If I were the Finance Minister of India Essay

In the economy of a developing county like India, the role of the Finance Minister is a crucial one. This is more so in the case of the country which has chosen the path of planned development, as Indian has done. If ever I become the Finance Minister of the country, my first effort would be to root out the demon of back money. It is black money which leads to inflation and to the rise in prices, and this makes financial control almost impossible. Since black money is the money on which tax has not been paid, I will see to it that that evasion is reduced to a minimum. With this end in view, tax structure will be rationalized. The taxation rate will be brought down so as to provide relief to the salaried people as well as to the business community. With a more reasonable tax – structure, the temptation to evade taxes, would no longer be there. Those who still avoid payment of direct taxes, plugged, so that tax-evaders are not able to escape the clutches clutches of the law. Black-markets hoarders, ect, who run a kind of parallel economy, would also be severely dealt with Laws in this respect would also be made more stringent, and the concerned Government officials would be given more power to deal with such offenders. In this way, the inflation rate would be brought down, and relief provided to the people, groaning under the burden of rising prices and increasing taxation. I will also see to it that credit facilities are liberalized. Banking services will be extended to the rural areas. With this end in view, Banks will be encouraged to open their braches even in remote villages. Indian farmer is proverbially poor, and owning to his poverty and illiteracy he has always been exploited by the local money lenders. Instructions will be used to the banks (through the Reserve Bank of India) that the needy farmers be given loans on easy and liberal terms. This will enable them to purchase good quality seeds, fertilizers, tractors, etc. Agriculture would thus be modernized and this would lead to increase production. Construction of tube-wells would also be encouraged and villages would be rapidly electrified, so that agriculture production is no longer at the mercy of rains. While I will continue to encourage large scale industries, the growth of small industries would also be encouraged. They would also be provided with soft loans by the nationalized banks, and if need be more banks would be nationalized. Technicians, live T.V and Radio mechanics, Internet, professional people like Doctors and other self-employed people, would also be given financial help by the banks. Non-plan Government expenditure would be brought down whenever possible. Wastage would be reduced to a minimum by appropriate measures. I will see to it that, while the just demands of the employees are met with, they also work honestly and sincerely for the good of the nation. All these measures, I hope, would be brought down whenever possible. Wastage would be reduced to a minimum by appropriate measures. I will see to it that, while the just demands of the employees are met with, they also work honestly and sincerely for the good of the nation. All these measures, I hope, would go a long way toward revamping the Indian economy. Still, if considered necessary, I will not hesitate to accept foreign aid or to take loans from International Financial Institutions like the I.M.F Funds would also be raised through borrowings from the public. However, I am hopeful that such measures would not be necessary. Public sector undertakings are already showing large profits which are likely to be larger still in the next years. These earnings should be sufficient to fill any budgetary gaps. Those which are running in a loss will be wound up and replaced by private industrial concerns. In the interest of rapid, increased production even multinational concerns will be invited to set up industries in the country. The employees of the sick public sector undertakings would be absorbed in these private industries. Thus a massive programme of privatization would be undertaken to encourage competition and promote production. In short, as the Financial Minister of India, it would be my earnest endeavour to see that there is an overall increase in production, that the hardship of the people are reduced to a minimum, and through proper fiscal control Indian Economy becomes more and more self-reliant.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte â€Å"The human race is governed by its imagination. †(Napoleon Bonaparte)is This quote by Napoleon shows how he believed that government should be made by the voice of the people. Napoleon Bonaparte was a great leader of war for France, and ruled as a democratic reformer. Ever since he was a kid, Napoleon had great leadership skills, and a love for the military. He was an excellent student, and he studied the tactics of previous rulers. Napoleon led many great battles and won most of them by changing the style of the army.His new tactics, leadership skills, and many conquests led him to be praised by many people. This resulted to him being appointed Consul of the French Republic and gaining political power. Napoleon Bonaparte was a democratic reformer because he granted people rights based on the ideas of the French Revolution, understood the importance of civilians, and his people viewed him as a great ruler. Napoleon Bonaparte was a ruler who granted many rights and freedoms to his people. Many of his rights were based on the French Revolution such as the idea of equality.He believed that all people should be treated fairly no matter who they are. This is shown in document four, â€Å"No one should get special treatment based on birth or fortune, and this system of equality is the reason that your English monarchy hates me so much†. Napoleon also believed that improving education was very important, and that it would help bring their country forward. This belief is shown in document two, â€Å"Of all our institutions public education is the most important. Everything depends on it, the present and the future†.He also granted religious freedom, abolished serfdom, and respected his people. All of these freedoms are freedoms that a democratic reformer would certainly give to his people. Napoleon Bonaparte was a man who loved his country and his people which he showed by giving them many rights and freedoms. Napoleon was a man who believed in his people and understood them. He mainly gave his people equality because he understood how important it was throughout his life, especially his childhood. This is shown in document two, â€Å"Before I became a ruler, I was a subject, and before that I was a student.I can never forget how powerfully the sentiment of equality influenced my mind and excited my heart†. He told his civilians that he once was one of them, and he knows how tough life can get. Document four shows how he believes he can make their lives better, â€Å"I have always been of the opinion that the sovereignty should lay with the people†. A democratic reformer would let his people have a say in their government which is exactly what Napoleon did. He wanted the best possible for his people. Unlike an absolute monarch, he listened to what the people had to say, and he based the laws on them.Napoleon Bonaparte was an understanding person who helped the voice of the people be heard . Not only did Napoleon do such great things, but his people admired and praised him as a ruler. Christians believed that God had placed him on Earth to rule as their own benefit. This is shown in document ten, â€Å"God, who has created†¦ by loading our emperor with gifts both in peace and war, established him as our sovereign and made him the agent of his power and his image on earth. † Many of his people respected him, and they were able to list many positive things about Napoleon’s contribution to them.This is shown in document ten, â€Å"Napoleon, our emperor, love, respect, obedience, fidelty, military service, and the taxes levied for the preservation and defense of the empire and of his throne†. Such praise for Napoleon by his people clearly shows that what he does is for them which is a trait of a democratic reformer. His ways to connect and make his citizens happy definitely affected the way his people think about him. Napoleon Bonaparte’s rights and ideas based on the French Revolution, a strong understanding of his people, and his people praising him as a great person all lead to the conclusion that he was a democratic reformer.It is very important to know what his views on government were and how they resulted because we can relate it to governments of today. People can compare how certain rights given to people can better their view on their government. Additionally, it is a way to compare and contrast Napoleon and his ideas to present day government officials. With all of this information, people can make many connections to present day government to other’s such as Napoleon’s. Overall, Napoleon Bonaparte was a great democratic reformer of the past of France. Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte â€Å"The human race is governed by its imagination. †(Napoleon Bonaparte)is This quote by Napoleon shows how he believed that government should be made by the voice of the people. Napoleon Bonaparte was a great leader of war for France, and ruled as a democratic reformer. Ever since he was a kid, Napoleon had great leadership skills, and a love for the military. He was an excellent student, and he studied the tactics of previous rulers. Napoleon led many great battles and won most of them by changing the style of the army.His new tactics, leadership skills, and many conquests led him to be praised by many people. This resulted to him being appointed Consul of the French Republic and gaining political power. Napoleon Bonaparte was a democratic reformer because he granted people rights based on the ideas of the French Revolution, understood the importance of civilians, and his people viewed him as a great ruler. Napoleon Bonaparte was a ruler who granted many rights and freedoms to his people. Many of his rights were based on the French Revolution such as the idea of equality.He believed that all people should be treated fairly no matter who they are. This is shown in document four, â€Å"No one should get special treatment based on birth or fortune, and this system of equality is the reason that your English monarchy hates me so much†. Napoleon also believed that improving education was very important, and that it would help bring their country forward. This belief is shown in document two, â€Å"Of all our institutions public education is the most important. Everything depends on it, the present and the future†.He also granted religious freedom, abolished serfdom, and respected his people. All of these freedoms are freedoms that a democratic reformer would certainly give to his people. Napoleon Bonaparte was a man who loved his country and his people which he showed by giving them many rights and freedoms. Napoleon was a man who believed in his people and understood them. He mainly gave his people equality because he understood how important it was throughout his life, especially his childhood. This is shown in document two, â€Å"Before I became a ruler, I was a subject, and before that I was a student.I can never forget how powerfully the sentiment of equality influenced my mind and excited my heart†. He told his civilians that he once was one of them, and he knows how tough life can get. Document four shows how he believes he can make their lives better, â€Å"I have always been of the opinion that the sovereignty should lay with the people†. A democratic reformer would let his people have a say in their government which is exactly what Napoleon did. He wanted the best possible for his people. Unlike an absolute monarch, he listened to what the people had to say, and he based the laws on them.Napoleon Bonaparte was an understanding person who helped the voice of the people be heard . Not only did Napoleon do such great things, but his people admired and praised him as a ruler. Christians believed that God had placed him on Earth to rule as their own benefit. This is shown in document ten, â€Å"God, who has created†¦ by loading our emperor with gifts both in peace and war, established him as our sovereign and made him the agent of his power and his image on earth. † Many of his people respected him, and they were able to list many positive things about Napoleon’s contribution to them.This is shown in document ten, â€Å"Napoleon, our emperor, love, respect, obedience, fidelty, military service, and the taxes levied for the preservation and defense of the empire and of his throne†. Such praise for Napoleon by his people clearly shows that what he does is for them which is a trait of a democratic reformer. His ways to connect and make his citizens happy definitely affected the way his people think about him. Napoleon Bonaparte’s rights and ideas based on the French Revolution, a strong understanding of his people, and his people praising him as a great person all lead to the conclusion that he was a democratic reformer.It is very important to know what his views on government were and how they resulted because we can relate it to governments of today. People can compare how certain rights given to people can better their view on their government. Additionally, it is a way to compare and contrast Napoleon and his ideas to present day government officials. With all of this information, people can make many connections to present day government to other’s such as Napoleon’s. Overall, Napoleon Bonaparte was a great democratic reformer of the past of France. Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most powerful individuals in history. He was a great soldier, an unparalleled tactician and a skilled administrator. His dictatorship and ruthlessness led him to his thinking that he could do no wrong. As a teenager, he grew in a revolutionary era that gave him the opportunity to become an achiever. His first military opportunity came when he became the captain at the siege of Toulon. Here, he was able to seize crucial forts even bombed the British naval and land military men. The incident brought about the retreat of the British forces. When he was the brigadier-general, he joined the military campaign in Italy but was unfortunately arrested and sent to jail because of his association to his younger brother Maximilien Robiespierre. After his release, he worked with Paul Barras who was a member of the Directory. Barras used Bonaparte’s great passion to stop a royalist mob in 1795 with what the now famous â€Å"whiff of grapeshot.† Despite Napoleon’s leadership skills, he had certain weaknesses such as impatience dislike of criticisms and over-optimism. These qualities manifested when he controlled and censored the press. Perhaps, he would be more admired if he was able to face and do something about his shortcomings rather the controlling the press. One of the grave weaknesses that he committed was actually reforming the tax system. He imposed heavy taxes in Germany and even cut off imports because of the continued wars. This actually decreased his popularity among the people. It is never a good tactic to become a dictator. A leader will only be a good one if his leadership is ratified in the hearts of his people. This was violated by Bonaparte when he opted to put the burden to the people in order to prioritize the war. Bibliography Asprey, R. (2000). The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. New York: Basic Books. Connelly, O. (2006). Blundering to Glory: Napoleon’s Military Campaigns. London: Rowman and Littlefield. Cronin, V. (1994) Napoleon. London: Harper Collins. Durant, W. (1975). The Age of Napeleon. New York: Simon and Schuster.         

Certificate in Education Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Certificate in Education - Personal Statement Example I ensured that as we progressed with the lesson, I asked a number of questions and picked the students at random to answer them. Even the weaker students seemed to have grasped everything from mm lesson. The students would also continue asking me question regarding the application of depreciation in business world. Indeed learning took place because toward the end of the lesson, the students could answer me most of the question from depreciation concept. At the end of the lesson, I summarised the lesson by discussing the main points and ensure the students study more on depreciation; I gave them a handout to all students to read during their free time. I was really impressed as a teacher since I had achieved my goals of transferring knowledge to students. If repeating the same exercise, I would ensure I first know what the students know about the topic so that I can know the approach to use and the effort to apply so that the students can understand the concept. I attended another colleague's teaching session in a catering class where the topic for discussion was opening of wine. As a learner in this catering class, I found the lesson very interesting and all the other students had an interest in the topic. I really enjoyed my every moment with the catering students since in their class; there were more practical sessions unlike in other subjects. The lesson started af... (Arnot, McIntyre, Pedder and Reay, 2004) The teacher asked question as he proceeded with the lesson and we as students, we found the lesson to very interesting and we were all fully attentive throughout the lesson. We occasionally asked the teacher questions regarding the topic and this was a clear revelation that we understood the concepts as the lesson was interesting. The teacher praised us each time we answered the question and encouraged those who did not give a perfect answer so that they do not feel shy not to answer a question next time. There were more practical sessions throughout the lesson than talking. We were asked to demonstrate on the best way we are supposed to serve wine as discussed in class. At least all students were given a chance to demonstrate what they had learnt and this gave a chance to other students to learn from their colleagues. The lesson had been prepared well since the teacher had prepared PowerPoint presentation which made the lesson more interesting. The teacher demonstrated good PowerPoint presentation skills and the class was enjoyable. After we had demonstrated on how to serve and open wine, the teacher concluded the lesson by summarising the main points. (Barnett, 2003) Question Three To evaluate the teaching session taught to by on my peers, I can see the teaching was a success. There was full participation by all students as they kept on asking and answering questions throughout the lesson. I had fully prepared for the lesson and I had allocated time for introduction, discussion and finally for summarising the lesson. Throughout the session, the students had an interest of learning about depreciation as they were eager to know how it is applicable in business. The most

Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing - Case Study Example Being the member of G8 and OECD, Canadian economy is mostly a service based economy however, due to large natural resources; Canada is also an economy with established manufacturing base. Canadian firms working in electricity manufacturing have been slow in responding to the global changes and as a result of this also lost their share in global market. Such lack of quick responsiveness to the changing customer needs therefore have been taking its toll on firms as despite having enormous natural resources this sector is still lacking behind in terms of productivity and efficient production. (Negru 1990) Traditionally, Canada’s electronics manufacturing sector has relied heavily on exports from US however; it has now shifted to the developing countries.1 Firms like Nortel, RIM and other manufacturers have been successfully operating in the electronics manufacturing sector. However, due to global shifts in the overall dynamics of the sector, this industry in Canada is losing its ground despite the fact that it is 6% of the manufacturing GDP of Canada. Consumers are becoming aware of the overall impact of traditional sources of energy have on the environment and there is now growing concern for producing and procuring green electricity resources. Such awareness of consumers therefore forces many Electronics manufacturing firms to look for ways which can actually reduce the damage to the environment. Since supply chain management forms one of the essential strategic operations for manufacturing and even service oriented firms, its greener management is one of the key industrial market issues for the firms. (Kim and Min 2011) One of the key concerns for the Canadian electronics manufactures is the high cost of energy and the need to become competitive are the key drivers which are actually causing Canadian manufacturers to go for greener supply chain management practices. What is critical to understand however, is the fact that the same may not be feasible for the suppliers to such manufacturing firms as compliance with greener supply chain practices can increase the cost for the suppliers.2 Large firms in industry however, are also focusing on rewarding their suppliers if they adapt to the green supply chain management practices. By rewarding the suppliers, Canadian manufactures are actually providing a pricing advantage to their suppliers so that the overall marketing relationships remain competitive. There is also a greater marketing challenge for firms in Canada because green supply chain management requires firm to make a transition towards greener marketing and hence towards green organization. More industrial buyers are now actually demanding to purchase green electricity as most buyers are now focusing on reducing their carbon footprint. Such emphasis towards green electricity usage therefore may further create challenges for firms. Such inter-linkages therefore suggest that the firms must strategically take all the steps require d to achieve strategic objectives of the firm. The difficulty to integrate all the aspects of industrial marketing therefore forces firms to not to go for green supply chain management practices. Since green energy sector is also heavily regulated therefore suppliers as well as buyers will have to comply with different regulatory requirements. Compliance with

MGT506 - Strategic Leadership, Mod 2 Case Assignment Essay

MGT506 - Strategic Leadership, Mod 2 Case Assignment - Essay Example The success behind such unprecedented growth of SAS is attributed to the CEO of the company, Jim Goodnight. Jim Goodnight has been with the company for more than 35 years and ensured that the company grew each year without having to face any layoffs. Jim Goodnight strived for an open system for the organization with a flat structure to ensure efficient working of the company. Jim Goodnight has been considered to be one of the greatest American business leaders of the 20th century by Harvard Business School in 2004 (Stamper, 2010). The paper attempts to shed light on the leadership qualities of Jim Goodnight as a situational leader. This paper will analyze how SAS is able to prosper and continuously show growth on account of having a leader such as Jim Goodnight. Lastly, the paper would discuss whether situational leadership style is bred or born. Situational Leadership style was another style of leadership developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard. As the name implies, leaders falling in this category take action according to the situation. They combine elements of both autocratic and participative styles in order to achieve the desired results. This leadership style takes into account that there is no best leadership style but the best leaders are those that understand that core of the issue and take action accordingly. Thus situational leadership relies on the external environment heavily which includes not just the people within the team but also the task they have to accomplish. Hersey and Blanchard use the four quadrant model of Situational leadership to properly explain the characteristics of such leader and the action they take given the situation. The Situational leadership model as presented by Hersey and Blanchard is: Structuring: Leaders need to adopt this approach in the bleakest situation, that is, the morale of the employees in not just low, they also do not have the ability to deal

Organizational Behavior Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizational Behavior Analysis - Assignment Example Understanding and appreciating the organizational behaviour thus helps a manager in an organisation to understand the behaviour of others in the same organization. For example, in some organizations, the managers are directly responsible for the behaviour of some of the employees, such as their immediate subordinates. Some of the usual activities of managers include motivating the employees, designing the job roles properly, resolving any kind of conflict in the workplace, evaluating the performance of the employees and helping the employees to achieve the set goals and objectives. The managers can also make use of the knowledge that they have to understand, in a better way, the behaviour, needs, feelings and thus motivate and help employees in the decision making processes and other aspects (Griffin & Moorhead, 2011, p. 6). Therefore, in order to effectively analyze various behavioral components within an organization, the following features are analyzed and discussed in detail. Typ e of culture Organizational culture can be defined as a system of beliefs and shared values which tend to develop within the organization and thus guide the behavior of the members and employees. The importance of the organizational culture along with its contribution is well established. A sound organizational culture is one of the most critical factors that are required in order to determine the attitude for survival in the long run and also towards creating a brand image and it is said to have profound negative as well as positive implications. Organizations tend to contain both informal and formal groups where the formal groups form the structure of the organization by establishing job designs and work responsibilities. The behavior of the individual in the formal group is thus intended and predetermined for achieving the organizational goals. On the other hand, informal groups tend to be coalitions which are neither established within the organization nor structured officially (Loughran, 2007, p. 16). Cultures are broadly divided into various classifications but this paper deals primarily with three forms of culture that are Pluralism, Dualism and Salad Bowl. Cultural Pluralism is of two types: descriptive and participative; out of which the first type of cultural Pluralism is conceptualized as the co-existence of various cultures within the same society and only a little interaction tends to occur among the separate elements. Each of the elements thus concentrates on maintaining their own culture and language in order to imbibe its own heritage in the future generations. The form of cultural pluralism tends to assume that the society is culturally pluralistic, but, at the same time, the individuals are not pluralistic. Therefore, the descriptive form of cultural pluralism tends to imply the coexistence of religious, political, ethnic and racial groups which live together and allow each of the groups to maintain and function itself. Cultural pluralism is another perspective that can be conceptualized not just for the society but also for the individual members. In the second case of cultural pluralism it tends to carry out the description provided by Pratte, as â€Å"positive of hurrah connotation.† As cultural pluralis

Biochemical Oxygen Demand Hypothesis Testing Essay

Biochemical Oxygen Demand Hypothesis Testing - Essay Example Rejection of the null hypothesis leads to the acceptance of the alternative hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis states that there is a difference between the procedures. It is denoted by H1. Assuming that the upstream BOD and downstream BOD are normally distributed, we test using significance level of 0.05 whether BOD increases at the downstream. The significance level of a statistical hypothesis test is a fixed probability of rejecting the null hypothesis H0 when it is in fact true. It is called a type I error and is set by the investigator in relation to the consequences of such an error. We want to make the significance level as small as possible in order to protect the null hypothesis and to prevent, as far as possible, the investigator from inadvertently making false claims. Test Statistic: It is the random variable X whose value is tested to arrive at a decision. The Central Limit Theorem states that for large sample sizes (n > 30) drawn randomly from a population, the distribution of the means of those samples will approximate normality, even when the data in the parent population are not distributed normally. A z statistic is usually used for large sample sizes (n > 30), but often large samples are not easy to obtain, in which case the t-distribution can be used. The population standard deviation s is estimated by the sample standard deviation,The observed t value is calculated from the sample used. Testing of means can be accomplished when the data are in the form of paired observations. We compute for the confidence interval of d - u in the situation with paired observations is based on the random variableWhere and are random variables representing the sample mean and standard deviations of the differences of the observations in the experimental un its. This two-sample problem is essentially reduced to a one-sample problem by using the computed difference d1, d2, d3 dn. Thus the hypothesis reduces to Ho: =do

Drug policies need to approach legalization Essay

Drug policies need to approach legalization - Essay Example should be legal or not is not consistent in nature; rather it is filled with myriad opinions and major ones concerning the darker aspects that makes it more contentious and convoluted particularly when it concerns such issues as which are the drugs to be legalized and those that should be kept under hood. These opinions or perceptions about legalization of drugs are divisive whether it comes from the young generation or the President of a country. Thus, it would not be entirely fair to state that drugs such as marijuana can be made legal and there should be prohibition on the usage of substances such as heroin and cocaine. This is primarily because there are no laws to exercise control over the amount of drugs that can be used which may lead to further complications (Goldstein 8-9). As far as legalization of drugs are concerned, it can be clarified beyond doubt that it is wrong although there would be a larger brigade of people who may suggest that not legalizing it leads to similar consequences or even abuse. If the philosophical elements are taken into account, the first point that can be raised is that using dugs is not bad as long as it is not creating harm to others. The argument, which is primary in this context, is that the freedom of using drugs is in no way related to addiction as it can be any other prohibitive substance as well or even food in particular. The idea, which is emphasized here, is that of John Stuart Mill who has stated â€Å"over himself, over his body and mind, the individual is sovereign† (White 280-81). On the other hand, the opponents would disagree over the fact that consuming a substance deliberately which is harmful cannot be substantiated with any arguments in favor of its usage and the same applies to drugs. One of the best ways to put this issue independently is to shun off the moral components and think over it with a logical approach. Consumption of drugs is normal and falls under the legal grade only when it is taken in

Fast Plants Materials and Methods Essay Example for Free

Fast Plants Materials and Methods Essay When first preparing our fast plants we had to set up four different systems that would dictate our variable of fluorescent light. Each system would provide light to our fast plants for different amounts of time per day. Our systems were set up for 0 hours of light, 6 hours of light, 12 hours of light, and 24 hours of light. To setup the lab we began to setup our lighting system with fluorescent a timer for each set of fast plants. Our 24 hours was set up in the classroom with a lighting system directly above it. For our 0,6, and 12 hours we placed the fast plants inside of a cabinet to prevent the fast plants from being exposed to outside light. Once our plant light houses were setup we began preparing the growing systems and plants. We started by using a thoroughly wet water mat and wick. We fed our wicks up through the bottom part of our plant pots, which were made out of Styrofoam. After the wick was fed through we placed the water on top so the top 3cm of the wick was touching the water mat. After preparing the wick and water mat we then placed the prepared soil and blue crystalized fertilizer in the plant pots. After the soil was placed we distributed 4 plant seed evenly throughout the plant pots. After we labeled each Styrofoam plant holder accordingly to date and variable used, we covered the plant seeds lightly with fertilizer. Once the seeds were planted we placed the Styrofoam holders on top of a container of water with bottoms of the wicks placed in the water. Then we placed four different Styrofoam pots under each of our lighting systems. Once the plants were placed we made sure the plants were about 10cm below the light. After the growing system and plants were complete we set the timers for the light systems to four different times: 0hrs, 6hrs, 12hrs, and 24hrs. After four days of growing we observed and measured each plant that grew in our 8 pots (4 seeds per pot). Once measured and the data was recorded, we removed the 3 smallest plants from each pot, which left us with 32 different fast plants. This method of removing plants to prevent overcrowding is called â€Å"thinning†. Each day we replenished the nutrient solution and replaced the plants so they were about 10cm from the light source. On day 18 we terminated and new buds or flowers so that the plant can focus on seed growth. Then on day 37 we removed our plants from our watering system and allowed them to dry until brown and crispy, which was about one week. Then we cut off our stems and seed pods and crushed the seed pods to acquire our seeds.

Inventory period and operating cycle Essay Example for Free

Inventory period and operating cycle Essay Age of inventory will show the number of days that inventory of COSCO is being held before they are sold. Increasing or decreasing the same must be a guided by the objective of maintaining a good working capital condition. COSCO Wholesale has inventory period of 27 days. Before recommendation could be made whether its inventory period should be increased, said inventory period must be compared with the payment terms with suppliers. If the company’s payment terms (Bernstein, 1993) to supplier is 30 days them the age of inventory of 27 days is a good sign that the company is making sale of inventory efficiently, which means that it can sell faster than the next time the company orders and pays for these goods. For COSCO to maintain its 27 days inventory period, it must also tie this up with collection period since higher sales volume is normally associated with longer collection period. Increasing sales on credit with longer collection will decrease inventory period and the two will sum up to operating cycle (Meigs and Meigs, 1995). If the resulting operating cycle still allows a good and manageable working capital situation, then increasing sales on credit must be done up to such point, otherwise mismanaged working could turn the company unable to meet currently maturing obligations. Operating Cycle COSCO’S operating cycle is 30 says which consists of 27 days inventory period and 3 days collection period. To determine whether recommendations should be made whether the cycle could be increased or decreased should be tied up on it working capital situation. If its present working capital situation allows the company to meet it currently maturing obligations then its operating cycle is just right. As discussed earlier, the strategy on operating cycle is affected by decisions made on age of inventory and policy on making sales on credit. One could not just decrease operating cycle without basis like by decreasing age of inventory by underinvestment as this could mean not satisfying the demand for company’s products for the sake of shorter age of inventory and consequently shorter operating cycle. The company’s policy on sales on credit must be sufficient enough to meet realistic targets in terms of sales revenues and working capital requirements (Brigham and Houston, 2002).

Scorsese And His Use Of Red

Scorsese And His Use Of Red The eminent and much revered director Martin Scorsese first achieved critical acclaim with his 1973 picture, Mean Streets. The film was an independent production which also began his long standing collaboration with the actor Robert DeNiro. Without major studio backing, Scorsese operated with a very small budget, yet he overcame this setback with exceptionally strong acting creative and performances, powerful and striking visuals. Mean Streets is a brutal, moody and sharply detailed story about life in New York Citys Little Italy, as seen through the experiences of a group of small time hoodlums. Scorsese brings his own obsessions into all his movies, and Mean Streets is no exception. His ambivalence towards group and family loyalties, macho values, and the notion of success and the price it demands are all evident, helping to set up the unstable, confused and destructive world of the film, and in particular the main protagonist Charlie. Vital to the creation of this world is the rec urrent incorporation of the colour red into the mise en scene. Different colours has been used as a filmic code by numerous directors however this was not possible until colour film was technologically feasible, As a code, colour takes its cue from social codes: red is associated with passion and violence; blue with coolness and melancholy (Lacey: 38). One of the ways in which colour is used is to focus the audiences awareness within the mise en scene. It is done with bright colours, which draw the eye more than pastel shades. Colour is obviously linked with lighting. Film directors may suffuse their film with a particular coloured light: red in Taxi Driver [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and blue in Blue Steel (1989, Kathryn Bigelow). The effect of this is to link various themes in the film. (38 Lacey) The colour red has a instinctive impact when we first see it, not just in the form of blood, but also on fire trucks, stop signs, police lights and stoplights. Red lights constantly indicate warning and or danger unless they are in a red light district, where they imply a different kind of prohibited activity as seen in Taxi Driver. Scorsese frequently encoded the colour red into his films for many reasons. On the New York, New York special edition DVD introduction, he said that his codification was influenced by the films of the Classical Hollywood period which had the stamp of Hollywood of the 1940s and 1950s. Some of things he mentions are: the artifice of the film, the sets themselves, the obvious sets, sometimes the sets were painted, you could see it wasnt real. The street kerbs that were supposed to be in New York were too high. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] But we understood it to be a different kind of reality, a parallel universe in a way, to the reality I knew [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] in the streets or at home. That didnt mean that the films are any less true, you see. And that doesnt necessarily mean that, because theyre coded in a sense [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] a code that occurs. The happy endings werent quite realistic or true. There was something else going on emotionally in those films that were very true to the human condition. I tried to bring that out, but place it against and upon the old template. I decided the way to handle New York, New York would be to deal with the artifice right up front. As you can see from his interview is that he was implying that his films were heavily coded just like the films from the Classical Hollywood period. In this paper I will attempt to decode his films with principal emphasis on his use of the colour red. Scorseses profound stylised use of the colour red was inspired by The Red Shoes (1948, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger) which is included his Top Ten English Language Film List which exemplifies the use of light and color.[1] In an interview Scorsese remarked that the use of color in the movie isnt realistic. But it really reflects the heightened world of the ballet, the heightened world of theater. Color is always something that is going to be an aesthetic comment, no matter how you do it.[2] It is very clear, as the use of red in the film is very dominant in The Red Shoes. Such as the theatre curtains are red and so are Vicki Pages hair. The color exhibits a sexual power and an artistic passion. (LoBrutto: 29) The use of red in the film therefore does not represent sin or violence like in some of Scorseses films. The colour red connotes numerous diverse meanings, one of most well-known being alarm or danger, perhaps it is because it is the colour of blood. During the first few scenes in Mean Streets, Scorsese introducers us to the four main characters by colour coding their clothing. Firstly, Tony, who we see walking into the toilets of his own bar, where much of the action takes place, we notice on him, moments before he uses force to remove a heroin user from the toilets, and attacking a drug pusher a prominent red shirt. This subtly demonstrates his harsh, violent nature, and unites him with the bright red Hell that is his bar and his world. In other words his red shirt coordinates with the infernal red glow of his bar, denoting his sinful, damaging existence within its realm. After all, only a man of perilous intent with a taste for danger would fulfil his dream of caging a pet lion and a panther in his basement, illegally or not. Furthermore, the distinctive red shirt worn by Johnny Boy introduces him in a similar light to Tony, as a dangerous, unyielding individual. His mindless prank of exploding a red mail box immediately after he appears on screen only reinforces his reckless character suggested by the shirt, and unites him with the malevolent life of Tonys bar. Additionally in Mean Streets, Michaels superior involvement within the group of friends is signified by his striking red tie. The garment itself connotes his strong business aspirations and his destination for higher things, probably as a third rank mafia hood, whereas the colour connotes his brutal, dangerous nature, the result of which being the eventual bloodbath that marks the films ending. Indeed, one could not examine the colour red in Mean Streets and ignore the extensive use of blood in the films final sequence. In contrast to the other three characters, when we first see Charlie, he is wearing a white vest which subliminally separates him from everyone else. The first shot of the film is of Charlie waking up; as he stands up and walks across to his mirror we see two crosses. Firstly the one he is wearing around his neck and the second on his wall. This Christian symbolism, together with his white vest symbolises his purity. Through out the film Charlie comes across people who are wearing red and tempt him into sin. This is best exemplified by the black dancer in Tonys bar who is wearing nothing apart from red underwear. The close up shot of the red underwear worn by the dancer on stage reinforces the moral dilemma Charlie faces between his religion and his social aspirations. The existence of this red underwear present, in Scorseses terms, the notion of her being a whore as opposed to the virginal white dress worn by Vickie in Raging Bull, or Betsy in Taxi Driver, who appeared like an angel, or even Charlies white vest at the beginning of the film. The red underwear implies that the girl is immediately connected to the immoral world of Mean Streets, and therefore brands her a whore. However, the red also connotes Charlies obvious desire for the girl, an emotion strong enough for him to dance with her. Nevertheless, the dance is immediately followed by Charlies own penance of burning his finger on naked flame, a ritual of his we are first introduced to in the opening scene in the church, which again reminds us of how his religion has helped confuse his moral state of mind. Indeed, Charlies Catholic upbringing contributes greatly to his rejection of the black dancer from Tonys bar, even though he desires her. Comparably, J.D.s Catholic persuasion leads to his rejection of The Girl from Whos That Knocking At My Door, which is due to his need for a virginal bride. This example is particularly harsh, as his refusal is a consequence of her previous rape, which in his eyes means she is a whore. Whos That Knocking at My Door and Raging Bull play like diagnostics of the Madonna/Whore complex. The black and white cinematography only heightens the sexual stereotyping. As I have mentioned above that Vickie in Raging Bull, or Betsy in Taxi Driver wear white, Scorsese makes all his blondes wear white when we first see them in his films, such as Sharon Stone in Casino. The white clothing adds t o their virtuousness and virginal aesthetics before they are corrupted by the main male protagonists- very often played by DeNiro himself. The blonde in a white clothing could also be a reference to Alfred Hitchcock, as he also used to present his blonde female characters in white when we first see them. In Raging Bull, Jake Le Motta even buys his wife a white dress and white sunglasses as he wants her to be the virginal and virtuous type, as throughout the film he believes that she is cheating on him. In Mean Streets, the colour red serves as a metaphor for the hostile nature of the protagonist Charlie, his world and the destiny of him and those surrounding him within the film. Moreover, the brining red of Max Cadys sports car is perfect example of how the colour red has been incorporated as a subtext in Scorseses remake of Cape Fear. The gruesome, violent acts performed by Cady throughout the film, together with his brutal nature, are suggested by his extreme choice of vehicle. This frightening aspect of the colour red could be reference to The Counterfeit Traitor (1962, George Seaton). As Scorsese said of the film once- for kids brought up on the black-and-white battlegrounds of newsreels, the use of color here especially the color red, which is very important gave the film a presence and an immediacy that frightened us.[3] As this quote shows that the colour red was sometimes used by Scorsese to scare his audience. This heavy use of red clothing is not only present in Mean Streets but almost all of Scorseses protagonists wear red such as DeNiro, Pesci and Stone in Casino wear it at various moments in the film. Scorsese in an interview said that on the streets of Little Italy that- The one thing you couldnt wear was the colour red. I remember wanting a red jacket, and my father said, Only pimps wear red, youre not having one and thats that. Wearing red was also a sure way to attract police attention.[4] As this quote shows Scorsese is very aware of the various associations with wearing red clothing, such as you might be associated with pimps and that you might attract police attention. This adds credence to the moral dilemma that Charlie faces in the film. The introduction of Michael considering the religious themes in the film his character could be a reference to Lucifer as he hunts them down and shoots them during the films climax at the end is important when considering Scorseses use of the colour red with relation to the rest of Mean Streets. Firstly, he delivers a large red box of Marlboro cigarettes to Charlie, which he places on the table between the two characters. The cigarettes are positioned centrally on the screen, automatically capturing the audiences attention. Initially, Charlie complains about the brand of cigarettes, but accepts them after Michael explains that for these prices Charlie, you shouldnt complain. Therefore, we assume Scorsese focuses on the cigarettes, by means of their red colour and positioning in the mise-en-scene, in order to present the ineffectual nature of Charlie within the realm of his world. Surely, forsaking his preferred choice of cigarettes is a minor, yet noticeable sacrifice; one he must make to be a part of the gangster life. As I have mentioned, Michael Powells influence is all over Scorseses work. His distinct usage of the colour red is a direct homage to Powell. It is interesting that Powell twice counselled Scorsese against the colour red. The first time was When Powell saw 8mm test footage of DeNiro sparring, he remarked that The red boxing gloves are too red. And Scorsese agreed and that was one of the reasons why [he] decided to make the film [in] black-and-white.[5] Another reason why Scorsese did not shoot the film in colour was because A number of boxing films were in production such as Rocky II, The Main Event, a remake of The Champ, and Matilda and so Scorsese wanted to go another way (LoBrutto: 223) and be original. Another scene that inspired Scorseses use of red, in The Red Shoes, was the main protagonists use of bright red lipstick which he used for Francine in New York, New York. As LoBrutto wrote that Francines deep red lipstick is accurate for the period but another opportunity to dominate many of the images with the color of his obsessions of hot tempers more than sexual temperature. (LoBrutto: 210) As the quote shows that this time Scorsese used the colour red not to symbolise violence or sin but as a sexual code. The colour red was no doubt a major colour not only in Mean Streets but also in Taxi Driver, particularly the scene set in the brothel. Red can imply danger, but in the case of the ambience of the brothel, the colour red could also imply wilful or morally wrong behaviour. The night time setting and the low key lighting has been significantly used in Taxi Driver and the constructed space closely echoes the look of film noirs. The red low key lighting produces a sombre and mysterious mood and emphasising deep shadows to create tension in the scene. During the final climax in Taxi Driver, the face of Travis and Sport have been clearly highlighted by the strong light effects from indoors and with red light emanating from the neon lights of the street even though there are not that many street lights when we saw an exterior shot of the building. At one moment during that sequence of the film we see a halo of white light dimly reflected over Travis shaved Mohican head which neutralises hi s violence and gives him the appearance of an (avenging) angel. As since white by tradition represents purity and innocence. Since red light draws the audiences attention, the function of flashing red lights increases the power of the colour such as the rotating red and blue light from the police car at the end of Taxi Driver. The colour red is not only used at night but also in the daytime. In these cases, Scorsese fills the mise en scene with bright red objects. For example when Henry crosses the street, to teach Karens neighbour a lesson for touching her, by beating his face with the end of his gun: the car, the flowers, the toolbox and even the house itself are all bright red. This scene shows that even the peaceful leafy suburbs are not safe during the day time when there are hoodlums present and that no one is safe from them. Also when Henry first explains how Jimmy hijacks trucks without using any force, we see Jimmy completely covered in red lighting. Or when Henry spends a paranoid day driving around his neighbourhood, prepping a batch of cocaine for delivery, and he keeps calling home to ensure his brother is properly stirring the bright red source (a symbolic reference to blood). In Taxi Driver, this technique is apparent throughout the film, with the streets of New York presented as an inferno of evil and treachery or as Bickle calls it: an open sewer full of filth and scum. Scorseses use of expressionistic colour shows us how Bickle observes the nocturnal world around him. Contrasting to the darkness, neon lights appear extra bright, and many shots are taken of blurry colours seen through water on the windshield. This palette of colour once again takes the audience inside Bickles mind. During the scene were Travis shoots the pimp, Scorsese employs the use of surrealistic colour. Everything inside the building seems grungy and dirty, and the extra bright red colour of the blood stands out over everything else. This theme was again used by Scorsese in After Hours, which again happened predominantly at night with various neon lights incorporated into the mise-en-scene. Both Minnelli and DeNiro in New York, New York wear red clothing which again connects their characters with the red symbolism of the city. By making the city red, Scorsese represents the city as malevolent. In Mean Streets, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas the city is colour coded in bright red. This is especially true in New York, New York, the city, no matter if it is interior space or exterior is predominantly red, and yet the opposite can be seen in the film. As DeNiro and Minnelli meet outside of the city in the woods, their clothing and setting is white or pale. This sudden change in colour instils in the audience the contrast between the peaceful and pure rural space with the sinful inner-city space. Not only is red an important colour in Christianity but also brown. In Scorseses Last Temptation of Christ (1988), he uses a very monochromatic brown colour to emphasise Jesus humanity and to contrast Jesus the poor peasant with the power and riches of Rome which are decorated in red and gold. However like his other films, red is another major colour symbolising the final spilling of Jesus blood. Of course in this respect, red is a prominent colour in many Jesus films, none more than Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ. Whilst the film opens under a blue filter, the rest of the film is subject to the bright red blood of Jesus. Religion is also at the heart of Scorseses remake of Cape Fear. Max in the film is sent to the family by God to test them. Each member of the family displays a tendency toward immoral behaviour or what they perceive to be immoral behaviour. Such as when Sam is asleep, Leigh is seen grooming herself in the bedroom mirror and day dreaming of other men, at which point Max appears outside the house, backed by a dazzling display of fireworks which is a sexually charged image as the night sky is associated with the feminine and fireworks can represent the male orgasm. The colour red is again important in the film as when she and Sam go out to investigate she guiltily wipes the red lipstick from her lips. It almost seems that her sinful thoughts provoked Maxs presence. Maxs superhuman ability to withstand pain is yet another religious clue. He is superhuman because he is what he claims to be, a messenger from God sent to test the family, he even says: Youre a VIP on Earth. Im a VIP in heave n. This is why he is able to fight back against the three thugs despite a beating that would render any human demobilised. Another religious use of the colour red can be found in the scene in which Sam hallucinates crucifixion wounds in his hands which can represent that his soul has been saved. This can not be said about many of Scorseses characters in his other films as most have committed too many sins to be saved or die before they can be saved such as the final climax in the lift in The Departed. As LoBrutto noted, Red is also identified with blood, the Passion of Christ, the Crucifixion, and the suffering Jesus endured on earth for the salvation of mankind. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] The stigmata are wounds that bleed openly, corresponding to the feet, hands, side and brow of the crucified Christ. A substitute for a baptism of holy water is blood. (LoBrutto: 64-65) So therefore a character can be born again via blood baptism, for example, Travis during the climax of the film is covered in blood and therefore born again as he saves the girl. As LoBrutto also wrote: Scorsese was revealing his obsessions with Old Testament values: revenge, redemption, and the ancient rite of purification by blood. (LoBrutto: 64-65) These themes Scorsese has obsessed about for his entire career as they appear repeatedly in his films. As a young man, Scorsese wanted to become a priest, but he decided to become a filmmaker after his many visits to the movie theatre. He proposed that films are a new secular religion and that they can offer the viewer and the director redemption and salvation.[6] That is why in Mean Streets, it is not surprising that Charlies confessional speech in church at the beginning of the film focuses on the forgiveness of sin, an important theme that runs throughout the film, often in his narration. His tormented dialogue begins with the narration of Scorsese himself: Lord, Im not worthy to eat your flesh, to drink your blood. This profound image demonstrates immediately the importance of religion to the character of Charlie, and indeed Scorsese, as he himself explains: My voice is inter-cut with Harvey [Kietel]s throughout the film, and for me that was a way of trying to come to terms with myself, trying to redeem myself. In this sense we realise exactly how personal the film is to Scorsese, as a creative form of art, and as a source of redemption, and are able to make a comparison between Charlie and himself. Furthermore, Charlies narrative reference to blood relates to the blood red imagery apparent throughout the film, in this case utilising it to realise Charlies discomfort with his religion. As Charlie stands to move to another part of the church, we are presented with an aerial long shot of the chapel, whereby the dark red of the chairs seem almost like a tide of blood from the countless confessions typical to that of Charlies, in which the blood of Christ has been spilt in vain. Indeed Charlie explains before this scene his perception that: you dont make up for your sins in church, you do it in the streets and at home; the rest is bullshit. Consequently, we are aware that religion is not so much a belief of Charlies, but merely a formality, and as in Boxcar Bertha religion is an insidious, pervasive, destructive idea, inescapability allied to the forces of greed and manipulation. Moreover, the overt use of red candles surrounding Charlie in the church, which is similar to that in Iriss confessional scene in Taxi Driver, is symbolic of the burning hell he experiences, much of which is due to his overpowering dilemma with his religion. He explains that pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand the kind you can feel in your heart, and the spiritual side. And you know the worse of the two is the spiritual. Whilst he is uttering these words, the action on screen reverts from the church to the burning red of Tonys bar. Immediately we realise a connection between the hell Charlie describes in church, and the hell we perceive of his social climate, the colour red being a vital link in presenting this hell. Colour can affect us subliminally, and this is best exemplified in the modern day by restaurants fast food restaurants like Burger King have a lot of bright colours including red -which makes you want to buy the food quickly and leave whilst expensive restaurants use mainly neutral colours which make you more relaxed and stay for longer. Therefore the effect of the use of red in Tonys bar, in Mean Streets, could also then represent their fast pasted lifestyles in New York. The emphasised red glare evident within Tonys bar metaphorically can also instils a sense of hell being an unbearable inferno; suggesting an atmosphere full of sin and corruption, the occupants of which are doomed. Even when Scorsese showed Mean Streets to Michael Powell, Powell advised him the second time (the first being the red mitts in Raging Bull) told him that he overused the colour red in Mean Streets and that he should remove some of the red lighting, which Scorsese refused. [7] This expressionistic use o f red lighting can be examined in films as far back as 1927, when Fritz Lang emphasised the hellish qualities of the underground slave factory in Metropolis by bathing the entire mise-en-scene in ominous red tint. Whereas Langs use of red reinforces his overtly expressionistic style, Scorseses appears simply as a flash of expression, which combined with the strong, documentary style realism of Mean Streets, seems all the more significant. Furthermore, the long motion tracking shot on entering Tonys bar works well with the glaring red effect, establishing a tense, almost nauseating atmosphere, which emulates perfectly with the hell described by Charlie; a feeling that is further intensified by the use of soundtrack, in particular Jumping Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones. The sequence is similar in style to that of Goodfellas, whereby the camera slowly closes in on Jimmy, and using just only 30 frames of film per second. Although his character has no verbal narrative in this scene, the expressive combination of slow camera movement and contemporary music highlight Jimmys tension and anger, enabling the audience to share his hatred, and assume his intention to get rid off Mauri. This slowing-down of the film has become a trade mark for Scorsese as he uses it in almost every single film he has made, even in his earliest short films like The Big Shave. In Mean Streets, the red walls of the restaurant Charlie visits later in this extract is also an important device of Scorsese, used to subtextually progress the narrative through the elaborate mise-en-scene. On one level we could understand this use to be symbolic of Charlies frustration due to his long awaited possession of the restaurant. However, with relation to the red of Tonys bar it suggests, contrary to Charlies belief, the venture may not be a way of escaping his hell. In other words his moving from one red inferno, that of Tonys bar, to another, the restaurant, neither improving nor solving his problems. As Roger Ebert wrote in his Great Movies essay on the film, The real world is shot in ordinary colors, but then Charlie descends into the bar run by his friend Tony, and it is always bathed in red, the color of sex, blood and guilt.[8] This quote can also applies to the bar in Goodfellas, The Bamboo Lounge, which is also lit with a similar red glow with the red lighting of the bar lounge making the characters face completely red. Or on Henrys first date with Karen, when his influence and generous tipping allows them to skip the line at the Copacabana, the entire club is awash in red lighting. A similar technique is employed in Taxi Driver, where the red walls of the Palentine building suggest Betsy will not be the answer to Traviss problems, and she will not relieve him from the Hell in which he suffers. Scorsese has continually used red lighting to create an insidious inferno for his immoral protagonist to dwell. In the book Gangster Priest: The Italian American Cinema of Martin Scorsese, Robert Casillo writes that the red in Goodfellas is associated with blood, violence, suffering, and passion. It can even be read as more simple than that. Nearly every shocking deed of all shapes and sizes is emphasised onscreen by a splash of bright vibrant red. When the mafia men do something as gruesome as beat a man to death for insulting Pesci, they do it in a bar room filled with red lighting. And when he comes alive in their trunk as they try to dispose of the body, the cars brake lights casts an unbelievably strong red glare on DeNiro and Pesci. They are literally a washed in a bright red smoke filled mise en scene when burying their victim Billy. The malevolent extent of their crime highlighted by this expressive use of lighting, and the immoral world they share is inflamed upon us. The se quence even ends with a highly unusual fade to red. When they have to go back six months later and dig up the same body, things get even more abstract. Its as if their collective sins have stained the film stock permanently. There is no other colour apart from red in that scene. All of these scenes gave the impression to the audience of the images of Hell, which increased the insinuation of violence. As LoBrutto noted that as much as Scorsese enjoyed musicals and comedies it was the morality and street justice of the gangster film [that was] most reflective of the life he lived in Little Italy. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] He was raised in a coded culture that fenced out all others. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] He was tortured by conflicts presented by his two masters the church and the cinema. (LoBrutto: 63) As Charlie struggles with finding the right path in Mean Streets, the film begins with a shot of a projector showing us the film we are about to see. It is as though the characters now that they ar e in a movie and so Scorsese ties in the church and the cinema at the same time. Scorseses overtly violent style often involves an overwhelming amount of blood on screen, from his early short film The Big Shave, to Cape Fear, and here it helps to present a horrific image of the pain and penance experienced by Johnny Boy and Charlie for their sins, and highlight the extremely harsh consequence for Teresa who is oblivious to the extent of her brothers trouble. The Big Shave was widely read as a metaphor for the Vietnam War. On screen a young man enters a pristine white bathroom and walks up to a mirror just like Charlie does in the opening scene of Mean Streets in which he walks up to a mirror and scratches his face. The man in the bathroom begins to apply the puffy white shaving cream on his face which again connects to the notion of innocence and purity. Whilst shaving, one of the razor strokes pierces the skin and he begins to bleed. Confused, he continues his morning shave but now each lash of the blade tears into his tender flesh deeper and deeper. Soon his plain features are totally cut open. A daring ear to ear swipe of the razor literally slashes his throat open. Blood covers him and falls around him, the bright red contrasting the perfect spotlessness of the bathroom. The same way Scorseses blondes contrast at the beginning of his films as they wear white and the setting is filled with red. At the end of The Big Shave, there is ev en a fade to red just like the ending of the scene in which DeNiro, Pesci and Layoota bury Baits. As if the blood of the self torture soaks into the celluloid and fills the entire frame. So therefore The Big Shave is representative of USAs irresponsible participation in the Vietnam War, especially their self destructiveness. As LoBrutto noted that The Big Shave shifted the emphasis from personal to political (LoBrutto: 62) and so the red of the blood now represents the spilled blood of Vietnamese and American soldiers. In Mean Streets, we finally realise the true hell that constitutes Little Italy, and understand the violent outcome when anyone tries to subvert the statue quo. In addition, Scorseses powerful, gut-wrenching sequence in Taxi Driver, where Travis savagely takes out an entire brothel has been acknowledged for its abundant overflow of blood. Indeed, the MPAA was ready to give it an X rating for violence. They suggested he tone it down the red blood, in order to get an R rating. So, Scorsese put the scene through a special chemical treatment that made the blood darker. The darker version of the red blood turned out almost more powerful than the splattered ketchup style colour of the original. In Scorseses view, it made the scene more sickening and disturbing, but he got his R rating. And yet it is still the colour red as Jean-Luc Godard put it: Its not blood, its red.[9] Scorsese also uses the colour red for his opening titles as he himself has recognised that the burning credits and foreboding red glare of the opening of King Vidors classic western Duel in the Sun (also in his top ten English Language film list which exemplifies the use of light and color[10]), has affected his use of red at the beginning of his films and he also said how as a child he was amazed how the use of colour could produce such a powerful effect. Possibly one of the most blatant incorporations of the colour red in Scorseses work is the credit sequence in Raging Bull, whereby the prominent red letters of the films title and DeNiros name is set against the gloomy black and white image of the boxing ring. The boxing rings ropes split the screen into four distinct parts representing four different parts of his lif

Photography in the classroom :: essays research papers

As an innovator in the classroom, I am continually attempting to educationally challenge my students while making learning fun and interesting at the same time. I think that the techniques discussed in this course will be incredibly useful in both goals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, I can see several important uses for Image Blender. In writing classes, I could have students capture a photo. Then, I could have another student write about that image. Perhaps they could describe it, tell what happens next, or even do a creative piece of writing on it. Beyond that, with Image Blender, the students could take that image a step further and alter the photo in order to write about it. In poetry courses, students might be assigned a piece of poetry that they would need to fit an image to. They could do this any way that they wanted to. Beyond this, in working with seniors on their graduation projects, there are many possibilities for integrating photos into the final presentation. As a whole the possibilities of Image Blender are tremendous.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clay-mation movies offer so many possibilities in my classroom. First, in my writing classes, they are an easy way to help students learn how to write a script and tell a story. Students might be asked to write a creative story and then tell it using a clay-mation movie. Beyond that, I could see the possibility of teaching poetry terms through the movies. Each group could be assigned a different poetry term and they could have to explain, or demonstrate, the term using a clay-mation movie. In my Shakespeare class, students could be asked to perform a play, act, or scene from a Shakespeare play using only clay characters. All of these projects help to extend the learning of the units being taught.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Creating movies has the greatest potential in my classroom immediately. I have always had some sort of video production/play project incorporated into my 10th grade English classes. However, all of those presentations involved the students performing an extra act to a play and me videotaping. There was no post-production work done on the projects. With the addition of iMovies, students could write, direct, and produce their own video presentations. It would add a great deal of flexibility and creativity to the projects. They would really only be limited by their own imaginations. Students could do the entire videotaped segments outside of class, do the post-production work in the computer lab, and then show their videos in class.

Natural Gas and Its use as a Alternative Fuel Compared to Gasoline Ess

Natural Gas and Its use as a Alternative Fuel Compared to Gasoline Have you ever confused the terms â€Å"Natural Gas† and â€Å"Gasoline†? Well don’t, because they are two very different types of gases. Natural gas and Gasoline are considered fossil fuels to most scientists because it is believed they were formed from the remains of sea animals and plants that died 200-400 million years ago. These sea animals were then covered by layers of sediment and rock over time which caused them to become buried deeper and deeper, until enormous amounts of pressure and heat turned them into oil and gas. Raw natural gas is a mixture of different gasses and the main ingredient is methane, a natural compound that is formed whenever plant and animal matter decays. On the other hand, gasoline is made from crude oil, which is a mixture of hydrocarbons (compounds containing hydrogen and carbons). Gasoline is most commonly known as the gas that you use in your car to help your engine run. In a car's engine, oxygen is mixed with a fine mist of gasoline which is ignited by a spark, causing the combustion reaction to take place. This all takes place within a cylinder of your car. When the fuel/air mixture "explodes" (or combusts) in the cylinder, the expansion of gases from the mini-explosion pushes a piston; this movement is what ultimately makes your wheels move. A greenhouse gas is then emitted, called carbon dioxide- which contributes to global warming. (â€Å"How does car pollution affect the ozone layer and Environment?† King, Jennifer SFGate n.d. Web.) An alternative fuel such as natural gas has been considered by many scientists as a much more environmentally friendly gas on the environment that could run automob... ...uld be the right way to go due to its cleanliness and cost. Natural gas burns clean due to its naturalness. According the NGVAmerica, Natural gas costs about $1.50- $2.50 per gallon of gas. This type of change in gas would kill two birds with one stone, bye reducing prices for the people’s benefits and reduce greenhouse pollution, for the environment’s benefit. Works Cited . (â€Å" How natural gas Vehicles Work†.How stuffworks.n.d) (www.NEED.org 2011). . (www.NEED.org 2011) . (â€Å"What Is Hydraulic Fracturing?† Propublica.org.) (â€Å"How does car pollution affect the ozone layer and Environment?† King, Jennifer SFGate n.d. Web.) (Preston, Benjamin â€Å"I Feel Gassy† 5.8.12) Picture 1 – â€Å"Seismic Graphing Natural Gas & Tech†. NaturalGas.org) Picture 2- (â€Å" Natural gas & Tech.† Natural gas.org) Picture 3 – )â€Å"Comparing Natural Gas Vs. Other Fuels.†.Wb Web.) Socal gas.nd

Lao Tzu and Machiavelli’s View of “The People”

Azhar A. Sapargaliyeva Professor Hammerbeck Introduction to Critical Issues 18 September 2012 Compare Lao Tzu’s and Machiavelli’s view of â€Å"the people†. How does each author’s conceptualization of â€Å"the people† affect what kind of government they support? Life experience, culture, language, time of living and many other factors affected Lao Tzu’s and Niccolo Machiavelli’s views on how an ideal leader ought to govern a country. These views, expressed in their texts, reflected on how these writers perceived the fellow men. Lao Tzu is a Chinese philosopher and founder of Daoism.He is the author of a philosophical document called â€Å"Tao-te Ching†. Niccolo Machiavelli, is a 15th century aristocrat and a writer, mostly famous for his political treatise, â€Å"The Prince†. This essay will attempt to analyze both authors’ views on human nature and the way these views affected the types of government supported. A s mentioned above different lives of Lao Tzu and Machiavelli influenced their images of human nature. Lao Tzu worked in the court of the ruling dynasty and lived a quite stable and peaceful life in around the 5th century B. C.E. Whereas Machiavelli lived during the time of political turmoil in Italy. He was suspected of conspiring against the royal family and was even tortured for that (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Thus, these different living conditions led both philosophers to think of â€Å"the people† differently: Lao Tzu had a positive opinion of individuals, which is contrary to that of Machiavelli’s suspicious and cynical image of â€Å"the people†. This is important to analyze because these views in some way determined the way they portrayed an ideal government.Lao Tzu, in his â€Å"Tao-te Ching†, has an optimistic, almost idealistic perception of â€Å"the people†. His proposed attitude for the ruler to have toward citizens resemb les that of parents toward a child. They treat the child with love and care. At the same time they let go of restrictions and rules, so that he/she learns from their own mistakes and grows up to be self-reliant. The â€Å"upbringing† of children can be compared to governing people. Lao Tzu in paradoxical way proposes to stick to the â€Å"practice of not doing† (Jacobus 24) and let the things take their natural course.The author encourages leaders to give â€Å"the people† more freedom and rights: â€Å"I let go of the law and people become honest† (Jacobus 29). He believes in the good in people and in their ability to choose the morally good paths. He says: â€Å"Throw away morality and justice and people will do the right thing† (Jacobus 25). His description of an ideal government resembles a modern day democratic type of government as â€Å"democracy† literally means â€Å"ruled by the people† (Britannica Online Encyclopedia). â₠¬Å"The Prince† reveals an entirely different view of â€Å"the people†.Lao Tzu is mostly concerned with their well being. He advocates politics based on moral considerations while Machiavelli advices the leader not to bother with such things and focus more on practical politics. The latter is a reflection of a pessimistic and cynical view of â€Å"the people†. According to the author they are â€Å"ungrateful, fickle, avoiders of danger and greedy for gain† (Jacobus 46). The very title of the book, and its form as a handbook for the ruler, a single person, hint at support for monarchic type of government.Monarchy is a type of political system in which authority is represented in a single person who exercises supreme power (Britannica Online Encyclopedia). Moreover, strictly speaking, Machiavelli basically says that â€Å"bad† people need a strict ruler, who would be feared. As a matter of fact â€Å"it is better to be feared than loved†, beca use love is temporal, while fear is constant (Jacobus 46). Therefore, his kingship seems more like an autocracy or even dictatorship. Dictators gain despotic power, which they then maintain through the use of intimidation and oppression (Britannica Online Encyclopedia).The advice in these two texts, however, might not be as relevant as handbooks for politicians these days. Practice shows that there have not been many prosperous absolutely democratic governments, which at the same time imposed no laws and restrictions whatsoever; neither have there been many despotic monarchs in power to successfully run a country. The views of â€Å"the people† by both writers represent two extremes, and seem to be unrealistic and in a way paradoxical.Reading and understanding both books, however, is still of significant value, because they represent the literary and historical legacy of political thought and most importantly they disc?lse the tw? particular ways of l?oking at the world. On t he one side â€Å"The Prince† gives an insight of what the w?rld looks like from a dem?ralized and cynical realist’s perspective. On the other hand â€Å"Tao-te Ching† expresses utopian perceptions of an idealist. To sum up Lao Tzu in his â€Å"Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching†, he advocates the â€Å"practice of not doing† as a way to govern people.One of the reasons for that are the author’s high opinion of and a belief in their ability to adopt a morally right behavior. He proposes for things to take their natural course. Therefore, adapted to modern times, the type of government that Lao Tzu supports resembles democracy. Machiavelli, on the contrary, views ‘the people’ as â€Å"simulators and deceivers†. Thus he directs â€Å"the prince† to rule by keeping ‘the people’ in awe. He signals his support for monarchy and, possibly, dictatorship. Works Cited Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Democracy. 15 Se p. 012. Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Dictatorship. 14 Sep. 2012. Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Monarchy. 15 Sep. 2012. Jacobus. Lee A. A World of Ideas. Boston: Bedford / St. Martins, 2010. 925-28. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Niccolo Machavelli. 8 Sep. 2009. 14 Sep. 2012.

Physics in Sports Essay

Everything from kicking a ball into a goal to running from one side to the other side of the field is based on physics. Physics plays a key role in sports; it can impact on a player either positively or even negatively. Gravity, friction, motion and projectile affects sport in every aspect. How physics affects Sports No matter how hard or high you kick a ball as a result of gravity it will be pulled back down to earth. Although the rate at which it descends may vary on its mass and surface area, it will still have to come down. If thrown at any other angle than 90iit will have a parabolic path (trajectory). Also air resistance and friction will reduce the rate at which the ball moves. The law of conservation of energy also plays a major role in sports. In football if you kick a ball you are transferring kinetic energy from your foot to the ball. From the pendulum balls by the side you can see how energy transfer works. If you lift the ball at left then energy will be passed on to the neighbouring ball and as a result the ball at the end will move the same distance from which it was released on the other side. Similarly in this diagram the character kicks the ball transferring kinetic energy from his foot to the ball. The ball moves and rises and therefore the kinetic energy will be converted into gravitational potential energy. Speed is another factor that is based on physics. In any sports using the force applied, time and the mass you can work out the final/initial velocity assuming that initial/final velocity is zero. Alternatively you can work out speed if you are given the time taken and distance it travels. How technological development has made the data collected more valid and reliable than with traditional methods of studying mechanics. Technology has developed at a staggering rate over the recent years. This allowed us to measure data much more accurately, as humans can make errors in timing due to reaction time both at start and end. Also the development of light gates allowed us to measure speed, time and acceleration. This can then be plotted on a graph and the graph can drawn/ edited in real time (as the measurements are taken the graph can be plotted and the line of best fit can be changed). Experiment for measuring Speed You can measure speed using a simple tennis ball. Set a straight horizontal track and makes sure it is straight. Measure the length of the track. You will need a timer to time the experiment. Roll the tennis ball through the measured distance and time it. Then use V=S/T (Velocity=Displacement/Time) to find out Speed at which it was travelling. Alternatively the velocity can be measure by setting a light gate near the end of the track and connecting it to a Data logger, and this will display the data on the screen, so that it is easier for you to read. You have to set up the data logger so that it measures speed also you have to choose the diameter of the ball which will pass through the light gate. Sources: Edexcel AS Physics – Ann Fullick, Patrick Fullick, Miles Hudson, Sue Howarth – Pearson (2008) page 46 & 47 http://www. soccerballworld. com/Physics. htm – Physics World magazine, June 1998 pg 25-27. http://physics-of-sport. net/basketball. html http://www. serioussoccer. net/Documents/PhysicsofSoccer. pdf.

Elections, Political Parties, and Civil Society in Authoritarian Regimes Essay

Within many Authoritarian Regimes, the conditions are very similar and the political participation becomes severely limited. The following essay will attempt to briefly capture a few key characteristics of two countries in terms of elections, political parties, and the role of civil societies within the state. The two countries that I will be discussing are Iran and China. First of all, after reading page 80-81 in our Comparative Politics textbook written by Carol Ann Drogus and Stephen Orvis, it soon became clear to me that Authoritarian Regime structuring has a heavy political saliency in terms of elections, political parties, and the role of civil societies. It seems that if elections even manage to exist in an authoritarian regime, they do not determine who holds the majority of power in the state. For example, on page 80, the textbook discusses how 1906 a new democratic state within Iran was created in order to provide a real legislature with elections. This democracy was soon polarized, and the central state has limited sovereignty over the other provinces and was able to control most economic profit and most of the military power. Although elections were ushered into Iran’s political system, they had little influence on the government itself. On page 81, the textbook discusses how a left-wing prime minister named Mohammad Mosaddeq was elected in 1951, but due the primary regime’s influence and power, they overthrew this elected prime minister because he did not support their interests. This example shows that even if an election determines something within an Authoritarian Regime, this determination may not last for very long or may not have any power in the first place. An elected official such as Mosaddeq can be overthrown at any point if the people that truly hold the power within a state decide too. This brings me to the next topic of political parties. Within the country of China, it is clear to me that the political system of the Authoritarian Regime has created an extremely powerful political party with little to no opposition. Elections have almost no affect and are just a disguise for the Chinese Communist Party to make the real decisions affecting their country, especially in terms of the economy. As discussed on page 86, after a series of wars ended, the Communist Party of China soon created a Soviet-style command economy with a huge bureaucracy that controlled most of the society. This society is interesting because as time went by, more and more economic freedoms were created, but political freedoms became increasingly denied. It is ironic that one can live in China and possess private property, but when it comes to the decisions governing that person’s society and economic policy, that same individual will have zero rights whatsoever. The book also discusses how these socio-political conditions have created a sense of political uncertainty and fear. This brings me to my final topic of civil society. It is a huge risk for citizens within an Authoritarian Regime to form organized and nonviolent groups in pursuit of political reform. Citizens tend to fear the consequences of their actions and punishment from their government, and when they do attempt to reform, it tends to end up violent. For example, many protests within China in the past century have ended in massive bloodshed or violence. I do not recall ever hearing of a widely successful nonviolent civil society causing politically salient changes within an Authoritarian Regime. I believe that I have never heard of such a thing because civil societies do not have much impact on a society that is restricted by an Authoritarian Regime’s influence and political/economic desires.

Did Lizzie Borden Commit Murder

A little over a century ago an atrocious double murder was committed, in the two-half story house at 92 Second Street, in Fall River, Massachusetts. This crime shocked the city of Fall River, as well as the nation, as Lizzie Borden, a 32-year-old Sunday school teacher, went on trial for the murder of her father and her stepmother. (Augustine). An all male jury eventually acquitted her on the accusations. (Aiuto). To this day, the murderer of Andrew J. Borden and Abby Gray Borden is still unknown, but in the public mind everyone believes it was Lizzie Borden.Lizzie was born and grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. She was the youngest daughter of Andrew Jackson Borden, who was a very successful Banker and Sarah Borden. Sarah died when Lizzie was very young and Andrew then married Abby Durfee Gray. Lizzie grew up with an elder sister, Emma. Neither of them ever married. It is said the sisters hated their stepmother, mainly because of the family’s inferior social position. (Hist ory Channel). Many of the wealthier houses at the time had electricity and running water, the Borden house did not, making Andrew’s reputation a penny pincher. Clark). On the day of August 4, 1892, the bodies of Andrew Borden and his wife were found mutilated. (History Channel). As opposed to 40 whacks, in the popular rhyme, 19 blows struck Abby Borden by a hatchet or axe to the back of her head and neck. (History Channel). At the time she was cleaning the guestroom of the family home, at 9:30 am. Andrew Borden, who had returned home around 10:30 am, after his daily business had been attended to, was napping on a couch in the parlor, when he was attacked. (Lizzie). 11 blows were struck upon Mr.Borden's head and face, to the point that one eye hung from its socket, making him unrecognizable. (History Channel). There were only two people in or about the house at the time of the killings, Lizzie Andrew Borden and Bridget Sullivan, the Borden's maid. (Clark) There is some specula tion as to others that may have been responsible for these evil acts. Among the other alleged killers is John Morse, the brother of Andrew's first wife, Emma Borden, Lizzie's elder sister. Soon after the murders, Lizzie emerged as the prime suspect after John Morse’s alibi checked out. Clark). She then was arrested and tried on three counts, the murder of Abbey, of Andrew, and of them both and, if found guilty, faced death by hanging. (Clark). What makes the Fall River murders so perplexing is that the motive, the weapon and the opportunity for such a crime are all absent. When the Fall River constabulary investigated the murders, they found no money or jewelry missing, not even small amounts of change or the packet of bus tickets as were taken in the daytime break-in at the Borden home twelve months earlier. (History Channel).There was some speculation on Andrew having a will, but no will was ever found, leaving the entire estate to Lizzie and Emma. (Clark). A local pharmaci st reported Lizzie coming into his store and asking for prussic acid or hydrogen cyanide on several different occasions two weeks prior to the murders. (Augustine). Lizzie insisted that she needed it to clean an item of clothing, but the pharmacist refused to sell it to her without a prescription. (Augustine). Also, when the bodies had been discovered many people from throughout the neighborhood were entering and exiting the crime scene and could have easily moved evidence to protect Lizzie. Clark). Besides the lack of a clear motive for the murders, there was also the perplexing lack of opportunity. Fall River found the entire Borden house locked up as usual, and during the two-and-a-half-hour period in which both murders were completed, the maid Bridget was outside the house washing windows and daughter Lizzie was inside the house reading a magazine. (History Channel). Even if one of the two committed the crime, the violent and bloody act should have been noisy enough to attract t he attention of the other. There was also not a lot of blood splatter at the crime scene. (Clark).If Lizzie were to have murdered her parents there should have been some sort of blood on Lizzie’s clothes. (Clark). The prosecution used this as a key part of their trial. They had a witness that said she saw Lizzie burning a blue dress in her kitchen and the prosecution insisted that it was the dress Lizzie killed her parent’s in. (Clark). Lizzie did in fact burn a dress and was seen doing so, but she was burning it because she had no use for it anymore because it was soiled with paint. (Clark). June 1893, Lizzie was arrested and sent to trial. The all-male jury was put into a difficult position. (Lizzie).It was the Victorian Era where women were considered delicate flowers and not capable of killing someone and it was not a common issue to deal with in those times. (History Channel). After only an hour of deliberating, the jury declared Lizzie to be not guilty. It is sai d it only took them 15 minutes to decide, but out of respect for the prosecution, they waited another 45 minutes before they informed the court of their decision. (Lizzie). Shortly after the trial, Emma and Lizzie each inherited half of their father's estate, about $200,000. 00 each, which was a large amount of money in those days. (History Channel).Their first purchase was a home on The Hill, at 7 French Street, which Lizzie named Maplecroft. (Clark). Lizzie also changed her name to Lizbeth. (Clark) Lizzie became a social outcast after the trial, with few friends remaining loyal. (History Channel). Her every move was criticized: if she appeared solemn in public, it was because she was guilt-ridden because of her crime; if she was happy, it proved she was a heartless monster. Lizzie soon had to travel farther to do her shopping, but she was not left along by reporters. (Clark). Reports after the trial of Lizzie usually were rumors, from engagements to cases of shoplifting.These pape rs never seemed willing to print tales of her good deeds, such as her many charitable donations, her aide to deserving young people who could not afford a college education. (Clark). Nor did they print stories of her love of animals, or of the arts. (Clark). The murder of Andrew and Abby Borden will forever be a cold case and one of the most gruesome crimes that could have been committed by a woman. People will always have some sort of curiosity towards this case because of the lack of evidence, the opportunity and motive that could have possibly been.Works Cited Aiuto, Russell. â€Å"Lizzie Borden Took An Ax. † TruTv. Turner Broadcasting System, 2010. Web. 27 Oct 2010Augustine, Megan. â€Å"Dusting off a Cold Case with Modern Forensics: Lizzie Borden†¦fortyone. † The Forensics Examiner. 14. 4 (2005): 52+ Academic OneFile. Web. 14 Oct 2010.Clark, Denise M. â€Å"How Lizzie Got Away With Murder. † Crimemagazine. com. Crime Magazine,2010. Web. 25 Oct 2010. Th e History Channel: The Strange Case Of Lizzie Borden. New Video, 2005. DVD. â€Å"Lizzie Andrew Borden. †Karisable. com. Karisable Burns. 26 Apr. 2004. Web. 27 Oct 2010.

Alcohol Consumption As we discussed in class, t Essays

Alcohol Consumption As we discussed in class, there is a concept that each individual has more than one "self." An individual has both a physical "self" and a mental or emotional "self." I will give you an example to illustrate this concept. Many people who wake up to an alarm in the morning often find it very difficult to get themselves out of bed. They may know that they will be late for class or for work if they stay in bed but their bodies are in need of more sleep. This is an example of a conflict between the two selves. Although there are arguably two selves, they are actually both rooted in the physical. As a result, a chemical change in the body can result in a significant change in the mental/emotional self. Specifically, I will explore how the effects of alcohol consumption can significantly impact one's choices, how causing a physical change by choice can influence a person mentally. The experiment that I designed following the "Time to Think?" lab heightened my interest on how alcohol consumption effects the body and the brain. As I looked into research about alcohol consumption I visited the websites for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the American Medical Association under the assumption that they would provide a significant amount of research regarding the biological effects of alcohol consumption. I actually found a much larger concentration of material covering the dangerous and/or self-destructive actions taken when under the influence of alcohol, specifically as a result of binge drinking. Still, I will begin my discussing the basic biology of what takes place as a result of alcohol consumption. So, what's happening to one's brain as an individual consumes more and more alcohol? If one drinks two drinks in one hour or one reaches a blood alcohol level of .02 - .06% the association area of the cerebrum is progressively affected. This impairs one's ability to reason as well his/her judgement. Symptoms include dizziness, less inhibited behavior, overestimation of skills, and slower reaction time. After consuming two to three drinks in one hour or one reaches a blood alcohol level of .6 - .10% most of the cerebrum is progressively affected. The ability to reason, judgement, one's senses, merit, coordination, vision, and speech are all functions that are affected and/or impaired. Symptoms include slurring of speech, blurred vision, and loss of coordination. (1) It is evident that even after only two or three drinks the distinction between the physical self and the mental/emotional self has lessened. Although the mental/emotional self may be unaware of it, he/she does not have the control that he/she had prior to consuming alcohol. As one continues to drink the result is even more drastic. After four to five drinks in one hour or one reaches a blood alcohol level of .12 - .15% the entire cerebrum is progressively affected. In addition to functions previously mentioned as affected and/or impaired, hearing is also affected and/or impaired. Symptoms include double vision, drowsiness, loss of balance, and clumsiness. After eight to ten drinks in one hour or one reaches a blood alcohol level of .30 - .40% the limbic system is progressively affected. Respiration and heart rate are affected and/or impaired in addition to all of the other functions previously mentioned. As a result the individual will either go into a deep sleep or into a coma. (1) The Harvard School of Public Health completed a study that explored how alcohol consumption resulted in individuals making arguably bad choices. One of the samples was a group who had binge drank three or more times in the last two weeks. Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more for men. (2) Of those sampled, 62.5% missed at least one class, 46.3% got behind in schoolwork, 62% did something they regretted, 54% forgot where they were or what they did, 42.6% argued with a friend, 41.5% engaged in unplanned sex, 20.4% did not use protection during sex, 22.7% damaged property, 12.7% got in trouble with the police, 26.6% got hurt or injured, .9% were medically treated for an alcohol overdose, 56.7% drove after drinking, and

Application of the Principles of Interpersonal Communication to a Essay

Application of the Principles of Interpersonal Communication to a Communication Scenario - Essay Example In this way of communication people depend on each other for the purpose of constructing and negotiating a clear picture of social reality (Wood, 2009, p. 9). This paper is aimed at making a clear picture of an application of the principles of interpersonal communication to a communication scenario in my life. 1. The change: The most important change that I would like to make in myself or in my behavior or characteristics is that I would like to be more familiar with people while having a conversation with them or interacting with them. In fact I would like to put more effort in building more concentration while talking to people, whether they are my family members or friends or my professional contacts. At present I do have a good interpersonal communication skill, but I would like to improve my skill even further as I have seen many flaws in myself when I communicate with people and I have also seen negative reactions from very few people regard to the fact that I have failed to un derstand the proper expression or feelings of what they were trying to express while talking to me (Hargie, 2011, p. 13). 2. Reason for the change: The reason that I need this kind of change in myself is that I believe that this change will give me enough opportunity to know other people while talking to them, to better understand what they think about myself (hence, if they feel bad about me, so that I can make necessary changes in my behaviors or characters for which they were actually feeling bad about me). This change will also help me to better represent myself in front of others and hence to express my true feelings, emotions through proper and truthful conversations. This change will also give me the kind of opportunity which people generally gather from successful conversations. The most important opportunities are good relations, such as friends and families, and knowledge regarding every aspect of society, economy, politics, sports and many more. This change will also give me enough opportunity to listen carefully to what people are saying at the time of talking to them and hence to understand a better approach of feelings, emotions and expressions of them (Hargie, 2011, p. 14). 3. Models and what others do: I have so many people around me whom I think as my models regarding the change that I would like to make in my conversation skill. First of all I would like to mention my father who listens to people very carefully while talking to them and express positive feedbacks to them. My best friend Peter also possesses effective skills of interpersonal communication. He is not only a good listener but also a very good communicator and always tries to engage in debates and arguments while talking to people. This quality makes others feel that he is properly reacting to what they are saying. My senior colleague in office, Mr. Beck, is also my model. He listens very carefully what others are saying and replies only after others finish expressing their entir e feelings. This makes the conversation more effective through revelation of complete feelings and emotions (Hargie, 2011, p. 21). 4. Required context or setting: In respect to the change that I am expecting to bring in my behavior while talking to people requires few settings and contextual facts. As I have already mentioned that in the context of the change my foremost inspiration is my father, therefore I would like to talk to