Proposal writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Proposal writing - Essay Example This movie Rain Man depicts Raymond as a high-functioning autistic person from which nothing much is expected; living among so many other people with disabilities who expected much from him. Raymond’s doctors and other friends used to look at him as a person who was always in his world and one who was not able to establish a relationship. Throughout the movie also, Raymond is seen to contribute a lot towards his brother’s character and behavioural change. For the reason of depicting Raymond as one individual from whom nothing is expected, I am convinced to think that this movie portrays disabled people in a negative way (Lee 883-900). Nevertheless, Raymond is honesty and caring; he can remember some dates and addresses and knows many truths about baseball. Moreover, Raymond is shown to have the capabilities of tackling difficult sums in his head and a great ability to count cards. However, despite such nice characters and mental power from a person with autism the movie still shows that his ability and character is being taken advantage of and therefore the movie continues to portray disabled people in a negative way. Raymond is also very good in self-advocacy since he succeeded in explaining to his brother that he did not want to fly and hence they drove. Since Raymond was re-united with his brother through social character, it is unfair for the movie to depict him as an antisocial person who can’t make a relationship. He shows lots of care to his brother through counting cards for him and helping him financially without questioning. For all these reasons therefore, Raymond according to me does not deserve to have been depicted in a manner likely to suggest that he is useless and cannot contribute to the society (Lee 883-900). The reason why I decided to come up with this adaptation is that so many people currently are finding pleasure in watching movies and it is likely that the negative depiction of the disabled character in

Joyces treatment of Epiphanies Essay Example for Free

Joyces treatment of Epiphanies Essay Explore Joyces treatment of Epiphanies in some of the stories you have studied. In literally every of story of Joyce studied so far we could discover one or more epiphanies. This term is generally used as a description of any sudden moments of understanding or sense of revelation. Joyce himself once described them as sudden spiritual manifestations, whether in the vulgarity of speech or gesture or in a memorable phase of the mind itself. I will try to fathom these epiphanies and Joyces use of them in the following. The story I am going to start with is An Encounter, which happens to be at an early stage of Joyces chronological order in Dubliners childhood. It mainly deals with a bunch of younger school boys, who live a rather sheltered childhood in catholic Dublin, reading stories about the Wild West, playing Indian fights, and having parents who go to eight-oclock mass every morning. Inspired by the stories read in their Wild West booklets, Leo Dillon, Mahony and the narrator decide to have their own little adventure and plan a day out of school, playing truant and going to see the so called Pigeon House at the other end of Dublin. However, in the next morning they are starting their journey without Leo Dillon. Mahony freely comments: Come along. I knew Fattyd funk it. When the two boys, after a long voyage, still havent arrived at their destination, they agree to give up their initial plan and just to rest some time on a bench in a field. After a few calm minutes Mahony and the Narrator discover an older man approaching at the far end of the field, shabbily dressed and walking with one hand upon his hip and a stick in the other hand. Having arrived at the bench with the two young boys on it, he wishes a good-day and starts to talk about the weather. Suggesting the boys that the happiest time of ones life was undoubtedly ones schoolboy days, the bores Mahony and the narrator, who nevertheless keep silent. In the following, the old man talks, mainly to the narrator, about literature and, from there, changes the subject to totties. He expresses a very liberal point of view about young peoples lives Every boy, he said, has a little sweetheart. Silence follows a long monologue of the old man about young girls and other things the speaker admits not actually to understands, which implies us that it could be about sexual allusions as the two boys are still quite young. The man stands up and walks to the near end of the field. Arrived there, he does something that wakes Mahonys interest: I say! Look what he is doing and a bit later I say Hes a queer old josser which suggests us that the man might be, excited by two little boys, masturbating just a few meters away from them. Some minutes later, he comes back and again starts a monologue, but it seems he has forgotten his recent liberalism: In language influenced by sadism he states that school boys should be whipped and whipped again, especially if they told lies about their sweethearts, he would give them such a whipping as no boy ever got in this world. Calmly, the narrator departs, obviously worried by behaviour and stories of the old man, and joins Mahony who has gone away, into the field, earlier. Together they leave the place. Back to the epiphanies: the first one we can find is apparently the moment when Mahony finds the old man masturbating only a few meters off. No matter if the boys actually know what he is doing, it is definitely a so called sudden spiritual manifestation: they know that what the man is doing there is strange for them, and it abruptly changes the way they look at him. Although there is no physical threat for them at that moment, Mahony and the speaker feel worried and confused, and one of them even runs away after having seen this. Although directly related to the old mans behaviour linked to the first epiphany, we can find another one when he is back and talking again: the way he speaks and his opinions have changed so drastically that there must be another strange awakening in the speakers mind. We feel reminded of a definition of an epiphany mentioned earlier: It is a sudden spiritual manifestation in the vulgarity of speech and gesture. The third and last epiphany, I suggest, might be found at the very end of the story, when the boys are just about to leave, to finish their day off and start the journey back home: they now realize that they have really find out what their adventure was like: they have met a sexually sick bloke instead of having an exciting day in Dublin, visiting a sight and enjoying themselves. A second example for Joyces treatment of epiphanies could be the short story After the Race. Unlike An Encounter it deals with adolescence, and tells about what happens on a particular evening in paralysed Dublin. Four young people return to Dublin. They have just taken part in a car race, and have won the second place. The group is made up of a French man, a French-Canadian, a Hungarian and Doyle, a Dubliner. Through Doyle, Joyce shows the ambitions and aspirations of middle class Dublin. His father was a butcher, but had been fortunate enough to secure some police contracts and had become rich enough to be referred to as the merchant prince. The father has plans for his son Doyle is first sent to Cambridge, to study, where he first encounters international upper class lifestyle, not the one he knows from Dublin. Studies do not particularly interest him, and he returns to Dublin. Doyle could be called a typical rich son, and he is highly interested in music and motoring. He got to know a member of the racing team, and is now elated to be entering Dublin in the teams company. That evenings Dinner is a matter that causes great excitement in Doyles family, as it shows father and mother that the ir son has arrived arrived in the world of jet-set and international playboys, as they think. However, Joyce doesnt reject to admit that Dublin wasnt actually a metropolis as it seemed to be then: That night the city wore the mask of a capital. The company of the young men is heady. They talk loudly and gaily. And when they stroll along Stephens Green, people on the road make way for them. I think Joyce wants to imply here how much the odour of wealth and internationality are worshipped in Dublin another allusion on the paralysis he finds in Dublin in those times. They team makes its way to a yacht, where the go on celebrating themselves happily. The party continues with game where money is staked Doyle loses heavily, but who cares on such a night? The party ends up with the Hungarian, who unlike Doyle realized that this isnt his world, retired from the game, announcing Daybreak, gentlemen! In this story, we find another way of use of epiphanies: Joyce keeps it until the very end until he uses the epiphany with the Hungarian reminding the team that it is time to wake up and face the realities of a normal day. This shows Doyle that the last twelve hours were just an illusion and that he cant actually cope with the standard of these international jet-setters. He has lost far more money than he can afford and has to realize that he is just a Dubliner and that Dublin hasnt got its place in a line-up of the international capitals. Joyces use of the epiphany is remarkable, as it wasnt to the very end of the story that he effectively used it. For the whole time, Joyce left Jimmy Doyle and us in the imagination that the Dubliner could actually cope with his colleagues until he abruptly drops him out of his dream world. So far we could discover quite a different use of epiphanies in two of Joyces stories: used three times in An Encounter, opening different point of views for the boys of the day and of the old man, Joyce uses, in contrast, only one epiphany in After the Race, which in itself, however, is much sharper and more abrupt. While in After the race the epiphany is used at the very end only, they are spread wider in An Encounter. Both stories epiphanies have in common that they actually always are memorable phases of the persons minds themselves, or in Joyces words, these sudden spiritual manifestations I mentioned before.

SEDS-Saving Space Exploration Essay -- Space Exploration Essays

SEDS-Saving Space Exploration Space exploration was once a fascinating part of human culture. Back in the 60’s, when getting to the moon was a top priority, and exploring the features of other planets interested people, the space program had the momentum to pull off bigger and better things. To explore stars not even in our galaxy and even possibly pull off the feat of discovering extraterrestrial life was something people only dreamed about. Once being only in the imagination, space travel is a reality. Nowadays, many people have lost interest in the space program. With people’s interests in space exploration dwindling, as well as internal problems with the NASA program, funding has been cut short, and continued development in space exploration has been stunted. SEDS, which stands for Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, is one of the programs that is trying to bring the space program back to the prestige it held in the 60’s and is also attempting to regenerate public interest in space exploration. SEDS was founded in 1980 at MIT and Princeton and consists of an international group of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students from different educational backgrounds who are to promote the development and exploration of space as a whole (www.SEDS.org). One of the unique aspects about the organization is its dedication to being a youth-oriented organization. On the organization’s main website, the SEDS mission statement says SEDS supports a network of students across many of the nation’s top colleges. The mission statement also says the organization encourages young people who are interested in space to become a member of their organization. The SEDS mission statement also states by becomin... ...hives. The three chapters of SEDS that were analyzed all have their own qualities, and in one way or another contribute with the goal SEDS has set for the organization. All three chapters have flaws, but looking at whether the chapters did what they were supposed to do the chapters, for the most part, accomplished their goal. Information was provided from credible sources, as the information helps people become informed of space exploration. The goal of getting people physically involved with projects of space exploration is not completely fulfilled because of the lack of depth the descriptions of the projects have, and the lack of information of how to get involved in those projects. However, the overall goal of saving space exploration can be accomplished if SEDS uses their chapters wisely and continues to expand their organization across colleges nation-wide.

The Benefits of Community Service Essay examples -- Service-Learning E

In 2010, â€Å"over 20 billion hours of volunteer service were reported† in the United States (Hoffman 418). For such an outstanding amount of time, only 26.7% of the population reported volunteer hours (Hoffman 418-9). Philanthropy, a desire to improve the material, social, and spiritual welfare of humanity, especially through charitable activities, is dependent on the altruistic values of the American society. Philanthropy is a general love for all of humanity that manifests itself in the form of community service. Altruism is the foundation of volunteering; volunteering is the foundation of community service, and community service is the foundation of charity. Altruism is the belief that acting for the benefit of others is right and good. Volunteering is the act of doing work out of choice, out of free will, and altruistic people feel joyous when serving the community. The importance of volunteering comes from giving up time to help a charity or the community. Community service can be vital to keeping connected to others that are in the same area. August John Hoffman, professor of psychology at California State University Northridge, believes â€Å"Community service work and civic engagement are described here as any voluntary activity performed by community members for the overall improvement of the community and society† (418). Charity can take many forms; it can be donations of money, goods, or time, and time is the most valuable asset a person has to offer. It is not easy to convinc e people to give up their precious time for community service; however, people should take part in community service because it elevates the community and has a positive impact it has on both the helped and the volunteer. It is no secret that community... ...ring Students in a Service-Learning Clinical Supervision Experience: An Educational Case Report.† Physical Therapy 91.10 (2011): 1513-1524. Academic rch Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. Martin, Mary Beth. Personal interview. 20 Apr. 2012. Romano, Joyce C, Geraldine Gallagher, and Sanford C Shugart. â€Å"More than an Open Door: Deploying Philanthropy to Student Access and Success in American Community College.† New Directions for Student Services 130 (2010): 55-70. Academic rch Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. Sukiennik, Diane, William Bendat, and Lisa Raufman. The Career Fitness Program: Exercising Your Options. 9th ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Vogel, Amanda ] L, and Sarena D Seifer. â€Å"Impacts of Sustained Institutional Participation in Service-Learning.† Gateways: International Journal of Community Research & Engagement 4 (2011): 186-202. Academic rch Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2012.

Othello: Pathos Essay

Shakespeare has used pathos in vast ways to support character development and to build the readers or audiences’ relationship with the characters. Shakespeare makes his readers feel sympathy for certain characters by the way the antagonist treats them. In Othello, Iago used Roderigo, tricked Othello, and mistreated the female characters in the play. Iago helps develop the theme of jealousy throughout the play by exploiting some of the major characters. The truths about some characters are shown clearly to the audience which helps them establish their opinions and feelings about them. Shakespeare uses pathos to get his reader’s point of view of a character. In the beginning of the play, the audience was able to discover that Iago was misusing Roderigo for his own benefit. He was taking his money and lying about loyalty. Iago could care less about Roderigo; all he could think was to get back at Othello and release his jealousy towards him and Cassio. At this point, the audience feels sympathy for Roderigo and somehow relate to his pain. Having to live without someone you love dearly can lead to dramatic conclusions, like the one Roderigo was thinking of. â€Å"It is silliness to live, when to live is torment.† (I, iii, 305) Even though Iago acts like a loyal friend to Roderigo and promises him he will get Desdemona for him, the audience knows he is only taking advantage of him. Because of Iago, Roderigo is feeding off of his jealousy towards Othello, and doing everything Iago tells him to do for a woman he will never have. In contrast, tricking people into thinking that false statements are true and going out of your way to hurt someone is another flaw Iago relinquishes; this time, on the star of the play. He tricks Othello into thinking that his wife is cheating on him with his best lieutenant. Knowing this false fact, Othello is devastated and his jealousy towards Cassio builds greatly. Every little thing that Iago hints at increases Othello’s jealousy by another level. â€Å"She did deceive her father, marrying you; / And when she seem’d to shake and fear your looks/ She lov’d them most.† (III, iii, ). However, Othello falls into â€Å"Honest Iago’s† trap and considers him a loyal and trustworthy friend. The audience would think otherwise. This shows the readers that Othello is naà ¯ve and easily jumps to conclusion without even talking to his wife. Nevertheless, the audience cannot help but feel sympathy towards him for being so dim-witted, yet gullible. Lastly, Iago uses another trick up his sleeve aiming at the ladies in the play. He mentally, emotionally, and physically abuses the women just to go forth with his plan. Iago ruins Desdemona’s happiness for his own selfish reason and jealousy takes complete control of him once he starts to include innocent women in his malevolent plan. Not only he, but Othello as well gets badly influenced by jealousy and ends up vowing to murder his wife. In comparison, Iago stabs Emilia for revealing the truth. â€Å"I hold my peace, sir? no; / No, I will speak as liberal as the north; / Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, / All, all, cry shame against me, yet I’ll speak.† (V, ii, ). These actions create pathos for these two women and the audience knows that these women were never wrong. Even though Desdemona and Emilia were one of the major components on building the theme, for them to be accused and have their rights taken away helps the audience understand the theme of jealousy better. Shakespeare uses pathos in this play to develop the theme of jealousy. He makes the antagonist and his actions the key point of displaying jealousy and exploiting the major characters in the play. Shakespeare describes to the audience how the influence of jealousy can affect so many people and make them do unlawful acts. Similar to how Iago was disloyal to Roderigo, dishonest to Othello, and abusive to Emilia and Desdemona. However, the truth about these characters helps the audience understand them better so that they can create their own opinion about them.

Madagascar essays

Madagascar essays Madagascar is a less popular covered subject in most geography textbooks, so I have set out on an internet, and encyclopedia journey in hopes of learning more about the publicity deprived section of Africa. In my research I have found coverage on: Madagascars geographic location, commodities and crops, agricultural, attributes, popular religious practices, and native languages spoken throughout the area. Throughout the repot I will touch on each topic, in hope of gaining more knowledge and insight. To start I will give a brief background of Madagascar followed by an in-depth look into Madagascars important facts. Madagascar is Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896, but regained its independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. Madagascars geographic location lies on the southern-eastern part of Africa, it is the closet island bordering Africa. Its geographic similarity resembles, Sicily to Italy. Its location is in the middle of the Indian Ocean, in Africa its closet neighbor is Mozambique; in which, it is directly east of. Madagascar is slightly less than double the size of Arizona. The Climate is Tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in the south. Its terrain is: narrow coastal plains, high plateaus, and mountains in the center. Madagascars Elevation extremes go as the following: Lowest point = the Indian ocean at 0 meters. The highest point: Maromokotro at: 2,876 meters. The m...

Reconstruction-DBQ essays

Reconstruction-DBQ essays In what ways and to what extent did constitutional and social developments between 1860 and 1877 amount to a revolution? The Declaration of Independence is a written document intended to bring about change, through the hopes and will of the common people. ...We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. This infamous statement however was not carried through history to its highest potential. Another challengeable statement mentioned in the Declaration of Independence was ...that they are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states. Through the periods of 1860 and 1877, nearly 100 years after the Declaration was written, constitutional and social developments were a necessity in order to protect all citizens rights, no matter what race, color or religion, enforce states rights, and bring about a change, that would further revolutionize and impact the United States greatly. States rights was a critical topic during this time period. South Carolina wanted to secede because of the violations of constitution posed by the federal government. The South Carolina Declaration states their reasons for secession, clearly shown in Document A. South Carolina was the first state to succeed from the Union, which would then anger the United States because it triggered other states to follow their footsteps. South Carolina felt their rights had been stripped of them, which challenged the United States constitution. The principle of states rights is a bad sentiment in others eyes however. In Document B, Senator John Sherman basically says that we have given to much power to the states allowing it to overthrow the government. It decreases a sense of nationality which in the long-run could harm the ...

Naval Role in the American Civil War essays

Naval Role in the American Civil War essays Three days after the bombardment of Fort Sumter, on April 15, 1861, Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand volunteers to enlist for three months. Soon after he called for additional forty-two thousand men to sign on for three years, and provided large increases in the army and navy budgets. With an unlimited budget for both army and navy, lack of planning in the North and poor resources in the South meant that the campaign at sea got off to a slow start. Also, valuable time was needed to build up navies from scratch. The Union Navy received an increase of eighteen thousand men, and in July, as it became obvious that this was not going to be a short campaign, Lincoln asked for additional four hundred thousand men for the army and navy. Once started, the South organized more quickly than the North as it established a navy after the first states had seceded. By August 1861 Stephen R. Mallory, the Confederate Secretary of the Navy had already contracted for several powerful vessels in the west. Here again the South was well in advance of the North. A few problems would arise for the south after a good start. Few Southern shipyards were of sufficient size, and plants for the manufacture of machinery and armor were also in need of. Of the ten yards belonging to the US Navy in 1860, only two were in the South. One at Norfolk which was a great facility, having constructed thirteen major warships before 1861. Then a smaller one at Pensacola, which was better, used to refitting vessels, but it had built several large warships in the past. But even this large output of warships would not be enough when compared with the enormous shipbuilding resources of the Union, which had many well-equipped naval yards, and a large supply of private companies. Many small concerns continued to spring up in the South, but these were often located on a riverbank due to the frequently lacked adequate facilities. In 1860 there...

Entrepreneurship - Creative Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Entrepreneurship - Creative Journal - Essay Example In business, most managers believe that this is the most significant mark of a successful entrepreneur (Mazzarol, 2007). Achievement can also be enhanced by giving rewards, salary increment, bonuses and rises to most successful employees. Employers also play significant roles in developing employees’ skills and talents. They can collude with learning institutions to support and supervise research done by their employees, or through transversal skill development (Mazzarol, 2007). Human resource managers also need to provide clear hiring and exit procedures, but more notable is to retain current employees through a set of institutional benefits like competitive wage, support for international mobility, and supplementary pension schemes (Mazzarol, 2007). Locus of control describes the extent to which a person believes that the outcome results are influenced by their own behaviors, or from their external surrounding. Managers, therefore, need to create an environment that motivate s its employees to work hard towards achieving the organization’s goals (Mazzarol, 2007). Locus of control is usually low when change strategies are being implemented within the organization. In order to solve this problem, managers have to create an effective means of communication that informs the employees on the strategies and processes required for the implementation of that change. As the work environment changes, I realized that I can either contribute to the success or failure of a business. My attitude towards the impacts of external influences on the quality of work and the success of the business is the key factor that influences my contributions to the success of the business. Positive external influences enhance my efficiency and productivity within a short period, as compared to negative external influences that still require consultations and decision making process in order to be resolved. This process involves much time, and this slows down employees’ morale towards achieving the organizational goals and objectives (Mazzarol, 2007). Second Journal Entry Set Small and large firms play ever-increasing roles in innovation. Innovation is mainly driven by market dynamics and technology. Currently, recommendable advancements have been made in several areas that include multimedia, computers and electronic devices. Of all the innovations that have been done, internet is one of the innovations that have significantly influenced my daily life. The internet has changed the way I learn, shop, communicate and conduct my business. In the modern world, internet is the most famous and effective means of spreading information, fact or fiction (Mazzarol, 2007). In the past centuries, people were once limited to news of the local television channels and newspapers. However, anybody can currently search the globe, international markets, foreign products, different cultures, international jobs and so on. Through the internet, it is much easier and c heaper to communicate with friends and relatives more than telephones and letters. The internet has given me an opportunity to meet several friends both locally and internationally. It is possible to directly communicate to distance friends face-to-face, or through chatting. In other words, internet has limited both geographical and political boundaries that earlier

Security Operations in the United States since September 11, 2001 Term Paper

Security Operations in the United States since September 11, 2001 - Term Paper Example This essay discusses the September 11, 2001 attacks, that led to the implementation of various security policies by the government. These policies were meant to improve the apprehension of terrorists and the prevention of more terrorist attacks and activities. These security measures have provided safety and security for Americans, ensuring that authorities can carry out security measures efficiently. However, these changes have caused various negative elements into play. Firstly, entry and migration into the US has become tighter and more difficult. Secondly, these security measures have caused violations of rights, especially those which relate to the rights of privacy, rights of the public to be informed about government actions, and the rights to due process. Finally, security measures have caused racial tensions in US. In effect, although we may be safer now, we have become less secured in our civil rights. These security measures have provided safer conditions for Americans all owing the government authorities to carry out security measures with minimal legal interference. However, the price for these security operations has been and is being paid for by the American public. Firstly, going into and out of the ports has become a very difficult and tedious process. Secondly, these security measures have also led to the violations of liberties and rights, especially those which relate to the rights of privacy, rights of the public to be informed about government actions, and the rights to due process.

Final Term Paper GVPT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final Term Paper GVPT - Essay Example Secondly, researchers indicate that the vice includes activities concerned with cyber war, which is centered on the deliberate destruction of information in computers with the aim of causing a situation of instability within the global social media community (Burke & Cooper, 2008). Further, cyber war is an inclusion to cyber terrorism since it involves the activities of terrorism organizations prying rival governments’ information and destroying it to bar them from achieving profound goals in anti-terrorism activities. The following discussion establishes narrow and broad descriptions of cyber terrorism. Further, the discussion establishes profound researches and analyses to intensify and reveal cyber terrorism activities with the assertion of a relevant matrix. Scholars concerned with the emergence of cyber terrorism in the global society assert that the vice is relative to actual terrorism since it includes the destruction of properties and information. Basically, researchers indicate that this type of attack threatens properties as well as people‘s lives citing on the fact that computers are used as lifesavers in hospitals’ intensive care units (Weil, 2013). Acknowledgements to the fact indicate that whenever terrorists tamper with computers in intensive care units, there are high chances of loss of lives since health practitioners will be unable to monitor their patients profusely. Similarly, arguments assert that cyber terrorism is a detrimental factor to societal wellbeing since its practices introduce unnecessary harm to the media, thus hindering the effective flow of information. It is knowledgeable that the vice can influence infrastructures negatively to the extent that they will fail to deliver the required services to the human society (Harress, 2014). At such a point, cyber terrorism will be exposing the society to unnecessary dangers bearing in mind that the criminals target those services whose course and nature is

Internal Control System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Internal Control System - Essay Example Internal Auditing is defined as an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. It helps an organization to accomplish its objectives by evolving a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes. The internal audit activity evaluates the adequacy and effectiveness of controls that encompass the organization's governance, operations, and information systems (Arens, Loebbecke, Lemon, & Splettstoesser, 2006). Internal audit reviews include the reliability and integrity of financial and operational information, effectiveness and efficiency of operations, safeguarding of assets, and compliance with laws, regulations, and contracts. These reviews ascertain the extent to which operating and program goals and objectives have been established and whether they conform to the requirements of the organization. It also examines the extent to which results are consistent with established goals and objectives and whether operations and programs are implemented or performed as intended. One of the primary responsibilities of internal auditing is the assessment of internal control system of a company. ... It also examines the extent to which results are consistent with established goals and objectives and whether operations and programs are implemented or performed as intended. One of the primary responsibilities of internal auditing is the assessment of internal control system of a company. The French Institute of Chartered Accountants defines internal control "as a set of security measures which contribute to the control of a company. Its aim is to ensure, on the other hand, the security and safeguard of assets and the quality of information, on the other hand, the application of instructions given by the Senior management, and to encourage improvements in performances. It is evidenced through the organisation, methods, and procedures for each of the company's activities, so as to ensure the continuity of that company." There are two identified types of controls, Preventive and Defective Controls. Preventive controls are intended to foil errors or irregularities from happening. It is a positive control that helps avert losses. On the other hand, detective controls are devised to identify or uncover inaccuracy and irregularities after they have occurred. Both of these controls play an important role to an effective control system. Preventive controls are essential because they are proactive and emphasize quality. However, detective controls play a critical role in providing evidence that the preventive controls are working and thwarts losses. Internal Control Objectives There are seven pre-defined internal control objectives, namely, authorization, completeness, accuracy, validity, physical safeguards & security, error handling, and segregation of duties. 1) Accountability, authorization and approval- the

Ethics from the dark side Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics from the dark side - Assignment Example Communicating with the attorney helps him or her comprehend any weaknesses in the case considering that the attorney can end the engagement. In a similar way to athletes, an expert must stay within himself or herself as a reason for maintaining success. An expert has a responsibility of staying put in his or her expertise with the allowance of recommending the right professional for the attorney when called upon. The role of the professional (expert) is to apply his or her expertise to educate the jury as well as the judge as opposed to being an advocate. Enlightenment covers many areas with special emphasis in understanding issues not common to all. The compensation of the expert should remain outside contingent of the results of the case. The recommendation is having the same on the hourly basis. Other options are hourly basis and related techniques but never pegging the same on the outcome of the case. Payments to the professional revolve around experience and time as opposed to a particular result. Expert compensation is a public concept and not a private matter. Its so because it is an element of the report prepared by the expert in litigation. The content is in some state courts and the federal court. This position contradicts the requirements of the rules of regulations that prohibit disclosure. Expert compensation remains a topic in a deposition. An expert reviews after receiving information and documents of confidential nature. The professional has a responsibility of evaluating if the task ahead is likely to cause a conflict of interest before accepting an assignment. Among others, features to consider include present assignments and relationships. Ethics are crucial in enhancing the duties of a professional. They can as well hinder his or her delivery of duties. However, their greatest asset is strengthening the functions of an expert. A professional who analyses all the facts fairly and honestly without attempting to divert an opinion will

Internal Control System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Internal Control System - Essay Example Internal Auditing is defined as an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. It helps an organization to accomplish its objectives by evolving a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes. The internal audit activity evaluates the adequacy and effectiveness of controls that encompass the organization's governance, operations, and information systems (Arens, Loebbecke, Lemon, & Splettstoesser, 2006). Internal audit reviews include the reliability and integrity of financial and operational information, effectiveness and efficiency of operations, safeguarding of assets, and compliance with laws, regulations, and contracts. These reviews ascertain the extent to which operating and program goals and objectives have been established and whether they conform to the requirements of the organization. It also examines the extent to which results are consistent with established goals and objectives and whether operations and programs are implemented or performed as intended. One of the primary responsibilities of internal auditing is the assessment of internal control system of a company. ... It also examines the extent to which results are consistent with established goals and objectives and whether operations and programs are implemented or performed as intended. One of the primary responsibilities of internal auditing is the assessment of internal control system of a company. The French Institute of Chartered Accountants defines internal control "as a set of security measures which contribute to the control of a company. Its aim is to ensure, on the other hand, the security and safeguard of assets and the quality of information, on the other hand, the application of instructions given by the Senior management, and to encourage improvements in performances. It is evidenced through the organisation, methods, and procedures for each of the company's activities, so as to ensure the continuity of that company." There are two identified types of controls, Preventive and Defective Controls. Preventive controls are intended to foil errors or irregularities from happening. It is a positive control that helps avert losses. On the other hand, detective controls are devised to identify or uncover inaccuracy and irregularities after they have occurred. Both of these controls play an important role to an effective control system. Preventive controls are essential because they are proactive and emphasize quality. However, detective controls play a critical role in providing evidence that the preventive controls are working and thwarts losses. Internal Control Objectives There are seven pre-defined internal control objectives, namely, authorization, completeness, accuracy, validity, physical safeguards & security, error handling, and segregation of duties. 1) Accountability, authorization and approval- the

Industry paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Industry - Term Paper Example When it comes to customer needs and wants, it is worth noting that the world sports apparel is expected to exceed $ 12 billion by 2015; this is according to the (BMI Research, 2015). The demand for the apparel sportswear is the protective package it comes with. Consumers of the product have the need to feel comfortable while in the attire. The flexibility of product must also be convenient enough to ensure that they perform to their best. Other needs include; the need to preserve energy, to increase the blood flow during the action as well as muscle recovery and protection from body injury. The customers also have the want to look and feel fashionable while playing their apparel (NPD Group, 2015). The introduction of high-tech fabrics is one of the major technological changes in the industry. Introduction of high-tech fabrics have had significant influences on the industry in terms of increased investments in research and development as well as manufacturing costs. This is because the new developments require special techniques and special materials for production (Companies and Markets, 2014). The major players in this industry include Lululemon, Adidas, Reebok, Puma, and Under Armour. The players are forced to re-invent their production systems in terms of the kind of materials they use to manufacture sports products and technology that they employ in their production processes. In addition, long-term investment plans such as collaboration with major global distributors of sporting apparel in order to remain competitive in the industry. The players are only able to achieve this by moving in tandem with the growth in technology and providing the required apparel to the consumers (Global Industrial Analysis 2015). Some of these technological changes are briefly discussed below Essentially, Lululemon Athletica embraces technology in a

Dealing with Difficult Clients and Opposing Essay Example for Free

Dealing with Difficult Clients and Opposing Essay The State Bar of California and the Office of Section Education and Meeting Services are approved State Bar of California MCLE providers. Points of view or opinions expressed in these pages are those of the speaker(s) and/or author(s). They have not been adopted or endorsed by the State Bar of California’s Board of Governors and do not constitute the official position or policy of the State Bar of California. Nothing contained herein is intended to address any specific legal inquiry, nor is it a substitute for independent legal research to original sources or obtaining separate legal advice regarding specific legal situations. Dealing with Difficult People by Steven G. Mehta There seems to be no shortage of difficult people in the practice of law. Perhaps there is something in the water, or perhaps it is the economy. But no matter where you go, difficult clients or opposing counsel seem to be popping up out of nowhere. Indeed, take the case of the hypothetical mediator who had a recent encounter with an extremely difficult party who wanted to sabotage the mediation from the very beginning. The client insulted her own attorney, wouldn’t let the other parties speak, accused her attorneys and every attorney in the world of having no heart or emotions and being liars and accused the mediator of lying about the merits of the case. To top off her venom, she had already reported her attorneys to the bar and at every turn was trying to avoid resolving the case. At one point, one of her attorneys walked out of the mediation. In short – she was the mother of all nightmare parties. Unfortunately for mo st attorneys and mediators, they have met this type of client/party at some point in their career. Therefore, it is critical to understand how to deal with such difficult clients and opposing counsel. First, this article will identify some of the different types of difficult clients. Second, it will discuss general strategies on how to deal with difficult people. Finally, it will provide specific tools on how to deal with difficult clients or opposing counsel. The following are the most common types of clients that can walk into your office. Usually, this angry client will be very hostile towards you and others. Your staff may dread dealing with this person. Sometimes, it is unclear why the person is so angry. Be assured that this person’s anger will only get worse during litigation. Moreover, some or all of that anger will spill over to you and your staff. †¢ The vengeful or zealous client. Typically a vengeful or zealous client will be vengeful about many things and not just the cause for what you are being hired. This person will usually make it known that they are bringing the fight based on principle. Many times this desire for vengeance will overcome any sense of rationality. †¢ The obsessed client. This client cannot stop thinking about the case, the injury, the wrong, and what can be done to address this problem. This client could easily call you several times a day to make sure that you are on top of the case. You could likely get too much information rather than too little. †¢ The emotionally needy client. This client is often emotionally fragile and insecure. Many times this person will be in a co-dependent relationship and is seeking to embroil you in another co-dependent relationship. This person may find it very difficult to make decisions. Mediation Offices of Steve G. Mehta 25124 Springfield Court, Ste. 250, Valencia, CA 91355 Tel: (661) 284-1818 Fax: 661 284-1811 Email: [emailprotected] Offices: Valencia Los Angeles ÂThe angry or hostile client. †¢ The dishonest or deceitful client. Often this client will not tell you all the information they know to be relevant or will tell you the wrong information. †¢ The unresponsive client. This client often wants the appearance of an attorney who is providing independent advice but in reality doesn’t want your advice. This client simply wants you to rubber stamp his or her actions. Often, this client will reject your advice because it is contrary to her own. As stated by Sheila Blackford, author of Recognizing Difficult Client Types, â€Å"Clients often come to lawyers to determine the consequences of actions they have already taken or have decided to take.† Often these clients don’t want you as a lawyer, but are â€Å"forced† by others or circumstance to hire a lawyer. Beware that just as they are unwilling to accept your advice, they may also be unwilling to pay the bill for advice they do not want. Finally, there may be a combination of these t ypes of clients. You could end up with an angry, vengeful client that is obsessed. If that is your client, turn in the other direction and run. If this ends up being your opposing counsel, then in the famous words of the Robot in Lost in Space, â€Å"Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!† Now that difficult clients have been identified, it is helpful to look at some strategies that attorneys can use to combat both difficult or nightmare clients and opposing counsel. First, start out by examining yourself. Everyone can be difficult to deal with at times. Before you can determine whether the other person is the problem, make sure that you aren’t the problem. Are you over overreacting? Are you having a bad day? Why is this person affecting you? What buttons of yours are being pushed, and why? After examining whether you may be part of the communication problem or that you have misinterpreted the comments made towards you, then you will have a better idea as to whether this person is being offensi ve or difficult or whether it is you. In examining yourself, it is important to understand that everybody has an instinctual reaction to act when attacked. This is hardwired in our brains from the stone age days where we had to either react to a threat (fight) or flee from the threat (flight). In modern days, the threat is usually not physical, yet the body still gives issues the same fight or flight reaction. People end up having an immediate need to affirmatively right a wrong or injustice against them. More likely, a person can end up wanting to immediately defend his or her actions or position. This is partially because the attack against a person is affecting his or her internal observation of self worth that person’s standing in the community or amongst his peers. Often people feel the need to show that they are correct and that the other person is wrong. This knee jerk reaction, however, can do more damage than good. Indeed, when having such a reaction, most people perceive that it makes them feel good; but shortly thereafter, they regret having said and done what they did in the heat of the moment. The strategies listed hereafter are not in chronological order; but instead are different strategies that can be employed depending on the situation. First, PRESS THE PAUSE BUTTON. In sports after a particularly difficult call by the referee the commentators will press the pause button on the action and show an instant replay at a slower pace. This tool is not just beneficial in sports. The pause button can be very powerful in helping to deal with difficult people. The length of the pause can depend on the situation. In the case of a minor issue, you might treat the matter with a small pause, giving yourself just enough time to think. Indeed, this is exactly what attorneys tell their clients in preparation for deposition. After the question is asked, wait for a brief second before answering. That pause can help to avoid making a huge blunder by saying the wrong thing. In other cases, you might need a longer pause. You could simply ask for a five-minute break or ask to use the restroom; whatever excuse you need to give to allow yourself a moment to think. Once you have hit the pause button, you can then consider the comment or action, its impact on the scheme of things, and what you might want to do in response. Take for example, the case of one mediator. In one particularly nasty mediation, when a party insulted the mediator’s integrity to its foundation, the mediator simply took a moment to pause in the mediation to let the sting of the initial insult pass. Then he asked take a five-minute break while he digested the information just conveyed. Then when he returned, he simply moved the mediation forward as if the comment had never been made. Once the party realized that she couldn’t get a reaction to her insulting comments, she was forced to stop making them. Another rule to consider is that â€Å"You don’t have to win every argument.† As noted above, often the reason a person jumps into the fray is because she wants to prove that she is right. This is difficult for lawyers because they are trained to advocate their position. However, proving that you are right with a difficult person can simply entrench that person even further; and even though you may feel that you are right, the other person will never agree. Sometimes the best response is to let it go and have the satisfaction that you know that you are right. Another important strategy is to employ ACTIVE LISTENING skills. An important sign of respect for another person is to actually listen to what that other person has to say. How many times have you been in a situation where someone has said:â€Å"You aren’t listening to me. One of the most powerful tools in addressing difficult people is using active listening skills. Active listening skills include avoiding any distractions – such as that pesky Blackberry – and really trying to under stand the other person’s positions and concerns. All too often attorneys are already working on their response while the other person speaks. clarify what you understand about the other person’s statements. Ask whether your restatement is an accurate version of what the other person feels. Sometimes, depending on the person, you might mirror some of the nonverbal cues the person displays. Studies show that by mirroring non-verbal gestures, the other person will feel more connected with you. Ask questions that elicit more information from the other person. Depending on the person, you may have to spend a considerable amount of time using active listening skills. However, at the end of such a process you might find that the difficult person is much less difficult. It is also important when dealing with difficult people that you try not to give that person an excuse to be even more difficult. As such, when you communicate your concerns or feelings try to avoid using terms that target the other person, such as â€Å"you† phrases which target the other person’s behavior. Instead, talk about your experience s using â€Å"I† phrases, such as â€Å"I was upset when I heard the comments.† This approach helps to avoid attacking the other person or accusing the other person of something. Match communication styles. Generally, people fall into three categories: Audio learners, visual learners, or Kinesthetic (or touch) learners. You can tell which style a person favors by the language she uses. Think about whether the other person is using visual language such as color, seeing, and pictures or whether the person is using audio language such as hearing, sounds, vibrations, etc. Then try to match their language by using words that relate to those styles in your responses. For example, with a visual person you might comment, â€Å"I see your position,† but with an audio person you might say, â€Å"I hear what you are saying.† If the difficult person puts you in a position where you are required to respond, ask that person what exactly he is upset about. This will help to demonstrate that you are interested in solutions rather arguing. This strategy then can allow you to incorporate active listening once the person explains to you their concern (irrational or otherwise). Finally, if after an unreasonable attack against you, consider agreeing with a small portion of the statement. This can accomplish several things. First, it can help you avoid jumping in to defend yourself and continuing the unhealthy communication. More importantly, however, it can allow you to create something in common with the angry person and may appease their irrational anger. These general strategies can be very useful in dealing with all types of difficult people. But what about the difficult client or lawyer? There are several specific strategies to work with these individuals. First, there is a saying that the best client you will ever have is the one that you don’t take. In other words, sometimes it is far better to not take a client than to take a client and have nightmares wondering if you are going to be called by the Bar or se rved with an unjustified malpractice suit. matter how lucrative, are just not worth the risk and the stress. Many times if the client is difficult as a prospective client, that person will only get worse during the representation. If you don’t have the luxury of refusing to represent a certain person, establish boundaries. You can limit your involvement to specific interactions. You can also establish boundaries for when and how many calls you might take on a particular topic. One lawyer has a written guideline for all of his clients which establishes what the lawyer will and won’t do in the legal process, including responding to calls on the weekend. Third, you can establish specific requirements for your clients in the very first meeting and before you sign the retainer. Along those same lines, one of the major frustrations for attorneys is clients that have unreasonable expectations of the result and process. By providing the clients with a detailed explanation of what they can expect, and what you expect, y ou can minimize difficult communications. This principle can also work very effectively with opposing counsel. If counsel is abusive to you or your staff, you can set down ground rules for future communications. If those ground rules are not honored, then you can limit your communications. For example, one lawyer lets the opposing counsel know that if there are any further abusive phone calls, then all further interactions will have to be in writing. Moreover, if the opposing counsel persists in his or her actions, then all writings will not be by fax or email, and will only be accepted and given in the mail. One lawyer has gone so far as to require that all conferences be videotaped. Unfortunately due to the nature of the practice of law which involves conflict scenarios, there will continue to be difficult people in the practice of law. There are many strategies for dealing with difficult people. This article has only addressed a few of them. However, armed with these strategies, it is possible to substantially decrease the number of difficult interactions and the stress related to those interactions. Research sources: http://www.abanet.org/lpm/magazine/articles/v36/is4/pg41.shtml Pyschology Today. http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200609/dealing-difficultpeople Steven G. Mehta, Esq. is a full time mediator based in Los Angeles with offices in Downtown and Valencia and specializes in emotionally complex cases involving elder law, injury cases, and employment disputes. He can be reached through his website at www.stevemehta.com. Mediation is a tool to help people recognize their responsibility for things, to negotiate a solution and to move on with their lives. My role is to allow them to present their side, to ensure that they are heard and to help them achieve a resolution.† What, exactly, is Mehta’s magic? Understanding human dynamics. â€Å"Anyone can learn the law,† he points out. â€Å"Understanding people is where my expertise lies. There are two sides and two emotions to every story. I care about them both.† But there’s a huge chasm between understanding human dynamics and getting two frustrated, angry parties to agree. Mehta is very definitive about what it takes to bridge that gap and bring the parties together. â€Å"My ability to connect with each participant and develop trust is absolutely essential,† he says. â€Å"Then, I need to be creative about solutions. Finding a mutually satisfying settlement is as much art as it is law. Finally, I never give up. Nothing is impossible. The impossible just takes a little longer.† In the end, there is almost always an answer. When it’s over, it’s a solution the parties chose. â€Å"They feel empowered. Grateful. Relieved,† Mehta says. â€Å"Most importantly, they feel free to move on with their lives.† Now, that’s a masterful job.

Overview of Assessments in Postgraduate Arts Degree

Overview of Assessments in Postgraduate Arts Degree The first semester started with an individual challenge to the Masters students. It consisted of an introspective project where one had to create a self-portrait piece, which could be in any possible platform or support. A self-portrait is a representation of an artist, drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by the artist. Although self-portraits have been made by artists since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid 1400s that artists can be frequently identified depicting themselves as either the main subject, or as important characters in their work. With better and cheaper mirrors, and the advent of the panel portrait, many painters, sculptors and printmakers tried some form of self-portraiture. (Edward Lucie-Smith, S. K. 1987) For me a portrait should illustrate not only the appearance of its subject, but also details which link to his personality and past experiences. My experiments on portraying myself were based on an indirect reflection of myself, inserting some of my characteristics in my painting or drawing. In this case, I wanted to try a new approach, something quite different. After some doodling and sketching, I opted on using the photographic mosaic technique. This technique consists in a picture divided into rectangular segments, all then replaced with another photograph of an approximated color. When it is looked at from a distance, the individual pixels appear as the primary image, while close examination reveals that the image is, in reality, composed of many smaller images. Trademarked by Runaway Technology, Inc., in 2003 by Robert Silvers, a Masters student at MIT (US Trademark Office. Retrieved 2009-10-13), the technique Because life is made of bits of experiences and an individual is composed of his memories, each pixel of my portrait was to be replaced with photographs of dates, events and people that had marked me. That piece would be inserted in a tridimensional composition, expressing how my past experiences shaped my personality and how it shows on the outside, by my actions and appearance. The composition was influenced by the work of and Julien Vallà ©e. His outstanding, creative and inspiring handmade graphic sculptures and stylish motion graphics are like passage ways to alternative dimensions, parallel worlds. He also has an incredible ability to connect elements in a way that his compositions always become direct means of communication. The tridimensional lettering forms a sentence from Fernando Pessoa, the brilliant Portuguese poet, and its meaning is much more than it appears to be. The phrase is a hymn to the Portuguese people, representing hope and belief in ourselves Because life is made of bits of experiences and an individual is composed of his memories, each pixel of my portrait was to be replaced with photographs of dates, events and people that had marked me. 1st brief Two weeks after my arrival at the UK, still getting used to the new life in Epsom, it was time to start the first semester work. As starter, on the first course meeting, each postgraduate student had to present themselves as well as their portfolio of work. The purpose of those presentations was to help us students to know each other and to, after that, choose the people we wanted to work with. The first project we would have to answer was presented to us and it consisted in, after forming teams within the class, brand ourselves as a team and represent that same team in the form of a website. Each designer or partnership had to create an interactive website design that had a recognizable identity and brand experience; defined a philosophy, rationale and methods of working; which explored through the presentation of work, how the team applied key theoretical, socio/cultural, political or industrial concepts to it; which had background documentation of research that explores a variety of contemporary screen portfolio styles and influences. The website should show the added value of the team, as well as the target companies (who would we want to work with? who would our audience be?) As for the presentation, it should explore and apply clear graphic design and communication tools to communicate the ideas of the team. Every presentation went smoothly and I was mesmerized with the talent, skills and impressive work shown by my colleagues and to choose the ones I wanted to work with was proving to be difficult. I know that in a team we have to combine, not only the skills of its members, but also there has to be a mutual understanding and a good relationship between them. Taking that fact into consideration, I looked to the people I already knew and with whom I had a good connection and between them five appeared to be the most reliable. When the presentations were done, I was asked by the two girls sitting next to me if we could be in the same group, and since they were part of the group of people I wanted to work with, I agreed with it. Later I received some invitations from other groups and people, but it was too late. Who knows if it was the best choice, or how would it had been if Ive chosen to join other group? I dont know, but the group was then made and it was a powerful group made of strong willed people me, Ines Torre; Rudo Tinofieryi; Rashi Puri; Helmut Mertens; Christina Sinn; and Chia Chieh Chih. Afterwards, I was approached by Lisa, who asked to join the team I was in. Since our team had already six elements, we had to first be sure it was acceptable to have an additional member. She then asked our supervisor, Damian Chapman, if there was any problem in her joining our team, and after he said that it was perfectly fine, our team had turned from six into a seven members team. We established a clear time plan and pursued on our first meeting making a first approach to how we would work and which were the personal influences from each team member. Unfortunately, there was some sort of problem with our team. We were notified that the team couldnt continue having seven elements since all team should have a maximum of six members and there was other team Afterdark which had only five members. That brought us into a hard situation, having to choose someone from the team to leave the rest. After a long discussion on the matter, all of us being reluctant in expelling anyone, the group came to the consent that Lisa, for being the last element to join the group, should be the one to leave. This was not an easy decision to be made, but everyone understood it was a necessary measure to be taken and it was decided in a democratic way, so everyone could have a part on it. Having read Marty Neumeiers publications The Designful Company: How to build a culture of nonstop innovation and The Brand Gap, I had the perspective that the power of a name strengthens the meaning of branding while promoting an industry. While taking into consideration the name of a corporation, its needed to keep in mind the significance of branding. To settle on a name is not a mere coincidence, but, on the contrary, is a meticulous process and study of possible names and meaning. Consumers dont actually think about the magnitude of branding, but he needs to understand the brands product or services. The route begins creating a simple name, consumers memorize whats simple, and also making sure your name can be connected with something positive the consumer is attracted to items to which he can relate positive qualities. One more important point is that the name must be unique. If the name is too similar to another companys, then the public is likely to mix the companies in question, which decreases revenue. It is commonly known in the business world that a brands name is of the highest significance for any businesses. Without an attractive and familiar brand name, it doesnt matter if the products or services are good, the income would almost certainly not be that encouraging. A great name would be easily associated with the products or services offered (people would relate excellent cars with Ferrari or Lamborghini, sportswear with Adidas or Nike, soft drinks with Coke or Pepsi the same way as fast food with McDonalds or KFC). The brand name is used interchangeably quite regularly within the term brand, even though it is more appropriately used to particularly stand for linguistic elements of any product. It constitutes then a sort of trademark, if the name entirely categorizes its owner as the commercial font of the products or services. As my research on the subject revealed, relating to brand names, they can appear in many styles: Acronyms (constituted of initials); Descriptive (which illustrates a product utility); Alliteration or rhyme (amusing to say and easy to remember); Evocative (which evoke a real picture); Neologisms (words invented out of nothing); Foreign words (adopted from another language); Founders names (names of real people); Geography (names of regions or landmarks); Personification (brands that take their names from myths or legends). Not sure about what would be the best choice of a name for the team we just formed, on the first meeting I had with my team mates, we started by defining ourselves with just one word. Not sure about what would be the best choice of a name for the team we just formed, on the first meeting I had with my team mates, we started by defining ourselves with just one word. Each of us had, also, to specify our strengths in graphic design. As shown in the scanned mind map on the previous page, each member mentioned their roles in the area of Graphic Design, how they describe themselves and their definition of Graphic Design. The interesting point we got from those notions was that we all complemented each other, and each one had their own and particular value to the team. It was a good start. Knowing each members strengths would make it easier to plan a strategy for our work flow, as well as for each ones roles. To maximize the time and do the best possible with a tight schedule, is always necessary to indicate specific roles for the elements of the team. I see myself as someone determined and hard worker, never afraid of late working hours or to fight for what I believe. My core strengths are the experience in working both in web design and usability, as well as illustration. Basically, I have had worked in the most varied areas of Design (for example, video editing, animation, airbrushing, photography and publication). The core motive that made me join the Masters course of Graphic Design Communication in the University for the Creative Arts in Epsom was the search for training not skills but ideas. Because a good idea is what really matters. As for my team mates: Rashi is experienced in photography, flash animation and both print and typography, she defined herself with the word simplicity; Rudo has an amazing talent for packaging design and brand identity, and describe herself as unique I couldnt agree more, as shes one of most remarkable people Ive ever met; Christina is the force connecting the group an defines herself as creative, she is also strong in print design; Chih is simply crazy by her own words- and she is strong in various areas, including the creative one; finally, the only male member of the group, Helmut, is a realist and the typography specialist. Resuming, we all defined Graphic Design as a tool to support communication and to understand information. As a group it was clear from the beginning that we wanted to represent ourselves as a young, fun and creative team that would approach design without fear. We wanted to create clever and wacky ideas that would translate into interesting design that communicates a message. We wanted to work for clients who are open minded and would give us the freedom to create unique ideas. An example of those companies is Coca Cola or Cadbury. After having presented ourselves to the rest of the team, in a more profound way than earlier before all the class, we started our quest for a name doing a brainstorm on random words and expressions. That brainstorm is illustrated in the mind map seen above. Our method consisted in quickly saying the first thing that came to mind on the instant. We then would search for the origins, context and meaning of each word or phrases. A list was made and every name analyzed. Some of the names we came up with were excluded for being already used by other companies and to select the final one from those left, each member voted on the names they preferred. By the end of the voting, the name chosen was Bring Back the Bacon. I personally voted on this name. It has all that is requested in a good brand name: is fun to say; easy to remember; and has that freshness of being something new. Plus, it means bring home the prize, which is the goal of our projects. One of my key influences for the choice of that name was the personal website of Nessim Higson, iamalwayshungry.com. The name is incredibly fun to say and is just basically a random phrase, but communicates the authors constant hunger for knowledge and new experiences. That was the exact feeling I wanted for the team. The website also inspired me for its interactivity it challenges the user to explore and unveil its contents by telling him to drag his mouse trough the page. Initially we thought of using a food/kitchen based theme, so, the first sketches for the logo were around that theme. While sketching possibilities for a logo, we were also thinking of possible metaphors for the website. The kitchen theme would be an interesting one. Doodling with that idea of kitchen in mind, I thought: why not using a fridge as a metaphor? As a web page, it also has different levels, areas, and those aspects could work with a web interface. With this in mind, I tried to explore the concept, building possible information maps for the distribution of contents on the website. Parallel to this, I started playing with different ideas for the logo. Ultimately I thought about the crazy factor we said we wanted for our team. And whats crazier than the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street? The character was a perfect fit for giving a certain fun aspect to the kitchen based thematic. Developing that idea, I started with some sketches of our own Bring Back the Bacon monster (see previous and next page). The monster was later discarded as the whole concept of a kitchen based metaphor was rejected. The fridge, interface we ultimately chosen for the page, was associated with cold and harsh. It was a flaw from our part to not consider the English public as a primary client: the cold does not please the consumer, because the typical English weather is already too cold. It could work with the use of a oven instead of the fridge, but we also admitted that all that thematic was too clichà ©. So, we started all over again, from the beginning, trying to find the right way to conduct our project. I then created some characters to impersonate the members of the team. With those characters, the website could be developed through a comic strip, telling the story of the team, our beliefs and the way we work. Different styles of characters were tried simplified shapes, as well as manga style illustration (see below and next page). This idea wasnt developed profoundly, as it didnt show the graphic style of the group. We defined ourselves as a group of young designers from around the world and following the motto nothing without fun. Our understanding of Graphic Design is that it has to catch the attention of its viewers, with clever ideas that communicate a message. The comic strip approach wouldnt follow the path we had encrypted in our description. Putting that idea to the side, and going back to the search for an adequate logo to represent Bring Back the Bacon, I thought about the values we wanted to transmit to our future clients, besides the craziness. We would be loyal to our clients, only thinking on their behalf, and which animal is known for its loyalty? The mens best friend the dog. With that I started making some doodles of dogs (see below). The dog should be both charming and crazy to represent us properly so, I thought about drawing him showing his tongue. That attitude would show the character as a rebel. But it wasnt quite passing the feeling I intended. How about a dog with an open mouth, barking loudly? It would express the impression that were new but were here to stay, and we want to make an impact. Is the kind of feeling of screaming our lungs out that kind of freedom which we think defines us as a team. And so, it seemed we had found our logo. But the truth is that it would work much better as a mascot. The logo was still missing. Then, we tried a different approach a typographic logo. Playing with the initials from our name, BBTB (Bring Back the Bacon). That turned out to be the best solution for us. After some doodling, the final logo finally took form. For the colors, the bright yellow, so catchy, in contrast with a solid black. On one hand, yellow transmits happiness and warmth, but on the other it is the color of deceit. It also represents courage in Japan, and is a symbol of peace in the Indian culture. Reading the book The Elements of Color by Johannes Itten helped me understanding the reasons of using the yellow color instead of others (since it was also considered the use of red). Also, my perception psychologys knowledge from my Bachelor has aid me on this aspect according to The American Journal of Psychology, yellow is stimulates the brain and the nervous system, activates the memory and encourages communication. Clearly this was the color which best described us. The main influence for the design of the logo is clear the DAD logo. Designed by Colin Forbes, one of the five founders of the Pentagram design studio, the DAD logo has all the characteristics of success it is attractive, simple, clear and efficient. Every neat piece of design needs a grand concept behind it. Is that concept thats going to preserve the core value of the designed article. With this project, we specified the head banging as main concept of our identity. It is translated as yes, we can do it, which enforces the teams attitude facing graphic design. On our first brief, we needed an added value to our final concept, so it would be strong and efficient on delivering our core identity to the public. When we went to London, to ask the designers and creatives from established design agencies and business people to say yes with us, it marked the point we wanted to make clear we are not on the way to be a top design team, we are already on the top. The sense of belief in our work was reflected on that act, and all the rest of the elements of the identity came along following it. Our concept was based on the happiness that we transpire in the team, inspiring each other , and reflecting the fun side of graphic design. With the identity of the team defined, the next step was to establish a concept, the big idea and the core value, which would bring the clients to us and make them choose our services instead of other companies. Going over the description of our team, we did not wanted to be seen as a regular design agency, but as a fun company, which reflects the way we feel about creating design solutions. With that in mind, we started working on the website prototype. Since we put aside the use of metaphors on our website, I started exploring minimalist layouts, with straight lines it would fit perfectly with our style. Taking the black and yellow from the logo, those would be the main colors of the page, and, for the background, a plain white, giving it a touch of simplicity. However, there wasnt anything incredible about the page. It needed something different that would motivate the users to come back to our website. I was deeply influenced by some fantastic websites which explore this matter and please the user with interactive pages (see on the right and next page). What all these websites have in common is the fact of being different. It induces the user into revisiting the page once more to have that sensation of surprise he had the first time he encountered it. They also make an excellent use of color, setting the right mood to the interaction of the user and the page being with its graphics or written content. In the current brief there was an imperative need of a fresh design. The web is already filed with too much flash websites, and, the truth is that everyone with flash coding skills can create a simple animated website, but only a creative mind can look over from that. I then came across the website of the Champagne Perrier-Jouet. It dazzles the user with a clean layout and soft lines, with some reminiscence from the Art Nouveau. An amazing aspect of this website is that it makes use of videos integrated in the layout giving it the difference factor the same factor we wanted for our webpage. Following the example of Perrier-Jouet, our website should integrate videos as an added value to the page. The final layout was then quickly designed (see next page). The idea was to place a main video on the home page, which would have objects or elements that worked as links to the following pages, constituting on the main menu. As for the navigation, it would be made through sliding from a page to another. Later on, that sliding effect was rejected, due to technical problems and lack of time to develop it properly. We then opted for a simple navigation, without any animation or effect. Each member of the team would be wearing different masks of the teams mascot. However, the masks would have some element that would relate to the person behind it. Then, a symbol was designed for each of the team members, which could define their personalities and work methods. As seen on the previous spread, the BBTB website has four submenus by the names: culprits; ideology; work; and ring. The culprits page starts with a fun and crazy video made from various shootings of moments the team spent together. I thought this would show to the user how we love what we do and how we have fun designing. It captures the joie de vivre we all have in our daily life and towards our work. At the end of the short movie, a message appears challenging the user to click on our mascots below if he wants to know more about the team members. Clicking on each mascot, it is possible to see a photograph of its related member, as well as a description of its role. On the other hand, on the ideology page the user can read about the philosophy thats behind our work methodology. As for the work page, since we were a newborn team of designers, it wouldnt make much sense to just display each team members previous individual work. As a team, our work had to represent us as a whole. With that said, we decided to go to some of Londons companies (design related or not) and ask them to nod their heads with us. As crazy as that may sound, the core meaning of that act was the fact that they would be saying yes to our team. Nodding their heads at the same pace as us shows how we didnt wanted to reach the industry it showed us as being already there. The professionals shown in that video are Phoebe Chang, History teacher at London School of Economics; Tom Probert, designer at Coley Porter Bell; Luca Da Silva, chairman of Albert Mildred; Nadia Kellas, freelance designer at Bostock and Pollitt; and the manager of London Graphic Center at Covent Garden. Finally, the ring page is the location where users or potential clients would be able to communicate with us, sharing their opinions and ideas regarding the team or its work. The music that was used on the background was of great importance for the group. We wanted a sound that wasnt annoying to listen to continuously, preferably without lyrics. It was then decided to contact different types of music bands or djs. The hip feeling of electro music with odd added sounds would reflect us and that was what we needed. The contemporary aspect of that music style also matched our personalities. With that in mind, we got in touch with a fascinating Belgian dj by the artistic name of MagikBitum, who mixed a song exclusively for our team. Personally, the choice of music was well made, since my musical influences have strong electronic roots. But in my opinion, it should have had a more indie touch to it. Because we wanted to be known as alternative agency, meaning that we would be more than ordinary, more than mainstream. Music is an outstanding inspiration, for me as graphic designer, and I search for challenging sounds and lyrics, which stimulate my creativity. Some of the strongest musical influences on the work I developed through this design path are the Icelandic singer-songwriter, composer and music producer, Bjà ¶rk, and the Irish/English electronic duo, Moloko. Their visuals and sounds are sometimes strange, yet amazingly refreshing. The stationery for our team brand was not a requested item, but I proposed it to the team and it was accepted. Being this project about branding, I felt it was a aspect that needed to be explored. I started making some sketches and thinking of the kind of items that could be done, and designed the business cards and letterhead for the team, as well as a notebook and folder to store all the items (see below and following pages). For the business card, I idealized a pop-up system to be inbuilt in it. The card would have a closed version for an easy storage, and when pulled, the lid would reveal on the opposite side the Bring Back the Bacon mascot. A number of stickers and t-shirts were created by Rashi, showing the BBTB logo and mascot. They were part of the additional gimmicks of the project. After three weeks which passed faster than we had foreseen, the presentation day arrived. Our main focus on planning the presentation was to introduce our project development without leaving the core idea to the side. As a continuation of the head banging concept present on the website, we entered the presentation area with our Bring Back the Bacon masks on our faces and repeating with our heads the movement seen on the website. We also carried our BBTB mascot plushy with us to the stage. Even though our concept was strong and our ideas well thought, due to existing problems in the time management within this brief, the presentation wasnt prepared as carefully as it should had been. Therefore, we all knew how to explain and present our project outcomes, but because none of the team members was a native speaker, and with the additional insecurity it caused, communication mistakes were made. Also the language used was not at all the most correct one. Those factors had a depreciative effect in the jurys evaluation on the display of our work. This first presentation was a valuable lesson for me, relating to the time planning and management with a strict deadline and a project to be developed within a short period of time, one has to be strategic in order to bring it into reality. One must know his limitations and based on that should try to break them. If our team didnt had any Native speaker member, each one of us needed more time to prepare ourselves for the presentation. That was a grand weakness that was revealed on the presentation, and made us lose the brief. But to work in a team is to expect some experiences like the ones we had during this first project. When a team has elements which are incapable of sticking with the time plan, is always hard to have good results within schedule. Ive learned to impose myself and speak up when I feel that something isnt right, and is a great feature Im taking to the future. 2nd brief The second brief that was given to us was print based. Each design team was to create an illustrated book or magazine by the name Nursery Crimes. It would consist in a re-invention of traditional nursery rhymes, changing their thematic and message to face a matured audience. The project would have to have a strong concept, with a distinct theme running through it, exploring theoretical and communication perspectives which supported a print based storybook. The publication would be composed of twelve rhymes and illustrations, each two by each member of the group. Before approaching this brief my contact with nursery rhymes was quite limited, not being a native speaker. The research, at this level, was primarily a necessity. The term nursery rhyme is used for traditional children songs in English speaking countries. The early versions of those rhymes were only lullabies (in Portuguese, canà §Ãƒ µes de embalar), sung to children to help them sleep. According to the Childrens Literature: a Readers History, from Aesop to Harry Potter by Seth Lerer, nursery rhymes were often associated with criminality and historical events (the rhyme Remember, Remember is an example of an historical event portrayed on a rhyme). Throughout my initial research I came across several Childrens Literature illustrated books which I promptly analyzed. An interesting aspect that was common in every book analyzed was the use of bright and colorful images. The illustrations had a heartwarming feeling intrinsic to them, representing elements of the text very accurately. The text followed the clarity and simplicity adequate to its readers, consisting in regular font types, easily read. Other factor of relevant is the attention to detail in the pictures, adding the possibility to explore the images countless times. After this brief encounter with the Nursery Rhyme context, and having fully understood the purpose of the project, I started deconstructing the title Nursery Crimes. The mind map on the following page shows the analysis on the word Nursery, the word Rhymes and the word Crimes. I searched for words related to Nursery, trying to find some link between them and the thematic of crime. Then, I analyzed the types of rhymes that could be found in literature. Since the rhymes chosen would have to be re-written by myself, I considered this research very useful to that process. Finally, following a visit to the local Epsom Police Station, I added to the mind map every crime name that was given by the police officers. This list of crimes would be of much help on choosing the crimes with which I would associate my rhymes. Of course, the immediate link between Nursery and Crimes would have to be the crime of child abuse or pedophilia, for being directly related to children, but the other crimes on the list werent discarded, as they might be useful to the creative process. In the first team meeting working around this second brief, the time plan of the work was established (see on the right). The first week would be to choose and alter the nursery rhymes into the crime theme, and with that done, the second week would be spent constructing our illustrations. With both the rhymes and illustrations finished on the third week our efforts would be directed to the making of the Nursery Crimes book, with time for the printing and binding also included. With the purpo

Gun Control Essays -- Second Amendment The Right To Bear Arms

Gun Control Throughout America there is the constant debate concerning the second amendment or the right to bare arms. One day an innocent kid walking home from school gets shot in a drive by shooting is he just a victim of circumstance or could this of been easily prevented. There are lobbyist for the private ownership of guns and lobbyist for legislation to ban personal possession of guns for good. In this paper I hope that just maybe I can persuade you to think differently on a topic that’s stirring up the nation. First you must look at the obvious problem first and foremost crime. 85% of all violent crimes are committed with handguns(Mosley,104). Some say that yes if these criminals are criminals simple legislation isn’t going to prevent them from getting handguns. I think this couldn’t be more wrong in actuality lots of crimes are committed with guns that kids have taken from their parents. Every day you hear in the news kids killing kids weather it’s a school shooting or gangs and the easy availability of guns is just promoting the cause. If we pass legislation to get rid of these god like life takers then the kids can’t get to them. If you look at it thought it is a trickling down process. If guns aren’t as easily distributed to shops only a few shops would be permitted to carry them. Then of those few shops only under special circumstances could they sell them to some adults then only a fraction of the kids who had access to guns in the home before this legislation ...

Development Of Computers :: essays research papers

THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTERS IN UKRAINE AND THE FORMER USSR The government and the authorities had paid serious attention to the development of the computer industry right after the Second World War. The leading bodies considered this task to be one of the principal for the national economy. Up to the beginning of the 1950s there were only small productive capacities which specialized in the producing accounting and account-perforating (punching) machines. The electronic numerical computer engineering was only arising and the productive capacities for it were close to the naught. The first serious steps in the development of production base were made initially in the late 1950s when the work on creating the first industry samples of the electronic counting machines was finished and there were created M-20, â€Å"Ural-1†, â€Å"Minsk-1†, which together with their semi-conductor successors (M-220, â€Å"Ural-11-14†, â€Å"Minsk-22† and â€Å"Minsk-32†) created in the 1960s were the main ones in the USSR until the computers of the third generation were put into the serial production, that is until the early 1970s. In the 1960s the science-research and assembling base was enlarged. As the result of this measures, all researches connected with creating and putting into the serial production of semi-conductor electronic computing machines were almost finished. That allowed to stop the production of the first generation machines beginning from the 1964. Next decades the whole branch of the computer engineering had been created. The important steps were undertaken to widen the productive capacities for the 3d generation machines. ? EIEV THE HOMECITY OF MESM ESM was conceived by S.A.Lebedev to be a model of a Big Electronic Computing Machine (BESM). At first it was called the Model of the Big Electronic Computing Machine, but ,later, in the process of its creation there appeared the evident expediency of transforming it in a small computer. For that reason there were added: the impute-output devices, magnetic drum storage, the register capacity was enhanced; and the word â€Å"Model† was changed for â€Å"Malaya† (Small). S.A.Lebedev was proposed to head the Institute of Energetics in Kiev. After a year; when the Institute of was divided into two departments: the electronical one and the department of heat-and-power engineering, Lebedev became the director of the first one. He also added his laboratory of analogue computation to the already existing ones of the electronical type. At once he began to work on computer science instead of the usual, routine researches in the field of engineering means of stabilization and structures of automated devices.

Economic Analysis Essay

The enthusiasm, as well as the anxieties that is generated by the working of the economy of the United States is not just US economy generates is not just obvious but also easy to understand. The United States, with a GDP of 13. 2 trillion USD, and a population of 300 million (with an average yearly per capita income of more than 44,000 USD), is the largest economy of the world (CIA Factbook, 2008). Its currency, the US dollar, even in the throes of its greatest financial crisis, is the world’s preferred currency, and its markets the world’s biggest. In diversity and amount, the natural resources of the country are greater than those of most other countries. Many US industries are global leaders, and it remains the favorite marketing target for companies from across the world. With the US being the largest trading partner for numerous north and south countries, a large portion of the global economy relies upon US consumption for survival; significant changes in its pattern can lead to global euphoria or gloom. The performance of the US economy is influenced by an assortment of local and international factors. Distinguished by particularly low government control, a guiding principle that was first chosen by the founding fathers and followed painstakingly ever since (Oppenheimer, & Reddaway, 1989). Although the government stipulates regulations and ensures inviolability of contracts, most microeconomic decisions are taken by private firms and corporations. (Rowe & Silverstein, 1999) Governmental and Federal Reserve activities occur mainly through the modification of tax policies, changes in interest rates, and control of money supply; their endeavor being to push the economy in chosen directions rather than to compel it to take up preferred paths. (Oppenheimer, & Reddaway, 1989) The last two decades have been particularly turbulent for the economy, marked by sharp expansion, occasional slowdowns, and the occurrence, in 2008, of a slump of dimensions sharp enough to affect the economic fortunes of numerous nations and millions of people. This assignment aims to assess and analyze the performance of the economy from 1990 until the present day, taking up various economic developments, the reasons behind the same, and their local and global impact. Commentary Overview of 1990 to 2001 The economic performance of an extremely intricate and influential economy like that of the US relies upon various local and global developments like investments, agricultural, manufacturing and service activity, exports and imports, global and local commodity prices, currency strength, disposable incomes, and consumption patterns. It is also influenced by fiscal and monetary measures like changes in tax policies, interest rates on loans, and reserves of banks, as well as by ongoing developments like price rises, job levels, and induction of fresh participants into the work force. Whilst the United States is one of the leading exporters of coal, wheat, corn, and soybeans, its continuous and strong economic growth has increased its dependence upon other countries for oil and many other raw materials. In fact the country had become a leading consumer of practically every sort of raw material by the 1960s and growth continued to rise thereafter. The 1970s and the 1980s, the decades that preceded the 1990s, were difficult ones and were distinguished by slow economic growth and inflation. While the period was marked by the entry of Japanese industry onto the global stage, the oil price shocks, and the forced bailout of Chrysler, it also witnessed the emergence of the service industry and the numerous small businesses in the United States. Whilst the 1980s saw a reduction in inflation rates and the creation of millions of jobs, such developments were accompanied by drastic increases in military expenditure, Medicaid and Medicare costs, corporate debt and household borrowing (Julius, 2005). Thousands of banks failed because of a combination of reasons that included high inflation and interest rates, bad loans to developing nations and speculative real estate ventures. The total national debt reached a figure of 290 billion US dollars, the highest till then. The US economic recovery commenced in 1991 and continued for the rest of the decade; it was distinguished by a long period of constant growth and by strong performance in key economic indicators like growth, inflation, unemployment and interest rates. Real growth in GDP stayed at around 3 % for the whole period with a low of 2. 5 % and a high of 3. 9 % in 1998. Unemployment fell from a peak of 7. 5 % to 5. 6 % by the middle of the decade and to less than 5 % after 1997. â€Å"America’s labor force changed markedly during the 1990s. Continuing a long-term trend, the number of farmers declined. A small portion of workers had jobs in industry, while a much greater share worked in the service sector, in jobs ranging from store clerks to financial planners. If steel and shoes were no longer American manufacturing mainstays, computers and the software that make them run were. † (The 1990s and beyond, 2008) Inflation, which had reached dangerously high levels in the 1980s also moderated significantly and remained below 3 % for most of the decade. The only area that witnessed volatility was the stock market, with stock prices rising by more than 60 % in the closing years of the decade on the back of low unemployment and good growth figures. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had stood at around 1,000 in the late 1970s, went up to as much as 11,000 in 1999, adding substantially to the wealth of many Americans (Julius, 2005). Whilst Clinton, who occupied the Presidency from 1993 to 2000, declared the era of big business to be over in the United States, he worked to strengthen market forces in areas like long distance telephony, reduced the size of the federal work force and ensured the continuance of most of the New Deal innovations (The 1990s and beyond, 2008). The economy was also helped greatly by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the consequent enlargement of trading opportunities. Technological advances led to the introduction of a wide assortment of sophisticated new electronic products. Numerous innovations in telecommunications and computer networking led to the development of a vast IT industry and revolutionized the operating methods and ways of numerous industries. â€Å"After peaking at $290,000 million in 1992, the federal budget steadily shrank as economic growth increased tax revenues. In 1998, the government posted its first surplus in 30 years, although a huge debt — mainly in the form of promised future Social Security payments to the baby boomers – remained† (The 1990s and beyond, 2008) The Economy in the 21st Century Whilst such developments led a number of economists to believe that the United States was entering a period of sustained economic growth, economic growth came to a halt in the early 2000s. Much of this was due to the slowing down of the investment boom and the economy went into recession in the second half of 2001, cutting a ten year period of economic growth. Along with slowdowns in investment and the widespread crashing of dotcom organizations the economy was terribly hurt by the World Trade Center attacks worsened the economic situation. The recession was short lived and lasted for a period of 8 months and whilst the labor force continued to grow, its rate moderated significantly. Whilst the actual recession was short lived the following years were ones of slow growth. Growth in GDP, which was estimated at 2. 5 % in 2002 continued to be slow in 2003 and unemployment rose significantly in 2003 (Julius, 2005). Huge corporate scams, like the ones at Enron and WorldCom led to erosion of domestic confidence and the recovery process remained slow and sluggish. The downturn in the US economy, which had spurred global economic growth during the 1990s led to a worldwide economic downturn, not just in Europe but also in Japan, Latin America and Southeast Asia (Julius, 2005). Consumer spending increased only after the commencement of the war in Iraq and was accompanied by the improvement of most economic indicators. The movement of the economy in the 2000s can be broken up in three distinct sections, the recession of 2001 followed by sluggish growth in 2002 and 2003, sharp economic growth from 2004 to 2007 and financial crisis that enveloped the economy after the housing crash and the mortgage disaster of 2007 (The 1990s and beyond, 2008). The years following 2003 witnessed a recovery powered by consumer spending as the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates and the government reduced taxes. The economy grew at an average annual rate of 3. 1 % during this period, a rate not much lower than that achieved during the growth phase of the 1990s. The economy was also bolstered by a USD 500 billion spending on homeland security and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a jump of 4 trillion USD in household debt and a 50 % increase in prices of real estate (The 1990s and beyond, 2008). With the Fed engineering finance at low interest rates, consumer debt, credit card, and vehicle loans went up from 7. 9 trillion USD to 12. 2 trillion USD, and US consumers went on a spending spree that had no precedent. Inflation was fuelled not just by increasing demand but by sharp increases in oil prices, which went up from 28 dollars a barrel in 2001 to the mid 60s in 2006 and finally to USD 148 a barrel in 2007 before the current crisis brought it crashing down. â€Å"The rise in GDP in 2004-07 was undergirded by substantial gains in labor productivity. Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage in the Gulf Coast region in August 2005, but had a small impact on overall GDP growth for the year. Soaring oil prices in 2005-2007 threatened inflation and unemployment, yet the economy continued to grow through year-end 2007. † (CIA Fact Book, 2008) Tragedy struck the US and global economy in 2007 in the form of the mortgage crisis when economists were predicting a boom the likes of which the world had never seen before. The majority of the problems impacting the US economy have come about because of the development of housing crisis. Whilst housing and construction activities had grown sharply since 2004, they slackened significantly in 2006 after successive interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve made monthly housing loan repayments substantially more costly for home mortgage holders. With loans having become far more expensive to service, the housing industry went into a slump in 2006 with far lesser home sales on a Year on Year basis. The continuation of this phenomenon into 2007 led to a sharp economic slowdown and was in many ways responsible for the precipitation of the mortgage crisis. The sub prime mortgage financial crisis in the USA first evidenced itself in 2006, and assumed global proportions in mid 2007. With a combination of a number of economic causes like increased monthly repayment figures and declining home values restricting the inability of mortgage holders to meet their repayment terms, mortgage lenders, who until the had ridden the wave of real estate expansion, were hit with huge cash deficits and the inadequate securities to make good their losses (Bernanke, 2007). The emergence of the sub prime crisis led to the opening of a virtual Pandora’s Box of wrong and risky banking practices, and the financial bankruptcy and mortgage foreclosures of thousands of borrowers. It also led to the bankruptcy of huge financial institutions like Lehman Brothers, the virtual collapse of a monolith like Citibank, the collapse of stock markets, the extinction of stock market fortunes of thousands of Americans and finally to a tremendous crunch in availability of funds and credit. Apart from creating havoc among financial institutions the crisis has also led to tremendous slowing down of economic activity, the loss of thousands of jobs, increasing unemployment, contraction of GDP and enormous economic uncertainty. The sub-prime crisis has put a huge doubt over broader economic functioning by choking spending and by impacting the progress of the building sector. Whilst most impartial observers are likely to attribute the sub prime crisis to the greed of borrowers and lenders, the lax policies of regulatory authorities is seen by many to be a major contributory factor for the development of this crisis. Laxity in the activity of the Federal reserve, which reduced interest rates in 2001 and kept them low for five years, is considered to be a major reason for the reckless borrowing and lending practices that finally led to the sub prime crisis. The collapse of major banks and financial institutions has led to the development of an enormous credit crunch, with banks unable to lend money to businesses and to individuals. â€Å"So far this year, 15 banks have failed, compared with three last year. And Wall Street’s five biggest investment firms were swallowed by other companies, filed bankruptcy or converted themselves into commercial banks to weather the financial storm† (Bush: Bailout Plan †¦, 2008). With losses not being confined just to mortgage lenders, many banks lost billions of dollars in the bad mortgage debts that they had bought from mortgage companies. This in turn led to sharp reduction in the money available with them and made them unable to engage in any further lending activity. Businesses across a wide spectrum of industry and service sectors find it difficult to obtain funds for operations and growth, a phenomenon that is seriously affecting their regular working, and leading to contraction of business activity, reduction in production and sales, and to reduction of workforce. Thousands of people have been laid off in the banking sector and job losses are now increasing across the spectrum of business companies, not just in the United States but across the world. Reduced employment figures, accompanied by lesser money availability with people who are fortunate enough to hold their jobs, is also leading to sharp drops in demand for a range of products, including automobiles and household goods, and leading to crisis conditions in various sectors of the economy. The US automobile industry, which has been going through a bad patch for the last few years, has been particularly badly hit, with mostly all companies announcing production cuts and job terminations. Conclusion The duration and severity of the current financial crisis has led many analysts to compare it with the events of the Great Depression, when 9,000 banks failed. Others however feel that while the current crisis is undoubtedly severe it is far away from reaching the levels of economic grief that characterized the depression of the 1930s. Contracting money supply, tax increases, and protectionist tariffs, factors that were associated with the Great Depression are not present today. Unemployment levels, while rising today are also far below the levels of 25 % that were breached in the 1930s. Today’s problem remains associated with the crisis of banking solvency, as is evident from the bankruptcies, forced takeovers and virtual nationalization of large private sector banks. Banks are desperate to first balance their banks and are looking for funds to stay afloat and manage their existing obligations rather than in providing fresh credit. The government of the United States has come out with a bailout plan that was first estimated at 700 billion US dollars and has now come up to nearly a trillion dollars, a figure equal to the GDP of many prosperous West European economies. The bailout plan envisages the provisioning of hundreds of billions of dollars that the treasury can use to for the purchase of distressed assets, particularly mortgage backed securities and for making capital injections into banks. The purpose of the bailout plan is to protect banks, stabilize the economy, improve liquidity, restore confidence in financial markets, and encourage consumption. The Federal Reserve has in recent weeks joined with other major central banks to reduce interest rates and the world’s top economic powers are getting together to take concerted action. Such efforts are yet to show significant results and stock markets continue to remain depressed. â€Å"Slowing consumer demand, labor productivity and, potentially, trade growth worsens the prospects of a mild recession. If the bailout does not soon restore financial stability-and many economists doubt that it will-bailing out the broader economy will require additional public funds and increase burdens on future taxpayers† (Gokhale, 2008) Economists also estimate unemployment to increase to hit 7. 5 % by next year and most are in agreement that while the current crisis may not prove to be as severe as the great depression, economic recovery does not appear to be immediately visible and that the economy will remain difficult even if financial markets were to stabilize. In the meanwhile Americans will most probably have to live with shrinking salaries and reducing net worth at least for 2009.