Stefan’s Diaries: Bloodlust Chapter 4

The car was pitch black, but our eyes, now adapted for nocturnal vision, allowed us to pick out a path through the piles of sooty coal in the caboose. Finally we emerged through a doorway into what appeared to be a first-class sleeping car. When no one was looking, we stole a few shirts and pairs of trousers from an unattended trunk and put them on. They didnt fit perfectly, but they would do. As we ventured out into the aisle of the seating coach, the train rumbling beneath our feet, a hand grabbed my shoulder. Reflexively, I swung my arm at my attacker and growled. A man in a conductors uniform flew backward and hit the wall of a compartment with athud. I locked my jaw to keep my fangs from protruding. â€Å"Im sorry! You startled me and † I trailed off. My voice was unfamiliar to my own ears. For the past week, most of my interactions had been in hoarse whispers. I was surprised at how human I sounded. But I was much more powerful than my voice betrayed. I hoisted the man to his feet and straightened his navy cap. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"I believe so,† the conductor said in a dazed voice, patting his arms as if to make sure they were still there. He looked to be about twenty, with sallow skin and sandy hair. â€Å"Your ticket?† â€Å"Oh, yes, tickets,† Damon said, his voice smooth, not betraying that we had been in a gallop to the death only minutes before. â€Å"My brother has those.† I shot an angry glance toward him, and he smiled back at me, calm, taunting. I took him in. His boots were muddy and unlaced, his linen shirt was untucked from his trousers, but there was something about him–more than his aquiline nose and aristocratic jaw–that made him seem almost regal. In that moment, I barely recognized him: This wasnt the Damon Id grown up with, or even the one Id gotten to know in the past week. Now that we were hurtling out of Mystic Falls toward some invisible, unknowable point on the horizon, Damon had become someone else, someone serene and unpredictable. In these unfamiliar surroundings, I was unsure if we were partners in crime or sworn enemies. The conductor turned his attention toward me, his lip curling as he took in my disheveled appearance. I hastily tucked my own shirt in. â€Å"We were rushing, and † I drawled, hoping my Southern accent would make the words sound sincere–and human. His goldfish-like eyes bulged skeptically, and then I remembered a vampire skill Katherine had used on me to great effect: compelling. â€Å". . . And I already showed you my ticket,† I said slowly, willing him to believe me. The conductor furrowed his brows. â€Å"No, you didnt,† he replied just as slowly, taking extra care to enunciate each word, as if I were an especially dull passenger. I cursed silently, then leaned in ever closer. â€Å"But I presented it to you earlier.† I stared into his eyes until my own started to cross. The conductor took a step back and blinked. â€Å"Everyone needs a ticket on their person at all times.† My shoulders slumped. â€Å"Well uh â€Å" Damon stepped in front of me. â€Å"Our tickets are in the sleeper car. Our mistake,† he said, his voice low and lulling. He didnt blink once as he gazed at the mans hooded lids. The ticket takers face went slack, and he took a step back. â€Å"My mistake. Go ahead, gentlemen. Im sorry about the confusion.† His voice was distant as he tipped his hat, then stood aside to let us walk into the gentlemens club car. As soon as the door shut behind us, I grabbed Damons arm. â€Å"How did you do that?† I asked. Had Katherine taught him how to drop his voice, gaze his victim in the eye, and force the poor lad to do his bidding? I clenched my jaw, wondering if shed mentioned how easy it had been for her to compel me. Images flashed into my mind: Katherine widening her eyes, begging me to keep her secret, to stop my father from hunting her. I shook my head, as if to fling the images from my brain. â€Å"Whos in charge now, brother?† Damon drawled, collapsing into an empty leather seat and yawning, his hands stretched above his head as if he were ready to settle down for a long nap. â€Å"Youre going to sleep now? Of all times?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Why not?† I repeated dumbly. I held out my arms, gesturing to our surroundings. We sat among well-dressed men in top hats and waistcoats, who, despite the hour, were busily patronizing the wood-paneled bar in the corner. A group of older men played poker, while young men in captains uniforms whispered over tumblers of whiskey. We went unnoticed in this crowd. There were no vampire compasses revealing our true identities. No one so much as glanced in our direction as we sat down. I perched on the ottoman opposite Damon. â€Å"Dont you see?† I said. â€Å"No one knows us here. This is our chance.† â€Å"Youre the one who doesnt see.† Damon inhaled deeply. â€Å"Smell that?† The warm, spicy scent of blood filled my nostrils, and the thud of pumping hearts echoed around me like cicadas on a summer evening. Instantly a searing pain ripped through my jaw. I covered my mouth with my hands, looking wildly around to see if anyone had noticed the long canines that had shot out from my gums. Damon let out a wry chuckle. â€Å"Youll never be free, brother. Youre tethered to blood, to humans. They make you desperate and needy–they make you a killer.† At the wordkiller, a man with a rust-colored beard and sun-dyed cheeks glanced sharply at us from across the aisle. I forced a benign smile. â€Å"You're going to get us in trouble,† I hissed under my breath. â€Å"Yes, well, youve got only yourself to blame for that,† Damon replied. He closed his eyes, signaling the end of our conversation. I sighed and glanced out the window. We were probably only thirty miles outside of Mystic Falls, but it felt as though everything Id known before had simply ceased to exist. Even the weather was new–the rain shower had ended, and the autumn sun now poked through wispy clouds, penetrating the glass that separated the train from the outside world. It was curious: While our rings protected us from the sun searing our flesh, the burning orb made me feel slightly drowsy. Pushing myself to stand, I took refuge in the dark aisles that led from compartment to compartment. I passed from walking between the plush velvet seats of the first-class cars to the wooden benches of second class. Finally, I made myself comfortable in an empty sleeper cabin, drew the curtains, closed my eyes, and opened my ears. Hope those Union boys get out of New Orleans and leave it to ourselves Once you see those beauties on Bourbon Street, your Virginia virgin won't look the same You've got to be careful. There's voodoo down there, and some say it's where demons come out to play I smiled. New Orleans sounded like the perfect place to call home. I settled into the makeshift bed, content to relax and let the train rock me into some sort of slumber. I found that I fed much better after I had rested.

Being Wrong Chapter 5

Samantha Merlin October 14, 2012 IGE 120 MWF 11:45-12:50 Reading Response: Being Wrong: Chapter 5 by Kathryn Schultz At the beginning of chapter 5 â€Å"Our Minds, Part Two: Belief† Schultz informs us that Alan Greenspan testifies before congress on October 23, 2008 because of the financial crisis. The chapter then leads on to expand on theâ€Å"Greenspan moments† which is basically when beliefs fail us. Belief in casual conversation is a conscious belief, such as morality, politics, ourselves or others.Philosophers include all unconscious beliefs too, like believing that the sky is dark outside if you're in your bedroom at night with the blinds closed and that the sun won't rise for many more hours and when it does it will do so in the east. Both explicit beliefs like â€Å"everyone hates me† and implicit ones â€Å"the sky is blue† serve as a function of helping me figure out where to sit when I enter a room. Once an implicit assumption is violated, it b ecomes explicit. If I suddenly fall through the floor, my implicit assumptions about the solidity of the floor suddenly appear in my conscious.The beliefs at the acute ends of the implicit and explicit range breaks down most strikingly when they are revealed incorrectly. However, holding a belief can have many outcomes. Belief in overall perspective led to spending $300 million and $30 million per year on LIGO. We have distal beliefs because we need to be able to theorize about some things, but end up theorizing about everything. The theorizing process is quick and automated and doesn't require us to intentionally activate it, so we cant stop theorizing. We tend to mainly notice our theories when they're wrong.Babies as young as seven months are already theorizing about gravity. Alison Gopnik assumed that the theory drive exists particularly esfor early childhood, but functions throughout lives, just like sex drive exists precisely for fertile years, but works before and after. Alth ough we are good at making theories, we are not good at realizing we made them. We have a tendency toward â€Å"Naive realism† which means that our perception matches reality. Anyhow, this can not be true because there are things that we can not perceive like infrared and molecules.All children under the age of four are Naive realists because they believe that we can not believe things that are wrong. The chapters main idea was that if you believe that your beliefs are true, you will assume that those that disagree with you are ignorant of facts, are idiots or evil. Just from reading this chapter I have come to the conclusion that Schulz takes on a heavy topic that most of us don't understand. The broad majority of people either feel they have to be right at all costs, or that being wrong is a personal failure.In reality, being wrong is what helps us grow and understand our world better. It was impossible not to think about politics while reading this, either. Each political party has a hard and fast set of beliefs that define them, and anyone not advocating to those beliefs is wrong and needs to be corrected. Unluckily, even when presented with evidence to the contrary relating to one of their closely-held views, it is nearly impossible for the person to adjust their thinking and admit they were wrong. There's no discussion and consideration of views to come up with a compromise or to learn from others.It's often a duel to the death to be right while proving the other person wrong. In the end, nobody gains from that. In class i'd like to discuss whether people thought that Being Wrong had a great message and can make a difference in someone's life or thought it can't cause any type of dramatic change of perspective. I feel that it can make a person's life more productive and enjoyable. Unfortunately, I have little hope that the average man on the street who is affected by the need to always be right will ever take the time to read and understand the me ssage of this chapter or the whole book in general.

Carlos Villaluz Francisco Essay Example for Free

Carlos Villaluz Francisco Essay Carlos Villaluz Francisco, born in 1914, was the son of Felipe Francisco and Maria Villaluz of Angono, Rizal. Francisco studied at the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Fine Arts. Before the war, he did illustrations for the Tribune and La Vanguardia, and later, with Victorio Edades and Fermin Sanchez painted sets for the Manila Grand Opera House, and the Clover Theater. He was also a member of the â€Å"Thirteen Moderns† a group formed in 1938. After WWII, Francisco taught at the University of Santo Tomas, simultaneously working in film-making with Miguel conde, as the scriptwriter for â€Å"Ghenghis Khan, Putol na Kampilan† (Broken Sword) and â€Å"Tatlong Labuyo,† (Three Wild Roosters). He also designed costumes for â€Å"Romeo at Julieta,† (Romeo and Juliet) as well as â€Å"Prinsipe Tenoso,† (Prince Tenoso) â€Å"Ibong Adarna,† (Adarna Bird), â€Å"Siete Infantes de Lara,† and the Juan Tamad series. Francisco belonged to the first generation modernists who, with Edades and Galo B.  Ocampo, constituted the pioneering triumvirate which attempted to change the direction of Philippine art from the tenacious influence of the Amorsolo school in new and fresh idioms of visual expression. In the struggle for modern art, Francisco was one of the artists/protagonists in the center of the fray. His painting :Kaingin† (Swidden), a modernist composition with strong design and rhythm, won him the first prize in the historic first national art exhibition of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) held at the National Museum in 1948. Francisco, along with Edades and Ocampo were commissioned to do a number of murals for lobbies and for private residences such as that of the architect Juan Nakpil. These murals featured stylized figures in flowing curvilinear lines: nymphs dancing or playing the flute, often against a background of tropical vegetation. Through these works, the artists contributed towards developing a Filipino imagery, drawing inspiration from the the customs and traditions of the Philippine people, as well as from familiar environments. In the quest for a Filipino modernist idiom, Francisco, who chose to be based in his fishing village of Agono, observed Philippine folk aesthetics and researched Philippine histon,, customs, and traditions. He arrived at an idiom which was both Filipino and Asian. Francisco employed bold folk colors, flowing rhythmic lines and decorative patterns often covering the entire field of the painting. He evoked the communal life of Philippine gatherings and celebrations. His images of women were drawn from mythology. uch as Mariang Makiling; from history and legend, such as Princesa Urduja; from customs of the past, such as the maiden carried on a hammock across the mountain in Antipolo; and from contemporary folk, such as the woman preparing fish for sinigang. Fisherfolk were among his favorite subjects since he lived in a fishing village. He showed his closeness to the folk in paintings such as the â€Å"Camote Eaters,† his last and unfinished work. Francisco’s first important mural was done for the 1953 International Fair held in Manila. On the theme of 500 years of Philippine History, its scope covered the legendary origin of the Filipino with the first man and woman Malakas and Maganda springing from the primal bamboo, up to the administration of then incumbent President Elpidio Quirino. The mural was finely executed in wood by the Paete woodcarvers. Foreign visitors to the Fair were impressed by Francisco’s mural which received full Newsweek, but local sentiment was lukewarm and the work was promptly carelessly disposed of after the fair. Francisco’s major masterpiece is the mural for the Bulwagang Katipunan of the Manila City Hall, commissioned by Manila mayor Antonio Villegas during his administration. â€Å"Filipino Struggles through History† chronicles the history of Manila from the first great Rajahs of Tondo, the Spanish colonial period, Balagtas, Rizal and the Revolution of 1896, up to the American colonial period which becomes the history of the entire nation itself. In this work Francisco often integrated several historical episodes, in smaller scale, under one period. The episode groups, however, are not static but flow into each other by means of various linking devices, such as a winding river, flames branching out, or clouds coiling in spirals. The murals are marked by artistic vigor and inexhaustible inventiveness, a lively characterization of the numerous historical figures, and unifying all, a strong sense of design. Andres Bonifacio’s figure makes a compelling visual impact as he is shown forging forward, leading the Katpunero with their long bamboo spears, rifles, and bolos. Among the many dynanic scenes is the encounter between Limahong and the Spanish soldiers as they thrust their weapons at each other. A smaller mural is the Pageant of Commerce in four sections: two sides on the history of Philippine trade, from commercial relations with China and Arabia to the Manila Acapulco alleon trade: a section on the development of modern industry in factories, travel and communication; and the central one of a Filipino couple in native costume, the woman slipping a coin into a bamboo alkansya, with the spirit of commerce hovering above. Francisco also did the murals on the Life and Miracles of St Dominic for Santo Domingo Church, 1954; and the Stations of the Cross for Far Eastern University, 1956. He worked with Victorio Edades and Galo B.  Ocampo on the mural of Rising Philippines for the Capitol Theater and murals for the Golden Gate Exposition, the State Theater, the houses of Pres Manuel Quezon, Ernesto Rufino, and Vicente Rufino. Francisco’s Kaingin won first prize in the 1948 painting competition of the Art Association of the Philippines. He received the Patnubav ng Sining at Kalinangan Award from the City of Manila in 1964. He was proclaimed National Artist in painting in 1973. Carlos Villaluz Francisco. (2016, Dec 12).

It is necessary for large listed companies in different countries to Assignment

It is necessary for large listed companies in different countries to prepare financial statements using uniform accounting stand - Assignment Example Financial accounting and managerial accounting deal with the preparation of accounting reports that provide information for decision making. Financial accounting deals with the preparation of financial statements such as the balance sheets and the profit and loss accounts. These are disclosed to both internal and external users. The internal users include the management and employees. Management accounting deals with the preparation of accounts that are used internally by management for decision making. Financial accounting statements are subject to the scrutiny of outsiders; potential investors, financial institutions and economic analysts compared to managerial accounts that are used internally by management (Ramanna & Sletten, 2009). Financial accounts provide information on the financial position and position of the business whereas management accounts provide information for planning, budgets and controls for management decision making. This explains why financial accounts need to follow certain standards compared to managerial accounts. Due to globalization, countries need to speak the same language internationally so that the accounts produced can be understood and improve investor confidence regardless of the country concerned. This paper sets out to explain what IFRS is, the arguments for and against using uniform accounting standards in the preparation of financial statements and the flexibility of the preparation of management accounting reports (Caroline, 2010). History of International Financial Reporting Standards The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) was formed to promote the adoption of the IFRS so that there is worldwide consistency in financial reporting regardless of where the organization was located. The International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) was formed in 1973 to prepare standards that would be used by smaller nations in creating their own internal accounting standards. This was succeeded by the IASB in 2001. GAA P is an appropriate tool for financial reporting where organizations operate within a country’s borders with reason. With globalization a company may find it difficult to compare its financial statements using its GAAP without violating the GAAP of another. IFRS were developed due to the growth of global markets and the desire by multinationals and organizations to have one common set of financial statements that can be understood internationally. The IASB was mandated to develop high quality accounting standards that would reduce the cost of doing business, increase efficiency and provide information for potential investors. Currently, there are over 100 countries that have adopted the IFRS. There are many countries that are in the process of replacing the local standards with IFRS such as the US (Armstrong, Barth, Jagolinzer, & Riedl, 2010). Benefits of International Financial Reporting Standards There is greater comparability of financial statements. Companies from differe nt countries can easily compare their accounts. Using different rules in the preparation would not be possible and good for investment. The statements can be compared in all the financial markets irrelevant of where they were prepared. Financial statements prepared using IFRS are more flexible as they are principle based compared to local accounting stan

Monetary and fiscal policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Monetary and fiscal policy - Essay Example Through tax cuts, my firm will save very many jobs that previously would have been lost. When utilized, tax cuts save many jobs and this in return helps in saving the economy from taking major shots. Because a firm like mine is not a popular decision at the time tax cuts were available, when the distribution of tax cuts are fair to deserving companies, history proves that they end up being the best (Shiller, 2008). I am sure on this one and I have to admit. Yes, tax cuts have effects with the major one being saving jobs. But the question that keeps coming on my mind is do such firms like mine get fat checks with only those in high ranks getting rich while the person with a low rank in the food chain continues to struggle. This makes me think that the government should take time and look at the financials of companies it plans to bail out for the purposes of looking and seeing whether it might cut the fat. This does not seem to have an impact and effect but as an owner of my firm, I k now well the effects that imposing tax cuts on all household goods can have. This in short is bailing a company out and the effects start from within where employees can even get an increase in pay (Shiller, 2008). 2 In the past few years, the government has had an important role in "bailing out" certain industries. This is a type of government spending. This government bailout affected my firm directly since the promises that the codes give are to uphold the regulations of businesses, to act with transparent facts, without malice, and with reasonable care that will suffer from any pressure coming from third parties. Business freedom demonstrated to the second party auditors that are independent is what the corporation cherishes (Shiller, 2008). Unless dully authorized, the bailout codes of ethics bring the employees tight together to maintain the corporation’s confidentiality, which is vital. Another promise is ensuring all employees have exceptional quality communication fl ow and regularly to update the government on any financial matter that comes up in the business. It adheres to everything it says and follows it to the letter.In the recent past, economists do not have trust in government bailouts in terms of the nation’s well being. They have been proposing for alternative measures like the profits giving reasons why bailouts are not good enough. Below are their outlined reasons (Shiller, 2008). A bailout leaves out many goods by only counting money transactions. There are many disregarded important parts of the economy. For example, most household tasks like caring for the children and the elderly, cleaning and general home maintenance, preparation of food and voluntary services do not get into account. During the calculations, bailouts zero rates all these activities assuming they do contribute anything to the economy. This alone contributes a lot to distorted policies of the public. In cases where family act gets criticism of bailouts red uction, the denigrations are baseless because it does not reflect the increments in many economies of the household initiated by the act (Shiller, 2008). A bailout takes care of all dealings as positive. Government bailouts

State-Sponsored Terrorism or How the current governmental policies Research Paper

State-Sponsored Terrorism or How the current governmental policies promote terrorism - Research Paper Example Just like the notion of equating the actions of the military forces with terror mentioned above, somepeople liken any governmental powers and authorities over a certain population as similar to terrorism. This view toooutlines what is terrorism and what is not terrorism, as it raises results over intentions. Suppression of violence by personnel of law enforcement may in fact make some of the groups (rioters) into fear and violence, other than the intention of protecting the larger civil law (Hoffman 41). On the other hand, the privilege of legitimized riots’ abuse of governmental authorizes refers to a crime. However, there are situations when state government becomes involved and associated with terrorism, or even use terror approach to achieve the goals of individual or government rulers (Hoffman 205). Most frequently, terrorism relatesto groups or â€Å"non-state actors†, which take no part in a sovereign regime. However, nation’s internal security forces some time use terror for repressing disagreements, and military or intelligence organizations carry out actions of terror intended to further a nation’s diplomatic or policy efforts abroad (Hoffman 234). A government that belongs to the United States sometimes may apply terror actions and terrorism while trying to increase the rate of their engagement of American forces. Oppression through terrorism over the indigenous groups in countries may take place against internal insurrection and dissent that America might exploit (Sharma 180). Armed forces special operations tools and nations intelligence operatives might carry on terrorist actions against United States interests in theater and in abroad countries as far as their capabilities can allow. Finally, violence against the United States homeland might be under control of state sponsored terrorism groups or even funded domestic proxies (Sharma 357).Three varying ways that a state can involve in the use of terror attacks include St ate or government terror, nation engaging in terror, and nation sponsorship of terrorist groups. State or governmental terrorism sometimes refers to â€Å"terrorism from above†, whereby a certain state government terrorizes its own citizens to repress or control them.The government may decide to implement some policies that citizens disagree by force an act that people refer to as government or state terrorism (Sharma 191). These terror actions normally comprise acknowledgement of government’s policies, and involves the use of government institutions such as police, judiciary, military, and some other governmental agencies. Amendments of legal permits, torture, killing, property destruction in recreation of government policiesleads to terrorism. After assumingsupremacy, Nazi policy aimed at destructing the state's enemies and the consequential intimidation among the rest of the country’s population. The 1930s Stalin’s â€Å"purges† are examples sho wing the use of the state’s machinery to terrorize populations (Sharma 182). The methods Stalin used to comprise such terror actions as pushing family members or friends of any suspect enemies who were against the regime, fixed show trials for all opponents, and extra use of military or police force against the opposing population. Saddam Hussein is one of the

How does the concept of the imperialism of free trade explain the rise Essay

How does the concept of the imperialism of free trade explain the rise and fall of the British Empire - Essay Example Though it took some time for other nations to understand this concept, but it is now a known phenomenon and is admired and adopted throughout the world. Free trade is a type of trade between countries, where trade is done without any restrictions of governments from both sides. Different countries prefer free trade; the reason is that it provides benefit to people. The countries involved in free trade are usually on the friendly terms and in a way it shows their trust upon each other. Not only goods but also services are provided without taxes and other obstacles that could be faced otherwise. The main beneficiaries of free trade are the common people of those countries that get full advantage of low priced goods. A country, after getting privilege of free trade, can gain access to the market of the other country easily and they can invest their capital without any concern of the future policies of that country. Free trade is not a new phenomenon in the economies of the countries. It is been practiced for centuries in different forms. It is considered to be a vital factor of any country's flourishing economy and successful economic policies. This concept was given by the famous economist David Ricardo. Though the country with large and strong economy got a big share of profit than the other one, but still this phenomenon is popular in today's world. British Empire could be regarded as one... The key to their success in this whole time was their strong economy. Their stable and strong economy leads them everywhere in the world and once they set their foot in the particular country, no one can stop them from achieving their imperialistic aims. Their influence was obvious in every field of that country, people follow their way of living and adopt their styles, and they finally took over that country or the region. The famous quote about them was that "The sun never sets on British Empire". The British Empire started arising in seventeen century, when they reconcile with their rival Spain in 1604. America is referred as their first colony and the list of colonies goes on, which includes a large part of land in almost every continent of the world. And they started this all with trade, either its Tobacco, Rice, Fur, Cotton, Raw Material or even slaves. Asia was considered to be Portugal's territory, but in the late 16th century, British and Dutch found their way in Asia as well, which at that time considered being a wealthy piece of land, especially India. East India Company was set in early 1600's and it provided British people to set their foot at in the rich and mysterious land of India, at that time was ruled by Mughals. The famous export of India was spices and textile. British lost their colonies in American Continent during 1760's to 1770's, and it was a great loss for the Empire. But they still got the Asia, a gold mine in their hands. Asia, particularly India, was considered to be the most profitable colony of British Empire and they earned a lot from this part of the land. At this time, Adam Smith gave the concept of Free Trade. According to him, it is not necessary to have a military or a political rule over a

RESEARCH ON THE JAPANESE YEN Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ON THE JAPANESE YEN - Research Paper Example Precisely, this theory argues that a unit current, for instance, the Yen must have the same purchasing power in a foreign country. The study uses the Japanese Yen together with other currencies in testing the PPP hypothesis and focuses on the empirical analysis from 1980 up to March 2013. This period is divided into three windows. The first window is what is referred to as the complete sample; the pre-crisis sample, which began in January 1980 and ended in August 2008, is the second window. The third window is referred to as the crisis sample, starting from September 2008 up to March 2013. The Japanese Yen among other currencies such as the Euro, the British pound and the U.S dollar are key currencies of the recent floating exchange rate period. In this regard, the first step of the study was to check for the stability of the real exchange rate prior to and after Lehman Brother’s crash in 2008. The empirical results showed that the real exchange rate is not constant for Japane se yen. For a proper evaluation of the problem under study this paper will comprise of various sections, including a brief literature review, the econometric methodology, data and empirical evidence, and lastly a summary of the findings and concluding remarks. The purchasing power theory dates back to several centuries ago, beginning with the Spanish doctors and the ‘Salamanca School’ of the 16th century who had crucial contributions to the economic theory (Laurentiu). They designed a quantitative money theory of the foreign exchange, which was based on diversity in purchasing power in various countries from observing the general effects on price levels, exchange rates and money supplies of large inflows of gold from the newly discovered continent, America. The celebrated Augustinian doctor, called ‘Doctor Navarrus came up with some outstanding contributions in

WK 1 PS240 Psychological Research Methods Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WK 1 PS240 Psychological Methods - Research Paper Example The correlation would reveal if people who lived together before marriage got divorced, if they did not live together before marriage and got divorced, or if no relationship exists between the two separate variables. Correlations do not suggest that one variable causes or influences the other variable, but that there are characteristics in common between the two individual variables. The experimental procedure of psychological investigation requires the researcher to influence one variable to dictate if variations in one variable causes changes to occur in another variable; experiments are undergone to â€Å"determine if there is a causal relationship between two or more variables (Hayes, 2007).† Part of the experimental procedure is to tweak certain variables to aim at a certain result, or else to see if that certain result is even capable of being reached. One of the greatest benefits of experimentation in psychology is that experimenters are able to have a reasonable amount of control over the variables. An example of when a researcher would rely on experimentation would be if they wanted to determine how a certain group of people or individuals naturally act in any given environment. The researcher could tweak the variables of the experiment by changing the environment that their subjects would find themselves in. The researchers would not be able to personally alter or even predict the behavior of their subjects, but by adding distractions or other variables to the environment, they can reach a specific conclusion of their

Wicca Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wicca - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, an in-depth look into the nature of Wicca somehow dispels most of the previous negative concepts associated with it. Far from its reputation of destructiveness, Wicca is actually a religion of natural healing and deep spirituality. Due to the absence of higher authority, prophet or Bible in Wicca, it is difficult to specify the basic tenets and principles of the religion. Nevertheless, there remain 13 principles upon which Wiccan belief is based. First, Wiccans feel the need to attune themselves to nature or the â€Å"natural rhythm of life forces† (Robinson, 2010). These forces are usually determined by the movement of the moon. Second, Wiccans recognize the fact that they are stewards of nature and that this responsibility stems from their own intelligence and consciousness. Third, Wiccans believe in the possibility of achieving supernatural power, but would most likely believe that non-Wiccans cannot possess the same thing. Fourth, Wiccans recognize the creati ve power of sex as well as the role of the masculine and feminine polarities in achieving creative power. Fifth, Wiccans recognize the dualistic existence of a world which is both physical and psychological or spiritual. Nevertheless, unlike other religions which focus their attention on the latter, Wicca presupposes the equal purpose of both worlds. Sixth, Wiccans do not recognize any leader or hierarchy of leadership but only those who have shared their wisdom with others. Seventh, Wiccans recognize the unity among religion, magic and wisdom – and they consider this particular worldview as Witchcraft or the Wiccan Way. Eighth, Wiccans recognize that the title â€Å"Witch,† when ascribed to oneself, does not in any way have a negative connotation. Instead, a â€Å"witch† means someone who â€Å"[seeks] to control the forces within himself† in order for him â€Å"to live wisely and without harm to others and in harmony with nature† (Robinson, 2010) . Ninth, Wiccans regard life as a journey towards the continuous development of consciousness. As one’s consciousness develops, his knowledge of the universe also expands. Tenth, Wiccans feel a particular â€Å"animosity† towards Christianity and all other religions that declare themselves to be â€Å"the only way,† for this is tantamount to denying freedom to many other ways of achieving spiritual development. Eleventh, Wiccans basically do not want to dig deep into history and would consider themselves different from the wicked witches of the old. Twelfth, Wicca does not accept the idea of absolute evil but this does not mean that they recognize Satan or the Devil. Wiccans also do not rejoice in the suffering of others and do not advocate greed. Thirteenth and last, Wiccans believe that the secrets to good health and well-being lie within Nature (Robinson, 2010). In addition to the above 13 principles, Wiccans also believe that God, â€Å"The One† or â €Å"The All† is the one force that has created this universe and is still constantly creating it. God for the Wiccans is both male and female, and would regard the various Gods and Goddesses as mere aspects of â€Å"The All,† However, as Wicca is a decentralized religion with no clear higher authority, some Wiccans are pantheists, others are atheists, while some remain as agnostics (Robinson, 2010). Moreover, the Wiccan version of the Golden Rule is â€Å"Do what you want, as long as you harm none† (Cunningham, 2005). Harming none, however, means both not harming others and not harming oneself. Therefore, if one abuses his body and denies it the necessities of life or gives it too much pleasure, then one violates this moral principle (Cunningham, 2005

Managerial Accounting Quiz 1 Essay Example for Free

Managerial Accounting Quiz 1 Essay Chapters 1 and 2 10 Points 1. Complete the answer sheet below by placing an X under each heading that identifies the cost involved. The Xs can be placed under more than one heading for a single cost. (5 Points) Variable Cost Fixed Cost Direct Materials Direct Labor Manufactu ring Overhead Period Cost Materials costs X X Production line workers wages X X Production Equipment rental X X Factory Building depreciation X X Advertising costs X X 2. A partial listing of costs incurred at Rust Corporation during August appears below: Purchases of raw materials†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ $ 135,000 Direct labor†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 73,000 Factory Utilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 11,000 Sales Commissions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 69,000 Administrative Salaries†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 101,000 Indirect Labor†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 89,000 Depreciation of Production Equipment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 18,000 Indirect Materials†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10,000 Depreciation of Office Copy Machine†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5,000 Raw materials inventory, beginning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 97,000 Raw materials inventory, ending†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 84,000 Work in process inventory, beginning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 39,000 Work in process inventory, ending†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 52,000 Finished goods inventory, beginning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 106,000 Finished goods inventory, ending†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 71,000 a. Prepare a Schedule of Cost of Goods Manufactured in good form. (3 Points) Direct Materials: Beginning raw materials inventory: $97,000 Add: Purchase of raw materials 135,000 Raw materials available for use 232,000 Deduct: Ending raw materials inventory 84,000 Raw materials used in production $148,000 Direct Labor: 73,000 Manufacturing Overhead: 118,000 Total manufacturing cost: 339,000 Add: Beginning work in process inventory 39,000 378,000 Deduct: Ending work in process inventory 52,000 Cost of goods manufactured $326,000 b. Compute the Cost of Goods Sold. (2 Points) Finished goods inventory, beginning$106,000 Add: Cost of goods manufactured 326,000 Goods available for sale 432,000 Deduct: Finished goods inventory, ending 71,000 Cost of goods sold $361,000 Managerial Acctg Quiz 2 – Fall 2012 NAME__ _______________________ Chapters 3 and 4 10 Points 1. Pence Company is a manufacturing firm that uses job-order costing. The company applies overhead to jobs using a predetermined overhead rate based on machine-hours. At the beginning of the year, the company estimated that it would work 44,000 machine hours and would incur $176,000 in manufacturing overhead cost. During the year the following actual costs and hours were incurred: Job A Job B Job C Job D Direct Materials$ 135,000 $ 129,000 $ 98,000 $ 103,000 Direct Labor $ 80,000 $ 85,000 $ 63,000 $ 68,000 Machine Hours 12,000 13,000 8,000 14,000 Number of Units 50 35 60 Indirect Materials used: $ 34,000 Indirect Labor: $ 63,000 Selling Costs: $134,000 Factory Utility Costs: $ 14,000 Factory Depreciation: $114,000 Administrative Salaries $157,000 Required: (5 points) a. Compute the predetermined overhead rate 176000/44000= 4.00 b. Compute the amount of overhead applied to each job. A.12000*4= 48000 B. 13000*4= 52000 C. 8000*4= 32000 D. 14000*4= 56000 c. Assuming that Jobs A, B, and D were completed during the year, compute the total cost charged to each job and the unit cost of the product produced. A.5660 B.8543 D. 3983 d. Compute the balance in Work In Process at the end of the year. 161,000 e. Compute the amount of overhead under or overapplied. 176000-161000= 15000 f. Assuming the amount is not material, write the journal entry required to close the manufacturing overhead account at the end of the year. Work in Process 161,000 Manufacturing Overhead161,000 2. Elton Company uses the weighted-average method in its process costing system. The company adds materials at the beginning of the process in Department M. Conversion costs were 75% complete with respect to the 4,000 units in work in process at May 1 and 50% complete with respect to the 6,000 units in work in process at May 31. During May, 12,000 units were completed and transferred to the next department. An analysis of the costs relating to work in process at May 1 and to production activity for May follows: Materials Conversion Work in process 5/1 $26,200 $19,370 Costs added during May $26,900 $29,380 Required: Using the weighted-average method, determine the Equivalent Units of Production for Materials and Conversion Costs, the Cost per Equivalent Unit for Material and Conversion Cost, and the total product cost per Equivalent Unit. (5 Points) Equivalent units of production Materials Conversion Transferred to next department.. 12,000 12,000 Ending work in process (materials: 6,000 units Ãâ€" 100% complete; conversion: 6,000 units Ãâ€" 50% complete).. 6,000 3,000 Equivalent units of production 18,000 15,000 Cost per Equivalent Unit Materials Conversion Total Cost of beginning work in process.. 26,200 19,370 Cost added during the period.. 26,900 29,380 Total cost (a) 53,100 48,750 Equivalent units of production (b) 18,000 15,000 Cost per equivalent unit, (a) à · (b). 2.95 3.25 Total: $6.20

What is the marketing mix

What is the marketing mix What is the Marketing Mix The marketing mix of Product, Price, Promotion, and Place was introduced to marketing education by McCarthy (Yudelson 1999). First formulated as a pedagogical tool, the concept of the 4Ps represents a comprehensive way to describe the main tasks of marketing managers. (Goldsmith 1999). It is utilised to implement corporate planning after having researched and audited the marketing environment, identified and understood the customer, established a strategy and decided which market(s) or market segments to serve, or want to serve (Anonymous 2006). The Marketing Mix has its origins in the 60s: Neil Borden (1964) identified twelve controllable marketing elements that would result to a profitable business operation. Jerome McCarthy (1064) reduced Bordens factors to a simple four-element framework: Product, Price, Promotion and Place. Practitioners and academics embraced the Mix paradigm that soon became the established and essential element of marketing theory and operational marketing management. (Constantinides 2006) The 4Ps were a suitable framework for the 1960s environment which was characterised by profit making consumer manufacturing companies who were concerned with reaching their customers in an age of emerging mass media and national mass markets. (Anonymous 2006) Eventually the 4Ps of the marketing mix became an unquestionable paradigm in academic research, the validity of which was taken for granted. (Grà ¶nroos 1994). There are voices though from academics and researchers which shout that the Marketing Mix in the fo rm of the 4Ps is not able to face the latest marketing challenges. The components of the Mix Product Since its the consumers perception that should be the centre of product policy, the product should not be defined as just the set of its own physical properties. The perceptions are influenced by different parameters, such as any associated services, the image, the brand name, even the social and cultural connections, or the perception of its own differentiation from competition. A product is a mixture of tangible and intangible attributes, including functional, social and psychological utilities or benefits (Anonymous 2006). Price Price is the only revenue generating element of the marketing mix; the other elements consume resources. There are three basic pricing strategies that all organisations can pursue for existing products: pricing above the market (higher than similar competitve products), pricing below the market (lower than competition) and pricing at the market (almost at the price of competition) (Anonymous 2006). Promotion One long-term purpose of promotion is to influence and encourage buyers to accept or adopt goods, services and ideas. Potential buyers go through a psychological or behavioural process before purchasing a product. AIDA, which is an acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action incorporates psychological processes: attention is a cognitive process, interest and desire are affective processes and action is a manifest behaviour process (Anonymous 2006). Place Place, or distribution strategy concerns the routes by which marketers of products and services can ensure that these reach their intended market. We normally refer to these routes as marketing channels, which include those intermediaries that products and services pass through from the point of production to the point of final use (Anonymous 2006). Criticism TQM and Relationships Management: Adaptation, not Revolution Yudelson (1999) identified six major marketing developments that challenged the 4Ps since the introduction of the Marketing Mix. Focus on the customer via the Marketing Concept (1960s); Broadening of marketing to include not-for-profits, services, causes, and even politics (1970s); Identification of the exchange transaction as the core of marketing (1970s); Introduction of Total Quality Management with its emphasis on customer satisfaction (1980s); Extension from transaction marketing to relationship marketing (1990s); Identification of the firm as a member of a complete value chain (1990s). Since the 80s, the definition of Product as anything offered is challenged due to the new perspective that organisations face: The success depends on the ability to transform satisfaction to delight. Customer satisfaction is identified as the new driving force, and that is one of the foundational ideas of TQM. Place is expanded to include the entire distribution system, which creates time and place utility and may incorporate specific systems such as just-in-time delivery as part of channel management. During the 1990s, another significant shift occurred. The role of relationships in the marketing activities of the organisation replaced the transaction perspective of earlier times. Price is no longer the amount of money paid to acquire a single Product but the lifetime costs associated with the acquisition, use, and ultimately disposal of the benefits attained during a period of time. Place is no longer just the point of exchange since that fails to communicate the interactions that occur as the product changes ownership and utility from conceptualisation to final disposal. Yudelson suggests that after nearly 40 years, the 4Ps need to let go because, as shown, the terminology has not managed to handle the challenges of developments in marketing thought and practice. However, no commonly agreed or satisfactory replacement has appeared and anyone who grew up on the concept of marketing mix (customers, marketing professionals and academics) would face significant dissonance if the key paradigm were dismissed. So, he suggests that the best strategy is Adaptation and not Revolution. His proposed adaptation focuses on the essential aspects of marketing as exchange driven behaviour, maintains the simplicity and familiarity of the 4Ps, recognises the concerns of past critics, and is capable of applying to both single instance transactions and long-term strategic relationships. Product should be redefined as all the benefits (present or anticipated) that the buyer or acquirer obtains from the exchange. It is recommended that Product be renamed as Performance to communicate the sense of benefit to the customer. Price should be redefined as everything that the acquirer gives up to obtain the benefits. It is suggested that we refer to the second P as Penalty to signify those things that the customer would have to give up or seek to minimize while obtaining the benefit or Performance associated with the exchange. Promotion should be redefined to include all of the information that is communicated between the parties to the transaction in keeping with the current thought on Integrated Marketing Communications. The purpose of the communication or information is to influence or encourage each party to enter into the transaction/ relationship. This is accomplished by providing information regarding the costs and benefits of the transaction-or better-the Perception of the Performance and Penalty. Place can be now defined as all that is done and required to facilitate or bring about the exchange and therefore, Yudelson proposes its redefinition as Process. Relationships Marketing A paradigm shift Grà ¶nroos (1994) believes that a paradigm shift is taking place in marketing. One of the main reasons lies beneath the nature of marketing mix. The marketing mix is a list of categories of marketing variables. A list never includes all relevant elements, it does not fit every situation, and it becomes obsolete. Moreover, the 4Ps represent an oversimplification of Bordens original concept, which was a list of 12 elements not intended to be a definition at all. This list would most probably have to be reconsidered in any given situation. Grà ¶nroos believes that McCarthy either misunderstood the meaning of Bordens marketing mix or his followers misunderstood McCarthys intentions. Probably Bordens original idea of a list of a large number of marketing mix ingredients that have to be reconsidered in every given situation was shortened for pedagogical reasons and a more limited number of marketing variables seemed to fit typical situations observed in the late 1950s and in the 1960s. T he 4Ps were never applicable to all markets and to all types of marketing situations. The development of alternative marketing theories (interaction/network approach to industrial marketing and the marketing of services, customer relationship economics) demonstrates that even from a management perspective, the marketing mix and its 4Ps became a problem. Gronroos concludes that in industrial marketing, services marketing, managing distribution channels and even consumer packaged goods marketing itself, a shift is clearly taking place from marketing to anonymous masses of customer to developing and managing relationships with more or less well-known or at least somehow identified customers. Other Reviews and Criticism Constantinides (2006) undertook a literature review on the status of Marketing Mix at the 21st century. He discovered that many researchers express serious doubts as to the role of the Mix as marketing management tool in its original form, proposing alternative approaches: adding new parameters to the original Mix (e.g. 7Ps for services) or replacing it with alternative frameworks altogether. Some of the weaknesses of the 4Ps identified in the study are domain specific: ignoring the human factor, lack of strategic dimensions, offensive posture and lack of interactivity. Two limitations however seem to be common in all reviewed categories: The models internal orientation: The lack of explicit market input in the framework which sources from the fact that the Mix was originally developed as a concept suitable for marketing of consumer products in the mass-oriented US manufacturing sector of the 60s The lack of personalisation: Significant shifts of consumer behaviour such as individualisation, diminishing brand preference, value orientation, increasing sophistication etc. have undermined the effectiveness of the impersonal one-way communication and the mass marketing approaches. Hyman (2004) undertook a similar study on the criticism of the Mix. According to that, some marketers contend that the scope of the 4Ps is insufficient from a pedagogical or applied perspective. To address this limitation, they updated the schema by refining the current Ps, adding new Ps, broadening its perspective, or adapting it to specific industries. Moreover, he summarised previously published criticism of the 4Ps: Inadequate theoretical grounding Not formally integrated into the exchange paradigm Fails three of the five requirements for a sound classification schema Overly focused on consumer goods, yet is production rather than marketing-concept oriented Cannot account for the full range of marketing management activities Ignores strategic marketing Focuses only on the acquisition stage of consumption Contains an increasingly catch-all (i.e. atheoretically focused) promotion category Fails to account for interactions between Ps or boundary-spanning topics Is incompatible with the relationship-marketing paradigm van Waterschoot and Van den Bulte (1992) in their own research identified five key limitations of the 4Ps model: It focuses on what marketers do to customers rather than for them. It is externally directed and ignores the internal market. It says nothing about interactions between the mix variables. It takes a mechanistic view about markets. It assumes a transactional exchange rather than a relationship. The Xbox 360 Marketing Mix The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. The Xbox 360 is the successor to the Xbox, and competes with Sonys PlayStation 3 and Nintendos Wii as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems (usually called next-gen) (Wikipedia 2007). Product Name and Concept The term 360 represents a circle and is inline with the concept of the product. The customer is placed at The centre of the experience. Its a videogame and an entertainment system that integrates music, picture, games and movies. Everything revolves around the customer.(Porcaro 2005) Classification Xbox 360 belongs to the shopping consumer products category, which includes products purchased after the consumer shops around to find the best deal based on comparisons of price, quality, style, durability and other product attributes that are felt to be important. Although due to shortage at its launch many consumers were making effort to find one and others were forced to buy from eBay at inflated prices, 3 months after the launch the console could be purchased with smaller effort. Therefore, a classification of Speciality is not justified. Product Mix The total set of products a company sells is called its product mix, which consists of its component product lines. The product mix of Microsoft regarding console gaming consists of the following product lines: Xbox 360 consoles, the Xbox Live Services (Marketplace, Video and Arcade), console accessories and Microsoft Games. Xbox 360 Product Line During launch only two configurations were available; the Core and the Premium versions. Over time, the product line length rose to 3, in an Up-Market Stretch move from Microsoft, by introducing a high end version (Elite). Product Positioning Microsoft targets both casual and hard-core gamers. The Core and Arcade versions seem attractive to the former, while Premium and Elite are more appropriate to the latter. Product Levels The five levels of customer value hierarchy are as follows (Kotler and Keller 2006): Core benefit: The benefit that the customer is really buying. The buyer of the Xox 360 is buying video gaming. Basic Product: The Xbox 360 includes a video games console and a controller. Expected product: A set of attributes and conditions the buyers normally expect. Gamers expect from the seventh generation of gaming systems good graphics and sound performance, a wireless controller, digital connection with the HD TV and the amplifier, online gaming with friends through the internet and the ability to listen to music and watch videos. Augmented product: The level in which the product exceeds customer expectations. The Xbox 360 through its Xbox LIVE service lets the customers download purchased or promotional material. This includes game demos, movie and game trailers, Arcade games as well as add-on game content (items, costumes, levels, maps etc). Potential product: All the possible augmentations and transformations the product might undergo in the future. Even before the launch of Xbox 360, Microsoft was researching ways to create a video store accessible through the console, as well as a TV service which would add IPTV functionality. One year after the launch of the console, the Xbox Video Marketplace was introduced in the United States, and the Microsoft TV service under development. Pricing The following table summarises competition pricing during their respective launch. Note that Playstation and Wii launched at November 2006, almost a year later than Xbox. The Xbox 360 was the first next-gen console to enter the market. Generally, if the product is an innovation, then the initial price is usually set quite high (Anonymous 2006), but this is not the policy that Microsoft followed. Microsoft used the strategy of Price penetration, in an effort to take as much market share as possible. In fact, it was reported that Microsoft was losing $126 per unit sold (Joystiq 2005). Robbie Bach, president of Entertainment and Devices Division, said that the Xbox 360 business will become profitable in 2008 and that the profit to make is not on the hardware itself, but rather on Live service subscriptions, accessories and games (Gamedaily 2007). In August 2007, Microsoft dropped the prices by à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 20 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 50. In October 2007, they introduced the Arcade version and priced it exactly the same as the Wii, that is At the market. Odd-even pricing assumes product sales benefit from prices such as  £99.99 rather than  £100.00, because customers will think the product is a good deal (Anonymous 2006). As we saw, Microsoft followed this policy, as all next-gen competitors did. Promotion Microsoft utilized the following Marketing Communications Mix for the launch of the console system. Advertising The advertising campaign took place via television, magazines and internet sites. The tag line was Jump In, which was in complete accordance with the name and the concept of the product (the center of the experience). The ads were introducing the idea that its more fun to play when youre part of a community, that games have always been more fun when you play with friends (Porcaro 2005). Sales Promotion The sales promotion took place through online contests and websites. OurColony.net offered challenges to its community, rewarding solutions with cropped pictures of the console and game screenshots. OrigenXbox360.com was offering visitors an opportunity to enter in various contests for a chance to attend promotional pre-launch events. Hex168.com hosted a number of images that appeared to perpetuate obscure conspiracy theories, but sometimes contained oblique references to Xbox 360. The campaign was later revealed to be a U.S. contest that offered participants a chance to win one of three hundred and sixty Xbox 360 console bundles six days before the official launch (Wikipedia 2007). Marketing Public Relations In order to assist the launch and to increase awareness, Microsoft made use of Marketing Public Relations. The official unveiling of the Xbox 360 occurred on May 2005 on MTV in a program called MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed (Wikipedia 2007). Elijah Wood hosted the show which featured a musical performance by the band The Killers. Ten days later the Xbox 360 was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine along with an associated article. Obviously, the viewers of MTV belong to the target market, while the cover of TIME magazine was a huge boost to the hype. Events Microsoft is one of the major exhibitors in the annual E3 Media and Business Summit which is considered as the biggest annual event in the video game industry. The announcements regarding future development are taking place at the Microsoft keynote event, which is highly anticipated by the worldwide video game media and community. Microsoft is also a frequent sponsor to gaming events. In association with adidas and EA Sports, they sponsored the Xbox World Cup, which received a lot of publicity by the gaming community. Gamers who qualified through national preliminary rounds were given an all-expenses paid trip to Berlin to take part in the competition representing their nations in matches that took place in an 8,500 seat stadium. Microsoft managed to identify with the target market as well as increase awareness and express commitment to the community. Place (Distribution) As mentioned earlier, the product suffered from shortages during its launch, due to huge demand and slow production. However, three months later the problems had been bypassed and it is worth noted that in its first year on the market, the system launched in 36 countries, more countries than any console has launched in a single year. Microsoft chose to distribute the products through the Producer >> Wholesaler >> Retailer >> Consumer channel. For the countries where Microsoft has physical presence, the Wholesaler intermediary part was played by the regional division. The Xbox 360 is distributed intensively, which means that all available outlets are used for distributing it. Conclusion The marketing mix of Product, Price, Promotion, and Place was introduced to marketing education during the 1960s. Practitioners and academics embraced the paradigm that soon became the established element of marketing theory and operational marketing management. Eventually the 4Ps of the marketing mix became an unquestionable paradigm in academic research, the validity of which was taken for granted. However, many researchers and academics object. Yudelson believes that the Mix requires adaptation to the challenges of the era (TQM and the role of relationships) and proposes redefinition of the components. Grà ¶nroos argues the 4Ps was never intended to become a paradigm and started as a simple list which was an oversimplification of a larger list. He states that the 4Ps were never applicable to all markets and to all types of marketing situations, and that we have started to experience a paradigm shift towards relationships marketing. Other studies also conclude that the marketing m ix of the 4Ps is getting old and cannot address complex environment issues, such as management of personalisation. The application of the marketing mix model to the Xbox 360 gaming console system revealed that model managed to incorporate some of the major marketing planning activities of Microsoft under its 4Ps components. However, Yudelsons model seems to apply better. Xbox 360 is not just about the actual console product, but through its integration with other products and services its about the Performance of the entertainment experience. Its Promotion is inline with the current thought on Integrated Marketing Communications. And finally, its Place (distribution) is more about the Process of distribution, from which Microsoft actually suffered during the launch. Also, the marketing mix model failed to incorporate the personalisation component of the product. That is, through the LIVE services each user is uniquely identified. Microsoft has access to personal information, such as favourite games, music and movies and is able to propose similar content to the customers upon request. Unfortunate ly, the 4Ps did not manage to capture this aspect of Xbox 360 marketing. We conclude that the marketing mix is a tool which has performed well in the past and may still do in many cases. However, the increasingly complex environment demands adaptation and expansion. Personalisation for example is a very important component and should be incorporated under the umbrella of the new XPs, whatever number the academia decides that X should be. References Anonymous (2006). Strategic Marketing Module Book Edition 10, Management Centre, University of Leicester. Borden, N.H. (1964), The concept of the Marketing Mix, Journal of Advertising Research, June, pp 2-7 Constantinides, E. (2006), The Marketing Mix Revisited: Towards the 21st Century Marketing, Journal of Marketing Management 2006, 22, pp 407-438 Gamedaily, http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/features/bach-xbox-business-profitable-next-year/70371/?biz=1, [15 December 2007] Goldsmith, R. E. (1999), The personalised marketplace: beyond the 4Ps, Marketing Intelligence Planning 17/4, pp 178-185 Grà ¶nroos, C. (1994), From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Marketing, Management Decision, Vol. 32 No. 2, 1994, pp. 4-20 Hyman, M. R. (2004), Revising the structural framework for marketing management, Journal of Business Research 57, pp 923- 932 Joystiq, http://www.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/microsoft-losing-126-on-every-sold-xbox-360/, [15 December 2007] Kotler, P. and Keller, K. L. (2006), Marketing Management 12e, Pearson Prentice Hall McCarthy, E.J. (1964), Basic Marketing, a Managerial Approach, Homewood, Ill.: Richard D. Irwin, Inc.. Porcaro, J. (2005), Xbox 360 Marketing, http://www.johnporcaro.com/2006/03/xbox_360_market.html, [15 December 2007] van Waterschoot, W. and den Bulte, C. (1992). The 4P classification of the marketing mix revisited, Journal of Marketing 56 (October), pp 83-93. Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360, [15 December 2007] Yudelson, J. (1999), Adapting Mccarthys Four Ps for the Twenty-First Century, Journal of Marketing Education 21, pp 60-67

The Catholic Church: The Death Penalty

The Catholic Church: The Death Penalty Capital punishment remains a controversial public issue whose moral complexity has been recently affirmed further by a variety of television shows, movies, talk shows and writings. In the midst of this debate are the victims of assault who, understandably enough, would usually rather see their aggressors dead than alive. One of the most prominent victims in this context is the late Pope John Paul II who, after an assassination attempt, never fully recovered from the gun wounds that nearly killed him. Nevertheless, Pope John Paul II made of the attack an example of forgiveness. Pope John Paul II did not stop here but called also for the abolition of the death penalty on this particular occasion. In other words, Pope John Paul II sought to affirm that the answer to violence is not more violence. On the contrary, the proper response would be in the affirmation of Jesus Christs message of hope, forgiveness and reconciliation. It might seem reasonable to conclude in this perspective that since the late Pope was so vehemently against the death penalty, the whole Catholic Church is and has always been opposed to this form of punishment. A closer analysis reveals however that the contrary is true. In the Catholic Church, teachings on the death penalty have changed and developed over time. For example, for many centuries, the Catholic Church accepted the notion that the state reserved the right to take a life in order to protect society. However, over time, and in the light of new facts and realities, the Catholic Church began to recognize that there are other non-violent means through which the state can effectively protect society. (Congressional Records 16751) Today, the Churchs teachings clearly argue against the practice of capital punishment. In short, a historical observation of the status of the death penalty among Catholics and an analysis of the Catechism of the Catholic Church reveal a continuous change and evolvement of perception regarding the practice over the centuries. The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly defines the conditions under which a life can be taken and highlights thereby the reasons that support the Churchs convictions. For example, the Catechism specifically states that: If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person (Congressional Records 16751). This passionate defense of the sanctity of life, even a criminals, is mainly related to the Catholic belief that all humans are created in the image of God and therefore possess a certain amount of value, dignity and worth which ought to be protected and uphold at any time. In other words, the Catholic Church today regards every individual as a sacred being and strongly affirms that every human life is precious, including the life of those individuals who violated the rights of others. The Church currently defends this position by pointing out that human dignity is not qualified by the individuals actions as it is inherent and can therefore neither be earned nor forfeited. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the conditions under which a life can be taken, even for the purpose of protecting others, have been significantly narrowed over time. Today the Church passionately argues against the death penalty and justifies the stance through a reference to a variety of Biblical scriptures and religious and moral/ethical concepts. However it is interesting to note that Church approached the dilemma from a different perspective for many centuries. According to the excerpts 2266 from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the efforts of the state to curb the spread of harmful social behavior ought to be recognized and supported for the common good. In this context, the Church supported the right of the state to inflict any suitably deemed punishment including the death penalty, as long as it was proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Excerpt 2267, issued by the Vatican on September 9, 1997, suggests at first glance a continuity in the Churchs point of view. The excerpt namely asserts that non-lethal means are preferable to lethal ones but that recourse to the death penalty was nevertheless not opposed by the Church if it was in the defense and protection of a human life. It is thus interesting to note how the Church moved to gradually curb the practice of the death penalty in a subtle but nevertheless very effective manner. For example, excerpt 2267 is in fact, despite its affirmation of the Churchs acceptance of capital punishment, very strict about the act as the death penalty is only deemed acceptable if it manages to protect a human life from an aggressor. Since contemporary states and criminal justice systems already possess a variety of means through which a criminal can be prevented from harming others, cases where it is absolutely necessary to suppress the guilty are today very rare, if not practically non-existent (Death Penalty Information Center). It is thus relevant to conclude in the light of the aforementioned that the Catholic Church has gradually evolved to limit the conditions under which a life can be taken, even a criminals. The Catholic Church takes today a pro-life, abolitionist view of the death penalty for a variety of reasons that have especially grown in significance over the last few decades. First of all, the Church affirms that there is no conclusive evidence which supports the belief that the death penalty reduces the homicide rate. Thereby, one of the most inhuman, petty and immoral reasons for retaining the death penalty is related to the idea of retribution, or vengeance, which quite obviously conflicts with Jesus message of forgiveness and peace. In the last decade, the Holy Father has affirmed frequently that this purpose undermines the states attempts at reform and the protection of its citizens and the common good. Punishment should not be about vengeance but about the defending of public order and the ensuring of public safety while simultaneously reaching out to the offender to correct his or her behavior. Since there are other methods through which the public good can be defended and as the execution of the offender prevents from any chance of rehabilitation, the death penalty consequentially fails in meeting the standards of the Catholic Churchs definition of the acceptable and effective punishment (Congressional Records 16751). This carefully constructed and well-reasoned opposition of the death penalty has become, as stated, especially outspoken over the last few decades. In the United States, and especially beginning with the 1980s, Catholic bishops began recognizing that Christian tradition has for a long time acknowledged the governments right to protect its citizens by applying the death penalty in certain cases. However, and as society and the penal system evolved, capital punishment became less justifiable according to the Bishops in a 1980 statement entitled Capital Punishment. The main reasons for opposing the death penalty, according to the statement, are related to the ideas of retribution and deterrence. With regard to deterrence, it was stated that while capital punishment does prevent certain individuals from repeating their crime, others are not necessarily prevented from engaging in similar atrocities. As for retribution, the bishops underlined the previously discussed about the irrelevance of capital punishment as a form of effective punishment if it is a means through which to seek vengeance rather than social security, stability, justice, dignity and rehabilitation (Overberg). All of these reasons are what currently define the Catholic Churchs stance regarding capital punishment; reasons that have only grown in relevance over the last few decades. Indeed, the acceptance of capital punishment has varied over the centuries in the Roman Catholic Church. Until at least the middle of the twentieth century, it was generally agreed that the state had the right, and sometimes the duty, to impose the death penalty for certain inacceptable offenses. These ideas were justified through a reference to Scripture. It is interesting to note how this teaching was the common doctrine of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, including for instance the two great Doctors of the West, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. Pope Innocent III accepted in the thirteenth century the concept of the death penalty as a proper form of punishment for heretics. Even after the Second World War, Pope Pius XII showed clear support of capital punishment; a position that was affirmed by the Catechism of the Council of Trent. It is also interesting to note that while currently, and as has been illustrated, the death penalty is judged to be weak in meeting the basic princi ples of proper punishment; it was for a long time judged to be suitable for the following four reasons: retribution, defense of society against the criminal, deterrence and rehabilitation. Ironically enough, all of these reasons are presently also cited to underline the immorality of the death penalty. The reliance on these four reasons by Catholics in the past versus now illustrates the evolvement and change in the content of the ideas which contributed to the overall alteration of the Churchs point of view regarding the death penalty. For instance, while retribution is today regarded as a petty reason that should be excluded out of any effective punishment, the Church used to affirm that when justice has been grossly violated, it was acceptable to believe that the restoration of order would require depriving an individual of life itself. This position was defended by Scriptures such as Romans 13:1-4 and Genesis 9:5-6. Thereby, while the Church regards capital punishment today as a failure in providing the offender with a chance of rehabilitation, it used to affirm just a few decades ago that while execution does not reintegrate offenders into society, it prevents hardened criminals from spiritually harming themselves further by sin.(Owens, Elshtain 23-25) It becomes thus clear through these brief comparisons between past and current understandings of concepts and reasons related to capital punishment, that the issue has been indeed gradually, but nevertheless definitely, changing over time in the Roman Catholic Church. It has become clear that the Catholic Church has been gradually adapting its perceptions of the issue of capital punishment over the centuries. The changes usually came in response to certain social conditions. For instance and as has been noted, Pope Innocent III deemed this form of punishment suitable for heretics which is understandable considering the context of the thirteenth century. Since World War II, opposition to capital punishment among Catholics grew steadily due to the fear that the criminal justice system was abused in the death camps of Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. (Owens, Elshtain 24) It is nevertheless observable that the Church has only cautiously moved towards confining the practice of capital punishment. In 1992, in the first edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and specifically in article 2266, the classical position of the Church was reaffirmed. It is however interesting to note that the following excerpt, 2267, laid the first subtle but nevert heless effectively restrictive measures that define the Churchs position today. The rise of Pope John Paul II and his continuous and passionate criticism of the death penalty have undoubtedly strengthened the Churchs position even further. Today, the Catholic Church seeks to send the message that the cycle of violence can only be broken through the application of Jesus Christs message of hope, forgiveness and love. Taking a life in response to a criminal act is criticized as ineffective in solving the current social and crime problems rooted in a complex reality that includes social conditions as poverty and injustice. Thereby, the Catholic Church seeks to abolish the death penalty today to uphold the dignity and worth of a human being as man is created in the image of God and it is only HE who is the Lord of life. Humans are therefore by no means entitled to destroy life, which should be taken care of and treated as sacred and worthy no matter what. In the context of these beliefs is indeed no place for the acceptance of capital punishment.

Digital Image Analysis Of Yell :: essays research papers

Digital Image Analysis of Yellowstone National Park Introduction Remote sensing refers to the tele-observational surveying and mapping of physical, urban and environmental features. Remote Sensing is also a composite of many other subjects such as aerial photography, radar surveying, thermal surveying, weather forecasting and photogrammetry. It has now become quite common practice to use remotely sensed data to take inventory, monitor and develop effective management practices of our natural resources. Objective It is the purpose of this paper to further enhance the understanding of remotely sensed data in such a way that we may assist the human brain in the extraction and interpretation of this data through digital image analysis data manipulation techniques, such as rectification, enhancement and classification. The application of conventional and non-conventional image enhancement /classification procedures will be applied to an area of The Old Faithful section of the North Fork forest fire within Yellowstone National Park as it existed on September 8, 1988. They will also be applied to Nile Delta region of Egypt. Conventional technology in the context of this paper refers to imagery that is uni-dimensional, that is, it has only one spectral band available for analysis. The term non-conventional will refer to imagery that has multi bands available for manipulation and analysis. Methods of enhancement utilized in the multi-band portion of this project include: - colour and histogram image enhancement - normalization and image algebra enhancement - filtering image enhancement - band transformations (eigen pictures) image enhancement - coventional methods of enhancement Methods of classification utilized in this project include: - signature training ( sampling) - supervised classification, PPD, Mindis, Maximumlikliehood - unsupervised classification, histogram equalization, clustering Methods of enhancement used in uni-scene portion of this project include: - histogram equalization uni-band - filtering image enhancement Data Acqisition Data acquisition refers to the data by means of information gathering about the scale selection of the remote sensing formats and the target identification of the surveyed and mapped resources. In this analysis we have acquired Landsat Thematic Mapper data which consists of seven spectral bands and covers a 512x512 picture element area. The Landsat ground resolution or pixel size is 30x30 metres which translates to an area coverage of 235.93 square kilometres of ground coverage, which is a subset region of the Yellowstone National Park. The Nile Delta region is located in nothern Egypt and the data acquired was originally acquired for delta topgraphy. The data is Landsat MSS with one available band and covers a 580x640 picture element area. The Landsat MSS ground resolution is 80x80 metres which translates to an area coverage 2211.

Essay --

George Bilgere, an American Poet writes a touching but sad poem about his personal life. Bilgere who is the main character in the poem takes his readers on a journey about the survival of his struggles in life. Coming from a family with divorced parents, alcoholic father and mother who passed away lead him to be more open with his poetry. In the poem â€Å" Like Riding a Bicycle† Bilgere informs his readers about the struggles he had to face throughout his childhood due to not having a mother or father figure around at a young age. Throughout the poem, Bilgere shows that even though you struggle in life, there is alway a way to find yourself as a successful individual. Bilgere was a young boy who suffered from alcohol abuse. The first few stanzas of the poem started off showing happiness when describing his father teaching him how to ride a bicycle. Getting deeper into the poem, it turns to a rough point when Bilgere compares the push while riding a bike to his own marriage. For instance â€Å" As I make some perilous adult launch / like pulling away from my wife.† (462) Knowing that his father and mother split up when Bilgere was a young child, shows that the divorce affected his future. Bilgere’s father alcohol problem destroyed their family. The line â€Å" On their own divorce, their balance / long gone and the hard ground already / rising up to smite them† ( 462) shows the feeling of being abandoned and left alone. His father's alcoholism caused his actions to become violent. For instance â€Å" He swore and stomped off.† (462) which demonstrates to the reader that the father had trouble controlling his temper towar ds his son and wife. Throughout the entire poem, it shows that Bilgere had strong anger towards his father but learns to appreciate ... ...er evening† (463) gives us the thought of him remembering it all, but â€Å" the pacific shoreline† (463) which proves that the bicycle ride was representing a new life. Bilgere gives his readers the conclusion to never give up even when life turns upside down. Bilgere was a young boy who survived a tough childhood and grew up to be a successful man. Even though he didn't have the childhood most children have shows that anything is possible. We shouldn't give up on anything when life gets difficult for us. Bilgere proves to his reader that giving up doesn't get you anywhere; doing something about it does. Knowing that Bilgere was about to find happiness and be confident in the person he had became gives me the hope of a better future. Life will through some tough punches but better to take the pain than to give up because god has something better stored for the future.

Act Three Scene Three of Journeys End by RC Sheriff Essay examples --

Act Three Scene Three of Journey's End Journey's end, written in 1918, is a short play set in the trenches of World War One. The English trench is opposite a German trench with only sixty or so yards of 'no mans land' between them. The play tries to show the reality of war through ideas or comradeship and the way that the characters interact under pressure of everyday life in the trenches. The play also displays ideas of heroism through respect for other soldiers or characters. Overall it is the horror of war itself that is conveyed in this play, shown mainly through death and the lifestyle that had to be lead. Act three Scene three is the very last scene of the play. From almost the very beginning we have known that an attack from the German army is to be expected. However, the characters in the play are not sure when it will take place or in what form. As the attack could transpire at any given moment the tension is high throughout the play. This is not the only anxiety in the script at the beginning of Act three Scene three. Raleigh and Stanhope, the plays two most prominent characters, have had a large argument about the death of a mutual friend, which they do not resolve before the beginning of this scene. The strain between these two characters has been immense for the duration of the play. They were previously well acquainted but Stanhope feared that Raleigh, a recent member to the company, would think badly of him as he has become an alcoholic, and therefore refuses to acknowledge him as a friend, but just a colleague. Raleigh has found this very hard to accept. The audience is not only expecting the attack, but also for Stanhope and Raleigh to clear the air once and for all so they can re... ...is about working successfully with others in one big machine. If the parts of that machine do not work together then it will break down. He also wanted to portray the absolute horror and injustice that war has to offer. He does this extremely successfully as he makes the audience feel encapsulated in the whole experience of war. Even though he is telling them what it is like, he leaves freedom for them to develop their own view on it. Overall, I think that R.C.Sherriff was trying to say that the human side of war is futile. Nobody wins, a lot of people die without accomplishing a great deal, and from whatever angle you chose to look at it, the whole idea is pointless, causing more pain than is necessary. Should all this commotion be vital, just to gain another thirty metres, which will most probably be return to the rightful owner in due time anyway?

The Life Experiences of Sir Walter Raleigh

The life experiences of Sir Walter Raleigh influenced the style of his writing. The style of his writing is revealed in his poems â€Å"the lie†, â€Å"sir Walter Raleigh to the queen†, and â€Å"the nymph’s reply to the shepherd. Raleigh was born around 1552 in Hayes Barton, Devonshire (pg. 1063). Raleigh was famed for being a courtier, a navigator, a poet, and a historian. After a failed expedition in South America he was arrested in connection with destruction of a Spanish settlement (pg. 1063) with his confrontation with the Spanish in Venezuela. He lost his son and was forced to return to England (pg. 248). Despite a royal command not to engage in battle with Spanish settlers, Raleigh’s fleet entered Spanish territory (pg. 248). He was also accused of conspiring against James I and barely avoided his death sentence (pg. 1063) following the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603 Raleigh was again accused of conspiring against King James and was sent to the London tower again for 13 years (pg. 248). Raleigh served in the Huguenot army in France in 1569 (pg. 1063). In 1584 he set up a colony on Roanoke Island, Virginia (pg. 48). In 1585 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I, for his many years as a court favorite (pg. 1063). He lived to 1618; his death was by execution for disobeying king James I (pg. 249). â€Å"The lie† is considered Raleigh’s best known work, it was written in approximately 1595(pg. 2251). Many consider â€Å"the lie† an atheistic poem for its many religious accusations. Though â€Å"th e lie† has such accusations they are directed solely against earthly bound institutions and human undertakings (pg. 2252). Raleigh’s poem â€Å"the lie† is based on the concept of disillusionment. This is the process that proceeds by inexorable degrees of stripping one layer of falsity after another until the last in gone (pg. 2251). The last line in each stanza of the poem is actually a variant of the phrase â€Å"and give the world the lie† (pg. 2251). Some suggest that Raleigh was not the author of â€Å"the lie† because the poem’s puritanical viewpoints (stableford). Because the poem makes no distinctions and offers no policies. The poem is less concerned with organizing human behavior but more concerned with admitting and accepting the truth (stableford). The entire piece was written for the poet himself as a way to reevaluate himself with a coldly clinical and harsh eye (stableford). During Raleigh’s time many great poets were about, such as Christopher Marlowe, who wrote the poem the passionate shepherd to his love. Many poets write poems in response to others. This poem is called a reply poem, or a poem that replies to another. Raleigh’s â€Å"the nymph’s reply to the shepherd† is one of such a poem (pg. 251). â€Å"The nymph’s reply to the shepherd† is an example of a pastoral poem, or a poem about love and a care free â€Å"country† existence. Sir Walter Raleigh to the queen† was written between 1581 and 1587 (pg. 3407). Many question whether â€Å"Sir Walter Raleigh to the queen† is really a five stanza poem, but two poems combined (MacDonald). Queen Elizabeth, literate and unmarried, enjoyed playing the clever game of love using poetry as a way to tie the nobles to h er (MacDonald). Sir Raleigh being a court favorite with numerous enemies had to constantly go between flattery and savvy gamesmanship (MacDonald). â€Å"Sir Walter Raleigh to the queen† central theme is true love is painfully silent (MacDonald). Raleigh emphasized a traditional Elizabethan view of mankind as torn between passion and logic (MacDonald). Raleigh had secretly married to one of the queen’s maids of honor; he and his wife were imprisoned in the tower of London for a time but then released (pg. 248). Though Sir Walter Raleigh’s ended in tragedy his works are still read to this day and have greatly influenced the world of poetry. From â€Å"the lie† to â€Å"Sir Walter Raleigh to the queen† all have reshaped the traditional love poem with a mix of witty rhythms and hidden love.

Macbeth- ‘Film Proposal’ Rationale

I was given the brief that, if I was a director how would I compose work on Macbeth on Act One, Scene Three of the play? I would begin by thinking on how I will present the following to the audience: the setting, the atmosphere, themes, characters and camera shots. I would decide to try and set the scene around 1000 AD and to do this I think that there should be no bright colours used. Traditional requirements need to be employed such as the transport would be by horse, and food which has been home produced e.g. chickens. To create the atmosphere I would require a large variety of types of music. For example, a sad atmosphere I might use soft music from a flute, the typical Scottish bagpipes might create a happy atmosphere, while during the witches' scene the sound of thunder could be heard in the background. In the third scene there are five different types of characters. I think that Macbeth and Banquo should both look strong and not cleanly shaven and I think that Macbeth should be very dirty, this would emphasize how ‘brave' (1.2.16) and ‘noble' (1.3.67) he is. Both Macbeth and Banquo's clothes should be torn in places and looking exhausted. Macbeth could have a bearded? Ross and Angus need to have a clearer appearance and both should be cleanly shaven. All four of these characters should all speak very clearly to remind the audience the time of the setting of the play. I would like the three witches to look extremely ugly with facial hair i.e. moustache, long fingernails, long scruffy hair and warts. The uses of masks could make them look very unattractive. They should speak very ‘crockery' and very slowing and abnormal. I would want to highlight a number of themes, one of them being the theme of supernatural. This theme is brought up during the witch's scene at the beginning of scene three. I would like the audience to believe that they are inhuman and ‘weird' (1.3.30). I will create this theme by making the witch's unclear with the use of smoke therefore things which are unclear in that sense are abnormal/supernatural. I will also use special effects to make the three ‘witches vanish' (1.3.77). Their general appearance as described above will make them look extremely mythical. I think that I would need to highlight the theme ‘light against dark', this is what he says to other characters (light) and what he expresses to the audience what other characters can't hear (dark). This theme is used a number of times during the play and is used twice during the third scene. Macbeth hides his excitement and a clear example of this is when Macbeth quotes to Ross, ‘Why do you dress me in borrow'd robes?' (1.3.107-108), this robe symbolizes his new title: Thane of Cawdor. While on line 117, Macbeth, aside, appears to be very excited by new potential titles and quotes, ‘Glamis and Thane of Cawdor: The greatest is behind.' (1.3.116-117), this statement is only expressed to the audience.

Chile’s economy Essay

According to the CIA world fact book, Chile is located in the southern part of South America and it borders the South Pacific Ocean. It is endowed with natural resources like copper, iron ore, timber as well as precious metals. A brief history of Chile’s people in terms of their literacy levels and demographics is vital in as far as understanding any economy is concerned. Chile’s population as at July 2008 stood at 16 454 143 with the highest proportion in terms of age structure being from the 15-64 years category, the dependent age group 0-14 account for 23. 6% and those aged 65 and above account for 8. 8%. This is a plus to her economic growth as a large proportion is comprised of energetic or productive people. The population growth rate according to CIA estimates was 0. 905% while the death rate and birth rate were 14. 82 birth/1000 and 5. 77 deaths/1000 population respectively. (CIA, 2008). Chile records a very high literacy level at 95. 7% for the total population with makes recording a slightly higher rate by 0. 2% CIA further noted that Chile’s government spent approximately 3. 2% of the country’s GDP on education in 2006. This paper focuses on Chile’s economy; of much importance will be the economic reforms that took place, as well as trade and its effects on her economic progress. In his distinguished book ‘Economic reforms in Chile’, Ricardo noted that since her independence Chile remained stable politically as well as economically thus being the envied state in the Latin America. Chile survived the constant extent shocks or forces beyond her control and modernized her institutions while ensuring increased economic progress. Inequalities in incomes were visible as early as 1970’s as the emerging middle class that lived in the urban areas grew. (Ffrench-Davis R, 2002). The inequalities in income distribution precipitated the increased political developments to rectify the situation to an extent that the political development did not match the economic progress. Effros in ‘Current Legal Issues Affecting Central Banks’ noted that Chile’s economic reforms started as early as the 1970s and before this period the state owned companies had a significant role in the countries economic growth. (Effros R, 1995). Before the World War 1 erupted Chile was recording a positive and diversified economic growth and the economic elite influenced the consumption trends. The growth was blamed on trade where exports were quite significant and so were the spill over effects on the economy. Before the direct depression hit Chile’s economy was among the most developed within the Latin America region in terms of per capita income and social transformation. Some people argue that Chile was among the most adversely hit countries by the great depression as when the thriving trade declined her terms of trade remained low up to the 1960’s. (Ffrench-Davis R, 2002). An industrial expansion in the early 50’s revived the country’s economic growth. The adverse effects of the Great depression especially on the trade sector were minimized by the economic policies put in place by the government. During the era of President Alessandri Palma a conservatist, fiscal measures as well as trade controls were put in place to counter the effects of a recession. There was need to develop new industries especially on the critical sectors like electric power and fuel as well as the human capital. During this period there was a general consensus that the state would effectively ensure that the situation was rectified. Problems experienced during this time included the stagnation of the agricultural sector and the unbalanced emphasis on imports substitution was to blame for the prevailing balance of payment. In the 1950’s there was a significant inflation rate precipitating the need for economic reforms. The Carlos Ibanez, government lost its popularity due to the prevailing economic conditions that people protested in the streets. (Ffrench-Davis R, 2002).