Popularity of Soccer

Soccer — or football, as it is called by the rest of the world outside the United States — is surely the most popular sport in the world. Every four years, the world championship of soccer, the World Cup, is watched by literally billions all over the world, beating out the United States professional football's Superbowl by far. It is estimated that 1. 7 billion television viewers watched the World Cup final between France and Brazil in July of 1998. And it is also a genuine world championship, involving teams from 32 countries in the final rounds, unlike the much more parochial and misnamed World Series in American baseball (that doesn't even involve Japan or Cuba, two baseball hotbeds). But although soccer has become an important sport in the American sports scene, it will never make inroads into the hearts and markets of American sports the way that football, basketball, hockey, baseball, and even tennis and golf have done. There are many reasons for this. The biggest reason for soccer's failure as a mass appeal sport in the United States is that it doesn't conform easily to the demands of television. Basketball succeeds enormously in America because it regularly schedules what it calls â€Å"television time-outs† as well as the time-outs that the teams themselves call to re-group, not to mention half-times and, on the professional level, quarter breaks. Those time-outs in the action are ideally made for television commercials. And television coverage is the lifeblood of American sports. College basketball lives for a game scheduled on CBS or ESPN (highly recruited high school players are more likely to go to a team that regularly gets national television exposure), and we could even say that television coverage has dictated the pace and feel of American football. Anyone who has attended a live football game knows how commercial time-outs slow the game and sometimes, at its most exciting moments, disrupt the flow of events. There is no serious objection, however, because without television, football knows that it simply wouldn't remain in the homes and hearts of Americans. Also, without those advertising dollars, the teams couldn't afford the sky-high salaries of their high-priced superstars. Soccer, on the other hand, except for its half-time break, has no time-outs; except for half-time, it is constant run, run, run, run, back and forth, back and forth, relentlessly, with only a few seconds of relaxation when a goal is scored, and that can happen seldom, sometimes never. The best that commercial television coverage can hope for is an injury time-out, and in soccer that happens only with decapitation or disembowelment. Second, Americans love their violence, and soccer doesn't deliver on this score the way that American football and hockey do. There are brief moments, spurts of violence, yes, but fans can't expect the full-time menu of bone-crushing carnage that American football and hockey can deliver minute after minute, game after game. In soccer, players are actually singled out and warned — shamed, with embarrassingly silly â€Å"yellow cards,† for acts of violence and duplicity that would be smiled at in most American sports other than tennis and golf. Third, it is just too difficult to score in soccer. America loves its football games with scores like 49 to 35 and a professional basketball game with scores below 100 is regarded as a defensive bore. In soccer, on the other hand, scores like 2 to 1, even 1 to 0, are commonplace and apparently desirable; games scoreless at the end of regulation time happen all the time. (In the 515 games played in the final phase in the history of the World Cup games through 1994, only 1584 goals have been scored. That's three a game! And if there is no resolution at the end of overtime, the teams resort to a shoot-out that has more to do with luck than with real soccer skills. Worse yet, it is possible for a team to dominate in terms of sheer talent and â€Å"shots-on-goal† and still lose the game by virtue of a momentary lapse in defensive attention, a stroke of bad luck, and the opponent's break-away goal. Things like that can happen, too, in baseball, but the problem somehow evens out over baseball's very long season of daily games. In soccer, it just isn't fair. Soccer authorities should consider making the goal smaller and doing away with the goalie to make scoring easier. And the business of starting over after each goal, in the middle of the field, has to be reconsidered. It's too much like the center-jump after each goal in the basketball game of yesteryear. It seems unlikely that Americans will ever fully comprehend or appreciate a sport in which players are not allowed to use their arms and hands. Although the footwork of soccer players is a magnificent skill to behold, most American fans are perplexed by straitjacketed soccer players' inability and unwillingness to â€Å"pick up the darn ball and run with it! † The inability to use substitutes (unless the player to be substituted for is lying dead or maimed on the field of play) is also bewildering to Americans, who glorify the â€Å"sixth man† in basketball and a baseball game in which virtually the entire roster (including an otherwise unemployable old man called â€Å"the designated hitter†) is deployed on the field at one time or another. Finally, the field in soccer is enormous. Considerably larger than the American football field, the soccer field could contain at least a dozen basketball courts. Americans like their action condensed, in a small field of vision — ten enormous sweaty people bouncing off one another and moving rapidly through a space the size of a medium-sized bedroom, twenty-two even larger people in bulky uniforms converging on a small, oddly shaped ball. In soccer, on the other hand, there is a premium on â€Å"spreading out,† not infringing upon the force field occupied by a team-mate, so that fancy foot-passing is possible. This spreading out across the vast meadow of the soccer playing field does not lend itself, again, to close get-down-and-dirty television scrutiny. Soccer is a great sport and it certainly deserves the increased attention and popularity it is getting on all levels. But — primarily, again, because it does not lend itself to television — it will never make it big in the United States the way these other sports have, not until it changes some of its fundamental strategies.

How Spongebob Effects The Brain

Pants, the wildly popular Nickelodeon has been under buzz as the cheerful, buzzing sponge can threaten a child's normal development. After much research, studies have shows that the television program has many characteristics that would make a child perform half as well as a child watching a public access cartoon. The every 1 1 second scene change during the T. V show doesn't defend the case anymore, as that causes mass confusion amongst the kids.Aiding to the case Is the total anta education message portrayed, thus making this show blindsided. The plebeian conundrum of the program has created a mass boom amongst a child who enjoys watching this show and also the countless medical professionals who are trying to dissuade parents. Research and countless studies have shown that 4 year olds who have watched nine minutes of Sponge, preformed only half as well as the children who spent the same amount of watching Callous which is a PBS show or drawing.This conundrum Is stated when head re searcher Brown stated â€Å"Technology is great, but we also want to explore how does that impact our 38) When the children are asked to perform four tasks such as playing games that involve rules, the non Sponge watching kids did significantly worse than the children that did not partake in the watching of the show. Eleven seconds doesn't seem Like a long time but It Is plenty of time to ruin a child's thinking capability.According to Christians, a professor of psychology at the university of Washington ; Sponge Squarest' constant rate of the program has a negative and a permanent detrimental effect on the wellbeing of the children. During a single nine minute episode, has over 30 changes with a very fast speed that leave the kids confused causing them to zone out or spun up. This is making the researchers think that the slower(but less amusing shows) that have about 2 changes per episode to be much better for the health of the children.Unlike Dora and Sesame Street which teach th e viewers how to read and write, Sponge entertains the children using utter stupidity and unrealistic motions. This shows children the negative behavior that they should not be portraying in the real life atmosphere. Many child psychologists state that there should be a educational factor that would aid In the learning of the children and also have a factor that can aka the children learn positive behavior.This show Is a negative role model for children as they are like clay, the way they are molded, is the way they will be. The negative harm that this show can cause on children is undetermined. There are many that state that this could be a permanent reaction while many state that this is a short lived reaction but all say that there Is a negative prospect of watching reactions that this would have, but there are some that are positive such as the lack of performance, confusion and of course bad habits. This would be a problem that can have countless problems yet to come.

Consolidation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Consolidation - Case Study Example The preparation of the consolidated financial statements DOES NOT involve any adjustments to the financial statements of either the parent or the subsidiary companies. In this case, the parent is Batman and the subsidiary is Robin. A. This means that the investing company, Batman is willing to pay more that the total value of the stockholder's equity. There are many good reason why companies agree to pay more than the acquired company's actual net worth. some of the reasons are: A. The pre acquisition journal entry is also known as the elimination entry. The journal entry made such as investment in subsidiary is credited. The original entry where the stockholders' equity amounts are credited is now debited. The main reason for such pre -acquisition entry is to produce a correct combined financial statement where the assets, liabilities and stockholders' equity accounts are lumped together. Based on the above declaration, the dividends declared after acquisition is bigger than the dividends declared before acquisition. The main reason is that the income derived from combined financial statement shows that the is higher then the pre acquisition net income.

How Globalization Regimes Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How Globalization Regimes Work - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that globalization as a phenomenon has received much attention for all the right reasons; reasons which have spoken a great deal on how economies have become bigger than nation-states in essence. This brings to light the notion of comprehending how globalization as a phenomenon has been instrumental in changing perceptions and beliefs, as it has highlighted the due role of economic strengths and the opportunities that have come up with the passage of time. Globalization has made the economists understand that they if they play their cards well; there is no one who can stop them from entering new market territories and zones on a global basis. What is required however is tact and a sense of planning on the part of the people who believe staunchly within the globalization regimes since they are the ones who bring value for the sake of the business enterprises, spread far and wide? When one studies the dictum of globalization in its truest sen se, there is comprehension in the knowledge that geographical distances do not matter as such. Since the entire phenomenon is built on the premise of bridging distances in more ways than one, the element of the qualitative and quantitative characteristics coming to the fore is a special one. This is so said because globalization has the potential within it to bring people from different walks of life together and thus involve and engage them in an ideology, a business route or a pattern for that matter. ...consumers, the better it is for them to bring about a collective good, which is for the well-being of the society in the long term scheme of things (Amoore 2002). Delving deep into what globalization essentially is, one needs to find out how the term was actually brought into action. This suggests how the world was termed as a global village, and how it has represented the 7 billion or so people on the face of this earth as one connected community. Globalization has made all of them come on a single platform, where business and trade linkages help each other connect so that there is collective good, which shall foster creativity and culminate in success for one and all (Sachs 2000). They feel wired and hence this linkage has helped their business realms to develop with the passage of time. What is even more interesting is the fact that globalization has dispelled the perils which used to exist in the yesteryears. It has made people realize how colonialism is not an acceptable phen omenon anywhere and not the talk centers on the premise of globalization, which is here for their own good. There are some critics who believe globalization is not an interesting phenomenon as it brings problems for the natives of a country and makes others feel that they are more powerful than the former. This is not entirely a correct disposition as it flawed in its entirety (Herod 1998). The role of globalization within governance is pertinent because if governmental authorities are not playing their roles well, then this would mean a lot of problems for the companies and business corporations which are trying to expand in different directions, around the world.  

MGT302 - Org. Behavior and Teamwork CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MGT302 - Org. Behavior and Teamwork CA - Essay Example Personal projects, failed projects, successful projects are all celebrated and well received within the company (Jarvis). The culture adopted within the company clearly uses all the possible initiatives and opportunities to be innovative and also to develop something new each day. Google is clearly more focused on the invention of newer products and is also focused on improving and innovating each day and hence the company clearly follows a culture which is innovative, challenging and also a new adventure each day (Anthony). Google’s Culture and Specific Factors: With the intensive competition that is presently found in the markets, Google approach is clearly among the best and most effective. Here the company’s approach has clearly been based on the external elements like the competition, competitive advantage, changing needs of the customers, changing approach and outlook of the customers (Nussbaum). However apart from the above, one of the key factors that is the cau se of the company’s culture is clearly the need for innovativeness. Google has been recognized to be a new age company and has been found to be open to change as well as open to new and fresh ideas (Mayer). These factors together have formed and developed the new age company and have also led to the immense success of Google (The Google Legacy). Google’s Culture and Performance: Google’s culture is clearly the main reason for the successful performance of the company. The culture that has been developed within the company has been present from the start and this has been followed from the start (Girard). The company’s flexible approach and genuine focus on employees has led the employees to be more motivated and also focused on the job. The company has focused not only on the monetary needs of the employees but also on the personal needs at times like the maternity leaves, paternity leaves and several other similar cases. This flexible approach as well as the respect and equal treatment that the company provides to all of the employees are the cause for this high performance (Hamen). Here although the company does not specify the professional behavior, the mutual respect and the commitment of the employers is clearly the cause for the employees to behave and also commit themselves to the company to a greater extent. It would be incorrect and untrue to say that the company follows the particular culture due to the success (Mayer). The company has clearly developed and every individual has worked hard to bring the company to the current position. It is the strong culture and bond among the employees and employers and also the flexible work structure that has clearly been the cause for the company’s success (Anthony). Protecting the Culture: As clearly been noted in the case, the company unlike other companies does not punish employees in case of losses. The company is open to making mistakes and taking risks, as long as people contribute to the growth and attempts of the company. As explained in the case, â€Å"...(Larry Page) would rather run a company where people are moving quickly and doing too much, as opposed to being too cautious and doing too little. This attitude toward acting fast and accepting the cost of resulting mistakes as a natural consequence of moving fast...†

The Daily Mail is considered by many to be problematic. What (if any) Essay - 2

The Daily Mail is considered by many to be problematic. What (if any) is the problem with the Daily Mail and why is it like this - Essay Example s, The Daily Mail has come to face a lot of criticism for publishing some stories that have ended up not being true or those that are controversial and this has led to a situation where it has come to be viewed as problematic in some circles. One of the reasons why The Daily Mail has come to be considered problematic is based on the belief that its highly conservative nature has led to a situation where it has been accused of promoting the worst in British society. This is especially the case where this newspaper has been accused of publishing articles that essentially promote racism as well as discrimination against immigrants. Such instances are seen through its bringing to the fore incidents that occur rarely and promoting them as the face of those that take place on a daily basis (Pilger, 1998). Among these is the highlighting of those rare cases where immigrants are provided with housing and allowances by the government at the taxpayers’ expense. The Daily Mail has been accused of using these rare cases as a means of promoting the belief within British society that the presence of immigrants is detrimental to it and that it has to be opposed at all costs. Furthermore, this paper’s opposition to immigra tion has created a situation where there has been an increase in hostility towards immigrants from society who have come to believe that these individuals are taking advantage of them to secure themselves economically. It is necessary to note that this newspaper rarely publishes the stories of those immigrants whose need is quite genuine and those who have come to Britain not out of choice but because of necessity considering such conditions as war in their home countries. It is through such one sided views that has led to The Daily Mail being considered not to be impartial in its reporting. The Daily Mail is a newspaper that has been mired in controversy in recent years as a result of publishing stories that have lacked credibility. This was the case when

Financial Statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Financial Statements - Essay Example Yet, as much as they try to be absolutely accurate, the American Institute of Accountants has said, "They (financial statements) reflect a combination of recorded facts and accounting conventions and personal judgments; and judgments and conventions applied affect them materially" (cited in Yamamoto 2000 ch5). It is the job of the accountant to use sound personal judgment to quantify a company's finances to assure they are accurate and truthful. To understand the importance of the financial statement it's necessary to examine the information it contains and how it is utilized. Many people view financial statements as a picture of absolute financial accuracy. They do contain statements on sales, expenses, assets, and liabilities. The numbers all match and balance. However, according to Hooke, "... a fair number of accounts rely heavily on the educated judgment of management and the corporate auditor" (Hooke 1998 p.153). The accountant assures that these educated judgments are a fair representation of the company's financial status. When a financial statement is read, there are assumptions made that help to accurately interpret the numbers. By the use of conventions, statements are standardized to assure that they will present an accurate view of the business. One convention is that asset value is based on the original value. No account would be taken due to changing prices over time. Equipment would be depreciated against its original cost, not the replacement cost. Another common convention is that transactions are recorded when they are completed, not when the money changes hands. Sales can be recorded even though payment may not be due for several months. The accountant's personal judgment that adheres to the concepts and conventions of accounting can help assure that the financial statement will present a true and fair view of a business's activities. The financial statement is made up of several key components. They usually include a balance sheet, a profit and loss account, a cash flow statement, and an equity statement. They will also include complex explanatory notes and disclaimers, which serve to clarify the accuracy of the numbers. Taken together, these items form the core of the financial statement. The balance sheet in its simplest form is a statement of the assets a firm owns and who finances their ownership. It is a balance of assets and liabilities. Assets are the aggregate value of land, buildings, vehicles, equipment, and debtors. Liabilities are what the firm is liable for. Liabilities include loans, debt, and shareholder equity. Though the balance sheet indicates the value to the business' assets and the full extent of ownership and funding, it should not be confused with a valuation statement (Tiffin 2004 p.198). There are several conventions for formatting a balance sheet, though the IASB has made some attempt at harmonizing them. In the UK, the generally accepted layout is the published accounts format. It contains fixed assets such as land and buildings and the intangible assets of goodwill. It also shows the total amount of investment assets. The liabilities are broken down into capital, profit or loss, and creditors. To this point the financial statement is little more than common bookkeeping. A firm records it income and records and classifies its expenses. Yet, this simplistic approach does not serve the

Poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Poetry - Essay Example Despite his mother’s protestations and desire to spend their insurance cheque on a house which would greatly benefit the family as a whole, Walter is adamant that he invest the money, and does so despite these familial objections. His sister wants to spend money on tuition for medical school as it is her dream to become a doctor, but he even mocks this as she is a woman and he cannot see the merits of spending the money in this way. Walter reflects the view in the 1950s that women should stay at home and only men should be educated, an obstacle his sister must constantly fight against. Though he does dream of his son going to college, this is still a selfish dream as he appears to think that this will reflect favourably on himself. The conflict the family experience due to their different dreams, is a major theme. The character of Walter as the protagonist of the play is also the most interesting in my opinion as he also serves as a form of antagonist. Many of the plays themes and plot developments centre on Walter while it is also as a result of Walters weaknesses and actions which cause the family further adversity and problems. Walters character goes through a significant transformation through the play. At the beginning he is portrayed as weak, selfish, materialistic and belligerent, while by the end of the play his selfishness seems to have waned as he puts the needs of his family ahead of his own. In doing so, he gives the play its structure and reflects the conflict and tensions which were relevant at the time. The character of Walter is introduced to the audience as a man of weakness and selfishness and several of the social and economic obstacles faced by the Younger family are manifested in Walters attitude. Though Walter admits that he wants the best for his family, his version of having the best is utterly materialistic and

Pet Stores are among the few retail businesses growing in the economic Research Paper

Pet Stores are among the few retail businesses growing in the economic downturn. Why Does this suggest a parallel (pet stores a - Research Paper Example Pet owners are purchasing more than sheer requirements when it comes to their pets. Actually, in accordance with the industry’s primary trade organization’s expenses statistics, they are ready to pay almost any cost for their pets (Dean, p. 4). The American Pet Products Association (APPA) recently published the comprehensive yearly evaluation of expenses statistics and information, which reveals overall spending within the pet industry increased by almost 7 percent from 46 billion USD in 2010 to a little more than 49 billion USD in 2011. The pet industry carries on displaying resilience regardless of the economic downturn and APPA is even estimating a 6 percent raise in spending to go beyond 52 billion USD within the coming year. Health-care linked pet expenses carries on to reveal the maximum expansion within the pet industry with spending increasing by 9 percent growth from 2009. Pet owners are becoming a lot more responsive towards their pet’s wellbeing, gener ally being practical with respect to veterinarian care and utilizing specialty formula foods, supplements, in addition to advanced, and sometimes, expensive cure preferences to guarantee that their pet stays in good physical shape. Of all categories, veterinary care has the major projected intensification at 10 percent that would cause a likely 15 billion USD in spending during 2013. Pet services is an additional group that has witnessed continued as well as diversified development in reaction to the rising demands pet owners face on a daily basis (Boler & Fahey, p. 81). The pet retail industry is a huge and quickly developing market. During the last ten years, the industry has seen exceptional increase from 25 billion USD to more than 50 billion USD – that is more than Americans use on films, music, and video games collectively. During 2011, Americans used 51 billion USD on their pets, with an estimation of 51.90 billion USD in pet spending during 2013. This yearly expenditu re is likely to reach at 54 billion USD during the next two years. That is an extremely incredible level of development keeping in view the country’s overall condition of economic slump. A shocking 95 percent of pet owners used the equivalent or additional amount on their pets in the most recent financial depression phase. A number of pet owners are even skipping extravagance in their own life with the intention of ensuring that their pets are living in comfort. Economic professionals now broadly advertize the pet industry as actually invulnerable to financial downturn. Even from 2008 to 2010, years that witnessed almost each industry of America’s retail financial system collapse, pet expenditure was up by 12 percent. In fact, the pet industry is the seventh biggest retail industry within America, surpassing the ornaments, sweets, toys, and hardware industries. In addition, following consumer electronics, pet care is the most rapidly expanding group within retailing, g rowing almost 7 percent each year. Evidently, consumer demand within the pet business is at an unprecedented high. Particularly, with respect to the pet services field, dog training as well as pet care spending have raised from 6.2 billion USD to 7.1 billion USD during the last three years with key development now forecasted for the coming five years. As showed by a recent research, Pet services are among the rapidly developing sectors within the pet

Migration phenomenon Essay Example for Free

Migration phenomenon Essay MIGRATION: Migration is a world wide phenomenon that can be viewed in either a modern or historical perspective. Historically speaking, migration has been happening for hundreds of years for various reasons such as racism, war invasions, search for a better life, famine, and poor weather conditions. Modernly speaking, in a great majority of cases, people have poor and developing countries that cant provide good conditions for living and raising a family causing them to migrate to another location to in search of a better life style. Sometimes, in search of better education, one would migrate to another location to fulfill their destiny. Some even migrate in need to find unknown relatives that share the same bloodline as them due to fact there was a disconnection in where the family split through migration. But there are plenty of reasons for migration in where a person just wants to relocate for their specific reasons. Migrations even plays a role in population, and even bringing in a new culture. Today, I will enlighten you about this topic by discussing the migration that occurred through out Barack Obamas and his families life. Also, I will speak upon the Dust Storm that played a role in migration. To add on, I will inform you about he migration that occurred through out my relatives lives. And finally, I will speak upon the migration that occurred through out the movie Scarface that starred Al Pacino that played Tony Montanas role. My parents werent born in the United States, but they were looking for better lives and opportunities, so they migrated from Haiti to the United States. My parents growing up in such a poor country that didnt provide much opportunity for them to be able to live a decent lifestyle forced them to migrate. In search of education, jobs, money, and opportunity, they decided to start a new life in the united States. When waking up not knowing when you or your family are going to have the next meal, are you going to find the money to pay the landlord, can you pay your childrens education, afford medicine for when someone in your family that is severely sick, or any specific cause that revolves around unobtainable cash, can drive a person a stress level very high. In desperate need to escape hardship, hearing about the United States and what it had to offer such as opportunities, free education, and work, it was a done deal, they moved on forward. It was a every day struggle in Haiti for my parents, and they thought leaving Haiti coming to America was the only solution to end the struggle and give them a better life to live. Due to difficult times and hard measures, sometimes it is inevitable to stop yourself from migrating to another location hoping for the better. And also, in search of better education, giving you chances to better opportunities in life, will persuade you to migrate to another location that is willing to provide that. There are various reasons in which someone can migrate and through out reading Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama, Ive consumed particular reasons. In this book, Barack Obama explains his life and the life of his parents. Through out the reading, he elaborates on all the various migrations he has done along with his parents. In Dreams from My Father, President Obama informs us on plenty of migration that occurred through out his family. Barack Obama, the son of Barack Obama Sr. who is from Kenya, and Ann Dunham who is from Kansas, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father and mother had divorced and his mother met Lolo Soetoro, a javanese surveyor from Indonesia. Both Lolo and Baracks mother attended the same university. His mother and Lolo ended up getting married together and his new stepfather moved to jakarta, Indonesia shortly after graduating from the University of Hawaii. Obamas mother graduated from the university as well and decided to move also to go join her new husband. Obama moved to Indonesia leaving Hawaii to live with his mother and he spent ages six to ten there attending school. As years went by, he moved back to hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents. He had earned a scholarship which enabled him to attend a college preparatory school from fifth grade till he graduated high school. His mother got a chance to stay with him for three years along with his sister but he wanted to return to Indonesia to do her anthropology field work, but Obama decided to stay in Hawaii with his grandparents for high school. After graduating high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles to attend Occidental college. During that period of time, he decided to visit his mother in Indonesia, and then after travel to Pakistan and India to visit college classmate families. Later, Obama decided to transfer to Colombia University in New York City where he majored in political science. he graduated from there with a bachelor and received two jobs in New York while he stayed there for a year. he later received a job in Chicago where he moved there and was a director of the Developing Com munities Project. Obama wanted to connect with the black community more due to him being confused growing up half white and black. After, Obama travelled to Europe for the first time for a period of three weeks and then decided to travel to Kenya for five weeks to meet unknown relatives from his fathers side to bond. Later, Obama then decided to attend Harvard Law School moving to Massachusetts. After graduating, he left and went back to Chicago. He later got a job again in Chicago where he got a book deal with the University of Chicago Law School. He later ended up becoming a teacher at the University. With him being a civil rights attorney and all the extracurricular activities he was involved in, that lead him to being state senator. Obama travelled back one to Kenya to trace his fathers foot steps. Through out reading chapter 11: Dust Bowl Odyssey from the book called After the Fact: the Art of Historical Detection written by James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle, this chapter enlightened me a lot about the topic of migration showing me how poor weather conditions can play a big role in causing people to migrate. The dust storms caused people to migrate because of the fact that it brought in famine and unemployment. The poor weather conditions in that area were so horrible, it just caused poor living conditions, which made people have to leave their current location in search of a better life. The Dust storm began May 9, 1934, and by May 11, the dust shifted down to South Atlanta and Boston. Every year on, the storms blew in worst. There were 22 dust storms in total in 1934 and it grew to 72 storms by 1937. The storms were so intense, people thought it was the wrath of god in where when the rain failed them, the crops withered, and the winds hurdled the loose soil across the nation. The crops kept falling, the farmers debts kept growing, and soon the banks repossessed the farmers farms. Several farming states felt the wrath of the storms coming in. After watching the storms effects, statistics showed how California gained more than a million new residents in the 1930s. Mostly affected by the bad weather and the Great Depression was the south west plains. Unemployment in the region hit one-third of all workers. People started assuming moving to California was the answer to everything at the moment guessing that the state could be helpful at the crisis moment. 43% of California which is nearly half of California, were now farmers and laborers. Families walked to California in search of a better life. 95% of all southwestern migrants to California were white. The population in California was growing fast and California didnt know how to control this migration, so billboards started to come up saying things such as no jobs in California, 6 men for every job, no state relief available for non residents, and keep out. Although Californias economy suffered and unemployment,remained serious, the state of california was much better off than most of the nation. The economy of California actually grew during the 1930s. Good Highways, bus routes, and railroads linked the southwestern plains to California. Because the trip was was so manageable, most families did not necessarily see their move as permanent. By 1940, 83% of all men in the city were eligible to wok had found jobs. Only 28% of the dust bowls refugees found their way. Migration was causing farmers to make deficit in profit. This migration caused regular farmers from California to complain about farmer migrators and made foul remarks towards them. The United States has been transformed by a civil rights revolution ever sine the dust storms swept across the south western plains. It has been reminded of its diversity by the renewed tide of immigration in the wake of the Immigration Reform Act of 1964. For example, in the 1983 film called Scarface directed by Brian DePalma which starred famous actor Al Pacino who played the lead role character of Tony Montana in the movie, migration played a major factor in why Tony Montana reached the success he did in he film. Tony Montana was from Cuba and after departing from there in search of his American Dream , he tried to migrate to the United States but was denied by INS officials who seemed to believe he was involved in political criminal activities . So, they detained him and sent him to a camp called Freedomtown under a expressway with other fellow Cubans while the government reviewed their visa petitions. While incarcerated in that camp, Montana was offered a deal to kill a former aide of Fidel Castro called Rebanga for a visa by Frank Lopez (a wealthy, political astute man who dealt cars and was involved in the drug trade) for the simple fact Rebanga tortured Franks brother to death. But in desperate need of that visa, to escape the poor life in Cuba, he murdered Rebanga, and then departed to come to Florida. In Florida, he got involved into the drug trade and got into certain situations which lead him to meeting a drug lord called Sosa. By Tony Montana migrating to Bolivia for Franks personal business purposes, Montana and Sosa make friendship, which leads to Tony taking over the cocaine business in Florida. Even though the story ends very brutal with the death of Tony, migration was the cause of why Tony reached his success illegally due to the fact of him trying to escape poverty and search for his American Dream. As you can see, migration plays a big role in the world that we live. Migration is the cause of population increase and decrease. People migrate in cause of chasing a better life style in which they are trying to escape the bad living. People migrate in search of education, jobs, family, opportunities, escaping poverty, famine, and poor living. Migration is the key to success in some cases, in where finding another location to live can branch them off into great possibilities. Migration can cause reduction in money that used to be obtained regularly due to increase in venture. Migration basically has its ups and downs, should be controlled due to population increase which may have its consequences. But, migration has its pros and cons where it could be beneficial for the migrator or not be beneficial for the people of origin in the location the migrator moved. Work Cited: DePalma, Brian Stone, Oliver. Scarface Obama, Barack. Dreams From My Father 1995 West, James Mark Hamilton. After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection : chapter 11

Design and Implementation of Galvanic Skin Resistance

Design and Implementation of Galvanic Skin Resistance CAREER EPISODE 1 Introduction CE1.1 Chronology : 2007-2011 Name of the organization : Netaji Subhash Engineering College. Geographical location : West Bengal University of Technology, Kolkata, India Project Title : Galvanic skin resistance Position : Undergraduate Student (Bio Medical Engineer) Background CE1.2 This career episode reflects a brief summary of my contribution towards the successful completion of the project which I did in my 8th semester of my bachelor degree in Biomedical Engineering at Netaji Subhash Engineering College, Kolkata, India and how I managed the technical problems to the best of my knowledge. I ensured that I have provided genuine information and also ensured that I have mentioned every point of my experience. Aim and Objective CE1.2.1 The main aim of this project is to design and implement the Galvanic Skin Resistance. Organizational Chart CE 1.2.2 Roles and Responsibilities CE 1.2.3 Major areas of my responsibilities were as follows: As Bio medical engineer is actively working in numerous fields like designing, developing, aviation, and maintain equipment. Provide engineering and technical expertise on all matters related to innovative technology, especially in the process of planning, review and evaluation. Responsible for planning, scheduling and coordinating the technical aspects of projects. Discussion with the project guide and Head of Department on ways to improve the design and to optimize performance. Ensure effective engineering and project guide communications. Listing down the selected items for projects and testing them. Negotiate with team members to generate ideas and clarify specifications Perform other duties within the scope of the job and its technical capacity and expertise. Finally, I prepared a project report. Personal Engineering Activity CE 1.3 Based on my knowledge, I applied the ideas and concepts to forecast how to accomplish the project. My plan involved determining where to place the components and how to connect them, determining the size of the components used, subject to performance criteria such as the grade of service. Initially, I collected the substantial amount of information that provided me with sufficient knowledge required to commence the project work. Galvanic skin resistance CE 1.3.1 During this project, I studied skin conductance also known as GSR, EDR, PGR, SCR and SCL is a method of measuring the electrical conductance of the skin, which varies with its moisture level. The sweat glands are controlled by thesympathetic nervous system,so I used skin conductance as an indication of psychological or physiologicalarousal. I did research of electro dermal activity and dealt with spontaneous fluctuations or reactions to stimuli. Our device measures theelectrical conductancebetween 2 points and is essentially a type of ohmmeter. When correctly calibrated, the skin conductance can measure these subtle differences. CE 1.3.2 I checked there is a relationship between sympathetic activity and emotional arousal, although one cannot identify which specific emotion is being elicited. We calculated the resistance instead of impedance it’s measured in ohms and may includeresistance (R),inductive reactance(XL), andcapacitive reactance(XC). I used Resistance concept for DC (direct currents) whereas impedance is the AC (alternating current) equivalent. I considered the galvanic skin response (GSR) feedback instrument measures skin conductivity from the fingers and palms. I used GSR feedback in the treatment of excessive sweating (hyperhydorses), related dermatological conditions, relaxing and desensitization training. I used the polygraph or lie detector in police investigation which is especially used in the United States. The lie detector uses the galvanic skin response to determine if the subject is lying or not. Hypnotherapy CE 1.3.3 I have undertaken the Hypnotherapy with a subject in hypnosis. A person who is hypnotized displays certain unusual characteristics and propensities, compared with a non-hypnotized subject. I used Hypnotherapy in relation to childbirth and sometimes used during pregnancy to prepare a mother for birth, childbirth to reduce anxiety, discomfort and pain. Since sweat gland activity is controlled by sympathetic nerve activity, I considered this measurement as an ideal way to monitor the autonomic nervous system. We described to underlie theelectro dermal response(EDR) to sympathetic stimulation. Physiology of the skin CE 1.3.4 I considered the interpretation of skin conductance or skin potential requires some understanding about the structure of tissues and beneath the skin surface. I researched the most superficial layer is called theepidermisand consists of thestratum corneum, thestratum lucidum, thegranular layer, theprickle cell layer, and thebasalorgerminating layer. The surface of the corneum (i.e. surface of the skin) is composed of dead cells, while at its base one finds healthy, living cells. We increased the conductance results from the hydration of the corneum due to the flow of sweat across the duct walls. As a consequence the effective skin conductance can vary greatly, depending on present and past eccrine activity. CE 1.3.5 Later, I noticed that the loading of ducts with sweat can be taking place before any release of sweat from the skin surface or noticeable diffusion into the corneum. I noticed that the main function of the skin is to protect the body from the environment. One aspect is to prevent the loss of water by the body. However, at the same time, the evaporation of water as a means of regulating body temperature must be facilitated. I carried out the requirements by the stratum corneum as a barrier layer that prevents the loss of water to the outside except through the sweat glands, whose activity can be controlled. This in turn is mediate by the autonomic (sympathetic) nervous system. I implemented the simple and basic concept underlying EDR and its application to psychophysiology. Electro dermal measures CE 1.3.6 I monitored the electro dermal response is associated with sweat gland activity is well established. And there are two major measures of the electro dermal response. I researched whether the measurement is of the (tonic) background level (L), or the time-varying (phasic) response (R) type. I exposed simple ideas that lead to a number of specific measures, each described by a three letter-abbreviation. I used abbreviations to distinguish the type ofelectro dermal measurements and Structure of skin resistance with equivalent electrical circuit. I suggested the epidermis that consists of keratin derived from dead cells of lower layers arranged in a flattened irregular fashion. When a person is tense or emotional, the sweat glands become more active, increasing moisture on the skin; this allows the electric current to flow more readily. I used this response in relaxation training. Theoretical Considerations Basic Block Diagram Circuit Diagram Of +- D.C 15v Regulated CE 1.3.7 I checked every IC should be supplied with positive and negative dc voltages of +15 and –15 volts respectively. We measured the output at the pin-6 with respect to the breadboard ground. Pins 1 and 5 are used for output offset voltage compensation. These two pins are not required for normal applications. GSR SENSORS CE 1.3.8 GSR Sensors was believed a lack of salivation was attributed to anxiety and therefore guilt with today’s technology. I checked there is no need for rice as biomedical sensors can measure skin conductivity from the fingers and palms to provide a modern mechanism to measure emotions. I understood theGSR sensoris highly sensitive to emotions in some people and can be used as a polygraph, or lie detector test.I used theS220 Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) Sensor tomeasure the psycho-galvanic reflex. This reflex generates a change in skin conductivity during periods of stress, excitement or shock. Galvanic Skin Response GSR sensor is just a cut 9V LEGO motor wire and some aluminum foil wrapped around fingers with tape. WIRELESSS GSR SENSOR CE 1.3.9 I considered the Shimmer GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) to monitor skin conductivity between two reusable electrodes attached to two fingers of one hand. We connected the Shimmer GSR to the Shimmer main board via the internal connector pin, and it’s contained within the Shimmer enclosure, with two leads connecting to the fingertip electrodes. Pin Diagram of V-F Convertor CE 1.3.10 I checked LM231/LM331 family of voltage-to-frequency converters is ideally suited for simple low-cost circuits like analog-to-digital conversion, precision frequency-to-voltage conversion, and many other functions. I considered the inherent advantages of the voltage-to-frequency conversion techniques it’s easy to apply in all standard voltage-to-frequency converter applications. We divided the entire project work into several subdivisions and the work was done accordingly. The subdivisions includes the design and fabrication of the power supply unit, V-I conversion, V-F conversion and Skin response monitoring through calibration. The power supply unit CE 1.3.11 Our objective was to obtain a constant D.C current source from an A.C source. Initially the 220volt A.C power supply was allowed to pass through a Transformer. I used a step down transformer and obtained the desired output. It resulted in a stepped down current supply of about +-18volt which was in turn subjected to a bridge rectifier for rectification. We converted the voltage to current and I used two major integrated circuits IC741 and IC LM331. I involved the measurement of resistance or conductance between two electrodes placed in the demarcated region of the skin. I was responsible for tabulated the obtained results accordingly. From the obtained result, graphical interpretation was carried off and accordingly we carried out the calibration as per skin response. Calculation formulations CE 1.3.12 I found the load current IL passing through the load resistance RL. From Ohm’s law we can wrote, V= IL*RL. I found the output voltage through the potential divider carrying the previously calculated load current. I calculated the output voltage across the load resistance and from the rule of potential divider is Vo= (RL/(R+RL))*VCC†¦.where Vo= output voltage I tabulated the results with the above mentioned formulae by changing the skin resistance. I compared the Practical values and theoretical values and evaluated that practical values were very close to theoretical values. And I observed the output frequency from the previously calculated input voltage or the v-f conversion. Fout= (Vin/ (2.09*Vcc))*(Rs/RL)*(1/RtCt) CE 1.3.13 The successful completion of this project provided me an opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge into real time job application. I could accomplish this task successfully by studying every process of developing in detail with its specifications and implementation. I got positive approach and approval from guide for other projects. I had a meeting with the project guide and team members to understand the requirement. I had to complete this project within the given deadline based on the requirements. Technical Difficulties faced by me CE 1.3.14 I faced some difficulties like the validity of this technique has been much disputed, because there is no way of knowing for sure that the stimulus provided by the researcher (the advertisement) was the cause of the response. Its proponents argue that it is more objective than research that relies on voluntary responses like interviews or surveys. The other difficulties are Sources causes of skin resistance and its properties were providing certain difficulties to be understood and counteracted. Summary CE 1.4 Galvanic skin resistance, commonly called the GSR is the measurement of electrical resistance of skin. In the project we have produced a calibration curve by plotting frequency against the corresponding change of skin resistance. The errors that may have cropped up in the process such as Manual errors, Assumption errors, System and instrument errors, Ambient factors and external errors, Presence of sweat on skin and Presence Skin hair etc. We found the resistance of the skin by placing two electrodes on the epidermis and noting down the corresponding frequency. I checked the values from the calibration curve, the value of the resistance can be known. We designed a simple GSR was more or less successful as the practical results were very close to the theoretical values.

Histoy of Blackbeard the Pirate Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout history pirates have terrorized the world’s seas. There are few men that have been feared as much as pirates were. Names such as pirate, buccaneer, and privateer were given to these men and women that terrorized the seas. Black Sam Bellamy, Bartholomew Roberts, Jean Lafitte, Stede Bonnet, and Ann Bonny are some of the most feared names know to man. These were the names of pirates that dominated the seas during the 1600’s and 1700’s, a time known as the â€Å"Golden Age of Piracy.† However, one of the greatest pirates of all time was the great Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard. He terrorized the seas for most of his gruesome life during this era. The â€Å"Golden Age of Piracy† marked a time when sea travel was unsafe for everyone, with Blackbeard being one of the lead factors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The history of piracy dates back more than 3000 years. â€Å"It appears that the word pirate (peirato) was first used in about 140 BC by the Roman historian Polybius. The Greek historian Plutarch, writing in about 100 A.D., gave the oldest clear definition of piracy. He described pirates as those who attack without legal authority not only ships, but also maritime cities (http://www.piratesinfo.com/history/history.php).† The most common meaning of the word pirate recognizes them as an outlaw and a thief. Anyone who was caught and tried with the act of piracy would be sentenced to death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most people are familiar with the words pirate, privateer, and buccaneer. These words are all names given to groups of pirates. They were all essentially the same thing, with slight differences. In one case, however, you could be considered a legal pirate. These men were called privateers. â€Å"A privateer was a pirate who by commission or letter of marque from the government was authorized to seize or destroy a merchant vessel of another nation (http://www.piratesinfo.com/fact/famous.html).† Many kings hired privateers to help weaken their enemies. Privateers would sail the seas and loot and pillage ships in the name of their country. They tended to stay as far from the coast as possible to avoid any navy that might be about. Privateers with a letter of marque were considered legal by international law and they were not supposed to be charged with the act of piracy. However, more often that not, if the enemy managed to seize a privateer, they would oft... ...rd’s corpse, there were no fewer than 25 wounds, 5 being from pistol shots. Blackbeard truly was a giant of a man, and it took a whole army of men to finally bring him down. Maynard beheaded the corpse of Blackbeard and hung the head from his ships bowsprit as he sailed home victorious. â€Å"The mutilated body of the pirate was thrown overboard in Ocracoke where he fell. Legend has it that the headless corpse saw around the sloop several times in defiance before it sank form sight† (Botting, Douglas – The Pirates).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Blackbeard’s death virtually marked the end of the â€Å"Golden Age of Piracy.† The â€Å"Golden Age of Piracy† only lasted about 30 years, but they may have been the most feared 30 years our world has experienced. No man was safe at sea with the dreaded pirates about. After Blackbeard’s death, no other pirate would be as great as he. Blackbeard may not have been the most successful or richest pirate of all time, but he is one of the most popular and recognized pirates of all time. Many tales are told of his battles at sea and of his pirate way of life. Blackbeard has, and will continue to go down in history, as one of the greatest pirates of all time.

Suffering and Injustice in the Opening Chapters of Charlotte Brontë’s J

Suffering and Injustice in the Opening Chapters of Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Jane Eyre At the time the novel Jane Eyre was written, it was very difficult for women writers to have their books published. Charlotte Brontà « was very aware of the problem, and cleverly changed her name to Currer Bell so the book would be accepted. Luckily for Charlotte, her novel Jane Eyre was published in October 1847, and since writing this novel, Charlotte Brontà « has become very popular, and a classic author. The Victorian era was a time of great social division between the rich and the poor, and this is shown in the novel by the description of certain characters for example Bessie – the poorer class, and Mrs. Reed – the richer class. The poorer classes and working classes were made to work in very dangerous conditions and were paid very little. In contrast, many of the upper classes did not have to work, and some of them employed the poor to work for them. Many of the poorer families lived cramped together in very small houses, where as the rich lived in huge, very comfortable homes. This background of injustice is made clear in the book, as Charlotte Brontà « wanted to highlight what life was like for Jane Eyre, the Reed family and servants like her character Bessie who worked in the wealthy house in Victorian times. Charlotte Brontà «n seems as though she feels quite strongly about these issues - both of Charlotte’s elder sisters died in 1825 in circumstances that have great importance for the story Jane Eyre - and is trying to convey to the readers of her book the many injustices and extremes in Victorian society. Charlotte Brontà « wrote the book Jane Eyre in first person narrative so we can feel Jane’s outmost thoughts, opinion... ...e character of Jane Eyre, and if she had been the slightest bit different I would not have this opinion of her. At parts she has made me laugh, and other parts brought a tear to my eye. I feel for her, as she does not have any family, and because of this has suffered greatly. From the way Charlotte has evoked Jane’s feelings, the reader is able to understand what it is like, and the emotions you feel. Jane Eyre is a very determined ten-year-old girl with a great personality, and Charlotte Brontà « could not have used a better character on which to base the novel. She is definitely my favourite character in the book, mainly because of her determination and pride. The book of Jane Eyre has many life changing decisions, and I have sometimes wondered if it was me that had to make those choices, whether they would have been as successful as they were for Jane.

Juxtaposition between Mattie and Zeena in Ethan Frome Essay -- essays

According to the Microsoft Word Encarta Dictionary, juxtaposition is to place two or more things, side by side, in order to emphasize contrasts and similarities between them. Edith Wharton deliberately places the characters of Mattie Silver and Zeena Frome together in the novel Ethan Frome to compare and contrast them. Although Mattie has only recently been exposed to Starkfield, Zeena's has lived in there for seven despondent years. Wharton's intent was to make the reader accustomed to seeing Zeena and Mattie in such harsh comparison, thus making the climatic ending extremely ironic. Throughout the novel, Wharton accentuates characteristic of Zeena's and Mattie's character such as their physical appearances which creates conflict in the interactions of the women with Ethan and consequently each other, until ironically the two characters finally fuse and become one. Despite the common clichà ©, ?don?t judge a book by its cover,? you never get a second chance to make a first impression, most first impressions are derived from appearance. Edith Wharton harshly juxtaposes the appearances of Mattie and Zeena, to such an extreme that it almost seems bias. From the beginning of the novel, Zeena is depicted as an old and ?repugnant? (46) housewife. Substantial background information is not given, nor causes for her worn out and ?bloodless? (53) demeanor. ?Though she was but seven years her husband?s senior, she was already an old woman.? (53) In harsh comparison, Mattie is portrayed as a youthful, vivacious woman, yet with natural beauty. This drastic juxtaposition is black and white, with no grey areas, just the strong Mattie and the feeble Zeena. However, the colors used to describe Mattie and Zeena are not black and white, they each ... ...tie so sweet and kindhearted, was for the readers to feel sympathy for Ethan, who is in a lifelong commitment with Zeena. Wharton made the ending, when Zeena and Mattie became one, ironic, through the use of juxtaposition and creating characters with significant differences between them. Wharton possessing the skill of juxtaposition added depth and irony to the book, but when the reader realizes her underlying purpose, Ethan Frome and Mattie Silver no longer deserve the sympathy they received all book. Zeena, throughout the book, was looked at too harshly, not realizing the underlying reasons for her ugliness and depression, and deserves the readers sympathy. This book expresses many insightful accounts of the life of Ethan Frome, but it?s the ideas Wharton doesn?t mention, and the secrets she withheld from the reader that effects one?s perceptive on the characters.

Comparing the treatment of outsiders Essay

   In The Outsiders, the book is constantly written in a first person perspective, where Ponyboy Curtis is telling the story. Unlike in Frankenstein, it is written in a far more informal manner and uses a lot of modern American slang. This because this book was written in the late 1960s whereas Frankenstein was written in the early 1800s. An example of the different styles of language from Frankenstein is, â€Å"I resolved to quit the place that I had hitherto inhabited†. A typical line from The Outsiders is, â€Å"Man, I though New York was the only place I could get mixed up in a murder rap†. This language is far more informal and ‘chatty’ compared to Frankenstein. Ponyboy Curtis reports first-hand experiences, and some times reports on events that occurred without him being there. In both books, the reader feels many emotions that the character is feeling. It is usually the outsider who is the victim of such bad emotions. In Frankenstein, I felt emotions for Frankenstein when he about to be married to his fianci e but the monster waits until Frankenstein is gone, and then the monster murders Frankenstein’s wife. At this moment, a lot of tension builds up as the wife begins to shriek and wail as she is being murdered. The monster runs away from the dead bride and Frankenstein returns to the room, finding her dead. Frankenstein immediately knew the monster has killed her. Another incident where the reader is meant to feel pity for Frankenstein is when he creates the monster and gives it life. When he created the monster he realised what a vile mutant he had created. When the monster was given life, he was treated very poorly by Frankenstein, which reflected on his future crimes. Frankenstein stated in the book how he felt about his creation by saying, â€Å"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch to whom with such infinitive pains and care I had endeavoured o form? † At this point, Frankenstein is almost feeling sorry for himself as he is so depressed about putting time and effort into a creation which took him two years to create, and it ended up as a catastrophe. There us also a scene of emotion aroused in The Outsiders. This emotion is aroused when Darry, the brother of Ponyboy and Soda Pop was shot after robbing a grocery store. Dally was so upset and depressed about the death of Johnny (a very good friend of Ponyboy) who had died from being burned and drastically injured from saving a group of small children who were on a filed trip to a church, which set alight because Ponyboy and Johnny didn’t put out one of their cigarettes properly. Dally was so depressed he went and robbed a grocery store, and shortly after the police were in point blank range with him and demanded for him to hand himself in to the police. He decided not to hand himself in and pulled out a gun that was not loaded, but the police did not realise this, and shot him, thinking he had a loaded gun. At this point, the reader’s emotions are aroused because a key character that the majority of the reader had probably started to ‘bond’ a relationship with had been shot and died shortly after. The main characters in both books are usually the victims of an unfortunate event. The main characters in Frankenstein were Frankenstein and the monster. These two characters played the largest role in the book as it mainly revolved around them. There were other sub-characters such as the captain and the wife of Frankenstein whose role became quite important in areas of the book. In The Outsiders there are quite a lot of characters in the book who all play quite a large role. The main character is Ponyboy, however the sub-characters are Soda Pop, Dally, Darry, Johnny and Cherry – these roles are not as important as Ponyboy however they do build a ground for the story line to run along. Also, most of these characters, except for Cherry are outsiders and are part of the greaser gang. Both books have a purpose for the reader to think about. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley had written the novel to warn scientists about going too far with their projects and should never take their work as far as â€Å"playing God† as it most probably end up as a catastrophe. The key plot that links to two novels together is the fact that you should never judge people by appearance. Both plots focus on this social matter but have expanded on it and created a story that has a subtle background revolving around this matter. In Frankenstein the monster is rejected from society because of his appearance, he doesn’t look appealing so people immediately conclude that he is evil or means harm to them. This prejudice matter also is linked to The Outsiders. The greasers are a gang who are from the very poor side of town. Because they dress cheaply, most people immediately assume that they are hooligans and are going to harm them. This was not true as they were humans, like everyone else and never really intentionally meant harm, but the only reason they fought was because the Socials (the richer gang) started to intimidate them first. The obvious difference is that the language used in Frankenstein is far more complex because it was written so long ago. Frankenstein is aimed at an audience of greater intelligence, whereas The Outsiders uses a very laid-back language. The common usage of slang makes the book more authentic to the 1950s America, but is aimed at an audience of a lesser extent of knowledge. Personally, I found Frankenstein more interesting as it has a far more exciting story line than The Outsiders as it’s story line is far more ‘moving’ and the emotions expressed by the author affect the reader well, whereas in The Outsiders, I didn’t really find the story line all that compelling and thought that the American slang made it authentic but ran very thin and lost it’s originality after a short period. I felt that both books had a fair amount of originality, but Frankenstein’s originality was far greater than The Outsiders. I would only criticize Frankenstein because some of the language used was a little too complex for me. The Outsiders provided simple, ‘easy-to-understand’ language, which allowed the reader to comprehend the story. I thought that, despite the slightly difficult language used in Frankenstein, I believe that Frankenstein had a far greater ethical background which allowed the story to have several ethical meanings, as well as the good story line surrounding the messages.

Mkt Plan-Popcorn Store in Hk

1. 0 Executive Summary We are preparing to open a popcorn specialty shop in Hong Kong, the Pop Popcorn Shop. Hong Kong is a famous international tourism city and it successfully received more than 42 million tourists in the past year. Hong Kong has its unique culture and the Hong Kong film culture is one of the most remarkable one. Therefore, our Pop Popcorn Shop will closely integrated with the Hong Kong film culture, and create a well-known local brand image, which can attractive to local residents who like to eat popcorn or like to see movies, and the tourists who interest in the Hong Kong culture or movies.We can effectively compete with other popcorn store because we offer a high quality, various tasty flavors, as well as healthy popcorn with value price to consumers. More importantly, we provide customize service, which customers can make their own flavor popcorn and even the packages according to their preference. The particular customize service as well as the film culture br and image is our two brightest spots, which can make us distinguish with other competitors and become our distinct competencies.The marketing objective in the first year is to build up our brand awareness through our various marketing communication methods and we will continue to focus on increasing our brand equity in the next two years. The primary financial objectives are to achieve first-year sales revenue of HKD1,580,000 (USD 203,820) and reach profitability. The revenue will be expected to increase by 12% in the second year and 15% in the third year. 2. 0 Service Description Popcorn is a popular  snack food  at sporting events and in  cinemas, where it has been served since 1914.Hong Kong, a dynamic Asian metropolis that attracts numerous tourists and businessmen, global or Asian, every year, has been deeply influenced by the western movie culture and gradually developed it very own local movie culture, which is a robust branch of Hong Kong local culture, leading Hong Ko ng to be such a huge market for film industry. Benefiting from this significantly growing movie market and the saying that popcorn is always the best company in theaters, Hong Kong would be our ideal place that gives us incentive to locate our Pop Popcorn Shop in this prosperous city.Specifically, our popcorn shop will be opened at Langham Place, one of the most popular shopping mall located in the very heart of Hong Kong, which has a magical gravitation that attracts numerous local residents and tourists. Moreover, with its world-class equipment, fascinating settings, and consensus images of fashion, the UA cinema at the 8th floor in Langham Place is the nearly the most popular movie theater that has not only the highest attendance rate but also the best box office in Hong Kong.Thus, the needs from the people who are going to a movie in UA cinema would be so huge that can be a large target market, waiting our popcorn specialty store to satisfy. In addition, our specialty store, Pop Popcorn, not only aims to offer high-quality, various tasty flavors, as well as healthy popcorn with value price to consumers, but also provides customized service that customers can make their own flavors popcorn and even design their own popcorn packages, as well as customize their distinctive popcorn tins.Moreover, nine regular flavors popcorn will be provided in Pop Popcorn — sugar, buttery, caramel, cheese, chocolate, barbecue, rainbow, spicy, and mustard — which is a wide range from classic flavor to popular special flavors. Additionally, two different packages, bags or tins, with five different sizes — small, medium, large, 1 gallon, or 2 gallon — would be offered to our customers to select. Essentially, the most distinctive feature of Pop Popcorn will be the combination of popcorn and Hong Kong local movie culture.In our shop, everything is about film. From the in-store decoration, display of popcorn, our staff costume, to the packing of our popc orn are all designed based on the characteristics of Hong Kong local movies. Above all, customers can also design the packing of their popcorn with one of their favorite movies, which can be a wonderful souvenir from themselves, as well as a distinctive gift for their friends. 3. 0 SWOT Analysis 3. 1 Strengths 1. Exclusive location — Langham Place is one of the most famous shopping mall located in the very heart of Hong Kong.It has attracted numerous local residents and tourists. Specifically, the UA cinema at the 8th floor in Langham Place is the one of the most popular movie theater that has not only the highest attendance rate but also the best box office in Hong Kong. 5 This exclusive location will provide an intense collection with our target customers. 2. Distinctive decorations and packaging design of our shop – In Pop Popcorn Shop, everything is relative to films. The film elements in our store will generate one the most significant points-of-difference compare to other popcorn stores. 3.Various tasty and even customized flavors of popcorn – Pop popcorn store will regularly provide nine flavors of popcorn to the customers. More important, we will be the first popcorn shop to provide customized flavors service. 3. 2 Weaknesses 1. Brand awareness — As a new popcorn shop, we would not have much brand awareness and brand equity at the very beginning. 2. Customer accession — Regarding to those customers who are going to a movie, our shop location will not be the most convenient place for them to buy popcorn compared to the snack store located inside the theater.It’s one of the disadvantages when we compete with the snack stores inside the theaters. 3. 3 Opportunities 1. Film culture is one of the most prominent characteristics of Hong Kong culture. There is a large amount of movie fans in Hong Kong. 2. Popcorn is known as the best partner for movies, the constantly flourishing of film industry in Hong Kong will lead to an explosion of needs of popcorn. 3. Hong Kong is an international prosperous city, many local residents has a relatively high disposable income. . The continue growth of tourists in Hong Kong, especially the tourists from Mainland China, as well as the their strong consumption power. 3. 4 Threats Competition is a dynamic process that our competitors would also switch their strategies that may lead to some turnover marketing circumstances. Based on the analysis of our target market, there may be three potential situations, which can be threats to our popcorn shop. 1. Other brand-famous popcorn stores may expand their locations.Since one of our essential strengths is our location in Langham Place, if other brand-famous popcorn shops also have inclination about expanding to the location near our shop, it would be a threat for us. 2. With the growing popularity of popcorn, the snack stores locate inside the theaters may provide more flavors popcorn to the customers. 3. There is oth er more tasty and healthier alternative snacks for customers when they have a movie. 4. 0 Target Markets Generally speaking, the people who like to eat popcorn will be our target customers.Specifically, based on geographic segmentation, local residents and tourists of Hong Kong would be our target market that deserve our fully concentration on developing our own customer bases, as well as establishing our very brand awareness. 4. 1 Local residents who like popcorn or movies 1. Typical users Geographically, those Hong Kong people who live in the urban area–New Territories and Kowloon–would be our major typical users. In 2011, around 45% of the Hong Kong population is living in New Territories and around 30% of them lives in Kowloon.Demographically, those local residents, female or male, who are about 15-44 years old with average monthly income more than HKD10,000 or monthly spending more than HKD200 on snack food can be identified as our typical users. Additionally, peo ple who will go to theater for movies more than four times a month will be defined as our heavy users. 2. Size and growth of this target market In 2011, the population in HK was about 7,067,800, and the average population growth rate had increased by 0. 72% compare to 2005.In terms of population of our target market, the amount of population of 15-44 years old is around 3,135,300, which accounts for 44. 4% of the total population. 3 In the recent years, the film industry in Hong Kong is booming. Regarding to the film industry in Hong Kong, in 2010, the box office gross was HKD1,339 billion, and, in 2011, this number grew to HKD1. 379 billion. The total number of films that released in 2011 was 276, which included 56 Hong Kong local films and 220 foreign films. In addition, the number of attendance was 87,517 and the attendance rate was 75. % in 2011. Moreover, according to a survey co-conducted by the University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Picture Industry Association in 2008, 58. 3% of those people who went to a movie would buy various amount of popcorn as their â€Å"companies† for the next 120 minutes at the theater. 3. The real â€Å"buyer† in this target market The real â€Å"buyer† of our product is mainly the same as our typical users. However, the male customers may account for a larger amount of them. Because when a couple goes to see a movie, the male will usually be the one who pends his money on the popcorn and share it with the female, given in the Hong Kong culture. 4. Main characteristics of this target market Our typical customers’ main characteristics can be described on two fronts. First, these people are deeply influenced and attracted by the film culture in Hong Kong, which is one of the most fundamental branches of the Hong Kong local culture. Second, according to the data from Census and Statistics Department Hong Kong, among the people who is 18-44 years old, the average monthly income of them is HKD13,600. 5. Reasons why this target market is attractiveEvidently, there are two main reasons why these typical users of us, who are the 15-to-44-year-old local residents with over-average incomes, will be substantially attractive to our popcorn specialty store. Firstly, these typical users have been living in Hong Kong for some years that they may be fundamentally influenced by Hong Kong local culture, especially by the film culture in Hong Kong. Loving movies can be a major incentive for them to be willing to spend money to have movie in theaters. And popcorn, as one of the most ideal companies in theaters, can be one the last things our target market want to miss.Secondly, these young residents have relatively open-minded customer awareness, easier to accept new brands that have distinctive brand images. Moreover, they are relatively high-income citizens living at a fashion lifestyle city and willing to spend more on snacks or recreations. 4. 2 Tourists 1. Typical users in this target market Geographically, tourists form Mainland China will be our target customers, especially who are from 4 main cities in China – Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. Demographically, the tourists between 15-44 years old, male or female will be defined as our target customers. 2.Size and growth of this target market In 2011, Hong Kong received record-high visitors from around the world, which was totally 41,921,310, a remarkable increased by 16. 4% over 2010. Tourism generated value added of HKD 74. 6 billion in 2010 and the inbound tourism accounted for the largest share of the value added of tourism, which was HKD 59. 2 billion. Compared with 2005, this value added increased by an average annual rate of 12. 5%. Among various incomes generated from the inbound tourism, food and beverage services had HKD 6,300 millions value added in 2011. 2. The real â€Å"buyer† in this target marketThe real â€Å"buyers† are tourists, who may buy our popcorn as a souvenir or a gift for themselves, as well as for their friends. It indicates that the buyer may not be the actual user in this target market. However, we will put more attention to advertise our shop among the female tourists, since the female tourists are usually more interested in shopping and buying souvenirs. 3. Main characteristics of this target market Firstly, most of them are from Asia, especially from Mainland China. In 2011, Mainland China continued to be the largest visitor source market of Hong Kong, contributed 28. million arrivals, accounting for 67. 0% of total arrivals in Hong Kong. 7 Secondly, mid July to end August are always the most intense period for tourists to visit Hong Kong. Also, regarding to the life-cycle stage segment of overnight vacation visitors in Hong Kong, approximately 36% of the visitors are families with children, 20% of them are young single male or female, 12% of them are young couples, and 7% of them are young students. Moreover, these visitors, 15-44 years old, which will be our target customers, account for 75% of our total visitors of Hong Kong in 2011. 4. Reasons why this target market is attractive Firstly, the number of tourists is remarkably substantial and this number is increasing every year. The appreciation of most major currencies against Hong Kong dollar and the improving travel sentiment have fueled the impressive performance. 7 For the short-haul market, benefiting for the Individual Visit Scheme, which the Central Government has announced that residents from certain cities are allowed to visit Hong Kong as tourists in their personal capacity, tourism in Hong Kong is developing significantly every year.In 2011, the coverage of the Scheme has expanded to 49 cities in China since the first introduced on in 2003. 9 That means the tourists form Mainland China will continue to increase substantially. For the long-haul markets, arrivals recorded a 1. 7% increase. In particular, the United States remained the largest long -haul market with 1. 2 million arrivals in 2011, representing a 3. 5% increase. 7 Secondly, the tourists, especially those who are from Mainland China, have such a robust consumption capacity. From the source of Hong Kong Tourism Board, in 2011, the total tourism expenditure associated to inbound tourism is HKD 253. billion, which had a significant 20. 5%, increase by 2010. 8 Specifically, the average spending of the visitors from Mainland China was HKD 8,220 in 2011, which has a 10. 3% increase by 2010. 9 5. 0 Competitive Analysis 5. 1 Direct Competitor Our direct competitor will be the Garrett Popcorn Shop Hong Kong, which is a famous popcorn store overseas. Garrett is located at the International Financial Center Mall Hong Kong, where is in the central business district in Hong Kong. The IFC Mall has lots of luxury shops inside and it focus on targeting to the high-income customers. 1.The strengths and weaknesses of Garrett First, Garrett has a high reputation overseas due to its long history and consistent high quality of fresh popcorn. That is, the global brand famousness of Garrett Popcorn would be so pervasive that would attract large amount of foreign customers who is working currently at Hong Kong. Second, after concentrating on popcorn industry for more than 60 years, Garrett has already developed its very own secret recipes to mix into popcorn, like The Chicago Mix, Caramel Crisp, and CheeseCorn. These famous flavors popcorn are another stunning strength of Garrett.However, some weaknesses of Garrett Popcorn Hong Kong have been exposed to the public, which may turn to be our opportunities. According to the OpenRice, which is a popular users review and local cuisine recommendation website, based on 5 aspects include taste, environment, service, hygiene, and value for money, Garrett Hong Kong scores only 3. 8 of 5. 0 based on  the customers’ ratings. The negative reviews are mainly about the service and the value of money. Many customers comp lained about the unfriendly staff and the too expensive popcorn. 2. Our strategies to compete with GarrettBased on the analysis about Garrett Hong Kong’s strengths and weaknesses, our competing strategies can be elicited in three fronts. First is about different shop location setting that we would focus on popular shopping mall rather than luxury shopping center. Second is our popcorn price setting that would be average 20% lower than Garrett. Third is the customized services provided by us, which will customers to create their own flavor popcorn and packages. Moreover, we will pay more attention to select and train our staffs and thus provide very friendly service to customers. . 2 Indirect Competitors The indirect competitors of us will be the snack stores locate inside the theaters, which can also provide popcorn to our target customers. 1. The strengths and weaknesses of the snack store inside the theaters Firstly, it’s the most convenient location for the customer s who are going to see a movie – most of these snack store are just steps away from the theater. Secondly, the popcorn price is relatively low compare to our store. However, their weaknesses are also obviously when compare to our popcorn specialty store.Almost all of these stores just provide the sugar flavor popcorn to the customers. The very limit flavor choice and relatively low quality of popcorn are their biggest disadvantages. Additionally, these stores are usually put little effort on marketing communication with customers. 2. Our strategies to complete with the snack stores inside the theaters Evidently, our strategies to compete with these indirect competitors can be, firstly, providing discounts or advocating promotions to the customers who have a movie ticket.For example, the customers can get 10% off in our store when they present us the movie ticket on the same day. Secondly, we will implement various campaigns that strongly advertise our fascinating tasty popcor n with multiple flavors and high quality, framing an image that our target customers can have a box of satisfying popcorn with a reasonable price. 5. 3 Potential competitors The potential competitors of our popcorn shop can be defined as those snack grocery stores that can offer alternatives snacks to popcorn. Although there are various kinds of snack food with even cheaper prices in those grocery tores, however, if a customer is looking something fresh or special rather than something bland when he/she is going to a movie, these grocery stores would soon to become the very last place to satisfy him/her. Thus, regarding to our target customers, we can pay efforts in marketing communication that utilizes mass medias to frame that fresh popcorn is the best choice for movies, especially the fresh popcorn with customized flavors we exclusively provided. 6. 0 Pricing Strategies 6. 1 Pricing Strategy 1. Pricing objective — The pricing objective of Pop Popcorn Specialty Store is pro duct-quality leadership.Consistent with our store’ s marketing strategy and brand positions, the message that we seek to communicate is that we offer high quality, various tasty flavors, as well as healthy popcorn with value price. 2. Unit cost and margins — The total cost of our product will include fixed cost and variable cost. Since the various cost of raw materials are relatively low, while the cost of rent and salary is relatively high in Hong Kong. The cost of per popcorn will be lower when more popcorn has been made per day. Thus, in our price structure, the raw materials per unit cost is estimated approximately 15% of the total cost. . Competitors’ price structure comparison — Garrett Popcorn Hong Kong provides 5 flavors and 6 sizes of popcorn to the consumer. The price is quite different based on different flavors, the average price of the Garrett’s popcorn is — small HKD52, medium HKD76, large HKD96, jumbo HKD164, 1 gallon HKD334, and 2 gallon HKD639. On the other hand, nearly all of the snack stores in theater in Hong Kong just provide the sugar flavor popcorn, and the price is around HKD15 for small, HKD25 for medium, and HKD30 for large size. 4.Pricing methods — Base on the company cost, competitors cost, and customer demand, we will use the perceived-value pricing method to select our product price. In addition, based on our product-quality pricing object, we will seek to create an image that emphasizes our high-quality product with value price brand to consumer. Due to our location rent and less brand awareness, our average price will be about 20% lower than Garrett popcorn price. While our average price will be 25% higher than snack stores in theater since our store is excel in making arious tasty flavors popcorn. 6. 2 Price Structure 1. Our price list 2. Special offers In order to encourage sales we will provide access for certain customers to special prices. Such as special customer priceâ€⠀œcustomers can get 10% off in our store when they present us the movie ticket on the same day. Also, we will have a frequency reward program–membership cards which can collect points and use the points as cash to purchase popcorn in our store. Meanwhile, we will provide coupon in the special festival to our customers. 7. 0 Channels of DistributionInitially, Pop Popcorn will use a direct-to-consumer distribution model – our own specialty store and website, to determine our channels of distribution. 7. 1 Specialty store in Langham Place Pop Popcorn Specialty Store will locate in the first floor at Langham Place. The reasons why we choose this location can be evidenced on two fronts. Firstly, Langham Place Mall, located in the very heart of Hong Kong, is a quintessential 15-storey fashionable landmark and one of the most popular shopping malls for both local residents and tourists.Secondly, the UA cinema at the 8th floor in Langham Place is the nearly the most popular mo vie theater that has not only the highest attendance rate but also the best box office in Hong Kong. Thus, being located first floor in Langham Place, we can have an exclusive advantage to build up an intense connection with a large amount of our target customers. Not only the people who are shopping in the Langham Place can easily purchase our popcorn, but also the people who will go to see movies. As we mention about, everything is about film in Pop Popcorn Shop.The decoration style in our shop will be full of the film elements. As well as our staffs’ uniform. Buoyed by researches, which suggest that as much as 70 percent to 80 percent of purchase decisions are made inside the retail store, firms are increasingly recognizing the importance of influencing consumers at the point of purchase. Regarding to our popcorn shop, especially because of our low brand awareness at the very beginning, not only the display of our popcorn is important, but also our salespeople is essential for leading customers’ purchase decisions.On the other hand, when the consumers know our brand and come to purchase popcorn, salespeople may also play an important role to provide a very best purchase experience to these customers. Thus, lots of attention will be paid to manage our sales force through the selection, recruitment, training, motivation, compensation and evaluation sections in order to provide our customers the very best salespeople, who are sophisticated in customer service and fascinated by Pop Popcorn’s brand culture. 7. 2 Pop Popcorn’s own websiteThe very own attractive and interesting website of Pop Popcorn will provide a substantially rich source of our store and product information, including our featured popcorn, distinctive customized service about the flavor popcorn and packages, etc. Moreover, various of promotions, membership activities, and latest movies news, trials, especially those information about local Hong Kong movies can be fou nd on Pop Popcorn’s website, in order to establish its very own brand awareness that combines fresh tasty popcorn with Hong Kong film culture.In addition, our user-friendly and security purchase system in the website provides a convenient way for consumers to purchase our popcorn no matter for themselves or for their friends as a gift. 8. 0 Marketing Communications Pop Popcorn’s marketing communication strategy will, initially, endeavor to establish our very own brand awareness among our target customers in order to develop our customer base. Essentially, the message that Pop Popcorn aims to communicate is that it offers high quality, various tasty flavors, as well as healthy popcorn with value price.In addition, there are various efficient approaches for us to convey this message to our target customers, which includes the own website of Pop Popcorn, online and offline advertising, sales promotions, interactive marketing and event and experience campaigns. 8. 1 Pop Po pcorn Website The Pop Popcorn Web site focus on providing a rich source of product information with a fascinating website typography and design. Specifically, various information about our popcorn flavors, customized tin services, or promotions would be easily accessed to our customers in the website.In addition, the Pop Popcorn website will also provide a user-friendly purchase system for customers to order their popcorn online, so that they easily purchase our popular flavors popcorn or their customize flavor popcorn for themselves and their friends. 8. 2 Advertising 1. Online advertising Since one segmentation of our target customers is the local residents who likes to eat popcorn or likes to see movie, we will focus on put our online advertisement on the film websites, where the movie lovers usually browse and access to film information.Also, advertising Pop Popcorn in the local popular video websites, like Youtube and Tudou, which has huge traffics would be an extraordinary way to establish our brand awareness, creating customers’ craving for our popcorns. Meanwhile, in order to cover another group of our target customers–tourists, websites about travel guides, travellers’ reviews, and travelling recommendations about Hong Kong will also be our prior choices to place our online advertisements.We will seek to communicate that Pop Popcorn Specialty Store is one of the last things tourists want to miss when they travel in Hong Kong. 2. Offline advertising We will put our advertisement on the magazines that our target customers usually like to read, such as food magazines, film magazines, and travel magazines. Also, we will post outdoor advertising at the famous shopping places, where are popular to tourists and local residents — especially the shopping malls that have theater inside. 8. 3 Sales PromotionsIn order to stimulate our short-run sales at the very beginning and build our long-run brand equity, we will offer multiple sale s promotions to consumers. We will focus on giving away our popcorn samples because this consumer franchise-building promotion can provide a chance for customers to try our tasty popcorn. Also, we will offer coupons to encourage purchase of larger-size units and attract switchers away from competitors’ brands. Moreover, a frequency rewards program will be provided to customers in order to show our appreciation to them and increase their brand loyalty. . 4 Social Media With the pervasive development of social medias, we will create our official account or page on the popular social networks, like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Pinterest, which will ultimately be a major platform for us to collect customer views and interact with customers, as well as a major platform for us to frequently update our news and upcoming promotions. 8. 5 Events and Experiences Pop Popcorn will establish a membership organization and focus on creating our own events and experience to create consumer and media interest and involvement.For example, we will organize gratuitous film talks for our members to share their movie reviews, and other relative events. At the same time, we will try to sponsor and cooperate with local film production companies. The Hong Kong films are typically low-budget when compared with American films. 3 So it’s possible that we can sponsor some local films with low cost. Since film culture is one of the most prominent characteristics of Hong Kong culture, cohering Pop Popcorn with Hong Kong film industry will not only help us to develop a large customer base of movie fans and tourists, but also increase our brand equity. . 0 Budgets for 3 Years 9. 1 Revenue Forecast The revenue forecast in the first year will be HKD 1,580,000(USD 203,820) after the relatively large amount of expenditure on marketing communication. Being boosted by the online and offline advertisements, as well as our very own established brand awareness, the revenue forecast sho uld be expectedly increasing by 12% in the second year and increasing by 15% in the third year. 9. 2 Product Cost The variable costs include the popcorn kernel, flavoring and other relative supplies will account for 20% of the total sales revenue.The fixed costs include salary, rent and facilities. Specifically, the salary will be increased by 6% per year in order to maintain the staff's’ satisfaction. The rent of our store will remain the same in three years according to the contract, and the facilities expense is a one-time expenditure, which refers to the costs on the popcorn machines and the store renovation cost. 9. 3. Marketing Communication Expense Related to the marketing programs described in the previous section, our marketing communication expense included six aspects.The cost of building our own website will be relatively large in the first year. The online advertising budget will increase by 10% per year while offline advertising budget will decrease by 10% per y ear. The mainly cost of sales promotions are for free popcorn samples and printed coupons, which will decrease by 5% per year. On the other hand, the social media communication budget will increase by 20% and the events budget will increase by 15% per year since we will dedicate to have a border and deeper relationship with our customers. 9. 4 Total Budget for 3 Years 10. Reference Citations

Novel and Robinson

Religion: A Trivial Conundrum Religion in fiction, much like religion in politics, has grown to be considered taboo. Religious characters are often expected to be comedic and used only as experimental or secondary. Their only true attribute is that of piety, playing on old stereotypes to drive the characterization. In a world where being politically correct gets in the way of day-to-day talk, approaching controversial topics in any form of writing can be seen as potentially unprofitable, too risque. The competitive market of publishing doesn’t allow room for mistakes anymore and it’s easier to stay on the safe route than to stray on alternative, smaller – often more interesting – roads that may or may not lead to success. This makes literature that deals with the religious on a primary level all the more rare and exciting to read. Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead is one such example. Religion is indisputably in the forefront of this tale and, although it may not be the catalyst of the narrator’s writing, it is, without a doubt, one of Gilead’s main themes. The novel’s very format is even done in such a manner that its sole goal seems to emphasize the holy, the divine – religion, in particular, Christianity. The novel is written from the perspective of John Ames, an old Reverend, on his deathbed, writing his final words to his then seven-year-old son in the form of a letter. A writer his entire life, Ames uses his best tool as a measure to insure that his son know something of his life, even if Ames has passed away years before the son ever gets a chance to read the letter. The novel reads somewhat like a diary, a spiritual one at that. At every corner scriptures are referenced or Ames’ faith somehow fits into the narration. Robinson very easily transmits Ames’ constant remembrance of Christianity by plucking in allusions to God, the Church, or his work, not to mention the almost over-usage of the word â€Å"Christlike†. Religion very early on is dealt with as an important subject and as the book continues, it gains more and more time in the spotlight. While initially one could think that the novel would focus less with the nature of Christianity, since Ames even says that he does not with to persuade his son to follow his footsteps in the Ministry – even if he does point out some of its â€Å"advantages†[1] – as it roles forward, the focus drifts ever closer to God and how the world itself reminds Ames of the sacred. The narrator’s descriptive tendencies, in themselves are also a way Robinson finds to allude to the religious. They are Ames’ way of referencing God’s work, attempting to capture the magnificence that he sees in the world, and transmitting it to his son via words, much like God did to Moses. All that is beautiful, all that is right, it would there seem, is thanks to the Almighty. Robinson uses a very poetic tone in her writing of this novel, which helps connect the secular with the divine and emphasizes even more the novel’s religious nature. As Robinson herself said in an interview, â€Å"both poetry and theology push conventional definitions and explore perceptions that might be ignored or passed off as conventional, but when they are pressed yield much larger meanings, seem to be part of a much larger system of reality. † [2] A poetic diction, therefore, lends to the reader more easily identifying with the holy. It is easier to connect with the abstract when using a language that lends itself more readily to emotions and ideology rather than straightforward storytelling and facts. In this manner, the non sequitur tendencies of the novel also lend to the goal of lifting the reader to a theological level. Robinson also has Ames mention poets such as John Donne and George Hebert, stressing the importance of the lyrical. The poetic quality, additionally, is not presented in an overly romanticized fashion, but more as a part of Ames’ view of life. He speaks of the world as God’s masterpiece and, has small details such as, â€Å"smell[ing] the rain†[3] or â€Å"a bubble float[ing] past [a] window, fat and wobbly and ripening toward that dragonfly blue they turn just before they burst,†[4] take on holy connotations to the reader’s. The mortal and divine worlds seem to mesh in Ames’ head – perhaps the consequence of being so close to death. In fact, at times, Ames seems to speak as though he had already passed on, operating from a dead man’s point of view. For instance he says that â€Å"it is actually hard for [him] to remember how mortal [he] is those days. There are pains†¦but not so frequent or even so severe when they come that [he is] as alarmed by them as [he] should be. †[5] As a Reverend, Ames does not fear death, so he allows himself to be swept away with its beauty perhaps a little sooner than he should. His tone is therefore somewhat omniscient, which leads to his sounding rather obnoxious, although that may be a trait that one reserves the right to in old age. The father-son dynamic is also intrinsically important in Gilead. The whole point of Ames’ writing is to find a medium through which to communicate with his son. He aims, through storytelling and somewhat sporadic advice, to give his son some sort of a guide for life. Basically, Ames writes his son his very own, personal Bible. This may seem like a fairly conceited venture for a Reverend to undertake, and one can see from Ames’ voice that he is, even if he denies it, not the humblest of men. At many points throughout the novel, such as when referring to his wife and his grandfather as people God may like to spend time with,[6] Ames ends up comparing himself, to some extent, with Jesus Christ; essentially calling himself Godlike. Humble, he is not. He even reaches the point of informing the reader that in sheer quantity, he has written as much â€Å"Augustine and Calvin. [7] He does so in the calmest of tones, yet still with an undeniable desire to spark some awe in his son. Confusingly, however, he still believes that his life â€Å"does not compare with [his] grandfather’s. †[8] It would seem that a man of the Church would hold God to the highest of esteems, but his grandfather seems to beat out the old white man in the sky at times. Ames views his grandfather in an almost unrealistic idealized view. Even when he criticizes him, the tone is lighthearted and almost playful. At one point Ames goes as far as relating the thunder and lightning striking in the sky with God â€Å"tipping [His] hat to [John Ames’ grandfather]. As if to say, Glad to see you here in the stands Reverend. †[9] Yet, their relationships are hard to pinpoint and Ames’ reverence and faith in God is indisputable; which lends to a quite confusing reading of the book. All the major conflicts and drives in this book seem to regard the father-son relationship. From the desire that leads John Ames’ to write his letter, to the multiple stories about his own father and grandfather, even to Jack Boughton’s struggled relationship with his own dad. Ultimately, it seems that all the referencing to father-son relationships is Robinson’s way of emphasizing the father-son condition human beings have with God. He is the ultimate parent – the nurturer and the punisher, the constant in one’s life. All the various conflicts, â€Å"daddy issues,† and stories in the novel are therefore metaphors and allusions to the larger, more important questions human beings are faced with and their own tribulations and worries with dealing with the theological. Religion is a family affair in the Ames’ household. As John writes his letter, he is already the third consecutive generation of Reverends in his family. He speaks of religion as his vocation, deems himself to have been lucky to have had the Church in his path. The only â€Å"stray† of the Ames is John’s brother, who was initially raised to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, after the brother’s turn to atheism, John seems to take it upon himself to fill his unworn shoes. And now, years later, when John is close to departing this earth, he once again takes it upon himself to continue his family legacy; eternalize his family’s contributions to Christianity in the form of a letter to his son. To John, his family life is undoubtedly linked inherently with his religious one. For example, Ames says that â€Å"A man can know his father, or his son, and there might still be nothing between them but loyalty and love and mutual incomprehension. †[10] Right before this phrase, he speaks of how there are things that he preaches but nonetheless truly does not understand. He very smoothly transitions from religion to family, almost as if in his mind, there were not a clear distinction. This goes to aid the idea that all the familial conflicts in the novel are there as a tool for Robinson to constantly remind the reader of Christianity and its importance in one’s life. Ames writes his letter to his son as his way of carrying on his existence, eternalizing his memory, emphasizing religion’s importance. Ultimately, it does seem that religion is infused in the story not only as plot device and characterization but also with deeper intents from Robinson’s part to spread her faith. The father/son dynamic therefore serves much more as a subtle way of perpetuating the divine in the mundane world. It is much easier for a reader to relate with human emotions and domestic troubles than directly with the divine and celestial. Gilead’s story therefore, is only a means to an end – the glorification of Christianity. While writing this book, Robinson may have very well set out with the intention of spreading the Protestant or Christian word, diffusing is subtly through fiction into the American subconscious. But even if she does, she manages to do so in a peculiar and original manner. She follows the school of the Iowa’s Writer’s Workshop which goes very much against Post-Modernism and believes that a plain style is preferable to an overly decorated one. Nonetheless, Gilead does not have the sound or feel of an obsolete book. The voice is meant to be that of a man from the 1950’s and the novel could have very well been written in that decade, but there is still something quite refreshing and original about Robinson’s style. The tranquility with which she treats the theme of Religion – like it’s just a fact of life – makes so that the preaching really does just sound like fatherly advice. This novel potentially could get quite overbearing with religious undertones but the human-relationships-factor retains enough vitality and presence to overpower it. The metafictional, first person narrative, also brings about the question of reliability. Ames speaks with a certainty that only age brings, he admits ignorance at many points, but they only seem to emphasize his own self-awareness. At some points in the novel, the first-person voice even seems to mix with that of Robinson’s herself. â€Å"I believe I’ll make an experiment with candor here†[11] says John Ames, yet as a reader, I find that Robinson’s own voice resounds through this phrase. It would thus be logical to conclude that Ames’ view of the world, and his desire to spread Christianity onward would coincide with Robinson’s own desires. Even if with ulterior motives, it takes audacity to take a subject as controversial as religion and place it in the limelight of a novel. In an age of Post-Modernism (or is it Post-Post-Modernism? it is almost uplifting to find a piece of work that isn’t trying to take satire and irony to the next level. By strictly following an old-school agenda and format, Robinson manages to be more innovative that most other modern writers – almost in the way fashion repeats itself every few decades and old styles manage to be more cutting edge and modern than that which used to be the next-new-trend. People may criticize Robinson for infusing too much religion and personal agenda into her novel, but in the end, she is still one of the few that manage to do this without sounding overly or even overtly preachy and patronizing. This in itself is modern and forward thinking. Taboo subjects are usually those that are most interesting and worth discussing, so we can’t let public perceptions and social fears impede us of sharing our opinions – whatever they may be. ———————– [1] Marilynne Robinson. Gilead. New York: Picador, 2004. 23 [2] Interview with Missy Daniel. Marilynne Robinson. Religion and Ethics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Newsweekly. PBS. 9 Oct. 2006 . [3] Robinson 35 [4] Robinson 9 [5] Robinson 75 [6] Robinson 30 [7] Robinson 19 [8] Robinson 39 [9] Robinson 46 [10] Robinson 7 [11] Robinson 7