first talk to Annie and see if they can understand what the teenager is going through. The psychiatrist sees this as a total waste of time. There does not seem to be any real facilitator of these meeting, and no one points out the psychiatrist’s constant interruptions of the social worker but the social worker herself. The school nurse is totally intimidated into silence by both of their behaviors. The psychologist seems to have the communication traits of what the test calls thinkers, and the Social worker has the traits of a feeler. According to the text, Thinks are task-oriented. They take pride in their ability to think objectively and logically, regardless of if those thoughts are correct. (Reeve, 2007, Ch. 3, pg.69, para.2) Feelers are people-oriented. The psychologist is very direct and analytical. He seems to want to remove any feelings or humanity from Annie’s case while the social worker is taking a more subjective, humane approach to Annie’s problems and is obviously more concerned with the girl’s well-being than a quick fix. The diversity that exists in this group is both gender and class. The group consist of two women and one older man, the older man, the psychiatrist,  seems to believe that the social worker and school nurse are not in the same class as he, his age, experience and profession making him superior to them on all levels, therefore, their opinions are not worth considering. This diversity is a hindrance in their communication because the psychologist is not listening to the two women and continues to interrupt them because â€Å"he doesn’t have much time here.† If using a high context perspective the viewer could draw the conclusion that the psychologist does not agree with the social worker by watching his nonverbal behavior such as his gestures and facial expressions. In a high-context culture little meaning is expressed through words. Meaning can be conveyed through status such as age, gender, education or title. (Reeve, 2007) One method that could have been used to improve communications would have been to have a facilitator present to ensure that each party had the same amount of time to express his or her opinions. Another improvement would have been a change of setting from the informal setting to a more professional seating arrangement that may have helped foster communication between all parties present, such as a round table or face to face seating. The second video reviewed is: Planning the Playground. The group consists of three males and two females; three Caucasians and two minorities. The video case opens with two new members, one a younger male, Ray and one older woman, Betty, meeting the team for the first time. There seems to be two slightly awkward moments when Ray first only offers to shake the hands of the men at the table and when he has trouble pronouncing the name of the minority female Iesha. The moment was defused quickly when Iesha decided to make a small joke about her name to ease the tension and held out her own hand in greeting. Betty seemed uncertain about speaking and said she only joined the team to make friends. Communications between the team started out stiff and slow but by using â€Å"team talk,† (the nature of the language that group members use as they work together. Not only does team talk enable group members to share information and express opinions, but analysis of team talk also â€Å"reveals where the team is coming from and where the team is headed.) (Reeve, 2007, Ch. 5 pg. 124, Para. 2), team leader David kept the discussion flowing and moved it to the reason they were there. The role the diversity of the group played in their communication was the different  experiences each had to bring to the discussion. Iesha obviously liked research and set numbers and offered not only a sound dollar amount to strive for but reasoning behind it. Ray countered that he thinks the amount should be higher but offered no real reason as did Phil who wanted the amount lower. After deciding to compromise they moved to fundraising. The immediate response to Betty’s suggestion of having a Bake sale was obvious. They did not take her input seriously at all but again the team leader chimed in before their dismissive attitude could be considered rude an d insulting. Diversity was also not a strong hindrance to the group even though the potential was there. Conflict management techniques were used by the group by expressing interest in solving the problem and keeping their tone and language non-threatening, using phrases like â€Å"well, yes but let’s look at it from a different angle† or â€Å"that’s a good idea but may not be exactly what we need now.†The use of team speak was a very effective communication tool that kept the team focused and on track. Another important tool that was used was nonverbal. The seating arrangement at the table permitted members to have their personal space but still be able to have direct eye contact. According to Reeve, each person’s choice of seating position in groups has a direct effect on interaction and influence. A number of studies have demonstrated that group members prefercorner-to-corner or side-by-side seating for cooperative activities. Such an arrangement allows them to be close enough to share materials. (Reeve, 2007, CH. 5 pg. 138, Para 1) The team in thi s case study did show good communication skills on the whole but the one improvement would have been to ensure that before the meeting took place, that each member understood what the reason for the meeting was. The last video reviewed is Virtual Communication. This video is a presentation of three people meeting as a team via conference call. The third unseen member is not listening to what is being said by the manager or his coworker. This is obvious because when they ask him a question he pauses or stutters, then repeats something that neither of the other participants actually said. Listening is important in any group so that you can be sure to get all the available information as well as know exactly what is  expected of you. This is even more so in the virtual business work when team members are not actually sitting face to face. Charlie is neither listening to what is being said or to the messages that were contained in Ellen’s email or voice mails to him. According to the text, Effective listening in virtual groups requires adapting to a different medium of expression Your only adaptation is making sure that your microphone is on or off at appropriate times. In an email disc ussion, however, you can neither see nor hear participants, but you still must â€Å"listen† to their messages. (Reeve, 2007, Ch.6, Pg,.168)The disadvantage of group meetings using a virtual medium is that you can fake listening by answering â€Å"I agree† or a non-committal sound. You can also pretend you didn’t hear something that you don’t want to address as Ellen does in this video when Charlie tries to place the blame on her. Charlie did not effectively use any of his listening skills while on this call. It was apparent by his distracted â€Å"non-answers† that he was not listening. The entire fault is not necessarily Charlie’s; it is not known if he ever fully understood what was expected of him from the first meeting. If he had at any time used one listening skill such as paraphrasing he might have had enough clarification to get his assignment done in time. Paraphrasing is a form of feedback that one lets the speaker know you are listening and gives them the opportunity to clarify their statement. Paraphrasing can be used for multiple purposes such as: To ensure comprehension before evaluation; to reassure others that you want to understand them; to clear up confusion and ask for clarification; and to help other’s reach their own conclusions. (Reeve, 2007) References Engleberg, I. Wynn,D. 2007. Working in Groups: Communication Principles and Strategies (4th ed.) Allyn & Bacon Publishers. The Collaboration Tool Box. 2002-2003. MIT. Online resource. Retreived online January 12, 2009 from http://web.mit.e

Triangle Fire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Triangle Fire - Essay Example The scrap bin was accumulated with cuttings of around two months and a lighted cigarette or a match was possibly the starting point of the fire. On the other hand, some explain that the engines which supported the sewing machines may have caused the fire, whereas many historians believe that it was pre-planned by the owners of the factory. The owners, Blanck and Harris were present at the factory premises when the fire broke out along with their workers in the 10-storey building. When the fire broke out, the two owners saved themselves by running to the roof and jumping to the adjoining building, but their workers met a terrible fate and 146 of them were either burnt alive or jumped out of the building windows in horror to save themselves. When the workers used the Washington Place stairways to flee, they noticed it was locked which took from them the only hope of escaping the sight safely. The Washington Place Stairway was locked from the outside to prevent theft by the workers. The workers demanded for better working conditions because they were made to work for longer hours at very low wages and they were deprived of the basic amenities and facilities. Whereas on the other hand, the factory owners rejected these demands put forth by the workers of the factory, so that they could protect the industries from the effects of unionizations and regulations. Plus, the low profit margins coupled with the high costs prevented the owners from meeting the demands of the workers because the fulfillment was monetarily not feasible. Many female workers who worked at the factory were immigrants, from Europe and Italy, who had migrated in hope of a better life and future. The poor working conditions they faced and the grinding poverty made their lives even more difficult. The work conditions were horrific, with long working hours and low wages. Many of these workers, in protest of the poor working conditions joined unions and even went out on strikes.

Higher Education in England Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Higher Education in England - Essay Example It has been concluded that each student spends only around 26 hours of time per week for both private study and teaching. Another report on UK universities, in particular, universities in England, shows that the stress levels of students undergoing higher education are more than the level prescribed by health and Safety Executive (HSE) for good health.(Ashley) A report developed by National Union of Students (NUS) shows that the students are well aware of their daily expenditure, but not sure of the hidden costs they spend. These include travelling, food bought during travelling, in shops and restaurants. (NUS student experience report) The report also shows the average percentage of people worried about their financial situation. It shows that 13% of the total are very much worried and stressed out about their financial situation whereas 16% of students don't give much attention to it. The rest of students were not aware of how much they spend.(NUS student experience report) According to recent survey conducted on a group of students, a larger database of information was generated with predefined set of questions. On finding out correlation between the debt and term expenditure, it was found out to be 0.76 showing a fairly high connection between the two subjected quantities. Further analysis was done to test two hypotheses. One is a belief of no difference in debt between mature and young students. The other was mature students having more debts than young students. With t-test and histogram on a surveyed set of data, both the hypotheses were proved wrong. Although the correlation was found, there was not enough evidence to back the hypothesis. It can be summarized that most of them are under the wrong notion of borrowing things would satisfy their needs rather than looking at the cumulative result they would face after graduation. It could also be one of their ways to counter the financial pressure. The current financial turmoil has added to their stress level as the expenditure for basic amenities has increased. The current recession has led students who want to join universities to go for one which is nearby their home so that they could cut down on the loan for maintenance. (Students at home 'to cut costs') A survey suggests that due to recession, there are not enough part-time jobs to compensate students who take loans to complete their higher education. The survey conducted by the youth parliament of UK suggests that 36% of people fear of shifting to new place as they may not be able to repay the debts.(Higher education funding) According to the first held survey on Student Price Index, the students of higher education pay 7 percent higher than

Evolution of video gaming and computer networking Research Paper

Evolution of video gaming and computer networking - Research Paper Example This happened because terminals were able to connect to their host computers through a leased telephone line or dial up. Due to the increased remote access, scientists created â€Å"host based† games wherein users connected to a central computer through a remote system played singly. Soon after, there came multiplayer games. In 1967, a Sanders Associate by the name Ralph Baer put into writing the first video game called â€Å"Chase† that played on a television set (Allen & Denton, 2010). As time went by, computer-networking technology started maturing as in the 1970s, there were introductions of packet based computer technology. As such, in 1971, Nolan Bushnell in association with Ted Danby came up with the first arcade game, which was a Computer Space game and based on Space War earlier created by Steve Russell. A year later, (1972) Nolan Bushnell and his associate completed the creation of the arcade game Pong with the support of Al Alcorn and started the Atari Comput ers the same year (Jason, 2004). The first operators of the arcade included Larry Kerecman. In his memoirs, Larry wrote that, the brilliance and the most astonishing fact about the arcade game was that Nolan and the Company took what Russell programmed in his game Space War and transformed it into a much simpler version of the game without gravity by use of hard-wired logic circuits (Wallace, 2007). Ideally, the circuits printed on the boards of these games composed of electronics that used integrated circuits commonly referred to as â€Å"small scale integrated circuits†. Creation of Ethernet Years between 1973 and 1975 witnessed, the creation of Xerox PARC developed on a Local Area Network that based on Ethernet hence allowed the creation of Local Area Networks founded on... Currently, there are considerable eight generations of video game consoles whereby the sixth, the seventh, and the eighth are as of today ongoing. The history of human-computer interaction has its beginnings written in the 1950s. In the year 1952, S. Douglas acquired his PhD degree at the Cambridge University and wrote a book on Human-Computer interaction. The first version of graphical computer game that Douglas created was the Tic Tack Toe. He programmed the game on an EDSAC vacuum tube computer that contained a cathode ray tube display. In the midst of 1980s, video games evolution bred systemic characteristics, which led to the release of video games such as Battle Zone, Bards Tale, and Zork. The 1990s was video computer’s golden age as it gave birth to a huge number of game publishers and developers such as Electronic Arts, Activism, id Software and Blizzard. From a graphics and design point of imaging, the evolution of video games was great and continues to be greater. Today there is up to the eight generation of video games and computer networking. The latest generations of consoles has seen online gaming rise to prominence with the introduction of mobile games that made it possible for gamers to access video games anywhere anytime just by touching a button. As the motion control revolutionized game play, Nintendo capitalized on casual gaming and as time went by, cloud computing came to video gaming. Technology made it clear that people could play without controllers on November 4 2010 with the release of Kinect in the Northern America. After the release of play station Vita, Nintendo released an official statement that announced a system aimed at succeeding Wii called project cafà ©.

Diabetes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Diabetes - Essay Example Exercise plan is ideal for patients with this condition provided they do not fall in the following scenarios, which make them at risk of aggravating cardiovascular diseases. First, they should not be older than 35 years and should not have suffered from type 2 diabetes for more than 10 years. There should be no other risk factors for coronary artery disease. The patients should not have proliferative retinopathy or nephropathy microvascular disease such as microalbuminuria, peripheral vascular disease or autonomic neuropathy. Scientific research has produced enough supportive evidence that a gradual drop in fitness and muscle mass and strength in diabetics could be reversed through regular and moderate exercises. It has also been established that lack of physical activity results in the decrease in insulin sensitivity in middle-aged type II diabetics. Noticeably, physical inactivity is more widespread in populations at risk of contracting type II diabetes. Middle-aged patients have been targeted in many recent studies on the effects of regular and moderate exercise on diabetics. Hence, mild and regular exercise is highly recommended for middle-aged type 2 diabetics (American Diabetes Association, 2007). According to the American Heart Association, the two-pronged exercise for middle-aged type II diabetics should involve swimming and walking, which are aerobic activities associated with the strengthening of muscles, lungs and the heart. Walking and swimming controls diabetics’ blood pressure and sugar besides making their arteries flexible. The other effect of aerobics is weight loss and shedding of excess body fat (American Diabetes Association, 2007). Through their effects on responses to insulin, swimming and walking helps improve the health of a type II diabetic. The recommended exercise include walking and other moderately intense exercises that run for

Literacy Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Literacy Narrative - Essay Example Writing is almost totally based on practice and research. Writing good texts is impossible without concentration, analysis and some basic sense of self-critique. But it is better to stop on each of my discoveries. With my first paper I faced the fact that having a topic and sitting with a laptop and a cup of coffee does not mean writing. It is then I understood that writing requires efforts and concentration. A good writer must create his work word by word stringing the beads. Distraction can cause loss of thought and that is why a person must make efforts to write. Only later much later writing becomes natural and the words start flowing. But I have to say that this principle is applicable to any sphere of human life: on the first stages you only try, fail, develop some skills and only then the process becomes easier and brings pleasure. Analytical thinking is another thing that is a must in writing. The pleasant bonus is that it is extremely useful in real life and writing helps to improve it. When creating my first texts I had to choose and assess arguments, ideas, and concepts from different sides and decide if they are relevant to my work or not. It was very difficult often to consider some theories and concepts that are both right but still are opposite. So it is challenging sometimes to have one stable opinion regarding something. So it is a writer who decides which facts are more important and more persuasive and which are irrelevant with the help of critical analysis. Analytical thinking is the ability to analyze information critically, to define relevant from irrelevant, to structure information in your own words. Several discoveries were not as pleasant as I wanted them to be. Speaking about structure it turned out that it can be another serious ordeal to clear perception of the text. I did not realize it for a long time and paid little attention to making text coherent and logical. Sometimes it was much easier to write everything

Introduction on polymers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Introduction on polymers - Essay Example Thermosetting polymers the chains become cross-linked so that the solid materials are produced that can not be softened and that ca not flow. Polymers are usually made in one of two polymerization process. In condensation-polymerization the linking of molecules creates a by product, which is usually water nitrogen or hydrogen gas. Thermoplastic polymers consist of a series of long-chain polymerized molecules in which all the chains are separate and can slide over one another. Thermoplastic polymers The long chains of thermoplastic polymer are connected by weak forces alongside the chemical bonds extremely strong. When they are heated the walls weaken and the polymer becomes soft and flexible at a high temperature and becomes a viscous melt. The cycle can be reversed by cooling of the materials. Thermoplastic elements usually can be of semi-crystalline structure or amorphous structure. Civil engineering materials such as polyester, nylon 66 and polycarbonate are the best examples of a morphous thermoplastic polymers. The developments polymers technology has led to high performing types of polymers such as polythersulphone which is amorphous in nature and polyetheretherketone which are semi crystal-line. The above two are more efficient than the normal thermoplastic, although they are not employed in civil engineering due to high costs. Thermosetting polymers They can be used in two separate ways firstly as a composite that is when combined with fibrous materials and secondly when as an adhesive and maybe as epoxies. They are formed in two stage chemical reaction when a polymer such as polyster, vinylester or epoxy is reacted with a curing agent. The reaction can be performed in a normal room temperature or the application of either controlled heat or pressure. Thermosetting polymers are strong in nature and can be affected by heat. The two procedures used to polymerize the thermosetting polymers used in civil engineering are the cold system that are cured at ambi ent temperatures and the hot cure system whereby polymerization is performed at elevated temperatures. Polymer science The research on polymer science continues to come up producing new products in the market. The polymer science and engineering are marching together although they are more interested on new materials being produced. Poly was scientifically born to understand how rubber and plastic works and they can not be separated. Polymers are now forming the basis of clothing and automobiles among others. New elastomeric, plastics, adhesives, coatings and fibers among others are being invented by the use of new technology in science. The scientific theory accepts the relationship between polymer structure, physical property and their behavior. Polymers are playing a very important role in processing of other industrial products. Anisotropy in thermoplastic polymers plays a significant role in thermal conductivity. Highly drawn semi-crystalline polymer samples can have a much hig her thermal conductivity as a result of orientation of the polymer chains in the direction of draw. For amorphous polymers, the increase in thermal conductivity in the direction of the draw is usually not higher than two. Many polymers experiment a viscous reaction as an elastic response towards stress and strain. Combinations of some elastic and various viscous elements are being used to determine the melting behavior of polymers. The above characteristics make them be classified under the

Employee Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee Development - Essay Example One such organization that applies this aspect is Tarmac, which is a leading construction company in the United Kingdom, which began operations in 1930 and involves itself in the supply of building materials and other supplies critical in the building and construction industry (Tarmac Case Study, 2014). The company has at least eleven thousand people working as part of its workforce in which its organizational structure comprises of Tarmac UK and Tarmac International. Over the years, Tarmac has come to appreciate its workforce as being more than just employees in hard hats, but they have become useful resources to the company (Tarmac Case Study, 2014). Ideally, Tarmac relies on having a skilled workforce for improving on work performance, efficiency and this knowledge is applicable in its sales and marketing, IT, finance and procurement departments. In this case, Tarmac only recruits the best from the market in which the company maximizes on their skills and knowledge to create a competitive advantage while also making sure that the employees remain interested, motivated, and developed in order for them to retain their organizational commitment. Another aspect that Tarmac applies as its human resource management practice is the fact that the Company identifies its human resource needs before embarking on the process of recruitment, which is part of its strategic process (Sims, 2006). Further, its strategy referred to as DREAM (developing markets, reducing operational costs, engaging employees, acting responsibly and managing assets) is one that every employee has to familiarize themselves with as part of Tarmac’s initiative to delivering value to its stakeholders (Tarmac Case Study, 2014). Lastly, Tarmac ensures that its workforce remains motivated to accomplish the organizational tasks by enrolling them in trainings as a way of improving on their skills and

A Look Into The Arts Essay Example for Free

A Look Into The Arts Essay Art is one aspect of the past that has carried on for decades. Art in any form may it be poetry, novels, and playwright, sculpting as well as painting, has been an outlet for generations and continues to be an outlet and a means for expression. This paper will discuss â€Å" The Mona Lisa† one of Da Vinci’s most famous paintings, as well as another great painting, Antonio Veneziano’s â€Å"Virgin and Child†(c. 1380). Both paintings focus on the human form and exhibit many variations of styles from lines, shading, color and possible meanings behind the work. The first piece of artwork that will be looked is from the Renaissance Era. Da Vinci’s â€Å"Mona Lisa†(c. 1519) a painting that is known around the world, which has been known to cause skepticism as to who is this woman. Did she really exist? Or is this merely a self-portrait that Da Vinci was able to show his private devotion for the female form? The second piece of artwork that will be discussed is from The Middle Ages. Antonio Veneziano’s â€Å"Virgin and Child†(c. 1380) both pieces of art work stem from different eras but share many commonalities as well as shows the transformation of art techniques from Sfumato, to perspective, as well as linear perspective, Humanism, foreshortening and more between each era. In the Early Renaissance Era, artists from Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael Sanzio, Piero della Francesca, Sandro Botticelli and more, developed a passion and ability to create art that could capture a moment may it be a beautiful moment or tragic moment. These artists were also able spark creativity and question in the human mind as to what is or was and why. Much like the middle Ages, art from both eras focused on religious forms, humanism, from the finite details of a lock of hair to the muscle tone. The Renaissance era developed the linear perspective to create; depth and angles in work, though the Middle Ages opened the door for linear perspective to be created. Most depictions from the Middle Ages showed a human form that was stiff and schematic, like a rough draft that was never completed. However art from the Renaissance Era had a profound effect on European art. Lilian H. Zirpolo (SNHU. Chapter 8. 2012 FAS 201, Introduction to Humanities I.) Stated â€Å" The outburst of creativity of the era, resulted in the most influential artistic revolution ever to have taken place.† There was so much depth and thought put into Renaissance art that it was the stepping-stone for all who dared to create. Da Vinci’ s the â€Å"Mona Lisa†(c.1519) holds Miss. Zirpolo’s statement to be true. When viewing the piece, one can see the exquisite line work and Foreshortening, to linear perspective. This art form shows his attention to detail and his passion for his work. The â€Å"Mona Lisa† (c.1519) is a small piece of artwork that became very popular. To this day the â€Å"Mona Lisa†(c.1519) still triumphs over Michelangelo’s â€Å"Creation Of Adam† (c.1511), which became a part of the â€Å"Sistine Chapel.†(C.1512) When one views â€Å"The Mona Lisa† they can see the dark color scale that is used, perhaps to depict an unhappy time. Da Vinci through out this piece is able to use an aerial perspective within the background of this portrait. Da Vinci was the first artist to successfully depict an aerial perspective. Da Vinci also uses Sfumato in his negative space by blending, blurring and softening the landscape, this technique is used to create a gradual transition between areas of different color, avoiding sharp outlines, to which I believe was done as to not take away the focal point in his positive space of the canvas. Another great aspect to the â€Å"Mona Lisa† is that is demonstrates the art of science discoveries that came to fruition in the Renaissance period, which is that they were able to acknowledge how the eye perceives light, thusly how light reacts with colors and how the human eye adapts to the change in color and light. So why is that of any significance in art? Well when one takes a painting such as the â€Å"Mona Lisa† once can see how the color gradation changes to separate the neck and face from her clothing. It creates more of a realistic feel to the art. The Middle Ages on the other hand focused on two-dimensional compositions, their depictions of humans were frail and stiff, and the human art form was inert. (SNHU. The Middle Ages. 2012 FAS 201, Introduction to Humanities I.) Like art from the Renaissance, they also focused a lot on Religion, saint hood and humans. In fact it depicted the importance of humans based on the size they were painted or sculpted. It focused on women and God, as the two were of major importance at the time. Woman we scared and givers of life and love, their beauty was unfounded and they were cherished. God was the almighty and the one who created a life form that woman were there to carry on the tradition, so to speak. Is it believed through the Bible and studies that Jesus was born into this world as a miracle from a virgin. So Antonio Veneziano’s â€Å"Virgin and Child†(c. 1380) upholds that belief and leaves room for discussion. In the early times of God and Mary and the birth of Christ it was believed that Immaculate Conception was possible, as pre-martial sex was a sin. So to have depictions of such a scene may make one wonder if it was at all possible at one point in time. This picture depicts a Virgin mother coddling her newborn, both are pictured with a â€Å"halo† above their heads which signifies the importance of their religion and the acceptance of religion into not only their life but into Gods life. As you can see here as well as in the â€Å"Mona Lisa† there is a contrast between light and dark as to separate the two bodies and distinguish the Virgin from the Child. In a personal opinion in the color choice of the Virgin as compared to the Child, I would say that light colors are used for the child because he is born pure and free from sin, where as the Virgin is with sin and thusly wears a dark robe. Art from the middle ages depicts religious events, because it was the basis of life at the time. Most art from that time were done by artists who either choose to or had to be anonymous, they we for the most part two dimensional pieces of art work with a single color background, which when looking at Antonio Veneziano’s â€Å"Virgin and Child†(c. 1380) one can see how this, the background is primarily one color, it has been shaded to show detail in the halo and architect, but holds close to the standard for Middle Aged era art. Though the painting is set fourth to show a natural pose of a mother and child, the line work and attention to detail in the human form lacks. This painting though a well painted, blends the line work of the bodies making the figures seem almost uncomfortable in their poses. The colors used in this painting may foreshadow an unhappier time for the two, as dark colors tend to represent tragic, mournful and displeased events. As one can see the â€Å"Mona Lisa† from the Renaissance and the â€Å"Virgin and Child† from the Middle Ages, share many similarities in terms of their impressions of humans. Both eras focus their art on humanism, religious, two and three dimensional works of art, the hatching used to create depth and more dimensions. Both the Renaissance and the Middle Ages have very different ways of executing the precision of the human form. The Renaissance paid very close attention to detail, the line work that is depicted in the human form is natural and lifelike, and where as artists from the Middle Ages who painted humans were stiff and motionless. Though both Eras have great works of art, it was the Renaissance that had more of a well-rounded and idealistic way of executing their work, thusly making it one of the better Eras for art. Resources Page: SNHU. Chapter Seven The Middle Ages. 2012 FAS 201, Introduction to Humanities I. SNHU. Module Eight The Renaissance, Reformation and Age of Exploration.† 2012 FAS 201, Introduction to Humanities I.

Epic Story Essay Example for Free

Epic Story Essay Epic Story I’d like to call upon the fiction gods to empower this story to be extravagant. The cold storm carried on with its overwhelming booms from the thunder shaking the house from the outside. Terrified, the blond haired Juliet sat in the corner of her darkened closet attempting to go unnoticed by the intruder stalking around her house. She sat there hugging her legs, praying that he wouldn’t hear her soft whimpers of fear. She listened quietly to the footsteps walking around her once safe home. They began to come closer, she could feel her heartbeat pick up, and he began to slowly approach her inadequate closet hiding spot. Her heart began to beat ferociously. Staring up at the door handle, she knew all of her efforts to escape this ordeal unharmed had been abandoned. The handle twisted, she looked for something, anything to protect herself with, and she came up empty handed. Sheepishly, she attempted to cover herself further with her father’s overcoat. The door began to open, she huddled as close to the corner as she could, wishing she could just sink through the walls to safety. She was in tears now, trying her hardest to muffle them, she thrust the jacket into her quivering mouth. Then, with just enough of an opening to see the intruder’s cold murderous eye; it stopped with a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Juliet froze, in anticipation of what was to come next. The intruder left her closet to investigate. Juliet knew this would be her one and only chance to escape; she quietly snuck out of the closet and began to run towards the backdoor. Halfway there she heard the deafening sound of a bullet leaving the barrel of the intruder’s gun. Looking around she caught a glimpse of her mother’s frail body crumple to the ground through the reflection of a mirror. In agony, she pushed herself to go on towards the freedom of the door. She grasped the handle and swung it open. Running out into the rabid storm, she scanned the yard for somewhere safe, glancing behind her, she saw the intruder catch sight of her, she ran as fast as her legs could take her towards the gate, away from this nightmare. Halfway there dividing her from escape, she felt a large mean hand catch her arm and swing her around. Fighting his grip she flailed her arms and punched him, but doing no harm, he dragged her back into the house. With one large blow to the right side of her head, she blacked out. She woke up to throbbing on the right side of her head. Attempting to grasp it, she found her hands were tied together against a pole, along with her feet, and tape over her mouth. She looked around and saw her sister tied up across from across the room, her head hung over. She also saw a large table in the middle of the dirty basement. On the right was a staircase, and coming down it was the intruder. He carried a large tool bag that clanged whenever he took a step. He walked over to her sister, untied her and laid her on the table. While he prepared to harm her sister, Juliet began to fidget out of the chords that held her hostage. She got one hand free, then the other, going unnoticed, she untied her feet. Waiting for the opportune moment, she charged towards the intruder, jumping on his back and strangling his neck with all her might. He was staggering about, he got close to a wall and crashed her into it; she crumpled to the ground in pain. He punched her again, and again, and again, until she was bloody and bruised. At the verge of consciousness, he stopped. Opening her eyes, she saw her sister hitting him with an axe. ~~~ They opened the door and the brightness from outside filled their heart with hope. They walked hand in hand towards freedom. (I figured out this was supposed to be a true story after I finished†¦.. whoops! )

Strategies for Depository Companies in Financial Crisis

Strategies for Depository Companies in Financial Crisis Introduction The development of capital markets is highly dependent on the activities of related securities market infrastructure institutes that include, inter alia, depository companies engaged in provision of the services for record-keeping of entitlements under securities (registration and transfer of rights to securities), collection of coupon and dividends (payable income) arising from the portfolios, facilitation of corporate actions processing (such as tender offer, proxy voting, buy-backs), and other services. This study focuses on the issues and relevant remediation steps applicable to depository companies being integral part of the stock market infrastructure. Recent volatility in the stock markets provided a positive impetus to change the business model of depository companies. Securities market participants seek to use the services of depository companies as an additional measure of protection for a significant amount of assets and portfolios. Moreover, the market is shrinking and brokerage houses are going bankrupt that also boosts customers desire to move their assets to specialized players in depository business by establishing direct relations. Nevertheless, the global turmoil has affected the research market segment resulting in rapidly decreasing value of assets under custody, reduction of on-exchange and OTC trading volumes, and redistribution of portfolios of assets by risk-averse investors seeking alternative strategies in times of crisis. Keywords: capital market, strategic alternatives, competitive strategy, depository services. The objective of the research paper is to identify the key strategic options that would increase economic profit of the depositories’ organizations amid ongoing financial crisis. Effectively, we would like to develop and propose different approaches towards the companies’ strategic options aimed at defining current condition, future growth factors and drivers for relatives companies of the market segment. The findings section of the research paper describes most topical problems that depository companies are currently facing in Russia. The economic value drivers are identified and can be used to translate them into the economic profit model of depository companies. Furthermore, the main strategic options are identified to highlight client portfolio rebalancing opportunities in the market segment. Methodology The methodological base of the research paper is based on the analysis of data and information available in public sources, and made through desk study, along with the opinion expressed by the market experts. The following sources of information were used for different sections of the report: Legal framework: federal laws on securities and custody operations, information on securities market volumes and other statistics was retrieved from the Russian National Association of Securities Market Participants (NAUFOR) and the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) official web-sites, the official publications and documents of the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), and the Ministry of Economic Development; The problems were identified through interviews conducted with securities market specialists in Russia; Securities services sector development: the data was retrieved from annual NAUFOR Russian Stock Market. Facts and Events survey of 2014. The research paper is represented by six chapters that include introduction, methodology, the main part – hypothesis, findings, conclusion, footnotes and bibliography. Hypotheses We suggests the following hypotheses to be tested in the course of empirical research: Hypothesis 1: The growth strategic alternative (merger / acquisition, and integration / alliance) is winning in terms of achieving the objectives set by the company during crisis. Criteria: Cost-saving through synergies with other small providers; introduction of new product offering. Hypothesis 2. Companies that apply product expansion strategy instead of infrastructure needs can be more effective during crisis times, create competitive advantage and fulfill the objectives of the company. Criteria: The presence / absence of the relation between the degree of product diversification of the company (interoperability with the Central Depository, Central Counterparties, communication standards) with product standardization. Hypothesis 3. Depositories companies prone to invest in quality assurance (service organization), rather than implement cost reduction strategies. Criteria: The presence / absence of large market players, including investment funds and wealthy individuals. Characteristics of the research object Object depository companies that provide services to broker / dealers, investment funds, private individuals and other depositories. Characteristics and features of the market segment: Approximately 570 companies. From 15 to 80 employees. Revenue from 0.1 to 5 million dollars a year. Clients local and foreign residents. Entry barriers – licensing requirements, IT technology, staff competencies. Large number of small companies with a small scope of operations and market share. Trend towards consolidation of businesses. The market segment of the securities market industry has a number of distinctive features that influences application of discussed strategic alternatives in the crisis. Findings The current global financial crisis requires depository companies to respond quickly to all macro-environment changes and stay competitive player with large amounts of assets deposited. The securities services are fairly stable line of business, where the client portfolio (equities and fixed income instruments) size is crucial and steady income for the maintenance would facilitate the development of the company. However, the depositary companies are affected by unstable situation, which is observed in the stock market in recent years. Therefore, we would like to see new threats and opportunities that have emerged recently. We analyze the strategies of corporate governance of companies affected by the financial crisis on this basis, the following assumptions that were designated for the research paper: We assume that all actions are undertaken in the interests of the stakeholders of the company or business. Set of strategic alternatives designated for the management in order to adjust the companys goals, drivers and incentives. It should be aimed at achieving long-term stability and development of the companys competitive advantages. We offer three strategic alternatives focused on the development of depository companies. Strategic integration opportunity is aimed at further increasing the scale of production for the purpose of reducing the share of the unit cost. The implementation of the strategic alternative is expected to be done either by improving production processes or acquiring other depositary companies of market segment for the purpose of achieving the economy of scale. The strategy also suggests the possibility of further acquisitions and development of the most profitable depositary companies of the group. The strategy of product expansion in companies offering depository services promote the interests of customers and investors in attracting new portfolios. This strategy, however, requires a systematic approach and professional competence to be successful. The Russian capital market has grown rapidly over the last 15 years, but the securities market infrastructure could not keep up the pace. Effectively, depository companies that had specialized in improving the securities market infrastructure of the stock market, promoting new electronic document interchange, new product offering and interconnection services, can achieve success in the crisis. Given the opportunity to work with local authorities on the development of the securities market infrastructure in the long term they can lead to key roles in the value chain. These depositories companies has a fundamental knowledge and significant resources to identify and resolve discrepancies in connection with the accelerated development o f the stock market. The strategic alternative of the service organization if they can meet service level claimed by sophisticated investment funds, private individuals and global custodians forced by the credit crunch to hold their assets through depository companies using them as extra protection during the financial crisis. For depository companies, there are many opportunities to retain these customers and grow the business, if they can agree and guarantee services that their customers demand. Nevertheless, many questions arise when thinking about the possibility of service in the framework of this strategy, there is no innovation component. It may be difficult to implement such a strategy for large depository companies whose business models are based on cost reduction and unification of services provided. However, the innovative component cannot be a panacea for all the ills in the short term. The decisive role is played by the demand and requirements of the customers and investors, and also monitor ing and control regulatory bodies. Business model of depository companies are highly dependent on the cost of fees for safekeeping as a percentage of total assets in custody, as well as fees for each transaction in securities. Probably the situation could become worse, given the negative reaction from politicians and regulators in light of the financial crisis. One of the key areas which will have an impact on the financial services sector is information transparency. Stagnation of business activity in the stock market has provided many opportunities for depository companies, and put some pressure on the volume of investment and resources management companies. Business and operational models were tested under the conditions subject to increased demands of customers in the pursuit of improving the quality of service and flexibility of services provided. The rapid reduction in the value of client assets under custody put pressure on revenues and spending in order to remain profitable. Conclusion The practical conclusions of the study can be summarized as follows: The specific strategic alternatives have been formulated for depository companies acting in a financial crisis. Each option describes opportunities and focus group, and is presented as optimal one for the company with certain level of expertise and specific client types. Each of the strategic alternatives is aimed at selected market participants and shall provide opportunities to survive, improve operational activities, and also to strengthen their position in the market segment. In conclusion, we notes that at the present time, when the whole world is deepening the financial crisis, more and more companies risk losing their ability to pay. Accordingly, it is necessary to pay more attention to the anti-crisis strategy of corporate governance. Bibliography Rubcov B.B. Modern Financial Markets M.: Alpina Business Books, 2007. – 926 p. Clearnet. Rules conditions for clearing house membership. Paris, 2000.-p. 114 Group 30. Report of Committee on Interbank Netting Schemes of the Central Banks of 2005 www.cbr.ru/sbrfr CBR legal framework, financial market participants, market statistics www.naufor.ru NAUFOR Russian Stock Market Fact Book 2014 www.gks.ru – Federal State Statistics Service. www.ved.gov.ru – The Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. 1

Revolution in Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel :: Like Water for Chocolate

Revolution in Like Water for Chocolate Revolutions throughout the history of humankind have established change of traditions as the normal occurrence throughout our history. Revolutions in households can also occur when traditions that are contrary to the desires of one, interfere with the values of another. In the book "Like Water for Chocolate," a major revolution develops between mother and daughter, Mama Elena and Tita. Like most revolutions, traditions are the major factor in the revolution that happens between these two; Tradition states that the youngest daughter must not marry, but must take care of the mother until she dies. Nevertheless, when a young man decides to ask for Tita's hand in marriage, Mama Elena flat out refuses to hear any more about the subject. She says to Tita on page 10, "If he intends to ask for your hand, tell him not to bother . . ." Then Tita realizes the hopelessness of her situation and from that moment on she swore "to protest her mother's ruling" (11). The revolution continues to build until finally after many years of torment by her mother, Tita leaves the family ranch. Then after awhile, when Mama Elena becomes paralyzed by bandits, Tita feels compelled to return to the ranch and care for her mother. In returning Tita felt that her return humiliated her mother because how cruelly she had treated her daughter in the past (130). When Tita had made dinner for her mother, Mama Elena brutally rejected her kindness. Tita could not understand why her mother treated her cruelly, "she didn't understand Mama Elena's attitude . . . It was beyond her comprehension that one person, whatever her relationship with another, could reject the kind gesture in such a brutal manner . . ." (130-131). After all that they had gone through, Tita thought at least some things had changed. Of course nothing had changed because Mama Elena saw her daughter as she saw her self many years before. But after her mother's death Tita was enlightened when see discovered her mother's love letters from José, her mother's only true love (137). As Tita read her mothers letters, she discovered the reason behind her mother's personality, both psychologically and emotionally. "José was the love of her life. She hadn't been allowed to marry him because he had Negro blood in his veins .

Conrads Intent In Heart Of Darkness :: essays research papers

Distilling the Darkness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In analysis of Heart of Darkness, much is made of Conrad’s intentions in telling his tale. People search for a moral lesson, a strict social commentary, an absolution for the evil of the dark jungle. It isn’t there, and that’s not the point.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In works of philosophy (like The Republic), or works of political theory (like Socialism: Utopian and Scientific), or works of natural science (like The Origin of Species), this sifting of important and clear ideas from the mess and confusion of experience is what writers like Plato, Darwin, or Engels are doing. They experience the world in all its messy confusion, and then they attempt to abstract from the mess, by careful selection, a system of ordering principles which other people can comprehend and make use of. In more figurative words, they are trying to shed the light of intelligence upon the darkness of experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As, primarily, students and teachers, we naturally look for the conveyance of such ideas in any material we encounter. We miss that books like Heart of Darkness are fundamentally different in intent and we continue searching for that lesson from which to make a rational response to the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even literary professionals seem often to fall into the error of neglecting or misunderstanding the novelist's purpose. Consider, for example, the criticism leveled against Heart of Darkness by Paul O'Prey in his introduction to the Penguin edition. He writes: â€Å"It is an irony that the ‘failures’ of Marlow and Kurtz are paralleled by a corresponding failure of Conrad's technique--brilliant though it is--as the vast abstract darkness he imagines exceeds his capacity to analyze and dramatize it, and the very inability to portray the story's central subject, the ‘unimaginable’, the ‘impenetrable’ (evil, emptiness, mystery or whatever) becomes a central theme.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. O'Prey's sentence is somewhat impenetrable itself, but his complaint is that Conrad wants to evoke an abstract notion of darkness, but he doesn't manage to adequately define it or analyze it. He then goes on to quote, approvingly, another critic, James Guetti, who complains that Marlow â€Å"never gets below the surface,† and is â€Å"denied the final self-knowledge that Kurtz had.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In other words, according to Mr. O'Prey and Mr. Guetti, Conrad has somehow failed in his attempt to delineate the horror that is Kurtz's final vision, failed to penetrate the darkness that Marlow evokes, failed to give a precise name and shape to the dark and tragic human condition. Mr. O'Prey and Mr. Guetti want, as all good academics want, clarity, definition, intellectual coherence, order, a well-stated and well-argued thesis; they

The Rise and Fall of a Peasant Essay -- Scarface Oliver Stone Films Mo

The Rise and Fall of a Peasant The film Scarface, produced by Martin Bregman, written by Oliver Stone and directed by Brian DePalma, is a story of an immigrant’s life. The main character, Antonio Montana, who is played by Al Pacino, comes to the United States from Cuba in May 1980 as a political prisoner. Montana arrives in Miami, Florida with nothing and has to find a way to survive. As an alien to the country, Montana can not find a honest job that pays enough money for him to live off of. He is a very confident and intelligent man, and when he begins to sell drugs, there is no stopping him. In only a few years, Montana is a multimillionaire and loving life. Although Scarface comes off as a film only meant to glorify a drug lord, it’s actual purpose is to show how a man from the ghetto moves up in society, yet creates his own downfall. Tony has quite strong ethics, although it might not seem so. Ethos is demonstrated many times during the film. He believes firmly in loyalty, honesty, principles and family. Tony looks after his sister Gina throughout the whole film and has an unconditional love for her. He tells the truth all of the time, whether or not it is a good idea to do so. When he is talking to his Columbian cocaine distributor, Mr. Sosa, Montana says, â€Å"all [he has] in this world [are his] balls and [his] word, and [he] don’t break ‘em for no one† (14). Later in the film, when Montana is in trouble with the IRS and DEA, he makes a deal with Sosa that if he kills a talk show host, who has been doing specials on the cocaine industry, then Sosa will get rid of Tony’s problem with the IRS and DEA. For this reason Montana goes to New York City and places an explosive device under the host’s car. When the... ... killed. Scarface is an attention seeking film. There is not a scene in the film that does not keep the viewer’s attention. It starts out having the viewer feel sorry for Montana and wanting him to succeed, even though he is a drug dealer. When he does succeed and his way of living begins to show it also, the viewer feels a sense of joy for Tony and think that he deserves to be happy. Tony then gets too comfortable with being on top and feels that he can be on top of the whole world if he only tries to get it. At the end of the film, when Tony is breaking down and his time is ticking away, the viewer feels sympathy for Tony again, and wants him to make it out alive. However, that does not happen. Tony gets killed and the story of Scarface ends there. The viewer feels a connection with Tony Montana all throughout his rise and fall as a man from the ghetto.

Book Critique on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Dorothy lives in Kansas with her aunt, uncle, and dog, Toto. The entire house is swept away by a tornado from Kansas to the bright Land of Oz. She is met by the Munchkins and the Good Witch of the North. They are very happy because Dorothy’s house smashed the Wicked Witch of the East. The Good Witch gives Dorothy the dead witch's silver shoes. The only thing on Dorothy’s mind is getting back to Kansas, so the Witch of the East helps. Dorothy is sent down the yellow brick road to the City of Emeralds. Once she gets to the City of Emeralds, she is supposed to meet the Wizard of Oz, who should be able to help her get home. Along the journey, she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion. Her three friends all have a need they would like to request from the Wizard. They continue their journey along the road. They encounter many adventures before and after visiting the Wizard. Once they all reach the Wizard of Oz, he sends them on a quest to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. Once they kill the Wicked Witch of the West, he will grant all of their wishes. In the end, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion accomplish a great role. They each are granted leadership of three different lands of Oz. The Scarecrow becomes the ruler of Emerald City, the Tin Woodman gets control over the former Wicked Witch of the West's domain, and the Lion is head over the animals in the woods. Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, shows Dorothy how to get home. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz begins in dark Kansas, and it quickly changes to the bright and colorful area of the Land of Oz. The things that happened in Kansas occurred in the late nineteenth century. This book is a political allegory. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz makes references to the following things in history: The Gilded Age, the Panic of 1893, Coxey’s Army, and the 1896 Election. Lyman Frank Baum wrote the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In the Introduction to The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum described healthy children as instinctively loving â€Å"fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal† stories. Baum wanted his stories to have a moral, and he liked the fairy tale format. He disagreed with the â€Å"heart-aches and nightmares† that their â€Å"horrible and bloodcurdling† events could bring on in children. Baum decided to modernize and update the fairy tale by combining moral with entertainment, â€Å"wonderment and joy. † Lyman Baum did not have a definite viewpoint. He wanted to entertain children with stories that had a moral and a point. He wrote the Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a fairytale political allegory, for example the yellow brick road represents the gold standard, and the silver shoes represent the sixteen to one silver ratio, and so on. This is a fictional book based on historical non fictional information. Baum represents the time period by the metaphors he uses throughout the book, like things referring to the Panic of 1893 and election of 1896. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz can teach many people about history. The book is in fairy tale style, but it has historical facts and references throughout the story. It definitely be applied to history, since it was written about history. For example, the Wicked Witch of the West refers to the actual west. Baum published this book in 1900, which is the time period that it deals with. The parts of the book about the yellow brick road will be stuck in my mind. I find this part very fascinating, because it refers to the demand for gold and the standards that were set for gold. The reason it will be in my mind is because once I read the book again, in the perspective of US History, I saw how everything was a metaphor for something in history. This amazes me, and the author was very creative to create a story so brilliantly planned. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz definitely helped me connect history to this fairy tale style of hidden history. This book is a classic because it brings history in a childhood favorite fairy tale book.

Illinois and Audience Essay

In the start of President Obama’s speech, he starts out by using the term Anaphora†Hello, Colorado! (Applause.) Thank you! Are you fired up? Are you ready to go? (Applause.) Are you fired up?† This helps him to get the audience ready for his speech, and it creates a good atmosphere which also helps him to make a great speech In his speech Barak Obama uses a lot of pathos laden phrases to help him engage his audience and persuade them to agree with him. We see this in his speech when he introduces some good friends â€Å"We’ve got some good friends here today. You’ve got your outstanding governor, John Hickenlooper†¦And all of you are here, which makes me excited.†This is an example of pathos because, Barak Obama appeals to the audience emotions by referring to other important political people who is from Denver, and by finishing up his sentence by saying that the audience makes him exited. By evoking this sentiment in his audience, Obama manages to get the audience going, and ready to hear more of what Obama has to say. Which is a very important why to start off, because then he knows that the audience is listing to him. We also see this in his speech when he starts to talk about Romney’s politics† It turns out it’s not a five-point plan Governor Romney has got, it’s a one-point plan†¦ And we’ve been working for four years to clean up this mess that these policies left behind.†This is an example of pathos because, when Obama talks about Governor Romney’s politics he tries to connect to the audience emotion, and he also tries to convince them that his politics is the right one. Obama thereby achieves to get his audience to agree with him, when he criticizes Governor Romney’s politics. He succeeds in doing it, when he tells about that Romney has a five point plan, when it’s only a one which they already tr ied before Obama took office. And that plan took America into the worst economic crises since the Great Depression. In his speech Obama uses logos by appealing to the audience sense. We see this in his speech when he talks about voting† Don’t boo — vote. (Applause.) Vote. That’s the way to show your opinion, is to vote† This is a clear example of logos because he clearly appeals to the sense of the audience. By appealing to the sense of the audience, Obama succeeds in getting his message out; that it is important that you vote, instead of just complaining about the other parties view. He is telling that the only way you can get your opinion out, is to vote. A little later in Obama’s speech, he appeals to the audience sense again, we see this in his speech when he talks about the symptoms of romnesia, and tells what the cure is.†But, Denver, I want you to know this: If you feel any symptoms coming on†¦ There’s a cure, Colorado, as long as you vote. (Applaus e.) There’s a cure.† This is an example of logos because; Obama is again appealing to the audience sense that they need to vote for him. By appealing to the audience Obama achieves, to make sure that they know that he is the cure for Romnesia. By the word Romnesia, Obama uses the term pun; this helps him to create a negative feeling of the work, when you compare it to his own healthcare package â€Å"Obamacare†, with this term he also uses a pun just in a positive way, which creates a good feeling about the word. But the most important part of this quote is, that he makes sure that the audience, see him as the cure. You can say that he is using logos and pathos in this quote, because he is also trying to reach out after the audience emotions. During president Obama’s speech he uses a lot of different terms, the two I have concentrated about is pathos and logos. I find these two terms very important, because it helps him construct a good flowing speech, while he also gets the audience or the ones watching it in TV to agree with him, that’s how he uses pathos. For the once who isn’t sure of what they are going to vote or if they are going to vote, here he uses logos to reach out to the sense audience and tries to help them decide on voting for him.

Use Source A and your knowledge of the period to explain why people supported Roosevelt in the 1932 election

By 1932 unemployment in the USA had reached 13 million and was rising rapidly. The poor were without food and eating in soup kitchens. The depression was causing public disorder and when a group of 22,000 First World War veterans (The Bonus Army) marched to Washington because, like many other people, these veterans were poor and demanded to be given an immediate bonus which the government had promised to give them in 1945, tanks were sent in to disperse them. People were shocked by the violence and critical of the government's response. The Republicans, lead by President Hoover did not believe in interfering in business to promote prosperity, he claimed that it was the government's job to encourage rather than to spend. As a result he refused to set up relief programmes to help the unemployed and he argued that it was up to the individuals to turn around the economy. The people were unhappy as they had been promised ‘the final triumph over poverty' in 1928, but the Republicans had been unable to offer any solution to the collapse of the economy. Roosevelt was a good campaigner showing himself to be cheerful, optimistic and caring, whereas Hoover was plodding, drab and defeated throughout the election campaign. The speech in Source A is in terms of waging war on poverty, Roosevelt talks of a ‘call to arms', a ‘crusade' and ‘waging war'. This is very active and energetic in contrast to Hoover's defensiveness. The people had been hurt by poverty and were being given a chance to fight back by voting for the Democrats. Roosevelt appeals to patriotism in his ‘crusade to restore America' and gives hope when using the word ‘restore' that prosperity can return. The phrasing ‘Destruction, Delay, Deceit and Despair' is full of energy and shows that Roosevelt means business. People supported Roosevelt in the 1932 election because they were disillusioned with Hoover who had been unable to bring them out of the depression and because Roosevelt was positive, forceful and able to give hope. A ‘New Deal' appealed to them because the old deal had failed and they were being called to take action against poverty along with their government as Roosevelt says ‘Give me your help†¦ to win in this crusade'

India: Foreign Trade Policy

India: Foreign Trade PolicyAlthough India  has steadily opened up its economy, its tariffs continue to be high when compared with other countries, and its investment norms are still restrictive. This leads some to see India as a ‘rapid globalizer’ while others still see it as a ‘highly protectionist’ economy.Till the early 1990s, India  was a closed economy: average tariffs exceeded 200 percent,  quantitative restrictions on imports  were extensive, and there were stringent restrictions on foreign investment. The country began to cautiously reform in the 1990s, liberalizing only under conditions of extreme necessity. Since that time, trade reforms have produced remarkable results. India’s trade to GDP ratio has increased from 15 percent to 35 percent of GDP  between 1990 and 2005, and the economy is now among the fastest growing in the world.Average non-agricultural tariffs have fallen below 15 percent, quantitative restrictions  on import s  have been eliminated, and foreign investments norms have been relaxed for a number of sectors. India  however retains its right to protect when need arises. Agricultural tariffs average between 30-40 percent, anti-dumping measures have been liberally used to protect trade, and the country is among the few in the world that continue to ban foreign investment in retail trade. Although this policy has been somewhat relaxed recently, it remains considerably restrictive.Nonetheless, in recent years, the government’s stand on trade and investment policy has displayed a marked shift from protecting ‘producers’ to benefiting ‘consumers’. This is reflected in its  Foreign Trade Policy for 2004/09  which states that, â€Å"For India to become a major player in world trade †¦ we have also to facilitate those imports which are required to stimulate our economy. â€Å"India  is now aggressively pushing for a more liberal global trade regime, e specially in services. It has assumed a leadership role among developing nations in global trade negotiations, and played a critical part in the Doha  negotiations.Regional and Bilateral Trade AgreementsIndia  has recently signed trade agreements with its neighbors and is seeking new ones with the East Asian countries and the United States. Its regional and bilateral trade agreements – or variants of them – are at different stages of development:   * India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement, * Trade Agreements with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, China, and South Korea. * India-Nepal Trade Treaty, * Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with Singapore. Framework Agreements with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Thailand and Chile. Preferential Trade Agreements with   Afghanista, Chile, and Mercosur (the latter is a trading zone between Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay). World Bank InvolvementAs a number of research i nstitutions in the country provide the Government with good, just-in-time, and low-cost analytical advice on trade-related issues, the World Bank has focused on providing analysis on specialized subjects at the Government’s request.In the last three years, the Bank has been working with the Ministry of Commerce in a participatory manner to help the country develop an informed strategy for domestic reform and international negotiations. Given the sensitivity of trade policy and negotiation issues, the Bank’s role has been confined to providing better information and analysis than was previously available to India’s policymakers.World Bank ReportsOver the last two years, the World Bank has completed two reports:Sustaining India’s Services Revolution: Access to Foreign Markets, Domestic Reforms and International Negotiation:  The study concludes that  to sustain the dynamism of India’s services sector, the country must address two critical challen ges: externally, the problem of actual and potential protectionism; and domestically, the persistence of restrictions on trade and investment, as well as weaknesses in the regulatory environment.From Competition at Home to Competing Abroad: The Case of Horticulture in India:  This study finds that the competitiveness of India’s horticulture sector depends critically on efficient logistics, domestic competition, and the ability to comply with international health, safety and quality standards. The study is based on primary surveys  across fifteen Indian States. A third study, dealing with barriers to the movement of professionals is under preparation.The Bank has also held a number of workshops and conferences with a view to providing different stakeholders with a forum to express their views on trade-related issues. | | | | | Permanent URL for this page:  http://go. worldbank. org/RJEB2JGTC0| | Publications| * Studies on India-Bangladesh Trade (Vol. 1 of 2)   * Studie s on India-Bangladesh Trade (Vol. 2 of 2)   * Sustaining India's Services Revolution  | | | | | | * Home  |   * Site Map  |   * Index  |   * FAQs  |   * Contact Us  |   * Search  |   *   RSS|

Bend It Like Beckham Essay

At at the end they realize that racist and close-minded individuals are everywhere and if you desire to be a star, you do not have to accept anybody’s negative opinions but alternately put in the effort yourselves. When moving to another country, culture impact is what shocks families the most. In this case, Mr. Bhamra does not get accepted into a sports team because the way he presents himself, dressing differently from the norm, and the coaches do that welcome that. Due to this past experience that took place when he first came to the country, he closes many doors to his daughter, Jess, by not letting her go to practices, being on his wife’s side and thinking that he is only doing that to protect her from getting rejected and influencing her to profound her Indian culture values. This turns out to be a very difficult situation for Jesminder to handle because without her father’s support, she might end up being a failure. People say that gender stratification is not a common treatment amongst individuals anymore. But in the film, Jess’ father prohibits her from playing soccer because he assumes that it is not a sport for females, and that she will end up obtaining rejection from coaches and friends, just like he did as a teenager. Also because his wife acquaints him with false information stating that Jesminder’s sexuality would change, which results frightening him and causes him to restrain her from the activity completely. Jess accepts this in a very harsh way but does not give up and continues to play soccer without her father’s permission. The modern society states that culture and gender inequality is not in common use anymore, but that does not mean people will stop applying these injustices to others. Throughout the film Mr. Ghamra forbids Jesminder to carry out her passion, which is playing soccer, because he does not agree that ladies should perform the sport and because is not an Indian –like culture task. At the end of the movie he realizes that he cannot guard her forever and that she needs to defend herself alone with courage if she is willing to take risky chances. He becomes aware that it is not the world’s duty to change others but the person’s own to face their challenges. The situation shown in the film proves how Mr. Ghamra and his family suffered from different cultural conflicts between each other and others surrounding them. Certain gender issues and inequalities ,as a result of culture misunderstandings, also affect them. Although Mr. Bhamra did not accept his daughter eagerness to play soccer he realized that letting her persuade her dreams was the best option for her future. Concluding that, according to the film, it does not matter what people say or influence you to do, anything is possible and if you do not risk given chances, others will take along with your dreams.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Activity Based Management on the Exama Essay

Advantages and Disadvantages of Activity Based Management on the Example of Profitability of Galvanized Pallet Nails - Essay Example The cost was $420000 and cost driver volume of $110000. The cost per driver was (420000/110000) = 3.82. The units consumed 2817 hence the total cost apportioned was (3.82*2817) = 10755.82. Depreciation galvanizer was a cost pool with ton galvanized as the cost driver. The cost pool was $623000, the cost driver volume 45000. The cost per driver volume (623000/45000) = 13.84. The units consumed were 2817. Cost apportioned (13.84*2817) = 38999.8 Depreciation of heading and threading cost pool had the cost of $57500 with a cost driver volume of 2817. The cost per volume was ($57500/2817) = 20.41. The number of units consumed is 2817. The total cost apportioned (20.41*2817) = 57500. The material handling had a number of moves as the cost driver. The cost incurred was $350000 and cost volume of 4500. The cost per driver volume (350000/4500) = 77.78. The units consumed was 21 leading to the total cost amounting to (77.78*21) = 1633.33. Dies retooling was cost pool that had tool shops hours cost driver. The cost incurred was $382000 with cost volume of 3300. The cost per volume (382000/3300) = 115.76. The numbers of units consumed were 13. The total cost apportioned was (115.76*13) = 1504.85. Wire drawing changeovers had a number of changeovers cost drivers. The cost was $272000 with 700 cost driver volume. The cost per driver volume was ($272000/700) = 388.57. The units consumed were 2 leading to a total cost apportioned to be (388.57*2) = 777.14. A quality inspection had the number of inspections as the cost driver. The cost of inspection incurred was $420000 with a cost driver volume of 1000. The cost per driver was computed as (420000/1000) = 420. The units consumed were 4 hence the total cost apportioned was (420*4) = 1680. Order processing had the number of orders as the cost driver. The cost incurred was $143000 with cost volume of 3000. The cost per driver was (143000/3000) = 47.67.  

Have we learned any lessons from the financial crisis of 2007-8 Assignment

Have we learned any lessons from the financial crisis of 2007-8 - Assignment Example When the criticality of the matter dawned on the American society, it was difficult to accept the dire consequences of the downfall. Organizations deemed stable enough to survive any surging economic pressure proved to be at the verge of collapse in the 2008 scenario. President Obama had to help America resolve the issue, and settling it needed firm decisions taken in good time to save the average American from the consequences resulting from the crisis. This is how the Dodd-Frank law surfaced as a potential solution to the imminent financial collapsing of the great economy. It is of essence to highlight the critical lessons learnt from the crisis and doing that is the sole purpose of this paper. Causes of the 2008 Recession An analysis of the real situation in 2008 and highlight the main causes of the collapsing of big financial institutions. One fact about the issue is that Americans had build too much trust on some of the banks that they did not see the crisis, coming and this is the main reason why Americans became victims. This does not assert that people should not trust banks but should do so after judging their credibility based on their financial reports. At least people should make an informed choice be ore trusting financial institutions. ... Understanding how banks operate is essential in analyzing how the recession resulted. All banks often make investments that can turn to be failures. If that happens, experts can calculate the asset value and these banks can receive recapitalization for the loss. However, the level of trust is very fundamental in determining whether a bank is worthy of recapitalization. Its performance in the market must prove that it is not subject to sudden collapsing. Banks deemed stable enough in the market have resulted to a form of pathology as Fischer described in his recent speech. These banks reached a point whereby assessing how much they lost in bad investments became a challenge. Before the onset of the recession, these banks were safe havens for most people. Majority of financial experts thought that these banks only suffered losses via mortgage insecurities. However, facts reveal that other toxic investments increased the losses incurred by banks. The bigger banks stand better chances in the market because of the privilege they have. Their stability in the market becomes a crucial factor that serves to reduce chances of bankruptcy declaration. While the less stable banks have a great fear of taking great business risks in fear of ending up bankrupt, the bigger banks can take costly risks much more easily as Arcand, Berkes and Panizza mentioned in their working paper released in 2009. In 2006, big banks sought to take advantage of the declining house prices hoping to make profits in the secondary market as Feng, and Serilitis in their research paper in 2009 on efficiency and technical change in U.S banks. Their investment in housing had its basis on mortgage security. Predictions were that housing

Child abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Child abuse - Essay Example In this regard, the role of school nurse is very important. A school nurse interacts with children on regular basis; therefore, she should have sufficient knowledge about different child maltreatment laws. If the nurse finds any sign of maltreatment, she should immediately report to CPS (Child Protective Services). The CPS will investigate the matter in detail. Moreover, the practice of school nurses and its standards also emphasize on reporting maltreatment incidents and taking adequate actions against child maltreatment (American Nurses Association (ANA) & National Association of School Nurses (NASN, 2011). Society has observed Children’s maltreatment at all levels. However, in schools nurses can control it significantly. Therefore, nurses have greater responsibilities regarding their growth in education and learning relevant laws. Clearly, their better understanding will lead the society towards an excellent and maltreatment-free society. USDHHS, (2010). (United States Department of Health and Human Services), Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families Children’s Bureau. Child Maltreatment (2009). Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm09 /

Leaders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leaders - Essay Example This creates motivation within the person and so does he leads a society, a business or a nation. Many times in our lives we interact with people whom others call as 'born leaders'. Such people are so influencing that instead of digging deep into their lives for understanding their source, we are simply impressed by their personality traits. Leadership is not simply made; it is created and developed individually with certain characteristics we would talk about later by giving examples. The debate is not simply concerned about whether leadership is born or created but also with the notion that we all analyse leadership skills in wrong phase, rather than analysing the skills in our leaders, we analyse our leaders and under specify their leading behaviours and styles. This is the main reason why most of us remain in a chaos to answer 'leadership born or made'. The question is perplexing, the answer simple. There has always remained a tendency to treat 'leadership' as a complete cure to the problem or simple 'cure'. Whether complete or simple, cure is cure. The phrase 'born leaders' is made to stand for all the qualities that are desirable in a top team or responsible post-holder-for example 'clarity of vision', 'a performance focus', 'flexibility', 'innovation' and 'winning commitment' etc. First of all, leaders never born, they are created by the circumstances, situations and consequences which provide opportunity to other hidden qualities to emerge and show off. Se condly, in the light of above phrase, if all of the leadership qualities are not present in us, at least some of them reside deep in our personalities. In reality, most of the research has made little detailed examination of the concept of leadership. That is why leadership is simply asserted and its nature assumed. Are Leaders born with Leadership skills Agility to take decisions along with pulling the entire team, no doubt does not require qualification, certificate or degree but still it would be wrong to say that a person is born with such qualities, because if we suppose for a while that one is born with decision making qualities, we do not mean that such person is blessed with such gifts but that the person has been groomed and brought up so well that he has learned how to make use of his decision making power and utilize his abilities. If we analyse leadership in terms of 'grooming' or 'development', we would see examples before us of the leaders that were not ever groomed or those who never had the opportunity of acquiring regular leadership development classes. Adolph Hitler, Mahathir Muhammad, Mahatma Gandhi, etc are among such leaders which are considered as 'born leaders' but they never acquired any formal leadership training. This means that what pulls out a good leader from us the circumstances later comes the knowledge and expertise. Leadership in the eyes of Socrates Socrates clearly taught what it takes to be a leader is the professional or technical competence, that means professionalism or knowledge is the prerequisite for holding a position of leadership responsibility. (Adair, 2002, p. 11) This also refers to the notion that capabilities like professionalism or knowledge are not born with a man, but are learned through experience and hard work. With leadership comes authority to take decisions. Socrates believes that among the three main forms of authorities i.e., the authority of position, the authority of

Bibical Thelogy of Mission Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bibical Thelogy of Mission - Research Paper Example Biblical (Old and New Testament) Texts That Relate To Mission The theology of missions is wholly a biblical concept.1 A careful and spiritual analysis of the bible reveals a solid foundation for missions. The biblical texts prove that missions are not an afterthought creation of God, but rather an intention emanating from his providential nature. According to Glasser (2003), Missio Dei concept confirms the truth that the biblical mission begins with God.2 In reference to Genesis 3 that describes the fall of man, God is exemplified as initiating a mission to rescue man kind from the bondage of sin and guide him back to His fold. The chapter introduces the aspect of mission that dominates the Old and New and Testament, with God strategizing to reach out to human beings. One of the relevant Old Testament texts that discuss the concept of God’s mission upon human being’s life is Genesis 12: 1-3 that offers the description of the Abrahamic Covenant. The passage captures God initiating a covenant with Abram who later undergoes spiritual transformation to Abraham. God explained to him His intention of making him a great nation, bless him and those that bless him as well as curse those who curse him. While commissioning His mission to Abraham, the passage asserts, â€Å"....and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed† (Gen. 12:3). The fulfillment of this promise is affirmed by Moses in the opening Chapter of Deuteronomy. After looking at the large crowd of people gathered and poised to enter the Promised Land, Moses laments, â€Å"The Lord has increased your numbers today so that you are as many as the stars in the sky.† (Deut. 1: 10). The increase in number is part of the promise that through Joshua, Israelites will conquer the Promised Land; Canaan. The concept of mission is further discussed in the New Testament. A New Testament text that supports the firm biblical foundation for mission is Matt. 28: 19-20. God’s command s the church to continue with the mission of enlightening and converting more people to become believers, â€Å"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost† (Matt.28: 19). The book of Mathew does not account for ascension, but always focuses on the Messiah and his messengers. Another text relating to the mission in the New Testament is Luke 4: 16-30 where Jesus defines his mission on his first appearance in public life. He refers to prophetic Isaiah and proclaims that He is the sent Messiah. The passage, â€Å"†¦This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.† (Luke 4: 21), affirms the fulfillment of the God’s promise; sending a Messiah to save the world from the bondage of sin. The Nature of God In Relation To Missions The personality of God can be explained through focus on His personality and attributes. According to 1st John 4:8, God is described as love. Those committed to p ropagate the course of the gospel are expected to assume this nature; love.3 It is only through acquiring Godly love that one can be encouraged to preach the gospel to the non-believers and destitute. Another personality of God, described by 1 Peter 1: 16, is

Main factors of seismic vulnerability of buildings and how the Essay

Main factors of seismic vulnerability of buildings and how the assessment of the vulnerability of buildings could be used for as - Essay Example 1.3. Large Settlements in Seismic Areas There is a large population that lives in seismic vulnerable areas and the buildings there are more prone to earthquakes because of aging and lack of maintenance. 1.4. Non-Engineered Constructions Non-engineered construction is very much prone to seismic vulnerability as the buildings will not have good engineering techniques that would save them from seismic waves. 2. Seismic Vulnerability Assessment can be used for assessing the seismic impacts in an urban area. Urban area consists mainly of those buildings that are vulnerable to earthquakes and hence are damaged or poorly maintained. For example, a lot of urban area damaged â€Å"occurred in vulnerable houses in every earthquake experienced by Italy in the post-war period, and particularly during the Friuli and the Irpinia earthquakes† (Cozzi, Menoni, Pergalani & Petrini 2003:4). The vulnerability assessment of seismic activity in urban areas and the application of proper solutions to counter these damaging activities can be helpful in reducing the causalities and destruction (Agrawal & Chourasia 2008) and economic loss caused by future earthquakes, according to Vicente et al. (2010).

Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Accounting - Assignment Example The game changer in Ameritel Company is the manner in which it reaches out to its employees, retailers, track sales as well as timely implementation of its new marketing strategies with the desirable Salesforce. Its Salesforce managed to reach out to the entire sales region to bridge the gap that exists between the company call center and sales teams. Furthermore, Ameritel is undertaking training campaigns for its dealers according to Reid, 2014. Ameritel has a mechanism that enables monitoring of its inventory anytime anywhere due to its efficient tracking system. The tracking system eases instant and effective visibility of dealer performance and purchases. Reid, 2014 adds that half of the organization explores working with pop and mom accounts that utilize Ameritel in selling T-Mobile. The remaining half collaborates with the wholesale section to supply the T-Mobile as well as activities involving tracking. Ameritel uses Salesforce because it is striving to achieve absolute best experience in its internal operations as well as to the customers. The other issue in its top priority is to surpass its customer expectations besides general company

Poverty in America Essay Example for Free

Poverty in America Essay Poverty is a disturbing but significant global concern. Just as it is for millions of other people all over the globe, poverty is occurring in America. Over the past decades, income disparity is ascending, in addition to the number of communities that failed to keep up with the national economic standard. Although poverty is present everywhere, it is more serious in developing countries, wherein one in every five person lives on not more than $1 for each day, which is the threshold being applied by the World Bank to classify poverty. The unrelenting problem of poverty is a multifaceted one that embraces individuals and communities who, without their fault, find themselves powerless to manage in this information-intensive and constantly developing world. For the majority Americans, poverty implies destitution, or the lack of ability to provide the family with reasonable shelter, clothing, and nutritious food. Despite the fact that material destitution does exist in America, it is relatively confined in severity and scope. To be aware of poverty in America, it is necessary to observe several statistics, as well as to observe the actual living conditions of the persons that are considered poor by the government. Overview of Poverty in America A large numbers of the country’s population live at or below the threshold of poverty, which means payment of bills every month and financing for the essentials, consisting of shelter, clothing, and food, not counting access to health care and a number of simple comforts is a constant struggle. According to estimates in 2003, roughly 25 percent of counties in the United States had low rates of workforce participation, soaring rates of unemployment, high reliance on government transfer expenditures, and incomes that is lower than one-half of the national average or less for each person. The Census Bureau classifies poverty as a family of three earning not more than $14,680, and not more than $9,393 for a worker without any dependent (Blanco, 2004). According to the 2003 statistics of the Census Bureau, almost 36 million Americans lived in poverty, which is 1.3 million more in 2002. Since 2000, the country has experienced an increase of 4.4 million people who lives in poverty (Blanco, 2004). According to a survey, the present American families are experiencing worse living conditions than they have in the previous years, as 10 percent of all families or approximately 7.6 million families in 2003 lived in poverty, which is an enormous ascend from the previous years (Blanco, 2004). In 2005, the registration of the United States Census Bureau of poor individuals in the country totaled to approximately 37 million poor Americans (Rector Johnson, 2004). Therefore, there is one in every eight Americans that is struggling with inconceivable poverty. These millions of Americans are asserted to be deficient of the necessary clothing, shelter, and enough money for the food, as well as being forced to live in unpleasant conditions (Rector Johnson, 2004). Common Factors of Poverty In the concluding half of the 20th century, the three factors that are generally offered to explain movements of poverty in the United States are changes in family structure, economic inequality, and income growth. If the average per-capita incomes are increased, such as increasing wages and employment, then it is expected that poverty will generally decline. Nevertheless, economic inequality can take the edge off the overall constructive impact of income growth if lower-income workforce and unemployed citizens do not benefit from the fruits of such development. On the other hand, changes in the family structure, primarily the ever-increasing number of families headed by female may be linked with higher rates of poverty for the reason that such families are more expected to be poor and are more economically vulnerable. I. Economic Equality Certainly, the country has made several enhancements over the intervening decades in terms of the overall minimum living standard as measured through material conditions. Yet the living conditions of the poor individuals are severely different from that of families and individuals who take advantage of various degree of economic security as measured through income levels that provide unstressed and comfortable situations. The escalation in the number of poor individuals and families in the country ought to provide the government various apprehension, but even more upsetting is the increasing difference between the underprivileged and wealthy in America. In the previous decades, compensation for more affluent Americans has considerably ascended, stimulated by increase in stock options, bonuses, salaries and other rewards. However, the compensation provided for millions of lower-wage workforces dropped off; and in fact, a number of them have even lost their jobs (Blanco, 2004). Therefore, this factor has prevented the advantages of economic growth from being equally drawn out. Moreover, in 2005, non-Hispanic white men, not less than 25 years of age, holding only high-school qualification have $35,679 median income; whereas women within the same age group, need a degree in college in order to obtain a comparable median income (Spriggs, 2007). The outcome is that the households headed by female are harmed by the major earnings gap, which has a poverty rate of 31.1 percent in contrast to their male-headed household counterparts, which only had a 13.4 percent poverty rate (Spriggs, 2007). In 2005, poverty for women is excessively elevated than men, which is14.1 percent in contrast to 11.1 (Spriggs, 2007). The disparity reflects unrelenting gaps in earnings between male and female workers. At the same time, since 1959 the median income of white males with a family of five has been higher than the poverty line, but for women with a family of three, it was only in 1990 that their median income broke beyond the poverty line (Spriggs, 2007). Further, notwithstanding the progressive structure of benefit procedure in Social Security benefits, the constant gap is best reflected in disparities in poverty among the elderly, where the lifetime earnings of women suggest they have lower assets than men. II. Family Structure Higher rates of poverty among women have generally been contributed to the changes in family structure. The percentage of families headed by single female with children rapidly rose over the previous decades of the 20th century, which reached 26.5 percent in 1995 from only 11.5 percent of all families with children in 1970; with higher rates for Hispanics and blacks. At the start of year 2003, roughly 26.1 percent of the entire families with children in the country were headed by single woman. A number of such families do not obtain any or adequate child support from the absent fathers of the children. It is suggested in one study that if fathers married the destitute mothers of their children, approximately three-quarters of the single-parents would instantly be elevated outside poverty status (Rector Johnson, 2004). Obviously, two parents in a household generally earn more than single-parent. The burden of receiving enough income to raise dependent children outside poverty additionally confronts women who are the single head of the family, as well as getting and paying for child care concurrently with their work and management of the household without help. Since this hazard confronted by women of serving non-working dependents as well as their efforts in looking after their elderly parents is not distributed by society, women who head such families are expected to obtain lower levels of education, therefore, resulting to their lower earnings. Aside from the fact that women are more expected to earn significantly less than men with similar qualifications, mothers have a tendency to accumulate less experience than other workers. III. Income Growth Poverty is associated with the lack of sufficient income, so the core problem therefore is the compensation for the workers. Among the poor, only 11.4 percent or 2.9 million jobs around the clock is available for the whole year (Spriggs, 2007). This sector of the population is further directly impaired by minimum-wage laws that have hindered costs of living. This setback is particularly severe for poverty stricken American-Hispanics and American-Asians, where 18 percent of them worked year-round for full time (Spriggs, 2007). There are several reasons why numerous people lack the income to overcome poverty. For instance, people do not work or if they work, they do not earn sufficient amount of money. Whether in good or bad economic times, the ordinary poor family with children exerts only 800 hours of work throughout a year or 16 hours of work for each week (Rector Johnson, 2004). Evidently, almost 75 percent of poor children would be lifted outside certified poverty status if work is provided in every family, that would increase the work hours to 2,000 for every year or comparable to 40 hours for each week all through the year (Rector Johnson, 2004). In 2005, approximately 61 percent underprivileged families have no less than one worker; and of twice-poor families, 71 percent have no less than one worker. In view of the 1990s record job creation, the number of poor but working people declined to 8.5 million in 2000 from 10.1 million in 1993. In short, America is capable of dealing with poverty. But there have been vast stubborn concerns that have lodged the face of poverty. Mounting disparity in the labor market has increased the share of the working age poor citizens, and the unsympathetic federal minimum-wage laws that have amplified the numbers of poor people working year-round for full-time. In a country with a per capita Gross Domestic Product is exceeding the poverty line for a family of four, it is atrocious that there are still more than 12 million poverty stricken American children, and nearly 3 million people work around the clock, for one whole year who are still finding it hard to make ends meet. Facts Concerning the American Poor Sector Based on the American’s accepted definition of poverty, only a small number of the 37 million individuals fit the poor description, contrary to what the Census Bureau classified. Despite the fact that real material destitution undoubtedly does take place, it is limited in severity and scope. A number of America’s underprivileged lives in material conditions that would be considered as well-off or comfortable some generations ago. The following are information obtained from different government reports regarding people classified as poor by the Census Bureau: 1. Roughly 46 percent of the entire poor households actually own their individual houses (Rector Johnson, 2004). The typical house owned by persons identified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with a garage, one-and-a-half baths, with at least a patio or porch. 2. About 76 percent of underprivileged families have air conditioning in their houses (Rector Johnson, 2004). By comparison, merely 36 percent of the entire population of the United States benefited from air conditioning 3 decades ago. 3. Only 6 percent of the underprivileged families are considered overcrowded, and not less than two-thirds of them have extra two rooms for every person (Rector Johnson, 2004). 4. The typical poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Athens, Vienna, London, Paris, and other cities all over Europe (Rector Johnson, 2004). 5. Practically three-quarters of poor families own an automobile, while 30 percent own at least two automobiles (Rector Johnson, 2004). 6. Approximately 97 percent of poor households own at least one colored television, while half of the said percentage has at least two colored televisions (Rector Johnson, 2004). 7. Roughly 78 percent own DVD or VCR players, while 62 percent have satellite or cable television reception (Rector Johnson, 2004). 8. Around 73 percent of the poor households have microwave ovens, one-third owns an automatic dishwasher, and over half own a stereo system (Rector Johnson, 2004). Further, as a group, America’s poor are far from being constantly malnourished. In fact poor children have usual protein intakes of 100 percent beyond the medically suggested levels and consume more meat than children of higher-income do (Rector Johnson, 2004). Nevertheless, despite the fact that in general the poor are well-nourished, there are still several poor families who experience short-term distress due to food deficiencies. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, although most of the time the hunger is temporary, still 2.6 percent of poor children and 13 percent of poor families experience food shortage sometime during the year (Rector Johnson, 2004). Approximately 89 percent of the poor account sufficient food to eat to their families, at the same time only 2 percent says they often do not have adequate food to eat (Rector Johnson, 2004). Conclusion / Recommendations Following the United States government classification of poverty, the typical poor American people have a living standard far superior as compared to what the public envisions. Nevertheless, the typical poor person’s living conditions should not be taken to suggest that every poor American lives devoid of hardship. Millions of Americans are still continually struggling to hang on, making tough choices between housing, hunger and health care for their families. Economic inequality, income growth, and changes in family structure without doubt affected poverty trends over the latter half of the 20th century. Poverty in America can be readily reduced, if parents are provided with sufficient hours of work and if fathers are at all times present with their families. Although marriage and work are unyielding ladders away from poverty, the country’s welfare system uncooperatively continues to be unsympathetic to both. Foremost programs such as Medicaid, public housing, and food stamps keep on reprimanding marriage and rewarding idleness. Therefore, if welfare could be turned around to uphold marriage and work, the remaining number of poor family would quickly decrease. Further, as a matter of course, the United States has employed over the years job creation and economic growth to trim down poverty, but at present situation the courses are consequential only to the extent that inequality on wages is reduced. Poor people are generally not victims of themselves, but of appalling economic policies along with obstructions to opportunity. Since work generates income, it is important therefore that the government must provide a great increase in available working hours in different labor sectors for the poor. Along with the work opportunities, it is also important to eliminate economic inequalities based on gender, age, economic status, and many others in order to provide higher wages and higher incomes to the underprivileged sectors of the country. America is a nation with one of the most productive and strongest economies in the world. As such, the country must exert a continuing effort to fully utilize the abundance and therefore eliminate the country ’s alarming poverty rate.