Saturday, August 31, 2019

Apperance vs Reality In the Great Gatsby

The roaring twenties were the times of higher wages, new technologies and extravagant parties to celebrate after the devastating war. It was the time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. With this all happening many people lived in an illusionary world, where only few could see reality. Being successful during these times had nothing to do with hard work but rather involved false happiness, high social status and materialistic objects. F. Scott Fitzgerald implies in â€Å"The Great Gatsby† that Underneath those who appear to be living a life of perfection, there may be a lack ofn  contentess in reality.In Scott. F Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the characters of Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Carraway all reveal that the certain appearances of their lives do not match the reality. When a person becomes so caught up in their appearance they tend to forget about the reality around them. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby por trays that the appearance of his life is unlike true reality. James Gatz grew up in a very poor family from North Dakota, and after he became wealthy he changed his name to Jay Gatsby to hide from his past appearance. Gatsby appears to be thisIndividual who has a successful and accomplished life because of all his wealth, but in reality he is a fraud. His wealth was not inherited from a wealthy family nor was it gained through a sincerely hard working job that but he became a bootlegger and gets his wealth from illegally selling bonds. Gatsby is unable to see past reality â€Å" can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can? †(116).Gatsby has a vision of re-gaining the relationship Daisy and him once had. He believes that since he’s made a name for himself and has become very wealthy, he now has everything he needs for Daisy to come back  to him. Gatsby is blind to the reality that his dream is long gone and that his past can never be fully repeated. The future has brought other factors such as being married and his money being done illegally. He will never be able to repeat the relationship they once had when they were younger †he tried to recapture Daisy, and for a time it looks as though her will succeed. But he must fail, because of his inability to separate the ideal from the real. †It appears that since Gatsby is socially accepted in Daisy’s world with his wealthy and popular persona and that the love they have for each  other still exists, he now has everything he needs to gain Daisy back. Since they already have strong love for each other. However, once Daisy soon discovers that Gatsby isn’t that man he puts out to be, and the comfort and protection she feels with Tom because of his wealth and status is much more important to her than the love and sacrifice Gatsby shows toward her. Daisy Buchanan married Tom Buchanan in spite of her infatuation with living a wealthy and glamorous lifestyle. Even though she realizes her husband is having an affair she still stays with him, convinced that her money will work as a distraction and make her happy.Nick discovers that â€Å" her whole carless world revolves around this illusion: that money makes everything beautiful, even if it’s not†. From the moment Daisy was born she was brought into a glamourized world of wealth. Once she’s older, she falls for Tom Buchanan and the money he represents, leading her to marry him. She feels that the wealthy lifestyle she endures with Tom will bring them eternal happiness and solve all of their potential problems. Regarding her daughter Pammy, Daisy says â€Å"And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. †(fitzgerald 21).This statement shows that she  wishes that her daughter will grow up to be naive and beautiful so she doesn’t have to worry about all the problems that occur in life. Daisy hers elf is beautiful, however, she is not a fool and is fully aware of her husbands infidelities. She feels that if she was naive to this situation, she would be able to live happily in her life filled with beauty and wealth and would not have to deal with these kinds of problems. Unfortunately for Daisy, she realizes that a marriage lacking love and trust has erupted in her life and assumes that her money will over shadow this problem and make everything better.Daisy seems to be  living a perfect, beautiful life because of her wealth and high social class. However, she soon comes to the conclusion that there is an emptiness in her heart that her money will never be able to fulfill. When a person is aware to the reality they began to realize how non important appearance is. The character of Nick Carraway is neighbours with the popular Gatsby and is exposed to his mansion that holds all of his extravagant parties. Nick demonstrates a character who realizes that the upper class world is n’t all what it seems. Nick perceives that the people of new york’s upper class live fascinating and wonderful lives due to their weath.When he eventually becomes part of the upper class world (having relation to Daisy and befriending Gatsby), Nick comes to the conclusion that wealth causes more harm and corruption than good. Nick begans to realize that after all the sacrifice and love Gatsby has done for his cousin Daisy, she still chooses to be with her unfaithful husband â€Å"they’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together†(Fitzgerald 162).After None of Gatsby’s friends, as well as t he many people who attended his parties, showed up to his funeral, Nick discovers that he no longer wants to be apart of a world  containing such shallowness and selfishness. â€Å" Nick sees life now as it is. Nick dedues that Gatsby is both a racketeer and an incurable romantic, whose ill-gotten wealth has been acquired soley to g ain prominence in the sophisticated, moneyed world of Daisys circle. † Nick becomes to realize how naive his friend Jay Gatsby is to reality and how he’s allowing his money and appearance to take over. In the end, even the greatest of the characters in the Great Gatsby are conformed by their appearance. They may appear to live in such perfection and wealth but in reality money can’t buy happiness.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Blood Diamonds Essay

Blood, conflict, illicit, diamonds – the issue has gone global and the world became aware that the innocent girl’s best friend has been tainted by blood and become the worst nightmare for people, including children in some parts of the globe. They call them conflict diamonds because for the past several years the shiny gem has fuelled wars in conflict ridden countries in Africa. According to sources, these diamonds often originate from territories under the control of rebel groups. The profit in selling these diamonds is used to buy small arms and munitions that are used to fight the wars for liberation. They call them blood diamonds because of all the bloodshed the diamonds have caused, because through these diamonds, wars are being fuelled, men women and children get killed, and slavery has found nesting places. Partnership Africa Canada reports that â€Å"upwards of 50,000 [have been] killed, half the population displaced, and more than two-thirds of its already severely limited infrastructure destroyed. † Mining the Diamonds Rebel groups such as the RUF of Sierra Leone and UNITA of Angola, in order to mine blood diamonds enslave civilians in mining camps. They are treated as prisoners and are not paid for their services. What is shocking is that most of these miners are children. The worst of all is that aside from being used as miners, these children are being forced to become soldiers too. Young girls are being raped into submission, while young boys are forced to carry guns and kill elders in order to psychologically control them. Drugs are also being used. Once the children become hooked up to it, their dependence on it will equate to their loyalty to the movement. The rough diamonds that are mined are then sold into the black market. Struggling for Social Justice After the world has become witness to the horrors of the mining camps in Africa, a lot of activities have gone through. Celebrities, Organizations, special interest groups – all want to be involved in fighting the war against blood diamonds. In 2000, the World Diamond Congress adopted the Kimberly Process, which is mainly a system of tracing whether a diamond being sold in the market is not a conflict diamond or not. Groups such as Amnesty USA and Stopblood diamonds. org have posted blogspots in the net to keep the bigger part of the globe aware and updated regarding the issue. The Belgian government has been very keen on its local diamond dealers. At blooddiamonds. com, the organized efforts of the Belgian government can be seen. Even celebrities have joined the cause. Leonard de Caprio starred in the movie Blood Diamond in order to reach the pop culture. Kanye West’s song ‘Blood diamond’ shows his own self conflict with the diamonds. In the line â€Å"See a part of me say keep shinin? ’ How when I know what a blood diamond is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The music video of this song also shows how children are forced to mine the rough diamonds in small dimly lit caves. These and all other efforts are forms mentioned are forms of activism. Whether through the net, newspaper, Hollywood movies, songs, and documentaries, these conscious efforts to actively participate in the struggle to expose and eradicate the conflict diamonds are all forms of activism. Activism as a Solution Activism takes many forms. Different social injustices often require different form of fighting. The blood diamonds in Africa have had activists use the radio, television, news paper and the internet in its struggle. But aside from these forms, it may also be useful to look into other ways that other political activists have used. One example of which are the Yes Men. They use guerilla performances and impersonate big corporations. Through their media hoaxing and socio political pranks, the group has humiliated the big corporations and the new masters of the world, thus exposing them to the masses. Once in a Wharton Business School Conference, they posed as representatives of the World Trade Organization, and announced that WTO proposes â€Å"full private stewardry of labor† in Africa. This means formal slavery of laborers by private organizations. One Yesmen member posing as Hanniford Schmidt addressed that â€Å"This is what free trade is all about†¦It’s about freedom to buy and sell everything, even people. † Clearly these are not what we read in books or what the media reports when they talk about the WTO. But through the guerilla tactics of posing as real representatives of big corporations and significant political players, the Yesmen expose these people and in a way educate the masses of the sad realities that happen. Another activist worthy of looking at is award winning journalist Naomi Klein. Her book â€Å"The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism†, critiques globalization and new age capitalism and how these cause social injustices in the world. These two activists that battle it out with the mammoths of politics and business allows the world to look into a deeper level about what is behind the social injustices that plague the world. Aside from directly battling the issue of conflict diamonds, the bigger issue can be brought up which cause these more specific social injustices. These activists trace the root of the problem as to why injustices happen throughout the world, especially in third world countries. African countries aren’t poor because they are simply poor. What are the causes of these phenomenons? Marx’s dialectical materialism urges the people to engage in knowing the truths through investigating the objective conditions and identifying the roots that cause events. If there are political conflicts in Africa, what then causes these? If there are no conflicts, then there would be no need for blood diamonds in the first place; outside of the mining camps and warlords running these camps, who else are involved in the blood diamond business? Clearly, there has to be buyers of rough diamonds. Aren’t these buyers the big corporations that polish and sell the end product diamonds? Another thing we can learn about Marx is his critique on capitalism in the Communist Manifesto. He urges the masses to join in the revolution of overthrowing the current socioeconomic structure because it is a necessity for this structure is no longer suitable to our generation. Capitalism has brought about new social classes that will always be in conflict with each other. Capitalism does not balance the equation of labor and production. If labor is equal to the end product, then a laborer should be entitled to the total profit of his labor. But through capitalism, the owner of the capital has a cut in the final profit therefore, diminishing the returns to the laborer. Most of the times, the laborers are even abused. According to Marx this equation will never be balanced out unless the capitalist is eradicated and the management of the distribution of labor and wealth be done in a collective manner. The capitalists in the blood diamond trade are the root causes of the social injustice and through education of the masses this would help in bringing down this injustice. The Numbers Different organizations report different numbers on the amount of conflict diamonds that enter the market. According to worldfacts. org, only 1% now remains. But if the independent blog spots sponsored by activists groups, there is still a big 15% that remains. Washington post acknowledges that these two numbers may both be true, it just depends on the definition of what conflict diamonds are. But the sad fact remains that may it be 15 or 1, still, there is that percentage which means conflict diamonds are still being mined and that somewhere, in a dimly lit cave in Africa, blood is being used to fuel the laborers that fuel the unending conflicts that plague their nations. Another sad irony is that these diamond mining companies are among the poorest in the world. From here we ask the question, where then does the profit from these precious gems go? Clearly not to the hands that dug them from the earth. References Afanansyev V. G. (1987). Historical Materialism. International Publishers. Brown, P. P. (December 13, 2005). Blood Diamonds. Retrieved on May 17, 2009 from http://www. worldpress. org/Africa/2193. cfm Conflictdiamonds. com. (2005). Progress Reports. Retrieved on May 17, 2009, from http://www. conflictdiamonds. com/pages/reports Diamondfacts. org. Diamond Facts. Retrieved May 17, 2009 from http://www. diamondfacts. org Duke, L. (2006). Blood Diamonds, A River or a Droplet?. Retrieved May 17, 2009 from Washingtonpost. com History Channel. (2006) Blood Diamonds. Retrieved on May 17, 2009, from www. history. com/thc_Blood _diamonds_pressrelease. pdf Marx, Karl. (1888). The Communist Manifesto. Naomiklein. org. (2007). About Naomi Klein. Retrieved May 17, 2008, from http://www. naomiklein. org/meet-naomi The Yesmen. (June 2007). WTO Proposes Slavery for Afirca. Retrieved May 17, 2008, from http://theyesmen. org/en/hijinks/wharton. UnitedNations. (march 21, 2001). Conflict Diamonds : Sanctions and War. Retrieved May 17, 2009, from www. un. org.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Shifting Heart (Drama Play) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Shifting Heart (Drama Play) - Essay Example Racism is not just evident in terms of different races but among the rights being provided to men and women further resulting in other conflicts which may damage social organization of institutions. These can be the castes issues, status consciousness, corruption in order to provide the best to ineligible, power conflict etc. This paper aims to discuss different societal problems in the society by considering The Shifting Heart as the base source for analysis. Furthermore, the paper will also constitute different examples of racism, gender discrimination and social conflicts with the aid of different characters of the story. Despite increasing the economic surplus of modern states, it is an evident fact that even the modern countries or developed countries of the world are noting increased number of social conflicts. It should be noted that conflicts arise when there is a difference in approach of associating in a community. Considering the case of Australian society, the play The Sh ifting Heart has been written to represent the social differences and aspects of social disorganization in Australian society. The playwright has noted a number of societal issues such as gender discrimination, racial discrimination etc. as the root cause of social disorganization in the society (Benyon). The gender discrimination is quiet evident in the play as the stage setting shows three families which are in war with each other because of being racially different. It can be noted that the families have shown a great deal of gender discrimination. The Italian family or Bianchi family shows hatred against the neighboring family of Fowler. This hatred shows a contempt or in other words gender discrimination that the Bianchi family does not allow the women of the Fowler family to be treated with any respect. However, this is different in terms of bianchi’s own family that the women in Italian family are given much respect along with communicating with them in a very positive and polite manner (Benyon). Racial Discrimination With the help of evaluation of the stage setting, it can also be noted that the families at war with each other have totally outlawed each other in terms of actions. It can be noted by the analysis of stage setting that the walls between the families include barbed wire. The barbed wire can also be noted as a way of disintegrations of association among the members of the society. Despite being different from each in terms of races, both the families’ represent a similar society or a community. This is exemplified by Lukie and Clarry in Stage III. Lukie and Clarry exchange harsh words at their first acquaintance. While Clarry says that he likes nothing about Lukie (Beynon, 93), Clarry sarcastically tells Lukie he, â€Å"†¦Must be feeling as if he’s on top of the world† Clarry’s bellicose nature is further exposed when he, upon learning that Lukie had apprehended some suspects in relation to Ginoâ€⠄¢s beating, asks Lukie if he is after some promotion (Beynon, 97). It is clear that with this state of affairs characterizing interpersonal relationships among people of different races, social cohesion remains nearly unachievable (Benyon). Class consciousness is another issue that can arise if there is racial discrimination among two parties of the society. This is evident in the case of both the families at w

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Marketing and Communication Plan for Hilton Hotel Case Study

Marketing and Communication Plan for Hilton Hotel - Case Study Example Maintaining relationship with customers is highly impossible for a firm unless it has an efficient marketing system. The marketing system should be planned and executed in such a manner that existing customers are retained and new customers are created. In this context, Hilton Hotel has approached us to prepare a report on the present marketing system and finds the possibilities of developing a new marketing and communication plan for the firm. After an analysis of the present system of marketing, promotional activities, advertisement, marketing plan and communication system, a detailed report is prepared and presented as indicated by the client. The report contains the proposed plans of promotion, advertising and communication of marketing information which are to be implemented to realize the cherished goal. Increased competition has urged all business organizations to focus their attention to existing operations with utmost care so as to ensure survival and existence in the globalised market. All entities are facing stiff competition that pave the way for restructuring their strategies and finding new markets and customers. The well known fact 'customers are the king' will never get diluted as the very existence of business organization depends solely on customers and their satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the blend of series of successful marketing efforts by an organization. The marketing efforts include a complex mix of many activities such as promotion, advertisement, marketing planning and communication and so on. To achieve the goal of marketing,-customer satisfaction- business has to endlessly put efforts to develop new and improved marketing strategies and implement the same to reach customers and effect sales. The Present Marketing System Hilton Hotel, started its journey back in 1919, has become one of the favorite brand of business and leisure travelers worldwide. The hotel group has grown to a network of more than 500 hotels and resorts in almost all major cities across the world. The hotel group has achieved many mile stones in its journey to become the perfect companion of travelers all over the world. It is evident from their growth that the marketing strategies of the hotels have been successful since its inception. They have been trying to adapt to the changing business environment and to flourish in a competitive market. Target market and segmentation Hilton Hotel group mainly focus on business and leisure travelers who are from different parts of the world. The target market has been segmented on the basis of customer class and type of journey. Business executives usually prefer economy class who budget their travel and accommodation well before tour is fixed. But, leisure travelers prefer luxury and executive class where they need high class service irrespective of the price. Product Life Cycle and Marketing Communication The hotel has already achieved its growth stage as it has been in existence for many years. In fact, when its product life cycle stage is considered as a whole, the hotel is in its saturation stage where it faces stiff competition from similar hotels. Marketing communication at this stage is very important. When there are many hotels to meet limited demand in the market, it is likely that customers may not know about the new products

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Compare and contrast skinner and moore's different views Essay

Compare and contrast skinner and moore's different views - Essay Example So experiment and observation, highly empirical they are, but would therefore make sense. It is only through doing these based on Skinner’s point that we could understand when a certain thing happens, another thing should follow. This means things we see now are results of something happen, so there must something happening before we see things as they are. This means further that an internal psychological state exists only then that we could exactly determine it, but based on Skinner’s claim we could be certain it certainly does exist. Thus, Skinner is compelled to believe we have no free will, because there is â€Å"technology† of human behavior that controls us, and there are forces around us that cause us to create our choice or determine our behavior. Based on these, Skinner has two conflicting views: we have no control over our actions; we ought to behave in a certain way, which only implies we have choices to make, so at some point we are given the chance to control our actions. Determinism at this case seems to become incompatible with ethics, as Skinner believes forces around could either shape people as good or something else. Moore’s soft determinism According to Moore’s point of view influenced by soft determinism, hard determinism of Skinner seems to be incompatible with ethics as it could be claimed people may not be held responsible for their actions. Moore believes that a person without free will has no moral obligations. So in Moore’s point of view, Skinner must be denying something intuitive. As Moore would want to point out, the word â€Å"could† only implies we really have choices to take. That is, an able person seeing somebody drowning could either save that person or not under certain circumstance. For Moore it is morally right to save life, as this is what the moral society dictates. However, a person could also choose not to save someone else’s life and accept what the moral societ y will have to say as a result of such action. Here where Moore clearly wants to point out people have free will. Everyone â€Å"could† choose to do things, so we are left with choices. Analysis It is clear on the point of Skinner that external forces are the ones creating our choices. So Skinner is convinced there is no way we could have free will because forces around us have already predetermined our actions. At this point, Moore’s claim that we have free will cannot be compatible with the idea that we could choose for ourselves choices to take as they are already predetermined. If Skinner’s point is right, much better than Moore’s, then the two of them might be arguing something that did not exist at all and significantly undetermined. We have therefore to note that Skinner and Moore are trying to believe in the premise that â€Å"everything always being caused,† which is the very idea of determinism. This means everything we do is predetermine d. Moore’s claim could therefore create a point if free will, based on Skinner’s point of view is something that exists and a strong influential force that could determine choices or actions of people. However, if free will is something that is also predetermined, then it could create certain actions, which according to Skinner must be predetermined as well. In this case, it is relevant and valid when Skinner would claim external forces

Monday, August 26, 2019

Bulling in school Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bulling in school - Research Paper Example Some people, parents and teachers alike, believe bullying is a customary element of social development and in fact helps children in coping with dominating, overbearing types during their lives. However, bullying is a considerable problem and should not be tolerated. The results of bullying can be extremely serious; from depression to suicide in spite of which role was played. Fortunately, because bullying behavior normally occurs on a persistent basis, it can also usually be identified and prevented earlier and easier than more deviant behaviors years later, perhaps with the positive outcome of a reduction in criminality numbers among adults. Research investigating the naturalistic playground behavior of children indicates that those children who have low levels of acceptance among their peers are more inclined to become bullies. Consequently, it becomes imperative that teachers recognize the social construction developing in the classroom to be better able to divert any dangerous a ctivity before it gets out of control. Then, intervention strategies can be employed to help at risk children to learn how to best deal with difficult social situations. Studies conducted within the classroom have identified numerous groups with elevated risk of bullying behavior as either the victim or aggressor, which can aid teachers in determining when and what type of intervention is suitable. Research has indicated certain populations display increased instances of bullying behavior when put in a poverty situation. It indicates the significance of teachers not being too fast to correlate a student as a likely victim or bully based only on their economic status. Most experienced teachers can dependably differentiate between proactive aggression (bullying) and reactive aggression (an intention to protect). Many teachers, especially those in middle and high school tend to assume students will solve

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Monetary Thoery and Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Monetary Thoery and Policy - Essay Example However, barter had its own complications and lacunas as it sometimes became difficult to exchange two things mutually needed by both of the parties to the transaction. Money emerged out of that necessity. Money by serving as the medium of exchange during the transactions serves both economic as well as social causes. It makes the complicated economic exchanges more convenient and easy to execute besides allowing people to socialize through the ways the do best. (Nash)1 The main objective of money is to arrange transaction between different people and business organizations. The money and incomes are closely related as most of the incomes are obtained in the money hence money is also used to keep the wealth of the persons and nationals. It therefore means that with money: In the early stages of money, the major portion of money possessed by people was consisted of currency and demand deposits however with the passage of time; more substitutes of money became available also. It must also be noted that these different substitutes of money carried the same liquidity like traditional currency however the extent of liquidity varied with respect to the type of substitute. These substitutes included government securities, saving accounts, stocks, bonds etc. though these assets possess the quality of money being the store of value however they are not traditionally being used as medium of exchange. It is because of this reason that they are often termed as IOU or near money. Having served the critical functions and being the core of all the transactions taking place, the demand for money have different dynamics and it is because of this reason that different theories of demand for money have been developed. This essay will explore some of the theories of Demand for Money as a part of the assignment on the Monetary Theory and Policy. Quantity theory of money was presented by the Classical Economists.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Global Marketing Term Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Marketing Term Paper - Essay Example Therefore, they more or less stuck to their pricing levels in US and tried to bring in quality and technology to ensure that the product tasted better and was more nutritional. The re-entry in case of Kellogg was in terms of price. The war in the middle class consumer products is over the price. Kellogg had to compete with Mohun which has been in the market prior to Kellogg's entry. Mohun and another of the competitors, Champion were both pricing their products at a much lesser price compared to the one Kellogg did. Kellogg however, was sure of the strategy and continued with the same pricing strategy of being the premium brand among corn flakes. Though of course, the other two offered by Kellogg, the wheat and the rice flakes did not do well in the market and had to be slashed down. On analysis of the first two to three years of Kellogg business in India, it is seen that the company has not spent enough efforts in understanding the consumer preference in the market. A large percent of the upper and middle class consumers will not be having their breakfast. In addition to this, most of the people who do take breakfast would like to have something that 'fil ls' the stomach. More likely Indian alternatives like idli and vada dominated the breakfast scene in most houses rather than any other. The cereal breakfast concept did not just pick up and was viewed mostly as a health issue. Only those people who were either sick or otherwise not healthy would go for cereal food. Therefore, number of people who would be continuous or regular buyers of corn flakes was becoming lesser. As their study shows only 2% of the buyers were regular buyer which is not what Kellogg wanted to have. Kellogg had launched during its re-entry, the chocos which is corn flakes coated with chocolate. This was a roaring success and the market immediately picked up. Kellogg could corner nearly 57% of the market share in the Indian market. In addition to this, Kellogg had other products in the pipe line to suit the taste of the Indian consumer. Indian consumers want their breakfast to be filling, nutritious and less costly. It was not expected to be fun. But when the Chocos was introduced with a fun element to it, it immediately appealed to the kids and it took over the morning breakfast from the noodles and idlis for the children. Kellogg therefore had to ensure that the fun factor in the breakfast cereals continued. In line with this, Kellogg further went ahead and released the biscuits with the same brand, the Chocos and another line of special corn flakes primarily aimed at the growing Indian breakfast eaters. It had the mazaa in it; special flavours exclusively developed for the Ind ian market. On analysing further the status of the corn flakes market, it could be seen that the company was aiming at improving their continued domination of the market and might better their share. But the market itself if small and has to be increased to ensure that there is adequate growth for the company in real terms. This was taken care of in the third approach that Kellogg had. They planned to educate the people and distributed free samples to the students and the target customers so that they might get converted. In the course of time, the effect could be felt. Kellogg was intent on weaning the people who starved away the morning and then slowly

Friday, August 23, 2019

Taxation essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Taxation - Essay Example For example, government can come to a decision to impose lofty tax on illegal business to assist discourage the investors from venturing into the enterprises. Further, tax treatment plays an imperative role in determining to which scope the scheme appreciates inter-personal differences in lifetime proceeds. Thus, the procedure of taxation influences the conduct of small enterprises and allotment of resources to outsized firms. In relation to this, vigilant blueprint of savings and taxation leads to equalization of tax load in taxpayers with identical lifetime incomes (Blank 2004, 26). Relating to household saving, populaces save when the sum of money they desire to consume is dissimilar from the income they obtain. For example, some people may find expenditure smoothing hard to attain particularly if they have little returns. Therefore, decisions made by people relies less on long-term philosophy and more on aspiration for immediate indulgence. Finally, populaces save less when they earn smaller amounts yet have high needs. Additionally, due to poor rationality, there is a driving power to the government to build up savings, pensions, and public insurance. Regarding above, taxation consequently directly affects the wellbeing of people predominantly during the periods of joblessness or sequestration. Thus, in order to a faultless tax system, the government should rely broadly upon concepts like tax neutrality in order to structure its assessment (Diamond 2005, 99). This paper provides characteristics that will be able to identify a good tax system for an open economy and particularly suggest how the United Kingdom tax system should be reformed with the aim of making it ideal. The Mirrlee review was as a result of research that was carried by Sir James Mirrlee and his associates with the aim of analyzing and coming up with a

English 2 Investor Relations Officer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

English 2 Investor Relations Officer - Essay Example The officers work in fast-paced environment and must have excellent communication, interpersonal and decision-making skills in order to adequately perform their duties. Self-confidence and emotional maturity enables the officer to maintain trust and build relationships with other stakeholders in the commercial real estate development industry (Marcus 145). The investor relation officer will interact with the senior management and his or her responsibilities include talking to analysts, planning presentations, designing corporate messages and establishing policies that will guide the corporate disclosures (Fitch 6). Investor relations officer is a challenging and competitive career that entails handling of a wide variety of corporate matters and communicating with various stakeholders in the industry. Thesis statement: Investor relations officer is a rewarding career that offers high personal growth and professional development opportunities for the job holder. Investor relation officer in commercial real estate development is tasked with providing information and managing communications with all stakeholders (Fitch 6). He or she maintains existing client relationships and identifies opportunities for the existing clients to use the commercial real estate development products. Investor relations offers accurate information on the earnings forecasts, annual and quarterly reports and strategy decisions of the company (Fitch 6). He or she is expected to prepare real estate development research reports on the emerging trends and distribute them through newsletters to the stakeholders. The investor relations officer deals with pension funds, insurance companies, lending financial institutions, and investors who own the company stocks (Fitch 6). Another critical task is managing press releases, investor materials and conferences. The investor relations officer is expected to enhance the corporate reputation and image through participating in cor porate events and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Teachers Essay Example for Free

Teachers Essay William Arthur ward once said, â€Å"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. [This is an excellent way to start off your essay! This quote is sure to grab your readers’ attention. ] William Arthur Ward greatly inspired the classifications I chose to use in this essay; dedicated teachers or â€Å"great† teachers, typical or â€Å"good† teachers, and undedicated or â€Å"bad† teachers. While there are many qualities of a dedicated teacher; the one quality that stands out is their unshakeable passion for their work. These teachers are often referred to as great teachers; this is because great teachers are dedicated teachers. Teachers that are dedicated set a positive example for their students. [When you’re talking about a person, it’s better to say who than that. ] This is the teacher that motivates his or her students, making them want to succeed in the classroom. This teacher has to be a problem solver and understand the students helping students with their daily lives. He or she also sets out to broaden their student’s perspective and often succeeds because he or she has the respect of his or her students. A dedicated teacher never lets a student’s limitations to stop them from succeeding and reaching their goals and full potential creating high expectations for his or her students. A dedicated teacher has an impeccable understanding of the subject he or she teaches. This is likely the subject he or she majored in in college. The typical teachers are teachers are â€Å"good† teachers. These are teachers that like their job. They do their job well and enjoy their work; however, unlike the dedicated teachers they do not go above and beyond their job. Can you give your readers an example of what going above and beyond the job might entail? ] The students learn the material; although, this type of teacher does not try to create fun and creative ways for the students to learn. The students of a good teacher are generally well behaved. A typical teacher does not get too involved in a student’s life and is only concerned with the student during school or class hours. A typical teacher will set common goals for his or her students, pushing them to be good, but not great. A typical teacher will stick to the lesson plan, often times not taking the time to teach students lessons about life. [Would you say, then, that one of the important characteristics of a very good teacher is that he or she teaches students about more than just the subject matter? That would be a very good thing to talk about in your introduction and conclusion. ] Typical teachers have a good understanding of the subject they’re teaching. Undedicated teachers often referred to as â€Å"bad teachers are simply not dedicated, often seen as lazy, unconcerned, or uncaring. I’m not sure about the word undedicated—it is a real word, but it sounds a bit awkward. Could you substitute a different word instead? ] This type of teacher sees teaching more as occupation seeing it as just a paycheck. Teaching is not where these teachers passion is. They went into teaching for all the wrong reasons or lost their passion for teaching. Teachers that are undedicated do just enough to meet the criteria, but do not go above and beyond. Teachers that are undedicated do not push their students and do not have high expectations for their students. They also do not help their students with problems in or outside the classroom. [This is something that you also mentioned when talking about good teachers. It would be a good idea to take a moment in this paragraph to set down exactly what the difference is between a good (but not great) teacher and a bad teacher is. ] These teachers often have very few or no rules that they expect their students to follow. The undetermined teacher presents the information to his or her students, but not in creative ways to get the student interested. Undedicated teachers often leave their students uninspired or uninterested feeling as if they have wasted their time being in class because the teacher has failed to inspire or interest them. Undedicated teachers may just be undedicated because they are not passionate about the certain subject they are teaching. Teachers can be dedicated, typical, or undedicated. Dedicated teachers are passionate about teaching. Typical teachers enjoy their job, but do not go above and beyond. Undedicated teachers see teaching as more of an occupation instead of a passion. Based on these qualities, what teacher do you have?

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Theories for Youth Gang Crime

Theories for Youth Gang Crime Reasons Why Teens Engage in Street Gang Related Crime Introduction The rapid increase of criminal gangs in the United States of America has been alarming in the recent past. It had been reported that these criminal gangs have been recruiting juveniles as members of the gang  (Howell, 2015). Due to this tremendous increase, there has become the need to address this issue critically and extensively. The issue of radicalization of the youth can also be addressed on this topic  (Howell, 2015). Most youths have enrolled themselves in these gangs for a couple of reasons such as the need for affiliation and peer pressure, weak social; control structures among others. The thirst of power for these youngsters can also be seen as a driving factor to the enrolment to this criminal gang. The gangs have structures that are determined by the ability and willingness to commit crimes  (Howell, 2015). These gangs are a major heat to the well-being of the people they operate around due to their actions of robbery, assaults and uncontrolled killings. Failure of the federal government to implement harsh laws on criminals bears all the blame for the increase in street gangs. Structure of gangs Most types of gangs form the general structure of the organized group.   The group members, as derived from the definition of a gang, are from a similar background and share a common interest  (Ratcliffe, 2016). The members of these groups are arranged in hierarchies which are determined by specific factors such as the ability to fight, physical structure, the willingness to commit crimes among others.   Most gangs operate informally having their leadership falling on whoever takes control. The structure depends on their primary size which in most times ranges from five to thousand  (Krohn & Eassey, 2015). The structure of gangs may also depend on the mission of the gang. It may have subgroups in itself that report to the main group. Research done by the federal board of investigations indicates that about thirty-three thousand criminal gangs operate in the United States of America. These gangs have been reported to enroll about 1.4 million members in the past fourteen years  (Ratcliffe, 2016). Another study by statistic brain found that about forty percent of the gangs in the US are below eighteen years of age. It further analyzed that about eight percent of the gang members are females. Large cities and their suburbs remains the hub of street gangs in the United States America having about forty-one and twenty-five percent respectively  (Phillips, 2015). Street gangs cost the government about one million dollars to establish the gang risk intervention program that was initiated in the Los Angeles school system Social control theory postulates that most people would commit crimes if not for the controls that the society puts on them  (Krohn & Eassey, 2015). In this case, most children will engage themselves in crimes since the society has less strict rules that guide the conduct of the children. The society may lack the fundamental structures that control the children such as the school. Due to this, the children are likely to be pulled by their peers to enter into crime and criminal related activities to so as to quench their thirst of affiliation  (Krohn & Eassey, 2015). The failure of the school to develop affirmative guidelines to control the behavior of the students can lead the students to crimes. Strain theory assumes that the society sets goals for the people to achieve. The people are guided by the societal values so as to achieve that target. When people fail to achieve the targets in the most moral ways, they use every means to make sure that they at least accomplish what the society expects regardless of the moral drive  (Krohn & Eassey, 2015). By so doing, they find themselves engaging in criminal acts. In most times most people who engage themselves in crimes do not like hard work and delayed gratification, therefore, thy look for a better and faster way of achieving their goal. Social disorganization theory postulates that a child’s physical and social environments are key factors that shape the behavior of the child. A society that has weak structures is likely to mold people who are weak in their morality. In this theory, the society a person lives in is held into account of the person’s choices  (Howell, 2015). A society that is characterized by poor schools, high rate of unemployment, and a mix of the residential and commercial property is likely to have many young people developing criminal behaviors. For example, a child living in a filthy environment will tend to have a behavior that leans towards crime while that who lives in a physically and morally clean environment is likely to have a behavior that leads the towards morality and deviance to crimes. Engaging in crimes violates the law. Gang violence is a threat to the social and economic welfare of the country. Gang violence drives away investors since they threaten investment. People who engage themselves in crimes are an economic liability to the society  (Krohn & Eassey, 2015). Also, the cost of incarcerating gang members is very high and strains the public finance for the federal government. The other problem of young people engaging in crimes is that they act as a threat to security. Young people are usually very energetic, and if engaged in criminal activities they can cause high insecurity to the lives of peoples and their property. Criminal gangs dissolve the societies’ values but acting in defiance of the set rules. The meaning of the laws set by the society is lessened by the criminal activities  (Krohn & Eassey, 2015). Criminal gangs tamper with the social order. They change the usual way of living and after that dismantle the already existing social structures. These gangs give teachers and the law enforcers a hard time during their correction. The social structures such as the school should be made stronger so as to prevent radicalization of the youth. They should have an elaborate structure of governance that offers strict rules and regulations to be used as a guidance tool for the conduct of the young children. Teachers, for example, should conduct themselves in a way that is worth copying by the children  (Howell, 2015). They should act as role models for the children to emulate and embrace their behavior. The school should have mechanisms that control the children behavior not only in the school environment but also in their entire interactions in the society at large. The federal government of the United States of America has set up the National gang intelligence center with the aim of curbing the growth of criminal gangs which have been reportedly increasing tremendously. The NGIC has the mandate to integrate the gang intelligence across the individual states and the local law enforcement agencies  (Ratcliffe, 2016). The center provides timely and accurate information by ensuring that it provides strategic analysis of intelligence. The The Transnational Anti-Gang task force has been established to curb the MS-13 and the 18th street gangs which are very popular in the United States. The mission of this force is to investigate interrupt and dismantle any of these transnational gangs  (Howell, 2015). This force operates as a team with the FBI. The government should also ensure that they initiate the safe neighborhood projects that will help in reporting crimes when the gangs start to form. This will help combat the criminal gangs from the grassroots. Recommendation Parents must be provided with the necessary education on how to spot the signs of aging associations of their children. They should also be taught on how to work with their children to make the value of the gangs seem less fashionable.   Families also need help to deal with their children who show aspects of deviance by joining street gangs  (Krohn & Eassey, 2015). The school also should put in place viable measures that will help in reducing the pressure for the children to join the street gangs. The school should provide the law enforcers with the right information on the development of gangs in the schools.it should also give accurate information on drugs to the students  (Phillips, 2015). The teachers should also teach the students on how to â€Å"say no† to drugs and other crimes. Conclusion As from the above statistics, street gangs are very dangerous and bring about extensive problems  (Howell, 2015). They are very critical, and they should be dealt with immediate effect because they get bigger and worse when they realize that there is no action being taken against them. Even after the efforts of the government, and the social structures to combat the gangs, the gangs have continued to grow tremendously in the United States of America  (Phillips, 2015). The above recommendation is believed to bring an amicable solution if put in place since they deal with the criminal gangs at the grassroots. References Howell, J. (2015). The history of street gangs in the United States: their origins and transformations. New York: Lexington Books. Krohn, M., & Eassey, J. (2015). Integrated theories of crime. The encyclopedia of theoretical criminology, 81-94. Phillips, S. (2015). The Gang-Drug Nexus: Violence, FBI Safe Streets Task Force. In New Approaches to Drug Policies. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. Ratcliffe, J. (2016). Intelligence-led policing. London, UK: Routledge.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Threat Of Substitute Products Marketing Essay

Threat Of Substitute Products Marketing Essay The porter`s five forces model make a clear view of internal and the external environment of the industry. It allows strategies to create a strategy to gain competitive advantages and to remain the same level for a longer period. Hence, it is important to analysis in order to have an overview of the industry and the underlying the pressure will face by company and understand the objective that facing by Starbuck. Threat of substitute products: Switching cost, buyer propensity to substitute and performance of substitute Rivalry among existing market Smaller privately own coffeehouse, unique character and structure Bargaining power of buyers: Variety option available in the market, a lot of brands available due to no of competitor Bargaining power of suppliers: A crowded market in coffee market, supplier raising the price of coffee bean and choose supplier based on economic and environmental issue Threat of new entrants: Product differentiation and control access to distribution channel, innovation. Industry Competition The greatest among the five forces is perhaps industry rivalry. It has the biggest potential to influence the competitiveness of the industry and in turn the rate of profit for companies. Although the collective strength of the five forces determines the ultimate profit potential for an industry (Porter 1998b, p. 21), industry rivalry is the deciding factor for the determination of such profit rate. If competition within the industry is mild, or there are only few competitors, the rate of profit is generally higher, but if the competition is intense, companies cannot expect to earn spectacular returns on investment (Porter 1998b) The coffee industry has a structure or characteristics that are difficult to define or to set a boundary from which it can be differentiated with other industries (Larson 2008). Although it can be easily recognised from a single commodity, which is the coffee bean, the coffee industrys characteristics are unique in that its scope is much larger than what it appears to be. The coffee industry can be divided into two categories, the productionbased segment and the retail-based segment. For purposes of this paper, the production-based segment will be confined to those companies and individuals who plant and grow coffee beans, whilst the retail-based segment is confined to the specialty coffee sector, wherein the coffee beans are sold to consumers directly, either in the coffeehouses or in retails stores, department stores and supermarkets. It is on the latter segment that the focus of this analysis will be given. In 1987, when the company was bought and formed by Michael Schultz, Starbucks faces competition against other small coffeehouse chains across Seattle. In the entire United States, a number of coffeehouses are established. Most of these coffeehouses are small and medium sized and they are owned by individuals or families. Today, although there are several companies that compete against Starbucks, these competitors were relatively smaller and most often are concentrated only in a certain area or region. In the coffeehouse sector, Starbucks competitors are Second Cup, Gloria Jeans, Coffee People and other similar coffeehouse chains, which are now either situated in a specific state or are expanding or planning to expand their domestic and international operations. Gloria Jeans for example, started its international expansion in the 1990s when the Starbucks stores overseas are already numbering by the hundreds. Among these direct competitors, it appears that Gloria Jeans is the primary c ompetitor for Starbucks, as evidenced in an online survey conducted. The company is also engaged in the consumer products segment selling bottled coffee drinks, whole grain coffee beans or ready-to-drink coffees in packs, and other similar product descriptions. In the consumer products segment, the companys noted and biggest rivals include Procter Gamble, Nestle and Kraft. The latter companies have been in the packaged coffee sector for a significantly longer period, in fact they have been in this business for more than a century, than Starbucks, which started to enter this sector only a few years ago with the formation of its Global ConsumerProducts Group segment. Apart from the two large consumer product companies, the Starbucks products also face competition with substitute products such as soft drinks, energy drinks, and other non-alcoholic beverages. The specialty coffee industry competition is, however, not price-based unlike the other industries. In this particular industry, consumption of coffee is not dependent on the price of the product or commodity but on the differentiation between each product and several value adding variables such as the quality of customer services, brand, brand recognition or image of the company. Hence, the specialty coffee industry is not sensitive to price adjustments or movements. Threat of New Entrants The entry of new players in an industry can bring the competition into new, higher levels. New entrants, most especially large ones, bring new capacity, the desire to gain market share and often substantial resources that could cause a shake-up or a rearrangement of the current competitive positions of companies within the industry (Porter 1998). In order to protect the players/companies positions in the industry, they have to set up high barriers for new entrants. These barriers include economies of scale, product differentiation, capital requirements, cost disadvantages independent of size, access to distribution channels and government policy (Porter 1998). Major players often force new entrants to come in at a cost disadvantage by compelling the latter to spend or invest large amounts of money on production, research and development, marketing, distribution channels, financial resources and all aspects of the business. The specialty coffee industry today is undoubtedly dominated by Starbucks, having no equal or larger company in size that competes directly against the company. However, the industry is open to all potential rivals, especially to large companies engaged in the consumer products and retail chain business. For example, the new entrants in the coffeehouse business today are McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts and Burger King, three large companies which are challenging Starbucks dominance in the industry. These new entrants can equal Starbucks capabilities in the aspects of distribution channels, marketing and other areas. They have the capacity to bring new resources that can cause a shake-up in the industry, but not yet enough to topple Starbucks from its current dominant position. With the three big companies entrance into the specialty coffee retailing segment, Starbucks position is definitely shaken. Despite the openness of the specialty coffee segment to new entrants, barriers to the successful entry of new players appears to be tall. First, product differentiation in the industry is high. Specialty coffees are so differentiated in appearance, presentation, taste and even in image. Brand recognition is especially important for consumers, along with excellent customer service and the overall ambience of the coffeehouse. These barriers were successfully established by Starbucks long before McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts decided to venture in this industry. Favourable access to raw materials is also an important barrier in this industry. Starbucks have exclusive access to quality coffee beans from several suppliers around the world. The beans Starbucks bought from its suppliers follow the Fair Trade criteria established in the industry. This characteristic is simply costly for Starbucks competitors since they have to assure their customers that the coffee they serve is made from the finest coffee beans similar to Starbucks. On this aspect, cost disadvantage will be experienced by the new entrants, such as McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts. However, at present, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts and other potential rivals are still targeting the lower end of the market, leaving the high-end bracket who are still attracted to Starbucks. However, these new entrants are now shaking up the industry, pressuring Starbucks to cut its price to maintain its rate of investment as the coffeehouse chains market share is now being eaten up by the rivals. threat of Substitute Products Substitute products, as explained by Porter (1998), are those products that come from other industries and can pose as a trade-off for products in the underlying industry. In the specialty coffee industry, substitute products can be those non-alcoholic beverages such as tea, soft drinks, fruit juices and energy drinks and other caffeinated drinks. These are sources of substitute products which the consumers can purchase in place of coffee. However, the only true direct substitute for specialty coffee is the basic coffee, but the basic coffee is considered to be a substantially lower quality than specialty and as such does not present threat to specialty coffee. On the other hand, whilst there are several potential substitutes, a cup of specialty coffee is still what consumers prefer to purchase. Product differentiation and brand image plays an important role in this industry. The specialty coffee products are different in many aspects from the substitutes. Coffeehouses offer not only a cup of coffee but the experience of sipping the specialty coffee on a luxurious ambience, such as what Starbucks is offering. Soft drinks companies and non-alcoholic beverage producers are on a mass marketing, selling their products in retail stores, supermarkets and department stores. Coffeehouses, on the other hand, offer an exclusive place for its consumers to enjoy their coffee. Hence, the threat of substitute products is not significant or is not considered a major force in the specialty coffee business. Buyers Bargaining Power Customers are a powerful force in an industry. They can pressure the companies to cut down their prices, demand better services from the company and can pit one company against another (Porter 1998). In other words, customers can influence the rise and fall of rate of profits in a particular industry. According to Porter, buyers or a buyer group become powerful if: They are concentrated or purchases in large volumes. The products they purchase in an industry are undifferentiated or standard. The products they purchase form a component of their own products or a significant fraction of its cost. They are of low income levels which create incentive to lower their purchase costs. The industrys products are unimportant to the buyers quality of services or products. The buyer does not benefit from the product. They pose a credible threat of integrating backward to make the industrys products These powers can be acquired by the consumers if they act as a group. However, in the specialty coffee industry, the largest fraction of buyers is the individual consumers, and they do not act in unison (Larson 2008). In the specialty coffee industry, individual consumers compose the largest purchasers of the product and these buyers tend to be less concerned with the price of the product (Larson 2008). This decreases their bargaining power further. Product differentiation in this industry is so high that consumers tend to look more for the quality of services and the image of the brand than the price of the product or where did the products raw materials come from, or what is the price of the raw materials, etc. hence, the bargaining power of the buyers are low. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Similar with the buyers, suppliers can also exert influence on the players in an industry. Suppliers can gain bargaining power and can be potential threat to industry players in terms of industry profits. They have the ability to increase or decrease the quality of products in a particular industry (Porter 1998). Michael Porter also outlined the major sources of bargaining power of suppliers. The author said a supplier group is powerful if: It is dominated by a few companies and is more concentrated than the industry it sells to. Its product is unique or at least differentiated, or if it has built up switching costs. It is not obliged to contend with other products for sale to the industry. It poses a credible threat of integrating forward into the industrys businesses. The industry is not an important customer for the supplier group. Again, similar to the buyers situation, the bargaining power of suppliers can only Be increased if they act in unison and they are highly concentrated. However, in the specialty coffee industry, suppliers generally have less bargaining power due to the number of coffee farms and plantations spread across several continents, namely Latin America, the Pacific Rim and East Africa (Larson 2008). Whilst there is only one variety of coffee needed for the industry, Arabica, there are however practically thousands of plantations and individual coffee growers growing this particular type of coffee bean, giving the coffeehouse companies more choices to replace existing suppliers should the latter demand higher prices for their coffee beans. Hence, the suppliers are diverse and spread and the industry players exert more influence and get a larger share of the profits of the industry over the suppliers. To sum up the five forces analysis, it can be concluded that the specialty coffee industry today is generally attractive and highly competitive. Despite the monopoly of Starbucks in the past two decades, a number of small, individual and family-owned coffeehouses have sprouted. The buyers and suppliers have less bargaining power and the threat of substitute products is insignificant. Thus, the rate of profit in the industry is highly concentrated upon the major industry players, particularly to Starbucks. However, with the entry of new players such as fast-food chain giants McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks dominance in the specialty coffee industry is being threatened.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Larkins Poems Essay -- essays research papers

1. Choose three poems and analyze the effectiveness in them of Larkin’s imagery. Larkin’s poems are great artifacts of language; often colloquial and which bring many images to a person’s mind when reading them. We think of these images due to his use of words, standard rhyme schemes and his interesting perception of life transmitted through his poems. This essay will study these three poems; ‘The Whitsun Weddings’, ‘High Windows’ and ‘Sunny Prestatyn’ in order to show the effectiveness in them of Larkin’s imagery. ‘The Whitsun Weddings,’ represents the change in life, which everyone goes through. This poem is about a man, possibly Larkin, going on a train heading to the countryside. Towards the middle of the poem, he sees that on every station the train stops at, there is a newlywed couple getting on for their honeymoon. At the end of the poem, he explains how marriage changes you. He uses many nouns to describe what he sees while on the train. The first two stanzas describe in detail what he is viewing from inside the train. For example: â€Å"Behind the backs of houses, crossed a street Of blinding windscreens, smelt the fish-dock.† In this line, he is thoroughly describing each object he passes by, even the smell of the fish-dock. He tends to do this very successfully because he uses clever metaphors in his writing. An example of this could be one from the line above, â€Å"of blinding windscreens.† He is referring to the sun when he says, â€Å"blinding.† This gives an effect to th... Larkins Poems Essay -- essays research papers 1. Choose three poems and analyze the effectiveness in them of Larkin’s imagery. Larkin’s poems are great artifacts of language; often colloquial and which bring many images to a person’s mind when reading them. We think of these images due to his use of words, standard rhyme schemes and his interesting perception of life transmitted through his poems. This essay will study these three poems; ‘The Whitsun Weddings’, ‘High Windows’ and ‘Sunny Prestatyn’ in order to show the effectiveness in them of Larkin’s imagery. ‘The Whitsun Weddings,’ represents the change in life, which everyone goes through. This poem is about a man, possibly Larkin, going on a train heading to the countryside. Towards the middle of the poem, he sees that on every station the train stops at, there is a newlywed couple getting on for their honeymoon. At the end of the poem, he explains how marriage changes you. He uses many nouns to describe what he sees while on the train. The first two stanzas describe in detail what he is viewing from inside the train. For example: â€Å"Behind the backs of houses, crossed a street Of blinding windscreens, smelt the fish-dock.† In this line, he is thoroughly describing each object he passes by, even the smell of the fish-dock. He tends to do this very successfully because he uses clever metaphors in his writing. An example of this could be one from the line above, â€Å"of blinding windscreens.† He is referring to the sun when he says, â€Å"blinding.† This gives an effect to th...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

virtues :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ten Commandments, Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Virtues, and the Attitudes are the sets of laws that people base their lives around in becoming good Christians. Each set of the laws affect a Christian individual, more than any other because of the laws are rooted to the bible and Christian beliefs. So, a Christian individuals knowingly or unknowingly bases what they do in life around these sets of law. The Ten Commandments and seven deadly sins tell an individual on what they are not supposed to do. The Seven Virtues and the attitudes tell an individual on what they must do and how they can combat the deadly sins. However, even though some of the laws are outdated they still play a role in how we act. Each set of laws has its own distinct characteristic, for example some tell people what not to do in their lives and some tell people what to do in their lives and how to live their lives. The Seven Virtues are separated into two different types of virtues. They are Theological and Cardinal Virtues, and they can be defined as the heart of our moral life. Virtues are healthy, good habits that help us to do well and empower us to become what God wants us to be. These personal qualities emphasize that who we are affects what we do. There are two types of virtues, Theological and Cardinal virtues. Theological Virtues: The theological virtues can be defined as gifts from God that empower us to be good so that we may do good. The three theological virtues are love, hope and faith. These are the three virtues that will combat the three of the deadly sins pride, envy and wrath. Also the reaming four out of the seven deadly sins being lust, greed, sloth and gluttony are combated by four Cardinal Virtues justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude. While one set of laws tells a person what things to avoid in their lives to live a good Christian life, the other sets tells us how a person may combat these desire and what they can do to live a good Christian life. These sets of laws even effect individual who are not of Christian background. Over time these laws have been translated and absorbed into many other religions and affect many others in a different way.

Titanic Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

TITANIC This paper will be about the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic. Some people call this sinking the greatest maritime disaster. It wasn't just the fact that the ship sank, but also all the different circumstances that caused this ship to sink and take so many lives. In the time period of 1900's-1915's many things happened. One major disaster was the sinking of the Titanic. The information will be gathered from the library, a documentary film, the Internet and personal books. From these resources the paper will explain about how the Titanic sank, some of the people who were on the ship and how it was found after over 70 years at the bottom of the Atlantic. People who read this paper should learn about the history of the Titanic. The Titanic was originally designed to have three funnels, but four were used to make it look better. The fourth funnel was actually just an air vent. The main dining room was supposed to have a large dome but it was changed to a normal ceiling. The staircase was enlarged so it fanned out at the landing of each deck, as well as adding a large glass dome above it. Also, two extra elevators were added making a total of four. "She was the most beautiful ship afloat. No ship will ever resemble her class and luxury." ("R.M.S Internet") The R.M.S. Titanic was believed to be unsinkable. Bruce Ismay was the White Star Line chairman on the Titanic; he told the captain that the ship was unsinkable because the ship could have any four watertight compartments damaged and still stay afloat. He also believed that anything big enough to sink this ship, could be seen from miles away and be avoided. Mr. Ismay said, " Not even god himself could sink this ship." ("Titanic" Internet) Originally the plan called for 64 lifeboats but only 20 lifeboats were used. There were 14 wood lifeboats that could hold 65 people each. Two woodcutters that could hold 40 people each and four collapsible boats that could hold 40 people each. These lifeboats would only be able to hold about half of the passengers in an emergency. ( Internet) Knowing the lifeboats would only be able to hold about half of the passenger's, crewmembers still only filled some of the boats with less then 30 people. These boats were hal... ...e think that they should raise the Titanic so that they could explore it and study it. I think they should leave it where it is, out of respect at least. People lost their lives on this ship and deserve a place to spend their time. Not only will they disrespect the dead, but also by raising the ship, they will disrupt everything. Once the steel hits the oxygen, it will begin to corrode. After awhile, there will be no Titanic left at all and just so they could study it. " The Titanic surely should never be raised, it is a cemetery to all those who lost their lives that nite."(Ballard "Long" 708) WORKS CITED Ballard, Robert D. "How We Found Titanic." National Geographic (December 1985): 696-718. Ballard, Robert D. "A Long Last Look at Titanic." National Geographic (December 1989): 698-727. "R.M.S. Titanic†¦the story told." Internet. http://www.titanic.cc/titanic.htm. (4 Feb. 2001). "The Titanic Tragedy." Internet. http://www.angelfire.com/ct/titanickateleo/page11.html. (4 Feb. 2001).

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 5

Mark was still muttering as he rounded the backcorner of the house. What was he even doinghere? It wasn't easy to get into the garden area fromoutside. He had to bushwhack through the overgrown rhododendron bushes and blackberry canesthat formedadense hedge all around it. And evenwhen he emerged from a tunnel of leathery greenleaves, the scene in front of him didn't immediatelyregister. His momentum kept him going for a fewsteps before his brain caught up. Hey, wait. There'sa girl here. A pretty girl. Anextremelypretty girl. He could seeher clearly by the back porch light. She had hiplength white-blond hair, the color that normally onlypreschoolers have, and it was as fine as a child's hair,too, whipping around her like pale silk when shemoved. She was smallish. Little bones. Her hands and feet were delicate. She was wearing what looked like an oldfashioned nightshirt and dancing to what sounded like a rent-to-own commercial. There was a battereddock radio on the porch steps. There was also a black kitten that took one look at Mark and darted away into the shadows. â€Å"Baaad cred-it,nooo cred-it, dooon't wor-ry,weee'll take you†¦.† the radio warbled. The girl danced with her arms above her head-light as thistledown,Mark thought, staring in astonishment. Really, actu ally that light, and so what if it was a cliche As the commercial ended and a country western song began, she did a twirl and saw him. Shestopped, frozen, arms still above her head, wristscrossed. Her eyes got big and her mouth sagged open. She's scared, Mark thought. Of me. The girl didn't look graceful now; she was scrambling to seize the dock radio, fumbling with it, shaking it. Trying to find an Off switch, Mark realized. Her desperation was contagious. Before he thought, Mark dropped the pruning shears and swooped in to grab the radio from her. He twisted the top dial, cutting the song short. Then he stared at the girl, who stared backwith wide silvery-green eyes. They were both breath ing quickly, as if they'd just disarmed a bomb. â€Å"Hey, I hate country western, too,† Mark said aftera minute, shrugging. He'd never talked to a girl this way before. But then he'd never had a girl look scared of him before. And so scared-he imagined he could see her heartbeating in the pale blue veins beneath the translucent skin of her throat. Then, suddenly, she stopped looking terrified. Shebit her lip and chortled. Then, still grinning, she blinked and sniffed. â€Å"I forgot,† she said, dabbing at the corner of her eye. â€Å"You don't have the same rules we do.† â€Å"Rules about country western music?† Mark hazarded. He liked her voice. It was ordinary, not celestial. It made her seem more human. â€Å"Rules about any music from outside,† she said. â€Å"And any TV, too.† Outside what? Mark thought. He said, â€Å"Uh, hi. I'm Mark Carter.† â€Å"I'm Jade Redfern.† â€Å"You're one of Mrs. Burdock's nieces.† â€Å"Yes. We just came last night. We're going to livehere.† Mark snorted and muttered, â€Å"You have my condolences.† â€Å"Condolences? Why?† Jade cast a darting glance around the garden. â€Å"Because living in Briar Creek is just slightly moreexciting than living in a cemetery.† She gave him a long, fascinated look. â€Å"You've†¦ lived in a cemetery?† He gaveher along look. â€Å"Uh, actually, I just meant it's boring here.† â€Å"Oh.† She thought, then smiled. â€Å"Well, it's interesting to us,† she said. â€Å"It's different from where we come from.† â€Å"And just wheredo you come from?† â€Å"An island. It's sort of near †¦Ã¢â‚¬  She considered. â€Å"The state of Maine. â€Å"‘The state of Maine.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"Does this island have a name?† She stared at him with wide green eyes. â€Å"Well, I can't tell youthat.† â€Å"Uh-okay.† Was, she making fun of him? Butthere was nothing like mockery or sly teasing in her face. She looked mysterious †¦ and innocent. Maybe she had some kind of mental problem. The kids at Dewitt High School would have a field day with that. They weren't very tolerant of differences. â€Å"Look,† he said abruptly. â€Å"If there's ever anything I can do for you-you know, if you ever get in trouble or something-then just tell me. Okay?† She tilted her head sideways. Her eyelashes actually cast shadows in the porch light, but her expression wasn't coy. It was straightforward and assessing,and she was looking him over carefully, as if she needed to figure him out. She took her time doingit. Then she smiled, making little dimples in her cheeks, and Mark's heart jumped unexpectedly. â€Å"Okay,† she said softly. â€Å"Mark. You're not silly, even though you're a boy. You're a good guy, aren'tyou?† â€Å"Well. . .†Mark had never been called upon to be a good guy, not in the TV sense. He wasn't surehow he'd measure up if he were. â€Å"I, um, hope I 0am.† Jade was looking at him steadily. â€Å"You know, I just decided. I'm going to like it here.† She smiledagain, and Mark found it hard to breathe-and then her expression changed. Mark heard it, too. A wild crashing in the overgrown tangle of rhododendrons and blackberrybushes at the back of the garden. It was a weird,frenzied sound, but Jade's reaction was out of all proportion. She had frozen, body tense andtrembling, eyes fixed on the underbrush. She looked terrified. â€Å"Hey.† Mark spoke gently, then touched hershoulder. â€Å"Hey. It's all right. It's probably one of the goats that got loose; goats can jump over any kind of fence.† She was shaking her head. â€Å"Or a deer. When they're relaxed they sound just like people walking.† â€Å"It's not a deer,† she hissed. â€Å"They come down and eat people's gardens a. night. You probably don't have deer roaming aroundwhere you come from-â€Å" â€Å"I can'tsmellanything,† she said in a kind of whispered wail. â€Å"It's that stupid pen. Everything smells like goat. â€Å" She couldn't smell †¦ ? Mark did the only thinghe could think of in response to a statement like that. He put his arms around the girl. â€Å"Everything's okay,† he said softly. He couldn'thelp but notice that she was cool and warm at the same time, supple, wonderfully alive underneath the nightshirt. â€Å"Why don't I take you inside now? You'll be safe there.† â€Å"Leggo,† Jade said ungratefully, squirming. â€Å"I mayhave to fight.† She wriggled out of his arms and faced the bushes again. â€Å"Stay behind me.† Okay, so sheis crazy. I don't care. I think I love her. He stood beside her. â€Å"Look, I'll fight, too. What doyou think it is? Bear, coyote †¦ ?†Ã¢â‚¬ My brother.† â€Å"Your . . .† Dismay pooled in Mark. She'd just stepped over the line of acceptable craziness. â€Å"Oh.† Another thrashing sound from the bushes. It was definitely something big, not a goat. Mark was just wondering vaguely if a Roosevelt elk could have wandered down the hundred or so miles from Waldo Lake, when a scream ripped through the air. A human scream-or, worse,almost human. As it died, there was a wail that was definitely inhumanit started out faint, and then suddenly sounded shrilland dose. Mark was stunned. When the drawn-out wail finally stopped, there was a sobbing, moaning sound, then silence. Mark got his breath and swore. â€Å"What in thewhat wasthat?† â€Å"Shh. Keep still.† Jade was in a half-crouch, eyes on the bushes. â€Å"Jade-Jade, listen. We've got to get inside.† Desperate, he looped an arm around her waist, trying to pick her up. She was light, but she flowed like water out of his arms. Like a cat that doesn't want to bepetted. â€Å"Jade, whatever that thing is, we need agun. â€Å"I don't.† She seemed tobe speaking through herteeth-anyway there was something odd about her diction. She had her back to him and he couldn't see her face, but her hands were clawed. â€Å"Jade,†Mark said urgently. He was scared enoughto run, but he couldn't leave her. He couldn't. No good guy would do that. Too late. The blackberry bushes to the south quivered. Parted. Something was coming through. Mark's heart seemed to freeze solid, but then he found himself moving. Pushing Jade roughly aside. Standing in front of her to face whatever the thing in the dark was. Mary-Lynnette kicked her way through the blackberry canes. Her arms and legs were scratched, and she could feel ripe, bright-black berries squishing against her. She'd probably picked a bad place to get through the hedge, but she hadn't been thinking about that. She'd been thinking about Mark, aboutfinding him as fast as possible and getting away from here. 0Just please let him be here, she thought. Let him be here and be okay and I'll never ask for anything else. She struggled through the last of the canes into thebackyard-and then things happened very fast. The first thing she saw was Mark, and she felt a rush of relief. Then a flash of surprise. Mark was standing in front of a girl, his arms lifted like a basketball guard. As if to protect her from Mary-Lynnette. And then, so quickly that Mary-Lynnette could barely follow the motion, the girl was rushing at her. And Mary-Lynnette was throwing her arms up and Mark was shouting, â€Å"No, that's my sister!† The girl stopped a foot away from Mary-Lynnette.It was the little silvery-haired one, of course. This dose Mary-Lynnette couldsee that she had green eyes and skin so translucent it almost looked like quartz crystal. â€Å"Jade, it's my sister,†.Mark said again, as if anxiousto get this established. â€Å"Her name's Mary-Lynnette.She won't hurt you. Mare, tell her you won't hurther.† Hurt her? Mary-Lynnette didn't know what he wastalking about, and didn't want to. This girl was as weirdly beautiful as the others, and something abouther eyes-hey weren't ordinary green, but almost silvery-made Mary-Lynnette's skin rise ingoose pimples. â€Å"Hello,† Jade said. â€Å"Hello. Okay, Mark, c'mon. We've got to go. Like right now.† She expected him to agree immediately. He wasthe one who hadn't wanted to come, and now herehe was with his most dreaded phobia, a girl. But instead he said, â€Å"Did you hear that yelling? Could you tell where it came from?† â€Å"What yelling? I was inside. Come on.† MaryLynnette took Mark's arm, but since he was as strongas she was, it didn't do any good. â€Å"Maybe I heardsomething. I wasn't paying attention.† She'd been looking desperately around the Victorian living room,babbling out lies about how her family knew where she'd gone tonight and expected her back soon. How her father and stepmother were such good friends of Mrs. Burdock's and how they were just waiting at home to hear about Mrs. B.'s nieces. She still wasn't sure if that was why they'd let her go. But for somereason, Rowan had finally stood up, given MaryLynnette a grave, sweet smile, and opened the front door. â€Å"You know, I bet it was a wolverine,† Mark was saying to Jade excitedly. â€Å"A wolverine that came down from Willamette Forest.† Jade was frowning. â€Å"A wolverine?† She considered. â€Å"Yeah, I guess that could have been it. I've never heard one before.† She looked at MaryLynnette. â€Å"Is that what you think it was?† â€Å"Oh, sure,† Mary-Lynnette said at random. â€Å"Definitely a wolverine.† I should ask where her aunt is, she thought suddenly. It's the perfect opportunity to catch her in a lie. I'll ask and then she'llsay something-anything, but not that her aunt'sgone up north for a little vacation on the coast. And then I'll know. She didn't do it. She simply didn't have the courage. She didn't want to catch anyone in a lie anymore; she just wanted to get out. â€Å"Mark, please †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked at her and for the first time seemed tosee how upset she was. â€Å"Uh-okay,† he said. And to Jade: â€Å"Look, why don't you go back inside now?You'll be safe there. And maybe-maybe I could come over again sometime?† Mary-Lynnette was still tugging at him, and now, to her relief, he began to move. Mary-Lynnette headed for the blackberry bushes that she'd trampled coming in. â€Å"Why don't you go through there? It's like apath,† Jadesaid,pointing. Mark immediately swerved, taking Mary-Lynnette with him, and she saw a comfortable gap between two rhododendron bushes at the back of the garden. She would never have seen it unless she knew what to look for. As they reached the hedge, Mark turned to glance behind him. Mary-Lynnette turned, too. From here, Jade was just a dark silhouette againstthe porch light-but her hair, lit from behind, looked like a silver halo. It shimmered around her. MaryLynnette heard Mark draw in his breath. â€Å"You both come back sometime,† Jade said cordially. â€Å"Help us milk the goats like Aunt Opal said. She gave us very strict orders before she went on vacation.† Mary-Lynnette was dumbfounded. She turned back and reeled through the gap, her head spinning. When they got to the road she said, â€Å"Mark, what happened when you got into the garden?† Mark was looking preoccupied. â€Å"What do you mean what happened? Nothing happened.† â€Å"Did you look at the place that was dug up?† â€Å"No,† Mark said shortly. â€Å"Jade was in the gardenwhen I got there. I didn't get a chance to look at anything.† â€Å"Mark †¦ was she there the whole time? Jade?Did she ever go in the house? Or did either of the other girls ever come out?† Mark grunted. â€Å"I don't even know what the othergirls look like. The only one I saw was Jade, and she was there the whole time.† He looked at her darkly. â€Å"You're not still on this Rear Windowthing, are you?† Mary-Lynnette didn't answer. She was trying to gather her scattered thoughts. I don't believe it. Butshe said it. Orders about the goats. Before her aunt went on vacation. But Rowan didn't know about the goats before I told her. I'd swear she didn't know. And I was so sure she was winging it with the vacation business†¦. Okay, maybe I was wrong. But that doesn't mean Rowan was telling the truth. Maybe they didfigure the story out before tonight, and Rowan's just a lousy actress. Or maybe †¦ 0 â€Å"Mark, this is going to sound crazy †¦ but Jade didn't have, like, a cellular phone or anything, did she?† Mark stopped dead and gave Mary-Lynnette a long, slow look that said more dearly than wordswhat he thought of this. â€Å"Mary-Lynnette, what'swrongwith you?† â€Å"Rowan and Kestrel told me that Mrs. B. is on vacation. That she suddenly decidedto take a vacation just when they arrived in town.† â€Å"So? Jade said the same thing.† â€Å"Mark, Mrs. B. has lived there for ten years, and she's nevertaken a vacation. Never. How could shetake one starting the same day her nieces come to live with her?† â€Å"Maybe because they can house-sit for her,† Mark said with devastating logic. It was exactly what Rowanhad said. MaryLynnette had a sudden feeling of paranoia, like someone who realizes that everyone around her is a pod person, all in on the conspiracy. She had been aboutto tell him about the goats, but now she didn't want to. Oh, geta gripon yourself, girl. Even Mark is beinglogical The least you can do isthink about this rationally before you run to Sheriff Akers. The fact is, Mary-Lynnette told herself, brutally honest, that you panicked. You got afeelingaboutthose girls for some reason, and then you forgot logic completely. You didn't get any kind of hard evidence. You ran away. She could hardly go to the sheriff and. say that shewas suspicious because Rowan had creepy feet. There's no evidence at all. Nothing except †¦ She groaned inwardly. â€Å"It all comes down to what's in the garden,† shesaid out loud. Mark, who had been walking beside her in frowning silence, now stopped. â€Å"What?† â€Å"It all comes back to that again,† Mary-Lynnettesaid, her eyes shut. â€Å"I should have just looked at thatdug-up place when I had the chance, even if Jadesaw me. It's the only real evidence there is †¦so I've got to see what's there.† Mark was shaking his head. â€Å"Now, look-â€Å" â€Å"I haveto go back. Not tonight. I'm dead tired. But tomorrow. Mark, I haveto check it out before I go to Sheriff Akers.† Mark exploded. â€Å"Before youwhat?†he shouted, loud enough to raise echoes. â€Å"What are you talking about, going to the sheriff?† Mary-Lynnette stared. She hadn't realized how different Mark's point of view was from hers. Why, she thought, why he's †¦ -240 â€Å"You wanted to check out where Mrs. B. was-so we checked where Mrs. B. was,† Mark said. â€Å"They told us where. And yousawJade. I know she's a little differentit's like you said about Mrs. B.; she's eccentric. But did she look like the kind of personwho could hurt somebody? Well, didshe?† Why, he's in love with her, Mary-Lynnettethought. Or at least seriously in like. Mark likes a girl. Now she was reallyconfused. This could be so good for him-if only the girl weren't crazy. Well, maybe even if the girl wascrazyif it wasn't a homicidal craziness. Either way, Mary-Lynnette couldn't call the police on Mark's new girlfriend unless she had some evidence. I wonder if she likes him, too? she thought. They certainly seemed to be protecting each other when I walked in. â€Å"No, you're right,† she said aloud, glad that she'd had practice lying tonight. â€Å"She doesn't look like thekind of person who could hurt somebody. I'll just let it drop.† With you. And tomorrow night when you thinkI'm starwatching, I'll sneak over there. This time bringing my own shovel. And maybe a big stick to fend off wolverines. â€Å"Do you really think you heard a wolverine over there?† she asked, to change the subject. â€Å"Um †¦maybe.† Mark was slowly losing his scowl. â€Å"It was somethingweird. Something I've never heard before. So you're going to forget all this crazy stuff about Mrs. B., right?† â€Å"Yeah, I am.† I'll be safe, mary-Lynnette was thinking. This time I won't panic, and I'll make sure they don't see me. Besides, if they were going to kill me, they would have done it tonight, wouldn't they? â€Å"Maybe it was Sasquatch we heard yelling,† Marksaid.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Transport Safety

Examples of products that have been designed against crime are:a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cars produced with alarm systems and tracking devices.Cars produced with these features are more difficult to steal because alarm systems and tracking devices harden the target and increase the risk of apprehension.b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Biometric locks.Biometric locks help prevent crime by target hardening.c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Secure bike parking stands.This locks both wheels and the frame of the bike to the stand hardening the target and increasing the risk for a criminal.d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Injection molded seats.These seats are virtually impervious to malicious criminal damage such as slashing with a knife or burning with cigarettes.e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Security car battery.This car battery is designed to allow the car owner deactivate the battery on parking making it difficult for anyone without a spare battery to steal the car.f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tamper evident containers.These c ontainers prevent retailers from substituting branded products with cheaper alternatives.g)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Layout design of department stores.The layout of department stores is designed to reduce anonymity, freedom from surveillance and alternative escape routes. This answers the three basic questions potential shop lifters ask. Can I be seen? If I am seen will I be noticed? If I am seen and noticed will anybody do anything about it?These few examples were designed after extensive research and are quite effective in crime prevention. In all examples, targets have been hardened and the risk to offenders has been increased. The only limitations seen in store layout design is that many square meters that could have been used in product display are lost hence loss of revenue.But in the long run, the gain outweighs the loss. Another limitation to these new designs is that they tend to be more expensive than conventional designs but having said this, a design approach to crime preven tion provides practical solutions to problems that are often complex and multifaceted.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Integrative Essay on diversity in Education Essay

America is increasingly becoming a very diverse nation culturally and ethnically. In all the States, there is an increasing influx of non- native Americans and estimates from the U. S Census Bureau have projected that by year 2100, the non- native Americans who at the moment are the minority, will become the majority and the non- Hispanic whites will constitute a mere 40% of the entire population of the U. S (Osborn, 2005). As a result, education debates in recent times are increasingly centering on the issue of diversity, especially in public schools. Interestingly, many Americans treat school policies as well as programs that intend to embrace cultural diversity with much suspicion and misunderstanding; not really understanding the great importance of diversity as an educational element in our classrooms (Osborn 2005). The aim of this essay is therefore to address the issue of cultural diversity in public schools with emphasis on the kind of cultural identity that public schools should promote. Cultural Diversity and School failure American public schools are admitting an increasing number of students from diverse cultures and languages. However, there are certain mentalities that are associated with these minority groups which not only act as an impediment to their academic progress, but may also fuel cultural intolerance, a vice which has no place in American democracy. Reports from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP) state that, students who come from poor backgrounds especially the colored students, generally perform poorly than those from a higher socio- economic status (Bowman, 1994). How can this difference be accounted for? Is it a colored gene factor that promotes such poor academic performance? Definitely not; yet this is not clearly understood and the general assumption is that colored students simply cannot perform well in academics. The reason of course lies in the differences between cultural experiences of different groups which encourage different attitudes and life skills. Thus without schools acknowledging these differences, they actually limit their ability in educating these children (Bowman, 1994). During a child’s development, there are differences in cultural expressions which are normal and should be considered as a basis for building skills and knowledge. However, most American schools ignore these differences and all children are judged on the behavioral characteristics of children belonging to the white middle class which is considered the only valid expression of competence. Hence children from minority groups are judged as inadequate. This is largely due to their inability to conform to these foreign standards (Bowman, 1994). The educational programs of American public schools are poorly designed and do not cater to cultural differences. Teachers are also bound by their own personal experiences and are therefore unable to appreciate the cultural differences and may judge children who behave differently in a harsh manner. Devaluing minority culture is a cause for inter- racial conflict among students and also presents students from minority families with a tough choice between identifying with their families’ belief systems and participating in school culture. Most students opt for the latter (Bowman, 1994). Promoting Cultural Diversity-Existentialists View Existentialism is a philosophy which lays emphasis on the unique individual experiences, in the face of a universe which is hostile. These experiences are considered in isolation as opposed to a group. The existentialism philosophy upholds the need for individual freedom of choice as and responsibility for one’s actions (Jaspers, 1952). Existentialism was the basis of several liberation movements in history. Such include the black civil rights movement and women’s rights movements (Lim, 1999). Even today, its demand for individual freedom and tolerance can be applied to the application of cultural diversity in public schools. As the philosophy of existentialism states, the individual who is self reliant should be able to have an authentic existence which is in opposition with the given mores such as the mass culture of the contemporary world (Rupp, 2001). Promoting ethnic and cultural identity within a multicultural setting is thus one way of achieving this. It is important for all students to be able to learn about the different cultures even as they uphold their own to establish tolerance as well as understanding between races. Conclusion There is need to change the school curricula so that it can accommodate the diverse cultural needs. This will make it both relevant to the needs of students from diverse backgrounds and sensitive to the issues of social justice. A bicultural curriculum presents the diverse cultures as equally important and powerful. Such programs which have been implemented in some schools have shown that where children are not made to renounce their culture, their academic performance improves dramatically (Bowman, 1994). Existentialism calls for authenticity of the self in the face of indifference (Rupp, 2001). The schools thus have a responsibility towards achieving this. One way is to bring in teachers of diverse backgrounds in their schools; teachers who will be better placed to understand the needs of the students based on their different cultural experiences. To sum it up, the type of cultural identity that should be promoted in schools is one that upholds the different cultures as equally worthy. It should also be based on understanding and mutual respect of others. REFERENCES Osborn, T. A. (2005). Language and cultural Diversity in U. S Schools. Connecticut: Praeger Publishers Bowman, B (1994) Cultural diversity and Academic achievement NCREL’S Urban Education Program, Urban Education Monograph series. Retrieved January 21, 2009. Rupp, G. (2001). Religion, Modern secular culture and Ecology Daedalus, 130, 23 Lim, W. S (1999). Development and culture in Singapore and beyond Sojourn: Journal of social issues in South East Asia 14, 249. Jaspers, K (1952). Existentialism and Humanism: Three Essays. New York: Russell F. Moore