DEVELOMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY - METHODOLOGIES OF CHILDHOOD PREJUDICE Essay

DEVELOMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY - METHODOLOGIES OF CHILDHOOD PREJUDICE - Essay Example vities of young children within the social setting in which they find themselves impress meanings upon them more profoundly than through their intellectual grasp of their surroundings (2003). Methods used by researchers have been chosen in order to probe the areas in which social conditioning occur, as well as to detect the social representations given different objects and interactions that can be found or are known to occur in different environments. Their experiments have captured empirically the results of this kind of social representation by facilitating children and adults’ precise designation of the gender to which objects are believed to be best associated. Through this they have demonstrated the different levels at which this type of social conditioning occurs, as well as the prejudices that result and that become evident at different stages of children’s development. Developmental psychologists have theorised that gender assumptions, beliefs, values and prejudices become embedded through the social representations that are available to them in their environment (Sanders, 2003). Ideas about the behaviours and expectations of males and females are learned in ways similar to those in which people learn colour and speech: through interaction with others in the social settings in which they find themselves. These ideas are learned socially and then internalised, and it is these ideas that compact together to form the gender prejudices that are displayed in children. After this period of internalisation, the attitudes and behaviours displayed by persons become unconsciously imbued with these beliefs and their expression of them causes their inculcation in future generations. The method of research by Lloyd and Duveen (1993) has demonstrated the high likelihood of identities to become formed through socialisation that occurs within a specific group. This has highlighted the diversity that exists among the identities that children have expressed, but in

Satyam Case Study Essay Example for Free

Satyam Case Study Essay The Satyam Computer Services scandal was a corporate scandal that occurred in India in 2009 where chairman Ramalinga Raju confessed that the companys accounts had been falsified. The Global corporate community was shocked and scandalised when the chairman of Satyam, Ramalinga Raju resigned on 7 January 2009 and confessed that he had manipulated the accounts by US$1.47-Billion. Contents [hide] 1 Role of Auditors 2 Aftermath 3 New CEO and special advisors 4 Acquisition by Mahindra Group 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Role of Auditors[edit source | editbeta] PricewaterhouseCoopers was the statutory auditor of Satyam Computer Services when the report of scandal in the account books of Satyam Computer Services was broke out. The Indian arm of PwC was fined $6 million by US Securities and Exchange Commission for not following the code of conduct and auditing standards while pursuing its duties while auditing the accounts of Satyam Computer Services.[1] Aftermath[edit source | editbeta] Ramalingam Raju along with 2 other accused of the scandal, had been granted bail from Supreme court on 4 November 2011 as the investigation agency CBI failed to file the chargesheet even after more than 33 months Raju being arrested. Raju had appointed a task force to address the Maytas situation in the last few days before revealing the news of the accounting fraud. After the scandal broke, the then-board members elected Ram Mynampati to be Satyams interim CEO. Mynampatis statement on Satyams website said: We are obviously shocked by the contents of the letter. The senior leaders of Satyam stand united in their commitment to customers, associates, suppliers and all shareholders. We have gathered together at Hyderabad to strategize the way forward in light of this startling revelation. On 10 January 2009, the Company Law Board decided to bar the current board of Satyam from functioning and appoint 10 nominal directors. The current board has failed to do what they are supposed to do. The credibility of the IT industry should not be allowed to suffer. said Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta. Chartered accountants regulator ICAI issued show-cause notice to Satyams auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on the accounts fudging. We have asked PwC to reply within 21 days, ICAI President Ved Jain said. On the same day, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) team picked up Vadlamani Srinivas, Satyams then-CFO, for questioning. He was arrested later and kept in judicial custody.[2] On 11 January 2009, the government nominated noted banker Deepak Parekh, former NASSCOM chief Kiran Karnik and former SEBI member C Achuthan to Satyams board. Analysts in India have termed the Satyam scandal Indias own Enron scandal.[3] Some social commentators see it more as a part of a broader problem relating to Indias caste-based, family-owned corporate environment.[4] Immediately following the news, Merrill Lynch (now a part of Bank of America) and State Farm Insurance terminate d its engagement with the company. Also, Credit Suisse suspended its coverage of Satyam.[citation needed]. It was also reported that Satyams auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers will be scrutinised for complicity in this scandal. SEBI, the stock market regulator, also said that, if found guilty, its license to work in India may be revoked.[5][6][7][8][9] Satyam was the 2008 winner of the coveted Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Governance under Risk Management and Compliance Issues,[10] which was stripped from them in the aftermath of the scandal.[11] The New York Stock Exchange has halted trading in Satyam stock as of 7 January 2009.[12] Indias National Stock Exchange has announced that it will remove Satyam from its SP CNX Nifty 50-share index on 12 January.[13] The founder of Satyam was arrested two days after he admitted to falsifying the firms accounts. Ramalinga Raju is charged with several offences, including criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and forgery. Satyams shares fell to 11.50 rupees on 10 January 2009, their lowest level since March 1998, compared to a high of 544 rupees in 2008.[14] In New York Stock Exchange Satyam shares peaked in 2008 at US$29.10; by March 2009 they were trading around US$1.80. The Indian Government has stated that it may provide temporary direct or indirect liquidity support to the company. However, whether employment will continue at pre-crisis levels, particularly for new recruits, is questionable .[15] On 14 January 2009, Price Waterhouse, the Indian division of PricewaterhouseCoopers, announced that its reliance on potentially false information provided by the management of Satyam may have rendered its audit reports inaccurate and unreliable.[16] On 22 January 2009, CID told in court that the actual number of employees is only 40,000 and not 53,000 as reported earlier and that Mr. Raju had been allegedly withdrawing 200 million (US$3 million) every month for paying these 13,000 non-existent employees.[17] New CEO and special advisors[edit source | editbeta] On 5 February 2009, the six-member board appointed by the Government of India named A. S. Murthy as the new CEO of the firm with immediate effect. Murthy, an electrical engineer, has been with Satyam since January 1994 and was heading the Global Delivery Section before being appointed as CEO of the company. The two-day-long board meeting also appointed Homi Khusrokhan (formerly with Tata Chemicals) and Partho Datta, a Chartered Accountant as special advisors.[18][19] Acquisition by Mahindra Group[edit source | editbeta] On 13 April 2009, via a formal public auction process, a 46% stake in Satyam was purchased by Mahindra Mahindra owned company Tech Mahindra, as part of its diversification strategy. Effective July 2009, Satyam rebranded its services under the new Mahindra management as Mahindra Satyam. After a delay due to tax issues[20][21] Tech Mahindra announced its merger with Mahindra Satyam on 21 March 2012, after the board of two companies gave the approval.[22][23] The companies are merged legally on 25 June 2013.[24][25] See also[edit source | editbeta]

Presidential Campaign of 2004 :: essays research papers

Each presidential election overview has always been similar to a three-ring circus, but in the 2000 Election with Al Gore and George W. Bush, was by far one of the biggest circuses ever. Democrats had reason to worry about the election. Republicans held the White House for three consecutive terms from 1980 to 1992, voters often grow tired of one party after two terms. They were hoping to win control, yet there was a lot at stake with the election at the time. And even though it came to be a quite chaotic election, it was by far the closest election ever in history. The main problem was that the results were so close in Florida that it became indefinite who the winner was. It took over a month to finally attain the results. Ultimately it was not the citizens whose votes counted, but the vote of the Supreme Court for the election case. Al Gore had a good start to begin with, having high marks on his ability to handle key issues, including Democratic stands on such as health care, education and Social Security. But Gore changed all that on the last day of the Democrats' Los Angeles national convention. Whether it was the highly publicized kiss he gave his wife or not, Gore changed the public's view of him. No longer was he a just a stiff politician. Instead, he was a passionate, loving father and husband who lacked many of Clinton's weaknesses. And Gore jumped a few points ahead of Bush. The Monica Lewinsky scandal Clinton had did not necessarily give him a bad reputation. On the contrary, people continued to cast their support for the president since the public thought he had done so much for our nation. Yet in the 2000 Election Gore seemed to go in the completely opposite direction of Clinton, or at least try to avoid his name in his speeches at first. Yet Gore's luck did not change when he left California. Bush seemed to have difficulties when asked about his tax cut plan and about his statement that the U.S. military was not fully ready. While Gore looked relaxed and energetic, Bush made mistakes in front of the camera. Polls suggested that Gore was far ahead of Bush by at least a few points. Republicans became much less optimistic about Bush, while things were looking very promising for the Democrats. Gore’s campaign was focused on issues that were mostly concerned by women, such as health care and education. "We're for the people. Big tobacco, big oil, the

Todd Gitlin Summary on Media

Todd Gitlin is a notable author born in New York City. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, where he received a PhD in sociology and was heavily involved in the Students for a Democratic Society group. Gitlin is now a professor at New York University where he teaches culture, journalism, and sociology. Gitlin’s selection, Supersaturation, or, The Media Torrent and Disposable Feeling, comes from his book Media Unlimited: How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelms Our Lives (2001). In this selection, Gitlin describes how private lives and domestic spaces have evolved from the seventeenth-century until now. He feels as though our once private households are now dominated by other worldly things in the form of media. There are many ideas in Todd Gitlin’s writings that support his view of our media influenced world, two of which, are the ideas of â€Å"supersaturation† and â€Å"disposable feeling. † According to dictionary. com the definition of supersaturation is â€Å"to increase the concentration of (a solution) beyond saturation. Gitlin uses the word â€Å"supersaturation† to describe the way today’s world has completely absorbed the media and its relations. Society has become immersed in the gossip and images displayed by the media. The lines between living space and working space are no longer as distinct as they used to be. Gitlin states that, â€Å"the outside world has entered the home with vengeance – in the profusion of media† (Gitlin 558). Relating to this same concept, Gitlin uses the idea of â€Å"disposable feeling† to explain the way people of today are able to move from one worldly image to the next, one piece of gossip to another, with no concern. We are able to shrug them off and come back to them later if we choose to do so. In some of Gitlin’s research, he refers to the writings of analyst Raymond Williams who states, â€Å"What we have now is drama as habitual experience, more in a week, in many cases, than most human beings would previously have seen in a lifetime† (Gitlin 559). We have become immune to true feelings for individual images and stories, and thrive on the idea of the next gossip that will follow. In this selection of the book, Gitlin discusses a seventeenth-century Dutch painter by the name of Vermeer. Vermeer was known for being able to†fr[ee]ze instants, but instants that spoke of the relative constancy of the world in which his subjects lived† (Gitlin 558). People collected Vermeer’s paintings for display throughout their homes. Gitlin sees Vermeer as the seventeenth-century version of the media. In that time, the images painted were relative to the people’s era and private world. In today’s world Vermeer would be the equivalent to a celebrity photographer or movie director. If Vermeer, or any other artist of his time, were to see today’s households, they would find that the once private space inside the home is now much more dominated by images of the outside world than what would have been possible in the 1600’s. As mentioned in Gitlin’s research, statistics show that, â€Å" ‘watching TV is the dominant leisure activity of Americans, consuming 40 percent of the average person’s free time as a primary activity [when people give television there undivided attention]’ † (Gitlin 560). Even the wealthier parts of poor worlds have access to some sort of media. It would take someone from a third world country to be stunned by the fact that our lives are constantly portrayed through television, radio, internet and other forms of media. People of today come in contact with more â€Å"information† in a single day than any one person of Vermeer’s time could have ever imagined. The media surrounds our world in every aspect of society. Gitlin notes in his writings that the statistics referenced â€Å"don’t take into account the billboards, the TV’s at bars and on planes, the Muzak in restaurants and shops . . . nd logos whizzing by on the sides of buses and taxis, climbing the walls of buildings, making announcements from caps, bags, T-shirts, and sneakers† (Gitlin 563). Thanks to all of the latest technology and communication systems people are able to connect to the outside world whenever we like. In Gitlin’s conclusion he goes on to explain that our personal opinion is no longer important to the world. People of our time are followers rather than leaders, and are consistently being sucked in to how the media says we should live our lives. Gitlin feels that the way we live our lives, â€Å"or spend it,† (563) determines who we are. Our lives have become completely consumed with technology and the latest electronics. Gitlin argues that even in our most private times we cannot bring ourselves to stay clear of the media. â€Å"[Our] life experience has become an experience in the presence of media† (Gitlin 563). In seventeenth-century time this degree of media dependence would be unthinkable. Earls View In my reading of Todd Gitlin’s Supersaturation, or, the Media Torrent and Disposable Feeling, I have come to the conclusion that I agree with Gitlin on the matter of an overwhelming media presence in today’s world. The media has become such a large influence on everything on society. From TV, internet, and cell phones to billboards, magazines, and newspapers, it has become nearly impossible to be media free. Going along with Gitlin’s opinion on the subject, I agree that even in our seemingly private home lives, we continue to depend on media and other electronic entertainment. In this day and age people are constantly fixated with staying connected with the outside world through the media using smart phones, emails, news, social networks and sports. As technology continues to advance we become consumed with the idea of having the latest and the best gadgets to keep us linked to media at all times. These gadgets have become part of our daily routine to check on society. People feel lost when they can’t check there emails or their status on Facebook. Dinner in a home used to be eating at the dining room table and having conversations about your day but has now become sitting in the living room and watching TV. Even children have been affected by this media trend. They watch more TV than reading books. There are TV shows to help them learn rather than reading books for math, science and English. It is clear that the world is being dominated by media. The world has evolved in to a smart, fast pace place where we have to know everything that goes on, not just where we live and what’s going on in our lives but the entire world as well. We spend all our money on top of the line, expensive electronics to keep up to date with media and worldly news * Technology continues to advance (walkman mp3 players, tapes blue ray) * Constantly fixated on staying â€Å"connected† to the outside world (using smart phones to check email, news, sports) * Has become part of daily routine to check for updates in society * Even watch tv whil e eating family meals, tv’s in restaurants, portable computers, ect * Faster growing demand for careers in technology fields

Alexander The Great In Afghanistan

Alexander the great was born in Pella, Macedonia in 350 B. C. His father who was the Macedonia King Philippe died when Alexander was 20 years after being killed in a Persia’s battle. He immediately replaced the position of his father. Alexander had several talents ranging from being smart, brave, proud and ambitious. His military and brave skills were witnessed when he took part in the battle at the age of 16. One of his ambitious dreams was to establish the world empire and become the ruler of the whole inhabited world. He had inherited his father’s idea to conquer Asia and wage a campaign against the orient.(Hornblower S, 2002). Alexander the great had made several achievements in his interest to populate the world empire with a unity nation but on the other hand his governance had some setbacks. This paper highlights some of the real achievements and failures that Alexander the great made in his time for leadership. At the death of his father when he was 20 year old, he was proclaimed to be the Czar of Macedonia. He did everything to strengthen the armies military skills, developed the army’s organizational system and lead Hellenic Campaign to the Orient.His army entered the main residence of Persia palace which was the most beautiful and had taken 60 years to be built. This action made Alexander to be the ruler of the whole orient. â€Å"Since the time he mounted the throne of Persian czars he started to demand from his subordinates to keep the oriental ritual of worship† (Alexander the great encyclopedia. ) During this period, Czar Darius was still alive and he settled in Ekbantak in Midia. Alexander sent his army to Persian Czar. Darius refused to take the battle and sought safety in flight.His empire ended after his death as a result of a wound inflicted on him. (Kaplan R, 2001). Alexander the great also confronted the rebels in the Sogdian Rock of Sisimitr. The confrontation was faced with confrontation in accessing the solgd ian noblemen who had settled in un sailable mountain which was filled with snow. These noblemen had a great influence on the population of Soldgiana. However with a promise of great reward to his warriors, 300 brave volunteers managed to climb the mountain, and reached where the noblemen had settled. The rebels surrendered as they were astonished by this action.Alexander the Great led to the spread of the Greek Culture all over his empire which affected the law and the government for a very long period. He was an open-minded man in that he integrated more Persian/Asian ideas in his empower and military. He said that Asia found many things that are worthy to be copied. (Mirzaev R, 2006). The king also encouraged the cultural, political and religious development of the western thinking. This was as a result of conquering Darius Persian Armies eliminating the Persian threat in invading Europe. This had loomed for a number of centuries.Alexander the great also lead to conquering the Mac edonia to Modern India. However, Alexander the great cut the Gordian knot which established the physical force, power and brute reasoning, over spiritualism and religious mysteries. He was defeated in India. This defeat came about due to the distance from Europe and the lack of supply lines. It essentially established the borders of European imperialism during that era of technology which remained intact through the time of the Roman Empire. Alexander the great led to disintegration of the great empire after his death.This is because his governance lacked the political and economic ties and instead relied absolutely on the military forces. He neglected his health to a point where he died. Before he died he had failed to provide an heir, and refused to designate an adult successor. His role would not have been taken by any other person because he eliminated aspirants that could have taken his role to succeed him. Neglecting to delegate his responsibility to any other person also kill ed his administrative system because he played all the duties alone.Alexander the Great had made conquest in life which was very extraordinary. This was witnessed all the way since he was 16 throughout his life in the leadership. However the overall outcome was failure due to the collapse of his governance and the rise in the Roman republic. ( Donova D. C. ) A good leader makes a better leader that him/her. (Covey S. 95) One cannot lead alone; he/she should rely on others in order to get criticism and more enlighting in leadership. Delegation of some responsibilities ensures a strong leadership because the burden of leadership is shared to different people.Delegation of responsibility also ensures that leaders focus and concentrate on certain important issues rather than shifting effort to all dimensions. Alexander the Great system of monopoly of powers led to the collapse of the government after his death. It was also followed by 50 years of warfare and also the collapse of his emp ire. The Alexander system of governance could have both positive and negative attributes that one can pinpoint in order to help one employ a right leadership.Ambition and determination irrespective of the age are important leadership attributes that could be seen and copied from Alexander’s leadership. However discouragement of successors’, dictatorship and self-centeredness in leadership should be highly criticized as it can be learnt from Alexander’s leadership. Alexander should be the blame for poor leadership in Central Asia as it did not enhance continuity. References: Jeffery J. Roberts. 2003. The origins of conflict in Afghanistan. Greenwood Publishing Group Simon Hornblower. 2002.The Greek World, 479-323 BC: Exploring Ethnic Identity on Curac? ao. Routledge Publishers Robert D. Kaplan. 2001. Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Vintage Books Publishers R. R. Rawson. 2007. The Monsoon Lands of Asia. Transaction Publishers Mi rzaev R. 2006. Alexander the Great in Central Asia. Retrieved on 11th March 2009 from http://www. sairamtour. com/news/gems/49. html Wahid Momand. 2000. Invasion of Alexander. Retrieved on 11th March 2009 from http://www. afghanland. com/history/alexander. html

Prehistoric Life During the Cambrian Period

Prehistoric Life During the Cambrian Period Before the Cambrian period, 542 million years ago, life on earth consisted of single-celled bacteria, algae, and only a handful of multicellular animalsbut after the Cambrian, multi-celled vertebrate and invertebrate animals dominated the worlds oceans. The Cambrian was the first period of the Paleozoic Era (542-250 million years ago), followed by the Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian periods; all of these periods, as well as the succeeding Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras, were dominated by the vertebrates that first evolved during the Cambrian. The Climate and Geography of the Cambrian Period Not a lot is known about the global climate during the Cambrian period, but the unusually high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (about 15 times those of the present day) imply that the average temperature may have exceeded 120 degrees Fahrenheit, even near the poles. Eighty-five percent of the earth was covered with water (compared to 70 percent today), most of that area being taken up by the huge Panthalassic and Iapetus oceans; the average temperature of these vast seas may have been in the range of 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. By the end of the Cambrian, 488 million years ago, the bulk of the planets land mass was locked up in the southern continent of Gondwana, which had only recently broken off from the even bigger Pannotia of the preceding Proterozoic Era. Marine Life During the Cambrian Period Invertebrates. The major evolutionary event of the Cambrian period was the Cambrian Explosion, a rapid burst of innovation in the body plans of invertebrate organisms. (Rapid in this context means over the course of tens of millions of years, not literally overnight!) For whatever reason, the Cambrian witnessed the appearance of some truly bizarre creatures, including the five-eyed Opabinia, the spiky Hallucigenia, and the three-foot-long Anomalocaris, which was almost certainly the largest animal ever to appear on earth up to that time. Most of these arthropods left no living descendants, which has fueled speculation about what life in succeeding geologic epochs might have looked like if, say, the alien-looking Wiwaxia was an evolutionary success. As striking as they were, though, these invertebrates were far from the only multicellular life forms in the earths oceans. The Cambrian period marked the worldwide spread of the earliest plankton, as well as trilobites, worms, tiny mollusks, and small, shelled protozoans. In fact, the abundance of these organisms is what made the lifestyle of Anomalocaris and its ilk possible; in the way of food chains throughout history, these larger invertebrates spent all their time feasting on the smaller invertebrates in their immediate vicinity. Vertebrates. You wouldnt have known it to visit the earths oceans 500 million years ago, but vertebrates, and not invertebrates, were destined to become the dominant animals on the planet, at least in terms of body mass and intelligence. The Cambrian period marked the appearance of the earliest identified proto-vertebrate organisms, including Pikaia (which possessed a flexible notochord rather than a true backbone) and the slightly more advanced Myllokunmingia and Haikouichthys. For all intents and purposes, these three genera count as the very first prehistoric fish, though theres still a chance that earlier candidates may be discovered dating from the late Proterozoic Era. Plant Life During the Cambrian Period There is still some controversy about whether any true plants existed as far back as the Cambrian period. If they did, they consisted of microscopic algae and lichens (which dont tend to fossilize well). We do know that macroscopic plants like seaweeds had yet to evolve during the Cambrian period, giving their noticeable absence in the fossil record. Next: the Ordovician Period

010 Intro to Arguments Professor Ramos Blog

010 Intro to Arguments Reflection Think back on the process of writing the report. Write a short note about what you learned from the process. What do you like about the essay? What are the strengths and weaknesses? Where did you struggle? Intro to Arguments Language is an art form. Here is the  Wikipedia definition of Rhetoric. Rhetoric  is the art of discourse, wherein a writer or speaker strives to inform, persuade or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. Aristotle’s  definition  of rhetoric â€Å"The faculty of observing, in any given case, the  available means of persuasionâ€Å" Ethos: Appeals to Ethics, Credibility or Character. Ethics, ethical, trustworthiness or reputation, style/tone. The credibility of the speaker persuades. Pathos: Appeals to Emotion. Emotional or imaginative impact, stories, values. Uses emotional response to persuade an audience. Logos: Appeals to logic. Persuade by reason and evidence. Solution Argument A solution argument is a research argument that is arguing for a solution to a problem. For example, instead of arguing that abortion is bad, we would argue for solutions to abortion. How can we help people have less abortions? This does some good in the world. Solution Argument Prompt

A quick guide to understanding what it takes to be a teacher

A quick guide to understanding what it takes to be a teacher We all remember our favorite teacher in school and how that person has positively affected our lives to this day. Whether it was advice or being that person who just made learning so fun and interesting we just couldn’t wait to get to their class. Teachers are important and they play a big part in our lives.  They help teach, shape and influence the lives of all children. Their drive and skill to help children reach their full potential  are remarkable. Here is a quick guide to help understand how teachers are the teaching heroes of the world.Source [ USC Rossier ]

Moral Saints Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Moral Saints - Essay Example The role that morality should play in our lives is a topic that garnered attention from many philosophers. Wolf (419-439) is among the scholars who focused on the way human beings apply morals on their life. She states that human beings should not strive to live a saintly life as this was be too good to the extent of denying themselves happiness. She advises that human beings should treat others not as a means but an end. The implication of this is that people should strive to be happy and make other happy by treating them fairly and with respect. For instance, they should do as much good as possible, save lives and avoid killing. This coincides with the idea of Mill that human beings should strive to save lives as failing to do so is tantamount to killing (Bendle 36). On this note, there is a concession that good actions should not be in striving to saints but in treating others in a fair manner for mutual happiness. Human beings should weigh their private or personal projects on the way their consequences on others. Wolf (429) agrees with the idea of Mill that rational moral would guide people in their actions with one another. Mill proposed the principle of utilitarianism in determining the morality of actions in the society (Bendle 40). In his argument, human beings should weigh their actions on the consequences they have on the people whom they affect. In the principle of utilitarianism, the best action is one whose consequences do overall good to the society. This is similar to the idea of Wolf that one should do as much good as is possible, unlike the absolute saints who should strive to do good only. On the other hand, this contradicts the idea proposed by Kantianism on the universality of moral laws that bind each person. Kant proposes that each person must do act according to the moral laws. For instance, if lying is bad it remains bad in

In the majority of the population there are stigmata surrounding the Research Paper

In the majority of the population there are stigmata surrounding the nature of a motorcyclist or Biker - Research Paper Example This made many veterans to access the urban centers and taste every bit of bliss in the cities including drinking and partying. A bike rally in Hollister culminated in the formation of bike gangs. This was the first incident of bike gang which took part in a bloody riot. This riot led to the destruction of property and other valuable in various restaurants and buildings, by drunken motorcyclists. This group caused mayhem without recourse and this has been replicated ever since. This sub-culture is prevalent in the use of cruiser motorcycles. According to Guardians of the Children, the sub-culture thrives in various ideologies like resistance to the mainstream culture of motorcycles (47). In fact, most of the biker gang indulges in malpractices in order to satisfy their daily needs. These groups have their operation in deviance and anarchy given that they do not conform to any set rules and regulation. The gangs use their organizations in propagating their criminal activities. In this regard, their criminality is camouflaged, hence it becomes difficult to apprehend and completely eliminate this sub-culture. The gang is usually structured and has broad networks, which enhances its operations over large geographical regions. The criminal activities the gangs indulge in include drug-trafficking, violence, arms trafficking, abduction and piracy. There are many of these gangs in America, which usually constitute of various numbers of individuals. The most common of these gangs include the Bandidos, Sons of silence and the Hells angels. These biker gangs pose a threat to peace and order among the citizens. Goodman asserts that the outlawed group manages to operate drug and weapon smuggling due to the broad network it has across the globe (41). In fact, there is interlinking of their activities with international drug trafficking organizations. The other motorcycle club is the riding club which is less associated with the intrigues of the biggest gang clubs. The vintag e group of motorcycle clubs is concerned with the ferrying of higher social class people including clergies, emergence blood runners and courier clubs. It is difficult to pursue the criminal gangs because they are friendly like anybody else and they have a broad social and criminal network. Even the intelligence services cannot yield much in pursuit of theses outlawed criminal bike gangs. Furthermore, the freedom they have enhanced the commission of many criminal activities under cover. In addition, they are feared, hence many people lack the guts of daring them. According to The New York Times, legally registered motorcycle clubs like the British motorcycle Federation have great influence in the civil society (23). They also abate the criminal activities of the gang groups under cover. Therefore, it had been hard to reform the motorcycle industry and get rid of the criminal activities propagated by the ill-minded motorcyclists. It has proofed impossible to destroy and discontinue t he biker gang sub-culture. For instance, the federation was created with an aim of protecting the welfare often motorcyclists. The biker gangs are part of the industry, hence they have always been protected even when they have been on the wrong side of the law. Such legally recognized motorcycle organizations have posed a greater threat to the peace and harmony with regard to abatement of criminal activities. Bribery cannot be ruled out in such circumstances

Additional Reading #2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Additional Reading #2 - Assignment Example ction of an important good thereby leading to a problem whereby no one pays for the good and thus no one gets it despite the product having a higher value compared to the expenses that would be incurred in its production. However, in real sense, the world is never rigid since there are many individuals who are not perfectly selfish thus making it possible to charge consumers for part of the benefit they enjoy. This is because not every individual act or behave in the same way thereby causing variations and differences. Thus, the small percentage of individuals that does not conform to the group behavior brings the small benefit. However, the small benefit constitutes the externality causing underproduction and not the non-existence of a product (Harris, 34). It is of crucial significance to note that there are several forms of externalities. In relation to this, it is important to highlight that externalities may always have several effects. Some of the effects of the externalities may be beneficial (Harris, 68). However, it is of critical to note that some externalities have negative effects on the parties involved. In connection to the above case, it is of critical significance to note that whatever the effects of externalities on the surrounding environments, there are several factors to which such effects are based. Externalities that result to positive influences in the lives of people, as well as, to their surrounding are closely associated with positive externalities (Harris, 73). However, it is prudent to acknowledge the fact that externalities that are associated with bad or negative impacts on the lives of human beings, as well as their surroundings are results of negative externalities. Based on the above, it is of critical s ignificance to know some of the examples of externalities. In addition, it is prudent to understand the nature as well as effects associated with each form of externality. In relation to this, it is prudent to note that one of the

Rob Blagojevich Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Rob Blagojevich - Research Paper Example In the end, the governor received 14 years in prison, of which he will have to serve 12 years. Since this was one of the longest prison sentences on record for a public official, the message in this case is that corruption will end in prison. Introduction Rod Blagojevich was an Illinois Governor who was probably one of the most, if not the most, corrupt politicians of all time. This governor was involved in several â€Å"pay to play† schemes, which means that he would only give political favors if he received something in return, mainly campaign contributions. He was wiretapped by the FBI, and was heard on tape discussing these schemes. They include a corrupt deal involving a tollway, a horse racing track and a children's hospital. He also was caught attempting to extort the editors at The Chicago Tribune, stating that, if they did not fire certain editors and start giving him favorable press coverage, he would block the sale of Wrigley Field, which was a deal that the Tribune was attempting to make. The most egregious example of corruption, however, and this example made him nationally famous, is the deal regarding the vacant senate seat of Barack Obama. The governor was caught on tape attempting to sell this seat for political favors for him and his wife, or, in the alternative, substantial campaign contributions. The government brought charges against him with regards to these incidents, in the case of The United States of America v. Rod R. Blagojevich and John Harris, AO 91 (Rev 5/85). The final trial where the governor was convicted of 17 charges of corruption was in May and June of 2011, with the sentencing of 14 years occurring in December of that same year. In the end, the message to not only Blagojevich, but to corrupt individuals everywhere, is simple – if you engage in corruption, then you will pay. The Events The events that eventually led Rod Blagojevich into prison were long-standing and wide-reaching. Indeed, he was probably one of the most corrupt politicians in the history of politics. The summary of what Blagojevich was involved in can be stated in the words â€Å"pay to play.† In other words, Rod was shaking down multiple players in efforts to enrich himself as governor. The tollway project was $1.8 billion, and Governor Blagojevich was privately seeking the person to benefit from this contract to contribute $100,000 to Blagojevich’s campaign (Justice Department Briefing on Blagojevich Investigation). Other examples include a shakedown involving Children's Memorial Hospital. The governor awarded $8 million funding for this project, and was privately asking the CEO of that hospital to make a $50,000 contribution to him. When the contribution was not forthcoming, the governor was intercepted by the government on the telephone, asking that the funding for the hospital be rescinded. A 2007 horseracing scandal was also included in the 76 page complaint against the governor. In this case, the gover nor had a bill on his desk that would divert money from casinos in the state and put this money into horseracing tracks. A phone interception showed that the governor was seeking $100,000 from an individual who was working with the person who was attempting to get the bill passed. The governor further stated to this individual, and this was also intercepted by the

Healthcare Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Healthcare Administration - Essay Example Also students can protect themselves from expensive medical treatment after emergency situations such as appendectomy by paying a low cost monthly rate. This is called catastrophic insurance and it will provide you all needed treatment. Also Affordable Care Act protects people at age under 65 providing them with tax credit subsidy opportunities. Therefore, all students that cannot cover the medical insurance by themselves can use some options that can help to improve their health after illness. Nowadays receiving the medical insurance in the United States became easier and more effective process. It can help to protect health and life of young adults as they will be sure that they will receive an appropriate treatment when needed. But it is quite important to develop, improve and extend insurance coverage all over the world. (Michael Cahill, 2013) 1. Michael Cahill.(2013). Health Care Reform For The College Student: How The Affordable Care Act Will Affect You. Collegexpress. Online . Retrieved from

Rob Blagojevich Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Rob Blagojevich - Research Paper Example In the end, the governor received 14 years in prison, of which he will have to serve 12 years. Since this was one of the longest prison sentences on record for a public official, the message in this case is that corruption will end in prison. Introduction Rod Blagojevich was an Illinois Governor who was probably one of the most, if not the most, corrupt politicians of all time. This governor was involved in several â€Å"pay to play† schemes, which means that he would only give political favors if he received something in return, mainly campaign contributions. He was wiretapped by the FBI, and was heard on tape discussing these schemes. They include a corrupt deal involving a tollway, a horse racing track and a children's hospital. He also was caught attempting to extort the editors at The Chicago Tribune, stating that, if they did not fire certain editors and start giving him favorable press coverage, he would block the sale of Wrigley Field, which was a deal that the Tribune was attempting to make. The most egregious example of corruption, however, and this example made him nationally famous, is the deal regarding the vacant senate seat of Barack Obama. The governor was caught on tape attempting to sell this seat for political favors for him and his wife, or, in the alternative, substantial campaign contributions. The government brought charges against him with regards to these incidents, in the case of The United States of America v. Rod R. Blagojevich and John Harris, AO 91 (Rev 5/85). The final trial where the governor was convicted of 17 charges of corruption was in May and June of 2011, with the sentencing of 14 years occurring in December of that same year. In the end, the message to not only Blagojevich, but to corrupt individuals everywhere, is simple – if you engage in corruption, then you will pay. The Events The events that eventually led Rod Blagojevich into prison were long-standing and wide-reaching. Indeed, he was probably one of the most corrupt politicians in the history of politics. The summary of what Blagojevich was involved in can be stated in the words â€Å"pay to play.† In other words, Rod was shaking down multiple players in efforts to enrich himself as governor. The tollway project was $1.8 billion, and Governor Blagojevich was privately seeking the person to benefit from this contract to contribute $100,000 to Blagojevich’s campaign (Justice Department Briefing on Blagojevich Investigation). Other examples include a shakedown involving Children's Memorial Hospital. The governor awarded $8 million funding for this project, and was privately asking the CEO of that hospital to make a $50,000 contribution to him. When the contribution was not forthcoming, the governor was intercepted by the government on the telephone, asking that the funding for the hospital be rescinded. A 2007 horseracing scandal was also included in the 76 page complaint against the governor. In this case, the gover nor had a bill on his desk that would divert money from casinos in the state and put this money into horseracing tracks. A phone interception showed that the governor was seeking $100,000 from an individual who was working with the person who was attempting to get the bill passed. The governor further stated to this individual, and this was also intercepted by the

Small and Medium Enterprises Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Small and Medium Enterprises - Coursework Example It has been found that over the past several years throughout the industrialized countries the extra growth that has been achieved is due to the large growth in SMEs (Barakat, 2001). SMEs constitute the dominant form of business organization, accounting for over 95% and up to 99% of enterprises depending on the country. They are responsible for between 60-70% net job creation in OECD countries. Small businesses are particularly important for bringing innovative products or techniques to the market (OECD, 2006). SMEs in any country can grow by partnerships between the private and the public sector by provision of high quality business support that includes training for the development and improvement of the managerial skills for potential and currently operating SMEs. Furthermore, government can assess SMEs in selling their products and services domestically as well as on international front. But most important factor is the financial support. Availability of capital and credit is considered as a major stimulant for the development of the SMEs in many industrialized nations and specially the developing world. Besides government larger and bigger businesses and corporations operating in an economy can help SMEs become more viable business partners by providing training in basic skills such as management, bookkeeping, business planning, marketing, distribution, and quality control. They can assist through technology transfers, direct investment in infrastructure, and the sharing of knowledge. This will make SMEs more competitive and facilitates access to credit. SMEs as their start up financing and also operations and working capital needs require greater access to financial services and investment capital. Unlike SMEs big businesses have little difficulty in securing sizeable bank loans and private investments. At the same time, microfinance, consisting of very small loans, tends to benefit individual entrepreneurs. SMEs fall in between and often struggle to obtain credit and loans. Some 90% of entrepreneurs in Latin America are obliged to source much of their financing from personal savings according to Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) estimates, a picture true throughout much of the developing world (World Business Council for sustainable development). Many financial institutions in the developed and the developing world are reluctant to fund SMEs because of perceived risk and high transaction costs.16 SMEs in the developing world are considered high-risk, as their managers are perceived as lacking managerial expertise, credit history, and/or tangible assets to secure loans. Thus loans to SMEs, when they are able to obtain them, tend to carry higher interest rates and shorter pay-back times. Definition of an SME There is not a single characteristic that is used to define an SME; and thus there is no single definition of SME that can be used as a standard for businesses to qualify as and SME or a large business. Some economists, governments and analysts define SMEs in terms of their revenue generation capabilities, others see how many people have been employed, more criteria consider the land that is occupied for business operations. European Union's indication for a small business is one with a headcount of less than 50 and a microenterprise as one with a maximum of 10 employees; whereas

Sherman Alexie Essay Example for Free

Sherman Alexie Essay According my researching from Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, Academic Search Complete, and Superman and Me in class, I found out biographical information on Sherman Alexie. The reason I searched about Sherman Alexie because I wanted to know about how he had been through his life and become a successful American poet. He also writes essays and novels. In childhood, Sherman Alexie was born October 7, 1966 on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. He lived where surrounded by alcoholism, crimes, and drugs around him. His father was an alcoholic. Alexie’s health was poor which hydrocephalus -water on the brain was. The doctor gave up to save his life, and he was not expected to survive through his severe disease. â€Å"The hydrocephalus had left him with an enlarged skull, and he suffered from seizures and bed-wetting throughout his childhood†. Even though he had suffered his life through his mental disabilities, he patiently spent most of his childhood reading. Time went by; his surgery was successful and survived. His hardworking is the cornerstone to success when he spent most of time to read. This reminds me that even though I have struggle in my life, I will stand up to deal with problems and never give up on anything. Without my hardworking, I won’t go anywhere and have a successful life. I think that all his efforts spending time his childhood reading will bring matter to a resolution and equality to his life. Alexie had to deal with all the challenges and problems that he met at the reservation school even though he was teased by other kids. â€Å"As a boy, Alexie was teased mercilessly by the other reservation kids, who called him â€Å"The Glode†. I think he was called The Globe because his head was larger than other kids due to his as infant hydrocephalus. He also was kept out from many of the activities at the reservation school for young Indian males due to his health issues. Nothing he could do at the moment, Alexie was being outstanding to read anything available to him (Lynn 197-198). This shows me that I try hard and spend the amount of my available time to work on anything, the price of success will come from my hardworking. According to Sarah Quirk, one of the American novelists said â€Å"Blend elements of popular culture, Indian spirituality, a nd the drudgery of poverty-ridden reservation life to create  his characters and the world they inhabit† .One of the influences of Alexie’s writings is meant to bring sadness to the conscious mind. He uses humor, literature, and cultural activities. The purpose he wanted to use humor in his plot was to leave the readers with an observation of a particular aspect, admiration, understanding, and sympathy. This means Alexie’s influences for his literary works don’t depend all the listings of Indian modern forms. Alexies work is filled with using humor to present all his character’s works, and most of his writing focused on what he had experienced as a Native American. It was very meaningful to read his collection of poems and short stories because all his works helped me to explore and know more many facts of contemporary life on a reservation. Alexie has the best way of describing circumstances and tenderness through different poems and short stories that make me hurt and pain for the Native Americans who live on reservations. Alexie thought to have a better life and better himself, so he decided to leave the reservation and attended Reardan High school at his eighth grade. He tried all his best to study hard and at the end all the grant he received from his hardwork made him at expert at his studying and became a basketball star and elected as class president. â€Å"There, he flourished, becoming a star player (and the only Indian) on the schools basketball team (ironically called the Reardan Indians), as well as the team captain, class president, and a member of the championship debate team† (Lynn 198). His achievement in High School was admitted his admission to Jesuit University in 1985. He had a successful academic career path. After Alexie successful academic career in there, he transfer to Washington State University in 1987 where he started writing poetry and short fiction .I knew that because of his hard working brought them a better life. I also think that even though there is any problem in my life, I have to deal in order to overcome problems, never give up in my life. Giving up easily every decision I make, it won’t let me succeed and bright me the path I choose to go. In 1990, one of Alexie’s first work collections of poetry was The Business of Fancydancing. It was published in Hanging Loose magazine. â€Å"The Business of Fancydancing, was published in 1992, The New York Times described him as one of the major lyric voices of our time. Ever since, the writer has continued to receive critical acclaim†. (McNally) .The knowledge and learning all he put gave him satisfaction and motivation; he  succeeded in writing first poetry. It also gave him the motivation to quit drinking. â€Å"On the night of his twenty-first birthday, Alexie-drunk, as usual-was robbed at knifepoint. He had sunk low enough. He gave up drinking for good.† (Lynn 198). He knew that the risk of drinking was bad for health, so he chose the right decision to focus on his work. The right decision he made would lead him to attain greatness and make him rich through an enormous awards and grants of his hard work. Sherman reflects on his successful career and being a successful Indian writer. I used to be a binge alcoholic. Ive substituted writing for alcohol. Writing is everything. It takes stuff away. Its like being married. Its a high-maintenance relationship. You cant get lazy. Im doing something around it every dayreading, writing, editing, and thinking. I can be staring out the window, and Im working real hard.(Lynn 202). Alexie received many awards and grants. â€Å"In 2010 he won a number of literary awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Award for War Dances (2009; another mix of prose and poetry) and the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas( Daniel). Through his hard working, it led him a successful career path from poems to short stories to novels through reading and writing. In his essay â€Å"Superman and me†, Alexie writes, â€Å"In all my years in the reservation school system, I was never taught how to write poetry, short stories, and novels. I was certainly never taught that Indians wrote poetry.† This reminds and wants readers to explore their new options in reading and writing, it may save your life (Sherman 112). I think that exploring new options in reading may ultimately save my life. The more I explore new options in reading, the more I gain more knowledge. Just like Sherman Alexie, he was surprised he became a writer despite all the books he read and all the time he spent reading; consequently, education can save his life successfully. Education can save life once people spend time and work hard on it. From what I have been reading and knowing about Sherman’s literacy work, I explore new possibilities for assessing his rich and challenging work. Not only do I know about his life, but I also know about how much time he put his efforts in and how hard his life had been through to be a successful literacy career. When I do research, each research step is to determine the purpose of my research, to do some background I have done reading that familiarize with the topi c, select and use the best  Library Catalogue research resource, analyze my research, organize and write, cite my research. Since I had been doing with research, I learned about a particular topic in depth, enhancing of credentials, understanding process, an ability to think and work independently, MLA formatting and style, works cited and citations. The more I do research, the more I enhance my experience, knowledge, and credibility. Works Cited McNally, Joel. Sherman Alexie. Writer (Kalmbach Publishing Co.) 114.6 (2001): 28. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Cline, Lynn. About Sherman Alexie. Ploughshares 26.4 (2000): 197.Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Quirk, Sarah. Dictionary of Literary Biography.278. American Novelists since World War II, Seventh Series. Detroit: Gale Group,2003 Grassian, Daniel. â€Å"Sherman Alexie. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

Business environment of indian entertainment industry

Business environment of indian entertainment industry The liberalization efforts by the Indian government have resulted in the emergence of numerous sectors, which offer great possibilities for Indias development. One such recent sector was interactive media and entertainment, along with information and communication technologies (ICTs). The entertainment and interactive media industry in India has been making headlines of late, not so much for its impact on the domestic market, but as a premier outsourcing destination for western entertainment companies. This was paper examines the growth and development of the interactive media and entertainment industry in India. It discusses Indias position and Indias advantages in the global entertainment industry, the challenges that India faces in this was industry, the path ahead, and opportunities for international collaboration in this was sector. The global film and entertainment industry was expanding fast. The Entertainment Council of Philippines estimates that the revenues from entertainment industry worldwide have been growing annually at 20% to 30% over the past few years. According to Indias National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCM), revenues from the global entertainment industry will amount to US$50-US$70 billion by end-2005. Today, entertainment products are increasingly used in films, TV programmes, commercials, games and online education. Following Walt DISNEY 1988 production Who Framed Roger Rabbit, worldwide interest in entertainment feature films has been raising. Four major entertainment movies released in 2004 collected record revenues. Childrens channels across the world have seen their numbers rising ever so rapidly in the last few years. Entertainment products also have applications in the medical, architecture, and legal fields.1 the global non-entertainment entertainment industry, i ncluding work in scientific and medical entertainment, now accounts for revenues worth $15 billion. ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY The Entertainment Industry in India though a late starter, was considered as one of the fastest growing segments of the entertainment and media industry. The Entertainment Industry in India gained significance as an outsourced destination for entertainment work due to low cost, skilled labour as its many advantages. In the recent past Indian entertainment companies and entertainment studios have been moving up the value chain to create their own intellectual property rights with Hanuman, Roadside Romeo, etc. and partnering with international studios to produce animated properties for the global audience. Though a majority of the work done by the entertainment industry in India was outsourced work, this was was expected to change in the future with increased demand from the domestic entertainment industry. This was industry can be categorized into four different components: Entertainment, education, content development and multimedia/web design. The entertainment market in India was r elatively new compared to some other Asian countries. But it was among the fastest-growing in the Indian entertainment sector. With approximately 200 entertainment studios, India has emerged as a global outsourcing hub for entertainment technology services. The key drivers for the entertainment industry are the increasing domestic demand for entertainment movies and the increase in entertainment studios and training centers across the country. MEANING OF PESTLE ANALYSIS P-Political E-Economical S-Social T-Technological L-Legal E-Environmental Political factors are how and to what degree a government intervenes in the economy. Specifically, political factors include areas such as tax policy, labour law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs, and political stability. Political factors may also include goods and services which the government wants to provide or be provided (merit goods) and those that the government does not want to be provided (demerit goods or merit bads). Furthermore, governments have great influence on the health, education, and infrastructure of a nation. Economical factors include economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and the inflation rate. These factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and make decisions. For example, interest rates affect a firms cost of capital and therefore to what extent a business grows and expands. Exchange rates affect the costs of exporting goods and the supply and price of imported goods in an economy Social factors include the cultural aspects and include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a companys products and how that company operates. For example, an ageing population may imply a smaller and less-willing workforce (thus increasing the cost of labour). Furthermore, companies may change various management strategies to adapt to these social trends (such as recruiting older workers). Technological factors include ecological and environmental aspects, such as RD activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate of technological change. They can determine barriers to entry, minimum efficient production level and influence outsourcing decisions. Furthermore, technological shifts can affect costs, quality, and lead to innovation. Legal factors include discrimination law, consumer law, antitrust law, employment law, and health and safety law. These factors can affect how a company operates, its costs, and the demand for its products. Consumer protection laws are designed to ensure fair competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. These factors can affect how a company operates, its costs, and the demand for its products. Environmental factors include weather, climate, and climate change, which may especially affect industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance. Furthermore, growing awareness to climate change was affecting how companies operate and the products they offerit was both creating new markets and diminishing or destroying existing ones. POLITICAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Government Support Mr. Kapil Sibal, Minister of State for Science and Technology, identified entertainment industry as one of the important sector for Indias export oriented growth.10 However, compared to governments in other countries; efforts by the Indian government to encourage the sector have been very minimal. The government of South Korea funds entertainment ventures on a partnership baswas.11 Bangladesh has a World Bank-funded support programme for the entertainment industry. In contrast, there have not been many initiatives from the Indian government to promote the entertainment industry, at least till the past one year. The Indian government signed co-production treaty with France about 20 years ago and efforts are on to reactivate it. A treaty was signed with the Italian government, which in turn sent a delegation to Goa. Efforts are also on to sign similar agreements with Britain, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Netherlands and China. These treaties will lead to sharing of costs by partner nations and also the dispersion of technical know-how amongst the partner nations. New Government Initiatives A 25-acre Special Export Zone (SEZ) was going to be constructed in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram exclusively for the entertainment industry. The commerce ministry was said to have approved the creation of the SEZ within the Film and Video Park (FV Park) set up by the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation near Thiruvananthapuram. The state government was said to have created a 15,000 sq meters entertainment facility to welcome entertainment houses to create their bases. The FV Park made a good start when the Chennai-based Prasad Labs has made it its base to process all Malayalam films for the next two years. Kerala has been making efforts at convergence in the areas of information technology and cinema. The Entertainment Production Association of India recently suggested to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry of India that all TV channels must ensure 10% reservation for local animated content. The government can further encourage investments and particip ation in this sector by providing tax benefits. It can provide grants to Indian animators for participation in international conference and for taking up training programs abroad 2. ECONOMICAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Indias attractiveness as an entertainment hub lies in the presence of an English-speaking workforce, high-quality software engineers, a large pool of creative talent, good studios and low costs. The cost of producing a 30-minute 3D entertainment programme in India was US$60,000 compared to US$250,000-400,000 in the United States and Canada. India has a cost advantage compared to the Philippines, which was another low cost producer of entertainments. The average monthly salary of an entertainment professional in India was US$600 compared to US$1,000-US$1,200 in the Philippines. The cost of outsourcing one hour of entertainment work to India was estimated to be 30% to 40% of the corresponding costs in leading entertainment centres in Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. Indias advantages in low costs have been exploited by many multinational firms and production studios. The advent of digital entertainment coincided with the liberalization of the Indian economy and India offered the benefits of lower production costs, strong creative and technical skills and a large English speaking population. This has led to the development of state of the art entertainment studios in several Indian cities, and these studios are collaborating with global entertainment companies. FACTOR THAT AFFECTING THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Lack of Finance Indian entertainment firms cannot match their western counterparts in financial strength. It was pointed out that state support in the form of tax holidays was crucial for success in the entertainment business. Canada, for example, offers major incentives to its studios for developing entertainment products. However, financial institutions in India have not been much forthcoming in funding projects in entertainment and interactive media. The long gestation period before fruition of projects discourages potential investors. This can be a major hurdle, and it has, in fact, led to the stoppage of a few production ventures. For example, Jadooworks had to stop production of animated epic of Krishna due to technical problems and lack of funding. The firm was supposedly on the verge of bankruptcy and this has led to the retrenchment of about 250 workers.7 Interestingly, Jadooworks was the same firm which drew appreciation from Thomas Friedman in an article in February 2004 for employing tra ditional artistes and transforming their skills to computerised digital painting he was arguing that globalisation can have beneficial impact on traditional artwasts.8 The experience of Jadoo works underlines the fact that it was still too ambitious for Indian companies to single-handedly enter into entertainment projects. Even a small project in the entertainment industry entails a budget of US$30 million, which was not affordable for Indian firms. 3. SOCIAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Entertainment Products for Illiterates The interactive media and entertainment industry in India has a large domestic market too to tap on. A field-study based research conducted by one of the authors in July-August 2004 on the diffusion of ICTs in Indias rural areas offers some interesting results in this regard.6 The study showed that televsion was a highly popular medium as a source of information in the Indian countryside, as it combines visual and audio effects and was less demanding of the cognitive skills of the user. Almost 35 per cent of Indias over 1 billion population was illiterate. There was great demand from this segment of Indian population for an innovative medium that facilitate communication and information sharing, while at the same time, being easily accessible to the masses via the television. Products of interactive media and entertainment can fill this demand gap to a large extent; they can be great tools for education, entertainment and awareness among illiterates in Indias rural and urban areas. SOCIAL FACTORS AFFECTING FILM AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY The Indian Entertainment industry: Facing the manpower challenge Despite the impressive growth forecasts, the Indian Entertainment and Gaming industry will account for less than two percent of the worldwide market in 2010. Obviously a much larger opportunity exists beyond what was currently being envisaged and the potential remains high. India can participate in a more significant way in the global Entertainment market, provided the country has built up requisite manpower, with the relevant expertise, to fuel its growth. According to analysts, India has the potential to grow its Entertainment industry to around US$ 1 billion by 2010, but will remain restricted to US$ 869 million on account of a looming demand-supply gap in the area of employable human resources.   A similar situation exists in the gaming segment as well, which has the potential to achieve revenues of US$ 732 million by 2010, but was expected to touch only around US$ 424 million by that period, owing to the paucity of skilled manpower.   The employment statistics for the Indian  entertainment  and gaming industry during 2006 were as follows: Around 16,500 professionals were employed by the Indian Entertainment industry during 2006. This figure was forecast to increase at a CAGR of 14-15 percent and exceed 26,000 by 2010. There were nearly 150 gaming companies in India, employing about 2,500 people. This number was forecast to increase at a CAGR of over 50 percent to exceed 13,000 by 2010, with the industry revenue forecast to grow nearly ten-fold and reach US$ 424 million. 4. TECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY While it was true that Indias entertainment industry was growing at a remarkable pace, the fact remains that this growth was largely a result of the mushrooming of studios-for-hire. In entertainment feature films, for example, while Indian companies carry out the technological entertainment work, character design, and storyboarding are done abroad. India was yet to become a successful player in concept creation, the high value-adding segment of the industry which remains a preserve of western firms. Indias advantages of low costs in this industry will be too short-lived, and sooner rather than later, the country will have to start developing new technologies. Skills The entertainment industry was still young. Indian cinema was yet to make its mark on the global stage. The booming entertainment outsourcing industry was constantly demanding new skills and fresh infusion of new talent into the industry. As such, it was imperative that we have a healthy pipeline to supply talent to the industry. Skills required in the entertainment field can be clubbed under two broad categories, mainly technical skills and soft skills. Programming expertise, analytical ability, and proficiency on the software are basic requirements for technical skills. The number of professionals joining the entertainment industry has been growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.2 percent and was expected to grow at the same rate. Though India possesses the manpower with the requisite skill set, what remains an area of concern was the education imparted to this manpower from the quality perspective. This has resulted in mushrooming of multimedia institutes. What was interesting was that quite a few reputed organizations have come forward and started a chain of multimedia institutions for two reasons. One, they can use the trained professionals for in-house entertainment development and secondly, use this education channel for market diversification and penetration. However, companies need to invest considerable time and money in bringing these students up to the levels where they start earning revenue for the organization. Need For technological training to employees There are no academic institutes like Indian Institutes of Technology, Regional Engineering Colleges, Polytechnics, etc., churning out animators by the thousands. What we have are only fine arts schools which teach the fundamentals but not the technical skills required for production, points out K. Chandrasekhar, General Manager, Media Works, and Tata Elxsi. According to him, this was a major drawback for the industry in India. Education in new media has to be embedded into the mainstream curriculum. Students have to realize that they can have a lucrative career as animators, and the governments as well as educational institutions have to start programmes for their career development. The entertainment sector will benefit greatly by giving encouragement to the community of traditional artists as much as to technically trained professionals. In other words, integration of the rural and urban talent will prove highly beneficial. Also, NASSCOMs President Kiran Karnik believes that there was a need for an entertainment academy to build a steady inflow of entertainment professionals in the industry. NASSCOM extended its help to the government for framing the curriculum and also work with the industry players to enhance the academic-industry interface. 5. LEGAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Intellectual property Outsourcers have always been concerned with the protection of their intellectual property in India. India was one of the few countries which have failed to take stern action against its infringement. India needs to strengthen its IP policy and ensure that companies operating in the outsourcing sphere take stringent steps to take care of clients IP rights. International Cooperation in the Entertainment industry The Indian government was signing co-production treaties with other countries. Professional organisations too are trying to promote the Indian entertainment sector abroad. ASIFA, India, organises film festivals, conducts workshops and entertainment film competitions at the international level. Kahani and Entertainment Bridge have showcased their entertainment shows at Cannes Mipcom (a summit where mobile, broadband and interactive professionals from 95 countries interact with broadcasters, producers and distributors) in October 2005. X-media Lab has been floated to help local, independent digital media producers reach their ideas successfully to the market with assistance from outstanding international new media professionals, who act as mentors to the companies and project teams. The second lab held in Singapore from 17 19 November 2005, Creating Successful Computer Games, attracted worldwide response. Indian developers have also been invited to interact with eight of the best games people in the world. There was also a plan to do a lab in India next year.14 According to Mohit Anand, Country Manager, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft India, Gaming in the last 7-8 years has really come a long way but it still has a long way to go. Critical factors like PC penetration, organised retail, broadband, and gaming hardware need to be addressed to help the industry. Those factors are gradually changing and the future definitely looks bright. India was the youngest country in the world, and the new generation was completely tech savvy. We believe that gaming was definitely here to stay and evolve.15 What are the opportunities for engagement between India, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries in the field of interactive media and entertainment industry? To begin with, Singapore and Southeast Asia will be an important market for products from Indias entertainment industry. Singapore has significant expertise in telecommunication and media industry. Harnessing the favourable trade and investment climate offered by the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement between the two countries, firms in Singapore should consider investing in Indias entertainment and media business. Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematic, a leading player in the Indian entertainment industry, was planning to extend its operations to Singapore. It was currently working on a project for BBC and has also been involved in the video games division. Entertainment was one of the fastest growing sectors in India-ASEAN relations. The entertainment industry was expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20 percent from 2002 to 2007. The entertainment industry, with total revenues of US$3.6 billion in 2002, was projected to grow up to US$8.7 billion by 2007. ASEAN was a big market for Indian films. There are tremendous collaboration opportunities between India and ASEAN in the area of 3D entertainment, graphics, etc. The Philippines was, until recently, a fast growing entertainment industry, rich in creative talent, and it was a major destination for outsourcing by entertainment firms in the United States. However, with rise in costs, the entertainment industry in the Philippines has begun to decline, and Filipino workers in the industry have been migrating to India and Singapore in search of jobs. India, the Philippines, Singapore and even China must realize that there was little to be gained in the entertainment industry in the long run by competing with each other on costs. Rather, they should seek avenues for cooperation, and direct their efforts at acquiring intellectual property rights in this creative industry. 6. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Ability to scale operations. Indian firms are facing a talent shortage which affects their ability to scale up their operations based on client demands. This also affects the clients confidence in off shoring large chunks of work. Though Indian companies have put in place huge expansion plans, these are often marred by various reasons. Tie-ups with educational institutes are helping overcome thwas difficulty. Opportunities in Collaborations Indian companies are trying to improve quality and making attempts to compete globally with the market leaders in the industry. It was said that the year 2004 was a watershed for the Indian entertainment and gaming industry (according to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry [FICCI] report on the Entertainment Industry). The year was marked by increased use of entertainment in the Bollywood segment. According to the FICCI report, the increasing demand for downloads of games on mobile phones will enhance the opportunities for gaming companies and bring in new entrants. Several Indian companies are entering into collaborations with foreign new media companies, which outsource their work to the Indian companies. Recently, Toonz Entertainment floated a joint venture with First Serve International LLC, a global media company which aims to produce and distribute top-notch entertainment programming for the world market. The new venture will be headed by former Walt Disney executive Ed Bordering. In 2004, a Chinese company also invested in India Games Ltd. Toronto-based entertainment Products Company Kahani was collaborating with Mumbai based Entertainment Bridge. In this venture, Kahani was expected to invest US$30-US$40 million over the next three years to engage in film production. The storylines and scripts will be completed in Canada whilst product development and promotion are expected to be done in India. The company was also planning to tie up with Bangalore and Hyderabad-based studios. Zees entertainment arm, Padmalaya Telefilms, has signed a US$14 million contract with Italian producer-distributor, Mondo TV, to co-produce four new animated series. Padmalaya also has collaborations with British entertainment companies Mallard Media and Ealing Entertainment. CONCLUSION The Indian interactive media and entertainment industry has seen tremendous growth in the last year or so. It was fast emerging from being an outsourcing destination for western entertainment companies to develop and showcase its own capabilities and potentials. The emergence of various industry-related organizations and companies, and the availability of affordable and talented expertise, point to tremendous potential this sector has to offer. Whilst there are internal challenges to the Indian interactive media and entertainment industry, given the efforts being undertaken by the government and like-minded organizations, it will be sooner rather than later, that India lays a strong claim as a major international player in this industry. It was thus opportune for Singapore and countries in the region to identify potential opportunities for collaboration so that we are able to ride on the waves of the Indian interactive media and entertainment industry.

Hitlers Rise To Power :: essays research papers

How Hitler got into Power At the end of the war Germany underwent a rapid political restructuring. Following this transition from authoritarian monarchy to democratic republic, Weimar Germany immediately began to display weaknesses that it would ultimately never fix. Germany had to create a government that the Allies would be prepared to negotiate with, so Hindenburg ordered a government which had the support of the Reichstag. When Kaiser William II fled the country, Germany could still have remained a monarchy, as William's son was eligible for the throne. The Weimar Republic was not based on strong public convictions, which must, in part, explain its weakness. There were many flaws in thew Weimar Republic. Weimar had great problems gaining acceptance throughout Germany, too. The terribly harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles angered Germans, especially the military everywhere and many directed their resentment at the Weimar government who signed the Treaty. Defeat in a large-scale war always signals the beginning of a difficult period for a nation. Following World War I, Germany was virtually crushed by the harsh demands of the Treaty of Versailles. The German economy was weighed down heavily by the enormous reparations bill. Weimar governments struggled to meet the huge reparations payments and their failure to do so was the basis of further problems. One such event was the additional humiliation of the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr in 1923. The French took control of the coal mines and factories of the region, so the workers, following a policy of passive resistance, went on strike. The French employed their own men to work the area, whilst the German government committed to paying the wages of the striking workers. This was a very expensive exercise and, on top of that, Germany lost profits from industry in the Ruhr and actually had to spend money importing coal. These massive drains on the German economy caused inflation to soar to incredible levels, paralleling the dramatic drops in the value of the reichsmark. It is true that the Reichsbank printed more and more money to the point where over 44 trillion marks was in circulation. Some historians argue that the Weimar government did this deliberately, to devalue their currency, making it cheaper to pay reparations. The downside of this was that middle and working class Germans lost their savings and the value of their wages. For instance in November 1923, the cost of a loaf of bread in Berlin was about 201 billion marks!

American Popular Culture on the Global Community Essay

American popular culture and its effects on the global community is a hiding plain site idea. The United States has grown into an â€Å"I want it now† belief system. The United States has somewhat perfected this idea, from our fast food to our fast everything. But should everyone live in such a luxurious attitude, is the United States popular culture and ideal that the rest of the world should live by? Is this just another phase in our modern society’s history? Lane Crothers’ book Globalization and American Popular Culture shows us the history of America’s rise to popular culture power and how most people are wanting to become Americans without living in the United States. But is this what the world needs or is this just another way for America to control the world and spread our democracy. The intention of Lane Crothers’ Globalization and American Popular Culture is to show the reader the connection of American popular culture and the effect it has on the global community. â€Å"By 1998 trade in movies, music, and television programming had become the leading U.S. export†¦this was true even without factoring in the economic and cultural power of American brands like McDonald’s, Levi’s, and Starbucks, American pop culture is a global phenomenon.† Crothers first compares the two ideas, globalization â€Å"†¦the profound economic, social, political, and cultural changes going on in the modern world†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and popular culture â€Å"†¦the movies, music, and television programs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  how globalization seems â€Å"†¦heavy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and popular culture seems â€Å"†¦light†¦Ã¢â‚¬  then explains how at the end of the Cold War and the advancements of new technologies â€Å"†¦the internet, cellular phones, and small dish satellites television systems have allowed American popular culture access to an ever bigger global market.† Crothers tells the reader â€Å"American popular culture is the latest in a long succession of bidders for global unification†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which makes the reader think this book is a personal depiction of American popular culture and the effect on the world. Crothers also, provides the link of American popular culture and global politics â€Å"†¦first is the Cold War†¦second is the controversial U.S. Global War on Terror†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which makes the reader, depending on their age, if they are American, if they have been affected by any terror attack, have a personal relationship with this issue. First, during the Cold War, â€Å"The Western bloc advocated relative freedom in personal choice, economic trade, and immigration†¦the Eastern bloc practiced in state control, the limitation  of personal freedom, and government ownership of factories and other productive enterprises.† This is a defining moment in the history of the world, because when country wants to promote individualism and create an integrated free market, that idea is going to spread more quickly to the people, rather than being suppressed by the government. On September 11, 2001, the United States was attack and the world sympathize with us. A French newspaper on September 13, 2001 stated, â€Å"Today we are all Americans,† but this would grow into fear and concern in the world because when the rest of the world found out on how we responded to the 9/11 attacks. Crothers tells the reader, â€Å"Time magazine asked 250,000 people across Europe which country posed the greatest threat to world peace: Iraq, North Korea, or the United States†¦8 percent said Iraq and 9 percent said North Korea†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But with all of this fear which the United States has placed on the rest of the world, people were still embracing our popular culture, â€Å"†¦people continued to embrace American popular culture†¦iPods and smartphones†¦led to explosive growth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The United States and the popular culture which we have given the world, whether for better or for worst, has brought the global community more informed about global issue. With the advancement of the internet and the high speed that news travels now, would not have ever been accomplish without the United States pressing our culture to everyone. Crothers states that â€Å"culture is not an all-or-nothing concept in which everyone believes the same thing and behaves th e same way.† This is an important statement because, not everyone is going to strive to become Americans; we are unique. Some of your ideals and products are always going to be reacted in different ways depending on the group of people who are receiving it. We just have to believe that most of the culture we are giving the rest of the world is creating a more unified global community. Works Cited Crother, Lane. Globalization and American Popular Culture. Lanham: Rowan and Littlefield, 2013

Ghale Gaun

The marvelous village of the Ghales lies in the west of Nepal. Ghale gaon, known for its culture , natural beauty and hospitality is an old village resided only by the Ghale tribe. The village is one of the famous places under domestic tourism. It is situated in the cold mountains of Lumjunj. The weather is cold throughout the year. It observes heavy snow-fall during the winters and chilling winds in summers. Ghale gaon is endowed by one of Nepal’s pristine natural and cultural beauty. There are two ways by which you can reach Ghale gaon. The first one is via motorized road from Kathmandu to Besisahar and then 5-6 hours of laborious walk from Besisahar up to Ghale gaon. The second one has the same route as the previous up to Besisahar ,but instead of going by foot you can also go by 2-3 hours of ride in a jeep that are available there. As soon as you reach your destination, the scenic extravaganza of Himalayas – Manslu, Fishtail, Annapurna and Kanchenjunga catches your eyes as it reflects the sunlight making it look even more beautiful. City dwellers might feel that they have reached somewhere unreal as abundant green trees envelops the area. The old and traditional houses that are scattered throughout the village make the environment more welcoming. As you stand in front of the gate contemplating about the charisma of the village you are warmly welcomed by the oldest member of the village (usually women) in their traditional Ghale style – white rice tika and a spruce leaf. The reason Ghale gaon is known for its hospitality is because there are no hotels or lodges; instead there is a provision of living in the houses of the residents there. There are around 45 houses, each owned by a family, where they have a provision of making you a temporary member of their family. You are given the same food, support and love that the other member of the family gets. In fact you will get your own bedroom under their roof! The family members are so friendly that when you speak the very first time with them, you’ll feel that you have known them for ages. As you keep on exploring the hamlet, you’ll find out there are no motorized oads within the village, but small narrow paths that connects all the houses of the village. The most fascinating infrastructure of Ghale gaon is their small yet important auditorium. As Ghale gaon is genuinely known for its unique culture and tradition the auditorium is used to exhibit their traditions and culture with the visitors. One of their festival is called â€Å"Krishna Charitra Nach† where they dance in the celebration of their first born baby boy. This shows their biased attitud e towards males than females. Oher festivals include Loshar, Dashain and Buddha Jayanti. Unlike the people of other parts of Nepal who celebrate Dashain by putting on red rice tika(Akshyata) and jamara , the ghale put on white tika and a spruce leaf. This shows how exclusive their tradition is. In spite of being a successful domestic tourism center, it has failed to retain the youths of the hamlet to leave the village for out of country or out of village settlements. Those whose remain in the hamlet are usually old men and women and few underage children. If they were able to restrain the youths going outside, they might have undergone further development in tourism sector. It has been found that most of the youths have gone out in the name of education buy have not return. In my opinion, one can learn a lot by exploring the lifestyles, traditions and culture of the Ghale tribe. In spite of having few drawbacks, it has a very dominating effect on domestic tourism. If you don’t believe be just take a break from your office or school, collect some friends and be ready to call on the Ghales. Once you’re there, you fall in love with the gaon for sure.

Fishing from heaven

The frost clung to the surroundings as I made my way down the old crooked path. It was early morning and the sun was attempting to wedge its way through the clouds: it remained ice cold. There was little life to be seen – most animals were hidden away from the dangers and cruelty of winter. They had collected their food and were snuggled away ready to sleep the months through. At that moment I wished I could join them. Why couldn’t I run away and hide until I was ready to face life again? As I trod over the cold granite with the fellow mourners I could see nothing of happiness. Everything hung in dismay as if even nature knew this was a wretched and lonely place. I imagined the gloomy individuals walking this route over the decades. It was a path that had to be travelled but very few were ready or willing to face its destination. Instead we all hoped something would suddenly change and that our fate would be reversed. The daunting doors appeared ahead and I made my way inside along with the others – all of us coated in black. I shivered, no longer because of the temperature but rather fear, as I made my way inside the thick stone walls. The mighty roof towered over me shadowy and oppressive. I found my pew and sat down alone to wait. The tranquilising smell of burning incense combined with my tired state almost lulled me to unconsciousness but a stern voice suddenly called for the beginning of the service and I turned to face the altar. It was covered in a white cloth which hung loosely over the sides clearly too big. A cross made up the centrepiece and a candle stood on either side. I’d never been to a church before but I knew granddad had. I imagined him looking at this cross and, like me, wondering why life had to happen the way it did. The music sounded and they began to enter – the robed man and the six friends of my grandfather. I only knew one of them. They had gone to school together and granddad would always tell stories of their misbehaving – tricking the teacher and missing classes. I saw his friend dim with dread no longer a schoolboy with a future of brightness ahead. His head hung low as he made his way down the aisle. The lid of the coffin was lifted and his face tightened as he saw his friend for the last time. Granddad’s face was withered and frail, his lips rose pink and dry. They had dressed him in his favourite suit especially for the occasion. His body lay stiff, fragile and delicate – but strangely imposing. This was not how I remembered him. Vulnerability and helplessness had overcome him. His intelligent being was hidden – deposed by death. * * * It was a spring morning and the lake glistened in the sun. Not a ripple disturbed the perfect reflections. The smell of freshly painted wood hung in the air as the boat entered the water. Its green body caused it to appear like a lily-pad against the still expanse. I was trembling with excitement: I had never been on a boat before. We lived in the town where buildings filled the landscape. It was only when I came here on holiday that I got to see the amazing aspects of nature so forgotten in cities where cars and buses have taken over. First grandfather gave me a rod. He smiled as I looked at this alien object with uncertain eyes. He loaded the reel, explained how to make a blot knot, stuck on the tiny squirming pinkie and cast into the distance. He stressed the importance of doing this properly so as to avoid whipping your neighbour or startling the surrounding fish. Looking at granddad I stared intently at the thick folds throughout his face, his hunched over body and the shadows b eneath his eyes. As he cautiously scanned the horizon he noticed my attention had wavered and stared right into my soul seemingly extracting my thoughts. â€Å"Ethan, old age is nothing to fear but something to grasp with open arms and imagine the life past and still to come. You must remember that. This moment will pass but the memory remains forever and that’s what we hold on to even when death arrives.† I turned away not sure what he meant and focused back on my fishing. My line went taut and I was pulled back to the present. The fish wriggled desperately trying to free itself from the cruel spike threatening its life. It was helpless against my strong grasp. My determination to impress granddad and the weak power of the fish enabled me to reel the rod all the way in. I had caught a fish – a trout! It was avocado green speckled pink. I knew little of the types of fish but granddad told me it was a Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout native to this area. He smiled proud of what I had gained. * * * I wept bitter with regret as the pastor began to talk of grandfather’s life in such a dispassionate way. He knew nothing of the love I felt for him, of the kindness grandfather showed or of the suffering he endured in his last years. I wished I could have stood up and conjured up something which may have done him justice rather than this monatomic drone of weddings, birthdays and jobs. This was not all that my grandfather was. He was more than this. The room silenced as the pastor took to his seat. The roof of the coffin was replaced and the congregation bowed their heads remembering the man in their own way. I saw, not the cold lifeless face that had been laid before me this morning but the bright and warm-hearted glow from that fishing day. I saw him in his heaven with doves fluttering above a crystal ocean full of the most beautiful creatures.