Saturday, August 31, 2019

How does Priestly present Shelia Birling? Essay

In the play â€Å"An Inspector Calls† by J.B.Priestly, Shelia Birling is presented as being honest, perceptive and open to Socialist ideas. Her presentation changes as the play progresses and she changes from naà ¯ve innocence to a more mature and pro-socialist woman with a deep understanding of her capitalistic society’s flaws. At the start of the play, Shelia is portrayed as being naà ¯ve and oblivious to the struggles of the working class, but she shows remorse when her own guilt is exposed. The stage directions tell us that she is â€Å"very pleased with life† and is young, attractive and has just become engaged. However, she does not know about the struggles of the working class and soon expresses horror at her father’s treatment of Eva Smith. Although she has probably never before considered the impact of her decisions on the working class, she shows compassion immediately she hears of Eva Smith’s death. She first exclaims â€Å"How horrible!† and proceeds to tell her father â€Å"But these girls aren’t cheap labour – they’re people.† However, when the Inspector reveals Shelia’s role in causing the chain of events that lead to Eva Smith’s suicide, Shelia is horrified by her own part in Eva’s story and is moved to tears. She feels full of guilt for her jealous actions and blames herself as â€Å"really responsible.† Shelia acknowledges her blame and admits to her jealousy actions, marking her as more progressive and open-minded than the older generation consisting of her parents. Shelia is starting to change and becomes increasingly sympathetic and pro-socialist as the play progresses. As the Play continues, Sheila is presented as being increasingly perceptive and we can see this when after her interrogation, she changes and in a sense begins to adopt the Inspector’s character. When the Inspector starts questioning Gerald and Mrs Birling, Shelia not only insists on watching, but also helps the Inspector by filling in minor details and asking questions of her own. We can see this shortly before Gerald’s questioning, Shelia tells the Inspector â€Å"I don’t understand about you† then â€Å"she stares at him [The Inspector] wonderingly and dubiously† and when Mrs Birling enters â€Å"briskly and self-confidently, quite out of touch with the little scene†¦ Shelia feels this at once. † Shelia is also the first one to realise the Inspector’s semi- omniscience, saying that â€Å"No, he’s giving us the rope – so that we’ll hang ourselves.† Shelia insists that Mrs Birling must not â€Å"build a wall between us and the girl† as â€Å"the Inspector will just break it down,† The effect of these stage directions and dialogue, is to emphasise how Shelia is becoming increasingly perceptive and begins to see through her family’s translucency. We can tell that Shelia is becoming increasingly perceptive and can see how the entire family is involved in this scandal. – Sheila acknowledges the Inspector’s. Realises everyone is to blame, and by not accepting the blame they are digging their own graves. Superior to her family in the sense that the knowledge has hit her; she knows that her family have done wrong. You not only knew her but you knew her very well.† – Perceptive; Knows that everyone is to blame; becomes perceptive. already aware of her actions and how they are wrong. She is willing to change her views but there is a sense of holding back throughout the play, like how she feels the need to share the blame. This is her internal conflict between the views she has been brought up with and the views she knows are right. Priestley uses Sheila to show how the younger generation can change views & realise their mistakes. Shelia’s transformation from an immature girl to an emphatic and mature woman during the course of the play is used as evidence that the younger generation can stop and prevent tragedies such as Eva Smith’s death from happening. Priestly uses Shelia to show that people can change from their capitalistic and materialistic society. ways to a more Socialist and equal society. He does this by showing all the disadvantages of following the capitalist ways by using Sheila as an example and by this, it makes the audience realise the way they are living has a serious effect on the working class (the death of eva smith) and that they should change their ways (like Sheila did) and they will have more sense of morality in their conscience. She admits her guilt, saying that â€Å"It was my own fault† and â€Å"I’ll never, never do anything †

Friday, August 30, 2019

Everlost by Neal Shusterman Essay

Allie and Nick both die in a car crash. They’re supposed to go towards that light at the end of the tunnel, but they bump into each other and get knocked into a mysterious world between life and death called Everlost. The world is filled with terror, and unexpected twists for the souls that reside there. Both Nick and Allie want their lives back, so they start exploring this new world, hoping to find a way back to their normal lives. There is a catch, however: If they stand still in the living world for too long, they will sink into Earth. The longer they stay in Everlost, the more they forget about themselves in the real world. In the beginning of the book, they are saved by a boy named Lief, who tells them that they are called â€Å"Afterlights†, who cannot walk where the living walk. They are somewhat like ghosts. He warns them of a dreaded and evil monster, McGill, before they make their way to New York City. There, they meet a Mary Hightower, the â€Å"mother† of Afterlights who keeps many Afterlights safe, and author of hundreds of books on living in Everlost. She lives with the children under her care in the destroyed World Trade Center. This is because things that are much beloved in the world can cross into Everlost if they are destroyed. They settle down, but Allie is not content with the way things are, so she sets out to see if she has special powers. Allie notices other Afterlights at the Twin Towers keep repeating and doing the same exact thing everyday. Lief gets stuck playing the Pac-Man arcade game non-stop and she has to pry him from the game to drag him along with her. They meet The Haunter in a factory that crossed over to Everlost. Allie gets Lief and Nick captured by The Haunter and it is shown that Allie can pick up living things and also possess or ‘skinjack’ as it is called in the book. In her adventures, she learns how to use her own powers. These adventures tell Nick his purpose while revealing the secret plan of Mary Hightower and the real identity of the McGill, Mikey McGill, Mary(really Megan) Hightower’s younger brother. Mary, also known by others as the Sky Witch, has been lying to the children, stealing the coins they invariably have in their possession, which will allow them to leave Everlost, a metaphor for the coins given to pay Charon. Nick has also received the nickname â€Å"Chocolate Ogre† because of how he has a chocolate stain on his face, and Mary spreads rumors about how he sends Afterlights away by luring them in with the smell of chocolate. Allie outsmarts the McGill, who is unmasked by his sister. Allie, traveling home, is later saved by Mikey, who takes her the rest of the way home. Setting: The stories in the Skinjacker trilogy takes place in the Everlost. Everlost is the place between life and death that all lost children end up after getting lost in their journey to the afterlife. These lost children, or Afterlights as they are called, are unseen by the real â€Å"living† world. The afterlights cannot interact with the real world (except those with the ability to possess or â€Å"skinjack† the living and will sink to the Earth’s core if they stay still. An exception, is when somebody has died in that spot. They can interact with certain objects that are loved so much by their owners that when the object breaks, it crosses over to Everlost, unbroken, and is given a place there for eternity. The same is for certain places that were destroyed (the twin towers are used as an example) that were love d and cherished by many people and will never be forgotten. There are no adults in Everlost presumably because they know where they are going Character: Alexandra â€Å"Allie† the Outcast: Allie is a 14-year-old girl who ends up in Everlost after the car she is riding in, crashes head on on a highway with the packed black Mercedes that Nick was in. Allie is brave and â€Å"goal† orientated though not a planner. She was reborn nine months later in â€Å"Everlost† as an Afterlight. Allie discovers that she has the gifted ability to â€Å"possess† (or â€Å"skinjack† as it is called in the book) people. She tries to return home to meet her parents in order to put her troubled mind at ease. However, on the way, she and Nick encounters many adventures.[3] Nick: He is 14 years old. A half-Japanese boy who is more of a follower, not a leader. He was riding in a packed black Mercedes on the way to a wedding when he died with chocolate on his face; now he is stuck in formal clothes and a chocolate covered mouth for eternity. .[3] Megan â€Å"Mary Hightower† McGill: The self-proclaimed expert on Everlost, she has written many books on living in the world between life and death. She also thinks of herself as the mother of the many children stuck in this world, being one of the oldest inhabitants at fifteen. She will do anything to keep the â€Å"lost† Afterlights in Everlost.[3][4] Michael Edward McGill, â€Å"The McGill† or â€Å"Mikey†: The brother of Megan McGill. After escaping the by [[Inner core|earth’s core] by becoming a monster ], he encounters a ghost ship where he spends nearly 20 years looting and â€Å"kidnapping† Afterlights after believing a fortune in a chinese fortune cookie that in exchange for 1000 souls, he can return to the land of the living.[3] Travis, alias â€Å"Lief†: An 11-year-old boy Allie and Nick had found in the crossed-over forest. He follows them throughout the novel, until he reaches a state of peace and leaves Everlost through a coin. Before he leaves it is discovered that his real name was Travis. This is how Nick realizes the coins have the power to help the Afterlights â€Å"ge t where they’re going†.

A history of Latin America Essay

It was during the European colonial expansion that Brazil fell under Portugal as a colony. Colonization in Brazil spanned the period between 1500 to year 1815. Portugal was interested in Brazil for a number of reasons that included the hope of getting minerals, raw materials as well as slave trade and labor to among other interests. The colonization of Brazil had some effect on the native way of life, with most of these effects having had a lasting effect to date. It’s worth noting that from the history of Brazil, France also had an interest in Brazil but could not stand up to Portugal which had taken the control of this part of the world through the signing of a treaty. The Portugal king known as king Manuel 1 who was reigning then wanted the colony to be ruled under a system of 15 hereditary captaincies- a fit that failed to work due to large-scale failure. The system gave way to royal enterprise in 1549. The following essay describes the causes and the effects of the Portuguese colonialism in Brazil. Causes of colonialism There are a number of things that preceded the Portuguese entry into and colonization of Brazil. Following the signing of the treaty of Tordelsillas in the year 1494 that facilitated the division of the world between Spain and Portugal, all land falling to the east was taken up by Portugal while Spain took up the land on the western side. In the year 1500, a navigator, Captain Pedro Alvares Cabral in charge of a fleet of 13 ships trailing the route taken by Vasco da Gama to India, landed in Brazil. He possessed this land for king Manuel 1 as an overseas colonial land for Portugal. His possession of the land made it a colonial land for Portugal (Sweet 2007p233). The Portuguese expressed their interest in Brazil due to the presence of raw materials that proved to be valuable for Portugal. One of the raw materials that Portugal got from Brazil includes the Brazilwood tree from which dark wood and red dye could be extracted. The Brazilwood was readily available in the Brazilian rainforest where it grew naturally. The red dye was exported to Europe where it was useful in staining luxurious textile for trading. The dark wood was sought for commercial purposes as well- specifically for sale within the European markets. The Portugal colonial system was also interested in growing sugar cane from Brazil for use in making of wine and for exporting to Portugal. An interest in other agricultural products of the nature of cash crops also interested the Portugal royal government that was reigning under the king Manuel 1 to take up Brazil as a colony. The cash crops drawn from Brazil included cotton and tobacco. These two cash crops were exported to Europe for sale in the European market. Portugal was interested in Brazil due to the prospect of getting slaves for labor and trade. The plantations in Europe required free labor that slaves could provide. Portugal marked Brazil as a potential area where for getting slaves for their plantations in Europe or for trading them. Even though the Portugal authorities had managed to transact some of the slaves with a Brazilian origin, the coming of the Jesuits in Brazil greatly led to the fall of the trade since they were opposed to the trade. This forced the Portugal authorities to embark on importing slaves from West Africa. At the same time, labor was greatly needed in the sugar plantations in Brazil. The natives provided this labor in exchange of scissors, axes, mirrors and knives while some were captured and forced to provide the labor as slaves (Morris 2006p34). Another reason why Portuguese had an interest in Brazil was because they were hoping to get minerals that they could use for their industries in Portugal or sell them in the European market. Though initially no minerals were found, some deposits of gold and later diamonds were found in the 18th century in the interior of Brazil by the bandeirantes. The area where gold deposits were found is known as the Minas Gerais mines. Deposits of diamond were found in 1729 in a village known as the Tujico village- the present day Diamantina. The French had expressed an interest n the land of Brazil as it was attracted to the Brazilwood and the prospect of mining some minerals from the land. This forced Portuguese to take up the land for establishing colonial rule in it before the French powers could take it over. Even though Portuguese had already possessed the land of Brazil, the heavy presence of the French military along the cost of Brazil forced the Portuguese to set the colonial powers and use military power to evacuate the French from the Brazilian coast (Leftwich 1999p156). Effects of Portuguese colonialism in Brazil The presence of the Portuguese colonial power in Brazil affected a number of the native life of the people in Brazil. Colonialism led to the widespread and adoption of the catholic faith in worship. This was a result of the coming of the Jesuits, who were led by the first governor, Tome de Sousa. The Jesuits made a great representation of the religious enterprise, setting missions within Brazil and actively converting the natives into the catholic faith. Another consequence of the Portuguese colonial powers in Brazil is the death of a great number of people due to wars that pervaded the colony. The natives were opposed to the colonial powers and therefore staged resistances that led to the death of many natives. An example of the native revolts is the Guarani war of the year 1756 where the native were fighting the Portuguese authorities as a protest against slave trade. The native guaranis were assisted by the Jesuits who also opposed slave trade and labor (Chasteen 2001 p251). The colonial era in Brazil also played a great role in the proliferation of the people of the African origin in Brazil. Since Brazil drew a lot of slaves from the West African region to work within the plantations in Brazil, a very large number of Africans settled within the Brazilian land after the slave trade was abolished since they had no way of going back to Africa even when they were set free (Freyre 2008 p458). There was a proliferation of infectious diseases that were brought by the colonialist from Europe to Brazil. The natives had no natural immunity against these diseases and this led to the death of a great number of natives from these foreign diseases. The colonial powers also led to the embrace of the sugar cane growing in agricultural sector for export. Since sugar cane had such a high demand within the European market, the expansion of the sugar cane sector drew great profits. This sector however received a blow and fell once the Dutch and the French started cultivating and exporting sugarcane to the European market. Since Antilles- the area where Dutch and the French produced the sugar was much closer to Europe, the sugar prices fell drastically towards the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century during which time the sugar industry on Brazil fell. The colonial powers within Brazil also led to the founding of the Rio de Janeiro city in the year 1565 by the governor general Estacio de Sa’. He established Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Brazil in the year 1763 from Salvador. At the same time, a number of changes took place with the cities in Brazil. The estados – states- in Brazil had been divided and separated so that they were headed by the city council prior to the year 1763. The city councils were composed of top figures within the Brazilian land including the merchants, land owners and business men. Since Brazil was to big to be administered by the royal government, there arose a need to divide this area into smaller estates. The states of Brasil, Maranhao, and Grao-para were unified into Brazilian viceroyalty in the year 1763 and Rio de Janeiro was set as the capital of these cities. This helped to destroy the divisions that were created in the early days of the colonial invasion (Freyre 2008 p457). There was the creation of a number of towns in south Brazil. Some of the towns created include Colonia de Sacramento, Alores islands, and Porto Alegre among other towns. As essay shows, there are a number of major changes that took place with the expansion of the Portuguese power in Brazil. The native Brazilians abandoned their cultural way of life and adopted the life that the Portuguese were living in terms of dress code, food eaten, and the religion adopted (Keller 2006p517). Conclusion Expansion of the European powers into the rest of the world during the colonial era led to major changes and experiences into the areas that these countries set their colonial power. In the case of Brazil, changes that took place were experienced over the whole range of the living including their social living, political life and religion among other areas. The effect of the colonial powers is still felt in Brazil to the present day. References Chasteen J (2001) Born in blood and fire: a concise history of Latin America, Norton p251 Freyre G (2008) The masters and the slaves (Casa-grande & senzala) Brazilian civilization, University of Texas p457, 458 Keller (2006) Colonization study, founding of new societies. Ginn & Company p517 Leftwich A (1999) Redefining politics; populace, property, and power, Taylor & Francis p156 Morris H (2006) History of Colonialism from the Earliest Times Present Day, University of Michigan p34 Sweet W (2007) A history of Latin America. The Abingdon Press p233

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Political Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Political Theory - Essay Example His Second Treatise on Government, in particular is a comprehensive collection of essays on various aspects of social organization. But theories do not always translate into practice and so governments always do not fulfill the purpose for which they were conceived and formed. We should also remember that electoral processes and democratic institutions that constitute modern governments are also beset by serious flaws. In the present global political scenario, as was the case during the period of European Imperialism, governments concerned themselves with matters way beyond the maintenance of civil liberties to its population. That is, governments have never been strictly political formations, but have always served vested commercial and class interests. A history of European Imperialism is full of such examples, where exploitation of commercial opportunities led to expansion of territories and colonies. It should also be noted that while governments are needed to maintain peace and order in civil societies, there have been plenty of instances in which they have abused their power in suppressing dissident voices and threats to power. Writing his Treatises on Government toward the end of seventeenth century, John Locke could not have foreseen the scale and scope of abuse of power that governments have since exhibited. While this is not mean that Locke’s Treatises are impractical, they do point to the gap between what is real and what is ideal. Also, Locke’s Treatises focus on the interactions between government and the individual as well as the interaction between fellow citizens. There is a lacuna in Locke’s Second Treatise about the nature and dynamics of power relations between governments and how this could undermine the civil liberties domestically. The nature and complexion on demographics has altered considerably in the period since Locke’s analyses. In an

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Life Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Life Learning - Essay Example Even so, there are some lessons and experiences that one must undergo before becoming a leader. Based on the Kolb-Fry model, one has to undergo an effective learning process that sees one go through the stages of a concrete experience, observation and reflection of the experience, analysis and conclusion, which eventually results in new experiences. Through such experiences, undergoes enough tests to gain leadership traits. While leadership may be inbuilt, at times it involves intensive training before one acquires desired leadership qualities. Through training, one understands the need to inspire and empower others. This lies under psychological leadership in which a person reads the psychology of followers and understands exactly how to direct them to realize organizational objectives. The number of natural born leaders is very few in the current society. I have experienced several leadership mishaps in the organizations I have worked in over the years. To enhance effectiveness in leadership, it is essential for one to train them in lieu to the setting they find themselves at that time. Great leadership is about one’s actions, and not about what they know about leadership. Naturally, I am an outgoing, generous, and carefree person. I am smart can learn anything fast, and have a great memory. I have always had a lot of friends at home, school and work. I have always been a leader and I understa nd how to take on a task and complete with quality. People look up to me at my workplace, and I have been the motivator in the departments I have worked at. Leadership training is at times ineffective. Naturally, leaders are not trained; they are developed. I learnt that it is nearly impossible for a person to tell another on how to lead. Developing a leader is easier and much more effective than training a leader. That is the reason as to why most leadership training programs are ineffective. Sometimes one is just not born

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Methodology of a research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Methodology of a - Research Paper Example basis for drawing the research methodology for the current study is the research onion model, which has been developed and proposed by Saunders as depicted below which reflects that highlights considerations for planning and implementing a particular research methodology initiating from review of possible philosophies supporting different course of research approaches, strategies, and data collection and interpretation methods available for business researches. Furthermore, the chapter also discusses the limitations of the adopted methodology along with the indication of the steps undertaken by the researcher to overcome them. Considering the objective of the study that is to present and discuss the planning carried by event management companies in Bahrain and challenges faced by them in the planning process in relation to the existing literature on the research topic it could be inferred that the outcome of the present study is of qualitative nature and would result in recommendations for event management industry participants of Bahrain. On the basis of this understanding, the research design drawn for the present study is based on a research philosophy referred to as the interpretivist paradigm (Smith, et al., 2009). This research theory supports examination of human experiences, exploring individuals’ perspectives or motivations, and interpreting the outcome of their actions or views. This therefore requires the researcher to understand and interpret the subjectivity and interaction of individuals which affect the behavior of individuals and their motives to take certain actions (Saunders, et a l., 2007). This implies that the present study examines the experiences of individuals involved in planning process in the event management companies operating in Bahrain and evaluating different aspects of planning as discussed in the literature review chapter of this report. The methodology associated with the interpretivist paradigm is of qualitative nature. The

Monday, August 26, 2019

The role that Competition authorities may play in correcting market Essay

The role that Competition authorities may play in correcting market failures and facilitate competition - Essay Example Moreover, with the promulgation of more liberal trade, consumers can now enjoy better deals from various producers as the myriad of local and international firms increasingly compete on the basis of better pricing and more quality. Moreover, as more and more firms enter the market, companies are really forced to innovate in order to serve their market better. Central to this is competition. Basically, the globalization has greatly helped in levelling the trade barriers wherein the location is now hardly a source of competitive advantage. This has also been greatly helped by the leaps and bounds of technology which has facilitated vast improvements in transportation and communication. However, despite of these innovations, locations remain important when industries cluster on these areas. These industries amass in certain areas which can strengthen the various industries within them in order to be more productive and by directing and concentrating innovation as well as the stimulation of the birth of new business ventures in the area (Porter, 1998). Still, central to this endeavour is the competition or more accurately the presence of competition. Chang and Harrington (2003) recognize the importance of the level of competition that can be brought about by firms that are able to innovate greatly and maintain a global presence. Prior to the dawn of globalization, many companies are snugly operating within their realms and cuddled by their governments. However, nowadays, many multinational firms have far reaching capabilities globally which encourages innovation to bring about quality and at the same time bring down costs. Again, all these are only possible if firms can compete freely and fairly. Hence, there are various competition authorities that tries to ensure that competition remain healthy within a country. Section A Competition Authority Among the foremost issue that most competition authorities try to tackle is the problem of antitrust. In other words, alt hough innovation is greatly encouraged in the free market and that growth of companies are generally favourable to the economy, certain firms can amass greater market and control thru mergers and acquisitions that, if left unchecked, could result to a consolidation of the industry to only one major player. In such a scenario, there is an effective destruction of competition which can lead to inefficiencies. There are cases when cartels are formed or the dominant player induces practices that may hurt competition such as predatory pricing. Ginsburg and Wright (2010) relate about two deterrents to such practices which are the traditional and penalty deterrence. In their analysis, it can be gleaned that the force of penalties and regulation play crucially in order to maintain balance in a market and to ensure the health of the competition within that industry. UK and Competition The United Kingdom (UK) remains as one of the most competitive countries in the world except for a slight re spite in the past years when the country was reeling from the effects of the Great Recession. Recently though, the country has reclaimed its spot in the top ten along with other European countries. Looking at the list which includes Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands clearly Europe is a center for competitiveness. Although the UK was temporarily ousted from the top ten, the country was able to bounce back fuelled by its strong

Sunday, August 25, 2019

In Defense of Masks by Kenneth Gergen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

In Defense of Masks by Kenneth Gergen - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that  it is impossible to live through life without putting on or developing masks. Masks are a vital part of human society. Masks act as a source of fostering relationships and understandability between various groups in society.  People portray different forms of their real selves. They adorn masks to masks to achieve various objectives in their lives, but it is a fake characterization of their true beliefs and attitudes of a person. Everybody has a motivation towards hiding their identities. Whether it is to get accepted, loved, ignored, inflict fear or hide from shame. This urge to wear masks is true to human form. The urge for survival in a tough and competitive world makes people act in a manner that is not true to self. For example, it is common for an employee to appear subtle in front of his/her boss just to appease them and look well-mannered or cultured. The employee may in the actual sense not be cultured or well-mannered. He or she may be a loudmouth or someone that ridicules fellow coworkers at the workplace. But because the employee is in the presence of their boss and he or she hopes to get noticed for a promotion or favor, they hide their true identity in front of the boss. The boss would thus pick up a fake attitude or behavior from the employee. The motivation to get promoted or noticed makes the employee wear a mask that hides their real identity.  Society has also forced human beings to wear masks. Societal pressures make people act in ways that are not true to their selves. In a world that is full of standards and demands, people act to please others and not themselves (Gergen 138). Friends, enemies, and relatives may force individuals to behave in certain ways.  

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Higher Education and International Relations Essay

Higher Education and International Relations - Essay Example It is a deliberate process of transformation of improved abilities from one level to another level which starts from an individual and bring to an end in the greater advantage of the world. Education develops the inborn potential of an individual and helps to increase the current knowledge. Education facilitates the growth of an individual in all areas like physical, behavior, mental, social, economic, spiritual etc. Education bring livelihood for an individual and determines his/her social status. Individual lives in a society, his/her improved status bring betterment to the life of the people connected to them in every manner. Here starts the role of education in the society. It compels members of the society to abundant old views and thoughts and provides equal opportunities to all irrespective of their cast, color, sex and religion. It helps in development of social and moral values like tolerance, affection, sympathy, cooperation etc. Most important role of education towards soc iety is to compete with the technological and scientific advancement. Education helps to raise all aspect of the country like healthy living, improve literacy rate, social change, growing economy, decrease poverty etc. Education of individuals in various fields determines the need of establishing of various industries which obtain different advantages for the country in the global marketplace. Competitive advantage of one country forces other countries to develop their economies to the highest level. It is a rare possibility that one country specializes into each and every sector of the economy or has all the natural resources of the world. Countries have to depend on each other to get access to these resources and felt the need of trade. International relations establish by means of trade between two or more countries. Poor education conditions of developing countries restrain them to achieve better living conditions, health facilities, law and order situation, economy etc. Most de veloping countries are facing political instability and deprived law and order situation, due to which developed nations of the world are hesitant in bringing their investments to the developing countries. Even international universities and colleges are also unable to bring their campuses to the developing nations. In one way or other, poor law and order situations and political instability links to the underprivileged educational system of these countries. Most of the developing countries are in the elementary stage of their education system. They are struggling to achieve the level of secondary or post secondary education. Higher education can also serve as a medium to establish international relations between countries. It is witnessed that large number of students, faculty and staff members are taking education outside of their native land. â€Å"Indeed, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 3.7 million tertiary level students studied o utside of their home country in 2009.† (Lane and Kinser, 2012) Governments are working on the internationalization of higher educations system and institutions. Several measure have been taken in this regard by the government and institutions like student exchange programs, consultancy programs by universities and colleges, cultural centers, inviting higher education institutions from other countries. For example, world-recognized institutions such as New York University,

Friday, August 23, 2019

Issues of drugs use in public schools Research Paper

Issues of drugs use in public schools - Research Paper Example The second sub-question is the rules and regulation that might be needed to guide the processing of identifying drug users among teachers and students. The other sub-question is how the effectiveness of a drug identificationtechnique chosen could be improved. Analysis in this researchis based on these sub-questions. The research concludes that none of the drug identification techniques is sufficient; it therefore recommends use of other drug identification techniques before deciding to undertake drug testing among teachers and students in public schools. CHAPTER 1: Introduction Context of the problem Drug use in public schools has been identified as a key issue affecting education in this country. Principals and other education administrators have found students in their schools using or in possession of illegal drugs like marijuana (Samaha, 2012). Moreover, there are teachers and other school employees who have been foundusing drugs by the school administrators while in their line o f duty. Therefore, the issue of drug use is a problem that affects the whole public schools fraternity. In the past, students were tested for drug use only when participating in athletics or when undertaking major co-curricular activities (Dempsey, 2011). This proved to be ineffective since the majority of drug users turned to be the idle students who did not engage in any form of sports or co-curricular activities. Furthermore, drug users tended to avoid sports and co-curricular activities to avoid being tested for drug use. However, recently a random drug test routinehas been introduced in the majority of public schools in this country. According to Leonard (2011), this approach of testing drug use has been providing great promises both as a preventive tool for drug use and as a means of reducing the costs of drug use in the society.However, teachers and other members of the public schoolfraternityare not included in this drug testing process. Drug use in public schools has severa l negative effects. Gasper (2009) identifies the issue as one of the major causes of students dropping out of schools. This is because of the fact that it could make the students feel unfit for the learning environment provided in public schools. It is also related to social problems like lack of discipline in schools, premarital sex, and spread of STIs (Ryan & Cooper, 2008). This indicates that if allowed to increase, it would result to increase in these identified social problems. Drug testing is one way of identifying drug users in public schools. As a policy, it requires that the test results be kept in confidential files and be released to educationpersonnel only when needed (Alexander & Alexander, 2011). However, very few school administrators meet what this policy requires. This results in violations of people’s privacy and victimization of students in public schools.Such outcomes have motivated human rights advocates to propose that drug education should be employed i nstead of drug testing. According to Wilson and Kolander (2011), drug education encompasses all activities aimed at teaching and communicating issues related to drug use to people in order to assist them in avoiding such harm. This might eliminate the negative effects of drug testing and yet achieve the required results in terms of

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Odyssey by Homer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Odyssey by Homer - Essay Example It is therefore the epic is regarded as one of the most alluring and splendid works the world has ever produced. The poet has elaborated that maintenance of dignity and valor was the most imperative phenomenon for Greeks, on which they could not make any compromise altogether. Similarly, the politeness and modesty during speech and actions was also highly significant object for the society, and use of eloquent, apposite and sophisticated words during social interaction was regarded as the sign of being cultured and modest. Moreover, the people of the city were also munificent and generous, and always treated the guests with open arms and happy heart. Consequently, dignity, politeness and hospitality served as the most dominant features of the ancient Greek civilization of Homeric era. The verses depict the valor, pride, ego, prestige and strength of the major characters including the protagonist King Odysseus of Ithaca and his son Telemachus. Similarly, the loyalty, fidelity and dedi cation of Penelope, and the love and affection of the Ithacan subjects for their King Odysseus are also the distinguishing aspects of the ancient Greek life. The play reveals the very fact that the honor, prestige and dignity were regarded as the most prominent aspects of social life among the ancient Greek people, and they did not make any compromise on these issues altogether. ... The issue of pride and shame also appears at the eve of the challenge made by Euryalus, the handsome and strong Phaeacian youth, to Odysseus after the latter’s attending the Phaeacian assembly. Euryalus asks Odysseus to participate in the athletic contest along with the other Athenian youth. (Book 8: lines 178-182) However, Odysseus refused to comply with the same. Consequently, Euryalus passes insulting comments on him by declaring him as a sailor trading back and forth  in a ship with many oars, as well as a captain in charge of merchant sailors (Book 8, lines 200-202) In response to these awkward words, Odysseus made a thought-provoking speech in which he laments over his present state of affairs that is not suitable for the participating in athletics. However, he throws discus so powerfully that no one can do the same. Consequently, Athena encourages him to participate in other competitions too, which he does and wins the same. Hence, he obtains the opportunity of provin g his worth in discus throwing and wrestling. Thus, cunning speeches made by the protagonist character made situation uncomfortable, and the King announces the end of the games for the day. Odysseus is determined to fight against rival generals, sea monsters, court intriguers and hypocrites in order to display his bravery on the one hand, and to sustain the status of a dignified ruler on the other. It is therefore he sets out to fight war against the Trojan army just for the sake of enjoying the status of the most gallant and respectable person of the city. At the beginning of the Trojan War, he appears to be the father of an infant of one month only, departing from him

Homeless essay Essay Example for Free

Homeless essay Essay Most homeless people are responsible for their own problems. Do you agree? In this essay I will be pointed out facts about the homeless people in London and I will be analysing if it is there fault for being homeless or our fault. There are thousands of people who roam around the streets of London looking for a patch to sleep and somewhere to eat. Children and adults leave there houses because of family problems and many more scenarios. There are many people living around the streets of London and the world. They face problems that force them to leave there home and the majority of the time it is because of money problems and family problems. They leave houses to travel the streets and live in alleyways and face the whether which can turn bad in the winter. The question that I will investigate is it their fault that there homeless. The majority of homeless people are homeless because it has been their fault. Their problems that they have faced have pushed them to leave home and loose any luxuries they had. Any homeless people do not even try to gain a job to support them in any way. Many people think that they should get a job as many do have some qualifications that can help them. This is a sign of being lazy which cannot benefit them in any way and they deserve to be homeless if they act in this way. They clanger ways to get moneys from people by begging in crowded areas and doing an act to endure people to give money. This is the easy route out and if homeless people do this then no simperfy should be given. More than three hundred thousand was given to beggars over a period of two months n London and was spent on drugs and alcohol. This is a good example of why no money should be given to beggars, as they will only harm themselves and people around them. Many homeless people by the drugs because they fell that they have nothing and drugs might be a way to get a boost to survive day-to-day life on the streets. Many homeless people refuse shelter because they think that they can get by without them. This is a sign of being shellfish and people shouldn’t tolerate it. Many immigrants flee to the UK because they think that it is their escape route out of their country because of poverty or war. They come into this country and such onto our money that has been give. They stay homeless for a while and as soon as a chance comes they will take it. They should get out and get a job because it will help them and maybe their future family. Many homeless people who have no options available to them do drastic things to gain some money to support them for the day or week. Many professional all beggars get eighty pounds a day, which is tax-free. This is ridiculous as it is more than people get in a day for going out and doing work. This is a prime example as to why money shouldn’t be given to them. Some homeless people who want to get out of the situation cannot because they are too lazy to find out information about numbers to call for help such as childline and social services. There is an magazine that can help the homeless it is called the big issue and it aim to help the homeless by telling them what to do and numbers to call. It is a big help for people who want to get out of the situation. It is a free paper and could get homeless people back on a property. I think that some homeless people are to blame themselves, as they do not want help of any sort. In this part of the investigation I will be analysing the support side to this argument. There is another side to which I think that is to be announced about homeless people. The things that have happened to them are not their fault. This problem could of happened to anyone. This is why there are many charities open to help the homeless who will provide food and a shelter for them to sleep in. the big issue is a big help. Keith smith at thebig issue agrees that it is not fair to tell people that they mustn’t give money to beggars. The government has made a good contribution to this case, as ninety two per cent of families are now living in tempary accommodation in a good maintained house with a bath, bedrooms and living room. The government hopes to get as many homeless people into homes by 2010. This is a great achievement for the people who want to move home. There are many groups that go into the streets and provide food and shelter to the homeless. People should give money to charities because it will have more of an effect as if you give it to the homeless in person they could just by drugs or alcohol with it. I think in my judgement that homeless people are not to blame, as they cannot help was has happened to them. They need help, which is provided by different services. A small amount of money is all that is needed to support them. With a new priminister in power I think that he will tackle the problem in a quick way. He could bring the time from 2010 to now which could help the homeless even more.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Lg Group Developing Tomorrows Global Leaders Management Essay

Lg Group Developing Tomorrows Global Leaders Management Essay Based on the basic management philosophy of: Competition from a global perspective Pursuit of best value for customer, employees and shareholders Become the worlds best business group through management by principle And contribute to social development as a good corporate citizen, Bon Moo Koo as a chairman of the LG Group, one of the three largest Korean chaebols, announced LEAP 2005 as vision of the future. It has a goal of increasing revenue to US$380 billion by 2005 with 50% coming from international sales. Leap 2005 centered on employees and this new vision would lead LG to develop the most rewarding workplace for employees. Mr. Y.K. Kim as the head of the LG Human Resource (HR) team was charged with the task of identifying and developing high potential individual and the global leaders that LG would need in the future. He worked closely with Dr. Michael Lee, Managing director of LG Academy (LGA). They estimated that LG would need approximately 1,400 new global leaders by 2005 with about half would be Korean and the rest would be non-Korean. By 1987, LG had businesses and industries in chemicals, communications, energy, electronics, finance, insurance, machinery, metals, sports and trade. Even though LG was strong in Korea, it was not an international technology or quality leader in any of its business segments, especially relative to world-class foreign competitors. A new corporate identity program was launched in 1995, Lucky-Goldstar Group officially changed its name to the LG Group. The logo was designed to symbolize five key concepts: The world, The Future, Youth, Humans and Technology. Top management and HR team needed to create global working environments that include both Korean and non-Korean leaders in order to achieve the objectives of Leap 2005. Strategic analysis using 7s framework Strategy: Low cost strategy (1947 1987) Focused on competing through low cost manufacturing but also strongly emphasized high production volumes Under pricing competitors with products of acceptable, although not superior, quality It established Lucky-Goldstar brand as a low cost and acceptable quality products manufacturer Value strategy (1987 1995) Korean consumers were increasingly aware of and demanding higher quality products because of the standard of living increased the ability to afford higher quality products and services Korean government began to relax trade barriers that made it easier for foreign companies to compete with LG in Korea The cost competitiveness of Korean began to slip Strategic orientation of LEAP 2005 Focused on strategic markets that expected with economic growth and size, also the extent of business opportunity in that market Technological revolution through innovation to be produced faster or more cost efficiently Investment for the greatest possible return Customer satisfaction as a key measure of success Structure: Centralized decision making and a top-down management process In 1987, LGs various affiliated companies were divided into 21Cultural Units consists of multiple Strategic Business Unit (SBUs) Systems: Departments were separated and sequentially handing off projects from product research to product design to engineering to manufacturing to marketing to sales Managers had to develop a new perspective on time based competition thus speed had to be a central value that permeated the groups culture Shared Values: Focused on valuing employees and contributing to social development through good corporate citizenship In 1987, focused on creating customer value Valuable components from old culture: stability, harmony and respect Established and reinforce four new cultural elements: challenge, speed, simplicity and boundarylessness Style: In 1980s, the new management approach management by self-control for greater decision making autonomy Cultural value of respect, translated into a top down management style and emphasis on hierarchy Leap 2005 required LG to change course to a global setting, leadership development emerged as one of the biggest challenges Staff: Managers focused on producing high volumes and getting per unit as low as possible rather than finding out what customer wanted, developing high quality products or expanding marketing capabilities. SBU heads were given full profit and loss responsibility for their units Within SBUs, middle managers were charged with reviewing and reengineering business processes to ensure efficiency and effectiveness Cultural Unit presidents focused on integration and coordination across SBUs Need more global leaders because LG had a domestic orientation in the past included both Korean and non-Korean People from different disciplines and geographies increasingly needed to work together to analyze problems and figure out solutions Skills: Many managers were lack experience with decision autonomy Need hundred of world class managers to achieve its target with more sophisticated knowledge in finance Recommendations: Characteristics of the human organization that would help LG achieve Chairman Koos LEAP2005 vision of the future First, HR should be held responsible for defining an organizational structure. It should identify the model of the companys way of doing business. The well known 7s framework distinguishes seven components in a companys architecture. LG Human resources Team should also used a change model to guide a transformation process at the company began by asking Who, Why, What and How. This model helps an organization identify the key success factors for change and assess the organizations strengths and weaknesses regarding each factor. As change agent, HR professionals do not themselves execute change, but they make sure that it is carried out. The hardest and most important challenge facing LG in that era was changing their culture. In helping to bring about a new culture, HR must follow a four steps process: It must define and clarify the concept of culture change It must articulate why culture change is central to business success It must define a process for assessing the current culture and the desired new culture, as well as for measuring the gap between the two It must identify alternative approaches to creating culture change HR strategies, policies, programs or practices translating the Chairmans vision into reality Key needed capabilities of LGs future global leaders Managers had to change their mindset from flawlessly executing orders to determining strategic direction Managers are required to have a clear idea of what customer needs, values and preferences World class managers that have capabilities for success and growth strategies LG needed a cadre of managers with more sophisticated knowledge of finance To challenge and think differently and to come up with breakthrough innovations Globalization: they must be more literate in the ways of international customers, commerce, and competition than ever before therefore LG should increase their ability to learn and collaborate and to manage diversity, complexity and ambiguity. Profitability through growth: they must also become more focus, more in touch with the fast changing and disparate needs of their customers. Technology: the challenge for managers is to make sense and good use of what technology offers. They will need to figure out how to make technology a viable, productive part of the work setting. Intellectual Capital: The challenge for organizations is making sure they have the capability to find, assimilate, develop, compensate and retain such talented individuals. Change, change and more change: LG must be able to learn rapidly and continuosly, innovate ceaselessly, and take on new strategic imperatives faster and more comfortably How to identify, attract, select and hire, train and develop, motivate, appraise and reward to perform at peak level, and retain the global leaders with the needed competencies and capabilities? The establishment of a development strategy is an important first step in the recruiting process. The second is achieving a fit between it and the rewards that an organization offers. A good fit must exist in in order to attract and motivate effective performance. The issue that needs to be considered when recruiting individuals relates to their motivation to perform. Attracting and recruiting the right talent is a critical part of managing human capital and an integral element of the designing process in organizations. Companies are starting to evaluate their employees not only by objectives but also by the competencies they develop. One possible procedure is what is known as the balanced scorecard. Under this procedure indices of competencies are added to indices of results, and a weighted average is calculated to obtain a final index, which tends to be tied to variable pay. Every company must decide what competencies it needs to develop in its managers in order to achieve its specific goals. The competency profile it chooses is a clear and precise expression of the culture it wants to promote, and can therefore be used as a tool for cultural change. Core competence of the corporation Collective learning in the organization, especially how to coordinate diverse production skills and integrate multiple streams of technologies Harmonizing streams of technology, organizing work, and delivering value Complex harmonization of individual technologies and production skills Could the team take the same approach with the Korean and non-Korean managers? Yes, as long as managers have some strategic competency as follows: business vision, problem solving, resources management, customer orientation, effective networking and negotiation. And also leadership capacity with following basic competencies: communication, organization, empathy, delegation, coaching and teamwork. Questions: What do you consider as the desired characteristics of the human organization that would help LG achieve Chairman Koos LEAP2005 vision of the future? If you were a member of Mr. Y.K Kims LG Human Resources Team, what HR strategies, policies, programs or practices would you recommend to translate the Chairmans vision into reality? What were the key needed capabilities of LGs future global leaders? How would you identify, attract, select and hire, train and develop, motivate, appraise and reward to perform at peak level, and retain the global leaders with the needed competencies and capabilities? Could the team take the same approach with the Korean and non-Korean managers?

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Evaluation of Tourism Brochure for Portugal

Evaluation of Tourism Brochure for Portugal The National Tourism Office for Portugal describes the country as one of the world’s oldest nations whose boundaries have remained unchanged since the thirteenth century. It encompasses the Azores and Madeira within its region and offers rapid access to other countries in Europe as well as the American continent and Africa. It has mild winters and ‘agreeable’ summers. It has a population of over 10 million, with the highest demographic in Lisbon. It boasts strong and historical and cultural ties with the rest of the world. (Sourced from: http://www.portugal.org/index.shtml, Date accessed, 12/01/09) Located in South West Europe Portugal has been an economic and politically powerful country and played a key role in early maritime exploration during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is clear that tourist brochures key objectives are to sell a positive and appealing destination to travelers; what is not quite so apparent are the disguised messages that are frequently conveyed by the way in which certain pictures are produced and by way of cleverly composed coded text throughout. Two official brochures issued by the Portuguese Tourism Office will be analysed for their content within this paper. This will mostly focus on visual images as well as some textual interpretation. One represents a traditional travel brochure depicting the country generically, while the other is their most up to date promotional campaign brochure which has only recently been launched. In Eric Laws’ Embracing and Managing Change in Tourism he talks about using content analysis to make ‘replicable and valued inferences from data to their context’. His model seeks to decode messages according to categories including location, activities, transport and travel parties etc whilst breaking down the analysis in sections; the front page, photographs and text. (Laws, 1998) It is this approach that will be applied to this paper. Assessing first the more traditional brochure for the country, immediately the front cover conveys a sense of isolation, with what appears to be a digitally enhanced image of a rock in the middle of the sea. Whether this is meant to represent Portugal is unclear and although a little uninspiring it will appeal to a certain type of audience that will want to discover more. This audience target becomes more apparent the further into the brochure you read. The first page into the literature provides a mixture of emotive, nationalistic and evocative images. A local Portuguese poet is quoted as a means of engaging the reader immediately with the prospect of a country which is inspired by the arts, as well as characterising it as a country not to be confused as a seaside resort, but rather for its lesser known rugged mountains and lakes which are illustrated romantically on the front cover. The accompanying text continues to relay all of the diverse things that Portugal has in terms of app ealing to a broad audience. These include nightclubs, hiking or deserted coves. However whilst it may seem to want to appeal to all people it is at the same time obviously trying to attract the type of middle class, sensitive and emotional visitor who will be inspired by beauty and poetry. The second page continues with this theme but elaborates on the architecture, museums and heritage to be discovered. Now the reader begins to imagine Portugal as more of an ‘old world’ country, which of course is what it is and it is clear that the brochure wants to emphasise this age old association with Portugal, not so much the seaside resort, but more of a cultural haven. Once again this romantic element continues across the following pages where the quaint old images are elaborated further with the introduction of the idea of romance. It’s as if the brochure has succeeded in coming across as a charming, welcoming country which is most suitable as a destination for lovers a nd couples to embrace. The reader is told that for the Portuguese ‘romance is as important as the air they breath’ It even goes so far as to say ‘one-night stands are out’ which automatically assumes that the young, single man or woman perhaps coming to the country in a group of similar young and single people would not feel comfortable or at ease. This is not the market that they want to encourage. It is a clever message and not so much cryptic, more overt in its presence. Already there have been four images all of which contain no people in them. This is particularly interesting as it suggests the sender of the message is trying to convey Portugal as a form of tourism which suits escapism. Pictures of food and restaurants feature across the next two pages with a list of the ten things you should not leave Portugal before tasting. Portugal thrives on its high-level services like drinking, eating and shopping and it seems uncharacteristic then that for a thirty six page brochure only around three or four pages have any images of food, bars or restaurants. Already this assumes in many ways that the country has defined its tourist and is utilising different methods of trying to attract them. In Finn et al’s Tourism and Leisure Research Methods: Data Collection, Analysis, and Interpretation the authors write about a research study which took place over three years on a remote Scottish Island with the intention of understanding better the relationship between islanders and tourists. Life on the island changed significantly over the summer months when visitors arrived and the study was able to determine that all visitors could be clearly categorized. The categories included day-trippers, summer residents, tourists, returning island-born visitors etc. (Finn et al, 2000) The tourists were defined, known and responded to accordingly. Each country has an understanding of who their visitors are and will attempt to appeal to them as categories, such as those listed above. In order to do that they apply a number of techniques that will be designed to capture the imagination of any given category. This particular brochure omits any indication of hedonism, instead it depicts couples walking or lone back-packers. There are no crowd scenes, no shots of happy groups of participatory people. The focus remains on large rural landscapes, with urban representations limited to the city architecture, rather than on nightlife or entertainment. The word romance appears seven times in the first four pages, which immediately indicates that the oweness is on this type of visitor; a couple or perhaps two friends looking for meaningful encounters rather than drink-fuelled, party antics. This isn’t isolated to one section of the brochure either, it is prevalent throughout even in the pages selling Lisbon, Portugal’s adven turous capital city. In fact the word Lisbon only features once in some contact details at the end of the literature. Portugal’s capital is referred throughout by its old traditional Portuguese name, Lisboa. This in itself suggests that the tourist office is appealing to more sophisticated and knowledgeable travelers who will know that Lisboa is Lisbon. Some readers may understandably pick up a brochure of Portugal looking for Lisbon, but it is clearly this type of prospective visitor that the country is not necessarily interested in appealing to here. Page 19 goes into tremendous detail about the historical background of the region. For many standard holiday makers looking for a cheap and cheerful get away this will automatically leave them cold and disinterested. The text reads like a detailed guide book in the style of Lonely Planet or Time Out. The Mosteiro dos Jerà ³nimos in the district of Belà ©m is a hymn in stone to Portugal’s maritime heritage, while the Torre de Belà ©m is a potent symbol of Portugal’s great age  of expansion. Even contemporary architecture takes on a maritime theme – the amazing new Vasco da Gama bridge is in the shape of a giant sail. After the devastating earthquake of 1755, Baixa Pombalina (the centre of Lisboa) was rebuilt in a classical style, but many of the winding mediaeval bairros remain, crammed with fascinating shops, restaurants and cafà ©s. At night they come into their own,  offering everything from African to Latin American music – and of course the  bluesy melancholy of fado. This is not the language traditionally associated with grabbing the attention of hard marketing, fast promoting tourist attractions and once again only seeks to reiterate the type of audience they are trying to capture. The second brochure for analysis is very different in its approach. It has been designed in a deliberately stylized way to grab the attention of the potential tourist. The reader is informed immediately that this has been created specifically for Portugal by the world renowned photographer Nick Knight. A photographer who is British, which immediately eradicates any thoughts of patriotism or national pride which comes across so clearly in the opening pages of the other brochure. And on the cover the reader is presented with a juxtaposing photograph of the Portuguese football manager Jose Mourinho resting above the caption ‘My country has 220 days of sunshine every year’. Jose Mourinho is the face of Portugal, literally. Not only that but the accompanying statement makes it personalized somehow, as if Mourinho was talking to the reader as a friend or confident. This is a very clever way of engaging readers. In addition it is almost as if the writers of the brochure have de cided that they need to associate the country more with a well known image. It signifies pride whilst boasting that it is a country blessed with sun and celebrities. National celebrities as well as the ability to attract other celebrities such as Nick Knight. It is a very bold, confident style. The most noticeable next technique to be analysed is the selected font that the brochure is written in. This looks like old computer style icons, which conjures up images of both the future in terms of technology and of nostalgia for old fashioned computer text. As a consequence the reader becomes drawn in by a familiar yet inspirational attitude towards the literature being presented. Is this the way in which Portugal is trying to be imagined? As an inspiring, forward-thinking country which is also reassuring some how. As if carrying on with this theme the brochure then informs us that Portugal is essentially trying to re-define and re-brand itself, telling us on page 4, that its many and varied assets deserve to be ‘promoted and exploited†¦.with a proper stage so that they can be seen, appreciated and valued as they are not enough at the moment’. This self-depreciating and yet overly confident message will appeal to readers on a number of levels. The information which the reader is communicated on page 6 is particularly interesting. It seeks to plead with prospective tourists on the basis of beginning to disassociate itself away from its old Mediterranean identity. Despite none of Portugal’s coast being on the Mediterranean Sea, it has often promoted itself as a ‘Mediterranean area’. For the first time in this brochure it is realigning itself with the ‘Atlantic†¦and our home’. This signifies a complete change of image and identity for the country and one that it wants to relay to other potential visitors from around the world. After approximately seven extremely short paragraphs along this same theme and a biography of Nick Knight; what emerges is a series of robust images, first of rugged seascapes and rough coastal scenes which invoke feelings of drama, excitement and energy which is clearly what this ‘new’ Portugal is attempting to portray. Probably the most powerful messa ges are however the next set of portraits which illustrate well known Portuguese people including the architect Miguel Cancio Martins, the artist Joana Vasconcelos, the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and of course Jose Mourinho. It is a brochure which is very stylised and reads more like a power point presentation than a piece of promotional tourist information. It is particularly visual and leaves behind any romantic, idealised, historical textual information so associated with the hard sell of ‘old world country’s’. Instead it is making a very brave and bold move into re-branding itself as a country to be viewed as a modern contender even going to the extreme of repositioning itself geographically within the Atlantic Ocean, rather than the Mediterranean. Perhaps this has been done in a move towards getting people to start associating it with an entirely new type of holiday which does not necessarily reflect the beaches, clubs and excitement connected to the Medit erranean, but more in line with the sophistication of the brochure discussed earlier. To be considered more like Mexico and Guyana rather than Cyprus and Greece; the more popular and media driven destinations which are more and more prone to be associated with package tours, groups of young people and stag and hen parties. The other rationale for its provocative move might relate to the Middle East; so firmly entrenched as it is in the Mediterranean, in particular Israel and Libya. Recent political unrest and continued problems in this area might have prompted Portugal to consider disassociating itself from its previous identity. In Pritchard and Morgan’s study, Evaluating vacation destination brochure images: the case of local authorities in Wales, they identified the power and influence of images appearing in brochures into six groups all of which assist with establishing identity; scenery, activities, people, heritage, urban and rural and iconic destinations. (Pritchard and Morgan, 1995). This contemporary brochure proves no different in many ways. It still succeeds in Portugal establishing itself as a vacation destination in that it projects large bold images of Portugal’s natural scenery, not its heritage, castles or monuments, but the wildlife that exists around its coast, the people of course are also iconic representations and exemplify the country as a modern forward thinking and inspirational place to go. No activities are demonstrated but the photographs of well known people listed by occupation craftily suggests that it is possible to do anything in Portugal, whether that be a scient ist, artists, architect or even an Olympic champion. Portugal has it all. The juxtaposition of both brochures; traditional and contemporary have been interesting to analyse in relation to their differences as well as their very obvious similarities. From this angle it is determinable that messages may often be similar or indeed the same but that they can be delivered in very conflicting ways in the context of differing perspectives. Many of the messages relayed in both brochures advertising Portugal predominantly appeal to more broad minded, sophisticated audiences who appreciate and know a little more about life and the world around them. By doing so it sometimes actually serves to discourage anything other than that type of tourist, which may on some levels seem risky, whilst on others is understandable if the country has faced economic, public or political issues due to the nature of their tourism or media associated tourism. References Finn, M, Elliott-White, M, Walton, M (2000) Tourism and Leisure Research Methods: Data Collection, Analysis, and Interpretation: Pearson Education Laws, E, Faulkner, W, Moscardo, G, Faulkner, B (1998) Embracing and Managing Change in Tourism: International Case Studies: Routledge Pritchard, A and Morgan, N. (1995) Evaluating destination brochure images: the case of local authorities in Wales, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol 2, pp 23-38 Ringer, G.D (1998) Destinations: Cultural Landscapes of Tourism: Routledge Official Portugal Tourism Office (Sourced from: http://www.portugal.org/index.shtml, Date accessed, 12/01/09)

Monday, August 19, 2019

Family Issues in the Play Death of a Salesman Essay -- success, life, p

The play, Death of a Salesman, is a tragic drama about an aging salesman who tries to do all he can to support his family and make them lead successful lives. The struggling salesman, Willy Loman has two sons, Biff and Happy, whom he tries to drive towards success. Willy believes that being well liked and making a good and lasting impression are the keys to success and tries to teach this philosophy to his two sons. Biff, being the favorite son of Willy, has worked as a manual laborer and Willy believes that Biff can do so much more with his life. While Biff is happy, he does not meet Willy’s criteria for success. Biff is unable to fulfill Willy’s dream because Willy’s idea of success is not a life Biff wants to pursue. Biff Loman, a highly successful high school football player, was supposedly meant for great things after high school. However, Biff failed to graduate from high school due to failing a mathematics class, and also did not complete the class during summer school, because of the discussion he had with his father. The discussion was one that was eye-opening, as Biff learned that his father was unfaithful to his mother, â€Å"You—you gave her Mama’s stockings†¦don’t touch me, you—liar...You fake! You phony little fake! You fake!â€Å" (95). This is the moment in the play where Biff lost all respect for his father. Due to not graduating, he lost his athletic scholarship to the University of Virginia. Since then, Biff has been working blue-collar jobs in the west while not making over thirty-five dollars a week. He is happy there but realizes that there is not much future in that line of work and ends up returning home without a job. Willy cannot understand how everything could have gone so wrong for Biff. Willy has always been und... ...him† (111). This play has a story that I feel like many people can relate to. In my case, my dad would prefer if I followed his footsteps into medicine, but he says to do what I enjoy. While I certainly wouldn’t rule that field out, it is nice to know that if I want to do something different, I have my family’s support. In conclusion, Biff will not follow in Willy’s footsteps due to the fact that he has no motivation or desire to go into the business world. Willy dies thinking that his life was a success because of the money he is leaving for his son whereas it is not, at least in the way he thinks. Biff breaks free from Willy’s false dream and tells Happy: â€Å"He had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong... He never knew who he was† (111). Happy does end up taking the money to start a business and while that was not Willy’s main aim; it is something rather than nothing. Family Issues in the Play Death of a Salesman Essay -- success, life, p The play, Death of a Salesman, is a tragic drama about an aging salesman who tries to do all he can to support his family and make them lead successful lives. The struggling salesman, Willy Loman has two sons, Biff and Happy, whom he tries to drive towards success. Willy believes that being well liked and making a good and lasting impression are the keys to success and tries to teach this philosophy to his two sons. Biff, being the favorite son of Willy, has worked as a manual laborer and Willy believes that Biff can do so much more with his life. While Biff is happy, he does not meet Willy’s criteria for success. Biff is unable to fulfill Willy’s dream because Willy’s idea of success is not a life Biff wants to pursue. Biff Loman, a highly successful high school football player, was supposedly meant for great things after high school. However, Biff failed to graduate from high school due to failing a mathematics class, and also did not complete the class during summer school, because of the discussion he had with his father. The discussion was one that was eye-opening, as Biff learned that his father was unfaithful to his mother, â€Å"You—you gave her Mama’s stockings†¦don’t touch me, you—liar...You fake! You phony little fake! You fake!â€Å" (95). This is the moment in the play where Biff lost all respect for his father. Due to not graduating, he lost his athletic scholarship to the University of Virginia. Since then, Biff has been working blue-collar jobs in the west while not making over thirty-five dollars a week. He is happy there but realizes that there is not much future in that line of work and ends up returning home without a job. Willy cannot understand how everything could have gone so wrong for Biff. Willy has always been und... ...him† (111). This play has a story that I feel like many people can relate to. In my case, my dad would prefer if I followed his footsteps into medicine, but he says to do what I enjoy. While I certainly wouldn’t rule that field out, it is nice to know that if I want to do something different, I have my family’s support. In conclusion, Biff will not follow in Willy’s footsteps due to the fact that he has no motivation or desire to go into the business world. Willy dies thinking that his life was a success because of the money he is leaving for his son whereas it is not, at least in the way he thinks. Biff breaks free from Willy’s false dream and tells Happy: â€Å"He had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong... He never knew who he was† (111). Happy does end up taking the money to start a business and while that was not Willy’s main aim; it is something rather than nothing.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Harsh Perspectives of Youth in Garland’s The Beach :: Garland The Beach Essays

Harsh Perspectives of Youth in Garland’s The Beach  Ã‚  Ã‚   As his narrator, Garland offers us Richard, a less than balanced individual, in possession of a tenuous grip upon reality. He is arrogant and reckless, often believing himself to have nothing left to learn ("Fucking New Guy? ... New to what?" p87) and convinced of his own immortality ("Yea, though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil, for I am the evilest motherfucker in the valley" p87) The beach is supposed to represent the highest level of escape attainable, but can only be from the outset a disappointment, because it is already built up in his mind into something unobtainable; "It's silly really. I think I was expecting an . . . ideology or something. A purpose." p96 Richard being the narrative voice, one can logically infer that it is his perspective which is intended by Garland to be representative of the youth culture depicted. My first impression is that the very fact that Richard commits his story to text is indicative of a desperate need for recognition, and his style of narration suggests that its writing is not likely to be meant as a catharsis. As a character, he is shallow and self-glorifying beyond the point to which readers might sympathise with his reckless actions: p163 "Collecting ... experiences was my primary goal when I first started travelling. I went about it in the same way as a stamp-collector goes about collecting stamps ... Then I had to graduate to the more obscure stuff. Being in a riot was something I pursued with a truly obsessive zeal, along with being tear-gassed and hearing gunshots fired in anger." The cultural phenomenon of travelling, as distinct from tourism, is one reserved for domination almost exclusively by youth. In Richard's mind, as in others, it becomes the acquisition of experiences with only slight moral differentiation between them, merely a reinforcement in the mind of the collector of their own broadening life perspective; a form of validation which, whilst owing nothing to established mainstream cultural value systems, replaces these with a generation-created classification hierarchy which is just as strict. Established value systems provide the catalyst for tensions within the group, which emerge at the earliest stages immediately upon Richard's arrival: "There's only five people with Walkmans in the camp, and I've refused all of them batteries in the past.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Impact of Telecommunication Social or Economical

In 2013, worldwide telecommunications will reach $2. 3 trillion in revenues [1]. The revenue from telecommunication services is projected to grow at the rate of 3. 8 percent [1]. Not only is the telecommunications industry monetarily strong but also has a great impact on the social and economic development of the world. Telecommunications has changed the way people live, interact and conduct businesses. Rwanda, commonly known as â€Å"the Land of a Thousand Hills†, is a country in central Africa. This country faced a civil war in 1993.Between April and June 1994, an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed [9]. After this genocide, one of the most important areas of development that the Government focused on was Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Rwanda, with its hilly terrain, is favorable for growing tea and coffee. Export of tea comprised of 70% of its export [2]. Thus during the U. S. recession of 2009, Rwanda’s GDP grew by 4. 1% in comparison to 11. 2% a year before [4]. The geography of the country and the underdeveloped road/rail transportation adds on to increased cost in exporting goods [2].One of the main reasons for focusing on ICT policy was to convert Rwanda from an agrarian economy to an information-centric economy [3]. In order to achieve this, the Government has implemented National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy [8]. Earlier in Rwanda, there were a very few newspapers published on a weekly or even on biweekly basis. The Rwandan Government used to broadcast radio all throughout the day in order to educate people [2]. But this effort did not scale nationwide and the nature of information was limited.There were three major telecommunications providers in the country by 2012, because of National ICT policy and privatization of Rwanda’s telecommunications industry. Telecommunications services have provided a broader source of information through the Internet and has facilitated in educating the people of Rwanda across the nation. One of the main health care issues faced in Rwanda is spread of HIV/AIDS. Innovative ways, such as bulk short message services (SMS), have been used to create awareness among people regarding the virus.The Rwanda Government has given out free cell phones to community health care volunteers, in an attempt to help pregnant women [11]. If there are any questions, updates, or complications regarding the pregnancy, health volunteers text the local clinic and get a response within minutes [11]. Such telecommunications services have helped the social development of Rwanda. Up until 2006 telecommunications in Rwanda was state owned monopoly. Since then there has been privatization of the telecommunications industry [5].Privatization of the industry led to the arrival of international telecommunications giants. Foreign investment in the telecommunication industry has become one of the channels for the government to increase its revenue. In the fiscal year of 2011/ 2012, Rwanda’s government lost over $23 million because of fuel tax reduction. During the same fiscal year, Bharti Airtel, one of the international telecommunications giant from India, bought a telecommunications license worth $100 million [5]. The Rwanda Government has used this payment to offset part of Rwanda’s fiscal deficit [6].In order to increase their customer base, all of the telecommunications companies have introduced mobile money services. This service allows customers to send and receive money within the country and also overseas [7]. Almost, Rwf45 billion has been transferred to and from Rwanda from the inception of this service. The telecommunications companies are directly licensed by the National Bank of Rwanda to facilitate mobile money services. The mobile money service has helped in providing more financial services [10].Telecommunications has helped economic development of the country by enabling easy transfer of money [7]. In conclusion, ICT is helping to re-build Rwanda. The National ICT policy and action plan re-emphasizes the importance of ICT. Telecommunications has helped Rwanda develop socially and economically. This analysis has made me realize that telecommunications is not just any other industry, but has the power to change lives of millions. References: [1] Anonymous (2012). ‘Worldwide Telecommunications Industry Revenue to Reach $2. Trillion in 2013, [Online] Available: http://www. kten. com/story/20754074/worldwide-telecommunications-industry-revenue-to-reach-22-trillion-in-2013-says-insight-research-corp Accessed on January 30, 2013. [2] Anonymous. [Online] Available: http://www. historycentral. com/nationbynation/Rwanda/Economy. html Accessed on January 30, 2013 [3] K. David (2004, May). ‘IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL ICT POLICY AND PLAN in RWANDA’ [Online]. Available: http://www. powershow. com/view/200885-ZTVmZ/IMPLEMENTING_THE_NATIONAL_ICT_POLI

Friday, August 16, 2019

My Autobiography

My Autobiography Name:Jasmin Ariane A. Vallo Sec:IV – Mendelssohn My name is Jasmin Ariane Arciga Vallo. I am 15 years old. I am from Philippines. My birthday is on February 9th, 1997. I have in my family my Younger brother, My Mom & My Dad.. My Father’s Name is Sonny G. Vallo and He is a Musician in Shenzhen, China. And My Mother’s Name is Mary-Ann A. Vallo and she is The one who’s With us. In my life I have bad and good experiences, but a fantastic life overall. These experiences help me to be happy, and I learn from them every day of my life.As a typical Filipina girl, I have brown eyes, brown skin complexion, dark hair and a height about 5’0 tall. I am a persistent kind of person, once I have a dream I will do all my best to achieve it. I started kindergarten when I was 4 years old and I finished it at 6 years old. In the kindergarten, I had very good times. There I made my first good friends in all my life, and I remember them for the games that we played together. Later, I started elementary school when I was 6 years old at Dau Central Elementary School.I remember school very well, because at first I was so scared of my new environment. I made friends there and I liked to study, do my homework, play with my friends, and talk with them about cartoons on television. In fact, I really enjoyed this time in my childhood. I finished elementary school when I was 12 years old. I was ready to go to high school to learn new things and make new friends there. After elementary school, I went to high school at School of the Infant Jesus. It was bigger and had more students than elementary school.There I had more teachers than I had before. My new friends were very friendly and some of them were shy, especially the girls. But I’m with my elementary friend so it is not hard for me to adjust because I’m with a close friend. When I was studying in high school, I went to all the activities there. In particular, I liked m ost the dancing and games activities, because I could spend more time with my friends. I really like to remember these moments from high school because I learned a lot. And about my friends, we are very good friends.I remember these happy moments with them and we laugh about it. And now I’m in 4th year and in a few months I’ll finish my high school. But I’m Still undecided on what Program I’ll take. But ill promise that I could reach my goal by studying hard and not going out with my friends too much. My favorite sport is volleyball. When I don’t have anything to do, I love to surf the net, open my mail, facebook, instagram, & twitter. Then watch comedy, romantic, and horror movies in Tom365. com. I can play some musical instruments like guitar, piano & flute.But I mostly loved to play Guitar. My first guitar was given by my Father, it is color pink and its body is sparkling & shimmering because of its Glitters. And I also like hanging out with my friends. 😀 All my success and trials  are experienced with me. Until I graduate  in my Program that I will going to take. I have many plans in my life, when the time was come  I’ll  find a job and I’ll help my parents. Because I want to repay those hard works and sacrifices that they did just to make us happy and to finish our studies. And that’s the short story about my life My Autobiography It all started nearly fifteen years ago, in a little industry town called Wigan, in a hospital called Billinge, when a 35 yr old woman gave birth to a baby boy called Shaun Graham weighing in at 6lb 4oz. Once born, he had to go straight into an incubator. He then went home to live his life for the next 15 yrs in an area called Gidlow and street Gidlow Lane. Once he got home he lived his life in the same house for 15 years. So here I am now to tell you the journey of me Shaun Graham for the best of my 15 years. You'll get the ups, the downs, the achievements and the disappointments. One of the main parts of my life would be my background. My dad is originally from Scotland a bad area called Grangemouth he lived in a flat with his Mum Dad and brother Ian. His mum died when my Dad was seventeen. That's when my Dad started to hate his Dad. This was because his Dad wouldn't have a head stone on his Mums grave. My Dad then went on holiday to Blackpool where he met my Mum. Her life is a completely different story. Her Dad came from Ireland, Cork. They lived their life in a nice area called Standish Lower Ground. Her Dad died on my Mums 6th birthday and her mum died not so long ago 24/2/2003. Once the two got married on 5/2/1983 and moved to the current area that we still live now Gidlow. It's not the nicest of places but its half decent. They gave Birth to Michelle 1 year on, and then another year on Marie was on her way. They lived together for four years then the best news ever was that I was on the way. All my mum ever wanted for four years was a boy and then that's what she got. People have told me as a child I was quite stupid just running around and running into everything like cupboards and lamp posts. There's one time when my shoes got to big for me as a baby. So my Mum took me to get some more, but the size up was way 2 big for my feet, my Mum looked at them and little did she know it I had pushed two dummies in them. Everyone says I was an active child but also was a very moody one too. It only took me 9 month to learn to walk. As I grew up to a small child I started then to like sports, didn't know the rules just liked playing on my local field, Gidlow field. The more I grew the more active I became and the less moody I got which was described as a miracle by my family. From my families earliest memories of me, to mine. Well this wont be in order of age or importance, just order as it comes to my head. First of all is my first ever football match. It was at Standish strikers a 6-a-side league. I played for Roma and this is where I found out I was going to be a goalkeeper. We lost that game 2-1 but I kept us in the game. The next memory has to be the time when Joseph and I used go to play school, I used always have the bike and Joseph the car we would play in them, all day 7 days a week. When I was in year five at Sacred Heart, I cracked my head open on some metal bars, Mrs Birchall rushed me to A&E, I waited in the waiting area for about 1 hour talking to a man who had fallen off some ladders. We both got called in at the same time, all I needed to have in my head was some glue, which later came off in 4 days. The cut did leave a scar for live though. I've had a few special events. They vary from athletics to funerals. Ill start with the sad news first, it was a school day Friday 28th 2003 the big day for the graham household as it was my Grandmas funeral. We waited and waited for the cars to pull up 2 take us to the church people in black all crying because a popular member of the family had gone. The cars pulled up, mum, dad, Marie, Michelle and I all in the first car looking onto the car which held the coffin surrounded in flowers. In the second and last car were my aunties and cousins, it was all tears as we went past the old folks home my Grandma had spent 7 yrs of her life their. As we approached the church loads of people were awaiting the arrival of the three black cars. Three males and one female carried the coffin to the front of Sacred Heart Church. The small beech oak coffin laid right in front of us speeches from my dad and Michelle. We then went on a long journey up to ST Marie's church where she was buried peacefully with her long missed husband and sister. Now to give you some happy news, it was happy for me anyway. It was 28th June 2003, Greater Manchester Youth Games. I was doing athletics 10 towns and cities competing. Manchester were the favourites, like always, but it seemed to be the Wigan team hadn't read the script. The Wigan squad was looking strong as I led the male team and Becky led the girls. It started off poor with none of our athletes winning in the 100m but after that it was all positive for the Wigan team. My first event was the discus, it was also my weakest. I ended up 8th out of twenty so it weren't a bad start were as my team mate got 6th. After that event we were both rushed to the next event which I was more confident at, the triple jump after three jumps, all beating my personal best, I ended up in a superb position of 3rd out of twenty again so I was over the moon with that. I was then rested for a few hours as my next event was a long time off, I was waiting watching all my mates winning and getting valuable points for us. I was then called over by Coach Claire, she told me to get warmed up with my running partner, Jordan. I was all mentally prepared for this with a crowd of hundreds watching. The loud speakers came on shouting out â€Å"can all 800m competitors please go to the finish line. † I was there within minutes of the call I could not wait. BANG! The gun had fired for the start. I was off, and in my favourite position, setting the pace at the front. 00m gone I was still at the front but something horribly went wrong, my calf muscle was giving in, but I wanted this race so bad I kept going. I was later taken on the 250m mark I was in 2nd. As I ran round the left bend, I could hear the roars from the Wigan camp. It gave me a huge urge to catch up with the leader. 50m go I was catching up to the lead it was going to come down to who had the sprint finish, unlucky for me he beat me by 2m. I was upset at losing the lead but happy I pulled through an injury and gave Wigan the points they needed. After a much needed rest we were all awaiting the results. They mentioned the seven loser, I'm glad to say Wigan wasn't mentioned but Manchester weren't either. 3rd place was then read out â€Å"BURY! † they took their time getting the medals and left Manchester and Wigan athletes in nerves. After all the medal ceremony to bury was over, it was then again the loud speaker â€Å"with 125 points in 2nd place. † Then this long delay bout 10 seconds but seemed hours â€Å"MANCHESTER! † a big roar came from the Wigan team. Once we picked up our medals we were quickly rushed to have our picture taken for the papers. I don't remember much after that just being so pleased to have captained a winning side. There are people who I have to mention, these people I tell you about next are my important people who have helped me all they way in my life. â€Å"It's not the fact you've lost it, it's the fact of what you do to get it back. † That is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given me. It was from one of the most important people in my life, my dad. He's always been there for me normally to help me in sports and so on. Obviously my Mum would be an important part to my life. She always helps me go down the right track and not the wrong. The main reason has to be she gave me my pocket money and still does. Then there's my sister Michelle who always, without fail, gave me money when I had no money at all. Well moving away from family ill have to pick 1 of the only people who know me inside out, and that is Joseph Hull, also known as Hully. I've known him since play school, he knows everything about me almost. When we played for the same football team 2 years ago, I played in net he played up front, we had a perfect connection off kicks etc. My character can change depends what mood people give me in the morning. It takes a bit for me to get moody. At times I like to be on my to realise what I am doing with my life and just sort all my problems out but I do like to be with my mates because they make me laugh smile n just are good mates. I am very energetic. I have been said to have the legs of a gazelle, the reactions of a cat and the height of an Irish lepricorn. I can also be very lazy, if I am in house alone I can just sit on couch and watch television or play on lap top. People don't think I'm a mystery, just think I'm stupid. For my future I've got a few things planned so in case one don't go to plan I've got another one to fall back on. More importantly I plan to go to collage and university maybe Edge Hill, I don't know yet. When I'm older I want to earn a living by coaching or P. E teacher maybe outside of Wigan, due to people have been telling me its better pay. When I retire im hoping to have a holiday home but instead of going to the future ill let the future come to me. That's been the main points in my life for the past 15 years, fair boring weren't it, I hope you enjoyed it. My Autobiography It all started nearly fifteen years ago, in a little industry town called Wigan, in a hospital called Billinge, when a 35 yr old woman gave birth to a baby boy called Shaun Graham weighing in at 6lb 4oz. Once born, he had to go straight into an incubator. He then went home to live his life for the next 15 yrs in an area called Gidlow and street Gidlow Lane. Once he got home he lived his life in the same house for 15 years. So here I am now to tell you the journey of me Shaun Graham for the best of my 15 years. You'll get the ups, the downs, the achievements and the disappointments. One of the main parts of my life would be my background. My dad is originally from Scotland a bad area called Grangemouth he lived in a flat with his Mum Dad and brother Ian. His mum died when my Dad was seventeen. That's when my Dad started to hate his Dad. This was because his Dad wouldn't have a head stone on his Mums grave. My Dad then went on holiday to Blackpool where he met my Mum. Her life is a completely different story. Her Dad came from Ireland, Cork. They lived their life in a nice area called Standish Lower Ground. Her Dad died on my Mums 6th birthday and her mum died not so long ago 24/2/2003. Once the two got married on 5/2/1983 and moved to the current area that we still live now Gidlow. It's not the nicest of places but its half decent. They gave Birth to Michelle 1 year on, and then another year on Marie was on her way. They lived together for four years then the best news ever was that I was on the way. All my mum ever wanted for four years was a boy and then that's what she got. People have told me as a child I was quite stupid just running around and running into everything like cupboards and lamp posts. There's one time when my shoes got to big for me as a baby. So my Mum took me to get some more, but the size up was way 2 big for my feet, my Mum looked at them and little did she know it I had pushed two dummies in them. Everyone says I was an active child but also was a very moody one too. It only took me 9 month to learn to walk. As I grew up to a small child I started then to like sports, didn't know the rules just liked playing on my local field, Gidlow field. The more I grew the more active I became and the less moody I got which was described as a miracle by my family. From my families earliest memories of me, to mine. Well this wont be in order of age or importance, just order as it comes to my head. First of all is my first ever football match. It was at Standish strikers a 6-a-side league. I played for Roma and this is where I found out I was going to be a goalkeeper. We lost that game 2-1 but I kept us in the game. The next memory has to be the time when Joseph and I used go to play school, I used always have the bike and Joseph the car we would play in them, all day 7 days a week. When I was in year five at Sacred Heart, I cracked my head open on some metal bars, Mrs Birchall rushed me to A&E, I waited in the waiting area for about 1 hour talking to a man who had fallen off some ladders. We both got called in at the same time, all I needed to have in my head was some glue, which later came off in 4 days. The cut did leave a scar for live though. I've had a few special events. They vary from athletics to funerals. Ill start with the sad news first, it was a school day Friday 28th 2003 the big day for the graham household as it was my Grandmas funeral. We waited and waited for the cars to pull up 2 take us to the church people in black all crying because a popular member of the family had gone. The cars pulled up, mum, dad, Marie, Michelle and I all in the first car looking onto the car which held the coffin surrounded in flowers. In the second and last car were my aunties and cousins, it was all tears as we went past the old folks home my Grandma had spent 7 yrs of her life their. As we approached the church loads of people were awaiting the arrival of the three black cars. Three males and one female carried the coffin to the front of Sacred Heart Church. The small beech oak coffin laid right in front of us speeches from my dad and Michelle. We then went on a long journey up to ST Marie's church where she was buried peacefully with her long missed husband and sister. Now to give you some happy news, it was happy for me anyway. It was 28th June 2003, Greater Manchester Youth Games. I was doing athletics 10 towns and cities competing. Manchester were the favourites, like always, but it seemed to be the Wigan team hadn't read the script. The Wigan squad was looking strong as I led the male team and Becky led the girls. It started off poor with none of our athletes winning in the 100m but after that it was all positive for the Wigan team. My first event was the discus, it was also my weakest. I ended up 8th out of twenty so it weren't a bad start were as my team mate got 6th. After that event we were both rushed to the next event which I was more confident at, the triple jump after three jumps, all beating my personal best, I ended up in a superb position of 3rd out of twenty again so I was over the moon with that. I was then rested for a few hours as my next event was a long time off, I was waiting watching all my mates winning and getting valuable points for us. I was then called over by Coach Claire, she told me to get warmed up with my running partner, Jordan. I was all mentally prepared for this with a crowd of hundreds watching. The loud speakers came on shouting out â€Å"can all 800m competitors please go to the finish line. † I was there within minutes of the call I could not wait. BANG! The gun had fired for the start. I was off, and in my favourite position, setting the pace at the front. 00m gone I was still at the front but something horribly went wrong, my calf muscle was giving in, but I wanted this race so bad I kept going. I was later taken on the 250m mark I was in 2nd. As I ran round the left bend, I could hear the roars from the Wigan camp. It gave me a huge urge to catch up with the leader. 50m go I was catching up to the lead it was going to come down to who had the sprint finish, unlucky for me he beat me by 2m. I was upset at losing the lead but happy I pulled through an injury and gave Wigan the points they needed. After a much needed rest we were all awaiting the results. They mentioned the seven loser, I'm glad to say Wigan wasn't mentioned but Manchester weren't either. 3rd place was then read out â€Å"BURY! † they took their time getting the medals and left Manchester and Wigan athletes in nerves. After all the medal ceremony to bury was over, it was then again the loud speaker â€Å"with 125 points in 2nd place. † Then this long delay bout 10 seconds but seemed hours â€Å"MANCHESTER! † a big roar came from the Wigan team. Once we picked up our medals we were quickly rushed to have our picture taken for the papers. I don't remember much after that just being so pleased to have captained a winning side. There are people who I have to mention, these people I tell you about next are my important people who have helped me all they way in my life. â€Å"It's not the fact you've lost it, it's the fact of what you do to get it back. † That is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given me. It was from one of the most important people in my life, my dad. He's always been there for me normally to help me in sports and so on. Obviously my Mum would be an important part to my life. She always helps me go down the right track and not the wrong. The main reason has to be she gave me my pocket money and still does. Then there's my sister Michelle who always, without fail, gave me money when I had no money at all. Well moving away from family ill have to pick 1 of the only people who know me inside out, and that is Joseph Hull, also known as Hully. I've known him since play school, he knows everything about me almost. When we played for the same football team 2 years ago, I played in net he played up front, we had a perfect connection off kicks etc. My character can change depends what mood people give me in the morning. It takes a bit for me to get moody. At times I like to be on my to realise what I am doing with my life and just sort all my problems out but I do like to be with my mates because they make me laugh smile n just are good mates. I am very energetic. I have been said to have the legs of a gazelle, the reactions of a cat and the height of an Irish lepricorn. I can also be very lazy, if I am in house alone I can just sit on couch and watch television or play on lap top. People don't think I'm a mystery, just think I'm stupid. For my future I've got a few things planned so in case one don't go to plan I've got another one to fall back on. More importantly I plan to go to collage and university maybe Edge Hill, I don't know yet. When I'm older I want to earn a living by coaching or P. E teacher maybe outside of Wigan, due to people have been telling me its better pay. When I retire im hoping to have a holiday home but instead of going to the future ill let the future come to me. That's been the main points in my life for the past 15 years, fair boring weren't it, I hope you enjoyed it.