Reading Response Questions for How to Think Theologically from page 1 Assignment

Reading Response Questions for How to Think Theologically from page 1 to 25 - Assignment Example As such, all Christians find themselves theologians by seeking vivid comprehension of the religion after believing and having faith in it. Getting a firm grasp on this requires a little more understanding of theology as a concept and matters related to it. Q2. Theological reflection is perpetual conversation that involves the current Christian generation and their predecessors. As such, it is not something to be invented, personalized or even put to perfection by an individual. All that one can do is perform his best based on who and where he is in as far as Christian theology is concerned. Consequently, the church as an institution should give Christians the opportunity of thinking for themselves without necessarily channelling their thoughts towards one direction if the whole idea of Church theology is to materialize. Q3. Besides the usual view, the whole idea can also be drawn from oral religious tradition. As portrayed in the grandmother’s version, the whole concept can be vividly understood in a more or less similar manner to the renowned church theology concept (Stone and Duke, 2013). With this, it implies that several approaches can be taken to arrive at almost similar conclusions. However, it is not many people who are aware of the other option, the oral theological tradition which is equally of essence in the eventual understanding of theology. Q4. As we are made to understand, the whole idea of theology involves better understanding and trust in God, and that goes hand in hand with faith. Christian theology to be accurate cannot be deemed complete without the comprehension of God’s will, nature and that of His son Jesus Christ alongside the Holy Spirit. Q5. The belief in question can be in two significant ways; as intellectual assent or as interpersonal relationships. Depending on one’s perception and relationship with God, none of the above can be considered superior to the other. This is

Crucible Projects Essay Example for Free

Crucible Projects Essay Select one of the following to complete independently or with a partner: People Magazine’s Love Triangle of  the Year Produce a magazine article in which you try to piece together the story of this love triangle from the various characters’ points of view. Your article should include comments by John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, and Abigail Williams. The main goal here is to understand the effect their actions had on each of the others. Be sure to bring out the major events of the story in some way. Your finished product should look like a magazine article and include various pictures or whatever your creative minds can come up with! Look at some People Magazine articles for ideas. The Crucible: An Alphabet Book For your final project, you will create an alphabet book using one letter of the alphabet per page. It may be rhyming or nonrhyming. Give your book a cover and illustrate it. As this will be your final grade, I am particularly interested in seeing that you have an understanding of the major events and themes of the novel as well as relationships between the characters. (EXAMPLE: A is for adultery. M is for McCarthyism.) The Crucible Greeting Cards Design five greeting cards that you think John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Parris, and Abigail Williams would have sent to each other for a holiday. You choose the holiday/occasion and design the five cards, one from each of these characters. Include a picture and a quote or poem that they would have written in each card. They can be funny or serious. Be creative and make the cards look nice! I am particularly interested in seeing that you have an understanding of the major ideas and the relationships between the characters. Include an explanation with each card. The Crucible Soundtrack Create a soundtrack for the novel, choosing or composing five songs (ONE can be an instrumental). The songs must represent the main themes, moods, relationships, or events in the story in some way. Create a CD insert with appropriate artwork, artist information, dedications, and a booklet that includes lyrics and a paragraph for each song explaining how and why each relates to the book. You may burn the songs onto a CD if you’d like, but it is not required. The Crucible Diary Create a journal/diary for one of the three main characters. In that character’s voice (first person),you will create at least 10 one page, typed and dated entries based on what’s happening at the time. This will allow you to comment on the major events of the plot. You MUST comment on the following: The first appearance of the character in the story Any meeting that your character has with another of the characters Any important event that occurs in the story Any physical/psychological changes in the character Where the character leaves the story The story covers years in the character’s life so you will observe changes in the character’s acceptance in the community, the physical and/or mental condition of your character, and his/her relationship with the other characters. The main characters who will appear in your journal will be John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail Williams, Reverend Hale, and/or Reverend Parris. You may choose any of these as your â€Å"journal writer†, but all of them will appear in your journal. The Crucible Times Develop a front page from a Salem newspaper during the time/setting of this story. Your front page will be full of the story of Abigail and Company, the scandal, and/or the aftermath. The goal is to show me that you have an understanding of the plot and characters in the play. Your front page should include several of the following: 1. A banner headline 2. At least one picture with a caption 3. The lead story (at least 300 words) 4. Related side bar stories 5. Horoscope 6. Title of newspaper 7. At least one advertisement that is play related 8. Advice column 9. Gossip column 10. Classifieds

student :: essays research papers

Simple Machines   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A windmill is a machine that uses the wind to turn a wheel of adjustable vanes, slats or sails. As the wheel turns, it turns a shaft, wheels, and gears that power machinery. It is more properly called a â€Å"wind pump,† but most people call it a â€Å"windmill.† Windmills have been used for hundred of years to power machinery used to grind grain such as wheat and corn. Today we also have windmills, called â€Å"wind turbines,† that generate electricity.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All machines are a combination of several simple machines or modifications of one. A simple machine is one that is moved by just one force. The six types of simple machines are the lever, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw. A lever is a long plank, beam or bar that is used to move heavy loads. Examples of a lever are seesaws, scissors, broom, tweezers, and ice-tongs. A wheel is a cylindrical object that rotates about axis of the cylinder. Wheels are on cars and trains. Some wheels turn other wheels, like geared wheels on a bicycle or a clock. Some wheels turn together like the doorknobs, or the knobs on a televisions. A pulley is a grooved wheel. A rope is fitted into the grove and turns the wheel when pulled. An inclined plane is a very simple machine. It has a sloping surface that makes it easier to pull, push, or roll heavy objects. Examples are wheelchair ramps or a stairway. The screw is an inclined plane wound at its edge on a cylinder or cone. Examples of a screw includes faucets,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Saizan 2 screw-in bulbs, and screw-on bottle tops. The wedge is essentially an inclined plane such as knives, blades, nails, needles, pins, wood and axes.

Film Critique: Encoding and Decoding

Banshees and Griffin used the critically acclaimed film, The Lion King, as their case study. They decoded that the villainy Is linked to stereotypical traits of male homosexuality. Jamie Blanks encoded meaning Into the film. Blanks encoded Ideology of sexuality, class, and culture. Since the film Is In the horror genre, the film might not be taken serious, thus It may be seem to have little to say about actual human relations and Ideologies. According to the cultural studies model, the cultural artifact Storm Warning Is the text, Its producer IsJamie Blanks, and the readers are all the people that have seen the film since its release. Readers who enjoyed the film were most likely using dominant readings of the text, they cheered for the couple that were tormented throughout the movie hoping that they would find a way to defeat the â€Å"Three Bears†. Yet, whenever there are people that like something, there are always critics. The critics of the film use oppositional readings. For example, some readers may have been bothered that the film traumatized how three men living in the middle of nowhere with a â€Å"boorish† epistyle and negative upbringing must be monsters or animals.The film brings the idea that these men must be murders and rapist because that is the way they grew up thinking. That is almost as if to say that because many African-American grew up in environments that consist of murders and drugs, that they will all grow up to be murders and drug lords. The film made them a victim of their environment. It shows that people living isolated zones must live like animals and do socially unacceptable things like watch animal porn and attempt to rape the first female that comes around.Other oppositional that could be stated is that towards the beginning of the film, the leading lady, is viewed as very â€Å"feminine†. She seemed to be disgusted by the manly things that her male counterpart was doing, she didn't enjoy the brutality of t he killing of the fish nor the murder of the Kangaroo. Later, we see a change In her, showing more toughness after her boyfriend wasn't doing anything to get them out of this situation as his role says he should. Opposition may view this change as a way of showing that a female doesn't need a man to help them In situation as they have the mental toughness to help themselves.At the same time, It showed that the boyfriend was Indeed the â€Å"friendly† one. Whether it is intentional or non-intentional. Decoding is the viewer's interpretation of the meaning. The decoding varies from viewer to viewer based on individual social and historical upbringing. The manner in which the producers encoded the work acclaimed film, The Lion King, as their case study. They decoded that the villainy is into the film. Blanks encoded ideology of sexuality, class, and culture. Since the film is in the horror genre, the film might not be taken serious, thus it may be seem to eave little to say abou t actual human relations and ideologies.According to the cultural studies model, the cultural artifact Storm Warning is the text, its producer is around. Other oppositional that could be stated is that towards the beginning of by the manly things that her male counterpart was doing, she didn't enjoy the change in her, showing more toughness after her boyfriend wasn't doing anything to change as a way of showing that a female doesn't need a man to help them in situation as they have the mental toughness to help themselves. At the same time, it showed that the boyfriend was indeed the â€Å"feminine† one.

Singapore Company Law

SAMPLE ONLY MID-SEMESTER TEST COURSE:LAW2464 COMPANY LAW DATE:17/03/2012 TIME ALLOWED:1 hour 40 minutes (including 10mins reading time) QUESTION (Prospectus Topic) In July 2011, Ah Beng was at his accountant’s office to talk about taxation matters. Whilst there, his accountant gave him a prospectus issued by Ionic Ltd. , a company listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, to take home to read and if interested, to follow the instructions about investing in new shares in the company which were to be quoted on the Exchange.After reading the prospectus, Ah Beng was convinced that he was going to make a lot of money investing in the company which had stated that it had discovered a huge gold deposit in Western Australia. The prospectus contained a report by a geologist which stated that the gold was near the surface and therefore, easily mined. The prospectus also contained estimations of the amount of profits which it could make based on the current high price of gold. (False and/o r Misleading Statements) Criminal Lability Under S253(Jail and/or fine company is liable if it is an entity. Directions are liable.Statements are materially adverse from viewpoint of investors including Ah Beng. Who else is liable? The Accountant? No advice or false or misleaeding statement. Did he act intentionally or recklessly? No. No Lability. Could Geologist be liable? Yes, as his a conman. Actions were intentional. S254 Civil Lability Directors liable any defences under s255 SFA? Any defences under s255 SFA? Reasonable reliance on geologist, reports is reliance here reasonable. He is a conman. Not reasonable. Inquries Defence, May fail. Geologist liable to compensate no defence. Accountant assuming he made statements.Yes, if not. No. Ah beng will receive compensation for his loss. ALTERNATIVE Misrepresentaton. False Statement Made during negotiation that induces one into contract Geologist is dishonest and fraudulent misrepresentation. Recession of contract of sale of shares a nd damages for the tort of deceit. After applying for the shares, Ah Beng was issued 50,000 shares at the price of $1. 00 per share in September 2011. In January 2012, the local newspaper published an article about the arrest of a geologist in Western Australia who was claiming discovery of mines which turned out to be non-existent.A week later, news broke out that the arrested conman was the geologist whose report was contained in the Ionic Ltd’s prospectus and there was actually a very small deposit of gold very deep in the ground which would make any mining a loss-making venture. The price of the shares in Ionic Ltd immediately plunged and trading in the shares had to be halted. Ah Beng has now come to you for advise as he has been informed that Ioninc Ltd shares are now worthless and that the company will soon be wound-up. REQUIRED:Can Ah Beng take action against any one or more persons with regard to his loss? Explain. (8 marks) QUESTION TWO Dinosaur Rocks Pte Ltd (Dinos aur Rocks) is a family company whose two shareholders and directors are Fred and his wife, Betty. They live in a house in Pasir Panjang owned by the company. The company owns a business of supplying rocks and sand to construction companies. In August 2011, Fred borrowed $1 million from U-O-Me Bank. The loan was secured by a mortgage charge over the Pasir Panjang property owned by Dinosaur Rocks.The loan was to be used by Fred for personal expenses. According to the articles of association, the mortgage/charge document was to be executed by way of affixing the common seal in the presence of two directors as witnesses. Fred signed the document as witness but he also forged Betty’s signature. By early January 2012, Fred had defaulted on his last two loan repayments. It has since emerged that Fred had skipped the country with the $1 million in October 2011 and is now purportedly living the high life in the Maldives.U-O-Me Bank has started proceedings to enforce the mortgage/charg e against the Pasir Panjang property owned by Dinosaur Rocks. Betty comes to you for advice. She is more distressed about losing the Pasir Panjang property than losing Fred and does not want to vacate the house which she will have to when the Bank sells the property. REQUIRED: Advise Betty as to whether the mortgage/charge is valid and enforceable against the company. (8 marks) QUESTION THREE (Separating of legal entity concept, Lifting of corporate veil and evasion of legal obligations, case GM v Horne, Jones V Lipman fraud.Re Darby. Solution is to lift the veil and consider Athena and Grecian as one. Each is liable for the acts of debts of the other. Athena is a hair-dresser. Two months ago, she agreed to sell all the hair-dressing machines and supplies in her salon in Bukit Timah to Hera as she was moving to a new business location in Orchard Road. The purchase price was to be paid three months later whereupon Athena would deliver all the goods to Hera. Athena was intending to bu y new machines and supplies for her new salon but a month ago, her application to obtain a bank loan was not approved.Needing equipment and supplies at the Orchard Road location, Athena registered a company called Grecian Pte Ltd (Grecian) with herself as the sole director and member last week. She immediately moved all the machines and supplies from her Bukit Timah salon to the new Orchard Road location of Grecian. Athena then told Hera the deal was off as she no longer owned the machines and supplies. Hera wants the machines and supplies as agreed under the contract as the machines are identical to the ones in her own salon. REQUIRED: Advise Hera. (6 marks) QUESTION FOURWhen incorporated in January 2010, the memorandum and articles of association of Coffee Addict Pte Ltd (Coffee Addict) contained the following clauses:- 1. The objects of the company is the import and supply coffee beans to retail outletsin Singapore; 2. 3. Gloria is to be employed as the sales manager of the compa ny for a period of five years at an annual salary of $100,000. In January 2012, Coffee Addict entered into a joint-venture agreement with Jean Ltd to build a row of ten shops in Clementi Road. Both parties are to inject $2 million each into the project.Also in January 2012, the Board of Directors of Coffee Addict resolved to terminate Gloria’s appointment as the sales manager. REQUIRED: a) Is the contract with Jeans Ltd a valid contract since it is contravenes the objects clause. Explain. (4 marks) b) Can Gloria prevent her removal as sales manager? Would it make any difference if she is also a shareholder? Explain. (4 marks) Total: 4 + 4 = 8 marks QUESTION FIVE Potterfied Ltd ( Potterfied) has its own set of articles which entitles preference shareholders to an annual dividend of ten cents per share.The Board of Directors of Potterfield wanted the articles amended so that the dividends are to be reduced to four cents per share and last week, persuaded more than half of the m embers to pass a resolution at a members’ meeting to the effect. The members were also told that there was nothing they could do as long as the majority of all shareholders agreed to the change. Harriet is a preference-shareholder who voted against the amendment to the articles at the members’ meeting last week. REQUIRED: Advise Harriet. Assupmtion that this variation of class rights affects all preferences shareholders rights to receive dividentds of 10cent per share, S74(1) applies. If 5% or more of shareholders dissent then can apply to court to stay the resolution to change the article until and unless the court confirms it, the change is ineffective. ) (6 marks) QUESTION SIX REQUIRED: Discuss the validity of the following statement: ’ The Privy Council in the case of Lee v Lee’s Air Farming Ltd did not apply the principle set out in Salomon v Salomon & Co Ltd. ’ (4 marks) *Separating entity was applied Singapore Company Law SAMPLE ONLY MID-SEMESTER TEST COURSE:LAW2464 COMPANY LAW DATE:17/03/2012 TIME ALLOWED:1 hour 40 minutes (including 10mins reading time) QUESTION (Prospectus Topic) In July 2011, Ah Beng was at his accountant’s office to talk about taxation matters. Whilst there, his accountant gave him a prospectus issued by Ionic Ltd. , a company listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, to take home to read and if interested, to follow the instructions about investing in new shares in the company which were to be quoted on the Exchange.After reading the prospectus, Ah Beng was convinced that he was going to make a lot of money investing in the company which had stated that it had discovered a huge gold deposit in Western Australia. The prospectus contained a report by a geologist which stated that the gold was near the surface and therefore, easily mined. The prospectus also contained estimations of the amount of profits which it could make based on the current high price of gold. (False and/o r Misleading Statements) Criminal Lability Under S253(Jail and/or fine company is liable if it is an entity. Directions are liable.Statements are materially adverse from viewpoint of investors including Ah Beng. Who else is liable? The Accountant? No advice or false or misleaeding statement. Did he act intentionally or recklessly? No. No Lability. Could Geologist be liable? Yes, as his a conman. Actions were intentional. S254 Civil Lability Directors liable any defences under s255 SFA? Any defences under s255 SFA? Reasonable reliance on geologist, reports is reliance here reasonable. He is a conman. Not reasonable. Inquries Defence, May fail. Geologist liable to compensate no defence. Accountant assuming he made statements.Yes, if not. No. Ah beng will receive compensation for his loss. ALTERNATIVE Misrepresentaton. False Statement Made during negotiation that induces one into contract Geologist is dishonest and fraudulent misrepresentation. Recession of contract of sale of shares a nd damages for the tort of deceit. After applying for the shares, Ah Beng was issued 50,000 shares at the price of $1. 00 per share in September 2011. In January 2012, the local newspaper published an article about the arrest of a geologist in Western Australia who was claiming discovery of mines which turned out to be non-existent.A week later, news broke out that the arrested conman was the geologist whose report was contained in the Ionic Ltd’s prospectus and there was actually a very small deposit of gold very deep in the ground which would make any mining a loss-making venture. The price of the shares in Ionic Ltd immediately plunged and trading in the shares had to be halted. Ah Beng has now come to you for advise as he has been informed that Ioninc Ltd shares are now worthless and that the company will soon be wound-up. REQUIRED:Can Ah Beng take action against any one or more persons with regard to his loss? Explain. (8 marks) QUESTION TWO Dinosaur Rocks Pte Ltd (Dinos aur Rocks) is a family company whose two shareholders and directors are Fred and his wife, Betty. They live in a house in Pasir Panjang owned by the company. The company owns a business of supplying rocks and sand to construction companies. In August 2011, Fred borrowed $1 million from U-O-Me Bank. The loan was secured by a mortgage charge over the Pasir Panjang property owned by Dinosaur Rocks.The loan was to be used by Fred for personal expenses. According to the articles of association, the mortgage/charge document was to be executed by way of affixing the common seal in the presence of two directors as witnesses. Fred signed the document as witness but he also forged Betty’s signature. By early January 2012, Fred had defaulted on his last two loan repayments. It has since emerged that Fred had skipped the country with the $1 million in October 2011 and is now purportedly living the high life in the Maldives.U-O-Me Bank has started proceedings to enforce the mortgage/charg e against the Pasir Panjang property owned by Dinosaur Rocks. Betty comes to you for advice. She is more distressed about losing the Pasir Panjang property than losing Fred and does not want to vacate the house which she will have to when the Bank sells the property. REQUIRED: Advise Betty as to whether the mortgage/charge is valid and enforceable against the company. (8 marks) QUESTION THREE (Separating of legal entity concept, Lifting of corporate veil and evasion of legal obligations, case GM v Horne, Jones V Lipman fraud.Re Darby. Solution is to lift the veil and consider Athena and Grecian as one. Each is liable for the acts of debts of the other. Athena is a hair-dresser. Two months ago, she agreed to sell all the hair-dressing machines and supplies in her salon in Bukit Timah to Hera as she was moving to a new business location in Orchard Road. The purchase price was to be paid three months later whereupon Athena would deliver all the goods to Hera. Athena was intending to bu y new machines and supplies for her new salon but a month ago, her application to obtain a bank loan was not approved.Needing equipment and supplies at the Orchard Road location, Athena registered a company called Grecian Pte Ltd (Grecian) with herself as the sole director and member last week. She immediately moved all the machines and supplies from her Bukit Timah salon to the new Orchard Road location of Grecian. Athena then told Hera the deal was off as she no longer owned the machines and supplies. Hera wants the machines and supplies as agreed under the contract as the machines are identical to the ones in her own salon. REQUIRED: Advise Hera. (6 marks) QUESTION FOURWhen incorporated in January 2010, the memorandum and articles of association of Coffee Addict Pte Ltd (Coffee Addict) contained the following clauses:- 1. The objects of the company is the import and supply coffee beans to retail outletsin Singapore; 2. 3. Gloria is to be employed as the sales manager of the compa ny for a period of five years at an annual salary of $100,000. In January 2012, Coffee Addict entered into a joint-venture agreement with Jean Ltd to build a row of ten shops in Clementi Road. Both parties are to inject $2 million each into the project.Also in January 2012, the Board of Directors of Coffee Addict resolved to terminate Gloria’s appointment as the sales manager. REQUIRED: a) Is the contract with Jeans Ltd a valid contract since it is contravenes the objects clause. Explain. (4 marks) b) Can Gloria prevent her removal as sales manager? Would it make any difference if she is also a shareholder? Explain. (4 marks) Total: 4 + 4 = 8 marks QUESTION FIVE Potterfied Ltd ( Potterfied) has its own set of articles which entitles preference shareholders to an annual dividend of ten cents per share.The Board of Directors of Potterfield wanted the articles amended so that the dividends are to be reduced to four cents per share and last week, persuaded more than half of the m embers to pass a resolution at a members’ meeting to the effect. The members were also told that there was nothing they could do as long as the majority of all shareholders agreed to the change. Harriet is a preference-shareholder who voted against the amendment to the articles at the members’ meeting last week. REQUIRED: Advise Harriet. Assupmtion that this variation of class rights affects all preferences shareholders rights to receive dividentds of 10cent per share, S74(1) applies. If 5% or more of shareholders dissent then can apply to court to stay the resolution to change the article until and unless the court confirms it, the change is ineffective. ) (6 marks) QUESTION SIX REQUIRED: Discuss the validity of the following statement: ’ The Privy Council in the case of Lee v Lee’s Air Farming Ltd did not apply the principle set out in Salomon v Salomon & Co Ltd. ’ (4 marks) *Separating entity was applied

Gladiator Essays

Gladiator Essays Gladiator Essay Gladiator Essay At the start of the scene just before battle you see the camera follow the soldiers up the stairs making the arena look massive and interestingly making you feel like your in the stadium. The camera is then seen from behind the crowd tilting down on the stadium. The camera movement here is used to give you an overall view of what is going on in the arena and what Maximus and the others are up against. There are also panning shots used which emphasize how massive the crowd is and give us an impression of what the landscape is and looks like. Just before they are due to battle there are different types of shots used again to emphasize the size of the stadium making Maximus and the fellow slaves look increasingly small. This type of shot is used to show that they are weak, small and not strong. This then cuts to close ups of Maximus and his two closest companions showing us that they are discussing an alternative rather then endure the fate that is being put forward. This is giving us hope seeing the emotion on his companions faces, showing us that they are nodding and listening. As the soldiers faces are featured in close-ups, their expressions indicate their faith in the generals abilities. When they are in battle the camera cleverly follows the warrior on a horse mounted carriage and this makes you feel like you are in the battle scene, it also makes you feel like the blade on the carriage is inches away from you as its spinning in action. Long shots are then used again to give you an overview of the battle and the cutting back and forth between characters keep you in suspense. The shots of Maximus on the white horse towards the end of battle also make him look extremely powerful. I noticed that to enhance this they have also cut out the other characters and focused sole ly on Maximus. Towards the end of the scene when you see Maximus defeat them the panning shot of the crowd is done to show that they are honouring him and supporting him. This brings you to feel close to the character and the chanting from his supporters makes you feel like your there in the crowd and make you want to join in. When Maximus is confronted by the Emperor you notice that there are mostly close ups used to show the emotion and tension between the two rivals. : The lighting at the start of the scene is extremely dark as they are in what it seems like a tunnel. You can hardly see any of the characters as the lighting is dark, grey and dull. Thus making us feel that the characters are trapped. They then proceed to walk up in lines of rows like robots with grey dark shadows appearing beside them. I felt at this bit they were in trouble and probably not going to win against whatever it was they were up against. When they arrive on the battlefield it then becomes a lot brighter and I noticed that in the crowd you see several bright lines of bold red and yellow this looking like fire from a distance. I think this was used to show the danger of the grounds and added a fiery feeling. The colour of the slaves armour and the grounds fairly matched this making the whole scene look in tact. Most of the colours used in the scene are bold rich colours such as reds, blues, gold and silver. When Maximus is confronted by the Emperor you will notice that the lighting on the emperor is dark and shadowy. This portraying the Emperor as dark and evil in a sense, his face is gradually touched by rays of light but he still comes across as gloomy and pale. However the gladiators face is a lot brighter and clearer basically portraying him as the good guy. The costumes used in the scene are mainly heavy armour such as helmets, axes, swords and other weapons and shields. The swords can symbolize power in many different ways, and towards the end when Commodus is deciding weather Maximus will live or not you see various swords being pointed towards him in that direction, this indicating that at the time Commodus is the ruler and a lot higher and more powerful then Maximus. Also you will notice with this being set historically there are a lot of robes and head and hand jewelry. The footwear that is used is plain and simple such as sandals and leather boots. Having the right costumes in the film have really prepared you for every little detail. I think some of the special effects that were used in the film were mainly to do with the historic roman architecture and buildings such as the arena and stadium. You will also see thousands and thousands of people in the crowds, this mainly being computer generated. I think the reason for this is to give it that realism feel and to show that Maximus had that many supporters. I also think it has that feel because the whole storyline is actually closely based on real events. Also the music that was used throughout the clip is extremely in tact from when they were starting to battle right through to when they are talking and conversing. In the scene you see him as a slave then a warrior/hero then revolutionary. In the battle scene you see them all plotting and working together and this really interpelates you, giving you hope that they will all make it through. They courageously fight together, act together and save each other which keeps you in suspense guessing if they will all survive. I think this was a classic act to keep you watching. When Maximus and his fellow slaves defeat them it really makes you want to jump up and down. The violence in the scene reveals the character of Maximus and encourages us to participate emotionally. I have noticed that the link in the scene to make it more interesting is that Maximus is seen as a slave however throughout the film has been conquering barbarians that eventually became slaves. The barbarians he defeated in Rome suffer the fate that is eventually his too. In the scene he also created skilful and powerful tactics which were acknowledged by the rest because by this time he has gained the respect of the fellow gladiators all of this portraying Maximus as a powerful leader and displaying his character. The plot of the film is that Maximus a roman general is favored over Commodus the power hungry son of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He is chosen to rule however Commodus has his family murdered and as he comes to Rome, he becomes a Gladiator and seeks revenge. The dialect in the clip also helps to communicate the whole theme of the film.

How to Analyze a Free Falling Body Problem

How to Analyze a Free Falling Body Problem One of the most common sorts of problems that a beginning physics student will encounter is to analyze the motion of a free-falling body. Its helpful to look at the various ways these sorts of problems can be approached. The following problem was presented on our long-gone Physics Forum by a person with the somewhat unsettling pseudonym c4iscool: A 10kg block being held at rest above the ground is released. The block begins to fall under only the effect of gravity. At the instant that the block is 2.0 meters above the ground, the speed of the block is 2.5 meters per second. At what height was the block released? Begin by defining your variables: y0 - initial height, unknown (what were trying to solve for) v0 0 (initial velocity is 0, since we know it begins at rest) y 2.0 m/s v 2.5 m/s (velocity at 2.0 meters above ground) m 10 kg g 9.8 m/s2 (acceleration due to gravity) Looking at the variables, we see a couple of things that we could do. We can use conservation of energy or we could apply one-dimensional kinematics. Method One: Conservation of Energy This motion exhibits conservation of energy, so you can approach the problem that way. To do this, well have to be familiar with three other variables: U mgy (gravitational potential energy) K 0.5mv2 (kinetic energy) E K U (total classical energy) We can then apply this information to get the total energy when the block is released and the total energy at the 2.0 meter above-the-ground point. Since the initial velocity is 0, there is no kinetic energy there, as the equation shows E 0 K 0 U 0 0 mgy 0 mgy 0E K U 0.5mv2 mgyby setting them equal to each other, we get:mgy0 0.5mv2 mgyand by isolating y0 (i.e. dividing everything by mg) we get:y0 0.5v2 / g y Notice that the equation we get for y0 doesnt include mass at all. It doesnt matter if the block of wood weighs 10 kg or 1,000,000 kg, we will get the same answer to this problem. Now we take the last equation and just plug our values in for the variables to get the solution: y0 0.5 * (2.5 m/s)2 / (9.8 m/s2) 2.0 m 2.3 m This is an approximate solution, since we are only using two significant figures in this problem. Method Two: One-Dimensional Kinematics Looking over the variables we know and the kinematics equation for a one-dimensional situation, one thing to notice is that we have no knowledge of the time involved in the drop. So we have to have an equation without time. Fortunately, we have one (although Ill replace the x with y since were dealing with vertical motion and a with g since our acceleration is gravity): v 2 v 0 2 2 g( x - x 0) First, we know that v0 0. Second, we have to keep in mind our coordinate system (unlike the energy example). In this case, up is positive, so g is in the negative direction. v2 2g(y - y0)v2 / 2g y - y0y0 -0.5 v2 / g y Notice that this is exactly the same equation that we ended up with in the conservation of energy method. It looks different because one term is negative, but since g is now negative, those negatives will cancel and yield the exact same answer: 2.3 m. Bonus Method: Deductive Reasoning This wont give you the solution, but it will allow you to get a rough estimate of what to expect. More importantly, it allows you to answer the fundamental question that you should ask yourself when you get done with a physics problem: Does my solution make sense? The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s2. This means that after falling for 1 second, an object will be moving at 9.8 m/s. In the above problem, the object is moving at only 2.5 m/s after having been dropped from rest. Therefore, when it reaches 2.0 m in height, we know that it hasnt fallen very fall at all. Our solution for the drop height, 2.3 m, shows exactly this - it had fallen only 0.3 m. The calculated solution does make sense in this case. Edited by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

A Guide to Writing Recommendation Letters

A Guide to Writing Recommendation Letters A recommendation letter is a type of letter that provides a written reference and recommendation for inclusion. If you write a recommendation letter for someone else, you are essentially vouching for that person and saying that you believe in him or her in some way. Components of a Recommendation Letter Every recommendation letter should include three key components:A paragraph or sentence that explains how you know this person and the duration of your relationship with them.An evaluation of the person and their skills/accomplishments. If possible offer specific examples that illustrate the person’s strengths and qualifications. These examples should be brief but detailed.A summary that explains why you would recommend this person and to what degree you would recommend them.​ Who Needs a Recommendation Letter? Recommendation letters are generally used by students applying to undergraduate and graduate education programs and by people in the workforce who are applying for jobs. For example: Individuals who are applying to business school or an MBA program typically needs to two three recommendations that explain why they are a good candidate for business school. The recommendation might explain why they have leadership potential or how they have succeeded in past academic or business pursuits.  Some scholarship programs require applicants to submit recommendations to support their scholarship application. This is most common in merit-based programs that award scholarships based on academic merit, volunteer experience, etc.  A job seeker may also need a written professional reference  or recommendation that explains or supports the reasons why the job seeker is a good candidate for a particular position or company. These letters tend to focus on professional qualifications.   Before You Write a Recommendation Letter At some point in your life, you may need to write a recommendation letter for a former employee, co-worker, student, or someone else that you know well.  Writing a recommendation letter for another person is a large responsibility and should be taken very seriously. Before you agree to the task, make sure you have a clear understanding of what the letter will be used for and who will be reading it. This will make it easier for you to write for your audience. You should also make sure that you know what kind of information is being expected from you. For example, someone might need a letter highlighting their leadership experience, but if you dont know anything about that persons leadership capability or potential, youre going to have a hard time coming up with something to say. Or if they need a letter about their work ethic and you submit something about their ability to work well in teams, the letter wont be very helpful. If you feel that you can not properly convey the necessary information, because youre busy or dont write well, offer to sign a letter that has been drafted by the person who is requesting the reference. This is a very common practice and often works well for both parties. However, before you sign something written by someone else, make sure that the letter honestly reflects your true opinion. You should also keep a copy of the final letter for your records. What to Include in a Recommendation Letter The content of  the recommendation letter that you write will depend upon the needs of the person who is requesting the letter, but there are some common topics that are typically addressed in recommendation letters for job and education program applicants: Potential (such as leadership potential)Skills/Abilities/Strengths  DependabilityConsistencePersistenceMotivationCharacterContributions (to class or community)Accomplishments​ Sample Recommendation Letters You should never copy content from another recommendation letter; the letter that you write should be fresh and original. However, looking at a few sample recommendation letters is a good way to get inspiration for the letter that you are writing. Sample letters can help you to better understand the components of a letter and the types of things that typical recommenders focus on when writing a recommendation for a job seeker, college applicant, or graduate school candidate.

Anthropology in the World Today Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anthropology in the World Today - Research Paper Example This subject is not only restricted to understand these aspects but it also assists in major aspects of human life which include politics, business as well as social lives(Cultural Anthropology and Sociology). The use of cultural anthropology as a measure of assistance for governments dates from the period of the Second World War when Ruth Benedict, who was a renowned anthropology professor was employed by the government of the United States to enlighten them with the cultural perspectives of their main opponents that is Japan and Germany. This was meant to be of help not only for winning the war but also as a measure of help for rehabilitation of these states after their fall. This focus was mainly towards Japan and the cultural studies helped in the understanding of the beliefs and working of the Japanese society (Ferraro 2006). The role that cultural anthropology in today’s world can be understood clearly in the words of Elizabeth Tunstall when she states, â€Å"Contemporary anthropology is no longer primarily concerned with exotic peoples and dinosaurs. Anthropology is engaged with issues of the global flows of people and goods, human rights and social justice, global feminism, [design], technology adoption, the social effects of the environmental degradation, and local sustainability practices.† Anthropology in today’s world works towards connecting people. It assists the companies to satisfy their customers via understanding their needs which are known to them through anthropology. It also works towards explaining the stand of the society on issues like the rights of human beings and the role of women in society. This assists in molding decisions according to the particular society. Anthropology is also beneficial for the politicians and the government. It provides a clear picture o f the beliefs and the working of the society and

Bottled water Economics research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Bottled water Economics - Research Paper Example The opportunity cost, is the cost foregone as a result of choosing a given alternative, it is the actual value of the next best alternative that was forgone in the process of making a decision about the current business or investment. Opportunity cost, also referred to as economic opportunity loss is a term derived from Keynesian theory which implies a choice between different options which yield mutually exclusive results, this means that you can only choose one and forgo the other option. It explains the relationship between scarcity and choice and is applied in many areas where financial and monetary decisions are made. For example, the opportunity cost investing in a bottled water company will be the cost foregone in investing the money elsewhere (other business ventures if this was the next best alternative) or the interest lost if that money was left in the bank to accrue interest(if this was the next best alternative). Opportunity cost is evaluated in terms of money, time, mat erial and anything of value. for example someone may decide to go for holiday in Africa and forgo staying in his house and improve it, another may prefer to choose to watch one program and forgo another if the occur at the same time and the person doesn’t have the means of recording the other program.The evaluation of opportunity cost is based on several factors, first is the monetary value of the next best alternative that was foregone. ... If the opportunity cost is higher then the risk should be taken, in this case, for the bottling water company the environmental risk is damage to environment due to plastic bottles, however the opportunity cost is higher than the total damage and hence environmental consideration cannot prevent the starting of this business, furthermore, money, less than the opportunity cost can be dedicated into research on biodegradable plastics. Demand Demand can be defined as the ability or wiliness of consumers to purchase goods and services at a given price within a given time frame. The demand graph or the demand schedule is a graphical representation of the effect of price on demand of goods and services holding all other factors constant, if the price of a commodity e.g. bottled water go up, then the demand for it will reduce and vice versa, the graph below illustrates this Figure 1 showing the demand schedule The law of demand states that increase in price of commodities causes corresponding decrease in the quantity demanded. Decrease in price results to an increase in quantity demanded for a given product provided other factors remain constant. Supply These represent the quantity of goods and services that a given producer or manufacturer is willing to bring to the market at a given price. Supply of commodities is greatly influenced by price of the commodity and other factors. The law of supply states that the quantity supplied increases as the price of the product increases holding all other factors constant. This is because the suppliers are able to get a higher profit margin. Figure 2 showing the supply schedule

The Nollywood Entertainment Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Nollywood Entertainment Company - Essay Example The popularity of the show business has shifted view to include commercially performing arts. These arts include musical theatre, film, comedies and music. These varieties of entertainment are produced and distributed to the masses (Allen 2005, pp 30). Background of the Company All my focus will be shifted to the film industry and specifically Nollywood. Nollywood is a Nigerian cinema company largest in Africa that grew quickly in the 1990s and 2000s.It is one of the best film industries in the world. A British daily newspaper The Guardian has rated Nollywood as the third largest in the world in terms of earnings and estimated the industry to bring in 200 million US dollars per year. This success can be attributed to Ghanaian movies too. Nollywood is an African success story (Ukadike 2003, pp20-40). Nollywood is termed to be second to only India’s Bollywood in distribution. The Nigerian film industry is popular throughout Africa and the Diaspora. Production Line Unlike music, production of movies does not take place in the studio. Movie shooting takes place in hotels, homes, and offices rented by their owners and appearing in the credit. Most popular locations are major cities and towns like Lagos. However, distinct regional variation appears between different movies. Nollywood mainly produces African films stared by African actors. Actors from other countries and continents do appear though not very often in some movies. These films range from, soap operas, comedies and even action movies television programs. The production arena is majorly towns in Nigeria though some movies have been shot in other towns in Africa as well as other continents. Operations Nollywood provides visuals about Africa for the world to see. These features include weddings, birth ceremonies, colorful fabrics, visuals of a culturally vibrant continent .Nollywood movies have tackled topics on issues such as resource control, armed robberies, corruption, HIV/AIDS and other matters t hat have a far reaching impact on the continent (Jumoke 2012, pp60-70). Nollywood most prolific auteur is Chico Ejiro who has managed to direct 80 films in a period of eight years. He even brags to be capable of directing a movie that can be ready in three days. His brother is the best-known director of the films outside the country. Many other Nollywood talents include actors and designers of the films (Wasko 2003, pp 40). The scriptwriters are also not to be forgotten. The films are produced with interest of the consumer at heart. Supply chain While Nollywood is largely separate from global cultural industry networks of production inputs and distribution it is an industry that is still globally liked in a number of ways (Madichie 2013, pp 604). Nollywood industry is constantly evolving with innovations and ideas to suit and fit the market. Once movies are produced, they need a perfect channel of reaching the market. While majorities of Hollywood films are shown in theatres and cin emas around the country, Nollywood movies are released to the internet daily to be watched free. The most popular place to watch Nollywood movies in the internet is a popular video sharing site called You Tube. There exists a channel dedicated to Nollywood movies started by Jason Njoku called Nollywood Love. The channel has dedicated itself to providing links to the best and latest Nollywood movies for its users. Lately, the Nollywood market has shifted over to the Africans in the Diaspora. The challenge is to how to curb every customer in the west, which has turned out to be the largest Nollywood market. Today though a majority of Nollywood movies

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management Essay - 16

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management - Essay Example writing business magazine,it involves social and opinion research that is systematic in gathering and interpreting information about individuals and other organizations through the use of statistics and analytical methods in order to gain insight and support decision making. It determines a research plan should outline the objectives of the research and give information on the potential of an idea. Creating a list of questions and creating a plan for answering these questions will prove beneficial at the end of the research. Researching apotential market is essential when setting up a business, the knowledge acquired is invaluable to the future of the business because it helps assess the viability of the venture. When conducting a market research certain points should be considered like the target market and competition. A market research must establish the target market of business; this involves knowing their preferences and style. The target market is affected by their income and lifestyle and this influences their buying decisions. The research will also indicate the quantity the buy by the consumers, this will help the sole trader stock on the fast moving goods that are bough in bulk rather than invest in slow-moving goods that could lead to losses. When researching the target audience, the information acquired will influence the location of the business, it should be located in an accessible and strategic place whether for persons driving and otherwise. A sole trader needs to establish reasons on why the target audience should buy from them and not the competition. The business idea should be wanted or needed by the target market. The main idea behind market research is to gain perspective and get informed to enable make the best decision. Research is also important in understanding the competition, a sole trader may consult the competition products that are successful and find out the reasons for this and the same from the businesses that have failed in

Human Resource Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human Resource Management - Case Study Example This paper has a recommendation on the best strategy that the business organization needs to employ in China, for purposes of achieving success. In trying to analyze the market performance of Dairy Queen, this paper looks at three management theories; namely contingency, systems and chaos theories. This paper analyzes the marketing department of Dairy Queen, for it is the one which is responsible for the sales that occur in China. Dairy Queen is a chain of fast food restaurants that are under the ownership of International Dairy Queen Inclusive (Douglas, 2012). The company began its operations in 1940 in the state of Illinois. By 1947, the company had over 100 stores, and as of 2010, Dairy Queen has more than 5700 stores all over the world. The largest store of the company is found in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while the store that records the highest sales is found in Canada. The company is a pioneer of fast food franchising, and it believes in the exploitation of the emerging markets (B enner and Nelson, 2012). China is an example of such an emerging market. On this basis therefore, this paper tries to explore its marketing strategies in China, and examine the reasons as to why they failed. The Story: On 10th of February 2012, Dairy Queen opened its 500th store in Hu Dong, the financial capital of Shanghai. Dairy Queen first joined the Chinese market in 1991 by opening a branch in Beijing. Ever since entering the Chinese market, the company has experienced growth in terms of its profitability, and market share. China presents the largest market for its ice cream products. The company charged with the responsibility of operating Dairy Queen Franchise products is referred to as Shanghai Shida Catering and Management Company (Benner and Nelson, 2012). On this basis therefore, Dairy Queen operates in China as a franchise. In regard to this therefore, in order to penetrate the Chinese market, Dairy Queen resorted to building strategic alliances with local company. An ex ample is the Shanghai Catering Company. John Gainor, the President of Dairy Queen international agrees with this position, and denotes that it is the major contributor of its successes in the Chinese market (Douglas, 2012). However, it is important to denote that despite the successes of Dairy Queen in capturing a segment of the Chinese market, it is not the number one ice cream consumption company in China. Dairy Queen faces stiff competition from companies such as Nestle, Walls, Haagen Daz, and Baskin Robbins. It is important to denote that Haagen Daz is one of the biggest ice cream consuming companies in China (Lewis and Packard, 2012). Dairy Queen also fails to compete effectively with the Chinese domestic companies in the low end market areas. The Ice Cream consumption habits of the Chinese are dependent on their ability to afford consuming them at luxurious cafes (Aoki, 2012). Majority of the Chinese cannot afford to buy these products at such luxurious cafes, and hence their desire for ice cream products from their local companies. This is because they are affordable, and tailored to meet their needs. On this basis, if Dairy Queen needs to capture this market, which is the largest, then it has to revise its marketing strategies (Kotler and Keller, 2012). It has to develop products that satisfy the needs of both the high end, and the low end consumers. The Three Theories: There are three main theories that will

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management Essay - 16

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management - Essay Example writing business magazine,it involves social and opinion research that is systematic in gathering and interpreting information about individuals and other organizations through the use of statistics and analytical methods in order to gain insight and support decision making. It determines a research plan should outline the objectives of the research and give information on the potential of an idea. Creating a list of questions and creating a plan for answering these questions will prove beneficial at the end of the research. Researching apotential market is essential when setting up a business, the knowledge acquired is invaluable to the future of the business because it helps assess the viability of the venture. When conducting a market research certain points should be considered like the target market and competition. A market research must establish the target market of business; this involves knowing their preferences and style. The target market is affected by their income and lifestyle and this influences their buying decisions. The research will also indicate the quantity the buy by the consumers, this will help the sole trader stock on the fast moving goods that are bough in bulk rather than invest in slow-moving goods that could lead to losses. When researching the target audience, the information acquired will influence the location of the business, it should be located in an accessible and strategic place whether for persons driving and otherwise. A sole trader needs to establish reasons on why the target audience should buy from them and not the competition. The business idea should be wanted or needed by the target market. The main idea behind market research is to gain perspective and get informed to enable make the best decision. Research is also important in understanding the competition, a sole trader may consult the competition products that are successful and find out the reasons for this and the same from the businesses that have failed in

Menatl Illness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Menatl Illness - Essay Example For clarification purposes, OCD is a mental disorder which is not similar with having an Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder. OCD is characterized by intrusive thoughts such as believing that a devil or another being could possibly harm them or their loved ones. Such thoughts results into behavior that seems paranoid such as being overly protective of people close to them. On the other hand, OCD personality disorder is more concerned with rules, standards, guidelines which makes a person a â€Å"perfectionist†. OCD is a mental disorder with two different but related components. These are intrusive thoughts, the â€Å"obsessive† part of the disorder, and repetitive behaviors, the â€Å"compulsive† part of the disorder (Rachman,2003, p.21). Aardema ( 2007) characterized OCD as ego-dystonic which meant that the individual’s elf-concept is not compatible with the disorder ( p.187). On the contrary, OCD personality disorder is ego-syntonic which is define d by Dorland’s Medical dictionary as â€Å" aspects of a persons thoughts, impulses, attitudes, and behavior that are felt to be acceptable and consistent with the self-conception.† All mental disorders can lead to serious consequences for the individuals who are affected by it. Perhaps among the mental illness known to man, OCD subjects the patients to casual and daily ridicule . There are countless jokes – on everything from sit-coms to sportscasts – about people washing their hands a la Lady Macbeth in an obsessive way. People make continual references to being obsessive or compulsive about one thing or another all the time in a way that to someone who actually struggles with OCD can feel slighting and incredibly dismissive. Those who have this condition, far from finding it a joke, can in fact find it crippling and are often deeply ashamed of their thoughts and behaviors As aforementioned, the disorders have both compulsive and

Tortilla Curtain by U.S. author T.C. Boyle Essay Example for Free

Tortilla Curtain by U.S. author T.C. Boyle Essay The American Dream is defined in many ways in both of these works of literature.   What is the American Dream?   It is the idea that with hard work anyone can succeed in this country.   Succeeding is mostly defined in materialistic terms, like having a house in the suburbs, a new car, etc.   The American Dream is also about being able to support a family in a more-than-basic way.   It may also be defined as living a fulfilling life but of course, one needs a little money to do even that.   In Boyle’s Tortilla Curtain, the American Dream is shown as absolutely unattainable to some people, chiefly illegal immigrants, unless they are willing to break the law.   In the movie Crash, the viewer sees examples of people who â€Å"make it† as well as people who don’t, and even some people who are in between.   However, in both these pieces, characters must struggle and work hard for even a chance at the American Dream.   But the question remains, â€Å"why is the American Dream attainable for some and not for others?†Ã‚   Overall, the idea of the American Dream is shown as a myth or illusion for most people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The American Dream exists in many ways in this movie.   In Crash, the viewer is shown a successful character like the Latino man named Daniel.   Daniel lives in a small house, but it is his house.   He lives with his wife and daughter.   He works hard every day, and while he will never be rich like Jean, he is able to survive and to sustain his family.   The viewer would not exactly view him as a success story because there probably isn’t much money left over at the end of each month.   However, the viewer recognizes that Daniel has what is truly important in life and is â€Å"making it† even thought that might be day by day. On the other hand, the Persian man who owns the shop is unable to attain the American Dream.   Or rather, he is on his way when the shop is destroyed by vandals.   With the insurance company refusing to pay, he has lost everything.   Due to the fact that he has been ripped off before in America, he does not believe Daniel when he is told to get a new lock.   Therefore, he essentially loses his business.   Both of these characters must struggle through stereotypes and prejudice and racism on a daily basis to even have a chance at the American Dream.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Now, Jean’s character in Crash shows another side of the American Dream.   She really has the plush lifestyle that most people would think of when defining the American Dream.   She has the beautiful house, the cars, the maid, the manicured lawn, the glitzy clothes and jewelry, etc.   She is clearly unhappy.   All of the material possessions have not made her happier; they have possibly made her miserable.   She has no friends, no one she can really count on.   for most of the movie, she is a hated character, and yet she is someone who lives the American Dream. The viewer does not know whether the couple has earned all this money or inherited some, but the viewer sees Jean’s character basically doing nothing.   She does not work while Daniel and Farad struggle daily to make a life for their families.   Clearly, Crash says that the dream is not attainable for everyone no matter how hard they work.   Neither one of them is lazy characters at all and still, life is a struggle.   But those who have the â€Å"life† want to protect it and protect themselves against those who don’t.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Crash, there are those who sort of live the dream outside the boundaries of the law.   The viewer assumes that Ken Ho lives the dream.   he is an immigrant who has â€Å"made it† in America.   But how has he done this?   He traffics human beings. He completely compromises any values that he had in order to make money.  Ã‚   Ludicirs and Anthony sort of live the dream although they always must stay one step ahead of the police in order to keep what they have.   They steal cars which earns them money to buy nice things.   These characters show the American Dream gone awry.   However, there is a reality here as well.   Many people in this country feel that the Dream is unattainable to them any other way than breaking the law.   So, they break the law in order to get the things that others already have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Basically the movie Crash shows the viewer situation after situation where people struggle to live the dream and that is exactly what it is for most people, a daily struggle.   To get to the top is hard enough, but to stay there is nearly impossible.   And it isn’t about hard work at all.   being a hard worker guarantees nothing in this life.   It doesn’t guarantee that a person will ever get anywhere financially.   It doesn’t guarantee that someone who hasn’t worked at all won’t take your life away from you suddenly.   It doesn’t even guarantee that a person will have a place to live or money to buy food no matter how hard he/she works.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This brings us directly to Boyle’s Tortilla Curtain, which is yet another name for the border between the United States and Mexico.   In Tortilla Curtain the dichotomy between rich and poor is shown quite clearly.   Kyra Menaker-Mossbader and her husband and son have the American Dream.   They live in an exclusive housing development called Arroyo Blanco Estates and seem to have all the luxuries of life.   below their house, Candido and America Rincon live.   They came to America illegally from Mexico in order to maintain the American Dream.   they find that no matter how hard they work, they simply cannot attain the Dream.   In fact, they cannot gain enough money to live any semblance of a decent life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Rincon’s come to the United States illegally to work for a better life.   The Rincon’s truly believe that in American society â€Å"everyone, even the poorest [has] a car, a house, and a TV† (26).   They do not understand that even Americans are poor; that is why America is so upset when she meets Mary at the labor exchange.   If citizens of this country cannot achieve the American Dream, where does that leave her family?   Throughout this book, America will come to believe that her whole idea was noting but an illusion, an illusion that will not be met. They have already reduced their living standards to the bare minimum and are barely scraping by.   While America is pregnant, she has had to camp out in the open air with no clean water or any sort of sanitation system.   This couple has no health insurance for the birth of their baby, nor do they have prospects in getting a job in order to obtain and maintain this health insurance.   They work as day laborers until they can’t even find work at all.   America is like many others.   She dreams of the United States we typically see in the movies.   She would like a â€Å"clean white house† with some modern amenities and a little yard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like some of the character in Crash, America commits a crime, although on a much lesser scale.   She steals fruit from a garden.   She has never before committed a crime.   But the desperateness of seeing those around her thrive while she struggles to eat is too much.   Sadly, also like many of the characters in Crash, they are also unable to defend themselves from attacks.   They are out in the open air and have a hard time with the language.   First, some kids smash up their camp for fun.   Then America is raped.   They go to the city where Candido is robbed, and they eat garbage to survive.   They return to their campsite in the valley and things are looking up until Candido accidentally sets the whole valley on fire.   Their savings are burned up, and they must start over once again.   Their daughter is born blind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kyra Mossbacher and her family have achieved the American Dream.   Have they worked harder than the Rincon family to achieve this dream.   The reader can clearly see that they have not.   It is simply that the dream is open to this family and closed to others.   Kyra Mossbacher has a dream of possessing even more.   she wants the Da Ros place which is a huge mansion â€Å"in the style of an English manor house, comprising eleven thousand square of living space† (222).   Kyra must replace her â€Å"dream† after this place is destroyed by fire.   they live a charmed life with their young son and their pets.   They are sheltered from the cruel realities of what many others face in this life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While Delaney calls himself a â€Å"liberal humanist† (3), he has some chance encounters with Mexicans that slowly turn him into a racist. First, he runs into Candido with his car.   he is guilty at first and then angry at this illegal for being in the road.   Finally he hands him a $20 and calls it even.  Ã‚   Apparently this is what an illegal immigrant’s life is worth, $20.   As other things happen, Delaney become angrier at Mexican illegals.   First, a coyote takes his dog.   then his Acura is stolen by thieves. His neighborhood also becomes angry and begins to wall in his community.   they are protecting their American Dream, but in doing so, they are stopping others from attainting this dream.     Ironically, the people building these fences are the illegal immigrants themselves, like Candida and his friends.   Kyra’s lobbying closes the labor exchange.   he wants vengeance on Candido.   He goes to the campsite with a gun and a mudslide starts.   While Delaney saves Candido, the baby drowns.   The tragedy in the end of this book is beyond compare.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What the movie Crash and the book Tortilla Curtain teach the reader is that there are no easy answers.   Illegal immigration is not rationalized or approved of in any way, and yet, these people need to survive.   We all fight for the American dream, and we all want to protect ourselves against people who want to take from us.   That is human nature.   In Crash, the idea is that we crash into people because we are so starved for human touch.   Therefore, we have these chance encounters with people we never would have met otherwise; some of them are good and some are bad.   The average person struggles everyday and life isn’t easy. There is no such thing as equal opportunity in this country and hard work is not even remotely close to all that is necessary to achieve the American Dream.   In Tortilla Curtain, the same kinds of lessons are taught.   Delaney and Candido meet quite literally in a â€Å"crash† scene, and Delaney describes himself as a liberal until he starts to fear those trying to get a piece of their own dream by disrupting his.   Then, he fights back.   It isn’t America and Candido’s fault because they want to make a better life for themselves and their baby, and it isn’t really Delaney’s fault because he wants to keep the life he has.   The story ends about as tragically as one could.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both of these pieces tell the reader/viewer something about empathy.   Maybe if everyone could try just a little harder to understand the stories of others, to understand where others are coming from, we could solve some of our problems.  Ã‚   Everyone wants the same things in the end.

Netflix Business Strategy Analysis

Netflix Business Strategy Analysis Introduction Netflix, a multi-billion dollar subscription service company, was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in California, USA. It is said that Reed Hastings was charged a $40 late fine after renting the film Apollo 13 from Blockbusters and that this inspired him to set up Netflix as a DVD-by-mail service. It quickly expanded by introducing steaming media online and is now accessible in over 190 countries worldwide. In 2013 Netflix diversified into the content production industry and this foresight gave them the edge which paved the way to becoming the leader in the Streaming market, more popular than Amazon Price and Hulu. Following on from the success of its first series it is now estimated to have released in excess of 126 original series or films, more than any other network or cable channel. Currently, Netflix are believed to have approx 117 million subscribers worldwide and the company was recently estimated to be worth in excess of $100 billion(2). Market Structure Generally you can divide industries into categories according to the degree of competition that exists between the firms within that particular industry; Perfect Competition, Monopoly, Monopolistic Competition and Oligopoly. Perfect competition is where there are many firms competing within the industry and each firm has a very small market share which in turn means none of them have the power to influence the price. Monopoly is where there is just one firm in a given industry so there is no competition which allows the firm to charge what they want. Monopolistic Competition falls in the middle, there is a significant amount of competition and there is the opportunity for new firms to enter and exit the industry quite freely. Finally, Oligopoly is where only a few firms in the industry exist and it can be very difficult for new businesses to break into. This fits the market structure of Netflix Inc. The reason it falls under this market structure is because there are very few companies that provide the same service e.g. Amazon and Hulu. Although the core principle of services provided by three companies may seem the same, they differ slightly in terms of the content they provide. Netflix has moved towards original content created and produced by Netflix themselves while Hulu is aimed more at current TV Shows and films from Hollywood. Another reason why Netflix can be classified as an Oligopoly is that there is a significant barrier to enter this market; capital investment. In order to provide relevant, popular content that will attract customers to subscribe, a huge level of investment in needed to acquire the licence to stream these TV shows and movies. For example in 2011 Netflix successfully secured exclusive streaming rights to The Walking Dead and it is said to have cost the company $1.35 million per episode making the deal worth $25 million at the time (based on the episodes available at the time) [1] Product Range Although Netflix’s product range itself may appear to be very small; TV Shows and Movies, they offer a huge variety of genres and use analytics to make the best recommendations for their users. They have created over 75,000 micro-genres in an attempt to understand how people look for movies. They took the genre description, broke them down to their key words, employed people to watch content and tag every aspect of it from director/actor/genre all the way to how it ends and the personality of the main character and categorized each quanta and documented it. This allows them to offer their customers an extremely personalized recommendation service to make their entertainment experience as seamless as possible. It also allows them to attract a hugely diverse customer base because they cover almost all genres. [2] Pricing Strategy [4] In an oligopolistic market the organizations have a shared control in the price of the product/service they offer. The largest firm in the industry has the power to set the pricing standard across the market. All other firms within the market will go along with this standard e.g. when Netflix increased their prices by $1 last October, Hulu followed suit by introducing a more expensive ‘ad-free’ subscription package which was more similar to Netflix’s offerings. They did however decrease their standard package price (with adverts) in an attempt to become a stronger competitor in the market. Because of the oligopolistic nature of Netflix Inc.’s, their price elasticity can be said to be relatively inelastic. This has been proven over the years from incremental price increases and the introduction of tiered pricing for additional features. It also allows users to add concurrent streaming on multiple devices.   Netflix Inc.’s current pricing strategy was first implemented in 2011 when they introduced a standalone streaming subscription (No physical DVDs included). They have three tiers of prices. It starts with their â‚ ¬7.99/month Basic Plan which allows you stream TV shows and movies on one device at a time in standard definition. It also allows you download titles to mobile devices. The next step up is the â‚ ¬10.99 Standard plan, allowing concurrent streaming on two devices in HD (also includes option to download). Finally the â‚ ¬13.99 Premium plan lets you stream on 4 devices at the same time in HD and UltaHD included in the download option. As you can see, each tier offers more features which gives the impression of value for money. On the Basic Plan you’re paying almost â‚ ¬8 for only 1 screen whereas you are offered Ultra HD and 3 additional screens for an additional â‚ ¬6 per month, this leads the customer to choose the higher priced package as it is better value.   Market With up to 118 million subscribers globally, Netflix has a huge volume of customer globally. Of these, over 54.75 million are United States customers but as this streaming giant drives forward and increases in size and popularity, their international subscription base is growing. This was evident in April 2017 when Netflix confirmed a licensing deal made in Mainland China for original Netflix content with iQiYi which is a Chinese video streaming platform owned by Baidu [13] Profitability According to CNBC, Netflix exceeded expectations by the addition of 8.33 million subscribers globally in the fourth quarter of 2017 which brings the grand total subscribers up to 118 million. The market capitalization of Netflix is now passed the $100 Billion for the first time Monday the 22nd of January after the release of their Q4 earnings. The EPS was announced as 41 cent which was in line with expectations done by a Thomson Reuter consensus estimate and the revenue reached an impressive $3.29 Billion. These figures have changed dramatically since the Q4 report in 2016; EPS was 15cent and revenue of $2.48 Billion. Although the revenue increase is welcomed, it will be reinjected into future investments on new content for 2018. Netflix says they expect this to cause a negative free cash flow of $3-4 Billion and will continue to â€Å"raise capital in high yield market†. [12] Core Philosophy [6] Netflix have reinvented the wheel when it comes to Rules of Corporate Culture. They value people over process and believe that their workforce is made up of great people working together as a dream team. This is all to create an environment which is flexible, fun, stimulating, and creative and allows employees to work to the best of their ability. They value integrity, excellence, respect, and collaboration and base their culture around 5 core principles: Encourage independent decision-making by employeesShare information openly, broadly and deliberatelyAre extraordinarily candid with each otherKeep only our highly effective peopleAvoid rules They also have a unique policy when it comes to parental leave and holidays. They recognize that having a child is one of the most special events in an individual’s life which is why they encourage new parents to take as much time as they need to readjust to their new life as parents. Their policy us: â€Å"Take care of your baby and yourself†. This shows that Netflix truly care about the wellbeing of their employees and want their vital team players to be at their best mentally and physically throughout the full course of their career at Netflix. The same rules apply for Holiday leave. They allow employees to take whatever holiday time they feel they need to work to the best of their ability throughout the year, be it one week or four week. The decision is in the hands of the individual employee. Along with this unique attitude towards creating their employee culture, Netflix recognize that they have the ability to impact the world through their work. â€Å"IT TAKES DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT, CULTURE, BACKGROUND, AND PERSPECTIVE TO CREATE A TRULY GLOBAL INTERNET TV NETWORK†. They pride themselves on their belief that we have to work from the inside out to create a space where all employees and voices are heard and appreciated. With almost a 50:50 gender balance and an ethnically diverse work force, Netflix are helping pave the way for equality for all in the workforce. [5] Advertising/Promotional Strategy of Netflix [14] Netflix use a very clever technique to determine what their customers want to see, they monitor illegal downloading sites such as BitTorrent and ÃŽ ¼Torrent for the most popular downloads and use this information to decide which content they should be bringing to their streaming platform. This content joined with ‘Netflix Originals’ are what attract customers to their site instead of the likes of Hulu and Amazon Prime. Amazon’s CEO Reed Hastings said in an interview that they strive to â€Å"make the big titles bigger†. TV shows such as Stranger Things or 13 Reasons Why are hot topics of conversation within many friend groups and discussion boards. This pulls in the people who haven’t joined yet because they want to join the discussion. Hasting says that â€Å"All their friends are talking about the shows, which is the dominant accelerator†. Together with this, according to theconversation.com, Netflix Inc. has adopted a ‘conglomerated niche’ strategy; they produce content catering to many different target audiences, for example, action series â€Å"Daredevil, horror series â€Å"Hemlock Grove† and exclusive films starring popular actors. By doing this, Netflix is able to service different audiences simultaneously and separately [14]. While these techniques are used to initially attracted subscribers to the platform, their unique recommendation algorithm is used to keep their subscribers happy and entertained. Their algorithm also knows what image they should use when making suggestions for example if you have previously watched more comedies than romantics, when suggesting a romantic comedy they will emphasis the comedy aspect through the actors or a snapshot of a funny scene instead of the romantic side of the firm. Their theory is that on a subconscious level you will be more attracted to the imag e and more likely to select the title. Share Price Movement Week 1(11th September): Netflix begins with a share price of $181.74 according to NASDAQ which is the starting point for this analysis period. It is a slight increase from a weekly high of $179 by the previous week end. This was following a pattern of stead increases over the previous two weeks, increasing by almost 14% by the 21st of September. Week 2(18th September): Following on from week 1, week 2 saw the same pattern of slight increases and decreases in the share price but ultimately increasing overall.   Week 3(25th September) [7]: On the 25th of September there was a sharp dip in price, loosing $9.50 worth of value over the course of the weekend. This was most likely caused by the announcement that 21st Century Fox was adding more content to their own streaming service. A similar reaction among investors happen earlier in the year when Disney announced it would be removing all their content from Netflix in the lead up to the launch of their own streaming serving which would cater to their own target audience. Week 4(2nd October): After seeing another slight decrease over the course of the week due to the Century Fox announcement, Netflix made a comeback by announcing that they would increase the subscription price for customers causing a significant hike in their share price. The statement made on 5th October resulted in a share price increase of 5% ($10) in a matter of hours, and by the end of the week (Oct 6th) it has risen to $198. This was an all-time high, according to Variety. This indicated that investors momentary wobble in confident has subsided and were fulling trusting that the hike in price would not impact the amount of subscribers but would instead increase revenue, benefiting them. Week 5(9th October): Following the previous week’s announcement, Netflix’s value remained relatively flat line with the exception of a few minor increases and decreases throughout the week. This absence of change was short lived as the momentum began to build again towards the end of the week. Week 6(16th October) [8]: This week sees a record high for the stock price. Reaching $202.68 on Monday the 16th. This comes alongside the news that Netflix are planning to spend up to $8 Billion on programming in 2018. According to CNN Tech, this came at a time when tech leaders such as Apple and Amazon were using their huge availability for resources to find original content to compete with the likes of Netflix Original successes such as Orange is the New Black or Stranger Things. Each of these has brought a huge volume of customers to the site due to its exclusivity and cult following of these shows. Week 7(23rd October): This record spike in the share value was short-lived. By the 23rd of October the share price had dropped below the $200 mark again after it transpired that Netflix were expecting to raise $1.6 Billion in debt to cover the cost of the original content they had planned for 2018. This was cause for concern among the shareholders but luckily it didn’t impact too heavily on the share value which only decreased by 5% or $10. Week 9(6th November) [9]: Although Netflix had gained 64% in value over the past year, the shocks lost more than 5% this week after sexual assault allegations were made against Netflix Original Series actor Kevin Spacey. The lead actor in Netflix own House of Cards came under fire which in turn prompted the firm to decide not to continue production of their hit show as the reputation and ethics of the company may come into question if actions weren’t taken. Week 10 – 16: There is very little significant increase or decrease to report over this period. Although there was slight movement up and down, for the most part the share price remained between $184.04 and $199.18. No major announcements or significant articles were published during this time frame that would have been disruptive to the share price which is why it remained so stable for such a time period. Week 17(2nd January): The firm begin to pick up some motion upwards again after a period of relative stability in price of their stock. This could be as a result of the buzz caused by an influx of articles listing the best of what’s to come in 2018. For example â€Å"the top 20 new and returning shows to Netflix† according to TV Time Week 18(8th January) [10]: Continuing along the pattern of steadily increasing in value day by day, by January 8th, shares have reached a new high of $212.52. This pattern in causing technical analysts to predict even further increases in the share value. According to CNBC TradingAnalysis.com’s Todd Gordon says â€Å"the streaming platform’s run is hardly done†. Gordon predicts, based on the Elliott Wave theory, that Netflix shares are set for another wave up causing their value to soar even higher. This prediction is ahead of January 22nd, the date on which Netflix are set to report their Q4 earnings which have a massive impact on the share value. Final Week: The final week in this analysis period is week prior to the release of the Q4 earnings. This week traders are expecting a â€Å"big move† according to CNBS. Up to this point in 2018 alone, shares have increased by up to 9.5% going from $201 on January 2nd all the way up to $220.46 on Friday January 19th. The release comes on Monday 22nd of January and, although is not included in the requested analysis period, it would be unjust not to report the impact it had on the value of the Netflix share price. Between market close on Monday and market close on Tuesday, shares leaped a massive 10% (rounded up) which amounts to an increased value of $22.71, but this impressive jump didn’t end here. Over the next seven days the share price increased to a staggering $284.59 by market close on Monday 29th. This amounts to a surge of almost $83 and is equal to a 41.5% leap in value. The Q4 report says that Netflix added 1.98 million U.S. and 6.36 million overseas subscriber s which was much higher predicted [11]. This along with fourth-quarter revenue of $3.29 Billion is the likely cause for the surge. Investor confidence has strengthened as a result of exceeding expectations and predictions. Conclusion It is evident that Netflix are a very successful streaming platform who have a great team of people behind them to drive the company forward to do bigger and better things. They have expanded and diversified enormously since being founded in 1997. Going from a DVD by mail and online streaming platform to having 118 million users worldwide and producing their own highly successful content. It is clear that this multi-billion dollar company is a game changer in the entertainment industry. Bibliography [1] Matthew Byrd, November 2017, 15 TV Shows That Cost Netflix A Ton of Money, screenrant.com https://screenrant.com/netflix-tv-shows-most-expensive-cost/ [2] Alexis C. Madrigal, January 2014, How Netflix Reverse Engineered Hollywood, theatlantic.com http://linkis.com/www.theatlantic.com/Sa5NA [3] Blog, fusebill.com https://blog.fusebill.com/pricing-strategy-tiered-volume-pricing [4] Netflix Streaming Plans, Help Center, Netflix.com https://help.netflix.com/en/node/24926 [5] Inclusion and Diversity, Netflix Jobs, Netflix.com https://jobs.netflix.com/diversity [6] Culture, Netflix Jobs, Netflix.com https://jobs.netflix.com/culture [7] Michael Sheetz, September 2017, Netflix heads for the worst day since November after Fox spooks investors, cnbc.com https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/25/netflix-heads-for-worst-day-since-nov-2016-after-fox-spooks-investors.html [8] Seth Fiegerman, October 2017, Netflix to spend up to $8 Billion on programming next year, cnn.com http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/16/technology/business/netflix-earnings/index.html [9] Sara Salinas, November 2017, Netflix dropped 5% this week, after rallying all year, cnbc.com https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/10/netflix-drops-five-percent-this-week.html [10] Annie Pei, January 2018, Netflix could surge another 20 percent, says technical analyst, cnbc.com https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/05/netflix-could-surge-another-20-percent-says-technical-analyst.html [11] Todd Spangler, January 2018, Netflix Blasts Past Q4 Subscribers-Growth expectations, shares soar to all-time high, varierty.com http://variety.com/2018/digital/news/netflix-q4-2017-earnings-stock-1202672341/ [12] Anita Balakrishanna, January 2018, Netflix jumps more than 8% after adding more subscribers than expected, cnbc.com https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/22/netflix-earnings-q4-2017.html [13] International Expansion, Netflix, Wikipedia.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netflix#International_expansion [14] Amanda Lotz, April 2017, The unique strategy Netflix deployed to reach over 90 million worldwide subscribers, theconversation.com http://theconversation.com/the-unique-strategy-netflix-deployed-to-reach-90-million-worldwide-subscribers-74885 [15] Netflix, wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netflix [16] John Lynch, October 2017, Netflix stock hits all-time high after price hike for US subscribers, businessinsider.com http://uk.businessinsider.com/netflix-stock-hits-all-time-high-after-price-hike-2017-10?r=US&IR=T

Canada At War :: essays research papers

Any war is a horrific event that may last years. Wars leave a legacy of death and destruction. They aren’t just for soldiers and battlefields but for new weapons that make destruction possible on our lands, beneath our seas, and in our air. They bring suffering and death to all families, races and nationalities. No matter where you live during the wars, they can effect you; seeing families destroyed, lives taken and children screaming in horror. In each World War Canada took apart defending their parent country, helping the countries that needed their help. We, as Canadians, should feel proud because many men from our Canadian Troops gave up their families, their friends even their lives to give the countries that needed them the freedom that Canadians had.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Black Watches were a famous Scottish army command known as the Royal Highland Regiment. The troop was founded when there were threats of local trouble in Scotland. So eight leaders each raised a company of soldiers designed to keep peace. The first duties included controlling the uprising clans in the Scottish Highlands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Battalion’s worth as a military was proven on many occasions. The troops were called out to serve for many months on the Canadian border of the Niagara Peninsula and the Eastern Townships during the Fenian Raids of 1886 and 1870. The Canadian Troops also set out in aid of the civil power in 1877 during the Orange Riots, the Quebec riots which were a year later and served at the smallpox Riot of 1885. Due to Canada’s service over seas in Africa, the Royal Highlanders were awarded the battle honour, South Africa 1889-1900.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1905 was the year that the Royal Highlanders Regiment was formally allied with the Black Watch Troops in Scotland, and in 1906 that army was ordered to form a second army. It was the only two-army command stationed in one city for years. On August 1st, 1914 Sir Robert Borden, the Prime Minister of Canada, offered the Black Watch’s of Canada to help Great Britain in a war against Germany, Great Britain accepted the offer. 300 of the men volunteered. During World War I, three more Black Watch armies were formed. By the end of the month the Black Watch has over 1,000 men. Over 60% of the original soldiers were of British origin. During the first acts of war, the Canadian army lost over a hundred officers, and nearly 460 other ranks.

Child marriage Essay

Throughout the world, marriage is considered to be a happy moment in everyone’s life and is a moment of celebration but sadly, the practice of child marriage gives no such reason for celebration. Many young boys and girls get married before they can reach the age of 18. This shocking act takes place for a number of reasons. In order to get benefitted socially, physically and to decrease financial burdens, many parents and families throughout the world, promote the marriage of their young sons and daughters. Throughout the years, we have seen that child marriage targets more girls than boys. Boys are affected as well but in totality, the number of victims and the intensity of their sufferings are way higher for girls. After their marriage, girls live an exclusive life where they do not receive any kind of education, they are forced for performing huge amounts of household works, are impregnated without their approval and are forced to take the big responsibility of raising and taking care of a child when they themselves are not mature enough and are still kids. What problems can child marriage lead to? Read more:  Child Marriages Essay Child marriage is caused when two young or one young and one adult individuals are forced into the institution of marriage without their consent. According to researches by PBS, â€Å"Although the definition of child marriage includes boys, most children married under the age of 18 years are girls.† The kid or kids getting married are totally unaware of its significance and consequences it can lead to in future years. Usually when a child, commonly girl, is married and brought into the husband’s family in such a young age, they think they can design and built up her personality into anything and everything they want her to be. The girl child is then forced into various activities which harms her both physically and mentally. (PBS, II). Health problems After getting married, the girl child is then pressurized by her new family to do things that she doesn’t want to. She is forced by her husband to get into sexual activities and to have kids soon after. As she is not mentally prepared and physically mature, she faces various complications and health issues in the future and sometimes it also leads to death. The connection  between the maternal death and the age of the mother is very strong as the child bride is highly likely to get pregnant in a little while after her marriage causing their pregnancy to be premature. According to the digest by UNICEF, â€Å"Girls ages 10-14 are five times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than women aged 20-24. Girls ages 15-19 are twice as likely to die.† Such young mothers also face a very high chance of getting into complications such as heavy bleeding, various infections, diseases like anemia etc. which can lead to death. As first time mothers, girls also face a high r isk of a disease called Obstructed Fistula, which is lead by obstructed labor. Obstructed labor is when a it is hard for a mother to give birth to a child and push it out of her body. This causes great pain and ofter results in death of the mother. According to PBS, â€Å"There are approximately 2 million girls living with fistula, and 100,000 new cases every year.† Girls suffering from this disease are usually neglected by their husbands and kept away from the society. There is this myth, according to which a lot of people around the world think that by marrying the child early, they can reduce the chances of their kid getting HIV aids but the opposite is true. Married girls are more likely to get HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases compared to the ones who aren’t married. This is mostly because they are not enough educated about sex, its consequences and the use of contraceptive and if by any chance they are aware about this, they are not able to obtain the sa me as because of limited autonomy or freedom of movement. They are also abused by their family, which is a form of domestic violence, and this makes them mentally ill leading to depression.(UNICEF). Domestic violence There is a very close relation between child marriage and Domestic violence. Most of the cases about domestic violence are of people who were married early ore were married forcefully. According to studies, â€Å"Girl child is usually married by a man who is much more older than her† thus proving that her in laws and husband is much more stronger than her and she possesses less control. Sometimes the young bride thinks that it is justified that she s getting beaten up by her husband as she is too young to differentiate between right and wrong. Studies by UNICEF say that, â€Å"women who marry early are more likely to be beaten or threatened, and more likely to believe that  husbands might sometimes be justified in beating his wife.† Also in Kenya, 36 percent of girls married before 18 believe that a man is sometimes justified in beating his wife, compared to 20 percent of married women .Girls who get proper education and are married later take more mature decisions an d raise their voices against such abuses. According to research by ICRW, â€Å"Girls who were married before 18 were twice as likely to report being beaten, slapped or threatened by their husbands as girls who married later. They were three times as likely to report being forced to have sex without their consent in the previous six months.† This indicates how girls have less power compared to the men in such kind of marriage. Girls who get into the institution of marriage after the age of 18 are much more knowledgeable compared to the young ones and they have a health husband-wife relationship as they use contraceptives and contains the strength to go and talk to their husbands about the future and their likes and dislikes. This creates a better understanding between them making them have a happy life ahead. While on the other hand, the child bride is like a puppet for their husbands as they can use them whenever they want and the child bride is too shy to go and talk to him about her life and her needs. (ICRW). What are the socio-cultural and economic reasons that lead to child marriage? There are a lot of reasons that lead to Child marriage. An integration of various cultural, regional, economical, social and religious causes makes up the roots of this act. Poverty Poverty is considered to be one of the most basic reasons for a girl getting married off in an early age. According to a fact sheet released by UNFPA, â€Å"The practice of child marriage has decreased globally over the last 30 years, it remains common in rural areas and among the poor.† There are a number of poor men who are not able to feed and run their family well. In order to feed their other children, clear debts or in exchange of some money, they decide to marry off their child, usually a girl to a man who is way older than her hoping for a better future. Such a decision just makes the life of the girl child difficult like hell and satisfies the needs of the bride’s family just for a short term but in no way helps anyone have a well settled life. (McGluain). Protection of Family’s honor Some parents and families also think that it is a good way to save their family’s honor by marrying their girl child in an early age. There are various cultures where there is a belief that if a girl loses her virginity before she marries someone, then it is very shameful for the family and thus spoils its reputation and honor. Therefore by marrying a girl in an early age presume the girl’s sexuality and that she is being married as a virgin protecting the family’s honor. This is very discouraging for the girls as by imposing family’s respect and honor on them; there family doubts her nature and this harms her self-respect and dignity. Girls are also expected to marry older man as they are more knowledgeable and sensible and can take care of the girl child as a parent but this is not the truth for almost all the cases in fact the opposite happens breaking the girl’s morals and leading her into depression.(UNFPA). Discrimination based on gender Another main reason for child marriage is discrimination based on gender. In various cultures and society, people regard girls as the week ones or the one who holds less or no power and devaluates and discriminates against them. According to a research by UNICEF, â€Å"often manifests itself in the form of domestic violence, marital rape, and deprivation of food, lack of access to information, education, healthcare, and general impediments to mobility.† In many cases of child marriage, the family gives the child bride less value and restricts her from doing things she want. The child is usually not enough educated to fight for her rights so she stays quiet and takes goes through the troubles her husband and in laws put her through. They are also disrespected by the society if they do a small mistake. They are not able to live a normal life and are forced into various unacceptable activities. They are also beaten up by their husbands and they use the girl the way they want. Thi s way either the girl ends up being destroyed mentally or sometime even dying. (UNICEF). Violation of laws In various countries there are various laws which restrict child marriage and are against them for example Pakistan and India. Even though such laws exist, the constitutions of these countries don’t take any strict actions if people violate them. The legal age for marriage in India is 18 years for girls and 21 for boys. Under the Child Marriage Prevention Act, 1929, any marriage before these ages is banned. Despite in presence of such laws, a huge number of child marriages take place everywhere and no one tries to stop it. According to the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) â€Å"100 million girls will be married before the age of 18 in the coming decade.†(ICRW). What are the similarities and dissimilarities between present day child marriage and the ones in the past? There is not much difference between present day child marriage and the one that took place years back. People follow the footsteps of their ancestors and blindly believe them. In the past, people were married off early as they were unaware about the fact that it is a harmful practice and causes various problems. Year after year, as the time passed, people followed the same rules without changing or checking whether it is legit or not. In some places, people got educated and they studied about it. They understood about its good and bad points and on based on that they started changing the rules. Still in various parts of the world, there exists a lot of places where people, mainly the girls, are being married at a really young age. This is happening as these places are very backwards and lack education. According to UNFPA, â€Å" more than 100 million young girls will be marrie d off in the next decade†. (UNFPA). How does child marriage differ in different parts of world? Child Marriage is common in various places throughout the globe and is much more common with girls than boys. According to a survey by UNICEF, â€Å"One of every seven girls gets married before they turn fifteen and one of every three girls gets married under age, that is before they turn eighteen. The Highest rate of child marriage is in West Africa. It is followed by southern Asia, the Middle East and then the Latin America. The condition of some countries are so poor that they more than a half of the under aged female population f the country are married or are about to get married. According to UNFPA fact sheet, â€Å"76 percent of girls in Nigeria , 74 per cent of girls in Democratic Republic of Congo, 54 per cent of girls in Afghanistan , 50 per cent of girls in India and 51 per cent of girls in Bangladesh are married under age, that is before turning 18.† These countries lack  education and schools in rural areas so the most of the crowd is illiterate and are also la gging economically. Hence, it is proved that poverty and education is inversely proportional. There are customs in India which allow people to give away the kids on the auspicious day and event of ‘Akha Teej’. Families use this to get money and property. A lot of kids under the age of 10 are involved in it and some are toddlers of age 3 or 4. When it comes to Nigeria, studies by UNICEF shows that â€Å"44 percent of 20-24 year old women in Niger were married under the age of 15†. These people follow the idiosyncratic and traditional laws setup by their ancestors. Even in Bangladesh, girls are married as soon as they hit puberty just to save their family’s honor and to release financial burdens form the parents. As education increases, people get aware of the problems caused by such acts and they emphasize on learning which in return makes them prosperous and ensures a secure life ahead. Studies also shows that countries in East Asia like Taiwan, South Kore a, Japan etc. have almost removed the tradition of child marriage their prosperity is increasing rapidly day by day. These places are characterized by economic growth, opportunities, declines in death and birth rates, Increase in employment and educational options for girls etc. (UNICEF). How can it affect the lives of the future generations? One of the most essential and basic reasons because of which child marriage still exists is education. Studies have shown the important role that education plays in child marriage. Research by UNICEF shows that â€Å"the more education a girl receives, the less likely she is to be married as a child. Improving access to education and eliminating gender gaps in education are therefore important strategies for ending the practice of child marriage.† It is clear that if more and more girls will be educated, the will be more aware about the things going on around them and can have the power to stand for themselves and judge between right and wrong. (UNFPA). To conclude, child marriage is generally seen as one of the easiest ways established by poor to lower middle class families to make their and their child’s future safe but in almost all the cases, it is not true. It only  secures the family from poverty for a short time period but destroys the life of the girl child forever. With the marriage comes various issues and problems which the young brides go through and in most of the cases they end up dying as they are not strong enough mentally or physically to go through such pain. It also affects the future generations. The babies born to girls under 16 years of age are more likely to die during their first year of life and if they survive, they aren’t healthy like a child who is born from a 20 year old woman, and goes through various deformities in future. As the girls are being married in an early age, they are not able to get educated and this makes a big difference. Works Cited â€Å"Childinfo.org: Statistics by Area – Child Marriage – The Challenge.† Childinfo.org: Statistics by Area – Child Marriage – The Challenge. Web. 13 May 2013. â€Å"Child Marriage.† Forward. Web. 13 May 2013. 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