Karl Marx Essays (1954 words) - Karl Marx, Anti-capitalism, Marxism

Karl Marx Karl Marx Karl Marx was the greatest thinker and philosopher of his time. His views on life and the social structure of his time revolutionized the way in which people think. He created an opportunity for the lower class to rise Above the aristocrats and failed due to the creation of the middle class. Despite this failure, he was still a great political leader and set the Basis of Communism in Russia. His life contributed to the way people think Today, and because of him people are more open to suggestion and are Quicker to create ideas on political issues. Karl Heinrich Marx was born May 5th, 1818 in Trier. Although he had three other siblings, all sisters, he was the favorite child to his father, Heinrich. His mother, a Dutch Jewess named Henrietta Pressburg, had no interest in Karl's intellectual side during his life. His father was a Jewish lawyer, and before his death in 1838, converted his family to Christianity to preserve his job with the Prussian state. When Heinrich's mother died, he no longer felt he had an obligation to his religion, thus helping him in the decision in turning to Christianity. Karl's childhood was a happy and carefree one. His parents had a good relationship and it help set Karl in the right direction." His 'Splendid natural gifts' awakened in his father the hope that they would One day be used in the service of humanity, whilst his mother declared him to be a child of fortune in whose hands everything would go well. (The story of his life, Mehring, page 2) In High school, Karl stood out among the crowd. When asked to write a report on "How to choose a profession" he took a different approach. He took the angle in which most interested him, by saying that there was no way to choose a profession, but because of circumstances one is placed in an occupation. A person with an aristocratic background is more likely to have a higher role in society as opposed to someone from a much poorer background. While at Bonn at the age of eighteen he got engaged to Jenny Von Westphalen, daughter of the upperclassmen Ludwig Von Westphalen. She was the childhood friend of Marx's oldest sister, Sophie. The engagement was a secret one, meaning they got engaged without asking permission of Jenny's parents. Heinrich Marx was uneasy about this but before long the consent was given. Karl's school life other than his marks is unknown. He never spoke of his friends as a youth, and no one has ever came to speak of him through his life. He left high school in August of 1835 to go on to the University of Bonn in the fall of the same year to study law. His father wanted him to be a lawyer much like himself but when Karl's reckless university life was getting in the way after a year Heinrich transferred him to Berlin. Also, he did not go to most lectures, and showed little interest in what was to be learned. Karl's reckless ways were not tolerated at Berlin, a more conservative college without the mischievous ways of the other universities. While at Berlin, Marx became part of the group known as the Yong Hegelians. The group was organized in part due to the philosophy teacher Hegel that taught from 1818 to his death. The teachings of Hegel shaped the way the school thought towards most things. Those who studied Hegel and his ideals were known as the Young Hegelians. Hegel spoke of the development and evolution of the mind and of ideas. Although Karl was younger than most in the group, he was recognized for his intellectual ability and became the focus of the group. While at Berlin "He came to believe that all the various sciences and philosophies were part of one overarching, which, when completed, which would give a true and total picture of the universe and man." (Communist Manifesto, Marx (Francis B. Randal), page 15) Marx was an atheist, and believed that science and philosophy would prove everything. Thus he had no belief in a god of any type. Marx believed that Hegel must have been an atheist as well because of his strong belief in the mind. Marx's doctoral thesis was competed in 1841. It carried the title "The Difference Between the Philosophies of Nature of Democrtius and Epicurus."(The Making of Marx's Critical Theory, Oakley, page 11) It had to do with the Greek philosopher Epicurus and how his beliefs related to Marx's of that day.

Microeconomics - Help and Resources for Students

Microeconomics - Help and Resources for Students This page contains links to economics articles on this site. Most of the major topics in microeconomics have at least one article associated with them, but this is a work in progress and more will be added every month.   Collective Action - Microeconomics The Logic of Collective Action Costs - Microeconomics How to Understand and Calculate Cost Measures (Note: Includes Marginal Cost, Total Cost, Fixed Cost, Total Variable Cost, Average Total Cost, Average Fixed Cost, and Average Variable Cost.) Demand - Microeconomics What Is The Demand For Money?Price Elasticity of DemandIncome Elasticity of DemandCross-Price Elasticity of DemandCost-Push Inflation vs. Demand-Pull Inflation Economic Scale - Microeconomics Increasing, Decreasing, and Constant Returns to Scale Elasticity - Microeconomics Beginners Guide to ElasticityPrice Elasticity of DemandIncome Elasticity of DemandCross-Price Elasticity of DemandPrice Elasticity of SupplyArc Elasticity Income - Microeconomics The Effect of Income Taxes on Economic GrowthIncome Elasticity of DemandFairTax - Income Taxes vs. Sales Taxes Inflation and Deflation - Microeconomics Cost-Push Inflation vs. Demand-Pull InflationWhy Dont Prices Decline During A Recession?What is Deflation and How Can It Be Prevented? Markets - Microeconomics How Markets Use Information To Set Prices Money - Microeconomics What Was The Gold Standard?What Is The Demand For Money?How Much Is The Per-Capita Money Supply?Why Does Money Have Value?Are Credit Cards a Form of Money?When Stock Prices Go Down, Where Does the Money Go?Expansionary Monetary Policy vs. Contractionary Monetary PolicyWhy Not Just Print More Money? Prices - Microeconomics Price Elasticity of DemandCross-Price Elasticity of DemandPrice Elasticity of SupplyWhy Dont Prices Decline During A Recession?What is Arbitrage?When Stock Prices Go Down, Where Does the Money Go?How Markets Use Information To Set Prices Quotas and Tariffs - Microeconomics Why Are Tariffs Preferable to Quotas?The Economic Effect of Tariffs Short Run vs. Long Run - Microeconomics The Difference Between Short and Long Run Supply - Microeconomics How Much is the Per Capita Money Supply in the U.S.?The Oil SupplyPrice Elasticity of Supply Taxes and Subsidies - Microeconomics The Effect of Income Taxes on Economic GrowthWhy Are Tariffs Preferable to Quotas? Voting Systems - Microeconomics Proportional Representation vs. First-Past-The-Post

Top 10 Student Films Sitcoms For Your Perfect Campus Movie Night Party

Top 10 Student Films Sitcoms For Your Perfect Campus Movie Night Party One of the easiest and cheapest ways to enjoy a fantastic social life, making new friends, and enjoying your time together is simply to have a night in, and be creative with it as you can. College life is renowned for being a blast, and that isn’t just about heading to the nearest bar, it’s about enjoying every single day of your time there, from nights in, nights out, and everything in-between. Imagine the scene – snacks, comfortable clothes, a few drinks, throw some cushions on the floor, make yourself truly comfortable, and kick back and relax with a few film favourites. If you’re struggling for inspiration on what to watch however, check out these ideas. Good Will Hunting You don’t have to be a slightly rebellious math genius to enjoy this film, and it’s the ideal choice for those who may be feeling a little homesick, or want to enjoy a rather tear-jerker film with friends. We know that Matt Damon is the janitor from the wrong side of the tracks, and he forms an unlikely friendship with crazy lecturer, Robin Williams. This film is epic. The Roommate Hopefully you won’t be watching this film with any new roommates, because you might start looking at them in a different light, but the film itself is ideal for a movie night. Basically, the plot is about a girl who is assigned a new roommate, and at first they get on like a house on fire, but then said roommate turns out to be a little, well, psychotic. The Big Bang Theory You might wish you were living in California and studying, just like these lot, but this sitcom is one to make you laugh. You have nine series to work your way through, so you have enough for a few movie nights in to keep you going, and whether you’re the beauty, or the geek, you can’t help but laugh. Laughs are what hold people together, and forming new friendships is best done through laughter! Eat, Pray, Love At first you might think this is a film which is a tad too deep and meaningful for a night in, however after the first half an hour, I dare you not to be inspired. Julia Roberts explores her wants and needs, across various locations in the world, before falling well and truly in love, not only with the man in her life, but with herself too. The Scream series Who doesn’t love a rather ridiculous movie that is supposed to be scary? Of course, this movie is scary in parts, but you simply have to laugh in equal parts. Turn down the lights, open a bottle of wine or two, laugh and hide under the duvet. Legally Blonde When you’re studying something new, you have to believe in yourself, and this film has that message in abundance. Reese Witherspoon proves you can be blonde, into fashion, not really that knowledgeable about a subject, but still win through with hard work, perseverance, and a good heart. The ideal girly film for a night in. The Graduate Male or female, you will love this film, ideal for that movie night with your new student buddies. This is a classic, with Dustin Hoffman taking centre stage as Benjamin, the new graduate who despite his parents’ hopes for his future, ends up forming a rather complicated attachment to his father’s business partner. Essay Writing Place can take care about your essay writing while you watch great movies. Mona Lisa Smile Julia Roberts is at it again in this girl power period drama. We head back to the 1950s, where the lady herself is an art history teacher, however she soon realises that her students are more interested in bagging themselves a man, rather than learning about their studies. This is another about female empowerment, but one which is perfect for a night in with a few snacks. If you’re new to university, this is a great way to bond with your new friends too. Dirty Dancing Are you having the time of your life? Bonding with friends is fantastic over this classic, feel-good film, and ideal for those hoping to meet their own Jonny Castle at university. You could of course try and recreate that iconic final dance, and the winner gets a prize! The Inbetweeners We’re not all lucky enough to be the popular ones at school or college, and if you’re in the opposite category, as many of us are, you can certainly empathise, and probably laugh at, the antics of Will, Simon, Neil, and Jay. If you run out of series, start on the two films. So, a night in will save you cash, and also has the added perk of offering a range of activities to enjoy as part of your movie night, such as food, drink, competitions, laugher, photographs, and recreations. Happy watching!

What to Do If Youre Placed on Academic Probation

What to Do If Youre Placed on Academic Probation Being placed on academic probation while in college is serious business. You may have known it was coming, you may have had no idea it was coming- but now that its here, its time to sit up and pay attention. What Exactly Is Academic Probation? Academic probation can mean various things at different colleges and universities. Usually, however, it means that your academic performance (either in a series of classes or through your GPA) is not strong enough for you to be making acceptable progress toward your degree. Consequently, if you dont improve, you may be asked (translation: required) to leave the college. Learn the Specifics of Your Probation Just like schools can have different definitions of academic probation, students can have different terms for their academic probation. Read the fine print of your warning letter and make sure you understand everything thats in there. How do you need to change your academic standing? To what? By when? What happens if you dont do so- will you need to leave the college? Leave just the residence hall? Not be eligible for financial aid? Get Help No matter how confident you felt, clearly something did not work out if youre on academic probation. Check in with people for help: your academic advisor, your professors, a tutor, other students in the class, and anyone else you can utilize as a resource. Sure, it may be awkward to ask for help, but doing is almost certainly less awkward than having to leave college before you had planned to. Keep Getting Help Lets say you reach out for help, get a tutor, and work, work, work to study for your next chemistry test- which you promptly ace. Your confidence goes up and you start to feel like you may not need as much help as you thought you did. Be extra careful not to let yourself fall into your old patterns- you know, the ones that got you into academic probation in the first place- and to stick with getting help throughout the term. Prioritize Your Other Commitments If youre placed on academic probation, youll need to do a serious assessment of your other commitments. Passing your classes now becomes your number one priority (as it should have been from the beginning). Be honest with yourself about your other commitments in college and, as hard as it may be, cut out as much as you need to in order to make sure your academics are getting the time and attention they deserve. After all, you cant be involved in all you want to do if youre not allowed back in school next semester. Make a list of what you need to do (like working) versus what you want to do (like being heavily involved in your Greeks social planning committee) and make some changes as needed.

UKCCA Event Project assessment brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

UKCCA Event Project assessment brief - Essay Example Therefore, I project there will be a total of 500 fans. This is a good number which will enable the organizers to get adequate returns and make profits at the end of the event. Given that this is expected to be a spectacular event, it will have to be advertised to enable all the target audience to have adequate information about it. Because this event will be targeting the college students, adverts will be placed in the broadcast (TV) and online media. By using popular web sites and social media platforms, the organizers of this event will have to access the students who are so popular with these sites. Thus, they will acquire all the necessary information about it. In order to appeal to the target audience, all the necessary steps should be taken to ensure that event is made colorful and enjoyable. The target age group is made up of young excited and curious individuals who need to get a high level of satisfaction from such events (Carr, 2009). A part from inviting a renowned band of Jazz musicians to thrill them, the event organizers should extend their services to invite a DJ and offer a variety of dishes in the normal list of UKCCA menu. This will include the following meals: As a matter of fact, the organizers of this event are expected to incur lots of expenses. These will be used to cater for advertisement, hiring the artists, venue, staff and purchasing of food and drinks which will be consumed during the event. These expenses can be summarized in the table below: In order for this party to succeed as planned, there needs to be adequate preparation. Meaning, the organizers have to allocate enough time and resources. However, since it will not be a free event, each and every participant will have to be charged. No service will be granted free of charge. Therefore, the expected income is stated in the table below: Actually, one of the major objectives for

Assess the hierarchical structure of the court system in England and Essay - 1

Assess the hierarchical structure of the court system in England and Wales. To what extent does the common law doctrine of bindi - Essay Example The England and Welsh courts have a hierarchical structure that is found within both the criminal and civil courts and represents the different levels of authority within the courts. The supreme court of the United Kingdom is considered as the most superior and senior court in the land that is tasked with high ranking litigations and court cases. These courts are tasked with different roles and constitutional functions within the English jurisdiction. Legal systems are guided to a larger extent by judicial precedents and historical rulings on cases which have striking similarity with the cases at hand. Within the English law and precedent, processing of the applicability and quality of a precedential ruling enables the courts to only apply liable legal rulings that bear similarities to their cases. As stated by the doctrine of binding precedents, the rules and legal laws used in arguing the case in reference must be fully studied and used to form an informed basis of whether to apply the precedent or not (Thomas, 2005). In this paper, the legal system of the Wales and England judicial structures will be analysed to provide their roles as enshrined in the English law enactment of the United Kingdom legislative enactment. ... United Kingdom supreme court The United Kingdom Supreme Court is considered as the final court of appeal in the country that is tasked with various roles and responsibilities that has ensured the development of the English law. All cases heard by the court, whether they are appeal in nature must have been referred to it by other courts below it. According to Hondius (2007), the United Kingdom Supreme Court is the ultimate court of appeal in the United Kingdom that is allowed to hear all cases from all the four kingdoms in the union. It thus makes determination of cases brought before it from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland after the cases have been referred to it by other courts below it. Apart from high profile civil cases, the court is tasked with the determination of high profile cases of public interest and concern which are beyond the jurisdiction of other courts below it. Apart from the general cases considered of great public interest, the court is also tasked with consti tutional interpretation functions especially on cases involving the different kingdoms and their internal governments (Stone, 2009). Appeal courts of England and wales It is considered as the most senior court below the Supreme Court and hears a number of civil cases brought before it by other courts within the land. One of the major roles played by the high court of appeal of England and Wales is the supervision and directional leadership it has over other subordinate courts below (Gillespie, 2007). As a major court within this judicial jurisdiction, the court has three branches tasked with different roles and responsibilities. The Queen’s Bench division, the family division and the chancery division are the

The choice of PMM word report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The choice of PMM word report - Coursework Example The reason for the choice of Prince2 methodology in Solent University is because it gives the project managers and directors the ability to manage the resources and project risks more effectively. Prince2 methodology also provides an organized framework of the project from the start to the end though it allows management of any deviations from plan and flexible decision points. Prince2 involves the management and the stakeholders at the same time thus providing proper communication channels between the project managers and the rest of the organization.Considering the amount of time and the funds set aside for the project, Prince2 methodology should be considered because it ensures proper budgeting and the project doesn’t run over the specified time (Office of Government Commerce, 2009). It consists of 5 phases in the project’s life cycle. These phases are covered by 8 processes namely; directing the project, planning, starting up the project, initiate the project, controlling, project delivery, managing boundaries and closing the project. Starting up a Project- The project managers ensure that all the required resources are available.The managers will hire an office, computers, furniture and other facilities to run the project and appoint the required staff. Closing the Project –the managers ensure proper termination of the project and checking the project has delivered all the required deliverables. The managers ensure that the university website provides all the intended functions. The website for Solent University will be developed using the waterfall model for the Software development life cycle (SDLC). The Water fall model is the simplest Software development life cycle. It is made up of 5 phases that are linearly organized. The 5 phases of the waterfall model are requirement analysis, system design and specification, coding and verification, testing and integration and maintenance. The

Social Networking Sites Negatively Effect Adults through the Windows Research Paper

Social Networking Sites Negatively Effect Adults through the Windows of Privacy, Productivity, and Health - Research Paper Example This will drastically cut the incidents where their information is stolen or used without their permission (Collins 2008) C) The effect on productivity and overall performance is significant. Many workers have been found wasting their time while surfing and using these social networks. Numerous steps have been taken to curb its use on the internet (Das & Sahoo 2011) D) Psychological and behavioral changes due to the excessive use of Social networking sites have been observed and the most prominent one is the addiction to it. Also many people have been found to become reclusive from the society and more prone to interacting through these websites (Mackey 2009) 3. In summation, the excessive use of these social networking websites has affected many users considerably. The effects of its usage are on both on the body and mind. Social networking sites negatively affect adults through the windows of privacy, productivity, and health The rapid adoption of the social network services has re sulted in numerous researches and surveys being conducted to understand its effects on the personal and social behavior of a person. Also its excessive use has resulted in many adults facing issues of privacy and breach of security when it comes to their information. Many social network service companies are now offering better and improved services that include reading comics, playing games, and better communications with your connections and many other features, which has resulted in a negative influence on the productivity of the individuals. Many offices worldwide are simply banning Facebook and other famous social networking websites on their premises so that the employees should focus on their work. One of the most detrimental effects of social networks that have been observed is on the health of the users. It has been now attributed to psychological and behavioral changes in many users and is considered to be a health hazard in case of excessive use. This paper will try to ev aluate whether social networking sites have a negative influence and impact on the privacy, productivity and the health of many adult users (Boyd & Ellison 2007). Since their inception Social network services have changed or revolutionized the way we communicate on the internet. People who start using social network services will initially do so for many reasons, but the basic motivation is to start communicating and sustaining relationships. A social network service can be defined as a service that assists people to create their own profile on the internet which they can either make public or semi public. Apart from this, the social network service will also allow users to connect with people they know or share the same interests with. The social network services serve as a platform on which people can view and find new connections and also view their friends and family connections making it transverse and interconnected (Boyd & Ellison 2007). Social networks have been widely criti cized for privacy concerns. When a person creates their page or account on a social network, they are required to fill in some information for their public profile. But there are great variations in the level of privacy offered by numerous social networks.

Ethical Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical Issues - Essay Example Society of Professional Journalists 2). With each of these, there are more particular codes that need to be followed by journalists. Thus, violations of ethics and guidelines led to various ethical issues that journalism profession is facing today. This paper aims to discuss two ethical issues in journalism, which include bribery and extortion. Bribery and Extortion According to the Center for International Media and Assistance (CIMA), bribery and extortion are considered as the most crucial issue in journalism (Nyaira 300). Bribery means the act of accepting or offering some benefits either cash or kind to a certain employee or public servant. In journalism, it is called envelopmental journalism or accepting bribes in exchange for favorable media coverage. On the other hand, extortion is related to bribery, but the only difference is that extortion is the act of obtaining something like money by force or blackmail (Shava 4). Examples of Bribery An editor of a famous newspaper public ation accepted money from a government official who committed corruption. The money serves a bribe instead of exposing the official’s wrongdoing; the editor wrote some accomplishments and projects done by the official to cover corruption issue. In this case the editor is not fair, honest, and accurate. Most of all, the editor did not act independently, which is a violation of ethics. ... Examples of Extortion According to a report, Zimbabwe journalists already disregard ethics since their government already controls what news to write and how to write them. They are forced to do so since their lives are threatened. Politicians only speak to those media outlets they support (Shava). As a consequence, journalists no longer comply with principles of accuracy, fairness, and honesty in writing news stories since they are writing articles based on what is being instructed. Conclusion Ethics is very important in every profession. Journalism as one of the noble careers also has set of ethical principles which need to followed. However, not all journalists sincerely follow the principles of accuracy, fairness, and honesty as it affected by several reasons. Bribery and extortion have become the most crucial ethical issues in journalism. Journalists voluntarily accept bribes in exchange for favorable media, which is called bribery and others like in Zimbabwe, are forced to do s o since they are threatened by politicians. Ethical Issues in Advertising Advertising refers â€Å"to any paid form of personal or non-personal presentation of promotional ideas, products or services by the use of media like TV, radio, magazines, newspapers etc by an identified person† (Kaptan 8). According to Yeshin, advertising is essential because it helps the people to select a particular product. Since it has a great impact on consumer behaviour, advertising like other fields also has a set of ethical standards, which need to be followed. Businesses need to be honest, fair, and straightforward in advertising products or services (American Advertising Federation 4). Violations of these will lead people to wrong direction. Nevertheless, not all companies

Strategy Management Essay Example for Free

Strategy Management Essay 1. Current situation overview Nowadays, the world video games market has become conspicuous and profitable, resulted by rapid increase of amount by video games players. The key assessment for winning in video games market is to attract the consumers to buy and focus. Meanwhile, the current situation of video games industry has become more competitive, which dominated by Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. This case sketches a framework of video games historical development for past a few decades and the future strategic prospection by Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. In addition, this case also describes the innovations and course of actions for broadening the market share holding by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. Moreover, those companies have renewed their own console generation and technology in order to gain competitive advantages in the video games market. During the recent stage of video games development, the players are not only focusing on ‘just playing a game’, but also they will consider the games’ design, art, animation and quality assurance. 2. Summary of macro environment analysis The macro environment analysis is relevant to the long-term strategic thinking which focus on the factors in the wider environment, those factors include economic, political, social, demographic, international, sustainability and technological. The purpose of the macro-environment analysis is to summarize the complex and uncertain information in particular the company impact by macro-environment to figure out the demand for products and service in the market. Determining the macro-environment is the way that firms in an industry produce and distribute their outputs, and the way in which organizations are able to compete with one another (Hubbard, Rice Beamish 2008 p. 76). In addition, macro-environment analysis is also able to distribute the product and service and establish the trends for the future development of the industry (Haberberg and Rieple 2008, p.105). Those factors concerned have been analyzed in appendix 1, also including the determent of effects on the industry growth (positive or negative). 2.1 Economic factor By viewing the analyzed contents in appendix 1, overall information analyzed  has been demonstrated that the current economic situation for the video games industry is definitely seems to be worse because of the economic recession worldwide. The trend of the purchasing power for video games console seems to be downwards by recent years because of the decrease of people’s disposable income. Furthermore, generally considering the reasonable inflation of raw material and hardware accessories is getting higher and higher, which may result to the cost for consoles is increasing. 2.2 Political/legal factor â€Å"Political factors define the legal and regulatory parameters within which firms must operate (Pearce Robinson 2009, p.97). These affect the business and its managers to a great extent. As the political factors analyzed in contents of appendix 1, it is expected to have a negative effect on future industry growth. For instance in China, the government has issued the regulation on video and online games, which has limitation for playing by 4 hours per day which people who under 18. People must make a registration via internet by updating their identification card number, real names and address who under 18. Considering most of the customers with video games are 17 to 33, this regulation may have negative impacts on the video games industry. Additionally, the government also issued the violence restriction in the video games market, which classifies the violence level to the games, in order to protect the children to avoid aggression and violence. However, as the fact that, according to the evidence showed by Dietz (1998, p.425), nearly 80% of the video games includes aggression or violence as part of the strategy or object. While 27% of the games contained socially acceptable aggression, nearly half included violence directed specifically at others and 21% depicted violence directed at women. According to the establishment showed as above, most video games contains huge amount of aggression and violence contents, the government regulation should have negative impact on video games industry growth beyond reasonable concerns of mental protection for children. 2.3 Social/cultural factor As this part of factors impact by social and cultural, this part probably does not have too much impacts whether positive or negative on industry  growth. Accomplishing with the globalization over the world, video games are hot and popular in current stage of period in development. Focusing on this circumstance, the video game industry tends to design the games with cultural diversity and culture preference. For instance by Xbox 360, has designed some games which suitable for some countries under preference, such as some sports games like NFL in US, AFL in Australia. Furthermore, Sony also designed a game ‘Dynasty Warriors’, which describes a real history in ancient China, a dynasty with disorder. Moreover, some cultural factor by religion difference must be also concerned for the industry growth. Actually in some countries, such as some mid-east countries, the violence games are banned under religion efforts. 2.4 Demographic factor By reviewing this part of analysis, the demographic factor should be considered with population, gender and age, and indeed have positive effect on the industry growth. The video game industry is now attempting to look for their ‘new’ players belonged. The industry has been designed more different types of games which suitable for women and even the elder. The trend of impact by demographic factor is rapidly increasing by recent years in particular with the demand by women and the elder for video games. As the fact that has been mentioned before, the most video game consumers is 18-44, now, the new strategy for broadening the consumer base is now expected and being concerned by the video game industry. This may contribute to increase the population by playing video games, which may result to increase the sales of consoles. In fact, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony have also focused on difference breakdown by gender and age, which means that to make the games be varied and mu lti-suitable for people. 2.5 International factor Globalization has been contributed to the success for video game industry, which breakdown the trade barriers between countries. In fact, according to Consalvo (2006), the video game industry and culture can be recognized in the transnational corporations that contribute to its formation and development, which contribute to the cultural exchange between countries. This also advantages to the video games industry which has positive effects  on industry growth because the games may become more acceptable for the people who under different cultural background. 2.6 Sustainability factor This factor is considering the sustainability of the video game industry in future. In fact, the video game entertainment absolutely has many substitutes. Therefore, the trend for the industry development maybe seems to downward in future depend on the changing and unpredictable people’s favors. People have rights to select their own favors to entertain as they want, such as sports, karaoke, twitter, and facebook. Moreover, the current video game market situation is likely to be saturated, which Grand (2010, p.687) states that, almost 40% of the US households have their own consoles, which means that the industry must spend huge amount of money to renew the consoles annually to keep their products be competitive and preferable in order to make the console be ‘sustainable’. 2.7 Technological factor Technology is the most significant factor which must be considered by the video games industry. From the evaluation by the appendix 1, the industry growth displayed an overall negative effort on the video game industry. In fact, a console generation renewing must spend nearly a decade period from structuring to publishing, which spend too much time and money to renew. Despite the huge cost and longtime preparing on console renewing, even the games titles also must be spend a lot of time. Actually, according to the study by Grant, (2010, p685) there are some evidences to show that a new title game which from designing to publishing, approximately taking 18-36 months to complete based on a new platform. Comparing with the ‘big 3’ in this case, they have their own advantaged areas in technology development. For instance, PS3 has Blu-ray DVD strategy on their consoles, which have fantastic game’s feature, Xbox 360’s positioning eschewed technology in favor of versatility, design and hardware’s multifunctionality, Wii even lacked the advanced features of either the Xbox 360 or PS3, but its remote wand-like controller is innovative and easy learning, which can concludes that overall the advantaged area by the ‘big 3’, is based on the technology support, which means that the technology factor is quite significant to the  video game industry. Therefore, the trend of impacting power by technology is increasing. 3. Summary of industry environment analysis Michael Porter claims that the five competitive forces influence the state of competition in any industry, and collectively determine the profit potential of the industry as whole (Hubbard, Rice Beamish 2008). The purpose of the industry analysis is to determine the ultimate profit potential in the industry, where profit potential is measured in terms of long-run return on invested capital. 3.1 Threats of new entrants There are some sufficient evidences which demonstrate that the threats of new entrants are extremely low. In fact, the video games industry is dominated by the ‘big 3’ in this current stage of period. PS3, Microsoft and Nintendo have their own loyalty with the brand, which ensures the consumers’ confidence on their product. On the contrary, the new entrants do not have such brand loyalty as the ‘big 3’ does. Consumers maybe have less confidence rather than PS3 or Xbox 360 on the product quality. In addition, the ‘big 3’ has incomparable advantages, which leading in technology and experience on software development. Furthermore, the capital of equipment and technology cost huge amount of money, the ‘big 3’ have their own experienced and professional designing team for innovation and technological development. New entrants are difficult to maintain and develop their business unless sufficient finance supports. 3.2 Bargaining power of suppliers The overall impact raking for bargaining power by the suppliers is high, based on the appendix 2 bargaining power of suppliers’ analysis. In fact, the supplier also called publisher is few and monopoly in the video game market, which result to the profitability with the supplier. The publishers are responsible for financing, manufacturing, marketing and distributing video games. Grant (2010, p.688) also states that video game publishing is increasingly dominated by a few companies, such as electronic Arts, Konami, take-two Interactive and Activision. This may contribute to the suppliers  have more powerful bargaining power to the industry. In addition, the supplier has low switching cost in the market. 3.3 Bargaining power of buyers The consumers have low switching cost on the products, which depends on the product’s quality, price and product preference by the consumers. Moreover, the video game industry must also be aware the other entertainment, which have possibility to substitutes the video game industry. Furthermore, the buyer profitability factor is considering with the buyers’ disposable income, if the income is high, the bargaining power by the consumers is high, otherwise is low. As the fact that, the current situation for the economy is worse and unemployment rate is getting higher, thus the buyers are seem to be unprofitable, indeed the bargaining power for buyers is low. 3.4 Power of substitutes The power of substitutes is strong, which displayed by the competition between PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. The ‘big 3’ companies have dominated the video game market and attempt to gain competitive advantages via using their innovative ideas and technology. The most important factor considered by the consumers is the products’ price and quality, focusing on this concern, the Wii may win in the market by sales because of the cheaper price of consoles. However, it not means that the Wii can substitute either Xbox 360 or PS3. Actually, the key assessment for winning in video games market is to catch the consumers’ propensity. Furthermore, despite the internal competition by the industry, also the other entertainments have possibilities to substitute the video game industry. Thus, it is difficult to predict the video game whether may be substituted in the future. 3.5 Intensity of industry rivals It is absolutely high barriers to exit in the video games industry, unlike the PC games industry. According to the study by Williams (2002, p46), which states that PC games manufacturing fees are significantly lower versus console games, because PC games need only CD duplications, a jewel box, instructions and a box, typically $2-3 total per unit. However, comparing with the PC games industry, console development requires ‘development kit’  typically costing $10 to $20 thousand. In addition, Grant (2010, p688) also mentions that the huge cost by video games development is result of the demand for multi-featured, which contribute to the significant cost on technological talents hiring, equipment cost and advertising. Thus, video games industry must be high barriers to exit because of the significant cost efforts. 4. Interconnections between macro-environment analysis and industry environment analysis Reviewed to the above macro-environment analysis and industry environment analysis, there are some interconnections between them, which are sustainability factor, related to the presence of substitute inputs. This highlight must be considered by the video game industry, because the preview of sustainability to the industry development is quite important. The key assessment for the industry development is to keep their products ‘un-substituted’ and competitive. Therefore, the industry must focus on the innovation and technological development by their games and console in order to keep the video game ‘long-being’ for the future. 5. Recommendation Technology and innovation play a main role in the video games industry. The video game industry is so profitable that many new entrants may want to enter the industry. However, the industry looks like ‘unhealthy’ because PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii have dominated the industry for a decade. Furthermore, the current economic situation is still on recession, and may last a few years. This may contribute the cost of consoles increase, and decrease the sales of consoles result by the people’s income decrease. Actually, it is hard to preview the future of video game development, but, by now, the video game market has saturated, even the technology and innovation is good. Form the figures evaluated by Flacy (2011), the video game sales over July dropped over 25 percent year over year and have fallen to the lowest levels since 2006. Total sales in July 2011 amounted to $707 million while sales just a year ago in July 2010 topped $960 million. The reasons for the decline by sales should be varied, as mentioned before, which causing by the economic recession and market saturation. Moreover, the people’s favors may  also change; video game playing is not the only way for people to entertain because people can entertain by the other ways. Thus, the video game industry development is getting tough and unpredictable for the future, even the recession has over. Appendix 1 – details of macro-environment analysis Environment factor| Comment| Effect on industry growth| Economic factor| | |  global finance crisis| Widely impact on the manufacturing industry| negative| inflation| price of raw material and console accessories increased, result to the cost increase| negative| Economic recession| People’s disposable income decreasedreducing purchasing power| negative| Overall: negative| Political/legal factor| | | Government issue for video game violence| Legislation for classifying the amount of violence under age. | negative| Regulation for playing limitation| Time limitation for playing under 18 | negative| Overall: negative| Social/cultural factor| | | Multiculturalism| Different cultural background’s people may have different type of favors on video games| Positive| Religion| Some violence games is restricted by some countries under religion efforts| Negative| Overall: medium| Demographic factor| | | Population numbers| Attracting more ‘new’ consumers possibly. Attracting more customers means increasing sales.| positive| Gender difference breakdown| Designing more games which suitable for women playing, make the games be varied.| positive| Age difference breakdown| Video game is not only designed for 18-33, which could possibly consider to attract some aging player| Positive| Overall: positive| International factor| | | Globalization| Reducing the trade barriers for games imports and exports| positive| Overall: positive| Sustainability factor| | | Substitution by other entertainments| More and more entertainments can substitutes the video games, such as sports, karaoke, twitter, facebook etc.| negative| Strikes by online games| Computer games are seemed more popular and preferable.| Negative| Market saturation| More and more rivals tend to enter the video games market to gain advantages.| Negative| Overall: negative| Technological factor| | | Lack by renewing generation| Console generation needs to spend a lot of time and money for generation renewing| negative| Long time for designing a new title game| Taking 18-36 months to complete a new title based on a new platform | negative| Console generation (PS3)| Fantastic games’ feature (HD) based on Blu-ray drive technology.| Positive| Console generation (Xbox 360)| Large amount of titles by games, multifunctionality based on high-technology support.| Positive| Console generation (Wii)| Easy to control, hand movement based on their innovative ideas and technology. | Positive| Overall: positive| Appendix 2 details of industry environment analysis Items| Issue analysis| Impact ranking: extremely low, low, medium, high extremely high.| Threats of new entrants | | | Product differentiation| If a company wants to survive even win in the competitive market, a unique product with considerable difference must be offered. Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 has achieved this as well| Extremely high| Brand loyalty| Company must have their own brand loyalty which can prevent new entrants from making their way into the market. Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 have extremely great loyalty with their brand.| Extremely high| Economic of scales| Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 have large sales on their product every year. It is tough for new entrants to have such huge finances to fund | Medium| Capital equipment and technology development| Wii, Xbox 360 and  PS3 have their own experienced and professional designing team for innovation and technological development. New entrants are hard to maintain their business unless sufficient finance supports.| High| Government policy| Many industries are either owned or regulated by the government, causing barriers for entry.| high| Overall: extremel y high | Bargaining power of suppliers| | | Switching cost of suppliers| The switching cost of suppliers is low| Medium| Supplier concentration| The supplier will have strong bargaining power if there are only a small number of suppliers. (monopoly) There are some publishers for the video game industry (electronic Arts, Konami, take-two Interactive, Activision etc.)| high| Information about suppliers’ product| The suppliers should be aware their product (consoles, software and title games), as these suppliers have minimal competition, they hold strong power and influence.| Low| Supplier profitability| Suppliers are able to bargain because there are few rivals and highly profitable nature. | Extremely high| Overall: medium| Bargaining power of buyers| | | Switching costs of buyers: | Switching costs of buyers is low; the power of buyers will be high. Buyer can easily switch to a rival product, which depends on the products’ quality and price and there are almost no switching costs for customers| Extremely high| Buyer concentration: | The number of buyers is related to whole industry. Massive numbers of buyers on video game industry. | Medium| Presence of substitute inputs: | The ‘big 3’ is not just competing against with each other, they are also competing against other entertainment, such as online games and twitterThere are lots of substitute are present to convert the buyer| Extremely high| Buyer profitability| If the buyers are unprofitable, they are unable to bargain.Since economic decrease and high levels of unemployment, people will be entertaining less.| High| Overall: high| Power of substitutes| | | Relative price/quality of substitutes| Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 although have their own specialties and advantages in different areas, but substitution is  also available and possible. It depends on price and quality of the console.| Extremely high| Buy propensity to substitutes| Video games market is huge, customers tend to be varied. The key assessment for winning in video games market is to catch the consumers’ propensity. Develop their own advantaged area, and create a new strategic to attract the new customers.| Extremely high| Switching cost| The ease of buyers switching products.It is very simple for the customers to switch to a different product as it cost them less and with similar experience.| High| Overall: extremely high| Intensity of industry rivals| | | Industry growth rate| Growing rapidly in recent years, but grow slowly now because of the economic recession. However, the trend is positively growing.| Extremely high| Exit barriers| Significant exits costs because the capital to enter the industry is so high (including technological talents hiring, equipment cost and advertising) and spends too much time for preparing. | Extremely high| Overall: extremely high| References Consalvo, M 2006, ‘Console video games and global corporations Creating a hybrid culture’ viewed 28 August 2011 http://nms.sagepub.com/content/8/1/117.short Dietz, T, 1998, ‘An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications for Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior’ Volume 38, No. 5-6, p425-442 Flacy, M, 2011, ‘NPD: Video game sales in July fall to the lowest level in five years’ viewed 29 August 2011 http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/npd-video-game-sales-in-july-fall-to-the-lowest-level-in-five-years/ Grant, R.M., 2010, Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Sussex. Wiley p.680-691 Hubbard, G, Rice, J Beamish, P, 2008, Strategic Management: Thinking, analysis and Action, 3rd edition, Pearson Education, Australia. Haberberg, A, Rieple, A 2008, Strategic Management: Theory and Application, Oxford University Press, NY. Pearce, JA 2009, Formulation, implementation, and control of competitive strategy, 8th edition, McGraw-Hill, America, New York. Williams, D, 2002, ‘Structure and Competition in the U.S. Home Video Game Industry’ the International Journal on Media Management Vol. 4, No. 1, p.41 – 54

Impact of House Prices on the UK Economy

Impact of House Prices on the UK Economy What happens to house prices is perceived as being very important for the wider UK economy (at the moment the concern is that they may fall sharply). Consider to what extent house prices are important for the UK economy and how the government (or Bank of England) should respond to a sharp fall in house prices. Introduction The health of the residential property market is seen as a very important factor in the UK economy, and house prices have risen dramatically (though unevenly around the country) between 1996 and 2005. Some analysts argued that this was the result of a ‘bubble’ in the housing market, rather than due to purely economic reasons, while others argued that the rise in prices was a rational reaction to high employment, economic stability and low interest rates. The price rises slowed in 2005 and that led some analysts to predict a sharp fall in prices. These fears proved unfounded, as renewed growth since late 2005 has led most analysts to predict modest price rises in the medium term. However, many analysts remain concerned that housing prices may fall sharply in the near future. This essay will first consider the different ways in which house prices in an economy relate to (and impact on) the performance of that economy more broadly, outlining in particular the specificities of the UK housing market that make its prices especially important to the UK economy. It will then examine the policies the government (or Bank of England) could adopt in response to a sharp fall in house prices, assessing which of these would be the most appropriate. Finally, it will also consider some longer term policies which could reduce house price volatility and the impact of house prices on the wider UK economy. The relationship between house prices and the wider economy The most obvious way in which house prices affect the wider economy is through their impact on household consumption (Cameron 2005:4) – a fall in house prices, for example, makes homeowners feel less wealthy so they tend to reduce consumption. Furthermore, a fall in house prices also reduces consumption indirectly by making it harder for people to borrow. Credit constraints are increased through two key channels: (1) reduced house prices means homeowners have reduced collateral against which they can borrow, further reducing consumption; and (2) lending institutions make losses when housing prices fall, and so they reduce their lending or tighten their lending policies. According to Oswald (1999:2), ‘an economys natural rate of unemployment depends on the ease with which its citizens can move around to find jobs. Fluid societies have efficient economies.’ High house prices and a relatively small private rental market make it more difficult for people to move around to find jobs, and thus can contribute to unemployment. House prices can also have an indirect effect on the exchange rate, which is a particular concern because it may lead to a crash in house prices. High house prices contribute to high levels of household indebtedness which can be associated with increasing the current account deficit. This, in turn, may suddenly trigger a correction in the exchange rate. If the exchange rate is weakened, a sharp rise in inflation and interest rates may follow, leading to a sharp fall in house prices. House prices and the UK economy According to Cameron (2005:3), the high level of house ownership in the UK means that households are ‘exposed to a considerable amount of risk (almost half a million households had their homes repossessed in the 1990s).’ Not only are house prices more volatile in the UK than elsewhere in the developed world, the impact of house prices on consumer spending is also particularly heavy in the UK – according to the OECD, a 1% fall in UK housing wealth correlates with a 0.07% fall in consumer spending. The nature of the UK housing market (typically high loan to value ratios, few long-term fixed rate mortgages, and easy to re-mortgage) makes house prices particularly volatile and responsive to interest rates. Cameron (2005:3) explains that ‘a one percentage point rise in the short-term real interest rate would reduce house prices over a five year period by 2.6% in the UK, 1.8% in the US, and 1.3% in Germany.’ The UK housing market is characterized not only by a high level of home ownership and typically high loan to value mortgage ratios, but also by an insufficient housing supply. Demand consistently outstrips supply and the market is not sufficiently responsive, primarily due to the limited land available for construction and the difficulties in obtaining planning permission for new buildings. ‘Constrained housing supply leads to increasingly unaffordable housing, frustrating the home ownership aspirations of many individuals and families. It also leads to wealth redistribution from those outside the housing market to those inside it. Low housing supply reduces labour mobility, damaging the flexibility and performance of the UK economy and key public services, and can also translate into wider macroeconomic instability.’ (HM Treasury 2005:9) Barker (2004:3) explains her view of the importance of the housing market to the UK economy more broadly: ‘Volatility in the housing market, in the UK, combined with the strong association between house prices and private consumption (reflecting in part high levels of owner occupation) is striking. Consequently, the housing market has contributed to macroeconomic volatility, creating a more difficult environment for businesses and for economic policy makers.’ Responding to a sharp fall in house prices In order to respond to a sharp fall in house prices, the main tool which the government or central bank has at its disposition is monetary policy. If there is a sharp fall in house prices, consumption can be expected to drop (as per the relationship between house prices and consumption outlined in the first section of this essay) and there is a danger that a recession with ensue. In order to prevent this, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England should respond to any such fall by reducing interest rates, even though this may not be compatible with meeting their inflation target. This should help house prices to grow again, thus building up wealth and promoting consumption. Further, it will make credit more accessible which will also encourage consumption. Longer term policies Rather than being forced to respond to a sharp fall in house prices, the British government, or the Bank of England, would be better off developing longer-term strategies to prevent such a sharp fall in the first place – that is to say, they should be proactive rather than reactive. Cameron (2005:4) argues that it may be possible to make the UK housing market behave more like the US housing market (i.e. to make prices less responsive to interest rates and less volatile) ‘if the share of long-term fixed-rate mortgages could be increased (even when UK borrowers do take out fixed-rate mortgages, they tend to only fix the rate for three to five years).’ According to the OECD (2005:3), the risk of a sharp fall in house prices has been significantly reduced, and this has been achieved by longer term monetary strategies. ‘If a relatively â€Å"soft landing† in the housing market has indeed been achieved it owes much to the strategy of gradual preemptive monetary tightening, in marked contrast to previous episodes when an abrupt correction in house prices was triggered by sharp interest rate rises. Nevertheless, reforms are needed to make housing supply more elastic to damp future housing market cycles.’ Furthermore, Miles (2004:97) argues that in order for monetary policy to be most effective in stabilizing the currently volatile housing market, the UK mortgage facilities also need to be improved, and borrowers should be better informed. Conclusion Because house ownership levels are high in the UK, and because houses represent most households’ biggest asset, house prices are particularly important to the UK economy. As it currently functions, the UK housing market is insufficiently flexible to respond to, and reflect, the needs of the economy as a whole. Fortunately a drastic fall in house prices is unlikely in the near future. To prevent one in the medium to long term, the government should consider increasing the flexibility of the housing market. This could be achieved through relaxing planning regulations and adapting the mortgage market. References Barker, K. (2004) ‘Review of Housing Supply: Delivering Stability: Securing our Future Housing Needs’, Final Report – Recommendations (downloaded from http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/053/C7/barker_review_execsum_91.pdf on 26 February 2007) Cameron, G. (2005) ‘The UK Housing Market: Economic Review’ (downloaded from http://hicks.nuff.ox.ac.uk/users/cameron/papers/ukhousingmarket.pdf on 22 February 2007) HM Treasury (2005) ‘Housing Policy: An Overview’ (downloaded from http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/296/69/housing_policy190705.pdf on 26 February 2007) Miles, D. (2004) ‘The UK Mortgage Market: Taking a Longer-Term View’, HMSO (downloaded from http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/80DDF/miles04_470.pdf on 22 February 2007) Muellbauer, J. Murphy, A. (1997) ‘Booms and Busts in the UK Housing Market’, The Economic Journal, Vol. 107, No. 445. (Nov., 1997), pp. 1701-1727 OECD (2005) ‘Economic Survey of the United Kingdom, 2005 (downloaded from http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/18/34/35473312.pdf on 24 February 2007) Oswald, A. (1999) ‘The Housing Market and Europes Unemployment: A Non-Technical Paper’, Warwick University (downloaded from www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/faculty/oswald/homesnt.pdf on 27 February 2007) Wadhwani, S. (2002) ‘Household Indebtedness, the Exchange Rate and Risks to the UK Economy’, Bank of England speech delivered to the Macclesfield Chamber of Commerce on Monday, 25 March 2002 (downloaded from https://164.109.43.50/publications/speeches/2002/speech166.pdf on 22 February 2007)

To Kill A Mockingbird: Great Quotes By The Characters :: essays research papers

To Kill A Mockingbird: Great Quotes by the Characters Atticus Respectful of other people Talking about Bob Ewell spitting in his face): "I wish Bob Ewell wouldn't chew tobacco." Page 220 Chapter 23 Responding to Jem talking about Mrs. Dubose not being a lady: "She was. She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe...son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go and read to her. I wanted you to see something about her-I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of seeing courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see through it no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholding to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew." Page 116 Chapter 11 Talking to Scout: Atticus turned his head and pinned me to the wall with his good eye. His voice was deadly: "First, apologize to your aunt." Page 138 Chapter 14 Talking to Jem: "Mr. Cunningham was part of a mob last night, but he is still a man. Every mob in every little Southern town is always made up of people you know- doesn't say much for the, does it?" Page 160 Chapter 16 Determined Talking to Scout: "Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one's mine I guess. You might here some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep your fists down." Page 80 Chapter 9 Talking to Scout: "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and win." Page 80 Chapter 9 Talking to Calpurnia: Atticus' eyes filled with tears. He did not speak for a moment. "Tell them I'm very grateful," he said. "Tell them- tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard...." Page 216 Chapter 22 Talking to Calpurnia: Atticus' eyes filled with tears. He did not speak for a moment. "Tell them I'm very grateful," he said. "Tell them- tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard...." Page 216 Chapter 22 Clever Talking to Mayella Ewell: "You're becoming suddenly clear at this point. A while ago you couldn't remember too well, could you?" Page 189 Chapter 18

Religion in the Works of Flannery OConnor Essay -- Biography Biograph

Religion in the Works of Flannery O'Connor      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Religion is a pervasive theme in most of the literary works of the late Georgia writer Flannery O'Connor. Four of her short stories in particular deal with the relationship between Christianity and society in the Southern Bible Belt: "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," "The River," "Good Country People," and "Revelation." Louis D. Rubin, Jr. believes that the mixture of "the primitive fundamentalism of her region, [and] the Roman Catholicism of her faith . . ." makes her religious fiction both well-refined and entertaining (70-71). O'Connor's stories give a grotesque and often stark vision of the clash between traditional Southern Christian values and the ever-changing social scene of the twentieth century. Three of the main religious ingredients that lend to this effect are the presence of divine meanings, revelations of God, and the struggle between the powers of Satan and God. The divine symbols in O'Connor's works tend to be mostly apocalyptic in nature, exhibiting drastic cases of societal breakdown in a religious context, but occasionally, they show prophetic hope. John Byars states that: She presents two contradictory images of society in most of her fiction: one in which the power and prevalence of evil seem so deeply embedded that only destruction may root it out, and another in which the community or even an aggregate of individuals, though radically flawed, may discover within itself the potential for regeneration. (34) In all four of the mentioned stories, this presence of Christian signs-of-the-times can be seen. Set in the early fifties, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" tells of the murder of a vacationing Georgia family by an escaped felon called the Misfit. ... ...Norman. "Dostoevskian Vision in Flannery O'Connor's `Revelation.'" The Flannery O'Connor Bulletin 16 (1987): 16-22. O'Connor, Flannery. The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor. New York: Farrar, 1990. Rubin, Louis D., Jr. "Flannery O'Connor and the Bible Belt." The Added Dimension: The Art and Mind of Flannery O'Connor. Ed. Melvin J. Friedman and Lewis A. Lawson. New York: Fordham UP, 1966. 49-71. Scott, Nathan A., Jr. "Flannery O'Connor's Testimony." The Added Dimension: The Art and Mind of Flannery O'Connor. Ed. Melvin J. Friedman and Lewis A. Lawson. New York: Fordham UP, 1966. 138-56. Spivey, Ted R. "Flannery O'Connor's View of God and Man." Flannery O'Connor. Ed. Robert E. Reiter. St. Louis: B. Herder, 1966. 111-18. Wood, Ralph C. "Flannery O'Connor, Martin Heidegger, and Modern Nihilism." The Flannery O'Connor Bulletin 21 (1992): 100-18.

Flight Patterns Essay

What is Sherman Alexie’s notion of the reality behind a story as this notion is presented in â€Å"Flight Patterns† I think Sherman ‘s notion of reality is that life is full of contradictions. The society sets up so many rules for people to follow, and people are often judged by their ethnic group, gender, religion†¦etc. Accordingly, they have to behave properly in order to meet the expectations. However, in reality not every person can deal easily with the role he is supposed to be in. For example, William doesn’t want to choose between American and Spokane. He loves them both. In religion, he is a generously religious man. In ethnic, he is a Spokane Indian while having in civic life like most American. In the text, it states that† William wanted all of it .Hunger was his crime.† I think Sherman Alexie points this out to tell us that in reality, a person might feel bemused to make a choice among all he wants. Fikadu faces the difficulties between killing his own people for Selassie and living with his family. William faces the difficulty between jobs and family. They both make up their mind and make the difficult choice despite feeling uncomfortable. The reality is not perfect as we may consider it. People sometimes have to make sacrifices or compromises to accomplish a bigger task. I think William chooses to believe Fekadu’s story because no matter it is true or not, it tells the essence of reality in this society.

Essay Topics

Essay Topics * Engineering, like all professions, functions in a global economy. Describe what you think students should do while in college to better prepare themselves for a career in the global economy. * You have just completed writing your 476 page autobiography and we would like to see a sample of what you have written. Please send us either page 231 or page 398. Feel free to also include one paragraph of acknowledgements at the end. * All practicing medical doctors, dentists, and many other professionals are required to be licensed.Engineers who offer their services to the public or work in a few other areas must also be licensed but generally, engineers who work in industry are exempt from licensure. Explain why you think engineers working in industry should or should not be licensed. Note that licensure requires a four-year engineering degree, passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, obtaining four years of qualifying engineering experience, and passing a Principles and Practices exam. Both exams are eight hours long. The Space Shuttle has flown its last mission and some would argue that the future of manned space exploration by the United States is uncertain. What do you think the United States’ policy towards manned space exploration should be? Some issues (you do not need to address them all) to consider are: Should the commercial sector take a leading role? What role should engineers have in setting and executing the policy? Should a mission to the moon, Mars, or other place be planned? * ————————————————- Topic A: ———————————————— Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you. * —————â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Topic B: ————————————————- Choose an issue of importance to you—the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope—and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation. ————————————————- Topic C: ————————————————- There may be personal information that you want considered as part of your admissions application. Write an essay describing that information. You might include exceptional hardships, challenges, or opportunities that have shaped or impacted your abilities or academic credentials, personal responsibilities, exceptional achievements or talents, educational goals, or ways in which you might contribute to an institution committed to creating a diverse learning environment.

Digital Fortress Chapter 16

â€Å"A ring?† Susan looked doubtful. â€Å"Tankado's missing a ring?† â€Å"Yes. We're lucky David caught it. It was a real heads-up play.† â€Å"But you're after a pass-key, not jewelry.† â€Å"I know,† Strathmore said, â€Å"but I think they might be one and the same.† Susan looked lost. â€Å"It's a long story.† She motioned to the tracer on her screen. â€Å"I'm not going anywhere.† Strathmore sighed heavily and began pacing. â€Å"Apparently, there were witnesses to Tankado's death. According to the officer at the morgue, a Canadian tourist called the Guardia this morning in a panic-he said a Japanese man was having a heart attack in the park. When the officer arrived, he found Tankado dead and the Canadian there with him, so he radioed the paramedics. While the paramedics took Tankado's body to the morgue, the officer tried to get the Canadian to tell him what happened. All the old guy did was babble about some ring Tankado had given away right before he died.† Susan eyed him skeptically. â€Å"Tankado gave away a ring?† â€Å"Yeah. Apparently he forced it in this old guy's face-like he was begging him to take it. Sounds like the old guy got a close look at it.† Strathmore stopped pacing and turned. â€Å"He said the ring was engraved-with some sort of lettering.† â€Å"Lettering?† â€Å"Yes, and according to him, it wasn't English.† Strathmore raised his eyebrows expectantly. â€Å"Japanese?† Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"My first thought too. But get this-the Canadian complained that the letters didn't spell anything. Japanese characters could never be confused with our Roman lettering. He said the engraving looked like a cat had gotten loose on a typewriter.† Susan laughed. â€Å"Commander, you don't really think-â€Å" Strathmore cut her off. â€Å"Susan, it's crystal clear. Tankado engraved the Digital Fortress pass-key on his ring. Gold is durable. Whether he's sleeping, showering, eating-the pass-key would always be with him, ready at a moment's notice for instant publication.† Susan looked dubious. â€Å"On his finger? In the open like that?† â€Å"Why not? Spain isn't exactly the encryption capital of the world. Nobody would have any idea what the letters meant. Besides, if the key is a standard sixty-four-bit-even in broad daylight, nobody could possibly read and memorize all sixty-four characters.† Susan looked perplexed. â€Å"And Tankado gave this ring to a total stranger moments before he died? Why?† Strathmore's gaze narrowed. â€Å"Why do you think?† It took Susan only a moment before it clicked. Her eyes widened. Strathmore nodded. â€Å"Tankado was trying to get rid of it. He thought we'd killed him. He felt himself dying and logically assumed we were responsible. The timing was too coincidental. He figured we'd gotten to him, poison or something, a slow-acting cardiac arrestor. He knew the only way we'd dare kill him is if we'd found North Dakota.† Susan felt a chill. â€Å"Of course,† she whispered. â€Å"Tankado thought that we neutralized his insurance policy so we could remove him too.† It was all coming clear to Susan. The timing of the heart attack was so fortunate for the NSA that Tankado had assumed the NSA was responsible. His final instinct was revenge. Ensei gave away his ring as a last-ditch effort to publish the pass-key. Now, incredibly, some unsuspecting Canadian tourist held the key to the most powerful encryption algorithm in history. Susan sucked in a deep breath and asked the inevitable question. â€Å"So where is the Canadian now?† Strathmore frowned. â€Å"That's the problem.† â€Å"The officer doesn't know where he is?† â€Å"No. The Canadian's story was so absurd that the officer figured he was either in shock or senile. So he put the old guy on the back of his motorcycle to take him back to his hotel. But the Canadian didn't know enough to hang on; he fell off before they'd gone three feet-cracked his head and broke his wrist.† â€Å"What!† Susan choked. â€Å"The officer wanted to take him to a hospital, but the Canadian was furious-said he'd walk back to Canada before he'd get on the motorcycle again. So all the officer could do was walk him to a small public clinic near the park. He left him there to get checked out.† Susan frowned. â€Å"I assume there's no need to ask where David is headed.†

Be Careful Who You Call Your Friends Essay Example

Be Careful Who You Call Your Friends Essay Example Be Careful Who You Call Your Friends Paper Be Careful Who You Call Your Friends Paper My best friends and I had been exhausted from searching for the perfect prom dress for me to wear to my boyfriend’s prom.We had driven around for what felt like forever to find the dress. It was at least 100 degrees outside, no wind and humid; I thought the sun was never going to go down.After visiting a million places with no luck, we eventually gave up and decided to try the next day again. As we were on our way home, we spotted a fashion boutique with what looked like elegant Cinderella-like ballgowns on the mannequins in the stores display window, and we were right. The way the dresses were flowing so effortlessly classy yet alluring was like they were calling our names. We had to stop and try one last store. Arsha, Tayha and I went to the store while Stephanie stayed in the car, she was burnt out from running around all day and trying prom dresses on for herself. About 45 minutes later, I found the perfect prom dress; it was black, long sleeve, mesh on the top half with beautiful beaded applique in geometrical shapes, the bottom half was solid black with a mermaid style fitting and a circle train. I went in the fitting room to try the dress on; it fit perfect, it was flawless. I walked out to show my friends, and they all agreed and took pictures.The entire ride home we all talked about what we were wearing to prom, how our make up would look, what accessories we were going to wear, our nails, our hair, our shoes, we talked about everything! â€Å"I’m going to have sparkly nude makeup with a wing eyeliner and pink nude gloss† â₠¬â€œ Arsha said,â€Å" My hair will be straight with a middle part, like Cher, the singer â€Å" -Tayha said â€Å"My nails will be black with different crystal designs, and I will wear royal blue shoes to match my boyfriends soft to touch royal blue velvet blazer† I added,We went on and on, we arrived at my house, and we sat in the car talking for so long we hadn’t realized an hour went by. I had to w

Be a Ruthless Editor

Be a Ruthless Editor Be a Ruthless Editor Be a Ruthless Editor By Michael Hard rules are a good thing for writers sometimes. The sonnet is one of the strictest forms of poetry, but some of the worlds greatest poems are sonnets. A haiku form is even stricter, seventeen syllables in three lines. Hard word counts force a writer to overcome his or her natural laziness by editing ruthlessly. Because writers have no choice but to keep on ruthlessly editing and shortening until the piece is short enough, their job becomes easier, paradoxically. With fewer choices, decision-making becomes faster. There is only room to make one main point, and once you decide what it is, theres no need to struggle to fit any others in. Tighten Your Writing Ruthless editing becomes a necessary skill because some short writing opportunities have very hard word count limits. For example, each of my monthly allotment of academic journal abstracts could never exceed 150 words, After I completed them, they were loaded into a searchable database your local library may have a subscription to it. The database included fields for the author, title and publication, each with limited lengths, but the abstract field in the database could only hold 150 words. So I had to keep editing and reediting until my abstract was less than 150 words. It was a hard rule that could not be broken. Builders talk about load-bearing walls. When youre remodeling your house, if you want to open up the floor plan or provide more space, maybe you decide to remove a wall. Thats fine, unless the wall is a load-bearing wall. If you remove a load-bearing wall, part of the building will fall down. As you remove sentences or words, parts of the sentence or paragraph that used to be cosmetic become load-bearing. This is a good thing: it makes you pay more attention to what youre writing. It requires your writing to be more efficient. And that makes your writing easier to read, because there is less fluff to read through, and it makes your writing more powerful. Ruthless editing can lead to honest evaluation. Summarizing your work in a shorter form, as in a pitch letter or synopsis, provides you a reality check on what you wrote. If you cant briefly present your work without sounding ridiculous, maybe (I gently suggest) maybe it is ridiculous. Help the Reader Besides the invigorating, astringent benefits to the writer learning to edit ruthlessly, brief writing benefits the reader too. The human mind can only hold so many thoughts and words at once, just as a computer screen or the page of a book can only hold so many words. So for example, academic researchers need abstracts to be brief so that several can be compared on a single page or computer screen. Short summaries let readers get a taste of the writers ideas or many writers ideas in a small space and time. By limiting the number of ideas in the summary, the writer also limits the number of ideas that need to fit into the readers head at one time. With fewer ideas to focus on, the reader has more room to think about them. With fewer words to move around in your head, words can be moved around more easily, compared, pondered and felt. Which is more effective: a single powerful, precise word or a string of twenty words that mean exactly the same thing and add nothing more? Here are some tips for editing ruthlessly: Cut Riskily Set a goal for yourself, if your editor hasnt already, to cut 10% from your draft. But why stop there? Choose a paragraph and cut out one-fourth. Or take a risk, let the adrenaline flow and cut it down one-half. Youll be surprised at how often the passage still works. (Often it wont thats why its called a risk.) If it doesnt work, simply restore the cut passage from your recently saved draft. Some reasons why such ruthless cutting often works: You may find you had more fluff than you thought. The passage still works because the cut part never did. You may find that the cut part wasnt as necessary as you thought. Only when its gone do you realize you can live without it. It was pulling some weight, but not so much. If you want, take the best words from it, use them elsewhere, and move on. You may find that your reader doesnt need the cut part to figure out whats happening. When a character leaves the room, your reader will assume the character went through a door without being explicitly told. Make Less More Even if I increase it to 1,000 or 100,000 words, I still cant improve on the classic six-word-novel: For sale: baby shoes, never worn No one is saying that War and Peace would be improved if it were edited down from 587,287 words to 1,000 words. If you want to deal with five families and the Napoleonic War, you will need a lot of words. But a key to ruthless editing and having the heart to do it in the first place is being able to see when you have gained more than youve lost by cutting words. Maximize Your Space If you have a limited number of words to work with, make each word carry its weight. For example: The river flowed through the river bed, making a sound like thunder. We can cut some of those words without losing any meaning. Rivers always flow, usually through river beds, and thunder is always a sound. Changing it to The river thundered or The thundering river says as much in three words as the original sentence did in eleven really, it says more. Now I have to find a new, sleek sentence to put them into. It will take a little work to make the most of them, just as it takes a little work to make the most of the garlic chives I just harvested from my garden. But should I give up a good thing because it takes work? 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 Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:60 Synonyms for â€Å"Walk†That vs. WhichTypes of Ignorance

Struthiomimus - Facts and Figures

Struthiomimus - Facts and Figures Name: Struthiomimus (Greek for ostrich mimic); pronounced STROO-thee-oh-MIME-us Habitat: Plains of western North America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (75 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 10 feet long and 300 pounds Diet: Plants and meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Ostrich-like posture; long tail and hind legs About Struthiomimus A close relative of Ornithomimus, which it closely resembled, Struthiomimus (ostrich mimic) galloped across the plains of western North America during the late Cretaceous period. This ornithomimid (bird mimic) dinosaur was distinguished from its more famous cousin by its slightly longer arms and stronger fingers, but because of the position of its thumbs it couldnt grasp food quite as easily. Like other ornithomimids, Struthiomimus likely pursued an opportunistic diet, feeding on plants, small animals, insects, fish or even carrion (when a kill was left unattended by other, larger theropods). This dinosaur may have been capable of short sprints of 50 miles per hour, but had a less taxing cruising speed in the 30 to 40 mph range.

Introduction to Ancient Stone Debitage

Introduction to Ancient Stone Debitage Debitage,  pronounced in English roughly DEB-ih-tahzhs, is an artifact type, the collective term used by archaeologists to refer to the sharp-edged waste material left over when a flintknapper creates a stone tool (that is, knaps flint). The process of making a stone tool is rather like sculpture, in that it involves whittling down a block of stone by removing unwanted pieces until the sculptor/flint knapper achieves the final product. Debitage refers to those unneeded stone fragments. Debitage is the French term for this material, but it is commonly used in the scholarly literature in most other languages, including English. Other terms in English include waste flakes, stone chips, and chipping debris; all of these refer to the stone fragments left over as a waste product created when a worker produces a stone tool. Those terms also refer to chipping debris leftover when a stone tool is repaired or refined. Why is Debitage Interesting? Scholars are interested in the stone flakes left behind by flintknappers for a number of reasons. The pile of debris is the location where stone tool production took place, even if the tool itself was taken away: that alone tells archaeologists about where people lived and worked in the past. The flakes also hold information about the type of stone used to make a stone tool, as well as the technology, the steps taken in the manufacturing process. Some of the waste flakes may be used as tools themselves, to scrape plants or cut meat for example, but by and large, the word debitage refers to those pieces which have not been reused. Whether the flakes were used as a tool or not, debitage accounts for the oldest evidence discovered for human-like behaviors: we know ancient people were making stone tools because we have found purposeful flaking debris even if we dont know what was being made. And as such, they have been recognized as an artifact type since the first decades of the 20th century. Analyzing Debitage Debitage analysis is the systematic study of those chipped stone flakes. The most common study of debitage involves simple (or complex) cataloging of the flakes characteristics, such as source material, length, width, weight, thickness, flaking scars, and the evidence of heat-treatment among many others. Given that there can be thousands or tens of thousands of pieces of debitage from a site, data from all of those flakes definitely qualifies as big data. In addition, analytical studies have attempted to classify the flakes by step in the tool-making process. In general, a stone tool is made by removing the largest pieces first, then the pieces get smaller and smaller as the tool gets refined and shaped. A popular tool-based debitage typology in the late 20th century consisted of categorizing flakes into three stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary flakes. These rough categories were thought to reflect a very specific set of flake removal processes: primary flakes were removed from a block of stone first, then secondary, and finally tertiary flakes. Defining those three categories was based on size and the percentage of the cortex (unmodified stone) left on the waste flake. Refitting, putting the stone pieces back together whether simply one flake to another or reconstructing an entire stone tool, was originally quite pain-staking and labor-intensive. More recent tool-based imaging processes have refined and built on this technique considerably. Other Analytical Types One of the problems with debitage analysis is there is just so much debitage. The construction of one tool from a block of stone can produce hundreds if not thousands of waste flakes of all shapes and sizes. As a result, studies of debitage as part of the study of all stone artifacts at a given site are frequently completed using mass analysis techniques. Size grading by using a set of graduated screens to sort debitage is often used. Researchers also sort the flakes into categories on a variety of attributes and then count and weigh the total in each category to estimate types of flaking activities. Piece-plotting of the distribution of debitage has been used, when it can be determined that the scatter of flakes has laid relatively undisturbed since its deposition. That study informs the researcher about the mechanics of flint-working activities. As a parallel study, an experimental reproduction of flint knapping has been used to build a suitable comparison of debitage scatters and production techniques. Microwear analysis is the study of the edge damage and pitting of debitage using a low- or high-power microscope, and it is generally reserved for debitage that has likely been used as a tool. Sources and Recent Studies A great source for information about all types of Lithic Analysis is Roger Graces Stone Age Reference Collection. The late Tony Bakers excellent lithics site  while now outdated still contains buckets of useful information based on his understanding of the mechanical processes he learned in his own flintknapping experiments. Ahler, Stanley A. Mass Analysis of Flaking Debris: Studying the Forest Instead of the Tree. In Alternative Approaches to Lithic Analysis. The Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association. Eds. Henry, D. O., and George H. Odell. Vol. 1 (1989): 85-118. Print. Andrefsky Jr., William. The Analysis of Stone Tool Procurement, Production, and Maintenance. Journal of Archaeological Research 17.1 (2009): 65-103. Print. - . The Application and Misapplication of Mass Analysis in Lithic Debitage Studies. Journal of Archaeological Science 34.3 (2007): 392-402. Print. Bradbury, Andrew P., and Philip J. Carr. Non-Metric Continuum-Based Flake Analysis. Lithic Technology 39.1 (2014): 20-38. Print. Chazan, Michael. Technological Perspectives on the Upper Paleolithic. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 19.2 (2010): 57-65. Print. Eerkens, Jelmer W., et al. Reduction Strategies and Geochemical Characterization of Lithic Assemblages: A Comparison of Three Case Studies from Western North America. American Antiquity 72.3 (2007): 585-97. Print. Eren, Metin I., and Stephen J. Lycett. Why Levallois? A Morphometric Comparison of Experimental ‘Preferential’ Levallois Flakes Versus Debitage Flakes. PLoS ONE 7.1 (2012): e29273. Print. Frahm, Ellery, et al. Sourcing Geochemically Identical Obsidian: Multiscalar Magnetic Variations in the Gutansar Volcanic Complex and Implications for Palaeolithic Research in Armenia. Journal of Archaeological Science 47.0 (2014): 164-78. Print. Hayden, Brian, Edward Bakewell, and Rob Gargett. The Worlds Longest-Lived Corporate Group: Lithic Analysis Reveals Prehistoric Social Organization near Lillooet, British Columbia. American Antiquity 61.2 (1996): 341-56. Print. Hiscock, Peter. Quantifying the Size of Artefact Assemblages. Journal of Archaeological Science 29.3 (2002): 251-58. Print. Pirie, Anne. Constructing Prehistory: Lithic Analysis in the Levantine Epipaleolithic. The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 10.3 (2004): 675-703. Print. Shea, John J. The Middle Stone Age Archaeology of the Lower Omo Valley Kibish Formation: Excavations, Lithic Assemblages, and Inferred Patterns of Early Homo Sapiens Behavior. Journal of Human Evolution 55.3 (2008): 448-85. Print. Shott, Michael J. The Quantification Problem in Stone Tool Assemblages. American Antiquity 65.4 (2000): 725-38. Print. Sullivan, Alan P. III, and Kenneth C. Rozen. Debitage Analysis and Archaeological Interpretation. American Antiquity 50.4 (1985): 755-79. Print. Wallace, Ian J., and John J. Shea. Mobility Patterns and Core Technologies in the Middle Paleolithic of the Levant. Journal of Archaeological Science 33 (2006): 1293-309. Print. Williams, Justin P., and William Andrefsky Jr. Debitage Variability among Multiple Flint Knappers. Journal of Archaeological Science 38.4 (2011): 865-72. Print.

The Hope House Hosting the Treatment Works March Event this Year Article

The Hope House Hosting the Treatment Works March Event this Year - Article Example The Hope House is for people who are struggling with substance abuse issues such as drug and alcohol addiction. Each counselor has 30 clients. Counselors meet with clients individually either weekly or bi-weekly and work with them in group therapy. The counselors work with the clients on treatment plans. They also coordinate care with other providers such as the courts, mental and health. Besides that, the clinic has a satellite program at Saint Anne’s Institute where a clinician works with the girls on Manning Blvd and addresses substance abuse through both group and individual counseling. The bio psychosocial-spiritual model is a treatment plan that addresses biological, psychological, social, and spiritual conditions. The reason for using this advanced model is because the impact of substance abuse on an individual has all the four aspects, the recovery has to be at all these levels. The outpatient clinic uses two types of treatment including groups, individual therapy and has intensive outpatient groups that run from Monday 9 a.m. to Friday 12 p.m. On Mondays, there are three groups: two from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the last group from 1p.m to 2 p.m. These groups are women’s, men’s, and a group for mental health. The outpatient clinic tries to provide a welcoming relationship between the clients and the team, to know their clients problems, and help them to get well because they want to encourage them to complete their treatment successfully. OHearn is delighted when some clients call back after they are successful healed "Its awesome, I love it, its so rewarding to hear success stories about our clients," she said "Just a woman who finalized a few weeks ago, called me to let me know that she got a job and she is doing well." About their goals in the future, OHearn stated, "we have some conversations and kind of coming up with the program to get into

How modern portfolio theory can be used to manage the portfolio of Essay

How modern portfolio theory can be used to manage the portfolio of your own_ - Essay Example The pros barely edged the DJIA by a margin of 51 to 49 contests† (Investor Home, 2011). An investor simply parking their money in the Dow would have beaten the specific picks of the professionals about half the time, even without transaction costs or taxes. Even worse, later research found that the pros got a break due to the announcement effect of the stock (Liang, 1996). When the pros made an announcement, others invested naively, but these stocks later reversed quite quickly: When taking this into account, the pros did not beat the dartboard! And in the last year of the contest, the readers won slightly (Jasen, 2002). All of this seems to sink the idea of portfolio analysis: If the best pros in the world using the best techniques can't beat random chance, how can anyone? But modern portfolio tools have given investors, particularly newer ones, skills for constructing an asset portfolio that will beat out mutual funds and naive investment. The Failure of Mutual Funds It's not just professionals that struggle to create value. Mutual funds are also very bad at generating growth, and they have the advantage not only of many investors and many analysts but also time and a diverse portfolio! â€Å"By and large, what you're going to find is that very, very few active funds consistently match the performance of the various indexes over the long-term, much less beat them... Finding a fund that consistently beat its index is like looking for a needle in a haystack† (Distad, 2009). Distad's data shows that very few funds beat out the market over time. Further, he notes that many of these actively managed funds are highly unreliable in terms of their fidelity. 80% had performance history only going back a year, out of a random sample of almost 3500 funds! Investors need to construct their own portfolio, not just rely on mutual funds that have had a mixed record of success and have certainly suffered after events like Enron, WorldCom and the 2008 collapse. A ssets Chosen I chose two assets: Whole Foods (WFMI) and Nintendo (NTDOY.PK). I wanted to pick two assets, one of which was more of a growth asset and another which was an asset that produced products I was familiar with and that I knew something about the likely market response to. The goal for both was risk control first and growth second: That is, I wanted there to be a steadiness to the line, whether it was going horizontally or sloping upwards. I selected based off of a visual analysis of both companies over five years, then used iQfront's analysis to see what the statistics were, and was pleasantly surprised. Modern portfolio theory emphasizes that risk has to be measured based on the variance of the stock (Goetzmann, 2011). Indeed, the core idea is that a tangency line can be created that has a riskless asset used as a baseline for comparison where both risk-averse and risk-accepting investors could invest comfortably, a perfect middle ground (Goetzmann, 2011). But finding tha t perfect portfolio is difficult, because â€Å"a major difficulty in estimating an efficient frontier accurately is that errors grow as the number of assets increase. You cannot just dump all the means, std's and correlations for the world's assets into an optimizer and turn the crank† (Goetzmann, 2011). We will return to why analyzing risk this way is compelling since other forms of risk are so appallingly inaccurately determined (Danielsson, 2009). In any respect, while growth is easy to measure (just look at how it's