The battles of Trenton and Princeton altered the course of the Essay

The battles of Trenton and Princeton altered the course of the American Revolution - Essay Example ate the spirit of the debilitated and, thanks to the poor oversight of an inept Continental Congress, nearly-destitute army of disillusioned soldiers in the wake of an initial series of major setbacks and stinging retreats. Conversely the battles of Trenton and Princeton might be said to mark a point in the war when the over-confidence and inscrutable miscalculations of conquering British troops and Hessian mercenaries left their better-equipped ranks susceptible to unexpected Patriot maneuvers and stunned alarm at the remarkable tenacity of the all-but-subjugated revolutionary upstarts. New York had recently fallen, and the Continental army had fled in full retreat across New Jersey, with the superior British forces at their heels (Ellis 96). Frightened citizens, fearful the colonial capital was doomed to fall to the British as well, were fleeing Philadelphia with their families and possessions (Rodney 13). Washington and his men had managed to traverse the Delaware river into Pennsylvania and to prevent the British from following by demolishing every sea-worthy vessel, save those required for the troops, for sixty miles along its banks (McCullough 263). Without the slightest hesitation or apology, two brigades, a full two thousand of Washingtons men, had simply abandoned the fight, their enlistment up (McCullough 256). Inexplicably, rather than go after his clear advantage, the British General Howe opted for wintering down on the opposite side of the Delaware river, establishing outposts in a chain of forts stretching from New York through New Jersey, fully antici pating victory over the hapless insurrection by the following spring (Green and Pole 301). It was December of 1776, and a Hessian brigade led by Colonel Johan von Rall was stationed in Trenton, directly across the Delaware from the Patriot forces. The Hessians typically maintained outposts on round-the-clock watch, and had been alerted by a Loyalist to a possible attack (Ellis 98). The Hessians, who

Psy-Trance in the Realm of Disco Essay Example for Free

Psy-Trance in the Realm of Disco Essay Admittedly so, being myself no less a stranger than a fan of the latent psychedelic rave culture of the last decade, with its steady pounding trance-inducing techno-grove, I was altogether rather curious to discover just what kind of a picture that Richard Dryer had to present in his famous essay (Dryer, 1979). For years, before they lost most of their covert appeal, stealing away to a Rave was somewhat popular for my generation; at least in the places where I grew up. So there was just something exciting to me, anticipating what he was about to relate of this earlier pop culture often rumored to share the same DNA of the psy-trance music of today’s Technocratic Age. It seems as if disco, understandably at its time a more readily accessible form of escapism had also quickly spread to far off distant lands overseas. It was probably the anticipation of some new and exotic twist that I was about to discover of the past that suddenly had my head inadvertently bobbing back and forth to some memorable however invisible beat. It seems to happen almost instinctually that way. Somehow, even before I turned the first page, my mind wandered to that pounding ecstasy-driven scene at the very beginning of the movie Blade, 1 where the music intense as it is drives the scene so powerfully that you just cannot stand still. There is just slightest sense of horror though, because everybody including the audience knows the inevitable; except that careless fool who has allowed lust to direct him into a den of vampires. The strobe lights pierce the atmosphere bouncing off the ceiling and all over the walls; forcing a familiar rush of anxiety. Soon, he is set to become their latest entree. It’s that environment of undisputable cool, the fashion, and the excitement that I love, but you can keep the blood. Dyer employs the analysis of a socialist and goes to great lengths to dissuade any notions that disco is just some crude form of capitalist production. He then launches into his narrative charging disco with three distinct characteristics: egotism – romanticism – and materialism. Although he somewhat claims that his argument is not as simple as capitalism is evil, in time you get the sense that Dyer really believes that all music is created with some measure of subversive super-sexual intent in mind. Disco he calls â€Å"naked eroticism† (Ibid). However, he sees it in a better light than the simple patriarchal rhythms of rock and roll, â€Å"rock’s eroticism is thrusting, grinding – it is not whole body, but phallic†¦ even when preformed by women – rock remains indelibly phallocentric music† (Ibid). The movement and the culture which would grow up around this musical genre are shown in light of a powerful force that would ultimately come to influence the future of gay politics in the United States. Suddenly, I had found that unexpected nuance from out of disco’s past that I was searching for. In the end, he states his case. Disco he believes has an ability to celebrate the intensity of romantic adoration and the lament of being let down at the same time. It is the tension between the two that he seems to be reaching for. All that I know, is that when I used to hit those clubs late at night, I just wanted to dance. If Dyer seems to take a hatchet to this subject, in Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied): Repetitive Musics and Recombinant Desires, Susan McClary employs a scalpel. However, her unique intellectual dexterity makes her tool that much more devastating. She neatly deconstructs old arguments that she seems to believe were built upon over-wrought modalities of Western tradition; that have today simply gone astray. Disco is placed along the side of other â€Å"repetition-driven [pursuits] of ecstasy(p7)† along with the avant-garde minimalist schools of thought coming out of the 1960’s. 2 McClary dives into a narrative that focuses upon stripping away illusions. She gives us a nice panoramic view of the minimalist history and the creative motives that evolved into the psy-trance music that became known as disco. At the heart of her prolonged study is a reliance upon what she calls an â€Å"analytical argument (p7) †¦ built around an in-dept comparison of form and process in Steve Reich’s Music for Eighteen Musicians (1999) and Donna Summers [and Moroder’s] Love to Love You Baby (1975). She naturally rejects the argument that disco is solely a minimalist form which is inherently non-teleological (without design or purpose). This may appear to be a neat stretch for those in the know. But, I was just happy to be along for the ride. As with Dyer, McClary argues against â€Å"traditional hierarchies of musical value† (p9). To her, Reich is the minimalist reaching for the edges of a musical trance-like state, and Summer is the erotic practitioner who belts out a classic vamp that surprisingly simulates an amazing 22 orgasms (p11). At last, she reaches just that much closer to what I have come to believe that the great body of psy-trance music is really all about; even thought she quickly abandons it. However, it is here that she poses her most salient point: â€Å"Teleological music’s ‘climax mechanism’ is akin to the [Western male] orgasm; teleology is thus the drive to orgasm; banishing teleology must mean banishing orgasm. Minimal music is anti-teleological, and is thus akin to trantric [‘Oriental’] sex, where the ability to put the [male] body into orgasm-defying stasis even as it engages in what for most humans is the most goal-directed activity imaginable is the sign of profound yogic accomplishment†(p12) Both of these authors seem to be seeking the same thing; just going about it in their own separate way. Yet, they both seem to miss the point as far as I am concerned because the aim of this psy-trance music is the same wherever it may be found. It is the search for that endless climatic moment that leads to a higher spiritual purpose. This same search for heavenly escapism can be found in many of the native Indian dance rituals that can be found right here in America. Even thought this spiritual quest has so often been obscured by the popular use of hallucinogenic drugs, still the psychedelic-techno music, the dark covert meeting places, and the strict social boundaries often found together in the mix wherever this type of pure eroticism abounds; all of it has a purpose. Even when the ‘raves’ were popular just a few years ago, still it seemed that even this generation could find some higher meaning in the heat of the dance. The pounding repetitious beat that always seemed to somehow naturally marshal the entire crowd into a circle; why does this always seem to happen? It is all a part of that necessary escapism just like that which draws thousands of young Israeli men to travel each winter far away from their homes and to a place called Goa in southern India. They are called Goa freaks (Saldanha, 2006), because they live a solitary existence almost like zombies forever strung out on ecstasy. However, it is the abandonment to the music that draws them there in order to find a solitary refuge, while being seduced into a trance-state that perhaps will help them to forget the anguish of their shattered lives.

Book Review of People of the Three Fires Essay -- Essays Papers

Book Review of People of the Three Fires The book, People of the Three Fires, is written by three different people each describing a tribe in detail.The book is very well written and relatively easy to understand. It is informative and was written to be used as a teaching tool for schools. The book discusses the relationship between the groups that lived in Michigan and surrounding areas. James M. McClurken writes the first section, which deals with the Ottawa people. McClurken tells about the Ottawa peoples’ relationship with the environment they lived in and how they adapted to change when contacted by Europeans. One thing I found interesting about the Ottawa is their beliefs. The Ottawa believed in respect for the individual. Their leaders represented the people much like our elected officials represent us when a decision is needed for the whole of the country. They are in tune with nature and consider the earth and animals part of their family, addressing them with â€Å"father,† â€Å"mother,† â€Å"brother,† â€Å"sister.† The Ottawa’s also amazed me at their ability to believe in the supernatural, the spirits that told what sickness a person has and the healing power of the firewalkers is a leap of faith. I am always amazed that people survived without Advil and Tums, and they didn’t just survived they thrived! The Ottawa were great traders, in fact they traded all over northern Michigan. A surprising fact I read in the section was of the fleecing of the Indian...

Eating disorders and sexual violence Essay

Many neurotic behaviors are a direct consequence of Trauma. Some of the disorders caused by sexual violence trauma include Rape Trauma Syndrome, (PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), and eating disorders (ED). Developing an eating disorder such as compulsive over-eating, anorexia or bulimia after going through sexual violence trauma is very common. However, not all sexual abuse and violence victims will develop an eating disorder. It is estimated that almost 30% to 40% of eating disorder patients are survivors of sexual trauma. A person already vulnerable to eating disorders or suffering from bad self image can use a devastating incident like rape or incest as a trigger to develop an eating disorder. There are countless reasons why eating disorders are used as a coping mechanism by persons suffering from sexual trauma. Some develop eating disorders to avoid sexuality. In other cases it is seen as a way to hide anger or frustration and seek the approval of other people. Since they cannot show the anger and resentment directly, they find unhealthy ways like starving or overeating to express themselves. Some abused teenagers might start viewing their body as a source of shame. In their opinion, unhealthy eating is a way of fixing the problem. In stressful situations like divorce of parents, car accident, death of a sibling and especially rape or molestation the victim feels utterly powerless. The person going through mental trauma will find new ways to improve his or her sense of control. Our culture and society place great emphasis on body image. Being thin is equated with maximum control. As a result, majority of victims start avoiding food or limiting intake to dangerous levels. In this way, the victim no longer remains powerless in their life. A commercial that shows unrealistic bodies will keep motivating such a person to indulge in unhealthy eating behavior. When a person remembers a stressful situation they can be driven to eat more than a normal person. Overeating or eating comfort foods that are high caloric foods can calm the body and relieve it from chronic stress. Sometimes sexually abused women and men merge physical or emotional pleasures with terrifying events. A woman who was raped repeatedly by her uncle as a child will show effects of depression and stress in her later life. However, if the woman had no affection shown towards her by members of her family she will start associating the sexual violence with great affection. This confusing association of good with bad makes her starve and harm her body. She feels pride and satisfaction from harming her body. For her, she has secretly accomplished something other cant. Bulimic patients often experience pleasure and pain for a short span of time. The binging alleviates the hunger longing but very soon shame and self-hatred takes over and she is forced to purge her system entirely. Without recognizing and dealing with trauma it is impossible to treat an eating disorder. It is important that cognitive awareness of the patient is increased as part of the treatment. He/She needs to understand the things that can or cannot be controlled in their lives. The most difficult part is making the patient realize that pain and pleasure are separate experiences that do not need to be subsequently followed by one or the other.

George Orwell

In the George Rowel's short story, A Hanging, Orwell is a British police officer who witness an inmate, who is Hindu, being hung to death. While the officers are marching the prisoner to the hanging site, the prisoner comes to a puddle and side steps it. Orwell and some other officers are following behind them and that's when he realize how healthy the prisoner is and disgusted he was of the decision to hang a healthy man.In the story he was scared to speak up for the prisoner, so that's why he dog was put In the story, the dog was Orwell voice. The dark mood at the beginning shows how Orwell felt during the hanging. The major conflict of the story is Orwell watching a healthy man die right in front of him. After the hanging was done the warders returned to feed the convicts. Everyone was relieved that the hanging was done, even Orwell. Then they started telling each other stories related to hangings. They all laughed at each other, Orwell even found his self laughing at some of the stones.After everyone finished they went out and had a drink together, forgetting about the dead man. Orwell just needed to get the hanging out of his mind, so he did that by laughing and having a good time. The theme of Orwell story is that the life of any healthy man should never be taken. Today similar things are happening in this world, police officers think that they have power and control over us, they think they can do anything to us, For example, an eighteen year old young man named Michael Brown was shot for no apparent season Michael was Just walking down the street. N a Saturday afternoon, to his grandmother house, when an officer stopped him trying to arrest him just because he was a black male walking and the officer assumed he was some thug carrying a weapon. When the officer tried to arrest him, Michael started running with his hands up in the air, when Michael reached ten yards, the officer shot him. The body was not moved for hours. The officer claimed that he only shot him a couple of times but when they viewed the body It was more than a couple. Police are getting out of control, they are taking Innocent young black male lives.That's not the only thing that has happened where a healthy young man done lost his life. This young man was a seventeen year old black male, his name was Adoration Martin. On February 26, 2012, Tyranny was walking back from the store wearing a hooded and carrying a drink and some skittles. The neighborhood watch, George Zimmerman, assumed that he was some bad guy Just because he Is black. Just before the shooting happened George Zimmerman was on the phone with the police saying hat Tyranny looked suspicious and that he was following him, the police told him to stop following him and that they was going to handle it but he didn't listen.At the time Tyranny was on the phone with his girl friend, and he said that he was being followed so his girlfriend told him to run, before he could do so George Zimmerman got out his t ruck to confront him. When the cops arrived George Zimmerman told the cops that Tyranny attacked him but most people TLD believe that. Most people thinking that he was up to no good but he was Just trying to get home. Throughout the story Orwell shows how the prisoners are treated. They were treated like animals. The cells they had the prisoners in were like small animal cages.The prisoners are treated so badly, when they were escorting the man to the hanging spot, it took six guards to escort him but in the story he was described as a puny wisp of a man, which means he was really weak. The officers were being really rough, Orwell said that it was like men handling a fish that is still alive and trying to Jump jack in the water, they were being super aggressive with a weak man. This story also reminds me of when the concentration camps were open in 1940. The Jews were sent their to work at the camps.The families were split up boys and the men had to go to one side and the girls and women went to the other side. When they split them up they had to take all of their clothes off, get disinfected, after that they were giving new clothes, then they had to get their heads shaved both men and women, last they were assigned to a camp, some people didn't make it if they were eek or sick they got killed with the gas, they would put up to a hundred people in a small little room and kill them all, after that they would cremate the bodies.They fed them bread and soup, the bread was stale and the soup was old and thick, sometimes the didn't even give them food. They were treated way worse than the prisoners in A Hanging. In conclusion, George Orwell wrote A Hanging to express his feelings. This really happened to him in reality. He poured out his feelings through the dog and the rain. He feels like no individual life should be taken away from them.

7 Famous Quotes From American Writer Jack London

7 Famous Quotes From American Writer Jack London Jack London was an American writer, famous for The Call of the Wild, Sea Wolf, Before Adam, Iron Heel, and many other works. Many of his novels were based on his real-life experiences as an adventurer and sailor. Here Are a Few Quotes From Jack London I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.- Jack LondonPictures! Pictures! Pictures! Often, before I learned, did I wonder whence came the multitudes of pictures that thronged my dreams; for they were pictures the like of which I had never seen in real wake-a-day life. They tormented my childhood, making of my dreams a procession of nightmares and a little later convincing me that I was different from my kind, a creature unnatural and accursed.- Jack London, Before AdamThe soft summer wind stirs the redwoods, and Wild-Water ripples sweet cadences over its mossy stones. There are butterflies in the sunshine, and from everywhere arises the drowsy hum of bees. It is so quiet and peaceful, and I sit here, and ponder, and am restless. It is the quiet that makes me restless. It seems unreal. All the world is quiet, but it is the quiet before the storm. I strain my ears, and all my senses, for some betrayal of that impending storm. Oh, that it may not be premature! That it may not be premature!- Jack London, Iron Heel The one opened the door with a latch-key and went in, followed by a young fellow who awkwardly removed his cap. He wore rough clothes that smacked of the sea, and he was manifestly out of place in the spacious hall in which he found himself. He did not know what to do with his cap, and was stuffing it into his coat pocket when the other took it from him. The act was done quietly and naturally, and the awkward young fellow appreciated it. He understands, was his thought. Hell see me through all right.- Jack London, Martin EdenBuck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tidewater dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego. Because men, groping in the Arctic darkness, had found a yellow metal, and because steamship and transportation companies were booming the find, thousands of men were rushing into the Northland. These men wanted dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy dogs , with strong muscles by which to toil, and furry coats to protect them from the frost.- Jack London, The Call of the Wild All my life I have had an awareness of other times and places. I have been aware of other persons in me. Oh, and trust me, so have you, my reader that is to be. Read back into your childhood, and this sense of awareness I speak of will be remembered as an experience of childhood. You were then not fixed, not crystallized. You were plastic, a soul in flux, a consciousness and an identity in the process of formingay, of forming and forgetting.- Jack London, The Star RoverDark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean toward each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land.- Jack London, White Fang

A basic study of pricing to market The WritePass Journal

A basic study of pricing to market Introduction A basic study of pricing to market IntroductionDefinition and theories about PTMEmpirical evidence of PTMConclusion:ReferenceRelated Introduction Exchange rate is always changing, which can cause different relative price of traded goods among countries. However, when firms adopt PTM (pricing to market), price of trading goods does not change with the exchange rate, That may result in deviation from purchasing power parity theory. Many aspect of economy such as consumption, welfare distribution will change according to this behavior. This paper tries to illustrate the meaning and the effect of PTM with some theory and empirical evidence. Definition and theories about PTM Pricing to market(PTM) is a new definition emerged in mid-1980s.During that period ,US dollar has experienced a strong appreciation. However, it has been noticed that the price of import commodities in the US did not decrease according to the exchange rate changes. PTM represent the phenomenon of foreign firms maintaining or even increasing their export price when the currency of the importer country rises. (Krugman,1987) .PTM can also be understand as export firms set price of trading goods in local currency instead of adjust the price according to the exchange rate. The international evidence shows that the pricing to market behavior and exchange-rate pass through is often interpreted as consistent with local currency price stability. This kind of price discrimination behavior does not only affect the price of traded goods, but also influences various kinds of price rigidities. (Alexius and Vredin,1999) Pick and Cater(1994) explain that the reasons for PTM behaviors. Firms prefer to keep stable prices in foreign markets that have fluctuating exchange rates may exercise this preference by exerting market power. It may result from the demand elasticity: As the importing countrys currency appreciates, the import price falls and demand increases. However, when the exporter does not have the ability to adjust the raised demand for its goods, the extend of currency appreciation will not completely reflect in the price of trading commodities. In addition, there is also implication that shocks to national market conditions, such as exogenous changes in the exchange rate, can generate deviations between the prices that firms charge in each market. ( Bergin,2003) At last, PTM may simply because that exporting firm want to keep competitive: many firms in these countries are said to have followed pricing policies designed to keep export prices competitive despite changes in exchange rates.(Mars ton,1990) Literatures about PTM are generally based on models. In pricing to market modelsfrom the work of Betts and Devereux(1996), they adapt a model that firms produce different products to export to different countries, besides, firms can set different exporting prices for different destinations. They learn from the result of the model that the increase in the fluctuation of exchange rate arising from PTM may be very large by doing a simple quantitative exercise based on the estimated degree of PTM in international trade. That’s to say, when firms engage in PTM, when a country face with money shocks, the effects of this shocks are quite different compare with the traditional exchange rate models in which prices are set in the currency of the exporter. What’s more, PTM plays a central role in exchange rate determination and in international macroeconomic fluctuations. It acts to limit the pass-through from exchange rate changes to prices, and reduces the traditional ‘â⠂¬Ëœexpenditure switching’’ role o exchange rate changes. (Betts and Deuereux,2000) Implications of PTM for PPP A direct implication of the PTM hypothesis is the low pass-through from the exchange rate to prices, and the resultant failure of the relative PPP to hold in the short and intermediate-runs.(Aizenman,2004) PPP(purchasing power parity) is a conception widely used in international economy. The basic idea about PPP is when consumers purchase identical products in any market worldwide, the quantity of money should be the same when measured in one currency (Hallwood and MacDonald, 2000). Applied to aggregate price data, purchasing power parity is the hypothesis that the import prices that of one country to purchase another countrys goods should move one-for-one with the producer prices for goods in those countries that are the sources of those imports when all of these prices are expressed in a common currency. (Atkeson and Burstein,2008) When firms and producers applied PTM, many aspect of the country’s economy will different from the PPP holders. From the analysis of model in Betts and Deuereux(2000),the implications of PTM to PPP can be conclude as follows: The most obvious implication of PTM is the price volatility. Actually, if there is no price rigidity, the law-of one- price would be available for all kinds of products, and PPP would hold generally, even though there is still exist some extend of international market segmentation. However, if sticky local-currency prices hold, changes in the exchange rate will result in deviations from the law-of-one-price. While when complete PTM applied, the exchange rate will play a different role in the LOOP environment, relative prices of importer and exporters will not be affected by the fluctuation of exchange rate. but it has an impact on relative incomes. If export prices are set in foreign currency, when a depreciation happened in this currency. The home currency earnings of home firms will increase, at the same time, foreign firms’ foreign currency earnings will decrease at given production levels. Thus a depreciation generates a world redistribution of income towards the home coun try, which raises home consumption relative to foreign consumption. This occurs without the influence of relative price changes. (Betts and Deuereux,2000) PTM have a positive effect on promoting the real exchange rate movements: the larger of the PTM sector is, the lower effect of a money shock will the country get. Say a country faced with a money shock which will result in a depreciation of the currency, if PTM holds in a large sector, the impact on reallocation of spending away from domestic goods consumption towards foreign goods will be reduce to a large extend. The reason for this maybe the exchange rate is response to depreciation, however, this kind of currency price change would not affect the domestic market. PTM acts to limit the pass-through from exchange rate changes to prices, and reduces the traditional ‘‘expenditure switching’’ role of exchange rate changes. Nominal price stickiness associated with PTM magnifies the response of the exchange rate to shocks to fundamentals. (Betts and Deuereux,1996) The effect of monetary policies varies from cooperative firms and non-cooperative firms: at first, this need to be confirm that there is always a gain from coopperation, and secondly, that the gain reaches a maximum at the polar cases of no and full pricing to market since in these cases the movement in the terms of trade and thus the welfare spill-over is at a maximum in the non-cooperative setting. (Michaelis,2006) Empirical evidence of PTM As a common strategy of international firms, PTM behavior are widely used all over the world. By investigating data from those firms, we can get the empirical effect of pricing to market. Gil-Pareja(2002) investigated PTM behavior in European car markets during 1993 and 1998. He found that local currency price stability is a strong and pervasive phenomenon across products independent of the invoicing currency. In fact, there are large gaps among the automobile retail prices across EU Member States since the early 1980s, which is deviated from the law-of-one-price. (Gil-Paraja,2002) After analyze and compare the data of different EU countries, it can be easily conclude that the strategy tries to avoid the effect of changes in exchange rate changes is just in order to make the profits across segmented markets be maxime. Exporting firm will get the highest expected profits under exchange rate uncertainty by setting price of the importer’s currency. Since early 1980s, Japanese yen has experienced a depreciation. Marston(1990) has investigated pricing to market by Japanese firms from 1980 to 1987. He explores how Japanese firms responded to shifts in the real exchange rate by varying the prices of their exports relative to prices of products destined for the domestic market. The estimation distinguishes between inadvertent but temporary changes in these margins due to exchange rate surprises and planned changes associated with PTM behavior; He found there is overwhelming evidence that export-domestic price margins are systematically varied to help Japanese firms protect their competitive position. (Marston,1990) According to the exporter in UK, how is export pricing affected by other firm specific or contextual environmental variables such as export experience of the firm, degree of export development, type and intensity of market competition among others. The extend of PTM is based on variable of elements such as the industry le vel, the information and the like.( Tzokas et al.,2000) Conclusion: Pricing to market make the price of international trading goods free from the fluctuation of exchange rate, as a result, PPP no longer hold in those countries which applied PTM. Theories, as well as empirical evidence suggest that PTM has a strong implication of consumption and welfare distribution. It is a effective way for international co operations to avoid the negative influence of exchange rate fluctuation. But the extend of PTM is varias among different counties and industries. Reference Aizenman.J.  (2004) .â€Å"Endogenous  pricing  to  market  and 1inancing costs  Ã‚  Original Research Article†.Journal of Monetary Economics,  Volume 51, Issue 4,  PP 691-712 Alexius.A,  Vredin.A.(1999).â€Å"Pricing-to-Market in Swedish Exports†.The Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Vol. 101, No. 2 pp. 223-239 Atkeson.A,  Burstein.A.(2008).â€Å"Pricing-to-Market, Trade Costs, and International Relative Prices†.The American Economic Review, Vol. 98, No. 5, pp. 1998-2031 Bergin. P. R, 1eenstra.R.C. (2001). â€Å"Pricing-to-market, staggered contracts, and real exchange rate persistence  Ã‚  Original Research Article†. Journal of International Economics,  Volume 54, Issue 2,  Ã‚  PP 333-359 Bergin. P. R.(2003).â€Å"A model of relative national price levels under  pricing  to  market  Ã‚  Original Research Article†. European Economic Review,  Volume 47, Issue 3, PP569-586 Betts.C, Devereux. M.B. (2000) .â€Å"Exchange rate dynamics in a model of  pricing-to-market  Ã‚  Original Research Article†.Journal of International Economics,  Volume 50, Issue 1,  Ã‚  PP 215-244 Betts.C, Devereux.M.B.  (1996) .â€Å"The exchange rate in a model of  pricing-to-market  Ã‚  Original Research Article†. European Economic Review,  Volume 40, Issues 3-5,  PP 1007-1021 Gil-Pareja.S. (2003).â€Å"Pricing  to  market  behaviour in European car  markets  Ã‚  Original Research Article†.European Economic Review,  Volume 47, Issue 6,  Ã‚  PP 945-962 Hallwood. P ,MacDonald. R. (2000) â€Å"International Money and Finance†, 3rd ed.Blackwell. Krugman, P. (1986), â€Å"Pricing to Markets when exchange rate changes†, In: Arndt, S.W., Richardson,J.D. (Eds.), Real-financial Linkages among Open Economies. MIT Press, Cambridge. Mark, N. (2001) â€Å"International Macroeconomics and Finance†, Blackwell. Marston. R. C. (1989) â€Å" Pricing to Market in Japanese Manufacturing†. Journal of International Economics, 29(3), PP 217-236. Michaelis. J.(2006). â€Å"Optimal monetary policy in the presence o1  pricing-to-market  Ã‚  Original Research Article†.Journal of Macroeconomics,  Volume 28, Issue 3,  Ã‚  PP 564-584 Patureau.L.(2007).â€Å"Pricing-to-market, limited participation and exchange rate dynamics  Ã‚  Original Research Article†.Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control,  Volume 31, Issue 10,  Ã‚  PP 3281-3320 Pick. D H,   Carter. C A. (1994). â€Å"Pricing to Market with Transactions Denominated in a Common Currency†.American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 76, No. 1, pp. 55-60 Sarno, L. Taylor, M.P. (2002), new open-economy of macroeconomics. In The economics of exchange rate, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Tzokas.N, Hart.S, Argouslidis.P ,Saren.M.  (2000), â€Å"Strategic  pricing  in export  markets: empirical evidence from the UK  Ã‚  Original Research Article†. International Business Review,  Volume 9, Issue f,  PP 95-117

Why School Attendance Matters and Strategies to Improve It

Why School Attendance Matters and Strategies to Improve It School attendance matters. It is arguably one of the most important indicators of school success. You cannot learn what you are not there to learn. Students who attend school regularly improve their chances of being academically successful. There are obvious exceptions to both sides of the rule. There are a few students deemed academically successful who also have attendance issues and a few students who struggle academically who are always present. However, in most cases, strong attendance correlates with academic success, and poor attendance correlates with academic struggles. To understand the importance of attendance and the influence the lack thereof has, we must first define what constitutes both satisfactory and poor attendance.   Attendance Works, a non-profit dedicated to improving school attendance, has categorized school attendance into three distinct categories. Students who have 9 or fewer absences are satisfactory. Those with 10-17 absences are exhibiting warning signs for potential attendance issues.   Students with 18 or more absences have a clear cut chronic attendance issue. These numbers are based on the traditional 180-day school calendar. Teachers and administrators will agree that the students who need to be at school the most are the ones that are seemingly seldom there. Poor attendance creates significant learning gaps. Even if students complete the make-up work, they most likely will not learn and retain the information as well as if they had been there. Make-up work can pile up very quickly. When students return from an extended hiatus, they not only have to complete the make-up work, but they also have to contend with their regular classroom assignments. Students often make the decision to rush through or completely ignore the make-up work so that they can keep pace with their regular class studies.   Doing this naturally creates a learning gap and causes the student’s grades to drop. Over time, this learning gap increases to the point where it becomes nearly impossible to close. Chronic absenteeism will lead to frustration for the student. The more they miss, the more difficult it becomes to catch up. Eventually, the student gives up altogether putting them on a path towards being a high school dropout. Chronic absenteeism is a key indicator that a student will drop out. This makes it even more critical to find early intervention strategies to prevent attendance from ever becoming an issue. The amount of schooling missed can quickly add up. Students who enter school at kindergarten and miss an average of 10 days per year until they graduate high school will miss 140 days. According to the definition above, this student would not have an attendance problem. However, all together that student would miss nearly an entire year of school when you add everything together. Now compare that student with another student who has a chronic attendance issue and misses an average of 25 days a year. The student with a chronic attendance issue has 350 missed days or almost two entire years. It is no wonder that those who have attendance issues are almost always further behind academically than their peers who have satisfactory attendance. Strategies to Improve School Attendance Improving school attendance can prove to be a difficult endeavor.   Schools often have very little direct control in this area. Most of the responsibility falls on the student’s parents or guardians, especially the elementary aged ones.   Many parents simply do not understand how important attendance is. They do not realize how quickly missing even a day a week can add up. Furthermore, they do not understand the unspoken message that they are relaying to their children by allowing them to miss school regularly.   Finally, they do not understand that they are not only setting their children up to fail in school, but also in life. For these reasons, it is essential that elementary schools in particular focus on educating parents on the value of attendance.   Unfortunately, most schools operate under the assumption that all parents already understand how important attendance is, but that those whose children have a chronic attendance issue are simply ignoring it or do not value education. The truth is that most parents want what is best for their children, but have not learned or been taught what that is. Schools must invest a significant amount of their resources to educate their local community adequately on the importance of attendance. Regular attendance should play a part in the daily anthem of a school and a critical role in defining the culture of a school. The fact is that every school has an attendance policy. In most cases, that policy is only punitive in nature meaning that it simply provides parents with an ultimatum that essentially says â€Å"get your child to school or else.†Ã‚   Those policies, while effective for a few, will not deter many for whom it has become easier to skip school than it is to attend. For those, you have to show them and prove to them that attending school on a regular basis will help lead to a brighter future. Schools should be challenged to develop attendance policies and programs that are more preventive in nature than they are punitive. This begins with getting to the root of the attendance issues on an individualized level. School officials must be willing to sit down with parents and listen to their reasons for why their children are absent without being judgmental. This allows the school to form a partnership with the parent wherein they can develop an individualized plan for improving attendance, a support system for follow through, and a connection to outside resources if necessary. This approach will not be easy. It will take a lot of time and resources. However, it is an investment that we should be willing to make based on how important we know attendance to be.   Our goal should be to get every child to school so that the effective teachers we have in place can do their jobs. When that happens, the quality of our school systems will improve significantly.

The US Government Framework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The US Government Framework - Assignment Example President Obama’s entry into the presidency came at a time when the economy was taking a turn for the worst and the spoils for the Iraq War was being reaped.   Thus, the American public gave its support for the time being in the hopes that everything will turn out better. Being a great orator, Obama was able to capture the attention and the hearts of the people.   However, most things are easily said than done. And if even they can be achieved it usually takes time to do it, which most people affected by the failing economy cannot appreciate.Officials in public office, especially the President experiences a decline in popularity mainly because of his decisions, which the majority of the public does not agree with.   And most of his decisions regarding the economy and an unpopular war may either increase or decrease his level of popularity.   If during his term in office, the economy becomes good he will generally have a high level of approval; and if he engages in a wa r that makes the country look like the defender of democracy then normally his ratings will surge upward (King).   It is unfortunate that President Obama’s administration had to deal with a failing economy almost at the start o his term in office and like wise quite unfortunate that the popularity polls have been conducted at a time when the surveyed group was not in favor of the President’s actions and decision. Hence a decline in popularity rating was eminent but not entirely new in the world of politics, since past presidents also went through the same dilemma during their time (King).The veto power of the Texas governor gives him or her authority to reverse budget appropriation items, resolutions and bills passed by the legislation in session.   The President likewise has the veto power to invalidate resolutions and bills forwarded by the legislative body of the national government.   Additionally, the vetoes of the President and the Texas Governor have limit s since they are normally given ten days from receipt of a bill to sign or veto it.  

Understanding of Israel and Palestine Conflict Based on Readings Literature review

Understanding of Israel and Palestine Conflict Based on Readings - Literature review Example The Zhids according to Z are those Jews in the Diaspora who considers themselves to be decent, clean, and different from other Jews. This interview opens up a very interesting subjecting regarding the current fate and situation that the Israelis or the Jews find themselves in. Z argues that being good, and trying to be moral as the Jews were seen to be before the Lebanon invasion is what made the Jews lose their perceived land, from the Suez Canal to the Oil fields to the Arabs and the Semites. He asserts that it is the reason as to why the Holocaust happened in the first place. Z says that he is ready to take up arms and go to war just to see Israel returns to glory, get back what they lost to the Arabs and gain the respect they deserve. Acting to be clean and moral will not do the Jews any good, â€Å"†¦just like it did not do them any good in Berlin and Vienna† (Oz 92). Z is ready to kill and displace all the Arabs and is very ready and will to do all the dirty work. H e argues that it is worse for a people to let their women to be made into lampshades and their children into soaps than it is its tormentors. It is, therefore, very clear that the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israeli is solely due to the Israelis quest to reclaim the West Bank, which they claim is rightfully their land. If Z’s arguments and documentary can be taken to represent that of many other Jews, then it can clearly be seen why the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians cannot end any time soon. The comparison of this war by Z with the Americans civilization war when they chased out the Indians to take control seems to be a motivating factor. Z argues that it is better to have a bad history and a respected and feared future a good, moral history with nothing to show for in terms of numbers and land. This, he blames on their forefathers for failing to conquer the world through war (Oz 96). Reading and reflecting on David Grossman’s book, The Yel low Wind, where he discusses his trip to Deihesha an interview with the teachers and children in the Deihesha kindergarten, more insight and light is shed on the Israeli-Palestine conflict. According to David Grossman’s interviews, the Palestinians are seen to be suffering under the rule of Israel. Their involvement in the conflict is seen due to their quest of reclaiming their land, which they claim that had been taken by the Jews. In this excerpt, it can be seen that the Palestinians living in camps, in the West Bank believe that the only solution to their plight is through taking up arms and going to war as is asserted by one of the kindergarten teachers, â€Å"†¦ what was taken by force can only be reclaimed by force† (Grossman 22). It shocking that they do not even trust that Arafat’s efforts of trying to negotiate peace with Israel are the solution neither do they trust their own soldiers.  

Effects of Globalisation on Bolivia in the last 5 years PowerPoint Presentation

Effects of Globalisation on Bolivia in the last 5 years - PowerPoint Presentation Example In the 2009 elections, he again came in to power by winning the election with a huge margin and now making attempts to change the system of his country. Figure 1: Map of Bolivia Source: Central Intelligence Agency. The World Fact Book, 2011 Bolivian Economy: Bolivia is among the poorest and the most undeveloped country in the Latin American region. There was a devastating economic crisis in Bolivia in the early 80s but then the economic reforms were made which improved the economy as well as reduced the poverty in the country. In the time period between 2003- 2005, there was political disturbance in the country along with racial clashes mainly on the issue of export of natural gas to northern hemisphere region. In 2005, newly elected government passed the hydrocarbon law according to which the royalties were raised significantly resulting in the withdrawal of all the local companies from the sector and foreign companies started to operate in the country. In 2008 due to higher rates o f oil and gas, the surplus was significantly higher but in the later years, the economy started to decline due to following factors; i. Global Recession. ii. Decreased prices of oil and gas worldwide. iii. Poor infrastructure of the country. iv. Economic sanctions imposed by USA on Bolivia. a. GDP: Figure 2: GDP from 2000-2009 Source: Index Mundi, 2008. b. Exports and Imports: The main exports of the country include natural gas which constitutes the main financial reserve of the country and apart from this; the other exports include soybeans, crude petroleum, zinc ore and tin. Major countries which are involved in importing these items from Bolivia are Brazil which constitutes the largest export partner of Bolivia followed by USA, Japan, Columbia, South Korea and Peru. Main imports of the country include petroleum products, paper and plastics, aircrafts and their parts, ready to serve foods, automobiles and insecticides. The main partners in imports are Brazil, Argentina, USA, Chile and Peru. Figure 3: Exports of Bolivia Source: www.amchambolivia.com Figure 4: Imports of Bolivia Source: Index Mundi, 2008. c. Investment Opportunities: Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) is the main contributor to the growth in the private investment sector in the country. It has grown from 169 million US$ to about 1,000 million US$ in just seven years from 1992 to 1999. It represents about 10% of the GDP. The rapid increase in DFI in these years was basically due to process of privatization which was completed in 1999 and afterwards the DFI started to fall. In addition to this, the economic conditions got better in the neighboring countries and as a result, the DFI fell further in the years after 1999. The government from 2005 is working to have good economic conditions which support the interests of foreign investors. As a result of this commitment, irrespective of the social and political unrest in the country, GDP has grown to about 4% in last seven quarters. The overall deficit had narrowed and there was a surplus of 4.2% in 2006, the main reason for this improvement is the government policy about the hydrocarbon sector increasing its exports. Other factors include better revenue system as well as reform in

Public Defense v. Private Defense Research Paper

Public Defense v. Private Defense - Research Paper Example (Hoffman,2004) The main hurdle in respect of a public defender is the fact that since there would be a huge load of cases, the time spent on individual cases would be lesser. Further, contrary to the private defense there would lesser access to important tools, like private investigators. Even though, this can be curtailed by the funding of the public defender’s office. (Hoffman,2004) Clearly, in respect of the private defender there would significant time as well as resources to spend on a client; since the client would be willing to pay the private defender would be willing to pay for the same. (McDonald, 1983) Another important element which needs to be taken into account is the fact that the amount which would be received by a public defender would be significantly lesser than that paid to the private defense. It is important to point out that it is generally said that such a difference in pay would not affect the quality of service, however, it is important to note that i f the lesser time being given to each client, plus the resources that are available to a public defense are taken in their collectivity, it would mean that there would be an adverse effect on the case which is inevitable. There are public defenders that are more than willing and considerate to take into account the fact that the client is unable to pay and therefore provide him effective services. Another problem in respect of a public defender is the fact that cases cannot be rejected by them and so if a case qualifies it cannot be refused unless there is a good legal reason to it, one of them being conflict of interest. On the contrary private attorney do not have to assign a reason for refusing the case and can do so even if he decides on the basis of chances of success. (Harmon, 2002) It is important to point out to the fact that the monetary element is also to be taken into account in respect of public and private defense. (Hoffman,2004) There have been various surveys which ha ve been conducted in order to evaluate which one is better. On the basis of an evaluation private lawyers have been found to be handling more serious cases that is, cases concerning severe crimes. (Beattie, 1935) The general phenomenon in respect of the pros and cons is the fact that the general act of the people is to secure money and get legal representation if the concerned offence is a serious one and/or the conviction is on the higher side. (McDonald, 1983) As far as a minor offence is concerned the general pros and cons are not taken into account, contrary to when a person who is facing a long prison sentence, who would prefer the time that is given by private defense and therefore arrange for the money. (Hoffman,2004) Another important element of lack of resources is the fact that the public attorney due to the lack of time cannot put adequate amount of research as well as detailed study which can be evaluated and analysed upon by the private defense. (Beattie, 1935) However, an important edge that can be cited to have been attained by general public defense is that of the experience and the repetitive amount of cases in which the general notion and the legal principles remain the same whereby most of the contentions that are to be raised by the defense can be easily prepared for and be presented and the practical experience can be seen as well as cited in respect of the same by the

Psychology Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Psychology - Personal Statement Example It seriously mattered what others had on mind about me so I had been cautiously acting and speaking in this regard. I may not be conscious of this issue as it was back then but with my present level of thinking and discernment of situations with youths in general, I manage to assess that my 'self-concept' of identity and recognition at that early age was normally attached with my concern of views beyond myself. The unpleasant scenario with my aunt may not be the most embarrassing yet it was by far sufficiently concrete even to this point, that it left me somewhat speechless and sleepless in a couple of days pondering how I could possibly reconstruct the image of confidence lost. By the time I discovered that this case is not isolated like the treatment I gave it, I gradually learned how to cope emotionally with similar occasions that followed. On witnessing that some acquaintances and neighbors had also undergone times as unfortunate, I could relate and sensed a significant connectio n that my feelings began adjusting to the level where I first acknowledged the type of emotion involved then took control by diverting my attention to other concerns and understanding that time heals in the process. As a child, this development is essential particularly as I aimed to replenish hopes and composed myself due to realization of a chief interest. Because I looked up to someone and wanted something like all the other children had, I could not let distressing emotions blow my drive to yield to such ends. Consequently, I was able to identify an emotional trend or cycle which would often remind me to keep calm and have patience on anticipating subsidence of an upset sentiment. Currently, though I consider varying approach in dealing with circumstances that entail getting embarrassed, learning the basics through my concrete operational stage stays intact. When I turned a sophomore in high school, I had a friend in campus whom I was with constantly and who strongly convinced m e to try part-time jobs for some extra cash in addition to the allowances given on a regular basis by my parents. With loads of school work however, I could not quite manage whenever another task got in the way so I did not fully proceed with the job offer but helped my friend instead in exchange of commissions we had agreed I could be apportioned with on accomplishing my part of the project. At that age, the material or physical drive of earning income all the more urged my sense of independence to grow, thinking that it would be a mature step to prepare myself for a more challenging endeavor later on. Little did I know that the more I thought so ideally of managing my situations of acquiring my own means of financial support, the more I was consumed with impatience in handling other important matters. It did feel emotionally rewarding as it encouraged me to work hard and be proud upon discovery of new potentials at first but as the going got tough, I got exhausted at the expense o f my studies and healthy interactions. I became rebellious toward my parents unconsciously, seeking my way with reasons and pointing out that there was something I could prove.

Public Defense v. Private Defense Research Paper

Public Defense v. Private Defense - Research Paper Example (Hoffman,2004) The main hurdle in respect of a public defender is the fact that since there would be a huge load of cases, the time spent on individual cases would be lesser. Further, contrary to the private defense there would lesser access to important tools, like private investigators. Even though, this can be curtailed by the funding of the public defender’s office. (Hoffman,2004) Clearly, in respect of the private defender there would significant time as well as resources to spend on a client; since the client would be willing to pay the private defender would be willing to pay for the same. (McDonald, 1983) Another important element which needs to be taken into account is the fact that the amount which would be received by a public defender would be significantly lesser than that paid to the private defense. It is important to point out that it is generally said that such a difference in pay would not affect the quality of service, however, it is important to note that i f the lesser time being given to each client, plus the resources that are available to a public defense are taken in their collectivity, it would mean that there would be an adverse effect on the case which is inevitable. There are public defenders that are more than willing and considerate to take into account the fact that the client is unable to pay and therefore provide him effective services. Another problem in respect of a public defender is the fact that cases cannot be rejected by them and so if a case qualifies it cannot be refused unless there is a good legal reason to it, one of them being conflict of interest. On the contrary private attorney do not have to assign a reason for refusing the case and can do so even if he decides on the basis of chances of success. (Harmon, 2002) It is important to point out to the fact that the monetary element is also to be taken into account in respect of public and private defense. (Hoffman,2004) There have been various surveys which ha ve been conducted in order to evaluate which one is better. On the basis of an evaluation private lawyers have been found to be handling more serious cases that is, cases concerning severe crimes. (Beattie, 1935) The general phenomenon in respect of the pros and cons is the fact that the general act of the people is to secure money and get legal representation if the concerned offence is a serious one and/or the conviction is on the higher side. (McDonald, 1983) As far as a minor offence is concerned the general pros and cons are not taken into account, contrary to when a person who is facing a long prison sentence, who would prefer the time that is given by private defense and therefore arrange for the money. (Hoffman,2004) Another important element of lack of resources is the fact that the public attorney due to the lack of time cannot put adequate amount of research as well as detailed study which can be evaluated and analysed upon by the private defense. (Beattie, 1935) However, an important edge that can be cited to have been attained by general public defense is that of the experience and the repetitive amount of cases in which the general notion and the legal principles remain the same whereby most of the contentions that are to be raised by the defense can be easily prepared for and be presented and the practical experience can be seen as well as cited in respect of the same by the

Critically evaluate Karl Barth's theology of religion and work Essay

Critically evaluate Karl Barth's theology of religion and work - Essay Example Barth work resulted to great effect on how the society interprets and apply Christian teachings. The unpopular and radical approach of Barthian theological thinking about work and Sabbath earned him great criticisms from the mainstream society but his work remains an important component of the current theological scholars and knowledge about Christianity faith. Barth claims that work or human labor is solely utilitarian intended to keep us alive. In this regard, he emphasizes on the importance of observing Sabbath, in order for man to resist the temptation of worshipping work at the expense of serving God (Hughes, 2007). In Barth ideology of Sabbath, the command to rest does not validate man to work for the remaining days of the week. He argues that Sabbath should take precedence of all other activities that man does for the service of God, so that He can reveal His purpose for him. Therefore, Sabbath day according to Barth (2009) gives the meaning and direction of man’s activ ities for the rest of his working days in the week. During Sabbath, man should not consider it as leisure or passive time but rather a day to join God in celebrating His Creation (Barth, 2009). Work or active life is not entirely, what God requires from man, but an activity that man does for survival (Barth, 2009). In this case, Barth argues that Jesus Christ called his disciples to abandon their work and follow him in his ministry but not join work. From his arguments, it is not necessary for man to work because it is worldly and cannot lead to salvation. I disagree with Barth’s opinion on work and Sabbath. When God was creating the universe, all Creations were made in six days and on the seventh day, He rested (Alister, 1999). In this case, God did not rest and then proceed to the work of creation. Though man’s activities do not add up to God’s creations, his actions have a profound effect on the entire universe and its inhabitants. God created man to be the m aster of the universe and its creations, and to fulfill the purpose, man must work not only for his own survival, but for the sake of other creations (Alister, 1999). In poor and underprivileged societies, rest days are liability to such people who struggle hard to afford even a single meal in a day. To such people, taking a break from work in Sabbath amounts to starvation, psychological suffering including anxiety, self-humiliation and depression. Thus, considering economic and social status of people, Barth idea of work and Sabbath is a luxury only the rich can afford. A true Sabbath should result after six days of working earnestly, without deceit or oppression, so that all people regardless of their economic status can fellowship with God and celebrate His Creation. 2. Critically evaluate an issue affecting employers or employees in relation to religious faith and practice Different religions have distinct practices that they instill on their followers and believers. These pract ices normally dictate their daily activities such as mode of dressing, nutrition, duties and responsibilities, health, ways of praying among other behaviors. Alister ( 1999) noted that strict observation of these practices determine the commitment of the believers and more importantly, their desire to attain the highest form of spiritual purity dictated by the teachings of the respective religious denomination. Many religious teachings from diverse backgrounds contain punitive measures meted on followers who fail to comply with the said practices. The punishments are normally carried out by the leaders and/or, adherents of the particular religious grouping on the errant followers (Alister, 1999).

Walls Icecream Parlor Essay Example for Free

Walls Icecream Parlor Essay Wall’s came to Pakistan in 1995 establishing the Wall’s factory on Multan Road in Lahore. Fully equipped with state of the art machinery, the Wall’s factory is a standard of hygiene and technology in the region and has become synonymous with quality. In 1998 Wall’s acquired Polka, a local ice cream manufacturer. Some of the most popular brands loved by the masses were linked to Wall’s making an irresistible combination that few could refuse. Key facts about Wall’s Pakistan: * Wall’s is the market leader of the Pakistani Ice cream market. * All Wall’s products are Halal and are made with Halal ingredients in a Halal compliant manner Ice cream is made from milk, fat and sugar. These are cooled as they are mixed, then whipped to create a light, airy texture. Flavourings, fruit or chocolate are added then the whole mixture is frozen again before packaging. IDEA: The idea is to open an ice-cream parlor under the brand name walls. Ice Cream parlor is a unique opportunity.walls is a very well established brand in Pakistan and will surely have its name in ice-cream parlour. The ice cream parlour will not only give products but also excellent services. The features would be quality, quantity, a lot of flavours plus an additional flavour and sugar free ice creams. They would be at low price compared to competitors. The future plan will be to start a van service in twin cities for consumer’s convenience. Our goal would be to penetrate the market and make good customer relationships by providing great quality and taste. Potential: As already said hat walls is a established and well known brand having many loyal customers so definitely it will be successful as there are so many loyal people to this brand they would love to come and enjoy ice-cream at walls parlor having different kind of atmosphere as well as different types of ice-cream.

Spiritual Beliefs Vs Human Reason Philosophy Essay

Spiritual Beliefs Vs Human Reason Philosophy Essay Philosophers and scientists have constantly attempted to explain concepts divine processes described initially. They always sought for a scientific or logical explanation for a phenomenon explained through religion, or not explained at all. Scientists believed natural laws govern universe. As a result, a quest for explanation of events, which seemed illogical, began. The first philosophers speculated that beneath the ever-changing natural world was an unchanging matter (Matthews Platt, 46). They also believed in rationality. Thus, any explanation of a natural concept seemingly unrealistic was questioned. This mindset progressed throughout Western history, and presently, there is the attempt to prove the role of God, and the existence of God through human reason. My opinion is human reason should not preclude the existence of God. Spiritual beliefs and logic should be separate spheres of human existence. Humans beings have two paths to knowledge During the time of the Greeks, there was a myth claiming Apollo drove his chariots across the sky, which was responsible for the rising and setting of the sun. This myth, though illogical, was held high and any opposition to this myth would have been called, in modern terms, blasphemy. The belief was held as firmly as the monotheistic religions believe in the existence of God through faith. Later science was able to prove false the reason for the rising and setting of the sun the Greeks believed in. Even in the case of Galileo Galilee, the churchs theory was that the sun revolved around the fixed Earth: Geocentrism. Galileos attempt to prove otherwise, scientifically, was vigorously fought-against. They forced him to recant his theory because it went against their theory. In their explanation for the cause of rain, Ancient Greeks believed Heras cries fell as rain whenever she found out Zeus, her husband, had gone after other women. These concepts, clearly unscientific, were assumed true. As history moved from the Greek civilization to the modern era, a number of myths were dogmatically believed. Later science and rational thought refuted most of these myths or concepts, while others,-especially those related to spiritual realm, such as the existence of God-are difficult to prove. The Greek civilization was perhaps the foremost place where the tension or dispute between faith, religious thought, spiritual belief; and science, natural philosophy and logical thought began. Philosophers such as Thales, Pythagoras and Heraclitus believed in rationality and the fact that the universe operated on natural laws. Such philosophers believed God or their religious deities had no effect on the natural order of things. The Greeks of the Archaic Age believed the muses were responsible for creative inspiration. Muses were the goddesses of artistic inspiration and claimed to stimulate every work. The monody, lyrical poetry, is based on the personal thoughts of the poet. Then how did the goddesses inspire a work that was based on the poets personal thoughts? In spite of the irrationality of the explanations, the Greeks believed in the explanation of concepts that involved the deities. Philosophers in later civilization asked questions, probing the credibility of the beliefs which resulted in several proofs that opposed myths and religious dogma. Philosophers, since the Hellenic Age have been inquisitive; they questioned divine or illogical explanations to concepts in the universe. Still in the Archaic Age, the idea of believing in concepts, despite the lack of logic behind them, was a key element in their religion. It carried over to later religions in the modern era where religious dogmas are still held. An example of such is the hypostatic union. It is the claim Jesus was both divine and human while in his physical form on earth. To me, the reason the search to understand the natural order of things started, was that everything in the Archaic Age was attributed to the deities. The deities determined the inspiration for works of art, the survival and prosperity of the Greeks, and their cultural accomplishments. Embedded in the Greeks was the belief that as long as they recognized the divinities power and did not challenge themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they would survive and often prosper. (Matthews Platt, 41). The initial philosophers were able to ignore the beliefs (or dogma), because they thought of a world that was controlled by natural causes and deities had no eff ect on the world. However, explaining concepts illogically, which actually are scientific, has been a part of religion, even from the Egyptians. This is not to say that religions knew the concepts were of natural causes, but scientific proofs that came later on would not cause the religions to waiver in their initial beliefs. An example is the tale of the beginning of the world. Scientists claim that the world was formed because of an explosion- The Big Bang. Scientists would then question the tale of Christianity: how did God create the whole world in seven days? Many have tried to answer this rationally or scientifically, but in my opinion, it is almost impossible to explain. Yet, Christians still hold on to this belief firmly. So many cultures, as well as science, have their own speculation about the beginning of the universe. The Hebrews belief of the beginning of the world then became the accepted Word of God thus making it seem as if other beliefs are wrong. This undermines the credibility of re ligious beliefs, but does not mean the Hebrews version is false. Take an instance where a murder is commited and three witnesses give entirely different accounts of the details. However, because the three of them gave separate accounts of the murder, does not mean that no version can be the correct one. In fact, the real version might be a combination of all three accounts. I disagree with the attempt to use reason or rational thought to predetermine if God has effect on the world or if He exists. A logical claim I could make is God creates the natural order philosophers try to understand. An example is the recent science discovery refuting the effects of God on the parting of the Red Sea. Scientists found out that the biblical account of the splitting of the Red Sea might have actually been due to natural causes. In the Bible (Exodus 14), God caused the Red Sea to split, allowing the Israelites to pass on dry ground and then the sea caved back in and drowned the Egyptians. However, according to science, the wind from the East (East Wind) could have been so strong as to push the water up several streams for a certain period (for the Israelites to cross) and then cease, to cause water to return to the sea (to drown the Egyptians). It could have been possible that God caused the East Wind to drive the Red Sea up the tributaries at the time the Israelites wanted it, and then caused the river to fall in when the Egyptians were passing through it. The desire to prove the role or existence of God has persisted through centuries. There is such a strong belief that human reasoning can prove the existence of God, if He exists. But if God cannot be proven, then He does not exist, and He is just a fiction of the imagination of monotheists. I disagree with this perspective because the existence of God has to do with the spiritual realm. The existence of God has for a long time, been questioned, and therefore has troubled philosophers and scientists who always seek to explain every concept, but these two theories (mention the name of the theories), in my opinion, should be completely separate spheres of human existence. To Ockham, faith and reason were both valid approaches to truth, but they should be kept apart so that each could achieve its respective end (Matthews Platt, 261). I agree with William of Ockham in this statement because the fact that the first philosophers believed there is regularity in the universe and that human reason can ultimately understand the natural order, does not imply the use of reason should preclude the existence of God. Just as Thales was wrong about the fundamental substance being water, so also could the Milesian school be wrong about using human reason to prove or try to verify the existence of God-that is if God falls under the natural order of things. William of Ockham lived from about 1300 to about 1349, during which many things in the physical world have been invented or discovered. Up until now, the spiritual realm remains a mystery. Apparently, there is a great disparity in achievement between the use of reason to explain things in the physical world and to explain things of the spiritual realm. William of Ockham accepts reason as a valid approach to truth, but he also includes faith as a valid approach to truth. He explicitly says reason alone cannot question the existence of God. Instead, he suggests the existence of God can only be accepted by faith and the divine mysteries can simply be understood by faith. John Duns Scotus concluded, The theologian and the philosopher have different intellectual tasks, [therefore] theology and science should be independent fields of inquiry (Matthews Platt, 261). To elaborate on John Duns Scotus conclusions, as a Christian, I tried to prove the concept of the Trinity to a Muslim, using only logic. No matter how logical my answers were, they still involved spiritual beliefs and faith. Scientists who have attempted to measure the efficacy of prayer have obtained rather conflicting results. How can one attempt to solve a physics problem by reading a literature book? How can scientists make an effort to verify the spiritual beliefs using human reason? According to Ockham, human reason cannot produce any meaningful knowledge about the spiritual realm (Matthews Platt, 261). Furthermore, there are several religious events recorded in the Bible or Quran that are unfounded; for instance, how Noah was able to get all types of animals into the ark and prevent them from eating one another. One cannot answer this question because it does not make sense logically, so humans have to use another form of inquiry, faith. Only faith can explain the divine mystery. William of Ockham asserted, Reason, senses and empirical evidence could enable human beings to discover and hence understand the natural world, stoicism-a philosophy in the Hellenistic Age-offered a seemingly contradictory point of view. The Stoics believed that reason and the senses could be used jointly to uncover the underlying moral law as well as Gods design [or effect] in the world. The Stoics accepted that a spiritual being had effect on the happenings of the universe. An issue is does God have any effect on the universe. The Stoics acknowledge the effect of a supernatural being, William of Ockham does not. The Greeks/Mesopotamians/Egyptians believed that the More importantly, the use of faith to explain spiritual beliefs or religious dogma caused tension between religious thought and rational thought. From the Hellenistic Age, philosophies and religion have offered conflicting answers to unpredictable events and those beyond human control. Concepts, which could not be explained initially, were attributed to God or religious deities like the myth of rain: Hera. The inclination to leave the happenings during their time to the hands of the deities had a strong impact began with the Mesopotamians, who believed they were created to serve the deities. They probably held an even stronger dogma than modern times, because they believed human destinies were in the hands of the gods, and there was nothing they could do about that. Whatever the gods did with their lives could not be questioned. Also, the Hellenistic world had a section of people who believed in Fate. Fate, in that era, meant there were non-physical beings that controlled the natural events. They felt human reason could not understand the natural order of things. The Greeks who began to put humans at the center of the universe fortunately altered this pessimistic approach to life. Their mindset led them to question divine explanations for natural events. The disagreement between materialists and idealists could represent the early dispute between rational thought and spiritual beliefs. Materialists in the Archaic Age believed that the world was made of some basic physical element whereas the idealists reasoned that the physical world was deceptive and that there was a spiritual force or metaphysical power being the physical world. Also in the Hellenistic Age, the clash between these two paths to knowledge has been so significant; they can be found in other works of art. Dramatists wrote plots that dealt with divine law versus human law. Evident in Age of Synthesis (1000 to1300 CE), the tension or dispute has been carried through civilizations. Thomas Aquinas in this Age, tried to resolve the dispute by stating that human beings have two divine paths to truth or knowledge: reason and faith. He refers to divine paths, which indirectly means that the paths are God-given-a spiritual being exists that determines the limit to what we know. However, perhaps the period when the gap between philosophy and theology became the widest was in the Baroque Age 2 (1600 to 1715CE). In this Age of Scientific Revolution, the scientists and philosophers questioned divine explanations; they countered faith with reason, dogma with skepticism, and divine intervention with natural law. Nonetheless, scientists and philosophers have the tendency to assume that if divine concepts or events cannot be explained scientifically or logically, then these concepts or events never happened, or do not exist. This supposed misconception probably came about as a result of the actions of ancient civilizations. These civilizations produced explanations for things beyond their comprehension, which led led religions in later civilizations to explain other concepts divinely. Science has proven some of these concepts false and as a result, this has fuelled the constant dispute between religious beliefs and logical thought. Nevertheless, because some accounts were wrong does not mean all other explanations are. For the reason that Thales was wrong about water being the fundamental substance, did not mean that his belief-there is regularity in the universe-was wrong. Consequently, the use of reason cannot and should not preclude the existence of God. Religious dogma started on earth in Egypt and has manifested in different religions in history. Religious dogma is a belief without proof. Starting from the Egyptians, they believed that the king as god on earth embodied the state. Likewise, there have been several civilizations, which have provided different explanations about the beginning of the universe or life after death. Religious people believe in one holy book or another. The Christian version of the history of the universe is the biblical account. However, just like every tribe has a different story of the creation, the Hebrews had their own, and their version then became the accepted version by Christians-the word of God. Another concept for which several civilizations provided different explanations is life after death. The Egyptians, according to their religion, believed that if they remained faithful to their gods, they would be rewarded with a new life after death. About a thousand years later, the Hellenistic world held similar beliefs. Mithraism followers believed immortality awaited them after death. This concept of immortality is similar to the Egyptians new life after death. Philosophies in the Hellenistic Age attempted to explain life after death. According to Epicureanism, the atoms that made up the soul simply separated from the bodys atoms and united with other particles to create new forms. This way of life made its followers believe that there was a happy life after death. Couples of centuries later, Christians are made to believe the same underlying perception of life after death as did the Egyptians and the Epicureans: if they remain faithful, there would be paradise awaiting them. All through Western history until this date, science has never been able to refute any of these beliefs. Rational thought, or human reason, has not been able to come up with a description of life after death, which would refute these beliefs. Only spiritual belief has helped in understanding life after death. This suggests human reasoning or science is has a limit to which it can understand certain concepts in the universe. Restating Ockams concept, no useful knowledge can be gained through reason or the senses about the spiritual realm. To further the achievement of the Greek genius, human reason, as well as spiritual beliefs can understand concepts of the universe CONCLUSION

Anti-Death Penalty Essay -- Papers Against Capital Punishment Essays

Anti-Death Penalty History: The death penalty is not a new idea in our world. Its origins date back 3,700 years to the Babylonian civilization, where it was prescribed for a variety of crimes (Kronenwetter p.10). It was also greatly used in the Greek and Roman empires. In ancient Roman and Mosaic Law they believed in the rule of â€Å"eye for and eye.† The most famous executions of the past included Socrates and Jesus (Wilson p.13). It continued into England during the Middle Ages and then to the American colonies where it exist still today. In the colonies, death was a punishment for crimes of murder, arson, and perjury. Although today the death penalty is used for murder. Common ways of execution in the past where stoning, crucifixion, burning, breaking of the wheel, draw and quartering, beheading, garroting, shooting, and hanging (Wilson p.89). Today these styles of execution are thought to be cruel and unusual. Today in the United States, the death penalty is used in five different ways. These five ways are the firing squad, hanging, gas chamber, electric chair, and lethal injection. The United States applies these styles of execution because they are thought to be not torturous for execution. The death penalty has been accepted in the United States, but was not always approved by the people. In the late eighteen hundreds there was enough attention gathered to the death penalty to lead to restrictions. Many northern states abolished the practice all together like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island (Wilson p.45). Pennsylvania in 1794 decided to revises its laws on the death penalty. The state decided to use the penalty mainly for first-degree murder. Around this time many states where deciding t... ...ald J. â€Å"Reports: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel and Lack of Due Process in Death Penalty Cases.† Human Rights Winter 1995. Whittier, Charles H. â€Å"Moral Arguments For and Against Capital Punishment.† CRS Report For Congress 1996 Wilson, Josh, M. â€Å"Death Penalty History†. New York: Fletcher Press. 1998 http://www.time.com/time/magagzine/archive/1994/940523.crime.html http://listserv.american.edu/catholic/church/us/nybish.death http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/historic/query=[group+†¦/pageitems=[body] http://mtsd.k12.wi.us/mtsd/district/whacked.sites/anatomy.of.a.murder/gregg.htm http://mtsd.k12.we.us/mtsd/district/whacked.sites/anatomy.of.a.murder/furman.htm http://mtsd.k.12.wi.us/mtsd/district/whacked.sites/anatomy.of.a.murder/thompson.htm Http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/historic/query=[group+†¦pageitems=[body]

V for Vendetta

Brainwashed or Truly Embraced? V for Vendetta By Alan Moore and David Lloyd â€Å"16. Was Evey brainwashed by V or did she truly embrace V’s ideals† A teenage girl saved by V while she became involved with a gang of London’s secrete police while looking for a way to escape her social, economical and emotional needs. That’s how Alan Moore and David Lloyd introduce Evey Hammond, a fictional character and one of the protagonists of the comic book series V for Vendetta. Growing up on Shooters Hill in southeast London, she lost both her parents, and was struck by poverty.Trying to escape poverty she became a prostitute at only 16 years old. When she approached her first potential customer, which happens to be a Fingerman, a member of Norsefire’s secret police the man tried to rape her, but she was saved by a mysterious man in a Guy Fawkes mask and black cloak, which calls himself V. Being a naive young women, Evey falls for this V character and from that day on shows what could be questioned as a brainwashed by V, or a loyal follower of his unique ideals.If we divide the book into three different sections, we can see how Evy Hammond changes her point of view towards V ideals throughout the comic book. At the beginning we can see how she wasn’t totally convinced by his ideals, way of manipulating and spreading his thoughts but was still loyal to him even though she stayed at his house for convenience and protection rather than for loyalty. Since V appeared and saved her from those Fingerman, Evey showed an expression of gratefulness and relief him.In page 11, panel 3,8-9, we see how sad, nervous and lost she felt in the presence of the secrete police thanks to the sexual tension between them. After V appears in page 12, panel 6 we see how Evey expression changes, showing relief and emotional stability compared to her previous face expressions and gestures. Even though she realizes what she is leaving behind, she doesn’ t think its valuable enough to turn down V? s proposal about going to live with him even though she knows she might be getting involved with a potential terrorist. When she arrives to V? s ? house? he had an idea of what kind of person V was and still didn’t fear or ran away as a regular 16 year old girl would have done. In page 18, panel 2–5 we can perceive she was in her comfort zone regardless of the situation she was passing through. The act of staying not only shows us the instantaneous loyalty and gratefulness she feels towards V, but the desperation in which Evey was before being saved by him. As time starts passing, Alan Moore and David Lloyd, starts to modify Evey Hamond character, revealing a doubtful, confused side, which the readers did not know of.This personality trait is reflected when she doubts about V’s person under the masked, having the bravery to ask him if he might be her father. Through the second thirds of the book we see how Evey loyalty start to increase each time regardless of the physical or psychological distance that is between these two characters. When she is kicked out of The Shadow Gallery, she is left in the streets with nothing but V’s memory, because who thought they were going to see each other in a not so far away future?She goes to a friend’s house who gives her a place to sleep, food, and comfort, which is more likely what a teenage girl needs. Around this time was that we started to notice the strong connection there was between these two characters. Even after he had the nerve to kick her out she was still loyal to V, this is the point where we start to believe it’s a true loyalty instead than a game of manipulation and brainwashing as V’s common games. In page 124, panel 7-9 we see how even in a daily basis, she keeps thinking of him even though she tries to hide or forget it.When V captures Evy, someone who supposedly he loves, he tortures her physically and psycholog ically, until her breaking point. When asked to testify against V, her loyalty was so pure and profound, that she preferred to die for him that to say the reality of where he was hiding. Distracted and brainwashed by the emotional weight of Valerie’s story (pg 154,panel 6), we question again if her loyalty is pure or if it might be one of V tricks. If her loyalty was all a mind game, V was managing to do a great job do to the fact that not everyone would risk his/her life to say no words about the location of a terrorist.V keeps Evy locked up until she is tortured and manipulated to the extreme where she finally sees justice through V? s point of view. When she does, she is finally allowed back to the Shadow Gallery. Using such extremes to convince Evy of his perspective makes the reader question, once and for all if she is brainwashed or truly follows his ideals. Reaching the conclusion of truly embracing his ideals thanks to her strong determination about dying instead than revealing about her sentimental partner.When she is finally free from the cell, she embraces V ideals completely, to the extent that she even plans to execute his cruel plan, and to respect his death wishes about leaving his mask on regardless of his state. The moment one is completely sure about this loyalty is in my own favorite panel, located in page 251panel 8, a panel full of symbols that convey a unique message to each reader. Mimicking V? s smile, this final panel, close to the end demonstrate that even though Evy Hamond might not have believed in V? ideals at the beginning of the book, she grew to adopt them as if they were of her own. She got so involved in her new life living with the guy in the Guy Fawkes mask that she forgot her complete identity thanks to his manipulation, torture and charm. Giving V the tranquility of dying knowing that the idea survived his death rather than dying with him. —————————†”————– [ 1 ]. Potential terrorist, considering the fact he just blew up the House of Parliament in her presence.

Explore the theme of escapism in Peter Pan Essay

The theme of escapism is prominent in much children’s literature. Frances Hodgson-Burnett’s The Secret Garden is, like Peter Pan, an example of Edwardian children’s literature. Both these novels are tales of escapism from real life into another world. There are also more recent examples of escapism in children’s literature. In the 1950s C. S. Lewis invented Narnia, and in even more recent literature, Harry Potter escapes his everyday life to go to school at Hogwarts. J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, an early Edwardian novel, is one of the great classics of British children’s literature and is, on the surface, a tale about a boy who refused to grow up. There is however, an underlying plot concerning a girl who must grow up. It is from this obligation that Barrie’s Neverland acts as a form of escape. Throughout Peter Pan, there is little focus on the female characters. It is almost assumed that Wendy will grow up and become a Mother, as all daughters do. Although Neverland allows Wendy to escape from her home and from the domestic world she knows, she does not escape domesticity altogether. She almost becomes mother to the Lost Boys, and is given a number of domestic duties such as ironing Peter’s shadow. However, Wendy’s relationship with Peter is not entirely conventional. She appears to be the closest thing Peter has to a girlfriend, as he rejects the sexual advances of both Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily. However, Wendy also appears to be acting as his mother, something Peter has been deprived of his whole life. It is the childish energy of Barrie’s imagination filled with such a â€Å"splendid jumble of pirates, redskins, fairies and mermaids† that enthrals so many children (Carpenter p172). Through this manipulation of other people’s minds and emotions, Barrie â€Å"carries them off from the real world †¦ to a country of his own invention† (Carpenter p179). Barrie seems to be presenting his readers with a substitute faith, to act as a form of escape from the Christian teachings of the Victorian era. It has even been suggested that Peter Pan is in fact an alternative religion. Humphrey Carpenter suggests that in many respects Peter is Christ-like. Possibly the most obvious example of this is when he takes Wendy and her brothers on a flight of fantasy to â€Å"his own heavenly land† (Carpenter p182). The Lost Boys who live there seem to represent the souls of the dead as Peter asserts, â€Å"They are the children who fall out of their prams when the nurse is looking the other way†, therefore further increasing Neverland’s resemblance of heaven. The concept of escaping to heaven was extremely important to Barrie. He lost his brother David at a young age and subsequently spent much of his life trying to become a living version of the boy â€Å"who by dying †¦ remained ever young† (Wallshli ger p120). To observe Peter and Hook as the Christ and Satan of Barrie’s religion, the reader must have faith in the novel. The theme of belief is interesting throughout Peter Pan as the reader is, like the Darling children, constantly being asked, â€Å"Do you believe? † In order to fly, the Darling children must have faith, and â€Å"think lovely wonderful thoughts†, as Peter’s fairy dust is, in itself not enough. In turn the reader or audience must have faith and believe in the fact that a child can fly. Similarly, in order to escape to Neverland, a reader must have faith that there is such a place â€Å"somewhere past the second star to the right and straight on until morning†. The theme of belief is particularly important at the end of Barrie’s story when the darling children lose their faith and no longer believe in Peter, and so cannot see him. Though faith and belief are important in Peter Pan, the dream of escaping to another world seems to be almost self-sufficient. Barrie implies there is little need to grow up or awaken from this dream as it is in fact already framed by the Edwardian domesticity of the â€Å"real† world where wealth and relationships are important. Carpenter in fact goes further than this by asserting that children must not grow up and claims that to visit Neverland â€Å"requires an act of belief that children cannot sustain as they grow up† (Carpenter p180). Peter himself seems to be of the opinion that it is only children, who can escape the drudgery of everyday life and claims, â€Å"I want always to be a little boy, and to have fun†. Barrie’s adventure story and his creation of such a magical hero seems to have achieved what so much children’s literature had previously tried to do. Peter represents the shift from the Victorian perception of the child as a â€Å"moral icon† to â€Å"a craze for the child as a fun-loving playboy hero† (Wallshli ger p111). Peter has no memory or emotion, and so â€Å"can live only for the moment† and experiences ecstasies that other children can never know (Wallshli ger p117). Peter is an asexual child rather than a young man. Barrie himself was also somewhat sexless, and it is doubtful whether his marriage was ever consummated. This lack of sexuality and romantic relationship is represented well on stage as Peter is often played by an actress, and is therefore viewed as an androgynous figure. Another interesting aspect of the casting of Peter Pan is that of Mr. Darling and Hook, who traditionally, are played by the same actor. This becomes particularly significant when considering the theme of masculinity in Peter Pan. There is much evidence of male competitiveness in the novel. The most obvious example of this is Peter’s dual with Hook, which appears to be an assertion of masculinity by Peter. It is particularly interesting that it is Peter and the lost boys who triumph over Hook who is a mature villain. This youthful triumph acts as another form of escape for a young reader. Traditionally in Victorian society adults were in control and would have power over children. In Barrie’s Children’s fantasy, it is youth and sexual immaturity that enable Peter to triumph over his adult rivals. It has been suggested by many critics that Peter, â€Å"The boy who wouldn’t grow up†, is a representation of Barrie himself. Barrie was a short man and despite a moustache â€Å"retained a markedly boyish look until old age† (Carpenter p173). He was in a physical respect, quite literally, a boy who couldn’t grow up. This figure of a man in a child’s body is undoubtedly the principle model for Peter, who is â€Å"neither child nor adult† (Carpenter p177).

The Kiss of Death

It began with the porch steps. Or maybe it began with the laziness of the man living in the house to which these steps led. Either way both are very important for this story. The Higgs couple lived in a small house in a quiet neighbourhood by the road. It may have seemed at first sight that Mr. And Mrs. Higgs got on well as a couple. However the truth was very different. Mr. Higgs was a jealous man. Mrs. Higgs was a hospital nurse and often had to work over night. This meant the two of them never got to see much of each other. Mrs. Higgs came home in the morning at about the time when Mr. Higgs left for work. It was the same in the evenings, Mrs Higgs leaving the house for work only to meet her husband coming in. Not knowing for sure where his wife was over night Mr. Higgs often got very suspicious of his wife having an affair. It was a Tuesday morning Mr. Higgs, alone in the house, looking out the window at the snowed-in drive, thinking what his wife might be doing right now. Paranoid thoughts were once again chasing through his head. But a plan was already taking shape in his mind. He would come home from work earlier than usual today and see whether his wife had someone in the house. If yes he certainly wouldn't hesitate to punish her. Pondering on a suitable punishment he turned to other things that needed to be done that morning. Apart from the usual, he had to clear the porch, the steps leading up to the porch and the walkway of snow. This was a chore Mr. Higgs despised. He hated having to trudge up and down in the snow, wielding his shovel while more and more fresh snow fell. Mr. Higgs hated winter and anything that went with it. He decided not to shovel the snow that morning. Mr. Higgs left the house at about quarter to eight. He locked the door and carefully walked across the porch and down the three steps. They did seem to be a little slippery and Mr. Higgs once again considered clearing them of that wretched snow. No, it could wait besides he would be late for work. He walked over to the gate, got in his car and drove off to work. Mrs. Higgs came home at half past eight. She took a shower, made herself some breakfast and then sat down into an armchair with a book. She wasn't expecting anyone. She knew about Mr. Higgs's suspicions but they were all false. She wouldn't be surprised if he came marching in at that very moment demanding where she hid her secret lover and then went on a rampage around the house searching closets, and wardrobes. She smiled to herself at the thought of that happening. Her smile didn't last long. At that moment a loud thump came from outside. Henry the postman opened the Higgs's gate. The Higgs couple didn't have a mailbox hanging on the gate. Instead they chose to place directly on the main door. Probably so they wouldn't have to walk that far when retrieving their mail. Lazy. He went through the gate and strode across the garden toward the Higgss' door. â€Å"Couldn't even take care of the snow, people these days†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This was probably one of Henry's last thoughts because as he was about to take the third step up the small stairs leading to the porch his foot slipped and Henry the postman fell to the ground, hitting his head on the porch steps with a loud thump. Mrs. Higgs sat there, waiting for her husband to come bursting through the door. When the door remained closed she walked forward and threw it open only to find not her husband but the local postman sprawled on the porch steps. Luckily for Henry Mrs. Higgs was a nurse and knew exactly what to do in such a situation. She crouched down next to him and reached out looking for a pulse. There it was, slow but steady. Henry the postman was still alive. His breathing seemed to be weak and irregular. She would have to resuscitate It was about at this moment that Mr. Higgs's car came to a halt in front of the house. Unfortunately Mrs. Higgs didn't notice instead she leaned over Henry's body, her lips touched his and as she exhaled air was pushed into his lungs. By this time Mr. Higgs had gotten out of his car and all his attention was on his wife kissing the local postman that was laying there on the porch. Mr. Higgs opened the gate, stepped through and closed it forcefully behind him. The clash of the gate made Mrs. Higgs look up. She immediately realized what she is doing must look like. She stood up and took a few steps down the stairs and into the garden toward her husband. Behind her Henry was waking, lifting his head, dazed. â€Å"I know what this must look like Paul, but it's nothing like that† Mrs. Higgs stuttered. â€Å"He slipped and fell. I was giving him the kiss of life.† Mr. Higgs stood there staring into her eyes â€Å"It might have been the kiss of life for him but it's the kiss of death for you.† It was the way he said it, a slow deliberate growl that made Mrs. Higgs react the way she did. Turning back toward the house she ran. Mr. Higgs didn't say anything to warn or stop her. He knew she wouldn't get far. Mrs. Higgs running back to the house forgot all about how slippery the porch steps were. She was almost on the third step when her foot shot from under her. Mr. Higgs watched as if in slow motion as Mrs Higgs turned in the air and fell, hitting her head on the bottom stair. There was a sickening crunch and then silence. It ended as it began, with the porch steps.