History of American Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of American Islam - Essay Example Estevanico was the first Muslim to enter the historical records in the North America. He was a barber who originated from North Arica and explored the states of Arizona and New Mexico in the 1530s for the Spanish Empire. In 1586, Sir Francis Drake brought around two hundred Muslims the then English colony of Roanoke, which is the present Carolina. Drake’s convoy of some thirty ships had freed these Muslims from Spanish colonial forces in the Carribean where they had been condemned to hard labor as galley slaves.Approximately 15 to 30% of the slaves who were brought to America were Muslims. Some documented cases include abdulrahman Ibrahim Sori and Ayubu Suleiman Diallo 1701-1773. Yarrow Mamout one of the Muslims who bought his freedom had his portrait painted by renowned American artist Charles William Peale, and it is kept at Philadelphia Museum art. In 1831, Omar Ibn said who was an educated native of West Africa managed to write the only well-known American slave descriptio n in Arabic. In 1939 Sayyid Said, the ruler of the Oman ordered his ships to set sail to American on a trade mission, and this marked the point of Muslims friendly relationship with America. In 1854, the Ottoman Empire sent a gift to be included in the Washington Monument. In 1857 Bilali Mohammad, a slave on Sapelo Island, Geogia, managed to write the first and the lone existing book on Islamic Law printed in America and this book was called Bilali document.The first documented Muslim cemetery called the Ross has tombstones dating from 1882.

Fluency Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fluency - Assignment Example Visually impaired students will also be located in the front seats to ensure they can see the instructions being given. During the pre and post tests, visually impaired students will be given a written out test to ensure they are completing the test correctly using the correct words. A computer with CD-ROM software and internet connection will help students watch the book review online and related stories. Also, will help them research information on character education on the internet. Distribute The happy lion story book to each student. The teacher will instruct the student to pick from the various story books a book of choice and sit in their respective groups. The students will be instructed to analyze the book cover and state at least two characters identified. The students will also write down the analyzed character traits. The teacher will also pass a pre-test to assess their skills and knowledge on understanding and their fluency in treading the story. The teacher will then assess the student on the one-on-one basis for their ability to read fluency and speed in reading and character identification. The teacher will correct the mistakes in students reading and help them answer the pre-test correctly. Explain to the students: today we are going to read a short story the happy lion from a highly interesting story book by highly influential author. Assess the number, of students who have ever read the story. (Wait for the response to determine students’ interest in reading the story). It seems that many of you have never read the story. Well, I will help you go through the story and understand what the author says about fluency. Are you interested to read the story and assist me understand what the author is saying about character development? First, let look for the meaning of the word ‘fluency’. Fluency is the capacity of a person to read with speed, accuracy and right expression. Similarly, to be

Planning and development of BMW in Malaysia

Planning and development of BMW in Malaysia BMW Group is one of the worlds largest premium carmakers and BMW is also the parent of the company of BMW MINI and Rolls-Royce car brands, and, formerly, Rover. BMW headquarters in Munich, Germany. The company slogans in English are The Ultimate Driving Machine and Sheer Driving Pleasure. BMW was founded by Karl Friedrich Rapp in October 1913. Automobiles, motorcycles and financial services are three segments that operate by BMW and they manufactured the first passenger car running by hydrogen. BMW manufacturing is plant in Germany, Austria, UK, USA, Mexico, South Africa, Egypt, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and also Vietnam. BMWs main competitors include Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Cadillac, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo all of this are consider luxury brands of the car products. Nowadays, BMW is support by 11different types of series.( Knozolvilag, no date) According to the research, shown that there are 2 new divisions for BMW been introduce in October 1, 2007. Which are corporate and brand development will be lead by the director of corporate planning this is focus on the vital for brand management, corporate planning, and strategic implementation BMW. Second, purchasing and supplier network that headed by Dr.Herbert.Diess. The purpose are to reduce the material cost and expenses factor. (Nina Mendioli, no date) 1.2 LATEST FINANCIAL SITUATION 2010 BMW Malaysia economy continue to growth and sales up to August growing by 7.1% from 2,635 units to 2,893 units and are expected that reaching a total sales figure of 4,000 vehicles by the end of the year. So the financial overview BMW Malaysia consider in a well and positive situation. (Wemotor.com, 2010) *All in euro million *Sales: unit 2007 Net profit: 1,184 sales (automobiles): 1,551,490 cost of material: 36,638 (BMW, 2008) 2008 Net profit: 384 sales (automobiles): 1,446,055 cost of material: 34,044 (BMW, 2009) 2009 Net profit: 202 sales (automobiles): 1,231,893 cost of material: 28,300 (BMW, 2010) Overall the company performance, let see from net profit for automobile BMW from 2007 until last year 2009 are decreasing, especially around year 2008 in UK and US BMW company are hits by credit crunch (Chris Reiter, 2010); this are the reason of decreasing of net profit. But the sales for automobile are actually decreasing but not tat much are around 5 to 10% from 2007-2009. Next, for the cost of material for year 2008 to 2009 are decrease around 15 to 20%. 1.3 BMW MISSION STATEMENT BMW worldwide mission statement is: The mission statement up to the year 2020 is clearly defined: the BMW Group is the worlds leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility. (BMW education program, 2001-2010) 1.4 BMW CORE VALUE AND MARKET SHARE BMW is a world tops luxury car maker so they have their own financial core value which is ULTIMATE CARE to build up and maintain the customer relationship bye offering all-sided financial and insurance service. Uniqueness through diversity Leadership Teamwork Involvement in community Mutual respect Associate growth development Taking risks Excellence through quality innovation Courteous FAir Responsive Efficient (BMW financial service,2007) 2010 of April managing director of BMW Malaysia announced: they are confident with 2010 years sales and market share and will be better than 2009 because BMW already perform very well on 2009 although economy is downturn and BMW730Li and BMW Individual 760Li is launching so this make them more confident. (Nurul, 2008) 2.0 MARKET SITUATION 2.1 SECTOR TREND In Malaysia, BMWs main competitors are Mercedes, Audi and Lexus. In 2008 have been reported that sales are rise 32% compare with 2007. First seven months of 2009, BMW Malaysia sold 2,048 units compared with 2008 is 2,133 during the same period. So on for the first quarter 2010, Malaysia sale 967 and increase 14.0%. Malaysia BMW is doing very well for the moment. (Business time, no date), (EUGENE MAHALINGAM, 1995-2010), (Horatiu, 2010) 2.2 PESTEL The external audit are contain with PESTEL which are political change, environmental effects, socio-cultural change, technology change, Economic, and also legally in Malaysia. (FRANCES and STEPHEN, 2003.) The political change effects for BMW are actually not much. Overall of the political are actually have no impacts for BMW in Malaysia. Unless if we assume that the Malaysia politic suddenly become worst and confusion like: Thailand as an example, then it will directly effect BMW as no people will buy this luxury car at the suffering time while politic in the country is not stable. Because if the politic is not stable and always demonstrate everywhere in Malaysia, Malaysian will feel very dangerous and like taking a risk driving so expensive car while the car may just sacrifice on every time. Environmental automobile companies have to show that they responsibly use the available resources and care about the environment, so that wont pollute or damage the environment. In Malaysia, people are starting to have awareness of environmental issues and many company start to do go green for their company. BMW reduced plant emissions and vehicle consumptions, which required improvements in engine technology and aerodynamics. The BMW Group has a program call EfficientDynamics are to reducing the consumption. (Anonymous, 2000-2010) The socio-cultural are all about demographic, culture and attitude. In Malaysia, nowadays the age that the new generation starting working are mostly after college or University that mean age around 22 to 23 year old. So most of the people only start working and have specific amount of saving after working. So, it will be quite a time for younger people to buy BMWs car. The occupation is very important that because of the highly cost to purchase BMWs car, so people must have a successful job and image to afford before buy the car. The genders who afford to buy BMWs car are mostly male because quite many % of female in Malaysia are housewife so impossible to consume BMWs car without income. Location where have more people buy BMWs car are citizen because the income are optimize compare with villager. Technology for BMW in Malaysia its shows that the fields of security and alternative energies, e.g. hydrogen, electricity are the part that they focus on now. It also shows that in the automobile company we need to put a lot of efforts and invest into the RD. Technology is becoming the reputation of the vehicles and automobile manufacturers employ the use of technology by adding gadgets into their motors as an example are the BMW 7 series iDrive. To increase the engineering and the quality of the models, BMW use an advance technology on it. (Anonymous, 2000-2010) Economy is first about the reducing of the car demand because of the increasing of the petrol price. Next, if the economy in Malaysia goes down this will also affect BMW indirectly because will happen unemployment. The economy goes down and many peoples loss their job and have no income so that is impossible for Malaysian to purchase BMW luxury car during economy make everyone suffering. But for this moment Malaysia are not facing this problem yet. Apart of that, the inflation is also giving effects for BMW. Legally the legal factor is all about environmental protection law, employment law, and taxation policy. It is pollution control and remediation and to protect the environment and ensure that the BMWs car is not giving any negatives impacts to the environment in common sense. The employment law also very important in which it is all about relationship between employee and employer, and is to protect the right of the employee. Example: woman law, working hours law, labour medical law and etc. Any changes of the employment law that are not fair may affect the workers and directly affect BMW organization operation. 3.0 COMPETITOR SITUATION ( BMW AND COMPETITOR SWOT ANALYSIS) 3.1 BMW SWOT ANALYSIS Strength: The product development on the core platforms keeps its various brands distinct. BMW is one of the most successful multi-national brand premium car manufacturers. It is independently owned by BMW. BMW is the only car manufacturer possessing three non-overlapping premium car brands in the portfolio. BMW always want to be the best and keep focus on RD by number of the new models the group has released over few years. Weakness: Fail to enlarge the range because of the pricing are expensive and majority of the consumer are fail to afford it. BMW Company is associated with luxury price product. Highly cost in Germany headquarter manufacturer that affect the company profitability, and BMW still have not that much manufacturer in lower cost country such as Thailand, Vietnam and etc as what we can see now many of the competitor most of their manufacture are moving to the lower cost country. To maintain the BMW cars maintenance cost is heavy. Opportunities: Based on secondary data, China is ranks as third largest market for BMW 7 series luxury limousines. Dealers expand to many countries. Huge demand for smaller car in market Globalization expand and entering into the new market. Many potential in the Asian for the BMW market. Threats: The pricing of the oil is going up higher and higher once upon the time. The price of the raw material of the car is increasing and then offset the company earning. Dropping of the dollar against the euro being threaten to undercut BMW top line and so that decrease the profitability. The government policies of exchanging rate. Quite strong competitor like: Mercedes, Audi, Lexus. 3.2Competitor SWOT analysis (Mercedes-Benz) most direct competitor Strength SUV bumper Famous brand name like BMW More than 80% of the model still on the road Mercedes car resale are still valuable Successful F1 team Mercedes have roadside assistance connection Fuel cell concept to increase range and power for earlier version Weakness Building time Pricing too premium JIT (just in time) Waiting time Opportunities Joint venture Development of the new model Professional sport sponsor Environmentally car concept Maybach design concept Threats Entrance to new market Little to no experience BMW competitor, luxury small car with cheaper price 4.0 OBJECTIVE 4.1BMW SMART objective Malaysia Specific, measurable, achieving, realistic and time-based for the objective of BMW are seek to where would we want to go. It is very specific to example: profitability objective and promotion objective. BMW clear that what specific that they want to achieve, quantify the objective, it must be achievable and also realistic for the resources like money and people to achieve the objective and when do BMW want to achieve. FINANCIAL OBJECTIVE Sales volume objective 2010: Increase to around 10% to over 1.4 million units. Full year EBIT margin: Over 5% expected for automobile. Financial service: Earning more than last year (2009). Return on equity over 18% in 2010. Sales volume objective 2012 ¼Ã… ¡five-year plan of achieving annual sales of 1.8 million vehicles. CUSTOMER AWARNESS For individual customer service: Provide premium services for individual mobility. Customer relationship: Ultimate care and build up customers relationship by starting provide all-sided financial and insurance service. SOCIETAL OBJECTIVE Societal objective: Take care of the environment by doing more on RD, create car which are environmental friendly which are now the whole world concerning. Objective until 2020: BMW Group is the worlds leading provider of premium products. 2020 objective BMW: Reach annual sales of 2 million by 2020. 5.0 STRATEGY 5.1 CUSTOMER ANALYSIS BMW IN MALAYSIA There are three steps in the customer analysis which is fall into segmentation, target market, positioning. In the segmentation section BMW Company need to do for the psychographic segmentation, behavior segmentation, and profile characteristic to help the company to do the targeting more effective. The lifestyle and personality is group into the psychographic segmentation. Lifestyle and profile in Malaysia is depending on what are the persons occupation, and the family background. If they are professional and paid by the company very high salary or the family is rich and the parent can afford to buy the BMW car, and BMW rank as one of the top luxury carmaker. Research shows that the main market for the BMW is actually more than 65% of sales at Europe and North America, but Asian market is actually a big market. So this show that not most of the Malaysian can afford to buy the car but only some of the Malaysian that who can afford and the BMW lovers will be able to buy BMWs car. Beha vior segment are benefits sought and perceptions and beliefs. The person who able to purchase BMWs car may have successful image or very high income monthly, or they may want to have a modern, sport and luxury looks. Some of the Malaysian that who can afford to buy BMWs car are because of BMW brand superiority, performance, reliability and quality. (SlideShare, 2010). Furthermore, in Malaysia driver who can afford to drive BMW also depend on their place, in the city we can see more Malaysian driving BMW rather than rural location. It will still have but lesser if compare with city. Targeting is come after segmenting and it is very vital in the segmenting, targeting and positioning. BMW have a high competitive, the main manufacture that BMW compete with are as discussed before to name a few are Mercedes, Jaguar, Audi, Lexus, Porsche and etc. The products that other competitors manufacture produce have similar price, product, quality and image. Most of these competitors are special and valuable brands, and they use differentiated strategies to produce large ranges of cars and have same product life cycle with BMW. Each of these companies sells car with different brands image, Jaguar is seen as a luxury, reliable and quality producer that BMW also do the same thing but on the other hand Alfa Romeo is famous with their stylish and performance breed but unreliable car from the research. (SlideShare, 2010). Inside Malaysia we can see most of the gender who drive BMW still male more compare to female and the design are more suitable to boy compare to female although we can still see female driving BMW as long as they able to purchase it. In the positioning stage, we can position that in Malaysia most of the male can purchase BMW than female depend on their successfully of their occupation or image and also family background are one of the big reason. In the city of Malaysia have more people drive BMW than village and the competitive is actually not a very big affect for BMW because BMW brand have already build up for quite a long time and most of us can identify BMW logo on the road and BMW have it good reputation and high and trusted quality in Malaysia as well. So BMW operate has seen as a good and loyal consumer at the market they operate. 5.2 MARKETING MIX IN MALAYSIA The marketing mixes are 4ps (product, price, place and promotion). The most important thing in marketing mix is product. In an organization, to ensure their successful, they must first have product that can satisfy consumer desire and satisfaction like: BMW is car. As a marketing people, we need to develop a product into the brand and create single position in mind of customer. BMW present models are: BMW 3 series: sedan, coupe, convertible, touring and compact. BMW 5 series: sedan and touring BMW 6 series: coupe and convertible BMW 7 series: sedan BMW Z4 : Roadster BMW X3 : SUV BMW X5 : SUV BMW M : convertible and coupe (BMW Assignment, 2010) When each BMW product have been developed and introduce to market, we need to know a product life cycle. Any of the products are actually have a life cycle including car. So, we need to develop a car clearly know that where and when the product will be growth, mature and decline. PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE CURVE (NetMBA, 2002-2010) BMW know that the importance to making sure not all the product will at maturity level, so this might be result in the products beginning to decline which at the same time. Normally the product has a period of time to launch and take several years. When this series car going to mature level and the company will start to get something new to delivering the consumer new satisfaction. As an example: BMW company launches X5 at year 2000 and they launch new series of X5 at 2006. Next, BMW 3series, it 7 years life cycle and 7series for 7 years only for the first models life cycle was longer to 9 years. It is clear that BMW is spread over a period of time a life cycle of his 3 products. Many of the BMW cars need to manufactured, designed, and launched to ensure the car is attractive within the quality. Next, is the pricing for BMWs car in Malaysia. The pricing are from approximately RM203,800.00 to RM1,388,800.00. There are many factors that can affect the car price of car because of the engine size, motor sport version and etc. Example: the pricing strategies that have been used by BMW for the 3 series version. BMW 320d M SPORT price from 255,800.00, BMW 320i from 236,800.00, BMW 320i COUPE from 289,800.00, BMW 320i M SPORT from 248,800.00, BMW 323i from 275,800.00, BMW 325i CONVERTIBLE from 439,800.00, BMW 325i M SPORT from 309,800.00, BMW 335i COUPE M SPORT from 498,800.00. According to the research, most of the competitor like: Audi, Alfa Romeo their 3 series are also around the same price. The reasons are car industry is too big and not so important for the production cost and it is not necessary to earn a large profit. (CAR PRICE GUIDE 1995-2010), (SlideShare, 2010) The placement for BMW is also very vital. There are more than 10 dealers that we can find in Malaysia. Auto Bavaria ( Glenmarie, Johor Bahru, Kote Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching, Penang, Segambut, Sungai besi) , Ingress Auto, Lees Motor Auto Care, Sapura Auto, Seong Hoe Premium Motors and Tian Siang Premium Auto. The dealer which is nearer to the consumer place will be chosen and give the best services. BMW operates in more than 100 countries and with approximately 4000 plus dealers which are authorized to sell BMW new used car, parts and after sell service product are provided for all the BMW customers. (SlideShare, 2010), (BMW Malaysia, 2004). The process of BMW distribution: Manufacturer Dealers Consumers To do the promotion for BMW, on 28 October 2010 BMW have already introduce New Auto Bavaria which is the largest premium automotive dealership in the Southern Corridor of Peninsula Malaysia. By adding more dealers in Malaysia will also helping in promote BMW brand indirectly. (Sashi Ambi, BMW Malaysia, 2004) Malaysia BMW also does product planning, advertising and promotional activities. Planning campaign done to increase the sales volume. Event launches for the new models car. Below shows the advertising/campaign slogans that used by BMW: Slogans used: Positioned itself as the brand with the unique benefit of a luxury car that provides an exhilarating driving experience with advertising. The Ultimate Driving Machine. (Ezzy Get A Car, 2008-2009) Time frame: Established itself over time from its introduction in US market in 1974. Ran for 15years, overall brand-focus on prestige. (Ezzy Get A Car, 2008-2009) Next, promotion have been done also example: limited edition on 24 January 2010 are offered for the coming Chinese new years it involved (3 series and 5 series). In 2009 January 10and 11th, the open house is also invite all the peoples to join and offering attractive financing packages, cultural delights and Ang Pows worth up to RM888 (terms conditions apply) and BMW also offering interest rates from as low as 1.38% as a promote activity. Unbeatable interest rate of 1.38% from BMW Credit also offered by BMW if purchase limited BMW 5 series editions, BMW 523i Executive Edition and etc. (Ezzy Get A Car, 2008-2009) 6.0 FORECAST AND IMPLICATION IMPLICATIONS According to the BMW annual report shown that, from 2003- 2006 the net profit after minus the lost for last year is increasing. From 2005 to 2006 the net profit is increase around 28% and 2003 to 2004 are increase around16%. (BMW Group, no date). Only come to year 2007 to 2009 the company net profit is decreasing because of credit crunch issues. (Chris Reiter, 2010) But come to 2010 year assume that company margin can be increase around 10 %; and believe that after the economy straighten up 2010, their annual report for coming year 2011 and 2012 will be slightly increase from 5% to around 10% for their net profit and sales for automobile. I assume that on 2010 BMW Company sales of automobile (unit) will achieve to 1.4 million and until 2012 they hope to achieve to 1.8 million. So I assume that on 2009 to 2010 the sales (unit) automobile will increase 15% to achieve this 1.4million number and on 2011 to 2012 it will be increase around 16% to make it 1.8million for the sales (unit) of automobile. In short, will became the leader in the premium car manufacturer industry soon and create car which are more environmental friendly within 5 years. Conclusion In short, BMW is multinational companies that are considering very successful in the market. Many country have their dealer that already listed on the essay and their car are consider famous and premium concept are already key in to the whole world consumer concept. BMW car are now represent the status of a person, so they should have a very good marketing plans, strategies and new concept to compete with their strong competitor and continue to improving and make them better. In addition, with all the different PESTEL and 4ps as well that need to analysis deeply accordingly to the differences of country and so meet the local culture and local people need. Apart from that, it is very important for a company to do a proper company strategy. A company need to do a good segmenting of which segment of their products should fall into and then targeting who is their target market. Positioning come after targeting, a very good company needs to have a very good position in the target market. Following by the forecast their objective, must they clearly define what objective they need to achieve on which year (what and when). Next, work together with all the staff in the company and so the dealer to achieve it if possible. Lastly, by doing this all ways to make sure that BMW can stand last longer in the market and continue to produce quality car for the consumers in the market all around the world.

Graduation Speech: Go Create New Memories :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I was puzzled and wasn't sure what to talk about tonight. I had to prepare this speech ahead of time and turn it in for approval. I much prefer doing things spontaneously, using all the skills I have developed over the years, you know, sorta letting people (being the teachers and parents) know that we really were listening! It's much more fun interacting with other people, watching their reactions, and playing along with them. But, I had to do the right thing, So while I was contemplating my topic, it came to me - this is what I want you to take with you as we depart the Bryan Station School District and move on into life. I want you to remember the small, seemingly insignificant things that happened to you while you were growing up. You know, like the simple smile that your best friend gave you when you were really down and needed a boost. Like the many times you walked down the hall, high-fiving your buds, showing you cared without getting all goofy about it. You didn't even realize that they were down and just knowing they had a friend in you boosted them to face the next school challenge. Remember the time you were really thirsty in third grade, and went into the room after recess, only to remember that there was a party today, and there would be cupcakes and Kool-aid served in a matter of minutes? Remember saving a seat for your friend to sit on the bus, knowing that you were gonna share all the cool stuff you did yesterday? And how glad you were to be able to share this? Everyday, everything we do affects someone, somehow. My wish is for all of us to recall a kind gesture, a happy moment that happened unplanned, that really sticks in our minds, that made a big impact on us, and relive those moments in our future. Pass on that joy/hope/support, whatever you got out of it. Remember that you will be making new friends, that those people you have shared every day with for four or maybe 12 years will be going their separate ways. You will have many moments where you won't have anyone around to boost you up, where you won't be told if it is the right thing or the good thing to do.

An Analysis of My Fair Lady

HIS first big number, â€Å"With a Little Bit of Luck† was hilarious, and I think I enjoyed It more than â€Å"Get Me to the Church on Time† even though the latter Is the song you first think of associating with his character. HIS two dustmen friends were perfect as well, the three of them did the funniest little gig and the harmonize they did on the refrain was spot on. Scarcest sounded so exactly like Rexes Harrison it gave me chills. I have seen the 1964 film version of My Fair Lady eternally hundreds of times, I'm pretty sure I wore out the VS. version that my parents had when I was very young.I can hear Harrison reciting some of the most famous lines in my head. When Scarcest said â€Å"She's so De-Al-callously low, so HO-rivalry dirty,† the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The best number that Higgins did was probably â€Å"I'm an Ordinary Man†. The orchestra was fabulous especially In that song. â€Å"Vive Grown Accustomed to Her Face† has to be a close second. Aurora Florence played Elise Doolittle. Just because she wasn't my favorite character In this particular reduction does not mean she wasn't wonderful, because she was.She obviously worked very hard on her accents, and really she had the most work in that area to do since she had to learn both a Cockney accent and a proper English one. There was a few times where her Cockney fell flat, however. It seemed like she was concentrating too hard on the most â€Å"important† lines (â€Å"I washed me face an' ‘ands before I come, I did†, â€Å"C'mon Dover, move hay blooming' ears†) and I became aware that she was doing an accent, which is exactly what you don't want to happen, it breaks the magic. That Ewing said, Ms. Florence has a beautiful singing voice and played a very touching and convincing Elise.The costumes were unbelievable. All of Elijah's costumes were replicas of the costuming done in the film version. Even down to the flower girl outfit and the green skirt and white blouse that she wears In the â€Å"The Rain in Spain† scene. I didn't really realize It until the scene at the Ascot racetrack when Elise emerges In that white dress with the horizontal black and white ribbon and the enormous feathered hat. I'm pretty sure I squealed. My favorite costume of Elijah's is of course en gown Tanat seen wears to ten Massey Ball Ana ten costume gleaner 01 disappoint.The Jewels dripping from Elijah's neck, ears, and wrists (not to mention that gorgeous tiara) seemed even more dazzling in the bright stage lights than they did in the film version. To summarize, this was the best production that Vive seen outside of Chicago or SST. Louis. I would argue that it was done as well or better than most of the productions Vive seen at the Lyceum as well. Big League Productions has its own website, and is touring extensively all over the country. If you get the chance to see this play, Jump on it.

Producer Protection, Prior Market Structure and the Effects of Government Regulation

Producer Protection, Prior Market Structure and the Effects of Government Regulation Assignment on Regulatory Economics 1/5/2012 ? INTRODUCTION The direct economic regulation of business by independent government commissions has a one-hundred year history on the North American continent. It is generally asserted that the purpose of such commissions is to protect consumers from exploitation by limiting the economic powers of certain firms having pervasive effects on the public interest (for example, transportation companies and public utilities). However, the findings of the relatively few em-pirical studies of the economic effects of regulation indicate that important differences actually do exist in these effects. The disparities in these findings raise the question of why the actual economic effects of regulation differ among industries despite the supposedly common, avowed purpose of regulation. They also question whether a single hypothesis is adequate to explain the diverse effe cts of regulation. THREE HYPOTHESES REGARDING REGULATION 1. Consumer-Protection Hypothesis: This is the most popular of existing hypotheses. It implies that regulation will protect consumer interests by reducing prices until they equal marginal costs, by preventing discriminatory pricing, by improving service quality (at existing prices), by encouraging the entry of firms that are more efficient or that offer more preferred price/product combinations, and by reducing industry profits to the market rate of return. they often appear to promote the interests of regulated firms to the disadvantage of consumers. Despite the real purpose of regulation, the regulated industries have managed to pervert their regulators until the commissions become the protectors of the â€Å"regulated† rather than of consumers. 2. No-effect Hypothesis: This hypothesis implies that regulation has no effect on regulated industries (other than to impose certain costs in the performance of regulatory procedures). This situation could result if †¢an already powerful industry is able to control its regulators (the supplementary perversion hypothesis). †¢if the market structure prior to regulation were competitive and the actual effect of regulation is to obtain competitive performance †¢the prior market structure were monopolistic and the actual effect of regulation is to yield monopoly performance 3. Producer-Protection Hypothesis: It says that the actual effect of regulation is to increase or sustain the economic power of an industry. Such a situation could result if regulation converted a formerly competitive or oligopolistic industry into a cartel (that is, if regulation helped previously independent producers form an agreement to act together9), if it increased the effectiveness of an existing cartel, or if it maintained an existing monopoly (or cartel) where rival firms would otherwise enter to provide competition in response to the growth of markets or the development of new technology. Under this situation, one would expect to find regulation doing such things as increasing prices, promoting price discrimination, reducing or preventing the entry of rival firms, and increasing industry profits. The no-effect hypothesis does not appear to be generally descriptive of the effects of government regulation. The implications of the consumer-protection hypothesis also have a problem of reconciliation with available evidence and are quite inconsistent. The implications of the producer-protection hypothesis do turn out to be consistent with much of the available evidence regarding the effects of government regulation, once recognition is given to the effects of the prior (non-regulated) market structures of various industries. The obvious way to test the ability of the producer-protection hypothesis to explain the apparently diverse effects of regulation within the context of prior market structure is to classify regulated industries into two groups on the basis of their non-regulated market structures, and then investigate the impact of regulation on industries within each group. One group should include those industries whose prior market structure was a natural monopoly. This group would include electric utilities, natural gas pipelines, local gas distribution companies, telephone companies, etc. The second group should consist of industries having oligopolistic or competitive market structures prior to the implementation of regulation, for example, airlines, motor carriers, railroads, and water carriers. If the producer-protection hypothesis is descriptive of the fundamental effects of regulation, one would expect to find regulation having little or no effect on the first group, whereas the second group would experience substantial changes following the effective implementation of regulation. ? NATURAL MONOPOLY INDUSTRIES Among other things, effective monopolies are characterized by relatively high price levels, by extensive price discrimination, and by rates of return on investment exceeding those attainable if the firm operated in a competitive market structure. Thus, the producer-protection hypothesis implies that following the implementation of regulation over natural monopolies, the price level will be essentially unchanged and will be above marginal costs, price discrimination will continue to be widely practiced, and rates of return will remain above those which would exist under competition. Price level At least three studies have been made regarding the effects of regulation on electric utility price levels. Taken together, these three studies indicate that regulation has had a limited effect on lowering electric utility rates and that most of its benefits have been enjoyed by commercial and industrial consumers rather than the more numerous residential consumers. Also, it seems relevant that it took about 25 years for state regulation to be associated with any reduction in commercial and industrial rates, and around 45 years for it to be reflected in lower prices for residential consumers. Davidson presented the price relatives of average gas rates charged by the Consolidated Gas Electric Light and Power Company of Baltimore from 1910. During the 43 years covered by these data, rates decreased from 1910 to 1918, then increased until mid-1923, decreased and then generally remained constant to 1947, increased sharply in two steps in 1947 and 1949, and then fell again in 1950. The Company was more active than the Commission in granting rate decreases, while the two instituted the same number of increases. Furthermore, it can be seen that the industrial users enjoyed proportionally more rate decreases than their proportional share of rate increases. Evidence shows that Company originated changes resulted in net rate decreases for all nine user categories with the major beneficiaries being the medium and large domestic users, and the large industrial users. In comparison, the Commission ordered or negotiated rate changes resulted in net rate increases for small and medium domestic users, and small commercial users, while the major beneficiaries of Commission actions were the large commercial and the small and medium industrial users. Overall, the largest users enjoyed the greatest rate reductions during the 43-year period, while the smallest users either had small increases or decreases. This leads to the conclusion that factors other than regulation were important in these rate reductions. And the above evidence shows that the Commission's regulation did not always result in lower rates, and that the Company was more active than the Commission in instigating rate decreases. Price Discrimination The literature regarding public utility pricing is unanimous in agreeing that discrimination is widely practiced by electric utilities, natural gas pipe-lines, local gas distribution companies, and telephone companies. Stigler and Friedland found that in 1917 and 1937 both the regulated and the nonregulated electric utilities discriminated against domestic (residential) consumers in favor of industrial consumers, with no difference existing in the degree of price discrimination after allowance was made for the relative consumption of electricity by the two classes of consumers in the various states. Thus, they concluded that regulation had no detectable effect on price discrimination. Some studies indicate that in those years price discrimination might have been even greater under regulation. Since price discrimination is a matter of price structure, it is clear that, regulation has had little or no effect on any price discrimination. . The existing studies all indicate that regulation has not significantly decreased the power of natural monopolies to practice extensive price discrimination. Thus, the producer-protection hypothesis seems to be more applicable in describing this situation than the consumer-protection hypothesis with its implication of a reduction in or absence of price discrimination. It is not surprising to find discriminatory pricing consistently practiced by natural monopolies, be they regulated or non-regulated. So long as economies of scale result in decreasing long-run average costs, marginal costs will lie below average costs, and equating a single price for all customers to marginal cost will result in the eventual bankruptcy of the firm and the termination of service. Even given the usefulness of discriminatory, multi-part pricing in sustaining a natural monopoly without subsidy, it should still be possible for regulatory commissions to reduce the price discrimination practiced by regulated natural monopolies relative to that practiced by those that are not regulated. The available evidence indicates that this has not been achieved. Rates of Return There is some evidence that regulation has not significantly altered the rates of return of privately-owned electric utilities. Specifically, Stigler and Friedland found no effect of regulation on stock prices of electric utilities from 1907 to 1920. Continuing plant growth and continuing flows of investment funds should be proof-of-pudding tests that the Commission restrictions have not yet become excessive constraints. The success of utilities in general in selling bond and common stock issues, and the lack of bankruptcies in â€Å"recent years† are evidence that the rates of return of regulated utilities have been at least equal to the market rates of return. The regulated rates of return have been high enough to attract the capital necessary for rapid expansion by the electric, gas pipeline, and telephone utilities, but there is no indication of how much different the rates of return or the growth rates of these utilities would have been without regulation. OLIGOPOLISTIC INDUSTRIES The producer-protection hypothesis implies that regulated industries whose natural market structures were oligopolistic or competitive prior to regulation will experience substantial changes following the implementation of regulation. There should be significant increases in price levels, price discrimination should be greater, and rates of return improved. Perhaps crucially important, the producer-protection hypothesis implies that effective regulation will also restrict or delay entry into the industry in order to prevent new suppliers from capturing some of the regulatory benefits gained by existing producers. Price levels Airline passenger fares within California have been subject to regulation by the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC), but, in contrast to the complete regulation of both fare decreases and increases, through 1965 the regulation was limited to automatically approving all proposed fare decreases while imposing brief delays on the implementation of requested fare increases. The result of these differences in regulation was that coach fares within California were consistently lower than such fares in similar regulated markets. The available evidence regarding the effects of regulation on price level for formerly oligopolistic industries is consistent and unambiguous. Regulatory actions and procedures have allowed the carriers in each industry to reach agreements regarding prices and to enforce adherence to these agreements. The result has been substantial increases in price levels for the interstate airlines, the freight motor carriers, and the railroads. Without regulation prices would be from 9 to 50 per cent lower than they are with regulation, with many reductions in the long-run exceeding 30 per cent. Price Discrimination A consistent pattern also emerges regarding price discrimination by these three transport modes. Large differences have been found in the extent to which price discrimination has been practiced by the CAB-regulated interstate airlines (with their much higher price levels) compared with the relatively non-regulated California intrastate carriers. The time honored use of the value-of-service method of pricing in establishing rates, the adjustment of the resulting rates in response to intermodal competition, the relatively low marginal costs of movements combined with large fixed costs, the extensive joint production and common costs, and the application of commodity rates to 85 per cent of all rail freight traffic, have combined to make the use of discriminatory pricing the norm among the railroads. Over 100 years of development have resulted in a marvel of complicated discriminatory pricing. Given the pervasiveness of price discrimination in rail and motor transportation, the question arises whether regulation has significantly changed the degree and amount of discrimination. it does appear that personal discrimination has been reduced. Due to the usefulness of the regulation in sustaining rail-road rates, the need for personal discrimination was largely eliminated. Its demise is not therefore surprising. Since regulation provides such rate control, it appears to have made possible the pervasive and long-lived commodity price discrimination practiced by the railroads and to have supported their extensive use of locational discrimination. An even greater effect on price discrimination has resulted from the application of regulation to the motor carrier industry. Since monopoly power is a necessary condition for price discrimination, and since regulation appears to be necessary for monopoly to exist in the motor carrier industry, it follows that regulation has been the primary cause of price discrimination in this industry, and that much less discrimination would exist without regulation. In total, the above analysis shows that regulation has been the essential ingredient for long-term price discrimination in those transportation industries whose nonregulated market structures would be oligopolistic or competitive. Rate of Return It proved difficult to estimate whether public utilities have been able to obtain higher than market rates of return under regulation. This is also the case for the transportation industries. Since regulation has clearly resulted in increased price levels and greater price discrimination among the airlines, motor carriers, and railroads, one would expect increased rates of return to be a result. Data indicate that railroad profits did increase during the period that effective regulation was being developed, and prior to the beginning of the railroad's decline. This conclusion is supported by the history of the railroad's rates of return on book investment from 1890 to 1968. Just as monopoly power is no guarantor of excess profits, it can be seen that regulation does not guarantee the achievement of greater than market rates of return by an industry, especially one that is in secular decline. from 1956 to 1965, the most successful of the California intrastate carriers (Pacific Southwest Airlines) had returns on stockholder equity of from 0. 0 to 227. 2 per cent, with most returns being between 30 and 45 per cent. 4 On the face of it, this indicates that while the CAB has approved liberal rates of return and that such returns have been achieved in some years by the regulated airlines, the most successful non-regulated airline has enjoyed generally higher returns. Overall, the above evidence is quite inconclusive regarding whether regu-lation has raised the rates of return for these regulated industries. Entry Control There was no need to con sider entry control in the case of the public utilities since, as natural monopolies, only one firm can operate efficiently in any market. Therefore, the most regulation can do is to decide which one of several alternative firms should be allowed to provide the desired service in various markets. Assuming comparable operating efficiency, this is a matter of a wealth transfer between individual firms with little effect on fundamental economic results. Wherever two or more firms can survive in a market, how-ever, entry control is vitally important for the maintenance of a monopoly or cartel. Without such control, any larger than normal profits will attract new suppliers to the industry, thereby reducing the benefits available to the exist-ing producers. Thus, an indication of producer protection by regulatory com-missions is their effectiveness in limiting entry into an industry. It is important to note, however, that while regulation has served to re-strict entry and hold down the number of regulated airlines and motor carriers, it has failed to limit the inflow of resources into these industries because of two fundamental imperfections in the regulatory framework. The first imper-fection results from there being little or no control over the amounts of re-sources each existing carrier can bring into the industry. The second stems from the fact that the CAB and the ICC have no power to assign specific market shares to individual carriers where two or more carriers are authorized to provide comparable service. Since regulation prevents the carriers from utilizing price rivalry to obtain larger market shares, they turn to service-quality rivalry in their endeavors to obtain increased shares of the cartel benefits available in each market. The result is chronic over capacity despite (or because of) regulation. CONCLUSION The evidence presented above has not always been clear and unambiguous, but the essential thrust has been consistent with implications derived from the producer-protection hypothesis, once the effects of prior market structure were taken into consideration. In important respects, regulation has not had significant impact on public utilities (whose non-regulated market structures are natural monopolies), whereas it has substantially influenced the transportation industries (having oligopolistic or competitive non-regulated market structures). With regard to price level, regulation has clearly increased the prices charged by airlines, railroads, and freight motor carriers. In contrast, it ap-pears to have had only limited and long-delayed effects in lowering electric utility rates, with most of the few regulatory benefits going to industrial and commercial consumers, that is, to the consumers who already possess consider-able market power and whose large use of electricity makes it worthwhile to seek to influence regulatory decisions. In addition, the evidence from one local utility shows that gas rates were increased and decreased by both regulatory and company actions, with no clear pattern of regulatory effects. There was a similar pattern of effects regarding price discrimination. Little change in this practice resulted from regulating the natural monopolies, except for those cases where discriminatory prices appeared. On the other hand, industries whose prior market structures were oligopolistic or competitive were able to practice extensive price dis-crimination with regulation, while they had difficulty doing so without it. The evidence regarding rates of return is quite inconclusive. Overall, remarkably little of the available evidence suggests that consumers are protected by regulation. The producer-protection hypothesis yields implications that, by and large, are consistent with what is found to have occurred as a result of regulation. It follows that wherever substantial monopoly power exists in a non-regulated market structure, regulation should have relatively little impact; and, where there is little or no monopoly power in the prior market structure, regulation should have an important impact by help-ing formerly independent producers form a cartel for their benefit and protection. It is probably incorrect to conclude that the producer-protection hypothesis is the most predictive of all possible hypotheses regarding the effects of government regulation.

This essay outlines several classic greek and roman inventions that have influenced our lives today. It clearly shows the invention and then explains how it has affected daily life.

This essay outlines several classic greek and roman inventions that have influenced our lives today. It clearly shows the invention and then explains how it has affected daily life. Both Greek and Roman influences have had a major impact on the world today. For instance, the Olympics have survived to this day and even retain much of its former meaning of peace. Another important invention is the calendar; the modern calendar is based upon the Roman version. Even our military uses inventions from Greek times. Greek fire has inspired the creation of petroleum bombs and napalm weaponry, and spurred the terrorist favorite of psychological warfare.The Olympics represent the height of sports competition in which athletes train for their entire lives in order to win. While the competitive drive of today's athletes is no less than that of the Greeks, today's Olympics are much less violent. In ancient Greece, instead of using boxing gloves, leather was strapped to the opponents' hands, leaving the fingers free and adding a sting to the punch. These sports represent the constant training people underwent to hone their bodies to physical perfection and pit their abilities in a man vs.Olympics 242man competition where only the best would win. Today's Olympics are more team oriented, and the success of the team depends on everyone's physical conditioning and skill as opposed to ancient Greece, where the games were more individualized. Despite the physical violence involved in ancient Greek Olympics, the games promoted peace. In Greek times the entire old world would cease war to participate in the Olympics. Today, while the games are less violent, the meaning of peace is not as strong. For example, the Olympics were cancelled for World War II. However, the meaning of peace is not totally lost, as is apparent in North and South Korea's unification for the games.Romans concocted one extremely important invention that is still in use today, the calendar. The Roman calendar was almost completely accurate,

Top 5 ACT Reading Strategies

Top 5 ACT Reading Strategies The ACT Reading test is, to many of you students out there, the most difficult of the three  multiple-choice tests on the exam. It contains four passages of approximately 90 lines in length with 10 multiple-choice questions following each passage. Since you only have 35 minutes to read each passage and answer the questions, its necessary that you use some ACT Reading strategies to boost your score. Otherwise, your scores will land somewhere in the teens, which is not going to help you get a scholarship. Time Yourself You will not be able to have your cell phone during the test, so bring a watch that has a silent timer, silent being the key word. Since youll be answering 40 questions in 35 minutes (and reading the passages that go along with them) youll need to pace yourself. Some students who take the ACT Reading test have reported only being able to finish two of the four passages because they took too long to read and answer. Keep an eye on that watch! Read the Easiest Passage First The four ACT Reading passages will always be arranged in this set order: Prose Fiction, Social Science, Humanities, and Natural Science. However, this doesnt mean that you have to read the passages in that order. Choose the passage thats easiest to read first. For instance, if you happen to like stories, then go with Prose Fiction. If youre a little more scientific-minded, then choose Natural Science. Youll have an easier time answering questions about a passage that interests you, and doing something right builds your confidence and sets up you for success in the next passages. Success always equals a higher score! Underline and Summarize When youre reading the passages, be sure to quickly underline important nouns and verbs as you read and jot down a brief summary of each paragraph (as in two-three words) in the margin. Underlining important nouns and verbs not only helps you remember what youve read, it also gives you a specific place to refer to when youre answering the questions. Summarizing is key to understanding the passages in their entirety. Plus, it allows you to answer those What was the main idea of paragraph 1? types of questions in a flash. Cover The Answers If youve gotten the gist of the passage, then rely on your memory a little bit and cover up the answers to the questions when you read them. Why? You may just come up with the right answer to the question and can find the match inside the answer choices. Since ACT writers include tricky answer choices to test your reading comprehension (a.k.a. distractors), the wrong answer choices can often trip you up. If youve thought of the correct answer in your head before reading them through, youll have a higher likelihood of guessing correctly. Review Reading Basics You will be tested on whether or not you can find the main idea, understand vocabulary in context, detect the authors purpose, and make an inference. Youll also need to be able to quickly and accurately find details inside the paragraphs, kind of like a word search! So, before you take the ACT Reading test, be sure to review and practice those reading concepts. Youll be glad you did! Summary Practicing with ACT Reading strategies is key for successful usage. Do not go blind into the test. Practice these reading strategies at home with some practice exams (purchased in a book or online), so you have them firmly under your belt. Its much easier to answer questions when youre not being timed, so master them before you get to the testing center. Good luck!

5 Top Tips for NaNoWriMo Blog

5 Top Tips for NaNoWriMo Blog 5 Top Tips for NaNoWriMo It’s November! And for aspiring authors, that means one thing: National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo for short). The aim is to write a novel at least 50,000 words long in thirty days. And while that might sound ambitious, we have a few tips to help you get there. 1. Sign Up at the NaNoWriMo Website The official NaNoWriMo website provides lots of resources for writers. It also has a system where you can earn badges and track your progress, offering handy targets to keep you motivated. So before you begin writing, sign up and take a look at the tools available. 2. Write Every Day (And Plan for When You Don’t) You have thirty days to write 50,000 words, which works out at roughly 1,666 words per day. This is easily achievable if you put aside time each day to do a bit of writing. Don’t worry if you miss a day, though. The solution is to schedule â€Å"catch up† days when you know you’ll have more time to spare. This will ensure you can make up for days off, or even just boost your word count. Time to get typing!(Image: Kishore D R/YouTube) 3. Connect with Other NaNoWriMo Writers The best thing about NaNoWriMo is that you’re never alone. All around the world, thousands of writers are taking on the same task as you, so why not use this to your advantage? Whether on social media or via the NaNoWriMo forums, you’ll have plenty of chances to discuss the NaNoWriMo experience, as well as sharing tips for hitting that target word count. You can even look for other writers in the same part of the world as you. 4. Take Care of Yourself Just as with The Tortoise and the Hare, slow and steady wins the race when it comes to novel writing. So no matter how jazzed you feel about your novel-in-progress, remember that too many late-night sessions and skipped meals will lead to burnout. The hare stayed up too late writing and cant do anything useful today. Dont be the hare. Instead, make sure to eat healthily, get plenty of rest, and generally take care of yourself.   This will ensure you have enough energy to keep going and hit your target by November 30. 5. Avoid Perfectionism (For Now) It doesn’t matter if what you write isn’t perfect at first. The editing and proofreading comes later. And this is when you can turn your first draft into a polished manuscript ready for publishing. For now, concentrate on getting a first draft finished! Everything else can wait. Summary: 5 Top Tips for NaNoWriMo If you are doing NaNoWriMo this month, keep these tips in mind: Sign up to nanowrimo.org to access handy tools and resources. Try to set aside a time to write every day (and set aside days when you have more time to write in case you miss a day and need to catch up). Get in touch with other NaNoWriMo writers to share ideas and support. Make sure to eat healthily and get plenty of rest to keep your energy up. Don’t worry if what you write isn’t perfect; you can edit it all later! Good luck! And don’t forget to let us know if you need a proofreader.

Popular Culture in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Popular Culture in America - Essay Example Swann (2012) states that Cultural value of The Godfather trilogy begins in its depiction of the American Dream and effectively American culture. James Truslow Adams illustrates the American Dream in his book, Epic of America, as a â€Å"Vision and fantasy of a land-living in which lifecycle should be improved and more well-off and filled for all nobleman, with opportunities and chances for everyone according to their ability, skills or achievement† (Swann, 2012).The Godfather was based in the late 1940's in New York City. The story was concerning the Corleone family, which was headed by Vito Corleone. He had four sons, older son named Santino, also known as Sunny. After that son was Fredo and the youngest son was Michael which was in the military at the beginning of the movie and afterward stepped up to be the head of the family business (Swann, 2012). Lastly, there was the adopted son Tom.Vito too had a daughter, Connie who went during the pain of the family business and she was not even concerned in it.According to Cuizon, (2008) The Godfather was a sort of confusing, yet extremely entertaining movie in which the godfather, who was Vito Corleone, listens to needs and requests from other people. Sollozo propels some of his people to kill the godfather, and after he was shot, it was not identified whether he was alive or dead. Sonny, the eldest son in the Corleone family, go on with the family business, they send Michael to slay both Sollozo and his bodyguard. Later than he does this, Michael flee and goes to live in Sicily; and then Sonny gets slaughter, and Don Corleone go back to his home. After a few years, Michael came back to America and continues the business. And they end up by assassination of all the other Five Families; Don Corleone dies, and Michael Corleone becomes the new Godfathers. (Cuizon ,2008) 2.2: Analysis I consider this as a fantastic film; although at times I consider I was mystified, may be because of all the fresh characters, and the lengthy plot. Yet it amazed me, since it has a well-planned plot, and you can recognize the whole thing entirely well, however it doesn’t seem like it. The film was truly admired by audiences from all around the world. Each scene of this film was well designed and rich by the contextual aspects which have been waiting to be interpreted; such as the Baptism scene was able to be declared as master-piece work, and also the enormous filming work of all time. Coppola applies these exceptional aspects to generate the optional visual presentation throughout his film which not only enlighten the story but also position the thematic note, and in the same time

Cuture deferences and debates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Cuture deferences and debates - Essay Example Focusing on the negative effects of social media to society, there is the issue of formation of groups in websites such as facebook where people motivate each other to carry out certain activities that affect the society negatively. This is from the fact that these negative ideas are spread from one person to another through the sites and affect the society in a poor manner. Social networking also affects the society through the fact that these sites provide a place where people can meet and talk without necessarily visiting the other person. This has generated a character of laziness in this generation and thus young people do not even go out to look for employment opportunities to improve their living standards that would generally affect the society positively (Wit 43). This is from the fact that with a stable means of income, the rates of theft and armed robbery in the society goes down. Another major impact that social networking has had on society is through young children. In the contemporary world, it is quite normal to find a very young kid demonstrating his prowess in using the internet. If the parents do not show these kids appropriate values from a young age, they end up following all the activities that they see on the internet (Carr 142). A great example is a situation where a young person decides to go through tattooing of the entire body. Having tattoos is not a negative concept as long as the age is appropriate. However, having a young kid learn this from the internet may lead to him stealing from his mother or even other society members in an effort to get the money to go get a tattoo. Social networking through dating sites has also led to the end of marriages where spouses are caught cheating on each other through messages and other related means. This has affected the society negatively and without the appropriate action, the situation might escalate in the future. Despite the

Should Americans have free universal health care Research Paper

Should Americans have free universal health care - Research Paper Example However, the health insurance project does not give an impression of achieving its intended purpose of providing quality health security. In the contemporary American society, health security seems to be confined to a given section of the local populace. I am a loyal retiree and an inhabitant of the United States of America. No member of my entire family is currently entitled to health insurance coverage. My health insurance coverage was, unfortunately, withdrawn when I lost my job. Nonetheless, I do admit that even when I enjoyed the privileges that come with full-time job, I never benefited from the scheme as to my expectations. Consequently, my quest for valuable health care services coerced me into conducting a research on the proposed free Universal Health Care; its legitimacy and suitability to the ordinary American population. The research paper is a detailed, analytical editorial based on a number of past research studies. INTRODUCTION The universal health care, also known as the social health protection, is a system which provides quality health coverage and financial shield to all citizens of a given country. Its key goal is to provide a significant package of financial and medical promotions to all members of the state’s populace. ... Today, scores of debates and arguments have developed in America pertaining to whether or not the Universal health coverage is morally justified. The so called Obama Care was established and approved in 2010 as an idea of the Institute of Medicine. Its principal concern is to ensure that all Americans have affordable health coverage by 2014. The Americans’ take on the current health care system Most American citizens sympathize with the fact that the present-day American healthcare system is skewed toward the concern of corporate bodies rather than independent individuals and small scale business units. The contemporary American health insurance policy employs a scheme known as pooling in which employers attached to large corporations insure their employees with health care insurances, subject to contract. However, there is usually a wide disparity between the sick and healthy as a majority of the insured employees live healthily. As a matter of facts, the said discrepancy cov ers the expenses of the sick resulting to sound premiums for the companies’ employees. Conversely, this approach is only appropriate for companies with the substantial number of employees thus creating hurdles for undersized businesses. Miniature business units find sheer intricacy in covering their employees. This is attributed to the high ratio of the hill to the healthy resulting in sky-scraping premiums. In contrast, such establishments often fail to afford the premiums hence opt out of upholding the health coverage system for their employees. As a result, most American employees in the small business sector tend to believe that the proposed free Universal health coverage will be a better deal if well implemented.

Reflecting the films you have watched (The Social Network and Wall Essay

Reflecting the films you have watched (The Social Network and Wall Street 2), and citing a minimum of 3 journal articles, discus - Essay Example Each factor played a pivotal role in the development of the story line in each movie. While some factors were more important than others, it is important to go through all of the factors associated with the PESTLE analysis. In terms of the Political environment, Wall St. 2 starts with the release of Gordon Gekko from prison as a result of insider trading. This set the environment for his alienation from the finance industry. He leverages his relationship with his future son-in-law Jake, for access to his daughters’ money. As a political outcast, Gordon was forced to make back door deals in order to start his offshore finance company. The situation was similar in the Social Network. Mark began the movie sitting at a table deliberating over his actions that led to the ensuing lawsuit. Intellectual property rights are a growing body of legal work that has yet to be developed into an exact science. Hence, the political environment for his actions was ripe, in so far as he may not be able to get away with the same actions years down the road. The Facebook is seemingly a compilation of the ideas of other individuals, while he did not draft the entire concept of others ideas, he took bits and pieces of their information. Fortunately, our nation was at a point where we wanted something new and were willing to stand behind it. The economic environment actually has a close link to the political environment. Both movies were based in the modern era which means that they both shared the same economic environment, yet there were two completely different outcomes. While Jake suffered massive losses as of the change in the economy, that very same transition offered opportunity to Mark. Specifically, in 2007 there was a massive financial failure within the stock market. The bottom fell out of the housing market and banking institutions were merely trading with fiat cash that wasn’t there to begin with. This forced financial executives to pass on the losses to the individuals within the market. As a natural consequence, there was a panic and everyone with money in stocks headed towards the quickest exits. Mark had a different experience with the creation of his internet giant. Just when people assumed that the internet had reached its maximum functionality, he was able to innovate and create a new method through which consumers could interact. In fact, he was able to generate an entirely new stream of revenue that relied on a non-traditional market. The social environment for both of the movies seemed to be equal. The main character in each movie seemed to either be accepted by those who are closest and misunderstood by those who watched from a distance. Specifically in Wall St.2, Jake was accepted by those who worked within his financial firm and even the alternative energy business. While at the same time, his competitor merely wanted to use him in order to protect their own business. Additionally, Mark was viewed as an investment by his à ¢â‚¬Å"best friend†. Mark felt as if he was under appreciated for doing all of the work within the company and since he was responsible for making the right business decisions, he felt as if he was entitled to greater representation in terms of shares. The changing technological environment played a pivotal role in the development of each story line. Specifically, the role of the alternative e

Stem Cells Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stem Cells - Research Paper Example Cell-based devices are among the most appropriate techniques that surgeons have proposed. These approaches may provide effective therapeutic opportunities for repairing damaged bones due to injury or disease. The source of cells for cell-based approaches includes xenogenic, allogenic, and autologous cells. Scientists have discovered the use of Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC), which have proved to be effective in the repair of damaged bones. The source of the ESCs includes the blastocysts’ inner cell mass, which undergo fast cell division to replace the lost bone tissues. ESCs differentiate into osteogenic cells in selective culture environment. This property makes the ESCs to be effective in repairing or replacing the lost bone tissue (Kahle et al., 2010). Materials and Methods C57BL/6 mice acted as the source of the inner cell mass of blastocysts, which provided the embryonic stem cells. It was necessary to test the cells to ensure that they were positive for the experimentation. 1.5 x 106 cells were cultured in every Petri dish containing Dulbecco Eagle to enhance osteogenic differentiation. Dulbecco Eagle was changed in a daily basis and the embryonic stems cells were split once after two days through detachment with trypsin (Kahle et al., 2010). ... 2. Kitchen, S. G., Shimizu, S., & An, D. S. (2011). Stem cell-based anti-HIV gene therapy. Virology,  411, 260–272. Background There is a pressing need to develop an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. It has been a deadly disease because scientists have not yet developed effective medication or vaccination strategy. However, scientists have developed antiretroviral drug therapy, which has enabled the infected individuals to live for long before the virus takes full control of the immune system. There is a need for new techniques that can replace or complement existing antiretroviral drug therapy. It will be significant for scientists to develop new techniques that will fully control the virus and restore the damaged immune system. The recent technology of developing stem cell-based therapy as well as the technologies that make it possible for these cells to undergo genetic modification, has motivated scientists to work toward finding an appropriate medication for HIV infection (Kitchen, Shimizu, & An, 2011). Scientists have used hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy technique to ensure that the immune system of the infected individuals develops a long-term resistance to HIV. Hematopoietic stem cells have the capability of differentiation and self-renewal that bring about hematopoietic lineages. New genes due to hematopoietic stem cells have the ability to continue producing the anti-HIV genes in the differentiated cells, which includes cells such as macrophages, CD4 and T-lymphocytes (Kitchen, Shimizu, & An, 2011). Methods Because of the recent stem cell technology, scientists have a number of techniques that will possible cure HIV infection. They have employed a variety of methods to bring about an appropriate intervention such as

Discrimination and the Future of Marriage Coursework

Discrimination and the Future of Marriage - Coursework Example For instance, Miranda vs Arizona was something that proved to be in violation of fourth amendment. As far as the 14th amendment is concerned, In addition, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law while the Fifteenth Amendment declines racial discrimination during elections. However one must wonder, even with all the legislations enacted, discrimination continues to be the focal point in society. The first section is violated by DOMA because it induces â€Å"abridge the privileges of immunities of the citizens.† Since DOMA strictly confines a heterogeneous marriage, it goes against the fourteenth amendment. The fourteenth amendment allows individuals to have equal rights amendment, but the Supreme Court took this approach very subjectively. The 14th amendment is explicit that, â€Å"Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. At this point, the congress exercises its full power by ensuring that marriages are

Stem Cells Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stem Cells - Research Paper Example Cell-based devices are among the most appropriate techniques that surgeons have proposed. These approaches may provide effective therapeutic opportunities for repairing damaged bones due to injury or disease. The source of cells for cell-based approaches includes xenogenic, allogenic, and autologous cells. Scientists have discovered the use of Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC), which have proved to be effective in the repair of damaged bones. The source of the ESCs includes the blastocysts’ inner cell mass, which undergo fast cell division to replace the lost bone tissues. ESCs differentiate into osteogenic cells in selective culture environment. This property makes the ESCs to be effective in repairing or replacing the lost bone tissue (Kahle et al., 2010). Materials and Methods C57BL/6 mice acted as the source of the inner cell mass of blastocysts, which provided the embryonic stem cells. It was necessary to test the cells to ensure that they were positive for the experimentation. 1.5 x 106 cells were cultured in every Petri dish containing Dulbecco Eagle to enhance osteogenic differentiation. Dulbecco Eagle was changed in a daily basis and the embryonic stems cells were split once after two days through detachment with trypsin (Kahle et al., 2010). ... 2. Kitchen, S. G., Shimizu, S., & An, D. S. (2011). Stem cell-based anti-HIV gene therapy. Virology,  411, 260–272. Background There is a pressing need to develop an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. It has been a deadly disease because scientists have not yet developed effective medication or vaccination strategy. However, scientists have developed antiretroviral drug therapy, which has enabled the infected individuals to live for long before the virus takes full control of the immune system. There is a need for new techniques that can replace or complement existing antiretroviral drug therapy. It will be significant for scientists to develop new techniques that will fully control the virus and restore the damaged immune system. The recent technology of developing stem cell-based therapy as well as the technologies that make it possible for these cells to undergo genetic modification, has motivated scientists to work toward finding an appropriate medication for HIV infection (Kitchen, Shimizu, & An, 2011). Scientists have used hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy technique to ensure that the immune system of the infected individuals develops a long-term resistance to HIV. Hematopoietic stem cells have the capability of differentiation and self-renewal that bring about hematopoietic lineages. New genes due to hematopoietic stem cells have the ability to continue producing the anti-HIV genes in the differentiated cells, which includes cells such as macrophages, CD4 and T-lymphocytes (Kitchen, Shimizu, & An, 2011). Methods Because of the recent stem cell technology, scientists have a number of techniques that will possible cure HIV infection. They have employed a variety of methods to bring about an appropriate intervention such as

Eating Too Much Meat Will Kill You Essay Example for Free

Eating Too Much Meat Will Kill You Essay Bill Cosby once stated, â€Å"Did you ever see the customers in health-food stores? They are pale, skinny people who look half dead. In a steak house, you see robust, ruddy people. They’re dying, of course, but they look terrific.† On average, Americans consume about 8 oz. of meat a day, twice the amount as the rest of the world; about one-sixth of the total meat consumed, U.S being less than one-twentieth of the population. Meat is generally delicious, contains rich sources of proteins and minerals. Some nutritional diet programs like the Atkins Diet have linked certain types of meat-based diets to weight loss. On the contrary, eating too much meat has been linked to certain type of cancers, high cholesterol and an increased risk of contracting a foodborne illness. Americans need to recognize that diets high in meat increases the cancer risk and other health issues. Evidence suggested that consuming meat could damage the body. In a country known for its love for hamburgers and steak, consumers need to cut down on their meat for a healthy life. Consumers also need to understand grilling meat increase the risk of cancer. Part of the solution is eating healthy, but consumers also should be aware of what they’re eating. The big issue in America is quantity. Eating meat and fast-food meat on a daily basis for seven days a week, 365 days a year, is a big reason why the risk for cancer and other health diseases is dangerously high in U.S. United States slaughters more than 10 billion land animals every year (Freston 802), and the market research firm Packed Facts stated Americans spends 142 billion dollar on beef, chicken, pork, lamb at market retails. Eating too much red meat has been linked to increased risk of death from cancer and heart disease, according to a study from American Cancer Society, the more red meat you eat will increase the risk for cancer. A Journal published by the American Medical Association reported a 20-year study of nearly 149,000 adults between the ages of 50 and 74. Researchers examine the risk according to how much red meat, poultry, or fish the people had eaten. Researchers looked at how many people develop colon cancer after the study. The results were 30% to 40% are more likely to develop cancer in the lower part of the colon. People who ate the most processed meats were 50% more likely to develop colon cancer (Parish 6). Eating just three ounces meat a day increases the consumer’s chance of dying by 13 percent, and 20 percent increase if eating processed meat, like bacon and hot dogs. But it doesn’t mean we should completely cut out meat in our diet; these statistics demonstrates that the less meat you eat, the better. Consuming meat damages the body. According to Dr. Oz, from the Dr. Oz Show, eating a steak dinner can take two to three days to get out of your intestines (par. 3). Red meat takes more than 24 hours to completely digest. In the mean time, it is in your intestine rotting at 98 degrees, sending toxins through the body. Eating any food that does not completely digest will ruin your health. What happens is that the human stomach acids are not made to break meat down efficiently because of its high fat and protein contents. The body lacks the enzymes that digest proteins in the stomach. Protein digestion mainly takes place in the first section of the small intestines where the pancreas secretes the types of digestive enzymes to help break down nutrients into energy and allow the nutrients molecules enter the bloodstream. Hence, meat takes longer as it has to pass into the stomach and the intestines, opposed to carbohydrates, which are broken down easily by saliva and the stomach. Although red meat is digestible than any other food sources such as rice and vegetable, it remains in the digestive system for a longer period of time, leaving the meat to rot in your intestines. Dr Klein believes that animal protein is the primary cause for the inflammation of the intestines because meat rots in your stomach (4). It explains why eating animal protein for a long period of time can increase the risk of colon cancer. Also the kidneys work to remove excess protein from your body. Eating too much protein can stress out the kidney, leading to kidney damage. Grilling meat is a method that most people are familiar with. Grilling is part of American culture; it brings family and friends together for the holidays like Independence Day. Grilling is a method of cooking food hot and fast on your grill. Burgers, poultry, beef, seafood are typically grilled. Grilling is actually a much healthier option than frying food because it is low fat and you can grill food without adding oil on them. But unfortunately, grilling food may potentially introduce the risk for cancer. Those juicy hamburgers, especially the charred ones contains cancer causing chemical called carcinogen. When you grill meat, some of the fat drips down to the charcoal or flame and the smoke carry the carcinogen known heterocyclic amines (HCA ) and polycyclic armomatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to form. These compounds have been shown to affect our DNA and might cause cancer. PAH is the same smoke from forest fires, coal burning, car exhaust and smoking. Exposure to high amounts of PAH is dangerous to your health and long term exposure increase the risk of cancer. According to 2007 study in Epidemiology, women with high intakes of grilled, barbecued or smoked meats over their lifetime had a 74 percent chance of developing breast cancer (373). It is also important to not that these women has low intake of fruits and vegetables. Most people are not aware of the carcinogen when they are grilling the meat. But let’s face it, grilled meat taste good and people should not give up on their grass fed steak or burgers from the grill. There are couple ways to grill safely and reducing carcinogen. 1. Marinating meats for at least several hours that contains herb and spices can dramatically reduce HCA. Herbs/spices is highly potent antioxidant that helps prevent HCA formation. 2. Pre-cook the meat in either the oven or microwave and finish it on the grill to decrease the amount of the carcinogen. 3. Pick leaner cuts like skinless chicken, lean beef or pork; it decreases the fat from dripping down on the open flame. It also important to remember that well-done meat has a higher concentration of carcinogen. Medium-rare, or medium cook is healthier choice than well done. These tips to reduce and prevent carcinogen is a safe way to consume grilled meat, but what about restaurants that serves grilled meats? Unfortunately, the meat holds carcinogens. Study shows restaurant meat such as burgers, ribs, and chicken carry substantial amounts of carcinogen. Few years ago, KFC calls their new Grilled Chicken â€Å"the better-for-you chicken for health- conscious customers.† But a PCRM a test shows the grilled chicken contains a high level of carcinogen (Sullivan 12). Consumers eating grilled chicken from popular restaurant chains are exposed to substantial level of carcinogen. A study published in Nutrition and Cancers show that an independent laboratory examined one hundred samples from seven popular restaurants, and Phip, a carcinogen, was found in all the samples (33). These findings clearly show that eating grill chicken can potentially cause cancer. Consumers deserve to know what they’re eating is just as worse as a greasy high-fat fried chicken. It misleads consumers to think grilled chicken is healthy diet but in actuality a grilled chicken salad can increase the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other dangerous health disease. If that the case, shouldn’t the government or chain restaurant provide warning labels on their product? Since Tobacco Company labels their pack with a warning that cigarette causes cancer; restauran ts serving cancer-causing meat should do the same. When parents cook chicken for their children, they try to be health conscious. If people knew there were high levels of carcinogens in their grilled chicken, they may not choose it as a healthy alternative. Meat is part of American culture; Western men often forge a strong link between eating meat and masculinity. Eating too much meat is a common problem in American Society. I believe most Americans don’t realize that they’re eating too much meat. When comparing the size of the burger we’re eating today to the past decades, our burger has gotten bigger. Bacon is a big part of American culture today. It brings child-hood memories of how mothers cooked bacon for their children. It is also a common breakfast food and is often associated with family gatherings. But, eating bacon every single day of your life has life threatening repercussion to your health. Most processed meat like bacon or hot dogs contains sodium nitrate. Sodium nitrate is a food additive used in m any processed meats. It increases shelf life, gives any meat a fresh appearance, improves the smoky flavors of bacon, and slows the rate of the foul smell, and reduces bacteria (Kortboyer 5). It seems sodium nitrate is a great additive but it is widely regarded as a toxic ingredient. It is a highly carcinogenic chemical and once it enters the human digestive system; it release toxin to a number of internal organs including liver and pancreas. USDA tried to ban sodium nitrate in the 1970’s but was vetoed by food manufacturers who complained that they are trying to ban bacon from America and insisted the additive was safe. The sodium nitrate is found in almost every meat package. It’s listed right on processed meat products like bacon, turkey, hot dogs, and meats in canned soups. If it’s so dangerous, why does food manufactures use it? It sells more meat products because it makes the meat appear fresh and vibrant. Consumers are often influenced by the appearance of the meat, and sadly they will buy meat that looks fresh because of the additives, but in reality, the meat could be months old. A proven strategy to help combat sodium nitrates is to consume large doses of vitamin C and E before your meal. Another safe alternative is purchasing nitrite-free meat to reduce the exposure to sodium nitrate. But, meat without nitrates is prone to spoilage. I believe meat industry uses the saturated fat argument to distract consumers from real issues like cancer. Fruits with high saturated fat like coconut juice wont increase a person risk of cancer to jump up 50%. The real issue is what’s added to the meat during processing and packaging. While eating too much meat can be dangerous, the solution is to consume less. Meat is rich in protein and the body needs protein to maintain cellular tissue. Reducing meat intake benefits the bones. According to Dr. Campbell of Cornell University, animal sourced proteins extract more calcium from the bones, causing the bone to weaken (par. 4). Another good benefit of cutting back on meat is it that makes the consumer eat more nutritious foods. A study from American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that participants who were served a meal with less meat ate more vegetables (Rolls 916). Eating small portions of good quality meat can help curb meat cravings and will not jeopardize the health. Many health education websites like Meatless Mondays offer idea of cutting back on meat consumptions. Another healthy alternative is replacing meat with non-meat sources of protein. Small red beans, black beans, legumes, dairy products are all good source of protein. While fish and seafood are technically meats, they do not carry the same risks as red meat, chicken, and pork because they contain low saturated fat and cholesterol. Non-meat protein not only has low saturated fat and cholesterol, they contain healthy fats, vitamins and minerals the body needs. Besides, the average person only needs about eight grams of protein per 20 lbs of body weight. Make no mistake, Americans love eating meats. Meat is essential part of a healthy diet, but over consumption of meat will kill you. America spends hundred of billion dollars on meat and it’s no wonder why cancer is epidemic in United States. Meat is considered a luxury in other country’s, but meat in America is readily available anywhere and consumers need to learn self-restraint. Meat like hot dogs and bacon is part of American culture, but consumers need to understand that meat industry’s uses dangerous additives like sodium nitrate and eating it for a long period of time will have repercussion to your health. Strong evidence claims that not only the harmful sodium nitrate harms the body, but also eating meat in general will damage the body. There are other healthy options like non-meat protein. But the solution to the problem is consumers need to be aware of what they’re eating and learn self-restraint.

Portrayal of Women Changed in Horror Films Since The 1920s

Portrayal of Women Changed in Horror Films Since The 1920s Portrayal of Women Changed in Horror Films Since The 1920s Introduction: Fear is the most powerful emotion in the human race and fear of the unknown is probably the most ancient. Youre dealing with stuff that everybody has felt; from being little babies were frightened of the dark, were frightened of the unknown. If youre making a horror film you get to play with the audiences feelings. The main purpose of horror films is to entertain, frighten and to invoke our repressed worst fears, in a terrifying and shocking way, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time. Horror films feature a wide range of styles, from the use of shadows and mise-en-scene within the early classic horrors films to the psychotic human serial killer and CGI monsters and aliens present in todays horror movies. The horror film genre is nearly as old as cinema, with the first silent short film directed by Georges Melies in 1896: Le Manoir du Diable. It only lasted for a few minutes and the audience adored it and it left them wanting more due to the way he made supernatural events the main aspect of this film. German filmmakers started to produce horror films and the first feature length vampire horror film was F.W Murnaus Nosferatu released in 1922. However it was down to the genius work of Robert Wiene director of The Cabinet of Dr. Calligari released in 1920 that lead the way for the serious horror films. In the early 1930s the Universal studios created the modern horror film genre and brought a series of successful gothic-horror including Dracula directed by Tod Browning and Frankenstein directed by James Whale and both were released in 1931 followed by numerous sequels. In the 1950s the horror film genre shifted from gothic to more modern horror. Aliens and monsters threatened to take ov er the world and humanity had to try and overcome the threats of these invasions. In the late fifties horror films became gorier which saw the remakes of traditional horror stories such as Edgar Allen Poes The Fall of the House of Usher The Raven which starred the iconic actor Vincent Price. The early 1960s took the audience much deeper into the world of horror films, with the release of Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho in 1960 which used a human as the monster and killer instead of a supernatural one to scare audiences. According to Prince (2004), the deeply disturbing admission, which undermines the audiences belief in rationality, with an existence where terms can be controlled or at the very up-most understood. With its savage attack on the audience and belief system, Psycho provided the path for modern horror and for our contemporary sense of the world. It seems that Monsters today are everywhere, and they can not be destroyed. (Prince, 2004.p. 4) The psychological aspects that this can cause on the viewers is it can allow them to find their Dark, unnatural, hidden self. (Skal, 1993, p.17).This is because: So much of our imaginative life in the twentieth century has been devoted to peeling back the masks and scabs of civilisation, to finding, cultivating and projecting nightmare images of the secret self (Skal, 1993, p.18) This means that changing and developing the monster into a psychotic killer, externalises the viewers fear as the murderer could be anyone they know, right down to the person sat next to them in the audience in the cinema or at home. It makes the film seem more realistic and that it could actually happen to them. Tudor 1989, uses key words to explain how the viewer is feeling and shows how they move from an external threat, monsters are not real, so this wont happen to me, to an internal threat, the killer seen as a human and could be anyone they know. This moves them from a sense of security to paranoia. In 1975 a young Steven Spielberg directed Jaws, which became the highest grossing film to that time period. In the late Seventies filmmakers started to produce disturbing and gory films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre directed by Tobe Hooper in 1974. This saw humans being ripped a part by other humans who have psychotic tendencies. Women seem to be portrayed within these horror films as merely sexual damsels in distress who usually get murdered within the first few minutes of the film. This is clearly demonstrated in the film Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg in 1975 where a young drunken girl goes skinny dipping in the sea and gets eaten by the great white shark that haunts the waters of Amity Island. Scream shows a blonde, naive young girl (played by Drew Barrymore) who is home alone with no neighbouring houses near, wearing only a jumper and pyjama bottoms. The killer sees this as a weakness due to the girl being at her most vulnerable and uses it to ring and terrorise her. She is unaware of his intentions and talks back to him on the house phone until he tells her he wants to know her name so he can know who he is looking at! She is the perfect horror victim because she is defenceless and weak and the attack is unexpected. She continually screams at the top of her lungs for someone to rescue her when she is confronted by the killer, but who is she screaming to? No one is around her or within hearing distance of her cries for help, so they seem wasteful, useless and unnecessary even though in a situation where your life depended on it, It would seem necessary and practical that you scream helplessly for your life no matter if anyone could not hear or help you; it is a part of our survival techniques. This girl does not clearly demonstrate any survival techniques or skills. Instead it takes her a while to hang up the phone. When she eventually does she doesnt phone anyone she knows for help or comfort, like family or friends or even the emergency service who would be reliable sources of help and survival. Instead she chooses to scream and run around the house and garden where no one can hear her as a better option for survival, which it is not, as it ends abruptly with her hanging from a tree with her internal organs hanging out. The film/scene portrays women as being merely weak and incapable as she struggles to run for her life in order to get away from the killer. She falls over constantly and trips over her own feet. The character also portrays the image of the dumb blonde as well being stupid and incapable of looking after her self. Horror films rarely seem to feature women in a non- exploitative way. Even in modern movies such as Jennifers body directed by Karyn Kusama, released in 2009 and exploits women in a sexual manner, as it shows Megan Foxs character Jennifer as a loose sexual canon who is thirsty for men, but with a murderous twist. With all this in mind this dissertation intends to look at how the portrayal of women has changed in horror films and if it has at all. This dissertation intends to look at some of the films listed in this chapter to see if the portrayal of women in horror films has changed or developed over time from some of the first horror films to present day. In chapter one I intend to look at early horror films and the portrayal of women within them. I will analyse Tod Brownings Dracula 1931, Rob Reiners 1990 Misery with the award winning Kathy Bates, Bride of Frankenstein, Murnaus 1922 Nosferatu and Robert Wienes 1920 The Cabinet of Dr.Calligari and explore the way in which women are portrayed and represented within these films. Then in chapter 2 go on to look at more recent films such as Alien, Scream, and Psycho and see whether or not any changes have taken place or if women are still portrayed in the same way. This dissertation intends to explore and find out about the role of which women where and are portrayed in within horror films. This dissertation seeks to developed the depiction of whether or not women were or are now being treated fairly within the film industry and If there are any changes in the portrayal of them and if not why not. Chapter 1: Early Portrayal of Women. A horror film in which isolated psychotic individuals (usually males) are pitted against one or more young people (usually females) whose looks, personalities, and/or promiscuities serve to trigger recollections of some past trauma in the killers mind (Hutchings, 2004, p. 194). The stylish, imaginative and eerie 1920 film The Cabinet of Calligari explores the mind of a madman, set against an evil doctor who falsely incarcerates a hero in a lunatic asylum. Robert Wienes clever framing means the audience is never quite clear who is mad and who is sane. Wienes distorted take on reality is a disturbing experience, heightened by the rugged and harsh asymmetry of the mise en scene. If viewers were to watch this film nowadays they might find the pace slow, with long takes and little cutting between scenes. This is because the diegetic world is entirely artificial. The film takes the audience on a twisted, dreamlike tale, where all the scenery and objects take on a menacing new shape. It is not reality, and the stylised performances reflect that. Nosferatu the first successful adaptation of Dracula is the first vampire movie, and presents Bram Stokers novel, Dracula. Murnau changed the main character name to Count Orlok. He did this because the studio could not obtain the rights to the original novel. The Count is grotesquely made-up, with long curling fingernails that can curl around the limbs of his helpless victims. Nosferatu gives us a far more frightening movie than any other of its time by using an early mastery of lights and shadows along with the stop motion special effects which created a very eerie and haunting film for its audience and for its time period. In both of these movies the female character is portrayed as merely a weak, dependent individual, who constantly runs for her life but in the direction that will lead her to the villain/ killer, and when she is confronted with what she was running from she faints. Instead of running in the opposite direction and trying to save her own life it is as if she just gives up. This is showing women as weak, unintelligent and incapable of looking after themselves. It seems that all they are capable of doing is running, screaming and falling down: In our culture men are taught the need for dominance and competence while women are taught warmth and expressiveness. The reciprocal stereotype thus develops that men are competent and assertive while women are submissive, and that women are warm and gentle while men are cold and rough (McKillip, DiMiceli, Luebke, 1977, p. 82). It seems that the female characters within these early classical films do not seem to be able to think critically and/or logically when it comes to trying to solve their problems, even when it comes to a matter of life or death. Its seems instead they rely on their emotions to guide them rather than their logic. They often choose to run into dark rooms and hide in places where the killer can easily find them or get to them. Even when there is a large group of people that could help them they seem to run in the opposite direction, which results in their ideas for salvation failing and makes them come across as damsels in distress who cannot think for themselves. In the early years of filmmaking, movies that were produced seemed to operate under a social value system to control and monitor womens sexuality. It seemed that the female roles were to be kept as virgins for men to use them for pleasure and to dominate them. They were merely there to serve the male desires. Feminists identif ied the way that women were portrayed in film as sexual objects, a concept called male gaze. The male gaze is in some aspects the power that men have over women. This is very much a male dominated profession, directors, camera person, and runners are mostly male. It seems that without knowing and meaning to be, they are being sexist. They do bring the male gaze by making assumptions about what the audience want to see which female directors may not do or may do differently. It can also be classed as a form of visual harassment where men can watch women and fantasise over them in private or in public. Women in early films used to wear tight fitting corset dresses which clinched them in at the waist giving then an hour glass figure, giving them curves in all the right places, whilst also lifting and bringing together their bust making their assets seem much bigger and thus drawing the main focus in on them. It allows the male viewers to fantasise about what lies under her clothing and what it would be like to be with and have a woman like that. The appearance of the female remains youthful, angelic, beautiful, thin, sexy, well-groomed, neat and nicely-dressed throughout the film even in the moments of their death or final struggle with the killer. They even seem to wake up looking beautiful, not a single hair out of place or a bit of their make-up smudged. They look and seem perfect, their clothes are not ripped or tarnished, and they do not sweat during strenuous activity. In the original 1933 version of King Kong, directed by Merian. C. Cooper and Ernest. B. Schoedsack. The character Ann Darrow, played by Fay Wray, Clearly shows the passive female who is constantly screaming to be rescued by her male associates. It seems she is incapable of escaping from the grasp of the monster; she has to call upon the assistance of the stronger male sex. She is symbolised as a sexual object throughout the film for the monster and heroic male characters when her white dress is ripped and torn by the monster, revealing more of her flesh. This allows men to fantasise over her and her body and imagine what is under what little is left of her garments. Tod Brownings 1931 classic, Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi has a similar representation of women. Near the start a male character speaks about Dracula and his wives implying there is more than one and no one seems to be fazed by the comment as if it is something of the norm. Women within the film are heavily made up with make-up, especially around their eyes. Its seems they have tried to make their eyes more bigger looking to make them more eye catching to the opposite sex as it is a well known fact that men are attracted to and like women with big bright eyes. They even go to bed and sleep in full heavy make-up and their hair looks immaculate with not a single strand out of place. The way they lay in bed, in a vulnerable position, one arm above their head, their neck fully on show just invites a vampire to bite down on their sweet fragrant neck. It is no wonder that the role of victims go to Female characters if they leave themselves carelessly open and vulnerable to the killer. Fema le characters clothing is long and floating but fitting around the waist to bring attention to the chest and outline of their upper body. Their hair is kept out of their face so that their facial features can be seen and the vampire women have an eerie persona around them and a not to be trusted atmosphere with there large staring eyes. They do as they are told and instructed to do so by Dracula in order to please and satisfy him. There seems to be not a lot of camera focus or time given to female character roles, except showing them in distress, worry and being vulnerable. The main female role, Mina, is not even taken seriously. She tells her fiancÃÆ'Â © and his associates about a dream she had the previous night and how scared she was and still is. They tell her to forget it, saying it was not real. They do not seem to want to believe her or her thoughts and worries; they dont seem to be valued or cared about. She is then advised by her father, whilst in the middle of speaking t o Dracula that she is to go to her room and to bed immediately and then is said to be crazy by her fiancÃÆ'Â ©. Male characters always seem to interrupt a female character in mid-sentence or in mid-thought as just shown. All major professions in the film seem to be run by men, for example all the doctors are male with female nurses to assist them and the servants and maids are female showing them running around after people and keeping things tidy as if it was a womans job to do so. Women faint and scream at the slightest thing and go to the male characters for comfort, reassurance and safety. Mina screams to be rescued and saved by what has happened to her (being turned into a vampire by Dracula) and cries to show her vulnerability and inability to cope and look after herself in strenuous situations. Women are looked upon as being ditzy, crazed, vulnerable, and unable to look after themselves and needing to be cared for, everything is ok because Im here spoken by Minas fiancÃÆ'à ‚ © in Dracula. This statement shows Minas fiancÃÆ'Â © to believe everything will be alright because everything will be stable and safe when a male figure is around because they are the main source of protection, security and without them women would not be able to cope or be able to live. Its as if women are under a spell or some power as they are attracted to Dracula, sending out the message to the audience that men have a hold and power on women within the film. At the end of the film when Dracula is being killed, Mina is sexualised as she starts to hold and caress her body showing she feels Draculas pain which is giving the male viewers a chance to fantasise over her. James Whales 1935 sequel The Bride of Frankenstein portrays women as either servants or sat around an open fire sewing, which is a stereotypical view of women. They wear long floating floor length dresses that nowadays look as if they are something you would wear to a special occasion not everyday just lounging around the house. This shows that a womans appearance in early horror films was very important. The dress is fitted around the waist and chest area and their hair is swept up out of their face to allow their facial features and expressions to be seen. Women are also seen to do what is right by their man in order to please them; they wont leave their mans side unless they are told to do so by him. They are also represented as being clumsy, careless and unaware and seeming to not have a clue of what is going on around them. For example this can be seen when a young women is faced with Frankenstein the monster and walks backwards off a small cliff resulting in her being vulnerabl e to the monster and having to scream to be rescued by a male passer by. This gives the message that women are incapable of looking after themselves and need to look to a man for protection. The Bride of Frankenstein is very clumsy in appearance; she falls over her own feet and sometimes over nothing. Her balance is very off so she seems unstable and needs to be supported by men and her facial expression is vague. This film portrays women as clumsy, vague individuals who just would not be able to function properly without the help and supervision of a man. This chapter has argued that women had no real main part or position within early horror films, only to be there to act as the main prize for the male leading role that happens to save her life and at the same time look good and give the male audience something alluring to look at. Chapter 2: The new view? Female characters do seem now to be receiving a more positive representation and women can be routinely seen to defeat male villains and showing strength and intelligence, moving from victim to heroine. It seems that women are coming into their own and showing that they are as strong as men and are not just sexual objects tshat they once used to be perceived as, through more strong assertive roles in films such as Ridley Scotts phenomenal and classic film, Alien, released in 1979. This film reverses the traditional role of women from the passive and powerless heroine who is constantly screaming for her life in order to be rescued by the dominant male figure, to an active and more powerful feminine character. The role of the main character Ripley, who happens to be a female despite having a male associated name, is an authority figure on board the ship, whose main task is to guide her seven crew members to a nearby planet to answer an SOS. All the terror and action unfolds around her and she ends up being the only survivor, out-living all the male characters. The male characters are represented as being weak and naÃÆ'Â ¯ve which is shown by the mistakes they make and the failures to properly do their duties and tasks which consequently results in their brutal deaths. As with women in early horror movies these males deaths occur comparatively early in the film. Ripley is the only one who outlives what is trying to kill her and her crew due to the fact that she makes the best judgements and thinks about her actions and plans out her escape. Due to the early deaths of Ripleys crew members, most of the main action of the film is based on and happening around her, making Sigourney Weavers character, Ripley the star and hero of the film as she is the only survivor at the end, along with her cat. The somewhat passive, fearful, and dependent female role figure is continuing to slowly disappear from our screens within horror films with a few exceptions: or has it? Wome n are still being shown as merely an object of desire that needs to be saved and protected by a male figure. This dissertation argues that the role of Ripley is still a female sex icon for the male audience, she seems to be placed there to fulfil the male sexual needs to have a half naked, toned female body strolling around on screen in order for them to enjoy the film more. Has mens taste in women changed? To some extent it may have. There is a media generated image now which sells the idea of healthy toned sexuality. This is partially replacing the previous curved and voluptuous body. Take Marilyn Monroe for instance. She use to drive men wild with her size 12/14 curves, however nowadays some men just dont find this attractive. It seems that men prefer to see slimmer women in films because it allows them to look at and fantasise over another womans body that is maybe different to the one that they have in their own life, be it their wife or girlfriend. This could be why women are concerned with their physicality because it also allows the female audience members to dream and fantasise about the perfect body, which they too could have. The old horror films looked at female and male relationships and it seems that in nowadays horror films there is a new way of seeing these relationships but is it a new way? At the end of the film Ripley strips down to her underwear and wears a tight fitting top with no bra. Her compromising moves and her hot sweaty and toned body gives the male viewers something interesting to look at and fantasise over. It seems to comply with and fulfil all male audiences requirements; it has aliens, fighting, guns, bloodshed and, of course, the hot female who gets semi naked. So has the role of women actually changed or have male expectations of female behaviour changed? Do men find sexually aggressive women attractive in our world? Do men secretly love to be dominated by the opposite sex or does it make them feel inferior? Or is this a tru thful picture of the sexualised feminist role model of our age? According to Lehmann womens lives were dominated by their sexual reproductive functions (Lehmann, p.9) (http://psychology.about.com/od/sigmundfreud/p/freud_women.htm. 20th November 2009) FrFeud believed that women envied men for having a penis; penis envy. He suggests that during the phallic stage (aged 3-5) girls distance themselves from their mother; as they blame her for the lack of a penis and due to this devote their affections to their father. (Budd, Susan .2005. P.142-143) This could explain why the writer wants Ripley to surround herself mostly with a ship full of a male based crew because the writer wants to show the envy women have over men. What the male crew members have and what Ripley is missing and also other females, women may start to become to see it as a disability. Perhaps it is because Ripley starts to realise that because of this disability, she is still able to be one of them and like them if not better. This could be argued that it is proven at the end of the film by outliving all the other male crewmembers. In a paper entitled The psychical consequences of the anatomic distinction between the sexes written in 1925, Freud wrote that: Women oppose change, receive passively, and add nothing of their own. (Freud, 1925) (http://psychology.about.com/od/sigmundfreud/p/freud_women.htm. 20th November 2009) (Budd, Susan .2005. P.142) The slasher film genre involves a repressed male killer who stalks and brutally murders his victims in a graphic and random manner. The unfortunate victim tends to be a teenager or young adult who lives in the middle of nowhere away from any type of civilisation, meaning there is no one around them or there for them to call upon when they need help. These types of films tend to begin with the murder of a young helpless woman and ends with the heroic female character surviving by managing to out smarten the killer after having some sort of life- depending struggle and being psychologically victimised for an extended amount of time by the killer, forcing her into an uncontrollable stage of paranoia and terror. However usually the killer doesnt die or someone else takes over from where the last killer left off resulting in several sequels. The director has a tendency to introduce at the beginning of the film the main heroic female character as being resourceful and determined even thoug h throughout the film she finds her friends and relatives dead. This could almost be the plot summary of what happens in the 1996 teen horror Scream directed by Wes Craven and released in 1996. The main character that just so happens to be female but has a male associated name, Sidney watches as one by one her high school classmates and friends start to be killed off in a sadistic manner. This links in with Ripley in Alien. They both have male associated names and watch whilst the people they care for and those around them are killed and they are left to try and defend for themselves. However, even though Sidney is the only one who outlives the killer(s) and ends up in all the Scream sequels she is still portrayed as a slightly weak female who requires help and comfort from the friends she still has and from those who have not already been mutilated. Where as Ripley relies on her own knowledge and survival skills to save her self from death. Rob Reiners 1990 Misery, starring the award winning Kathy Bates, shows Kathys character, Annie Wilkes, as a very caring and kind women at the start of the film as she rescues a novelist called Paul Sheldon by pulling him free out if his car in the middle of a blizzard storm. As she is a nurse she nurses him back to health by re-setting his legs as he has a compound fracture of the tibular in both legs and the fibular in the right leg is fractured as well. He also has a dislocated arm which she manipulates back into place. Se shaves him, feeds and waters him and also baths him, which shows her taking on the mother role of wanting to take care of and look after him as if he was an incapable child and not a grown man. The audience also learns at the beginning of the film that she is a fanatic fan of this author and that the blizzard prevented her from taking him to the hospital as it has caused road blockages. She starts to become slightly scary when she tells Paul that she would follow him to his hotel where he was staying and stare up at his window and wonder what he would be doing and that is how she found him in his un-conscious state in his car down the side of an embankment. The audience then start to learn that Annie has a very sort temper when she reads his new novel and is upset by the profound language he has used and starts shouting and ordering him to change it but then snaps back into being all nice and apologies, making the audience think nothing else about it. However as an audience when we start to realise that she is very unstable when she informs him that no one knows that he is there with her as she hasnt informed anyone like she says she has and that the roads and telephone are not blocked and that he better hope that nothing happens to her because if she dies then so will he as he will have no one to look after him. Again this is showing her unstable and psychotic side. As the film goes on we realise she is living her life through one of the c haracters within his novels and eventually the film ends with her killing the sheriff who becomes suspicious of Annie and investigates her house and eventually finds Sheldon. Annie kills the sheriff by shooting him and then plans on killing herself and Paul so they can live together in peace without anyone trying to find them and interfering in their lives. However it doesnt end with a happy ending for Annie as she and Paul get in a fight to the bitter death which results in Paul hitting her over the head with his type-writer that Annie bought for him and surprisingly doesnt kill her or knock her out. She attacks him and they end up in a locked fight on the floor leaving the audience in suspense on who is going to win. Eventually Paul manages to grab one of Annies large ornaments that just happen to be lying near by and smash it into her head which eventually kills her leaving him to get free. Misery portrays women as weak, unstable; reliable on men as Annie, who throughout the film always asks for reassurance from Paul along the lines of Am I doing it right? Other women in the film such as the sheriffs wife, works for her husband and does what he tells her, its as if it is expected of women to do what ever is told of them from a male character, as if it is the male characters who hold all the authority. They are also portrayed as being crazy, unsuitable and able of being on their own and looking after themselves. This is shown in the film when the audience become aware of the fact that Annies husband left her (however later on in the film we are lead to believe she may have killed him) which could be because he didnt want to be with her anymore and she couldnt deal with the fact of being on her own not through a choice of her own but that of a mans. Annie becomes suicidal and starts telling Paul she is thinking of killing herself when she gets depressed because of the rain or other reasons or factors that are out of her control, which makes her seem as a cont rol freak who needs to be in control of everything and have things going her way otherwise she is unable to cope and becomes unstable. So let us return to the question of whether the portrayal of women has changed. It may be thought that the role of women within horror films has somewhat developed and changed. There still are movies that wish to show the female sex as weak and insignificant figures within society. This can be seen in the Scream films which show the main female and so-called heroic character screaming to be rescued and looking for comfort by male companions or from those around her. Are the female character roles in films slipping back into the old way of how they were portrayed? Is this a reaction against the up-front controlling woman that was emerging in films such as Alien. Are men reasserting their status? It has been found that men tend to reduce women in television and film to three basic categories: homemaker, professional and sexual object. It has also been found that men tend to fell threatened when certain subgroups, of women, such as feminists or female athletes, express non-stereotypic behaviour in the media. These two subgroups of women in particular can threaten mens economic success and physical strength. ( DeWal, Altermatt Thompson, 2