Multi model project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Multi model project - Essay Example They just want to eject the DVD out of the DVD player or flip the channel if it is on cable network. It would be interesting to take a peek into the kind of work the producers and screenwriters do to create the desired effect in the audience. The impact it makes the viewers say wow. Obviously, everyone is not interested in the technicalities of a film production. However, one should be aware of the perspective that a movie is instilling in the viewer’s mind. Film critics call this the gaze. It tells the point of view of the movie director. Hollywood action blockbusters like the James Bond and Mission Impossible series are very good examples of the male gaze. The protagonist of such movies is a crime-fighting dominant male. He has access to sports car and top female models of the world. The protagonist is living the fantasy of the majority of the male audiences; to live a carefree adventurous life full of beautiful girls and luxury cars. There is no harm in giving the audiences what they want. The problem arises when such movies become the trendsetters. The people who disagree with such fantasies should not consider themselves outcasts but sadly this is the case. Such movies define what a successful person should look and behave like. This is wrong at so many levels. The people who are living â€Å"ordinary† lives should not consider themselves less than the fantasy projected on the cinema screen. Such perspective or gaze is so dangerous that it creates a sense of loss among average people. They want to live a large life but sadly they fall short because what is projected on the screen is just a fantasy. The counter argument that movies are supposed to be fantastical so that people can momentarily get out of their mundane routines and enjoy voyeuristic pleasures, is not valid because there is a difference between confining something and making a fantasy movie. The fantasy movie Lord of the Rings does not have that usual gaze. The values shown

Womens Day Essay Example for Free

Womens Day Essay Have you ever given a thought that why is the International Women Day Celebrated for? No? No problem. Carry on reading as it’s going to get interested ahead. Do you know when the first International Women Day came into existence? Just 101 years before. You must be thinking why is that? So listen the women did not had the same right as nowadays. They were majorly being a victim of violence, they were the main victim of poverty and lack of education, and they had no rights at all, not even a right to vote can you imagine that? The women were considered as a minority in every aspect of life than men. Don’t you think that was wrong? You’re 100% correct. These thoughts became the main reason for Women to fight for their rights when they worked as team to battle for their journey towards equality between both genders. Where did I go on International Women Day? 8th March is the official date to celebrate this interesting day all around different nations so how come you can even imagine me sitting home and watching t.v. As a young Women myself I attended an inspiring seminar on 8th March 2013 (International Women’s Day) at Olswang, London. The building was really a beautiful piece of art though they didn’t allow us to take a photo inside (Bad luck). We were given an ID badge as security purposes and we followed staff towards the meeting room with seated brilliant and successful women who looked superb as well and not to forget few men were seated there as well. Until now you may be thinking now it’s going to be boring right? Not really! What was exciting about the day? It wasn’t really a meeting or a lecture. We started with a mouth-watering variety of snacks and drinks and sat on our assigned seats with other college and school students. To give a side kick to the formality among the group members they assigned each table with a challenge of building the highest tower with the marshmallows and the bamboo sticks. My team mates started with bursting energy by pouring drink on the table. We didn’t won but had fun in it. The Guest speakers that came there were all very talented and they shared their golden experience of life and the hard works that they went though to become successful but the good thing is that they all were very happy and satisfied in their lives. They all belong to different fields i.e. police, doctor, media, recruitment sector, banking and much more. There words and the way they presented it was very motivational and it gave me a power to go beyond the limits, touch the sky and make the best of both world. That’s how this beautiful day ended up with some open chat with each other on a cuppa and cookies. We also got goodie bags specially selected for Women. Always Remember in Mind: There isn’t any minority or majority as in gender if you don’t agree then sorry to say but you need to fix those lose screws pal. There isn’t anything that the Women can’t do. You just have to learn to find your inner potential and need to trust in yourself because you are the world for yourself.

Environmental Issues for the Amazon and Murray River

Environmental Issues for the Amazon and Murray River Environmental Change Management  Rivers Rachel Cunningham All life on earth depends on water. Trees and plants need water to grow, and water helps shape the earth and its islands, continents and countries. About 71% of the earth is covered in water by oceans, rivers and lakes. Almost all river water comes from rain or melted snow. Rivers are large streams of water flowing downwards to the sea along channels they have cut. Some rivers flow into lakes and some join other rivers. A river ends when it flows into another river, ocean or lake. When a smaller river flows into a larger one, the smaller one is called a tributary. This is commonly referred to as the mouth. Commonly, rivers start (the start is known as headwaters) as small streams on high grounds, gradually increasing in volume. Rivers have played an important part in the development of civilisation. Rivers are one of the main ways in which rainwater returns to the sea in the water cycle. On their way to the sea, rivers help shape the land through erosion. A river is the main part of a river system, which also includes smaller streams that supply water to the river. The second largest river in the world is called the Amazon River, located in South America. The Amazon is 6,436 kilometres long, and carries more water than any other river in the world. The chief river of Australia, the Murray, flows 2,589 kilometres from the Snowy Mountains to the Great Australian Bight at the entrance to the Indian Ocean. It rises near Mount Kosciuszko in south-eastern New South Wales and flows north-westward to form the border between Victoria and New South Wales. Rivers can be influenced by human actions, sometimes with a positive result and sometimes with a negative result. In both the Murray and the Amazon, humans have cleared the land surrounding the river, constructed dams and weirs and created a hazardous environment for many animal species neighbouring this environment. Pollution is also a major cause for some of the environmental issues that these rivers face. Indigenous people in the Murray and Amazon regions have cared for and maintained the rivers over a long period of time. They have achieved this by taking from the river what it can sustain and by not polluting it excessively. The greatest river of South America, the Amazon, is the worlds largest river in water volume and the area of its drainage basin, together with its tributaries the river drains an area of 7,050,000 square kilometres—roughly one third of the continent. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean at a rate of about 220,000 cubic meters per second. The Amazon region is covered by dense tropical rainforest. This has one of the highest rates of rainfall in the world. Agriculture only has a potential on 2% of the floodplain, and the whole Amazon basin supports a population of only four million, of whom 75 000 are native Indians. The Murray River is the longest permanently flowing river in Australia. It is an important source for irrigation and industry. The Murray River system includes the Darling, Lachlan, and Murrumbidgee rivers, and it drains an area larger then that of France and Spain combined. The Murray rises in the Australian Alps near the eastern boundary between Victoria and New South Wales. It then crosses eastern South Australia and flows into Encounter Bay, south of Adelaide. The Murray River is 2,589 kilometres long. Along the Murray, wheat, sheep and cattle are a main source of income for farmers. However, this is becoming a problem because chemical run off from the crops pollute the river. In the Amazon, subsistence farming, practised since before the Portuguese settlers arrived in Brazil in the 16th century, remained the major money making activity until the 19th century. Indigenous groups such as the Yanomamo and Kayapo have been living in the Amazon for thousands of years. The first human settlements in the Amazon had populations’ approx 35,000 years ago. Since that time, Amazon people have developed lifestyles that are well incorporated with the benefits and restrictions of rainforests and the Amazon River. Normally, daily meals included wildlife found close to rivers, such as fish, turtles, capybara and crocodiles. Until recently, blowguns, arrows tipped with poison and spears were an everyday tool used to hunt down the wildlife for the daily meals. Unfortunately, these prehistoric weapons have been replaced with guns. The guns cause more damage to the river because they are more accurate, and they kill quicker. Hunter-gatherer groups were once generally nomadic, living in small temporary settlements for 4-5 years until all natural resources had diminished. Due to land colonisation by non-indigenous people, many local (indigenous) groups were forced into inactive lifestyles causing them to become peasants. This started to degrade the river bec ause they weren’t using it in a traditional way. Such changes not only destroyed traditional lifestyles but also caused the local peopleto lose control over their territory and for the river to lose many of its traditional protections. Whilst the new settlers treated the river without concern for its well being. There are many environmental issues along the Murray. Many of these problems are caused by drought. Some of the problems are so serious that despite two years of rain (2000 – 2002), areas of the river are yet to recover. The Murray mouth closed in 2002, only the second time recorded in history. This was because of the lack of water in the basin. In April 2009 in the Lower Lakes region, 20,000 hectares of acid sulphate soils were exposed and fresh water levels fell dramatically, to more than one metre below sea level. Ecosystems were also affected by this, because of the increase in salinity and exposure of acid sulphate. It also threatened the water supplies for people and livestock. Low water levels also caused some sections of the riverbank to dry out, crack, and eventually give way. There were more than 160 incidents of river bank collapse along the Murray. Many turtles were affected by the rising salt table, and became sick, and finally died.[1] The salinity problem in the Murray serves as a predicament for all Australians. Salinity is an issue when an excessive quantity of salt in the water and soil causes problems with the use of water and land. Due to land logging, land reproduction and land colonisation, the salt table of the Murray is rising. Water stored in the dams and weirs is mainly used for irrigation, causing the salination problem. Some salt flows naturally into the Murray – Darling, but irrigation, land clearing, dams and weirs have all forced increased amounts of salt up from deep underground. Unfortunately, most of this salt eventually ends up in the rivers which increases the river’s salt content. Every year, three million tonnes of salt flow down the Murray River. Another issue that the Murray faces is stagnentation. Parts of the river, especially the lower Murray, are now more like a series of still lakes rather than a flowing river, resulting in some significant changes. The water is cloudier and contains less oxygen, encouraging the growth of algae and making it difficult for some fish species to survive. The Sand and silt are slowly building up on the river beds behind the dams. Because of the build-up of sand and silt, the fish cannot move from one part of the river to another or from oceans to lakes. This disturbs the food chain by creating over population of some species and lack of others. The major environmental issue for the Amazon River is deforestation, in the greater Amazon basin. The main sources of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest are human settlement and development of the land. In nine years from 1991 – 2000, the total area of Amazon rainforest cleared rose from 415,000 to 587,000 square kilometres. Most of this lost forest has been replaced with pastures for cattle. Because of this, the salt table has risen dramatically. Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest can be recognised by many different factors. The rainforest is mainly seen as a resource for cattle pasture, hardwoods, housing space, farming space, roads and medicines. The deforestation rate in the Amazon region increased from 1990 to 2003 by 70%. As a result of deforestation, the river effectively dies. The tree roots are no longer present to hold the bank in, therefore the rivers walls collapse. As a consequence of this, the silt builds up. This causes the river to flow slower. Since approximately 2005, inhabitants along the Amazon have become aware of the need to conserve the river. This has led to conversation with governments regarding management of the river. Before Europeans arrived, the land surrounding the Murray was occupied by Australian aborigines. The Murray River has been home to the Aboriginal people for thousands of years. This river was commonly known to the indigenous as Milewa or Tongala. The land surrounding, and the river have always been imperative to the indigenous. Near the river, there were once many swamps and billabongs. These were flooded each spring when the melting of the winter snow in the spring, flowed into the Murray. Indigenous people caught much of their food using nets and dams. The nets were for catching fish, animals and birds. They made them from fibres of rushes that grew beside the creeks. The rushes were chewed and then twisted by rubbing them on the thigh. Aborigines also caught fish by making dams across the narrow creeks. First they pushed the stakes into the creek bed. Then they wove branches through the row of stakes. At flood time the fish swam into the shallow creeks and billabongs. As the flood waters went down, thousands (not the 10’s of 1000’s like the fisherman of today) of fish were trapped behind the dams. Women gathered all the plant food. They dug for bulrush roots and rushes and collected pigface berries. The indigenous also ate bulrush roots with every mean, just as white people ate bread. In the river the women caught crayfish and yabbies and spent much of their time diving for mussels. They carried the food back to the camp in net bags and baskets. The riv er itself can replenish itself after this sort of gathering. However, the river cannot replenish itself after a bulldozer digs out plants by their roots. Fish and shellfish were the main food of the indigenous people. Men did the hunting with spears or nets as well as dams. Flocks of ducks, pelicans, black swans and other water birds trapped in the nets that they strung across the creeks. They made stronger nets and staked them out between trees. These were catching emus and kangaroos. The cords of these nets were as thick as your finger. To hide from animals they hinted, men made screens of branches woven with grass. They would creep up on the emus and kangaroos until they were close enough to speak to them. The men also made rods to snare waterbirds. For camouflage they put braches through the reeds. They snared them around the neck one by one. The current environmental issues that the Murray and the Amazon face are primarily caused by modern man. Some of the issues that the Murray faces include rising salt table, water pollution and decreased water flow. The Amazon also faces a major concern deforestation. These environmental factors have only surfaced since the areas have developed. Indigenous people were conservative and only took from the land what it could sustain. We can learn from these traditions and ensure that rivers remain a sustainable environment in the future. Bibliography: Encyclopaedia Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest, {Online accessed 13 February 2014} URL:http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation_of_the_Amazon_Rainforest Impacts of Deforestation on the Amazon, {Online accessed 26 February 2014} URL:http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-andblogs/news/impacts-of-deforestation-on-the-Amazon The Achuar of Peru, {Online accessed 13 February 2014} URL:http://www.amazonwatch.org/work/achuar Murray River Aboriginals {Online accessed 26 February 2014} URL:http://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/indigenous-culture/ [1] URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_issues_of_the_Murray_River

Criticism of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay -- Romeo and

Criticism of Romeo and Juliet In Romeo and Juliet, love serves as the tragedy. According to critic Denton J. Snider, "love, the emotion of the Family, in its excess destroys the Family; though it be the origin and bond of the domestic institution, it now assails and annihilates that institution." The love of Romeo and Juliet for one another, not only destroys their families, but ultimately destroys them as well. Their love and devotion for one another causes them to rebel against the institution of family. All in all, "love, which is the emotional ground of the Family, is here destroying the Family itself" (Snider). Among the Capulet and Montague families, why does the persistent rebellion among the children exist? Supposedly, the feud is fueled solely by their parent’s strife; however, it is clear that the children are brought into the picture and are victims of Verona’s violent social climate. Shakespeare critic, Coppelia Kahn places emphasis on the parent’s lack of direction in their children: Instead of providing social channels and moral guidance by which the energies of the youth can be rendered beneficial to themselves and society, the Montagues and the Capulets make weak gestures toward civil peace while participating emotionally in the feud as much as their children do. While they fail to exercise authority over the younger generation in the streets, they wield selfishly and stubbornly in the home. As in Shakespeare’s England, Verona was a very patriarchal society, and women had little place there, but to tend to the home. Men must bear and fight for their family name, while women bear the children and see to the men. Kahn points out that "Verona’s daughters have, in effect, no adoles... ...w York. Copyright 1969. Reiff, Phillip. â€Å"Politics and the Individual†. Freud: The Mind of the Moralist. www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/502/rieff.html,. Chapter 7. 1959. Snider, Denton J. " ‘Romeo and Juliet’," in his The Shakespeare Drama, a Commentary: The Tragedies, Sigma Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 36-78. Reprinted in Shakespearean Criticism, Vol.5. Stone, Lawrence. The Family, Sex and Marriage in England 1500-1800. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1977. Simpson, JA and ESC Weiner (prep by). Oxford English Dictionary: Volume V, Second Edition.Clarendon Press. Oxford. Copyright 1989. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Current Population Reports, P20-515 â€Å"Household and family characteristics: March 1998 (Update)† and earlier reports. www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/htabHH-1.txt, and www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/htabFM-1.txt.

Introduction and History of Psychology

1. Ask your parent, grandparent, sibling, or a friend that has not taken this course what they think an industrial and organizational psychologist is? Were they close? During lunch with a friend, we began discussing how school was going for each of us and I thought of this week's assignment. I asked my friend what she thought I/O psychology was. While she knew it had something to due with behaviors and work, she was unable to really specify what I/O psychology actually is.   She was quite surprised when I explained it to her. When asked the question, she was partially right. The word â€Å"psychology† gave her the impression that it was psychology, or behavior related; and the word â€Å"organization† led her to believe it was work-related. I think what likely stumped her was the word â€Å"industrial†; it is not a word most people would associate with psychology. 2. Why do you think so few people know about this field? As mentioned previously, most people wouldn't associate â€Å"industrial† with psychology. â€Å"Organizational† is a word that most people are familiar with and naturally assume that it refers to a job or the workplace. I think most people would likely associate many of the functions of an I/O psychologist with those of those of the human resource department (HRD). Many people working in medium-to-large organizations are familiar with the evaluations, assessments and programs conducted in the HRD. It is possible that many people would not consider the functions listed on the SIOP website as areas of I/O psychologist functions, as these functions are associated with the HRD. Examples of these functions include; legal, workplace health, compensation and benefits, employee behavior, employee issues, WorkLife programs and performance evaluations and assessments (SIOP Brochure, sect. 5, 2006). 3. Do you think it would help if we changed the name of the field to something else, like â€Å"Work Psychology†? If the name of the field were to change, what other names would be more descriptive of what we do? It might be helpful to change I/O psychology to a more familiar term in order to increase familiarity with the work and services of I/O psychologists. If the name of the field was to change, I think it should encompass the services of helping employees achieve satisfaction in their place of employment. The various job titles of I?O psychologists listed on the SIOP website is an example of why people may not know of I/O psychology and related services; there are so many different titles. SIOP, for example, lists the following human resource related job functions: â€Å"Corporate Vice President, Director, Manager, Staff Member of Organizational Development, Management Development, Human Resources Research, Employee Relations, Training and Development, and Leadership Development† (sect. 7).  Names that come to mind that may be suitable for replacing the term I/O psychology are:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employee Relations Psychology  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Workforce and Organization Psychology  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employer and Employee Developmental Psychology 4. Let me know why you are taking this course and what you hope to learn from this class. I am taking this course to continue learning about the various fields of psychology in order to eventually discover which field I am most interested in pursuing. I hope to learn the inner workings of an organization through the functions of an I/O psychologist and how an I/O psychologist can help employees improve their work experience and increase their chances for success.

How does Seamus Heaney reveal his culture in ‘Digging’ and ‘Follower’? Essay

Seamus Heaney was born in Northern Ireland in 1939 to a working class family. Being the eldest of nine siblings wasn’t easy yet Heaney’s intelligence was highlighted when he won a scholarship to a catholic school at the tender age of twelve. He had an agricultural background and was raised on the family farm where he stood proud of his hard working ancestors and their skills. After studying Heaney’s first pair of poems ‘Digging’ and ‘Follower’ I can especially relate to the strong family values Heaney displays, yet an important part of the Irish tradition is for a father to pass on his business or trade down to the eldest son. We see how Heaney would feel pressurised; indeed he would have a lot to live up to judging by that exposed in his poetry. It is well known that most Irishmen are working class and Ireland has a very strong pub culture; from this fact stems many stereotypes. Through his poetry Heaney attempts to challenge the discrimination that is regularly shown towards Irish farmers. We see even today many frequently told jokes involve the Irish man as the fool; it’s the Irish farmer that is especially misinterpreted, yet Heaney gives us a fair insight into the life of his family and their farming profession; he tells readers of the immense skill needed to farm well and the capability of an Irish farmer. He is therefore challenging the tradition yet damaging the stereotype. Firstly we see how ‘Digging’ has both a metaphorical and literal meaning to it. The literal meaning is that his father and grandfather are farmers, the poem talks about his family ‘Digging’ and working on the farm. Onwards from this the metaphorical meaning is that Seamus Heaney himself is ‘Digging’ into his past and background, which indeed is farming. Hence the title is rather effective. ‘Digging’ is about Heaney breaking away from the family tradition and becoming a poet thus it is written in an untraditional way. In ‘Digging’ Heaney begins his poem in the present tense he is describing what he is doing and his surroundings at the time of writing before he takes a step back in time, reminiscing and evaluating his thought process as his memories link causing him to remember the past and the skills of his father and grandfather. He is sat by his window to write the poem and therefore fulfilling his passion as a poet; he describes seeing his elderly father straining amongst the flowerbeds, then goes into the past and reminisces again about his father and how he would farm so well. He writes of the times when he and his father would work together picking potatoes on the farm. Further on Heaney delves deeper into his family history, he moves on from his father and begins to speak of his grandfather linking the two together via their epic skills. He writes â€Å"By God, the old man could handle a spade Just like his old man.† Heaney uses his chain of thoughts in a very orderly way and describes the potato picking days from his past, he goes into detail about how the potatoes smelt and the sound of the ‘soggy peat’. He then ends with a stanza much like his first, yet within this stanza we see how he realises that his tool is not that of a farmer but is a pen and his skill is to write. The final line, however, is set in the future tense to emphasise Heaney’s determination – â€Å"I’ll dig with it.† In contrast ‘Follower’ is a very different poem. Here, Seamus Heaney writes about his days on the farm from the perspective of being a young boy. He sees his father working on a horse and plough as he recollects upon how he looked up to his father and saw him as a great role-model, indeed, as a child Heaney himself wanted to become a farmer. Thus the poem is, unlike ‘Digging’ written in a traditional way. Following in his fathers footsteps and traipsing around the farm Heaney would make a nuisance of himself. The poem is ended with a twist as Heaney states that the tables have turned as considering the present Seamus Heaney feels his father is stumbling behind him. This is reflected when he states: â€Å"It is my father who keeps stumbling Behind me and will not go away.† Like the general theme in ‘Digging’ these two lines have both a literal and metaphorical meaning, the literal is that his father is now and old man and is physically stumbling behind him and becoming a nuisance. The hidden metaphorical meaning is one that highlights the shame he feels, the way in which his father is ‘stumbling’ behind him reflects how the memories of breaking the family tradition haunt him still and how his father is now a burden through the regret he feels. â€Å"Digging† starts by setting the scene with a two line stanza: â€Å"Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests: snug as a gun† The poet is sitting, watching and listening whilst absorbing his surroundings. We see how he is in deep thought as the second line simile reveals that although the pen is sitting comfortably it is potentially enormously powerful. He refers to his pen as ‘squat’ I believe this is ironic as the burden of breaking a tradition and risking further collapsing the Irish stereotype is not light at all in fact it is a heavy burden to handle. Heaney lets his pen rest as he observes his father out of the window this creates an opposing mood to the following phrase â€Å"snug as a gun† this truly convinces the reader of its power. I believe that through this he is showing us that he feels he must detach himself as a writer from his family in order to view his relationships from a realistic perspective; he must distance himself from the feelings he has towards his family in order to evaluate fairly and make things less personal to him and more of an all round view upon the farming tradition. In the next stanza we are shown how ‘Digging’ is an auditory poem: â€Å"†¦a clean rasping sound When the spade sinks into gravely ground:† This is what Heaney is hearing as he looks out of his window. The fact he uses sounds brings him poem to life more and makes everything more realistic. Heaney then writes â€Å"My father, digging. I look down† I believe that this metaphor could symbolise the fact that Heaney is higher is status than his father; Heaney is a middle-class poet whereas his father is a working class farmer. In stanza four of ‘Digging’ it says: â€Å"The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft against the inside knee was levered firmly. He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep† I believe that the first two lines convey to us that the spade is just as comfortable for his father as then pen is for him. On the next line the words ‘rooted’, ‘out’ and ‘tops’ are examples of assonance whereas ‘buried’ and ‘bright’ are both alliteration these two literacy devises together have an astonishing appeal adding poetic structure to the piece. In the sixth stanza Heaney says: â€Å"Once I carried him milk in a bottle Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up To drink it, then fell to right away† He is talking about his grandfather the way he says he â€Å"fell to† gives us the image of a robot like character programmed into doing his work only. It seems that he has no time for his grandson and although he is working hard and is focused this also is a reflection of their poor relationship and highlights the lack of intimacy between the two. The fact that Heaney carried his grandfather milk shows that the children were encouraged to partake in family work and start their farming at a young age. Heaney praises and celebrates his fathers farming skills throughout his work and the relaxed movements and smooth rhythm that is described within Heaney’s poetry becomes a great reflection upon the poetic technique of him as a writer showing that though his father has rhythmic physicality he himself can create a great poetic flow: â€Å"Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods Over his shoulder, going down and down For the good turf. Digging.† Through these lines we see Heaney recreating the movement and allowing us to absorb the precise handling and controlled rhythm farming requires. Also the way the poet uses the title of the poem in a short sentence is very effective because it reinforces and reminds us of the key ideas Heaney wishes to highlight within this particular poem. The final two stanzas’ I believe are crucial to the success of the poem as a whole. Heaney firstly says: â€Å"The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap Of soggy peat†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This again is a reflection of the auditory aspect of the poem. We see here how the smells of Irish farming are also embedded in Heaney’s memory; the onomatopoeia and alliteration used here makes his senses visual for the reader to interpret. Heaney goes on to state: â€Å"Through living roots awaken in my head. But I’ve no spade to follow men like them† My interpretation of this phrase would suggest the harsh reality that he himself is attached from the roots of his family tree. We see that though he admires his family greatly he hasn’t got the drive, the skill or the ambition to continue and repeat their fine work. The fact Heaney doesn’t have the skill of a farmer is reflected when he states â€Å"But I have no spade† this translates to tell the reader that he isn’t at all like his family members and shows us that he is distancing himself from them. The poem finally ends with a stanza much like the first: â€Å"Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests. I’ll dig with it† It is clearly noticeable that the poet has not used any reference to a gun here and we see he has replaced the gun with a tool so he may dig. I believe that when he says he will ‘dig’ with his pen he is talking about digging into his family history and glorifying his ancestors by continuing their tradition in his own way. I believe that the fact the last line in set in the future tense emphasizes Heaney’s determination. I also think the ending of this poem concludes some sort of temporary resolution yet we know the poet is not finished; there is more that Heaney feels must be said in order to settle his troubled mind and erase the stereotype. This brings us onto follower†¦ ‘Follower’ being the title of this poem is in itself slightly ironic as he is writing of how he used to be a follower to his father as a child, traipsing around the farm; yet there is the reality that now he knows he cannot follow his father in the family tradition. Throughout this poem the skill and precision of Heaney’s father is stressed. He starts stanza two by calling his father â€Å"An expert.† This is an extremely short sentence with no verbs which conveys the feeling that there is no dispute about Heaney’s appraisal of his father; I believe it is an accurate opinion of the man’s ability and precision. The phrase â€Å"Single pluck† proves his father can turn a horse and plough around effortlessly this conveys the flawlessness he has achieved over time. In the next stanza â€Å"Narrowed and angled† is used to again describe the precise technique his father uses. The second half of the poem which consists of three stanzas’, talks about Heaney as a child and how he acted rather than about his father and the skills he had. The starts of these three stanzas’ I believe are very significant†¦Ã¢â‚¬ I stumbled† is the first, followed by â€Å"I wanted† and finally â€Å"I was a nuisance†. I think that these truly prove to the reader Heaney’s acceptance of his failure as a child and his failure as a farmer. Within the fourth stanza of â€Å"Follower† Heaney mention’s â€Å"the polished sod† this again describes how neat his father was by allowing us to create a picture of how exact and perfect the farmland was; the term ‘sod’ means a surface covered with grass or turf it also can be a section cut or torn from the surface of grassland, containing the matted roots of grass we imagine this to be tatty and not at all as Heaney describes it; this reflects upon how his father was such a credible craftsman, it seems like he could perfect any land. The father son relationship is also reflected within ‘Follower’: â€Å"Sometimes he rode me on his back, Dipping and rising to his plod.† We know that Heaney’s father is a man of strength and power but here we see that he is also a man with love for his dear son. Their loving relationship is prominent through the way he treats his son. These two lines show readers that they both enjoyed being together on the farm and also that Heaney’s father showed sheer enjoyment when introducing his eldest son to a life of farming and to the traditional trade itself. Although Heaney was a nuisance his father would encourage him and help him along. We see how Heaney is filled with idolisation towards his heroic father, he says: â€Å"I wanted to grow and plough, To close one eye, stiffen my arm.† This symbolizes his admiration and shows us that Heaney as a child saw farming as a way of emulating his father’s actions. I as a reader can understand what an immense opportunity farming could have been for Heaney it was a chance for him to live up to his fathers achievements and continue to accomplish greatness in the trade himself; therefore glorifying the family name. Through studying this poem I can see how the poetry itself is much more flexible than that within ‘Digging’. I can see how he has eased up and feels he can be more personal with the way he writes he is talking about himself and his father directly throughout showing to me as a reader that he is calmer and no longer has so many serious and forceful points he must portray to us; his mind seems more settled. He shows acceptance of his fathers work and growing composure which is just slightly shattered as he shows again his frustration and regret at the end of the poem. As shown, Heaney uses many poetic techniques within his work , often he uses imagery; this literacy devise is a great tool that brings his work to life creating a sense of immediacy that produces vivid pictures in our minds making me as a reader feel involved and captured within the moment. Within ‘Digging’ images of a ‘man-machine’ are used to glorify and intensify the pictures we see when imagining Heaney’s ancestors whereas ‘Follower’ uses nautical imagery, this is imagery that is linked to ships and boats. We are given the image of a man-machine in ‘Digging’ through the powerful, masculine verbs Heaney uses he says rhythmic words such as ‘straining’ and ‘stooping’ they are monotonous, repetitive and reveal the strenuous nature of pastoral work illustrating the power his father and fathers father wielded with their shovel and sweat. â€Å"Twenty years away† This is a phrase that reinforces the repetitive nature of the physical labour it lets us know that farming is a job for life. Heaney visualises his father in his prime to place emphasize upon the power he had. The technical terms used like ‘lug’, ‘shaft’ and ‘levered’ confirm the machine image. With machine-like accuracy â€Å"He rooted out the tall tops, buried the bright edged deep† The alliteration used here enhances the reader’s visual imagery producing a picture of experience and excellence. We see further on how the image of a man-machine is reinforced as Heaney speaks of his grandfather, he says: â€Å"Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods Over his shoulder, going down and down For the good turf.† This shows us that the generations of skill have been passed down through the family as has the ancient tradition; we see how Heaney’s grandfather truly knew his craft. Great strength and power is exposed when reading these lines. Follower immediately illuminates the agricultural aspect of Ireland; we see this is the first line where he says his father â€Å"worked with a horse-plough† to reinforce the Irish cultivation Heaney uses technical terms such as ‘wing’, ‘sock’ and ‘headrig’ this shows his involvement in the farming tradition and his up bringing is reflected as we see he has come to learn the language of a true farmer. We came to realise that instead of the man machine images that are used in ‘Digging’ Heaney uses nautical references to create imagery within ‘Follower’; the nautical aspect is used to interpret the flow of his fathers work which works immensely well. The first of the nautical implications is when Heaney speaks of his father saying: â€Å"His shoulders globed like a full sail strung† This simile is used to show the immense strength and great power within his father’s masculine physique; it epically suggests that there are definite requirements and necessities needed to be as good a farmer as Heaney’s father indeed is. I also believe that the word ‘Globed’ is especially used as it has a hidden meaning I believe it suggests that Heaney thinks the world of his father and that it is a reflection of his father’s Godly ambience. The third line of the second stanza states that: â€Å"The sod rolled over without breaking† This nautical reference translates to the fact that as the earth turned it looked like a wave breaking in the sea. â€Å"Mapping the furrow exactly† This is a navigational image, the use of the word exactly reveals that his father does the work precisely and perfectly emphasizing upon his experience and skill showing he has been working the land for a long time. Heaney also says: â€Å"I stumbled in his hob-nailed wake† Again this is said nautically when referring to his father this reference is meaning that he Was like a ships trail; his father indeed being the ship itself. This reference could also symbolise an image of the ploughman’s heavy boots, the carefully ploughed furrow and the child’s clumsy enthusiasm.

burrial at the ornanas essays

burrial at the ornanas essays I first look at Burial at Ornans and take a dislike to it. I see a painting of a small group of people with grim expressions on their faces. The piece is oil on canvas. Its simply painted, perhaps a palette knife has been used, and the colours are harsh and real, with definite edges and colour changes. Space has been used well, with the majority of the detail across the middle length of the piece, leaving the top and bottom lengths rather plain and empty to signify the ground and skies. The piece is balanced well the people are all standing on mutual ground and are roughly similar height. The artist has proportioned the people adequately to complement the size of the canvas with plenty of room around the to add background detail. The piece is of a group of people wearing black and a priest (they are presumably at a funeral). The expressions on their faces are dismal as they stand and mourn for someone on that gloomy day. The artist doesnt appear to be conveying a message; he has just painted what he has seen. The piece expressed sadness and mourning. The misery of the people and the overcast day work hand in hand together, creating a twice as poignant scene as if either one had not existed. The artist has used the characteristics of the above two stages well. He as painted what he saw and, as I can only assume this is exactly what he saw, he painted it superbly. He has captured the feeling of the people at the funeral and exerts these feelings to their full potential. Courbet only painted one way; he was a realist. He painted what he saw and tried to capture the feeling of the now, and not the later or the earlier. He had a particular interest in painting exactly what he saw, so this piece is certainly effective. The piece was meant to show the scene at hand. Courbet has done this well. I can see the scene and I can feel the scene. ...

The Importance of Segregation of Competitors Business Strategy Assignment

The Importance of Segregation of Competitors Business Strategy Assignment The Importance of Segregation of Competitors Business Strategy – Assignment Example ï » ¿ Question 1: We try to segregate information on competitors’ short term strategies and long term strategies. This is very significant to know what competitors are planning for short and long run, how this can affect the future needs and demands of the company and should the company take any proactive step to deal with the same. Short term strategies can result is fad or lead to fashion. A successful fad of competitor can significantly change the profit margin of the company and substantial amount of market share. This aims at collecting information on the tactical strategy of the competitor intelligence. Question 2: We keep track of sales promotions activities of our nearest competitor (s). The sales promotional activities specific to certain market and product will help company to identify which promotional strategy is effective among different consumer groups. This will also help in identify if promotional activities of competitor would be affecting the market share of the product of the company. This aims at collecting information on the tactical strategy of the competitor intelligence. Question 3: In order to identify new market and new segments, we also follow competitors so that we do not miss any opportunity. Competitor’s strategy so to particular market and market segments can provide information on the potential of new market and products. This focuses on the business environment of the company in order to identify the new market segment. The new market and new product for old market requires innovation and creativity. The organization can track the change of the competitors move to enhance its sales and achieve long term sustainable goals. This focuses on the long term aspect of the competitors’ moves. This allows seeing the changes of the market place at the earliest and helps in incorporating corresponding changes so that market share of the organization is sustained.

Economics of Transition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economics of Transition - Essay Example This competition not only transformed the contours of politics in the twentieth century but also led to the creation of two parallel and competing economic systems. Transition can be defined as the race of transformation of centrally planned economies into free markets. Such a transformation can be seeing as occurring after the political events that decimated the Soviet Iron Curtain. Transition is characterized by liberalization, macro-economic stabilization, restructuring and privatization and legal and institutional reforms. Countries have employed disparate transition models owing to the distinct initial circumstances that prevailed at the time when transition process materialized. Moreover, transition circumstances can also be seen as the product of the country’s peculiar socio-economic realities. While some countries like China embraced a slow and steady economic transformation approach, others like Russia adopted an aggressive and speedy model. It was envisaged that a sw ift approach could be undertaken for the privatization of small corporate entities as well as liberalization of prices and macro-economic stabilization, without encountering much economic problems (International Monetary Fund, 2000, p.3). The significance of transition for these economies can be attributed to the fact that any immature measures for transition tend to lead to economic collapse. This was all the more clear for example in the Russian banking sector failure in the late nineties. This paper will analyse how rent-seeking activities of financial institutions can have a bearing on hardening budget constraints in the transitional process. 2. Soft and Hard Budget constraints It was Kornai who invented the term ‘soft budget constraint’ to elucidate economic behaviour of the communist economies. This concept is deemed as the focal point of the subject of transition from socialist to capitalist economies. The term itself is derived from microeconomic terminology to shed light on a pragmatic economic social syndrome. The necessity of implementing hard budget constraints is accentuated repeatedly in relation to transition of socialist economies. The disintegration of the banking sector of East Asian economies during the nineties era can be comprehended by studying soft budget constraints (Kornai et al., 2003, p.54). The soft budget hypothesis denotes a condition under which firms incurring losses are bailed out by banks. Banks can undertake this role in both, capitalist and socialist economies. However, its repercussions in socialism make it a potential problem since banks are compelled by the state to rescue loss-making entities, for safeguarding employment or pursing other aims. The entanglement of state and banking into one entity means that any failure on the part of the banks will reflect clearly in the finances of the state. Typical failure in these circumstances leads to massive cuts in social sector development. Under a soft budget const raint, capital is injected in the loss making firm by the banks to keep them afloat and in a position to pay taxes, therefore acting as a disincentive for privatization. Research on the issue practically proves by applying a model based on the local authorities, a bank and firm (Brandt et al., 2003, p.13). The bank managers’ propensity to lend loans to private firms rather than SOEs will escalate as

Financial Aspects of Recreation and Sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial Aspects of Recreation and Sport - Essay Example One of such key issues in the address was on trade policy. In his address to Americans President, Obama showed the need to protect business and citizens to have a fair share in foreign trade. In order to do that the president requested the need for parties to provide him trade promotion authority. This would help Americans be sure of the world economic market that Obama projected to have 25% customer base. He added that this would be with new trade agreements or deals from Europe to Asia that are free and fair. Basing on the context of recreational Industry, the address provides for many potential gains as individual firms can expand abroad and in turn come and invest even more within the borders of United States. The proposal by the president is essential and will impact the industry in the long run as it aims to open even larger markets in regions that United States previously ignored. There are a lot of advantage in recreation industry that accrue from improved trade links between United and other regions of the world. The industry is dynamic and requires a lot of within and out of border investors. Investment in recreation and sports industry has been a challenge and through more open links there is a possibility of a boost in investment. Growth is also expected through innovations and research. The second issue was the president intention to protect a free and open Internet, and extend its accessibility to every classroom, and far to every community and assist folks build the quickest networks so that the future will be of digital innovators and successful entrepreneurs have the platform to continue reshaping the world. The address used example of China that has been making great strides in making global treaties at the expense of United States. Critically analyzing the potential gains from this agenda, it can be deduced that the initiative will help grow recreational industry. Accessibility of free and open internet provides an opportunity for

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FINANCE AND TRADE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FINANCE AND TRADE - Essay Example The Enron Corporation before its collapse was one of the largest global company which had its hands in the sales of natural gas and electricity, commodities like bandwidth internet connection and provided other financial and management services. Failure of corporate governance can be due many reasons. In financial terms if a company owes more than it earns over a significant time period and is not able to carry out trade then it faces a corporate failure. Failure can also occur due to institutional failure in which a group of managers fails to tackle major issues of the company. An important factor behind the collapse of corporate governance is the financial crisis. â€Å"The Enron failure demonstrated a failure of corporate governance, in which internal control mechanisms were short-circuited by conflicts of interest that enriched certain managers at the expense of the shareholders.† (Enron: Corporate Failure, Market Success, 2002). A complete reevaluation of corporate govern ance practice in the United States became important after the fall of Enron. The financial goals of a corporate sector are mainly maximization of share holder’s wealth and the maximization of corporate wealth. The wrong financial decisions taken by the authorities leading to a ‘dubious’ financial transaction also contributes to the failure of corporate governance. The free market situation which emerged as a result of liberalization and the process of privatization of public sector got questioned after the breakdown of the Enron. â€Å"The failure of the corporate governance system should be viewed as the failure of the corporate internal control system† (Dewan, 2006, P. 51 An effective system of corporate governance has both internal and external aspects that have to be sufficiently responsive if governance is to succeed. â€Å"Different internal and external influences address different issues within an organization† (Hafner, 2010, P. 6). Absence of an appropriate internal governance system which leads to an inefficient financial and management performance may also contribute to the breakdown of corporate governance as happened at Enron. Failure of External governance system which has the responsibility to warn the company about the future market situations to do its duty may also contribute to the failure of the corporate governance. The power in the hands of the company given by the corporate rules to influence the policy makers and hence the government has been another reason for the corporate failure. The collapse of corporate governance was not just rooted in poor managerial performance but the entire corporate department plays a major role in ruining the corporate ethical values and principles. But the primary responsibility for the failure of corporate governance lies with the executives and the managers. If the operations management were allowed to work according to the corporate norms then the tragedy of the Enron c ollapse might not have occurred. Effective regulation and oversight, restrictions on campaign financing, and an arms length approach of government in dealing with business may have prevented the breakdown of Enron. â€Å"Enron situation taught a lesson about the main reasons for such failures and not to repeat the same mistakes in the future. The Enron situation was the focus of a massive investigation that led to significant changes in corporate governa

Leadership traits behaviors and styles Assignment

Leadership traits behaviors and styles - Assignment Example However, of significance to the study is Marchionne’s tenure as CEO of Chrysler, an automobile company based in the United States. Marchionne took over as CEO in 2009 replacing Robert Nardelli, at a time when Chrysler faced huge financial constraints. The fact that he had turned Fiat, an Italian based automobile company into a profitable organization, made him the ideal candidate for the job. Marchionne managed to repay Chrysler’s loans to the government six years in advance and re-built Chrysler as a profitable automobile empire within a very short time (Wernle, 2010). Explored in this essay includes Marchionne’s leadership and personality traits, behavior orientation, and leadership style. The Five Factor Model (FFM) outlines five personality dimensions, which include Neurotism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion and Openness (OCEAN). Within each dimension are primary factors, which describe in detail individual qualities. Personality psychologists such as Eynseck infer that an individual’s personality encompasses a combination of both dispositional and situational factors. Dispositional factors account for internal factors such as temperance and cognitive and genetic predispositions among others. Conversely, situational factors account for external factors predisposed by the environment such as media, family and peers among others. The analysis of personality dimensions proposed by the FFM enables one to analyze an individual in a holistic manner without the overlapping of qualities, which are specific to each dimension. As such, a person either falls on one end of the high-low continuum of each dimension. Sergio Marchionne is high in conscientiousness, low in neuroticism, high in openness to experience, moderate in extraversion, and low in agreeableness. Conscientiousness encompasses an individual’s inclination towards being involved and dependable. As a CEO,

The Criminal Man by Cesare Lombroso Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Criminal Man by Cesare Lombroso - Essay Example Lombroso’s focus is based on shifting of legal thinking to crime. His theories have actually influenced criminological developments throughout both United States and Europe. However, the theories are challenged and mostly discredited. His famous work was L’uomo delinquent (The Criminal Man). Crime results from various causes that range from psychological, biological, individual, and organizational to social factors like education and urbanization. Lombroso accumulated a considerable amount of data analyzing criminal’s physical and skull anomalies using both living subjects and cadavers. The criminal tattoos, jargon and poetry, provides criminal portraits. Psychologically, he described the male offenders as vindictive, vain, delighting in orgies, lazy and dominated by thirsty blood (Lombroso, 2006). In addition, he researched on the relationships of crime to marital status, age, profession, sex, environment and diet. Following the analysis, he concludes that even though a small portion of crime is as a result of social conditions, most it is constitutional. Thus, Lombroso accentuated the influence of biological factors by environmental explanations. The fundamental concepts of â€Å"The Criminal Man† were degeneration, atavism and the born-criminal idea. The first edition introduced the notion of atavism that explains deviant behavior and maintains its centrality in Lombroso theories. Atavism is thought to be an ancestral tendency of reproducing animals and plants and, where there is human concern, to be like one’s grandparent more than their parents (Becker & Wetzell, 2006). The atavistic criminal human signifies the early stage of human evolution. Lombroso specified this type of atavism through various stigmatized physical characteristics, along with ear lobes, finger lengths and head bone structure. Supposing physical atavism was involved with moral corruption, it would

Principles of European Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Principles of European Contract Law - Essay Example The Unidroit Principles have been regularly applied as lex mercatoria in international commercial arbitration, as they 'meet all the substantive requirements of a true law merchant. On the contrary, arbitrators are being reluctant to apply PECL as generally accepted principles of commercial law in international arbitration. This may be due to their relative novelty, to the fact that their scope is limited to the European Union, or to the strong materialism and esprit collectif which manifests itself by the preminent role of the good faith principle and by a social regulation of the contract which may be dubious in an international context (in particular, the regulation on excessive benefit or unfair advantage, unfair terms not individually negotiated or change of circumstances). In this sense, in the ICC arbitration case no. 12111, the arbitrator rejected claimant's claim for the application of PECL, concluding that they constituted an academic research, at that stage not largely wel l-known to the international business community, being a preliminary step to the drafting of a future European Code of Contracts, not enacted yet. Thus, PECL has not yet obtained a universal status as a (modern) lex mecatoria. It cannot be regarded as constituting an autonomus lex mercatoria but as a part of universal lex mercatoria. ... And at one time, without doubt, it was the law of England simply because it was the law of other nations. Its Origin The exact place and time of its origin is uncertain. Many writers have stated that it began in Italy in the central part of the Middle Ages. But investigation of early documents shows that it goes back much further. For instance, to the time when the Arabs dominated the Mediterranean. But they invented little and many of the terms which they used came from the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians, who for many hundreds of years monopolized the sea commerce. First Treaties on Merchant Law in England - 1622 The first work on merchant law in England was written by Gerard Malynes published in 1622, entitled "Consultudo Vel Lex Mercatoria" or the Ancient Law Merchant. In his preface to this work, he stated that he had entitled it Lex Mercatoria instead of Jus Mercatorum because it is customary law provided by the authority of all kingdoms and Commonweals, and not a law established by the sovereignty of any prince. Blackstone stated that the affairs of commerce were regulated by a law of their own called the Law Merchant or Lex Mercatoria "which all nations agree in and take notice of and it is particularly held to be part of the law of England which justifies the causes of merchants and the general rules which obtain in all commercial countries." Still later, Lord Mansfield stated that "Mercantile law is not the law of a particular country but the law of all nations". On What Law Merchant Based The Lex Mercatoria would seem to be in part based on Roman law, in part maritime custom, in part the law of the Medieval

Leadership traits behaviors and styles Assignment

Leadership traits behaviors and styles - Assignment Example However, of significance to the study is Marchionne’s tenure as CEO of Chrysler, an automobile company based in the United States. Marchionne took over as CEO in 2009 replacing Robert Nardelli, at a time when Chrysler faced huge financial constraints. The fact that he had turned Fiat, an Italian based automobile company into a profitable organization, made him the ideal candidate for the job. Marchionne managed to repay Chrysler’s loans to the government six years in advance and re-built Chrysler as a profitable automobile empire within a very short time (Wernle, 2010). Explored in this essay includes Marchionne’s leadership and personality traits, behavior orientation, and leadership style. The Five Factor Model (FFM) outlines five personality dimensions, which include Neurotism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion and Openness (OCEAN). Within each dimension are primary factors, which describe in detail individual qualities. Personality psychologists such as Eynseck infer that an individual’s personality encompasses a combination of both dispositional and situational factors. Dispositional factors account for internal factors such as temperance and cognitive and genetic predispositions among others. Conversely, situational factors account for external factors predisposed by the environment such as media, family and peers among others. The analysis of personality dimensions proposed by the FFM enables one to analyze an individual in a holistic manner without the overlapping of qualities, which are specific to each dimension. As such, a person either falls on one end of the high-low continuum of each dimension. Sergio Marchionne is high in conscientiousness, low in neuroticism, high in openness to experience, moderate in extraversion, and low in agreeableness. Conscientiousness encompasses an individual’s inclination towards being involved and dependable. As a CEO,

Principles of European Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Principles of European Contract Law - Essay Example The Unidroit Principles have been regularly applied as lex mercatoria in international commercial arbitration, as they 'meet all the substantive requirements of a true law merchant. On the contrary, arbitrators are being reluctant to apply PECL as generally accepted principles of commercial law in international arbitration. This may be due to their relative novelty, to the fact that their scope is limited to the European Union, or to the strong materialism and esprit collectif which manifests itself by the preminent role of the good faith principle and by a social regulation of the contract which may be dubious in an international context (in particular, the regulation on excessive benefit or unfair advantage, unfair terms not individually negotiated or change of circumstances). In this sense, in the ICC arbitration case no. 12111, the arbitrator rejected claimant's claim for the application of PECL, concluding that they constituted an academic research, at that stage not largely wel l-known to the international business community, being a preliminary step to the drafting of a future European Code of Contracts, not enacted yet. Thus, PECL has not yet obtained a universal status as a (modern) lex mecatoria. It cannot be regarded as constituting an autonomus lex mercatoria but as a part of universal lex mercatoria. ... And at one time, without doubt, it was the law of England simply because it was the law of other nations. Its Origin The exact place and time of its origin is uncertain. Many writers have stated that it began in Italy in the central part of the Middle Ages. But investigation of early documents shows that it goes back much further. For instance, to the time when the Arabs dominated the Mediterranean. But they invented little and many of the terms which they used came from the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians, who for many hundreds of years monopolized the sea commerce. First Treaties on Merchant Law in England - 1622 The first work on merchant law in England was written by Gerard Malynes published in 1622, entitled "Consultudo Vel Lex Mercatoria" or the Ancient Law Merchant. In his preface to this work, he stated that he had entitled it Lex Mercatoria instead of Jus Mercatorum because it is customary law provided by the authority of all kingdoms and Commonweals, and not a law established by the sovereignty of any prince. Blackstone stated that the affairs of commerce were regulated by a law of their own called the Law Merchant or Lex Mercatoria "which all nations agree in and take notice of and it is particularly held to be part of the law of England which justifies the causes of merchants and the general rules which obtain in all commercial countries." Still later, Lord Mansfield stated that "Mercantile law is not the law of a particular country but the law of all nations". On What Law Merchant Based The Lex Mercatoria would seem to be in part based on Roman law, in part maritime custom, in part the law of the Medieval

Soft Drinks India Essay Example for Free

Soft Drinks India Essay According to the ‘Product Insights: Soft Drinks in India’ report, The global soft drinks market grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3. 45% from 2005 to 2009 and was valued at $494. 5 billion in 2009. New product launches in the global soft drinks market increased by 8. 59% in 2009. The US was the top country by retail sales as well as by number of new product launches, followed by Japan which ranked second in both categories. Globally, India ranked 25th in terms of retail sales and 13th in terms of the number of new product launches in the soft drinks market in 2009. In spite of India’s huge population and the fact that around 47% of the population is composed of persons below 30 years of age, the per-capita consumption of soft drinks in India remains very low, at approximately at 5. 2 liters against the world average of nearly 85. 22 liters. Developed countries such as the US, Germany, Italy and Spain all have per-capita consumption in the range of 280-400 liters, showcasing the huge potential for market growth in India. Coca-Cola remains the market leader in the carbonates category with a market share of more than 60% in the Indian market, followed by Pepsi with around 35%. In the bottled water category, Parle’s Bisleri and Kinley from Coca-Cola are the leading players. The packaged juices market in India continues to be dominated by Maaza and Frooti, followed by brands such as Slice, Tropicana and Real which have registered good growths in their market shares in the past few years. Red Bull with its strong dominance of the energy drinks’ category, which is the largest segment in the functional drinks category, is the market leader in the functional drinks market. Considering the overall development of the Indian soft drinks market, a comparison can be drawn between various soft drink categories based on the major consumer segment for each category using age and economic status as the two judging criterion. For instance, while carbonates are consumed by consumers from almost all economic segments and ages in the India, considering the various packaging sizes and price points for these products, segments such as energy drinks and sports drinks are mainly consumed in the age group of around 24 years who are on the higher side in terms of economic status, i.e. working executives and the affluent class. Based on these trends, a comparison chart can be drawn between the different soft drink categories in India as given below: 60 years Juices 40 years Carbonate Nutraceutic al Drinks Carbonate X-Axis: Consumer Economic Segment Y-Axis: Consumer Age Group Juices 24 years Carbonate 15 years Middle Working Executives/Upper Middle Class Energy Drinks and Sports Drinks Affluent. Current Situation: According to the ‘Product Insights: Soft Drinks in India’ report from Datamonitor, With improving literacy rates, consumers have become increasingly aware of health and fitnessrelated issues. Additionally, due to greater disposable incomes, particularly in urban areas, consumers are seeking healthier beverages even if they are relatively more expensive, due to their positioning. Raising awareness levels with regard to obesity and other weight related health issues in the last decade, especially amongst teenagers and young adults, has helped push sales of non-carbonates. Sales of noncarbonated drinks also got a boost from the pesticide controversy which led some consumers to switch loyalties from carbonates to juices, functional drinks etc. Products such as Juice are now fast becoming as an essential part of breakfast table with urban families. Leading beverage corporations such as Cocacola and PepsiCo have identified this trend and are adopting strategies to benefit from this development. Previously, product strategy of these large corporations was largely Cola based; given that a large part of their product volumes would come from the carbonates segment. However, in the last few years, with the strong growth in the non-carbonate sector and tapering of growth within the cola segment companies such as PepsiCo have announced plans of moving towards a well diversified portfolio by increasing the volume share of other soft drink segments including juices, functional drinks and other products with health benefits etc. This is evident from the strong marketing campaigns which preceded the launch of brands such as Tropicana and Minute Maid. Growing consumer awareness about the harmful effects of artificial ingredients in food and beverages has fueled the demand for ‘natural’ or ‘free from’ products over the last few years. According to Datamonitor’s latest consumer survey, 62% of respondents globally are influenced by the claims of ‘no artificial additives including colors, flavorings and preservatives’ when making food and beverage choices. The survey further reveals that the ‘natural/organic’ claim influences the major proportion of consumers in developing countries like Brazil and China, and a significant proportion in developed economies like the US and the UK. In line with the trends as reflected in the report, several new brands such as Nimbooz, Minute Maid Nimbu Fresh, and Cocojal (from Jain Agro) have been launched in the past few years in the Indian market. These recent entrants have used the ‘natural’ claim to market their product with consumers, with products being modeled on traditional Indian drinks. For instance, Nimbooz is based on the traditional lemon drink consumed in homes and the ads reflect the natural flavors and the ‘homemade like’ taste of the product. Product Launches/Marketing Strategies: As per the ‘Product Insights: Soft Drinks in India’ report from Datamonitor, US, followed by Japan were the top countries in terms of new product launches as well as by market value. India was ranked 13th by new product launches and 25th by market value. India had the third highest percentage growth (11%) in global soft drinks market in 2009 in terms of value. The figure below depicts the top 10 countries based on number of new products launched in the soft drinks market in 2009. Figure 1: 2009 20% 18% 16% 14% 12% % contribution 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% Top 10 countries based on number of new soft drinks product launches, Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Rank 4 Rank 5 Rank 6 Rank 7 Rank 8 Rank 9 Rank 10 US Japan China UK Germany Russia France Canada Italy Brazil Rank 13 India Source: Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics DATAMONITOR In addition to health related product launches, manufacturers are also using innovative marketing strategies to reach out to a larger consumer base. For example, Real juices used Disney characters for the promotion of its fruit juices amongst school going kids. Booster Juice, an international company which manufactures smoothies has used an innovative marketing initiative by signing the only Indian ‘Ultraman’ athlete (Ultraman is a title conferred for completion of a combination of high endurance athletic events such as long-distance triathlon etc. ), Anu Vaidyanathan as its brand ambassador for its smoothies promoting the importance of nutrition and fitness through its brands. Similarly, Dabur has signed Zaheer Khan, a leading Indian cricketer as the brand ambassador for its energy drink brand, Dabur Glucose. Coca-Cola in its recent Ad campaign used a traditional Indian art form, Warli to capture the mood of the festive season of Diwali. It also has several marketing initiatives such as offers of free home trips to participants from any part of the country etc. Considering that the soft drinks sector in India is seasonal and sales pick up a bit after during the festive season, most players in the market are actively campaigning to capture this demand. On-Trade: Apart from the retail market, foodservice or on-trade sector appears to be another lucrative avenue for manufacturers to cash in on the growing demand for soft drinks in India. Segments such as carbonates, energy drinks, bottled water etc. already enjoy a high share from the on-trade segment. However, for categories such as juice, which is in its nascent stage in the country, the on-trade sector promises a huge potential for growth. The juice bar model is similar to the cafe outlets such as Barista and Coffee Day chains and these enterprises aim to replicate the success of the latter to provide a healthier alternative. Figure consciousness being the latest fad, these juice bars appears to be the ideal place to visit after a grueling work-out at the gym for students and executives. This model is already a big hit in the western markets with players such as ‘Jamba Juice’ and ‘Smoothie King’ garnering good volumes in the US market. Currently, places with large footfalls such as shopping malls, office complexes and convention centers have juice bar joints in India. Apart from these, there are a few independent juice bar chains that are coming up in different parts of the country. Retail outlets such as ‘Amorettos’ in Delhi, ‘HAS Juice bar’ in Mumbai and ‘Bloom Juices’ in Mohali and multinational chains such as ‘New Zealand Naturals’ fall under the juice bar category. Apart from offering the regular fresh fruit juices, these outlets also offer exotic options such as ‘Fresh Wheat Grass’, ‘Fat Free Smoothies’ and ayurvedic herb based natural fruit juices in their menu. The benefits with each of these different juices are clearly explained so that the customers have greater awareness about the ideal juices for themselves. Similarly, other categories such as RTD teas, coffees etc. can be a hit with consumers in the on-trade sector. While the foodservice establishments offer the advantage of more information and hygienic conditions they are still far behind when it comes to price competition with the unorganized sector outlets such as road side juice shops. The price in these outlets as compared to the unorganized sector for a product like juice is higher by 3-4 times. This becomes a critical factor for the success amongst the price conscious Indian consumers. This sector has to come up with initiatives which increase awareness levels amongst consumers regarding the health benefits etc. offered through their products in order to gain acceptance in the Indian market. ENDS – This is based on Datamonitor’s analysis and inputs from Datamonitor’s latest report ‘Soft drinks in India. ’ For further information on this title, please contact Aartee Sundheep on +91 40 6672 9586 or [emailprotected] com.

The Production Of Gorillaz Album Plastic Beach Music Essay

The Production Of Gorillaz Album Plastic Beach Music Essay Creators of Gorillaz, musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, began working on a new Gorillaz project in November 2007 called Carousel,[1] which evolved into Plastic Beach, the groups third studio album.[2] In the November 2007 issue of Q, when asked what his top priority for 2008 was, Damon Albarn replied Well, Im doing the next Gorillaz thing, but it wont be called Gorillaz.[1] In the February 2008 Gorillaz-Unofficial interview, Jamie Hewlett elaborated on this, saying I think the idea behind it is that its like how The Who presented their movies Tommy and Quadrophenia and so on. Those were presented as by The Who even though none of the members of the band were in the movies. I dont think anyone from The Who was in Quadrophenia. But its the same people working on it, thats the principle.[3] In a July 2008 interview with The Observer he also said, Gorillaz now to us is not like four animated characters any more its more like an organisation of people doing new projects. [ ] Thats my ideal model Gorillaz is a group of people who gave you this, and now want to give you new stuff.[4] In the Observer interview, Hewlett said that there is a new project which Damon and I are working on now, called Carousel, which is even bigger and more difficult than Monkey, and it isnt going to fit anywhere and no ones going to like it, ha ha ha! Weve started work Ive done a lot of visuals and Damons done a lot of music but we havent figured out how theyre going to fit together. I cant say much about it yet but its sort of like a film, but not with one narrative story. Theres many stories, told around a bigger story, set to music, and done in live action, animation, all different styles, well originally it was a film but now we think its a film and its a stage thing as well and look, its basically us doing what the fuck we want without worrying about whether its for a record company or a film company or whatever. So Im not sure how itll pan out, or even if it will happen. But Damons written around 70 songs for it, and Ive got great plans for the visuals, but right now, at this mo ment, its still just a really good idea.[4] Carousel was to be about the mystical aspects of Britain.[2] [edit] Concept Damon Albarn got the idea for Plastic Beach while on a beach next to his house: I was just looking for all the plastic within the sand, he said.[2] On 17 September 2008, Albarn and Jamie Hewlett announced that they would be doing another Gorillaz album in an interview with CBC News.[5] Hewlett said that from their work on Monkey, we just learned more about what we do, musically and artistically. Thats a great place to come at when we come to another Gorillaz album. It doesnt have to be animation and music.[6] Hewlett also expressed annoyance at having to draw the band members again: Im so fucking bored of drawing those characters. But then we had a moment where we had a new angle on it Im gonna adapt them.[5] In a later interview Hewlett said: theyll be the same characters, but a little bit older and told in a different way.[7] Albarn said in September 2008 that he wanted to work with an incredibly eclectic, surprising cast of people.[8] As with previous Gorillaz albums, Plastic Beach features a number of collaborations with other musicians and music groups. The album features Snoop Dogg, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Kano, Bashy, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Mark E. Smith, Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Yukimi Nagano, sinfonia ViVA and The Syrian National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music.[9] [edit] Recording Albarn began recording material for a new Gorillaz album around June 2008.[10] He travelled to Beirut in March 2009 to record with the National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music.[11] The following month, he recorded with Derby-based orchestra sinfonia ViVa.[11] Grime rappers Kano and Bashy, who feature on White Flag, both had the flu during recording. Kano said We werent feeling great, the music was out of our comfort zone, it could have been a complete disaster.[11] Bobby Womack knew nothing about Gorillaz and was initially unsure about the collaboration, however, his daughter liked Gorillaz and convinced him to do it.[12] Womack was told to sing whatever was on his mind during the recording of Stylo. I was in there for an hour going crazy about love and politics, getting it off my chest, said Womack.[11] After an hour of recording, Womack, a diabetic, started to pass out. He was sat down and given a banana, before waking up minutes later.[11] Sweepstakes, the first song Mos Def r ecorded with Gorillaz,[13] was done in one take.[11] Mos Def described the song as one of the greatest things as an MC that Ive ever done.[13] Mick Jones and Paul Simonon completed their portion of the title track Plastic Beach in a day.[11] Several musicians who collaborated on songs for the album did not end up having all or any of their songs appear on the final album; some guests announced to have collaborated with the band do not feature on the album. British garage rock band The Horrors were invited to play on the album after Albarn heard their 2009 album Primary Colours.[14] They recorded a track with Albarn,[15] but no songs with the band appear on the final album. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Posdnuos of De La Soul said that the group had provided vocals on two songs for the album, Electric Shock and Sloped Tropics.[16] De La Soul only features on one song on the album, titled Superfast Jellyfish. Gruff Rhys recorded two songs Superfast Jellyfish and Leviathan. The latter, described by Rhys as more of a night-time song, a three oclock in the morning, speeding down the autobahn evading West German police-type track, does not feature on the album.[11] Mos Def said that he collaborated with Albarn on three songs;[13] however, Def only appears on two songs on the album. Albarn had previously announced that musician Barry Gibb would feature on the album but Gibb did not turn up to any recording sessions.[2] Animated Gorillaz bassist Murdoc said the band had collaborated with actress Una Stubbs,[10] however, she too does not appear on any of the albums tracks. [edit] Music Albarn said in an interview, Im making this one the most pop record Ive ever made in many ways, but with all my experience to try and at least present something that has got depth.[2] He added, I suppose what Ive done with this Gorillaz record is Ive tried to connect pop sensibility with trying to make people understand the essential melancholy of buying a ready made meal in loads of plastic packaging. People who watch X Factor might have some emotional connection to these things, this detritus that accompanies what seems to be the most important thing in peoples eyes, the celebrity voyeurism.[2] The first time Albarn went to Mali, he was taken to a landfill where he saw people taking every little bit, a little bit of fabric to the fabric regenerators, or the metal and the cans to the ironsmiths and the aluminium recyclers, and it goes on and by the time you get to the road, theyre selling stuff.[2] When Albarn went to a landfill outside of London to record the sound of seagulls for the album, he noticed a juxtaposition between the way the two countries dealt with rubbish.[2] Theyve got more snakes like adders, grass snakes, slow worms, toads, frogs, newts, all kinds of rodents, all kinds of squirrels, a massive amount of squirrels, a massive amount of foxes, and obviously, seagulls. [] This is part of the new ecology. And for the first time I saw the world in a new way. Ive always felt, Im trying to get across on this new record, the idea that plastic, we see it as being against nature but its come out of nature. We didnt create plastic, nature created plastic. And just seei ng the snakes like living in the warmth of decomposing plastic bags. They like it. It was a strange kind of optimism that I felt but trying to get that into pop music is a challenge, anyway. But important.[2] Albarn says the album maintains a lot of the melancholy from Carousel.[2] He worked hard on making his lyrics and melodies clear on the album.[2] Loads of orchestral stuff was recorded but only a fraction made it onto the final album.[2] [edit] Release and promotion On a black background is red uppercase text in a thick wavy font. The top line says Gorillaz, the second line says Plastic and the third line says Beach. The Plastic Beach logo used in promotional videos. A new picture of the band was published on 9 December 2009 on the cover of the UK edition of Wired magazine. On 14 January 2009, Albarn made an appearance as a guest DJ on BBC Radio 1, premiering demos of three new Gorillaz songs Electric Shock, Broken and Stylo.[17]. Stylo went to be heavily edited in its final version, while Broken remained mostly unchanged. Electric Shock did not make the album, though samples of the song were used in Rhinestone Eyes, as well as the intro orchestral separated into bonus track Three Hearts, Seven Seas, Twelve Moons. On 20 January 2010, the official Gorillaz website was heavily revamped to fit the Plastic Beach theme. Over a period of time, a numerous amount of short clips were posted on the site, mainly showing various shots of a large Plastic Beach model backed by segments of new Gorillaz music. Out of the 13 short clips, only 2 of the clips had audio that would eventually end up on the album. The tracks were White Flag and Pirates Progress (an extended version of the Orchestral Intro found on the album). Also on the website was a countdown timer, which on 23 February 2010 counted down to zero. After a significant delay, a new full Kong studios-esque interactive Plastic Beach Beachsite was uploaded onto the website, opening certain sections of Plastic Beach to be visited by guests. On 21 January 2010, Gorillaz member Murdoc took over NME Radio and Yahoo! Radio. He played a 45 minute set of songs while providing exposition on the story of Gorillaz. A total of four broadcasts were uploaded online, leading to the release of the album. All four are now available on the official Gorillaz website. Short animated idents have been released for fictional band members Murdoc, 2D, Russel, and the Noodle cyborg. The first depicts Murdoc fleeing from an unknown, rifle-wielding assailant, and the second depicts 2Ds abduction and transportation to Plastic Beach by a masked figure. The third features a snippet of the song Three Hearts, Seven Seas, Twelve Moons playing in the background. The track can be found as a bonus track along with Pirates Progress on the iTunes Deluxe edition. Russels ident has him stomping off of the edge of a pier and diving into the ocean, presumably headed to Plastic Beach for reasons unknown. The fourth feature a zoom in on the cyborg, its face plate open. A fifth ident has been released, showing a luxury cruise sail being bombarded by torpedoes coming from planes flying above it. A crew member rushes over to cabin 13 to warn a passenger, who is revealed to be Noodle (wearing the Oni Mask), that the cruise is under attack by pirates and he was told to escort her to the lifeboats. Noodle then grabs her briefcase and opens it, revealing a gun, and passes the crew member while heading out, presumably to face the pirates. Noodles ident acts as a trailer to the On Melancholy Hill music video, which was released on June 15. On 26 February 2010, a minimix of the album was made available on the official website to download for free.[18] The minimix is an eight-minute composition of songs from the album, a number of which had not been previously released. Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach, Rhinestone Eyes and White Flag were premiered on the Australian radio station Triple J on 28 February 2010, in respective order, at one hour intervals. On 1 March 2010, NPR debuted the entire album via streaming.[19] Later on in the day, the album also become available for streaming at Guardian.co.uk.[20] [edit] Singles The album has produced two singles as of August 2010. * Stylo was the first single from the album, released digitally on 26 January 2010. * On Melancholy Hill became the second single from the album which replaced Superfast Jellyfish and was released exclusively on iTunes on June 15th.

Comparing the Two Versions of To Build a Fire Essay -- comparison comp

Comparing the Two Versions of To Build a Fire "I am absolutely confident that beyond the motif itself, there is no similarity of treatment whatever" (544). Jack London, writing in December 1908, was responding to an inquiry from the Richard W. Gilder, editor of Century Magazine. Gilder, having just published "To Build a Fire" in his magazine, was worried when he came across another version published 6 years earlier. London's explanation was that the first story was for boys and the new one was for men; the only similarity being the motif itself. Through careful analysis of the two stories, in light of this letter to Gilder, and another letter to Cloudesly Johns, it is apparent that although London claims no similarities (besides the motif), they definitely exist. Before the similarities are discussed, it is necessary to look at the obvious differences that London explains are in the "treatment" (544). The 1902 version was published for boys, while the 1908 version was published for men. London explains that the motif was "not only very strong, but was very true" (ibid). It seems that he first published it for boys as a sort of educational story; teaching the youngsters about the dangers of the cold weather. Hence, after Tom Vincent learns his lesson, he makes it to camp and doesn't receive any serious damage. Later, London was worried that he had given the motif "inadequate treatment" (ibid). Therefore, he handled the motif again, this time for men, adding a dog for good measure. Since this story was meant for an older audience, topics could be brought up that weren't appropriate to be discussed in the first one: the man considered killing the dog and using his body for warmth. In addition, the most obviou... ...story they are reading. Jack London has written a classic short story in the 1908 version of "To Build a Fire." This is the classic story of man fighting nature. In most genres (e.g. movies, novels, short stories) the main character comes out on top, however unlikely that is. Jack London takes literary naturalism and shows the reader how unmerciful nature is. Much like Stephen Crane in "The Open Boat," in which the one of the characters dies, London doesn't buy into that "has to have a good ending" contrivance. Through analysis of two London's letters (to R.W. Gilder and Cloudesly Johns) these two versions of "To Build a Fire" come alive with new meaning. Although there are many differences on the surface, both stories use his philosophy as expressed to Johns and both teach a moral lesson, one which will not soon be forgotten: "Never travel alone."

Steam Turbines :: essays research papers

Steam Turbines   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The invention of the water turbine was so successful that eventually, the idea came about for extracting power from steam. Steam has one great advantage over water-it expands in volume with tremendous velocity. To be the most effective, a steam turbine must run at a very high speed. No wheel made can revolve at any speed approaching the velocity that a steam turbine can. By utilizing the kinetic energy of steam flow, the turbine could achieve a higher efficiency. As a result, the steam turbine has supplanted the reciprocating engine as a prime mover in large electricity-generating plants and is also used as a means of jet propulsion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The action of the steam turbine is based on the thermodynamic principle that when a vapor is allowed to expand, its temperature drops. In turn, its internal energy is decreased. This reduction in internal energy is transformed into mechanical energy in the form of an acceleration of the particles of vapor. The transformation that occurs, provides a large amount of available work energy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The essential parts of all steam turbines consist of nozzles or jets through which the steam can flow and expand. Thus, the temperature drops, and kinetic energy is gained. In addition, there are blades, on which high pressure steam is exerted. Stationary blades shift the steam onto rotating blades, which provide power. Also, turbines are equipped with wheels or drums where the blades are mounted. A shaft for these wheels or drums is also a basic component, as well as an outer casing that confines the steam to the area of the turbine proper. In order to efficiently use this contraption, it is necessary to have a number of stages. In each of these stages, a small amount of thermal energy is converted to kinetic energy. If the entire conversion of energy took place at once, the rotative speed of the turbine wheel would be way too excessive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Steam turbines are really quite simple machines, that have only one major moving part, the rotor. However, auxiliary equipment is necessary for their operation. Journal bearings support the shaft, and an oil system provides lubrication to these bearings. A special seal system prevents steam from

Out of This Furnace Essay

Out of This Furnace is a historical fiction that was written by Thomas Bell in 1941 and describes the life of immigrant workers in America. Bell grew up in Braddock in Pennsylvania, a mill town that was typical of many of the industrialized areas in America at that time. His novel reflects the hardships his family faced as they struggled to survive in the â€Å"new country† and he utilizes the medium of a fictional story to challenge the capitalist ideals of the government of that period through the trials and tribulations of his immigrant steelworkers. The book focuses on the lives of four individuals and describes how the four individual characters; Kracha, Mike, Mary and Dobie’s lives change as a direct consequence of changes which occurred in general for America immigrants between the mid 1800s and 1920s. Through encompassing the life experiences of four generations, Bell is able to provide the reader with insights into the way in which these individual’s lifestyles and beliefs became more liberal. Alongside this the story of the development of the labor unions is staged and the reader gains impressions into how these unions were viewed and approached by the people they were designed to help. Many workers had no political freedom or even a voice in the company that employed them. However, through all of these hardships, the immigrants continued their struggle for a better life. For many people America, during the economic and evolution of the mid 1800s, represented a country of hope and dreams, a place that could provide them with great opportunities and better economic prospects. As a result of this many European immigrants, many without skills, left their countries of origin in order to work in the many factors and steel mills. Whilst jobs were in abundance the work was hard, laborious and very poorly paid. The Slovaks of Thomas Bell’s Out of this Furnace are representative of these immigrants. The first of the three generations described within the story is Djuro Kracha, a Slovak peasant (p. 3) who left behind his nation of birth in the hope of ending the poverty and oppression he suffered there. Kracha initially works on the railroad before landing a job in a Dubrik mill through a friend. The descriptions of the work he endured provides the reader with the impression that employment at the mill was dangerous, arduous and relentless. The hours of work were long and tiredness of the employees often led to accidents thus evidenced by the death of Dubik’s best friend George who is killed as a blast furnace explodes. Whilst such accidents were typical on a daily basis in the mills of America but no actions were taken to improve safety or the working conditions of the employees in the mill. In Bell’s book, Kracha eventually terminates his employment at the mill in order to become a butcher. This however, does not make his situation any easier and he inevitably turns to alcohol as many immigrants of the time did. The scenes described by Bell in the novel are not limited to the workers themselves but also point out the environmental damage the industrialization created: â€Å"The mills had filled in the shore line for miles up and down the river, destroying trees, obliterating little streams and the pebbly beaches where as recently as the turn of the century campers had set up tents in summer, burying the clean earth under tons of cinder and molten slag. The banks no longer sloped naturally to the water\’s edge but dropped vertically, twenty-foot walls of cold slag pierced at intervals with steaming outlets and marked by dribbling stains. (Bell 153) The second major character within the novel is Mike Dobrejcak, another Slovak immigrant who came to America whilst still in his teens and married Kracha’s daughter, Mary. Although still aspiring and yearning for the American Dream, Mike is a second-generation immigrant who is more aware of the politics of the US and the potential of his vote during election periods. One of the significant themes of Bell’s book is that of the lack of republican form of government for all the people. The countries decisions were made to benefit the financial and business interests of the few. Many of the mill workers did not vote and, for those that did, their input made very little difference. This is reflected in Bell’s description of the division of power: â€Å"There are men in that mill who were born here, whose fathers and grandfathers were born here. They know more English than you’ll ever learn. And what good is their vote doing them? They have to work in the mill and eat dirt like any greenhorn. Let me tell you, I’ve been in America enough to know that it’s run just like any other country. In Europe your emperors and grand dukes own everything and over here it’s your millionaires and your trusts. They run the country to suit themselves, and don’t think they’re going to let you interfere every few years with your miserable vote. Get that into your head. Your vote means nothing. The company man always wins. If he isn’t a company man to start with, he becomes one afterward; the millionaires see to that. (Bell 66-67) Workers were not encouraged to vote, and if they decided to vote, they were strongly encouraged to vote for the politicians the company endorsed, â€Å"Mike had registered as a Republican, anything else would have been suicidal, but had determined to vote for Eugene Debs, the Socialist. He knew the risk. Should he be found out, and that the company had ways of learning how a man had voted nobody in Braddock doubted. e would be fired†. (Bell 189-190). Through Bell’s description of Mike’s opinions, it becomes clear that whilst the workers wanted progress, their view of how this would be achieved contradicted that of the capitalists. The capitalists aimed for generation of wealth and industrialization whilst the workers simply wanted a better way of life and greater equality. Such conflicting aspirations cause a number of disputes between the two representative groups. Mike unfortunately is killed during an accident at work and the story progresses onto describing, through Mary, the reality of families attempting to survive and support themselves after the death of their partners in the mill. The final part of the novel concerns a character called Dobie, the son of Mike and Mary. Dobie’s life and experiences differ greatly from Mikes as he matures during a period of policy reforms and changes. The Unions have become more prominent and workers rights and working conditions have improved. Dobie himself has become a symbol for these changes as he becomes a Union leader and campaigns tirelessly to gain the rights his father and grandfather were denied. Dobie’s stories depict how the mill workers in the US eventually overcame the capitalists and achieve political freedom: â€Å"It was the way you thought and felt about certain things. About freedom of speech and the equality of men and the importance of having one law — the same law — for rich and poor, for the people you liked and the people you didn’t like. About the right of every man to live his life as he thought best, his right to defend it if anyone tried to change it and his right to change it himself if he decided he liked some other way of living better. About the uses to which wealth and power could honorably be put, and about honor itself, honor, integrity, self-respect, the whatever-you-wanted-to-call-it that determined for a man which things he couldn’t say or do under any circumstances, not for all the money there was, not even to help his side win. (Bell 411). Dobie’s story in Out of This Furnace took place during a crucial time in America’s history that, through the creation of a number of legal acts, allowed unions to establish themselves. The first of these, The National Industrial Recovery Act paved the way for psychological acceptance of the concept of union negotiations and bargaining. Dobie confirms this by mentioning that the act removed the fear of unionization that had previously been established by the company and gave the men the confidence to fight for their rights. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) is also of significance in the novel. Through establishing the AFL in Braddock, Dobie was able to cement the concept of a group formed to protect their rights and such groups inevitably allowed for mass strikes and movements. This was further enhanced by the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) which was formed to represent specific industries such as the Steel Workers Organizing Committee. Unlike the AFL, the CIO, explicitly represented unskilled workers and were able to run campaigns that yielded significant results. One example of this during this period in history was the rubber workers in Akron, Ohio who staged a strike on the job in 1936. 70 workers were initially sacked as a result of their actions but this led to a further strike of 1400 workers. Unable to sustain operations the managing company, Goodyear, was forced to negotiate with the workers and changes to hours of work and payment terms were ultimately agreed. One of the most significant acts of this period was the Wagner Act that created the National Relations Board. This board provided the workers with the rights to select their own union representatives and therefore create a fair, unbiased representation for their rights. These legal Acts and the events they sparked allowed much improvement for workers and, although the road to their acceptance and implementation was long and arduous, by the end of the 1930s 1/3 workers belonged to a union and were able to freely and fairly fight for fair pay and working conditions. Out of this Furnace is not simply a story of three generations of mill workers; it is also a reflection of Americanization and the development of political rights for the immigrant workers in America. Within the novel, each generations development and success was related to the previous generation’s failures and learning. As time progresses the mill workers gain a better understanding of American culture and its politics and the domino effect of family generations.