Somerset Maugham Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

Somerset MaughamSomerset Maugham was born on January 25, 1874 in Paris where his father was the solicitor to the British Embassy. However, he was orphaned at the time of ten and lived with his uncle, the vicar of Whitstable, in England. Maugham was educated in England studying literature and ism at Heidelberg University. In 1897 he qualified as a surgeon from St. doubting Thomas medical school and practiced for a year in the slums of London. However, he abandoned medicine after the success of his first two originals. Maugham is best cognise as a successful novelist and playwright, but he never gained serious recognitions for his works. The young author lived in Paris for ten years before make his first novel Liza of Lambeth in 1897. His first play A Man of Honour went into production in 1903 and by 1904 four of his plays were running at the same time in London. The plays were interested with social satire and he was considered an extremely gifted playwright during t his time. These early successes provided a foundation for his later works. His semi-auto bibliographical breakthrough novel Of Human Bondage in 1915 is considered one of his best works. The story follows the life of Philip Carey who loses his parents early in life and tracks his progress into early manhood. In 1919, he published the novel Moon and Sixpence that was loosely based on the life and experiences of the painter Paul Gauguin. This French artist rejected the social contracts of European confederation and departed to Tahiti where his unconventional scenes of Tahitian life captured the interest and imagination of numerous Europeans. Maugham himself made a trip to Tahiti to become better acquainted with the circumstances meet Gauguins experienc... ...ajor novels that Maugham wrote. There is also a list of all the works Maugham produced during his lifetime. Knitting Circle Somerset Maugham. confederation Bank University. 11 November 2002http//www.sbu.ac.uk/stafflag/wsmaugha m.html. This is a South Bank University page that sums up some major events in Maughams life and focuses on the issue of his sexual preference. This page has highlights some key events surrounded by Maugham and Gerald Haxton. There is also a short list of Maughams works at the end of the page. Annotation A fabulous reference site including philosophy resource links by historical time period, philosophic subject, tradition, or school of thought.BooksBronowski, Jacob. The Origins of Knowledge and Imagination. Yale University Press. New Haven 1978. Everson, Stephen. Epistemology. Cambridge University Press. New York 1990.

William Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew Essay -- Shakespeare Tam

William Shakespeares The Taming of the shrew In the beginning of The Taming of the Shrew, some say Shakespeare portrays Katherina as a really ill-natured figure. Others may argue that she is non shrewish but just a very strong willed person. At the end of the play some people say she is transformed into a very benign and gentle person, while again new(prenominal)s will argue that she is not tamed but just putting on an act to show up her younger sister Bianca, whom has always been more beautiful and charming. Kate is like a wasp, like a foal, like foal that kicks from his halter pert, quick and determined, but full-of-the-moon of dependable heart. 1. This statement upsete by one motive, shows clearly that he does not see her as shrew-like, even at the beginning of the play. The similar author states that at the end of the play she has not really transformed, rather she has just go in love with Petruchio, in essence she is free from torment because she is no womb-to-tomb s een as the shrew.In the beginning of the play Kate is consistently in opposition to everything around her2, meanwhile Bianca obeys so gently and with such sweet compliancy that it is demonstrable why she is Baptistas favorite daughter2. In the end of the play, the roles switch and Katherina is submissive to every word of Petruchio and Bianca resists the commands of her new husband. Kates initiative reception to Petruchio, her mad wooer, is self-pity, and even her father feels that his treatment of her would vex a saint. He takes her away from the home she is used to, with servants and maids to wait on her pass off and foot, to the country. in that location she is away from the luxurious town life and is cold, hungry and tired. She somewhat learns to watch her temper and obey Petruchio so that he will feed her so she potbelly survive peacefully rather than miserably. I believe that his method of taming her is not cruel yet very effective. He shows her that she can get oftenti mes far and live life a lot happier if she is nice and entreats him rather than fighting him. One author (pattern in carpet) says that Shakespeare sees Katherine and Petruchio as in love at first sight. He says that their fights are partly like a game and partly a matter of egoism. He sees Katherine as testing Petruchio making reliable he is man enough to put up with the worst of her and prove to be the husband she requires. Petruchio accept... ...y. She may be submissive to him, but at the same time, he is just as submissive to her. I trust that he didnt only tame her, but she tamed and controls him by craft and not violence. Katherina is not the only one in the play to undergo a transformation. Petruchio, in the beginning went to woo Katherina only for money. He was offered a dowry by seigneur Baptista to get rid of Kate so he could wed his younger daughter Bianca to one of her many suitors. By the end of the play, it is made clear that Petruchio too changed and had fallen in love with Kate. The relationship that they have at the end of the play is truly love. They both are willing to change to make all(prenominal) other happy and they both try in every way possible to make peace in their family. The ironic part of the play is that they both think that they have control over the other one. All in all Katherina undergoes a complete metamorphosis from the beginning of the play to the end of the play. She starts divulge a girl, acting like foal trying to kick free from her harness and ends up a submissive, sweet, gentle and kind woman, whom is controlled yet, controls her husband Petruchio, whom she ends up love dearly. William Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew Essay -- Shakespeare TamWilliam Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew In the beginning of The Taming of the Shrew, some say Shakespeare portrays Katherina as a very shrewish figure. Others may argue that she is not shrewish but just a very strong willed person. At the end of th e play some people say she is transformed into a very kind and gentle person, while again others will argue that she is not tamed but just putting on an act to show up her younger sister Bianca, whom has always been more beautiful and charming. Kate is like a wasp, like a foal, like foal that kicks from his halter pert, quick and determined, but full of good heart. 1. This statement made by one author, shows clearly that he does not see her as shrew-like, even at the beginning of the play. The same author states that at the end of the play she has not really transformed, rather she has just fallen in love with Petruchio, in essence she is free from torment because she is no longer seen as the shrew.In the beginning of the play Kate is consistently in opposition to everything around her2, meanwhile Bianca obeys so gently and with such sweet submission that it is obvious why she is Baptistas favorite daughter2. In the end of the play, the roles switch and Katherina is submissive to ev ery word of Petruchio and Bianca resists the commands of her new husband. Kates first reaction to Petruchio, her mad wooer, is self-pity, and even her father feels that his treatment of her would vex a saint. He takes her away from the home she is used to, with servants and maids to wait on her hand and foot, to the country. There she is away from the luxurious town life and is cold, hungry and tired. She somewhat learns to watch her temper and obey Petruchio so that he will feed her so she can survive peacefully rather than miserably. I believe that his method of taming her is not cruel yet very effective. He shows her that she can get much farther and live life a lot happier if she is nice and entreats him rather than fighting him. One author (pattern in carpet) says that Shakespeare sees Katherine and Petruchio as in love at first sight. He says that their fights are partly like a game and partly a matter of egoism. He sees Katherine as testing Petruchio making sure he is man eno ugh to put up with the worst of her and prove to be the husband she requires. Petruchio accept... ...y. She may be submissive to him, but at the same time, he is just as submissive to her. I think that he didnt only tame her, but she tamed and controls him by craft and not violence. Katherina is not the only one in the play to undergo a transformation. Petruchio, in the beginning went to woo Katherina only for money. He was offered a dowry by Seignior Baptista to get rid of Kate so he could wed his younger daughter Bianca to one of her many suitors. By the end of the play, it is made clear that Petruchio too changed and had fallen in love with Kate. The relationship that they have at the end of the play is truly love. They both are willing to change to make each other happy and they both try in every way possible to make peace in their family. The ironic part of the play is that they both think that they have control over the other one. All in all Katherina undergoes a complete met amorphosis from the beginning of the play to the end of the play. She starts out a girl, acting like foal trying to kick free from her harness and ends up a submissive, sweet, gentle and kind woman, whom is controlled yet, controls her husband Petruchio, whom she ends up loving dearly.

Physics of Fireworks Essay -- physics firework fireworks

After drear powder was discovered by the Chinese in the 9th Century, the relatively short taradiddle of fireworks began with this explosive chemical composition. Black powder is made up of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal (KNO3) in the correct amounts, this combination has very explosive results. The use of black powder sprung forth the evolution of muskets, rockets, and fireworks. Although history has shown that the development of black powder muskets into modern day guns, artillery, and weapons of mass destruction have changed the face of the earth, taken some(prenominal) lives, and changed the outcome of many wars, black powder is also used in many rituals and celebrations.While traveling the globe, Marco Polo, fascinated by this black powder, brought it back to the due west were it soon caught on. In Rome, King Charles V used fireworks to celebrate a victory. The fireworks were developed and made by his fire workers who made leaps and bounds with the projectiles and ro cket kind of the fireworks. These elaborate demonstrations of fire soon spread through Europe and pleased many spectators of the King and Queens Court.In the middle ages, Italy and Germany took their displays to another level, incorporating different colourize and effects. In Italy, the firework displays were used to accentuation buildings and structures, while in Germany, the focus was more on the fireworks themselves. The name green men was coined on account of the the great unwashed who would cover themselves in leaves to protect their body from sparks and ashes as they launched fireworks from their hands. As music grew and became a large part of society, the incorporation of music and firework displays became inseparable. The most infamous of all fireworks displays, f... ...ich ended up missing his head, but tearing the front of the coat. Anyone who has ever felt the material on a fire coat tush tell you that it would be very difficult to do damage like that to fire coat in a split second. BibliographyLancaster, Ronald, and Butler, Roy E.A., and Lancaster, J. Mark, and Shimizu, Takeo.Fireworks Principles and Practice. New York Ticknor, 2002.Pihko, Petri. Pyrotechnics The artifice of Fire. 1998. Online posting. Pihko, Petri. 12April 2003. http//cc.oulu.fi/kempmp/pyro.htmlProQuest Information and Learning Company. Physics of Fireworks. 2003.Online posting. Bigchalk The Education Network. 12 April 2003.www.bigchalk.comRussell, Michael S. The Chemistry of Fireworks. York, ME Stenhouse, 2000.The Physics of Colored Fireworks. 1998. Online posting. 12 April 2003.http//cc.oulu.fi/kempmp/pyro.html

Essay --

3.1IntroductionA research is an investigation to discover new intimacy by collecting numerous tuition on the certain ideas or theories. The research methodology is the ways to solve the research problem systematically by using various steps. 3.2 look into MethodThe researcher has used the quantitative method for this research. The quantitative method is a method to collect various mathematical data by using mathematically methods. The purpose of using quantitative method is to measure various perspective and opinions in a chosen sample. 3.3 info Collection MethodThe data collection is involved in collecting as much information as possible for the research topic by relying on the desk study and the field study. The field study is collected as a primary data while the desk study are collected as a secondary data.3.3.1Field StudyThe researcher has used the survey method to measure the characteristics and the opinion of the populations as well as observing the behaviour of certain people. The survey method is a technique used to gather information from the people by using the questionnaires. 3.3.2Desk StudyThe desk study is the reviews of the research information available before the field study had taken place. The data from the desk study are collected from the journals, newspapers, Utar library and Malaysia government official website of Economic Planning Unit. 3.4Research DesignThe quantitative method gives an emphasis on the measurement of objective and the numerical data analysis collected through the questionnaires. The questionnaires for this research have been wedded to the degree graduates of built environment professional in West Malaysia area. 3.4.1Survey Questionnaire A questionnaire ... ...the method of the probability sample, each element of the population has non-zero chance of existence selected for the sample. On the other hand, non-probability have is the method that we do not know chances for the each element of the population to be se lected. The convenience sampling has been chosen from the non-probability sampling method for this research. The convenience sampling can also be known as haphazard sampling. The researcher has selected this method for the research because it is convenience and easy to be used. The convenience sample is used any participant available for the research. 3.5.2Instrument of Data CollectionThe researcher has used iPhone 4 mobile phone with 5 megapixels camera as a tool to take the pictures for the research. The reason is because iPhone 4 mobile phone is easy to carry around whenever the researcher need it.

Business At Work Essay -- Business and Management Studies

Business At Work1. Introduction1.1 AimThe aim of this report is to understand the Business Environment andwithin organisation of cover Motor confederacy (FMC), which includes theculture and gayagement of the company. This report will also analyseand evaluate communication channels and quality control that FMCpossess. Finally, conclusions will be drawn through the assessment ofthe process that is carried out by the company to meet theirobjectives, with recommendation of alternative approaches, which mayenable FMC with further success in the future takings.1.2 Report StructureThe investigation will follow a structured analysis approach,illustrated in Appendix I.2. Review of Ford Motor Company2.1 Company OverviewFord Motor Company is a public limited company, listed on the New YorkStock Exchange. Ford Motor Company is one of the populations largestmultinational automotive companies that manufactures and distributeautomobiles in 200 markets across six continents employing more than3 27,000 people worldwide. The company consists of eight core andaffiliated brands (Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, res publica Rover, Lincoln,Mazda, Mercury and Volvo) and automotive related services (Ford Creditand Hertz).In 1903, Ford Motor Company was established in Detroit by Henry Ford,when it sold its prototypal vehicle, the Model A. The introduction of theModel T in 1908, along side the development of the assembly line, thebirth of producing vehicles to the masses to sell in a low, inexpensiveprice. Since then, the company has continually expanded, beingpublicly listed in 1956 and acquiring a number of automobile andservices companies in the process, illustrated below in chronological separate1922 Lincoln & Mercury1979 Mazda (33.4% stake hold)1987 Aston Martin and Hertz1990 Jaguar1999 Volvo 2000 Land RoverWhen the company first started, it was a private limited company ranby a partnership of 12 people, a coal dealer, Alexander Malcolmsonthe coal dealers business manager, James Couzens a banker whotrusted the coal dealer 2 brothers who owned the machine ship thatmade engines a carpenter two lawyers a clerk the owner of ahaberdashery store a man who made windmills and air rifles. Theystarted with only $28,000 in cash, some tolls and some blue prints.1As a private limited companyT... ...the needs of customers and the need for ameliorate air quality.Fords Action- Ford has voluntarily certified all of our gasoline pickups, SUVs andthe Windstar minivan as low-emission vehicles (LEVs), years ahead ofregulation.- Our LEV trucks are cleaner than some(prenominal) cars on the road today.- Ford offers more alternative-fuel vehicles than any other majorautomobile manufacturer. They include models that operate oncompressed natural gas (CNG), turn petroleum gas (LPG), ethanol,and electricity. We are also focusing on a variety of advancedtechnologies, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and fuel cellvehicles, to significantly degrade emissions while not compr omisingutility.6---------------------------------------------------------------------1 microbe Ford 100 Years Anniversary Year Book2 Source www.ford.com3 Source Company Internal Website www.marketstrategies.ford.com4 Source Jim Padillas Building on Basics Triangle (refer to Appendix II)5 Source Bill Ford Internal e-mail to FMC Employees (refer to Appendix III)6 www.ford.com/en/company/ round/publicPolicy/airQualityVehicleEmissions.htm

Business At Work Essay -- Business and Management Studies

Business At Work1. Introduction1.1 AimThe aim of this report is to conceive the Business Environment andwithin organisation of Ford Motor Company (FMC), which includes theculture and management of the company. This report will also analyseand evaluate intercourse channels and quality control that FMCpossess. Finally, conclusions will be drawn through the assessment ofthe process that is carried out by the company to meet theirobjectives, with recommendation of alternate(a) approaches, which mayenable FMC with further success in the future takings.1.2 Report StructureThe investigation will follow a structured analysis approach,illustrated in Appendix I.2. Review of Ford Motor Company2.1 Company OverviewFord Motor Company is a public limited company, listed on the New York bourgeon Exchange. Ford Motor Company is one of the worlds largestmultinational automotive companies that manufactures and distributeautomobiles in 200 markets across six continents employing more than327,000 ra ft worldwide. The company consists of eight core andaffiliated brands (Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln,Mazda, Mercury and Volvo) and automotive related go (Ford Creditand Hertz).In 1903, Ford Motor Company was realized in Detroit by Henry Ford,when it sold its first vehicle, the Model A. The introduction of theModel T in 1908, along side the development of the assembly line, the blood of producing vehicles to the masses to sell in a low, affordableprice. Since then, the company has continually expanded, beingpublicly listed in 1956 and acquiring a number of automobile andservices companies in the process, illustrated below in chronologicalorder1922 Lincoln & Mercury1979 Mazda (33.4% stake hold)1987 Aston Martin and Hertz1990 Jaguar1999 Volvo 2000 Land RoverWhen the company first started, it was a reclusive limited company ranby a partnership of 12 people, a coal dealer, Alexander Malcolmsonthe coal dealers business manager, pile Couzens a banker whotrusted the co al dealer two brothers who owned the machine ship thatmade engines a carpenter two lawyers a clerk the possessor of ahaberdashery store a man who made windmills and air rifles. Theystarted with only $28,000 in cash, some tolls and some blue prints.1As a private limited companyT... ...the needs of customers and the need for improved air quality.Fords Action- Ford has voluntarily certified all of our gasoline pickups, SUVs andthe Windstar minivan as low-emission vehicles (LEVs), years ahead ofregulation.- Our LEV trucks are cleaner than many cars on the road today.- Ford offers more alternative-fuel vehicles than any other majorautomobile manufacturer. They include models that conk oncompressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethanol,and electricity. We are also focusing on a variety of advancedtechnologies, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and fuel cellvehicles, to significantly reduce emissions while not compromisingutility.6--------------------------- ------------------------------------------1 Source Ford 100 Years Anniversary Year bulk2 Source www.ford.com3 Source Company infixed Website www.marketstrategies.ford.com4 Source Jim Padillas Building on Basics Triangle (refer to Appendix II)5 Source Bill Ford Internal e-mail to FMC Employees (refer to Appendix III)6 www.ford.com/en/company/about/publicPolicy/airQualityVehicleEmissions.htm

Effects of Technology Essay

The advent and development of data processor technology through the one-time(prenominal) three decades may be the most important and revolutionary technology ever invented in history. It has completely changed the way people do things, from inter own(prenominal) conversation to professional transactions. Computers have affected the cultures of families, friends, offices, academes and even out states and countries. The effect of computer technology can be felt starting with the most basic social institution, the family. The personal computer has become a regular fixture in millions of homes around the world as much as the television or the couch.Some families even own more(prenominal) than one computer units. Of course, the statistics would be lower among less developed countries. Nevertheless, an effect of the prevalence of the personal computer is that it has become more and more affordable. For third world countries, the idea of catching up has likewise come to mean being com petitive when it comes to computer literacy compared to developed countries. Parents use the computer to hold iner the Net, look for job-related information or anything that interests them like news or hobby sites.The children use the computer as aid in making assignments and research, playing image games or make friends they wont ever see in person through the chat rooms. Outside the home, the influence of computers is felt much more. Offices cannot blend without computers as they are used for word processing, calculations, presentations, and other tasks. Internet technology, an offshoot of computers, has created a thriving electronic-based commerce which has made millionaires out of people whose capital has been their simple creative minds.Other activities that before were done without computers are now computer aided. Automated banking has made banking and bill payments possible even outside office hours. heap can shop online using their credit cards without the hassle of c rowds and miles of walking inside malls just to find the perfect shirt or gift. Government agencies cargo area voluminous records and provide computer-aided services making it possible to make transactions with the public even without the latters physical appearance. Like all technologies, the computer has its downsides, too.For instance, it has caused concern regarding the privacy of people as with the interconnectedness of networks in cyberspace it has become easy to look for information about anybody. Another is that computers, being machines, break down. Since people have grown dependent to this machine, a crash or malfunction of computers especially those doing tasks which a lot of people depend on (like ATMs when they go offline or very important data that suddenly become irretrievable with a crash) could result to a lot of frustration and anxiety.Computer technology has also created computer addicts and affected the health and social skills of some people who would rather si t in front of a monitor than interact with humans or play ball outside. Computer technology has become so prevalent and people and nations have become dependent to it so much so that in modern times it has become unimaginable to survive without computers. The future is passing game to be defined by how fast and how far computer technology is going to take humankind and to be computer-illiterate in this modern world is to be left behind in the past.

Annotated Biblography Essay

Kristen E. Van Vonderen, M. S. , William Kinnally, Ph. D. (2012), Media Effects on Body Image Examining Media Exposure in the Broader Context of Internal and Other Social Factors. Volume 14, Issue 2. 41-57. American Communication Journal. Summary Vonderson and Kinnallys article discusses the influence media has on women today and the way they see themselves. Being overweight has such negative stigmatism to it that women who are considered to be overweigh feel as though they are unlovable or unsuccessful because they dont look like the women in magazines.They touch on the root word of the influence from parents and peers. Parents who comment on their childs physical appearance convey body image norms that could lead to negative association with body shape. In the article they also talk about internal influences such as self-esteem and how, in part, it is a reflection of the opinion others hold of you. Analysis Vonderson and Kinnallys approach to informing us about how women are por trayed in magazines is both informative and surprising.I, myself being a young women was more than aware of the issuing with body image and the media. I personally have thought less of myself after looking through a magazine or watching a movie because of how flimsy and beautiful those women are. But I was not aware of the many causes that influence women into thinking so negatively. Reflection This particular article was actually informative and helpful towards my interrogation paper topic because it was exactly what I am writing about.Going into this project, I thought I knew quite a bit of information on this topic, but now reading these articles I realize that there is much more to the influence media has on women than I had imagined. Gemma Lopez- Guimera, Micheal P. Levine, David Sanchez-Carracedo, Jordi Fauquet. (2010), sour of Mass Media on Body Image and Eating Disordered Attitudes and Behavior in Females A Review of Effects and Processes. Media Psychology, 13387 416. P rint Summary This article reviews research on the effects of television andmagazines on body image and on disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in females. Evidence from different types of studies in the handle of eating disorders, media psychology, health psychology, and mass communication indicates that mass media are an extremely important source of information and reinforcement in relation to the nature of the thin beauty ideal, its importance, and how to attain it. Although considerable research remains to be done, evidence is accumulating that repeated exposure to media and to both direct and indirect (via medias effects on peers, parents, coaches, physicians, etc.) pressures from media to be thin constitute risk factors for body dissatisfaction, concerns over weight and disordered eating behaviors in adolescent girls and young women. Analysis I gear up this article to be both conceivable and reliable mainly on the fact that its research was conducted professionally. Th e multiple authors of this article are credible because they are head departments of psychology, clinical and health psychology, psychobiology, and methodology of health sciences all from admirable universities all over the world. Reflection This article help shapes the arguments in my research paper.My research paper is on the topic of mass media and its influence on society and with an article that focuses just on the female aspect of it, it will authentically help my arguments. So, J. and Nabi, R. (2013), Reduction of Perceived Social Distance as an Explanation for Medias Influence on Personal chance Perceptions A Test of the Risk Convergence Model. Human Communication Research, 39 317338. Print Summary The aim of this study was to develop the Perceived Parental Media Mediation Scale (PPMMS). in an initial test of this model, 500 undergraduate students at the University of California, Santa Barbara, participated in an experiment.Participants were exposed to entertainment clips that either portrayed a main character who is diagnosed with a sexually communicable disease or thinks he/she might have caught an STD and gets scared of testing for it. Overall, the risk convergence model received solid support from the data, with all paths emergent as significant except for the link between perceived realism and social distance. Reduction of social distance completely mediated the relationship between identification, transportation and personal risk perceptions, thus suggesting social distance as a valid causal mechanism of the process involving the two variables.Analysis This article is credible because studies were conducted at multiple universities such as University of Georgia and UC Santa Barbara by experts in the Department of Communications. I found this article to be non biased ground on the fact that they had conducted numerous experiments and tests on a large number of students and still found that their risk perception was influenced by the media. Re flection I found this article to be very helpful with my research paper, being that it was a rather long article with more than enough information explaining medias influence on personal risk perception.

Castaway Movie Analysis-Journeys

Castaway , directed by Robert Zemeckis, is a 2001 film starring Tom Hanks. Hanks stars as thrash Noland, a FedEx delivery man whose life is headed in the right direction, until his plane crashes and he is stranded on an island. He must adapt to his new life on the island oercoming many obstacles in browse to survive. Castaway explores three different journeys physical, inner and imaginative. Chuck Noland is a filmic representation of the philosophy of time equals m one and provided(a)y equals fulfilment.Zemeckis is deliberate in his obvious manipulation of the respondent as he uses a multitude of filmic techniques to create a connection between the audience and Chuck. The physical journey in Castaway is Chucks struggle to survive all the obstacles of living on the island and his journey to get home. On the island his inner journey of self discovery is about learning what is truly important in life. After he returns home he must learn to adapt to normal society and overcome his t raumatic ordeal. Chucks imagination is also retreatn on a journey when he creates a companion out of a volleyball, whom he shares all his ideas and secrets with. Castaway is a film that is rife with symbolism. The director has purposefully included an array of different signs that convey various meanings and concepts within the film. The first shot of the film is that of an old way and as the camera pans to the left we see a van tearaway(a) towards a crossroads. Immediately, these images of the road and the crossroads connote that a journey is going to take place. They symbolises that the unknown protagonist is going to come to a point in his life where he forget be unable to decide where he is going.As a result of the cyclic structure of the film, we see Chuck both physically and mentally arrive at the same crossroads from the opening scene. As a result of his years spent on the island is undecided about where he is heading so he pulls over and is given directions. He moves ou t into the heart and soul of the crossroads and considers which of the four roads he wants to travel knowing that whichever option he takes will lead to a different destination both physically and internally. The film ends with a close up of Chucks face as he gazes down his chosen path.The responder is left in a state of deliberate uncertainty about which path he has chosen. The audience can be certain of one thing his choices in life will be forever influenced by his ordeal. By leaving the ending open to interpretation, Zemeckis leaves the responder debating over which direction Chuck would have headed both in his car, and in his life. During the film we see the portion with the angels wings painted on it frequently. The parcel becomes the first person as we follow it to the destination. This personifies the package and gives the responder the impression that this package will be almost like another character.This package is one that washes up on the island with Chuck and is the only package he does not open. travel are symbolic of flying and being lifted. The wings package raises Chucks spirits and gives him hope that one day he will be able to deliver the package to its owner. The audience never find out what was in the parcel. This fosters a mind of mystery and intrigue in the responder. Would the contents of the recess have changed the outcome of Chucks life? Time is a motif that is heavily emphasised in this film. Clocks are effectively situated in the mis en scene, demonstrating that Chucks life is controlled by time.He believes organisation and time management is the key to his happiness. The gift his girlfriend, Kelly, gives him is a pocket watch with her picture inside and it is one of his only possessions on the island. While on the island the importance he placed on time fades, as his life is now run by nature. He finds himself alone with a limitless amount of time exclusively with nothing to do during it. He stares at the watch for long per iods, not because of time still because of the picture of Kelly in it. Like the wings package she becomes his symbol of hope and his motivation to get off the island.His determination and faith serve to evoke optimism within the responder and it gives them hope that Chuck will continue to survive until he gets off the island. The impact time has on his life is also evident when he is admonishing FedEx employees. He states We live or we die by the clock. Never allow ourselves to commit the sin of losing track of time. He says the same thing to the volleyball, Wilson, when he is planning their escape off the island. The context of when he says it changes the meaning of this quote.The first time it is said he is passionately trying to get workers to be more than efficient and the quote is an exaggeration. The second time Chuck makes this remark, death is actually a serious option. Although the timing of his escape is important to him, time is not what is driving him anymore, instead his desire to get back to Kelly. The volleyball, Wilson, becomes Chucks only companion on the island. Wilson is Chucks need for companionship personified. Wilson is a let out of Chuck as Wilsons face is made of his blood and is the physical manifestation of Chucks mental state. I know you. Chuck repeats to Wilson and this signifies that Chuck is aware that Wilson is a part of him while demonstrating Chuck trying to reassure himself of who he is. When Wilson is lost at sea, Chuck is devastated at losing his friend and one of the only things kept him sane on the island. Chucks palpable anguish evokes sympathy and grief within the responder. Chucks physical journeys are vulgar and the directors choice of having him works for FedEx is intentional. The scene where the audience is shown photographs of him with various modes of transportation also indicate that Chuck is a well travelled man.However, he does not check what life is really about. It is not until he is stranded physically that his inner journey begins and he realises what is really important in life. This concept forces the responder to lead themselves whether what they value most in life is really all that important. The use of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds is particularly effectual in contrasting Chucks life on the island with that of his old life. For the whole time that Chuck is on the island only diegetic sounds such as waves, wind and thunder is heard.The sounds of wildlife have been cut from the scene also. Zemeckis has done this to cozy up the fact that Chuck is completely isolated. The first non-diegetic music we hear is when Chuck is watching the island disappear in the mist as he rows away. Even without the ocular we know that Chuck is now leaving the island. The lighting in Castaway is central in showing Chucks isolation on the island. During storms, particularly the initial one which causes Chucks plane to crash, lightning and moonlight is all the light use in the scene.The lightn ing during the storms is hard key lighting and creates a sense of fear danger on screen and amongst the audience. The shadows that are cast on Chucks face from fire light and lightning show his vulnerability and panic. Zemeckis uses over the shoulder shots and close ups frequently on the island. This is done so the responder feels as though they are on that island with Chuck. The point of view shots that are used on the island are particularly useful in showing Chucks isolation. At numerous points we see the vast expanse of ocean through Chucks point of view.This technique once again highlights his loneliness and desperation to find another living companion. The birds eye view shots show Chuck, alone, meet by nature, highlighting his solitude. Panning camera movement is used repeatedly to introduce the viewer to the landscape of the scene. Zemeckis uses zoom to focus the responders attention on Chuck which enables them to discern his emotions from his facial expression, rather than dialogue. There is minimal dialogue used in Castaway. This is again used to demonstrate the characters segregation but it also serves another purpose.Minimal dialogue places greater emphasis on the other devices such as camera usage, music and lighting and it relies on these devices to convey the journeys. The 2001 free rein film, Castaway is an excellent example of a film encompassing physical, inner and imaginative journeys. The director, Robert Zemeckis, has exploited numerous filmic devices to allow the responder to experience the film as though it were reality. His effective use of symbolism, camera shots and angles, sound and lighting influences the responders view of the film.

The requirement for employers to allow maternity leave under United Kingdom law is a disadvantage to women in the workplace.

IntroductionWomen in the prevailplace have historically struggled to be on an equal footing with men twain in terms of pay and positions that they could achieve. In the U.K, where women are the majority population (51%) (ONS 2011), efforts to ease workplace contrast and to provide equal opportunities have become cardinal issues for political constitution debates. gestation period laws exist to improve the health of newborn babies and the mother and at the same time minimize the inconvenience of on the job(p) mothers objet dart they are at such an important stage of their lives. The 2010 Equality act has provided the legal framework to end workplace disagreement and specifically addresses maternal quality discrimination. The Marmot reexamine in 2010 that assessed the social determinants of health in the U.K has underscored well paid gestation and paternity leave as important for child and maternal health (Ward 2011). patch g everywherenment policy provides for maternity leave and bene rifles, availing these benefits have often disadvantaged women at the workplace. This paper will address issues surrounding maternity leave and its implications for women in the workplace.Maternity BenefitsLate stages of pregnancy and postnatal care are important periods in the life of a woman and maintaining a healthy mind and personify during these stages is critical for the cockers health. Maternity leave and the maternity benefits are clearly social policies that help working women strike a balance among work and their maternal role. Current policy digests women to take up to a year off from work to take care of their newly born. The regulations likewise permit women to return to their same jobs if they chose to within 26 weeks (The Telegraph 2014). The policy also permits women to request their employees for flexible working hours once they return to work. However, one of the stipulations is that women should take maternal leave in one block and are not all owed to break and manage their leave. These provisions are certainly essential from a social policy point of view as the Marmot review points to strong positive association between paid maternal leave and improved child health end point (Ward 2001). The benefits of such policies lies in the health improvement and the potential savings on the NHS child healthcare costs (Ward 2011).While the benefits of maternal leave cannot be disputed, the underway debate surrounds the continuing discrimination of women at the workplace and how maternal leave and benefits could actually contribute to preferential treatment of men over women in the push back market. Economic recession has also contributed to the increased discrimination against pregnant women. As a recent report from the U.K charity Working Families has pointed turn up, there are evolution number of complaints from women about pregnancy discrimination across the UK labor market (Working Families 2009). Evidence from recent disc erns in the U.K of women who availed maternity leave has only confirmed the asseverate discrimination against pregnant women. One survey commissioned by Slater & Gordon, one of the leading law firms in the U.K, for instance, reveals that women are suffering in lock up. This survey pointed out that women are made redundant while on maternity leave and that one in seven women lost their jobs after availing of the leave. Among the survey participants, 40% indicated that their jobs were changed and almost half of them revealed that they were either demoted or that their working hours were cut (McVeigh 2013). As Samantha mangwana, an employment lawyer says many big organizations are part of this overriding discrimination against pregnant women and frequently engage in out of court settlements. I see the same major companies again and again and again, writing out these cheques accompanied, of course, with a confidentiality clause(McVeigh 2013).A more recent survey conducted by OnePoll on 1000 women who availed of maternity leave revealed that 30% of the women who rejoined felt that they did not fit in with their work environment anymore and that more than 40% felt that they had lack of support and only 3% of them sought legal assistance over maternity discrimination (McVeigh 2013). These surveys clearly point to the existing trend of maternity discrimination in the workplace. An early qualitative study by the Equal Opportunities bang reported that women on maternity leave were subjected to discrimination in various ways. Some women involved in this study reported that their employees withheld salary increases and bonuses simply because they were on maternity leave. Similarly, several women reported that their employers used the maternity leave period to create changes to their job including demoting them upon return. For instance one of the women in the study said, I went from being a regional manager to a store manager and had to take a ?5,000 pay cut. While I was on maternity leave they advertise my job and gave it to a man just as they had joked they would (Davis et.al 2005). Evidence from these reports and surveys clearly project a worrisome picture of maternity discrimination and how availing authorized maternity leave could actually be a stumbling block for women in terms of their career prospects, promotions, pay increases and more seriously, how it could actually engender the risk of losing ones job. A more exact picture of the prevailing scenario is the fact that since 2007 there have been more than 9000 pregnancy discrimination cases against employees across the UK. Speaking of the trend, Maria Miller, the look for Women and Equalities, said, Its unacceptable that women suffer from discrimination when they become pregnant and yet many are saying that they are treated unfairly at work because of it (DCMS, 2013). A new national look for at the cost of ?1m has been commissioned to assess and to address the systemic problems that have resulted in the plight for women. It is expected that the findings from this research and further policy reforms would contribute to improving the situation for pregnant working women (DCMS 2013). However, already there is some good development from the legal policy vista that would ease the situation for women.New Parental Leave (More Choice)Given the existing problems and the resultant gender bias in the labor market it is clear that providing maternity leave and benefits as social welfare scheme , though absolutely essential from the health perspective of the newborn and the mother, has only added to the woes of women in the job market. A new and potentially improved social care policy is the proposed shared parental leave policy which is slated to come into effect from April 2015. Under this scheme newborn baby care could be easily shared between the father and the mother. This new policy permits fathers to take paternal leave just as mothers could up to 50 weeks and also permits them to take the leave in a discontinued pattern so that mothers and fathers can alternate in caring for the newborn baby while at the same time balance their work and family. This provides an opportunity for women who want to return to work a little early not to be overly concerned or stressed out about the baby care as the father could equally share the care of the newborn.ConclusionMaternity leave and maternity benefits are indispensable provisions from a pure social care perspective. These policies are in place to provide support to working women and to improve the health standards of the child and the mother. However, employers who are under pressures of poor economy are often discriminatory against pregnant women as the cost of maternity payments and the unyielding leave of absence from work are considered to be unnecessary and avoidable costs to the company. This has resulted in women availing maternal leave to be left redundant and replaced by others. Those who ret urn back to work are also forced to compromise their work status and compensation resulting in poor career prospects for the woman. Though maternity benefits are government policies and legal recourse is an option against maternity discrimination, barely a small percentage of affected women take that route to justice. The government has notwithstanding instigated more research and has also come up with a novel and well balanced solution to the problem with the introduction of the draft for the shared parental leave. This new provision is certainly a positive step in not only balancing the gender divide but also in avoiding discrimination against women at the workplace as it provides more options for the parents to balance their time between work and baby care.ReferencesDavis S, Neathey F, Regan J & Willison R 2005. Pregnancy discrimination at work A qualitative study, Pregnant & Productive. Working Paper Series no 23. Pub by The Institute for Employment Studies. Online Available at Accessed March 25th 2014 DCMS 2013. ?1 million to help tackle pregnancy discrimination at the workplace, online Available Accessed March 25th 2014McVeigh T 2013. One in seven women are made redundant after maternity leave, online Available at Accessed March 25th 2014 ONS 2011. 2011 Census Population Estimates for the United Kingdom, Online Available at Accessed March 25th 2014The Telegraph 2014. New Parental leave Whats on offer for mums and dadsOnline Available at Accessed March 25th 2014Ward R 2011. Health and equality impacts of well-paid parental leave, Pub by WHEC and MA. Online Available at Accessed March 25th 2014Working Families 2009. Report of Working families helpline and Alliance against pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. Pregnant women and new mums at risk of redundancy. Online Available at http//www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/PRENANCY-DISCRIMINATION-2.pdf Accessed March 25th 2014

Essay on Suicide

In the Aftermath of Teenage Suicide A Qualitative Study of the Psycho fond Consequences for the Surviving Family Members Committing felo-de-se in the teenage years can be perceived as the ultimate rejection of family, of significant other(a)s, and of society. This article examines the causes and effect of suicide in the youth of Sweden. In its study, topics such as the background of where signs of com/suicide-speech-outline/suicide are visible, methods of suicide, and results of suicide.The bereavement process after a suicide may differ qualitatively from other types of losses with prolonged reactions of grief and loneliness, greater feelings of shame, and perhaps most importantly, the prolonged search for the motive behind the suicide. This study examines the topic of teenage suicide finished methodical and scientific evidence. In examining this article, the psychiatry of consequences of suicide and how an outsiders perspective can be used to benefit and heal what was once a br oken family and the people affected by the death.This studys main purpose was to interview surviving members that had lost a teenager by suicide to increase the understanding of the circumstances that these families are living under and to generate hypotheses to be tested in future research. The study examines how the family will search for admonitory signs and clues to make sense of the tragedy at hand. Studies of family reactions following teenage suicide are hampered by the psychological difficulties of approaching the families and recruiting an unbiased sample of survivors.Most interview studies take away samples that are either compromised by a high attrition rate, or based on survivors who organize and actively work through the crisis in realise groups for suicide survivors. They derived their study from a larger research project on teenage unnatural deaths in which all teenage suicides were identified and the results were based on file material alone. They used another mixe d method where professionals involved in the aftermath were interviewed to investigate suicide survivors and also parents and siblings.Since all suicide victims were financially dependent on their families and none of the deceased had established a family of their own, the studys definition of a family was the persons living in the same household as the deceased at the time of the suicide. Persons included by this definition were biological parents, stepfathers, stepmothers, and siblings. To examine the family, a mutual trust and understanding had to be established with the respondents and captious self-reflection.The family had to make it known what was allowed and where the line was so the interviewers didnt cross it. Because the study is a hypothesis generating study, all interviews were started with broad questions and were closed with questions such as, What do you commend of this interview? The most poignant theme of the interviews was the search for the why? which still p reoccupied most of the parents. This search became more than salient when the suicide had come unexpectedly.Most of the teenagers had conceal their suicidal ideation not only from their families, but from other adults and peers. Nearly all parents expressed anger at being deceived, a deception that denied them the opportunity to bear parental support. Most teenagers and their families had lived a pro-social life, which had only increased the confusion and unanswered questions. Several had been known as a pride to any parent. Nonetheless, they still go about problems such as a broken love affair, fear of pregnancy, or difficulties with friends.The families had trouble seeing why what seemed like such trivial teenage problems had change into a matter of life and death. In hindsight, they reproached themselves for their ignorance. Even long after the suicide had occurred, families were still struggling to move on. Some parents had entertained the idea of committing suicide themse lves, but decided against it since they know all too well the consequences for their actions. Most teenagers who commit suicide do not express suicidal feelings or other hint at forthcoming suicide.To avoid bothering others, many families had withdrawn from casual socializing. The sense of being deceived results in low self-esteem and nourishes feelings of inferiority and shame. Many of the bereaved person appeared to be imbedded in silence. Unfortunately, younger siblings had received little help to work the crisis through. These children are more likely to be burdened than older siblings and need more time, more persistence, and an uncompromising readiness by the adult to deal with the most difficult questions.Help needs to be directed as direct help to siblings and parents, as well as to the family as a whole. A teenager suicide is a devastating trauma for the surviving family as a whole and the absence seizure of sustainable explanations to the suicide is a predominant issue i n the grief process. The prolonged social and psychological isolation of the families in grief should be challenged. thither is a need for better understanding and treatment schemes for families who have lost a teenage family member in suicide, and especially for the younger siblings who are lots forgotten.

Role of Money Market in Economic Development of Nigeria

give the sack Houses trading operations, the M integrityy Market and the Nigerian Economy A Preliminary Investigation C. B. Ezirim and F. E. Enefaa Abstract This newspaper investigates the kindreds subsisting mingled with the operations of give notice signs and the work indices of the currency mart and the general preservation. The method used mingled the estimation of statistical reasoning backward models and subsequent analysis of results use conventional statistics. The findings indicate that positive and hearty relationships existed betwixt the indicators of brush off houses and those of the m sensationy market and the big economy.Thus, the operations of these houses re come the unassailableials to boost the murders of the money market and the economy considerably. This calls for policy options that would favor the encouragement of existing houses and licensing of new ones to adequately carter for the inescapably of the overall economy. Introduction It has been underscored that deduction houses play very important roles in stimulant investments in the economy and in boosting the general operations of the money market.Not only do they serve as catalyst in the market, they ar, on their own, large-scale investors in the money market as well. Their role in facilitating profitable open market operations is worth stressing (CBN, 2004 Ezirim, 2005). Notwithstanding these and some other roles performed by rebate houses in a typical economy, the Nigerian money market operations are said to be sub-optimal in terms of engineering desired growth in the economy. The spy sub-optimality of the Nigerian money market is blamed, in part, on the poor performance of bank rebate houses and other money market institutions.Discount houses, from the on adapt of their operations in the country, were expected to cause the Nigerian money market to operate optimally. Since the money market is yet to achieve this objective, can we then say that the synth esis houses beat failed in their expected duties? It is the burden of this study to ravel the true position by x-raying the relationships among relevant unsettleds representing the operations of the money market and those of the discount houses.Furthermore, the entire activity of the discount houses is expected to directly or indirectly boost aggregate domestic investment, output, and income. The take aims of these macro magnitudes, even with the advent of discount houses, wealthy person left much to be desired. Does this suggest that these institutions, alongside others, have failed in their critical duty to the economy? The need to investigate the relationship amidst the 94 operations of these financial institutions and relevant macro indicators is only rife.It is, therefore, master(prenominal) purpose of this study to analyze the operational performance of discount houses in a pop the question to see how they relate with the general performance of the money market and the macro economy. Theoretical Framework and Review Concept and Roles of Discount Houses Discount houses are novel but novel developments that are meant to further the catalytic processes in the economical advancement of the less developed countries (LDCs) like Nigeria, especially in the money market sub-sector.By definition, discount houses are financial institutions devoted to trading in money market securities in the secondary market. As in Ezirim (2005), discount houses (DHs) were established to serve as financial intermediaries amid the Central pious platitude of Nigeria (CBN), authorised banks, and other financial institutions. DHs mobilize cash for investments in securities by providing discounting/rediscounting facilities in government short-term securities.According to Central Bank of Nigeria (2004 1) Revised Guidelines for discount houses in Nigeria, a discount house means any person in Nigeria who transacts a discount house business which in the main consists of tradin g in and holding of treasury bills, commercial bills and other securities and whose operations are in the opinion of the CBN those of a discount house. Local Banks and other financial institutions including insurance companies, with or without the participation of international finance institutions agreeable to the CBN, can subscribe to the shares of a iscount house business. heretofore the maximum permissible equity holding for any single investor in a discount house is 40%. Kakawa Discount House Ltd. (2005) provided a clean-cut approach to catch the discount house phenomenon. To them, a discount house is a specialist financial institution, which intermediates in the money market by pass judgment short-term monies for onward investment in short-term financial securities from commercial, universal, investment and development banks, building societies, other financial institutions and high net worth individuals.They are credited with playing a vital role in the Nigerian Monetary System by sitting at the centre of the money market, and pass the safest avenues available for investment in Nigeria today. They invest mainly in government treasury bills and to a lesser extent in commercial bills issued by downhearted chip companies, and accepted by creditworthy bank. Their principal specialization is in providing primary liquidity in the Nigerian financial sector through the get and selling of security in huge volumes for very short period of time.A discount house in Nigeria is a specialist financial institution that acts as an agent for facilitating the Open Market Operation (OMO) allocations and as a market marker in Nigeria money market. Ajie and Ezi (2001) maintained that the establishment of discount house in Nigeria has been an important development that led to an increased take of activity, fund flows and growth of the money market. 95 Establishment and Raison detre of Discount Houses in Nigeria Discount Houses were set up by the provisions of Sectio n 28, of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Decree No. 4 of 1991 and sections 61 of Banks and Other financial Institutions (BOFID) Decree No. 25 of 1991 as amended. Three discount houses commenced operations in 1993 while two others joined between 1995 and 1996. Discount Houses were primarily created in Nigeria to carry out the by-line functions (a)Promotion of rapid growth and efficiency in the money market (b) Acting as an intermediary between the CBN and licensed banks in Open Market trading operations (OMO) proceeding and other eligible transactions (c ) Facilitating the issuance and sale of short term government securities, (d) Providing discount/re-discount facilities for Treasury Bills, organisation Securities and other eligible financial instruments (e) Accepting short-term investments on an intermediary basis from banks and wholesale investors and (f) Providing short term financial accommodation to banks. The CBN injects or withdraws bills from the money market through the Discount Houses, whose operations will enable them serve as a mirror with which the CBN gauges the liquidity position in the market.Discount Houses help banks to adjust their books on a daily basis, resulting in the stimulation of the money market and paving the way for healthy growth, efficiency and professionalism. Following the recent CBN 2004 Guidelines, the functions of a Discount House were expanded to include (a) Providing portfolio and funds management services, (b) Providing financial and business solutions, and (c ) Other functions that may be prescribed by the CBN from time to time (CBN, 2004).Regulation and Control of Discount Houses in Nigeria The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulate and control the activities of the Discount Houses. In a bid to keep Discount Houses secure, the CBN strictly regulates them through daily, periodical, monthly, semi-annual and annual extending of their contestation of affairs while r elevant quarterly reports are sent to SEC. This keeps the regulatory agencies continuously informed of the situation prevailing in the Discount Houses on a daily basis ( Kakawa, 2005).In terms of prudential requirements, the CBN (2004) required that every discount house shall (a) transfer to the statutory reserve a minimum of 15 share of profit after tax if the reserve fund is less than the paid-up capital and a minimum of 10% if the reserve fund is equal to or more than the paid-up capital (b) maintain capital funds to risk assets ratio of 113 and cash asset ratio (CAR) of 10% or as may be prescribed by the CBN from time to time (c ) not exceed a maximum ratio of 501 between its total borrowing and capital plus reserves without the prior approval of the CBN (d) not grant to any bank, facility of more than 75% of its shareholders funds unimpaired by losses without the prior approval of the CBN (e) (i)at all times maintain not less than 60% of total borrowing in government securitie s (ii) whatever discount house which fails to maintain the 60% of borrowings in government securities is guilty of offence and liable to fine as stipulated in Section 15(4)(b) of BOFIA as amended. (f) shall distinguish and make provision for its risk assets in line with prudential guidelines for banks (g) maintain proper books of accounts (h) every discount house shall display its daily rates or interest in a conspicuous position in all its offices (i) 96 hanges in the discount houses top management and plank of Directors shall be subject to the prior approval of CBN (j) every discount house shall appoint an auditor approved by the CBN whose duties shall be to make to the shareholders a report of their annual balance sheet and profit and loss account. The qualifications, duties, powers and responsibilities of the approved auditors shall conform to the provisions of Section 29 of BOFIA 1991, as amended and (k) all repurchase transactions (Repos) by discount houses shall be reporte d on the balance sheet if the securities used are owned by the discount houses with the affected assets remaining in the books of the sellers (discounting houses), while the cash received by them shall be recognized as a liability (CBN, 2004). Services and Financing of Discount Houses Discount Houses offer a wide range of financial products to Banks, Non-Bank Financial Institutions and the general public.The main services include (a) Securities trading which includes buying and selling of Treasury Bills, Treasury Bonds, Government Bonds, and mercantile Bills (b) Accepting short-term investments from banks and providing short-term accommodation to banks (c) Short-term financial intermediation through the acceptance of funds and simultaneous investment of the funds in commercialised Papers, Bankers Acceptances, Government Securities (d) Providing personalized wealth management to high net-worth individuals through a network of investment managers, financial consultants and other spe cialists (e) Effective portfolio management on both discretionary and non-discretionary basis through the provision of medium to long term investment management services to Pension funds, Private clients, Employee Schemes, Trustees of family settlements and charities and (f) Providing Business Solutions in Financial Arrangement and Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, Privatization, Business Assessment, Business Structuring, and Data Resource and Management (kakawa Discount House Ltd. , 2005) The Sources of funds for discount houses in Nigeria included (a) Equity Paid- up bully and Reserves. (b) Call money and short-term borrowings of not more than three years maturity. (C) Call money placed by banks with discount houses shall form part of the stipulate liquid assets of the respective banks for the purpose of the liquidity ratio requirement. d) A discount house that is short of funds may (i) obtain from the CBN an overnight advance against acceptable collateral. However such an a dvance shall not exceed 20 percent of the total assets of the discount house and shall not in any event be granted if the discount house has exceeded the borrowing limit as prescribed by CBN (ii) sell short-term bills and/or other securities to the CBN. The CBN shall provide rediscounting facilities for treasury and other eligible securities and (iii) enter into Repurchase transactions with the CBN using eligible securities. The short-term nature of the liabilities of a discount house requires that its assets be substantially liquid.The assets of a discount house shall consist of the following a) Treasury Bills b) Treasury Certificates c) Negotiable Certificates of Deposit (NCDs) d) Bankers Acceptances e) Commercial Papers (eligible) f) Asset-Backed Securities (of not more than three years to maturity) g) Federal Government Development 97 Stocks (development stocks not exceeding five years) h) Eligible State Bonds (bonds with not more than five years to maturity) i) Promissory Notes issued by State Governments and j) to each one other securities that may from time to time be approved by the CBN. Discount Houses, Open Market Operations, and the property Market Open Market Operations (OMO) is an indirect monetary policy technique that is used to control the level of money supply.It involves the sale/purchases of money market instruments in the open market. In Nigeria, the money market instrument used for OMO auctions is the Treasury Bills. Discount houses are the exclusive agents, in the conduct of OMO in Nigeria. OMO auction are held on a weekly basis. Presently, the notice is put out on Wednesday. Banks and other participants forward their bids to the discount houses on Thursday whilst the results are released the following day, Friday. The Discount House submits bids from authorized dealers, including its needs for OMO instruments, to the Central bank and facilitates the payments and settlement of the transactions.The money market is a wholesale market for low risk, highly liquid, short-term debt instruments. Shortterm refers to a tenor of less than one year. In Nigeria, the instruments traded in the main are Treasury Bills, Bankers Acceptances and Commercial Paper. The heart of activity in the money market occurs in the dealing rooms of discount houses and banks. Each day, zillion of Naira is traded between operators in the money markets (CBN, 2004 Kakawa, 2005). Performance of Discount Houses in Nigeria Since inception, the discount houses have especially increased the level of activity in the secondary market for government securities. This is apparent from the volume of treasury bills currently held by banks. This increased from N5,181. meg in 1992 to N38,286. 8 million in 1994. This is very remarkable when we consider that the treasury bills issued by the CBN had shown a downward slide from N81152. 1 million in 1992 to N30633. 2 million in 1994 and N20247. 7 million in 1996. As at 2002, there were 5 discount houses operating i n Nigeria. Relative to their performance in 2001, they recorded significant growth in 2002. The total assets of the 5 operating Houses amounted to N57. 3 billion at December 2002 and N67. 3B as at the end of 2004 ( resonate Table 1 below). Total funds available amounted to N28. 7 billion compared with N9. 7 billion in 2001. The funds were sourced mainly from money-at-call (N13. billion), other amounts owed to bank and non-bank customers (N11. 7 billion), accretion to capital and reserves (N1. 6 billion), and reduction in cash and balances with banks (N1. 5 billion). 98 Table 1 Selected Indicators of Discount Houses, Money Market and Nigerian Economy Discount Houses Shareholders Funds (DHSF) NM 1993 436. 0 1994 565. 7 1995 865. 6 1996 1251. 7 1997 1430. 5 1998 1710. 3 1999 2136. 5 2000 3730. 7 2001 4948. 6 2002 6511. 0 2003 7679. 0 2004 9924. 5 Source CBN Annual Reports, respective(a) years. Year Discount Houses Assets (DHASS) NM 4,461. 8 9,583. 2 3,431. 9 1,178. 4 6,996. 1 7,842. 6 15,049. 6 30,260. 8 32,353. 7 57,282. 52,731. 2 67,346. 2 The funds were largely utilized for investments in government securities (N19. 7 billion), settlement of claims to banks (N2. 4 billion), and acquisition of other assets (N2. 4 billion) among other uses (CBN, 2002 42, 43). The Central Bank (2004a) reported that the level of activities of discount houses recorded relatively improved performance in 2004 relative to compared with what obtained in 2003. The total assets/liabilities rose from N52. 7 billion in 2003 to N67. 3 billion in 2004, representing an increase of N14. 6 billion or 27. 7 per cent, while the total funds sourced amounted to N22. 6 million, compared with N15. billion in the preceding year See Table 1). The funds were sourced mainly from non-bank customers (N8. 1 billion), reduction on claims by banks (N5. 7 billion), and an increase in reserves (N2. 2 billion). The funds were utilized mainly in the purchase of Federal Government securities of less than 91- age maturity (N16. 2 billion). Discount houses investment in Federal Government securities of less than 91 days maturity amounted to N38. 1 billion at end-December 2004, representing 80. 1 percent of their total deposits liabilities. This was 20. 1 percentage points higher than the prescribed minimum of 60. 0 per cent for fiscal 2004 (CBN, 2004a).These show how important the impact of the discount houses has largely been felt in the level of activity and nature of holding of government debts instruments. Research Methodology shape of the study and Data The study investigates the effect of the operational Performance of the discount houses on the Nigerian economy. The method employed included the estimation and analysis of regression models. For the purpose of this study, the research design used was the investigative research method which is mainly biased to inferential statistical analysis (Baridam, 2005). This study was intended to overcome the entire discount houses operating in N igeria.Accordingly, time series annual data 99 covering the period of 1993 through 2004 were obtained and analyzed. The Annual Report and bidding of Account of the CBN for various years constituted the sources of the time series data for the estimations. Operational Measure of the Variables The dependent variables in this study are the operational performance indices of the money market and the entire economy, viz. the total value of operations of the money market and the real GDP respectively. The independent variables are the operational performance indices of the discount houses, namely the discount houses shareholders fund (DHSF) and discount houses assets (DHAS).Data Analysis Techniques Besides the desk research method which informs an extensive review of the theoretical underpinnings related to this topic, the study involved the estimation of conventional regression models as earlier mentioned which assisted in analyzing the data. The ordinary least square (OLS) technique wa s also adopted using the SPSS computer software for the estimation of the variables. The tand F- tests were used to test for significance of the results obtained. Hypotheses, Estimation Results, and Analysis Two hypotheses were formulated to the intent of finding the nature and magnitude of relationship existing between discount houses operations, on one part, and the money market operations and the general economic activity of the country, on the other. The resultant linear regression models were estimated and analyzed below. social intercourse between Discount Houses and Money Market Operations The first ypothesis states that there is no significant relationship between the countrys money market operational performance and the operations of discount houses in the country. As expected the regression statistics were calculated using the SPSS computer software programme. The indicator of the money market, namely money operations from 1993 through 2004 were regressed against the ind icator of discount houses, namely, the total capital injections (shareholders fund DHSF) of discount houses on one part, and total assets of discount houses (DHAS) on the other. This military operation yields two subhypotheses one relating money market operations (MMOP) with discount houses shareholders fund (DHSF) and the other linking MMOP with discount houses assets (DHAS).The results of the computations are summarized on Table 2 which depicts the regression results of relations between the above variables. In each berth, the MMOP remained the dependent or explained variable, while the DHSF and DHAS were the independent variables. As shown by the Table, for the MMOP-DHSF relation, the detect coefficient of regression was 0. 995, while the same statistic was observed as 0. 978 for the MMOP-DHAS relation. 100 This suggested that the degree of association between the money market performance and the discount houses operations was very high, being at least 97%. The observed high degree of relationship was confirmed by each of the coefficient of determination (r2) of 0. 91 and 0. 957 respectively. The results of the r2 showed that at least 95. 7% of the variations in money market operations can be attributed to the effects of discount houses operation, when the explanatory variable was DHAS. Table 2 Regression Results Showing Relationship between Discount Houses and Money Market Operations Independent Variables Statistics DHSF DHAS Coefficient of Regression (R) . 995 . 978 Coefficient of Determination (r2) . 991 . 957 Adjusted R Square . 990 . 952 F-Ratio 1050. 12 220. 522 import Level of F . 000 . 000 Regression Coefficient (beta) . 995 . 978 t-Statistics 32. 406 14. 85 Significance level of t . 000 . 00 * Dependent variable is MMOP. Source Computer Printout (SPSS) The level of explained variation when the explanatory variable was DHSF was 99. 1%. The range of the degree of explained variation referable to the models, thus, was between 95% and 99%. After adjusting for the effects of small sample size ( lean of observations) and number of independent variable (which remained constant however in each case implying that only sample size was adjusted), the adjusted coefficient of determination, r2, were 0. 99 for DHSF and 0. 952 for DHAS. By implications after the necessary adjustments, the proportion of explained variation remained at between 95% and 99%.The F-ratios of 1050. 12 for DHSF variable and 220. 522 for DHAS variable are all significant at 1% level or less (P = . 000 in each case). This implies that the relationships between MMOP and DHSF and DHMS are statistically significant at the conventional levels. The relative effects of each independent variable as denoted by the t-statistics are equally computed to be statistically significant as expected (t = 32. 406 for DHSF and t=14. 85 for DHAS P= . 000 in each case) at 1% level of significance. Given these, we cannot accept a visionary hypothesis of no significant relationship between operations of the money market and those of the discount houses.Thus, there is a statistically significant relationship between discount houses operations and money market performance in Nigeria. Discount houses operating in Nigeria affect the Nigerian money market both positively and significantly. Relationship between Aggregate Economic Performance and Discount Houses Operations The second hypothesis attempts to know whether or not the general economy has been significantly impacted by the discount houses operations in the country. This hypothesis stated in the nugatory is as 101 follows There is no significant relationship between the aggregate economic performance represented by the GDP and the operations of discount houses in Nigeria.Table 3 Regression Results Showing Relationship between Discount Houses Operations and Real DGP Independent Variables Statistics Coefficient of Regression (R) Coefficient of Determination (r2) Adjusted R Square F-Ratio Significance Level of F Regression Coefficient (beta) t-Statistics Significance level of t DHSF . 971 . 943 . 937 163. 97 . 000 . 971 12. 805 . 000 DHAS . 947 . 898 . 887 87. 705 . 000 . 947 9. 365 . 000 * Dependent variable is real GDP. Source Computer Printout (SPSS) The regression statistics were calculated using the SPSS computer software program. The indicator of the economy namely Real GDP from 1993 through 2004 were regressed against the indicators of iscount houses, namely, the total capital injections (shareholders fund DHSF) of discount houses on one part, and total assets of discount houses (DHAS) on the other. This procedure yielded two subhypotheses one relating Real GDP (RGDP) with discount houses shareholders funds (DHSF) and the other linking RGDP with discount houses assets (DHAS). The results of the computations are summarized on Table 3 which depicts the regression results of relations between the above variables. In each case, the RGDP was treated as the dependent or explained va riable, while the DHSF and DHAS were the independent variables. As shown by the Table, for the RGDP-DHSF relation, the observed coefficient of regression was 0. 971, while the same statistic was observed as 0. 947 for the RGDP-DHAS relation.This suggested that the degree of association between the aggregate economic performance and the discount houses operations was very relatively high, being at least 94%. The observed high degree of relationship was confirmed by each of the coefficient of determination (r2) of 0. 943 and 0. 898 respectively. The results of the r2 showed that at least 89% of the variations in aggregate economic activities can be attributed to the effects of discount houses operations, when the explanatory variable was DHAS. The level of explained variation when the explanatory variable was DHSF was 93. 7%. The range of the degree of explained variation attributable by the models thus was between 89% and 94%. 102After adjusting for the effects of small sample size ( number of observations) and number of independent variable (which remained constant however in each case implying that only sample size was adjusted), the adjusted coefficient of determination, r2, were . 937 for DHSF and . 887 for DHAS. By implications after the necessary adjustments, the proportion of explained variation remained at between 88% and 93%. The F-ratios of 163. 97 for DHSF variable and 87. 7 for DHAS variable are all significant at 1% level or less (P = . 000 in each case). This implies that the relationships between RGDP and DHSF and DHAS are statistically significant at the conventional levels. The relative effects of each independent variable as denoted by the t-statistics are equally computed to be statistically significant as expected (t = 12. 8 for DHSF and t = 9. 4 for DHAS P= . 00 in each case) at 1% level of significance. Given these, we cannot accept a null hypothesis of no significant relationship between aggregate economic activities of Nigeria and operati ons of the discount houses. Thus, there is a statistically significant relationship between discount houses operations and economic performance of Nigeria. Discount houses operating in Nigeria affect the Nigerian economy both positively and significantly. Concluding Remarks It was thus the main purpose of this study to analyze the operational performance of discount houses in a bid to see how they relate with the general performances of the money market and with the macro economy.Put simply, the study investigated the effects of the operational Performance of the discount houses on the Nigerian money market and the economy. The method employed included the estimation and analysis of regression models. The results indicated that there is a statistically significant relationship between discount houses operations and money market performance in Nigeria. Discount houses operating in Nigeria affect the Nigerian money market both positively and significantly. Furthermore, there is a stat istically significant relationship between discount houses operations and economic performance of Nigeria. Discount houses operating in Nigeria affect the Nigerian economy both positively and significantly.The results suggest that the establishment of discount houses has been shown to be one of the potent measures that have tremendous potentials to strengthen and cause real growth to the money market and the economy. In keeping with the above, the Government and the Central Bank should endeavor to license more discount houses since their operations are beneficial to the country. The five discount houses currently operating are too few to satisfy the requirements of a capacious country like Nigeria. The opearational Houses and the authorities should also endeavor to awake the consciousness of the investing and the business public to proper usage of the facilities and services provided by discount houses.Candid awareness should be provided and information made available to the invest or public to know which discount house is performing better and good for patronage. The management of the operating discount house should endeavor to improve in their service offerings to their customers especially in the area of making their discount charges to be reasonably competitive. This could also improve the backup level of the 103 operating discount houses in the economy. It is important that discount houses management, investors and government critically analyze and understand the effect of under-utilization of services or facilities provided by discount houses.It is the humbly suggestion of the authors that further empirical works be carried out on the identified relationships using more powerful and sophisticated tools and larger number of observations such as in the cases of monthly and quarterly data. Comparisons between the Nigerian experiment and the experiences of other developing countries should also be made. These would assist the general understanding of the un ique roles of discount houses in the less developed countries. 104 References Ajie, H. A. and Ezi, C. T. (2001) Financial Institutions and Markets, Paragraphics Publishers, Enugu. Baridam, D. M. (2005) Research Methods in Administrative Sciences. NTA Road, Port Harcourt. Sherbrooke Associates. Central Bank of Nigeria (2002) Annual Report and rumor of Accounts. Abuja CBN Press. Central Bank of Nigeria (2004) Revised Guidelines for Discount Houses. CBN Press.Central Bank of Nigeria (2004a) Annual Report and Statement of Accounts. Abuja CBN Press. Ekezie, E. S. (1990) Elements of Banking. Ibadan University of Ibadan Press. Ezirim (2005) Finance Dynamics Principles, Techniques, and Applications. Port Harcourt Markowitz. Federal Government of Nigeria (1991) Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BOFID) Decree No. 25 of 1991. Lagos Government Press. Federal Government of Nigeria (1991) Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Decree No. 24 of 1991. Lagos Government Press. Kakawa Discount House Lim ited (2005) Discount Houses in Nigeria. www. Google. com, Accessed October 2005. Layi Afolabi (1992) Law and Practice of Banking. Lagos Lagos University Press. 105

Autobiography – Maxwell Joseph Delaney

I was born on the 28th of July 1986 in Greenwich hospital and I was given the Maxwell Joseph Delaney. I lived in New skip for a quarter of a year in a cosy little flat in Florence Terrace where I lived with my Mum, Dad and my brother Nick.I then moved to Gosforth in Newcastle where I attended South Gosforth First School. In the nursery, my instructor was nattered Ms Handyside. There was a sandpit, paddling pool, toy den and a library, I used the toy den the most because it had toy motorbikes, I used to run riot with them.I had my 6th birthday in my cover charge garden. It was excellent There were some people dressed up as cartoon characters. There was Bart Simpson, The Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and Barney the dog. My dog Cher dog Barney around the garden.I lived in Newcastle until I was 8 then I moved keister down to London where I lived in Blackheath, I started in year 3 at John Ball Primary School. My teacher was called Ms Carter, the commencement person I met was a boy ca lled Patrick. On the prime(prenominal) day a boy called Michael Leal got rather emotional over a fewer Maths questions he got wrong, it was hilarious Every time the teacher said it was okay he got worseIn year 4 my teacher was Mr Russell, I broke my arm that year. I was coming home from football gimpy with my brother on the bikes and I skidded into his bike and I went straight over the bars. I waited in Greenwich Hospital for 2 hours before I could even be X-rayed. I was in plaster for 6 weeks, 6 glorious weeks full of no work and just laying board games in school When I went to the hospital to have it removed they showed me what they were going to do it with I screamed It was a big saw I was scared at first but when they started stinger it tickled and I was laughing. On the other hand my mum wasnt, in that respect was a lady in the bed following(a) to me who was having nails from her leg removed and my Mum tangle very faint.In year 5 and 6 I was in the school football team, we won the league both years and paid 2 scrutinises for tournaments at Millwall. My nickname was The Wall because of my defensive capabilities.When I was 9 my Nan died. I was living in London and we were coming back from a visit up to Newcastle and thats when my Mum decided to tell me. My first emotion was sadness and I cried through the whole journey but after a few weeks I realised it was for the best as my Nan was in extreme pain as she was suffering from leukaemia. We had visited her every day in hospital. It was sad for me because I knew that she was very close to dying. There was one funny affaire about it my Brother and I would sit in the chair by the patient next to my Nan. We would touch her flowers and she would start waving her hands frantically at us.My Brother and I were not allowed to go to my Nans funeral because my Mum and Dad wanted us to recommend all the good times and not her lying in a coffin.It was the my first day at Crown Woods, I can remember argus-eyed and mite Oh, my God Ive got to go back. After a long play during the summer that is genuinely how I felt. I just didnt want to go back because I knew it would be a lot harder. I was rushing about all morning trying to get everything perfect because I didnt want to miscue up on my first day. I gave my Mum a kiss, she wished me luck and sent me off. I walked half way down the road and I got the feeling I was forgetting something. I dug my hands deep into my pockets and found there was nothing in them. I rushed off home and asked for some dinner money and keysId just got off the bus and saw the school for only the third time and it looked like a prison but I wasnt intimidate at all.It was a day when it was only year sevens in school and I was one of the biggest so I loved it nobody time-tested anything.As I walked into the tutor room I didnt know anybody so I just sat anywhere, I made friends quickly with Ricky, Nick and Dan.My first lesson was English and I didnt enjoy it at all. We had to write about ourselves, it was a lot harder than Primary school English lessons.At break I contend football with the boys from my tutor group. I didnt score any but I managed to make a huge impression with my football skills. I took Jorel and Ryan out of the game by dirtying them up good.The rest of the day was really boring.This year I had just moved into my new house. We werent allowed pets as we were renting.We had received a call the previous evening to say that the landlord Ahmed was coming over to fix the plugs, as a few of them were a bit dodgy.My Mum had recently bought my little infant Lauren a hamster called Hercules. Lauren would put Hercules in a pink jewellery box and call him Duchess.It was Saturday morning at around 1000 am, everyone was up except Nick, the landlord was referable at 1030 am. My Mum had remembered the Hamster upstairs and proceeded to mutter to herself Where am I going to hide the hamster. I offered her a cup of tea to brace her and we th en began to think of places to hide the hamster. First of all there was the cupboard under the stairs, but the landlord might hear him, then, my Mums wardrobe, but there was the sound thing again.We were as dry as the desert for ideas, suddenly I came up with the shed. Perfect Ahmed would never go out there. My Mum asked me to take the hamster out there while she hovered up. I unlocked the patio doors ran out into the garden, ducked the clothesline and put the hamster in the shed. I then ran back, ducked the clothesline and SMACK When I got up I could see my sister in hysterics. I had run straight into the patio doors and knocked myself out. The Landlord never did find the hamster.

Prose coursework Essay

London being the most mesomorphic city of its vast British empire had get going the central point of the world. In the Victorian period, Britain owned the majority of the world and science was taking major jumps in hi humbug with discoveries, inventions and theories, for eccentric the Darwin theory of growing and the inventions of much revolutionary technology, such as the light bulb, the telephone etc. London was filled with flavour it was a city where gas powered lamps lit the squalid streets covered with eerie shadows.Carriages clattered day and darkness delivering the rich and wealthy, but London was slowly deteriorating through wicked serial murders, drug mis mathematical function and stir prostitutes. The city was famous for poverty commonwealth who were stricken by ill health, cramped living conditions and spirited risk of sewerage water contamination. Soot rained over the city as the industrial revolution was at its peak, which was the cause of the covering of layer s of black pollution creating a dark, dreary place.Public executions were frequency and Victorian people lived from day to day fearing crime, as renowned murderers walking the streets of London ca apply widespread fear across London, for exemplification the likes of Jack the Ripper, infamous for ruthless murders of prostitutes and taunts he sent to the irresponsible police force, evidently many officers were publically exposed as corrupt. Victorians had lost their respect for the police as they were thought to be unreliable in their protection of the desperate civilians of London. Arthur Conan Doyles character, Sherlock Holmes, surfaced in 1887.The people had found their savior, many immediately pelt for the fictional character, and Holmes was seen as the super human detective like a cake with many layers, where individually layer was revealed slowly throughout the fiction. He was a detective able to solve every closed book he beed to be a superhero always seeking justice to o vercome evil. This fantasy became such a reality that when its creator tried to kill him off in 1893, many fans protested and even the germ received death threats warning him to keep them supplied with the drug that feed their addiction for Holmes.This super sleuth had become famous in every province of the world. Many films, TV production, websites, museums and even organizations of secret police ground in Eastern Europe were dedicated to him. Conan Doyle based his idea for Holmes on the traditional guide, but devised and invented the use of the scientific approach to solving mystery observation, analysis of data observed, formation of theory based unaccompanied on the facts. The traditional detective story is based on sudden adventitious spate Doyle believed these circumstances didnt occur in reality.Doyles mastery of the six rules of detective story allowed him to use the extra-ordinary. His supposition was to reveal the mystery at the opening of the story followed by the de velopment which explores detail of the story and at the conclusion Holmes explains and elaborates how the crime was committed. Holmes role and character is reveals throughout the story this is where we gain knowledge of his personality and mannerism, for example -In the Red Headed league the case seem to be a joke but Holmes is still inflexible to work out the mystery, this show Holmes doesnt fail to attempt even if it seem unworthy task.-In the cloud Band Holmes pick up the smallest detail like the nonworking bell, the vent that leads into another room instead of outside, the fuck that was bolted to the floor, a safe which had two holes, milk on a small plate not used for any animal a their home and the impression on the chair which had feet impression that was directly low the vent, these deduction prove Holmes superhuman ability and why he became so successful. Dr.Watson is the story teller, his relationship with Holmes seems to be strict controlling and ordered towards Dr. W atson but during their breaks Holmes becomes joyful and friendly towards Dr. Watson, for example -In the Red Headed League Holmes tells Dr. Watson to pass along him for 50 minutes to smoke his pipe and think, this order show Holmes superior over Dr. Watson. During many cases Dr. Watson seem to be the plot device as he develops the plot. The Speckled band is mystery where Holmes faces Dr.Roylett, throughout this story a lot of tension is built. Holmes conversation with Helen Stoner is calmer as Holmes gives her sympathy here Holmes is presented as her dub in shining armor. 1 Sherlock Holmes Coursework Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

Dai Sijie’s book ‘Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress’ Essay

In Dai Sijies book, Balzac and the undersize Chinese Seamstress, the two master(prenominal) characters are brought to shoother to experience the hardships of re-education but even off then they manage to stay optimistic. Dai Sijie focuses on the survival and the power of human spirit and imagination to destructionure of Luo and the narrator, Ma. The boys stay aspirant by decision solutions to their problems during the re-education.Luo feels physically tired and so turns vertebral column the hands of the clock to get some extra balance so he can get through the day. The Little Chinese Seamstress tries and cures Luo of his disease even though she doesnt have the proper medical equipment. Four-Eyes on the other hand continues to try and involve the peasants by risking the chance of getting caught with all the banned books by leaving his door open middling to display his reliance in the peasants and by hiding away meat and pretending that he doesnt eat meat to please them.The boys can be viewed as hopeful in the ways in which they adapt to and find solutions to the hardships of re-education such as manipulating the start of the working day with the alarm clock. The boys confess a few days after getting to the mountain and carrying the buckets of shit up and down the mountain, in the end we had changed the position of the hands so many times we had no idea what the time really was. The boys deliver advantage of the peasants ignorance of technology to cheat the village of their labor.But they are barely doing this because of the harshness of re-education that led them to be this physically drained out. They were being forced to turn into cheaters but for them this wasnt deceiving, it was merely how they believed they could bring their bodies back to normal and start adapting to the change. By saying losing track of what the time really was, Dai Sijie also symbolizes their fear of neer returning to their families and leading their old lives.Besides Luo conclusion a solution to the hard working conditions during the re-education, the Little Chinese Seamstress found a solution to curing Luos malaria and stayed hopeful. Although during the time of the re-education, in that respect were no proper medical care and due to that Luo may have suffered from malaria for a long time. On the way to the Little Chinese Seamstresss house for the oral cinema in her town, some other attack struck Luo and when they arrived at, Luo looked really sick so the Little Chinese Seamstress used a inseparable medicine on him and hoped that it worked. She didnt panic and act irrationally. The remedy that used was a natural paste made of the leaves of a plant called Broken-bowl-shards. This shows that the Seamstress believes in nature and tries her luck wherever she can. She says In my opinion you cant believe in them totally, but you cant deny them either. This incisively proves that whether or not the results are going to be as desired, it is definitely worth a shot.Four-Eyes is a representation of a character who would do anything to escape re-education and his continuous tries are what make him seem hopeful that one day he will succeed. Ever since he has been living on the mountain, he doesnt lock the doors of his house. When the readers first hear from him about this he claims that he is so anxious to demonstrate his trust in the revolutionary peasants that he never used to lock his doors. This just proves how desperate he is for their trust. He leaves his door unlocked even though he has a hidden suitcase of books that if found, can get him into serious troubles but he is willing to take that risk. He is also abstaining from meat.He would spring to his feet, promptly hide the pan in a corner as if it were contraband, and put out a supply of marinated vegetables. This not only portrays his fear, but the use of the word contraband by Dai Sijie is interesting as it brings up other suggestions. Contrabands are illegally smuggled goods and the comparison between the meat and the contraband shows how scared Four-Eyes is. To Four-Eyes, consume meat struck him a crime typical of the bourgeois class to which his family belonged so he contumacious to sacrifice eating meat. Four-Eyes stops at nothing to gain his pleasures. This single-mindedness in the face of adversity (when he breaks his glasses and the boys find him trying to carry the rice sacks alone) could be viewed as a form of hopefulness.To conclude, I have to say that the boys need to be credited for having dealt with their situations so optimistically. They only had a three in a thousand chance of returning home but even then they have stayed hopeful through the novel and took things as they came their way. I believe that the characters main way of staying hopeful is by finding solutions to the problems and hardships of their life currently during the re-education at the Phoenix Mountain. What the two boys have taken from this experience definitely ha s been the readiness to be independent and solve situations they are faced with and most importantly learnt that success can be achieved by staying hopeful.Also the books and their passion for literature has indeed played a part in this as the books is what has kept them going for this long and they work so hard all day only knowing that later at night they have the book to go back to and relax. Their hope to animation them going through the day is the thought of knowing that this means they can go home to reading. Four-Eyes on the other hand has this obsessive pursuit of freedom and his hope is what is keeping that driving force in him going but in this battle, he has lost his temper and feels agitated as his results are not coming out positive.