Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Giant Lorenz Bernie â€Å"Ecstasy of Saint Teresa† I chose Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Bernie because it is an impressive multi-media installation that helps me understand the intense experience of Saint Thresher's visions. Four black marble columns frame the scene of Saint Theresa floating as if on a cloud as a playful angel is about to plunge an arrow repeatedly into her. Her face portrays a feeling of intense pain and pleasure as she accepts the glory and light of her lord. Heavenly light is shining down on them. Through the use of natural light shining down from an unseen mystical source.Brass reflective rods are lined up in a row opening up towards the couple further signifying the beauty and grace of the light. From both sides of the main characters a viewer then notices a seated audience relief carved out of marble. The audience seems to be captivated by the untraditional portrayal of god like visions. The marble is so beautifully carved to render flesh and the texture o f clothing. Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is equally frightening and stunning; reflecting the religion it represents. This piece is a perfect example of Baroque sculpture. A common characteristic ofBaroque art is including the audience into the work. Ecstasy of Saint Teresa does this by way of the theater windows. The relief of witnesses within these windows gives the sense that all of this is happening on a stage, and the audience is thus placed in orchestral seats in front of the stage. This includes the viewers into the work and justifies the drama portrayed theatrically in front of us. The scene portrayed here is an intense one. Seeing the look on Saint Teeter's face shows fear, pain, and pleasure. This is Juxtaposed with the look of calm playfulness on the angels face as he threatens her with the arrow.Natural light bathes both the figures in a holy light that implies a sense of realism to the existence of God. The emotional impression the piece implies is very characteristic of Baro que art. One can imagine the pious traveling great distances to be brought down on their knees by Bering's instillation. Bernie was a master in working with marble. The articulate depiction of different weights of cloth is impressive. Saint Teresa is dressed in a heavy textile that weighs her down in the earthly sense. The angel is lifted into the heavens by his silky clothing that moves easily in the breeze.He shows off more of his craftsmanship by way of the balcony windows. There is an illusion of continued space beyond what we can see. Bernie also includes a stylized classical pediment. This pediment is cleverly utilized to hide a window that lets in the natural light that is focused on the centerpiece. Ecstasy of Saint Teresa was created using Marble, gilded brass, natural light, and architectural elements to create a whole composition. This makes Bering's epic depiction the first multimedia installation that predates the popularization of the art form by 3 centuries. Gian Lorenzo Bernini Giant Lorenz Bernie â€Å"Ecstasy of Saint Teresa† I chose Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Bernie because it is an impressive multi-media installation that helps me understand the intense experience of Saint Thresher's visions. Four black marble columns frame the scene of Saint Theresa floating as if on a cloud as a playful angel is about to plunge an arrow repeatedly into her. Her face portrays a feeling of intense pain and pleasure as she accepts the glory and light of her lord. Heavenly light is shining down on them. Through the use of natural light shining down from an unseen mystical source.Brass reflective rods are lined up in a row opening up towards the couple further signifying the beauty and grace of the light. From both sides of the main characters a viewer then notices a seated audience relief carved out of marble. The audience seems to be captivated by the untraditional portrayal of god like visions. The marble is so beautifully carved to render flesh and the texture o f clothing. Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is equally frightening and stunning; reflecting the religion it represents. This piece is a perfect example of Baroque sculpture. A common characteristic ofBaroque art is including the audience into the work. Ecstasy of Saint Teresa does this by way of the theater windows. The relief of witnesses within these windows gives the sense that all of this is happening on a stage, and the audience is thus placed in orchestral seats in front of the stage. This includes the viewers into the work and justifies the drama portrayed theatrically in front of us. The scene portrayed here is an intense one. Seeing the look on Saint Teeter's face shows fear, pain, and pleasure. This is Juxtaposed with the look of calm playfulness on the angels face as he threatens her with the arrow.Natural light bathes both the figures in a holy light that implies a sense of realism to the existence of God. The emotional impression the piece implies is very characteristic of Baro que art. One can imagine the pious traveling great distances to be brought down on their knees by Bering's instillation. Bernie was a master in working with marble. The articulate depiction of different weights of cloth is impressive. Saint Teresa is dressed in a heavy textile that weighs her down in the earthly sense. The angel is lifted into the heavens by his silky clothing that moves easily in the breeze.He shows off more of his craftsmanship by way of the balcony windows. There is an illusion of continued space beyond what we can see. Bernie also includes a stylized classical pediment. This pediment is cleverly utilized to hide a window that lets in the natural light that is focused on the centerpiece. Ecstasy of Saint Teresa was created using Marble, gilded brass, natural light, and architectural elements to create a whole composition. This makes Bering's epic depiction the first multimedia installation that predates the popularization of the art form by 3 centuries.

A day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy Essay

This Chinese proverb renders (redÄÆ') in a synthetic way the fact that we perceive the time in a subjective way, according to the moods created by the reaction to the events that we go through. When we pass through unpleasant event of life, we feel weak, vulnerable, even hopeless and everything seems to go wrong in our life; so, time seems longer than it actually is. On the other hand, when we live happy moments , everything seems to go perfectly , we get enough power to improve our life, our family ties , our relationships with other people and we are more satisfied with ourselves. But, why do we feel that a day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy ? It is said that unhappiness is a completely rational response to certain losses so when we lose our self- confidence, or our health, our family ties, our friends or even when we do things which are unpleasant for us, we end up by feeling bad and time seems to freeze. But, when we feel fulfilled or when we do things that we like, we feel good and time seems to fly. The problem is that most of us tend to stay with what we know rather than choose any form of change. As a result, we continue to be unhappy. If we decide to change things, however, then we begin a journey that only we can map out. We should allow ourselves to face up the fact that it is possible to actually get rid of doubts and learn to be more contended with our life. This will bring a change of many aspects in our life including our outlook, our relationships and our choices.

The Social Studies Curriculum in Alberta, Canada Research Paper

The Social Studies Curriculum in Alberta, Canada - Research Paper Example Dramatic Change In The Social Studies Curriculum Of Alberta With respect to Canadian – Alberta framework of citizenship a social studies program or curriculum should explore, quantify and strengthen Canadian identity of students. Within Alberta citizenship framework a social study program should reflect translate Aboriginal and Francophone perspective as well which is close to ground realities. In a nutshell the program or curriculum should promote multicultural, multiethnic, democratic and truly Canadian social and cultural values. Vision of Alberta social studies program should be based on appreciating pluralistic Canadian society and associated diverse realities. Since year 2005 onwards the curriculum has been revised as well as the methods of teaching. The major change brought about is start of program basing on concrete philosophy which stresses to develop skills with a purpose of transforming students into responsible and productive citizens in a democratic country. The program envisions needs of twenty first century while focusing Canadian identity and citizenship. The program includes many facets like including realities of Aboriginal, Francophone, multicultural, multilingual and multiethnic society. The program endeavors to connect students, with what is being taught, which is the most promising aspect. Canadian society is diverse and pluralistic in nature due to huge population of immigrants. Multiple factors shape the Canadian Society like people come from different religions, societies, social and cultural values, countries and languages. In this perspective the curriculum needed transformation according to prevailing environment which has been accomplished. The curriculum has been changed in such a way that students should value diversity rather than opposing it and see human kind on a broader perspective. Values of freedom and social justice have been added in such a way that students respect the traditions, cultures and religions of all ci tizens in the perspective of Canadian national identity. The methods of teaching have been evolved in a way that teachers encourage students to value and share responsibility, and fully participate in creation of true Canadian society. The syllabus has been designed after taking input from public figures that students should be able to understand history, society and culture of Alberta, Canada and the world. Now the curriculum aims at understanding dynamics of a pluralistic society and conflict resolution in such a unique society. The program encourages the students in thinking about issues related to society in Alberta and problem solving. Students are guided to translate complex social issues, draw meanings and arrive at genuine conclusions. The program lays stress on cognitive skills and effective learning while connecting them to real issues, own history and land of Canada. The relationship between citizenship and Canadian identity is the basic ingredient of program. The social studies program in Alberta stresses a lot on citizenship, respect for rights and identity of all citizens. A citizen

Reccession of 2008 and Great depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reccession of 2008 and Great depression - Essay Example HSBC which is the global largest bank wrote down its holdings of subprime mortgage backed securities by $ 10.5 billion while more than other 100 mortgages companies were either shut down or suspended their operations.US and European Banks lost more than $ 1 trillion on toxic assets during the financial crisis. Northern Rock which was a British bank, was highly leveraged could not obtain credit in the financial markets. Bear Stearns collapsed in March 2008. Other financial institutions made bad losses and were subject to government take over. Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG made a lot of losses during the crisis (Halm-Addo 4). Various limits to arbitrage can help explain why assets were selling below their fundamental level at the height of the financial crisis. Constrains to short selling does not account for the assets selling below their fundamental prices. Short selling was evident since investors made speculative short sale bets against the financial assets which made the prices to decline. For instance, short selling led to drop in the value of Lehman Brothers stocks. US Securities and Exchange Commission imposed at temporary ban on short selling since it this method of trading reduced the market confidence and the stability of financial assets (Halm-Addo 40). The â€Å"too big to fail† notion led to moral hazards, bail outs and increased the Fed’s balance sheet. Adverse selection was not caused by the notion of â€Å"too big to fail†. The notion created moral hazard since the financial institutions engaged in predatory lending like Countrywide Financial which advertised low interest rate loans for home refinancing. The notion made banks to borrow short term in liquid markets and purchase long term illiquid assets which were risky. The notion led to the bail out where $ 700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program was created to rescue the

Qualitative and Quantitative risk analysis Essay

Qualitative and Quantitative risk analysis - Essay Example It is also preferred in scenarios when the project specifics are not required by the organization. Qualitative risks are again commonly preferred over the quantitative risk analysis in areas where the risk categorization of risk is required by the organization (Garcia, 2009). Classification of the risks provides the management with the probability of risk originating in various departments is determined so as to take measures in case they occur. Qualitative analysis is preferred when the organization is small since the method is simple as the statistic can be easily analyzed as opposed to the complex analysis involved in the quantitative risk assessment with time consuming procedures (Garcia, 2009). Since it is simple, it requires little cost in the assessment which can be easily affordable to the management. Qualitative risk is used in scenes where there is no software by the organization as it does not need a specific for its analysis since the quantitative analysis must be performed by specific softwares which might be costly to the institution (Garcia,

Dicussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Dicussion - Assignment Example In that case, then the law and the government in general may put limits to bringing out such issues when it enforces laws against expression of religious controversies. On the contrary, some religious behaviors and practices may become a threat to the society and general relationships of people holding different religious views in the same society. For example, people from different religions may hold too much from their religious beliefs to an extent that they do not try to understand the essence of other people’s religions (Washingtonpost, 2007). This may result in conflicts based on religious aspect and views among people in the society. Therefore, cases like clashes and other religious wrangles may erupt which poses a threat to the well being of the society. For example, cases like terrorism may be due to extreme religious behaviors among certain individuals in a society. The government therefore, needs to consider other people’s opinions and expressions when they have anything to say concerning religious matters. This will then avoid religious conflicts that may pose threat to the society. Washingtonpost. On Faith: A Conversation on Religion with Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn question for April 19, 2007. Accessed on 31st October, 2014 from

Coursework in Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coursework in Economics - Essay Example given that the price remains constant, the demand curve may shift upwards or downward, some of the reasons why the demand curve shifts include a change in future price expectations, consumers may opt to purchase more today to avoid high prices in the future or purchase less to purchase at low prices in the future, (Hardwick (2002)). The following table shows an example of downward shift and upward shift in demand: From the above diagram assuming that demand curve 0 is the original demand curve, a downward shift in the demand curve will shift the demand curve to demand curve 1 while an upward shift will shift the demand curve to demand curve 2. A shift in supply curve occurs when the quantity supplied increases or decreases given that the price remains constant, the supply curve may shift upwards or downward, (Hardwick (2002)). The following table shows a downward and upward shift in supply: From the above diagram assuming that supply curve 0 is the original demand curve, a downward shift in the supply curve will shift the supply curve to supply curve 2 while an upward shift will shift the supply curve to supply curve 1. Own price elasticity of demand refers to the percentage change in quantity demanded when the price is increased by one percent. Therefore it is calculated by dividing the percentage change in the quantity demanded by the percentage change in price level. For a normal good own price elasticity of demand is negative. (Walter (2000)) Own price elasticity of supply refers to the percentage change in quantity supplied when the price is increased by one percent. Therefore it is calculated by dividing the percentage change in the quantity supplied by the percentage change in price level. (Walter (2000)) The price of oil is determined by the supply and the demand of oil in the world. Some of the major producers include Iran, Iraq and Kuwait. From the oil price chart it is evident that the fluctuations in oil prices has been as a result of war and

An Agile-focused Mind-set in Project Management Essay

An Agile-focused Mind-set in Project Management - Essay Example On the other hand, a scum master’s responsibility is more than that of a facilitator and a coach, a role that rest between the customer and the project. Further, he does not manage the team that comes up with the work, but rather supports the owner of the product, coaches the team, and ensures that Scrum processes are held on to. For example, in the article, Scrum recommends that unlike a project manager, the scrum master ought to be a servant leader by doing away with all the obstructions of the team (Schwaber & Sutherland, 2011). In my opinion, Agile project management does not need to have its own Body of Knowledge similar to Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). This is for the reason that there are lots of factors that influence the management process that may make it difficult to implement the Body of Knowledge idea. For example, Michael Dubakov who is a blog author argues that Agile is a special company with special staff on the development team already. In addition, Agile has unique rules and conditions as well as other external factors that favor its

Purpose of study Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Purpose of study - Personal Statement Example You can study through the net and compare the price of the product that you wish to buy by scanning through hundreds of choices, and in many cases, with the return guarantee, if you are not satisfied about the quality of the product. Some top retailers have perfected the system to deliver the goods within 24 hours. The lifestyles have undergone a sea of change with positive and negative impacts. Distance is no more a factor in communicating though computers, smart phones and e-mail. You can watch your relatives in action through Skype and at the same time converse with them. Well, some argue that the personal touch is lost, but has it really? How do we enjoy the glib talk of the sales personnel across the counter, in appreciation of their products and sell through persuasion and public relations? Who are the gainers and losers in such transactions? Technological advancement which is the ongoing feature of the modern materialistic civilization is unstoppable. It is not necessary for u s to take a grim picture of the situation. Materialism and spiritual values can live together; rather they must live together for the happiness of humankind. Computer Science and Information Technology is the real life subject. Its syllabus is vast. ... I have completed Diploma in English Language from U.S. and have developed excellent communication skills in this language. Besides, I am versatile in spoken and written Arabic and English and have the ability to translate from and to in this pair of languages. I have authored a research paper on the subject of â€Å"Internet Censorship,† and secured high grade on it. My perspective about the subject and future plans: I think that expertise in information technology enables one to launch the challenging career to face life. Firstly it is the career that appeals to me and will give inner satisfaction. Inner satisfaction is the highest state one can aspire for in life. My ideal specialization in this subject will be programming that involves acquisition, processing all sorts of information like vocal, textual, pictorial and numerical information. To be an embedded programmer I know I need to be analytical and should apply myself meticulously to get the desired results. I realize a tough task is ahead of me. My subject is the target of white-collar crimes that are being committed by the educated and intelligent class. Hackers mostly belong to this category. On the other side, viruses are carrying on the relentless attack on the web programs. But I wish to live dangerously, in the sense that I take this as the professional challenge to develop software programs that are user-friendly by providing debugging solutions to protect the individual and business interests. In the competitive world of business today, it is essential for the developers to create a program that is reliable as per the changing business needs, the confidentiality being the important criteria. Thus, I am opting for a subject where there are dynamic career opportunities, to move with the changing trends

Narrative Paper Essay Example for Free

Narrative Paper Essay Six Flags is a fun, thrilling amusement park, but for friends, it is now a threat to their lives. A fun field trip turns out to be a scary experience for them. Six Flags is the most fun field trip of the year, of course, who does not like rollercoasters? â€Å"Hey! Look at that new ride!! † Jackie points at the Spiderman rollercoaster with a thrilled expression. â€Å"That ride goes so quickly! Let us go on it! † Her sister, Josie, agrees. They stop for some sweet cotton candy that melts in their mouths very quickly. They stop to see other attractions but continue ahead. â€Å"I am ready for my first day, boss!! † a quirky girl in a Six Flags uniform says behind them. The guy operating the ride shows her some basic buttons on operation the ride, but she does not pay much attention. â€Å"I will let you do this ride, I need to use the bathroom,† the boss says to the new worker as people buckle themselves on the ride. The Spiderman ride is a very fast ride that they were enjoying. â€Å"Uh-oh,† the girl working the ride screams as she fiercely presses buttons on the box. The rollercoaster abruptly stops as it is turning upside down. The screams and cries of the people became louder and louder. â€Å"What is happening?!? † Jackie screams loud enough to hear. â€Å"What do I do?! What do I do?! † the girl panicks and pushes on the frozen buttons. â€Å"Amelia! What are you doing!? † the boss comes in running with toilet paper stuck to his shoe. â€Å"I am sorry boss, I do not know what happened! † Amelia shouts so she can be heard over the screams of riders. â€Å"Wait†¦ How did you know it was stuck † â€Å"I could hear everybody’s cries from the bathroom!! † he rolled his eyes and began to press the emergency buttons. The ride made a weird noise then began running again. â€Å"I am sorry, Amelia, but you are fired,† the boss says in a tired tone. Everybody gets off the ride like they are running for their lives. The boss is still shouting at Amelia for not knowing how to operate the ride. â€Å"I am alive!! † Josie shouts as she comes running out. â€Å"Thank goodness we did not die! † Jackie cries. â€Å"I know! I am never going on a ride again,† Josie shrieked. â€Å"Same. I think I will just go on the kiddy cars,† Jackie agrees and heads towards the kids section. â€Å"Yay! Let us go! †

Misuse of Environmental Resources

Misuse of Environmental Resources A.What is the issue: Misuse of environment resources means wasting of our raw natural resources which leads to unbalance in the nature elements. This can be caused by two ways direct and indirect. For example, cutting forests to use their wood is considered as direct misuse; at the same time lacking of trees is reducing the amount of oxygen in the air and increasing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is an indirect way of misusing. The significance of the issue:.B In the past, human beings adopted its home and clothing and their food plants on the environment, animals and other components, but what is happening now is a drain in all forms of environmental resources like living plant, animal and non-living resources, soil, mineral and energy resources, and this is attrition problems to the environment . .The water is the most important reason for the persistence of life on this planet, because its uses are many and varied ,and the amount of water on the surface of the Earth is not fixed and it will not increase ,for this reason the subject should be taken more seriously by looking for ways to conserve water and keep it .The metal is the basis of industry and economic power ,hence it is important to maintain it . the increasing in the number of the worlds population is causing a rapidly drain and increase the cost of extraction , it is known to us that this energy had been formed since millions of years and are not renewed, the throbbed they nee d millions of years until the other is made up again. As for the wealth of plant food source, which is very important in our lives, they are also harmed by cutting trees and burning of forests, overgrazing, being done by some ignorant shepherds and other things without thinking about the value of these trees that are a major source of food and energy in the body as they contribute to purifying the air from the exhaust gases such as carbon dioxide and also contribute to the process of transpiration in increasing the amount of rainfall. remained livestock is one of the most important sources through which a human on the protein needed to build his body and his bones and teeth, however, there are many species now threatened with extinction because of fishing in the breeding seasons. So what we see from the above is that we need to protect our environment and its resources, use it in the right way in order to protect ourselves and our planet . Why are you choosing this issue:.C In the UAE there a lot of natural resources that are misused , in our project we are trying to explain what are this resources and how they are used in the opposite way and what are its effectives on the society ,its so popular now a days , we need this resources to help the people and give them the attention to use it in the write way. D.Sources used : We have made around the university to ask the 20 students about our topic misused of natural resources in UAE and there opinion on it we have asked three questions which are : Q1) What are the natural resources in UAE in their opinion? Answer was: 10 girls gave an answer of the petrol resources of petrol resources. 5 girls gave an answer of the solar and energetic power. 2 girls gave an answer of the pearls and sea. 2 girls gave an answer of the oil source. Q2) Are those resources used in a proper way ? Answer was: 10 girls said (yes) 5 girls said (no) 5 girls said (some used properly and other no) Q3)In what ways we can use this sources properly ?(random 5) E.What are the reasons of the issue: There are many reasons for this issue such as increasing population and their consuming , the unawareness of some individual and groups with the serious of the problem, the development of industry and trade like trading in ivory, the luxuries living standard of rich people to match their needs. Also we have deliberate negligence on destruction of natural resources like dumping factory wastes on soil and land, last but least no restricted laws to be applied in order to protect and preserve our natural resources. F.What are the effects of the issue: 1.On the Individual level : Consuming the amount of fresh water. Air pollution. Sea life pollution (lack of food). Lack of resources for the next generations. Depletion of petroleum and minerals resources. Extinction of some kinds of rare animals and put the lives of the rest endanger. Decline the developed countries because of the wrong environmental behavior. Creating hybrid organisms could match the new environmental conditions. Crack in the life chain. 2.On the National and Global level: You must be the change you wish to see in the world.These words were said by Gandhi; those words were said to the people who misuse the environment, even though they know that this affects the world, now we are using a lot of the natural resources, as a result we have a lot of consequences, such as acid rain and smog. In this new age that we are in, we use a lot of electronics, but the thing is these electronics, they need a lot of fuel to work which is a great loss because later on with time there wont be any fuels for the other electronics like cars to transport us or the air conditioner to cool us down, all these factors will vanish with time and we wont be able to keep that same standard of living if we keep using the resources carelessly like we are now. We never wondered when we use up the fossil fuels, and they are no longer useful they end up in our lakes or oceans the bad thing is that this water has to be purify it because of all the pollutants that are present in the water and the people who are gaining from all this is the big businesses they clean the water and purify it. Even the big businesses have some waste that they dont want to deal with the waste that they have left from the purification so they throw it back to the water which they dont really care about its purity and the victims are the people who will think to drink, eat, or shower again with this water, and many more thing happen to us when the water in not pure which affects our body and our ecosystem. G.What can be done to resolve this issue: You might think its hard to solve, but its easy. If each one of us plant one small tree in his house, it will contribute in protecting our environment. A lot of people use cars even into the nearest place to their house, and of course they are not the only one who does the same thing, more and more do it. Instead of using cars, bicycles r good option. Easy to ride and doesnt cause a lot of damages or pollution to the environment. Start with yourself, think, and imagine a clean environment, better world and healthy people. How about walking, its good for both your body and your world Even for the people who must uses their cars every day, use refineries, do u know what that polluted air can cause to human health and your environment. Recycling!! had any one of u thought how much it can help in protecting our environment, people probably through stuff they use way, instead of that lets try using them in good ways again ,of course not everything but there is something that can be useful again such as papers , plastic , also try to reduce the amount of using it , instead use paper bags and cardboard containers, Even a simple habit of buying in bulk can save a lot of packaging material , see its very easy things do and very small m but it makes huge difference with our environment , help us to green our world. Treat the Earth well: it was not given to you by your parents , it was loaned to you by your children ancient proverb. Society projec 52 section Team members: Dina Amr Salem. Group Leader. Reem Ebrahim Kader. Mina Raafat Al Baali. Ghada Mohamed. Work plan: paragraph A, E, F, the presentation, andforming the report. Dina Amr. paragraph B and F. Mina Raafat. paragraph C and D. Ghada Mohamed. paragraph G and the brochure. Reem Ebrahim.

Marks of a leader Essay -- essays papers

Marks of a leader Leadership is the ability to guide, direct, or influence people. A good leader can do all of this while maintaining the approval of the people that he or she is leading. Some people want a leader to take control and others want a leader that is more flexible and will allow them to have a say in what the leader does. Due to this, leadership depends a lot on the people being lead. A good leader needs to know what kind of people they are leading because that should effect how they lead. People do not respond to the same things. For example, my little brother absolutely needs a strict authority figure in order to operate because he will try to take advantage of a more democratic leader. I on the other hand, respond better to the more friendly democratic type of leader because when some one is trying to strictly lead me I get into a rebellious attitude, which hinders my performance, and the ability of my leader to lead. A good leader should show strength and compassion. I cannot even imagine what would happen if an Army General showed even the slightest bit of fear during a battle. The leader needs to hold the group together and keep them strong. A leader needs to do what needs to be done for the welfare of his followers. This is where things get tricky because most of the time the people being lead don’t know what is really the best thing for them. This makes the job of a leader very difficult because they need to decide whether to do...

Rome :: essays papers

Rome Personal Imaginative There she was, in all her beauty. She was parked on the corner just were I left her She looked good, She looked hotter than hell. Her shinning poppy red exterior, sparkling likes diamonds. All heads turned by the car’s stunning looks, all ears raised to the sound of the Hi-Po V8 289, equipped with a Paxton supercharger; a sound you just don’t hear but feel. A classic sign of American muscle. My Classic 1966 GT 350 â€Å"Shelby Mustang.† I jumped into the bucket seats, stopping for a moment to observe the car/s beauty , before igniting the engine, only to be satisfied by that usual throaty growl. I eased the stang into first and rolled her out of the car park, towards a set of nearby traffic lights. Here I stopped next to a 1973 Corvette stingray. The Corvette was a nice car, a real looker, and bright orange in colour. The man in the Corvette was about 50 years of age. He was a small man, bald and quite frankly looked harmless; well so I thought. Before I knew it, he looked over at me, giving me an aggressive look, at the same time revving his engine. The look he gave me could only be translated to one thing: He wanted to race. The lights changed to green. Instinctively I slammed my foot on the accelerator, coming down on it like a ton of bricks, and sending the Stang leaping forward as if it was transformed into a wild mustang. The growl of the engine sent vibrations through my body. I was thrown back in my seat due to the force of the acceleration. Behind me I left a wall of smoke, and the smell of burning rubber. In 4.5 seconds I was doing 60 mph, the Corvette growing smaller and smaller through the rear-view mirror. I was amazed. I was doing incredible speeds. At this stage objects out of the window gradually became streaks of colour. I was left unable to distinguish between objects, dodging parked cars and people, within the last millisecond. At those speeds I was enclosed in my own world. I no longer heard the outside world, but only the Magnum wheels screeching, gripping the road like glue. Rome :: essays papers Rome Personal Imaginative There she was, in all her beauty. She was parked on the corner just were I left her She looked good, She looked hotter than hell. Her shinning poppy red exterior, sparkling likes diamonds. All heads turned by the car’s stunning looks, all ears raised to the sound of the Hi-Po V8 289, equipped with a Paxton supercharger; a sound you just don’t hear but feel. A classic sign of American muscle. My Classic 1966 GT 350 â€Å"Shelby Mustang.† I jumped into the bucket seats, stopping for a moment to observe the car/s beauty , before igniting the engine, only to be satisfied by that usual throaty growl. I eased the stang into first and rolled her out of the car park, towards a set of nearby traffic lights. Here I stopped next to a 1973 Corvette stingray. The Corvette was a nice car, a real looker, and bright orange in colour. The man in the Corvette was about 50 years of age. He was a small man, bald and quite frankly looked harmless; well so I thought. Before I knew it, he looked over at me, giving me an aggressive look, at the same time revving his engine. The look he gave me could only be translated to one thing: He wanted to race. The lights changed to green. Instinctively I slammed my foot on the accelerator, coming down on it like a ton of bricks, and sending the Stang leaping forward as if it was transformed into a wild mustang. The growl of the engine sent vibrations through my body. I was thrown back in my seat due to the force of the acceleration. Behind me I left a wall of smoke, and the smell of burning rubber. In 4.5 seconds I was doing 60 mph, the Corvette growing smaller and smaller through the rear-view mirror. I was amazed. I was doing incredible speeds. At this stage objects out of the window gradually became streaks of colour. I was left unable to distinguish between objects, dodging parked cars and people, within the last millisecond. At those speeds I was enclosed in my own world. I no longer heard the outside world, but only the Magnum wheels screeching, gripping the road like glue.

walden two Essay -- essays research papers

Walden Two   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two, Skinner presents many positive changes to society in his utopia, such as: division of labor, encouragement of perusing your own interests in education, and absolute equality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Walden Two, a member is paid in credits that are required by the society. Each person earns a certain amount of credits per hour for every job they do. Everyone is expected to work to receive 4-6 credits for one day. The amount of credits-per-hour depends on the job. A more physically demanding or unpleasant job would receive more points then something less taxing. This is an effective way or contracting society because it has people work enough to get the necessary work done to drive the society without overworking and tapping out the worker. When Castle and Frazier discuss whether a community can survive on such little work, we understand that the people who are working are working with intent and without distractions and not under distracting supervision. It is also useful because it allows people to choose how to spend their time. If they would like to get their work down quickly by doing a more challenging job, that is their choice and they are not being m ade to do so. This also allows people to freely move around with jobs. They are not locked into one job for the rest of their life. If they do not like it, they can sign up for a new job tomorrow. This allows you to pursue your interests wit...

Being at Cadet College

Respected —– Worthy teachers and my dear friends AOA Today I have been given an opportunity to express my feelings being here in a cadet college. I would start with the few words by one of the cadet like us. He says: â€Å"At 90-years-old, you will still remember the experiences, the camaraderie, and the friendships that develop with perfect clarity. The knowledge gained about yourself, as well as about this career, is immeasurable. † I feel the same. Cadets is a program that has changed my life and opened up various doors for me.The way I react in situations has changed because of cadets. Cadets isn't just a program that keeps you busy a few nights during the week. It gives you opportunities to travel, meet new people, to become a better leader and most importantly a better version of yourself. My favorite part of Cadets is the people I've met along the way. Through national competitions, and other activities, I have met some of the most amazing people. These pe ople have made a huge impact on my life.Despite the fact that I may not see some of them anymore, the impression they left will always be there. I thank the cadet program for making all of that possible. The essentials of religion taught in the class room, religious education in the classroom supplemented by prayers in the College Mosque, observance of fast in the month of Ramadan and holding of functions on days of religious significance helps us to practice religion in the best way. Moreover, the Morning Assembly begins with the recitation of Verses from the Holy Quran followed by their explanation.To get up 4 in the morning, physical training, and taking classes from 8 to 1, preps, afternoon games, regular drill, mess nights †¦. (aur bhi agar kuch huwa). and finally lights out at 10. This seemed to be so tough in the beginning. I used to think that I won’t be able to survive and did not consider it important to get up early and go to bed on time. But now that I have s urvived, I admit that this is the best life a student or a person can lead. Within a month or two I realized a great change in my physical health. This tough, well disciplined life has helped me get sound mind and body.And I am looking forward and excited about the activities in future like horse riding and swimming. Every day is a new experience, new lesson, new adventure. I can never forget the lesson that Discipline, bravery, honesty and modesty are the four foundation pillars for all of us who will be passing out from this institute. I make sure to keep up these pillars not thorough the years in this college but throughout the life. I have so many people to thank for where I am today, because I believe every experience and every person influences who you become.But first of all, Allah Almighty and then I'd like to thank my parents who got me into Cadets. To this day, I don't think they know how much they have actually done for me. I'd like to thank all the hard working staff at our Cadet College for making sure that we all got the opportunities we deserved. Most of all I would like —— (any other person) And finally, I'd like to thank you all for having me here to speak with you today. You were a great audience and I wish you all the best. (Thank you or good afternoon. )

Critical Thinking Essay

Today is the era of information culture and most facts come from critical thinking. More and more people are faced regularly with information they have to make proper decisions about. Critical thinking is the vital component of decision-making process and business world. Critical thinking is defined as the process of determining the accuracy, authenticity and worth of data and information, arguments, knowledge and claims. Critical thinking is generating, analyzing and examining ideas, learning to be cautious and sympathetic, learning to manipulate. The key point of critical thinking is to find and marshal good arguments and information, to avoid distortion and manipulation, to define truth and fallacies before product advertising. Actually, it helps expert to develop new approaches, to attract new customers and to retain the power on the old ones. Decision-making should be critical in its thinking and deliver properly selected and analyzed promotional plans, find technical solutions to existing problems, design new production lines, etc. (Feldman 2002) The purpose of critical thinking is rather three-fold: it has to be relevant to the segment of target market; it has to be memorable and recognizable beyond the moment of its exposure; it has to attract attention of indented viewer. In decision-making process critical thinking is a generative and lateral force, because it allows: to examine all ideas and arguments, to separate the ideas from their vehicles, to define false from true, and to separate accurate from distorted, incomplete from complete, etc. (Harris 1998) Example from Personal Experience I really appreciate the role of critical thinking in decision-making process. Sometimes, decision may seem less effective, though in perspective it will appear a winning one. Such situation happened to me. Once I had been working at confectionery. The idea was to put cake mixes on the market and manufacturers decided to put the highest quality into mixes. Women were required simply to add water, but, unfortunately, mixes fail to be sold good. I had to refer to my critical thinking to realize the women might feel guilty for not being good wives as they had to take shortcut to make a cake. I thought it would be better to take off milk and eggs as it would allow women to do something. Despite the fact that solution appeared to less efficient in theoretical terms, it was more practical. It was the first time I admitted the importance of critical thinking in decision-making. (Harris 1998) Benefits and Importance of Critical Thinking Critical thinking gives business experts and employees an opportunity to develop new fresh solutions to problems. Critical thinking gives the possibility to enjoy analyzing data and information and then to develop opinions and conclusions. In many cases employees analyze what is wrong with the idea or on-going process and then try to point out how to make this process right. Critical thinking in decision-making is used when it is necessary: to increase brand loyalty, to increase visibility and awareness of the goods and services that are being delivered, to stimulate increase in sales, to create opportunities to display products, to be socially responsible, and to entertain customers and prospects. (Harris 1998) Critical thinking is used when it is required to develop the habit of analyzing and to think about problematic issues instead of reacting to them. Thus, critical thinking sets them apart and then sees what is going on with them. One more benefit of critical thinking is developing attention. Critical thinking is necessary when paying attention to the opportunities opened ahead. It is a matter of fact that many original ideas are lost because of lack of attention and lazy attitude towards information. Critical thinking helps employees to find the best words and phrases to create a strong impression and impact on customers. Further, critical thinking develops awareness in decision-making process. It means that employees are able to look a round and to encompass the universe of thought. Employees possessing developed critical thinking won’t be fixed within the narrow confines of own perspective. They will be aware of different approaches available to problem solving. Critical thinking together with strong imagination is the best combination for a strong leader, because they allow him/her to play with data and to sort it in many different ways. Simply saying, critical thinking is optimistic curiosity, because really critically thinking employees want to know things. (Feldman 2002) Critical leaders are able to view opposing arguments with interest and sympathy. They prefer to listen thoughtfully and patiently to other workers and consider them carefully. Therefore, critical thinking provides them with knowledge what is going on in information society and with possible ways of verbal and non-verbal manipulations. They will create different meanings and impressions. It is a matter of fact that critical thinking gives the opportunity to form independent judgments that are based good evidence. Critically thinking people are able to not only to collect necessary data, but also to put them together into something new and meaningful. (Feldman 2002) Critical thinking is necessary for decision-making process, because it gives excellent possibilities to expand their own boundaries of thoughts and to broaden their ideas and perspectives in many ways by talking to people whose point of view is completely different, by listening to customers with respect to their needs and desires, by reading books and articles with deeper understanding of changes in society, by understanding different lifestyle and different cultures. (Harris 1998) Critical thinking is useful for driving growth in corporate and social marketing strategies, for building and maintaining markets and to make positive social contribution. What is more important is that critical thinking is the showcase of social responsibility. Employees with critical thinking can find ways how to increase influence and impact on customers’ behavior and how to contribute ethical reputation of the company or organization. (Feldman 2002) References Feldman, Daniel. (2002). Critical Thinking: Strategies for Decision Making. Boston, MA: Thomson Place. Harris, Robert. (1998, July 1). Introduction to Critical Thinking. Retrieved January 30, 2007, from http://www. virtualsalt. com/crebook1. htm

Oman Air Essay

Oman Air, the flagship company of the Sultanate of Oman’s Civil Aviation sector, commenced operations in 1993. Starting off as a regional player, Oman Air, as Oman’s national carrier has witnessed rapid growth since the time it was established. Oman Air has played a major role in making Muscat a major traffic hub in the Middle East providing a fillip to commercial, industrial and tourism activities. The history of the establishment of Oman Air to 1981, where it began flights actually in 1993, and we all know that the company emerged as a result of the integration that has occurred between the two companies, â€Å"Gulf Air for light aircraft† and â€Å"Oman International Services†, and later form the Oman Aviation Services â€Å"Oman Air. † As a full-fledged commercial airline of Oman, Oman Air has striven to maintain high performance standards in all aspects of its operation. The Oman International Services was established in the year 1970 & later Oman Aviation Services was founded on 1981 to extend services to the other airlines in terms of cargo handling, ground handling etc. The Oman Air fleet consists of most modern and fuel- efficient aircraft with aesthetically designed interiors. Ultra- modern in-flight service equipment is deployed onboard to improve safety and overall performance. Investment in new technology, planning and product innovation has propelled Oman Air to the forefront of the aviation industry. At Oman Air, we strive hard to enhance our products in terms of convenience, efficiency and service so that flying with us is consistently an enjoyable experience. Achieving and maintaining internationally recognized standards of quality and safety is a continuous and uncompromising process in every department of Oman Air. Strong of the company We can say that the company has a many strong points as following: Destinations Covered Oman Air currently operates direct international flights to major Gulf destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Al-Ain, Jeddah, Dammam, Kuwait and Riyadh from Muscat. The airline also flies to ten destinations in India – Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Kozhikode and Jaipur. Chittagong in Bangladesh, Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan, Male in the Maldives, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Kathmandu in Nepal, Bangkok in Thailand, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar in Tanzania. Oman Air also flies to Cairo in Egypt, Beirut in Lebanon, Amman in Jordan, Tehran in Iran, London in the UK, Frankfurt and Munich in Germany, Paris in France and Milan in Italy. The airline operates domestic flights from Muscat to Salalah and Khasab. To each one of the destinations that it covers, Oman Air lends a distinct touch of its legendary traditions of hospitality. At Home in the Air – With Oman Air On all international flights of Oman air their offer on-board Duty – Free shopping facility, enabling passengers to choose from a select, world-class range of quality merchandise. A detailed list of products available can be found in the in-flight Duty – Free catalogue. New planes Today Oman Air stands tall with a list of achievements to its credit. It is the first airline in the Gulf to introduce the brand new Boeing NG 737 aircraft series. Their safety record is a matter of pride. Oman Air has excellent on-time performance – OTP exceeding 95% and is striving to better its track record, in times ahead. Oman Air, poised to enter the next phase of modern aviation, in the new millennium with confidence and pride!

Comparative Economics Studies of China and India Essay

In 1950, China and India was the two developing countries with largest resources in term of land and labor. At that time, they both had the comparable economic structures and degree of development. However, with the difference mainly in political systems, in which China is Socialist Communist government, while India adopt parliamentary democracy, and specific countries’ development policy, it leads to the difference in the rate of growth in industrialization in particular countries. The dissimilarities in political system account for the rate of decision making process. It is the particular reason China had its development policy change in 1978, which undertake export-oriented policy creating special economic zones (SEZs), result in being one of the fastest growing countries in the past 30 years, while In the case of India, before 1991, the economic growth is considerably low, referring as â€Å"Hindu rate of growth†, reflects slow growth in industrialization. After 1991, India had its economic reform policies, Industrialization begin to grow once more, especially with the support of SEZ Act in 2005. It is still questioned whether India could follow China in growth of industrialization due to poor quality of infrastructure and protesting in land acquisition. Introduction The development policy of China and India had it starting point since India’s independency in 1947 and China’s liberation in 1950. These two countries had merely identical initial position in term of economic structures. GDP per capita of China and India, using prices at 1960, were estimated to be 65 US dollar and 62 US dollar respectively. Also, total labor working in industry was 11 percent in India, while it was only 7 percent in China. Moreover, 9 percent of total output was generated in Large-scale manufacturing and utilities, similar to 6% in India. Likewise, Both China and India economies characterized by mass rural poverty under feudal mode of protection in the country side. However, the gap of industrialization between two countries began to widen during 1970s. As in 1980, there was a substantial disparity in percentage share of GDP, only 21. 9 percent in India, compare to 48. 5% in China (Saith, 2008. ) Why was the gap broadened due to similar economic structures? This paper focuses on the reason behind the different rate of industrialization that leads to discrepancy in economic growth. The first section analyzes about the distinction of Chinese and India’s political system, autocratic socialist versus parliamentary democracy, and how it affect the decision making process of two countries. Next section examines various policies of each country, including Import substitution policy of India during 1950-1990, China reform in 1979 with special economic zones (SEZs) and SEZ Act of India in 2005 and the success or failure of those policies. The third Section discusses the policy of land acquisition of China and India that contribute to industrial district. Section four reviews quality of infrastructure of two countries that affect the industrialization accordingly. The Final section concludes the paper. Political Systems There is a distinct political system between China and India. China or PRC is considered as a single-socialist party, in which general secretary of communist party is the president of PRC. This gives total power to communist party to rule over country, although there are minorities of eight other political parties. Furthermore, having economic reform in1978, it gave provincial leader powers to allocate resources in their province. Local economic performances among states evolved into the essential criterion to evaluate lower-level officials. These economic performances included GDP growth, to steel produced, the miles of road constructed (Li & Zhou, 2004. ) It created competition among state official to compete for promotion in to higher level, which increase efficiency in each states. Li and Zhou (2004) used data from 28 provincial units from 1979-1995, estimated with regressions, showing that annual growth rate of GDP has positive relationship with promotion (15 %. ) Moreover, with average growth rate over 5 years, result in positive relationship more than double of the result of annual growth rate (33%. In contrast, India constitutes a parliamentary multi-party democracy which more than 40 political parties. It can be said that Indian politics is dominated by duopoly of National Congress party and BJP party. However, those small regional parties still possess some political power as no parties have votes enough for being one-party government. After 1992, Indian politics have become politics of caste factions. Cand idates for legislative assembly seats have been selected from local faction leaders who have local ote banks in specific caste and community. There is no party which can be one-party dominance except being head of multi-party coalition (Stern, 2000. ) Also, with numerous political parties, those parties choose to play vote bank politics. Sometimes they prefer not to afflict with their vote banks, although it is better in terms of society (Inhovi, 2009. ) Moreover, the composition of state power of China and India which it was created during achieving independence or liberation is what make it difference between two political system. In India, the independence movement was supervised mainly by the people in the middle and upper castes. By this I mean, in the post-independence period, people in middle and upper castes can retain their power, while protecting their benefits. As a result, the Indian institutional framework is taking as a constraint toward industrialization and economic growth (Saith, 2008) On the other hand; revolutionary communist party led by Mao Zedong has taken control over china in 1950. Those powers were in the hand of the poor peasant and workers. Prior Status-quo and political structures were overthrown during the revolutionary under socialism. Therefore, the Chinese could adjust their institutional framework so that it is suitable for development of the countries. With the dissimilarity in political system, it leads to the differentiation in the decision making process. For China, which political system is one-party domination, the decision for policies can be made in the communist party as less transaction cost of negotiation among political parties and no obstacle from institutional framework and status-quo. But for India, having duopoly in politics with coalition of multi-party government, culture of patron-client relationship and vote banks system, such decision on policies takes longer time as high negotiation cost between political parties, and it might has conflict with their vote banks (Inhovi, 2009 . ) In addition, China had dual-track implementing system in decision making process, in which State Planning Committee (SPC) make important decision on policies. It also monitors and implements the policy, supporting by powerful party structure, result in successful solutions in terms of growth and infrastructure development. While, India had separated institutions of decision making process and implementation on policies. Strategic Plans were constructed by working groups, including representative of line ministries, technical experts and others. However, in reality, the implementation was deviated from the plan. In addition, past Indian development plans only pointed out directions but not specific goals, making implementation process harder. The distinct model of decision making process would affect both developments policies and infrastructure of both countries that lead to difference growth of industrialization and economic performance (Kim& Nangia, 2008. Development Policies In 1950s, India led by Nehru Gandhi launch first development plan, in which its objective was to promote industrialization which large investment were made basic industries. It was known as Import Substitution Policy (ISI). Self-reliance on industrial goods was their prime target. As a consequence, government placed heavy pr otection against domestic industries with licenses, permits and quotas. Only manufactured goods that improve productivity of industrial goods were allowed to import. The development of industrial sector was portrayed by central planning which controlled private sector through license and permits and massive investment in public sector, including specific industries exclusively reserved (McMillan& Naughton, 1992. ) Consequently, India industrialized that its industries mostly produce everything from tinned fruit to nuclear energy (Stern, 2000). However, the rate of industrialization is slow as in behalf of non-comparative advantage and high costs of producing goods. Still, average annual GDP growth in industrial sector in real term from 1951-1960 was 5. 7% (Reserved bank of India, 2011. ) At the same time, China had its development policy slightly differentiate from India. China also had development policy centrally planned. However, it relied on the collectivization of agricultural sector, using surplus on development of producing raw materials, investment goods industries and larger-scale, capital intensive industry. All trade of China was c ontrolled by foreign trade corporations, which indeed owned by ministry of Foreign trade. It regulated all imports and exports to specific quantitative guidelines. Similar to India, China’s export and import is irrelevant to country’s comparative advantage (Branstetter& Lardy, 2006. ) Then, in 1970s, there’s a turning point in Chinese economy. China, led by Deng Xiaoping, had a several economic reforms especially creating â€Å"special economic zones. † These zones were enacted for which foreign firms receive preferential tax and administrative treatment and given an unusually free hand in their operations (Branstetter& Lardy, 2006. ) By that time, there were 4 zones: Shenzen, Zhuhai, Xiamen and Shantou. The prime objective of SEZs was to serve as a bridge to introducing foreign capital, technology and knowledge and management know-how (Roychoudhury, 2010. ) These special economic zones had several advantages. First, each of the zones is extremely large in terms of geographical area; for instance, 2000 square kilometers in Shenzen. It creates cost advantage of economies of scale for industrial sector both internal and external, and low transportation cost among suppliers. Second, they locate in the coastal area, having ports and transport networks. Also, these zones were established near major cities or countries; for example, Shenzen neighbor Hongkong, and Xiamen borders Taiwan. It could attract foreign investment from nearby cities, boast industrialization in SEZs. Moreover, foreign industries received preferential tax in corporate tax rate; the actual tax burden is 11%, while domestic industry paid 23% in actual tax burden, although nowadays, the preferential tax had been lifted except few high-technology sector and small enterprises (Guo& Feng, 2007. SEZs helped foster rapid industrialization in China within its area; incentivize foreign investors using comparative advantage of cheap labor costs. Along with the assistance of import policy in 1987, which granted imports of raw materials, parts and components for exporting production purpose tax-free, China industrial sector emerged as low-wage assembly services (Branstetter& Lardy, 2006. ) As a result, SEZs growth has been enormous, as an example of Shenzen, which av erage annual GDP growth rate from 1980-2005 was 27%, later referred as â€Å"Shenzen Speed† (Guo& Feng, 2007. Later on, China has gained benefit from importing technical knowledge contained in capital goods, parts and components; as a result, some of the industry has shifted from assembling and processing services to self-manufacturing (Branstetter& Lardy, 2006. ) By the end of 2005, there are five Shenzen brands with sale more than 10 billion Yuan. The actual use of foreign capital inShenzen has increased to $3. 3 billion in 2006, compare to $153. 7 million in 1979 (Guo& Feng, 2007. ) 7% of gross world FDI flows in 2009 went in to China, increase significantly from 1% in 1980. In 2008, China had its share of world GDP in PPP basis of nearly 12% compare to 2% in 1980. China’s real GDP has increased average over 10% annually (Roychoudhury, 2010. ) SEZs policy has proved its own successful, accelerating industrialization and economic growth in China in the past 30 years. In contrast, coping with Hindu rate of growth for over 40 years, 3 percent per annum from 1947 to 1975 and 5 percent per annum from 1976-1991, India had its economic reform later in 1991, starting trade liberalization to oster industrialization and economic growth, including abolishing of industrial licensing, decreasing tariff protection, removing industries reserved for public sector and small-scale sector and liberalizing foreign direct investment. Before trade liberalization, the import substitution policy proved to be inefficiency due to licensing policy, high cost of producing, inflexibility of labor market and non-incentive for efficiency improvement (Ahluwalia, 2002. ) Companie s paid no attention on management training, quality control and advertising because there is only few or no competitor due to licensing policy and tariff protection. As in 1970s, Indian market for industrial goods soon exhausted as domestic market is small and low competitiveness against other companies in the world market. GDP growth in industrial sector of India from 1971-1980 is only 4. 3% especially growth from 1970-1976 is only 3. 4%, compare to 5. 9% and 6. 2% for growth from 1951-1960 and 1961-1970 respectively (reserved Bank of India, 2011. ) As a consequent, industrial licensing has been nullified, replaced by new competition law to increase competitive environment in domestic and international market. Moreover, 15 industries in public sector that was reserved exclusively, such as iron and steel, air transport services, have been opened for private companies to invest. Also, some of productions reserved for small-scale sector have been removed as those productions have export potential. Moreover, import licensing against capital goods and intermediate goods were removed in 1993, and quantitative restrictions on imports of manufactured consumer goods were abolished in 2001. It increased competitiveness for domestic industry, forcing to compete with other companies in global markets. In addition, Average tariff rate has reduced from 72. 5% in 1991-1992 to 15 percent in 2004, which will increase competition in domestic markets. However, the average tariff was considered high, comparing to China (Ahluwalia, 2002. ) The growth in economy and industrialization in India in late 2000s also partly came from â€Å"Special Economic Zones† or SEZ. In 2005, Government of India has passed SEZ A, which it goals was to incentivize local and foreign investors and promote export. There are numerous benefits investing under special economic zones.. Firstly, the government provided duty free import of goods for development, operation and maintenance of SEZ units. Secondly, income tax on export in the first 5 years is exempted, and 50% exempted in year 6TH -10TH and 50% of the export ploughed back export profit for year 11TH-15TH. Third, SEZs units also exempted from central sales tax, service tax and minimum alternate tax. Moreover, SEZs units could borrow from external commercial borrowing up to 500 million dollars in a year without maturity restriction. In addition, SEZs unit gain benefit from single window clearance for central and state approvals, which reduce transaction cost of dealing with governments (SEZ India website, 2011. ) The SEZs policy in India is quite similar to SEZs policy in China; however, there are some distinctions between two countries. First, SEZs units in China mostly produce industrial products or consider in industrial sector, while in India, it can be both industrial sector and service sector. IT/ITES/Electronic hardware Technology parks accounted for 61. 3% of formal approvals of SEZs.

Advanced applied quantitative methods in finance Essay

Advanced applied quantitative methods in finance - Essay Example Financial time series have features that are represented well by models with dynamic variances. In this part, we focus at modeling the financial time series of the Italian Stock market index as well as the Spanish stock market index. We thus intend to examine the volatility in the Italian Spanish markets by understanding the change in commodity prices over a period of time. Finally we aim to present the various processes through which financial decisions are taken by aid of volatility modeling. Uses regression to provide possible estimates of the disturbance variances at each sample point and the original relation is then re-estimated by the weighted least squares procedure that corrects for the heteroskedasticity. The data is a time series data that includes 4255 daily market index prices for the Italian stock market spanning over the period 12/31/1997-22/01/2014 we also have the Spanish stock market data that includes 7122 daily market index prices spanning from 1/5/1987 to 4/22/2014 The series are characterized by random, rapid changes and are said to be volatile. The volatility seems to change over time as well. There has been upward and downward effects in volatility for the Italian market while the time series plot for Spanish market shows somehow an upward increase with slight variations (decreases) in between the years. The variations in volatility could be as a result among other factors, political factors or the international market changes. The histograms of the empirical distribution of the series are given below. For both the two market indexes, we observe that the series are leptokurtic. That is, they have lots of observations around the average and a relatively large number of observations that are far from average; for the Italian market index, the centre of the histogram has a high peak and the tails

A Controversial Issue The Death with Dignity Act Essay

A Controversial Issue The Death with Dignity Act - Essay Example In any case, it requires very critical analysis before any substantive stance can be adopted. One of the fundamental issues in the Act arises out of the very fact that it concerns human life which is deemed by many to be a sacred affair. In any case, the issues emerging out of this controversy are mostly in support or in antipathy on the application of the whole Act. Controversy It has to be realized that even in areas where The Death with Dignity Act is sanctioned, its application still faces myriad challenges arising from the opponents of the whole agenda. The Act proposes that people who are mentally fit but terminally ill should be given the option of using drugs that can hasten their deaths. This should happen in cases where death appears imminent or when the patient experiences a lot of suffering courtesy of the illness. Doctors and activists are on either side of the debate on whether the Act should be applied. Religious organizations are forging their stance on this topical i ssue on the strong premise that life is sacred and should never be taken for granted to the extent of hastening one’s death (Or: Public Health Division, 55). While the Act grants the patients the right to be given the drugs to quicken their deaths, its enforcement still faces challenges as most doctors are not very comfortable with prescribing such drugs to the patients who need them. In this regard, it becomes very difficult for the patients to get such services. In the same way, most doctors are prohibited by their employers to prescribe such drugs and will therefore never offer services in this respect. While the law was successfully passed in Oregon in 1994, its application still lingers given the many challenges and controversy surrounding the whole issue. In the State of Washington, the law went into effect successfully in 2009 after it was passed in 2008 without any legal challenges being raised (Hillyard, 28). The major issue presently is however the need to provide e ducation to the masses on the whole subject of the Act in order to limit much of the ongoing debate and to enable the people to fully understand how the Act operates. In this respect it would become possible to reject the law or to adopt it without much of the present controversy. As a major argument in support of this Act, it is realized that several patients normally undergo a lot of both physical and mental pain and suffering when diagnosed with terminal illnesses. In order to remedy and mitigate some of these cases, it was therefore deemed appropriate in some states that the Death with Dignity Act would thereby provide the best alternative. Basically, it is a matter of individual choice and its application is based upon the fact that the patient has to be 18 years and older and be mentally sound in the process (Public Health Division, 56). Without doubt, it seems that the Act offers patients the option of ending their lives with some level of dignity since they can actually deci de when and where to actually die. Most opponents of this law have simply regarded it as a form of â€Å"assisted suicide† where a patient is lawfully given the option of taking away their life. Religious organizations especially Catholics have been very loud in opposing the law on the belief that life is very sacred and should only be taken away by God. They vehemently oppose any form of the law that might give a patient the option of deciding when to die. As such, doctors operating under such organizations are prohibited from practicing the law or referring patients to other doctors who might assist them. Most of these organizations also claim that the law might be severely abused as most people would be pressured to simply end their lives pt such a without the

An Analysis of the Common Theme of Physical Violence in A Short Essay

An Analysis of the Common Theme of Physical Violence in A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies and Titus Andronicus - Essay Example "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies" depicts colonization and Europeanization of the American Indians by Spaniards. Euroamerican settlement of the West accelerated, the government abandoned gradualism in favor of comprehensive programs for assimilation. The savage, noble or ignoble, was judged capable of civilization. Those who embraced it would be welcomed into mainstream society. Those who balked would nevertheless be compelled to behave. In a short time, no more than a generation, the old ways would die out. The savage would disappear with the passing of the frontier. Instead of a geographical expression, the West became, in the imaginations of Americans stranded in the cities and towns, a wild region inhabited by even wilder humans, some white and brown, but most red. Casas depicts: "Guacanagari himself died up in the mountains, broken and destitute, after he had fled to escape the massacres and the cruelty inflicted by the Spaniards, and all the other local leaders who owed allegiance to Guacanagar perished " (20). The kind of historical criticism which has laid itself most open to attack has based its conclusions on limited data and unwarranted assumptions; thus it has been essentially unhistorical. Shakespeare He shapes the character of Aaron as an independent force of evil, rather than as a mere agent of the queen. He introduces the parallel with Ovid's tale of Philomela, and he adds the final triumph of justice and order with the return of Lucius to Rome, in spite of the inconsistency which this involves, for there is no reason for a Goth army to serve Lucius against their own queen. Shakespeare also makes of Marcus a virtual chorus to comment upon the action as the play unfolds. His most important innovation is in his conception of the principal characters and their relations to one another. Titus Andronicus is a commanding figure. He is a great and initially virtuous man, the first of Shakespeare's heroic figures whose very virtues are the source of their sins. In many ways he is a forerunner of Coriolanus. Titus embodies all the ancient Roman virtues: 'A nobler man, a braver warrior, / Lives not this day within the city walls' (I.i.25-26). He has given his life and his so ns unselfishly in the cause of his country. He might now be emperor, but he respects hereditary right and chooses Satuminus instead. He is stern and he is proud, the master of his family, the last of the ancient Romans. In contrast to heroes themes presented by Shakespeare, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies creates a negative image of the Spanish colonizers and cruelties committed by them against peaceful population. In their thoughts about the West and its original populations, Spanish colonizers variously imagined an Indian to be a noble savage, a rapacious killer, a reservation idler, the vanishing American, or a war-bonneted equestrian raider of the plains. The last image proved to be the most persuasive and, given Indian portrayals in motion pictures and television

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 149

Discussion - Essay Example It also noted failure by the colonial authority to respect the fundamental rights, a factor that led to the Spirit of ’76 and declared liberty of the states. The writing therefore uses the Spirit of ’76 as a basis for its independence declaration objective (The National Archives, N.d.). The Common Sense that Thomas Pain authored in the year 1776 called upon Americans to abandon dialogue and fight for independence. Even though Americans already laid some of its arguments down, the arguments reinforced the urge for a revolution as did the new arguments. Pain’s description of proponents of reconciliation such as men with self-interest who cannot be trusted, weak men, and men with prejudice are examples of argument that motivated revolution (Pain, 1776). Authored earlier in the year of the Spirit of ’76 and supporting existing ideas and proposing new ideas for revolution, the document is understood as a factor to the

In Chapter VI, who did the horrors of slavery affect the most Douglas, Essay

In Chapter VI, who did the horrors of slavery affect the most Douglas, Mr. Auld or Mrs. Auld - Essay Example Mr. Auld and Mrs. Auld were Douglass’s masters and Mr. Auld deprived Douglass of the right of learning to read and write which he termed as completelymisplaced Douglass (2013). Douglass had to bear with Mr. Auld’s insults, and in a section of the chapter, Mr. Auld stated that niggers should not be allowed to learn, because the overall consequences of teaching a nigger would be independence. Douglass had to put up with constant abuse from his master which completely went against his rights as a human being. Douglass’sperception of education was centered on the fact that education was a form of freedom. He did not only have to put up with the poor treatment which allowed him little or no access to vital amenities, but Mr. Auld’s new approach completely denied him the right to knowledge. Douglass experiences around the neighborhood which were graced with the images of emaciated beings in the form of Mary and Henrietta who were enslaved at the Hamilton residen ce. Such experiences must have affected Douglass’spsychology due to the uncertainties that he had to grapple with in relation to his survival and

Toyota Motor Manufacturing and its Problems Essay

Toyota Motor Manufacturing and its Problems - Essay Example In terms of purchasing, the seat made up the highest expenses of all purchased parts. The fabric made up almost half of its $740 cost (Mishina & Takeda, 2015). As a result, the company wishes to find out the immediate actions that should be taken so as to address the Camry seat problem. The company also wishes to examine whether the current method of handling seat defects that are the TMM method has been in line with the Toyota Production System’s philosophy. When the Toyota Motor Manufacturing was established in 1988 in Georgetown, the plant had a sole objective of producing 200,000 Camry seats that would replace the bulk of similar model imports from Japan. Toyota has an objective of providing cheaper and better cars for more people meaning that the company has to produce cars that meet the wide range of customer preferences with minimal flaws. The company also has to provide vehicles with perfect timing and at an affordable price. As Toyota was forced to cut its cost dramatically without large economies of scale compared to the American firms, the company needed a new source of economies in order to satisfy its customers with a wide variety, timeliness and quality at a reasonable price (Mishina &Takeda, 2015). The Toyota Production system, therefore, evolved as an answer to this challenge through eliminating wastes. The Toyota Motor Manufacturing sole supplier for seats was the Kentucky Framed Seat. As the cars went down the TMM’s assembly line, the seat assembly pieces in KFS had to do the same with the matching pieces emerging at one end fully inspected. A truckload of the fifty-eight seats would then arrive at TMM after thirty minutes. Upon reaching TMM, the seats would be offloaded to the staging line that was not big enough to accommodate the whole truckload. The seats, therefore, had to have to wait in the specific line until a space in the overhead conveyor. The conveyor line is  synchronized with the assembly line and runs above a panel of steel mesh that protects the cars and people below. The seats travel a quarter of a kilometer to the Final 1 which has the rear seat loading workstation.

MacroF Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

MacroF - Essay Example D – fractional reserve 20. A – 450 21. D – 1/R 22. C (E – 1/m) 23. D – increase GDP with low interest (inc money supply) 24. A – sell sec, reduce rates and inc reserve req 25. B– money supply 100 26. D – increase money supply to 100 27. C – 4 28. D 29. B – prime intt rate 30. D – decrease exports and appreciate $ 31. B - monetarism 32. C –Keynesian economics 33. A – rational expectation 34. C – Philips curve 35. C – Speed of adjustment 36. C –Laffer curve 37. B – below ob 38. D – done all 39. A – 3.6 trillion 40. B – Canada 41. D – all of the above 42. A – excise on imports 43. B – less resources and more needs 44. D – rent, wages, intt, profits 45. A – increase one at another’s expense 46. A – direct, inverse 47. C – price (price changes the demand curve not movement on same demand curve) 4 8. C – increase in demand 49. D – both statements are ok unless it is some sort of trick question! 50. D – high marginal cost of production 51. B – 1 and 200 52. B – 1.60 53. D – 0.50 54. D – corporate profits 55. B – functional 56. A – personal 57. D – top 1/5th get 8 times the lowest 1/5th 58. A – no claim on proprietor personal assets 59. C – GDP 60. B – PI 61. A – all final goods and services in a year 62. C – 25% 63. C – supply shock 64. B – 180 Bn 65. C – 40 at all levels 66. D - $2 for every +$3 in GDP 67. B – 3 Short Answers Question 1 The macroeconomic equation of exchange is the relationship between Money supply that is the total nominal amount of money in circulation (M), Velocity of money meaning the average frequency with which money is spent (V), Price level (P) and index of real expenditures (Q). It is expressed as M x V = P x Q From the equation of exchange, we see that money together with velocity is the source of funding for economic activities. Furthermore, it shows that for a given stock of money, an increase in velocity helps finance a greater value of transactions than money could have done by itself. Thus, the velocity of money describes the amount of economic activity with a given money supply. If all other things remain constant, changes in velocity of money can greatly affect the prices. A very high V at same M and Q would result in an increase in P (price level), that is inflation, and vice versa. If the velocity of money is stable, economists are able to predict the GDP levels and take action accordingly. Money supply can be effectively used to implement the economic policies with the desired result. If, however, V is unstable, it leads to fluctuations in price levels, and the economic policy changes in M can bring negative result. For example, if V decreases suddenly, inflation will also drop. In orde r to control this, the government might decide to increase the money supply. Now, if the V also increases after the increase in money supply, this would lead to sudden high inflation with combined effect of increased M and V. So, the stability of V is very important for governments to be able to decide and implement effective economic policies. Question 2 The structure of Federal reserve system is shown below in figure 1. Figure 1 Structure of Federal reserve system The components of the federal reserve system and their functions are described below: 1. Board of governors: they are appointed by the US president and confirmed by the US senate. The primary responsibility of the Board members is the formulation of monetary policy. The Board sets reserve requirements and shares

The tone of the poems Essay Example for Free

The tone of the poems Essay This phrase is an example of how the smaller things are often the best and I think that this is why Bennet used young boys and girls instead of just soldiers. Another reason is, I think, the anger felt at the association of two such different things the innocence of children and war. Bennet may have written it to make people to reconsider their views on war and the glorified heroes by adding a different dimension to them. In the line blood reds, cloud whites and ocean blues Bennet neglects to mention the land. He includes the sky and the sea but the earth isnt present. This is linked to the second stanza which begins with nature creating pain for the humans biting, stinging clouds of dust but ends with man taking control. I think that these lines may signify that the earth is being destroyed by humans. As nature is another beautiful casualty of the war, like children, I believe that Bennet may be suggesting that the innocent are the first to suffer. Also, he uses words such as biting and stinging to describe the winds. There are very derogatory adjectives so it may imply that Bennet is saying that war changes people and forces them to become things theyre not. This is also similar to The Man He Killed as war is like a charade or a game. When they were forced to pay the ultimate price it can relate to as the man who was killed was in his place which suggests that he had no choice. Strange people and foreign land both evoke similar images of a faraway place that is unknown to many people. Young children generally like familiarity but by the use of foreign it suggests that it is very upsetting for them. It can also signify that they were far away from home and there was nobody they know. The flags that caress them is their only comfort but by then it is too late. It is purely ironic that the flags which represent the politicians that killed them are the only thing to offer them some peace. This can be compared to quaint and curious war is because both poets are suggesting that war is odd and that it does not work in simple ways. Strange people is another likeness to The Man He Killed the first stanza is about the way in which they could have been friends if war didnt get in the way and the same applies for the people in Coming Home. I think that Bennet used that line to illustrate the bewilderness that can follow war as things change. Floating and seek the stars evokes an image of childlike fantasies of flying and going to the moon. These dreams could have been fulfilled if they hadnt died so young and I believe that Bennet, by constantly reminding of their deaths in subtle ways, is trying to recreate the families pain when they cant ever forget them. Glistening seems like something is finally recognising their sacrifice and they are being welcomed back home. It is as though the flags and the tarmac are the only things that care about them and I think that Bennet is implying, through no people being mentioned, that we dont overly mind their deaths. I think that Bennet was very bitter towards humanity when he wrote this as he does only refer to them with contempt: the government who sent them to fight. The final stanza of Coming Home is, compared to the rest of the poem, very calm and peaceful. Illuminates reminds me of someone suddenly understanding something or becoming enlightened. I think that it is a final reminder that we need to switch on about war as he considers it needless and waste of life. The calm nature of the setting moon could be a symbol of hope for the future as, despite nature being corrupted earlier in the poem, it has come through and shown itself here. This suggests that Bennet still believes that we do have the power to stop destroying things. By ending the poem where he did, I think that Bennet wants us to remember the soldiers who died for us and to know that, if we want it, a better future is available for us. The title and the tale of The Man He Killed suggest that two people were involved the murderer (he killed) and the poet. However it becomes clear that the poet is the killer when he recounts the story in first person. I think that the poet is ashamed of the act as he wants to remain anonymous. This suggests that the murder haunts him and that the needs clarification about the necessity of it. Its also shown by the because - as he needs to cast about for a reason. These two quotes hint that the poet is doubt about the true nature of war. The first and last stanza also suggests that, as he is thinking of what could have been, he, like Bennet, considers war to be a waste of life. The rhyming of the poem adds a more playful feeling to it and I think that the poet may have placed it in as a shield around his actual feelings. He may have done this because he was a soldier and is aware that they arent particularly supposed to have those sorts of thoughts. This is shown by ranged as infantry as he is impressing on us that he wasnt a person when he did it; he was a killing machine. The phrase off-hand like implies that the act of going to war isnt thought over or deliberated about, he just went. I think that he could be suggesting that people at home believe war is so easy you go, kill a few men, come back. However by reading the rest of the poem about his feeling suggest that it can leave you in moral turmoil. However the continuation of the rhymes suggests, I believe, that the poet is trying to make us aware of the underlying threat of the people who think that its one big joke.  In conclusion, I find that The Man He Killed is more touching than Coming Home because its in first person and therefore I could sympathise more with his feelings. This is a complete turn around from my first impressions on the poems as The Man He Killed seemed childish to begin with but when you look deeper the true message is there. Despite the differences in the poems, both poets agree on their final message to the readers: war isnt glorious or heroic; its a complete waste of life.

The cultural and memory institutions Essay Example for Free

The cultural and memory institutions Essay There has been a radical change for the cultural and memory institutions across United Kingdom and these changes are moreover due to the changing facet of technology and the growing feature of user demands. The modern trends influence the purpose of the traditional as well as modern culture preservation and its management. The new technology has brought about rapid changes with its ways to preserve culture in its conventional form by scholarly studies and development of supporting strategies. In this regard, the possible ways, UK’s cultural institutions should probably approach is discussed here in this report. The objective of this study is provide recommendations and options so as to make visible the country’s cultural institutions and actors. It is hopeful that the study will help to improve the way UK’s cultural actors organize for the predictable changes that will take place in the next five years. This report aims to converge the three main trends discussed in the report – technology, culture, their interaction in order to increase the social participation and how new emerging web technology and online services can help to increase the public participation in culture. Definitely, internet technology or more profoundly, digitization has changes the scenario to a large extent and has created demands for on-demand, continuously available, personal access to products. Almost every library, archives and museums in UK have become digital by now and have changed their roles from the customary bodies to hybrid organizations that know how to take care of all the various cultural resources. The adaptation of the cultural contents to the digital form of content has presented a new dimension to the society to access their cultural heritage in ways that were unbelievable about a decade ago. According to Paul Fiander, Chief of BBC Information and records, UK, â€Å"The dividend from investment into going digital is substantial. † With the increasing levels of knowledge in the society, there will always be an increasing demand for quality and rich content and the Cultural institutions can cater to this need of learning services that are needed at all levels of the society. The modern internet technologies can play a major role in enhancing and delivering new content about culture heritage of the society. With this addition of innovative internet technologies, users will be able to enjoy easier access to their cultural lives and will be able top actively participate in events and cultural communities world wide. Users will be able to locate their areas of interest, visit virtual museums, and libraries to search for information they would have to toil hard to obtain. According to David Bearman,AMICO, â€Å"Offering highly interactive and rich environments will become a competitive factor within the cultural heritage community. In the future, we will expect that you can manipulate digital images in many ways, turn them around, look at the bottom, etc. Those resources that you cannot manipulate will be perceived as second rate. Moreover, the museums they come from will be perceived as second rate. † Displays, narrations and visuals combined with studies or information are learnt to have more positive effect on any student or end user. Latest advancements can provide a more effective and interactive learning environment for the users to add value to their studies and research works based on cultural heritage. Nevertheless, technology cannot alone boost the growing needs to reinforce a cultural scenario within the British society or anywhere else in the world, for that matter, but it also requires the understanding and the intellectual â€Å"capital† to create and develop new and rich cultural content material. This will help the cultural institutions to unlock the rich cultural heritage to the masses. Meanwhile the private sector has already started its efforts in the direction to re-invent the cultural content online. Amazon, BBC, Wikipedia, Second Life and MySpace have out in considerable efforts in this field and have changes the content landscape on the internet within a short period of time. These companies have done revolutionary digitization changes with the existing online content and have improved it beyond imagination. The truth is that they are inevitably assimilating. However, the next big question is that, what are most suitable policies that can meet the desired aims to merge technology and culture at the same time and what will the opportunities that online cultural opportunities can bring forward in a fast changing world. This paper throws some light in these issues and what can be the roles that the different organizations can play to achieve this aim.

Mental and Monetary Costs of Prom: Is It Really Worth It?

Mental and Monetary Costs of Prom: Is It Really Worth It? Prom is considered a rite of passage for most American teenagers in their junior and senior years of high school. It is considered a must-attend event, where memories are forever made. Students dress in high-end dresses and tuxedos, make-up, hair, nails and accessories for the girls, and fancy tuxedos for the boys. The financial expenses can be phenomenal, but is the experience really worth the costs? A newer trend in prom activities is the promposal, which can vary in cost depending on the choice in the way it is carried out. Some students opt for small tokens such as a small sign, a box of candy, maybe even flowers to ask a date to prom. Others choose to ask in a huge way, so that their prospective date will want to say yes. There have been students who have spent hundreds of dollars buying jewelry, having huge banners made, and even having flash mobs perform just to propose a date to prom. The typical attire for a young man at prom is a tuxedo. Tuxedos can be purchased or rented, depending on the budget and need. Haircuts are a must, as well as boutonnieres. In 2013, the cost for a boy to attend prom was $325 on average, which includes items such as a haircut, tuxedo, and boutonniere. [PR Newswire. (Mar. 26, 2014)] In years past, it was customary for the boy to purchase prom tickets, which can sometimes cost up to $50 per couple, and a meal, which can run up to $100 depending on where the meal takes place. For females, the financial costs are typically higher. Dresses for prom are a must, and the more unique, the better. Uniqueness, can come at a price. Prom dresses in 1995 were listed at a wholesale cost ofÂÂ   $59 to $219. [Dianne M. Pogoda WWD. (Oct. 10, 1995): p14] Now, dresses can cost up to $500 depending on what style and designer is used. Hairstyling, nails, and makeup must be done. Accessories such as shoes, jewelry, and sometimes handbags must also be purchased. In 2013, the average cost for a female to attend prom was $633 [PR Newswire. (Mar. 26, 2014)]. There are several prom expenses that are now split between the couple, including transportation and any post-prom activities. Transportation to and from prom was traditionally the responsibility of the young man, but in recent years the trend of renting limousines or unique party buses or cars has become very popular and is considered a shared cost. Costs for transportation rental can vary, but a figure from 2015 suggested that average rental of a limousine was $100 per couple. [Kaitlin Menza Choices/Current Health (May 2015)]. Party buses and other more extravagant travel arrangements can run higher. Post-prom activities can include any events that can be imagined. Tickets and photos are also now considered shared expenses. In 2013, shared costs equaled about $487 [PR Newswire. (Mar. 26, 2014)]. On average, spending on prom can be very expensive for each household, and steadily rises every year. In 2013, prom costs per couple averaged around $1445, and costs have risen at a steady rate of 34% since 2011 [PR Newswire. (Mar. 26, 2014)]. Based on these figures, this could push prom costs for the 2017 season past $3000. Parents reported in a 2015 Visa survey that they typically ended up paying close to 56% of prom costs while students earn money to pay for the other 44%. [Kaitlin Menza (May 2015)]. Prom costs can be very difficult for families with smaller disposable incomes to afford.ÂÂ   Many families must budget costs to fit into their finances, leaving families feeling stressed and teenagers worried about not fitting in or being able to enjoy prom to the fullest. Peer acceptance can be a major issue for kids, and not being able to afford the best of everything causes self esteem issues, or cause them to miss out on opportunities to make memories with their friends and fellow students. Some students avoid prom activities because they do not want to feed into the atmosphere of materialism that prom promotes. They see other students around them competing to be better than the rest of their friends in their attire and unique, over-the-top prom experiences and feel as though it causes too many problems socially. I personally feel as though prom as it is now is not worth the high price of attending. I feel like 20 years down the road the memory will be the same, no matter what I wear or drive up in. The actual time that students spend at the dance is so short, and I feel I would have just as good a time hanging out all night with a close group of friends instead of getting dressed in a tuxedo and riding in a limousine. I also know that a lot of times, kids use prom night as an opportunity to do a lot of things that could get them in a lot of trouble. Sometimes the decisions they make affect the rest of their lives, when they never really intended for it to. This even sometimes puts innocent people in danger. I just do not think that spending that much money is worth it in the end. References Cost of Prom Projected to Skyrocket to $1,900 in 2014 According to Golden Asp. PR Newswire, 26 Mar. 2014. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONEsw=wu=j020902v=2.1id=GALE%7CA362836604it=rasid=d1ae8648702ac135e71679319f9e315d. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017. Crosley, Sloane. American prom: awkward. Hilarious. Heartbreaking. Magical. The high-school prom is a very American rite of passage. Renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark invites herself to the dance, capturing the poignant moment teenagers teeter on the edge of adulthood. Smithsonian, Apr. 2012, p. 68+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOFsw=wu=j020902v=2.1id=GALE%7CA294821420it=rasid=caa97e8bd07c8be19acf7b2e64607675. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017. Menza, Kaitlin. Is prom $pending out of control? Choices/Current Health, May 2015, p. 2+. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONEsw=wu=j020902v=2.1id=GALE%7CA412981445it=rasid=9e38e078b178a32418c9899ab0a20cd1. Accessed 6 Feb. 2017. Pogoda, Dianne M. Prom seen dressing up profits. WWD, 10 Oct. 1995, p. 14+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOFsw=wu=j020902v=2.1id=GALE%7CA17570761it=rasid=035dcf244387607f979553e4533f0454. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.