Social Evolutionism How Did Modern Society Develop

Social evolution is what scholars term a broad set of theories that attempt to explain how and why modern cultures are different from those in the past. The questions that social evolution theorists seek answers to include: What is social progress? How is it measured? What social characteristics are preferable? and How were they selected for? What Social Evolutionism Means Social evolution has a wide variety of contradictory and conflicting interpretations among scholars--in fact, according to Perrin (1976), one of the architects of modern social evolution Herbert Spencer [1820-1903], had four working definitions that changed throughout his career. Through Perrins lens, Spencerian social evolution studies a little of all of these: Social Progress: Society is moving towards an ideal, defined as one with amity, individual altruism, specialization based on achieved qualities, and voluntary cooperation among highly disciplined individuals.Social Requirements: Society has a set of functional requirements that shape itself: aspects of human nature such as reproduction and sustenance, external environment aspects such as climate and human life, and social existence aspects, the behavioral constructs that make it possible to live together.Increasing Division of Labor: As population disrupts previous equilibriums, society evolves by intensifying the functioning of each special individual or classOrigin of Social Species: Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, that is to say, the embryonic development of a society is echoed in its growth and change, albeit with outside forces able to alter the direction of those changes. Where the Notion Comes From In the mid-19th century, social evolution came under the influence of Charles Darwins physical evolution theories expressed in Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, but social evolution is not derived from there. The 19th-century anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan is often named as the person who first applied evolutionary principles to social phenomena. In retrospect (something that is tantalizingly easy to do in the 21st century), Morgans notions that society moved inexorably through stages he termed as savagery, barbarism, and civilization seem backward and narrow. But it wasnt Morgan who saw that first: social evolution as a definable and one-way process is deeply rooted in western philosophy. Bock (1955) listed several antecedents to the 19th-century social evolutionists to scholars in the 17th and 18th centuries (Auguste Comte, Condorcet, Cornelius de Pauw, Adam Ferguson, and lots of others). Then he suggested that all of those scholars were responding to voyage literature, stories of the 15th and 16th century western explorers who brought back reports of newly discovered plants, animals, and societies. This literature, says Bock, sparked scholars first to marvel that God created so many different societies, then to attempt to explain the various cultures as not as enlightened as themselves. In 1651, for example, the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes explicitly stated that Native Americans were in the rarified state of nature that all societies were before they rose to civilized, political organizations. Greeks and Romans Even that is not the first glimmer of western social evolution: for that, you have to go back to Greece and Rome. Ancient scholars such as Polybius and Thucydides built histories of their own societies, by describing the early Roman and Greek cultures as barbaric versions of their own present. Aristotles idea of social evolution was that society developed from a family-based organization, into village-based, and finally into the Greek state. Much of the modern concepts of social evolution are present in Greek and Roman literature: the origins of society and the importance of discovering them, the need to be able to determine what inner dynamic was at work, and explicit stages of development. There is also, among our Greek and Roman forebears, the tinge of teleology, that our present is the correct end and only possible end of the social evolution process. Therefore, all social evolutionists, modern and ancient, says Bock (writing in 1955), have a classical view of change as growth, that progress is natural, inevitable, gradual, and continuous. Despite their differences, social evolutionists write in terms of successive, finely-graded stages of development; all seek the seeds in the original; all exclude consideration of specific events as effective factors, and all derive from a reflection of existing social or cultural forms arranged in a series. Gender and Race Issues One glaring problem with social evolution as a study is the explicit (or hidden right in plain sight) prejudice against women and non-whites: the non-western societies seen by the voyagers were made up of people of color who often had female leaders and/or explicit social equality. Obviously, they were unevolved, said the white male wealthy scholars in 19th-century western civilization. Nineteenth-century feminists like Antoinette Blackwell, Eliza Burt Gamble, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman read Darwins Descent of Man and were excited at the possibility that by investigating social evolution, science might trump that prejudice. Gamble explicitly rejected Darwins notions of perfectibility--that the current physical and social evolutionary norm was the ideal. She argued that in fact, humanity was embarked on a course of evolutionary degradation, including selfishness, egoism, competitiveness, and warlike tendencies, all of which flourished in civilized humans. If altruism, care for another, a sense of the social and the group good is important, the feminists said, the so-called savages (people of color and women) were more advanced, more civilized. As evidence of this degradation, in the Descent of Man, Darwin suggests that men should choose their wives more carefully, like cattle, horse, and dog breeders. In the same book he noted that in the animal world, males develop plumage, calls, and displays to attract females. Gamble pointed out this inconsistency, as did Darwin, who said that human selection resembled animal selection except that the female takes the part of the human breeder. But says Gamble (as reported in Deutcher 2004), civilization has degraded so much that under the repressive economic and social state of things, women must work to attract the male to establish economic stability. Social Evolution in the 21st Century There is no doubt that social evolution continues to thrive as a study and will continue in the foreseeable future. But the growth in representation of nonwestern and female scholars (not to mention differently gendered individuals) into the academic realm promises to alter that studys questions to include What went wrong that so many people have been disenfranchised? What would the perfect society look like and, perhaps bordering on social engineering, What can we do to get there? Sources Bock KE. 1955. Darwin and Social Theory. Philosophy of Science 22(2):123-134.DÃ ©barre F, Hauert C, and Doebeli M. 2014. Social evolution in structured populations. Nature Communications 5:3409.Deutscher P. 2004. The Descent of Man and the Evolution of Woman. Hypatia 19(2):35-55.Hall JA. 1988. Classes and elites, wars and social evolution: a comment on Mann. Sociology 22(3):385-391.Hallpike CR. 1992. On primitive society and social evolution: a reply to Kuper. Cambridge Anthropology 16(3):80-84.Kuper A. 1992. Primitive anthropology. Cambridge Anthropology 16(3):85-86.McGranahan L. 2011. William Jamess Social Evolutionism in Focus. The Pluralist 6(3):80-92.

Gender Stereotypes Of Grace Jones - 910 Words

We are together but have been created physically different, we are equal when it comes to our rights to live, air, water yet not the same in certain issues. Both sexes are,â€Å"deeply ingrained in the codes of our society.† Stereotypes imposed on us by the society has shrewdly manipulated or brainwashed us into believing that being told how to comport ourselves and be is rather a liberation, not oppression. Unfortunately, we are unconscious of this conspiracy when trying to look and behave like those individuals we see in the media or magazines. For women, in particular, the assumption is that we wear beautiful clothes such as dresses and skirts, reveal some skin to attract men, wear makeup and keep our hairs long. Two different images of Grace Jones will be the source of comparison in this essay to illustrate gender stereotypes placed on women. The first image has her album title on top, â€Å" Grace Jones/ Nightclubbing.† Also, there’s a quote in the bottom of the of her picture, which reads †I’ve seen that face before†. Beneath the quote, it says â€Å"liber tango†, which is her single on the album. The background is painted in an unappealing bright greenish yellow. This color shifts the attention of the observer to her much darker image in the middle. In the second picture, there’s not much background. However, in both images the focus is solely on her, she has a strong presence and expression. Although she’s a woman, Jones, is displayed as a man in one picture and veryShow MoreRelatedFemininity, Masculinity, And Masculinity861 Words   |  4 Pageseither homosexual or queer. I chose two pictures of Grace Jones to compare in this essay since she happens to be a gender bender and victim of alike persecutions. Additionally, Grace Jones is a supermodel and singer from Jamaica, who’s renowned for cross-dressing and artistic fashion styles (Williams). The picture titled, â€Å"Grace Jo nes/Nightclubbing,†was derived from the National Portrait Gallery,while the other from, â€Å"Essense† website, Jones demonstrates that women can be feminine or soft in oneRead MoreGender Bending : Femininity And Masculinity928 Words   |  4 Pages Gender Bending Womanhood is often associated with femininity while manhood with masculinity. Masculinity is the idea that men are tough both physically and mentally. Femininity, a term associated with being a women and used to describe a women’s comportment and attitude. A gentle individual, male or female, who wear dresses, skirts, high heels, makeup, have long hair is considered feminine. Unfortunately this term is used to define womanhood, if a womenRead MoreAnalysis Of The Documentary Nigel Morris Empire Of Light2285 Words   |  10 Pagesof Light offers numerous criticisms of Spielberg’s Indiana Jones series. His conclusions draw on the subconscious biases of the film with topics ranging from American imperialism, anti-feminism, and the â€Å"white man’s burden†. Morris argues the hero - the white, American, and masculine Jones - is inseparable from these identities (pg. 77). While he makes interesting points about the role of Marion and other character s in relation to Jones to support this argument, as he acknowledges, Spielberg hasRead MorePortrayal And Demeanor Of African American Women On Television3281 Words   |  14 PagesWives† and â€Å"The Bad Girls Club†, Samuels came to the conclusion that these shows use black women to justify the stereotype of the â€Å"angry black woman†. Although Donald Trump’s show â€Å"Celebrity Apprentice† is not an African American dominated show, Samuels uses it as an introductory and perfect example that black women are used on television as a whole to exemplify this stereotype when Star Jones and NeNe Leakes are shown arguing. Samuels analyzes simple things such as facial expression, movement and gesturesRead MoreGender Inequality And Sexism Are Common Social Issues Within Today s Society1856 Words   |  8 Pages Gender inequality and sexism are common social issues within today’s society. I believe for a while now, men were thought of as the stronger sex, thus they were the ones who â€Å"brought home the bacon† while the women stayed at home, taking care of the children and keeping the house neat. Within the workforce as well, I believe men were always thought to be superior; they were the ones getting more frequent promotions and higher salaries, all catering to the idea of â€Å"bringing home the bacon.† InRead MorePlastic Surgery Before Age Eighteen2506 Words   |  11 Pagesgrown into a multibillion-dollar industry that draws hundreds of thousands of contestants, many of them under the age of 12. Sponsors of these pageants argue that they instill confidence and grace in contestants, while critics worry that they encourage superficiality at a young age and reinforce gender stereotypes (â€Å"Issue Overview: Plastic Surgery). Finally, there are teenagers and adults who become obsessed with surgeries and never feel happy and satisfied with what the mirror brings back. In suchRead MorePlastic Surgery Before Age Eighteen2512 Words   |  11 Pagesgrown into a multibillion-dollar industry that draws hundreds of thousands of contestants, many of them under the age of 12. Sponsors of these pageants argue that they instill confidence and grace in contestants, while critics worry that they encourage superficiality at a young age and reinforce gender stereotypes (â€Å"Issue Overview: Plastic Surgery). Finally, there are teenagers and adults who become obsessed with surgeries and never feel happy and satisfied with what the mirror brings back. In suchRead MorePlastic Surgery Before Age Eighteen2588 Words   |  11 Pagesgrown into a multibillion-dollar industry that draws hundreds of thousands of contestants, many of them under the age of 12. Sponsors of these pageants argue that they instill confidence and grace in contestants, while critics worry that they encourage superficiality at a young age and reinforce gender stereotypes (â€Å"Issue Overview: Plastic Surgery). Finally, there are teenagers and adults who become obsessed with surgeries and never feel happy and satisfied with what the mirror brings back. In suchRead MoreLgbt19540 Words   |  79 PagesWhat Is LGBT? LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and along with heterosexual they describe peoples sexual orientation or gender identity. These terms are explained in more detail here. Lesbian A lesbian woman is one who is romantically, sexually and/or emotionally attracted to women. Many lesbians prefer to be called lesbian rather than gay. Gay A gay man is one who is romantically, sexually and/or emotionally attracted to men. The word gay can be used to refer generallyRead MoreWomen, Hair, And Cancer10628 Words   |  43 Pagesanswer these questions in a world where women would starve themselves to be thin, or reject chemotherapy treatments and jeopardize their lives, not to lose their hair. Whether on television, in the magazines, or at the movies, the media are full of stereotypes and clichà ©s about what the ideal woman should look like. Models and actresses are usually desperately thin, predominantly white, and always wear a trendy hairstyle. In fact, along with thinness, I believe that hair is a major component of what is

Business Finance Written Assignment Free Essays

Q1. Define an â€Å"efficient market† and the three forms of market efficiency. Explain how each of the forms differs from a perfect market. We will write a custom essay sample on Business Finance Written Assignment or any similar topic only for you Order Now Define arbitrage and explain what kind of information is needed for you to obtain arbitrage in each of the forms of market efficiency. (5 points) Q2. Please compare the advantages and disadvantages of the following investment rules: Net Present Value (NPV), Payback Period, Discounted Payback Period, Average Accounting Return, Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Profitability Index (PI). You can start by considering the following questions for each investment rule: Does it use cash flows or accounting earnings? Does it consider all cash flows or not? Does it apply a proper discount rate? Whether the acceptance criteria are clear and reasonable? In what situation it can be applied? What kind of weakness does it have? ) (5 points) Question 1 An efficient market is advocated by a hypothesis that under free movement of information, the true value of securities are fairly priced, which immediately and accurately reflect all information available to investors. By the assumptions that rational investors evaluate the price by ascertained future cash flows, and are able to learn and react quickly to new information once delivered, investors do not expect to achieve returns in excess of average market returns. The three forms of market efficiency are weak, semi-strong, and strong. Different degree of information is reflected by price in different forms. Under weak form, the prices reflect all past publicly available information, like historical prices movements. Under semi-strong form, the prices reflect all publicly available information, like financial statements and news reports. Under strong form, the prices reflect all public and private information. Generally, because of quick reflection of information in price and quick response of investors to the market, it is impossible for investors to obtain or use new information to find undervalued stocks. To illustrate, in weak form, using past prices for technical analysis is useless to predict future trend as past information is irrelevant to the future. In semi-strong form, using fundamental analysis is not useful as the prices are immediately adjusted once the information widely circulated in the market. In strong form, finding undervalued stocks is not consistent as all information is well known. Thus, no investors can earn excess return by trading the information or selling the stocks with too high expected returns. A perfect market is where no arbitrage opportunities occur (i. e. Law of One Price) because complete information is shared among all investors. Compared with efficient market, no distinction in degree of information is reflected in price here. Arbitrage means the practice of buying and selling equivalent goods in different markets to take advantage of a price difference. An arbitrage opportunity occurs if making a profit without taking any risk. An efficient market does not necessarily mean investors cannot yield excess return. Instead, an arbitrage opportunity does exist if they ask for appropriate information quickly. If a market achieves strong form efficiency given that it is mature enough, no investor can yield any excess return in long run. Thus, no more information is needed. On the other hand, private and latest public information are needed to obtain arbitrage in semi-strong and weak form efficiency respectively. (395 words) Question 2 Use of cash flows and discount rate All investment rules are determined by estimated cash flows but only NPV, IRR and PI consider all cash flows throughout the project’s life. Except payback period, the cash flows are discounted by proper discount rate under each rule. A positive NPV expects the project adding value to firm and shareholders’ wealth. All discounted expected future cash flows are taken into consideration compared with the initial cost. The discount rate estimates the risk level and the return and thus it is appropriate. Thus, NPV is the best because it accounts for time value of money and risk of cash flows. IRR is the return that set NPV to zero. Similarly, the calculation is based on cash flows and discount rate (i. e. same benefit as NPV). It provides a simple tool without estimating all details but intuitively appealing to know. If IRR is high enough, the time spent on estimating a required cost of capital is avoidable. PI measures benefit per unit cost based on time value of money to estimate an additional value to firm. Two versions of PI provide same decision and both are easy to understand and communicate. For calculating PI, NPV calculation is used and thus PI’s advantage is same as NPV’s. Payback period is the amount of time for future cash flows taken to recover the initial investment. It is a scanning tool for uncertain cash flows. However, it ignores cost of capital and time value of money since only cash flows for that current period are concerned. Also, not all cash flows are considered as cash flows beyond payback period are ignored. Similar to payback period, the only difference is discounted payback period better considers discount rate (i. e. time value of money). Therefore, payback period on a discounted basis will be longer. Clearness and reasonableness of acceptance criteria NPV, IRR and PI can provide clear and reasonable criteria while only NPV can be applied to all situations. The NPV rule is to accept a stand-alone project with positive NPV or a mutually exclusive project with the highest NPV. As NPV is estimated absolutely, the rule can still be applied despite of different scale of projects. The IRR rule is to accept a stand-alone project with IRR greater than cost of capital or a mutually exclusive project with the highest IRR. However, IRR rule is consistent with NPV rule only if all negative cash flows precede positive cash flows. In other words, the conflict is due to non-conventional ash flows and change in signs more than once. Thus, non-existent or multiple IRR(s) may cause uncertainty in decision making. IRR is unreliable when mutually exclusive projects are different in scale, risk and time horizon. PI is closely related to NPV, generally leading to identical decisions. PI helps evaluate and identify the optimal combination under resource constraint, especially for limited budget. The project with the highest PI should be chosen first. Nevertheless, it ignores the size factor and thus leads to incorrect decisions among mutually exclusive projects. Moreover, PI cannot be applied during multiple resource constraints. The rule of (discounted) payback period is to accept the project if it is less than a pre-specified length of time. It is easily understood and simply used because of clear acceptance criteria. However, an arbitrary cutoff point is required for determination. It is subjective since ignoring the impact of cash flows after payback period favors short –term projects and biases against long –term projects. Conclusion NPV is the most commonly used investment criteria and true at any time. If any conflicts exist among the investment rules, NPV rule should prevail. 605 words) Reference 1. Hong Kong Institute of Investors (2001), â€Å"Efficient Market Hypothesis†, retrieved 1 April 2012, from http://td. hkii. org/investu/168ch7/7-5. php 2. NYU Stern, â€Å"Market Efficiency – Definition and Tests†, retrieved 1 April 2012, from http://pages. stern. nyu. edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/invemgmt /effdefn. htm 3. Wikipedia, â€Å"Efficient-market hypothesis†, retrieved 1 April 2012, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Efficient-market_hypothesis 4. Wretch (21 February 2006), â€Å"Efficient Market Hypothesis†, retrieved 1 April 2012, from http://www. wretch. cc/blog/jeysafe/3421966 How to cite Business Finance Written Assignment, Essay examples

Internal Control free essay sample

My Recommendation Impact of going public Public companies, as the result of the passing of Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, are necessary to document their controls, assess the documented controls and have their external auditors examine their testing of controls and note down a report about the efficiency of controls surrounding financial reporting. As a result, there will be supplementary work on designing, testing and auditing of controls if you come to a decision to go public. High-quality practices Having long-term employees is a real positive feature and I acclaim you for retaining talent. The use of pre-numbered checks, pre-numbered invoices, locking up new checks, having two managers support new hires, and carrying out bank reconciliation are greatest practices and I support you to stick with these procedures. Weak practices and recommendations There are a number of practices, on the other hand, that make you defenseless to errors, mutually planned and unplanned. We will write a custom essay sample on Internal Control or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Segregation of duties Employees that manage cash ought to not be involved in the bank reconciliation or invoices. Employees in charge for purchasing should not have any payment or reconciliation duties. By segregating duties, there is more than one person implicated in the sales and purchasing cycle as a result one person cannot carry out a fake transaction or take away cash or purchased assets without it being noticed by another employee. Access to assets All employees should not have access to petty cash. The cash must be locked and those with a key should make sure proper documentation for cash distributed to be sure it is approved. Indelible ink machine Printing your own checks is all right as long as you use pre-numbered check stock paper to write the checks. Or else, you will not recognize that you have accounted for every check written. Leaving paychecks in office Checks should be locked until distributed to assure confidentiality and security. Background checks Prior to authorizing new hires, a background check would prevent putting high risk individuals in positions where they might harm the firm. Passwords Passwords are a key control preventing staff from accessing data outside of their duties and altering transaction information from preliminary amounts to cover up errors, fraud or theft. Everyone should have an individual password and not reveal it to another. Changing passwords periodically is a best practice. Approval Having a supervisor approve the bank reconciliation to be sure no strange or old reconciling items are left unattended is a greatest practice.

10 Fun Facts about the California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

The California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo is home to some of the most unique places that California has to offer. See why famous companies like Urban dictionary and Jamba Juice were founded by students attending Cal Poly SLO! In 2013, a Cal Poly alumnus donated a live horse named Chase to serve as the Cal Poly mascot. On a hillside next to Cal Poly there is a white concrete â€Å"P’ on the side of the mountain. It is a long standing tradition for students during the school year to decorate the P to spell out messages like names of clubs, fraternities, and sororities. The palm theatre located in San Luis Obispo is the first solar powered theatre in the United States. San Luis Obispo is home to the famous tourist attraction, Bubblegum Alley, a walkway 70 feet long and 15 feet high with millions of pieces of gum lining the walls. The hike up Serenity Swing is a Cal Poly favorite. So much so that students set up a trampoline at the end of the trail for more instagram moments. On Saturdays from 10AM - 1PM, the crop fields are open for U-pick hours where students can pick crops that the Horticulture and Crop Science students grow on campus. The famous smoothie joint, Jamba juice was actually founded in SLO. Formerly known as Juice Club, Jamba Juice started as a senior project by a group of Cal Poly and Cuesta students in 1990. Aaron Peckham a former student at Cal Poly started the website, Urban Dictionary as a freshman and it has since become one of the largest crowdsourced online dictionaries that has every new word or slang term. John Madden a former NFL player, Super Bowl winning coach of the Oakland Raiders, and former NFL commentator, graduated from Cal Poly in 1961. You cant attend Cal Poly without going to the farmers market on Thursday nights where many college students go to eat dinner, get fresh fruits and vegetables, and hang out with friends. Are you looking to apply to Cal Polyor just starting to build outyour college list? Make sure to search through profiles of students accepted to see essays, stats, and advice. See how they got in, and how you can too!

SAT 1 vs SAT 2 Whats the Difference

SAT 1 vs SAT 2 What's the Difference SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You might have heard of something called the SAT II (or SAT 2) and wondered what it could be. A secret, harder version of the SAT, perhaps? The reality is less dramatic: the SAT II is just an old name for the SAT Subject Tests. This guide will explain the current form of the SAT II, outline the differences between the SAT 1 vs SAT 2, and help you determine which of the tests you should take. Feature Image:Matthias Neugebauer/Flickr What Are the SAT 1 and the SAT 2? As I touched on above, these aresimply out-of-date monikers: the SAT I is now known as just as the SAT and the SAT II is more descriptively referred to as the SAT Subject Tests.Colleges sometimes still refer to the tests as the SAT I and SAT II, so don't worry if you see those terms. The SAT started out as a military IQ testand was administered as a college admissions assessment for the first time in 1926. Since then, it's undergone a series of changes to make it less focused on innate ability and more on testing concepts and skills students learn in school. It's weathered a few controversies, but it's still considereda decent predictor of how students will do in college. The SAT Subject Tests are almost as old as the SAT proper. Officially called Scholarship Tests but known colloquially as the Achievement Tests,the Subject Testsstarted in 1937and were basically the same thing they are now: one-hour tests on specific subjects,like biology andworld history. There are currently 20 different Subject Tests, and you can sign up for up to three per test date. Here is an overview of all SAT Subject Tests: Humanities Math and Science Literature Math Level 1 US History Math Level 2 World History Biology (E/M) Chemistry Physics Languages (No Listening) Languages (w/ Listening) French French with Listening German German with Listening Spanish Spanish with Listening Modern Hebrew Chinese with Listening Italian Japanese with Listening Latin Korean with Listening What’s the Difference Between the SAT 1 and the SAT 2? Originally, the SAT I was meant to test aptitude and the SAT II was meant to test achievement. That is to say, one tested what you were capable of, and the other tested what you knew. But when the College Board moved away from the idea of the SAT I testing innate ability, they reframed it as a reasoning test, making the difference between the two SATs less well defined. With changes in 2016, the SAT I (now just the SAT) is more focused than ever on testing knowledge rather than logic. At this point, I'd say that the SAT tests general knowledge and the SAT Subject Tests assess topical knowledge. There arealso some key ways the two tests differ in structure.For one, although the questions on both tests are primarily multiple choice, SAT questions have four answer choices, while SAT Subject Test questionstypically have five answer choices. This means that you'll have a slightly higher probability of guessing the correct answer on the SAT (25% chance) than you will on the SAT Subject Tests (20% chance). In addition, SAT Subject Tests have a guessing penalty for incorrect answers, whereas the SAT does not (though it used to). Note that you neither gain nor lose points for questions left blank on both tests. Here's how the guessing penalty works on the SAT II: 1/4 point deducted for every incorrect five-choice question 1/3 point deducted for every incorrect four-choice question 1/2 point deducted for every incorrect three-choice question Take a look at the chart below for a rundown of the basic differences between the two types of SAT tests in their current forms: SAT SAT Subject Tests Other Names SAT 1, SAT I, SAT Reasoning Test SAT 2, SAT II, SAT Achievement Tests Format 3 hr 50 min multiple-choice test (with one essay question) 1 hr multiple-choice test Subject Matter Reading, Writing, Math 20 different topics (listed above) Guessing Penalty? No Yes Which Schools Require It? Almost all colleges Only some very selective colleges Also note that because of the timing of each test, you cannot take the SAT and any SAT Subject Tests on the same testing day. How to Determine Whether You Need to Take the SAT, the SAT Subject Tests, or Both A good rule of thumb is that you'll almost certainly have to take theSAT I (or the ACT), but you'll probablyonly need to take the SAT II if you're applying to highly selective colleges. Nonetheless, you should check the testing requirements for each school you're applying to since they can differ quite a bit. The majority of collegeshaveone ofthree basic policies on the SAT Subject Tests. Let's go through them one at a time. Policy 1: They Only Ask For the SAT (or ACT) Most schools, including the majorstate universities, don't require applicants to submit Subject Test scores. However, some colleges will consider SAT II scores,so they can be a helpful way to show your mastery of a certain subject area (as long as you dowell). Policy 2: They Ask For the SAT (or ACT) and SAT Subject Tests A handfulofvery selective schools,includingHarvard and Rice,require applicants to submit scores from both the SAT I and between one and three (usually two) SAT II tests. Some collegeshave more specific guidelines regarding which Subject Tests you need to take. For example,MIT requires one Math SAT II and one Science SAT II. Other schools- including McGill, Tufts, and Duke- will waive the Subject Tests requirement if you submit ACT scores.These schools will still look at SAT Subject Test scores if you send them, however. Policy 3: They Ask For the SAT orSATSubject Tests A growing subset of schools have adopted atest-flexiblepolicy, which means they allow students to choose which scores they'd like to submit from a numberof different tests.Examples of schools that allow students to submit SAT II results in place of SAT I or ACT scores include NYU, Colorado College, and Middlebury. Recap: Should You Take SAT I or SAT II? The SAT I is the standard SAT test format, which you will need to take for most college applications. The SAT II tests are subject-specific tests that might or might not be required, depending on where you plan to apply. As you can see above, colleges' SAT II policies vary widely. Be sure to look up the testing requirements for every school you’re planning to apply to, and determine what you need to do well in advance. You might want to start by checking outour complete list of schools that require SAT Subject Tests. That said, don't forget to confirm colleges' policies on their official websites! What's Next? If you've determined that you need to take the SAT II,the next step is figuring out which Subject Tests you should takeand what scores you need to shoot for. You might also want to take a look at our SAT Subject Test study guides for US Historyand Physics. Ifyou're applying to Ivy Leagueschools,check out our guides on what SAT score you need, what their average SAT II scores are, and exactly how you can get in. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below:

Why comics based movies are more polular than comics themselves Research Paper

Why comics based movies are more polular than comics themselves - Research Paper Example ll of emotions, sound, color, drama, cool guys, mean villains - everything they can never have, and could never experience without such heroic-action movie. An all this majestic set of emotions is accompanied with an attractive picture and impressive sound. Films are really popular. Nevertheless, a lot of bestseller films where based on books, and, particularly, the comic books. There is a great number of movies that gained their popularity seemingly from the scratch - 300 Spartans, Sin City, V is for Vendetta - in a row with films that where based on franchise that already has been famous - Spider Man, Batman, X-Men; also Blade, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Conan, Shadow, The Crow - some people would hardly realize, that all these films were based on a source-book ("Cover Browser"). And this source-book is sometimes much larger and deeper than the film is, and just can’t be forced into three hours of a movie time. Additionally, the Batman franchise is an intense sample of TV and film reusing comic book background. We can likewise see it as a sample of the breakdown of high art and the entrance of popular culture into mass minds - a larger number of individuals know and consider Batman as more important than characters from the books of Dickens , Jane Austen or Dostoevsky (Mann). Bright and specific style of drawing, drama, action, expressive emotions and poses, twisted plots that last for years, minor and major issues, apocalypse or personal grief and joy. Comic books, actually, are much older, than their fans, and, actually, sometimes much too older than modern movie fans. First comic book in America was printed in 1842, and, though this type of art has become really popular in no time-The Brownies: Their Book, printed in 1887 became world-renown, its style was impressively different from the one we are used to nowadays ("Comic Books"). It took really long for comics to take the form we are used to. It is considered, that ‘Popeye† can be called

Oppression & Criminal Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Oppression & Criminal Activity - Essay Example On the other side, poverty is a harsh reality which has a language and dialect of its own and it has the power to adversely influence one’s social and spiritual health. This other side is heartrendingly established by Meridel Le Sueur in her novel ‘The Girl’. The girl is one of those for whom the childhood is not a sweet memory. Quite on the contrary, it is an account of pain, humiliation and patriarchal brutality. It is explicitly revealed in the playfulness and rejoicing of children when the girl’s father is dead. Though the story was originally set in the backdrop of the Great Depression in the United States, its implications remain valid irrespective of time and space; that a delay of four decades in the publication of ‘The Girl’ did not have any effect on its popularity is a testimony to the timelessness of the relevance of its theme. When starvation, sexual abuse, monotony and lack of opportunities become the order of life, they create the ground for the evolution of a naà ¯ve farm girl into an accomplice in a bank robbery. The girl’s anonymity does not cause any confusion because the applicability of her experiences is universal. It is the same stimulus – poverty – that makes the girl indulge in recreational sex (Coiner 111), gives Belle the courage to operate a speakeasy or pushes Clara into prostitution. It may be noted that none of them ever had any feelings of guilt nor any qualms of conscience over what they did. Le Sueur’s focus in the novel, which was intended as a memorial to the women of the Depression, was primarily on the lives and condition of women of the proletarian class in the thirties, but the story, through the character of Butch, the girl’s lover, incidentally throws light on the evils of the capitalist structure (Sueur 135). Butch’s speech before his death (after the foiled bank robbery attempt) exposes how the system and institutions in vogue contribute to unequal opportunities thereby making a section of the population desperate and furious. The significance of the story’s tragic end is that the desperation and fury of the oppressed are not of any consequence, as is indicated by Clara’s unwept death or the kind of end that Hoink, Ganz and Butch eventually meet with. In the struggle for survival, it is always the mighty that win; the rest is foredoomed to become extinct. The personal good and bad traits of the characters notwithstanding, the y have a common source of motivation – lack of options – that drives them towards planning and executing (often unsuccessfully) criminal activities. Modern theories on self-improvement suggest that if one thinks one can do, one can. Examined from the perspective of Butch’s experience, the validity of such theories becomes debatable. Butch feels good, feels strong, has a passion for winning and claims that he is a natural winner, that winning is in his bones. What, then, turns such a man of attitude into a criminal is an eternal mystery. What, however, turns out to be obvious is that poverty is not quite the right platform to produce winners. It is the population at the lower rungs of the economic ladder that fills prisons and never the other way round. By and large, there are prisons because there are slums and these slums produce a lot of blind men with pistols. ‘Blind Man with a Pistol’ by Chester Himes is less a detective novel and more an anti-d etective novel in which the plight of the poor and the disenfranchised and their victimization by the law and order enforcement machinery is realistically depicted. The prostitutes, homosexuals and janitors chased by Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are invariably from ghettos or tenements. Here it is not only the question of survival

Final Project Report Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Final Project Report - Dissertation Example The rFinder is a mapping application, which after judicious analysis has been designed and developed to solve the same problem in the most stimulating fashion and customized for Reading and its environs. Given that the designed solution was built using one of the most powerful API that is Matthias Tretters (MTDirectionsKit) and powerful programming language, Objective C, the system offers a potential to scale appropriately with the increasing number of users the system’s performance. The application was developed for Apple iOS, which means that the software application will run on any Apple operating system such as on iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and all other apple products. The software was integrated with other technologies to enhance usability and facilitate access to other APIs. These technologies were; MapQuest Maps, Google Maps and Bing Maps which provided more efficient navigation APIs for the application. This application offers a variety of direction solutions to the us ers. They assist the users find alternative directions to their intended destinations, find intermediate locations and find popular destinations. Other features includes the tracking feature and the interactive feature or module. In general the system provides solutions to the issues regarding navigation specifically in Reading, and also has unique features that were designed with the interest of the users. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to acknowledge my sincere thanks and gratitude to the almighty God for taking care of me and granting me good health in the course of undertaking this project. I sincerely thank my supervisors, Professor Shirley Williams and Matthias Tretter, without whose help and support, this project would not have been a success. I am also grateful to [xxx, xxx, xxx] and all those who have directly or indirectly helped me in completion of the project. I would also like to acknowledge my sincere thanks towards our department, and its faculty for their valuable guid ance and suggestions that have resulted in the successful completion of the project. Their inspiration during the difficult times during the development of this project is invaluable and inestimable to me. DECLARATION I hereby declare that the project work entitled â€Å"rFinder: FINDING MY WAY ROUND READING† submitted to University of Reading, is a record of an original work done by me under the guidance and mentorship of my project supervisors, Professor Shirley Williams and Matthias Tretter, and submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. The results embodied in this report have not been submitted to any other University or Institute for the award of any degree or diploma. STUDENT: [name] Signature †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Date †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ SUPERVISOR: Prof. Shirley Williams Signature †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Date †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION 1 ABSTRACT 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 3 DECLARATION 4 LIST OF TABLES 8 LIST OF

Causes of the US National Debt

Causes of the US National Debt How big is the US National Debt and history? By definition, the amount of money owed by the federal government to creditors is referred to as the US National Debt. The National debt is categorized into two; public debts and government. Government debts are always on the rise due to the increase in government spending and expenditure, unpaid credits by debtors, decreased taxes among others (Zezza, 2014). The US National Debt has a historical increment due to the rise in debt as a share of the GDP during the recession periods and times of war. A combination of inflation and growth of GDP results in decreased national debt. The national debt of the US, for instance, increased after the World War II to 113 % in the year 1945 (Zezza, 2014). However, this figure later went down in the subsequent thirty-five years. In the past few decades, there have been concerns of how sustainable the fiscal policies of the US National government are based on the rise in costs of medication and the growing number of old people in the US population ( Zezza, 2014). According to Sakbani (2013), the public debt of the US was at $ 14.3 trillion of the overall GDP while the inter-governmental debts were $5.4 trillion. This totals to about 10.6% of the 2015 GDP. Sakbani (2013) further notes that more than 45 % of the US national debt in 2016 was by foreign investors with Japan and China in the lead. Precisely, an analysis of the US national debt reveals that the debt has had a constructive decline since the year 1789 apart from between 1835 and 1836 (Chorafas, 2014). The debt was at the highest level during the first term presidency of Harry Truman which was during and after the Second World War.   After the second world war, there was a notable fall in the national debt in the US. The US national debt was at its lowest point in 1974 under the leadership of Richard Nixon (Sakbani, 2013). However, after 1974, the national debt started appreciating and this has been the trend since then. But it stagnated during Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter’s presidency. In the 1980s there was a tremendous increase in national debt due to Ronald Reagans decision to lower taxes and increase military expenditures. However, in the 1990s the debt went down when a reverse of the 1980s was implemented; increased taxes, and lower military spending. Chorafas (2014) highlights that due to the fina ncial crisis between 2007 and 2008 the public debt went extremely high. There seems to be a surge in national debt during the GW Bush and Obama administrations. Why? There was a considerable rise in national debt between the presidency of George Bush and that of Barrack Obama. This was from $ 5.768 trillion when Bush left office to $ 14.071 trillion 735 days after Obama took office (Skidmore, 2011). This means that the recording of Bush’s national debt was wrong. This is because in his term as the president there was a rise of $ 607 billion yearly hence the overall figure could not be $ 5.768 trillion as indicated in the Treasury records. Skidmore (2011) further explains that during Obama’s era the national debt considerably went high by an average of $ 1.723 trillion yearly. This saw the figure go way up above the debt during Bush’s presidency. However, it is not possible to hold Obama responsible for this increase in debt. This is because the figures flow from the 2009’s budget which Obama never signed. This means that if the right account to Obamas accounts are to be analyzed this should trail down from the fiscal year 2010 and 2011 (Sakbani, 2013). In addition to a sum of $ 225 trillion that was included in the 2009 budget under his signature. A close comparison of Obama’s and Bush’s spending and deficit reveal that Bush was way far than Obama based on managing of the national debt. This argument can be supported by; Bush operated a total budget of 3.283 trillion in deficit spending for his eight fiscal years in office. On the other hand, Obama operated at a spending deficit of $ 2.826 trillion within his first two years in office. This means that while Bush operated at a deficit of $410 billion per annum, Obama operates at more than $1.4 trillion per annum, giving a difference of more than 1 trillion between the two reigns. This analysis explains the current surge between Obamas presidency and Bushs presidency regarding deficit spending. What are the consequences of a large national debt? Is it going to hamper the economic growth as some have claimed? Based on an economic perspective, large national debt affects the economic growth negatively. It is almost impossible for a government or country rather to sustaining a large and growing national debt. Some of the effects come from the side of investors who begin doubting the possibility of the federal government to continue servicing the economy and government spending (Boubekar et al., 2016). There are three major effects of large national debts on a country’s economic growth. First, large debt draws money away from national investments which would earn then government some revenues. This is due to lack of enough money for the government to service effective investments. This would mean that the government is heavily spending, but there are minimal or no revenues being generated hence lack of capital to be reinvested. There will be no growth in the country’s economy. Secondly, large debts negatively influence taxation and spending by the government. This is because when the country is suffering from high national debts, all the attention are focused on what the government can do to continue sustaining itself. This is where the government adjusts. As Boubaker et al. (2016) put it when taxation is high workers and investors are negatively affected by tax increment and can be left with little or no money to reinvest. Also, the tax increment leads to economic downturn from the side of the policymakers and investors. Policymakers find it challenging designing policies on tax spending in an environment where there is an extremely high national debt. The economic growth is normally hard in such a situation based on the fact that there are no sufficient funds to fund any new challenges that arise along the policy-making and policy implementation processes. Is it possible for the US to default on its debt in future? Explain The United States does not have any record of ever defaulting on national debt. If this ever happens the results can be unimaginable. However, there have been cases when the House Republicans have resisted raising the house ceilings urging the Congress house to cut on spending first (Johnson, 2000). It means that there are possibilities of the US failing to honor their national debt shortly. Precisely, the US can default their national debt in two main ways; failure of the Congress to raise the debt ceiling, and is the Government decides that the interests they are charged are way too high and resolve to not paying interests on bond, notes, and Treasury bills. In the first case scenario, failure by the Congress to raise the debt ceiling would mean high interests rate on Treasuries, hence high costs on the consumer loan, mortgages, and other such services (Johnson, 2000).This will then lead to decline in the value of a dollar and finally inability of the government to pay salaries and benefits to their civil servants and retirees. On the other hand, in the second scenario, there would be a disaster as the value of treasuries in all the government’s secondary markets would stagnate or go down hence Treasuries would be sold at discounted prices (Cline, 2013). The government would find it hard to auction their treasuries hence making it hard for them to borrow money and pay bills. The default of US national debt would be extremely disastrous owing to the confidence most investors have on the US markets. Why the Nobel winning economist Paul Krugman is not as alarmed as many others are concerning the high level of US National debt? It is important to note that the overall national debt is usually a combination of all loans acquired by the federal government from various creditors to finance a deficit budget. In taking and utilizing loans, the government usually has a focus on increasing their tax rates for them to finance their current government spending (Zezza, 2014). Paul Kraugman can be said to be less alarmed on the high level of the US national debt due to his argument that there is no need for investors or anybody else to worry about the level of the impeding national debt of the US. In his argument, Kraugman makes several assumptions. Unlike others, Krugman argues that in as much as debt matters there are other things that matter most and that the government needs to spend more to get the US citizens out of the current unemployment trap (Zezza, 2014). This shows that he had no idea what harm the current high national debt has caused the US and the impacts a further increase in government spending will cause the US. References Boubaker, S., Rouatbi, W., & Saffar, W. (2016). The Role of multiple large shareholders in the choice of debt source. Financial Management, 46(1), 241-387. Doi: 10. 1111/fima. 12148 Chorafas, D. N. (2014). Kingdoms of Debt Public Debt Dynamics of Europe and the US, 24-32. DOI: 10. 1016/b978-0-12-420021-0.00002-6 Cline, W. R. (2013). The multiplier, sovereign default Risk, and the US budget: An overview. Public Debt, Global Governance and Economics Dynamism, 276-29. Doi: 10.1007/978-88-470-5331-1-3 Johnson, K. (2000). National Missile Defense 2015: An Unintended Consequence. Doi. 10. 21236/ada432647 Sakbani, M. N. (2013). The Dual Debt Problem in the US and in Europe. International Debt. Doi: 10. 1057/9781137030573.0007 Skidmore, D. N. (2011). The Obama Presidency and the US Foreign Policy: Where is the Multilateralism? International Studies Perspectives, 13(1), 46-53. Doi: 10.1111/mj. 1528-3585.2011.00454.x Zezza, G. (2014). Fiscal and Debt Policies for Sustainable US Growth. Fiscal and Debt Policies for the Future. Doi: 10. 1057/9781137269539.0012

The Robber Bride :: essays research papers

Depending on how you look at Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride, Timson calls it an 'upmarket melodrama'; whereas Martin refers to it as a novel 'confronting politically correct feminism';. The truth is it isn't either of these. While some of the situations are greatly exaggerated, this book comments on the way that women interact with each other on a day-to-day basis. Atwood tells the story of three women, and how they are drawn together because they have all been double-crossed by a mutual female friend, Zenia. These characters seem so real that in some cases they are reminiscent of actual acquaintances. The male characters in The Robber Bride, however, are dull and lifeless. We never get to know any of them in great detail. On the other hand, Atwood does a wonderful job of describing the setting, which really allows the reader become more involved in the story. The main message in this novel is that women have drastically different relationships with each other than they do with men. Not being a woman myself makes it difficult for me to determine if this message is true, but nonetheless, Atwood does have a lot to say about the way females deal with each other. The character Roz constantly runs into problems in the business world. 'It's complicated, being a woman boss. Women don't look at you and think Boss. They look at you and think Woman, as in Just another one, like me, and where does she get off?'; The female characters do not 'come across as more emblematic than real.'; as Timson suggests. Charis decides how her day is going to be by swinging a crystal above her head. This behavior reminds me of an acquaintance who once tried to lecture me on the power of 'crystal vibrations'. This may be because Atwood's characters are stereotypes and everyone is bound to know someone like them. However, this realism provides common ground between the reader and the novel, which makes it easier to read. As Male characters in The Robber Bride are very poor and have absolutely no depth. Or as Timson put it '…and male characters who, it can be argued, are uniformly portrayed as so hapless, brutal or pathetic you could forgive them for forming a support group, leaping off the page and tearing the author from limb to limb.'; Their only purpose is to serve as vehicles for the female characters to injure each other. For instance, West barely ever speaks and Tony treats him like a baby, sheltering him from everything and everyone. She believes that it is her job to protect him, and this comes from Zenia almost taking him from

Connections between 4 texts Essay

I have been studying four texts for this report, â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† by Harper Lee, â€Å"A Party Down at the Square† by Ralph Waldo Elison, â€Å"Mississipi Burning† by Alan Parker and â€Å"Green Mile† directed by the famous Frank Darabont. All these texts show connections and have similarities to help us to explore the idea of key individuals or group of people or the justice system shows racist attitude. They can do this verbally, physically or turning the blind eye. Verbally means using derogatory language towards Black American. Physical means using violence to make themselves feel superior. Justice system meaning that there is no fair legal trial. Turning the blind eye means bystander effect that is affected by this. â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† by Harper Lee is set in a fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during 1930’s. It charts the small town life of a young white girl, Scout, living in a deeply segregated society. Her father, Atticus, is a lawyer, is given a task of representing Tom Robinson. He is a young black man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Her father Bob Ewell, humiliated and vows revenge. He spits at Atticus’ face tried to get into the judges house and stalks the judges’ wife and tried hurting Jem and Scout during the Halloween pageant. During this time Atticus was called a â€Å"nigger lover† by Bob Ewell and the townspeople and he still kept his head high and did the best he can do to defend Tom Robinson. The short story â€Å"A Party Down at the Square† is the story of a boy who witnesses lynching. The young boy is at his uncles somewhere Deep South when a bunch of men yelling there will be a party down at the square. The reader then realizes that the party consists of a lynching of a young black man. The whole town is attending except of course the black community and everyone is screaming for excitement. With a storm causing confusion, an airplane crashes through power lines but successfully land near the town square. A young woman gets electrocuted and dies instantly. Despite the chaos of the storm and the crashed airplane, the mob turns into focus back  on the young black man who is getting burned to death. When the black man asks politely for a quick death, Jed Wilson who is the leader refuses saying â€Å"ain’t no Christians here tonight, we’re just one hundred percent Americans.† The black man burns to death. After the events the young boy falls i ll causing him to be mocked by southern relatives. Later at a general store, a white sharecropper speaks about lynching.The towns people just told him to shut up. â€Å"Mississippi Burning† directed by Alan Parker, is a movie based on a true story about one black and two white civil rights activists disappeared near Philadelphia, Mississippi on June 21st 1964. The three activists in real life, James Chavey, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner but there were not named in the movie are driving, tailed by several cars. When they stopped they are murdered and their bodies hidden by a nib if white men who are connected to the KKK, Ku Klux Klan, Later the FBI turned up to resolve this problem. Agent Anderson and Agent Ward, these agents are from Washington who uses violent and somewhat not violent methods to investigate who the murderers are. The film â€Å"Green Mile† directed by Frank Darabont is set in 1930 in prison, death row. Paul Edgecomb is slightly cynical veteran prison guard on death row. His faith and sanity is deteriorated by watching mean live and die. His life completely turned around, attitude changed when John Coffey, a seven feet tall black man, who’s hands are a size of waffle irons arrived in his prison. John Coffey is big and all but he is very emotional and shy and who is afraid of the dark. This shows us that when he found the two white girls covered in blood in the woods. He was so shocked of what happened, he began to hold them and started crying because he couldn’t believe what happened. He was then accused of murdering these girls with no questions asked was sent to death row. Edgecomb, Brotus the sympathetic guard, and Percy, a stuck up perverse and violent person going on a strange ride that involves intelligent mice, brutal executions and revelation about John Coffey†™s innocence and true identity. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A key individual that shows his  racist attitude is Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell is a drunkard and an abuser who is despised by the whole community and very likely his family as well. He is a lowlife white trash who lives in the dump just outside the town. He shows his racist attitude by calling the black community a â€Å"nigger nest† also he called Atticus a â€Å"nigger lover† for defending Tom Robinson. Bob Ewell has no respect for himself and no respect for others. When the lawyer defending Mayella asks, â€Å"Are you the father of Mayella Ewell?† Bob responds, â€Å"Well, if I ain’t one, can’t do nothing about it now, her Ma’s dead.† Bobs position is to be the antagonist to everyone. His response is not only a rude attempt to impress others by making a joke it also hints what he sees about women in general, liars and cheaters whose deaths are to be laughed about. After the trial Bob wasn’t satisfied about the sentence of Tom Robinson, so for revenge he spits at Atticus’ face, stalks the judges’ wife and tried to kill Jem and Scout. Bob had a taste of power. In his mind the whole town thinks he’s a hero, he’s superior in reality the community found out that he is a liar and treats his family bad. The townspeople just told him to go back to the dump where he belongs. Harper Lee tells us that racism and sexism is the only way Bob can feel superior to anybody. No white man in the Maycomb community who is not about Ewell heirachy. So he puts people who are below him, Black Americans and women. Another key individual who shows their racist attitude is in the short story â€Å"A Party Down at the Square† by Ralph Waldo Elison, the character called Jed Wilson. Jed shows his racist attitude when he â€Å"tied and dragged the nigger to the back of Jed Wilsons truck.† HE is also the leader of the lunching mob that is going to burn the young black man to death. Jed hollered â€Å"What you say there, nigger?† and it came back through the flames in his nigger voice â€Å"Will somebody cut my throat like a Christian?† and Jed responded â€Å"sorry , but ain’t no Christians around tonight. Ain’t no Jew boys either. We’re just one hundred percent Americans.† This shows me that he is not only racist, it also tells us what his religious beliefs are and that he does not want Jews nor Christians in his lynching mob. Since the black people are God-fearing and God-loving community, Jed Wilson doesn’t like it. He thinks that Amer ican for him is a religion. Just as long as your American and you’re white you are accepted by â€Å"his† community. Jed Wilson says this to make  himself feel superior just like Bob Ewell. Unlike Bob Ewell, Jed is known to anybody and everybody in the town. He does not live in the dump like Bob does. Jed is very known that â€Å"ain’t no black man can stand in his way, no white man either.† Jed makes himself superior, he is selected as the new sheriff in town for burning a black man alive. Although whether its using derogatory words by calling a black community a nigger nest or through violence like burning a black man alive. They still lead to one thing, death. Jed and Bob are similar in a way that they are both racist and hate the black community. They put people who are below them to make themselves feel good and superior and feel like they are the hero, a savior for killing a man with different skin color, race and religious beliefs. They judge them straight away because they have something different to them and want them out of their community. The only difference is that Bob Ewell uses oral derogatory words to get rid of the black community in the area, but both still similar in a way to show their racist attitude towards the black community. In the film â€Å"Mississippi Burning† directed by Alan Parker, the character Clayton Townley is very racist qualities and attitudes. He says he is a â€Å"local businessman† but his actions and words spoken weren’t the words of a local businessman. An example is when he was giving a speech at a large audience at a night time pro-white rally â€Å"They hate us because we present a shining example of successful segregation.† He said this to make himself feel good and feel superior towards black people in an inhumane way. Words can’t describe his ways of killing methods. Differences in To Kill a Mockingbird and Mississippi Burning is that the white people who were out to get the black people had an organized plan. Clayton Townley is the spokesperson or the representative leader of the group called Ku Klux Klan. They create consistency throughout their actions. The Ewells and the racist community of Maycomb weren’t consistent in their actions against the black people. Bob had a plan on his head but Atticus’ strong evidence depicted Bobs pride. Character conflicts that are the same in the book and in the movie was that many white people didn’t want to be seen with blacks because they would be considered as an outcast. Similarities between these characters are that Clayton Townley and Bob Ewell share the same thing in  their mind. They both want power and superiority to make themselves feel good. They are both seen as heroes in their community but eventually they are caught dead or in prison. Also the difference between the film and book is that they are set 30 years apart. In Mississippi Burning, there are many civil rights movements and civil rights activists and in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, it was just a small town community in Alabama with local people. â€Å"We do not accept Jews because they reject Christ. We do not accept Turks, Mongrels, Tartars, Oriental nor Negroes because we are here to protect Anglo-Saxon Democracy and the American way!† Similar words were also spoken by Jed Wilson in the short story â€Å"Party Down at the Square†. As long as you are American and you’re white, you are accepted. This tells me that all three characters are similar in a way that they all racist and have different qualities. In the movie â€Å"Green Mile† directed by Frank Darabont shows us that racism does not only come from individuals or group of people, it also shows us that the justice system is corrupt and people aren’t given free trial. John Coffey falsely accused of murdering two white girls. Justice system says you are not guilty until proven but John was never given this. Therefore shows us that the justice system is corrupt and shows racism. John Coffey was convicted and executed for crime he never committed. Paul Edgecomb asks if he can do something or anything else, John replied â€Å"I’m tired of feeling pain in the world it’s like pieces of glass in my head all the time. Can’t you understand?† this quote is referring to the way John feels about discriminated on a constant daily basis. Another example of racism is conviction itself. This movie shows John Coffey a big man with a big heart. He found two white girls dead in the woods, shocked of what h appened, he began to hold them and started crying because he couldn’t believe what happened. He was found with the girls and immediately convicted with no questions asked. This is a clear example of racism. Just because a black man sitting with two white girls doesn’t mean he committed the crime. The legal system should never make assumptions based on race but only n scientific facts. This led us also to, To Kill a Mockingbird justice system. John Coffey and Tom Robinson in a way are in a similar position. Tom Robinson was a young black man accused of raping a white girl. Although given strong  evidence that he did not rape the white girl. The white jury still found him guilty because the color of his skin. Although the judge himself thought that Tom Robinson was not guilty, the justice system is corrupt and racist by concluding and making assumptions that a black man, different race is inferior and whites are superior. This tells me that not only key individuals show their racist attitude but also the legal and justice system is corrupt and racist. I’ve reach in conclusion that the causes of racism are similar to bullying, where people put each other down because they are different. In this case racism, the white community is putting down the black community because they have different skin color, they have different religious beliefs and have different values and culture. The white community refers to them as an outcast and Bob Ewell refers their community as a â€Å"nigger nests†. I found that key individuals show different qualities of racism that make them stand out from others. In To Kill a Mockingbird, A Party Down at the Square, Mississippi Burning and Green Mile the authors and directors were conveying important ideas and themes within them that relates to the characters racist attitude and also the legal system were corrupt and racist however even though they use inhumane and derogatory language to show their racist attitude they still lead to one thing, that is death. A similar idea that these texts showed me was to never lose hope and keep your head up and not let other people put you down because you are different. You are unique in your own way. I say â€Å"They laugh at me because I’m different but I laugh at them because they are the same.†

Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol Essay

INTRODUCTION A Christmas Carol (1843) is one of the most recognizable stories in English literature. With its numerous literary, stage, television, radio, and cinematic adaptations, the tale has become a holiday classic, and the character Ebenezer Scrooge has become a cultural icon. First published in 1843, the novella garnered immediate critical and commercial attention and is credited with reviving interest in charitable endeavors, the possible perils of economic success, and festive traditions of the Christmas season. It is the first work in Dickens’s series of Christmas stories known collectively as the Christmas Books, as well as the most popular and enduring. Plot and Major Characters Set in the 1840s on Christmas Eve, A Christmas Carol chronicles the personal transformation of the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, the proprietor of a London counting house. A wealthy, elderly man, Scrooge is considered miserly and misanthropic: he has no wife or children; he throws out two men collecting for charity; he bullies and underpays his loyal clerk, Bob Cratchit; and he dismisses the Christmas dinner invitation of his kind nephew, Fred. Moreover, Scrooge is a strong supporter of the Poor Law of 1834, which allowed the poor to be interned in workhouses. As he prepares for bed on Christmas Eve in his solitary, dark chambers, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley. In life Marley was very similar in attitude and temperament to Scrooge: remote, cruel, and parsimonious. In death he has learned the value of compassion and warns Scrooge to reform his ways before it is too late. Marley announces that Scrooge will be visited by three more specters: the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge back to his unhappy childhood, revealing that the young boy’s experiences with poverty and abandonment inspired a desire to succeed and gain material advantage. Unfortunately, Scrooge’s burgeoning ambition and greed destroyed his relationship with his fiancà ©e and his friends. The Ghost of Christmas Present is represented by a hearty, genial man who reminds Scrooge of the joy of human companionship, which he has rejected in favor of his misanthropic existence. Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appears in a dark robe and shrouded in mystery. Silently, the ghost reveals the ambivalent reaction to news of Scrooge’s own death. Scrooge realizes that he will die alone and without love, and that he has the power and money to help those around him—especially Bob Cratchit’s ailing son, Tiny Tim. Scrooge begs the ghost for another chance and wakes in his bed on Christmas morning, resolved to changing his life by being generous and loving to his family, employees, and the poor. Major Themes A Christmas Carol has been deemed a biting piece of social commentary by some. Critics have underscored the scathing criticism of 1840s London, an economically and socially stratified city that Dickens believed imprisoned its poor and oppressed its lower classes. The prevailing socio-economic theory of that time held that anyone who was in debt should be put in a poorhouse. In his story, Dickens contended that the reformation of such a materialistic, shallow society can be achieved gradually through the spiritual transformation of each individual. The story is well regarded for its expression of a fundamental faith in humanity and its unflagging censure of social injustice, which was inspired by Dickens’s troubled background and his visit to the Cornish tin mines where he observed young children laboring under appalling conditions. As Scrooge transforms from a cruel, embittered miser to a kindly philanthropist, Dickens advocates a more forgiving, generous society that values spiritual growth, not material wealth. Other major thematic concerns in A Christmas Carol include the role of memory, the importance of family, and the soul-deadening effect of greed on the human spirit. Critical Reception Upon its initial publication, A Christmas Carol was greeted with mixed reviews. Some commentators derided the tale as too sentimental and laden with exaggeration; other critics maintained that A Christmas Carol lacked the complexity of Dickens’s later work. Yet the novella remains a Christmas favorite. Commentators praise Dickens’s evocative portrayal of 1840s London and his passionate exploration of social and political issues. Dickens’s fervent belief in social justice as depicted through A Christmas Carol is credited with inspiring an outpouring of charitable endeavors during his time and a revival of Christmas spirit and traditional celebrations. Critics have also explored the fairy-tale and gothic elements in A Christmas Carol, and many praise Dickens’s use of wry humor in the story. The relevance and power of Scrooge’s transformation from forlorn old niggard to benignant philanthropist is regarded as the key to the novella’s unflagging popular appeal. Several scholars have debated the nature of Scrooge’s conversion, which is known as â€Å"the Scrooge problem.† Some critics, including Edmund Wilson, conclude that the transformation is a temporary one; others have maintained that it is total and irrevocable. Scrooge’s metanoia has also been placed within its historical and literary context, and critics have related it to the religious revival then fervent in nineteenth-century England. A few full-length studies of the novella have traced the impact of the story on English and American culture and have discussed the copious imitations, adaptations, and modernized versions of the tale.

Learn About Redox Problems With an Example

Learn About Redox Problems With an Example In oxidation-reduction or redox reactions, it is important to be able to identify which atoms are being oxidized and which atoms are being reduced. To identify if an atom is either oxidized or reduced, you only have to follow the electrons in the reaction. Example Problem Identify the atoms that were oxidized and which atoms were reduced in the following reaction:Fe2O3 2 Al → Al2O3 2 FeThe first step is to assign oxidation numbers to each atom in the reaction. The oxidation number of an atom is the number of unpaired electrons available for reactions.Review these  rules for assigning oxidation numbers.Fe2O3:The oxidation number of an oxygen atom is -2. 3 oxygen atoms have a total charge of -6. To balance this, the total charge of the iron atoms must be 6. Since there are two iron atoms, each iron must be in the 3 oxidation state. To summarize, -2 electrons per oxygen atom, 3 electrons for each iron atom.2 Al:The oxidation number of a free element is always zero.Al2O3:Using the same rules for Fe2O3, we can see there are -2 electrons for each oxygen atom and 3 electrons for each aluminum atom.2 Fe:Again, the oxidation number of a free element is always zero.Put all this together in the reaction, and we can see where the electrons went:Iron we nt from Fe3 on the left side of the reaction to Fe0 on the right. Each iron atom gained 3 electrons in the reaction.Aluminum went from Al0 on the left to Al3 on the right. Each aluminum atom lost three electrons.Oxygen stayed the same on both sides.With this information, we can tell which atom was oxidized and which atom was reduced. There are two mnemonics to remember which reaction is oxidation and which reaction is reductions. The first one is OIL RIG:Oxidation Involves Loss of electronsReduction Involves Gain of electrons.The second is LEO the lion says GER.Lose Electrons in OxidationGain Electrons in Reduction.Back to our case: Iron gained electrons so iron was oxidized. Aluminum lost electrons so aluminum was reduced.

Apple Marketing Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Apple Marketing Analysis - Essay Example 1). Price; Apple being in a business that deals with technology and the advances that come with technology requires that it keeps up to date. But how will Apple keep up to date with changing technology and not escalate up its prices? As a marketing strategy, Apple has come up with pricing games which it has used to maintain a competitive edge in the business. To begin with, Apple has implemented the use of decoys. These are commodities presented in advance of the real commodity and their aim is to capture the attention of the consumer hence compelling the consumer to purchase commodities from Apple. An example is the iPod going for $399 yet Apple displays others being traded for $199 yet they do not exist, compelling the customer to purchase the $399 iPod (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). The other price marketing strategy utilized by Apple Company is the use of a reference range to market its commodities. This is aimed at showing the consumer the previous higher price and the current lower price that Apple is willing to sell the commodity. An example is that Apple can present an IPod at $100 and state it as 50% down from the previous $200. The consumer will find the current deal being offered by Apple better than the previous price and hence purchase the product from Apple instead of its competitors (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). Moreover, Apple uses bundle price as a marketing strategy as pertains to its prices. An example is a TV from Apple Company. It will be purchased for as low as $100, to play the TV, the customer will need to pay Apple through the purchase of a stereo, video and spares to use the TV (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). Product; Apple Company products change with the technological advancements since Apple Company has to keep at par with its competitors and provide the consumers with the latest technology. The current products which have been produced by Apple include: Apple TV, iPod, iPad, iPhone, iWork, iLife, Mac OS X, and iOS (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). Place; this entails the market niche of the company and especially where the company has its largest market share. Being based in the United State, Apple Company has expanded to involve other continents in the distribution of its products. It has been able to capture market in Africa, Asia, and America and also in the Middle East Europe. It has about 200 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, in bid to achieve its objective of supplying technologically enhanced commodities to the global community (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). Promotion; Marketing is anchored in promotion of a Company’s products and services to its consumers. Apple Company has gone a great mile in promoting its products which it accomplishes by the use of advertising in the electronic medium. As earlier foretold in the goal of Apple Company, it works in collaboration with the consumer prior to the launching of a product like emphasized in the decoy pricing. This is aimed at stimulating the consumers to expect a new product from Apple Company (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). A11. Stakeholders Analysis Stakeholders in marketing strategy illustrate the entities to which the organization is accountable to as pertains to its performance: customer, competitors, company, and community (Abila, 2010, p. 1). Company; Apple Company is a multinational Company in the United States that was founded on 01, April 1976. It is a company that specializes in the provision of technologically enhanced facilities to the global community. This is through the introduction of software, hardware, digital

Description of Keurig Green Mountain Coffee Assignment

Description of Keurig Green Mountain Coffee - Assignment Example In the year 1993, with expansion of the company due to increased demand for coffee, the company went Public and was listed under the stock market as GMCR as its symbol within the stock market. By 2006, the company purchased Keurig and incorporated a coffee manufacturing system that basically facilitated the production of single coffee brewing machines. On the 14th of September 2010, the Company, under the name Green Mountain Coffee purchased the Quebec Coffee services company then known as Van Houtte at a cost of approximately 915 million dollars. In August 2011, the company sold the Filterfresh United States’ Coffee part of the Van Houtte to the Aramark at a cost of 145 million dollars. During the same year in the month of March, the Company made an announcement regarding a deal it had signed with the Starbucks in that would sell its single-serve pods to Keurig Green Mountain Coffee Company. A similar deal was also signed between the Keurig Green Mountain Coffee Company and the Durkin Donuts. Currently the company’s shareholders have signed an agreement that would entail changing its name completely to Keurig Green Mountain. This is based on the desire to reflect the company’s current activities of selling Keurig Coffee Products. The company’s stock has continued rising over time from the year 2010; during the same year, the company the company made an announcement that it had been requested by the Securities Exchange Commission to submit its financial statements in order to determine how the company managed its revenue. The US financial regulators during the same year also made an inquiry into the company’s accounting practices and made a conclusion that it was undertaken in a sound and effective manner. By the end of the financial year 2013, the company had closed with a gross income of approximately 1.6 billion dollars for a period of five years. With the current high rate of populace increase with increase

Outsourcing And Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Outsourcing And Supply Chain Management - Essay Example India is one of the world’s top destinations for outsourced work. Companies along with manufacturing parts they also outsourced their services. Functions like customer service are often outsourced to call centers outside the United States. One of primary advantages of outsourcing is that it enables companies to reduce costs. One of the disadvantages of outsourcing work is that the company loses the ability to control its quality. Another advantage of outsourcing is that it creates flexibility for an enterprise. The cost savings achieve through outsourcing can be a critical success factor that keeps a particular company in business. In the auto industry companies often outsourced the production of auto parts. My sister was a victim of outsourcing because her company shut down operations in America to move to Asia. Answers.com (2011). Outsourcing. Retrieved February 13, 2011 from http://www.answers.com/topic/outsourcing 2. The supply chain management of an organization is a very important factor that can make or break a company. Supply chain management is the combination of art and science that goes into improving the way your company finds the raw components it needs to make a product or service and deliver it to customers (Wailgum, 2008). A company that in the 1990’s was able to separate itself from the competition due to its unique supply chain management techniques was Dell Corporation. Dell revolutionized the computer industry by becoming the first virtual computer company. The firm saved a lot of money in inventory costs by delivering turn-key computer products to its customers. A few years ago I worked for a company that changed its suppliers three times during a year due to the fact that none of the companies supplied raw materials would provide an adequate level of service. Wailgum, T. (2008). Supply Chain Management Definition and Solution. Retrieved February 13, 2011 from http://www.cio.com/article/40940/Supply_Chain_Management_Definition _and_Solutions 3. Outsourcing has gotten a bad reputation from many Americans who viewed outsourcing as an evil business strategy that is hurting the US economy by taking jobs oversee. The reality is that outsourcing is saving more jobs than what is taking away. If American companies did not utilize outsourcing on many occasions these firms would not be able to compete. Outsourcing provides companies with much needed savings. The savings achieved through outsourcing enables companies in America to keep their prices competitive. 4. Outsourcing has become a very popular concept that is gaining popularity across America. In 2010 the television broadcasting network NBC developed a parody series called Outsourcing. The series is a comedy that illustrates how American companies are moving their service operations to India in order to reduce costs. In the series only the manager is American, while the rest of the staff is composed of India workers. When I watched this series I sometimes as k myself how spread is the outsourcing movement in America. In the series the workers are highly competent salespeople that get the job done. 5. In a way outsourcing affects most businesses in America directly or indirectly. You mentioned that in your dentistry practice the business is affected by outsourcing from the material acquisition perspective. Many companies nowadays choose to buy parts and raw materials from China and India due to their lower costs. Purchasing materials from these countries enables American companies to be able to keep their prices low. Businesses are not the only ones looking for a bargain these days. The internet has allowed people to compare prices and find the lowest possible price on their purchases. 6. Your response was very insightful

Bypass the Story of a Road Analysis Essay Example for Free

Bypass the Story of a Road Analysis Essay McGirr takes virtually every detour possible and in doing so seems to suggest that life’s journey is at its most interesting when one strays from the central path. It is in the towns and rest stations that McGirr encounters individuals with interesting stories to tell – stories that give McGirr’s narrative its essential variety and ‘life’. McGirr’s interest is not only in what lies off to the side of the ‘main road’ in a literal sense. He is attracted by the lives of ‘ordinary’ people who are not famous or even particularly successful. Even when relating incidents from his life as a priest he enjoys telling stories that would otherwise never appear in print: attending the wrong wedding reception; seeing a bride answer a mobile phone. He does occasionally refer to famous or powerful people; even here, though, his preference is for the little known incident over the important, nation-shaping decision – such as John Curtin’s midnight pot of tea in a Gundagai cafà ©. In short, McGirr suggests that, although the highway itself is valuable, we must not forget or neglect places and lives that the highway bypasses, for these too constitute the ‘life-blood’ of the nation. And similarly, although the nation’s central story or history is important – that of, say, the Anzacs, the explorers, the two world wars – the stories that lie off to the side of the historical mainstream are equally worth knowing, are equally valuable. As narrator and author of this narrative, McGirr has a lot of control over how he depicts himself. Indeed, ‘the power of the person who gets to tell the story’ (p.19) is considerable, as he notes when discussing Hovell’s power over Hume in that regard. McGirr is depicted as a fairly affable, if occasionally bumbling figure whose decision to leave the Jesuit order after twenty-one years is a life-changing one. The decision prompts him to experience a number of ‘firsts’: he buys property in Gunning; embarks on an intimate relationship with Jenny whom he subsequently marries and has children with; and decides to travel on a bike down the Hume Highway and document his progress. McGirr might come across as something of an ‘everyman’ figure but his life-experiences mark him as someone rather eclectic (unusual). McGirr displays a capacity for droll humour throughout the narrative, and also a willingness to reflect deeply on his experiences and those of others. His reflective tendencies see him discuss his struggle to sincerely uphold the vow of obedience when he was a member of the Jesuit order (p.173), and also his feeling of being alone when he first joined the order (p.229). It might be argued that McGirr is depicted as someone who thinks a little too much: the discussion of his dilemma about buying orange juice with the money allocated to new Jesuits for ‘emergencies’ (p.228) is an example. Fortunately, his capacity for reflection does not make the text too ponderous. McGirr’s accounts of his developing relationship with Jenny and his self-deprecatory asides about his weight (p.31, p.98), snoring (p.227), age (p.32) and tendency to lecture others (p.142) depict him as a jovial, likeable bloke. Bypass, a hybrid work of creative non-fiction is a memoir, travel story, social history, romance and road story. The literary devices used in Bypass enliven and enrich the writing with sparkling wit. For example: ‘Hovell had been a naval captain. On land, however, he was all at sea.’(p 19) ‘They were like fishermen who were prepared to dam their own river rather than let it starve them.’(p 48) ‘A roadhouse is a place where everything that can’t be eaten has been laminated, and not all the food can be eaten.’(p 66) ‘Guerrilla warfare is the opposite of God who, for some unknown reason, makes his or her absence felt even when present.’(p 81) ‘I came to Gunning to hide, but people kept finding me.’(p 97) ‘Sturt went blind trying to see what none had seen before.’(p 170) McGirr’s anger at some social problems is often expressed in blunt metaphors, for example, when discussing gaming machines in Goulburn he writes: ‘They are abattoirs of the human spirit.’(p 90) His love for language is reflected, for example, where the text is an extended reverie on arcane words and their meanings eg panier (p 98), or in his jovial attempt to find a word to describe a group of prime ministers (pp 153-4). Humour is one of the most appealing features Bypass, for example the discussion of caravans with a fellow traveller (pp 110-1). Michael McGirr is masterly in creating punch lines to end his stories. eg ‘I don’t believe in washing your dirty laundry in public.’(p 263) The Hume Highway: The Hume Highway runs for over eight hundred kilometres inland, between Sydney and Melbourne. Early settlers, such as Charles Throsby and Hume and Hovell, made journeys overland that eventuated in the Hume Highway being developed. The road, initially sometimes called the Great South Road in New South Wales and Sydney Road in what became Victoria, has been re-routed, extended and improved over time. In 1928, it became officially known as the Hume Highway. A number of towns originally on the Hume Highway have now been bypassed to reduce both travel times and the amount of traffic (especially trucks) passing through town centres. The meaning of bypass: The term bypass means to go around something; a road bypass normally goes around a town or the centre of a town. There are many such bypasses on the Hume Highway, allowing the traveller to avoid built up areas and suburban streets. However, although Bypass is the story of a journey along the Hume Highway, the title makes it clear that McGirr’s main interest is in how the road goes around places and people, and what the effects of this might be – both positive and negative. For more about McGirr’s engagement with the notion of a bypass, see the section on Themes, Ideas and Values. The main idea in the novel Bypass is the idea of a journey. In literal terms, Bypass: the story of a road tells the story of a physical journey from one point to another: in this case, from Sydney to Melbourne. However, McGirr makes clear that a journey can have qualities that are more metaphorical. The literary references to Don Quixote and Anna Karenina, in particular, suggest very different types of journeys. The quotation from Don Quixote, ‘there’s no road so smooth that it ain’t got a few potholes’, implicitly signals Sancho’s philosophical take on the nature of relationships and life more generally. This attitude towards the vicissitudes of life clearly informs the text as a whole. For instance, McGirr comments about the degree to which his ‘silly adventure’ might impact negatively on his relationship with Jenny (p.137). Likewise, the comments he makes about the truckies whose marriages can suffer from their long hours on the road (p.52), suggest that physical journeys and emotional journeys are closely intertwined. The frequent references to Anna Karenina also signal McGirr’s interest in the romantic and tragic dimensions of life. The flirtatious comments about McGirr’s relationship with Anna Karenina, his predilection for relinquishing (and then recovering) the text from time to time and the inevitable decision to place her in close proximity to a railway (p.260) work symbolically as a comment on life more generally, as well as on the plot of Tolstoy’s novel. After all, Tolstoy’s Anna throws herself in front of a train. McGirr is all too aware of the fragility of life – both on the road and beyond it. In this novel, death and memorial are also an important theme. The ultimate destination in life’s journey is death. McGirr does not shy away from discussing the fragility of life and makes much of the memorials on the Hume Highway. Death is something that cannot be bypassed and, like ‘the road [which] has no respect for persons or status’ (p.158), it comes to us all. As McGirr notes when reflecting on the cemetery in Gunning, ‘even a long life is short’ (p.7). For McGirr the Hume Highway is ‘sacred space’ (p.15); it is ‘lined with countless reminders of death’ (p.178) and memorialises both those who have died on it and those who have died at war. While McGirr is respectful and interested in the memorials dedicated to the war dead, his main priority is to acknowledge that death comes to all and that the lives of all ordinary Australians – including soldiers – are worth acknowledging and commemorating. Indeed, this is clearly conveyed by his juxtaposition of the near-death experience of Kerry Packer (p.40) and the funerals of the Queen Mother (p.255) and the Princess of Wales (p.256) with the experiences of less well-known individuals. Packer’s blunt assertion that there is no life beyond the grave is contrasted with the more positive reflection of a woman who believed that her husband had ‘gone to the great swap-meet in the sky’ (p.41). Similarly, the vast amount of coverage and ceremony afforded the funerals of the Queen Mother and the Princess of Wales is diametrically opposed to the more poignant account of the interment of Anton, a lonely old man whose funeral was attended by three people: the undertaker, Anton’s neighbour and McGirr in his role as priest (p.256). McGirr says of those like Anton, ‘At least God knew this person †¦ even if nobody else did’ (p.256). McGirr’s accounts of death or near-death experiences are most chilling when he considers those who have endured harrowing experiences on the road. His discussion of the murders committed by Ivan Milat (pp.70–4) and by bushrangers (pp.77–83) brings home the fact that ‘the Hume has a dark side’ (p.70). Not wanting to sensationalise – or justify – the actions of these men, McGirr nonetheless provides some background details to depict them in ways that are complex, non-judgemental and at times unnerving. ENTRY SEVEN: PHILOSOPHY IN BYPASS Given McGirr’s work as a priest for much of his life, it is not surprising that this text is largely preoccupied with issues of faith and philosophical ponderings about life more generally. McGirr makes clear his continued belief in God (p.174) but is not heavy-handed in his discussion of faith. The gently humorous and respectful way in which he recounts Jenny’s aphorisms (wise sayings) about life is a case in point. His recollection of Jenny’s remark that he should ‘just accept [the Hume Highway] for what it is †¦ you’ll enjoy it more’ (p.155) is exemplary. His discussion of Jenny’s view that there is a concave (negative and convex (optimistic) way of looking at the world (p.170) – and that he ‘might be right’ (p.170) in thinking that he has a concave approach to the world is similarly light-hearted in tone but relevant to the book’s overall interest in forms of belief. The light-hearted banter continues when McGirr discusses his acquisition of the Chinese philosophical text, Tao Te Ching. Its pithy words of wisdom are for McGirr redolent of the bumper sticker sayings that he has liberally peppered throughout his narrative. At times, McGirr’s discussion of philosophical matters takes on a more earnest tone. His discussion of how, as a priest, he subscribed to the vow of obedience in an effort to ‘make up a sense of purpose which I otherwise lacked’ (p.173) and his related anxiety that he would reach the ‘point at which you can no longer recognise yourself in the things you are starting to say or do’ (p.173) signal his need to be honest with himself as well as with others. His comment that ‘the secret of being human is learning how to enjoy our limitations’ (p.301) suggests that honesty and humility are part and parcel of a reflective existence, McGirr is also interested in the ways in which others concern themselves with spiritual matters. His discussion of the House of Prayer in Goulburn shows how prayer provides respite from the manic nature of everyday life and celebrates those like Catherine who dedicate their lives to helping others in need find peace (pp.85–6). In a very different and secular vein, McGirr recounts the belief Liz Vincent has in ghosts – of people and of the road. Although Vincent does not believe in God, McGirr seems fascinated by her stories and sensitively recounts her belief that ‘the people we love can scarcely bear to leave us and sometimes hang around as ghosts’ (p.59). Perhaps more interesting is Vincent’s claim that the old Hume Highway near Picton has a ‘ghostly presence of its own’ (p.59), appearing before unwary drivers’ eyes and beguiling them into believing that the phantom road they are following is the real thing (p.59). ENTRY EIGHT: THE POLITICS IN BYPASS In some ways Bypass is a book about power – about who has it and who does not. As McGirr writes, ‘Roads are political. Building them is a sign that somebody is the boss’ (p.14). McGirr’s discussion of the impact on Merri Creek of the F2 freeway into Melbourne (p.284), the ensuing court case and the verdict that ultimately endorsed the freeway project, exemplifies the political nature of road-making. The very essence of a bypass, for instance, is a political act and McGirr makes this clear when discussing the difficulties surrounding the decision to create an internal or an external bypass for Albury in the late 1990s (pp.203–6). Concerns about the economic effect of a route directing traffic away from town are weighed up with concerns about the impact of noise and pollution that a new road near or through a town invariably brings. Tussles between federal and state governments, as was the case with the Albury bypass, certainly highlight the political nature of road-making, as do arguments between different interest groups. The issue of the Albury bypass, along with the 1979 truck blockade staged between Camden and Picton on a notorious stretch of road known as razorback (pp.47–51), illustrate power struggles of very different sorts. McGirr also points out that the amount of money spent on roads as opposed to public transport is a political act. He writes that ‘in the last ten years, for every dollar spent on laying rail in Australia, eight dollars have been spent on highways’ (p.92). This pattern of spending is, he continues, ‘a symptom of something deeper because government spending decisions simply mirror the interests of voters’ (p.92). Bypass: the story of a road is particularly concerned with the way the highway has been the backdrop for various well-known and not so well-known aspects of Australia’s history. From Hume and Hovell’s early markings of the Hume Highway, to the increased tea ration bargained for by Jack Castrisson when John Curtin visited the Niagara Cafà © in Gundagai, to Ned Kelly’s exploits, to the antics of the humble, ordinary Australians who travel on the Hume year by year, McGirr celebrates the way aspects of Australia’s history are part and parcel of the Hume Highway’s rich narrative. McGirr’s interest in Australian history is, however, not indicative of a desire to celebrate or endorse conventional representations of Australia’s past. In a number of instances, McGirr wants to query the legitimacy of idealistic views of the nation’s evolution. McGirr challenges the idea that Australia is an egalitarian nation, for example, and claims tha t this view is a ‘myth’ (p.200). He also reminds readers of the fraught relationship between colonisers and Indigenous Australians when he discusses the life and death of an Aboriginal man named Bill Punch who survived a massacre as a baby and went on to fight for the Allies on the Western Front in World War I (pp.246–7). McGirr’s willingness to temper some representations of Australia’s past is underpinned by an appreciation of the power of language. He notes that those who are in a position to write about the past can have more agencies in their lives and also more control of history than those who don’t (p.19). This awareness allows him to ponder on the way bushrangers and explorers have been depicted over time, and how being literate can impact on the type of individual one becomes (pp.77–8). McGirr is attentive to the idea that some histories are not told and that those that are relayed are not always definitive. Bypass: the story of a road offers a quirky exploration of the Hume Highway and the personalities of the people whose lives have been touched by the road in one way or another. At the age of 40, former Jesuit priest, Michael McGirr armed with not much more than a copy of Anna Karenina, some spare clothes and a less than state-of-the-art Chinese built bicycle set out to ride the 880 kilometres (547 miles) of the Hume Highway which links Sydney and Melbourne. While the ride forms the backdrop to McGirrs book Bypass: The Story of a Road, like all good travelogues the ride itself is really just a frame to hang the real story around, which as the title suggests, is the story of the Hume Highway. From its humble beginnings as a rough track across the Great Dividing Range, to its current state as a modern dual carriageway, the Highway continues to serve as the major thoroughfare linking Australias two largest cities. Bypass took me on a wonderful journey covering the history of the Hume, and the politics that helped shape it. Along the way you meet some great and not so great Australian characters that have helped imprint the name of the highway into the Australian psyche. People like the 61 year old Cliff Young (great), who in 1983 won the inaugural Sydney to Melbourne foot race against competitors half his age. And men like Ivan Milat (not so great) who was convicted of the murder of seven young backpackers and hitch-hikers, all of whom he buried in the Belanglo State Forest. Then there are the explorers Hamilton Hume (after whom the Highway was eventually named) and William Hovell, who in 1824 along with at least six others, set of from Appin (near the present day Sydney suburb of Campbelltown) for the first successful quest to reach Melbourne. Through the novel, I also met truckies; the bushrangers Ben Hall and Ned Kelly; and the poets Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson. I attended a Catholic Mass in Tarcutta officially the halfway point between Sydney and Melbourne where apart from the priest and two parishioners, the only other people in attendance are the author of Bypass and his companion Jenny, who has by this time joined him on his ride to Mel bourne. Reading this book, it seemed like I visited almost every country town along the route of the Hume Highway, and learn something about each of them. Towns like Goulburn, famous for the Big Merino and Goulburn Jail (where Ivan Milat is currently serving seven life sentences). I visited Holbrook and learn why the outer shell of the Oberon Class submarine HMAS Otway now sits in a public park in the middle of town. In Chiltern we pass by the childhood home of the Australian writer Henry Handel Richardson, and learn that Henrys real name was Ethel Florence. I learned too, that like other female writers have done throughout history, Ethel wrote under a male nom de plume because at the time it was felt that women didnt have what it took to be great writers. And I also visited the town of Yass, and drop by the Liberty Cafà © for a meal before continuing on the journey, and turning page after page. Across its many short chapters, Bypass also introduced me to some of the thousands of bumper stickers that adorn the rear ends of many Australian vehicles. In fact, McGirr uses stickers as chapter headings to introduce the readers to every aspect of his journey. Thus, the bumper sticker THE OLDER I GET THE BETTER I WAS, allows him to explain some of his own personal story and the reasons for his decision to ride the Hume Highway. In the chapter THE GODDESS IS DANCING, McGirr introduces us to his riding partner Jenny, and in DEATH IS THE MANUFACTURERS RECALL NOTICE, we pause to learn about some of the many roadside memorials that mark the sites of fatal road accidents that line the Highway. To conclude, the book is immensely readable, always entertaining and informative, often surprising, and constantly filled with odd facts and humorous anecdotes. These keep the story moving along smoothly and effortlessly which cannot always be said of Michael McGirrs monumental bike ride.