The 1848 Revolution, the Second Reich, and the First World War Essay

The 1848 Revolution, the Second Reich, and the First World War - Essay Example In 1848 Europe saw a series of revolution starting from France and which later drew Germany in. Numerous groups were involved in the revolution that demanded the restoration of the old forms of administration, liberal constitution, economic freedom, and the nationalist demands for the consolidation of Germany. The pressure was being exerted by various different forces and each had a different objective. By 1849 all revolutionary endeavors had halted and during the 1850s the German economy grew as production of coal, iron and textile started. During the Wilhelmine period Germany saw a brisk industrialization. A series of changes occurring between 1871 and 1914, Germany transformed its role. Industrialization took place throughout as the population grew and economic instability rose. The working class people of Germany faced a transition from living in the countryside to dwelling in cities. During the â€Å"restoration† period, the German territories grew in regional power due t o improved power, enhancement in government, and centralization of state power. In particular Prussia grew stronger not only population wise but also territorially and economically. In terms of demographics it was now equivalent to Austria even though both had conservative regimes (Fulbrook, 105). With only slight variations, the social, economical and legal reforms still remained the same as they were in Napoleonic period. In the years following 1815 a number of student bodies were formed and after the reaction by conservatives on the murder of an anti-liberal playwright these bodies were disbanded (Fulbrook, 7). Liberals grew in power who wanted to limit the powers held by the rulers and wanted to establish a new establishment. Reforms in education resulted in an educational growth and hence a more educated workforce (Fulbrook, 109). Economic production, changes in the political groundwork, and socio-economic changes spurred political turbulence (Fulbrook, 114). Following a revolu tion in France various groups within Germany also revolted each having a different aim. The demands included restoration of the old estates, a liberal constitution, economic freedom, and unification of Germany. The liberals took advantage of the political upheaval to demand changes nationwide and the unification of Germany (Fulbrook, 117). In Austria the conservative government was replaced by liberals. In Prussia due to a misunderstanding of the king’s orders by the soldiers resulted in a fight. In order to avoid a civil war, the king himself wore revolutionary clothes and rode throughout Berlin. It was easy to demand for a unified Germany however it was difficult to define a border. By May 1849 the revolution had ended. The implications of the revolution were various including dissolution of a feudal system on lands and economical advancement. After the decline of the revolution, a conservative constitution was regained. Despite this a rapid economical progress took place i n Germany. With the start of production in coal, iron, and textile, more and more people started being employed into the workforce (Fulbrook, 122). Cultural unity was being promoted through festivals, contests, and other events. The spread of cultural and educational institutions encouraged cultural and educational progress particularly in science (Fulbrook, 123). In the 1871 â€Å"unification† of Germany was a result of the Prussian expansion and colonialism of non-Prussian lands. Bismarck organized the

Hearts and Minds Essay Example for Free

Hearts and Minds Essay Movies and documentaries have a way of touching the lives of many. For the most part, they are geared towards the exhibition of truths that are hidden from other people. The documentary, â€Å"Hearts and Minds†, mirrored the numerous difficulties experienced by the Vietnamese in the hands of the American soldiers. The harsh realities shown by the American soldiers towards the Vietnamese was quite difficult to believe, for we all know how the Americans would care for any other individual. Directed by Peter Davis, the documentary showed different clips that prove the harsh attitude towards people at that time. Even the speech of former President Lyndon Johnson was shown in the said documentary. To give people a great feel of the said timeline, much of the most famous details during that particular time were shown. The type of music, clothes, and even some old archives were shown. In this manner, it would become easier for the audiences to understand what was being explained to them. I admire the montage feeling provided by the documentary. Together with the voice over, watching the documentary was like watching any other historical how. However, what sets it apart from the rest were the heartbreaking realities exhibited. I could not help but wonder as to how people were treated unfairly and how other people could bear causing pain to others. One of the scenes that caught my attention was the funeral of a soldier. Surrounding the coffin were grieving people, including the family and friends. However, for some reason, one grieving lady was stopped from following the coffin being laid to rest. This particular scene was contrasted with a clip showing the interview of the general who led the Vietnam War. Furthermore, there were several other interviews included in the documentary. Although I am not of Vietnamese, origin I was heartbroken by the difficulties experienced at that time. For the longest time, they experienced pain, both physical and emotional, while they struggled to raise their families accordingly. A particular scene exemplified the hardships endured by the Vietnamese during that particular time. The scene showed how the prisoners of the war were sitting restless and not paying attention to what their employer had in mind. I felt pity with the condition these people experienced, toppled by the excessive torture and inhumane humiliations provided by the American soldiers. After watching the documentary, one could not help but question what has been taught in class during our younger days. I was surprised at how the outcome of this war has been, including the participation that the American soldiers portrayed. However, due to the extensive information provided, some critics may also form their own conclusion as to how the said war was used as propaganda. On the other hand, it would be expected that some people would opt to be biased towards the Vietnamese and consider them to be victims of the American occupation. Regardless of everything that has been said, I believe that we all have our own perceptions towards things. Personally, I believe that the goal of this film was to show the other side of history that not everyone was aware of. In this manner, I would be able to form my own beliefs as to how people would be able to learn from these hurtful experiences. It is useless for us to keep on living in the past—we should all move forward in helping make a different in this lifetime. I must say that I recommend this film to everyone, especially those who are currently studying about the history of the United States.

Othello :: essays research papers

In William Shakespeare's Othello there is a wide array of themes. One of the themes, which is found true to nearly every character, is of the act of control throughout the play. Another theme portrayed through Iago, is the recurring use of words such as "monkey", "lion", etc. in "romantic" conversation. 	In Othello, characters such as Roderigo, Brabantio, Desdemona, etc. at one point of the play believe that they have complete control over another character or situation only to find that the person or situation is uncontrollable. For instance, in the first scene of the play Roderigo is interested in courting Desdemona so he pays Iago to intercede with her on his behalf. Roderigo now believes that his money has bought him complete control over Iago, but when he finds out of Othello and Desdemona's marriage, he is angry at Iago and tells him,"I take it much unkindly that thou, Iago, who hast had my purse as if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this." However throughout the play Roderigo is still convinced that his money is helping to control Iago, and by the time he finds out that he has lost control, he has already been mortally wounded by Iago. Another example of this theme occurs between the main characters of the play Othello and Iago. Since Othello is a se asoned warrior and leader of the Venetian army, he believes that everyone underneath him will abide by his rulings and commands. And since Othello has had a long term relationship with Iago, he has even more trust and faith in him. But Iago sees this and decides to take advantage of Othello. This is first observed when Iago and Roderigo are speaking of their plan to get Othello against Cassio. After Roderigo exits, Iago lets the audience know of how he will be able to control and lead Othello around. Because of this Othello, who was the controller, has now become controlled by Iago. And the final example that the theme of control is present in the play Othello portrayed through Desdemona. This occurs at the point in the play after the fight between Cassio and Roderigo. Cassio is begging of Desdemona to help him get his job back as lieutenant of the Venetian Army. The newlywed Desdemona is so positive that she can convince Othello to reconcile with him, that she promises Cassio: Do not doubt that: before Emilia here I give thee warrant of thy place.

Cheerleading Is a Sport

March 15, 2010 Cheerleading is a sport Do you consider cheerleading to be a sport like football, or any other sport? In most cases, many people tend to laugh at the idea of cheerleading being called a â€Å"sport†. People sometimes laugh because they are use to seeing cheerleaders cheer, and doing basic jumps only on the sidelines of games. In reality, they should know that cheerleading can be as dangerous as most sports. In the following essay I will be telling you why I consider cheerleading is a sport. Some part of the confusion on whether cheerleading is considered a sport or not; comes from the history of cheerleading. It all started during a football game at Princeton University. No one is sure about the date, but it is said to have started in the 1880s. At that time cheerleaders were limited to basic jumps. For example, back then they were only aloud to do cartwheels. Many years’ later competitions for cheerleading started. These competitions were not about what team can scream the loudest. These competitions were about whom can do the best stunts, have the most solid pyramid, and lastly have the best tumbling Many cheerleaders, coaches, and others involved in cheerleading, know that what cheerleaders do is just as challenging as other sports, For example, like cross-country, they run. Football players toss others, they toss girls up in the air, and the girls expect to be catch by their teammates. Like soccer players kick, they can have high kicks. Lastly, they can jump and tumble like gymnast. Cheerleaders also risk themselves building up pyramids. They are risking themselves because it can be dangerous when some one falls off or something might have gone wrong. Cheerleaders also have injuries through out the year and tryouts like all other sports. Cheerleading takes just as much dedication and skills as any other sport. Most people in this country would define a sport as an activity that pushes the individual physically and mentally to perform at their levels. And also to have some competitive component involved. Today, the games that cheerleaders attend for their school are mostly practice compared to the competitive events. If people doubt that cheerleading is a sport, they can easily take a look at some cheerleading squads performing a routine. People can go ahead and look at them on ESPN (the cable sports network). ESPN officially declared cheerleading a sport. They also began showing the national cheerleading competitions that were taking place around the country. In this show you will be able to see members of the squad leap across the matt’s. Also complete tumbling just like gymnast. Hopefully one day cheerleading will be considered a sport as football or any other sport to everyone in this country. Maybe even appear in the Olympics, since cheerleaders are just athletic and physically fit as those involved and accepted as sports.

The road to polyamory

Will same-sex matrimony extend marriage's stabilizing effects to homosexuals? Will gay marriage undermine family life? A lot is riding on the answers to these questions. But the media's reflexive labeling of doubts about gay marriage as homophobia has made it almost impossible to debate the social effects of this reform. Now with the Supreme Court's ringing affirmation of sexual liberty in Lawrence v. Texas, that debate is unavoidable. Among the likeliest effects of gay marriage is to take us down a slippery slope to legalized polygamy and â€Å"polyamory† (group marriage).Marriage will be transformed into a variety of relationship contracts, linking two, three, or more individuals (however weakly and temporarily) in every conceivable combination of male and female. A scare scenario? Hardly. The bottom of this slope is visible from where we stand. Advocacy of legalized polygamy is growing. A network of grass-roots organizations seeking legal recognition for group marriage alre ady exists. The cause of legalized group marriage is championed by a powerful faction of family law specialists.Influential legal bodies in both the United States and Canada have presented radical programs of marital reform. Some of these quasi-governmental proposals go so far as to suggest the abolition of marriage. The ideas behind this movement have already achieved surprising influence with a prominent American politician. None of this is well known. Both the media and public spokesmen for the gay marriage movement treat the issue as an unproblematic advance for civil rights.True, a small number of relatively conservative gay spokesmen do consider the social effects of gay matrimony, insisting that they will be beneficent, that homosexual unions will become more stable. Yet another faction of gay rights advocates actually favors gay marriage as a step toward the abolition of marriage itself. This group agrees that there is a slippery slope, and wants to hasten the slide down. To consider what comes after gay marriage is not to say that gay marriage itself poses no danger to the institution of marriage.Quite apart from the likelihood that it will usher in legalized polygamy and polyamory, gay marriage will almost certainly weaken the belief that monogamy lies at the heart of marriage. But to see why this is so, we will first need to reconnoiter the slippery slope. Promoting polygamy DURING THE 1996 congressional debate on the Defense of Marriage Act, which affirmed the ability of the states and the federal government to withhold recognition from same-sex marriages, gay marriage advocates were put on the defensive by the polygamy question.If gays had a right to marry, why not polygamists? Andrew Sullivan, one of gay marriage's most intelligent defenders, labeled the question fear-mongering–akin to the discredited belief that interracial marriage would lead to birth defects. â€Å"To the best of my knowledge,† said Sullivan, â€Å"there is no p olygamists' rights organization poised to exploit same-sex marriage and return the republic to polygamous abandon. † Actually, there are now many such organizations. And their strategy–even their existence–owes much to the movement for gay marriage.Scoffing at the polygamy prospect as ludicrous has been the strategy of choice for gay marriage advocates. In 2000, following Vermont's enactment of civil unions, Matt Coles, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, said, â€Å"I think the idea that there is some kind of slippery slope [to polygamy or group marriage] is silly. † As proof, Coles said that America had legalized interracial marriage, while also forcing Utah to ban polygamy before admission to the union.That dichotomy, said Coles, shows that Americans are capable of distinguishing between better and worse proposals for reforming marriage. Are we? When Tom Green was put on trial in Utah for polygamy in 2001, it played like a dress rehearsal for the coming movement to legalize polygamy. True, Green was convicted for violating what he called Utah's â€Å"don't ask, don't tell† policy on polygamy. Pointedly refusing to â€Å"hide in the closet,† he touted polygamy on the Sally Jessy Raphael, Queen Latifah, Geraldo Rivera, and Jerry Springer shows, and on â€Å"Dateline NBC† and â€Å"48 Hours.† But the Green trial was not just a cable spectacle. It brought out a surprising number of mainstream defenses of polygamy. And most of the defenders went to bat for polygamy by drawing direct comparisons to gay marriage. Writing in the Village Voice, gay leftist Richard Goldstein equated the drive for state-sanctioned polygamy with the movement for gay marriage. The political reluctance of gays to embrace polygamists was understandable, said Goldstein, â€Å"but our fates are entwined in fundamental ways. â€Å"Libertarian Jacob Sullum defended polygamy, along with all ot her consensual domestic arrangements, in the Washington Times. Syndicated liberal columnist Ellen Goodman took up the cause of polygamy with a direct comparison to gay marriage. Steve Chapman, a member of the Chicago Tribune editorial board, defended polygamy in the Tribune and in Slate. The New York Times published a Week in Review article juxtaposing photos of Tom Green's family with sociobiological arguments about the naturalness of polygamy and promiscuity.The ACLU's Matt Coles may have derided the idea of a slippery slope from gay marriage to polygamy, but the ACLU itself stepped in to help Tom Green during his trial and declared its support for the repeal of all â€Å"laws prohibiting or penalizing the practice of plural marriage. † There is of course a difference between repealing such laws and formal state recognition of polygamous marriages. Neither the ACLU nor, say, Ellen Goodman has directly advocated formal state recognition. Yet they give us no reason to suppose that, when the time is ripe, they will not do so.Stephen Clark, the legal director of the Utah ACLU, has said, â€Å"Talking to Utah's polygamists is like talking to gays and lesbians who really want the right to live their lives. † All this was in 2001, well before the prospect that legal gay marriage might create the cultural conditions for state-sanctioned polygamy. Can anyone doubt that greater public support will be forthcoming once gay marriage has become a reality? Surely the ACLU will lead the charge. Why is state-sanctioned polygamy a problem?The deep reason is that it erodes the ethos of monogamous marriage. Despite the divorce revolution, Americans still take it for granted that marriage means monogamy. The ideal of fidelity may be breached in practice, yet adultery is clearly understood as a transgression against marriage. Legal polygamy would jeopardize that understanding, and that is why polygamy has historically been treated in the West as an offense against s ociety itself. In most non-Western cultures, marriage is not a union of freely choosing individuals, but an alliance of family groups.The emotional relationship between husband and wife is attenuated and subordinated to the economic and political interests of extended kin. But in our world of freely choosing individuals, extended families fall away, and love and companionship are the only surviving principles on which families can be built. From Thomas Aquinas through Richard Posner, almost every serious observer has granted the incompatibility between polygamy and Western companionate marriage. Where polygamy works, it does so because the husband and his wives are emotionally distant.Even then, jealousy is a constant danger, averted only by strict rules of seniority or parity in the husband's economic support of his wives. Polygamy is more about those resources than about sex. Yet in many polygamous societies, even though only 10 or 15 percent of men may actually have multiple wive s, there is a widely held belief that men need multiple women. The result is that polygamists are often promiscuous–just not with their own wives. Anthropologist Philip Kilbride reports a Nigerian survey in which, among urban male polygamists, 44 percent said their most recent sexual partners were women other than their wives.For monogamous, married Nigerian men in urban areas, that figure rose to 67 percent. Even though polygamous marriage is less about sex than security, societies that permit polygamy tend to reject the idea of marital fidelity–for everyone, polygamists included. Mormon polygamy has always been a complicated and evolving combination of Western mores and classic polygamous patterns. Like Western companionate marriage, Mormon polygamy condemns extramarital sex. Yet historically, like its non-Western counterparts, it de-emphasized romantic love.Even so, jealousy was always a problem. One study puts the rate of 19th-century polygamous divorce at triple t he rate for monogamous families. Unlike their forebears, contemporary Mormon polygamists try to combine polygamy with companionate marriage–and have a very tough time of it. We have no definitive figures, but divorce is frequent. Irwin Altman and Joseph Ginat, who've written the most detailed account of today's breakaway Mormon polygamist sects, highlight the special stresses put on families trying to combine modern notions of romantic love with polygamy.Strict religious rules of parity among wives make the effort to create a hybrid traditionalist/modern version of Mormon polygamy at least plausible, if very stressful. But polygamy let loose in modern secular America would destroy our understanding of marital fidelity, while putting nothing viable in its place. And postmodern polygamy is a lot closer than you think. Polyamory AMERICA'S NEW, souped-up version of polygamy is called â€Å"polyamory.† Polyamorists trace their descent from the anti-monogamy movements of the sixties and seventies–everything from hippie communes, to the support groups that grew up around Robert Rimmer's 1966 novel â€Å"The Harrad Experiment,† to the cult of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Polyamorists proselytize for â€Å"responsible non-monogamy†Ã¢â‚¬â€œopen, loving, and stable sexual relationships among more than two people. The modern polyamory movement took off in the mid-nineties–partly because of the growth of the Internet (with its confidentiality), but also in parallel to, and inspired by, the rising gay marriage movement.Unlike classic polygamy, which features one man and several women, polyamory comprises a bewildering variety of sexual combinations. There are triads of one woman and two men; heterosexual group marriages; groups in which some or all members are bisexual; lesbian groups, and so forth. (For details, see Deborah Anapol's â€Å"Polyamory: The New Love Without Limits,† one of the movement's authoritative guides, or Goog le the word polyamory. ) Supposedly, polyamory is not a synonym for promiscuity. In practice, though, there is a continuum between polyamory and â€Å"swinging.† Swinging couples dally with multiple sexual partners while intentionally avoiding emotional entanglements. Polyamorists, in contrast, try to establish stable emotional ties among a sexually connected group. Although the subcultures of swinging and polyamory are recognizably different, many individuals move freely between them. And since polyamorous group marriages can be sexually closed or open, it's often tough to draw a line between polyamory and swinging. Here, then, is the modern American version of Nigeria's extramarital polygamous promiscuity.Once the principles of monogamous companionate marriage are breached, even for supposedly stable and committed sexual groups, the slide toward full-fledged promiscuity is difficult to halt. Polyamorists are enthusiastic proponents of same-sex marriage. Obviously, any attem pt to restrict marriage to a single man and woman would prevent the legalization of polyamory. After passage of the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, an article appeared in Loving More, the flagship magazine of the polyamory movement, calling for the creation of a polyamorist rights movement modeled on the movement for gay rights.The piece was published under the pen name Joy Singer, identified as the graduate of a â€Å"top ten law school† and a political organizer and public official in California for the previous two decades. Taking a leaf from the gay marriage movement, Singer suggested starting small. A campaign for hospital visitation rights for polyamorous spouses would be the way to begin. Full marriage and adoption rights would come later. Again using the gay marriage movement as a model, Singer called for careful selection of acceptable public spokesmen (i. e. , people from longstanding poly families with children).Singer even published a speech by Iowa state legisla tor Ed Fallon on behalf of gay marriage, arguing that the goal would be to get a congressman to give exactly the same speech as Fallon, but substituting the word â€Å"poly† for â€Å"gay† throughout. Try telling polyamorists that the link between gay marriage and group marriage is a mirage. The flexible, egalitarian, and altogether postmodern polyamorists are more likely to influence the larger society than Mormon polygamists. The polyamorists go after monogamy in a way that resonates with America's secular, post-sixties culture.Yet the fundamental drawback is the same for Mormons and polyamorists alike. Polyamory websites are filled with chatter about jealousy, the problem that will not go away. Inevitably, group marriages based on modern principles of companionate love, without religious rules and restraints, are unstable. Like the short-lived hippie communes, group marriages will be broken on the contradiction between companionate love and group solidarity. And chi ldren will pay the price. The harms of state-sanctioned polyamorous marriage would extend well beyond the polyamorists themselves.Once monogamy is defined out of marriage, it will be next to impossible to educate a new generation in what it takes to keep companionate marriage intact. State-sanctioned polyamory would spell the effective end of marriage. And that is precisely what polyamory's new–and surprisingly influential–defenders are aiming for. The family law radicals STATE-SANCTIONED polyamory is now the cutting-edge issue among scholars of family law. The preeminent school of thought in academic family law has its origins in the arguments of radical gay activists who once opposed same-sex marriage.In the early nineties, radicals like longtime National Gay and Lesbian Task Force policy director Paula Ettelbrick spoke out against making legal marriage a priority for the gay rights movement. Marriage, Ettelbrick reminded her fellow activists, â€Å"has long been th e focus of radical feminist revulsion. † Encouraging gays to marry, said Ettelbrick, would only force gay â€Å"assimilation† to American norms, when the real object of the gay rights movement ought to be getting Americans to accept gay difference.â€Å"Being queer,† said Ettelbrick, â€Å"means pushing the parameters of sex and family, and in the process transforming the very fabric of society. † Promoting polyamory is the ideal way to â€Å"radically reorder society's view of the family,† and Ettelbrick, who has since formally signed on as a supporter of gay marriage (and is frequently quoted by the press), is now part of a movement that hopes to use gay marriage as an opening to press for state-sanctioned polyamory. Ettelbrick teaches law at the University of Michigan, New York University, Barnard, and Columbia. She has a lot of company.

Hyperbole and Hype

Hyperbole and Hype Hyperbole and Hype Hyperbole and Hype By Maeve Maddox I once thought that the slang word hype was a back-formation of the rhetorical term hyperbole because advertisements that â€Å"hype† something are often filled with exaggeration. For example, an untried stage production is advertised as â€Å"Broadway’s Biggest Blockbuster.† A shampoo claims it adds â€Å"an infinite shine† to hair. A pick-up truck is shown pulling a jet plane. A person drinking a particular soft drink sprouts wings and flies. All of these selling ploys are examples of hyperbole as well as of hype, but the two words are not related. Hyperbole comes from a Greek word meaning â€Å"excess† or â€Å"exaggeration.† The verb hype, in the sense of aggressively marketing a product with exaggerated enthusiasm, appears to derive from a U.S. slang term of unknown origin meaning â€Å"To short-change, to cheat; to deceive, to con, esp. by false publicity.† The descriptive word hyped, meaning â€Å"worked up, stimulated,† as in â€Å"You’re really hyped today,† comes from a different source. This kind of â€Å"hype† derives from the excited state exhibited by a drug addict under the influence of something injected from a hypodermic needle. Hyperbole is a rhetorical term that uses an exaggerated or extravagant statement. Many clichà ©s are examples of hyperbole: I’m hungry enough to eat a horse. It’s raining cats and dogs. This suitcase weighs a ton. Sam’s all bent out of shape because of Jack’s promotion. As a literary device, hyperbole can be used for humorous effect. Mark Twain is noted for it: if you are anywheres where it wont do for you to scratch, why you will itch all over in upwards of a thousand places. Huckleberry Finn I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot, and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far. Old Times on the Mississippi The genre known as the â€Å"tall tale† makes use of extended hyperbole. For example, the plot elements in the Paul Bunyan stories present one exaggeration after the other: Paul Bunyan was so big as a baby, it took five giant storks to deliver him to his parents’ house. His first bed was a lumber wagon. He screamed so loudly for his meals that nearby frogs took to wearing earmuffs. When Paul grew up, he became a lumberjack and acquired a huge ax. What we know as the Grand Canyon came into existence when Paul took a stroll, dragging his ax behind him. Used in literature, hyperbole can be a source of humor or heightened emotion. Used in advertising and news reporting, it can be a source of misinformation and fear-mongering. Many of the terms used in the media to report on political activities seem to be chosen for their scare value. The term â€Å"nuclear option† is an example. We open our newspapers (or websites) to headlines like this one: Senate Votes For Nuclear Option No, the Senate has not approved dropping an H-bomb. The scary term refers to a plan to reduce the number of votes required to break a filibuster. Where did such a hyperbolic term for parliamentary procedure come from? In 2003, then Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott proposed the adoption of such a plan, calling it â€Å"nuclear.† He was tired of having the opposition block his party’s candidates for district and circuit judge appointments. I suppose he chose the term â€Å"nuclear† because he saw the plan as a way to blast through a political logjam. Politics is not the only area of reporting that makes use of hyperbole to lure readers and viewers. Weather announcers choose words and phrases associated with disaster to exaggerate the importance of unexceptional seasonal weather events. Ordinary hot summer temperatures become â€Å"a possible life-threatening heat wave.† The first hint of snow becomes â€Å"the first major snow of the season.† Hype in advertising is crass and obvious. Consumers can be swept along by it, but they probably recognize it for what it is. Hyperbole is an amusing and useful literary device that spices conversation and enriches literature, but in advertising and news reporting, its often used to evoke fear and dread. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples)"Have" vs "Having" in Certain ExpressionsDouble Possessive

A danger to public health and welfare Essays - Nutrition

A danger to public health and welfare Essays - Nutrition A danger to public health and welfare In what could be a historic moment in the struggle against climate change, the environmental protection agency on Friday confirmed what most people have long suspected but had never been declared as a matter of federal laws carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases constitute a danger to public health and welfare. The formal endangerment finding names carbon dioxide and five other heat trapping gases as pollutants subject to regulation under the federal clean air act. This in turn sets the stage after a 60-day comment period for broad new rules touching major sectors of the American economy and profoundly influencing how Americans use and generate energy. Labels lift how the FDA could make nutrition facts more palatable. Ill have one serving size with a couple of grams of sugar, please. Chances are youve never spoken a sentence like that out loud, because to most people, it doesnt make sense. Yet thats the kind of lingo food makers have used for years to tell Americans about what theyre eating, via the nutrition facts panel. Now, for the first time in a decade the food and drug administration is ready for a chance. After many rounds of internal debate and hefty criticism from health groups the FDA recently submitted a list of proposed improvements for approval by the white house. Since the nutrition facts label was introduced in 1990, the science and recommendations under lying it have changed, says Juli Putnam, an FDA spokesman. Whereas studies show that there are good and bad fats, for example, the label lumps Who do I talk to I will let them Engineering Consulting Firm Residential That will be wonderful Thank you for your help I talked to Geoff. I can redo it Where are you? Little things How is everything going? Turn it off the computer All the fats together. And daily values for sodium are based one a 2,400 mg diet even though new research says those figures should be lower. Although the FDA wont say when the changes will take effect it could be years or what they will be, many nutrition experts have already chimed in with suggestions. But Dr. Robert Lustig, a professor of clinical pediatrics at the university of California, Sand Francisco, warns that helath advocates should temper their expectations. After all, food processing companies spent over $28 million last year on lobbying efforts, some of which were aimed at the FDA. None the less, even a small tweak could pay big dividends. Now that 42% of working base Americans are reading nutrition fact labels (up from 34% in 2008), they could play a key part in combatting the obesity epidemic. None of these are block-buster changes, says Michael Jacobson, executive director of the center for science in the public Internet. Theyre steps.

Baron Friedrich Von Steuben in the American Revolution

Baron Friedrich Von Steuben in the American Revolution Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben was born September 17, 1730, at Magdeburg. The son of Lieutenant Wilhelm von Steuben, a military engineer, and Elizabeth von Jagvodin, he spent some of his early years in Russia after his father was assigned to assist Czarina Anna. During this period he spent time in the Crimea as well as Kronstadt. Returning to Prussia in 1740, he received his education at the Lower Silesian towns of Neisse and Breslau (Wroclaw) before serving as a volunteer with his father for a year (1744) during the War of the Austrian Succession. Two years later, he officially entered the Prussian Army after turning 17. Baron von Steuben - Seven Years War: Initially assigned to the infantry, von Steuben sustained a wound at the Battle of Prague in 1757.   Proving an adept organizer, he received an appointment as battalion adjutant and earned a promotion to first lieutenant two years later. Wounded a the defeat at Kunersdorf in 1759, von Steuben again returned to action. Elevated to captain by 1761, von Steuben continued to see extensive service in the Prussian campaigns of the Seven Years War (1756-1763). Recognizing the young officers skill, Frederick the Great placed von Steuben on his personal staff as an aide-de-camp and in 1762 admitted him to the special class on warfare that he taught. Despite his impressive record, von Steuben found himself unemployed at the end of the war in 1763 when the Prussian Army was reduced to peacetime levels. Baron von Steuben - Hohenzollern-Hechingen: After several months of seeking employment, von Steuben received an appointment as hofmarschall (chancellor) to Josef Friedrich Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. Enjoying the comfortable lifestyle provided by this position, he was made a knight of the aristocratic Order of Fidelity by the Margrave of Baden in 1769. This was largely the result of a falsified lineage prepared by von Steubens father. Shortly thereafter, von Steuben began using the title baron. With the prince short on funds, he accompanied him to France in 1771 with the hope of securing a loan. Unsuccessful, they returned to Germany where through the early 1770s von Steuben remained in Hodenzollern-Hechingen despite the princes increasing decaying financial position. Baron von Steuben - Seeking Employment: In 1776, von Steuben was forced to leave due to rumors of alleged homosexuality and accusations of his having taken improper liberties with boys. Though no proof exists regarding von Steubens sexual orientation, the stories proved sufficiently powerful to compel him to seek new employment. Initial efforts to obtain a military commission in Austria and Baden failed, and he traveled to Paris to try his luck with the French. Seeking out the French Minister of War, Claude Louis, Comte de Saint-Germain, who had met previously in 1763, von Steuben again was unable to obtain a position. Though he had no use for von Steuben, Saint-Germain recommended him to Benjamin Franklin, citing von Steubens extensive staff experience with the Prussian Army. Though impressed with von Steubens credentials, Franklin and fellow American representative Silas Deane initially turned him down as they were under instructions from the Continental Congress to refuse foreign officers who could not speak English. Additionally, Congress had grown wearisome of dealing with foreign officers who often demanded high rank and exorbitant pay. Returning to Germany, von Steuben was again confronted with allegations of homosexuality and was ultimately lured back to Paris by an offer of free passage to America. Baron von Steuben - Coming to America: Again meeting with the Americans, he received letters of introduction from Franklin and Deane on the understanding that he would be a volunteer without rank and pay. Sailing from France with his Italian greyhound, Azor, and four companions, von Steuben arrived at Portsmouth, NH in December 1777. After almost being arrested due to their red uniforms, von Steuben and his party were lavishly entertained in Boston before departing Massachusetts. Traveling south, he presented himself to the Continental Congress at York, PA on February 5. Accepting his services, Congress directed him to join General George Washingtons Continental Army at Valley Forge. It also stated that payment for his service would be determined after the war and based upon his contributions during his tenure with the army. Arriving at Washingtons headquarters on February 23, he quickly impressed Washington though communication proved difficult as a translator was required. Baron von Steuben - Training an Army: In early March, Washington, seeking to take advantage of von Steubens Prussian experience, asked him to serve as inspector general and oversee the training and discipline of the army. He immediately commenced designing a training program for the army. Though he spoke no English, von Steuben began his program in March with the aid of interpreters. Beginning with a model company of 100 chosen men, von Steuben instructed them in drill, maneuver, and a simplified manual of arms. These 100 men were in turn sent out to other units to repeat the process and so on until the entire army was trained. In addition, von Steuben introduced a system of progressive training for recruits which educated them in the basics of soldiering. Surveying the encampment, von Steuben greatly improved sanitation by reorganizing the camp and repositioning kitchens and latrines. He also endeavored to improve the armys record keeping to minimize graft and profiteering. Highly impressed with von Steubens work, Washington successfully petitioned Congress to permanently appoint von Steuben inspector general with the rank and pay of a major general. This request was granted on May 5, 1778. The results of von Steubens training regimen immediately showed in the American performances at Barren Hill (May 20) and Monmouth (June 28). Baron von Steuben - Later War: Attached to Washingtons headquarters, von Steuben continued to work to improve the army. In the winter of 1778-1779, he wrote Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States which outlined training courses as well as general administrative procedures. Moving through numerous editions, this work remained in use up to the War of 1812. In September 1780, von Steuben served on the court-martial for British spy Major  John Andrà ©. Accused of espionage in relation to the defection of Major General Benedict Arnold, the court-martial found him guilty and sentenced him to death. Two months later, in November, von Steuben was sent south to Virginia to mobilize forces to support Major General Nathanael Greenes army in the Carolinas. Hampered by state officials and British raids, von Steuben struggled in this post and was defeated by Arnold at Blandford in April 1781. Replaced by the Marquis de Lafayette later that month, he moved south with a Continental force to join Greene despite the arrival of Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis army in the state. Criticized by the public, he halted on June 11 and moved to join Lafayette in opposing Cornwallis. Suffering from ill health, he elected to take sick leave later that summer. Recovering he rejoined Washingtons army on September 13 as it moved against Cornwallis at Yorktown. In the resulting Battle of Yorktown, he commanded a division. On October 17, his men were in the trenches when the British offer of surrender was received. Invoking European military etiquette, he ensured that his men had the honor of remaining in the lines until the final surrender was received. Baron von Steuben - Later Life: Though the fighting in North America was largely concluded, von Steuben spent the remaining years of the war working to improve the army as well as began designing plans for the postwar American military. With the end of the conflict, he resigned his commission in March 1784, and lacking potential employment in Europe decided to settle in New York City. Though he hoped to live a genteel life of retirement, Congress failed to give him a pension and granted only a small amount of his expense claims. Suffering from financial hardships, he was aided by friends such as Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Walker. In 1790, Congress granted von Steuben a pension of $2,500. Though less than he had hoped, it allowed Hamilton and Walker to stabilize his finances. For the next four years, he split his time between New York City and a cabin near Utica, NY which he built on land given to him for his wartime service. In 1794, he permanently moved to the cabin and died there on November 28. Buried locally, his grave is now the site of Steuben Memorial State Historic Site. Sources National Park Service: Baron von SteubenFriedrich Wilhelm Von Steuben

Figurative Language versus Literal Language Assignment - 2

Figurative Language versus Literal Language - Assignment Example Hence, it must be used in terms of financial stress, and not as a suffering. Analogy is a comparison between two things or their features, focusing on a certain kind of likeness, when they are otherwise totally different. For example, â€Å"My daughter moves like a butterfly flies.† Here, a girl’s movement is being compared to that of a butterfly due to the beauty they exhibit. Analogy can be misunderstood when it is used in sensitive subjects, like religion or science. Metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an â€Å"implied comparison† (Nordquist, 2012, par. 1) of two concepts; or, which explains one thing in terms of an unreal situation. For example, â€Å"I feel the breeze of love in your presence.† The metaphor is breeze of love, which is nothing in real. Again, a metaphor is misunderstood in sensitive subjects. For example, â€Å"The children of God† does not actually mean that God is a parent. Simile is a kind of analogy very similar to metaphor, with the difference that it uses words like ‘like’ or ‘as’ to show the similarity between two dissimilar things. For example, considering the example given in metaphor section, the simile would be: â€Å"Your presence is like a breeze of love for me.† A simile is very easily misunderstood with analogy or metaphor, due to the thin line of meaning between them. Clichà © is an expression that has been used very widely and very commonly, so much so that people start using it in their everyday language without going into the detail of meaning. For example, â€Å"History repeats itself†, or â€Å"All is well that ends well.† Clichà © is often misunderstood with proverbs, as some proverbs are actually clichà ©s. Amphiboly is a sentence that gives out a confused meaning due to its loose structure. The sentence can be justified in either way it is understood. For example, â€Å"I caught her with my new shirt on†, means â€Å"I caught her when she was wearing my new shirt†, and also

What role did colonial trade play in the development of London Essay

What role did colonial trade play in the development of London - Essay Example Britain is known to have colonized some of the world’s biggest economies and nations including America, Australia and most parts of Africa. Out of this, Britain gained total economic and political control over most countries who served as British colonies. By and large, these countries invested heavily into the entire development of Britain – particular London. This essay is thus dedicated to scrutinizing some of the major means by which London’s development was affected: positively and negatively by the colonial trade. How the early profits from the slave trade developed the industrial revolution It has remained common knowledge and taught throughout British schools that â€Å"during the 1800s the Industrial Revolution spread throughout Britain.† ... unskilled slaves were not on regular salary taken by unskilled British, they were also made to work overtime in most of the times that they were called to duty. The second way that the slaves were used by the industries is that they were given rapid training to take up ‘semi-skilled’ tasks. These semi-skilled tasks were not typically bookish but had to do with supervision over unskilled labourers. As discussed earlier, these slaves were not taking normal salary and as such saved the industries a lot of expenditure. Again, the slaves were made to work far beyond normal working hours and thus improved productivity. The improvement in productivity that was recorded in most industries saw London and Britain record major industrial growth. This eventually brought about what came to be known as industrial revolution, which was a major turning point in London’s development. East and West India Company, their business dealings and profits The East and West India Company w ere seen as the backbone of London’s development in the colonial days. Surprisingly, the company still plays very vital role in the economy of London and the world at large. As noted by The East India Company (2011), â€Å"without The Company our world would not be as it is today.† This is not a mere publicity talk when discussion is being made of companies, whose dealings and profits indeed were visible in the transformation of London’s economy and entire development. As a company that received the recognition of the Queen of England through the Royal Charter, much was expected from the company right from the unset. Hopefully and true to expectation, the company’s dealings and general business structure ensured that the company recorded major trade gains and initiations such as the establishment of

Discuss the evolution of the concept of metabolism and symbiosis in Essay

Discuss the evolution of the concept of metabolism and symbiosis in post-war Japanese architecture. What are the key aspects of - Essay Example In this case, this evolution was attributed to the philosophies of urban adaptability and renewability of ideas gathered from various Japanese, which were entrenched within the culture in theory and physical practices. Moreover, this was a representation of accomplishment of the contemporary and chronological Japanese architecture. This paper will focus on conducting an analysis of the Metabolist Architectural Movement that was initiated in 1960s after the World War II, in which Japan participated. Apparently, it is important to exploring its influence on the popular works of art in anime genre in order to understand the evolution of the concept of metabolism and symbolism after the World War II. Evolution of metabolism has been significantly influenced by acceptability into Science Fiction, and renders it to be considered an element of the Utopia, which is regarded to be post-apocalyptic aspect of Japanese society’s future. Therefore, integration of metabolism in Science Fict ion is also considered an illustration of progress. Fundamentally, the theory of metabolism is based on two principles, which include symbiosis of various time periods, which is also referred to as diachronicity. In this case, â€Å"metabolism† is a term that is derived from science of biology in order to refer to the process and alteration, which is undergone by creatures during their lives. Initially, the first principles of metabolism were established by the movement for regeneration and metabolizing process attributed urban planning and architecture. Therefore, the terms metabolism is identified by the movement as a way of expressing believes for work of architecture, thereby arguing that it should be dynamic after its completion. In addition, members of this movement suggested that people should seek understanding of the works of architecture in terms of processes involved in its evolution from the past to present and to future. Evolution of the concept of metabolism and symbolism in Japan is evident through its role in facilitating political and cultural development after the Second World War. In fact, Metabolism Movement focused on redefining numerous relationships with designs, which were considered crucial. These relationships were attributed to features such as permanence, transience, expressing thoughts, and undertaking spontaneous planning. In this case, these were some of the ideas that were features in the schemes developed by Metabolists, through evolution of structures and impermanence of forms, which had attributes of substantial themes. Evolution of the concept of metabolism and symbolism has also been attributed increased prominence and respect for Japanese architecture. Actually, this Japanese architecture serves as a way influencing mentor to younger members of Metabolist Movement. Besides, this evolution facilitated conception of this movement into a large-scale plan of reconstructing Tokyo. On the other hand, there were suggestion s made through Metabolism schemes to reconfigure the modern structure of the cities. Apparently, these this reconfiguration was aimed at fitting the lifecycle of citizens. Therefore, these structures were aimed at taking designs to promote growth and transformation in a way that was similar to the evolution and metamorphosis of an organism. In this case, the Metabolism Movement became Utopia in a way that led to inspiring of a notion, which regarded the city

The Impact of E-Commerce Technology on the Air Travel Industry Essay

The Impact of E-Commerce Technology on the Air Travel Industry - Essay Example If I were the primary decision maker in these airline companies, I would come up with brilliant ideas to ensure that my airline company adopts a measure aimed at making it to enjoy a competitive advantage over its competitors. Having realized the inefficiencies of travel agents, I would ensure that I introduce the use of modern Information Communication Technology (ICT) in my company. This is a new innovation that would help us to realize a tremendous growth in our services. When all the activities are done in compliance with the new system, it would be much easier for the company to expand its client base and be able to reach a large number of potential clients than it could otherwise manage. In other words, I would advocate for the full adoption of SABRE system. This is an advanced technology that would be of much help to my organization. Once every activity is computerized, it becomes much easier for the airline to improve the quality of its services. At the same time, it would avail information to our clients wherever they are. Thus, it becomes much easier for them to plan their trips and make online reservations whenever they feel to do so. Automating our services would definitely put us in the right path of enjoying a competitive advantage over our rivals. Rather than advocating for the adoption of ICT, I would emphasize the role of novelty. Meaning, any changes to be effected would have to be novel and beneficial to the organization. They should be highly advanced to seal any loophole that might be experienced. If this happens, we would definitely be in the right path of out doing all our competitors before emerging as the best alternative airline in the market. In my opinion, the automation of airline services is commendable. It is a worthwhile initiative aimed at improving the quality of service delivery by the airline company. SABRE technology is one of its own kind. Meaning, it had to be

Short and Medium-Term Loan in the UAE Policies and Procedures Research Paper

Short and Medium-Term Loan in the UAE Policies and Procedures - Research Paper Example The financial institute considered for the purpose of this report is HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd. This bank for the purpose of granting the loan to the company shall make a complete review of the financial position of the company. The financial analysis would include a cash flow analysis, analysis of the various ratios like profitability ratio, liquidity ratio and gearing ratio, an analysis by the long-term creditor and examination of the collateral securities that the company has to offer to the bank for the loan purpose. The cash flow analysis flashes a detailed view of the inflow and outflow of cash into and from the business respectively. Pertaining to the income statement the operating cash flow shows the increase and decrease in cash. The cash flow showing the investments depicts the increase and decrease in assets. The various kinds of ratios are studied thoroughly to bring out the actual position of the company. The ratios that are studied, contributes to knowing the various as sets and liabilities and their impact individually and as a whole on the business unit. The various ratios studied are profitability ratio, liquidity ratio, and leverage ratio. The analyses of these ratios provide a clear picture of not only the company’s assets and liabilities but also forecasts possible profits and losses of the enterprise. The various provisions provided by HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd. are studied and the various kinds of loan that this bank has for its customers are also keenly observed. According to the requirements of an individual or a business customer, loans may be chosen by the customer from the bank. The processes and procedures involved in obtaining the loan are closely observed and recommended accordingly. The business environment of UAE and the various provisions for the foreign investors are enumerated in details. The various aspects that UAE takes a heed of apart from facilitating business activities in the country are also keenly studied. The f acility of free zone is largely talked about including its advantages and also the various barriers that a foreign investor may face in UAE are discussed. The advantages of local rather Emirati–owned business unit over the foreign investors are also included in the discussion. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 The Nature and Purpose of Loan Requested By the Customer 6 Bank’s Policy In Terms of Granting Loans 7 Types and Nature of Financial Information the Customers Are Required To Furnish To Support the Purpose of the Loan 10 Types of Analysis the Banks Usually Do 11 Types and Nature of Security the Bank Usually Ask For 14 Impact of the Most Recent Downturns of the Economy and Massive Business Failures of HSBC Bank Middle East 15 Bank’s Specialization on Handling Such Loans 16 Any Government Incentive And Or Support the Banks Receive In Handling Such Loans 17 UAE’s Business Environment Facilitating Emirati-Owned Businesses 17 Conclusion 19 References 21 Introduction The lending institutions are generally seen to offer loans for different periods based on the purpose of the loan, such as short–term, long–term, and medium–term. In the context of business, the short-term loans that are offered by the banks are usually to curb the needs of working capital of the business. These working capital needs of a company may range from raw materials purchase, electricity bills to be paid and payment of taxes among others.  Ã‚  

The Impact of E-Commerce Technology on the Air Travel Industry Essay

The Impact of E-Commerce Technology on the Air Travel Industry - Essay Example If I were the primary decision maker in these airline companies, I would come up with brilliant ideas to ensure that my airline company adopts a measure aimed at making it to enjoy a competitive advantage over its competitors. Having realized the inefficiencies of travel agents, I would ensure that I introduce the use of modern Information Communication Technology (ICT) in my company. This is a new innovation that would help us to realize a tremendous growth in our services. When all the activities are done in compliance with the new system, it would be much easier for the company to expand its client base and be able to reach a large number of potential clients than it could otherwise manage. In other words, I would advocate for the full adoption of SABRE system. This is an advanced technology that would be of much help to my organization. Once every activity is computerized, it becomes much easier for the airline to improve the quality of its services. At the same time, it would avail information to our clients wherever they are. Thus, it becomes much easier for them to plan their trips and make online reservations whenever they feel to do so. Automating our services would definitely put us in the right path of enjoying a competitive advantage over our rivals. Rather than advocating for the adoption of ICT, I would emphasize the role of novelty. Meaning, any changes to be effected would have to be novel and beneficial to the organization. They should be highly advanced to seal any loophole that might be experienced. If this happens, we would definitely be in the right path of out doing all our competitors before emerging as the best alternative airline in the market. In my opinion, the automation of airline services is commendable. It is a worthwhile initiative aimed at improving the quality of service delivery by the airline company. SABRE technology is one of its own kind. Meaning, it had to be

Organizational Behavior Analysis Proposal for McDonald's Essay

Organizational Behavior Analysis Proposal for McDonald's - Essay Example McDonald is not living up to its stated set of vision and values. The company allegedly uses unethical methods to make increased profits at the expense of customers’ health and social condition of the employees. McDonald has also been criticized for targeting children with their advertisements by exposing them to unhealthy eating habits. This has contributed to the high levels of obesity and other health complications. The company has also been accused of passing their French fries as vegetarian, whereas they add beef broth. The company has failed to provide nutrition information about its food products to the public. The company has also contributed to environmental degradation. An organization named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has accused the company of using cruel means when slaughtering chicken (Derdak 107). The analysis also involves analyzing organizational factors that have an influence on individual behaviors. The big five personality trait can be used to analyze individuals within the organization. The big five personality traits include extraversion, which refers to a person who is talkative social and assertive. Agreeableness describes a cooperative, trustworthy and accomplished person. Conscientiousness refers to a person who is responsible, orderly, and dependable. Neuroticism describes a person who is anxious and is prone to depression and worries. Openness means a person is imaginative and independent minded. Personality in organization analysis refers to individual and group level performance. A personality trait such as cooperative or deviant behavior and performance affects the overall performance of an organization.

Attitude Survey Essay Example for Free

Attitude Survey Essay In certain situations, it is important for psychologists to understand the attitudes of people on different issues. Attitude surveys are how psychologists gather information about attitudes of people. Then, they take this information and turn the results into empirical evidence to back up the theory or question that is impending. A person’s attitude can affect thought and behavior processes such as cognitive thinking, emotional reaction, and physical behaviors (Hogan, 2007). For my survey, I used the Likert method of attitude scale to develop my attitude assessment. I wanted to find what the attitude of smokers and non-smokers have about the smoking ban in restaurants. This paper will examine and discuss the development of my survey, administration process, scoring of the surveys, and the interpretation of the scores. Also, issues that I had while designing the survey will be discussed. Attitude Survey The development of my survey was taken from an issue that I personally was interested in because I am a smoker. When the ban first became a law, I heard many people, including myself; complain about the right to have a smoking section in restaurants for individuals who smoked. The ban has now been in effect for a few years, and I wanted to find out if smokers and non-smokers attitudes had changed on this issue. Survey Design In designing my survey, I used the Likert scale because I felt it would be the best way to gather the information I needed. This survey was designed to see how people view smoking in restaurants. These questions were answered by 6 different people, of which 3 were smokers and 3 were non-smokers. The surveyors were asked to answer each question by stating strongly agree, agree, undecided, disagree, or strongly disagree. The numerical scores for each question range from-2 to +2. Administration, Scoring, and Interpreting Results Administration consisted of me going to neighbor’s doors and asking them eleven questions about the smoking ban. I wanted to make sure that there were not so many questions that it would take too long. The length of time administering the test helped in getting people to take the time to answer these few short questions. The neighbors I chose were already acquainted with me as well, and that helped them to be comfortable and willing to answer my survey questions. For the scoring of the survey the lower the score the lower the satisfaction of the ban, and the higher the score implies the higher level of satisfaction. When I designed the survey I made sure that for each unfavorable answer of strongly disagree corresponded with a negative feeling towards the smoking ban. When interpreting the scores, usually it is better to have a good number of participants to answer the questions because it makes it more reliable to be able to look at the trends of how the questions are answered. Preliminary Design Issues Issues that I had were trying to get enough people to answer my survey questions. I also had an issue of how to figure the scores and put them into a scale. It took me a little time to understand how to correctly design and score. I also wanted to ask the right questions, as well as keep the survey questions short, so that people did not get tired of answering questions before the end however, still cover all the basic questions needed for this survey. I also did not want the questions to be as if I were repeating myself, so this took me a little while to figure out how to properly word my questions so to cover all the information I would need for scoring and interpretation. In conclusion, the survey I chose was to find out the attitudes of people on the smoking ban in restaurants. I used the Likert method of attitude scale for my design because I felt it was the best way to assess my selected issue. I tried to create questions that would cover cognitive factors, emotional responses, and physical behaviors in order to accurately score and interpret the attitudes about the smoking ban issue amongst smokers and non-smokers alike. References Hogan, T.P. (2007). Psychological testing: A practical introduction (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Is accounting profit figure a measure of true profit of an organizations

Is accounting profit figure a measure of true profit of an organizations Accounting rules and regulations are a mish-mash of rather conflicting concepts'(e.g. relevance and neutrality), giving managers discretion in deciding which principle to and not to apply(1). Profit is no simple figure which can be computed easily(2), infact it is a thorough process of naming and counting(3); identifying, calculating and summarizing many references generated. Some of these items donot exist, and hence are brought into existence by identifying and assigning monetary values, some involve quantifying the qualitative, while calculation of others may involve managers choosing between different rules and methodologies(revenue recognisation, inventory, depreciation calculation using different techniques), all of which are accepted, by providing a simple reasoning or justification for the choice. Hence, earning management itself is allowed in the profession giving managers the discretion to twist and turn certain figures to meet their criteria, provided a proper reasoning is given. Prudence-an important rule in history, guiding managers that should a conflict arise, a conservative approach to be adopted, as not to be over-optimistic about performance. But now, it is a mere subset of reliability, replaced by faithful representation by IASB, following FASB(4). Should we now expect more use of creative accounting? Given the current credit crunch is it fair to follow USA? Does this mean that instead of using a careful approach as to which colors to use, managers are free to paint the picture in any way they like? Similar implications apply for the use of fair value accounting (driven by Hicks,1975, income and opportunity cost theory), affecting asset valuation and income recognisation. Also given diverse and conflicting rules, what maybe true for one company or country, maynot be true for another(due to different accounting bodies). Therefore profit is merely creating rather than reflecting reality'(5). Another point to discuss is PAT(positive accounting theory); based on unrealistic assumptions as long as they are a good prediction, and underlying hypothesis are never rejected if proven wrong(6). The diagram below shows that in every step of PAT methodology there is a lot of subjectivity, and half of the time they donot tell what assumptions have been made. PAT is based on Adam Smiths rational economic man stating that all choices are based on self interest and accumulation of private wealth; hence accounting methods will be chosen to mislead and disguise performance'(7). Agency theory (Jensen Meckling, 1976) is closely related to this, displaying conflict of interest amongst shareholders and managers, which justifies why managers may resort to earning management, especially if performance-based salaries are used (management compensation hypothesis, Watt and Zimmerman 1986). Shareholders appoint auditors as a protection of their rights and assurance that managers are managing the company to the best of their ability, to maintain decision making efficiency, but auditors donot have access to all the information, and only base their decisions on the information provided by managers and given accounting regulations, does this information asymmetry means that auditors really provide a fair and truthful analysis of company reporting? Given the limited figures that auditors are given, can they analyze that profitability as shown by the company is actually correct? The answer is NO, and we have many examples such as Enron, Sunbeam, which despite been given unqualified audit reports, failed ultimately. Furthermore, as Watt and Zimmerman argue that PAT only gives a prediction of which method managers might use, but doesnot tell which accounting method should be used, for example a large company is likely to use income reducing methods to avoid political attention (political cost hypothesis), debt hypothesis states that a company which is close to breaking its debt covenants will choose policies to ensure such covenants are not violated(8). Also, it is too simplistic to state that it is the only truth. Infact even if profit figure is aligned with companys actual performance, according to coherence theory it is just a truth'(9), and not the ultimate reality. Although some might claim the contrary, as the media only compares the profit figures and doesnot refer to the variety of accounting policies that can be adopted(10). My argument ends with the viewpoint, that although accounting policies and audit reports are designed to protect stakeholders from false reporting, but due to gaps in rules, managers still maintain the discretion to choose policies, which is exploited to meet their objectives, hence shareholders and auditors should use a pool of resources, such as return on investment(11), key performance indicators, share price and economic profit (bank interest and return on other assets-12) to assess performance. Information is not stable, clear and self-evident(13), it is subject to constant change, and can be generated and interpreted in different ways. Truth is not in the numbers, it is only constructing reality using space, time and value machine'(13), therefore users of accounting information should use their own judgment, knowledge and opinions before reaching any conclusion and not base decisions blindly on profitability alone. NOTES: Rhoda lecture notes: The Growth of regulation: International standards and conceptual frameworks of accounting. My first reflective piece Lecture notes Ann-Christine Frandsen: Where do we find accounting Lecture notes Dr Fiona Anderson Gough: Early standards and normative theory, the influence of past on present Hines 1988 Friedman, The methodology of Positive Economics 1953 Adam Smith, The wealth of nations, 1776 Lecture notes, Rhoda, Positive accounting theory (PAT) Lecture notes, Dr Fiona Anderson Gough, Portraying success Deegan and Unerman, 2006 Lecture notes, Ann Christine Frandsen Ball and Brown, 1968 Frandsen A-C (2009), Information Organisation

Epic of Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

As the welcoming celebration for Beowulf goes on, Unferth begins to ridicule Beowulf about his swimming competition with Breca. Unferth is jealous and feels threatened by Beowulf " for he would not allow that any other man of middle-earth should ever achieve more glory under the heavens than himself." (Norton p. 33) Unferth is a very peculiar character. Although he has committed the horrific crime of killing his brother(s), he is privileged enough to sit at the feet of the king, a very respected position. His sin,an enormous violation of the comitatus, suggests that there is something wrong in Hrothgar's kingdom and perhaps helps to foreshadow its destruction. Ultimately, it will be destroyed, as the text says, by a fire after " sword-hate between son-in-law and father-in-law to awaken after murderous rage." (Norton p. 28). Unferth tries to put Beowulf down by saying that Beowulf once risked his life for pride and foolish boast. He also points out that Breca has beaten Beowulf in the swimming and that he therefore expects him to lose the fight with Grendel as well. Unferth is arrogant, obnoxious and the only one who challenges Beowulf. However, later when Beowulf fights with Grendel's mother, Unferth lends him his sword. This can be seen as a noble gesture, and a redemption of Unferth for the way he has behaved. However, it can also provide further proof of Unferth's incompetence as a warrior. Because he is scared to fight himself, he passes on his sword to Beowulf. Beowulf answers Unferth's words of envy with his side of the story. He says that Unferth is drunk and obviously knows nothing about the competition. Continuing, Beowulf explains that he won the contest despite the heavy attack by sea-monsters. From this story, we see further proof of Beowulf's supernatural powers. The competition occurs during the winter in the freezing water, yet Beowulf is able to swim for five nights armed with a heavy sword, in full armor and mail . When the battle is over, Beowulf finds himself on the shore lying next to nine sea monsters that he killed with his sword and modestly attributes his victory to both courage and fate. His comment that, " Fate often saves an undoomed man when his courage is good" (Norton p. 34) shows his belief that 'Fate' will forever govern him and aid him as long as he is courageous.

Performance Management Essay

Q: 1 ————————————————- Be able to identify and agree performance objective 1.1 Explain link between individual team and organizational objective Link between organizational objective and the team is very important for the progress of an organization. Organizational objective are set in order to achieve the goal of an organization. Every organization has an aim to achieve so until every single member of staff not know the objective of the organization it’s difficult to achieve that goal. In an organization there are certain groups and each group has different teams. Every individual team has different task to do but all these different tasks are linked to the main objective of the organization and all the individual team tasks are support the objective of organization to fulfill. If the organizational objective is clear to the every individual team member than it’s easy to achieve team task. Principal behind the link between individual team and organizational objective is that if the individual team knows the organizational objective than they can play better role to achieve objective and can easily complete their individual task which support to achieve organizational objective. 1.2 Identify the selection of and agree individual and team objectives Team is group of people which work together to achieve goal every team member has different task which related to the objective of the team. Agreeing team objective is more difficult to agreeing individual objective because there are more people involved mean more skill, experience and handling problem with different ways. So than one should be more carefully deal when agreeing the team objective. Identifying and selection of and agree individual and team objective has very important for achieving the main objective of organization. If we selected right persons for achieving the individual objectives then it’s easy to achieve the team objective as well as organizational. Every team has its own team leader and he has an objective to achieve to complete that objective he has to complete different task to complete he has to select right person from his team to fulfill that task .for different tasks he has to select different people from his team to achieve that task which support to complete the overall team objective. When  team leader give task (individual objective) to his team member he should give him step by step training to achieve his goal. On other hand each team member should know the team objective as well to achieve their goal. Every individual and team objective should be SMART 1.3 Identify and agree area of individual and team responsibility in achieving objective Every individual and team should to understand his responsibility and try his best to agree with his responsibilities. Successful team can be responsible of different tasks and team objective which support the organizational objective the main responsibility of team is to achieve his team objective. Help each individual to complete his task. Every team should follow the planned the assignment which set by the director of the organization because every team objective is linked to organizational objective. Team should inform the project manager of task status and any problem arisen. Every team should select right person having right skill and knowledge to compete the task. Every individual should also try his best to achieve his goal because it’s important to achieve the team objective as well as organizational objective. Every team member should make real effort to build strong relational ship with each other. Each team member should give support feedback and gaudiness to other team member to achieve goal. Each staff member expresses loyalty and motivates other to work. If team and all individual are fulfil their responsibilities then it’s easy to achieve the organizational goal. 1.4 Identify the need to create an environment of trust and support with other Environment of trust and support in team member and organization is very useful to achieving the organizational goal If the entire individual in team has good relationship then they support each other give them feedback and gaudiness as well by this it’s easy to achieve goal for them. As we know that’s individuals objective supports to achieve team as well as organizational objective. So that as manger one should build following things to make environment pleasant * Increasing relation between staff member * Decreasing clashes to the neutral * Try to convert neutral to good and leading to excellence Advantages of Trusting * Staff member are more willing to share idea and work sincerely * Staff member are more willing to help each other and try their best to achieve the goal. * Saving of recourses (physical and financial) * More motivated for working * Sincere with organization ————————————————- Q2: Be able to assess performance and provide feedback 2.1: Evaluate and assess individual and team performance against objectives Assessing performance of individual and team performance against objective is very important for overall performance of the organization because it’s related to the overall performance of the organization. Best team and individual performance is which support the organization performance. Identifying objective Easy way to assess the performance is to split the objective in different tasks and give each task to the team and further to the individuals. Assessing performance Balanced analysis of performance beside designed objectives, taking all applicable factors into account. After doing that one have to check the results of the each task giving to the team and individuals as well. If they achieve than they can build success to achieving the main objective of the organization and if they cannot achieve the desirable performance then organization should think about the problems which prevent them to achieve desirable performance. Then first thing is to take in account is that the team at least understands the objective of the organization because without understanding the objective no one can achieve goal. There are also many other factor which can be affect the performance of the individual and the team like No enough support and training, Unsuitable environment and Financial problems etc. These are some factor which should be taken in to account to improve the performance to the desirable level. 2.2 Identify the  method to providing feedback to individual and team on performance Feedback can be define as process in which the effect or output of an action is returned to modify the next action Feed back is actually comments about something with which you have any type relation. Feed back is of two types positive or negative Positive feedback is good to improve yourself and identify your weakness and you can improve it if you want. Negative feedback is destructive and base on fact and reality which cause of angry and disturbance Usually feedback is taken from website, monthly or yearly review, survey or customer etc. There are many Methods to provide the feedback Sandwich method7 (expect a negative comment after praise). BOOST Method †¢ Balanced – contain together decent and beneficial points †¢ Observed – only give samples of what you have seen the somebody say or do †¢ Objective – feedback should be truthful and not an spasm on someone’s character †¢ Specific – always use exact patterns †¢ Timely – feedback should be given as near to the occasion as possible. EEC model8 †¢ Example – what performance you have detected †¢ Effect – on the viewers, on you, on your examination †¢ Change – what change in performance do you expect Feedback should be taken from serious personality Feedback should be taken after event soon Find someone private for feedback Give enough time to give feed back Take good care of privacy and honesty while taking feedback After taking feed back its very sensitive mater to provide the feedback so it should be handle very carefully. The purpose of providing feedback to the team and individual should be basis of maintenance, improving performance. While providing feedback to team or the individuals something should be keep in mind Positive points should be first to reduce conflict. It should be like information sharing. It should be not over loaded or in detail. During providing feedback it required ability of patient. Language should be expressive of specific behaviours rather than general remarks representing value judgments. All comments should be based upon visible performance and not assumed motives. 2.3 Identify the cause of conflict and describe strategies to minimize or prevent conflict Business dictionary define conflict as friction or opposition resulting from actual or perceived differences or incompatibilities. 2 Conflict may be positive or negative. There are many cause of conflict Personal factor Lack of information If any staff member is unconscious about information of any event, reformation or any other happening in the organization cause conflict. Skill deficits Lack of skill and knowledge also cause conflict. Personality and style differences Everybody in the organization has different style and personality that’s also cause of conflict in the organization. Substance abuse and Family problems also cause of conflict in the organization. Organizational factor There are some organizational factor are also cause of conflict in the organization like Leadership If the leadership is not leading his organization properly than it’s the big cause of conflict. Management Lack Managing qualities in organizational managing team cause conflict among its members Budget Insufficient budget and improper distribution cause conflict in organization. Poor communication among the leadership, management and the staff member cause of conflict in the organization. Different values of different staff member, personality clashes and poor performance also the cause of conflict  in the organization. Solution Solution of conflict in the organization is hidden in following factors Minimizing authorities By the minimizing authorities conflicts decrease. Improving polices By improving polices of organization to decreasing conflict Communication Communication among staff member is solution of conflict. Due to poor communication they can say nothing to the higher authorities and cause conflict between them. By Providing support to the staff member also reduce conflict. Injustices in rewarding staff member or injustices in any other matter are also cause conflict so that justice in every matter is a solution of conflict as well. If there is conflict between any of the staff member of the organization then one should take following steps Step 1: Intervene Where conflict exist one should involved his self in the problem and let know about people involved in it. Step 2: Listen and discuss By allowing every person to give their views and opinions you will have the opportunity to hear what each person thinks, and they will have the chance to hear what the others involved think, too. Step 3: Make your position clear You have to make your position clear which is acceptable by every involved parties or individual Step 4: Negotiate a win/win outcome One should make his position neutral in the situation and make agree everyone on the same opinion which is acceptable to every one Step 5: Monitor the situation After the you have to arrange some formal and informal meeting to monitor situation A formal follow-up meeting attended by all interested parties and Informal meetings just to check how things are going. 2.4 Explain recording system for performance assessment for individual or team The accomplishment of a given task measured against present  known standards of accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed. In a contract, performance is deemed to be the fulfilment of an obligation, in a manner that releases the performer from all liabilities under the contract. 5 The maintenance of a history of one’s activities, as financial dealings, by entering data in ledgers or journals, putting documents in files4, etc. is known as recording system. Recording system for any organization is very necessary to improve itself and to achieve desirable performance. There should be recording system in organization for performance assessment for every team and individual. There should be link between team and individual previous performance with current performance. By this we can check its progress and taking step against poor performance is easy. Recording system of performance of individuals and team are very important for the maintenance and improving performance. If the recording system of performance is exist in the organization then it’s easy to compare the performance of any individual and team and can easily obtain their progress report. Other advantage of the performance recording system is that all the individual and teams try to improve their performance to keep their record good for good reputation in the organization. So there should be a proper system in the organization for keep record of performance of the team and the individuals. All monthly and the annuals performance reports should keep in record. If some individual or team perform well or make a big mistake should also keep in record for basics of appreciation and maintenance. Q3 Be able to understand performance support for improvement. 3.1 Explain performance improvement cycle Performance improvement cycle is a cycle of development. If someone has poor performance then one should has to be pass through the improvement cycle to develop his abilities to show better performance. There are following steps of improvement cycle Identify In this step you have to identify his weakness and reason of his weakness. This is very important step of the improvement cycle because without correct identification diagnose of problem is not possible. After identify problem  you have to identify its reason also. Opportunities After identify the problem and its reason than you have to look at all the opportunities available to improve its weakness. Agree plan of action After look at all opportunities you have to decided that which one are more opportunities suit you to improve his weakness and then you have to act upon his plan. Review After that you have monitor to monitor performance. If everything is going as you want and agreed then you will be able to encourage the team member. If the things are not going well then you have to sit again to argue the trouble and find the key. 3.2 Discuss the indicator of poor performance Poor performance is define as when member of your team performing less than your hope. There are many reasons behind the poor performance that’s why it’s not an easy job to find out the reason of poor performance. But to find out the reason of the poor performance is very important because without indicating any problem cure of problem is difficult. There is some common reason of the poor performance. * Targets and goals are out of reach. * Team member of staff is insincere * Quantity of work * Team members’ ability is not appropriate * Team member is slow in taking decisions * Team member is not experiences and skilled. * Lack of knowledge * Lack of motivation These are main factor which are main cause of the poor performance by improve these you can easily improve performance. You can set the stander of performance By written job description By clearing Objective of organization and out come to member Competence of statement EVALUATING METHODS THAT SUPPORT PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT To improve the poor performance of the organization is very important to  achieve the goal .there are few steps which are use to improve poor performance of the organization. Counseling If individual staff member is not performing well that you have to look at his life out of work may be he cannot performing well due to some family or personal problems. You should try to solve problem if possible. Training or coaching If the staff member or not performing well then maybe they need training and coaching to doing that job. After giving them proper training about their job and then monitor them if you got desirable result then they can support to achieve objective of organization. Performance improvement plan Performance improvement plan is a written formal plan to improve the poor performance. There are following steps in it * Identify the problem and its reason * Opportunities * Agree plan of action * Review By this plan one can easily improve his self. Disciplinary That is last step to improving poor performance. Some time employees improve their self when they get last warring. After that if one never improves his self than one dismiss from job. ————————————————- Q4 BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ORGANIZATION’S DISCIPLINARY AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE. 4.1 Discus the organization’s disciplinary and grievance procedures Every organization has its own rule and regulation but some of the rules linked with the citizen rights and human rights. Especially in United Kingdom any organization cannot dismiss any employee for job without any reason or sold proof so that if any organization does this then the organization has to answer in court. To dismiss any employee the following thing should take in to account * You have to give approx. three warnings 1. Informal warning 2. Formal warning 3. Written last warning * The contract with employee and organization should expired * Organization should have sold proof of his poor performance After that you can dismiss any employee without this if you dismiss any employee due to some personal or family problem than you have to answer in court and may be you have to pay plenty. Grievance allows the individual to compliant to their management. Due to the grievance individual never do uninformed action. Due to this the communication between the employee and management increase and reduce conflict between them as well. Due to complain of employee you can identify many problems to improving performance. Role of manager in disciplinary and grievance procedure Role of manger in the disciplinary procedure a manger should have good relationship between employees. So that he can reach to the real situation of the problem. He should know about that problem seriousness. If problem is serious. Than in this case employee has to dismiss. That’s dark point of management. Following thing a manger should take in to account? The problem should genuine There should not personal problem or family problem There should be witness There should be documentary proof After this a manger can dismissing the employee Grievance is problems or complains that employee lift up against their employers. The role of manager in this situation is very important. He should arrange meeting with the employer and employees. Responsibility of the manager is in this situation is to listen all complains and problem very carefully and attentively with non-judgment condition. So that employees can speak freely. If some think is not clear then manger should ask it again. Manger should understand all complains and his understanding should be same as employer. In this entire situation the manger should be fair. 4.3 Summaries the key aspect of legislation that applies to an  organization’s disciplinary and grievance procedure The act or process of making laws; enactment is known as legislation5 All the employees should be aware of the organizational disciplinary and grievance procedure. When the employee entre to organization. He/she should know about disciplinary and grievance procedure. If organization wants change in procedure they should call meeting. Key aspect of the disciplinary and grievance procedure is below Disciplinary * Keys to handling disciplinary issues in the workplace * Establish the facts of each case * Inform the employee of the problem * Hold a meeting with the employee to discuss the problem * Allow the employee to be accompanied at the meeting * Decide on appropriate action * Provide employees with an opportunity to appeal * Special cases Grievance There is an Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures . It sets out principles that you and your employer should follow to achieve a reasonable standard of behaviour in handling grievances.9 * Let the employer know the nature of the grievance * Hold a meeting with the employee to discuss the grievance * Allow the employee to be accompanied at the meeting * Decide on appropriate action * Allow the employee to take the grievance further if not resolved * Overlapping grievance and disciplinary case * Collective grievances Legislation is define as a law or set of laws suggested by a government and made official 4 Key aspect of legislation of organization’s disciplinary and grievance procedures are above mention if theses key aspect use to solve the disciplinary and grievance scenario in the organization then it’s good for both employer and employee and they will not be not face and legislation act. But if employee or employer not follows the proper way as describe to  solve grievance and disciplinary then they have to face the court. 1. Business dictionary.www.bussinessdictionary.com (accessed date 02/01/2012) 2. BusinessdictionaryAvailablehttp://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/conflict.html (accessed date 04/01/2012) 3. CambridgedictionaryAvailable:dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/legislation (Accessed date 08/01/2012 ) 4. DictionaryreferenceAvailable:dictionary.reference.com/browse/recordkeeping( Accessed date 09/12/2011 ) 5. Dictionary referenceDictionary.reference.com (Accessed date 07/01/2012) 6. Business dictionary www.bussinessdictionary.com {Accessed date 06/01/2012} 7. LondonDeaneryAvailablewww.faculty.londondeanery.ac.uk (Accessed date 08/02/2012) . 9. DirectGov.Available:http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/ResolvingWorkplaceDisputes/Grievanceprocedures/DG_10027992 (accessed date 01/01/2012)

The Quiet American

The Quiet American In The Quiet American Grahm Green writes of a complex love triangle taking place in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He chooses Thomas Fowler as the protagonist to tell the story from a biased point of view. From the beginning, Fowler proclaims that he is objective. As the story progresses he is eventually gives into the desire to take action and get involved. It is not until after this climax that Fowler finally realizes and admits to himself that he cannot simply remain aloof his entire life.Green’s use of Fowler as an unstable narrator effectively depicts the complexity of human motive and how difficult it is to be honest, even to oneself. Fowler is a British journalist who has been working in Vietnam for several years. Living in an extremely controversial era in the middle of all the action, Fowler insists on remaining â€Å"not involved† (20). Fowler is a â€Å"reporter,† as opposed to a â€Å"correspondent,† for he reports what he s ees and â€Å"[takes] no action† (20). He often likes to sit across the street form the milk-bar and just observe.Watching people of all shapes and colors go about their normal lives, Fowler does nothing himself, but simply watches. He even uses opium to achieve a state of complete impassiveness about the world and everything around him. Just a single pipe could make Fowler grow indifferent to the â€Å"presence or absence† of his lover (6); several more and he cannot decide whether his own death would be good or bad. Opium allows him to convince even himself that he really is indifferent to all that which goes on around him.He prides himself on remaining detached and not taking sides, saying it is â€Å"an article of [his] creed† (20). Based on his determination to be merely an observer, Fowler should make a fine narrator. Impartial and neutral, he would tell the story as is without even an opinions to cloud his mind, for â€Å"even an opinion is a kind of act ion† (20). Despite Fowler’s efforts, it soon becomes impossible for him to remain stagnant. When the opportunity is offered to him, he resolves to participate in a plot to murder Alden Pyle. He justifies his decision with the fact that Pyle has caused much trouble and disaster.He is so naive that he does not realize the extent of what he has done, and even with the death of so many people on his hands, â€Å"he’ll always be innocent, [and] you can’t blame the innocent†(155). Fowler convinces himself that Pyle as a threat to society and â€Å"all you can do is†¦ eliminate him. Innocence is a kind of insanity†(155). However, his reasoning is questionable, for there are personal motives involved as well. Fowler does not want Phuong to leave him and marry Pyle. His wife had already made it clear that she will not give him a divorce.Though he cannot marry her himself, he is selfish and wishes everything to stay the way it is. When Phuong and her sister find out that Fowler’s wife remains insistent on her refusal of his request for a divorce, things start to turn against him. Phuong moves out and plans to marry Pyle. Fowler, devastated, has increased reason to want Pyle dead. In fact, the two men talk of how Phuong is â€Å"the most important thing there is† right before Fowler makes up his mind to open the book at the window and call the whole plan to action (169).It is clear that Fowler does not make his decision based solely on political grounds. Slowly, as the story goes on, Fowler starts to realize that it is impossible to stay indifferent of everything around him. â€Å"Sooner or later, one has to take sides if one is to remain human† (166). After he decides to engage in the ploy to kill Pyle, he recognizes that â€Å"[he] had become as engaged as Pyle† (175). Fowler has assumed his role in the game. He can no longer hide behind his insistence that he is neutral and â€Å"no decision wo uld ever be simple again. Stubborn as he was before about not taking sides, Fowler realizes that he â€Å"had judged like a journalist†¦ and betrayed [his] own principles† (175); he is honest to himself when he finally crosses the line into partiality. After Pyle’s death Fowler tells Phuong that he is sorry. She does not catch the significance of his apology, but he says that though â€Å"everything had gone right for [him] since [Alden] had died†¦ [he] wished there existed someone to whom [he] could say that [he] was sorry†(180). Fowler sees clearly the magnitude of what he has done.He takes responsibility for his actions and feels remorse. The instability of Fowler’s narration depicts the extraordinary intricacy of individual drive. It is never clear the reasons that Fowler makes many of his decisions, often not even to himself. Does he kill Pyle out of political concern, or compassion for the Vietnamese people? Does he do it out of love for P huong, or is it simply lust? These questions, to some degree a mystery even to Fowler himself, are emphasized by his unreliable narration.Unclear intentions are not limited to just the narrator. When Pyle saves Fowler’s life, his motives are ambiguous as well. One may assume that based on Pyle’s simple personality, his purposes are most likely be pure and genuine. He probably saved Fowler because it was in his power and it was the right thing to do. But Fowler suspects Pyle to be more calculating, that he planned to emerge a hero from the ordeal and win Phuong over in that way. Human motives are quite often multi-layered and difficult to understand.Graham makes the peculiar choice of telling a story from the prejudiced point of view of someone whose personal life is tangled in the mess of the story. Fowler starts out determined to stay impartial as a reporter and a person in general. However, as events occur and his happiness is put on the line, he gets drawn in and ta kes action. Though he makes his decision to get involved, Fowler is unsure and doubtful the whole time and feels a great deal of remorse when it is all over. It is then that he must admit to himself, and the readers see, that he is not impartial after all, and it is, in fact, human nature to take a side.