Who are the nations who threaten our, Americas, standing in the world Research Paper

Who are the nations who threaten our, Americas, standing in the world market place - Research Paper Example While the United States is still the largest economy in the world, it faces challenges from global competitors. China, Japan, India and Germany are all countries that have gained ground on the United States in recent years and continue to do so. China, in particular, has proved to be a looming threat. It pulled out of the global recession much sooner than did the United States, due to a myriad of factors. Moreover, the people of China still lag behind the rest of the world in terms of wealth, therefore China is reliant upon the world market for its growth. This is the reason why China has carried an enormous trade balance with the United States. Japan, once a large threat, is now much less of one, as China has surpassed it in recent months in terms of the size of the economy, and Japan continues to have troubles due to the recent disasters. India is growing as well, and, like China, has a problem in that its citizenry is not as prosperous as more developed countries. Germany, meanwhi le, probably presents the least threat of all the countries examined here, as it has grown in recent months, but this growth has been driven by its domestic sector, not the world market. China While the United States and most of the world remain mired in the worst economic slowdown in decades, China remains relatively unscathed. In fact, it posted a gross domestic product growth rate of 7.1% for the first half of 2009, and its economy expanded by 10% in 2010 (â€Å"China Economy Hums Along as U.S. Remains Mired in Recession†). ... overseas investments (Ford), and the fact that Chinese banks are controlled by the Chinese government, which eases the flow of lending (â€Å"China Economy Hums Along as U.S. Remains Mired in Recession†). However, one of the most important factors that sets China apart is its economic stimulus plan (Reyes), that was more successful than the U.S.'s similar stimulus plan, in large part because China did not have the existing debt that the United States did prior to enacting the stimulus plan (Lau). The example set by the Chinese might be able to be emulated by the United States and other countries, however, since China has a unique set of circumstances, it is improbable that other countries can duplicate its success. At any rate, China seems poised to bring the rest of the world out of recession, when, in prior recessions, the United States has led the way (Schwartz). The great untapped potential in Chinese domestic consumption are the rural areas, whose consumption lag behind u rban areas by 10 years (Reyes). This, in large part, is because of the great income disparity between the two sectors, and because rural residents are compelled to save because of the current lack of a reliable social security system and the fact that over 99% of rural residents do not have health insurance (Reyes). China's contributions to insurance and pensions should therefore help in increasing the ability of the rural residents to consume. This increase in consumption will, in turn, offset the decrease in exports and presumably make China less dependent on the export market, thereby stabilizing China's economy (Reyes). Indeed, China is currently entering a period where they are poised to increase their consumption levels substantially, purchasing their first automobiles and first commercially

Principles of Time Management Essay Example for Free

Principles of Time Management Essay Time is one of the most difficult resources to manage. You can not take back what is already lost, you can not renew the times that you missed. Moreover, it is one of the measures that all men are created equal because everyone is just given 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours a day. In our fast paced world where everything seems to run ahead of you and you just have to chase time after time to accomplish things, you need a real good time management. Ecclesiastes chapter 3 in the Bible talks about time for everything. â€Å"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven,† states in the first verse. This chapter alone teaches or urges people to set a time for everything to better manage time. There are a lot time management principles that we can suggest to a person however, it would be up to the individual to make the principles work. Dr. Jan Yager (1999) outlined seven principles in the book â€Å"The 7 Principles of Creative Time Management.† These include: Being active not reactive, setting goals, prioritizing actions, keeping focus, creating realistic deadlines, doing it NOW and balancing life. The D-O-I-T-N-O-W Principle states the following: Divide and conquer what you have to do. Break big tasks into little tasks and give each part of that task a realistic deadline. Organize your materials, how you will do it. Ignore interruptions that are annoying distractions Take the time to learn how to do things yourself. Now, not tomorrow. Dont procrastinate. Opportunity is knocking. Take advantage of opportunities. Watch out for time gobblers. Keep track of, and in control of, how much time you spend on the Internet, reading and sending e-mails, watching TV, or talking on the phone. Before you know how to manage your time, you should first know what time is it. It is not telling the time in your watch but knowing the right thing to do at the right and proper time. However, you should also get a sense of time by tracking your watch. You can take control of your whole day if you know what time it is and what you should be doing on those times. Other than you good watch, you should still use other tool. One of which is a planner. Sometimes you can not memorize everything that you need to do in a day or in a week. Sometimes, you can not know if you have already done one job if you do have your list and you may result in doing it again; thus wasting your time. Grab a planner and make you checklist for the day. A planner use wisely will help you keep track your activities and help you evaluate regarding having balance. When you keep track on all your activities, you have a way to evaluate throughout the week and make it better if necessary. If you have the tools above and you still have the problem in managing your time, you need to identify the problem. Do you procrastinate? Do you always entertain interruption and waste your time in unproductive work?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Time management may be difficult but as the Bible says, make time for everything. Do not focus on how to manage

Abortion Essay -- essays research papers

Abortion is defined as the termination of a pregnancy before the fetus is capable of independent life. Abortions must be conducted before the end of six months or the fetus will leave the womb and it would be considered premature birth. If the fetus weighs less than 18 ounces or is less than 20 weeks into pregnancy, it is usually considered an abortion. There are two types of abortions. One is spontaneous and the other is induced. Spontaneous abortions are known y another name, miscarriages. The second form of abortion is an induced abortion. This is the deliberate termination of the fetus.Many have pondered upon the meaning of abortion. The argument because every child born should be wanted, and others who believe that every child conceived should be born. This has been a controversial topic for years. Many people want to be able to decide the destiny of others. Everyone in the United States is covered under the United States Constitution, and under the 14th Amendment, women have been given the choice of abortion. Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion. Although these people have been given the right, the case is not closed. Pro-life activists carry a strong argument, and continue to push their beliefs. They feel intensely strong about these beliefs that violence has broken out in some known instances. Pro-choice activists; on the other hand, also carry very strong points. They believe that the child inside the mother is her property and its life does not begin until birth. Although many believe that abortion is a woman's choice, abortion should be banned because it is immoral and life begins at conception.Abortion is the choice of a woman in whether or not she wants to receive one. The right to choose to have an abortion is personal and essential to a woman's life. The state can not interfere in the private lives of a citizen. With the right to choose abortion, women are able to enjoy, like men, the rights to fully use the powers of their minds and bodies. A man can withdraw from a relationship as soon as he finds out about pregnancy. There is no question of his involvement after that; he has made his choice. It is only fair to say that women should be given the same choice. If one does not want to hold the responsibilities of a child then she should be able to have the choice of abortion in her options. Because contraceptives fail, and because they are ... ...e if they were not conceived.In summary, a woman's right to choose can justify abortion, but it should be banned because it is immoral and life begins at conception. Women have been given the right to have an abortion under the United States Constitution, but the people that fight for the unborn child's rights are still protesting this right. Pro-life activists claim that it is immoral because it is simply defined as murder. Life begins a conception is another strong point brought up by pro-life activists. Before a child is born it is given all its necessities to survive. Notice the operative word is before. Before birth, the child's heart beats, the gastric juices flow in the stomach, and all its necessary organs have been made present. This child thinks, dreams, and feels pain. Yes, some women may look at having an abortion to solve her problems, but in all, women are abandoning the abortion because it weakens their great strengths: creation, compassion, and the ability to look beneath the surface of the appearance of things. Maybe soon the abortion issue will reverse, and people will see the rights of the unborn as greater importance than that of a personal right or choice.

How powerful is The Bell Jar as a feminist text?

The Bell Jar is an attempt by Sylvia Plath to write about growing up as a woman, in America during the forties and fifties. It was first published in January 1963, before the fights for equal rights were debated in the late sixties and seventies. This was one of only a few novels, at its time, in which the main character and narrator was a woman. The novel may also show Esther's search for her identity, she thinks she knows what she wants but she becomes more and more uncertain as the novel unfolds. The struggle for women in those days is something which would we could not possibly understand. A lady could not even get a loan from the bank without her husband or father co-signing it. Unmarried women were denied birth control, and girls should not attend college. If they did it was expected that they were looking for a husband. The other girls in Esther's dormitory in college told her she was wasting her â€Å"golden college years†. Throughout the book, there are many possible role models for Esther, not all of who have a positive influence on her. Jay Cee is an experienced, successful editor at the magazine where Esther has won an internship. Plath writes of Jay Cee as being somewhat masculine. This may have been because at the time only men were successful so she felt for a woman to be successful she had to be manly. However Esther starts to aim some of her anger towards Jay Cee – â€Å"Jay Cee wanted to teach me something, all the old ladies I ever know wanted to teach me something, but I suddenly didn't think they had anything to teach me. † Esther dreamt of becoming a poet, but even her mother did not believe in her ambition. Her mother felt the only way she would succeed was if she learnt shorthand, as the highest position she would ever get was to be a secretary. Mrs. Greenwood never listened to what Esther had to say nor did she respond to her in any meaningful way. Mrs Greenwood felt that she was the perfect mother and the only way to show that was by bringing up the perfect set of children. The children's role was to behave well to reflect their mother's goodness. So when Esther refused to have shock treatments, Mrs. Greenwood said, â€Å"I knew my baby wasn't like that, I knew you'd decide to be alright again. † A lot of Esther's anger is aimed towards her mother and may even be the root of her illness. Mrs. Greenwood is everything that Esther doesn't want to be, which is the reason she hates to conform. She feels that if she starts doing what â€Å"normal ladies† do she will end up like her mother. Esther even went as far as talking off her own mother's death. When they both slept in the same room, Esther says, † The piggish noise irritated me, and for a while it seemed to me that the only way to stop it would be to take the column of skin and sinew from which it rose and twist it to silence between my hands. † After writing the book, Sylvia Plath told her brother that she wanted the novel to be published under a pseudonym. In those days, or even today, death wishes were not exactly the things to satisfy parental dreams. Buddy Willard is first seen, in the text, as a typical American male. Mrs. Greenwood says of him â€Å"he's so athletic and so handsome and so intelligent†¦ kind of person a girl should stay clean for. † Before Esther gets to know him she thinks he's wonderful, but as they get better acquainted her attitude towards him changes. Buddy Willard is a prime example of a cocksure male. He thinks men rule the world while women should just do what they're told. This does not help Esther when she is trying to find her role within society to feel accepted. Buddy Willard is shallow and does absolutely nothing to make Esther feel good about herself. He's insensitive and clumsy in his dealings with Esther. He refers to her poetry as dust; thereby dismissing the one thing that she believes has great value, through arrogance. The motive for her hatred for all the men in the novel except for one may stem from the fact that Sylvia Plath's husband left her in 1962 and she wrote â€Å"The Bell Jar† a year after. However her poem â€Å"Daddy†, which she wrote in the very same year was a lot harsher towards her father and was more of a gut response. Another thing that deeply annoyed Esther was the double standard for men and women. If a man slept with a woman without loving her it was perfectly acceptable, yet if a woman slept with a man whom she didn't love then she could be labelled a whore. There are proper codes of behaviour, particularly sexual ones for women and Mrs. Greenwood makes sure Esther knows of those by sending her a pamphlet about these codes. However Buddy is not expected to adhere to the same set of rules, so when Esther finds out he slept with a waitress, she shouldn't be hurt because it didn't mean anything! It is one of Esther's desires to be sexually liberal, along with being a poet or a successful writer.

Recent Basketball-related Research: The Vertical Jump Essay

On a message forum that I frequent, I continually see trainers touting the Vertimax as the solution to all vertical jump problems for basketball players. There are two issues with this: McClenton et al. (2008) compared depth-jump training to Vertimax training and found: Depth jump training twice weekly for 6 weeks is more beneficial than VertiMax jump training for increasing vertical jump height. Strength professionals should focus on depth jump exercises in the short term over commercially available devices to improve vertical jump performance. McClenton, L.S., Brown, L.E., Coburn, J.W., & Kersey, R.D. (2008). The effect of short-term VertiMax vs. depth jump training on vertical jump performance. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 22 (2), 321-325. Carlson et al. (2009) compared strength training, plyometric training, and jump training with a VertiMax and found: The findings of this study demonstrate that there is no difference in vertical jump among strength training, plyo metric training, and jump training over a 6-week timeframe. Carlson, K., Magnusen, M. & Walters, P. (2009). Effect of Various Training Modalities on Vertical Jump. Research in Sports Medicine: An International Journal, 17 (2), 84-94. One issue with the second study is the use of plyometrics, as that has become a colloquial term that has lost meaning (Flanagan & Comyns, 2008). Many plyometrics exercises use the slow stretch-shortening cycle (as would VertiMax) with ground contact time longer than 250 milliseconds and large angular displacements (Schmidtbleicher, 1994), whereas depth jumps utilize a fast stretch-shortening cycle with ground contacts between 100-250 ms and small angular displacements (Schmidtbleicher, 1994). The above results would suggest the need for fast SSC training to improve vertical-jump performance over a six-week training cycle. This does not mean that the VertiMax is without use or a bad product. However, plyometric boxes are a much less expensive purchase that can elicit the same or improved benefits, at least over a six-week training program. Secondly, and of primary importance, McGill et al. (2012) found that the broad jump predicted basketball performance measures better than the vertical jump in college basketball players: Dependent variables of performance indicators (such as games and minutes played, points scored,  assists, rebounds, steal, and blocks) and injury reports were tracked for the subsequent 2 years. Results showed that better performance was linked with having a stiffer torso, more mobile hips, weaker left grip strength, and a longer standing long jump, to name a few. McGill, S.M., Andersen, J.T., & Horne, A.D. (2012). Predicting Performance and Injury Resilience From Movement Quality and Fitness Scores in a Basketball Team Over 2 Years. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 26 (7), 1731–1739. The implication of the second study is to suggest that vertical-jump performance is not of primary performance to basketball performance, and other qualities such as change-of-direction speed, balance, and acceleration likely have more to do with on-court performance. Flanagan, E.P. & Comyns, T.M. (2008). The use of contact time and the reactive strength index to optimise fast stretch-shortening cycle training. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 30, 33-38. Schmidtbleicher, D. (1994). Training for power events. In P. Komi (Ed.), Strength and Power in Sport (381-395). London: Blackwell Scientific.

Lajja- a Cultural Analysis Essay Example

Lajja Lajja- a Cultural Analysis Paper Lajja- a Cultural Analysis Paper Title: LAJJA- A CULTURAL ANALYSIS â€Å"Galti uski hi hogi†¦who ladki jo hai† . How many of us are familiar with this statement? How many of us have experienced something like this? The answer is a lot, a lot which cannot be counted. If its rape, it is the girl’s fault as she must have allowed it; if its eve-teasing, it’s again the girl’s fault as she must have been provocative. Every time a girl is victimised, people go against her and instead of punishing the criminal, the girl is accused. In this project, the movie ‘LAJJA’ has been taken up as an example of the oppressions done on women across the country. In historical terms, oppression of women is a relatively new phenomenon. Six thousand years ago, the oppression of women arose after the division of society into classes and the emergence of class society. Prior to this there was no domination of a man over woman, or a man over man. Only with the development of the slave empires of Mesopotania, Egypt, Greece and Rome did the exploitation came into action as before that there was no surplus created, only enough to survive. This movie highlights many social issues pertaining to the women. The movie revolves around four women who in one form or the other are oppressed by the society. Vaideihi (Manisha Koirala) is a married woman who has no other choice but accept her husband’s extra marital affairs. The day she decides to take a stand for herself, she is banished from her husband’s household. Meanwhile she finds out she’s pregnant and goes back to her parent’s house. There she is rejected too, saying that this will bring shame to the family. So, we see how deep the social culture has influenced us that it forced a mother to abandon her own daughter at the time she needed her the most. Maithilli (Mahima Choudhary) is troubled by the unreasonable demand of excessive dowry by the groom’s father which her father is unable to meet. Maithilli seeing this, calls off the marriage as she couldn’t see her father being humiliated any more. Every day there are so many such brides who, due to their inability of giving dowry, lose their marriage. These oppressions do not stop even after marriage. Once the bride is married she is insulted and asked for more dowries by her in-laws. After which she is tortured if she is unable to fulfil the demands. Even though taking or giving dowry is against the law, it is still practiced in many parts of the country. Not only in the rural areas, but dowry is encouraged in the educated class of society as well. Another victim in the movie is Janki(Madhuri Dixit) who is a theatre actress and is in love with her colleague. She is pregnant and doesn’t care about the norms of society. Janki is lusted after by the owner of the theatre who exploits her. The owner misleads Janki’s boyfriend and makes him doubt her integrity. In a Raamleela performance, she being the Sita, has to take the agneepariksha after she comes back from lanka. Janki refuses to walk through it saying that why should women always prove themselves to gain trust and respect. If a man performs adultery, he would not be even questioned. But a woman, just because she is a woman, has to be pure and safeguard her family’s name in the society. Janki says, â€Å"If Sita would not have taken the agni pariksha, the women of today would not have suffered the tantrums thrown at them. Janki is assaulted by the audience and is beaten up which leads her to miscarry her baby. The fourth woman, Raamdulari is a midwife in a village. She is more literate as compared to the other women of the village and in turn educates these women. Raamdulari strongly opposes the leaders of village. Later in the movie, she is gang raped and burnt alive by a group of henchmen sent by the village leaders. There are many such ‘Raamdularis’ in India whose voices go unheard, who are oppressed in this ruthless society of mail dominance. It doesn’t matter if a woman is raped, abused or killed as it would be said that she deserved it. The film clearly points a finger at how a male dominated society treats women. Women never feel the same freedom which men have. Where a girl is expected to be home by seven in the evening , the boy has no such restrictions. Women are never asked about their feelings, their desires, their emotions. A woman is just expected to cook, clean and produce children. But the situation is improving gradually as the literacy rates in the urban and rural areas are increasing. The woman no longer is just a homemaker. She has started contributing to the family income too. But many a times these women are exploited by their husbands and forced to give their earned salaries to them. Though being independent, they cannot enjoy the true meaning of independence. Whether rural or urban the plight of women is the same. In the urban areas, women have started taking a stand for themselves as they are getting more and more aware. Women in India are either killed at birth, face difficulties in getting married unless the dowry is paid, accused of being unfaithful, raped or killed. Such instances are never-ending. Interestingly, not only in India but other parts of the globe too, the women are exploited and oppressed. What we as a part of the society can do is spread awareness, encourage more and more women to get educated. Otherwise, if we don’t decide to take a stand now, then it will become so grave that how much ever we’ll want to eradicate the matter it will only get worse. After all, the greatness of a civilization can only be measured by the status of its women. Well ye know What woman is, for none of woman born Can choose but drain the bitter dregs of woe Which ever to the oppressed from the oppressors flow. -SHELLEY Bibliography 1. Lajja. Dir. Rajkumar santoshi. perf. Madhuri Dixit, Rekha, Manisha Koirala, Mahima Choudhary. Prod. Rajkumar Santoshi. writ. Ranjit Kapoor, Rajkumar Santoshi. Santoshi productions, 2001 2. Rob Sewell. The origins of womens oppression.. 05 september 2001. marxist. com/origins-womens-oppression. htm 3. Lajja Poster. google. co. in/imgres? q=lajjahl=ensa=Xgbv=2tbm=isch prmd=ivnsbtbnid=kdAZHYUtaw5n7M: imgrefurl= 4. chakpak. com /movie/lajja/11902docid=W16XdwZh GJbT3Mw=190h=215ei=Do4sTq6GJYX prQfc- eCxDQzoom=1iact=hcvpx=431vpy= 306dur=4735hovh=172hovw=1 52tx =84ty=130page=1tbnh=145tbnw=1 45start=0ndsp=18ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0biw=1366bih=643

How to Manage and ID Southern Waxmyrtle

How to Manage and ID Southern Waxmyrtle Southern waxmyrtle has multiple, twisted trunks with smooth, light gray bark. Wax myrtle is aromatic with olive green leaves and clusters of grey-blue, waxy berries on female plants which attract wildlife. Waxmyrtle is a popular landscape plant, ideal for use as a small tree if the lower limbs are removed to display its form. Waxmyrtle can stand impossible soil conditions, is rapid-growing and a striking evergreen. Without pruning, it will grow as wide as it is tall, usually 10 to 20. Specifics Scientific name: Myrica ceriferaPronunciation: MEER-ih-kuh ser-IF-er-uhCommon name(s): Southern Waxmyrtle, Southern BayberryFamily: MyricaceaeOrigin: native to North AmericaUSDA hardiness zones: 7b through 11Origin: native to North AmericaUses: Bonsai; container or above-ground planter; hedge; large parking lot islands Cultivars The cultivar Pumila is a dwarf form, less than three feet high. Myrica pensylvanica, Northern Bayberry, is a more cold-hardy species and the source of wax for bayberry candles. Propagation is by seeds, which germinate easily and rapidly, tip cuttings, division of the stolons or transplanting wild plants. Pruning Waxmyrtle is a very forgiving tree when pruned. Dr. Michael Dirr says in his book  Trees and Shrubs  that the tree withstands the endless pruning required to keep it in check. Wax myrtle will need pruning to keep it specimen beautiful. Removing excess shoot growth two times each year eliminates the tall, lanky branches and reduces the tendency for branches to droop. Some landscape managers hedge the crown into a multi-stemmed, dome-shaped topiary. Description Height: 15 to 25 feetSpread: 20 to 25 feetCrown uniformity: Irregular outline or silhouetteCrown shape: Round; vase shapeCrown density: ModerateGrowth rate: Fast Trunk and Branches Trunk/bark/branches: Bark is thin and easily damaged from mechanical impact; limbs droop as the tree grows, and may require pruning; routinely grown with, or trainable to be grown with, multiple trunks; showy trunkPruning requirement: Requires pruning to develop a strong structureBreakage: Susceptible to breakage either at the crotch due to poor collar formation, or the wood itself is weak and tends to breakCurrent year twig color: Brown; grayCurrent year twig thickness: Thin Foliage Leaf arrangement: AlternateLeaf type: SimpleLeaf margin: Entire; serrateLeaf shape: Oblong; oblanceolate; spatulateLeaf venation: PinnateLeaf type and persistence: Evergreen; fragrantLeaf blade length: 2 to 4 inchesLeaf color: GreenFall color: No fall color changeFall characteristic: Not showy Interesting Notes Waxmyrtle can be planted within 100 miles of the U.S. border, from Washington state to Southern New Jersey and south. It withstands endless pruning. Waxmyrtle fixes nitrogen in poor soils and transplants well from containers. Culture Light requirement: Tree grows in part shade/part sun; tree grows in the shade; tree grows in full sunSoil tolerances: Clay; loam; sand; acidic; alkaline; extended flooding; well-drainedDrought tolerance: ModerateAerosol salt tolerance: HighSoil salt tolerance: Moderate In Depth Southern Waxmyrtle is very tough and easily grown and can tolerate a variety of landscape settings from full sun to partial shade, wet swamplands or high, dry and alkaline areas. Growth is thin in total shade. It is also very salt-tolerant (soil and aerosol), making it suitable for seaside applications. It adapts well to parking lot and street tree planting, especially beneath power lines, but branches tend to droop toward the ground, possibly hindering the flow of vehicular traffic if not properly trained and pruned. Set them back from the road if used as a street tree so drooping branches will not hinder traffic. Removing excess shoot growth two times each year eliminates the tall, lanky branches and reduces the tendency for branches to droop. Some landscape managers hedge the crown into a multistemmed dome-shaped topiary. Plants spaced 10 feet apart, maintained in this manner, can create a nice canopy of shade for pedestrian traffic. Plants should be watered well until established and will then require no further care. The only drawback to the plant is its tendency to sprout from the roots. This can be a nuisance as they need to be removed several times each year to keep the tree looking sharp. However, in a naturalized garden this thick growth could be an advantage  since it would provide good nesting cover for wildlife. Only female trees produce fruit provided there is a male nearby, but seeds do not appear to become a weed problem in the landscape.

Definition and Examples of Doublespeak

Definition and Examples of Doublespeak Doublespeak is  language  thats intended to deceive or confuse people. The words used in doublespeak can often be understood in more than one way.   Doublespeak in English Doublespeak may take the form of  euphemisms, unsupported generalizations, or deliberate  ambiguity. Contrast with  plain English. William Lutz has defined  doublespeak  as language which pretends to  communicate  but doesnt.The word  doublespeak  is a  neologism  based on the  compounds  Newspeak  and  Doublethink  in George Orwells novel  1984  (1949), though Orwell himself never used the term. Examples and Observations of Doublespeak Political language . . . is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. (George Orwell, Politics and the English Language, 1946)Employing Orwellian doublespeak, the Texas Department of Agriculture issued a press release that simultaneously touted its efforts to combat  child  obesity while also  lifting a decade-old ban  on deep fat fryers in public schools. Because nothing slims a child’s waist faster than a helping of French fries. (Mark Bittman, What We’re Reading Now.  The New York Times, June 25, 2015) William Lutz on Doublespeak Doublespeak  is  language  which pretends to communicate but doesnt. It is  language  which makes the bad seem good, the negative seem positive, the unpleasant seem unattractive, or at least tolerable. It is  language  which avoids, shifts or denies responsibility; language which is at variance with its real or purported meaning. It is  language  which conceals or prevents thought. Doublespeak is all around us. We are asked to check our packages at the desk for our convenience when its not for our convenience at all but for someone elses convenience. We see advertisements for preowned, experienced or previously distinguished cars, not used cars and for genuine imitation leather, virgin vinyl or real counterfeit diamonds. (William Lutz, Doubts About Doublespeak.  State Government News, July 1993) With  doublespeak, banks dont have bad loans or bad debts; they have nonperforming assets or nonperforming credits which are rolled over or rescheduled.(William Lutz,  The New Doublespeak. HarperCollins, 1996)War and PeaceI reminded [the soldiers] and their families that the war in Iraq is really about peace.(President George W. Bush, April 2003) A Dehumanizing Language A  dehumanising  system requires a  dehumanising  language. So familiar and pervasive has this language become that it has soaked almost unnoticed into our lives. Those who do have jobs are also described by the function they deliver to capital. These days they are widely known as human resources. The living world is discussed in similar terms. Nature is natural capital. Ecological processes are ecosystem services, because their only purpose is to serve us. Hills, forests and rivers are described  in government reports  as green infrastructure.  Wildlife and habitats are asset classes  in an ecosystems market. . . . Those who kill for a living employ similar terms. Israeli military commanders described the massacre of 2,100 Palestinians, most of whom were civilians (including 500 children), in Gaza this summer as mowing the lawn. . . . The army has developed a technique it calls  Shake ‘n Bake: flush people out with phosphorus, then kill them with high explosives. Shake ‘n Bake is a product made by Kraft Foods for coating meat with breadcrumbs before cooking it. Terms such as these are designed to replace mental images of death and mutilation with images of something else. (George Monbiot, Cleansing the Stock’ and Other Ways Governments Talk About Human Beings.  The Guardian  [UK], October 21, 2014) Poker-Table Communication During the weeks of negotiations, the usual intercourse of policy deliberation . . . was interrupted. It was replaced by poker-table communication: Instead of saying what they wanted, Europe’s leaders engaged in  doublespeak, saying things publicly to strengthen their negotiating position in Brussels, even if those things were often at odds with their actual intent and thoughts. (Anna Sauerbrey, European Political Poker.  The New York Times, August 9, 2015) Fashionable Doublespeak [Umbro designer David] Blanch has employed an impressive amount of  doublespeak  to talk up the technological wizardry of his design. The shirts boast intelligent ventilation points, which look very much like arm holes to you and me. It incorporates tailored shoulder darts specifically designed to accommodate the biodynamics of the shoulder. Its hard to tell from the official pictures, but this ever-so-clever touch appears to be a seam. (Helen Pidd, New All-White England Kit.  The Guardian, March 29, 2009) President Harry Trumans Secretary of Semantics I have appointed a Secretary of  Semanticsa most important post. He is to furnish me with forty to fifty dollar words. Tell me how to say yes and no in the same sentence without a contradiction. He is to tell me the combination of words that will put me against inflation in San Francisco and for it in New York. He is to show me how to keep silentand say everything. You can very well see how he can save me an immense amount of worry. (President Harry S Truman, December 1947. Quoted by Paul Dickson in  Words From the White House. Walker Company, 2013) Resisting Doublespeak What can the average  receiver  do about  doublespeak  and related scams, swindles, and deceptions, and what should the average persuader/advertiser/blogger and so on do to avoid engaging in it? The  Doublespeak Homepage  recommends asking the following questions about any piece of  persuasion  being received or planned:  1. Who is speaking to whom?  2. Under what conditions?  3. Under what circumstances?  4. With what intent?  5. With what results?If you cannot answer  all  these questions with ease, or if you feel uncomfortable with the answers, or if you cannot determine any answer to them, you are probably dealing with doublespeak. You had better be prepared to delve deeper, or if you are sending the message, youd better think about cleaning it up a bit. (Charles U. Larson,  Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility, 12th ed. Wadsworth, 2010)      See Examples and Observations below.  Also  see: Pronunciation:  DUB-bel SPEK Also Known  As:  double talk ApoplanesisBureaucrateseA Dictionary of Phony PhrasesGeorge Carlins Essential DrivelGeorge Orwells Rules for WritersGibberish  and  GobbledygookLexical AmbiguityMystification  and  SkotisonSoft LanguageSoggy Sweats Whiskey SpeechUnder the Flapdoodle Tree: Doublespeak, Soft Language, and GobbledygookVaguenessWhat Are Weasel Words?Why Youll Never Be Told, Youre Fired

GLOBAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT AND MARKETING Assignment

GLOBAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT AND MARKETING - Assignment Example Cross-elasticity and self-elasticity are significant. No single corporation in the market has adequate market share to influence prices, resulting in competitive pricing and strong rivalry. The barriers to entrance are high because of regulation, the existence of patents, brand loyalty, economies of scale and high fixed costs. The individual market partakers engage in efforts to differentiate their product, some doing well than others. Apple Inc stands out in product differentiation. The company has successfully singled out its iPhone and is likely to maintain that distinction because of its all-inclusive and closed development and use. Through reinvention of mobile phones by its magical iPhone and iPad and App store, Apple Inc. has been regarded the most innovative firm that offers top expertise in the electronics market in China. The Apple Inc. Products are manufactured to allow their Chinese consumers to have a simpler life by joining various technologies. Despite the Apple’s popularity in china, it only has a small percentage in the market, accounting for only 8% (King 2012, p. 45). However, this can be ascribed to its little time in the Chinese market. Chinese customers were quickly fascinated by the technical devices like iPad; iPod and iPhone likewise to customers in other countries even though there was improved attention in china in contrast to other countries. Nevertheless, Apple Inc. Analysis of revenues shows that significant Apple Inc. Markets are in Europe and America (Zhang & Prybutok 2005, p.

Cubism and 3D Sculptures Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cubism and 3D Sculptures - Personal Statement Example The beginning is 20th century saw the emergence of cubism, a painting style that balances the geometry and reality of objects as seen in various dimensions. Cubism led to the abandonment of single viewpoint of objects for a more geometric and realistic 3D view of objects drawn on a 2D plane, where artists pursued beauty and attraction. Artists like Frank Lloyd, Giger, Robin, and Boccioni among many other creative brains curved sculptures to pass a statement of the value of cubism on the world of arts (Jaskiewicz, pars. 2-3). Drawing from the influences of these artists’ works on the modern day 3D environment, I have to admit that their sculptures have played critical roles in the production of 3D objects in videos and computer graphics. Its common knowledge that, in the present day, there are machines and computer programs that can create various 3D videos, largely by replicating actual physical objects carved out of wood, soapstones, clay, metal, and plastics. In my attempt to understand the link between cubism and 3D, I inverted pyramid of several boxes laid above each other. However, I realized that there was no balance in the dynamism of the boxes. Hence, I turned them over and drew the box down into two 4-point stars, each on top of the other. From this, I could visualize a wrought iron glass structure erected on a tall platform. From this dimension, cubism-inspired my imagination of a 3D sculpture.

Fair Trade Degree Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fair Trade Degree - Essay Example While the banks do not accept that the unfairness rules of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations apply, the OFT argue that such rules apply. A swift determination of this issue will assist expeditiously resolve the fairness issue of these charges.2 The 1999 Regulations, implementing the Directive, revoked and replaced the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1994. The 1999 Regulations apply in relation to terms in contracts concluded between a seller or a supplier and a consumer (Regulation 4(1)). Regulation 5(1) provides: "A contractual term which has not been individually negotiated shall be regarded as unfair if, contrary to the requirement of good faith, it causes a significant imbalance in the parties' rights and obligations arising under the contract, to the detriment of the consumer." Regulation 5(5) provides that Schedule 2 to the 1999 Regulations contains an indicative and non-exhaustive list of the terms which may be regarded as unfair. Regulation 8(1) provides that an unfair term in a contract concluded with a consumer by a seller or supplier shall not be binding on the consumer. Regulation 8(2) provides that the contract shall continue to bind the parties if it is capable of continuing in existence without the unfair term. The only material exception to the applicability of the test of fairness set out in 1999 Regulations is contained in Regulation 6(2) relating to what are called, for short, "core terms": "In so far as it is in plain intelligible language, the assessment of fairness of a term shall not relate- (a) to the definition of the main subject matter of the contract, or (b) to the adequacy of the price or remuneration, as against the goods or services supplied in exchange". Banks enter into personal current account agreements with their customers who are consumers, containing the terms and conditions relating to the operation of those current accounts by such customers. In so far as any of these terms and charges are contained in documents which are described as notices to, guides to, or communications with, customers, they are nevertheless to be considered as terms of a contract between the Bank and its customers for the purposes of the 1999 Regulations, whether or not they are described as terms or as "policies of the bank" or as anything else. The Banks' current account agreements typically provide or provided for three types of payments to be demanded from customers in connection with unauthorised overdrafts: A fee charged by Banks: (a) when a customer seeks to operate his current account in a way that will result in the account being debited despite there being insufficient available funds to support the debit but the Bank nevertheless agrees to ef fect payment, causing the account to go into overdraft or further overdraft, or to exceed, or further exceed, an already agreed overdraft limit; when a customer moves into or is in an unauthorised overdrawn position within a specified period. A returned item fee, e.g. as in the previous case, a cheque is presented but in this case the Bank declines to authorise payment because there are insufficient funds, and the cheque has to be returned to the payee marked "R/D" or "RDPR" or "Effects uncleared". An increased rate of interest charged on unauthorised overdrafts granted in the circumstances set out above. The provisions in the

Deviant behavior within cults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Deviant behavior within cults - Essay Example According to an estimate some three thousand (3,000) of such cults have been reported to exist all over the world with a total population of at least three million people attached to them as their followers. The secret religious ceremonies in Greek were technically called the Mysteries. The history of Mysteries is traced back to the days of ancient Greece in the year 600 B.C. when in a Greek city Eleusis, the people practiced a cult of Eleusinian Mysteries. Those Greek who practiced this cult, which involved the worship of Demeter, the goddess of fertility, were promised blessings in the life hereafter. In ancient Rome the group, comprising mostly of soldiers, and belonging to the 'Mithraism Cult' also practiced Mysteries. The members of this cult worshipped the god of fire and light called Mithra. (Raitt, Jill., n.p.n.d.) It was not easy to become a member of a cult in ancient times. Before their admittance into a particular cult, people had to undergo rigorous tests of their patience and staunch adherence. Some of the steps and mechanism involving induction of new members into the cult included: 2. The new entrants then take an oath and pledge for their adherence to the cult so as to become permanent member. The members develop a sense of belonging to that particular cult whose membership they attain. The followers of the cult then begin to imbibe within them the characteristics of cult, their mentality converting into strong allegiance to the group as denoted by the phrase "Us vs Them" 3. Belief of the members: Members gradually are made to develop a belief that it is only they or their group which is on the path of truth. And the other forms of truth as described in other various divinely religions become meaningless to them. The process of operative exclusivists comes into play allowing awareness of several unrevealed dogmas and special information only to those who are interested and proved their loyalty within the group. 4. The natural outcome of this belief is the segregation of such a group from the existing society. The feelings of hostility for other members of society who are not members of such a cult are emanated from the process of indoctrination from cult's beliefs. 5. Self-negation: Cults demand sacrifice of personal wishes, desires or wishes from its members. It is through the practice of this principle of self-negation that members exhibit willingness to sacrifice their self-comfort, getting along without money, and crushing their ambitious dreams for fulfilling cults motives and the so-called salvation The Modern Cults As the time passed, the meaning of cult underwent a change especially after 1960s. The new definition

Most effective Leadership & Management Styles & approaches Coursework

Most effective Leadership & Management Styles & approaches - Coursework Example Guiding the work of subordinates and subsequent organizational success requires good knowledge and espousing the dissimilarity between management and leadership. Differences of the models emanate from ascribed roles and expectations. Management is a function that entails frameworks for performing things right whereas leadership is the affiliation that the leader has with groups that can inspire and strengthen the business. In this regard, Managers are enablers of their subordinates’ accomplishment. They provide necessary inputs for productive and successful teams. Managers perform crucial roles of planning, controlling, commanding and coordinating followers. Good management skills offer the transition to participative and consultative operations (Adeniyi, 2010, pp. 64). Managers are rational characters and usually under control problem solvers. Quite often, they concentrate on personnel, goals, structures, and resource availability. Unique personalities of managers include persistence, analysis, strong will, and intelligence. Managers focus on supervising work by controlling subordinates. Most common managerial styles include dictatorship, Autocratic, Authoritative, Transactional Consultative and Democratic approaches to handling situations. Thus, far managing a group requires keen analysis of components and devising appropriate responses. Contrariwise, a leader is anyone among team members with a particular talent, creativity and experience in a certain part of the business. They usually guide colleagues based on capabilities and prove useful to the manager and the team. Good leaders exhibit excellent skills like participative, consultative and transformational approaches while handling followers (Adeniyi, 2010). Their sole focus is an achievement of goals. Effective leaders understand that there is no single best style to manage people. In its place, they acclimatize their

Audiometry Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Audiometry - Lab Report Example It also assists in assessing the nature, degree, and probable cause of the hearing impairment of s patient. The pure tone audiometry is used in determining the threshold of hearing of the patient. This is defined by the lowest hearing level at which the patient responds at least 51% of the time to auditory stimuli. These thresholds are found using procedures as recommended by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Pure tone threshold testing should be handled in a sound controlled room. This will help in avoiding masking by unacceptable noise levels in the room. An audiogram is composed of three main parts namely, pure tone testing that determines ability to detect sound, and speech testing determines ability to decode sound, and tympanometry which helps in defining where the problem is. The normal hearing ability ranges between 10 - 25 dB HL while for serve cases it ranges between severe 70 - 85 dB HL. For the first patient, the left ear, frequencies between 0-2000(Hz), the hearing ability ranges between -20—50dBHL. As the rate increases past 2000 Hz, the hearing ability increases from -30 to -10 dBHL. However, when the rate hits past 4000 Hz, the hearing ability decreases to -36 dBHL. On the other hand, the right ear, the hearing ability increases gradually except when the frequency reaches 250-500 Hz where the hearing ability remains constant. However, this shows the right ear has a better listening ability. For the second patient, the hearing ability varies between different frequencies. In the left ear, the hearing ability increases between 250-2000 Hz. However, when the frequency goes past 2000 Hz, the hearing ability starts to decrease. This illustrates that when sound frequency goes beyond 2000 Hz, the hearing ability of the left ear becomes null. However, for the left ear, the hearing ability increases. The majority of thresholds are roughly 0 dB HL for a healthy ear. Points under 0 dB HL on the scale designate

Most effective Leadership & Management Styles & approaches Coursework

Most effective Leadership & Management Styles & approaches - Coursework Example Guiding the work of subordinates and subsequent organizational success requires good knowledge and espousing the dissimilarity between management and leadership. Differences of the models emanate from ascribed roles and expectations. Management is a function that entails frameworks for performing things right whereas leadership is the affiliation that the leader has with groups that can inspire and strengthen the business. In this regard, Managers are enablers of their subordinates’ accomplishment. They provide necessary inputs for productive and successful teams. Managers perform crucial roles of planning, controlling, commanding and coordinating followers. Good management skills offer the transition to participative and consultative operations (Adeniyi, 2010, pp. 64). Managers are rational characters and usually under control problem solvers. Quite often, they concentrate on personnel, goals, structures, and resource availability. Unique personalities of managers include persistence, analysis, strong will, and intelligence. Managers focus on supervising work by controlling subordinates. Most common managerial styles include dictatorship, Autocratic, Authoritative, Transactional Consultative and Democratic approaches to handling situations. Thus, far managing a group requires keen analysis of components and devising appropriate responses. Contrariwise, a leader is anyone among team members with a particular talent, creativity and experience in a certain part of the business. They usually guide colleagues based on capabilities and prove useful to the manager and the team. Good leaders exhibit excellent skills like participative, consultative and transformational approaches while handling followers (Adeniyi, 2010). Their sole focus is an achievement of goals. Effective leaders understand that there is no single best style to manage people. In its place, they acclimatize their

Email Messages from the Business Consultant Coursework

Email Messages from the Business Consultant - Coursework Example More importantly, it will improve the productivity of the company, while still guaranteeing an excellent channel for saving the overheads of your company. At your company, 20 percent of your workers do the work of compiling data, drafting reports, and conducting research, which is a core area in the company’s role of developing new product development models and analysing product flow. This area of work requires the staffs of the company to work for more than 8 hours uninterrupted. For that reason, the company’s current work schedule analyzing posing them to the interruptions of visitors at the company building and the telephone calls to answer; it is likely that the company of unfinished weekly jobs will not end soon. This is to imply that requiring your workers to operate from the office may be doing more disadvantage, and that situation can easily be corrected by a change of work strategy and schedule. By allowing the 20 percent of the workers doing work that can be completed remotely, at locations where the workers have access to a computer and a reliable internet connection, it is likely that they will improve their daily and weekly output. The program of telecommuting for the 20 percent of workers can be very useful during the mid-week days, including Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, because they will collect the week’s work on Monday evening. After collecting the week’s target work bulk, they will be more likely to complete it by Thursday night, and then they will tender in the completed work for report taking and clearance on Fridays. Further information about the advantages, the checks to use and the employee management model to use, will be sent as attachments to the official e-mail sent to you; a copy was sent to the managing director of your company.  

Import and Export Essay Example for Free

Import and Export Essay Physical Exports: If the goods physically go out of the country or services are rendered outside the country then it is called as physical export. Deemed Exports: Where the goods do not go out of the country physically they can be termed as deemed exports. This will be subject to certain conditions as prescribed by the DGFT. Under Deemed Exports, the goods may be supplied to the manufacturer exporter who ultimately export a finished product of which this supply forms a part and ultimately go out of the country. E.g.  Supply of fabrics to the garment exporter who exports the garments made out of the said fabric. The government may announce from time to time the types of supplies that may be considered as deemed export. The Foreign Trade Policy gives the list of supplies considered under the Deemed Export Category. The policies and procedures are different for Physical Exports and Deemed Exports as also the benefits available. In a nutshell, Deemed Exports do not enjoy all the benefits that are available under Physical Export. The Foreign Trade defines exports as taking out of India any goods by land, sea, air. Although the act does not term them as â€Å"Physical Exports†, we have to put phrase to distinguish it from â€Å"Deemed Exports† which is sales in India but considered as exports for limited purpose. Types of Exporters: Exporters can be basically classified into two groupsManufacturer Exporter: As the exporter has the facility to manufacturer the product he intends to export and hence he exports the products manufactured by him. Merchant Exporter: An exporter who does not have the facility to manufacture an item. But, he procures the same from other manufacturers or from the market and exports the same. An exporter can be both a manufacturer exporter as well as a merchant exporter, he can export product manufactured by him or he can export items bought from the market. Once it is decided to export, it is mandatory on your part to follow certain procedures, rules and regulations as prescribed by various regulatory authorities such as DGFT, RBI, and Customs. These procedures, rules and regulations are laid down in the Exim Policy 2004-09, Exchange Control Manual, Customs Act etc. Accordingly Export documents are required to be prepared keeping in view of the requirement of the foreign buyers and our regulatory authorities. INCOTERMS 2013 What Incoterms Rules Are 11 terms of shipment and delivery provided by the International Chamber of Commerce for use in contracts for the business-to-business sales/purchases of tangible, portable goods, for implementation 1/1/11. Legacy to a long tradition of international use since 1936. Written to reflect rather than dictate trade practice. Always abbreviated by a three character English language acronym. Always accompanied by a geographic place the more precise the better. Updated to reflect current trade practice Used exclusively in sales/purchase contracts (we’ll call these â€Å"sales contracts†). Increasingly considered as a replacement for the former Uniform Commercial Code shipment and delivery terms (UCC §2-319 through  §2-324) What Incoterms Rules Aren’t Law. They must be specified in order to apply. All inclusive cannot address such issues as customary operations of carriers, ports, trades, government regulations, etc. What Incoterms Rules Do Divide costs, risks and responsibilities between sellers and buyers. ï‚ · Guide one or the other party into subsidiary contracts required to fulfill designated tasks such as contracts of carriage and contracts of insurance. What Incoterms Rules Don’t Do Address passage of title. Address recognition of revenue. Address remedies for breach of contract. Address more than one contract. (drop shipments) Refer to â€Å"ship’s rail† which changes the delivery point for FOB, CFR, CIF. Incoterms ® is a registered trademark of the International Chamber of Commerce, registered in several countries and used with permission. Definitions Delivery: indicates where the risk of loss passes from seller to buyer. Shipment contract a type of sales/purchase contract under which the seller’s responsibility ends when the contract goods have been handed over to a carrier (i.e., the seller delivers by shipping). EXW, FCA, FAS, FOB,  CPT, CIP, CFR and CIF Incoterms rules are used in shipment contracts. Arrival contract: a type of sales/purchase contract under which the seller’s responsibility ends when the goods have arrived at the agreed place (i.e., the seller delivers when goods arrive). DAT, DAP and DDP Incoterms ® rules are used in arrival contracts. Liner terms: carrier loads and unloads vessel (used with waterborne transport). Ex Works (EXW) + Named Place (place where the shipment originates usually the seller’s premises) Breakdown:  Seller: have goods available when promised and packaged to the extent known or agreed. Buyer: everything else (pre-carriage, export clearance, main carriage, import clearance, on-carriage) Free Carrier (FCA) + Named Place (either place where shipment originates usually the seller’s premises or another place on the seller’s side.) Breakdown: A) When accompanied by the place where the shipment originates Seller: have goods available when promised, packaged to the extent known or agreed, load collecting vehicle, export clearance. Buyer: everything else (pre-carriage, main carriage, import clearance, on-carriage) B) When accompanied by another place on the seller’s side Seller: have goods available when promised, packaged to the extent known or agreed, load delivering vehicle, pre-carriage, export clearance. Buyer: everything else (unload delivering vehicle, main carriage, import clearance, on-carriage) Carriage Paid To (CPT) + Named Place (on the buyer’s side) Breakdown: Seller: deliver the goods appropriately packaged to the carrier for transportation to the named place of destination and pay all transport costs thereto. (The seller delivers at the first carrier unless specified otherwise in the sales contract.), export clearance. Buyer: unloading, import clearance, on carriage Carriage And Insurance Paid To (CIP) + Named Place (on the buyer’s side) Breakdown: Seller: as with CPT except seller must also provide at least minimum cover insurance in such a manner that the buyer can claim directly from the insurer Buyer: unloading, import clearance, on carriage Delivered At Terminal (DAT) + Named Place (terminal on buyer’s side) Breakdown: Seller: export clearance, deliver the goods appropriately packaged and unloaded at the named destination terminal and pay all transport costs thereto. Buyer: import clearance, on carriage Delivered At Place (DAP) + Named Place (on the buyer’s side) Breakdown: Seller: export clearance, deliver the goods appropriately packaged at the named destination and pay all transport costs thereto. Buyer: unloading, import clearance, on carriage Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) + Named Place (on the buyer’s side) Breakdown: Seller: export clearance, deliver the goods appropriately packaged and cleared for import at the named destination and pay all transport costs thereto. Buyer: unloading, on carriage Free Alongside Ship (FAS) + Named Place (alongside a vessel at port on the seller’s side) Breakdown: Seller delivers goods appropriately export packed alongside the buyer-designated vessel at the port on the seller’s side, export clearance. Buyer: everything else (vessel loading, main carriage, import clearance, on carriage) Free On Board (FOB) + Named Place (loaded on a vessel at a port on the seller’s side) Breakdown: Seller delivers goods appropriately export packed on board the buyer-designated vessel at the port on the seller’s side, export clearance. Buyer: everything else (main carriage, import clearance, on carriage) Cost And Freight (CFR) + Named Place (a port on the buyer’s side) Breakdown: Seller delivers goods appropriately export packed on board the seller-designated vessel at the port on the seller’s side and pays transportation costs to the agreed port on the buyer’s side, export clearance. Buyer: everything else (vessel unloading import clearance, on carriage) Cost Insurance And Freight (CIF) + Named Place (a port on the buyer’s side) Breakdown: Seller: as with CFR except seller must also provide at least minimum cover insurance in such a manner that the buyer can claim directly from the insurer Buyer: everything else (vessel unloading import clearance, on carriage) CASE STUDY: You are the exporter. Your factory is situated 100 km from the port. Products can be moved by rail to port for loading, port facilities are good. Insurance is easily arranged. Your country is stable. Ships are available for shipment. What delivery terms would you suggest for sales of your product for the following countries. Country A: Good infrastructure Efficient inland transportation Known for labor dispute Country B: Excellent inland transportation Port congestion from 10 to 90 days Country C: Good port facilities Efficient inland transportation Buyer not reliable Country D: None of the above disadvantages Country is stable Buyer is reliable SHIPPING DOCUMENTS SELLER Invoice: includes value of the cargo, details related to payment, customs duties, insurance claims, declaration of permits and L/C negotiations Types of invoices: †¢Ã‚  Commercial invoice †¢Ã‚  Proforma invoice †¢Ã‚  Consular invoice †¢Ã‚  Customs invoice †¢Ã‚  Non-commercial value invoice Packing list: This statement gives the packing details of the goods in prescribed format. It is very useful document for customs at the time of examination and warehouse keeper of the buyer to maintain a record of inventory and to effect delivery. Essential contents: †¢Ã‚  Description †¢Ã‚  Measurement †¢Ã‚  Quantity Certificate of origin: The certificate issued by local chamber of commerce indicates that the goods which are being exported are actually manufactures in a specific country mentioned therein. It is sent by the exporter to the importer and is useful for clearance of goods from the customs authority of importing country. CARRIERS Bill of Lading (B/L): The document issued by shipping company acknowledging the receipt of goods mentioned in the bill for shipment on board or vessel. The B/L is the legal document to be referred in case of any dispute over the shipment. B/L can be a negotiable document. It contains: †¢Ã‚  The shipping companys name and address †¢Ã‚  The consignees name and address †¢Ã‚  The port of loading and port of discharge †¢Ã‚  Shipping marks and particulars †¢Ã‚  Number of packages and goods †¢Ã‚  Gross weight and net weight †¢Ã‚  Freight details and name of the vessel †¢Ã‚  Signature of the shipping companys agent  Common types of B/L †¢Ã‚  Clean  dirty  stale †¢Ã‚  Through/Tran-shipment †¢Ã‚  Combine transport †¢Ã‚  Master †¢Ã‚  House Airway Bill: The receipt issued by Airlines Company or its agent for carriage  of goods is a contract between the owner of the goods and the carrier. It is a proof of receipt/booking, does not specify loading. Buyer Shipping guarantee (if necessary): Shipping Guarantee is given by the buyer in support of clearing cargo with put B/L. It also protects the carrier against any fraud and indemnify against any claims. CARGO INSURANCE Cargo insurance is the document obtained from the freight forwarder used to assure the consignee that insurance will cover the loss of damage to the cargo during transit. Reasons for Insurance: Protection against risk Prevent financial loss Requirement by bank e.g. L/C term Selling on certain term e.g. CIF Carrier limited liability Reduced business anxiety Documents necessary for claim: Companys cover letter Original policy Shipping invoice Packing list Original B/L or AWB Survey report Landing Account (unloading/discharge report) PAYMENT MODES: Advance Credit account Consignment sale Documentary collection 1. Document Against Payment (D/P): Supplier ship goods and forward bill of exchange to buyers bank through his own bank. No credit involved and buyer obtain title of goods after payment. 2. Document Against Acceptance (D/A): Supplier ship goods and forward bill of exchange to buyers bank through his own bank. Credit period involved and buyer obtain title of goods before payment. Letter of credit (L/C)  It is the letter of undertaking by importers bank to pay overseas exporter against exporters shipping document. Shipping document must strictly adhere to the terms and conditions of the L/C. L/C Procedures: Sales contract between seller and buyer Buyer open L/C with the issuing bank Issuing bank sends L/C to advising bank Advising bank sends L/C to seller Seller ship cargo Seller presents documents to negotiation bank for payment Negotiating bank checks documents and forward to issuing bank Issuing bank checks and pay to negotiating bank Negotiating bank pays to Seller Buyer pays issuing bank Issuing bank releases shipping documents to buyer Buyer uses issuing documents to clear cargo Types of L/C: Revocable Irrevocable 1. Confirmed 2. unconfirmed Red clause Revolving Transferable Back to back Advantages Secure Financial assistance Bank control and hold title to goods Seller receives payment before buyer receives goods Disadvantage Over reliance on shipping documentation No physical inspection of goods Bank not familiar with shipping practices Subject to fraud Very costly ADVANTAGES OF EXPOT BUSINESS Creating goodwill between nations with divergent interests. Exchange of goods unavailable overseas Enhance domestic competitiveness Increase sales and profits Gain global market share Exploit corporate technology and know-how Extend sales potential of existing product Stabilize seasonal market fluctuations Enhance potential for corporate expansion Sell excess production capacity Gain information about foreign competition CHALLENGES IN EXPOT BUSINESS Political and commercial risk Compliance to foreign regulations and standards cultural and language differences Non payment by foreign buyer Currency exchange rates Damage to goods in transit intellectual property rights

Symbolism,Characterization, and Faith in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brow

Symbolism,Characterization, and Faith in   Young Goodman Brown      Ã‚   Faith is believing what you can’t see or touch. Faith is knowing something especially when there is no proof to back it up. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a story about a man who leaves his wife, Faith, home alone for a night while he journeys with the devil down the road of temptation. During the course of his journey, the man sees many people who seem out of place, including his wife. When he returns home to Salem, he is a changed man. In this story, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism and characterization in order to imply that when an individual loses faith in the goodness of mankind, that individual may conclude that mankind (including friends and family) has given in to temptation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne uses symbolism to imply that when individuals lose their faith in the goodness of mankind, they may begin to imagine that their peers have yielded to temptation. The character of Faith is Goodman Brown's spouse, but she is also a symbol of his faith in mankind. Brown's relationship with Faith changes as the story progresses, from tender and caring love to judgmental scorn. Brown's thoughts about Faith as he leaves on his journey are: "Poor little Faith...she's a blessed angel on earth;... ...ith in humanity and starts imagining that all his peers are guilty of sin. Is mankind unworthy of our faith? No. Faith in the goodness of mankind is a belief in something for which there is proof.    Works Cited and Consulted: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Complete Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc.,1959.    Leavis, Q.D. â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989.

The Future of Renewable Energy and RE Policy Mechanisms Essay -- Energ

Albert Einstein, the famed physicist, once noted that â€Å"We can’t solve our problems with the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.† Today’s world is faced with the dual threats of climate problems brought on by the use of fossil fuels and the economic challenge caused by the increasing scarcity and demand for those fossil fuels. It is time for society to look beyond the limited and dirty fossil fuels as the energy of choice and promote the use of the abundant renewable energy sources we are endowed with. Because the subsidies to wind and other alternative energies ultimately generate more income than their initial costs and because we continue to subsidize fossil fuels, we should modify governmental tax policy to incentivize and establish the renewable energy industries so that they remain competitive with fossil fuels. Estimates that the world’s population will expand from today’s 6.7 billion to more than 9 billion in 2050 foretell of a coming demand explosion for energy (Friedman 29). Increased requirements for food, transportation, and consumer goods will result in larger energy consumption on many fronts. Fossil fuels, which currently provide an estimated 80 percent of the world’s energy supply, have already been consumed for more than a century and their finite supplies are becoming increasingly difficult to find and more expensive to produce (â€Å"Prediction of Energy Consumption World-wide†). The combination of increasing energy demand and depleting fossil fuel supplies calls for government action to incentivize the production and use of the unlimited supplies of renewable energies. Inducements may come in the form of direct subsidies to the producers of renewable energy, construction of the necessary transm... ...n of Energy Consumption World-wide.† Time for change. n.p., n.d. Web. 2 March 2012. Puzzanghera, Jim and Kathleen Hennessey. â€Å"White House Unveils Corporate Tax Changes to Fix ‘Unfair’ System.† latimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 2 March 2012. Shah, Anup. â€Å"World Military Spending.† globalissues.org. n.p., 2 May 2011. Web. 2 March 2012. Wald, Matthew L. â€Å"Fossil Fuels’ Hidden Cost in Billions, Study Says.† NYTimes.com. The New York Times, 19 Oct. 2009. Web. 8 March 2012. â€Å"What’s the Real Cost of Fossil Fuels?† hubpages.com. riversedge, n.d. Web. 8 March 2012. Wiser, Ryan, Mark Bolinger, and Galen Barbose. â€Å"Using the Federal Production Tax Credit to Build a Durable Market for Wind Power in the United States.† Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Clean Energy States Alliance, Nov. 2007. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

Macbeth Essay Essay

Shakespeare uses ghosts and witches into many of his plays and work. But in no other play did he make them so horrible and demon like as he did the witches in Macbeth. The way in which they were described, made Macbeth a popular play. Superstition is a very shrewd belief in the supernatural. Supernatural is an attribute to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature. When it is referred to as â€Å"the supernatural†, then it means supernatural appearances or events. Both of the two terms that I have just explained, superstition and supernatural, are present a lot of the time during the play Macbeth, and many of the supernatural events which occur during the play tend to lead into other happenings. The witches are actually an important part of the play and the supernatural, because they start the play along with the supernatural. At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare sets the scene for the witches by using thunder and lightening and naming location of the scene â€Å"A Desolate Place†. â€Å"Upon the heath† and â€Å"there to meet Macbeth† The witches announce that they will meet with Macbeth upon a heath. They then disappear into â€Å"filthy air† as mysteriously as they arrived. Later in the play, Banquo refers to the witches exit as â€Å"the earth hath bubbles, as the water has, and these are of them† what he means by this is that the witches can disappear in the same way as bubbles do. In the first scene the supernatural theme is present due to the witches being there. They speak of Macbeth and involve him in supernatural matters, and we can tell that they influence him, and this also blooms as the play develops. The words that the witches use are also of a supernatural nature. Some link together sometimes in a chant like way, such as ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair’, and this sounds rather unpleasant and evil. We can also blame them for some of the things that happen later on in the play which are involved in the downfall of Macbeth. Later in the play Macbeth is found echoing some of the phrases that the witches have used. This occurs just before the witches give their predictions to Macbeth and Banquo. This could be coincidence, but could also be because they have influenced him. Therefore, they could have influenced him in what to do, and what he does is evil. This is a good example of how the supernatural leads to his downfall. The main turning point in the play is when Macbeth meets with the witches when he is with Banquo and when the predictions are made. Macbeth is told that he shall be the thane of Glamis, then the than of Cawdor and shall then go on to be King. We can tell that he is interested as the first thing that he says after these predictions have been made is ‘Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more’, which is meant to make Banquo and the audience to think that he does not believe them, but tells the witches to carry on as he is curious as to what they have to say, but they vanish and we know that he has taken them seriously as he desperate for them to come back. Banquo has a different view and says ‘The instruments tell us truths; win us with honest trifles, to betray in deepest consequence’. What Banquo means by this is that the witches may have only told them their possible future so that they act on what they have been told. By saying this, Banquo is implying that the witches have evil intentions. Banquo advises Macbeth to steer clear o the witches and what they have said, but he ignores him as he is greedy and over ambitious. This is where we know that the supernatural has influenced Macbeth and has begun to change him. At the time of the predictions Macbeth was already Thane of Glamis, and was shortly made the Thane of cawdor. This made him believe that the predictions were true. Macbeth believed that if the first two predictions were correct, the third prediction would also be correct. Lady Macbeth also helped Macbeth become a victim of his own destiny. She was behind him during the murder of King Duncan and was the reason for Macbeth doing it because she continued to assure that all would turn out in their favour. She also made him feel guilty and like a wimp by saying ‘Art thou afeard’ and ‘live a coward in thane own esteem’. This is quite an important thing as she is questioning his masculinity. Macbeth is at this time known as a warrior, and when he is faced with this comment he is going to try and prove it wrong. She can also be found using witchcraft when she asks the spirits to change her into a fearless, ruthless human being making her able to help Macbeth in killing Duncan. She says ‘Unsex me here’ and ‘Come you spirits’ which shows that she would be able to influence what Macbeth does, like the witches can. As the play continues we can see that they grow apart and Macbeth decides to make more important decisions on his own and does not include her. As I have already said, the witches build up a large part of the supernatural in the play, but other elements add to this, so we can not put it all down to the witches. Although they were responsible for directing Macbeth in the killing, and the hallucinations may have encouraged him, a character who was close to him was also involved, Lady Macbeth. However, when Macbeth murdered Banquo, and Macduff’s family, they were his own decisions. I think that he went solo because all of the predictions had been achieved, and now the supernatural has abandoned him. Before he could have blamed it on the supernatural but when he took matters into his own hands he was to blame. Macbeth starts to arouse suspicion as soon as he starts making decisions for himself and so, this is why he ends up dead because Banquo suspects him. You could say that all of the deaths in Macbeth were caused by the supernatural, because the witches had quite a lot to do with Macbeth, and the Murder of Duncan was directed by witchcraft. Macbeth was provoked by the witches and pressurised by his wife, who we know used witchcraft at some time during the play, and did carry out the actions herself, but we could say that it is not his fault. However, the witches may have just been making suggestions and so; Macbeth never had to follow them. After this of course, the murders are down to one man, Macbeth. I think that the supernatural does indeed lead to Macbeth’s downfall, but really, he is to blame, and becomes a monster. I think that the main reason is his own ambition.

Unman Wittering and Zigo by Giles Cooper Analysis

We have been studying the play Unman Wittering and Zigo, which was written by Giles Cooper in the 1960's. Giles Cooper was born in Dublin in 1918 into a privileged home. His father was a naval officer, who later became a judge. Giles Cooper's father wanted him to become a diplomat or a lawyer but Giles chose to go to drama school rather than university. He was educated in a public school, subsequently the story is based on his own experiences of authoritarian teaching while he was a student. Giles Cooper was concerned about the effects of authoritarian teaching and as a result wrote this play. The play is about a teacher, John Ebony, in his first job who wants to make a good impression. He finds that the boys he is teaching are fractious and have a nasty habit of gambling. His life as a teacher rapidly descends in to a nightmare, and as the story goes on he begins to uncover the mystery surrounding the death of the previous school master. It goes on to reveal something dark and unpleasant about the nature of the boys who killed their form teacher. The play was written for radio so there aren't any visuals. The audience therefore had to imagine what the characters and scenarios were like. As it is a radio play the tone and pitch of the voice are very important because this is the medium through which effective understanding is conveyed. The scenes in the play are very short because audiences cannot listen for a long time without visuals. Therefore the director must entertain the audience by providing a gripping thriller. John is used in the story to expose the hidden secrets of Chantery and the corruption of the boys. Giles Cooper does this through a vulnerable and in experienced teacher. John is trying to be more like Mr Winstanly but this does not work for John because he is far too inexperienced. In the first scene John is appointed as a temporary teacher at Chantery. When the Head is talking to him he makes sure John knows about the reputation of the school, as if the headmaster is showing off. Surprisingly the headmaster ignores John's questions and instead of answering he interrupts or changes the subject. ‘Was he my predecessor? Er, Yes. That brick building†¦.' This makes the reader wonder why? He does it because he is hiding something about Mr Pelham The headmaster tells John that Lower 5 B are a little mischievous but he does not reveal the full truth about the class but holds it back. The Head then leaves him with Cary, by doing this the headmaster comes across as an irresponsible character. He also undermines John's confidence because he feels he is not important enough to be shown around the classroom. This is not the case. The headmaster is scared that John will find out about the corruption of the school if he is shown too much. This shows the Headmaster is hiding the inner secrets of the school and is only showing the ‘sugar coated topping' of an apparently successful public school. In scene 3 the boys take control very quickly. From the beginning the boys start mocking John and giving random and futile comments, as though they are mocking the way teachers teach. ‘Jamaica's in the Caribbean, sir' They use a derisive tone by giving useless information as though they are teasing John. John loses his temper and responds to this in an authoritarian way. As a diversion they then poke Wittering, who cries out loud. This delays the lesson again. When his attempt to quiet them down fails he resorts to using his authority. â€Å"Now I don't wish to crack the whip on our first morning but I will if you make me† The pupils respond to this by giving a fake confession to him of Mr Pelham's murder but they use this confession as an attempt to intimidate John throughout scene 3, John raises his voice constantly i.e. using authoritarian teaching to gain control of the class but this does not work and he fails to regain control of the class. The students take advantage of John's inexperience and in doing so gain an advantage over John When the Head walks in, the boys carry on with the lesson and by doing this makes us think that they have done this before. This is the chance John has to tell the Headmaster about what they had said, but foolishly he doesn't. This shows that John's confidence has diminished. Furthermore John presumably does not want to tell the Head because it could create the impression that he cannot handle the class. In scene 8, convinced that the boys have committed some sort of crime, John takes Mr Pelham's wallet to the headmaster and suggests that it should be given to the police. However, (contrary to John expectations) the headmaster tells him off for leaving the class and ignores his concerns. â€Å"‘It was in his pocket when he was killed' ‘It is a practice which is always discouraged here. Every period should be worked through whatever happens'† The headmaster then changes the subject, suggesting he doesn't want to discuss John's concerns, by saying he wanted to invite him for dinner. This shows that the headmaster does not give John any support but more importantly does not want the secrets of what happens in the school to be exposed. He is extremely sensitive about the reputation of the school. The Headmaster then seems to order him to return to Lower 5 B, â€Å"‘ Lower 5 B have been left to their own devices for long enough, Miss Gammel' ‘But sir' ‘Discourage any discussion of the matter'† By doing this the headmaster is discarding any of his suggestions and is not helping out John when he is inexperienced and unsure of what to do. The situation would affect John greatly because he knows he doesn't have any one to turn to and cannot do anything even if the boys intimidate and taunt him. When John returns the pupils seem to know what the Headmaster has said. ‘On the whole Ebony. The less said the better. Perhaps you better return to Lower 5 B. They have been left to their own devices for too long.' This suggests it has been said before. Teachers have gone to the headmaster but he has been very dismissive. The pupils seeing John's lack of confidence take advantage of the invitation and make a proposal. â€Å"‘You don't want to be sacked from your first job do you sir†¦.' ‘No he wants us to be a credit to him.'† The tone of the pupils her would be very calm, slightly intimidating as though they know they are in control but also very persuasive but this time they spoke in more of a friendly manner. On the other hand John would be speaking in an uncertain tone and seems to agree to the modus vivendi although he doesn't actually say anything which emphasises his powerlessness. The modus vivendi creates a vague sense of stability in the classroom as it brings about a situation in which the constant battle for power is ended for the time being. This is because it seems John has finally been defeated and the students have gained control. John admits defeat at this point and it is now that he is finally sees the truth in their confessions and begins to develop an idea of how cunning and clever the students are and how much the system has corrupted them. As a result of this he sees no point of arguing with them as they obviously don't lack determination. The situation changes once again when the Headmaster more or less sacks John. ‘†¦.that's the last thing I'd want you to think, but we always like to have Old Chantovians on the staff and as Grimwits available for the Easter term we really think we ought to take this opportunity to secure his services†¦.' The headmaster not only puts John out of a job, but crushes his high hopes of raising his teaching status by starting in a well known and supposedly successful public school. One characteristic that John does not lack is ambition. It is this that causes him to be irresolute at a time when discipline is needed as he doesn't want to spoil his chances of a permanent job. Getting sacked in turn brings about a new feeling of anger. In this new frame of mind it now seems to John that he has nothing to lose and this creates new possibilities for John. In scene 24 the tables turn, as John gains power and the students lose it. The students begin to realise that they can't hold anything against John and moreover the fact that he doesn't seem to care anymore. Now it is the students that begin to panic. When John refuses to teach the lesson, the students retaliate by trying to show that they don't need him and haven't lost anything. They try to prove how little his withdrawal affects them so attempt to continue with the lesson themselves. â€Å"‘And he's taking it out on us' ‘It's not fair' ‘Are we going to let him?' ‘No. We'll go on ahead without him. Cuthbun, you're the best at history you take us'† This attempt fails as their independent learning skills have not been developed, and soon there is chaos when they begin to bully Wittering, taking all their frustration out on him. This is where the writer shows that, although too much authority has disturbing consequences, totally removing it would be just as harmful because anarchy would be the result. The confession and revelation of Mr. Pelham's death plays an essential role throughout the play. Not only does it disclose what characters authoritarian teaching can create. It also shows the extent of Cooper's passionate views regarding authoritarian teaching. The play is about violence and authority, the questions posed by the play are- Does authority prevent violence, or does authority cause violence?

Great Expectations Essay

How does Charles Dickens introduce his characters, setting and themes at the beginning of his novel, Great Expectations? The world that Charles Dickens creates at the beginning of his novel Great Expectations is one of isolation, loneliness and sorrow. This is because he portrays the world in this novel through Pip, whose childhood is spent in loneliness because he was deprived of his parentage and the comfort of his siblings at an early age. His sister Mrs Joe Gargery brings him up and is extremely aggressive and abusive towards him. She pushes him to the extent that he isolates himself from the world, and spends part of his childhood grieving over the death of his parents in the graveyard. The atmosphere at the beginning is shown as being really distant and sorrowful, when describing the atmosphere where Pip is first introduced as, â€Å"the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry was Pip.† Dickens has chosen to use a variety of linguistic devices to help the reader visualise what the landscape looks like. For example he uses a series of adjectives to describe Pip’s immediate surroundings: ‘Dark, flat wilderness.’ In particular he uses metaphors to compare the different aspects of the environment; â€Å"the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing, was the sea.† This presents the sea in such a way that the readers are given the impression that the sea is aggressive and hostile. This relates back to the way Pip’s sister behaves towards him, always aggressive towards Pip and takes every opportunity to abuse him both mentally and physically. â€Å"Bleak place overgrown with nettles.† This describes Pip’s surroundings as being overcrowded with nettles. The link that is significant between the nettles and Pip, is that the place is hazardous seeing that the nettles often sting and hurt when one comes into contact with them, signifying pain and distress. This relates to how the convict (later known as Abel Magwitch) treats Pip, when he comes in to contact with him at the graveyard. He handles Pip in an intimidating and aggressive way; he is very insulting to him partially because he wants Pip to help him. The picture that Dickens creates of Magwitch, contrasts with the church, especially because the church is a religious symbol where you can seek sanctuary from the rest of the world and its problems. â€Å"The river wound, twenty miles of the sea.† This gives us the impression that the river is alive and is unwinding. Also the image of the long river comes in to mind. â€Å"The marshes were just a long black horizontal line then.† A marsh is a great expanse of wetland, mostly useless because you can’t build anything on it. â€Å"The river was just another horizontal line, not nearly so broad nor yet so black; and the sky was just a row of long angry red lines and dense black lines intermixed.† This represents the environments as being a place of isolation, deserted because of a loss of inhabitants. People would not normally want to be in such an area. In the beginning of the novel, it reveals that Pip is found at this place. He is lonely and secluded from everyone, trying to find support and refuge amongst the dead; some of them being his parents and his brothers. The adjective in this quote shows how the graveyard has a livid atmosphere, generally to signify the connection between the dead and the unfortunate circumstances that they died in. The character of Pip in Great Expectations is portrayed as being very tolerant and silent when compared to the rest of the characters in his surroundings. He is always very diminutive when confronted by other people. Throughout the novel he is seen as being serene and distinctive, possibly because of his parentage and his social background. â€Å"I never saw my father or my mother, and never saw any likeness of either of them.† Pip had not seen his parents since he was born, as both of them had been deceased when Pip had been very small; however he was brought up by his only living relative; his sister. â€Å"My sister – Mrs. Joe Gargery, who married the blacksmith.† As Pip had never experienced the love and care of his parents he used to spend most of his time in the graveyard, trying to comfort himself with the presence of his family. â€Å"The shape of the letters on my father’s, gave me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair. From the character and turn of the inscription, â€Å"Also Georgiana Wife of the Above,† I drew a childish conclusion that my mother was freckled and sickly.† Although Pip didn’t know how his parents appeared, he tried to change that by observing their graves stones to visualize what they looked like. The isolation that is felt at the beginning is apparent in the fact that he tries to imagine what his parents looked like from the shape of the letters on their tombstones. Pip’s brothers also died at a young age, which deprives Pip of having any companions to play or spend his time with. â€Å"Of five little brothers of mine – who gave up trying to get a living, exceedingly early in that universal struggle.† This leaves Pip being more isolated and alone than he would have been if they had been alive. The only thing that he knew about his brothers was their names; â€Å"Alexander, Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias, and Roger, infant children of the aforesaid, were also dead and buried; and that the dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The dark flat wilderness reflects the emotional feelings of Pip and the harshness of the atmosphere. This is important because it explains his isolation and surroundings, and how he seeks shelter in this dark deserted environment. The phrase â€Å"memorable raw afternoon,† directly relates to how cold, uncomfortable, rough and painful life is for Pip. There is also some importance in this extract taken from the novel. â€Å"The low leaden line beyond, was the river; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing, was the sea;† These phrases describe the surroundings that Pip grew up in. The metaphors in this are given a lot of importance as they relate to the severity and loneliness in Pip’s life. The role of Abel Magwitch in the opening of the novel is considerable, although we do not see much of him other than in the opening and final passages, he is arguably one of the most influential characters in Pip’s life. Charles Dickens depicts Magwitch as extremely aggressive and impertinent; this presents him as a fearful and a cautious man. â€Å"A fearful man, all in course grey, with a great iron on his leg.† This is a really menacing image of him, as when he threatens Pip for food and drink Pip immediately responds to him by agreeing to steal the food. There have been many incidents in the opening extracts of the novel where Pip has been threatened by the convict. â€Å"Keep still you little devil or I’ll cut your throat.† This gives the audience the impression that Magwitch is violent and aggressive. He treats Pip with the same violence and aggression when he asks Pip to get things for him, not at all considering how old or small Pip is. This shows us how Pip is abused and insulted by Magwitch, for his own personal gain. â€Å"You get me a file.† He tilted me again. â€Å"And you get me wittles.† He tilted me again. â€Å"You bring ’em both to me.† He tilted me again. â€Å"Or I’ll have your heart and liver out.† He tilted me again.† The way Magwitch speaks is so different to the Standard English that Pip uses, this is because he uses colloquial language. This citation also proves that Magwitch is selfish and passionate, as he is so desperate to get what he desires that he will do anything to make sure he gets it, no matter how much turmoil and trouble it could cause. Furthermore, it shows that he is very dangerous and the influence he has over Pip can lead Pip to carry out a criminal act. The instant image that is created of Magwitch is of danger and neglect, because of all the exploitation and torment that he furnishes on Pip. â€Å"A fearful man, (†¦). A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head†¦ who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin.† You can tell that that Pip is petrified of Magwitch due to his appearance and the way he conducts himself. This has an immense amount of impact on Pip as he still has nightmares regarding the convict, which frightens him. However this image of Magwitch is shown in a different light as we advance in to the novel. Pip is courteous and kind to him, as a result he decides to make Pip a ‘gentleman of great expectations.’ It is possible that because of the pain that was inflicted on to him in his past, he treats Pip in that way. Nevertheless, when Pip is being questioned about the theft of the food, Magwitch takes the blame on to himself, it is a possibility that he felt guilty about all the pain he caused Pip and also because Pip had been prepared to do so much for him. Another reason for Magwitch to make Pip a ‘gentleman of great expectations’- is because, although he was intimidating and traumatizing to Pip, Pip showed lots of respect and politeness towards him, in addition to bringing him what he requested. â€Å"Yes sir.† This shows that even though he is being physically abused, he is being respectful; this may be because Pip is vulnerable and is in a sense of helplessness and danger. Abel Magwitch becomes Pip benefactor as he perceives Pip as being trustworthy and well mannered. It is shown later on in the text that Magwitch had a daughter. Therefore bearing in mind that Pip had lost his parents at an early age, Magwitch felt concerned about Pip and sought to replace the parental love that Pip was deprived. The theme of abuse is also present through out a variety of chapters. There’ve been many incidents in this novel in which Pip has suffered from abusive behaviour, physically and mentally, from numerous characters. Those of which includes; Pip’s sister – Mrs Joe Gargery, Estella and Ms Havisham. The type of abusive behaviour that he endures from his sister is revealed during the opening scenes of the novel. His sister is revealed as being very stern and intolerant towards Pip. She beats him severely and also attacks his mental state of mind. Her way of speaking to him is really harsh and her actions provide the audience with the assumption that Mrs Joe Gargery loathes Pip. â€Å"Knowing her to have a hard and heavy hand, and to be much in the habit of laying it upon her husband as well as upon me.† This implies that she used to hit Pip. The way that his sister used to punish him, would be unacceptable in today’s society as it would be seen as child abuse. â€Å"And what’s worse, she’s got ‘tickler’ with her.† What is meant by the term tickler is that it is â€Å"a wax-ended piece of cane, worn smooth by collision with my tickled frame.† Mrs Joe Gargery used canes to beat Pip. The audience can imagine how much pain must have been inflicted on to Pip at such a young age. Not only does she use canes to beat Pip she also hits him with her hand. â€Å"She concluded by throwing me.† In the opening passage Mrs Joe Gargery also insults Pip and attacks his mental state of mind by making him feel unwelcome and unwanted. â€Å"If it warn’t for me you’d have been to the churchyard long ago, and stayed there.† She keeps reminding Pip that she is the only person left for him, and if it wasn’t for her he would have been abandoned and left to die. â€Å"It’s bad enough to be a blacksmith’s wife (and him a Gargery) without being your mother.† This quote is also saying that Mrs Joe Gargery has unwillingly had to look after him and replace his mother, and she is to some extent ashamed and unhappy of being Joe the blacksmiths wife and their relationship together is not what it should be of a loving husband and wife. The novel illustrates that Pip also receives abuse and neglect from Ms Havisham and Estella together. Although they may not be as violent as Pip’s sister, they do mentally abuse him and make him feel extremely small and neglected. â€Å"Sometimes, she would coldly tolerate me; sometimes, she would condescend to me; sometimes, she would be quite familiar with me; sometimes, she would tell me energetically that she hated me.† This shows that Estella enjoys playing with Pips feelings and thrives on playing with his heart and emotions. Estella has acknowledged that Pip has taken a liking to her and she entertains herself when Pip tries to engage with her. Ms Havisham builds up the love in Pip’s heart for Estella. She fuels the fire in which Pip burns for Estella. â€Å"Does she grow prettier and prettier, Pip?† She is also seen to have a lot of influence over Estella and it seems that it is under her directives that Estella strives to break Pip’s heart. â€Å"Miss Havisham would embrace her with lavish fondness, murmuring something in her ear [that sounded like] â€Å"Break their hearts my pride and hope, break their hearts and have no mercy!† Ms Havisham has brought up Estella and it is under her instruction that Estella is directed to play with his emotions and gradually break Pip’s heart. The reason that Dickens had to write this story was that it reflected some of his own experiences; he presented Great expectations in such a way that some of it included some aspects of his own autobiography. â€Å"Great Expectations does draw on my own experiences. Like Pip, I grew up in the marshy country around Chatham and Rochester; like him I raised myself up in status in society. Pip discovers his secret benefactor, a kind of father to the orphan boy, is actually a criminal; my own father spent time in prison for debt.† In addition to this, there were many events in his life that had an immense impact on him as a writer. â€Å"The greatest was my experience as a young boy when I was taken from school and sent to do low and demeaning work in a Blacking Factory, pasting labels onto bottles of boot-blacking. I felt miserable and abandoned, and even at my most successful as an adult the horror of that time returned to me. It gave me a peculiar accuracy and empathy for childhood and the children’s point of view; and for the downtrodden and abandoned in general.† The relation that this states between Charles Dickens and Great Expectations is that in some stage in his life he felt abandoned and isolated. This being the reason that Dickens had empathy for children and had experienced as a child on what their feelings and thoughts were. My personal view of Great Expectations and why it is still such an important book is it reflects the organization of today’s society and why there is such a huge status gap between the rich and the poor. It also relates to how Pip has to struggle in life as a child, and how much torment and abuse he has to face all through his life. This reflects the life of many children today who face abuse and neglect from their families and relatives, or that when a child is kidnapped, they are physically and mentally harmed whilst being abandoned, away from the rest of the world alone and isolated My reaction to this novel was that it was extremely emotional and had a powerful story to it, which had the readers engaged in every moment of the novel. I found that the story which was based on Pip had a huge impact on me, and I got involved and anxious to know what happened next. The emotions and the way that Pip was treated, had been emphasised in the novel to a great extent, so that the audience felt truly apprehensive and sympathetic towards Pip. I think that this novel has been very successful in attaining the support of the audience. Charles Dickens’s novel Great Expectations represents the heart breaking accounts and feelings of many unfortunate children. All the more reason for the work of Charles Dickens to be appreciated and praised through out society.