Theater Critique Mary Poppins Essay Example

Theater Critique Mary Poppins Essay I went to see the musical Mary Poppins at the Arts Center. This is a story about Mary Poppins, a magical nanny who comes to take care of the Banks children who live in London. Jane and Michael Banks, the children of George and Winifred Banks, are infamously known around London as horrible children who make their nannies quit. When their current nannyleaves, the Banks are left without a nanny until Mary Poppins mysteriously appears at their front door. As the kids gradually warm up to Mary Poppins, she takes them on little excursions to the park and chimney tops where they meet Bert, the jack of all trades, and other interesting characters. Through these little excursions, the kids learn important life lessons such as looking past appearances, and making moral decisions. They even have fun, dancing with statues and finding the word Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. However, Mary Poppins decides to leave the kids when the kids fight over toys. Once Mary Poppins leaves, Mrs. Banks bri ngs in Mr. Banks’s childhood nanny: Miss Andrews. She turns out to be a horrible lady and Mary Poppins comes back just in time to save them. Once she is back, Mary Poppins goes back to helping the Banks family, especially Mr. Banks. When he gets called to the bank, he finds out that instead of being fired, he has received a promotion for choosing the â€Å"good man† over the â€Å"good idea†. The Banks family ishappy again, so Mary Poppins decides to leave the Banks and Bert. Overall I thought that the acting and stage managing of this play was very good. All of the actors had very loud and clear voices so it was very easy to comprehend what they were saying. Also their acting and singing was very much in sync. For example, in the tap dancing scene with the chimney sweeps, all of the tap dancers had perfect rhythm to create a very beautiful sound. Other scenes of dancing such as theSupercalifragilisticexpialidocious were also perfectly executed. I al We will write a custom essay sample on Theater Critique Mary Poppins specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Theater Critique Mary Poppins specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Theater Critique Mary Poppins specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Research Paper on Finance

Research Paper on Finance The research and financial analysis of this report are based on the information provided by the Ryanair Financial Report, relevant internet and library. Introduction The purpose of this research paper is using financial management techniques to provide an overview of Ryanair Holding Plc. After analyzing the information from different resources, this research paper will supply other companies with a guide to make many decisions required to effectively manage of their business and to develop their future financial plans for the future requires reliable and pertinent information on the financial performance and financial position of the firm although if the analysis forecasts serious financial problems. Financial management techniques in todays business The main objective of financial management is maximizing shareholders wealth. Company needs money to acquire resources to operate. Money for investment is referred to as finance, financial management is concerned with managing a companys finances. When company decides to use their expertise, time and money in a particular way, they have an objective in mind. The objective governs the decisions to be made. A companys major objective is maximizing the wealth of its shareholders, but other objectives should be satisfied at the same time, like managerial objective, short-term objective, other parties objective, non-financial objective. The company needs machine, staff, and working capital to exist and grow in the market, which is the reason why we have to invest. First, we should have strategic management and analysis. Like current environment, capacity for change. Where are we now? Where are we going? P.E.S.T and SWOT analysis can help you analysis the companys situations. The rule of t humb is that long-term assets should be financed by long-term funds and short-tem assets by short-term funds. Short-term finance is usually cheaper than long-term finance. This is largely due to the risks taken by creditors. There are some financial management techniques that we could apply in the chosen company Ryanair Holding PLC. About Ryanair The Irish company Ryanair is the famous low-fares airline company in Europe. It started in 1985 and had IPO in 1997 when it floated Ryanair Holdings plc on Dublin and New York (NASDAQ) Stock exchanges. Company goal is to be the Europes largest airline in the next 8 years. Ryanair operates 45 routes across 11 European countries. They have daily services from most of these routes. In 1995, Ryanair had become the biggest passenger carrier on the Dublin-London route. But compare with other large airlines, Ryanair only operates European continental routes. It lacks the link with other continents. However, in addition to route availability, the actual flight schedule is also important to maximize the available flying time of the airlines most significant tangible asset, its aircraft. Ryanair has a fleet of 31 Boeing 737s, orders for up to a further 25 new 737-800s which will be delivered over the next 2 years. Over the past ten years it has increased its annual traffic from under 700,000 t o over 15 million passengers. Along the way it changed the face of air travel, broke hire fare cartels, rocked airport monopolies and made it possible for millions to travel. Ryanair provide unique services with low price. If their seats are not booked, customers can seat wherever they like. However, their in-flight services are limited. For example, customers have to pay if they want any drinks or food. There are always some complains about seats overbooking from customers. Ryanair has committed itself to safe operations and has put in place extensive safety training programs to ensure the recruitment of suitably qualified pilots and maintenance personnel. In addition, the company is also committed to the operation and maintenance of its aircraft in accordance with the highest European Aviation Industry Standards, which are closely monitored by the Irish Aviation Authority. In year 2000, Ryanair launched Europes largest travel website at WWW.RYANAIR.COM, which within three months of its launch was taking over 50,000 bookings per week, by offering unbelievably low airfares. The passenger acceptance of this website enabled Ryanair to reduce travel agent commission. Ryanair is well positioned in European market to implement its low cost strategy. After the full EU air transport deregulation in 1997, Ryanair was free to set up new routes to Continental Europe. The airline entering these market offered air fares which were more than 50% lower than the cheapest fares then provided by the flag carrier airlines. The European airline sector is dominated by high cost; long haul national carriers like British Airway, Lufthansa and KLM. These airlines control 50-60% of market share, but are beginning to lose the bottom end of the market to low cost carrier like Ryanair. Financial Situation The major revenues of Ryanair gain from the tickets that they sold during the year. Therefore, we can regard the tickets as a kind of the stock of the airlines company. But they dont have any value before they are sold. That is the only different with the tangible stock value. Once the tickets are sold, the company gets the revenues from the operation. They have amount of cash and debt. The company uses cash to pay the relevant cost, like staff wages, fuel and oil cost, marketing and distribution cost and so on. The rest of the revenues are kept in retained profit as the capital of company. If the profit grows, the company share price will increase accordingly. Once the share price increased, the shareholders will enjoy the prior return on their investment, more and more investors will have more interest in the company. Therefore, the company achieves the source of finance. After that, they should consider about where they should invest to growth in the market and expand their compan y. Last year, Ryanair companys operation revenues are 298149 in 2002 (Increase 64413 than 2001). It includes net cash inflow from operating activities: 125417. This should thank for the contribution of the sales team. Ryanair insists to offer lower airfares in European countries and try to increase sales continuously. Increased revenue is one of the major sources of finance. The strength of the performance is highlighted by the fact that the groups cash on hand is equivalent to 53.6% of annual turnover. This figure is a little bit high according to their sale growth. They should invest the cash flow to generate more return. But there is a special reason that they have to maintain a deposit US$500,000 with the guarantor bank for as long as the bank gave its guarantee. The operating expenses during the year are Ђ 229740; Net cash inflow from operating activities is 12304; profit and loss account is 112758. As the growth of the profit during the year, EPS increased by 17% to 35.16 and is based on 164,759,808 shares which represent the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the year. We can see the profit is increasing; the capital of the company is increasing. Because the market is growing, Ryanair should think about where they should invest and how. i.e. Invest new aircraft, improve quality of service or setup new routes. Ryanair announced a new investment program with a US$2billion order for up to 45 new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft. Continued strong cash flows generated from trading operations combined with the proceeds of the London offering and the receipt of debt financing for the first of the Boeing 737-800 next generation aircraft, has allowed the group to increase its cash on hand by 74m. Before Ryanair makes decision about buying what type of aircraft, the two alternatives would be mutually exclusive, in that the choice of one will exclude the other. The company may use NPV and IRR to calculate which one may give more return. Appendices: Net Profit Ratio: In 2001, 54822/233736*100%=23% In 2002, 112758/298124*100%=38% Return On capital Employed: In 2001, 56736/149385*100%=38% In 2002, 68410/287752*100%`=28% Asset Turnover: In 2001, 233736/149385=1.56 In 2002, 298124/287752=1.04 Current Assets Ratio: In 2001, 88979/71877=1:1 In 2002, 197879/115319=2:1 Acid-Test Ratio: In 2001, (88979-6638)/71877=1:1 In 2002, (197879-13021)/115319=1:1 Total Gearing: In 2001, 14834/(134551+14834)*100%=10% In 2002, 34760/(252992+34760)*100%=12% Equity Gearing: In 2001, 14834/134551*100%=11% In 2002, 34760/252992*100% =13% Interest Cover: In 2001, 63017/(1087+13388)=4.4times In 2002, 76662/(239+11368)=6.6times Ratio Analysis Ratios are quiet common method of analyzing financial management. It refers to the use of simple ratios which are calculated from the figures of financial statements in order to measure certain aspects of a firms financial condition. Ratios make comparisons with: The performance of the business in previous years The budgeted or planned performance in the current years The performance of similar business The ratios make easier to make better decision. However, there are some limitations in ratio analysis. For instance, since ratios are constructed from accounting data, if we do comparison within two different firms, their accounting policies (i.e. depreciation charge, the accounting years) could lead to the inaccurate illustration. The Net Profit Ratio was dramatically increased by 15% during the year 2001 and 2002. Even though their expenses cost had increased by a certain percentages in different items and because of their low fares system. They still gained a high return in net profit when compared to 2001. The reason of this was because the rise of sales and the interest received. These revenues gave the company a good return that could cover the expenses and other additional costs. The increase in profitability reflects the positive impact of the growth in passengers volume because of the increase in seat capacity on exiting routes and the launch of new 7 European routes during the year. In the Return On Capital Employed Ratio the amount of money that the investors can get back after investing in the company, the ratio decreased to 28% in that year. The explanation of this figure was because their company needed to consider the contract that with Boeing worth US$2 billion by ordering for up to 45 aircraft in the coming years, in order to succeed the expansion of our company. Asset Turnover Ratio is a measure of productivity as much as profitability. Within 2001 and 2002, the ratio dropped from 1.56 to 1.04, it meant that more assets were to be used to generate every unit of sales .The reason was because their introduction on new fleet of 22 aircraft on our network of 27 routes in request to increase the level of passengers and the low fares system. According to the Current Asset Ratio, The company had a well cover of their current liabilities under current assets. Even though in Acid Ð C Test Ratio, which we examined that by excluding the inventories, their current assets also covered the liabilities by 1.14 in 2001, and 1.60 in 2002. It increased by 46%. From the current assets, cash was the major inflows to their company in the past two years. Especially in 2002, there was an increase in cash from 892160 TO 12742400. Move to the cash flows statement. Cash is King. Company fail, not because of their insufficient profits, but because they have run out of cash to pay their liabilities. Cash and bank balances should be kept to a minimum, as they earn nothing for the company, but make sure you have enough cash to pay employees and creditors. Cash generated from operating activities grew up for 25.6 million. This increase was due to the increase of sales and profits and the add back of the non-cash items primarily depreciation charge since they had a new aircraft during the year. The cash flows was from trading operations combined with the proceeds of the London offering and the receipt of debt financing for the first Boeing 737-800 next generation aircraft, has allowed the group to increase the cash on hands despite having to pay advance deposits to Boeing. The performance is highlighted by the fact that the cash on hand is equivalent to 53.6%of annual turnover. The next ratio is Gearing which means how reliable of the company on the financial institutions when raising the finance. Even though their ratio was slightly increased by2%, they were still in a low-geared situation in these two years. The interest cover were good since Ryanair only needs to pay interest once a year and they could pay 4.4 times in 2001 and 6.6times in 2002. The Earning Per Share considers the profits that could be paid to each ordinary shareholder. The increase in profit resulted in the increase in EPS. This also stated that the increase in the value of shareholders as the companys profit and traffic has grown. After finishing the ratio analysis, we can see that Ryanair is healthy. Here is the comparison ratio with other major airline companies and industrial average. After seeing this you will more agree that Ryanairs performance is good. Other non-financial consideration Ryanair has a bad reputation for over booking and early check-in time. On the other way, every company has limitation. For airline companies, these problems are normal. Ryanair changed their booking system last Christmas and the new system is more accurate and working well. Company said that they will not only improve the hardware but also the staff. There are a group of new staffs now is trained by American Airline. Conclusion After reading the research paper, hopefully you have an understanding of airline finance. Ryanair is a new member of airline companies (started from 1985). It is young and healthy. Based on Europe and has a strong relationship with America, there are lots of areas that it can improve and expand to. Ryanairs developing speed like a flying superman, going up and away. It is the kind of company we should put money in.

D-Day

D-Day What Was D-Day? In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, the Allies launched an attack by sea, landing on the beaches of Normandy on the northern coast of Nazi-occupied France.   The first day of this major undertaking was known as D-Day; it was the first day of the Battle of Normandy (code-named Operation Overlord) in World War II. On D-day, an armada of approximately 5,000 ships secretly crossed the English Channel and unloaded 156,000 Allied soldiers and nearly 30,000 vehicles in a single day on five, well-defended beaches (Omaha, Utah, Pluto, Gold, and Sword). By the end of the day, 2,500 Allied soldiers had been killed and another 6,500 wounded, but the Allies had succeeded, for they had broken through the German defenses and created a second front in World War II. Dates:   June 6, 1944 Planning a Second Front By 1944, World War II had already been raging for five years and most of Europe was under Nazi control. The Soviet Union was having some success on the Eastern Front but the other Allies, specifically the United States and the United Kingdom, had not yet made a full-fledged attack on the European mainland. It was time to create a second front. The questions of where and when to start this second front were difficult ones. The northern coast of Europe was an obvious choice, since the invasion force would be coming from Great Britain. A location that already had a port would be ideal in order to unload the millions of tons of supplies and soldiers needed. Also required was a location that would be within range of Allied fighter planes taking off from Great Britain. Unfortunately, the Nazis knew all this as well. To add an element of surprise and to avoid the bloodbath of trying to take a well-defended port, the Allied High Command decided on a location that met the other criteria but that did not have a port the beaches of Normandy in northern France. Once a location had been chosen, deciding upon a date was next. There needed to be enough time to collect the supplies and equipment, gather the planes and vehicles, and train the soldiers. This whole process would take a year. The specific date also depended on the timing of low tide and a full moon. All of this led to a specific day – June 5, 1944. Rather than continually refer to the actual date, the military used the term â€Å"D-Day† for the day of attack. What the Nazis Expected The Nazis knew the Allies were planning an invasion. In preparation, they had fortified all northern ports, especially the one at Pas de Calais, which was the shortest distance from southern Britain. But that was not all. As early as 1942, Nazi Fà ¼hrer Adolf Hitler ordered the creation of an Atlantic Wall to protect the northern coast of Europe from an Allied invasion. This was not literally a wall; instead, it was a collection of defenses, such as barbed wire and minefields, that stretched across 3,000 miles of coastline. In December 1943, when highly-regarded Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (known as the â€Å"Desert Fox†) was put in charge of these defenses, he found them completely inadequate. Rommel immediately ordered the creation of additional â€Å"pillboxes† (concrete bunkers fitted with machine guns and artillery), millions of additional mines, and a half million metal obstacles and stakes placed on the beaches that could rip open the bottom of landing craft. To hinder paratroopers and gliders, Rommel ordered many of the fields behind the beaches to be flooded and covered with protruding wooden poles (known as â€Å"Rommel’s asparagus†). Many of these had mines fitted on top. Rommel knew that these defenses would not be enough to stop an invading army, but he hoped it would slow them down long enough for him to bring reinforcements. He needed to stop the Allied invasion on the beach, before they gained a foothold. Secrecy The Allies desperately worried about German reinforcements. An amphibious attack against an entrenched enemy would already be incredibly difficult; however, if the Germans ever found out where and when the invasion was to take place and thus reinforced the area, well, the attack might end disastrously. That was the exact reason for the need of absolute secrecy. To help keep this secret, the Allies launched Operation Fortitude, an intricate plan to deceive the Germans. This plan included false radio signals, double agents, and fake armies that included life-size balloon tanks. A macabre plan to drop a dead body with false top-secret papers off the coast of Spain was also used. Anything and everything was used to deceive the Germans, to make them think that the Allied invasion was to occur somewhere else and not Normandy. A Delay All was set for D-Day being on June 5, even the equipment and soldiers had already been loaded onto the ships. Then, the weather changed. A massive storm hit, with 45-mile-an-hour wind gusts and lots of rain. After much contemplation, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, postponed D-Day just one day. Any longer of a postponement and the low tides and full moon wouldn’t be right and they’d have to wait another whole month. Also, it was uncertain they could keep the invasion secret for that much longer. The invasion would begin on June 6, 1944. Rommel also paid notice to the massive storm and believed that the Allies would never invade in such inclement weather. Thus, he made the fateful decision to go out of town on June 5 to celebrate his wife’s 50th birthday. By the time he was informed of the invasion, it was too late. In Darkness: Paratroopers Begin D-Day Although D-Day is famous for being an amphibious operation, it actually started with thousands of brave paratroopers. Under the cover of darkness, the first wave of 180 paratroopers arrived in Normandy. They rode in six gliders that had been pulled and then released by British bombers.   Upon landing, the paratroopers grabbed their equipment, left their gliders, and worked as a team to take control of two, very important bridges: the one over the Orne River and the other over the Caen Canal. Control of these would both hinder German reinforcements along these paths as well as enable the Allies access to inland France once they were off the beaches. The second wave of 13,000 paratroopers had a very difficult arrival in Normandy. Flying in approximately 900 C-47 airplanes, the Nazis spotted the planes and started shooting. The planes drifted apart; thus, when the paratroopers jumped, they were scattered far and wide.    Many of these paratroopers were killed before they even hit the ground; others got caught in trees and were shot by German snipers. Still others drowned in Rommel’s flooded plains, weighed down by their heavy packs and tangled in weeds. Only 3,000 were able to join together; however, they did manage to capture the village of St. Mà ©re Eglise, an essential target. The scattering of the paratroopers had a benefit for the Allies – it confused the Germans. The Germans did not yet realize that a massive invasion was about to get underway. Loading the Landing Craft While the paratroopers were fighting their own battles, the Allied armada was making its way to Normandy. Approximately 5,000 ships including minesweepers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and others – arrived in the waters off France around 2 a.m. on June 6, 1944. Most of the soldiers on board these ships were seasick. Not only had they been on board, in extremely cramped quarters, for days, crossing the Channel had been stomach turning because of extremely choppy waters from the storm. The battle began with a bombardment, both from the armada’s artillery as well as 2,000 Allied aircraft that soared overhead and bombed the beach defenses. The bombardment turned out to be not as successful as had been hoped and a lot of German defenses remained intact. While this bombardment was under way, the soldiers were tasked with climbing into landing craft, 30 men per boat. This, in itself, was a difficult task as the men climbed down slippery rope ladders and had to drop into landing craft that were bobbing up and down in five-foot waves. A number of soldiers dropped into the water, unable to surface because they were weighted down by 88 pounds of gear. As each landing craft filled up, they rendezvoused with other landing craft in a designated zone just outside of German artillery range. In this zone, nicknamed â€Å"Piccadilly Circus,† the landing craft stayed in a circular holding pattern until it was time to attack. At 6:30 a.m., the naval gunfire stopped and the landing boats headed toward shore. The Five Beaches The Allied landing boats were headed to five beaches spread out over 50 miles of coastline.   These beaches had been code-named, from west to east, as Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The Americans were to attack at Utah and Omaha, while the British struck at Gold and Sword. The Canadians headed toward Juno. In some ways, soldiers reaching these beaches had similar experiences. Their landing vehicles would get close to the beach and, if they were not ripped open by obstacles or blown up by mines, then the transport door would open and the soldiers would disembark, waist-deep in the water. Immediately, they faced machine-gun fire from the German pillboxes. Without cover, many in the first transports were simply mowed down. The beaches quickly became bloody and strewn with body parts. Debris from blown up transport ships floated in the water.   Injured soldiers that fell in the water usually did not survive – their heavy packs weighed them down and they drowned. Eventually, after wave after wave of transports dropped off soldiers and then even some armored vehicles, the Allies started making headway on the beaches. Some of these helpful vehicles included tanks, such as the newly designed Duplex Drive tank (DDs). DDs, sometimes called â€Å"swimming tanks,† were basically Sherman tanks that had been fitted with a flotation skirt that allowed them to float. Flails, a tank equipped with metal chains in front, was another helpful vehicle, offering a new way to clear mines ahead of the soldiers. Crocodiles, were tanks equipped with a large flame thrower. These specialized, armored vehicles greatly helped the soldiers on Gold and Sword beaches. By early afternoon, the soldiers on Gold, Sword, and Utah had succeeded in capturing their beaches and had even met up with some of the paratroopers on the other side. The attacks on Juno and Omaha, however, were not going as well. Problems at Juno and Omaha Beaches At Juno, the Canadian soldiers had a bloody landing. Their landing boats had been forced off course by currents and thus had arrived at Juno Beach a half hour late. This meant that the tide had risen and many of the mines and obstacles were thus hidden under water.   An estimated half of the landing boats were damaged, with almost a third completely destroyed. The Canadian troops eventually took control of the beach, but at a cost of more than 1,000 men. It was even worse at Omaha. Unlike the other beaches, at Omaha, American soldiers faced an enemy that was safely housed in pillboxes located on top of bluffs that soared 100 feet above them. The early-morning bombardment that was supposed to take out some of these pillboxes missed this area; thus, the German defenses were nearly intact. The were was one particular bluff, called Pointe du Hoc, that stuck out into the ocean  between Utah and Omaha Beaches, giving German artillery at the top the ability to shoot at both beaches. This was such an essential target that the Allies sent in a special Ranger unit, led by Lt. Col. James Rudder,  to take out the artillery on top. Although arriving a half hour late because of drifting from a strong tide, the Rangers were able to use grappling hooks to scale the sheer cliff. At the top, they  discovered that the guns had been temporarily replaced by telephone poles to fool the Allies and to keep the guns safe from the bombardment. Splitting up and searching the countryside behind the cliff, the Rangers  found the guns. With a group of German soldiers not far away, Rangers snuck in and detonated thermite grenades in the guns, destroying them.   In addition to the bluffs, the crescent-shape of the beach made Omaha the most defensible of all the beaches. With these advantages, the Germans were able to mow down transports as soon as they arrived; the soldiers had little opportunity to run the 200 yards to the seawall for cover. The bloodbath earned this beach the nickname â€Å"Bloody Omaha.† The soldiers on Omaha were also essentially without armored help. Those in command had only requested DDs to accompany their soldiers, but nearly all of the swimming tanks headed toward Omaha drowned in the choppy waters. Eventually, with the help of naval artillery, small groups of men were able to make it across the beach and take out the German defenses, but it would cost 4,000 casualties to do so. The Break Out Despite a number of things not going to plan, D-Day was a success. The Allies had been able to keep the invasion a surprise and, with Rommel out of town and Hitler believing the landings at Normandy were a ruse for a real landing at Calais, the Germans never reinforced their position. After initial heavy fighting along the beaches, the Allied troops were able to secure their landings and break through German defenses to enter the interior of France. By June 7, the day after D-Day, the Allies were beginning the placement of two Mulberries, artificial harbors whose components had been pulled by tugboat across the Channel. These harbors would allow millions of tons of supplies to reach the invading Allied troops. The success of D-Day was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. Eleven months after D-Day, the war in Europe would be over.

Topic to be selected from a list Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Topic to be selected from a list - Essay Example The government of United Kingdom introduced a scheme known as Sure Start in 1989 to ensure that children receive the best possible start in life (Thompson, 2010). This initiative was led by Gordon Brown, who was the chancellor of Exchequer during that time (Thompson, 2010). The goal of this program was to provide a good start to the children, so that they can build upon it in the future. The support is provided in terms of ensuring good education beginning from the early years; providing facilities for childcare; ensuring good health care and ensuring family support for children’s well-being (Roberts, 2000). Additionally, the project also has the larger goal of community development so that children can have a head start to in their adult life as a result of spending their childhood with a robust and healthy community (Roberts, 2000). This study takes a closer look at the contribution of Sure Start to the lives of children and families in the UK. It also attempts to assess the impact, the challenges and the future outlook related to this program. The study starts by documenting the origins and functioning of this scheme and then moves on the various contributions that it has made to the lives of children and families. Then, it also takes a look at both the local and national assessment of the scheme, the view of researchers and its future outlook. The performance of Sure Start has been under the scrutiny in recent times and scholars as well as the media have been debating on the effectiveness of this program. Hence, it is necessary to understand the ways in which this program may have had an impact on both The research is undertaken through a literature survey and review of available research and literature on the topic of project Sure Start. As such, numerous journal articles, books, newspaper articles, and authentic websites were perused and

Examine it from 1978 (the year China adopted a capitalist economic Essay

Examine it from 1978 (the year China adopted a capitalist economic system) to present. Analyzing the country from the 1990s to t - Essay Example Introduction Before 1976, China’s economic ideology was purely communism. The death of Mao Zedong in 1976 precipitated leadership decisions, which were significant. No one would foretell that the end of Maoist Socialism in China would result into what modern scholars refer to as China’s great transformation (Wang & Coase 1). China became capitalist and mostly productive (Shaw 1). It became one of the most democratic income distributors to the rest of the world. Despite the rise of the Chinese economy, existing statistics reveal that most Chinese are still poor; in fact, most Chinese still face challenges in exercising their freedom and protecting their rights. Tony 1 postulates that one of the most overlooked astounding narratives about China is that, since the economic resurgence of china in 1978, the country has become an unequal society to the extent that it rates high in the Asian continent. Since 1978, the Cina's Gini coefficient of general family income distributi on surpasses both Indonesia and India, and it is now approaching Malaysia and the Philippines, which are unequal in Asia. This paper seeks to document a hallmark feature of china’s capitalism, with close review as to how the economy has reformed. i. Politics and Policy Deng’s skeptical slogan of ‘Letting some Chinese get rich first’ marked the outset of inequality in China. This became a source of concern for his predecessors, who prompted political moves to distance themselves from their predecessor. Between 1995 and 2002, a development strategy, popularly known as ‘Great western Strategy’, which gave greater emphasis on investing in poor provinces, was adopted (Jane 1). The program also included alleviation of rural poverty through support to farm production, rural educational and training, and emigration into ecologically sustainable areas. The implementation of these policy initiatives has yet faced numerous challenges. For example, tax re bates for local governments tend to be biased towards urban areas, this leaves rural areas depressed out in the cold thus, not doing anything on the urban-rural gap. The complexity behind Chinese politics is worth noting. A debate as to whether the Chinese Government should worry about political destabilization to compact inequality is intriguing. The political elites, the protagonist’s side of Jiang, argue that it is not a pressing problem while Hu and Wen argue it is. With Hu and Wen ruminating openly that inequality is a threat to political stability, their opponents take comfort because they understand that the relationship between poverty and inequality, and protests against social movements are often attenuated (Tony 12). ii. Inequality and Poverty According to Shujie, Yao and associates, China’s largest component of inequality is best illustrated by the rural-urban gap. In 2002, for example, the average urban: rural per capita was expressed in the ratio 3: 1 (Bl echer & College 3), which economic analysts described as staggering, and almost unheard in developing nations. However, China’s extremely egalitarian distribution of land has reduced rural inequality, coupled with its policy on land reform and collectivization, the approach that those molded the collective land distribution to households in the 1980s, and the ongoing restrictions on the growth of a farmland market. Today, rural inequality in Chin

The Inspector in An Inspector Calls Essay Example for Free

The Inspector in An Inspector Calls Essay The play was written in 1945 but surprisingly, J. B. Priestley decided to set it in 1912, as capitalism is the strongest before the war and poor people have to rely on charities; due to the class system. Priestley is trying to convey to the audience a message that we are all equal and we have to look after each other in order to survive. He gave us a clue before he departed, he said if we dont learn it now, we will have to learn it in fire, blood and anguish. This is a hint to us for what is going to happen in the future, this is also dramatic irony as we knew the fire and blood is from the soon coming war. Dramatic Irony is also used again when Mr Birling said the Titanic she sails next week forty six thousand eight hundred tons forty six thousand eight hundred tons New York in five days and every luxury and unsinkable The truth is the Titanic has sinked, and as a audience we know this whilst the narrator or the characters dont. Also, by repeating the weight of the ship we can interpret that Mr Birling is extremely proud of his country and this new ship, during that time, this is common as many people are nationalists then. In 1945, much of the capitalism and class discrimination has gone because of the war, and because we know this its emphasis the proud and great feeling Mr Birling has for his country. The play begins as a simple and thrilling detective play, but it unfolds eventually. Due to the crimes and the responsibility the characters learnt to take, the plays unfolds into a mortality play and teaches us something. This is the struggle of Good and Evil. The Inspector reflects Priestleys ideas and thoughts and voice them out, Priestly himself is a socialist even before he has fought in the two major world wars and realises the importance of everyone and life. At the end of the play, the Inspectors final comment warns Mr Birling,because of his nature, the Inspector wanted him to change and to respect everyone and treat them equally. The name Goole Inspector Goole sounds mysterious and a bit sinister, this is supported by the fact he seems to know a wide variety of things and all these knowledge and understanding is the truth, which makes it even more sinister.

Mothers, Daughters and Common Ground in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club Ess

Mothers, Daughters and Common Ground in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club Here is a journey that not only started "a thousand Li away", but from generations upon generations of tradition. The Joy Luck Club travels over time and continents to present the background and turmoil of eight amazing women. All of these women have had to deal with the issues of culture, gender, and family, each in their own way, yet all similarly. Amy Tan dedicates her novel to her mother with the comment "You asked me once what I would remember†¦ This, and much more." Each of the mothers in Tan's novel wanted to teach their daughters the lessons learned in China while giving them the comforts of America. But language and culture barriers diverge the women until they were almost lost to each other. Each character had to take their own journey to finally understand what drove them apart and find their common ground. Each Mother brought baggage with her across the pacific. They wanted to teach their daughters from all of their pain and suffering, but were never able to communicate the complexities of their life. Suyuan Woo struggles to explain herself to her daughter "'This feather may look worthless, but it comes from afar and carries with it all my good intentions.' And she waited, year after year, for the day she could tell her daughter this in perfect American English"(3). The journey that brought Suyuan to America was long and full of hardship. From the Japanese invasion of Kweilin were she lost her husband and had to leave her daughters, to her assimilation in America. Suyuan wanted to teach her daughter about these hardships so that she could understand the extent of her potential. " My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in Ameri... ... finding her sisters and in doing this fulfilling her own. Just as Jing-Mei found what made her Chinese, Lindo discovered what made her American. "I was so much like my mother. She did not see how my face changed over the years. How my eyes began following the American way"(293). She is a mixture, no longer one hundred percent Chinese, yet she has held her culture with her throughout her life in America. "Not only traditional and not only modern, not just Chinese and not just American, but Chinese-American"(Reece). This is the same discovery that Waverly and Jing-Mei come to, they finally understand were their mother's have come from and the history brought with them from far away. And the mother's best intentions are no longer like the illusive mountains covered in fog, left in China. Works Cited Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Random House, 1989.

One Tragic Defeat

The poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, illustrates the perfection of a knight throughout his life. Sir Gawain the perfect knight goes on a Christmas game quest provided by the Green Knight which tempts his purity and eventually ruins the ideal knight he used to be. In the criticism, â€Å"A Psychological Interpretation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight†, the critic Stephen Manning argues that the poem centers on Gawain’s feeling of guilt. On the other hand, P. J. C. Field a critic who wrote, â€Å" A Rereading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight†, argues that Gawain’s sin in accepting the lady’s girdle is minimal. The remainder of the criticism portrays the comparison between the two critics mentioned. The feeling of guilt occurred once during Sir Gawain’s life; this one time happened to be the day a faultless knight receives his first sin. Sir Gawain holds the situation seriously, and it affects the rest of his life. For example, the green belt Gawain wears, â€Å"symbolizes both [his] shame and his self-knowledge† (Manning 158). Manning explains the color green as a symbol of rebirth, therefore the green belt Sir Gawain carries around resembles the revival of on his short comings. Gawain discovers he is not perfect and learns from his mistakes, thus he becomes a finer, more superior knight which he wishes to become. For instance, Gawain illustrates himself as evil thus informs his peers, â€Å"for evil to exist, it must exist in the good† (159). Manning describes Gawain as a perfect person, one without sin, as if he were a god. Gawain’s peers strive to become like him, so his sin exhibits the impurity and imperfection of human kind. Gawain reveals to his peers that everyone makes mistakes, and should not dread or guilt over them. Guilt demonstrates the psychological feelings of Sir Gawain in the poem. Accepting the girdle for the Lord’s lady is temptation, therefore a mortal sin, but for the predestination of oneself, keeping the girdle was a hard decision to make. Venial sin refers to sin that accidentally happens, whereas mortal sin conveys a sin as one that was supposed to happen. If one commits mortal sin, she or he must visit a priest for penance; but if one commits a venial sin, she or he must ask for forgiveness through prayer. Altogether when anyone asks for forgiveness he or she is forgiven and remains pure. Thus, Gawain only commits a venial sin but, â€Å"venial sin is evil: absolutely, for a man who wants perfection; for a man who is near perfection; and for a man who is possibly†¦ habitually free even from venial sin† (Field 260). Manning argues that to Gawain, a venial sin is evil because he has never committed a sin in his flawless life as a knight. Manning also acknowledges that Gawain takes his first sin solemnly and holds it against himself. He eventually notices that all the pain and suffering he has been through had a reason. Consequently, Gawain returns with a green belt to, â€Å"the court to which [he] returns must be taken as giving the judgement of humanity† (261). Manning implies that through Gawain, everyone in the court shall learn from his mistake and should be prepared and knowledgeable in the future. Through the suffering of a noble and perfect knight, everyone benefits from their courteous peer. Entirely, the acceptance of the lady’s girdle was a venial sin or minimal sin because he did it for the sake of keeping his life. The acceptance of the lady’s girdle led to the guilt of Sir Gawain and the judgement of others. â€Å"But accepting the girdle is not a sin in the theological sense† (Manning 157). Manning is insinuating that the girdle is not a mortal sin but instead a chivalric sin. Therefore Gawain should not be humiliated through guilt as it is not a theological sin, which makes him a perfect man religiously but not through the state of chivalry.

Technology and Plagiarism

Widespread technology and communication has made both plagiarism and the detection of it easier than ever before. In the competitive field of journalism, integrity and individuality plays a massive role. The ethics of writing in a world where writing is an exponentially growing area of work are essential. In the field of journalism, writers must act according to the subject’s code of ethics. â€Å"Truthfulness, accuracy, and objectivity† (Journalism Ethics and Standards) are important characteristics that each journalist must follow. A journalistic piece must meet these indisputable standards – after all, the main idea behind journalism is to deliver the truth. There have been many cases of misconduct and disobedience of the journalistic code of ethics in the past and recent future. Zachery Kouwe, a Times business reporter, was rightly accused of plagiarizing from The Wall Street Journal. After in-depth research into his other pieces of work, plagiarism was apparent in many of his works. The New York Times article called plagiarism a â€Å"journalistic sin† to emphasize the gravity of the issue. Another excellent example of a writer compromising his journalistic integrity can be seen in Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass (2003). This movie, based on a real life story, shows the life of a journalist who’s lost his way and his integrity. Stephen Glass, a former reporter for The New Republic, was caught for a serial fraud in his articles. He fabricated quotations, sources, descriptions, and events in his stories and was eventually fired when his deception came to light. Plagiarism is a common issue for those writers who have lost their integrity. In fair play, written works must be original and accredited. We have the opportunity to use insightful ideas from countless pieces of work. There are written works available in almost every thinkable subject – anywhere from linear algebra to dance ballet. The only requirement for contributing to and taking from the gigantic world of words is integrity. Upholding this honor is the only way to avoid fraud and plagiarism.

Free Essays on Homesexual Marriages

Discrimination is the voice of ignorance. Marriage is one of the fundamental establishments of the United States. As a young person, one looks forward to many goals in their lifetime: career success, a good life, and very often marriage to the person they love. This is one of the biggest parts of our "American life" and culture. Very few heterosexuals would be willing to put their right to marry on a ballot for voter approval, or even in their wildest dreams have to consider doing that. However, in the past ten years that is a prospect gay men and women are facing all over our United States. Why is American culture so unaccepting of homosexual marriages and what are the repercussions of this for homosexual couples and for all of our citizens? Homosexuality, as a lifestyle has always been under great fire in our culture. Homosexuality has been defined and termed in many contexts. The West Chester University Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Services states that, Given the variable aspects of sexual orientation and given evidence that an individual’s sexual orientation may change over time, it is difficult to provide a precise and universally accepted definition of homosexuality. In general terms, homosexuality may be described as the capacity to find affection and or sexual satisfaction with someone of the same gender. Focus founder and fundamental Christian leader, James Dobson, however, simply defines homosexuality as a sin, and says homosexuals can be cured in God’s name (Egelko, 3/2000 p2). As one can see from these two examples alone, the definition of this lifestyle isn’t focused solely on what a homosexual is, but rather how individuals feel about the way of life. In day to day living, the homosexual lifestyle is most likely not much different from the heterosexual or "straight" lifestyle. A homosexual still gets up in the morning and goes to work or to school. They still have dinner with family or friends, participate in sports... Free Essays on Homesexual Marriages Free Essays on Homesexual Marriages Discrimination is the voice of ignorance. Marriage is one of the fundamental establishments of the United States. As a young person, one looks forward to many goals in their lifetime: career success, a good life, and very often marriage to the person they love. This is one of the biggest parts of our "American life" and culture. Very few heterosexuals would be willing to put their right to marry on a ballot for voter approval, or even in their wildest dreams have to consider doing that. However, in the past ten years that is a prospect gay men and women are facing all over our United States. Why is American culture so unaccepting of homosexual marriages and what are the repercussions of this for homosexual couples and for all of our citizens? Homosexuality, as a lifestyle has always been under great fire in our culture. Homosexuality has been defined and termed in many contexts. The West Chester University Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Services states that, Given the variable aspects of sexual orientation and given evidence that an individual’s sexual orientation may change over time, it is difficult to provide a precise and universally accepted definition of homosexuality. In general terms, homosexuality may be described as the capacity to find affection and or sexual satisfaction with someone of the same gender. Focus founder and fundamental Christian leader, James Dobson, however, simply defines homosexuality as a sin, and says homosexuals can be cured in God’s name (Egelko, 3/2000 p2). As one can see from these two examples alone, the definition of this lifestyle isn’t focused solely on what a homosexual is, but rather how individuals feel about the way of life. In day to day living, the homosexual lifestyle is most likely not much different from the heterosexual or "straight" lifestyle. A homosexual still gets up in the morning and goes to work or to school. They still have dinner with family or friends, participate in sports...

Forum 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Forum 4 - Assignment Example Cars in India and China have effective design that suits the consumers’ demands. Cars are designed to provide efficiency, high quality and attractive style. Indian consumers demand cars that have maximum passenger space for use as family vehicles. Other design considerations by car consumers in India include safety, comfort and utility. Designers of cars in Indian and Chinese cars understand the consumers’ unique demands while offering affordable prices. Designers combine diverse dimensions such as functionality, affordability and consumer demand characteristics. Design for reliability implies that goods perform best under their specified conditions for the period stated by the manufacturer or producer. Designers should detect possibilities of potential failure occurrence for a specified design. It informs product simplification. In the case of IBM, the use of acoustic foam in computer panels produced chemical-based adhesives. Chemical-based adhesives hindered recycling and increased greenhouse gas emission. That was an example of improper product design. IBM eliminated the chemical-based adhesive to enhance recycling and reduction of greenhouse gas emission. IBM’s decision to eliminate the chemical-based adhesive improved its products’

SS310 unit 6 Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

SS310 unit 6 Assignment - Research Paper Example the single most potent and important step on the part of the women to win for themselves equal political, social, civil and moral rights (Dunlop, 1998, p. 246). The very fact that this convention was actually held, imbued the hitherto scattered women’s rights groups in the United States with the faith and the confidence that women were not only capable of politically organizing themselves, but were also capable of articulating their rational in an organized and forceful manner (Dunlop, 1998). The reverberations of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention could well be felt in the drafting and ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, representing the fructification of the political and social momentum unleashed by the Seneca Falls Convention. Hence, there is no denying the fact that the first Women’s Rights Convention of 1848 in a way constitutes the chronological and ideological epicenter of the Women’s Rights Movement right from its dawn to the present day. It repres ents a first socially and politically organized and symbolic dissent on the part of the women, against the hitherto existing system that denied to them the very basic civil, political and economic rights. It was the 1848 Convention that initiated a debate on the issue of women’s right and other related issues. This also needs to be mentioned that many of the women activists being actively engaged in the abolition movement, were for the first time able to unequivocally express their disenchantment with a society that extended to them less than equal rights and that too with a grudge. Hence, the First National Women’s Rights convention at Worcester in 1850, tends to be a worthy follower to the 1848 Convention, which intended to be a litmus test on the part of its organizers, to test if Women’s Rights Movement could accrue support from varied sections of the American society and whether the time was right for initiating and organizing this struggle. In that sense, the First Women’s Rights