Rehabilitation and Treatment of Methamphetamine Addiction Essay

Rehabilitation and Treatment of Methamphetamine Addiction - Essay Example Most of those who are affected are the poor because the drug is much cheaper and the effects last longer than those of cocaine. Cruickshank and Dyer (2009) explain that the chemicals used in making the drug have toxic waste that is quite explosive. The toxins that remain behind after cooking methamphetamine are also risky to those who stay in the neighborhood where methamphetamine laboratories previously existed. For total cleanliness of such laboratories, there should be complete overhaul of the structure with absorbent materials like carpets being destroyed together with sinks, drains and toilets and after the new structures have been fitted, thorough inspection should be carried out by a qualified health worker. The rehabilitation and treatment of the addicts is dependent on the attitude of the health workers. This is also affected by the existence of myths surrounding the treatment of addicts. Some beliefs state that whether addicts seek treatment or not, they still continue usin g the drug. This however improves with the health workers realizing that the treatment involves doing away with the involuntary desire to continue using the drug. The treatment process requires referrals for psychiatric treatment. When there is commitment on the part of the addict and the health care provider, addiction of methamphetamine is treatable. Assessment and management of withdrawal symptoms is important in the recovery process. The objective of the study is to determine whether emergency health departments address issues related to health including drug abuse. Also it determines whether health centers in Kansas have policies put in place to provide care and treatment to addicts.... addition to the availability of formal protocols. Proper application of the above provisions will reduce the health, financial and environmental effects of the drug. The findings of the study help in making the public aware of the fact that the location of a hospital does not influence acquisition of quality health care unless the facility is equipped with adequate facilities. Those practicing nursing should also know that the process of taking good care of addicts is fundamental in their recovery and that the notion of addiction being a voluntary decision is largely misguided. They should also formulate and implement policies consistently for effective treatment so as to avoid the destructive effects of addiction.The study is however limited because of the use of telephones for interviews. Therefore, there is no surety that the person answering the call is the best representative of the emergency department of the specific health facility. The sample size is small and may fail in so me respects adequately represent the population.

Global Studies Class-Gloabal Diasporas and Cultural Change-the Sikhs Research Paper

Global Studies Class-Gloabal Diasporas and Cultural Change-the Sikhs in the United States - Research Paper Example The cartographers used colors to show this trend; there was a huge red spot from Japan to China indicating Buddhists, then there was a huge dark green spot all over the Middle East, and there was blue over most of Europe and America (Juergensmeyer 3). The point is religious density and demographics do not remain the same. Times change and so do the demographics, people move to different places. Now the dark colors of cartographers are turning light due to the mingling of other religious followers (Juergensmeyer 3). The world has truly turned into a global village. The immigration and migration has seen a tremendous increase over the past 50 years. Traveling has become so easy and people are moving out of their comfort zones for better opportunities. This demographic intermingling of religions is healthy because it has given more understanding to people about others religions. The migration is so prevalent that Los Angeles is the second biggest in terms of population of Iranians and Filipinos (Juergensmeyer 4). The US is a multicultural place. Since the time of Columbuss discovery of the United States, there has been an influx of immigrants from all over the world. Suddenly everyone wanted to migrate to the land of opportunities. The Indian subcontinent has many fertile lands situated alongside ancient rivers. One of these most ancient civilizations on earth are found in North India, more commonly known as the Harappa Mohenjo-Daro. In the region of Punjab when it was not divided between India and Pakistan, there was strong minority of Sikh population. Compared to the huge population of Hindus and Muslims in India, the population of the Sikhs was not as much. They were and still are in minority. The world is known for the globalization of trade and economy but not many people pay attention to the globalization of religion. Religion is a global tool in the sense that it propels people to engage in global

Assessing the VAT Administration in Ethiopia

Assessing the VAT Administration in Ethiopia Upon its assumption of power in May 1991, the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) came to grips with the deficiencies that featured as the hallmarks of the public service. Dictated by the demands of the structural adjustment program (SAP) and the zeal to usher in new government machinery arrangements in accordance with its drives and preferences; the EPRDF introduced a wide range public sector reform program . Public expenditure management and control including the revenue sector has been one of the areas of critical focus under this broad reform program/package/. On the top of this reform agenda, one of the new visions of Ethiopian government among other things is to bring rapid and sustainable development in the country. Hence the government recognized, that, the achievement of this rapid and sustainable development requires mainly sustained and dependable domestic revenue mobilization which otherwise be a dream to realize such a vision depending only on external finance source which is subject to uncertainty. In order to realize domestic revenue mobilization objectives, it is considered that the role of taxation is of vital importance. To this end, the government of Ethiopia has been making considerable efforts to reform its tax system that cover all the areas of direct and indirect taxes. Under the indirect taxation system, the major outcome of the reform was the introduction of VAT. Ethiopia introduced VAT through proclamation No. 282/2002 which has been ratified or July 2002 and come in to force on January 1/2003 .The adoption of VAT into its tax system by replacing the former sales tax was with the objective in which VAT is considered to be important to enhance saving and investment, minimize the damage that may be caused by tax evasion and avoidance, stimulate economic growth and improve the relationship between gross domestic product and government revenue in the country. In addition, some of the inherent deficiencies of the former sales tax system which contribute to the replacement by the VAT also include: The former sales tax being a single stage collection system led to a greater loss of revenue as the base was much narrower than VAT. It is in short that it leads to cascading effect. As the VAT system requires strict use of invoices and allows input credit, it is expected to better mitigate evasion than the former sales tax. VAT is a broad based tax on the consumption of goods and services with standard rate of 15% in Ethiopia. It is collected at all stages in the production and distribution process beginning with the importers and producers of raw materials and ending with the retailers. Unlike the sales tax system where by relief is granted only to raw materials used directly in the production of goods; the tax structure under VAT system take credit invoice method which allows the business to offset the tax paid on capital goods and purchase of inputs against the collected tax on sales of goods and services. Destination principle is the base in which only imports are subject to tax and exports are zero rated. Removing the tax content from exported goods is aimed at making the goods more competitive in international markets. The threshold for compulsory registration is annual turnover exceeding Ethiopian birr 500,000 (approximately $ US 30,414). Business establishments below this threshold are exempted. Basic goods (especially food items) and services are also exempt from VAT. VAT is the youngest tax regime in Ethiopia with the age of only 7 years. As Eduart G. by his article on Albanian Tax Administration stated much IMF experience suggests that first years are not nearly long enough to have a good VAT system up and running well. Ten years is perhaps closer to reality (Eduart G. 2009, pp1). This notion tends to be relevant to the Ethiopian context in which due to this and some other factors, the VAT administration process is perceived to have various problems that range from filing returns, through processing refunds, and to enforcement and facilitation problems. Under this short report paper, attempt is made to discuss the major problems in VAT administrative process in Ethiopia and to recommend some solutions deemed relevant to solve the problems and improve the VAT administration and compliance. Thus, section one is introduction and deals with the overall picture of the VAT system in Ethiopia. The VAT administrative process and associated problems and risks are discussed under section two. And finally, section three deals with concluding remarks by summarizing the major problems and compliance risks of the VAT administration in Ethiopia. VAT administrative process 2.1. Basic principles governing VAT Administration a. Voluntary compliance Voluntary compliance is considered to be the primary objective of revenue authorities. Like any other revenue authorities, ERCA has several tax laws and regulations upon which it operates with a spectrum of needed compliance instruments. The instruments that are in place to leverage compliance range from education to sanction. Sensitization and awareness creation on tax obligations is pursued as a primary avenue to bring about the desired compliance behavior following which penalties are to be considered. Severe penalties may even be exercised awhile depending on the nature and magnitude of the violations. The preferred option of ERCA though, is one of adopting an administrative approach that encourages voluntary compliance with in a co-operative and participative regulatory environment. Thus, voluntary compliance by tax payers is the basic approach of the authority also with regard to VAT administration. Although this approach can be viewed as the strength of the VAT administration, the practical observation is far apart from this wish. Voluntary compliance can be better achieved through intensive tax payer education and delivery of quality service and information. Tax payers should need to know their rights and obligations to comply with .Delivery of quality service and information is also equally important to attract them to do so. However, due to the low coverage and poor performance of these matters and some other cultural and administrative problems, voluntary compliance is hardly attained objective in Ethiopia. b. Self Assessment VAT is self assessed tax in Ethiopia and this can be viewed as its strength that, one of the important features of modern tax administrations is the provision for self assessment. The responsibility for the correct calculation and timely payment of VAT rests on the taxpayer himself. In fact there are variety of circumstances in which the authority may issue an additional assessment such as in the case, where a person fails to furnish a return as require by law, and if the authority is not satisfied for any reason of perceived risks. One of the basic reasons to employ self assessed VAT system is administrative feasibility the fact that revenue authorities can not afford to knock every ones door to reasonably assess and collect tax liabilities. Rather, they need to focus on and direct much of their efforts and resources to those tax payers that are considered to be high risk traders. As indicated by the Indian Government Department of Revenue report on international best practice in VAT administration, in order for such a self assessment system to be effective, the apparent freedom granted to tax payers must be backed up with a supportive legislative framework and a comprehensive and integrated set of administrative processà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ most importantly, as further indicated, the modern tax management therefore relies heavily upon risk assessment tools to determine which tax payers matters must be examined very closely, not merely at the audit level, but at all stages of the tax process from registration to collection (Indian Government Department of revenue 2006). When we look at in to Ethiopian situation in light of this view; the risk assessment practice is in its infant age. ERCA has passed all its age with out formal compliance risk management policy and strategy. Currently, however, ERCA has this policy and strategy which is endorsed on June 2010. Although it is too early to evaluate its impact with in 5 months of its endorsement, it is believed that it will bring a significant improvement on the compliance management efforts of the authority. 2.2. VAT Registration The VAT legislation in Ethiopia provides for two types of registration which are obligatory and voluntary. The threshold for obligatory registration is the annual taxable turnover that exceeds Ethiopian Birr 500,000.The primary intention to limit the registration threshold was consideration to administrative feasibility. However with this threshold limit even, the registration performance tends to be unsatisfactory. Regarding voluntary registration, a person, who carried on taxable activity and is not subject to mandatory registration, may voluntarily apply to the authority for such registration, if he regularly supplies at least 75% of his taxable goods and services to VAT registered person. In line with the threshold limit for obligatory registration, the government set turnover tax as equalizing factor to enhance fairness in commercial relations and make complete the coverage of the tax system at the same time reaching those tax payers below the threshold value. However due to the low enforcement capacity and some other reasons it tends to be less performed and viewed by registered taxpayers as ill addressed area. For example the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association in its release on National Business Agenda stated the following: A VAT registrant has to charge consumers an indirect tax of 15% of the value of goods or services sold. A non- registrant, however, pays a turnover tax (TOT) of 2% on goods sold and 2-10% on services rendered. Given these rates VAT registrants could not compete in the market. More over the tax Authority has limited capacity to enforce compliance. Knowing the authoritys limitations, many business enterprises who are required to register for VAT do not comply. This situation has created a distorted market, where those registered for VAT are subjected to unfair competition (Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce Sectoral Association 2007-2008 pp8) As we can understand from these statements, their argument refers to the wider gap between the VAT rate of 15% and the 2% rate for turn over tax which led to market distortion (unfair competition) together with the limited administrative capacity of the authority to enforce and facilitate the proper management of the turnover tax and the registration to VAT. Due to low compliance culture, low audit coverage, weak administrative capacity to detect and register potential unregistered tax payers; non registration is one of the most critical challenges in Ethiopian VAT administration system. The study by Tewodros Zewdie, also supplements this and the above view as he stated the business community contends that taxes are disproportionately collected from a few formal sector enterprises, while large sums remain out side tax system due to evasion, ineffective tax administration and inconsistent registration (Tewodros Zewedie 2010, PP1) . Further more as the study by Her Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the UK indicates , only approximately 434,000 registered tax payers under all tax regimes out of population of 80 million- is biggest risk unregistered trading in Ethiopia (HMRC, Mission Summary report 2009 , pp 55) . As the study further assumes in fact it may be crude to take all the 80, million populations as a potential. Let us consider that 85% of the population being agricultural society is not required to register. This drops down the figure to 15 million (15% of the population). Also assume that unemployed work force including children possibly reduce this to 10 million. So that we still have at least 9.5 million people unregistered. The same trend holds true of VAT registration. Really this is greatest risk for Ethiopian tax administration. 2.3. Filing Returns and Payment of Tax VAT return is a form filled by a VAT registered person and filed with the tax authority at the end of each VAT accounting period showing if there is VAT payable or refundable. According to the VAT proclamation, every registered person is required to file the VAT return with the tax authority for each accounting period, whether or not tax is payable in respect of that period, no later than the last day of the calendar month following VAT accounting period. The payment of the tax liability is also expected at the point of declaration. Non declaration or frequently declaration of Nil are among the significant risks currently identified by ERCA. On the other hand the business community is complaining that a one month period for declaration and payment of VAT is very short. In fact, this is also evidenced by the study conducted by Wollea Abhodie as she stated this is a problem especially for tax payers conducting business at several locations since gathering documents from different offices takes time. Further according to the survey respondents, the shortness of the reporting period puts substantial pressure on employees and disrupts the normal operation of businesses (Yesgat WA 2008 pp151). The other problem is that every person registered for VAT is needed to go to tax offices in person to file and pay tax returns each month through out the year. No other option is provided and this may require the tax payer even to travel several kilometers in some instances. In addition the payment of tax liability exceeding Ethiopian birr 1000 is required to be effected through Ethiopian Commercial Bank and after paying the money the tax payer is required to submit the bank advice to the revenue authority. Hence he is forced to go to the bank as well as to the revenue authority to pay and report the same amount of money. This imposes some cost of service charge and time on the tax payer. VAT Invoicing VAT invoice is the central feature of VAT accounting. Under Ethiopian VAT law, the registered person is required to issue VAT invoice to the purchaser of goods and services upon the supply or rendering, but not later than 5 days after the transaction. A person who is not registered for VAT doesnt have the right to issue a tax invoice. It should be noted that only VAT registered person have to issue a VAT invoice if the total consideration for the entire supply does exceed Ethiopian Birr 10. In principle, as Eng L. Ming stated one key feature of the VAT system is the requirement to issue tax invoice that provides audit trail and the mechanism for the self- policing nature of the tax. In the light of the importance of the tax invoice, the material aspects relating to the use and form of the document are regulated (Eng L Ming 2004, pp2). However, if this is to work, all actors in the system should comply as per the law. Apart from this view, the VAT invoicing practice is serving much below than the expectation. In Ethiopia the problem is two sided. On the one hand the suppliers tend to use any opportunity to avoid the issuance of VAT invoice which may include negotiation with purchaser. On the other hand, most of the purchasers perhaps all citizens, unless they need it as evidence for claiming VAT refund or some other reason such as for accounts settlement with their organizations (employers) ; no one as civilized citizen, worries about demanding invoices. The other problem with VAT invoices is the use of fake or duplicated invoices. VAT sales invoices are printed by each tax payer with the provision of standard format and permission by the tax authority. However there is no criteria or procedure issued to select printing presses (firms) and it is up to the tax payer to select and negotiate with the printing firm nea rby. This gives rise to the printing of fake and duplicated invoices. This issues are further evidenced by the study conducted by Yesgat WA as she stated these problems include the difficulty of getting invoices on purchases and details of customers for the preparation of sales invoices, the problem of supplying with out invoices (by giving the option of buying with or without invoices to customers) and using duplicated invoices (Yesgat WA 2008 pp 153). VAT Refund VAT refund is the net VAT that a registered person expects from the tax authority when input VAT exceeds output VAT. At the end of a VAT accounting period, if output VAT exceeds input VAT, the difference is the amount of VAT payable to the tax Authority. On the other hand, if input tax exceeds output tax, the supplier may be allowed to carry the credit forward and a refund is made after five months if input VAT still exceeds out put tax. VAT refunds in Ethiopia are financed out of consolidated VAT collections and there is no specific expenditure appropriation for VAT refunds in the annual budget. This is one of the reasons to delay in VAT refunds when cash shortage occurs. As Indian government department of revenue indicated experience with VAT implementation in many countries shows that refund of credits has been the Achilles heel of the VAT. It has been a source of tension between tax authorities and the business sector and in some countries has led to complex administrative measures that have significantly undermined the functioning of the VAT system à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as further indicated the prevalence of fraudulent claims is often cited by tax officials as a major reason for delaying payment of refunds. Often less advanced tax administrations pursue time consuming and labor intensive processes to verify claims before approving refunds, resulting in backlogs of refund requests and considerable disquiet among business tax payers who have been deprived of their working capital. In contrast, the most effective and efficient tax administrations tackle refund related fraud as part of a broader VAT compliance strategy based on risk management principles and generally limit pre-refund verification checks to perceived high risk claims (Indian Government, Department of Revenue 2006). The view holds true in our context in which risk based compliance management practice is not matured and refund requests are subject to pre-refund verifications in most cases. The refund period is also relatively longer than those of advanced economies with a period of on month. By the side of the taxpayers, VAT refund is one of the areas with significant risk under ERCAS current list of risk records. A common risk in this regard is that, goods declared for export and consequently declared as zero- rate on future declarations are diverted in to domestic consumption. The case of a declared export of sugar across the Kenyan border and its consequent identification of domestic consumption (which is repeatedly detected) is one of the specific examples. VAT Audit Tax audit is one of the most important tools of treating compliance risk by tax administrators. However, it is also considered to be one of the capacity challenges to many administrations. For example, as the Indian Government Revenue Department study indicates, it has generally been observed that audit is most often the weakest component of VAT administration, early in the implementation phase. This is because a completely new law is introduced, and both the departments staff and the dealers are in- experienced with it (Indian government department of revenue 2006, pp 61). The current audit status in Ethiopia shows this reality. As the study by HMRC of UK indicated, EARCAS current capacity through its large tax payers office for eg, is limited to only 20 audits per month, each one requiring between 10 and 20 staff days to complete. At least 5000 (all category A) tax payers are expected to be subject to this audit and there fore it may take nearly 21 years to visit all the large taxpayer population to ERCA and they would not be selected at all if they continue to make payment declarations (HMRC mission summary report 2009 pp 54). It worth, more attention would have been given to the VAT audit, the fact that the overall value of VAT share is considerably significant of all revenue income (about 85% )as the same study indicated. For audit to be efficient and effective, it should be supplemented by sound risk management /selectivity practices. The lack of sound risk management practice is one of the most contributing factors for the insignificant impact of audit on VAT compliance efforts. In other words, audit efforts are considered to be only a futile attempt in some instances, which result in less benefit than its cost. Penalties/Enforcement and Recognition. In this regard, the legislative base is not the source of problem. It sets out the rights and obligations of the tax officers as well as the tax payers. There are clearly stated provisions about the powers and penalties available to the tax authorities including the administrative settlement of tax offences and other related issues. However, this strong side is dominated by the low enforcement capacity of the authority and the law is not serving up to the expectation. In fact, within the sphere of the limited capacity, enforcement actions to leverage compliance range from education to appropriate sanctions. Thus the current trend differentiate between violations leading to customer education or warning and deliberate non- compliance leading to penalties i.e. those who are willing to be compliant but dont understand (making mistakes) are tackled through simplification of procedures, guidance and taxpayer education. And those who deliberately violate are treated through ranges of appropriate enforcement actions and penalties. Similarly, the current system some how recognizes for good compliance in which such firms are subject to lower intervention and provided with increased self assessment. Given its low capacity to enforce the rules, these approaches can be considered as the strength of the current VAT system. As in the case of all other issues, the low level of risk management practice and the low coverage and quality of audit are some of the fac tors that contribute to the low achievement of the law enforcement efforts. Concluding Remarks The VAT administration in Ethiopia is tending to follow approaches that are common to those modern tax administrations such as more reliance on self assessment and voluntary compliance. The fresh start of compliance risk management policy and strategy is also the current hope of the Authority for the better achievement of its law enforcement and compliance objectives. However, the low level of awareness by the tax payers, low compliance culture, the limited administrative capacity of the authority (institutional as well as man power capacity), lack of sound risk management practice to supplement the tax audit and law enforcement efforts etc. are some of the most critical challenges to ERCA to face currently. There fore; Adequate and continuous taxpayer education together with the provision of quality service and information is on the top of the solutions to bring voluntary compliance and better achieve its objectives. This may include, providing additional explanatory materials on tax laws, free training and taxpayer education programs, using community radios, establishing permanent contact and help centers, free phone lines (information desks), and wider use of public media etc. Further more, the service delivery arrangements should also need to consider such aspects as special treatment of large tax payers through large tax payer units (LTU), establishment of special tax courts, one stop shopping and different options to file and pay return by the tax payer such as through post office, electronic mail etc as appropriate are some of the important elements that add some value to the current situation. The approaches for self assessment and voluntary compliance by the tax payers should be followed by strong law enforcement through sound risk analysis and deterring measures focusing on high risk tax payers of non-complaints. Enhancing risk aware management culture, properly implementing the risk analysis output to supplement and direct the audit and the law enforcement efforts is very crucial to economic deployment of scarce resources and achieve its objectives of control and facilitation in much better effective and efficient way. More specifically, other comments include the following; The VAT administration fail not only to detect and register the potential non- registrants; but it equally fail to properly enforce and manage the registered tax payers as well. This situation may call for upgrading the current threshold to a reasonably manageable level inline with strengthing its capacity to effectively cop-up with the situation. Much focus is also required to the administration and control of turnover tax (TOT) to minimize the current market distortion and unfair competition between the VAT registered and non registered businesses. Building the capacity of VAT officers and auditors through intensive skill development trainings and education programs to up grade their skill an knowledge level is very crucial area that need due attention . Increasing the number of VAT auditors with adequate skill and hence widening the current level of insignificant coverage of audit to meaningful level is also another area that need fast action. To promote better compliance culture and the use of VAT invoices, by both the taxpayer and the consumer, in addition to the above taxpayer education mass sensitization and civic awareness creation is very important. Further, to motivate individual consumers (purchasers) to claim receipts for the purchase (consumption) they made and the amount paid it will be helpful for the VAT invoices to bear some incentive in the form of lottery or like. To eliminate the delay in VAT refunds due to cash shortage, specific expenditure appropriation for this purpose in the annual budget will be valuable. Similarly the VAT refund period also may need adjustments based on international best practice benchmarking such as to one month period. As non- registration is one of the biggest risks; it is an area that requires much effort and enforcement. The current approach that mainly focus on the visit of the tax payers premises once through- out the year by local inspectors should be supplemented by permanent tax messenger that frequently visit the tax payers business and related affairs and report to the authority to decide on the registration or deregistration of the tax payer . Finally, as the overall value of VAT share is considerably significant of all revenue income, much attention should be granted and there fore need to assure that income stream is protected. Resources should be directed to maximize the revenue income from the major taxes rather than trying to assure equally across all regimes that could, potentially, expose larger taxes to attack by customers.

Transformation: Randle McMurphy & Patients Essay -- Essays Papers

Transformation: Randle McMurphy & Patients He waltzed into the ward and introduced himself to every patient as a gambling man with a zest for women and cards. Randle P. McMurphy, a swaggering, gambling, boisterous redheaded con man, arrived at the ward from the Pendleton Work Farm. He was sentenced to six months at the prison work farm, but pretended to be insane in order to obtain a transfer to the hospital because he thought it would be more comfortable than the work farm. Bromden senses that there was something different about this new patient. After his first experience with the excruciating routine of the Group Meeting, McMurphy tells the patients that Nurse Ratchet is a genuine â€Å"ball-cutter.† The other patients tell him that there is no defying Nurse Ratched because, in their eyes, she is an all-powerful force. True to his nature as a gambling man, McMurphy makes a bet with the other patients that he can make Ratched lose her temper. At first, the confrontation between Ratched and McMurphy provides some humorous entertainment for the other patients. However, McMurphy’s confrontation soon becomes their confrontation as he draws them into the conflict by encouraging their rebellion. The success of his bet hinges on a failed vote to change the television schedule so they can watch the World Series. The Series was on television during the time allotted for cleaning chores. McMurphy and the other patients staged a protest by sitting in front of the blank television in...

Exploring Equality and Diversity Essay

You should use this file to complete your Assessment. †¢The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk †¢Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly †¢When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference †¢Then, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number. Name: Nichola Craven 1. What is meant by diversity? Diversity is the way that everything and everybody is different. We all have various qualities that make us who we are. We all have our own individual set of qualities and we may share some of these with others we meet or have nothing in common at all. Diversity may be visible as in age or colour of skin or not immediately noticed until we have spent time with someone, this could include their religious beliefs or sexual orientation. 2. Describe the community you live in. Highlight some of the variations you may observe in terms of: †¢Interests †¢Beliefs †¢Ages †¢Lifestyles †¢Personal, social and cultural identities. I live in an inner city council estate. Many people on the estate are interested in watching the local teams play football and rugby. There is a community centre nearby and pensioners get together to do light exercise classes and children take karate or cheerleading classes. Groups of teenagers take turns to use the basketball court. It is very rare to see children or anyone over twenty using the courts. Some parents let their young children go to the local park alone but others will only let their children play in the back yard. At the back of the estate are the Wash lands where many people will walk their dogs but some people who live here have never walked that way. There are many different beliefs, in terms of religion and family values. The largest religious group are Christians, and the second largest is Muslims. Most of the Muslims in the community do not drink alcohol. Most of the houses are homes to young families on low incomes. There are very few elderly people in the council houses. Most people are White British or Asian British in terms of ethnicity, although lately there are a large number of Eastern European families on my street. I have noticed that over the last two years that their English has improved greatly and we are now able to communicate better. Many people on the estate have full time or part time jobs although there is a high number of unemployed and many single parents who stay at home to take care of very young children. 3. Explain how the variations in question 2 contribute to the diversity of the community. Where people have different interests such as playing or watching rugby, they are contributing to the entertainment in the community for those who like to watch the matches. Also, the children and men who are in the rugby teams are keeping fit and learning how to be team players. The people who watch rugby also hold fund raising events to keep up with the maintenance of the clubhouse as well has regular charity fundraisers to help local charities. Neighbours who celebrate different religious festivals will share their experiences by inviting others to parties and this helps everyone gain knowledge of how different people live. My neighbour often brings various Asian cuisines for my family to try and shares recipes. 4. Give some examples to explain how diversity: †¢Enhances your life †¢Enhances the local community †¢Enhances this country. Diversity enhances my life the most when I spend time with my brother. He is engaged to a Hungarian lady who has a large family living in my city. We often have parties in the summer where we eat from a big pot of goulash which is cooked outside in a cauldron over a fire. The drink of choice is palinka, a kind of fruit brandy although I can’t say I like the taste much. We sing and dance to modern and traditional Hungarian music and it is overall a fun time that I can’t experience with my English family. I see how diversity enriches the local community the most at the primary school where I work. The majority of the children do not have English as a first language and are all from different backgrounds and countries. Despite there being so much diversity and language barriers, there is a sense of camaraderie where the children help each other and are learning to live with and accept people who are different. The ethos of the school is that every child is valued and should be given the same opportunities as each other. The introduction of a Pride event in the city a few years ago has created a once a year festival where people celebrate their differences in sexuality and way of life. There is always a big crowd and everyone has fun. I think it helps people to learn about and accept those who lead different lifestyles to themselves when they are given the chance to integrate at a large event such as this. Diversity enhances this country because there is always something new we can learn from each other. The integration of various nationalities, interests and personalities mean we can better understand others and join in with their celebrations and appreciate different cultures. Our experiences in food and dining are enriched by the opening of different eateries and by supermarkets offering a wide range of international ingredients to cater for an increasingly diverse country. 5. Describe what it means to respect people’s differences and why it is important to respect differences. Respecting people’s differences means that we appreciate that others are different to us and just because we may not have anything in common or share their beliefs, we should accept them for who they are. When people do not accept others, it can lead to bullying, lack of communication and a general feeling of distrust. This can lead to unrest within communities. To be able to live in peace and harmony, everyone should realise that others have a right to be different. 6. For a person you know, describe the individual factors that make him / her who they are. Name: Defining factorsBrief description Physical characteristics A tall, well presented man in his early thirties. Emotions Very laid back, likes to help other people. Likes and dislikes Likes action films and playing computer games. Dislikes soaps and dancing. Values and beliefs Believes in God, doesn’t attend church on a regular basis. Family is very important to him. 7. Describe yourself in terms of: †¢Personal interests †¢Religion / culture †¢Geography. I enjoy reading, whether it is browsing the web or a book on my kindle e-reader. I enjoy socialising with my friends but my main interest lies within my family life. I love spending time with my three daughters, taking them shopping, to the park or the movies. When my husband isn’t working, we like to take the children and our dog for long walks. I am not very religious. I only go to church when occasion demands i.e. in the case of weddings, funerals or christenings. I attended a Church of England primary school and I still carry my beliefs and values from my time there and pass these beliefs on to my children. I live in Yorkshire on a medium sized social housing estate next to the city centre. The shopping centre, hospital and schools are all within walking distance from my house. 8. What is meant by having multiple identities? Give three examples in relation to people you know. Multiple identities are the way one person acts in different situations or with different people. Example 1: Sasha is a college student who likes to socialise with her friends and loves dressing in the latest fashions. When she comes home she changes into her jogging bottoms and old t-shirt and spends time with her little sisters helping them with their homework. Example 2: I take my children to visit my mum and we drink coffee and watch children’s TV and she does jigsaws with her grandchildren. When I visit my mum without my children, we drink wine and talk about adult things and listen to the music channel. Example 3: Claire is a single mum with two young children. Monday to Friday, she comes home from work, does the cleaning, cooking and looks after her children. At the weekend, the children stay with their father and Claire spends time with her friends going to the pub and having a good time in adult company. 9. What is meant by shared identity? Shared identity is where two or more people have one or more of a common characteristic. This could be that they enjoy watching football or that they come from the same town or city. They could be the same age or share the same taste in music. 10. Explain and give examples of how an individual can identify themselves as belonging to a number of different groups. An individual can belong to different groups by the fact that they have something in common with those people. An example is that of where a group of men are from the same area and they all go to watch a football match. If they were from Yorkshire and supported Leeds, they would be in that group of Yorkshire Leeds supporters. However, if they were not at the football match and were on holiday with their family, they would prioritise their identities differently. They would be from Yorkshire, and be fathers on holiday with their families. The football team they support may not even enter the equation in terms of how they perceive themselves or how others see them. 11. Describe yourself in terms of your multiple identities. I am mum to three children. Earlier this year I was a full time housewife with my youngest child in part time nursery. Now all of my children are in school and college, my role is less focused on being a housewife and I work in a school office. I find that now I work, my husband takes a more active role in the housework and care of the children, taking on some of my previous responsibilities. When the children are in bed, I take on administrative tasks for my husband’s plumbing business and become his book-keeper. At work, I am usually based in the office although I have to walk around school passing on messages and I have to look after sick children while we wait for their parents to take them home. When I get chance to see my friends, they see a different side of me as I like to make the most of my time away from work and other responsibilities and have a good time. They would say I enjoy a good time and I am a shoulder to cry on. 12. What is meant by stereotyping and labelling? When we first meet others, we can’t help judging them from our first impressions. If someone is wearing glasses, we may think wrongly or rightly that they are intelligent and studious. We may see two women together holding hands and we would think that they are gay. This is called labelling, when we pick out a characteristic and focus on it, drawing our own conclusions. Another example is when we see a woman pushing a pushchair. We label her as being a mother although she is also many other things. Stereotyping is where we make assumptions about people belonging to a certain group. An Asian friend of mine was shopping in the supermarket, and looking at cat food. A lady who was trying to be helpful tried to explain to her that cat food was not for human consumption and was shocked when my friend replied in broad Yorkshire that it was for her cat and she wasn’t thinking of eating it herself. This is an example of stereotyping – people assuming that people who are f rom ethnic minorities cannot read or speak English. 13. Explain why some people stereotype others. Stereotyping continues to be part of our society through the way families and social groups instil their beliefs on one another and the way that the media portray certain groups. When we see rioting on the news, we tend to see young people wearing hoodies to cover their faces. This leads to us thinking that all people who wear hoodies are dangerous when it is in fact not true. My daughter wears a hoodie and sometimes puts the hood up to keep her ears warm yet even though I know this, I still get scared if I see a group of teenagers in hoodies because of all the media stories. This is the case of the isolated behaviours within a small group that has lead to a stereotype. People will stereotype because they want to fit in with a particular group and will share their views on others. 14. Provide two examples of the damaging effects that stereotyping and labelling can have on people. Stereotyping can lead to fear within communities. Old people may fear young people because of they see on the news that a teenager committed a series of muggings. Travelling communities may be made unwelcome in pubs because of a few isolated incidents of trouble. People may avoid those who suffer from mental illness as many murderers claim to suffer from mental illness. This leads us to stereotype all people with mental illness as being violent which is untrue. This could have a damaging effect on them and lead them to withdraw from society. People continue to be ageist in society. They label elderly people as just being old and not as able as they once were and don’t consider other qualities that they have such as being kind and caring. Many non physical jobs do not rely on age such as being a good teacher yet sometimes; recruiters will choose a young person because they assume that youth will make them better at a job. Ageism damages society because we are taking away the diversity and personal qualities that older people can offer and also, when we treat elderly people as being useless, they start to feel useless and may become depressed. 15. Provide at least two examples of the way stereotyping is perpetuated in society. Stereotyping is perpetuated within families, the way your parents and other relatives perceive things can be passed on to you and so a cycle begins where people carry on stereotyping. I remember growing up in a family where we stereotyped all gay men as being flamboyant and effeminate. This was also due to the way that they were stereotyped on television programmes in the seventies and eighties. The views of peer groups can also carry on stereotypes. Some people see jobless people as being lazy benefit scroungers. This may be true of some of them but a discussion with your friends where they provide an example of such lazy scrounger and shows such as The Jeremy Kyle show where people are often presented in a negative way will make sure the stereotype prevails. 16. Define prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice occurs when a characteristic of an individual or group is reacted to in a negative way. It is an incorrect and unfair assumption that is based on little or no proof. People can be prejudiced against many characteristics such as race, gender or sexuality and have negative views about or act negatively towards those groups. Discrimination occurs when prejudice means that someone is treated unfairly because they possess one or more characteristic. 17. Explain how people may develop prejudices. People can develop prejudices from a bad experience with an individual. If someone sat next to an unhygienic overweight person at school, they may think that every overweight person is unhygienic. Someone may be influenced by the views of relatives or friends who they respect enough to accept their views whether they are good or bad prejudices. If someone is around people who believe that their prejudices are just, they are likely to take them on board themselves and transfer those views to other people that they come into contact with. 18. Describe the following types of discrimination. Type of discriminationDescription Dual discrimination Dual discrimination occurs when prejudice is aimed at two characteristics of someone or a group. If someone is a single parent and is out of work, they could be negatively thought of by someone who has bad views on single parents and of unemployed people. Multiple discriminationThis is where someone is discriminated against for having several characteristics. An overweight lady in a wheelchair could obviously be discriminated against on three points, being overweight, being disabled and being a woman. Positive discriminationPositive discrimination occurs when people are favoured because they possess certain characteristics. An example is where a housing association prioritises ethnic minority families against others in the same situation. Discrimination arising out of disabilityDiscriminating against a disability can mean that disabled [people are not given the opportunities in life that more able people are such as access to employment or education opportunities. Discrimination by associationThis is where someone is discriminated against for associating with a person or group whom the prejudice is aimed at. An example is a mixed race marriage here prejudice is held against one partners race but both partners suffer harassment. 19. What is meant by the term protected characteristics? Protected characteristics are legally recognised areas where discrimination is likely to occur. They are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and beliefs, gender and sexual orientation. This are characteristics that everyone posses and the law is there to protect individuals from unfair discrimination. 20. What is the difference between direct and indirect discrimination? Give two examples to illustrate your point. Direct discrimination occurs when someone is treated differently due to a personal characteristic that they possess. This could be an older person being denied the right of promotion despite being more qualified or equally qualified than someone younger than them. It could be that a woman mentions at a job interview that she has four children and the interviewer immediately says they would be unsuitable for the job because they would require a lot of time off. These examples are direct discrimination against older people and working mothers. Indirect discrimination occurs where certain groups of people are put at a disadvantage because their needs are ignored. This could be a lack of disabled access in a public building that means wheelchair users cannot make their way around. Another example is a workplace health and safety document being printed only in English when there are many workers who speak and read English as a second language or some who cannot read English at all. 21. Describe the effects that discrimination and prejudice can have on people. A main danger that arises from prejudice and discrimination is the kind of extreme hatred that causes people to be attacked and killed and in extreme cases, wars due to race, religion or sexual preferences. If there is prejudice within certain groups, it will lead to social conflicts and a less harmonious atmosphere. People who are discriminated against typically lose their sense of worth as they become more mistreated by other people and develope a negative view of themselves. If people are treated as second class citizens, they may begin to believe that they are. They will also distrust those who discriminate against them and this will lead to hostile environments. They will have a lower quality of life as they are denied promotions and training opportunities. Innocent people will suffer unnecessary anguish due to unfair discrimination. 22. Describe what equal opportunities means in relation to: †¢Education †¢Housing †¢Healthcare †¢Employment. Equal opportunities in education mean that everyone should be given the same chance to succeed no matter what their characteristics. In relation to schools, there may be single sex schools or schools that focus on a particular religion e.g. Church of England but this is not considered discrimination since there are plenty of other schools that cater for everybody. If someone is denied access to education, they are denied a better quality of life with better job prospects. It is important that everyone is given the opportunity to learn and achieve according to their abilities. It is against the law for landlords to specify that certain ethnic groups are not eligible to live in their properties. Equal opportunities in housing means that everyone should have the chance to live in homes suited to their needs and family size. If this law isn’t met, certain groups will lead a low quality of life and may well live in overcrowded conditions. Everyone is entitled to receive healthcare. Healthcare professionals should not prioritise treatment or refuse to treat someone on grounds such as skin colour or sexual orientation. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to receive healthcare and particular groups have a right to sensitivity. Equal opportunities in employment means that people should be recruited and promoted in relation to how well they can do a job, not be discriminated against positively or negatively in relation to their race or gender for example. Everyone should be treated fairly at work; equal pay should be given to those who do exactly the same job. 23. Outline the inequality problems that persist in terms of pay for men and women. A job should pay in terms of ability and attainment regardless of gender yet men are still on higher wages than women in many organisations. This happens when a woman is doing exactly the same job as a man or of a similar skill yet the man receives a higher wage. Inequality also occurs when men tend to get the highest paid jobs within organisations. 24. Identify and briefly describe two other signs of inequality. Inequality due to sexual orientation is common. Gay and lesbian couples have long been discriminated against in their quest to adopt or foster children or to get married. There are laws to prevent such inequality and in place of marriage, civil partnerships exist. Inequality can also exist in sport, where gender or disability can often cause restrictions to be placed. Less abled people should be given the chance to partake in and enjoy their chosen sport and sports played typically by men such as football and rugby made available for women to enjoy equally. Once you have completed this Assessment, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Much Ado About Nothing Report

To start this report I am going to explain a little about the Elizabethan theatre and the plays that were performed, like this one, and also a little on what it would have been like. For example the lighting, sound and costumes as these played a very large role in these times. Firstly a little about the theatre itself, the Elizabethan was named after Queen Elizabeth I and was built for Shakespeare and many other play writers. The theatre itself was very different back then from theatres today. Nowadays you can go and pay an affordable price and sit in a good seat in a comfortable theatre and have perfect lighting and great sound to illuminate the actors and have complicated background and scenery to give impressions of indoor and outdoor scenes, but back then they were very different. The centre of the theatre  had no roof. And since there was no powerful lighting they  had to depend on sunlight. The centre, open part, contained a stage and a courtyard. Unlike today, many people had to stand in the yard in front of the stage and the stage was raised so everyone could see. Only wealthy people could sit in the high storeys which were covered by a roof. There was no scenery back then so Shakespeare's actors could move freely across the stage. Costumes were often rich and impressive but were not always historically correct. Back then without scenery or costumes the play had to rely on words to show the audience when, where and what was happening. Back then the audience had to use their imagination far more than we do today in theatres or in movies, almost like a Childs show on ABC, especially in one way: there were no actresses! The theatre was not considered a good place for a woman to be; instead the women were played by young men whose voices had not broken. So as you can see everything was much more different than it is today, from the setting of the theatre to the actors and what they wear on their body. Next is the report  about the play and everything, after that is the play that we  as a group re-wrote in modern English language. Pg.1 Much Ado about Nothing Plot: Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, has just returned from a victorious military campaign and they have come to visit Leonato – Governor of Messina. Meanwhile Claudio, a young Lord accompanying Don Pedro falls in love with Hero, the daughter of Leonato. At the same time, Don John, Don Pedro's evil brother is planning to destroy the proposed marriage between Claudio and Hero. Whilst all of this is happening Beatrice and Benedick have a supposed love for each other, after a while the friends find out and rather than breaking them apart, they want to bring them together. Which leads into the main storyline. Towards the end Claudio sees Hero cheating on him (but it was one of Don John's servants, Borachio – planned) and insults Hero at the wedding for what he saw and killed her verbally. The story ends with the news of the capture of Don John who had run away after his evil planning, and the marriages of Claudio and Hero, Beatrice and Benedick who secretly loved each other. Characters: there are a lot of characters in this play but I have chosen the main 10, so here they are. Leonato: is the Governor of Messina and is the father of hero. He is an old wise man and cares for many people, is brave and was once a soldier. He has a lot of caution for things and other people and their ways. Don Pedro: is the brave, young, strong and smart prince of Aragon he is a great soldier, he is a very mature bachelor and also can sometimes be very cunning and witty, he likes everyone except for his evil brother don john, or as we call him, the bastard. Claudio: he is a young, brave and handsome soldier accompanying Don Pedro he can also be immature and sometimes jealous. He is also the one whom is in love with hero. Hero: is the daughter of Leonato, and what's not to like, She is young, pretty, smart and is also madly in love with Claudio, she is the one to marry him. Benedick: he is also a young, brave and handsome soldier accompanying don Pedro. He is smart, witty and also has a little thing for Beatrice which comes after all the name calling as he thinks as her as the devil himself. He also thinks he can have any girl he wants and all the girls like him except for Beatrice. Beatrice: she's bright, pretty, witty and sometimes annoying; she is a bit fussy with men, she doesn't want one with a beard or without, they are either too young or too old. She does her best to make benedicks life a living hell; she also secretly has a soft heart for him, as you can tell (later on). She is leonatos niece and Heros cousin. Don John: is bitter, antisocial, and jealous of the love and friendship everyone has for each other. He lacks of manners and social graces, he also can not get a woman because of his mannerisms. Don John is the mastermind behind the evil plan of wrecking Claudio and Heros wedding. Pg.2 Dogberry & Verges: he is one of the most memorable comic creations from this play. He is keenly aware of his position and enjoys explaining to every one, in his own English, full of long misused words, what his and their duties are. Even with his very amusing malapropisms, he is valued by high importance, by Leonato especially, for his services. Verges on the other hand, is wiser and is their to accompany Dogberry and give him able support whilst examining prisoners. Conrade & Borachio: they are the followers of don john and are also the master minds behind the wedding. Borachio is the smarter, more cunning one out of the two, and is also the more dominant one. Conrade, however, not as cunning as Borachio, and does not show it, but helps his master in any way he might profit from it. Setting: the setting of the play is set-in Italy and in little towns such as Messina. Scenes and Acts are mainly set in Leonatos house and are set in gardens and courtyards, during the day. At night it is mainly set inside the hose in room and in apartments. In one scene it is set in a hall and in a courtyard where they are all dancing and celebrating. Lighting outside was probably natural and at night it was artificial so it would capture the light and effect of lamps and candles. Theme: the plays title is a very important clue to its theme, and Shakespeare has done a very good job at this, for the word nothing means noting, and the plot is based on noting-on eavesdropping, observing, taking notes on people's behaviour and coming to conclusions about other people, conclusions that are sometimes wrong. The title ‘much ado about nothing' basically means ‘making a big fuss of nothing'. As you will see this in the movie, as it is basically what the whole story is about, making a fuss of nothing. So that brings us to the end of my report. Overall I thought the play was interesting, and fun. The main plot with benedick and Beatrice grabbed my full attention, and the wedding I really wanted to know what would happen. There was so many great characters, my favourite character who knew what he was going to say next. To sum it up in 4 words would be†¦Shakespeare is a genius. Pg.3 Next is the play we as a group wrote up ourself in modern English. Which was very hard to do. Much Ado About Nothing Our own version. ACT THREE, Scene 5 Leonato: Jack Dogberry: Russell Verges: Eddie Leonato: Yes Dogberry. What would you like? Dogberry: I would like a quick word with you that may concern you. Leonato: please make it quick, I'm a little busy. Dogberry: marriage, it is, sir. Verges: yes, really, truly it is. Leonato: What is it guys. Dogberry: thankyou verges, sir, a little bit off the topic: some one of your age, sir, is not as cunning and smart as, well, I thought he would be, but is very honest and wise in his ways. Verges: I agree, thankyou god that there is some man as old as him as smart as me in his ways. Dogberry: comparisons are terrible, Verges. Leonato: guys, you are boring. Dogberry: if it pleases you to say so, we are unfortunately under the control of the duke, but truly on my own behalf, if I were as boring as you, would simply out of my heart give my worship to you. Leonato: all of your boredom on me, huh? Dogberry: yes and a thousand pound more, for I hear good praise to you, if I was not a poor man, but I am glad to hear it. Verges: I am too. Leonato: I would really like to know what is so important you want to tell me. Verges: sir on our watch tonight, before meeting you, had taken a couple of wicked villains in Messina. Dogberry: a good man, sir, verges, two men ride on a horse and one must ride behind him in front, neighbour verges. Leonato: indeed, verges comes short of you dogberry. Dogberry: thankyou sir, it is a gift from god. Leonato: I must be going now. Dogberry: one more thing, sir, we have caught two men and will have them examined by yourself in the morning. Exit Leonato

The Scarlet Letter Essays (1394 words) - English-language Films

The Scarlet Letter Essays (1394 words) - English-language Films The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is considered to be one of the greatest examples of true American literature. Its excellency of topic, characterization, and description has made it a permanent part of our history. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1600s, it describes the life of Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman whose existence is marred by sin. The real genius of the book is found in its description. Hawthorne makes allusion, symbolism, and romanticism work toward one effect, making the reader feel as if she was there, watching it all happen, living through Hester's struggle. The story opens as a woman, Hester Prynne, is leaving a jail and heading toward a large scaffold in the middle of Salem town, where she, along with her newborn child, Pearl, is put on display as an example to all the people, to discourage them from committing such a sin as adultery. The sentence is given by a number of priests who feel compassion for her because her husband had been thought dead for so many years. She is ordered to wear a scarlet letter, A for adultery, on her breast for the duration of her stay in Salem. She is perversely unwilling to leave the place of her shame and outcast when she could easily have sailed away to England or to anywhere else on earth and been rid of her mark of Cain. At the scaffold, she sees her husband, just arrived from Indian imprisonment, standing in the crowd. He, naturally, is enraged by news of her unfaithfulness to him and to his memory, but carries it too far when he renames himself Roger Chillingworth and begins slowly to dismantle the sanity of her lover, the Reverend Mr. Arthur Dimmesdale. Disguised as an apothecary, Chillingworth dwells with Dimmesdale, supposedly to maintain his health, but really to sap his strength and to serve as a reminder of the young reverend's sin. During the seven-year duration of the book, Hester becomes steadily stronger because of her mark, while Dimmesdale, forced to bear his brand internally, becomes very much incapacitated, both mentally and physically. The face he puts on for public approval and the one he wears while he is alone are so completely different that they nearly drive him insane. He is harder on himself for committing the sin than many a court of the time would have been, and it tears him apart. One day, he meets Hester and Pearl while walking through the woods and, after talking for a short while, they decide to leave Salem, to find a new life in the more cultured, less ridged society of the Old World. The day before they are to leave, Dimmesdale makes his last speech to his congregation. After the speech, as the people are walking away from the meeting house in a parade, Arthur turns to look at the scaffold, where he sees Hester and Pearl standing. He beckons them toward him and then he asks her to assist him up to the scaffold. She does so and there he announces his sin to all the town, there he rips off his shirt front so they can see imagination's and emotion's brand on his chest, there he collapses into Hester's arms, and there he dies. Hawthorne goes on to tell, in short, the story of the rest of Hester's life, tough most of it appears to be based on rumor. Chillingworth dies within a year of Dimmesdale, the object of his hatred and his motivation for living being gone, leaving his fortune to Pearl. She and Hester travel to Europe, where Pearl marries a member of the nobility, but then returns to her old house to live and counsel others in their times of pressing sorrow, and to bear the mark of the scarlet letter until she dies. She is laid to rest in death where she had been kept for the first seven years of Pearl's life, next to Arthur, yet unable to touch him, kept at a distance so their dusts wouldn't mingle. One of the best aspects of this book is its lack of superfluous events. Rather than tell the reader about every chance meeting between Hester and Arthur, he chooses only a few, well-spaced events to portray their entire relationship. The most vivid description in the book is one of these chance meetings. Hester and Pearl chance to meet Arthur at the scaffold late

Puerto Rico and U.S. Presidential Elections

Puerto Rico and U.S. Presidential Elections Voters in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories are not permitted to vote in the presidential election under the provisions set forth in the Electoral College. But they do have a say in who gets to the White House. Thats because voters in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa are permitted to participate in the presidential primary and are granted delegates by the two major political parties. In other words, Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories get to help nominate the presidential candidates. But voters there cannot actually participate in the election itself because of the Electoral College system. Can Puerto Ricans Vote? Why cant voters in Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories help elect the President of the United States? Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution makes it clear that only states can participate in the electoral process. Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress, the U.S. Constitution reads. The Office of the Federal Register, which oversees the Electoral College, states: The Electoral College system does not provide for residents of U.S. Territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands) to vote for President. The only way citizens of the U.S. territories can participate in the presidential elections is if they have official residency in the United States and vote by absentee ballot or travel to their state to vote. This â€Å"disenfranchisement† or denial of the right to vote in national elections - including presidential elections - also applies to U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico or any of the other U.S. unincorporated territories. Although the committees of both the Republican party and Democratic party in Puerto Rico select voting delegates to the parties’ national presidential nominating conventions and state presidential primaries or caucuses, U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico or the other territories cannot vote in federal elections unless they also maintain a legal voting residence in one of the 50 states or in the District of Columbia. Puerto Rico and the Primary Even though voters in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories cant vote in the November election, the Democratic and Republican parties allow them to select delegates to represent them at the nominating conventions. The national Democratic partys charter, enacted in 1974, states that Puerto Rico shall be treated as a state containing the appropriate number of Congressional Districts. The Republican party also allows voters in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories to participate in the nomination process. In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, Puerto Rico had 55 delegates - more than Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Wyoming, and several other states with populations lesser than the U.S. territorys 4 million. Four Democratic delegates went to Guam, while three went to the Virgin Islands and American Samoa each. In the Republican presidential primary of 2008, Puerto Rico had 20 delegates. Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands each had six. What are the US Territories? A territory is an area of  land that is administered by the United States government but not officially claimed by any of the 50 states or any other world nation. Most depend on the United States for defense and economic support. Puerto Rico, for example, is a commonwealth - a self-governed, unincorporated territory of the United States. Its residents are subject to U.S. laws and pay income taxes to the U.S. government. The United States currently has 16 territories, of which only five are permanently inhabited: Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. Classified as unincorporated territories, they are organized, self-governing territories with governors and territorial legislatures elected by the people. Each of the five permanently inhabited territories may also elect a non-voting â€Å"delegate† or â€Å"resident commissioner† to the U.S. House of Representatives. The territorial resident commissioners or delegates function in the same way as members of Congress from the 50 states, except they are not allowed to vote on the final disposition of legislation on the House floor. However, they are allowed to serve on congressional committees and receive the same annual salary as other rank-and-file members of Congress. Sources Frequently Asked Questions. U.S. Electoral College, Office of the Federal Register, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. Section 1. Article II, Executive Branch, Constitution Center. The Democratic National Committee. The Charter the Bylaws of the Democratic Party of the United States. DNC Services Corporation, August 25, 2018.

Analyse Conan Doyles The Hound of the Baskervilles Essay Example for Free

Analyse Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles Essay Baskervilles (7) , The Hound of the Baskervilles (6) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints These two findings are very important as they provide the reader with shocking information. This is because we discover that Mr and Mrs â€Å"Stapleton† are actually husband and wife. Even more we realise that Mr and Mrs â€Å"Stapleton† are actually the Vandeleurs. As a result of this great deception the finger points to Mr and Mrs Stapleton as being the murderers. This information is the most vital information which will help to solve the mystery. There are points in the novel where events simply provide Watson and Holmes with information. The events which provide information are almost always false leads which create a sense of uncertainty as to who is the criminal. â€Å"Go back to London! Start tonight!†¦ Hush my brother is coming! † chapter 7 This quote is said by Miss. Stapleton to Dr. Watson as she mistakes him for Sir Henry. This prompts Watson to investigate further into the Stapletons as it is very mysterious as to why she would like Sir Henry to go back to London. This is because she doesn’t want her brother Mr. Stapleton to find out that she has said this and when she discovers that she was actually talking to Watson she takes back her comment. This was actually a false lead as we discover in the later part of the investigation, which was put in by Conan Doyle so the reader is kept in suspense as to whether she had a hand in the death of Sir Charles until the di nouement. Even though there is the interviewing of people in â€Å"THOTB†, they don’t provide their own version of events of the crime. Dr. Mortimer is the only person who really provides Holmes with information of what he thought happened at the murder scene. Conan Doyle has used a different approach to the nature of the investigation because most of the information is gathered behind the scenes or events provide information. By doing this Conan Doyle has made his novel unique and perhaps more interesting than the typical investigation as there is a greater anticipation as to whom the killer could be. Sherlock Holmes fits the profile of a classic detective very well and this is evident in â€Å"THOTB† from the start of the novel. The detective is usually more or less socially isolated and referred to as a â€Å"loner†. We can see this in â€Å"THOTB† from the fact that Holmes only â€Å"socialises† with Watson, but then one could argue that he only socialises with Watson because he enhances his intellect by comparison. Holmes does not have any family and the fact that he rests upon the moor for a lengthy period of time suggests that he is used to being alone. â€Å"I knew that seclusion and solitude were very necessary for my friend in these hours of intense mental concentration in which he weighed every particle of evidence†¦ â€Å" Analyse Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. (2017, Oct 04). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

An Hour of Happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Hour of Happiness - Essay Example The woman feels insignificance and unimportance of her social status which leads her to great psychic diseases. In "I stand here ironing" the life of the heroin is marked by poverty and dislocation caused by the years of Great Depression. She represents a working class woman who had to work hard all her life to earn for living. The woman understands that there is a great wall between her daughter and her as a result of misunderstanding and hardship they have endured. The mother recollects "After a while I found a job, hashing at night so I could be with her days" (Olsen, 1971). Chopin portrays inner conflict of Mrs. Mallard personality suffered from oppression and limited and disregarded social status. Form the very beginning, Mrs. Mallard is depicted as a woman who lacks vividness natural for women of her age. The illness of Mrs. Mallard represents the emptiness of her soul: "There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature" (Chopin, n.d.). Using events and story conflict, the authors depict evolution o

A time that you communicated well Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A time that you communicated well - Essay Example Krizan, Merrier, and Logan, (19) in their book state that to have success in communication it is important to embrace facial expression during the communication process. We made gestures and statements, which were signs of agreement whenever it was appropriate. I went ahead to repeat what the representative was telling me once he was done speaking to me. It was a sign that I was listening and had an interest in his contribution to the conversation. Thus, for communication to be effective, it was my responsibility to take actions for my message. Taking responsibility involved sharing my own feelings in an open way and not speaking for another person. It involved using a lot of â€Å"I† in order to refer to myself and not others. This showed we both had integrity and we trusted each other in communicating in an honest and equitable way. Effective communication works well when there is collaboration; therefore, it was important to find common grounds where we had a win-win situation. The common grounds we had were some of the best courses the university was offering such as engineering and health sciences. Complexity witnessed during communication amplifies the importance of having feedback for clarifying misunderstandings. I had to ask for clarification whenever I felt I had not understood the representative on specific

Individual Career Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Individual Career Plan - Essay Example The timely fashion that is required during all journalistic encounters ensures that events are relayed and communicated in the best possible way. This is the only way that all events and activities witnessed are communicated to all parties in the best possible way. Packaging is necessary in the field of journalism. This is because proper packaging ensures that all the information collected is as palatable as possible (Kobre 2008). The role of journalism cannot be ignored in any given society. This is because, at each and every point, the public interest in what is happening all over the world is very high. This is possible because of the aspects of journalism that look into the events all over the world. The coordination of information and pictures is able to communicate all the needed information about a situation. The condensation of information and pictures about any situation totals to journalism. This is the only way that the public is aware of their surroundings. Photojournalis m Photojournalism is one area in the entire field of journalism. Each new story has the sole aim of communicating information. For it to appeal to all the involved parties, it is accompanied by still pictures and images that complement the story (Kobre 2008). As compared to all other forms of photography, photojournalism has been stipulated to follow certain ethical and pictorial considerations. They are entitled to remain as ethical and impartial to communicate the specifics of what should be reported. They complementary role that photojournalism plays has been reported to bring any story alive. Many people that have been interviewed in many researchers conclude that they watched and participated in news surveys as a result of what they watch. This is as compared to what they hear (Kobre 2008). Many life events were reversed as a result of what images were relayed to accompany a story. There are very many examples that show what the research concluded. The genocide in Rwanda in 199 4 and the civil war in Sudan got worldwide attention as a result of chilling images that accompanied the stories. These are some few random examples from all over the world in line with the effects of photojournalism. It is imperative that, at each and every point the aspects of photojournalism should be governed by timeliness, narration and objectivity. This means that all pictures and images should be timely in how they complement the story line. This is through the introduction of a cutline. The images and pictures should also be very objective in the sense that the pictures should have a high sense of what the story line is about. Without the connection, they will be of absolutely no benefit to the story. The connection between the pictures and the story line is through the introduction of a narrative. Narration ensures that the audience is able to relate the story and picture. This creates a perfect view for all those that are watching (Kovach 2007). Job Description and Skills Profile Photojournalism entails the use and application of photographic equipment. The equipment has the ability to capture images as they appear. Once a photojournalist is in the zone, the camera is zoomed to view all aspects of what is being filmed. It is necessary for the journalist to zoom and project the image from all the necessary angles. Aspects of creativity come into sharp focus as any form of angle alteration could lead to the complete

BI - Business Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BI - Business Intelligence - Essay Example Rwanda’s main imports include foodstuffs, steel, machinery and equipment, construction as well as petroleum products. Their main trading partners include Kenya, Germany, China, and Belgium. GDP (PPP): $16.4 billion, 5.0% growth, 6.9% 5-year annual growth, and $1538 per capita. The rate of unemployment I Rwanda is 0.6%, inflation 4.2 %. Rwanda’s major industries are industries that process their agricultural produce for export to the foreign markets. In the past five years, Rwanda’s economic freedom has increased by 2.1. This has been contributed by 20-point improvement from corruption 15-point freedom investment (Rwanda, 2014). One of the key factors that have greatly contributed to fast growth of this country’s economy is the internet use in both local as well as international trade. Most of their imports especially construction and petroleum materials are ordered via the internet. They also get international markets for their products through internet use (Aspray, 2008). Rwanda has established several shopping sites that are used for local and international trade. Examples of these online sites include Gemeya.com, Gurisha.com, Shop4rwanda.com, Comfort Rwanda, and Beautyofrwanda.com. These sites are important to Rwanda’s economy because they are able to sell and buy via these sites and it saves time. These sites are affordable for most citizens and fewer restrictions are placed on their use (Black, 2002). After goods have been purchased online and imported to Rwanda, there are different taxes that the owner of purchased goods is supposed to pay. For goods like vehicles that have been purchased online, the owner is supposed to pay four types of taxes: value added tax (VAT) 18%, customs duty 25%, withholding tax 5%, and consumption tax that has different rates. Uses of technology in business are important because transactions are done within a short time. It is

China; a dangerous superpower; responding to debate Assignment

China; a dangerous superpower; responding to debate - Assignment Example The military size is not shrinking but growing, this indicates there is more to it than meets the eye. China is gradually establishing its self as an economic giant, and this is the best place to mitigate its threat of becoming a super power. China mostly focuses on virgin markets that are thought to have been neglected by the west. United States of America and it allies should focus on tapping into the markets before China. That will ensure that the countries grow their GDP at a rate similar to China’s and be one step ahead. I agree with the answer and strongly advocate for the United States allies to review their laws in regard to combat and military matters. Japan adopted laws that regulated its military to duties that are close to the ideal ceremonial in combat matters. China with its quest to have a firm grip in the region decided to claim regions that are clearly Japans sole possession. The act violets international law and threaten Japans sovereignty. The region under contention is a joined military training field for both the United States of America and Japan. That might be the main reason China invaded the region. Japan should review its laws and wake up to what its neighbor is doing. The country should invest more into military equipment. The action may make China slow on its pursuit for the territory. China continued expansion economically, and investment into carriers signify that the country is more a threat now and looking to becoming a super power. The USA should assist Japan in strengthening it military both in terms of more combined training and equipment. The act will deter China from invading Japan and help America as a nation have an ally where it can launch an offensive should there be a need for such action. I strongly agree with the author and see China as a growing super power and threat. United States of America has many trade agreements with China making its

Individual Career Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Individual Career Plan - Essay Example The timely fashion that is required during all journalistic encounters ensures that events are relayed and communicated in the best possible way. This is the only way that all events and activities witnessed are communicated to all parties in the best possible way. Packaging is necessary in the field of journalism. This is because proper packaging ensures that all the information collected is as palatable as possible (Kobre 2008). The role of journalism cannot be ignored in any given society. This is because, at each and every point, the public interest in what is happening all over the world is very high. This is possible because of the aspects of journalism that look into the events all over the world. The coordination of information and pictures is able to communicate all the needed information about a situation. The condensation of information and pictures about any situation totals to journalism. This is the only way that the public is aware of their surroundings. Photojournalis m Photojournalism is one area in the entire field of journalism. Each new story has the sole aim of communicating information. For it to appeal to all the involved parties, it is accompanied by still pictures and images that complement the story (Kobre 2008). As compared to all other forms of photography, photojournalism has been stipulated to follow certain ethical and pictorial considerations. They are entitled to remain as ethical and impartial to communicate the specifics of what should be reported. They complementary role that photojournalism plays has been reported to bring any story alive. Many people that have been interviewed in many researchers conclude that they watched and participated in news surveys as a result of what they watch. This is as compared to what they hear (Kobre 2008). Many life events were reversed as a result of what images were relayed to accompany a story. There are very many examples that show what the research concluded. The genocide in Rwanda in 199 4 and the civil war in Sudan got worldwide attention as a result of chilling images that accompanied the stories. These are some few random examples from all over the world in line with the effects of photojournalism. It is imperative that, at each and every point the aspects of photojournalism should be governed by timeliness, narration and objectivity. This means that all pictures and images should be timely in how they complement the story line. This is through the introduction of a cutline. The images and pictures should also be very objective in the sense that the pictures should have a high sense of what the story line is about. Without the connection, they will be of absolutely no benefit to the story. The connection between the pictures and the story line is through the introduction of a narrative. Narration ensures that the audience is able to relate the story and picture. This creates a perfect view for all those that are watching (Kovach 2007). Job Description and Skills Profile Photojournalism entails the use and application of photographic equipment. The equipment has the ability to capture images as they appear. Once a photojournalist is in the zone, the camera is zoomed to view all aspects of what is being filmed. It is necessary for the journalist to zoom and project the image from all the necessary angles. Aspects of creativity come into sharp focus as any form of angle alteration could lead to the complete

China; a dangerous superpower; responding to debate Assignment

China; a dangerous superpower; responding to debate - Assignment Example The military size is not shrinking but growing, this indicates there is more to it than meets the eye. China is gradually establishing its self as an economic giant, and this is the best place to mitigate its threat of becoming a super power. China mostly focuses on virgin markets that are thought to have been neglected by the west. United States of America and it allies should focus on tapping into the markets before China. That will ensure that the countries grow their GDP at a rate similar to China’s and be one step ahead. I agree with the answer and strongly advocate for the United States allies to review their laws in regard to combat and military matters. Japan adopted laws that regulated its military to duties that are close to the ideal ceremonial in combat matters. China with its quest to have a firm grip in the region decided to claim regions that are clearly Japans sole possession. The act violets international law and threaten Japans sovereignty. The region under contention is a joined military training field for both the United States of America and Japan. That might be the main reason China invaded the region. Japan should review its laws and wake up to what its neighbor is doing. The country should invest more into military equipment. The action may make China slow on its pursuit for the territory. China continued expansion economically, and investment into carriers signify that the country is more a threat now and looking to becoming a super power. The USA should assist Japan in strengthening it military both in terms of more combined training and equipment. The act will deter China from invading Japan and help America as a nation have an ally where it can launch an offensive should there be a need for such action. I strongly agree with the author and see China as a growing super power and threat. United States of America has many trade agreements with China making its

Oscar ceremony Essay Example for Free

Oscar ceremony Essay An informative speech is strictly regulated. It should meet certain norms of presentation: 1) A model length of an informative speech is up to 7 minutes; 2) Visual aids are welcome but their role is limited to illustrating the verbal message; 3) The speech should be based upon credible sources which should be cited during the presentation; 4) Using notes is acceptable but a fluent memorized presentation is ideal. 5) An excessive use of emotions is prohibited whereas the use of non-verbal communicative means (confident posture, measured gestures, stable eye-contact) is highly praised; 6) The language of an informative speech should be simple, logical, and laconic. Bright imagery can somewhat embellish the speech when used appropriately. Topics/basic concepts Although it impossible to enumerate all the topics that can be suitable for an informative speech, it is generally accepted that an informative speech should be dedicated to some recent technical or medical investigations, unexpected facts and unusual events. This is a sample list of themes for an informative speech: famous lives, glorious deeds, history of creating a book, etc Outline An informative speech should be carefully structured so that such elements as introduction, body and conclusion could be clearly identified. Specific for an informative speech structure are a thesis statement and an organizational preview in the introduction. A generalized outline of an informative speech includes parts as follows: 1) Introduction: Declaring the speech topic; Attracting the attention of your listeners to the problem you are going to reveal; Making a thesis statement; Providing a brief preview of aspects of the problem that will be illuminated in the speech; 2) Body: giving a point-by-point revelation of the speech topic. 3) Conclusion: Making a cumulative review of the information provided; Referring to the introduction and ending the speech up with a startling conclusion. ++ Samples /while browsing through these, make sure you identify the structure/ Oscar ceremony The grandeur of the Oscar ceremony is well predicted, as well as an Oscar earned or an Oscar managed celebrity-chic that can be a great illusion of our time. Extravagant gowns, expensive jewelry, fantastic makeup, and all teeth smiles this years glamorously floating celebrities lightly touch the red carpet with their expensive footwear, later to worship, with all Academy voters, Slumdog, a tear shedding rags-to-riches saga that squeezed eight Oscars, including best director and best picture. The Oscar ceremony is endangered by commercialization. In the past it used to reward talent and art. Now, it is a well established tradition, a show of its own right. Yet, repeated over eighty times, this ceremony is unlikely to turn into a routine event. It sticks to the rules of the game with all the fever of a hot entertaining event. I have watched the TV version of the ceremony, so the following are my first-hand impressions. I would like to admit that nothing special was noticeable during the ceremony. Standout moments were Sean Penns calling the academy a bunch of commie homo-loving sons of guns and Dustin Lance Blacks address to the gay audience. Kate Winslet had proved that patience (five previous nominations) would bear fruit. Her Titanic never sank. Woody Allen had  prepared the fifth supporting acting Oscar, this time it was Penelope whose surname means in Spanish Saint. The evenings screw up was an innovative technique used while handling an annual favorite. It was a recognized failure. The ceremony was reviewed from different angles. A big fashion trend glorified red, white, and black one-shouldered gowns. Marisa Tomeis pale gray Versace, Kate Winslets Yves Saint Laurent one-shoulder slate blue and black gown, Anne Hathaways strapless silver beaded Armani Prove gown or Penelope Cruz fairy-tale white gown from Pierre Balmain were in contrast with the slum scenes from the best picture. The Oscar ceremony, almost perfect, is over. Everything is glamorous, gorgeous, and traditionally well staged. The reporters doubt that all fuss about the best picture opened new horizons in cinematography. The Oscar ceremony is still a great event, pompous and costly. It is about fashion and success, good fun and commercialized entertainment. I wish it were more about the art of cinematography. Coping with depression Depression is a psychological state that is hard to cure, hard to live with, and hard to endure. A depressed person lives in a nightmarish world, darkened by pessimism and dulled by unwillingness to act. This devastating and destructive state has a negative impact on the individual. It drains energy, evaporates optimism and enthusiasm, and paralyzes hope. It distorts the world and substantially reduces the pleasure of living. It may lead to repetitive suicidal thoughts that can end in self-destruction. I have consulted psychological literature to give you some tips how develop a step-by-step program to overcome depression. People suffer from depression for many reasons. They become depressed when all they do seems to become a failure. They get worried about their inability to realize their plans. They get shelled in loneliness. They get nervous and easily irritated. They find their lives unstable and hopeless. They lack safety and become vulnerable to outside influences. Depression is  a hazardous state, especially when you allow it to invade your body and mind. As soon as you realize that something is wrong with your state of mind, turn to help without hesitation. Now, I will give you some anti-depression tips. First of all, stay focused on what you are doing. Start with a small goal and fulfill it: go to a shop, take a short walk, or make a telephone call. Just start taking action and stick to doing it. Second, develop supportive relationship, turning to people who love you and whom you love. Refrain from retreating into yourself, sharing a meal, emailing, accompanying your friend to the movies, confide in a counselor or clergy member. Third, get interested in your own life. For this, have eight hours of sleep, practice relaxation techniques, and go easy on yourself. Why not to practice yoga or tai chi? Why not to introduce a meditative element to your life? Fourth, get regular exercise. Fifth, eat healthy food. Sixth, avoid negative thinking and negative emotions. Finally, ask for help if you cannot overcome your depression without outside aid. Now, you must embark on the road to depression recovery. Remember: action is the best anti-depressant for you. Look at the world from a new perspective: integrate into it on equal terms. Life is given only once, and you have no time to waste it. Not a single moment to spare! As soon as the world starts changing, you will keep a stronger touch with it. You will realize that inward problems are mainly our own creations, our own illusions, our own misunderstandings. Share your doubts with the world, and you be understood in return. It is easiest to shut your heart and pretend that loneliness is desirable. A white lie! Out of depression to communicate with people to establish relationships and depression will quietly go away! I do not think it will be welcomed again! How to build a happy marriage A clear-cut tendency is observed today: neither men nor women are in a hurry to marry. The growing independence of women, reluctant to do all housework and bear the main burden of childrens upbringing, sacrificing career growth, is one of the causes of the changes in family formation. A happy  marriage may be built only on love, tolerance, mutual understanding, equality, and respect. The problem is important because materially both husband and wife are now in many cases on equal terms. More and more women demonstrate higher levels of education than men, More and more women compete with men, holding leadership positions in business, politics and social life. As the result, women become materially independent. They are not materially tied to a family anymore. When they marry, they enrich their world that is now built on kinship, love, safety, quality leisure time activities in which all family members are involved. A family develops a collective feeling of interconnectedness, which is opposed to loneliness. Joy and duty, love and care, discipline and kindness all these are taken together in a family as a pillar of stable social development. I have talked to married people in search of a happy family recipe. I want to share some of my findings with you. A happy marriage is based on intimacy and commitment. It is a bond that outgrows passion as the feature of romantic love. It is a bond that is based on mutual respect and the feeling as if both husband and wife were in many respects one. It is a way of constructing lifestyle, emphasizing intimate relationship and devotion to a person of your choice. It is confidence in the stable character of marriage, reinforced by having kids. Although even happy marriages tend to undergo changes, they never change the high quality of relating to each other. People are happy to be together, to share opinions, to spend time together, to make plans, which is inherent in their attitudes to each other. Happy marriages are tested, like others, by time, material difficulties, hardships, deteriorating health, fluctuations of mood, identity development, and the like. Happy marriages, unlike others, never ruin fundamentals of relationship: commitment is so deep that no difficulty can destroy it, since both spouses know how to help and support each other. Happy marriages cherish happy memories, and they cannot destroy these memories when one of the spouses has a temporary temptation to experience something new. On the contrary, happy marriages are full of wisdom, consensus, and their happiness is rooted in a unique feeling of freedom that ties up to a happy marriage experience more than anything else. They cultivate universal love, which is care, understanding, and tolerance  to human weaknesses. Happy marriages are built by people who worship communication, interaction, and cannot live without sharing all they have in their hearts and souls. There is no couple that would not like to create a happy marriage. Only very few families can build long-term relationships that stick to happiness even under unfavorable circumstances. I have talked to married people who are happy in their own way. They feel the aura of happiness and advise others to be tolerant. A happy marriage is an ideal construct that is like a dream that cannot be realized without hard work, creating a relationship and being happy in the process of its creation. I wish you thought over my information. Do not waste your time. Test your own willingness to be perfect in your relationship. Prove that a happy marriage may be a reality. How to improve your conversational skills The feeling of being tongue-tied is familiar to many of us. We admire people who can express their thoughts with fluency and confidence. Some people think that a conversational skill is a gift, while others believe that this is the result of training. A blabbermouth monopolizes the conversation, turning it into a monologue. I have known a person who was able to talk to anybody with invariable energy and interest. He impressed people by his conversational eloquence. In business communication, conversational skills are an asset to a persons ability to persuade and negotiate the meaning. Conversational skills are necessary for successful career growth and our pleasant interaction with other people. Commitment and consistency are fundamental to improving conversational skills. People with conversational skills have more friends and better chances in life, for they know how to promote their ideas and establish relationships. I am going to inform you about the nature of conversational skil ls, and then I will give you some practical tips that you may find useful. Conversational skills are special tools that make a conversation go. They are learned and trained to become automatic. They control questions, control feedback; help break the ice during unwanted pauses, give an idea of open-ended questions that drive a conversation, elaborate a theme. They are  about shifts to another theme, the use of semantic means, combined body language and verbal speech. Conversational skills make people comfortable while talking to each other. Now, I will give you five ways to improve your conversational techniques. First of all, the speakers should show interest in each other. Healthy curiosity heats up interest. When you ask questions, you intend to be given a response that can drive the conversation. Second, remember that a conversation is a dialogue with well-balanced talking and listening. Skilful speakers monitor themselves, taking control over taking turns. If you get skilled in taking turns, even talking a little, you will perfect your conversational skills. Third, give genuine compliments for the actions the person who you are talking to has done. This appraisal must be specific and will do wonders if followed by a tag question. Fourth, your paralanguage may speak louder than words. Bodily expressions have a meaning of their own. Fifth, a skilful speaker employs What, where, when, who, how, and if questions. Conversational skills are acquired through special training. They help master the art of conversation as a meaning exchange of human thoughts. People are often clumsy and tongue-tied when expressing their thoughts and feelings. They need conversational eloquence, which may be achieved by using conversational techniques. Practice conversational skills with a smile, and this learned art will be yours at the moment when you need it most. London fashion week Fashion has become a large part of identity making in the post-human world in which people play dress-up with their clothing. Fashionable clothes reinvent people as sexual, desirable, and enigmatic. We care about what we wear a great deal because our culture emphasizes an outward appearance. Fashion changes every season, squeezing our wallets. A gorgeous event London fashion week attracts all lovers of fashion from all over the world. It was held in March, using the official London Fashion Week Catwalk. This 450-seater catwalk celebrates the best of the best British  designers of clothes. The event was well advertised. You can surf this events Internet page to enjoy beautiful pictures that covered it up. It was the embodiment of luxury and power, having proved again and again that fashion is in a constant state of flux, generating fantastic new styles and new feelings. Demonstrations of fashionable trends are amusing and inviting to copy trendy features, visible to an eye. First, I will inform you what hot trends London fashion week has promoted. Second, I will inform you why London Fashion Week is so popular. This seasons trends are inspired by cinema, popular culture, and religious icons, with glamour, creativity, and modest beauty combined. Domestic goddess, African Queen or Ethereal Nude, inspires SS/09 wardrobe. All the freshest trends, hot off the catwalk of London, are enjoyable. It is not only a pleasure of renovating your image and counting the money to be spent on the fashionable trendy designer clothes but also a mission to introduce others, less fussy about trendy things, to a new fashionable trend that every show promises. London Fashion Weekend is a single event that gives access to a large number of London Fashion Week designers, classic labels, and the hottest trendy garments. 150 designers are not only showing their newest designs but also selling ready-to-wear pieces at a bargain (at least it is advertised so) price. You may choose from Christopher Fischer, Collado Garcia, Crumpet, Belle Bunty, Ben de Lisi, Alice McCall, Garguz, Inexcess Dashion, Janet Reger, John Smedley, Karl Doroghue, Sass Bide, Nicky Dupont, Madeleine Press, My Lovely Jeans, and some others. This years new designers are Luella, Richard Nicoll, Emma Cook, and Eley Kishimota. All of them pursue their philosophy of fashion that can be made out only when all is seen as one trendy entity in color, cut, and accessories. You may not be chasing fashion but you cant be indifferent because fashion is inherent in our culture and people are always impressed by those who know the taste of trendiest trends. Our appearance depends on what we are wrapped in; fashion is about our social status, success, individualism, and good taste. We like clothes that wear well. We dream of clothes that impress. We desire clothes that make us aggressively gorgeous