Monday, September 30, 2019

Our Enviorment

The earths population is growing every day. Every second, on average, five children are born somewhere on the earth. This is a growing rate of 10,000 new births per hour, 90 million per year. The world population is currently 5. 8 billion. The current growth rate is 1. 7%, if this continues the population will double in 41 years. The largest populated country is China, and this is by a land sweep. The United States is third in population, India being second. O-zone Depletion is the ozone levels in the stratosphere over the South Pole that are dropping precipitously during September and October every year at the end of the, polar winter. This has been happening since 1960 and maybe earlier just unnoticed. The largest ozone hole was reported in Antarctica in 1997. Approximately 10% of all stratospheric ozone was destroyed in 1997. The loss of ozone is in result of UV reaching the earth in result of one million more skin cancers. The extremely cold winters in Antartica, that cause ice crystals are also a factor in the depletion. Human on Earth release many chlorine-containing molecules into the ozone that are harmful. These things are very persistent and they keep destroying our ozone. Global warming is said to accelerate if the ozone was restored. When one environmental factor is destroyed, another is affected. Burning fossil fuel, agriculture, deforestation, and Industrial processes are all factors in global warming. Many anthropogantic gases cause global warming such as, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Acid Rain is the deposition of wet acidic solution or dry acidic particles from the air. Air pollutants, including mospheric acids that can be transported long distance are all known as acid rain. The air pollutants are said to be affecting the lakes in North America and destroying many forests. Acid Rain also destroys many monuments and buildings. There are many different hazardous things affecting our environment. Many people only look at the murder, deaths, and pollution here on earth that are visible. What people fail to notice is there are many hazards happening to our earth that can not be seen.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Maus I and Life is Beautiful Comparison Essay

Of all the Holocaust movies that exist, one in particular stands out. directed by Roberto Benigni in 1997, and often described as the slightly â€Å"happy† Holocaust movie, Life is Beautiful tells the story of an Italian man named Guido, leading up to and during the World War II and Nazi rise to power. Despite telling a Holocaust story, this film has a very light mood because of Guido’s happy-go-lucky nature and his enthusiasm, but is also very emotional and sad at times because of Guido’s dedication to protecting his son from the horrors of the labor camps. Maus on the other hand; a visual novel written and drawn by Art Spiegelman concerning the Holocaust, is a lot darker and heavier in terms of its themes, similar to most other Holocaust media. This visual novel follows a character named Vladek Spiegelman in World War II Poland, and his experiences leading up to and following the Nazi occupation of Poland. When compared as Holocaust stories, Maus and Life is Be autiful show many differences in their treatment of Jewish people along with presenting very distinct amounts of Nazi influence and presence. The Nazi invasion in Maus is presented as a very gradual process that later picks up more heat. Following Germany’s success at the beginning of World War II, the increasing amount of Nazi presence in Poland is depicted through the many Nazi flags and German soldiers put on the streets.As the Nazi influence increases, Jewish people are slowly stripped of every right they have as a citizen of Poland, and as human beings. With the introduction of Jewish starts and documents along with the German Police, the streets of Poland start to become regulated by the Gestapo who beat and rob the Jewish people without repercussion. In contrast to the large amount of Nazi presence in Maus, Life is Beautiful does not display anywhere near as much Nazi presence as Maus does. In the beginning stages of the film, before Guido is sent to the labor camps, there are no German forces occupying the Italian city Arezzo in which Guido and his uncle reside. Seemingly at first, the only Nazi influences present are Italian citizens inspired by Hitler and the Nazi vision, though later on in the movie it is apparent that the German forces do invade Arezzo, even if not explicitly shown. The German soldiers  occupying Arezzo in Life is Beautiful are implied to be few in numbers, as they are not walking on the streets in abundance and because Italy is allied with Germany, and instead of Nazi flags there are hate statements against the Jewish on walls on the street and gates of stores. The large amount of Nazi presence occupying the rest of Italy is depicted through the labor camps that are built in the country by Germans in order to forcefully work and execute Italian Jewish people without deporting them out of the country. Overall, the depiction of Nazi presence in these two stories is very different because of the dissimilar relationships Italy and Poland had with Germany. The treatment of Jewish people in Maus included a large amount of physical abuse, along with the removal of their basic rights and freedoms. Mainly inflicted onto the Jews by the Gestapo, the physical abuse includes harsh beatings, destruction and theft of property, and forceful eviction of some Jews to labor camps. As the Nazi presence in Poland grows stronger, Jewish people lose freedoms such as the ability to own a business or to purchase goods without ration cards and eventually lose the right to own and choose a home when Jewish ghettos are introduced. At this point, physical harm done to the Jewish people of Poland is at an all time high. The Gestapo freely execute people on will with mass beatings occurring very often openly on the streets. Those that disobey the law or the police, such as dealing goods without ration cards, are hung on the streets for all the other Jewish people to see and fear (Maus 83). On top of this, Jewish ghettoes offer subpar living conditions and resi dents are evicted every day to be taken to concentration camps. The Jewish people of Arezzo in Life is Beautiful, in comparison to the various cities of Poland that Maus takes place in such as Sosnowiec, must endure much less in terms of abuse and oppression. Most of the physical abuse in Maus can be accredited to the Gestapo, and because the German police does not occupy Arezzo, The Italian Jews little to no physical abuse in the city, with the little amount being vandalism; often coupled with verbal abuse. The source of these attacks on Jews in Life is Beautiful is other Italian citizens that support Nazi views and share their resentment for the Jewish people. Once in the labor camps, the treatment of Jews get much worse. The children and the elderly are led into gas chambers to be  killed following shortly after arrival and the men and women are at all times separated and perform various kinds of physical labor, such as in the men’s case; transporting ammunition and building war equipment like tanks. Those who are deemed useful of keeping alive are served a loaf of bread per day and often have to endure very physically demanding conditions like carrying 60 kg bombs under smoldering heat. The punishments for failure or disobedience in the labor camps of Life is Beautiful include death, physical punishment, and verbal abuse, seemingly determined by the guard responsible. Altogether, the treatment of Jews in the cities of Maus and Life is Beautiful is very different and much more negative in the former, with mainly the German police forcing the Polish Jews to endure much worse experiences compared to the Italian Jews. The stories of Maus and Life is Beautiful offer two different perspectives to the Holocaust with the two stories taking place in an allied and an enemy country to Germany. Overall, Maus and Life is Beautiful as visual Holocaust stories differ from each other in terms of their treatment of Jews and their presentations of Nazi rise to power.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Technology in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Technology in business - Essay Example The solution to the conflict should be addressed by developing a clear policy paper that unequivocally addresses the issues related departmental upgrades. In this sense, no department will lag behind due to deliberate neglect by the top management. Barton ought to have conformed to the advice given to him of not asking for the budget control, his contrary move is an indication of driving personal agenda. A good business should share with its customer what they offer generally and not how they run the business technically. To the stake holders, the business should be obligated to share the profit margin as well as the problem they face (Austin, Nolan and ’Donnell, 99). IT was only given 30 minutes in the last agenda because they are perceived not that important by the management. The board had the role of evaluating and ratifying the proposals forwarded to them by the IT experts (Austin, Nolan and ’Donnell, 105). The delay in the creation of the oversight committee was necessitated by the deliberate attempt to stop the envisaged proposals from the IT department. Barton should allow them to present there case and defend it to avoid being prejudicial to them. Barton is not faring on well with his dealings with on IT, it can be said that he is

Friday, September 27, 2019

Country Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Country Report - Essay Example Nonetheless the country is on the verge of transformation into a potentially successful economy. This report has been prepared for the CEO of the ‘Read the World’, a British origin company, that has appointed the consultancy firm for the purpose of evaluating the market for books in Vietnam and present the threats and opportunities that exist in the country. The report focuses on the social initiative of Read the World that functions with the aim of designing and producing educational books and magazines for the needy people in developing markets. Economic Environment of Vietnam Back in the year 1986, Vietnam started off liberalizing its economy. Once it opened its doors to encourage foreign direct investment in various sectors, a considerable jump has been noticed in the number of foreign organizations and western companies entering into the country. In the South East Asian region, Vietnam has emerged as a significant economic power. With the initiation of the renovatio n policy in the year 1986, the country has been able to fetch a sustainable high GDP growth rate during the past decade. With the GDP growth rate of 8.4 percent in the year 2005, the country has been able to the address the issue of poverty. ... Still, there are more possibilities to spread the advantages of the rapid growth in Vietnam’s economy across the globe. The activities in the private sector concentrated across 64 provinces of the nation. The leaders of these provinces have established a regulatory framework which would encourage calculated risk taking by the private entrepreneurs. In the response, with the country’s continual decentralization process, the economic programs of the Asia Foundation have focused on the improvement of the business environment to enhance the private sector competitiveness as well as economic growth (The Asia Foundation, n.d., p. 1-2). Since early 1990s, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Asia Foundation together are responsible to promote global business development and economic integration across Vietnam, more specifically the growth among the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In the year 2002, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Asia Foundation shifted their focal point to enhance the provincial governance, further encouraging the sector growth in the private sector. Started off in the year 2002, they initiated a program to find out the reason why some handful provinces have the ability to attract the private sector investment and to address the issue f economic success. This also reflects the eagerness of the respective authorities to make all the provinces equally attractive for the foreign investors. The economic outlook of Vietnam remains greatly positive supported by the government’s determination to comply with WTO. The country has experienced great progress with trade as well as investment reforms. Furthermore, its negotiation over the WTO entry has

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Research Question paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Question - Research Paper Example Lastly, experiments can be repeated for a number of times with different sample sizes until the expected outcome is achieved. Surveys on the other hand are not quite reliable since they will cost more while being repeated. Content analysis is best suited for social science studies that highly rely on research based on already existing literature. According to Babbie (2010), it is "the study of recorded human communications such as books, websites, paintings and laws†. Ethical considerations are also very essential while conducting a study. According to the APA (2002), five principles should be implemented by the researcher. These include: Participant should be informed of intellectual property (IP) rights. Researcher should follow informed – consent rules. Researcher should be professional. Researcher should practice confidentiality. Researcher should be capable of solving ethical dilemmas. Some of the limitations with regard to the experiment include human error. Sectio n 2: SAMPLING The participants who will be sampled include students from the different levels in the college. The number of participants will be controlled to 40 participants. These participants will be randomly selected – A random sampling technique will be used. The population of interest is individuals aged from 18 to 37 years. In addition to that, there will be other secondary sources of information that will be used so as to support the evidence being studied. That is, the secondary resources will act as additional literature entries. It should be noted that having a controlled sample size is key in every study. This is in a bid to prevent the experiment from being extremely tedious, uncontrolled as well as preventing the use to too many resources. As a result, the sample size that has been selected will perfectly represent the targeted population. Limitations in the sample include: Type 2 errors, lack of statistical power, distribution inequalities and lack of significa nce. Section 3: KEY VARIABLES In this hypothesis testing, the variables under study include the age of the participants and the effect of instructor humour in student learning. The age of the participants: It is without doubt that humour has its effect on different age groups differently. For example younger people may find humour important in student learning as compared to elder people. As a result, this is a variable that is very crucial in this testing. Effect of instructor humour: This is another variable that is important in this study. It will be used to determine which age group fancies humour in the learning environment. Independent variable: An independent variable is that which can be changed in a study. Largely, any experiment must have an independent variable. With regard to the hypothesis being tested, the independent variable is the impact of humour in student learning. As a result, the humour could be projected by the instructor or not. Dependent variable: This is a variable that solemnly depends on the independent variable. As a result, these variables act as functions of the independent variable. With regard to the hypothesis being tested, the dependent variable is the age of the participants. In the experiment, the hypothesis will be: â€Å"The effects of instructor humour on student learning† Section 4: ANALYSIS The level of measurement is a representation of the different methods in which numbers can be used in an experiment. There are four major levels of

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Research Proposal

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation - Research Proposal Example Despite of all these benefits, 100 million hectares of forests are air-purifying machines sequestrating world’s carbon dioxide. Sad thing is, these forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Both illegal export and domestic logging play the major role in the decrease of forests. Main reason of this huge mismanagement is the information gap in various Indonesian forests departments as well as absence of strict implementation of forest laws. That is why this research paper is so important because it will bridge this information gap by using ‘Qualitative Research Methodology’. Most forest data that these departments have is outdated or is limited. Data needs to be upgraded and properly archived with regular updating. The paper will look deep inside this matter and will spot specific loopholes and suggest various solutions to them by looking at various methods being used around the world to save and protect forests. An information centered approach will be used to suggest such solutions that will probably help curb illegal logging of priceless forests of Indonesia. Qualitative research method will provide suggestions that will look at both aspects where there is a need of compiling data on current forest boundaries as well as the need for recording changes in the boundaries of forests. Consequently this will be accomplished by proposing laws and various valuable guidelines for proper forestry care. Useful matrices will be provided in the research paper that will give guidelines to the planners and forest managers for collecting forest data and forest products manufacturing

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Visual analysis paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Visual analysis paper - Assignment Example It was painted when the artist had just returned to Italy after spending 14 years at a Spanish court. By this time, she had married Orazio Lomellini, a Genoese ship captain. The artists obtained her inspirations and subjects for painting from the many visits to various courts and her contacts with painters of great renown such as Luca Cambiaso (Pizzagalli, p. 12). Through these contacts, Anguissola stayed in touch with current developments in art. The art is unique and more interesting to study than others by the painter are because the artist usually painted portraits. The art is oil-on-canvas and measures 49.5" x 43.5" or 125.7x110.5 centimeters. It is one of the Lowe Art Museum collections at the University of Miami. This masterpiece is among the well-known Counter-Reformist works, which portrayed the interests of counter-reformists in devotional images. The main purpose of these arts was to appeal to the viewers in an emotional manner, never achieved by reformist painters (Pizzagalli, p. 15). As a counter-reformation art, ‘The Holy Family with St. Anne and John the Baptist’ is depicted in a clear and accurate fashion with little imaginary or unnecessary embelishments and decorations. As is the case with other Renaissance paintings, this painting has teh features of the then developments in the depiction of light through space. In addition, light is representaed through its reflection from different surfaces. This representation of light through refleciton from surfaces and space helps the painting to achieve extreme realism. The use of oil paint instead of tempera  or  fresco, really helped the painter to achieve light representation. In this art, oli painting helped the artists to achieve a richer colour, finer detail and greater realism. Like other oil painting, these features must have been achieved by many weeks of reworking the paining.The artist, through the use of the visual features of the counter-reformation and reinassance

Monday, September 23, 2019

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 36

Case Study - Essay Example The expenses that are incurred in buying a new or second hand printer are as follows; By comparing the prices above, it is evident that buying a second hand high speed printer is more cost effective/cheaper than buying a new high speed printer. However, this printer is four year old, and it is estimated that it will cost the company  £15,000 of expenses for repairs and lost business. The expenses incurred in maintaining the second hand printer is large enough to reduce revenue significantly. It is, therefore, not recommendable to obtain a high speed digital printer by buying a second hand Xerox DocuPrint 135MX high speed digital printer. Although a new printer will cost higher than a second hand printer, it will last longer without involving repair and maintenance costs, while in the warranty period, and it is also a fixed overhead. The only disadvantage it has is that it will potentially generate  £33,950 in revenue. This revenue, however, is the actual profit margin, which is usually accepted at approximately 20 percent profit margin, and this means that it will take the company owner at least seven years to recover his investment. It is evident from the two illustrations above that both buying a brand new and a second hand high speed digital printer will make the company incur large losses. In order to avoid these loses, I recommend that my brother should acquire the printer on a monthly leasing deal, with a get out clause built in after every year, should the machine not work well, or new versions with new technology are introduced into the market while the printer is on a leasing. Through leasing, repair and maintenance costs are incurred by the leasing company, and this will be additional overhead to be considered by the manager if he wants to buy a new

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Motivations for Expatriation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Motivations for Expatriation - Essay Example Thus, international strategy is the direction that companies seek to pursue, and these strategies must be geared primarily towards the achievement of the business goals. Sending home-country managers abroad or internationalization of people is one of these strategies adopted by organizations working at the international level. This strategy known as expatriation is not a new phenomenon but has only recently taken the corporate world by storm making expatriate managers the norm. Expatriate managers play an important role in managing the parent firm's foreign subsidiaries. Expatriate managers are crucial to the process of globalization as they are the parent company's or headquarters' reliable representative posted overseas to effectively implement corporate strategies. As they gain in experience, country-specific knowledge, inter-cultural skills and global perspective, they become valuable assets for the parent company becoming seasoned players on the global stage. The converse of this where by international managers from their overseas assignments are transferred to the home- market is known as inpatriation. Selmer (1995) maintains that expatriation and inpatriation are the leading strategies where personnel are appointed at international postings. Line managers and technical personnel are the most common positions as subjects of expatriation and inpatriation (p. 3). While both expatriates and inpatriates are seemingly at opposite ends of the spectrum, they have some important common requirements: inter-culture skills, country-specific or local knowledge and so on. Of the two internationalizing strategies, expatriation is the older one and the prime focus of this research. Shell is one of the companies that foster a high level of expatriation (Cameron, 2002). Shell is proud of its long history of expatriate employment as well as the considerable number of its expatriate staff. Shell understandably, sees expatriate employment as fundamental to the nature of the company. Shell believes strongly that expatriate staff, at every one of its centers, contributes greatly to the growth and success of the company especially in combination with the skills and expertise of the local staff. In 2004, the company launched the New Generation Expatriation program to facilitate and accommodate the changing needs of the business, needs of staff and their families including partners' careers. The program acknowledges the high value Shell places on its expatriate staff and their families and tries to meet diverse requirements as far as possible. Having an impressive number on the expatriate rolls, Shell is in a position to move critical skills to places where they are required and develop careers which will supply Shell with globally competent leaders (Hofmeister, 2004). 2.0 Rationale It is imperative for organizations to identify and train their expatriate staff and leaders in preparation for global deployment. Especially since the ability of expatriate managers to succeed on foreign shores has a direct impact on the company's performance in the global market. While the expatriation strategy has significant advantages and the expatriate manager is a 'seasoned player' there

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Misconception of Identifying Ethnic Groups by Cultural Elements Essay Example for Free

Misconception of Identifying Ethnic Groups by Cultural Elements Essay Misconception of Identifying Ethnic Groups by Cultural Elements The common misconception in relating ethnicity and culture is to define ethnic groups by cultural elements. Firstly, ethnic group is a category of people which is bound together by common characteristics that differentiate them from other groups. On the other hand, culture is a system of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people. Culture consists of values, beliefs, religion, experiences, behaviours and traditions acquired by a group of people that is passed down generations by generations (Browaeys Price, 2008). In my essay, I would like to clarify that ethnic groups cannot be defined by their cultural elements with several examples. Commonly, characteristics and traits of an ethnic group is identified by its cultural elements. Elements such as language, religion and customs are used to differentiate a group and another. Specified cultural elements are categorized to represent different types of ethnic groups. However this assumption is not suitable to apply in many situations. It is troublesome to identify ethnic group by cultural elements. This is because the people within an ethnic group does not necessarily possess the identical cultural elements. For instance, the Cham people in Vietnam belong to one ethnic entity, however in different areas this group of people possess different cultural elements. The Cham people in south central of Vietnam and in Mekong Delta have distinctive differences in religion, language and customs. In the south central Vietnam, the Cham practise localized Hinduism and Islam as religion. They speak south central dialect and their writing is originated from a script in Sanskrit. In term of custom, these Cham people are considered matrilineal and practice exogamy. On the contrary, the Cham in Mekong Delta majorly practise Islam. They speak in Mekong Delta dialect and their writing derived from the Jawi script. In their custom, they are loosely matrilineal and practice endogamy(1). This shows that cultural elements are not suitable to determine an ethnic group. People of the same ethnic group may not necessarily practice the same culture. In the study of the Kachin people from Burma, Edmund Leach mentioned â€Å"the mere fact that two groups of people are of different culture does not necessarily imply – as has nearly always been assumed – that they belong to two quite different social systems (Leach 1954: 17)(2). To consider ethnic group as cultural group will fail to address many aspects of ethnic phenomena. Large population of the Kachin people lives in the Kachin Hill in northern Burma’s Kachin State and in neighbouring areas of China and India. They speak different languages and dialects; there is a wide difference in cultures between the same ethnic group in different area. To support this statement, I would like to provide an example; the Malay people who belonged to one ethnic entity in Malaysia are influenced by different customs. Malay people practice two distinct types of customs, the Adat Temenggung and Adat Pepatih. The former is originated from Minangkabau and widely practiced by most of the Malay states. Adat Temenggung emphasizes on patrilineal kinship structure in matters such as inheritance. In contrast, the Adat Pepatih is only practiced in Negeri Sembilan. It emphasizes more on matrilineal kinship structure, in which women gain benefit in matters such as inheritance and marriage (Shuid, Osman Othman, 2006). This depicts that people of the same ethnic group practise various and wide range of customs. Thus, it is difficult to define ethnic group by cultural elements. In the 19th and 20th century, large wave of immigrants from China came to Malaya. Now, Chinese people are the second largest ethnic in Malaysia. Majority of these Chinese are Han Chinese. There is wide spread of Chinese people in every state of Malaysia, espeacially in the town areas. Even though they are grouped as one ethnic entity, their cultural elements varied widely. Most of the local Chinese practise Buddhism and a small number of them have faith in Christianity and Islam. Futhermore, they speak variety of dialects such as Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew and many more. For example, most of the Chinese in Penang speak Hokkien whereas most of the Chinese in Kuala Lumpur speak Cantonese. Thus, the cultural elements of an ethnic are not fixed, the elements varied greatly to the extent that it is difficult to determine an ethnic group by its cultural elements. Besides that, the influence of political and economical circumstances has changes the cultural elements of the people while the ethnic identity remains. As time passes by, people within an ethnic group spread, share, learn and adapt cultures of other ethnic groups. There is the tendency for different cultures to overlapse in a society. For instance, the Chinese immigrants that came to Malaya in the late 15th to 16th century were known as Peranakan Chinese. This group of immigrants consists of merchants, traders, and those who came to escape economic hardships in mainland China. They embraced the Malay customs and cultures. Most of the Peranakan Chinese engaged in intermarriage with the local Malay. However, there are part of Peranakan Chinese people without Malay ancestry. They belong to Chinese ethnic but adopted the combination of Chinese and Malay cultures. The Malay language and cultures are assimilated into their daily lives, however their ethnic and religious origins still remain. These Peranakan Chinese speak Malay language, wear the baju kebaya, a Malay traditional clothing, and developed their cuisine with mainly Malay spices in their every day lives, they still belong to Chinese ethnic (Tan Chee Beng, 1993). Their ethnic identity cannot be determined by merely identifying their cultural elements. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize my point that ethnic groups cannot be defined by their cultural elements. Ethnic groups can hardly be measured by cultural traits as a matter of fact cultural boundaries do no always go accordingly with ethnic boundaries. Cultural traits of an ethnic group is not always fixed, people of the same ethnic group do not necessarily possess the same cultural elements. To determine ones ethnic identity by identifying his or her cultural elements with the typical cultural elements of an ethnic group is not right. The ethnic identity of a person will still remain unchanged even if his cultural elements have changed. As stated by Michael Moerman, â€Å"Someone is Lue by virtue of believing and calling himself Lue and of acting in ways that validate his Lueness† (Moerman, 1965:1219)(3). Ethnic identity can be claimed by one’s self but not by determining its cultural elements. Bibliography Browaeys M. J. , Price R. (2008) Understanding Cross Cultural Management. New York: Pearson Education. Mahdi Shuid, Suzani Osman, Sazlina Othman. (2006) Sejarah Malaysia. Petaling Jaya: Longman . Tan, C. B. (1993). Chinese Peranakan Heritage in Malaysia and Singapore. Kuala Lumpur: Penerbit Fajar Bakti Sdn Bhd. (1)(2)Power Point Slides: What is an ethnic group? Ethnic Troubles Theories of Ethnicity. (3)Reading 1: Ethnic identification in a complex civilization: who are the lue?

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Power And The Glory Analysis

The Power And The Glory Analysis Even though the world is filled with impoverished as well as disease struck places, Mother Theresa tries to make a difference. While living a basic life in India, she fights to help the poor, cure the sick, and disregarding her owe health for others. Some might say that she is going to be a saint and others might say she is already one. Her unselfish actions have made her a symbol of love and total devotion to the people. A saint is considered to be a man or woman chosen by God to lead and one almost free of human weaknesses. The priest in The Power and the Glory can definitely not be classified as a saint and he is the total opposite of Mother Theresa. Since the whiskey priest is the best representation of human weakness, thus he can be called a sinner. The novel is clearly trying to alienate the readers by indicating to readers the wrongs of the human beings and exposing the wrong doings to readers. By revealing those acts, the readers are not inspired by their own human weaknesses and thus are repulsed by them. Through the use of the actions by the whiskey priest, Graham Greenes book, The Power and the Glory has failed to draw readers to God and instead has distanced readers from God. In their communities, priests are considered to be a role model or an example of what a Christian should be. They are representations of Jesus Christ in the world to teach the Word of God to others. In the novel, Chiapas, Mexico is under an anti-religion removal and it reasonable that priest is scared to do his duties as a priest. The whiskey priest must cheat, steal, as well as lie to survive and avoid being caught by the authority. He would get money for the people he baptized and two pesos is the usual charge (167). Even though the woman said that her family was poor, the priest still insisted on getting some money. The priest can be defined as an ordinary crook who steals from families who can barely put food on their own tables. The money that he gets from the baptisms is for his brandy. He wants three bottles. For eleven pesos (170). As a priest who is called to serve the people, he only serves himself. When the old man asked the priest, the priest replies, Cant you let me slee p for five minutes?(44).The whiskey priest does not want to hear the confessions, but it is his duty. That duty is not for himself but for God and His followers. After the old mans confession, the priest begins to weep for himself, because he now has to hear the confessions of the villagers instead of getting his sleep. He cries in sympathy for himself, not for the villagers sins. These examples outline the priests selfishness and are contrary to what Jesus has taught his people. The duties and services of a religious man are not only for the people but for creatures, humans and animals alike. When the priest returns to the land owned by Captain Fellows, the protagonist finds the house abandoned and the injured dog. He thinks to himself, her (the dog) life has no importance beside that of a human being (144). The priest does not care about the dogs life and only cares about his own. The priest thinks that a mans need was greater than a dogs (145). His mercy and concern for the dog is slim to none. He is only worried about himself and his hunger and not of the dogs hunger. God created man to care for the animals but the priest completely ignores it. The whiskey priest also commits one of the worst sins: fornication and on top of that he is a priest. He created a child than he cannot care for. When he saw her, the priest thought that it was making light of his mortal sin (65), meaning that he wishes that his sin was not so bad. It is and never will change. This sin makes the priest less than that of the betrayal of the half-caste. The whiskey priest knew that he was in the presence of Our Lords betrayer (91), another Judas so to speak. The mestizo betrays the whiskey priest for money, just like Judas did to Jesus, and the priest betrays God for lust and fornication. These examples summarize the priests inability to control his own self. He does not have to self-discipline to stop his lust and to think of others before himself. The whiskey priest gives in to the knowledge that God forgives people right before the person dies. If you are truly sorry for what you did in this world, then God will forgive you. The whiskey priest knows about this and thus in the prison, the priest prays to God and asks for forgiveness. He is a priest for the wrong reasons and also forgets that it was pride that made Lucifer fall. When he realizes that he is going to die the next day, he starts to repent saying, I have committed fornication (207). Even though he says this, it has no meaning because he does not really repent for doing it. It was like a sentence in a newspaper: you couldnt feel repentance over a thing like that (207). His repentance was not true and he kept drinking brandy, making him drunk while he was trying to repent. In the morning before he gets shot, he realizes that if he had used a little self-restraint and a little courage (210), then maybe he would not be the person he is today. He would then know what it felt like to be a saint (210). It was the use desperation that led the priest to pray that night and it was the use of pride that made him believe that he can be saved by repenting. The whiskey priest is human and has weaknesses just like ordinary people. He has forgotten what it means to be a priest and has disgraced the vocation. The whiskey priest best exemplifies the weaknesses of man and can only be saved by God. To the villagers in the novel, the whiskey priest could be called a martyr. The priest refuses to renounce his faith, unlike Padre Jose who married after hearing about the purge, and living the life of a fugitive, performing confessions and masses when his services are wanted. However, the villagers only see the tip of the iceberg so to speak. They do not see what the whiskey priests true intentions are. As the readers, they can sense the true reality of things. The people think that the priest cares for the people and that the priest is risking his own life for what he believes in. But in actuality, the priest is selfish and only cares for himself. Graham Greene exposes the true actions of the priest to the readers and thus telling them what our human weaknesses are. The human weaknesses are selfishness, lust, and only turning to God in desperate times. Greene is telling readers what we cannot control and this makes the readers distance from God because we do not have power to stop it. Graham Greene has failed to draw readers closer to Gods holiness and actually made people separate themselves from God. This book has failed to inspire people to know more about the faith because of what the priest did so that he can obtain forgiveness for God. Greene as sent the wrong message to the readers about Gods mercy and love. Hsu 5 Work Cited Greene, Graham. The Power and the Glory. New York: Penguin Classics/Penguin Group, 1940. Print. Book.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Self Representation and the Self-Defeating Speaker in Jonathan Swift Es

Because Swift constructs a speaker who is meant to be seen as himself in â€Å"Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift, D.S.P.D.†, his approach to the satire changes, taking on a more playful approach. The poem is more personal than political, and is more comedic in the sense that he satirizing himself as well as other people groups. The self-defeating rhetorical approach is embodied in this poem in the way that he puts himself down and exposes his own follies throughout the poem. While this is no doubt somewhat tongue-in-cheek, this in some ways frees Swift from criticism from outside sources. It is difficult to wager criticism at someone who has already wagered it against himself. While this could also be seen as poking fun at other writers who are self-deprecating, this self-defeating narration is used mostly comically in â€Å"Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift, D.S.P.D.†. In spite of this, it does effectively build a narrator who is well defended in the sense that he cannot easily be criticized from outside sources. The self-defeating speaker can be used rhetorically either directly or indirectly. In a case where it is truly against oneself that the author wagers criticism, I consider this to be a directly self-defeating narrator; in cases where the narrator’s errors in morality or logic project on to someone or something else, I consider this to be an indirectly self-defeating narrator. While â€Å"Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift† eventually moves into satirizing Swift’s friends and readers, Swift opens the text by satirizing himself. The poem begins with Swift as a directly self-defeating speaker, in the sense that it is truly against himself that Swift is wagering satire. In the following lines, we see Swift present himself in a comically negat... ...n. "Swift And Mimetic Sickness." Eighteenth Century: Theory & Interpretation (University Of Pennsylvania Press) 54.3 (2013): 359-373. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. â€Å"satire." http://www.oxforddictionaries.com.com. Oxford Dictionary, 2013. Web. 29 March 2014. Swift, Jonathan. â€Å"A Modest Proposal.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. Vol. 1c. New York: Pearson Education, 2010. 2544-2548. Print. Swift, Jonathan. â€Å"Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift, D.S.P.D.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. Vol. 1c. New York: Pearson Education, 2010. 2544-2548. Print. Uphaus, Robert W. "Swift's "Whole Character": The Delany Poems And ‘Verses On The Death Of Dr. Swift.’† Modern Language Quarterly 34.4 (1973): 406-416. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Antigone :: essays research papers

Life’s many ups and downs leads to many options There are many decisions you will need to make in life. Decisions such as deciding whether or not to make a sacrifice for someone. Every day there are many sacrifices being made. In fact life requires sacrifices to be made. Sacrifices such as dying for someone or choosing something instead of another. People also make sacrifices for what they believe in such as their beliefs or religion. Many people choose to make sacrifices for the people they love and care for such as family and friends. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone chose to sacrifice her life so her brother’s soul would be safely put to rest. Antigone was a very loving and caring sister to her brother, Polynices. She had lots of respect for her brother. She refused to let her brother’s soul wander around aimlessly therefore, she wanted to bury him. However, it was against her uncle’s orders to bury Polynices but she refused to listen. Since she had so much respect for her brother, she didn’t care what her uncle’s orders were. Therefore, she was going to do anything she could to bury him, even if it meant that she had to sacrifice her life. She knew it was the right thing to do. As she says here, â€Å"I know my duty, where true duty lies,† (1.1.78). Ismene was the other sister of Antigone and Polynices. She however, did not think that her family was important to her. Antigone told Ismene, â€Å"is he not my brother, and yours, whether you like it or not?, I shall never desert him, never,† (1.1.39) but still Ismene didn’t want to help. Well, maybe she did but she refused to help Antigone bury their brother because she didn’t want to sacrifice her life. She didn’t like the idea of going against her uncle’s orders like as she says here â€Å" you cannot mean....to bury him? Against the order,† (1.1.38). That showed that she didn’t have enough courage to go against the orders. However, towards the ending of the story she wanted to be a part of the burial but she wasn’t so she didn’t get any credit for it. Antigone however, did bury Polynices all by herself and then later committed suicide. Many choose to make sacrifices for their loved ones. Now of course family should be the most important, except for God.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The Links Between Child Abuse and Psychological, Emotional, Behavioral,

Abuse of children has become a major social problem and a main cause of many people's suffering and personal problems. Neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse have an immediate and long-term effects on a child's development. The long-term effects of abuse and neglect of a child can be seen in psychiatric disorders, increased rates of substance abuse, and relationship difficulties. Child abuse and neglect is a huge problem. Parents who abuse are people who have been abused and neglected themselves as children(Long Term Consequences). There are links between neglect and abuse and later psychological, emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal disorders. The basis for this linkage is the impact that abuse and neglect have on brain development. Researchers have found important links between interpersonal experiences and neurobiological development. Children who have been sexually abused are at significant risk of developing anxiety disorders (2.0 times the average), major depressive disorders (3.4 times average), alcohol abuse (2.5 times average), drug abuse (3.8 times average), and anti-social behavior (4.3 times average)(Crouch). Generally the left hemisphere of the brain is the site of language, motor activity on the right side of the body, and logical thought based on language. The right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for motor activity on the left side of the body, context perceptions, and holistic perception. The orbito-frontal cortex (the part of the brain directly behind the eyes) is responsible for integrating emotional responses generated in the limbic system with higher cognitive functions, such as planning and language, in the cerebral cortex's prefrontal lobes(Culp). The left orbito-frontal cortex is responsible for memory creation while the right orbito-frontal cortex is responsible for memory retrieval. Healthy functioning requires an integrated right and left hemisphere. A substantial number of synaptic connections among brain cells develop during the first year of life. An integrated brain requires connections between the hemispheres by the corpus callosum. Abused and neglected children have smaller corpus callosum than non-abused children. Abused and neglected children have poorly integrated cerebral hemispheres. This poor integration of hemispheres and underdevelopment of the orbitofrontal cortex is the basis for such symptoms as... ...ren. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 20(1), 49-65. Culp, R. E., Watkins, R. V., Lawrence, H., Letts, D., Kelly, D. J., & Rice, M. L. (1991). Maltreated children's language and speech development: Abused, neglected, and abused and neglected. First Language, 11(33), 377-389. Dong, M. (2004). The interrelatedness of multiple forms of childhood abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Child Abuse & Neglect, 28(7), 771-784. Greenfield, E. A. (2010). Child abuse as a life-course social determinant of adult health. Maturitas, 66(1), 51-55. Larkin, H. (2009). Adverse childhood experiences linked to health risk behaviors. Policy and Practice of Public Human Services, 67(3), 14-16. Sylvestre, A., & MÃ ©rette, C. (2010). Language delay in severely neglected children: A cumulative or specific effect of risk factors? Child Abuse & Neglect, 34(6), 414-428. Trickett, P. K., & McBride-Chang, C. (1995). The developmental impact of different forms of child abuse and neglect. Developmental Review 15, 311-337. Twardosz, S., & Lutzker, J. R. (2010). Child maltreatment and the developing brain: A review of neuroscience perspectives. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 15(1), 59-68.

Tata Group

Tata group of companies, it is said that there is Tata in every Indian’s life directly or indirectly. Tata group of companies is India’s largest conglomerate. Tata group is made up of 90 operating companies in seven different industries which makes it India’s largest conglomerate. Tata group was founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868. The founder of the Tata group was a visionary who was a traveler and loved travelling around the world. Jamsetji Tata was born in a small town of Navsari in Gujarat India. In his early working life, he worked with his dad in his banking firm. He wanted to start a new business, and he did start a trading company while working with his father in his banking firm. Then in he established a textile mill which he named as empress mill as a smart move to avoid any British opposition. This was the first stem to the huge Tata group which it is today. Jamsetji Tata was a traveler and brought many ideas about business in his travel. He saw new things and technology used in other countries in his travel he brought those things and new ideas home and employed them in his company and helped the country in the path of industrialization. Jamsetji Tata created trust and one of these trusts today holds the majority of the shares in the Tata group of companies. Jamsetji Tata’s one of the dream, was to construct a hotel which was the best in India and has to be the most luxuries in India. The Taj Mahal Hotel was the first building in Bombay to use electricity. Jamsetji wanted to build the best hotel in India after he was denied entry in one of the hotels in Bombay because he was Indian. The hotel which was completed, in 1904 was one of the great marvels of Tata group in Jamsetji Tata’s life time (Tata Group, n. d. ). The next big thing which happened in, the progress of the Tata Group was the establishment of iron and steel plant which was the first iron and steel plant in India. It was a challenge to start an iron and steel plant in India as there was an ever present pressure from the British raj. However, Sir Dorab Tata made it the reality when he started the steel plant near Jamshedpur. The new company was called Tata steel, which is the 10th largest steel manufacturer in the world currently. The company was established a century ago by Sir Dorab Tata in 1907. Sir Dorab Tata was also established first hydroelectric power plant which was the beginning of Tata power. Tata power is India’s largest private sector power generating company. One of the best companies in the Tata group ware established in the life time of Sir Dorab Tata. The founders of Tata group where not only the business men but also nationalist. In 1911 after seven years, after the death of Jamsetji Tata the first science instate was established in Bangalore. Where the bright brains of India can cultivate their aspirations in science, and technology. Tata’s ware fully aware of their corporate social responsibility towards society, and their country as whole (Tata group, n. d. ). The institute established by the Tata’s is today’s premier research and development institute which is in Bangalore. In its 375 acres campus, the Indian Institute of science hosts 40 departments and centers of various fields of science. Institute constantly performs research and development of cutting edge science in association with space research organization and defense research organization. Tata institute of fundamental research is one of the best research institute in the country. There are many such institutes which where the vision of the founders of Tata group, which are serving the country and society as a whole. Tata Group is also known for employee satisfaction. Tatas ware first to introduce the 8 hour working day in 1912 long before it was introduced in the western countries, they were first to introduce the provident funds which is a kind of savings account in which a certain percentage of pay is deducted, and deposited in the account, and the same percentage of the amount is matched by the employee, and deposited in same provident fund account, this was a kind of social security which was way ahead of its time. Provident fund was made compulsory by the Indian government for every company after 1952. Tata group in their process of employee satisfaction has constructed cities. Jamshedpur is very good example of the fastest growing and developing city in the country, is founded by the Tata group, to provide housing facility for the workers working in countries first steel plants, and it is named after the founder of Tata group Jamsetji Tata. With the death, of Sir Dorab Tata In 1932 Tata group lost its one of the great leaders. Sir Nowroji Tata became the chairmen of the group. By this time, Tata Group was in many business and industries. However, Sir Nowroji Tata died in 1038, and the responsibility of the company was on young 34 year old JDR Tata. JDR Tata came with new ideas, to further expanded the company. JRD Tata was the first in the country to get a commercial pilot’s license. He was the one who took the Indian in to the aviation age the first commercial aviation company was established by JDR Tata. The Tata Airlines was the first airlines of India which is still the largest airlines in the country. However, the Tata airlines was nationalized and is now known as Indian Airlines after the government of India took over the company from Tata group and regulated the aviation market and was the only airlines in the country for a long time. JDR Tata was the chair man of Tata Group for fifty three years and during his leadership Tata Group expanded in new industries. Under JRD Tata’s leadership, the company from independence to 1990 despite stringent regulations and license raj was able to grow constantly and was able to start their business in new areas. Tata started Tata Chemicals in the year 1939. Tata Motors and Tata Industries in 1945, Voltas in 1954 which is manufacturing home appliance, Tata tea, which is one of the largest tea company of the world was established under his leader ship, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) India’s largest Information Technology company by market capitalization was established in the year 1968, and the Titan Industries in the year 1984 (Tata group, n. d. ). JDR Tata steep down from the position of being chair man of that group in 1991. Ratan N. Tata took over the position as the chair person of the company and still a chair person of the company. Ratan Tata became the chair person in the mist of new economic reforms in the country where government removed many restrictions. The Indian government lifted many regulations to do business and started the end of the license raj. New entry of international origination gave competition in many industries to the Tata group. Tata group had new arena to do business in this newly freed market. Tata Group, one of the old and strong business groups whose business has seen many rough time the company in 1990 at last able to operate in a free market where it can perform to its full potential. Tata group was started as a modest trading company by the founder Jamsetji Tata is now one of India’s Biggest Company. Tata Group consists of 90 operating company which consists of communication, Information technology, chemicals, consumer products, engineering, materials, and many more industries (Tata Group, n. d. ). Tata Group is based in Mumbai India is not just an Indian company it is a global enterprise. Tata Group earns more revenues from operations outside India then that from the domestic market with in India. Tata Group earns 57 percent of its revenue, which is, $67. billion in 2009-2010 came from business outside India and rest form the business in the country. Out of 90 company the company has 28 publicly listed companies whose market capitalization is of around $98. 11 billion. The company has the share holder base of 3. 5 million. The Tata group is present in 85 countries worldwide and employees around 395,000 people worldwide (Tata Group, n. d. ). The present chairman of Tata group is Ratan Tata he is the chairman of Tata Sons the promoting company of Tata group and hence the chair man of Tata Group. Ratan Tata was born on December 28, 1937 he is the grandson of the founder Jamsetji Tata. He was raised by his grandmother Navajibai. He has done bachelors in architecture from Cornell University in 1962. He has further studied advance management program from Harvard Business School and graduated in 1975. Ratan Tata becomes the chairman of Tata sons and Tata Group in 1990. This was the time when then Indian government decided to open the Indian market to the international competition. Then Indian government also opened many industries to the private-sector investment. Tata Group being one of the biggest group in India was well in a position to take advantage of the situation presented to them and during the same time Ratan Tata was chosen by JRD Tata as the chairman of Tata group. However, Ratan Tata did not become the chairman of Tata group directly. Initially he got a job offer in IBM which he declined with the advice of JRD Tata. He started first working in Tata steel in Jamshedpur where he worked on the floor making steel in front of blast furnish. This was like a training ground for him for the feature responsibilities (Tata Group, n. . ) Tata Group is headed by a dynamic leader Ratan Tata has two decision making groups. These groups are called Group executive office, and Group corporate center. These groups divide decision-making responsibility. Group executive office, the main objectives of the group executive office are to implement the programs in relation with governance, human resource, etc. group executive office also works to improve the synergistic between various companies within the group and also to improve synergistic between group and individual companies in the group. The current GEO comprises of Ratan Tata, R Gopalakrishnan, Ishaat Hussain, Kishor Chaukar, and Arunkumar Gandhi. (Tata group, n. d. ) The other decision making body in management structure of the company is Group Corporate Center. This decision-making body in management works on promoting the Tata brand in the country, and around the world. The group issues policies for the growth of the company and entry in to a new area of business are reviewed in this decision-making group. Group corporate center also provides advices on financial, human resource, legal, and functional issues as and when necessary to companies in the group. The present members in the group are Ratan Tata the chairman, JJ Irani, RK Krishna Kumar, R Gopalakrishnan, Ishaat Hussain, Kishor Chaukar and Arunkumar Gandhi. The Tata group commits it shelf to the country they operate, and to improve the quality of life of the people who work in the group, and the communities in which Tata group operates its business. Tata group is a value driven company and they believe very strongly in their values, and have five core values which help them as a guide for growth and in the arena business of Tata group. Tata group strongly believes in integrity, and they believe that the business which they perform should be conducted in a fair manner and with honesty. The business process should be transparent. The group also believes in understanding the customer and the employees specially. Tata group strongly believes that in doing business, they should act with compassion and humanity towards the customer to whom they serve and in the internal operation of the company between the colleagues within the company. Tata group thinks that they should do their best in day to day work. They believe that the product, which they provide, to their customer should be of the best quality. They believe that they should raise their standard of works in day to day working. They also believe that they as a group should work more cohesively. It is also important that they work in unity between the companies and their partners around the world. Tata group believes that working in a united manner can result in excellent results, which impact the growth and development of the company, and Tata group as whole. Tata Group thinks it is responsible to the communities in which they operate their business, and it thinks that they are responsible towards the country, in which they operate. Tata group believes, in providing more to the people than what they received from them. Tata group also believes strongly in their code of conduct and do their day of the day operation in accordance with their code of conduct. They have twenty five clauses which make their code of conducts and works as a guide for their operation in day to day operation of the company. Tata group thinks that innovation is the best way to progress and with the innovation they can achieve what they want to achieve in the business. The best example the company has displayed is by Tata motors. The Tata Nano is an example for the innovative side of the Tata group. The nano car, which is the cheapest car in the world, Tata nano costs around 100,000 Indian rupees which translates to around $2500 depending on the present exchange rates. Many in the automotive industry said that the car was impossible to make. It was the brain child of Ratan Tata the chairman of Tata sons and Tata Group. Ratan Tata saw the Indian, middle class family of four crammed on a two-wheeler on a wet road. It is very dangerous to drive on the road in such conditions, especially in India where traffic condition is very bad. Ratan Tata got an idea of making a car which will be affordable to the emerging middle class of India. This engineering challenge which they had been never accomplished in the history of modern day automobile industry. In the early 2003 on the sides of a business meeting, Ratan Tata expressed his wish to make an affordable car for the people of India. This was going to be a challenge, and Ratan Tata knew about it very well. He called five engineers from Tata motors to Bombay house to give them the challenge of doing which was never done before. The team of the engineers did not have any kind of idea about what they are up to and came with the ideas of cheap transport. They only got the idea of the challenge when the chairman him shelf told them about his idea of INR 100,000 cars. The team was given the challenge was going to do something which did not have a bench mark, for next four years they were working on one man’s dream which can affect an entire country of 1. 2 billion people and their safety on the roads. During the process, of building the cheapest car of the world Tata motors has to start completely from the basics of car building. Engineers at Tata motors had to start over as they were not able to get parts from exiting suppliers around the world which can fit within the pries tag of the car. They did what Tata Group is all know about Innovate (Tata Moters , n. . ). Engineers at Tata motors ware able to create the marvel the Tata nan, which is the cheapest car of the world. The car was holding the price tag of INR 100,000 despite the increase in the raw material price. The car was launched on early 2009. The Tata group is not Just accomplished building a car, but in many other business too they have created the cheapest water which do not use the electricity and uses the natural materials and is cheap so that the poor farmers in a remote village can use the water filter which is called Tata Swach. This innovative feat achieved by Tata chemicals was a life changing for many rural population of India where pure water or water purification system are very costly are not cheaply available. The Tata has done it again by innovating and not only providing the solution to the problem but also providing it cheaply so that it can be used by the common Indian. The Tata Group has become the integral part of every Indian’s life is not just confined to India. Tata group is present in 85 countries. Tata group now came to the world stage my major industrial acquisition. The biggest of them all was the acquiring of Cores. Corus was the biggest steel producer of steel in Europe and was a high end steel producer. Tata steel is the low end steel producer as the market demands in India. Tata steel was mainly focused on Indian market was the second largest steel producer in India. There was no presence of Tata steel in Europe before the takeover of the company. This is the biggest takeover by any Indian company in the world. Corus was the second largest steel producer in Europe, Tata when acquired Corus made it the fifth largest steel producer in the world. Tata acquired Corus for $8. 1 billion and promised to fuse funds in Corus pension fund. This over take was also symbolizing the growth of Tata after 1990’s, during this two decades it has expanded in ever growing Indian market and also has stretched its wings in the international market, as well. The only way where it can expand to the world stage is by acquiring other companies, and as done my many Indian companies recently the deal between Tata and Corus was showing the newly found strength in Indian companies around the world. â€Å"One minute world news â€Å", 2006) Tata group did not only acquired the Corus but acquired many other brands or companies around the world. Tata motors have acquired at least one brand or company every since 2004. In 2004 Tata motors acquired the Daewoo motors. The Tata Daewoo has a very big market around the world and sells trucks under the name of Daewoo in South Korea and Pakistan and under Tata name around the world. In 2005 Tata motors acquired, Hispano Carrocera is one of the largest manufacturer of buses in Europe. Tata Motors acquired entire 100 percent stake in the company in 2009. Tata motors become biggest bus manufacturer in Europe with the acquisition of the company. Other big acquisition and most widely know is when Tata motors bought the famous and esteemed British car manufacturer Jaguar with this Tata motors came in European high end car market. Tata now owned the famous brands like Land rover and has truly become a global brand. Tata group has been at the fore front of the overtaking global company recently has also faced with many issues due to the down turn of the global economy. There were few issues not related to the economy but completely different like a terror attack on 26 November 2008 on an iconic Taj Mehal hotel in Mumbai which was constructed by non other than the founder of the group him shelf Jamsetji Tata more than a century ago. The attack was on the one of Mumbai’s land marks and left a historic building badly damaged, it was repaired, and was in service within few months. Tata’s has shown that it is not impossible to keeping on improving performance and growing the company no matter the circumstance exists in the country of operation. They have grown in the company of present day after facing the strict colonial restriction against industries in colony. They have also showed how to grow in an unfriendly environment with government license policy which was to control the industries in the country. The name Tata is said to be in every Indian's life is now on the path to spread its wings around the world, and aspires to become a part of everybody life around the world. References http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6068244.stm http://www.tata.com/htm/heritage/HeritageOption1.html http://www.crimt.org/Publications/CSSS_WP_No58.pdf

Monday, September 16, 2019

A Report on Child Labor

The reaction of a typical citizen of a western state to child labor is generally one of disgust. They dream up images of a shoe factory in South Eastern Asia with hundreds of children stooped over sewing machines slaving their youth away. Instead of going to school or playing these children are locked in dangerous workshops, paid barely enough to survive. The truth of the matter is quite different. The average westerner does not realize that most often child laborers are working alongside their parents on small, family owned pieces of land. They are not tortured by a mean overseer, but rather surrounded by family and friends. My intent is not to paint a glowing picture or to diminish the fact that children would be better off in schools, but we must be realistic. Generally life for the child laborer is not as bad as many imagine and frequently their hard work is the difference from their family thriving and their family starving. Not only that, but when they work in the export-manufacturing sector of the economy their labor can fuel future growth of the economy, preventing their children or grandchildren from having to work in factories. This is not to say that we should do nothing to help child laborers, but rather that we should focus our aid in areas other than merely restricting the importation of items produced by them. We need to turn to more creative devices that will focus on improving the education and opportunity for education rather trying to focus on blindly banning child labor. In short, child labor is not the purely evil institution many feel it is and can even be useful in developing third world economies. At the same time we should still try to attempt to do more to develop those economies in order to not only end child labor but also to reduce all the forms of suffering which go on in the third world. Before examining child labor abroad we should look at it here in the United States. Throughout much of our country we employ thousands of, frequently illegal, immigrant laborers to work on farms producing our nation†s food supply. These laborers most often work in family units, with children working the fields side by side with their parents. When pesticides are used farm workers are often not warned or given insufficient warning to prevent their exposure to these dangerous chemicals. The result is that here in America, there exists a large number of children who work rather than going to school and while working are exposed to conditions similar or worse than that of third world factories. Little of this is done beyond the limits of the law. Agriculture has been granted many perks in labor law that would seem absurd in other sectors of the economy, despite the hazards involved in this type of work. All age limits imposed on other types of labor are reduced in agriculture. Outside agriculture 13 and 14 year old children cannot work more than three hours a day during a school week. These restrictions do not exist for farm workers; instead children from the age of 12 can work full days as long as they have their parents† consent. Even ten and eleven year olds can work as long as it is during short seasonal harvests, but they require special permission from the Department of Labor. Even these minimal restrictions can be avoided as many of these laborers do not speak English, do not know their rights, and are generally afraid of going to the authorities for fear of being deported from the country. Workers endure this system for an estimated average annual income of $7,500, a rate few Americans would be willing to accept. They are paid poorly, the rights they don†t know exist are abused, they are exposed to pesticides, and their children are not given the opportunity to get an education. This makes one wonder why they even come here. The answer is that the money they earn here is better than what they would make at home. Despite the abuse they suffer, it is worth it for the amount they get paid. Not only that, but here their labor is somewhat regulated by the government. Conversely, in Mexico regulation is often relaxed or nonexistent. It is better for children to work here where they at least are protected, even if minimally, than in Mexico where the same is not true. While working here they are able to send or take money home and support relatives. Evidence throughout the world has proven that when the opportunity for education is low or when the schools in an area are poor, the rate of children working is high. With this in mind we should work to improve education in Mexico. The family members supported by their farm-working relatives would be able to educate their children. This, in turn, would improve the economy in future years, making it no longer worthwhile to come to the United States to work. Better education in Mexico could make migrant farm workers in the United States a major source of growth for the Mexican economy. Internationally the situation is frequently similar. Eighty percent of child laborers abroad work in agriculture. Only eight percent of children work in manufacturing and of those only five percent manufacture items for export. This leaves a very small number of children worldwide that we can have much of an effect on through import restrictions. What we should do is try to limit the reasons that children work abroad, not just the demand for their labor. If a family will starve without the work of their children our efforts should be focused on increasing the wages their parents receive. The best way to do this is improving their level of education. It is too late to achieve this for the current generation, but we can use the labor of some children to improve the education of others to help future generations. Organizations like Rugmark, Kaleen, and Care & Fare are excellent examples of where international efforts should be focused. Essentially they take funds from the sale of each rug sold internationally and invest those funds in schools and hospitals for children in the country in which the rugs were made. Organizations like Rugmark focus on banning child labor from the carpet making industry but that is not necessary. As long as they collect money from the sale of carpets they are able to improve the economy. With those funds they can invest in education for the rest of society. Taking children from the carpet making industry will only move them into other, unregulated industries that could be more dangerous and detrimental to their development. Using organizations like Rugmark and Kaleen would be improving the economy on the backs of children, but perhaps this is a price we must pay for improvement. One other problem in the third world that deserves examination is that of children working when their parents do not. There is a high correlation in South Asia between child labor and adult unemployment. The reason for this is not definite, but one can only assume that it is due to either the parents not wanting to work or employers preferring children to adults. It is known that employers frequently rather have children in their shops as they complain less and are more pliable. If they are unwilling to employ adults in they factories, then this is a matter for the governments of those states. They must enact and strictly enforce laws ensuring that children are not working in their parents place. It is one thing for a child to work in order to feed their family, but another because the parents are too lazy or an employer to greedy to hire them. Education could still be a force to decrease child labor here. As child labor is high when educational opportunity is low, the mere act of building a school and hiring good teachers could do much to decrease child labor in the near future. Parents might decide that if their children could get a good education and live a better life, that they should work instead of their children. The main idea of what has been outlined above is that the best tool for reducing child labor is education. This is an investment, and as such the rewards may not be reaped for decades, but it is still worth the effort. We should use education, even if it must be funded or supported by the work of children, to improve the economies of countries dependent upon child labor. This is a pragmatic solution and one that is not beautiful, but if we were to merely ban importation of items produced by children we would in effect be cutting off our collective nose despite our face. Without educational opportunities in third world states children not working will only be street children, doing nothing with their time. We should also not be unwilling to encourage cultural change when it allows parents to stay home and do nothing while their children labor away in factories. Education is not a creative solution to the problem of child labor, but it is really the best tool we have to save future generations from suffering.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Ideological Framework

The Ideological Framework Economic prosperity spawned discontent when the native beneficiaries saw a new world of affluence opening for themselves and their class. They attained a new consciousness and hence, a new goal – that of equality with the peninsulares – not in the abstract, but in practical economic and political terms. Hispanization became the conscious manifestation of economic struggle, of the desire to realize the potentialities offered by the period of expansion and progress. Hispanization and assimilation constituted the ideological expression of the economic motivations of affluent indios and mestizos. Equality with the Spaniard meant equality of opportunity. But they did not realize as yet that real equality must be based on national freedom and independence. The were still in the initial phases of nationalist consciousness – a consciousness made possible by the market situation of the time. The lordly friar who had been partly responsible for the isolation of the islands became the target of attacks. Anti-clericalism became the ideological style of the period. [p. 134] These then were the salient economic and ideological features of Rizal's time. A true historical review would prove that great men are those who read the time and have a deeper understanding of reality. It is their insights that make them conversant with their periods and which enable them to articulate the needs of the people. To a large extent, Rizal, the ilustrado, fulfilled this function, for in voicing the goals of his class he had to include the aspirations of the entire people. Though the aims of this class were limited to reformist measures, he expressed its demands in terms of human liberty and human dignity and thus encompassed the wider aspirations of all the people. This is not to say that he was conscious that these were class goals; rather, that typical of his class, he equated class interest with people's welfare. He did this in good faith, unaware of any basic contradictions between the two. He was the product of his society and as such could be expected to voice only those aims that were within the competence of his class. Moreover, social contradictions had not ripened sufficiently in his time to reveal clearly the essential disparateness between class and national goals. Neither could he have transcended his class limitations, for his cultural upbringing was such that affection for Spain and Spanish civilization precluded the idea of breaking the chains of colonialism. He had to become a Spaniard first before becoming a Filipino. [8] As a social commentator, as the exposer of oppression, he performed a remarkable task. His writings were part of the tradition of protest which blossomed into revolution, into a separatist movement. His original aim of elevating the indio to the level of Hispanization of the peninsular so that the country could be assimilated, could become a province of Spain, was transformed into its opposite. Instead of making the Filipinos closer to Spain, the propaganda gave root to separation. The drive for Hispanization was transformed into the development of a distinct national consciousness. Rizal contributed much to the growth of this national consciousness. It was a contribution not only in terms of propaganda but in something positive that the present generation of Filipinos will owe to him and for which they will honor him by completing the task which he so nobly began. He may have had a different and limited goal at the time, a goal that for us is already passe, something we take for granted. However, for [p. 135] his time this limited goal was already a big step in the right direction. This contribution was in the realm of Filipino nationhood – the winning of our name as a race, the recognition of our people as one, and the elevation of the indio into Filipino.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Jazz Heritage/The Roots of Jazz

Africa is the home of jazz, which spread to Europe and all throughout America. Today’s jazz music is influenced by the different countries mentioned. There are musical traditions and cultural traditions coming from Africa, Europe and America which contributed to the sound of jazz today. As jazz developed, it was centered in New Orleans (Yurochko 3). To better understand why jazz sounds the way it does today, it is best to examine its roots one by one, country by country. Africa The life in Africa is centered around the tribe. All its members participate in Every activity, function and ritual in the tribe. African tribes were highly interactive and participatory because all of its members always found a way to contribute and cooperate and common gatherings and functions (Yurochko 3). From this, it can be inferred that the musical activities of the tribe were also interactive and participatory. Because of these characteristics, the music they created was full of dynamics. No single member of the African tribe just sat down. No one just listened. All of them were tied to everything that was happening in the tribe. As a result, music was functional as it was properly suited to all the activities and events in the tribe (Bjorn and Gallert 178). What was unique in Africa was how people listened to music. In this country, one cannot find a single concert hall. Everybody gathered themselves in just one area to listen to music. Listening to music was a significant part of the tribe’s lives. In Africa, there were different types of sounds fit for different types of occasions. There was music for marriage, death and births. There was music even for chopping down a tree, or clearing out a path. What music was to Africans was a social glue that united all members of the tribe together (Yurochko 3). Meanwhile, the characteristics of African music can explain why jazz music rooted from Africa. African music makes the body perform. It means that the music alone involves the body by making it dance, sway to the beat, clap, and pound a rod on the ground. Apart from the musicians themselves, all members of the audience were also joining the fun. Africa music makes everyone sing, too (Bjorn and Gallert 178). Africans used different musical instruments like aerophones, idiophones and cordophones. The bass sound of the music was mainly acquired from the drum. African music was full of drums which came in different shapes and sizes. The drum was their main instrument which Africans produced from hollowed out logs and gourds. Across the opening of the drum was a stretched animal skin (Bjorn and Gallert 178). What makes jazz so â€Å"African† is its rhythm, since African music is highly characterized by the emphasis on rhythm. Cross rhythms and polyrhythms were made by African drummers, both of which were major contributors to the driving force of jazz or African music (Bjorn and Gallert 178). The beat of jazz and the beat of African music can be demonstrated by creating a single beat, and dividing it into two. The other half should be given two claps to a single beat. The other hand will be given three claps to a single beat. This is a simple polyrhythm compared to how much jazz has developed through time. The basic principle behind jazz beats is two beats against one (Bjorn and Gallert 179). African sound seems unorganized, and this is what jazz is all about. It is because of the more complex polyrhythm found in African music. Each beat of the drum has an already set rhythm. Then again, once this beat is combined with other drums which also have their own set rhythms, then that is where the complicated sound is produced (Bjorn and Gallert 180). Another characteristic of African sound which can be found in jazz music is the pentatonic scale. A pentatonic scale can best be seen in a piano. The scale is defined by five notes, thus the term â€Å"penta†-tonic, with the chords C, D, E, G and A. This musical scale can also be found in the music of Peru, Mexico, Scotland and Japan (Salzman and the American Studies Association 961). In Africa, singers sing and the members of the audience respond. African musicians can also chant a melody, and the rest of the people in the venue react with the type of response already established in the society. In Africa, this is called â€Å"call and response†, which is also highly used in jazz. In jazz, though, the way people respond is different. This can be seen in many churches with people singing jazz praise songs (Salzman and the American Studies Association 961). The characteristics of jazz can be traced back to the African music’s characteristics, too, in which bending tones, falsetto, buzzes in the voice, raspy tones and vocal manipulation can be found. No vocal sound is ever produced. Letting out their feelings and expressing themselves by belting out what and how they were feeling an emotion contributed to the very distinct characteristics of jazz music. The tones were also not organized. As a listener listens to a jazz music, he will mostly find the singer reciting words spontaneously (Henson 48). Europe Europe influenced jazz music through harmony and instrumentation. The harmonies in jazz music are characterized by diatonic scale. Jazz music is highly diatonic, and diatonic, in this case, is an expanded version of the pentatonic scale coming from Africa. Chord progressions from the European or Western sound influenced today’s jazz music. Europe contributed a big part of the instrumentation of jazz. Instruments from Europe used in jazz music are clarinets, trombones and trumpets. Most of the European instruments used gave jazz music its symphonic nature (Henson 48). The birthplace of jazz music is mainly in New Orleans. The people of the city made use of what they were hearing from Africa and Europe, combined the different techniques and various musical styles to technically call the new genre â€Å"jazz† (Henson 48). New Orleans: New Orleans was undeniably successful in giving birth to jazz because of various components. One of these factors is its location. Since New Orleans is located at the tip of the Mississippi River, it was easy for people to bring in jazz to the area. The river made it easy for New Orleans to export music to different parts of the globe, too, which made the music genre jazz, became popular in a very short period of time upon its conception (Brown 74). The Mississippi River was a very important factor in making jazz a popular genre because it has touched various states in America. Several states which were considered areas for slaves contributed in New Orleans’ highly diverse population. Since the city became a busy seaport, it also developed into becoming the gateway to the islands of the Caribbean (Henson 48). It is also important to study the demographics of the people in New Orleans as this is related to the development of jazz. The city is a very unique one because even before it was a state of America, it has been under the flags of France and Spain. When one would visit New Orleans, one would see how diverse the population is because of the different ethnic groups found in the city. Because of the diverse population, there was also a diverse culture. Cultural diversity helped in improving the quality of jazz music (Brown 74). The races inhabiting the city defined jazz music. The different cultures taking place made jazz what it sounds today. Since French people were among those who were occupying New Orleans, the tradition where they allowed males to have their mistresses was a big influence to the music. Several men chose women who were light skinned, and they went for those who had mixed blood. Most of these women were found in the southern part of New Orleans. Because of this, the group of lower class blacks grew and became known to the city (Henson 48). The black creoles were widely accepted in New Orleans, especially by the white society. However, it didn't stay this way for too long. They received the same privileges and rights from the government. In 1984, a law was passed by the Louisiana Legislature which suggested that people with African blood were labeled as â€Å"Negros†. Because of this, the black creoles were driven away from New Orleans. They had no choice but to join the black culture (Henson 48). The joining of the pure blacks and the black creoles (cross between black and light-skinned) gave birth to the full development of a new music which is now referred to as jazz. Slaves from different parts of the globe who were pushed to the United States possessed nothing but their clothing. Then again, they brought not only clothes in the United States, but music, too. They brought their heritage and culture. They shared their musical practices in the United States, specifically in New Orleans (Brown 74). Because of the struggle of the black culture, New Orleans slowly became identified as the city of refuge for blacks. All freed slaves and escaped slaves fled to New Orleans. They all gathered in Congo Square during Sundays because this was their only chance to be together and celebrate their culture. During these days, they all participated in the African culture where they played drums, sang and danced (Henson 48). New Orleans is then the breeding ground of musical activity. Numerous musical ensembles can be found here, like brass bands, musicales, opera companies and orchestras. Up to this day, there are still musical parties being held in the city. What made jazz sound disorganized and highly syncopated today is the merging of the musical influences of black slave culture and the black creoles. Their different cultures and distinct musical style made jazz sound like it does today. How jazz is being played is merely a result of the amalgamation of different tempos, beats and styles through time. Examples of African musical activities that highly influenced today's jazz music are rhythmic emphasis, African field holler, interactive music and the call and response ritual. All of these found a space into the style of jazz (Brown 74).

Friday, September 13, 2019

Rhetorical Critique of Star Wars Episodes IV, V, VI Essay

Rhetorical Critique of Star Wars Episodes IV, V, VI - Essay Example Further, the devil value described by Weaver pertains to all opposites to the god terms. The evil terms includes communism. Communism is the opposite of democracy. Next, the rebel or those who fight against the established government and its policies, laws, morals, ethics, and other standards are classified as devil-related. Evil or the devil focuses on preventing the god-like acts from cropping up, continuing, and prospering (Duffy, 1993). God Value. Luke Skywalker espouses God value. Luke Skywalker has been consistent throughout the three movies. In Episode 4, Luke Skywalker imitates a God character, obedience or doing good acts. Luke Skywalker obeys his foster father’s instructions to prioritize the harvest of the crops over enrolling in school. Luke Skywalker obey’s Obi Wan Kenobi’s instructions to fight for what is right, the Jedi way of life (Brode, 2012). Sermonic language. In episode 4, episode 5 and episode 6, Obi Wan Kenobi’s sermon focuses on Luke Skywalker’s destiny (Lucas, 2012). Obi Wan Kenobi persuades Skywalker that Skywalker is the only person who is destined to stop Darth Vader’s attacks on the rebel base and its people. Episode 5 shows Yoda training Skywalker to be a better Jedi fighter. In Episode 6, Darth Vader continually sermons Skywalker that Vader cannot change from being bad to being good (Glut, 2011). Argument of cause-affect. The story shows Skywalker trying his best to convince his father to convert to a good person. In Episode 5, Skywalker learns that Darth Vader is his father (Glut, 2011). In Episode 6, Skywalker tries his best to convert his father to change to the good side. Skywalker’s refusal to kill his father triggered the conversion of Darth Vader from being an evil person to being a good person. Argument of authority. The three episodes show the importance of authority. The government forces will use force to

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Labor Market and Minimum Wage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Labor Market and Minimum Wage - Essay Example ns for their youth the disemployment effects are smaller, and in countries where labor market is regulated the minimum wage standards have the least impact on disemployment (Neumark & Wascher, 2003). Labor demand in the present era is determined by the rapid changes in technology which have placed more emphasis on increasing productivity by dependence on computerization and software rather than the human workforce. This might present an inference that the average labor requirement will decrease as the industries become increasingly technology driven. However this is not true as the change will only be in the quality and not the quantum of workforce, as human input will be needed to run such technologies. Any increase in minimum wage usually affects the employment pattern of a country in a negative manner. The most affected are the younger workforce who usually work on much less wages and therefore become unemployed. The usual analysis of the effects of fixing a minimum wage were usually done by using a ‘time-series’ method where the impacts were studied over a specific period. However the approach misses on some aspects like the relation of data to other contributing factors such as recession and other labor market policies. A cross sectional data analysis approach was therefore preferable to arrive at a more pertinent and accurate conclusion ((Neumark & Wascher, 2003). The authors’ analysis suggested that other factors contributed much more towards unemployment rather than the fixing of a higher minimum wage alone. Recession was cited as one of the prime factors affecting employment patterns. Any increase in the minimum wages makes employment seem more attractive than studies to those in late teens and thereby disturbs the equilibrium. However with the latest trend of changes in the labor market from traditional industries like production and manufacturing to more sophisticated ones like the service industry and those involving technical knowhow like

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Development of modern educational system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Development of modern educational system - Essay Example But I decided to help him out. He knows he is smart enough to even beat others. He worked so hard at reading, but it just never gets easier. Astutely observing his tribulations, his problem came out as 'Dyslexia'. Dyslexia is a brain-based type of learning disability that specifically impairs a person's ability to read. [cite this] Dyslexic children seem to have trouble learning early reading skills, problems hearing individual sounds in words or phrases, examining whole words or sentences in parts, and amalgamating sounds into words. Sometimes they may not differentiate between the letters "b" and "d". The words and sentences seem to them as if they are mingling together or overlapping each other or even moving on the page. It can also be innate in some families; even a number of genes may develop dyslexia. These students are easily being teased, even neglected in social or educational institutions. Though some may have remarkable talents in art, athletics, architecture, graphics, d rama, music, or engineering but they do not realize because of their shyness [cite this]. The vital thing is to help these children in muddling through and providing 'inclusive' education to all schools and colleges. Baroness Warnock (2005) advocated the idea of 'inclusive' education and schools by transferring the students, with special needs, to mainstream schools from special educational institutions. The questionnaires design... The questionnaires designed to scrutinize analysis are very accommodating and helpful to get awareness of their approaches to learn, for the students as well as teachers. Sufficient rigorous ways for setting the more quantitative outcome are obligatory and reliable ascriptions made to the intrusions. Changes found could provoke the factors, such as incentive-ness, self-esteem, sense of worth, and concentration by teachers and it is important to control for as many (Martimore, 2005). So many arguments and actions in the area of 'inclusion' have been focused on altering mainstream schools to comprise pupils who have restrained learning difficulties or any disabilities. The focal point is clearly on learning obscurities as being at the interface between the pupil, teacher and curriculum. Individual program plans should never be taught in isolation [needs citation]. It is a fact that these children will be there and that they are entitled to our attention and the same standard of education as any other child in a class. Challenging behavior can be viewed as an annoyance and source of irritation in the classroom, or as an opportunity to develop new skills and understandings about teaching and learning. 'If a child does not learn the way you teach then teach him the way he learns.' (Chasty, 1999) Some of the main hindrances in achieving inclusive education system were the stringency present in the current education system. The SENCo-Forum, Special Educational Needs Action Programme, mentioned some of the rigidities in achieving inclusive system in educational environments (NASEN, 2004). Inclusive education needs the expert staff levels to meet the

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Assighment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assighment - Essay Example It is through this book that various aspects of the hedge fund scheme are being addressed, and how investors should go about resolving the imbalance created by hedge fund managers. It is true that there is a lot of money to be made from hedge funds, because the success of most hedge funds proves that opportunities are present (Lack 42). In an aggressive, fast-changing business environment, individuals are always coming up with ways in which they can benefit from each other. However, the vulnerability of some individuals, especially with regards to finances, is being capitalized on by individuals who are willing to make quick cash from susceptible folks. It is in light of this that the author sought to address some of the aspects that surround hedge funds. The author describes how to tackle the menace that arises from investment managers, and how to become stronger when opportunities are likely to occur once an individual chooses to invest (Lack 46). Summary of the book According to S imon Lack, investors need to be cautious of the risk hedge funds pose on their unsuspecting nature. It is true that hedge funds can be a lucrative source of capital, but the manner in which people are losing their money is not worth ignoring. First and foremost, the charges required to invest in a hedge fund, according to the author, tend to always be ridiculous. It is the author’s belief that half the money invested by investors could make more returns had they put invested in treasury bills (Lack 51). All these assumptions point or lead to one conclusion that; hedge funds are in business for their own interest, and not those of their investors. This bold statement makes one wonder of all that is currently happening to the invested money that happens to find its way into hedge funds. This is also described in the book when the author insinuates that investors lose almost 25% of their invested money to the hedge fund industry. The superior rate of returns, often hyped by hedg e funds, is usually a ploy to have people invest in something that may not necessarily wield high returns (Lack 53). The author believes that even the traditional methods of investment have better luck in having better/higher returns as compared to the glorified schemes of hedge funds. The numbers, as the book suggests, do not add up or are not consistent with what is actually happening in these organizations. It is this claim that leads to the casting of doubt on the whole hedge fund charade. The controversial manner in which the author divulges information about the hedge fund industry brings to light some of the common mistakes people make, and why it is vital to be open-minded when it comes to deals that are too good to be true. Strengths and weaknesses of the book The manner in which the author divulges this information is done in a simple, much easy to understand language. Simple examples have been used to describe scenarios in which individuals are often in, and how they are susceptible to manipulation once the promises of exceptional returns are introduced. No financial or mathematical complexities have been used, so it is easy for even the not so avid reader to comprehend. Moreover, the anecdotes that the author knits into the book form a basis for a relaxed atmosphere where the