And Now Miguel Essays - House Of Braganza, ...And Now Miguel

And Now Miguel Essays - House Of Braganza, ...And Now Miguel And Now Miguel People around the world have had responsibility throughout theirs lives. With being responsible anyone can achieve anything that they want. America is a great country with people that taken responsibility in their whole lives. Thats why America is so strong and containing with great people who built America from pieces to pieces. Mostly for the families that living, farmers for example; it was hard to take care of livestocks because it was expensive. If animals are lost the farmers will lose part of the family stock. It was a family business job, so everyone in the family helped with the work; men, women, boys, and girls. However, not everybody had the responsibility to take care of the family business. If one failed to perform a duty, the family business might fall apart. and now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold shows that through taking responsibility with ones actions and behaviors, a person can mature enough to be able to follow their heart. The main character Miguel wants to follow in the shadow of his father. He wants to do everything like his father does. He wants to be a part of the family business; he wants to help out with raising the sheep. He feels like he could be a part of something and he wants to get credit for what he does. But for me, I have the wish to be part of everything that happens, even it is not happening to me (Krumgold, 16). Miguel wants to be a part of the team and experience the happiness or sadness based on the investment that others in his family share. He doesnt care if the family finds a pot of gold and they want to share. Miguel doesnt want the gold; all he wanted was to be there when the pot of gold is found; to be a part of the experience. Miguel wants to prove that he can be a part of the family, to his father and mother. He tries so hard to fit in with his family but hes rejected by his family. But still I am glad that Im growing up to be a shepherd, if only it doesnt take too long (Krumgold, 21). Miguel would do anything to prove to his father that he can be just like him. Instead of being a policeman or an airplane pilot, Miguel wants to be a shepard its in his blood. His grandparents were shepards and his parents are too. He thinks what his father would want him to be. Meaning that the expectations are on high steaks about Miguel being a shepard, that is how Miguels father grew up; by taken responsibility on part of the family business. Miguel does get the chance to prove to his father that he can be responsible and be part of the family. He knows that he would do anything for his fathers eyes to see him as a grown up. He would use any chance that he gets to prove that he can do anything. Miguel go up to the mountains one day to find the lost sheep, while he is there he think about how he can prove to his father that he did it. He wants to show his father that he got the sheep. Actually he was glad that the sheep went away, because of the sheep he gets the opportunity to prove to his father (Krumgold, 92). Miguel goes up to the mountains to find the sheep, and he finds them. He thinks that by getting the sheep, it will prove to his father that he can be responsible. Miguel wants to go up to the mountains again because only the men go up to the mountains. Miguel wants to be a man. He proves to his father that hes responsible, because Miguel goes up to the mountains without knowing what dangers lies before him. Still Miguel goes up and tries to bring the lost sheeps. Although, his father denies that Miguel is still too young. So Miguel reaches the last person who might help him go up to the mountain. San Ysidro or Saint Ysidro, he is what the people in the Miguels village worth

Movies on Patriotic theme essays

Movies on Patriotic theme essays The economic downturns of the Great Depression contributed to the countys fascination with gangster genres. As Americans lost their jobs or saw their farms foreclosed on by the once admired establishment or banking system; with public endorsement gangsters descended in spirit from Americas frontier outlaws such as the James Gang, and led by desperadoes like Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, and Machine Gun Kellyrose up to assault the system. Because of Prohibition, the Great Depression and World War II, gangsters became the modern gunslingers and outlaws. The gangster saga replaced the Western as the American myth. It told the story of modern America. Young Americans enjoyed watching gangster films during the 1930s. Before President Roosevelts New Deal, gangsters were without doubt the American cinemas most striking heroes. The film industrys love affair with members of criminal gangs was only natural, they were colorful, violent, and charismatic men and women whose law-breaking ac tivities were followed by millions of law abiding Americans. But when brought to the screen, gangster films more than any other Hollywood genre created problems not only for the usual censorship lobbies but also for judges, lawyers, teachers, policemen, mayors, newspapers, and local councilors. Many respectable citizens believed that gangster films based on the lives and activities of Prohibition-era criminals, led to an increase in juvenile delinquency and accused Hollywood of delivering impressionable youth into a career of crime. The harmful effects of fast-moving and exciting gangster films on young cinema patrons thus became a prominent concern of those eager to control and censor this pervasive new mass medium. After a series of sex scandals rocked the American film industry, in 1922 Hollywoods Jewish moguls hired a midwestern Presbyterian gentleman and influential Republican William Harrison Hays, former Postmast...

Analyze and research 2 original works of art Paper

Analyze and 2 original works of art - Research Paper Example However, there are exemptions and contradictions to the said expression of belief in art. An example of this can be exemplified through the marble statue of the Old Woman. At the present, both are located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These two pieces, when studied closely, have seemingly diverse themes in artistic approach. Both have also left numerous mysteries and secrets with questions and answers waiting to be revealed – revelations of stories each once told. In this light, this paper will focus on the mentioned classical marble monuments that exhibit extensive pieces of evidence about the classical period. It will describe each of the respective piece’s physical characteristics and figures. Then, an analysis of artistic style based on the classical techniques will be given. Thereafter, both will be compared based on the individual analysis conducted. The mentioned statues will also be historicized based on the prevailing themes they possessed. Such historical study will explain the type of society and political atmosphere where these statues were conceptualized. In the physical and technical attributes of the marble statue Hermes, it can be said that the piece is a close life size depiction of Greek god Hermes, the messenger to Zeus. It stands at 71 1/4 x 29 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches. The statue’s left hand, nose, and tips of some fingers have been duly restored in its present museum condition. Its artist, Polykleitos, displays Hermes with a graceful stance. One can begin to imagine how the sculpture came about. In the viewer’s plain sight, it was as if Hermes was present and posing for the artist. Polykleitos depicts Hermes’ stance using contrapposto, meaning â€Å"counter poise.† This particular stance applies all of the subject’s weight shifting to his left leg, with his right leg slightly bent ahead of the other. He stands tall, with might, shoulders back and head tilt forward. This pose causes the figur e’s hips and shoulders to rest at opposite angels and gives it a slight and almost unnoticeable s-curve to the torso. The statue’s head is tilted forward, as if he gazes down upon something and with his left arm, reaching out for something. Such particular pose implies the notion of the god giving a hand out to travelers, as if to assist them in a safe and easy journey as many Greeks would do when they called out and made sacrifices to Hermes before any trips were conducted.2 The statue’s chitin is held at his left shoulder, draped off the body with remainder of the material gathered in the left arm. The marble statue of Hermes is of many similar Greek originals and Roman copies, as they constantly display desired physical beauty and idealism in lieu of concrete beauty and realism. It is from this technical characterization that the style where Hermes was based can be deduced. From what was mentioned earlier, the classical Greek art can be attributed to the them es of naturalism and idealism. The technique of naturalism is evident within Hermes through the very image of the Greek god where the male figure exhibits nudity. Nudity, in a classical and artistic sense, can be seen as being one with the natural world. The utter simplicity in physical attributes can be shown through the sole use of a piece of clothing draped upon one’s shoulder. This natural attachment to the world is the core

Planning for sustainable water quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Planning for sustainable water quality - Essay Example In the past, majority of ecological and human crises originate from inadequate access to, and mismanagement of water resources. Aquatic ecosystems, land, and community goals may be destroyed in the process of harnessing water. The growing population may increase water-related problems, and the state has to plan for sustainable water projects. Sustainability guarantees access to basic amounts of water necessary for sustaining human health and to sustain the ecosystem. Sustainability of water resources provides room for renewal of these resources ensuring a constant supply of water. Environmental planning agencies have to assess water quality changes associated with land use activities. The main factors influencing water quality are vegetation, farming methods, and soil type. Rain water contains dissolved gases and minerals (150). These minerals react chemically with the soil constituents when rain water reaches the ground. Land use alters the composition and texture of the surface soi l. The initial interference involved dumping of human and animal wastes into water systems. Improved farming techniques such as the use of fertilizers and pesticides interfere with water quality. Fertilizer and pesticides runoff increase the nutrient levels present in water naturally. Most of these pesticides contain harmful chemicals that cause water poisoning and chemical reactions in the water. Some of the chemicals are volatile and deposited in the air due to exposure to the atmosphere. Chemicals dissolved in water affect natural minerals in the water and they affect marine and human lives. Deforestation is popular in forests, which are also the catchment areas of rivers. Some farmers practice poor farming methods that loosen the soil structure. Activities such as overstocking and overgrazing deprive the land vegetation cover that cements soil particles together. Runoff from these areas contains sediments that are washed into water sources. Sediment loading increases the amount of soil particles and minerals in water sources. In urban areas, industries produce chemical effluent and gases that contaminate water pathways and the atmosphere (157). These gases dissolve in rain water to form acidic rainfall or increase chemical components in the water. Industrial waste washed into watersheds contains poisonous metals and chemicals that cause health complication in animals and humans. Planners must consider the effect of different land uses on the water quality. Minimizing effluent from industries and agricultural can improve the quality of water distributed to homesteads. The federal government passed the Clean Water Act that regulates discharges of pollutants into water bodies and regulates the quality standards for surface water. In this act, EPA has implemented programs to control water pollution such as setting wastewater standards for industries. According to CWA, discharging pollutants from a point source into navigable waters is unlawful unless a permit is acquired. Point sources are conveyances such as man-made ditches and pipes that carry water. The act also provides assistance to public water treatment projects that improve wastewater treatment (160). These projects convert wastewater to safe water that can be utilized by ordinary citizens. Industries cannot discharge waste water directly into public water treatments areas without prior purification. The pretreatment aims at reducing toxic wastes discharged into these treatment works. EPA has also

Getting A Scholarship To Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Getting A Scholarship To Study - Essay Example The scholarship not only served as a financial assistance but was also a unique opportunity to display my academic prowess. There is no doubt that scholarships are more prestigious and that they play important role in enhancing one’s resume and at the same time help one to pay for his or her education. Scholarship has provided me with enormous financial benefits as it has helped me to study without incurring substantial costs or not getting into debts. This helped me to concentrate on my studies and in the future, it will help me to focus on my career without thinking about repaying loans. By removing financial barriers, the scholarship made my career and education goals easier to obtain. In addition to financial and educational benefits, the scholarship provided me with career benefit. Earning a prestigious scholarship makes me a more attractive job candidate. Most employers understand the competitive nature of the scholarship and as such, they recognize scholarship as an acc omplishment. It demonstrates to potential employers that I have exceptional abilities in the academic realm. Listing scholarship in my resume helps me to stand out when searching for a job and possibly help me to achieve the career that I want. The scholarship also came with personal benefit; it made a significant difference regarding how much resources and time that I had during college to spend to enhance my knowledge and experience through internships, volunteer opportunities, and service-learning.

Analysing Post Apartheid Gender Inequality In South Africa Politics Essay

Analysing Post Apartheid Gender Inequality In South Africa Politics Essay Despite the South African constitutions commitment to equal rights for women, the demand for gender equality is incompatible with the preservation of traditional authority in the post-apartheid era. Discuss. Women in South Africa have the most clearly spelt out legal rights in the whole of Africa and when looking at the newly formed constitution the situation for women in South Africa seems to have made a dramatic move in the right direction. After all the constitution prohibits any form of discrimination on the basis of not only gender but sexual orientation. And although it validates both gender equality and the institutions of traditional authority, if they come into direct conflict it is gender equality that will prevail. The national parliament has also moved from being 141st in the world, in regards to the percentage of women members, pre-1994 to 7th post-1994.  [i]  This signals a new era in South Africa, and is mainly down to the ANCs undoubted dedication to gender equality and the introduction of its quota in national elections. However despite the leaps forward in gender equality the fight for womens rights is far from over and it is in the rural areas that the discrimination is most severely felt by women. The South African constitution may be one of the most gender sensitive in the world but this did not come about uncontested by the traditional authorities,  [ii]  who believed the introduction of gender equality would lead to the end of some African traditions, such as, Lobola,  [1]  and in the long term their very institutions. Traditional authorities are seen to be the biggest obstacle facing the women in rural South Africa. This essay will discuss the history of traditional authorities and how the colonial and apartheid eras have influenced and shaped them, the affect they have had of on the development of womens rights and their relevance to understanding the rural womens position. Also the broader tension felt between the principle of elected representation and the continuation of non-electe d chiefs that has implications for the position of women and the country as a whole. And finally a brief look at the question; why did the ANC make concessions to the chiefs at the time of transition. But ultimately that the ANC-led governments belief that they can recognise the institution of traditional leaders while at same time upholding the constitutions principles of gender equality and representative democracy is completely contradictory. Today in post-1994 South Africa the term traditional authorities is an all-encompassing term in which it refers to chiefs of all different ranks and that have jurisdiction over rural people.  [iii]  But this concept of traditional authority has, over the years, has been reshaped and moulded to not only benefit the white ruling governments that have dominated South Africas history but also the patriarchal systems. The two main institutions that were reconstructed were chieftainship and customary law. In the colonial era they were used as a cheap form of administration, later to ensure the successful use of the migrant labour system. In the apartheid era they were used in the states attempt to divide the African population into their ethnic groups so that they would be easier to control. Customary law may be seen by some as a long African tradition but others, as illustrated by Cherryl Walker, believe that customary law is not only sexually discriminatory in the extreme but also a construct of the past hundred years.  [iv]  The chief was also reinvented to become dependent on approval from the centre, for any chiefs that were perceived to be disloyal to the dominant white state, were removed and replaced by more compliant individuals. During this time the most valuable power the chief possessed was the power to allocate land, and it remains so today. This power was beneficial to the apartheid state but has caused massive complications for the reconstruction of rural areas under the new ANC-led government,  [v]  and has been hugely detrimental to the population of rural women and gender equality. The issue of land allocation was one of the largest issues to be resolved facing the new post-apartheid government, and remains so to this day. For the first ten years the new ANC-led government has been very vague on the issue of traditional authorities and land allocation. Traditional authorities took advantage of this indecisiveness and used to their benefit. Things were further complicated by the fact that the constitution recognised the institution of traditional leaders but failed to specify the roles, functions and powers of said authorities. This resulted in massive confusion for the people on the ground and when elected councillors were introduced in 1995/96, the lack of a clear definition led to tension between the newly elected councillors and the traditional authorities, as neither were clear as to what role they would play and considered the other institution to illegitimate. When the ANC came to power and the new democratic constitution was enforced many South Africans believed that the newly elected councillors would take over the function of land allocation, the government indicated that it would become the responsibility of the Traditional rural councils (TRC) however the old apartheid laws were effectively still in place, government officials still used, with a few adjustments, the apartheid procedure and did not recognise the elected councillors as having power to allocate land, as a result by 2000, (the end of the transition period) the rural people had become dissatisfied with the rural councillors.  [vi]   It wasnt until the combination of the Traditional Leadership and Framework Act  [2]  (framework act) in 2003 and the Communal Land Rights Act  [3]  2004, that the government finally clarified the role of traditional authorities. The combination of these two acts drew criticism from a huge range of civil society organisations, ranging from gender activists to land activists, such as, the programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) and the National Land Committee (NLC) they considered these new traditional councils to be, as Ntsebeza illustrates, a retreat from democracy and the Communal Land Rights Act was an attempt to revive a defunct apartheid institution which was above all extremely discriminatory of women.  [vii]  The reason that the traditional authorities being in control of land allocation is such bad news for women is because of their continuing use of customary law.  [4]  Despite the fact that gender equality should, according to the constitution, prevai l over institutions of traditional authorities, in practice customary law and practice tend to win in matters marriage, divorce and property ownership (with most chiefs still unwilling to allocate land to women) resulting in deeply patriarchal decisions that lessen womens rights to those of their husbands, fathers or even sons.  [viii]  The principle of customary law has even been upheld in the Supreme Court rulings (2000) despite what is clearly stated in the constitution.  [ix]  This elevation of hereditary chieftainship to a privileged and protected position within local government seriously compromises rural womens access to and influence on local governments.  [x]  The framework act has created councils that are dominated by traditional authorities whilst the Communal Land Rights Act has given these structures extraordinary powers, combined they have effectively given the traditional authorities back the powers that they had enjoyed in the apartheid era under the Ba ntu Authorities Act.  [xi]  Through these acts the national government has majorly failed the women in rural areas in relation to land and womens right over its allocation and use, in effect the government has failed to uphold the very principles in the constitution of equality all they have done is further entrench the concept of male-domination in both peoples minds and the institutions in rural South Africa. One of the major reasons behind the increase in dominance in the traditional authorities in rural areas is due to the lack of a significant civil society movement in particular a powerful Womens movement post-1994 to push for equality. Before the first democratic elections in South Africa, the general womens movement was much stronger. Successfully contesting the traditional authorities proposals to have customary law exempt from the gender equality clause  [xii]  and later defeating their bid to have customary law entrenched itself. The womens organisations also managed to successfully mobilise itself after being sidelined in the constitutional negotiation process to form the Womens National Coalition in 1992, with the aim to draft a charter for womens rights, that would be included or at least consulted when the constitution was drawn up. However this coalition didnt last long after the charter was formalised, the ANC womens league become suspicious and believed that other part ies would use the coalition to better themselves and not women as a whole, and as a result dropped out. This left the womens movement in tatters.  [xiii]  There was a further blow to the movement when the ANC was elected to government as many women that were at the forefront of the womens movements became members of parliament on ANC tickets. Leaving the majority of the womens organisations without key players and leaders. The situation was worse in rural areas for these organisations due to the fact they were predominantly urban based and were nowhere near as organised as the traditional authorities. As a result it was far more difficult for rural women to come together against the repressive nature of the Traditional Authorities as they had no organisation or figurehead to unite under. The traditional nature of rural South Africa is also felt within the rural local councils, where the number of women is actually lower than that of the national parliament. This goes against the western norm that women usually do better at the local level.  [xiv]  Gotez and Hassim illustrate two main reasons for this, firstly that traditional patriarchies can be more intense and immediate in their repressive effect on womens engagement at local level compared to the national and secondly that womens movements capacity to support women in local politics and help develop gender equality policy platforms can be fragmented by decentralisation.  [xv]  The lack of an effective womens movement post-1994, has had a negative effect on the development of gender equality. Another problem women face in rural councils is that they are set up to accommodate a male councillors way of life and not a womans who still have to uphold their traditional responsibilities for the home and family, C onnell argues that this holds dangerous potential for fostering exclusivity in political leadership.  [xvi]  Many believe that there are too many meetings that run late and seem to discuss the same issues over and over, which is just not practical for women councillors who have a family and a home to look after alongside their job as councillors. Unfortunately due to the smaller number of women in local councils than in the national parliament they are unable to ensure that matters such as hours of sitting and childcare are addressed, instead their concerns are ridiculed as womens problems by the male-dominated councils.  [xvii]  These issues enforce the perceptions that women are not capable of serving as councillors and damage the potential contribution of women councillors. Problems like this show just how deeply entrenched male-domination still is in South Africa,  [xviii]  and not just in rural areas but on the national scale. The male domination on real power is st ill very evident. The ANCs history towards Traditional Authorities is very important in understanding why the act the way they do towards them. The ANC was formed in 1912 and many of its founding members were traditional authorities who opposed to the Union of South Africa. However as time when on the ANC became a more radical movement and combined with pressure from its youth League and its communist allies the ANC split in two when it came to what to do with Traditional authorities today; the first being pro traditional authorities providing that they were critical of government policy. The second, who were clearly influenced by their communist allies, argued that the institution of traditional authorities belong to a previous feudal era and should be replaced by a more democratic institution.  [xix]   One of the main questions to be looked at is why the ANC has made so many concessions to the traditional authorities at the time of transition at the expense of gender equality, in spite of their obvious commitment to equality, in particular gender equality, both in the constitution and their own party politics (i.e. the election quota). The ANC has always been split and extremely ambiguous in its views and policy towards the institution of traditional authority. It is also widely accepted that tampering with the power of chiefs threatens to create a mass amount of political problems.  [xx]  Because of this most politicians feel the issue is best left alone. There are a number of possible reasons this. The first being that the ANC is fundamentally urban based and has always been considered to be very weak in rural areas, alongside that it has never had a coherent programme to build alternative democratic structures in the rural areas to try and combat this problem.  [xxi]  And as a result the ANC has been and remains depended on traditional authorities to be their main representation in rural areas. This originated when the party was in exile but has continued to the present day, which makes it difficult for the ANC to alienate them. The ANC has to also remember that it has to take peoples commitment to custom, culture and tradition seriously if it wants keep its support in rural areas and if any program of rural construction is to succeed.  [xxii]  The ANC cannot just rush in and dismantle peoples beliefs and way of life as a large number of people still believe in and support traditional authorities and what they stand for, it will be long and slow process that will have to be carried out with the upmost care, Ismail [1999] illustrates this point well that traditional leaders cannot be abolished overnight without causing some political disequilibrium among the indigenous people especially in rural areas.  [xxiii]   The ANC has also faced direct pressure from the traditional authorities themselves, both through the Inkatha freedom Party (IFP), the Congress of Traditional Leaders in South Africa  [5]  (CONTRALESA) and the right-wing Zulu nationalist chief Buthelezi, who is recruiting chiefs who opposed the ANC during the anti-apartheid era.  [xxiv]  The ANC feels it must maintain a good relationship with CONTRALESA so that it wont lose the support of the traditional authorities who are members and their followers, who the ANC consider to be important voter blocks. Ultimately the ANC had a choice to make; to take the Traditional Authorities head on in order for womens rights to not only be written in the constitution but actually be put into practice and be experienced by women throughout south African society, or to appease the Traditional Authorities and allow for gender inequality to continue despite this going against the very constitution they wish to uphold. Unfortunately (for womens rights) the ANC has seemed to favour the latter option. But the very fact that the ANC has need to make a choice between the two is evidence of the incompatibility of Traditional Authorities and the concept of gender equality. One thing that the womens movement must remember is that getting women into parliament is not a guarantee that she will help promote gender equality as not all women have feminist interests and will most likely represent their parties interests not that of women,  [xxv]  this can be partly due to the party-list system used in South Africa, which means if you want to stay high on the list and remain in parliament you have to tow the party line. There is also the problem that women just dont feel comfortable enough to raise the question of the prolonged gender inequality within South African society, this is generally down to the traditional view upheld by many South Africans. Friedman actually argues that by putting women on committees when they are not comfortable with being in a position of authority may actually be counterproductive for and long-term strategy for empowering women.  [xxvi]  This can be down to the inexperience and uncertainty of women councillors which may l ead to them being unable to effectively articulate their opinions and concerns, leading to the reinforcement of not only the opinion that women are not cut out to be involved in politics but also the very concept of inequality. This is shown very clearly by Goetz and Hassim with their study in Temba in 2000, in which women councillors had made no concrete suggestions except to second motions.  [xxvii]  According to the women in Temba this is because they feel intimidated by the men who still hold the traditional values of women being inferior. men in the council laugh and interrupt our contributions.  [xxviii]  This is a problem that is widely known about to the majority of ANC members but still little is being done to address the issue. It is clear that if gender equality is to be a success then it is not just the traditional institutions that need to change, it is the peoples views about gender as well. Men need to accept women as their equals and women need to be empowere d so that they can be confident enough so that they can stand up for their opinions, concerns and rights. Traditional authorities in their current state are most definitely incompatible with the demand for gender equality. However as customs and traditions are never set in stone but a product of a complex and dynamic history of contestation, co-optation, reconstruction and invention,  [xxix]  traditional authorities could, if they learn to incorporate gender equality and accept the legitimate role of the democratically elected local bodies, in theory be a legitimate part of the South African democracy. However if they continue to push of their unelected body to have increased power and refuse to recognise the legitimacy of rural elected bodies and that women have equal status then they should not have a place in a democratic South Africa, as the very nature of traditional authorities is undemocratic. It is up to the government to follow through with their promise of equality, and particularly for this case gender equality by either removing them completely (which will inevitably be u npopular with a large proportion of the population especial in rural areas) or alternatively force them to become more democratic. In the current state it is unlikely that the government will do so as it could very well play into the hands of their opposition. Therefore there is a desperate need for a strong womens movement to not only put pressure on the government but to also mobilise the women of South Africa to stand up for their constitutional right of equality.

Could The Suicide be The Executive after a life of failure? :: English Literature

Could The Suicide be The Executive after a life of failure? Although The Suicide might not be The Executive after a life of failure, there is strong evidence that he is. The Suicide might not be the Executive for an obvious reason and that is that the poets are different. Louis McNeice might not have read John Betjeman’s poem ‘The Executive’ and this could just be a coincidence but I strongly believe the poets are talking about the same person. There is good evidence that ‘The Suicide’ is ‘The Executive’. One good point is that they are both set in the late 60’s. ‘The Executive’ is because it says ‘I do some mild developing. The sort of place I need is a quiet country market town ’, he is saying he needs a small town so it is easier to get away with. ‘That’s rather run to seed’, this is a metaphor that the town has got past it’s prime and not spending money anymore like the flower – all its efforts go into making seeds then after that it has gone past its prime and its pretty much useless. This is the 60’s because there was not a licence of housing until after this period of time. No one could just knock down buildings then. Another aspect of the poem, which makes you consider it is in the 60’s, is that Betjeman has written in his poem ‘I have a Slimline briefcase’, which were only used around that time because they are like the equivalent of modern palmtops. Therefore, if the Executive was so rich he would have the best up to date technology to show off for work. In ‘The Suicide’ it indicates that it is set in the 60’s because McNeice writes in his poem ‘Through which he had wandered deliciously till he stumbled’, which is a 60’s song. ‘The executive’ was so high flying, so cocky and arrogant. Betjeman is satirising The Executive. He was so insecure about his life he had to go talk himself up to strangers who probably don’t even care. ‘I am a young executive’ this line shows he was talking to an older person and it was not a woman because they were not any businesswomen then. You can tell immediately that he is trying to sell himself to this other person just from two lines ‘No cuffs than mine are cleaner; I have a slimline briefcase and I use the firms Cortina’. He’s trying to say he is so successful and rich he can afford all these expensive, modern items like by saying ‘I’ve got a scarlet Aston Martin-and does she go?

Gatorade †Marketing Project Essay

The Gatorade Company makes the world’s leading sports drink. In part, this is due to its ubiquitous marketing strategies that can be seen almost everywhere. Gatorade is the official sports drink of the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL and MLS. It is also the official sports drink of the NFL and has become part of a famous tradition, the â€Å"Gatorade Dunk† where the winning athletes of the Super Bowl empty the Gatorade cooler over the coach. Gatorade has also been advertised by some of the greatest athletes in history; from Serena Williams, to Peyton Manning, to Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, to probably the most famous endorser in NBA great Michael Jordan. Gatorade makes several products including the G series which consists of pre-game, thirst quencher and post-game beverages. There is also the G Series Pro which consists mainly of sports nutrition products. Then there is G Natural which contains more natural ingredients. The Gatorade Company also makes Propel Fitness Water. The Gatorade Company was not always such a large company nor was it created by an existing beverage corporation. It was created as a necessity by the team in which it’s named after: The University of Florida Gators. Gatorade was created in 1965 by a team of five scientists led by Dr. Robert Cade. The beverage was created to improve the athletic performance of the university’s football team. When more than a dozen of the players had fallen sick due to dehydration from the intense heat and training, the scientists researched dehydration and what the body loses during immense activity. They found out that sugars, salts and minerals were required to hydrate the human body after immense physical activity; water alone was not enough. They created an electrolyte-carbohydrate drink and supplied it to the athletes. The results were phenomenal. The Gators were able to outperform their rivals, especially in the latter half of the game where exhaustion seemed to cripple their opponents. The Gators went on to win their first Champion ship and soon after Gatorade was adopted by other sports teams. Supplying the beverage became more and more difficult for the scientists as demand increased, and after failed attempts to commercialize it, Stokely-Van Camp acquired U. S. rights to the drink and Gatorade Inc. was incorporated in Florida in 1967. After much success, the coach of the Florida Gators suggested the winning formula to the coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs were impressed and used throughout the entire season culminating with a Super Bowl victory. Much of the growth of the Gatorade Company occurred when it was acquired by Quaker Oats, which bought Stokely-Van Camp for $220 million in 1983. It was under Quaker Oats that Michael Jordan, who was arguably the most famous and fast rising athlete at the time, became the celebrity spokesperson for the company. Sales skyrocketed and Gatorade was once again the leader as the sports drink market grew to $1 billion by 1994. Also during its ownership by Quaker Oats, the product went global. It was and continues to be sold in numerous countries and several continents successfully. It also expanded its product line to include more flavor varieties. Towards the end of the 1990’s the sports drink market grew to $2 billion. With its consistent success, Gatorade continued to launch new products including Propel Fitness Water. In 2000, PepsiCo, a multinational corporation focusing on beverages and snacks, acquired Quaker Oats for $13 billion. It bought over Quaker Oats primarily for the Gatorade brand, which is still one of the corporation’s largest and most successful divisions. Gatorade continued to grow because it renewed its contract with Michael Jordan, campaigned its â€Å"Is it n you? † ad, and also signed a host of new celebrity athletes. Today, Gatorade has over a dozen plants where it manufactures the products it sells and is still the leader in today’s $3 billion dollar sports drink market. Target Market Description The original target market for Gatorade was sports teams. In fact, it was originally only sold to sports teams. It spread from the Gators football team to other Gators teams such as basketball. It then spread to other college sports teams until finally it reached professional teams in the NFL. It spread team to team until it became the official sports drink of the NFL in 1983 and was used by over 70 divisions and college teams. Sales trends increased with the same rapid pace. In the early 1980’s Gatorade led the $200 million sports drink market. Net sales were recorded at $90 million in 1982 and grew exponentially in the following years. By the mid 1980’s net sales were recorded at $170 million. During the latter half of the 1980’s Gatorade marketed its famous â€Å"Gatorade is Thirst Aid for that deep down body thirst,† this along with televised adds, strategic placing of the product on sidelines during big games and a growing sports drink market raised net sales to nearly $900 million by the end of the decade. The demographics of the Gatorade G Series target market: * Traditionally active males, aged 18 to 25. They can be students, just starting their careers, or well established. * They grew up idolizing many different sports athletes and teams, which still have an influence. * They make a very wide variety of incomes because Gatorade is inexpensive. It could be anywhere from $10,000 to $60,000. * Education could vary also, most have at least high school level education and some have college or above experiences. * These types of consumers may also be interested in other sport-related clothing and accessories. They may be interested in terms such as jerseys, hats, shoes or anything that will show off their allegiance to a team, sport or player. * The G Series’ core target is the 13- to 17-year-old high-school athlete, while G Series Pro’s target is the 16- to 24-year-old who is in the business of being athletic, whether as an elite athlete or personal trainer. A more detailed look at the MRI report gives a great glimpse into the target market for the sports drink industry. As highlighted in the index, 18-24 year olds are the core target market. With an index of 174, that means 74% of that age range are more likely to drink sports drinks. Moving further up the age range, 18-49 year adults provide a tremendous opportunity for this market. As highlighted by their percent down (which indicates the percent of those persons out of everyone that consumes a variable), 78. 2% of the total population that drank sports drinks were of that age group. Capturing the teen consumer has been identified as a priority for the brand, with the CMO of Gatorade, Ms. Robb-O’Hagan, conceding that teens thought the brand was dated. Last year’s shift to G was meant to grab their attention. With that accomplished, she said, the brand has been working with teens to test and promote the new products. Through May, a mobile locker room is making its way to high schools, showcasing the G Series products. â€Å"What we’re focusing on this year, from a marketing standpoint, is making sure that the high-school athlete understands the G Series, understands the three-part series,† Mrs. Robb-O’Hagan said. â€Å"If we land that strongly with the teen consumers, we have a lot of opportunity. A Reporter Report is complete with explanations of key numbers. Please note that all the numbers are based on the 2009 Fall MRI study, and that the projected numbers (000) are expressed in thousands. (Appendix A). Market Trends and Macro Forces According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, the sports drink industry has actually shrunk in sales by 12. 3% from 2009. Considering that Gatorade holds over a 70% market share of the entire sports drink market, they saw losses in gallons produced by 15. 5% in that same year. In a more local look at the market, from 1986 to 2009, the geometric growth of the industry in America has been 11. 62%. However, considering the great growth for the first 19 years of its existence from 1986 to 2005 of 14. 3%, this number might be misleading. A more accurate picture can be painted by using the last 5 years, letting the state of the economy be fully reflected in growth. In this new scenario, the growth is at -. 27%. Gatorade markets not only to the athlete, but to the casual drinker as well: construction workers, restaurants, and families for dinnertime. Sales records for the sports drink brands for the year 2009 and 2010 are available in the Appendix B. Market Trends Changing Needs Gatorade being a sports drink primarily focuses on the needs of the athletes. The researchers believe that the athletes are looking for pre and post workout drinks. â€Å"The average consumer is already consuming during the before-and-after occasion,† said Sarah Robb-O’Hagan, chief marketing officer at Gatorade. â€Å"Different consumers have different nutritional needs on game day vs. training days. What we’ve seen as we’ve developed these products is different consumers mixing and matching their own regime to meet their needs. † In addition, in order to build long term brand loyalty Gatorade is focusing on target high school students between the ages of 13-17 years. â€Å"What we’re focusing on this year, from a marketing standpoint, is making sure that the high-school athlete understands the G Series, understands the three-part series,† she said. â€Å"If we land that strongly with the teen consumers, we have a lot of opportunity. What are also sparking the changing needs in this market trend are consumers increasingly focusing on their health. They are conscious about the effects of beverages on their own bodies. According to Mintel, a consumer packaged goods monitoring service, some of the product areas with the highest growth were in the sports and meal replacement categories, which place a greater emphasis on nutrition. More beverage companies are focusing their attention on adding new nutritional benefits to their new products, promoting a product’s ability to enhance sports performance. As the consumers are growing increasingly conscious about the contents of the sports drinks and the needs of the athletes are changing, so is the change in formulations of sports drinks. It is getting even more complicated. Sports nutrition companies are looking at low glycemic sugars as functional sugar systems to enhance endurance in certain products. These include newer functional sweeteners, such as isomaltulose and trehalose. Gatorade has risen to this challenge of balancing innovation with market needs. Beverage World selected Gatorade as the Winner for Brand Reinvention when it released the G-Series which includes the three products: Prime, Perform and Recover for before, during and after work out respectively. Macro Forces There are many macro forces that affect the sports drink industry. Among the most toxic is the current state of the economy. As we have discussed earlier, the poor spending power of consumers has shifted demand to less expensive alternatives, such as water or vitamin infused drinks. As the recession begins to lag into the next year, the sports drink industry can expect sales volume to remain at current levels. Given that the U6 rate (the most comprehensive form of unemployment that combines both unemployed and underemployed) is at 17%, discretionary income will continue to be a hindrance on this industry. While our competitor analysis is fully developed in the coming sections, it should be pointed out now that competition plays a significant role in this industry’s macro forces. Currently, there are two main competitors, Gatorade and Powerade, or Pepsi and Coke, respectively. Unfortunately there is no room for consolidation in this domestic saturated market, so the competitive battles that spur between the two eat away at costs and sales. A recent example comes from a lawsuit between these two companies. An article in the Beverage Industry relating to the industry issues reported a clash between Coca-Cola’s Powerade and Pepsi-Cola’s Gatorade on a lawsuit over brand advertising. At issue was a Powerade Option ad that featured a â€Å"drag race† between horse-drawn carts, one of which was carrying 10 bales of hay and the other 50. The message was that 10-calorie Option allowed the 10-bale horse to win the race over the 50-calorie competitor. The lawsuit argued the ad sent the message that Powerade was more effective as a sports drink, as well as containing fewer calories. The matter was resolved in a matter of days, with Coca-Cola agreeing to modify the ad. Such trivial pursuits between the two are costly to the industry and companies themselves. In addition to the direct competitors, sports drinks are facing increased competition from bottled water like Vitamin Water and coconut water and nutritional drinks like skimmed milk and chocolate milk for hydration and nutrition. Coconut water, skimmed milk and chocolate milk are easy to produce and provide natural health benefits compared to the artificial electrolytes in popular sports drinks like Gatorade. While health concerns have had positive effects on the industry, there are also some negatives as well. A new study done by researchers at The University of Iowa suggests that the sports drink Gatorade erodes teeth faster than a carbonated soft drink. â€Å"I don’t think everybody realizes how erosive these things are, especially Gatorade and Red Bull,† Leslie A. Ehlen, a student at the University of Iowa – School of Dentistry tells WebMD. â€Å"People need to be aware that all sorts of beverages can be causing dental erosion. † Of course, this leads right back to another macro force in regulator procedures. Although in know will health issues like this loom over the industry’s ability to sell their products, the F. D. A (food and drug administration) can certainly dampen sales volumes if need be. The F. D. A has recently banned production of Four Loko as it the combination of caffeine and alcohol mix is extremely dangerous.

dave matthews band essays

dave matthews band essays David John Matthews was born on January 9, 1967, in a suburb near Johannesburg, South Africa. When Dave was 2 years old, his family moved to the New York suburb of Yorktown Heights, where his father, a physicist, worked for IBM. Dave who usually loves a good laugh or joke, seems to grow quiet when speaking of his father. Matthews calls him, "one of the granddies of the superconductor," and describes a loving family that included Jane, an older sister, Anne, and a brother, Peter. The family was torn when his father, John, developed lung cancer. "We figure he might have got the disease from the radioactive material he handled," Matthews thought. His father died when Dave was 10. This was not the only tragedy for Dave's family. Before the release of Dave's 1994 album, Under The Table And Dreaming, Anne, Dave's older sister, was murdered by her husband. Even though Matthews has never spoken publicly about his sister, he dedicated Under The Table And Dreaming to Anne. He put on the cover of the CD a picture of him and his nephew. Dave and Jane are now raising Anne's children. Dave says that these specific tragedies in his life have shaped the songs that he has written. In 1987, Dave took a job as a bartender at a Charlottesville bar called Miller's. Millers was a hangout for local musicians who played gigs on a small stage at the front of the room. One of them was a local music teacher John D'Earth, who later put out a single record and now plays in Bruce Hornsby's band. Nobody in that bar really knew that Dave had a strong talent for music. Slowly and smoothly, he let his secret be known among his new friends at Miller's, "I sat in with Tim Reynolds a few times, and I played with John D'Earth. I started to open up." One day he let everyone know that he'd also been writing songs. "It's weird," he says. "After a trip to South Africa, I cut off all of my hair. Somehow that gave me the confid...

Legally Blonde Film Critique Essay

Legally Blonde Film Critique Essay Legally Blonde: Film Critique Essay Legally Blonde Summary Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) goes through many tolls to get her ex boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis) back after being dumped on a night she expected a proposal. Warner, focused only on being a successful senator, dumps Elle because she doesn’t fit the profile of a â€Å"smart trophy wife†. Elle decides to show Warner that she can be serious by applying to Harvard. Unfortunately, over the summer Warner found a more serious girlfriend and proposed to her leaving Elle devastated. Luckily, she runs into a third year student, Emmet (Luke Wilson), that is kind to her and gives her advice on how to survive her classes. She later befriends Paulette (Jennifer Coolidge) ,a manicurist with a huge crush on the mailman. Throughout the movie Elle grows and excels at being a law student and she even gets to be an intern for a law case involving one of her idols, Brooke Taylor-Windman (Ali Larter), who is being accused of murdering her late husband, Hayworth Wind man. After being hit on by her professor (Victor Garber), she quits the case. Thankfully she comes back because of some encouragement from one of her professors and ends up winning her case, and two years later she grdautes top of her class. Story Some events that are realistic include, but are not limited to applying to and getting into law school. Elle got into law school because she got an idea in her mind and stuck with it. She already had a 4.0 GPA and tons of extracurricular activities, not to mention she happened to be the president of her sorority. She also did meet and exceeded the requirement score of the LSAT. As the audience , we watched Elle change from a very pink Barbie into a serious lawyer. She set out to go to Harvard just for Warner to marry her, but on the way she found herslf and opened her eyes to the fact that she didn’t need him to marry her to be happy. So yes no matter how farfetched it sounds that a sorority girl from LA ends up being accepted into one of if not the most prestigious law school in the country, it sort of plausible. Structure The ntire movie was based in real places. The first few scenes were supposed ro be in a sorority house on the UCLA campus and the majority of the other scenes were supposed to be on the Harvard campus. Time passes relstively normally, meaning that there were no flashbacks,but it did seem like Elle was at school and then all of a sudden she was at the hairdressers’. Time passes as it does in all movies/television shows do. Days can go by in short clips in a matter of minutes. Characters Elle at first comes across as an stereotypical blonde party, sorority girl. It’s only clse to the end of the movie when we see her true more relateable colors. Warner comes across as a jerk from the beginning. When he makes it clear that he only dated Elle for fun and since he’s had his fun she’s no longer a part of his life. Paulette is an everyday anicurist who has it bad for the local UPS delivery guy. Upon her first appearance it’s obvious that she hears a lot of people’s issues and is flattered when Elle genuinely wants to help her. Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair), Warner’s fiancà ©, shows an obvious aversion to Elle. Whether it be she sees her as a threat due to her history with Warner or her looks. Professor Callahan didn’t seem like a creep until he tried to feel up Elle in his office. Acting Reese Witherspoon portrayed a sorority/ valley girl very effectively throughout the movie. Although the Valley girl dialect isn’t very common, at least in this part of the country, Witherspoon portrayed the Valley girl to the teeth. Her Harvard recruitment tape had me in stitches. Selma Blair had the mean lawyer attitude down. Many lawyers are very one sided and that’s important when you have to prove your client innocent and the other person wrong. Matthew Davis was very good as the jerk boyfriend that jumps from girl to girl just as it pleases him. Language

Identity theft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Identity theft - Essay Example Credit card fraud falls under the category identity theft. Credit card fraud means a fraud or theft committed, using a credit card or any similar payment mechanism. The intention of such a fraud is to obtain unauthorized funds from an account or receive goods without paying. It is estimated that the cost of credit frauds runs in to billions of dollars annually. Credit card fraud begins with either compromise of the account information or theft of the physical card. The drastic increase of credit cards has made data base security lapses very costly. If a credit card is stolen, it can be reported quickly by the owner, but a compromised account can be concealed by a thief for weeks or months. In most cases the owner or the credit card holder may not be able to discover the fraudulent use till he receives the billing statement which is delivered only once per month. When a credit card is stolen or lost, it remains unknown to the bank till the owner informs them that the card is lost. So it is possible for a stealer to make purchases till the card is cancelled. Signature panel is the only common security measures on all cards, but signatures are relatively easy to counterfeit. In some cases, credit cards bear the holder’s photograph. However, self serve payment system such as kiosks, gas station, which are used by the thieves, have no way to verify the card holders’ identity. Nowadays many websites which contain card information such as name of the card holder, account number, expiration date and verification code etc.

Corporate-Level Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Corporate-Level Strategies - Essay Example Most of the firm’s activities concentrate on its major brand, the Mexican Grill, which generates approximately 95% of Chipotle’s revenue. The firm couples the strategy with the slogan ‘food with integrity’ to imply its commitment to offer customers a unique experience at its restaurants while considering the local community, animals and the environment. By so doing, the company creates a good reputation thus maintaining its customers. The company engages in effective financial management to ensure that the company can fund its operations without using debt financing. The company maintains a debt ratio of 23% that implies that the value of assets is higher than liabilities. The situation means that the firm can easily offset its debts without debt financing that would otherwise increase costs (Paiz et al., 2011). Chipotle hires highly qualified and talented staff with a broad array of professional skills to execute the company’s objectives. A motivated human resource forms strong competitive advantage for the company. One of the strategies to motivate employees include the â€Å"people first† culture that extends to granting leave to employees during public holidays when competitors are open. From the analysis, it is evident that Chipotle corporate strategies work and enable it to survive the fierce competition from well-established companies such as Yum! Brands and McDonalds. Strategies such as differentiation, financial management and good human resource strategies are responsible for its