French Webquest

French Webquest Language classes are as fun or as boring as the teacher and students make them. Grammar drills, vocabulary tests, and pronunciation labs are the basis of many successful language classes, but its also good to incorporate some creative interaction, and projects can be just the thing.A webquest is an interesting project for French classes or for independent studiers looking to spice up their self-instruction. This project is perfect as a long-term activity for intermediate and advanced students, though it can also be adapted for beginners.ProjectResearch various topics related to French, to be shared as a paper, website, and/or oral presentationInstructions Decide whether students will work individually or in groupsReview my list of potential subjects, below, and decide whether students will choose their own topic(s) or be assignedExplain the purpose of a webquest: to gather information via the internet that will be shared in whatever format(s) the teacher chooses. If a website is desired, consider having students use the PowerPoint templates provided on Abouts Presentation Software site, which are accompanied by detailed, step-by-step instructionsExplain about plagiarism and the importance of citing sources. For example, students are welcome to link to any of the material on this or other websites, but should not copy text to their own sites or in their papers.Pass out a list of required/optional sections, the desired length, and any other guidelinesStudents do the webquest, then write up reports, create websites, and/or prepare oral presentationsAfter all presentations, students could write a summary or comparison of other presentatio ns TopicsTopic(s) can be assigned by the teacher or chosen by the students. Each student or group can do an in-depth study of one topic, such as the Acadà ©mie franà §aise, or a comparison of two or more topics, such as the difference between the Acadà ©mie franà §aise and the Alliance franà §aise. Or they might choose several topics and just answer a few questions about each of them. Here are some possible topics, with a few basic questions to consider - the teacher and/or students should use this just as a starting point. Acadà ©mie franà §aise: What is this organization? When was it created? Has its purpose changed over time?Alliance franà §aise: What is this organization? When was it created? Has its purpose changed over time?Celebrations and Holidays: What are some important holidays in France and other French-speaking countries? How do they compare to your countrys holidays?Differences between French and English: What are some key differences?Fluency: What is fluency? Why is it hard to define?French in English: How has French influenced English?French-Speaking Celebrities: Choose several celebrities and explain why they speak FrenchFrench Gestures: Are any similar to those in your country? Are any the same gesture with a different meaning?Introduction to French: How did French evolve? What languages is it related to?Jobs Using French: What kind of work is speaking French useful for?Living Working in France: How can a person live and work in France?Moroccan Culture: What are some interesting as pects of Moroccan culture? Is there anything shocking?La Nà ©gritude: What is Nà ©gritude? How and where did it evolve? Who were the trois pà ¨res? Who were some other key participants?Register: What are the various French registers? Provide examples of words in each oneThe Rude French: Are the French rude? Why or why not? Where does this stereotype come from?Spanish vs French: How are they similar/different? Is one easier than the other?Translation and Interpretation : What is the difference? How are they similar?Verlan: What is it?What is French? Facts and Figures: Where is French spoken? By how many people?What Is the Best Way to Learn French?: Compare and contrast the various methodsWhy learn French: How can it help you? Notes The collective webquests will offer an extensive collection of material about French, which can be shared with other teachers, parents, and potential students.

Informative Essay Sample on Al Capone Who Is This Man

Informative Essay Sample on Al Capone Who Is This Man Al Capone: those two words, instantly recognizable, conjure up many vivid images in the minds of people all across America. They however mean much more to the inhabitants of Chicago, â€Å"the city of broad shoulders† so aptly named after the man who once had an unquestionable hold upon the city and its surrounding communities. Capone is what every gangster desires to be. He is the vision of what a gangster blueprint looks like that is burnt into the minds of the people who experienced his reign firsthand. Young as they may have been at the height of Capone’s legacy, they undoubtedly felt the effects of Capone’s power and celebrity as his presence was impossible to ignore. Even people of today view Capone as the blueprint for gangster perfection, the greatest and most famed gangster of all time. Though the best evidence in supporting Capone’s case as the blueprint; comes from other gangsters paying the ultimate compliment by attempting to emulate Caponeâ⠂¬â„¢s techniques and mannerisms. One might question as to how can Capone be the model for a member of organized crime considering that he was captured. My answer to that is that he at one time held more power than I can even comprehend, and even all these years later no gangster has made an impact on a city like Capone and most likely never will. Capone is the perfect gangster. He is the model, and this can be seen through all the facets of his criminal career, including his quick ascension through the ranks of the Chicago gang to the top of the food chain. The actions he took during his criminal career and the power that he held over the city of Chicago also lend credence to this theory. However, the one thing that made Capone the consummate gangster over anybody else was his understanding that blood is power and he was more than willing to spill a little blood if it was what was needed. Even today, the only mob boss whose fame and power came close to the heights that Capone reach ed would be John Gotti. But, when the extent of their power is compared â€Å"Da Don† falls far short of â€Å"The Big Guy.† Capone was only twenty years old when Johnny Torrio sent for him to leave New York and come to Chicago to be his protege. Al arrived on the scene and was made the bouncer at Four Deuces night club, quick to offer you a handshake but at the same time ready to shake you down and break your hand. However, Johnny Torrio was not satisfied with the rough edges that surrounded the young man who had all the other tools that have the makings of an ideal gangster. Torrio personally set himself to work on improving Al’s total package. He taught him the common social graces of the time, instructed him in the process of concealing one’s thoughts and emotions from others, and the idea of a ready handshake and easy smile was reinforced on the hardened young man. Torrio had been the beneficiary of the death of â€Å"Big† Jim Colosimo who is credited with creating the vice and underground society in Chicago. It is believed by many that Colosimo’s death was the first murder that Capone committed in the great lakes area. Then, in 1924, the event that changed the face of organized crime forever and opened up the gates for what was to be a whole new breed of gangsters and alcohol delivery professionals, better known as bootleggers or beer barons. This event was the inception of Prohibition and it created an entirely new market for members of organized crime, including one Al Capone. After the initial dust settled, the bootlegging business though was divided into the two distinct north and south sides of town according to the Chicago River. The northern territory fell under the control of Dion O’Banion, and the southern territory belonged to none other than the infamous Torrio and his sidekick (soon to be successor) Alphonse Capone. O’Banion, having seen it all in his day, desired to hang up his guns and so offered the entire north side of Chicago to Torrio for the sum of five hundred thousand dollars. However, when Torrio went to make the e xchange he found that he had been set up by O’Banion who was aware that the police were planning on raiding this business transaction. Due to the fact that it was another offense on a rap sheet that read a mile long Torrio was sentenced to jail time while O’Banion walked because it was his first offense. Oh yeah, O’Banion also kept the half million of Torrio’s money, so as you could probably guess he was not long for the world long after Torrio was let out of prison. Then in 1925 Torrio retired from the racket (due to a severe injury) and left all that he had over to his now tried-and-true apprentice who by then was more than ready to have a chance holding the reigns for a while. It was his time to shine, â€Å"for Capone was to revolutionize crime and corruption by putting both on an efficiency basis, and to instill into a reorganized gangland firm business methods of procedure† (Paisley 11). Capone was now at the top of the food chain and he had just begun to make his presence felt. Though his quick rise through the ranks of the family of organized crime was remarkably impressive, the true testaments to Capone’s greatness come while he is at the top and these actions are what truly make him the â€Å"Blueprint.† The man that no one knew five years ago was soon to become, in the city of Chicago at least, the man who knew no equal. Capone’s first order of business was to ensure that his bootleg business controlled completely all the flow of alcohol coming into the south side of the city. He accomplished this by sending out numerous teams of machine gunners to shoot down rival bootleggers and stubborn saloon keepers that did not buy Capone’s beer. This type of action is what separated Capone from other gangsters; he was an expert at how to convince by terror and was not afraid to do so. He was a man that knew how to spread terror and it was this need to evoke fear that led to the introduction of a revolutionary way to do business in the underworld. Capone’s grip over the city of Chicago increased even more in the next few years with the introduction of the Tommy gun into the world of organized crime. The resulting image of terror that the Tommy gun gave the public yielded a much-larger-than-life Al Capone. It is quite safe to say that Tommy gun struck terror not only into the people of Chicago, but also made rival mobsters fear and respect Capone even more than they did before the advent of the weapon. The Tommy gun itself was the perfect killing machine, capable of firing 20 round magazines in less than a second (James). The Thompson submachine gun was developed for the military for use during the First World War as a trench sweeper. Though it was not particularly accurate it was more than capable for quick, devastating strikes. When the war ended before the first guns could be produced, Thompson was left with mass quantities of the Tommy gun and due to relaxed gun laws of the day it became available to the public, quic kly becoming the favorite for Al Capone (James). The gun’s military purposes aside, what made it particularly popular was its relatively small size, which made it very easy to hide. The gun also boasted armor piercing bullets so it was nearly impossible to escape an attack by the â€Å"Chicago Typewriter† as Tommy’s infamy led the public to name it. Capone’s power could be seen even more clearly in the manner by which he controlled the elections of many public officials as if they were marionettes, easily swaying the publics vote in many creative, though painful ways. Capone had his definite preferences in mayors and he did whatever he could to keep William Hale Thompson Jr. in office since he seemed to look the other way when it came to Capone. It doesn’t take being Elliot Ness to realize that Capone was the reason that Thompson’s pockets were busting at the seams with money during his campaigns, in effect not even giving competitors a chance. The year 1926 was one of heightened violence for Capone: there were on record 29 gang killings in less than six months. In 1928 there were 62 different bombings attributed to Capone (Reid). Sandwiched between those two years is 1927, regarded as the year in which the great Al Capone reached his peak of power. He made enormous amounts of money. In this year alone the I RS believes that he ticketed over 100 million dollars (Burdick), keeping about ten percent of that total while the rest went to his employees and to other expenses. The north side of Chicago had meanwhile become the rightful property of George â€Å"Bugs† Moran. A war between Capone and Moran had been waging for the better part of three years, that began when the north siders hijacked a Capone owned shipment of whiskey. Capone would not stand for insubordination such as this and he dispatched the famed assassin Jack Mcgurn to arrange a faux police raid of Moran thugs at 2122 North Clark St (Burdick). This fateful night will be forever known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, the single most brutal and notorious act ever orchestrated by Capone. A team of four men dressed as police officers entered the building as if they were going to bust the criminals within. What they did instead will forever live in infamy. They took all seven men, lined them up against the wall of the garage ordered them to put their hands above their heads, turn around and put their palms to the wall. The assassins then took a .45, a sawed off shotgun and tw o fully automated machine guns and ripped into the backs of the seven men. Less than thirty seconds later when the smoke cleared seventy two shots had been fired at the men, including two shots fired from the shotgun (Burdick). The plan went off without a hitch except that the intended target of the massacre â€Å"Bugs† Moran was not present. He was particularly lucky this day as he was caught up checking into a hotel as an alibi, and arrived late enough that he saw the â€Å"raid† and not wanting to be entangled in the affair, he got out of there as quickly as possible. The failed attempt on Moran’s life had a huge effect on Capone’s celebrity as the publicity surrounding the incident was the most attention that any gang event had ever received. He was suddenly in the national spotlight as journalists and writers all over the country began writing books and articles on him. Capone loved the attention but President Herbert Hoover did not share his viewpoint. Hoover quickly ordered all the federal agencies to work on bringing down Capone and his associates. It was not long before the government had a strong case against the brash Capone, but he was reluctant to realize the trouble he was really in and instead of ducking out of the spotlight, he continued to live in the extravagant and very visible way that he normally did (Kelly). In his day nobody could compete with him. He was the consummate gangster and he lived above the law. No Mafioso’s career lasts forever and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre marked the beginning of the end of the career of Al Capone. The Depression proved to be an obstacle not only for those with legitimate business ventures but also for those whose dealings were not necessarily legitimate. Capone slowly went down the river as the government tore hard into him with a federal tax evasion suit. He ended up being sentenced to eleven years in prison and he rotted away behind bars where one of his vices had gotten to him. He was infected with syphilis, contracted from his mistress (paisley). The disease ravaged his nervous system and eventually led to his death, an interesting way to go out for a man with as many enemies as he had but an end nonetheless. Capone was the most ruthless gangster to ever walk the streets of the Windy City, and he contributed to over 1,000 mob slayings of which only two were ever solved (Paisley). He was the ideal gangster. It was Capone’s unpredictability that kept others from trying to infringe on his territory or test him. No one ever knew what Capone was going to do next or how he will react to a problem, this is what made Capone so dangerous and is what made him the greatest gangster ever. He kept an entire city at bay: citizen, rival, government official alike with his brash, effective form of business. No one to this day has yet to neither match the success of Capone nor display the flair that he exhibited and until that day when a superior example of a gangster exists I would have to say that Al Capone deserves the title of ideal gangster. Capone is the man who all other gangsters strive to emulate, he is what every member of organized crime wants to be, he is the â€Å"Blueprint.† You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on Al Capone topics at our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with custom papers written by highly qualified academic writers. High quality and no plagiarism guarantee! Get professional essay writing help at an affordable cost.

ICT Environmental Risks in Russia Research Paper

ICT Environmental Risks in Russia - Research Paper Example The commanding heights The commanding heights: The Battle for the World Economy is a novel by Stanislaw and Yergin was initially published in 1998. The volume was then changed to a documentary under the same name and then produced via DVD. Commanding Heights tries to trail the development of liberated markets in the previous century, plus the globalization process. The novel attributes the genesis of the expression commanding heights to a language by Vladimir Lenin referring to the control of perceived key segments of a national economy (Yergin & Stanislaw, 2002). The Russian Revolution in the period of 1917 highlighted a substitute exemplar to market entrepreneurship and capitalism, and the Great Depression of the period of 1930’s destabilized faith in trades. The Market was in recoil almost in the entire globe by the untimely 1940’s, and did not just happen in the communist bloc. The Labor Party in United Kingdom nationalized almost all of the economy, a majority of t he third world trailed a socialist trend, and the US followed a strategy of extensive government directive of business. Moreover, government subjugated markets during the 1970’s were languishing and deteriorated. Margaret Thatcher is among the championed personalities of Commanding Heights, who was a primary vehicle in regenerating the economy, which was not only in Britain. Stanislaw and Yergin debate the vitality of philosophies: John Keynes with his domineering theories were overriding from the period of 1930’s, but in the after times of the 20th century, economy activists like Friedrich von Hayek and his teammates at the Chicago University have the best debate.The writers depict absence in certification that the economy’s victory is going to be forever. Ecological... The paper tells that application of Information Communication Technologies has had a significant impact in the various economies within Russian environment. These effects are negative or positive considering their impact on the environment. For instance, the second order effects have a positive impact on the design and process of various products and related products in Russia. However, there are uncertainties that relate to the third order effects on this environment. Such uncertainties are experienced in aggregate demand of products, symphony of economic development and consumer behavior. Uncertainty in development is viewed in terms of determining materialization in various industries within the economy. Many of the gains made may negatively influence the environment, and it requires that there be a balance between gains made and the impact on the environment. Once this is neglected, new forms of consumption may come up and would lead to new environmental problems. These problems may be a burden to the economy, and the people found within such environment. Some of these problems may not be easily controlled, and this may lead to national disasters within the Russian environment. There is a need to monitor and evaluate the gains associated with ICT driven productivity in Russian environment economies. This will facilitate evaluation of environmental performance of economies in terms of their industries. For instance, the OECD would be used to formulate a framework that would be used for monitoring performance of economies.

Security Architecture & Design models Assignment

Security Architecture & Design models - Assignment Example Coming up with the best security architecture requires the management of an organization to  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   perform a risk assessment and management process in order to come up with the best security model to secure the system. The risk assessment will identify the extent of the system if the system is large with interrelated components, the data locations and storage of the system. Determining if the system uses the Internet for functions like data transfer and identifying all the resources and hardware components being   utilized by the system. The risk assessment will identify the potential risks that a system can have or might face in the future.  The management the is aiming to ensure information security should consider the following types of security architecture models. The security models are used to create several access control levels. The security models include access matrix, Bell-Lapadula, Lettice, information flow, Clark-Wilson, the state machine   and Biba. The security models contain the following components. Data classification model that facilitates wider sharing of information through ensuring that information have been given additional controls. The model classifies information into several categories like low, medium, high and unclassified. Data security model assist the users in making sure the information is secured in the appropriate manner. The security model creates several security categories for the processes, hardware devices, hard-drives and the various users of the information.

Analysis of the Fast Food Industry Essay Example for Free

Analysis of the Fast Food Industry Essay Introduction Airline industry is the topic I researched in this analysis. Companies in this industry provide scheduled domestic and international passenger transportation, mail and freight transportation. Major US companies include American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, and United Continental, as well as the air operations of express delivery companies such as FedEx and UPS. The industry key survival factors are efficient operations, reliability of services, and safety. The drivers of change are internet economy, globalization, and low cost competition. Based on the key survival factors and drivers of change, large companies enjoy economies of scale in purchasing and the ability to provide more extensive services. Small airlines can compete by serving local or regional routes. All the information was collected from online journals, news, and research and report papers. The sources include industry reports such as Hoover, Bloomberg, and Forbes. The data was organized by folders and then summarized into Words before putting in the paper. Each source was written in a separate Word file every time it was used. The analysis uses the Porter’s 5 forces and PEST analysis. Key Survival Factors In airline industry, demand depends highly on the health of the economy, which affects spending on business and leisure air travel. Since many costs are fixed, efficient operations act as a core factor to determine the profitability of airlines companies. The basic operations of airlines include acquiring and maintaining airplanes and airport facilities, acquiring passengers and/or freight, managing staff, and operating flights. The flight equipment (airplanes) that an airline uses is crucial to efficient operations. The next key survival factor for airline industry is safety. Air traffic is growing rapidly, airports are more congested, and  Ã¢â‚¬Å"with two million passengers in the United States boarding more than 30,000 flights every day, maintaining that safety record will be a challenge.† Therefore, all airline companies should have a procedures encompassing the theory, investigation, categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulatio n, education, and training. The company could have lost the public image if they don’t have a procedure in advance to response quickly enough in case of emergency. Last but not least, reliability of service is another key survival factor for airline industry. A positive public image could be developed among customers due to a reputation for reliable services, which can lead to more repeat business. Reliability in the airlines industry includes: reports of mishandled baggage, the on-time arrival of flights, involuntary boarding denials from overbooking flights, and passenger complaints. Those airlines that are able to control these elements could provide better service to the customer, and thus offer more reliable service. Drivers of Change The internet and e-commerce has completely altered the airlines distribution (the booking and ticketing of passengers for air travel). Nowadays, travelers can book e-tickets on their flights through the airlines’ websites or a third-party website. This has allowed airlines to eliminate paperwork, reduce operational expenses, and bypass travel agent commissions. Moreover, the potential in the global travel market makes airlines companies focus more on globalization. To facilitate international growth, U.S. airlines are lobbying for â€Å"open skies† treaties between the U.S. and other nations. These treaties are bilateral agreements that essentially deregulate travel between the involved countries, thus opening up certain markets to competition. â€Å"The U.S. currently has signed more than 60 open skies treaties with nations around the globe.† Finally, the rise of the low-cost carriers has forced a change in the competitive environment of the air travel industry. Southwest, and JetBlue implement low-cost strategies that allow them to offer relatively low airfares. These low fares change the entire industry and force rivals to lower their costs and decrease their fares in order to stay competitive. Overall Assessment The airline industry is currently not very attractive. Both business and  tourist travel are reduced when the economy slows. â€Å"Global aviation traffic typically rises and falls at twice the pace of economic output, so a change in the economy can double the impact for airlines.† Because of relatively high fixed costs of airplanes, airport facilities, and labor, airlines cant easily adjust to reduced passenger traffic. Based on the financial results on Hoover’s database, the industry has a very low growth rate of personal consumption expenditures as of 2014, and it was forecasted to grow at an annual compounded rate of 4 percent between 2014 and 2018. Works Cited Mouawad, Jad, and Christopher Drew. Airline Industry at Its Safest Since the Dawn of the Jet Age. The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. . Competitive Environment of the Airline Industry. Competitive Environment of the Airline Industry. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. . Good times for the Airline Industry. The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 27 Dec. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. . Fulton, Jeff. Airline Industry Key Success Factors. EHow. Demand Media, 29 July 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. .

The Use Of The Internet In Mar :: essays research papers

Computing (IT)- essay by matthew foote Will the internet keep the U.K competitive in a world market, in terms of industry? Recently there has been emphasis for electronic business. Judging by IBM's recent advertising campaign you would be forgiven for thinking that launching a company website leads to instant profits. IBM 's portrayal of a grandmother taking her olive oil business from rural Greece into global markets neatly demonstrates the potential of the internet for huge exposure and trade without the barriers of geography and at a lower cost. Unlocking this potential for any business in the U.K and elsewhere is no easy matter. Although several large firms in the U.K are now making real impact through e-commerce, although examples of profit's being made in small and medium (SME) sized business's are few and far between. Even though the effects of the internet on U.K's industry can only be predicted at this early stage, there have been incentives (rewards) offered to several SMEs generating business with their websites by the government. Firms with no more then 250 employees where asked to show how they had used e-commerce to increase efficiency or to boost their sales. The average investment that created a profit among the ten regional winners was around 20000 pounds with the cheapest being 10000 pounds, all the companies testified to the need for expert help. Such expense results from the need to have an aesthetically pleasing website which offers in depth analysis whilst maintaining a user friendly aspect. The site must encourage people to explore and revisit and its presence on the internet needs to be developed, which generally requires the advice of a specialist. At present time in the U.K the internet is used mainly for business to business activity with less emphasis on customer intervention. One of the main reasons for this is the transport costs, a business will normally order batch which would make it worth while were as customers only demand 1 or 2 goods. The idea of supplying customers with intangible goods, such as music, computer games/ programmes, software upgrades etc. is becoming increasingly more popular. A telephone poll carried out across Britain based on 4000 calls found that while 39% of internet users have bought clothes by mail, only 13% would be willing to buy clothes on-line and only 2% have actually done so. 70% had never bought anything on-line - many assumptions can be drawn from these statistics i.

Can governments correct market failures? Essay

Whatever economic system a country adopts, there is always a role for the government due to market failures. Can governments correct market failures? Illustrate your answers with example. Part One Adam Smith who proclaimed the principle of the â€Å"invisible hand† that holds every individual is led, as if by an invisible hand, to achieve selfishly the best good for all. Smith saw harmony between private interest and public interest. In his view, any government interference with free competition is almost certain to be injurious in the economic world. He recognized that the virtues of the market mechanism are fully realized only when the checks and balances of perfect competition are present. Under the perfect competition and with no market failures, markets will squeeze as many useful goods and services out of the available resources as is possible. However, in reality, markets may fail to function well under numerous reasons. According to Wolf1, there are two kinds of failures which are i) insufficient allocation of resources in terms of the quality of products and prices and ii) inequitable distribution of income or wealth. To be more specific, it includes the following: the inability to provide public goods, negative externalities, imperfect information and increasing returns to scale and monopoly. Public Goods â€Å"A public good is a commodity or service whose benefits are not depleted by an additional user, and for which it is generally difficult or impossible to exclude people from its benefits, even if they are unwilling to pay for them. In contrast, a private good is characterized by both excludability and depletability† 2. Some examples of public goods are provision of national defense, the building of highway network or the support of basic science. Adequate private production of these public goods will not occur as the benefits are so widely dispersed across the population that no single firm or consumer has an economic incentive to provide them. Since private provision of public goods is insufficient, government must step in to provide public goods. PA302 (1) CHAN Sau-fung (S05012153) Externality This is another type of inefficiency arises when there are spillovers or externalities. These effects occur when firms or people impose costs or benefits on others outside the marketplace. The phenomenon of externalities is universal. Since our society has become more densely populated and as the volume of production of energy and other material increases, negative spillover effects will be generated. This is where governments come in. Government regulations are designed to control externalities like air and water pollution, hazardous wastes, unsafe drugs and etc. Imperfect Information It is idealist to assume that producers/sellers and consumers/buyers to have all information before they make their decisions. In reality, producers, providers or sellers have more information about their products than their customers. The decision behavior of customers, to a certain extent, is relying on the information they obtain from their friends or mass media. An optimal decision can never be made as it is impossible for the consumers to obtain adequate or perfect information. In this connection, governments in developed countries have to step in to enact legislation to protect consumers. Increasing Returns to scale Increasing returns to scale arise when a balanced increase in all inputs leads to a more-than-proportional increase in the level of output. For example, when doubling inputs leads to greater than double the quantity of output, we have increasing returns to scale. As firms become larger and larger, difficulties of control and management may eventually produce decreasing returns to scale. Monopoly Perfect competition in a market arises when there is a sufficient number of firms or degree of rivalry such that no one firm can affect the price of that good. Imperfect competition, on the other hand, is a serious deviation from perfect competition. An imperfect competitor is one whose actions can affect a good’s price. PA302 (1) CHAN Sau-fung (S05012153) At the extreme of imperfect competition is the monopolist, hence, a single supplier who determines alone the price of a particular good. Monopoly power leads to prices that rise above cost and consumer purchases that are reduced below efficient levels. The pattern of too high price and too low output is the hallmark of the inefficiencies associated with monopoly power. In some cases, the government has to take steps to curb monopoly power. The government regulates the prices and profits of monopolies, as is now the case for local utilities. Part Two Even though the market mechanism is an admirable way of producing and allocating goods, sometimes market failures lead to deficiencies in the economic outcomes. Government steps in to correct these failures in order to make the economy function more efficiency, maintain the equitably and to promote economic growth and stability. Direct Regulations Direct regulation is where most of a good people are allowed to use is directly limited by government. The purpose of the regulations is to stabilize the running of the national economy. For instance, governments attempt to correct monopoly and pollution (externalities) to encourage efficiency by introducing legal antitrust constraints on business behavior or antipollution laws. Incentive Policies Incentive programs are more efficient than direct regulatory policies. The two types of incentive policies are either taxes or market incentives. A tax incentive program uses a tax to redistribute income so as to lessen the situation of unacceptable inequalities of income and wealth. In fact, the tax often yields the desired end more efficiently than straight regulation as this solution embodies a measure of fairness about it, i.e. the person who conserves the most pays the least tax. An alternative to direct regulation is some type of market incentive PA302 (1) CHAN Sau-fung (S05012153) program that is a plan requiring market participants to certify total consumption. For example, when there is high inflation and unemployment rate, the government introduces monetary policies, hence, the changes in money supply and interest rates with a view to stabilizing through macroeconomic policies. Or, during slow economic growth, the government will reduce budget deficit and raise national savings rate in order to stimulate growth. Provision of public goods In case there is inefficiency in public goods, government must step in to provide public goods by spending expenditures. Apparently, the government plays an important role in promoting efficiency, achieving a fairer distribution of income, and pursuing the macroeconomic objectives of economic growth and stability. However, in reality, government intervention does not allow fine-tuning, and when the problems change, the government solution often responds far more slowly. Government intervention leads to more government intervention. In short, Government can in some instances improve and extend the functioning of the market. However, the result of government intervention sometimes is worse that if it did not intervene at all. This is what we call non-market failures, i.e. â€Å"government failure†. Due to the difference in demand and supply in government, its bureaucratic structure, the step in of the government may create more harmful effects than market failures. Inefficiency The revenue that supports government’s activities is mainly generated from taxes. Unlike other business sectors, the output of the government is difficult to measure. As it is not required to maintain competitiveness in order to survive, a government is unlikely to try its best to explore possible ways to improve its efficiency. The sometimes inherently inconsistent objectives or unrealistic goals may also lead further inefficiency. As there is no competition, cost overruns are also common in some government sectors. The government contractor may often revise their prices upwards in the mid-course as they viewed that raising prices is justified. The disjunction between costs and revenues leads the government fails to address the issue in an efficient manner. PA302 (1) CHAN Sau-fung (S05012153) Cost ineffectiveness The government sectors have its own internal standards. According to Wolf3, it calls â€Å"internalities†. They may include the agency’s goal which are used to guide and evaluate that agency’s performance and the performance of its personnel. Government agencies usually stick to standard operating procedures and are reluctant to make changes. They tend to protect and increase benefits to the interest groups they are supposed to regulate. Moreover, there are numerous reasons for government agencies to maximize their budgets. They will try their best to spend it all at the end of the year. If not, it will be allocated a smaller amount in the next year. In this connection, government agencies would prefer to invest their money in more advanced technological systems and cares very little about a newer technology really works or is cost effective or not. For example, they would prefer to invest money in national defence, the most advanced weapon systems rather than other more useful purposes that will bring substantial benefits to public. Moreover, most of the government sectors such as the foreign affairs and intelligence agencies wish to collect and control timely information. However, acquisition and protection of information requires great cost and there may be a point at which there is a diminishing return. Therefore, internalities tend to inflate costs and raise supply functions. Derived externalities When government intervenes due to market failure, it may create unintended or unanticipated side effects which may not be known immediately. This is called a â€Å"derived externalities†. For example, in Oct 1997, HK’s stock market came under attack from currency speculators. The HKSAR Monetary Authority refused to take proactive action during the early stages, but decisively intervened in the stock market in Aug 1988. The intervention not only damage HK’s image as a free market economy but also starts a series of economic crises such as deflation, high employment rate and the greater public demand for more government assistance to disadvantaged groups. Distributional inequity PA302 (1) CHAN Sau-fung (S05012153) Market activities may produce distributional inequity, however, government intervention that intends to remedy a market inequity may itself generates another kind of distributional inequity in form of power and privilege. As an extreme example illustrated by Wolf, in communist society, the government correct inequity create a system in which both power and privilege and quality of life are much worse than before. Conclusion In fact, both market and government may fail. Perfect market or government is never existed. I opine that government’s intervention, to a certain extent, is essential in maintaining the market’s order. However, over-intervention may cause more harmful effects. Therefore, what is more important is who is running the government. An effective government is performing the role of check and balance. It sets up regulations and guidelines so that the private business sectors can follow and enable then to take on global competition. And, at the same time, it helps to protect our labour and avoid exploitation. On the other hand, there are areas in which the market can help government, such as in the areas of education and the privatization of government agencies. Therefore, whether the harmony between the government and market can be maintained depends solely on the one who runs the government. Reference: 1. Market failures: http://elmo.shore.ctc.edu/economics/market.htm 2. Government Policy & market failure: 2.2. http://wwwz.gsu.edu/~ecorlcx/colander-Ch15-market failure.ppt #16 3. The role of the government: http//www.clas.ufl.edu/user/rjohnson/graduate_policy_Analysus/Market failure.html. 4.Business and Government in the Global Marketplace. (7th edition), Murray l. Weidenbaum 5.Economics (14th edition), Paul A. Samuelson & William D, Nordhaus PA 302: Assignment One From: Chan Sau-fung (S05012153) 1 Wolf, C Jr (1993) Markets or Governments: Choosing between Imperfect Alternatives, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, (p.17) 2 Baumol, W J (1988) Economics: Principles and Policy, Ch.29, ‘The market mechanism: Shortcomings and remedies’ (p631-51) 3 Wolf, C Jr (1993) Markets or Governments: Choosing between Imperfect Alternatives, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, Ch 4

“Bisy Backson” representing Western Society Essay

In the novel, The Tao of Pooh we are introduced to â€Å"Bisy Backson† who represents the most misguided of Western Society, as well, we are shown that Western societal thinkers/philosophers/writers represent, in their own way, the Tao. â€Å"Bisy Backson† confuses exercise with work and activity with creativity. â€Å"The Bisy Backson is almost desperately active,† (p. 93) says Benjamin Hoff. He adds, â€Å"Let’s put it this way: if you want to be healthy, relaxed, and contented, just watch what a Bisy Backson does and then do the opposite.† Often, in Western Society, we focus on the final product before we have begun the journey. When Pooh considers what he likes best in the world, he decides the â€Å"†¦moment just before you begin to eat [honey]† was what he enjoys most. In effect, it is the journey, or the process, that we most enjoy. This, of course, goes against the typical person’s attitude toward a task, in Western Society. The goal is to get the task done (much like this journal assignment). The process is often seen as punitive. Pooh would say to enjoy the process – to see it as an opportunity to create, to develop, and, above all, to understand the central role of change and growth in life. Western societal thinkers/philosophers/writers represent, in their own way, the Tao, because†¦ actually, I do not think they represent Taoism, at all. Taoism, I think, is basically just to enjoy life in its simplest form, and not to worry too much – take life as a gift and just enjoy it. Again, I think. After reading this book, (I still have two or three more chapters to go†¦), I still cannot manage to understand a simple meaning of Taoism. I have looked on the internet, and it is nothing like P’u, because everything I have come across is all so complex. Anyway, if Taoism is that, Western societal thinkers/philosophers/writers do not represent it, at all! They question everything, want to know answers, and usually they question their own existence. Would someone who is†¦ someone like, Pooh, question their existence? I don’t think so. In addition, Western societal thinkers/philosophers/writers do not learn how they should question, they do not learn these theories, they do not learn about Taoism, they just merrily think and their answers of their questions may just so happen to fall under Taoism. They do not study Taoism to think like a Taoist. They do not read The Tao of Pooh, to learn about how they should think†¦ though many  philosophy courses, such as Theory of Knowledge, may be text based, which I find, is ironic. For direct reference to the text, â€Å"What does Christopher Robin do in the mornings? He learns. He becomes educated. He integrates†¦knowledge† Of course, all this said with some words capitalized for no reason, and other random words to get to the point. Philosophers do not learn, they teach themselves.

The importance of scene 35 (the cliff scene) in Willy Russells Our Day Out Essays

The importance of scene 35 (the cliff scene) in Willy Russells Our Day Out Essays The importance of scene 35 (the cliff scene) in Willy Russells Our Day Out Paper The importance of scene 35 (the cliff scene) in Willy Russells Our Day Out Paper Essay Topic: Literature A class from a school in Liverpool set off for a school trip to a castle in Wales. Four teachers and a class seems normal and this play is basically about an every day school trip kids getting told off on the bus all seems normal. But when they arrive in Wales (after stopping off at a service station) it all turns wired, the kids. revolt and the teachers take sides with them. The only sane one left is Mr. Briggs who decided to go. The class and the teachers go to the castle as planned, but Mrs. Kay decides to alter the plan, and instead of going back to school, she pitys them and lets them have a day out. Mr. Briggs is furious as he learns that that the children and the teachers join forces to have Our Day Out. Summary of the main characters Mr. Briggs Mr. Briggs is negative about his colleagues the students dont like him and he is very abrupt. Mr. Briggs thinks that you have to risk not being like by the children to teach them anything. Mr. Briggs jumps to conclusions a lot and confronts Mrs. Kay about the way she does things and he thinks all things like trips must be planned and executed. Mrs. Kay Mrs. Kay is quite the opposite of Mr. Briggs, she is laid back and lets the children do what they want. Mrs. Kay is caring and trusts her students. Mrs. Kay worries about her pupils and pitys the students when she feels sorry for them. Carol Chandler Carol is a student from the progress class and she is very forgetful and isnt that clever. She doesnt know if Wales is in England. Will we have to get a boat? She is not afraid to express her opinions and she wants to better herself and live in a nice place. Carol is from a lower working class background and has never seen the sea before therefore when she goes to Wales she doesnt want to go back. Analysis of the Stage Directions conveyed through the 3 characters Mr. Briggs is one of the key characters in the play. Conveyed through the stage directions we get the impression that Mr. Briggs is a much more organised man. We see this in the stage direction of the kids are tumbling off the coach, Mrs. Kay pulls out a flask, and Briggs is frantic. The use of the word tumbling shows that there is no order in how the children exit the vehicle and no organisation or administration in the day trip. Briggs obviously cannot stand to see this as he as frantic. Mrs. Kay pulling out her flask does not help the situation; this point shows that she is calm, tranquil and relaxed in what the children do. You can clearly see Briggs admires his orderliness and being in control. This is stated in the stage direction Briggs with ordered children. This shows that he is in control, in charge and the children respect him. As well as being a control freak, Mr. Briggs is extremely boring when this side is show. The use of the stage direction at the back, the kids are stifled with boredom by Briggs presence. The fact that by Briggs being there and that the children are stifled with boredom shows that he is a monotonous, mind-numbing person to be around. Even though Briggs has a dreary, unenthusiastic side to him as shown in the points above, we also see a change throughout the trip. We see him change to a man who cares about and for the childrens welfare and education. This is portrayed in the stage direction he wraps his arm around her. This is where we see the caring side of Briggs, he is affectionate towards Carol when he realises she could be in danger and could be hurt. Another quote that shows his new emotion is Briggs slowly holds out his hand the use of the word slowly shoes his affectionate side. He obviously means no harm to Carol. Mrs. Kay is a very important character in the play as well as Mr. Briggs. In the play Willy Russell portrays her as being a relaxed, pleasant and careless person, which isnt a good approach for a teacher. These points are shown in the stage direction Mrs. Kay sits on a bench. This action suggests that she has immense trust in the children, or is just not concerned. By Mrs. Kay sitting on the bench shows her lack of concern for the children. This also links in with the stage direction pouring out another cup of coffee. The use of the word another shows that she has done this numerous times on several occasions when the children need supervision the most, especially in the shop scene and the zoo scene where the children get up to no good and steal sweets and chocolate from the shop and attempt to kidnap small zoo animals such as rabbits and even a baby goat. Mrs. Kay also has the motherly touch. This is shown in the stage directions they look more like mother and daughter this implies the fact that Mrs. Kay is more of a friend to the students than a common, strict teacher. This is also shown in the complimentary stage direction, she quickly lifts him so she is carrying him cradle fashion out of the water, this implies that she is an entertaining and compelling person to be around. The use of the phrase carrying him cradle fashion shows that she is not only an exciting person but secures the situation at the same time. This point also is associated with the previous point of being tranquil and unperturbed. As well as being a motherly figure, all the children like her and prefer her to all the other teachers. This is shown in the stage direction she moves a short distance and all the kids follow her. The use if the expression short distance implies the fact that no matter how far she goes, the children definitely want to be around her that the other teachers. Our first impressions of Carol are shown at the beginning of the play. The first paragraph tells us that she is a child from a misfortunate background. This is shown when the stage direction reads wearing a school uniform which doubles as a street out fit and her Sunday best implying that she cannot other clothes apart from her necessary school uniform. Carol also cannot afford essential items such as a school bag; in the play it quotes that she is clutching a supermarket carrier bag. She is eating a half eating sandwich on her way to school, which indicates that she has not had breakfast but yesterdays left over. Carol represents deprivation and the idea that she is poor because of the points made above. All this compares to the end of the play because at the end, Carol is still the same person that she was before the trip. The only difference is that she knows about a different place and life rather that Liverpool and has a goldfish grasped in her hand that she won at the carnival. Dramatic Tension Dramatic tension shows the mood of the scenes. Also, creates a cliff-hanger. In the cliff scene there is a lot of tension. This is reflected in the line: Briggs begins to tell her off and she moves to the edge of the cliff threatening to jump. This is tense because you wonder if she is going to jump or not. It leaves the audience on a cliff-hanger, on the edge of their seats. Another line to show the tension is: Carol slips on the edge of the cliff. This is tense because it makes the audience jump from their seats. The audience also wonder if she is going to survive or not. I think that dramatic tension is important in a play like this because without it the play would be rubbish, for example Carol says in scene 35, Dont you come near me! If Carol had just said, Dont come near me please it would have no enthusiasm to it and therefore there would be no tension to it but because she shouted at Mr. Briggs it brought tension to that specific part in the scene of the play. The audience was left thinking what will be Mr. Briggs reaction and how will Carol react back to it. When she shouts at Mr. Briggs she is out of character its not like Carol acts in the rest of the play this also creates tension. The cliff-top scene is one of the most dramatic parts of the play. It is also the scene where both Briggs and Carol have a change in their personality. Carol becomes rude and rebellious (like Linda) and starts calling him Briggsy. She begins to use unfamiliar words and phrases friggin and also has a change in attitude, from being well-mannered to being cheeky in a cocky sort of way. She also begins to ignore him at times, which she wouldnt have done previously. Briggs however, becomes somewhat more considerate and develops empathy for Carol and her classmates. To begin with, he expects to be obeyed, but later realises that he is not getting the desired response from the children. After Carol tells him how selfish he is, he takes it into consideration and tries a different approach by smiling at the children. The constant camera changes from Briggs to Carol and vice versa, create tension, as does the scene where Carol steps towards the edge of the cliff. The use of tension in this scene, creates questions in the readers mind will she jump? will Briggs fall? Analysis I think the tension level is quite high in the beginning of scene 35 due to the teachers worrying about Carols whereabouts as she has wondered off on her own. The stage directions state that Mrs. Kay is shouting, Carol, Carol it also states that, Colin is searching the far end of the beach. As the audience we feel all the teachers anxiety and concern to find Carol therefore this heightens the tension that extra bit more. I also think that the setting in this scene is important when creating dramatic tension. It describes in the first line, Below the cliff-top the sea is breaking on rocks in a cave mouth. It also states that, Carol is standing on top of the cliff watching the wave below. This states that Carol is dangerously stood close to the edge on the cliff because she can see the waves below her. The audience wonder why she has put herself in this position. What has possessed her to do it? At the beach, another one of Mrs Kays bonus stops, Carol Chandler flees to the cliff without anyone knowing. This is the most important scene in the play this is because all the disagreement has built up so high and comes to a head, that Mr Briggs has a turning point and becomes someone different. Someone who he thought he would never be. Carol wanders off to the cliff, as she does not want to go back to her deprived home life. Mr Briggs finds her he is the wrong person to have found her. As he sees her he approaches her whilst shouting at her, he asks her who gave her permission to go to the cliff. This is the wrong approach and Mrs Kay would have handled the situation much more calmly, being able to relate to Carol. The tension is building up and up. Carol threatens to jump if Briggs comes near her and she really means it. You can tell how hazardous the situation is that she is in, she really would jump if it saved her from going back to her home life. The friction is really building up between Briggs and Carol. The pressure is on Mr Briggs to talk her out of not jumping. He is very confrontational and does not really understand the problem and what is going on. Carol tells Mr Briggs Dont you come near me! which is extremely out of character for Carol. Throughout this scene Russell pauses several times causing tension to build up and up. Briggs thinks that he cant take anymore stress and that the incident with Carol has just pushed him to his limits. He has had to put up with an awful lot during the day. First it was the theft of sweets at the roadside cafi etc. Then he had trust in the children at the zoo, but they betray him by taking many of the zoo animals aboard the coach. Giving a bad name to the school and the school been banned to go there on future trips to that zoo. Ive had just about enough, and Im not putting up with a pile of silliness from the likes of you, this also shows that he does not regard her as an important person. Her disobedience is really getting to him and he is starting to take it personally just what are you trying to do to me. You can tell that she is really despondent at home at home and that it really means a lot to her if she stays I wana stay her. Where its nice. Even though she is in the progress class, she is acting quite intelligent. She can see through Mr Briggs Thats why briggsy! So stop going on you hate me. Carol is clever enough to know that she will never have the chance for her aspiration to come true Dont be friggin stupid. Then Mr Briggs starts to talk to Carol as his new self and it makes her realise that it wouldnt be any good staying. She also knows it would be hopeless plan, down to her specific disabilities getting in the way. If I stayed though, it wouldnt be no good. Even though she has realised she cant stay she still feels really desperate Im not goin back though. Then Briggs says something that is really out of character for him to say to a student please. Then all of sudden he started to sound like Mrs Kay and that is the beginning of the turning point for Mr Briggs when he turns into a new him. Youre as though you given up on life already. You sound as for you life is just ending. Carol then moves very close to the edge. Mr Briggs very aware of the danger holds out his hand to her, which is showing that he is not threatening her but showing a peace gesture. This makes her feel reassured and she starts to see the funny side of what is going on. Carol looks at him and a smile breaks across her face Sir, you should smile more often y look great when y smile. She still wonders what will happen to her when she gets back to school for causing trouble, but what about when we get back tschool? . She has almost given in but is still holding strongly onto her worries and wonders. Just as she gives in she slips. Briggs outstretched arm grabs out quickly and manages to pull her to him. He holds on to her with all his strength. Fortunately he manages to pull her up and she is secure. When Mr Briggs seems to turn into someone new, the children love it, but unfortunately for them its not a permanent fixture. When the coach comes back to Liverpool, it hits Mr Briggs. Briggs with Andrews asleep next to him sees the familiar surroundings and the kids hanging about the streets. He sits up puts his tie back to normal goes to straighten his hair and feels the cowboy hat. Its home to Mr Briggs when the coach arrives into Liverpool and makes him realise the responsibility and concern of his reputation. In the film the camera shot of the school behind Mr Briggs emphasises his feelings of responsibility, his concern and reputation. Also when the camera snaps Mr Briggs singing on the back of the coach with all the children. There is a sudden fade out and echo of the music and noise, which could symbolise that Briggs changed attitude, is just a snap shot and will fade just as the film exposed to the light. The film contained many pictures of Mr Briggs enjoying himself. Thats why he exposes it to the light, as he wants it all forgotten with no memories left remaining. It seems as if he is disappointed with himself, as he has relax with the children. The Play Our Day Out is not really relevant today. Special need classes are not all about fun for the pupils. The pupils are educated just the same as other pupils their age just with more help. The teachers are not like Mrs Kay and believe there is no point teaching them. As teachers today usually believe in trying to educate everyone. Although, there is still run down areas in some places so the story could be half-relevant to today. My view on the play is that it is very good and extremely well written, it makes you feel as if you are theyre watching every scene happen. This is a good thing and means that Russell has done very well at describing the scenes. The play keeps you gripped and hooked right until the end. It makes you feel as though you cant put it down and every scene is left at a cliff hanger, making you want to read on and find out what bizarre thing happens next.

How to Say Good Morning and Good Evening in Chinese

How to Say Good Morning and Good Evening in Chinese After learning to say hello in Mandarin Chinese, the next step is learning to say good evening and good morning. Before diving in, its important to keep a couple of Chinese phrasings in mind: the character æâ€" © (zÇŽo) means early in  Chinese. It is often used in morning greetings. Both  Ã¦â€" ©Ã¥ ®â€° (zÇŽo Ä n) and  Ã¦â€" ©Ã¤ ¸Å Ã¥ ¥ ½ (zÇŽo shang hÇŽo) mean good morning. Sometimes, just a quick  Ã¦â€" © is a colloquial way of saying good morning. Good Morning in Mandarin Chinese There are actually three ways to say good morning in  Mandarin Chinese. Audio links are indicated with the mark, ââ€" º .   ââ€" ºÃ¢â‚¬â€¹zÇŽo æâ€" ©Ã¢â€" ºÃ¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¢â‚¬â€¹zÇŽo Ä n  Ã¦â€" ©Ã¥ ®â€°zÇŽo shng hÇŽo æâ€" ©Ã¤ ¸Å Ã¥ ¥ ½ The Importance of æâ€" © (ZÇŽo) As noted, æâ€" © (zÇŽo) means â€Å"morning.† It is a noun and can also be used by itself as a greeting meaning good morning. The Chinese character æâ€" © (zÇŽo) is a composite of two character components: æâ€" ¥ (rà ¬) which  means sun and Ã¥  , an old form of ç” ² (jiÇŽ), which means â€Å"first† or â€Å"armor.† A literal interpretation of the character æâ€" © (zÇŽo), therefore, is â€Å"first sun.† The Difference Between æâ€" ©Ã¥ ®â€° and æâ€" ©Ã¤ ¸Å Ã¥ ¥ ½ The first character æâ€" © in this section head is explained above. The second character Ã¥ ®â€° (Ä n) means peace. So, the literal translation of æâ€" ©Ã¥ ®â€° (zÇŽo Ä n) is morning peace. A more formal way to say good morning is æâ€" ©Ã¤ ¸Å Ã¥ ¥ ½ (zÇŽo shng hÇŽo). HÇŽo–å ¥ ½ means good. On its own, ä ¸Å  (shng) means up or upon. But in this case, æâ€" ©Ã¤ ¸Å  (zÇŽo shng) is a compound meaning early morning. So the literal translation of æâ€" ©Ã¤ ¸Å Ã¥ ¥ ½ (zÇŽo shng hÇŽo) is early morning good. Good Evening in Mandarin Chinese The phrase 晚ä ¸Å Ã¥ ¥ ½ (wÇŽn shng hÇŽo) means good evening in Chinese. The word 晚  is composed of two parts: æâ€" ¥ and å…  (miÇŽn). As noted previously,  Ã¦â€" ¥ means sun, while  Ã¥â€¦  means free or absolve. Combined, the character represents the concept of being free of the sun.   Using the same pattern as æâ€" ©Ã¤ ¸Å Ã¥ ¥ ½ (zÇŽo shng hÇŽo), you can say good evening with 晚ä ¸Å Ã¥ ¥ ½ (wÇŽn shng hÇŽo). The literal translation of 晚ä ¸Å Ã¥ ¥ ½ (wÇŽn shng hÇŽo) is evening good. Unlike æâ€" ©Ã¥ ®â€° (zÇŽo Ä n), 晚å ®â€°Ã‚  (wÇŽn Ä n) is not usually used as a greeting but rather as a farewell. The phrase means good night in the sense of sending people away (in a nice way) or saying the phrase to people before they go to bed.   Appropriate Times These greetings should be said at the appropriate time of the day. Morning greetings should be said up to about 10 a.m. Evening greetings are usually said between about 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The standard greeting  Ã¤ ½  Ã¥ ¥ ½ (nÇ  hÇŽo) can be used at any time of the day or night. Tones The Pinyin Romanization above uses tone marks. Pinyin is a Romanization system used to learn Mandarin. It transcribes the sounds of Mandarin using the Western (Roman)  alphabet. Pinyin is most commonly used in Mainland China for teaching school children to read, and it is also widely used in teaching materials designed for Westerners who wish to learn Mandarin. Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language, which means that the meanings of words depend on which tone they use. There are four tones in Mandarin: First: a level and higher pitchSecond: rising, which starts from a lower pitch and ends  at a slightly higher pitchThird:  a falling-rising sound that starts with at a neutral tone then dips to a lower pitch before ending at a higher pitchFourth:  a falling tone, which starts the syllable at a slightly higher-than-neutral pitch before going quickly and strongly to a downward tone In Mandarin Chinese, many characters have the same sound, so tones are necessary when speaking to differentiate words from each other.

Is Venezuela a Rentier State Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Is Venezuela a Rentier State - Essay Example The question of whether Venezuela derives significant portions of its economy from oil is without a doubt true; Corrales (2006) even characterized President Hugo Chavez as one of the world’s most powerful CEOs, in regards to his sale of oil to the United States. The Venezuelan government can also be seen to embody Rentier characteristics: Chavez has been successful in centralizing power through an elimination of intermediary government structures; he has allowed rampant crime to persist; and has allowed highly questionable election processes. While these actions can be seen to be highly indicative of a populace that ceases to intervene because of an abundance of oil money and reduced taxes, the reality of the situation is more complex. Indeed, it’s been argued that rather than Venezuela’s political structure being allowed by the citizens out of apathy in the face of reduced taxes, it has occurred because of a systematic effort on the part of Chavez to scare the c itizens into submissions and acceptance of more lax governmental standards. Corrales (pg. 9, 2006) compares this mentality to the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes, â€Å"The more insecurity that citizens face—the closer they come to living in the brutish state of nature—the more they will welcome state power.† In this regard, it’s not the oil money that has influenced the populace, but the calculated manipulations on the part of Chavez and his regime that have trained the population into acceptance. When investigating the plausibility of democracy surviving in situations outside the United States, one must agree on what democracy means. If it is the communal rule of society through group consensus, as embodied in elected officials, protests, and free speech than Democratic rule is not only an element of Americanness, but a lynchpin of much of the European Union, as well as Australia, Israel, and Canada.

Research Paper for Financial market Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

For Financial market - Research Paper Example The opinions of these individuals range from over-leveraging of the financial products and excessive risk-taking by banks to unjustifiable executives bonuses and salaries and the lack of sufficient regulation of the money and capital markets. It is important to provide an overview of the causes of the economic hardships that prevailed following the Great Recession which began in 2007. This paper is focused on analyzing the causes of the 2008 financial crises with a view of avoiding decisions that associated with negative economic impacts, such as the collapse of the largest financial institution prior to 2008 (Lehman Brothers); the collapse of the Lehman Brothers on September 2008 resulted in the loss of significant investments, jobs and substantial effects on the general performance of the economy (Quirk 31). The subprime mortgages are classified as risky mortgages due to the high probability of defaulting on the loan payment by mortgage borrowers; on the other hand, the prime mortgage is considered less risky mortgage since the borrowers are unlikely to default on the loan payment. The subprime mortgages are considered by a majority of lenders as profitable given the fact that they are associated with high levels of high-interest rates; however, the borrower is likely to fail to meet the periodical payments and the total sum of the loan. The period prior to the financial crisis of 2008, there was an increased competition among the mortgage lenders that saw a number of these players relaxed the underwriting standards to experience increased profits and significant market share (Weber 159). In this respect, there was a tendency by a majority of the mortgage lenders to lend subprime mortgages (risky mortgages) among borrowers with low level of creditworthiness. The lending of the risky mor tgages was notable among mortgage lenders between 2004 and 2007; this