Blood Promise Prologue

Prologue Once when I was in ninth grade, I had to write a paper on a poem. One of the lines was, â€Å"If your eyes weren't open, you wouldn't know the difference between dreaming and waking.† It hadn't meant much to me at the time. After all, there'd been a guy in the class that I liked, so how could I be expected to pay attention to literary analysis? Now, three years later, I understood the poem perfectly. Because lately, my life really did seem like it was on the precipice of being a dream. There were days I thought I'd wake up and discover that recent events in my life hadn't actually happened. Surely I must be a princess in an enchanted sleep. Any day now, this dream-no, nightmare would end, and I'd get my prince and happy ending. But there was no happy ending to be found, at least not in the foreseeable future. And my prince? Well, that was a long story. My prince had been turned into a vampire-a Strigoi, to be specific. In my world, there are two kinds of vampires who exist in secrecy from humans. The Moroi are living vampires, good vampires who wield elemental magic and don't kill when seeking the blood they need to survive. Strigoi are undead vampires, immortal and twisted, who kill when they feed. Moroi are born. Strigoi are made-forcibly or by choice-through evil means. And Dimitri, the guy I loved, had been made a Strigoi against his will. He'd been turned during a battle, an epic rescue mission that I'd been part of as well. Strigoi had kidnapped Moroi and dhampirs from the school I attended, and we'd set out with others to save them. Dhampirs are half vampire and half-human-gifted with human strength and hardiness, and Moroi reflexes and senses. Dhampirs train to become guardians, the elite bodyguards who protect Moroi. That's what I am. That's what Dimitri had been. After his conversion, the rest of the Moroi world had considered him dead. And to a certain extent, he was. Those who were turned Strigoi lost all sense of the goodness and life they'd had before. Even if they hadn't turned by choice, it didn't matter. They would still become evil and cruel, just like all Strigoi. The person they'd been was gone, and honestly, it was easier to imagine them moving on to heaven or the next life than to picture them out stalking the night and taking victims. But I hadn't been able to forget Dimitri, or accept that he was essentially dead. He was the man I loved, the man with whom I'd been so perfectly in sync that it was hard to know where I ended and he began. My heart refused to let him go even if he was technically a monster, he was still out there somewhere. I also hadn't forgotten a conversation he and I had once had. We'd both agreed that we'd rather be dead-truly dead-than walk the world as Strigoi. And once I'd had my mourning time for the goodness he'd lost, I'd decided I had to honor his wishes. Even if he no longer believed in them. I had to find him. I had to kill him and free his soul from that dark, unnatural state. I knew it was what the Dimitri I had loved would have wanted. Killing Strigoi isn't easy, though. They're insanely fast and strong. They have no mercy. I'd killed a number of them already-pretty crazy for someone who was freshly eighteen. And I knew taking on Dimitri would be my greatest challenge, both physically and emotionally. In fact, the emotional consequences had kicked in as soon as I made my decision. Going after Dimitri had meant doing a few life-altering things (and that wasn't even counting the fact that fighting him could very likely result in the loss of my life). I was still in school, only a handful of months away from graduating and becoming a full-fledged guardian. Every day I stuck around at St. Vladimir's Academy-a remote, protected school for Moroi and dhampirs-meant one more day was going by in which Dimitri was still out there, living in the state he'd never wanted. I loved him too much to allow that. So I'd had to leave school early and go out among humans, abandoning the world I'd lived in nearly my entire life. Leaving had also meant abandoning one other thing-or rather, a person: my best friend, Lissa, also known as Vasilisa Dragomir. Lissa was Moroi, the last in a royal line. I'd been slated to be her guardian when we graduated, and my decision to hunt Dimitri had pretty much destroyed that future with her. I'd had no choice but to leave her. Aside from our friendship, Lissa and I had a unique connection. Each Moroi specializes in a type of elemental magic-earth, air, water, or fire. Until recently, we'd believed there were only those four elements. Then we'd discovered a fifth: spirit. That was Lissa's element, and with so few spirit users in the world, we hardly knew anything about it. For the most part, it seemed to be tied to psychic powers. Lissa wielded amazing compulsion-the ability to exert her will on almost anyone. She could also heal, and that's where things got a little strange between us. You see, I technically died in the car accident that killed her family. Lissa had brought me back from the world of the dead without realizing it, creating a psychic bond between us. Ever since then, I was always aware of her presence and thoughts. I could tell what she was thinking and feel when she was in trouble. We had also recently discovered I could see ghosts and spirits who hadn't yet left this world, something I found disconcerting and struggled to block out. The whole phenomenon was called being shadow-kissed. Our shadow-kissed bond made me the ideal choice to protect Lissa, since I would instantly know if she was in trouble. I'd promised to protect her my whole life, but then Dimitri-tall, gorgeous, fierce Dimitri-had changed it all. I'd been faced with that horrible choice: continue to protect Lissa or free Dimitri's soul. Choosing between them had broken my heart, leaving an ache in my chest and tears in my eyes. My parting with Lissa had been agonizing. We'd been best friends since kindergarten, and my departure was a shock for both of us. To be fair, she'd never seen it coming. I'd kept my romance with Dimitri a secret. He was my instructor, seven years older than me, and had been assigned to be her guardian as well. As such, he and I had tried hard to fight our attraction, knowing we had to focus on Lissa more than anything else and that we'd also get in a fair amount of trouble for our student-teacher relationship. But being kept from Dimitri-even though I'd agreed to it-had caused me to build up a lot of unspoken resentment toward Lissa. I probably should have talked to her about it and explained my frustration over having my entire life planned out. It didn't seem fair, somehow, that while Lissa was free to live and love however she wanted, I would always have to sacrifice my own happiness to ensure that she was protected. She was my best friend, though, and I couldn't bear the thought of upsetting her. Lissa was particularly vulnerable because using spirit had the nasty side effect of driving people insane. So I'd sat on my feelings until they finally exploded, and I left the Academy-and her-behind for good. One of the ghosts I'd seen-Mason, a friend who had been killed by Strigoi-had told me Dimitri had returned to his homeland: Siberia. Mason's soul had found peace and left this world shortly thereafter, without giving me any other clues about where in Siberia Dimitri might have gone. So I'd had to set out there blindly, braving a world of humans and a language I didn't know in order to fulfill the promise I'd made to myself. After a few weeks on my own, I had finally made it to Saint Petersburg. I was still looking, still floundering-but determined to find him, even though I dreaded it at the same time. Because if I really did pull this insane plan off, if I actually managed to kill the man I loved, it would mean Dimitri would truly be gone from the world. And I honestly wasn't sure I could go on in a world like that. None of it seems real. Who knows? Maybe it isn't. Maybe it's actually happening to someone else. Maybe it's something I imagined. Maybe soon I'm going to wake up and find everything fixed with Lissa and Dimitri. We'll all be together, and he'll be there to smile and hold me and tell me everything's going to be okay. Maybe all of this really has been a dream. But I don't think so.

Chinese philosophy Essay

On Earth we are pushed almost simultaneously in some sort of direction, opportunity, decision, etc. and when these situations present themselves we face dilemmas of how and why we should approach them in a certain manner according to moral precepts, short and long term goals, and societal constraints. The teachings of Taoism are an excellent if not perfect life guide for these dealings, because the Tao, or â€Å"the way†, can be thought in terms of a form of enlightenment or remedy for the humanly ways of this world. The Tao upholds the natural proof that life is of the utmost importance and the most valued possession in life is intrinsically itself. In this supreme experience of life we face constant movement for advancement of self and quality of life by technology and mentality, yet the Tao gestures a content and simple life where these â€Å"improvements† aren’t the strives we need to be making. The orchestrator of Taoism himself, Lao Tzu, it was said, â€Å"the greatest Virtue is to follow the Tao and Tao alone† (Tzu 10) which states of the Tao’s incomparability to life’s other moral and spiritual modules. Throughout this paper I will divulge the in the functions of simplicity and humbleness professed in Taoism as well as the utility of the Tao in nearly every aspect of life. History and Beginnings of Taoism Taoism is believed to have started in the 6th century B. C. E. by a former government worker who maintained the royal archives during the reign of the Chou Dynasty. That keeper of the royal archives was named Lao Tzu and he became dreary from his work so left his occupation to pursue a different calling out west. It is speculated that upon his departure from the confines of China, a guard watching the border asked him to record all of his wisdom before he passed. With this incentive Lao Tzu sat down and wrote the Tao Te Ching, which was his only known work summing up to roughly 5,000 words and spoke of in depth of the manner of the Tao and how it correlates to us, this life, and the world. It was Tzu’s only work (which some scholars dispute it was other sages compiling together and not one entity, Lao Tzu) whereupon he was never seen or recorded again. With this Taoism was born. To understand the method of the Tao it needs to be understood what the Tao reflects and what the Tao is because that is the essence of the Tao, it just is. Essentially the Tao is the natural order and true way of life, it is an ultimately indescribable yet definable through guidelines and the teachings written by Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu even said in the first lines of the Tao Te Ching, â€Å" The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao† , signifying that telling and learning of the Taoism is not genuine Tao because the Tao has to be lived and found out personally from person to person. â€Å" Daoist ideas[consist of ] the ecstatic journey, physical immortality, sexual yoga, and in particular the aspiration to harmonize human life with the way of nature†, here we see a connection to individual life and becoming one being of nature through this â€Å"ecstatic journey†, which is simple bliss in our voyage through time on this earth. While were here on planet Earth we aren’t really making the best out of it but rather coming to the realization that inherently this life is the best in the way it is. This simplicity is the vitality of our life, we need to let the roots of the real planet take over our life, and not submit to contaminated constraints of society or contemporary lifestyles for, â€Å"he is detached, thus at one with all† where â€Å"he† is detached from societal conformity and thinking and one with all the underlying truth of the world. Intrinsically this universal way to life, that is the Tao, is perfect and flawless from times of sorrow to times of joy because like the Yin and Yang symbol from ancient Chinese culture in life should be in accordance and equilibrium with the natural way of things. Taken as a whole the doctrine of the Tao is to combine with your original and eternal ancestry with this earth and just be. As I have mentioned the Tao is oriented around the union of our individual life and the eternal, ever-constant (in principle), and natural way of the earth. In the marriage of life and the way, the component that we are in control of( and I say control with care because the Tao is not about control or absoluteness it’s about harmony and being taken up with your world) is our personal life and personality. This life right here and now is so important it gets taken for granted and disregarded so often due to the unnatural ways society pushes us. Without this life we wouldn’t have anything, any reality, any fun or depression, no anything. For this basic reason alone our time here in this existence, our life, is our ultimate possession in this life is this life. The opportunity to live purely and purposefully with the planet’s path is what our existence is about is what the Tao Te Ching brings to light and from this truth it can be derived that our life is the our best achievement. A very prominent message that resounds throughout the Tao Te Ching and principles of Taoism is the importance of keeping life basic and rudimentary in operation. This does not mean you are a buffoon and you should do nothing, but interpreted to common language lifestyles should be basic and not enthused by complicated thinking, personality, and actions. Science is a big discrepancy with the Taoist thought pattern, a Tao sage wouldn’t advocate for improvement in sciences. Yet with this in mind, â€Å"Taoists were often scientists of China. Theirs was a different conception of science, based not on the exploration of the underlying laws of phenomena, but on the observation of the behavior of animals, plants, the elements, and the heavens. †, more of a mild consideration for the reality around us and how it corresponds to the natural way things are and how we play a part in it as individuals. When we follow the flow of the Tao we are in sync with nature’s ever pure intentions and a simplistic life separated from convoluted ideals and standards set by humans to live by. To satisfy the Tao we have realized we should not strive for things, material or spiritual, but allow this essence of the world to become us by living in an effortless way. There is a self-gratification to simple living, â€Å" Lao Tzu rejected scientific and technological progress†¦ he wrote that content people enjoy the labor of their hands and don’t waste time inventing labor-saving machines† where we are content and reap the benefits of our work to thrive in unison with the world. In this manner of simplicity life is lived how it was meant to be lived. Tantamount in importance for Taoism is dissent from popularity and splendor in your life. If we are to be simple beings in unity with nature then we should not be crowding our heads with egoistical beliefs that our own supremacy is important. In the grand scheme of this planet we are a miniscule part but a part nonetheless, one who should surrender to the natural course of the world. â€Å"The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return. They grow and flourish and then return to source†, as explained by Lao Tzu we go about our business with highs and lows of attitude, status, and life in general but always return to the basis source where we originated from, and so we should avoid trying to raise up and improve because it is unnatural and we will just return to the basis anyway. This life’s peak is unattainable because it is not part of this journey, we shouldn’t even try to achieve the high of our live through improvement of self because we are meant to be simple and just the way we are. To just be as a basic being is to be perfectly purposeful. Our time here on this planet is to accept that the way of the world is the Tao and is the force we adhere, it is the ultimate answer to our world. We live here and now to follow the Tao and be content with our life as it is the most important thing we harbor. It is a basic life but that’s more than okay, we should have a life of no achievements because those could lead ultimately to downfalls and an unnatural course in our life going against the Tao of the world. Always unimportance in ourselves is key if we are to live harmoniously with this planet. Simplicity all around and submitting to the underlying but truly eternal and ultimate flow of the Tao is our purpose here and now, just be, no adjustments, just being. Works Cited Clarke, J. J. The Tao of the West: Western Transformations of Taoist Thought. New York, NewYork: Routledge, 2000. Print Goffman, Ken, Joy, Dan. Counter Culture Through The Ages: From Abraham to Acid House. New York, U. S. A. : Villard Books, 2004. Print Tzu, Lao. Tao Te Ching. China:np,nd. Print Welch, Holmes. Taoism The Parting of the Way. Toronto, Canada: Beacon Paperback, 1966. Print. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Sages, are wise teacher-like people regarded with high level experience and wisdom of the world and its ways. [ 2 ]. The Yin and Yang is a symbol resonating with ancient Chinese philosophy that represent the natural opposites such as dark and light, innovation and conservation, masculine and feminine, as they occur and have to be in balance and coexistence with one another.

The Buddha Image: A Foundation for Attachment

Madeline Brisbane Buddhism Course Assignment 11/16/11 The Buddha Image: A Foundation for Attachment According to Freedburg, the author of The Power of Images, a figure resembling human form â€Å"enables the reconstitution of life† and makes â€Å"the absent present and the dead alive† (p. 11)1. An image preserves the aura of the person it resembles, and therefore allows for an eternal essence to remain after death. Within the realm of Buddhism, images of the Buddha serve a wide variety of spiritual and practical purposes. For some, keeping a Buddha image in their home is a sign of respect.Others find it comforting and peaceful to look at a Buddha image. In some parts of the world, specifically Southeast Asia, the Buddha image is a symbol of supernatural power and protection, and is essential to the efficacy of rituals. If a ritual fails to succeed in the absence of a Buddha image, then there must be an interdependency between images and ritualistic success. And if an i nterdependency exists, then the entire concept contradicts the Buddha's teaching of non-attachment because the ritual becomes attached to the presence of a Buddha image.Through an analysis of he origins and evolution of the use of Buddha images and relics in Southeast Asia, it would appear that an obsession with the presence of a Buddha image has emerged, conflicting with Buddha's teaching about non-attachment. As the second Noble Truth states, attachment is the origin of suffering. Therefore, to foster an interdependency between images and ritualistic success would go against the most fundamental values of Buddhism.In order to maintain the most basic ideals of Buddhism, the Buddha image must only serve as a reminder of the Buddha's presence rather than s a necessary component of practicing rituals effectively. To image the Buddha is not a modern concept; the Buddha must have always been imagined through stories, myths, and symbols. However, there are many legends surrounding the or igins or the first Buddha image. The most relevant theory regarding the original Buddha image to Southeast Asia is the story of the sandalwood statue.The story appears in many Buddhist texts that emerged over time throughout Asia. Most relevant to Southeast Asia is the Pali text from Sri Lanka recounted in the Kosala-Bimba-Vannana. In ummary, the story claims that after King Pasanedi of Kosala arrived to the Jetavana monastery to visit the Buddha only to find the Buddha away on a Journey, he leaves in disappointment. He returns later and tells the Buddha that to he would like to â€Å"have an image made in the likeness of the Tathagata†¦ for the benefit of the whole world. 2 The Buddha then adds that those who build an image of the Buddha will â€Å"accrue a great, immeasurable, incalculable benefit. â€Å"3 Upon seeing the gilded, yellow- robed statue, with the Buddha's teaching inscribed into the statue, the Buddha xpands on the praiseworthy benefits ot making Buddha image s . These benefits include avoiding rebirth into Buddhist hells; being reborn into wealthy families; and eventually attaining enlightenment. Within the statue, the dharma and the Buddha image are â€Å"cohesively conjoined. 4From this ancient tale, it is clear that the first Buddha image was built based on the kings desire to feel the presence of the Buddha even when he was not physically present. The need to feel the Buddha's presence has survived thousands of years, as many Buddhists still cherish the Buddha image as a reminder of his prevailing presence. Despite the non-theistic nature of early Buddhism, the dedication that followers of the path have to keeping Buddha images around illustrates that they worshipped and continue to worship the Buddha greatly.They cherish the notion of feeling the Buddha's presence at all times. The Theravada branch of Buddhism exemplifies the extent to which the Buddha's presence is valued by followers of the path. As Theravada ascended into South east Asia from Sri Lanka after the eleventh century B. C. E. , vernacular traditions ecame increasingly popular. In nature, Theravada Buddhism worships the historical model of the Buddha as a superhuman capable of miraculous deeds.Relics were therefore treasured as objects of magical power that allowed an â€Å"actual physical connection to the Buddha† because they were either part of the Buddha's body or came into physical contact with it. 5 Because it became impossible to exist in the presence of the Buddha in his physical form after his death, inserting a relic into an image became a way to restore the physical presence of the Buddha. In doing so, he image would supposedly provide protection against evil forces. However, when the Buddha image is revered for its supernatural protective strength, the Buddha image becomes a controversial concept.It seems that the more recent traditions of magical expectation and anticipation associated with Buddha images and relics has caused a shift away from the historical emphasis on the original monastic view of high moral responsibility and spiritual practice. Instead of following one's own karmic duties of doing good in order to receive good or trusting one's own ability to practice ituals successfully the old-fashioned way, the presence of the Buddha image during ritual has turned into a necessity for many Buddhists.If the presence of a Buddha image is necessary for rituals to work properly, then there has to an interdependency between the Buddha image and ritualistic success. Western scholar Donald Swearer, author of Becoming the Buddha, argues that â€Å"the Buddha must be†¦ present for the ritual to be efficacious for the dhamma to flourish, and for the sangha to prosper. † Moreover, scholar David Eckel makes the point that â€Å"people experience mental nguish when they cannot see the Buddha. 6 Wouldn't the creation of images therefore foster an attachment between humans and objects?This correlat ion between the Buddha image and the effectiveness of rituals, the dharma, and the sangha makes the Buddha image a very powerful entity. There is even an association between kings and material symbols of the Buddha, particularly relics and images. There is a Thai custom of swearing allegiance to the king in front of the Emerald Buddha image; the Buddha image can therefore be seen as a symbol of power and not Just a representation of the Buddha. Furthermore, the Buddha image is presently interpreted as a sign of respect and a way for devotees to make merit; â€Å"the Buddha's field of merit is operative†¦ hrough his continued post-Nibbana presence in his relics and images. â€Å"7 It Buddha images currently tunction as a means to validate the effectiveness of rituals and to make merit, then there is an undeniable interdependency between the Buddha image and the success of rituals as an expression of religious devotion, and therefore an attachment between the two. Due to the fa ct that non-attachment is one of the most fundamental values established ithin Buddhism, to classify the Buddha image as a necessity would be to diverge from Buddhism altogether.In simpler terms, to be dependent on the Buddha image is to form an attachment with it, and to form an attachment is to defy the basic ideals of Buddhism. Thus, the evolution of the Buddha image as a means of preserving the Buddha's presence into an entity that is necessary for the proper execution of rituals and spiritual success, then we can no longer categorize this concept as an appropriate element of Buddhism. The Four Noble truths are the essence of the Buddhist path, and to defy them is to defy Buddhism altogether.

Feminism in Anne Bradstreets Poems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Feminism in Anne Bradstreets Poems - Essay Example Through poems, poets express their deepest feelings and thoughts, about the personal, social and political situations of their times. In the past, it was considered that only men are capable of writing poetry, as it takes guts and courage to express the bold and revolutionary thoughts, ideas and feelings openly. Hence, when a woman living in the 17th century, used poetry as a medium to express her deepest and the darkest fears, agonies, hopes and dreams, then it left an unforgettable mark in the history of poetry. The woman who left an indelible mark in the world of literature through her poems which mirrored her deep sentiments and protest against the Puritan ways that restricted women from living a free and respectable life, was Anne Bradstreet (Martin, â€Å"An American† 5). When Anne Bradstreet’s poems were reclaimed by American woman writer in 1960’s, then her free thinking and her feelings about woman’s position in the society, made her to be known a s a feminist poet (Frost 117). However, feminism in Anne Bradstreet’s poetry was not expressed boldly and ‘loudly’, but was visible in a subtle way through language that was socially acceptable, polished and pious in nature. Even though Anne Bradstreet was a free thinker and believed in equality of women, it can be said that in initial part of her life, feminism was visible more in her intellectual curiosity about God and her bold spiritual quest (which was not expected of women in her time), than through an outright reference to women’s freedom and equality in her poems. However, when she sensed rejection and suppression of her art by people, due to her being a female, then the feminist in her was awakened. Hence, it won’t be wrong to say that it was the love and passion of her art that awakened the feminist in Anne Bradstreet, and made her to revolt against the Puritan restrictions and limitations forced on women in her time. Feminist At Heart Wom en who are well aware of their rights and fight against the cruel and selfish behavior of men towards them are called as feminists. However, rather than showing her opposition and revolt in her actions and poetry, Anne Bradstreet chose to express her true feelings in mild ways which were in sync with the Puritan America and social standards of her time (Frost 117). Hence, feminism in Anne Bradstreet’s poetry was expressed in subtle ways initially. Rather than writing about her experience of the external world and what she felt and knew about it, Anne Bradstreet’s poetry was a way of escapism from the reality of her life (Rich xiv). She avoided using her personal life experiences as a subject of her poems. It was not common for women of her time (Puritan) to think of anything apart from her limited world of her family, husband, children, household chores and duties (Rich xiv). ‘Independence’ of women was considered a ‘prideful monster’ in the P uritan doctrines (Martin, â€Å"Shakespeare’s Sisters† 19). However, Anne Bradstreet was an educated and very well read woman (Rich xi). She was intellectually aware and gained knowledge about the subjects like theology, history and literature (Rich xi). This made her to show curiosity about the topics which were considered the domain of men and hence, she got the reputation of being a modern woman who had spirit to go beyond the limited world that was forced on women of her time (Rich xvi). Hence, her thinking ability and the spirit to go

The Coursework is concerned with the new coalition Government's Essay

The Coursework is concerned with the new coalition Government's Localism Bill, a major piece of legislation that will affect a - Essay Example The fact is, a planning process determines who can construct and what they can construct as well as how and where that construction can be conducted. This report will identify the main planning contents of the Localism Bill, provide an analysis of the Bill’s impact on the chief stakeholders impacted by the proposed planning reforms and provide an appraisal of the winners and losers should the Bill become law. Finally, this report having identified the key planning contents of the Bill, stakeholder interests and winners and losers, a list of recommendations for achieving the Bill’s purpose will be provided. A. The Proposed Planning Procedures under the Localism Bill The Department for Communities and Local Government reports that the planning provisions of the Localism Bill is designed to â€Å"make the planning system clearer, more democratic, and more effective†.1 The first step in that direction is the abrogation of regional focus which are currently strategize d to identify parts of England and Wales that require new development. This includes targeting specific areas which have been identified by the central government. Local communities and their populations have very little input with respect to these strategies. The government has determined that regional strategies is not only â€Å"bureaucratic†, but also â€Å"undemocratic†.2 Part 5 of the Localism Bill 2010 will therefore set out to abrogate regional strategies.3 Part 5 of the Localism Bill also intends to address the current planning framework’s instructive and dictator approach by introducing neighbourhood planning.4 In other words, rather than being told by the Government what should be built and where and â€Å"how they should look,† the Localism Bill will confer upon communities the right to compose its own â€Å"neighbourhood development plan†.5 Local populations are at liberty to vote by virtue of referendum on a neighbourhood development plan if it is consistent with the country’s policy for planning and the â€Å"strategic vision for the wider area by the local authority and with other legal requirements†.6 This immediately invites questions as to whether local populations are qualified to make this kind of determination. Should the majority choose a neighbourhood development plan that is inconsistent with the country’s policy, the law, or the local authority’s vision for the wider area, the neighbourhood is ultimately left with no neighbourhood plan and will have to plan and vote all over again. A lot of time can be wasted this way and will defeat the purpose of the planning provisions under the Localism Bill relative to saving time in the planning process. Although the Localism Bill requires that local planning official lend technical support to neighbourhoods in planning their neighbourhood’s development, there is no guarantee that this support will be accepted or understood. I n addition, individual minds may be made up and no amount of advice and support will change those minds. The community’s right to build is also a novel idea and will only provide for neighbourhood development. Under Part 5 of the Localism Bill, individual groups will have the opportunity to put forth smaller development projects. These projects can include businesses, shops and dwelling houses. All benefits deriving from these projects will remain within the community.7 Part 5 of

Marketing strategy 4Ps of luxury brands and mass-market brands Essay

Marketing strategy 4Ps of luxury brands and mass-market brands - Essay Example Hence, we saw businesses catering to a specific group of people sharing similar characteristics than catering to the needs and wants for the general heterogeneous and diverse people. This way their strategies and focus would only be on a specific group, which would consequently lead to effective strategies and results. For instance, Burberry moved up-market and focused only on the first class society. Whereas, Abercrombie & Fitch targeted the middle class people and teenagers. Not only this, but we saw many businesses expanding their size of operations by going across the borders. An appropriate example of this would be Abercrombie & Fitch opening their first shop in Hong Kong in 2012, and extending their operations to the Asian market as well. Now, we are going to go to the next slide which will explicitly compare and contrast the marketing mix of the four companies named: Burberry, Coach, Next, and A&F. As you can see, the first row shows the price comparisons of these companies. The price strategy for Burberry and Coach is to provide the luxurious goods at high prices i.e. expensive and grandiose image. On the other hand, A&F and Nexts price strategy ranges from high to medium prices respectively. The second row deals with the product strategy for each business. We are going to discuss each one by one. First is Burberry. Burberrys product strategy is to provide high quality designer garments, and to diverse in its product portfolio which contains shoes, bags, and fragrances apart from the garments. It is most famous for its trench coats. Second is Coach. Coachs product strategy is similar to the Burberrys except for the fact that it focuses on leather goods such as handbags, wallets, briefcases and luggage. High quality and diversification is the product strategy. Next we have "Next". Its product strategy differs from the first two. It does not aim for high quality "pricy" luxurious goods. Instead,

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Research - Essay Example The common characteristics of all social networks are the provision rather the requirement of making a profile that usually demands some personal information including contact information. A national survey conducted by the American Life Project in collaboration with the Pew research center (as cited in Lenhart & Madded, 2007), revealed that more than half of the teenagers, aged between 12 and 17 years of age regularly use online social networking. A technology being used at such a rate definitely would be having some effects on the lifestyle of its users. According to Pew Internet (cited in Chartier, 2009), a survey in 2008 revealed that the ratio of adult versus teen users of online social networks is 1:2. Teenagers form a group almost double in size to that of adults comprising social network users. Such findings lead to the speculation that adults and teenagers might have different opinions regarding the usability, security issues, productivity and impacts of social networking on one’s life. This study aims at identifying and presenting the differences in opinion that exist among adults and teenagers regarding the usage of online social networking. The main objective is to explore the areas of perceptions regarding online social networking in which the two age groups differ. Different surveys conducted by Pew Internet in 2007 and 2008 have revealed that teenagers use online social networking twice as much as adults do. Keeping in view these striking differences, it is speculated that opinion differences regarding the usage of online social networking might also be prevalent among the two groups. This study is an attempt to reveal such perceptional differences among the two age groups. It is hoped that it will contribute eventually in bridging these opinion gaps among the two groups. If the findings are utilized properly, the study can lead in spreading proper awareness about

Tort law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tort law - Essay Example In fact, a number of critics have advocated for an amendment of this law. In its general statement, there is no absolute obligation of an individual to a duty, but there is a duty not to cause harm. This article will focus on the general application of this law, as well as the various exceptions that are provided. The tort law is used to govern the actions of ordinary persons or professionals that can cause harm to those under their care. The tort law is usually applied to defend the right of an individual who suffers injury as a result of breach of duty by their caretaker. In the court, this is accomplished through financial compensation or an injunction. Financial compensation means that the injured person is compensated with money that is perceived to be equivalent to the damage or injury that they incurred. Injunction refers to the stoppage of an unfair act that causes harm to the subject. The person who is placing such a suit is called the plaintiff, while the sued person is ref erred to as the defendant (Lunney& Oliphant, 2008). This law is characterized by a number of elements. First, an element of duty or responsibility must be evident. For example, the nurses in a hospital have a duty to ensure that all the beds used by patients are comfortable and in order. Secondly, the element of negligence must exist. Negligence refers to the failure to implement the expected duties hence causing harm to the plaintiff. A good example is when a nurse fails to check the condition of a bed and it breaks down resulting in an injury to a patient. In such a case, it is obvious that the patient suffered injuries because the nurse failed to conduct their duties as expected (Lunney& Oliphant, 2008). Therefore, the implementation of this law requires that it is proven beyond doubt that the Offedant had a duty to offer care to the plaintiff but breached this duty. Also, there must exist a causative relationship between the damage and the negligent action. This means that the l aw only qualifies if the damage was a result of the breach of duty. Hence, the judge needs to establish that all these elements are present in the case before passing any judgment. In professional application, negligence refers to the failure to act in accordance with the set standards of the duties of a competent practitioner. For instance, the doctors must meet the set professional standards in medical practice. If any harm results from compromise of set standards, then the doctor would be liable (Lunney& Oliphant, 2008). In comparison to the Saudi law, the Tort English law is more efficient in defending the subjects of injury or damage. This is because it gives the plaintiff a privilege to act as an adequate witness in court. The major drawback in Saudi law is that the plaintiff is not allowed to testify. The subjects of the case are regarded as unreliable and biased witnesses. Therefore, the plaintiff is allowed only to provide written allegations before the court. On the other hand, the defendant is allowed to defend themselves orally. This is a disadvantage for the plaintiff as the Saudi law puts more weight on oral testimony than on written allegations. A good example is a case in Saudi court that involved a British citizen who had visited Saudi on vacation. He suffered a spinal injury as a result of being hit by an overgrown Coral while sitting on a wooden platform. The plaintiff lost the case. Other disadvantages in Saudi courts are lack

CEO Pay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CEO Pay - Essay Example The average CEO of a Standard & Poor's 500 company made $11.75 million in total compensation in 2005, according to a preliminary analysis by The Corporate Library. And that's just their annual take. At a time when most working families are looking at shrinking retirement nest eggs, many CEOs also have negotiated golden retirements for themselves3. The Top 6 companies noted to have offered the biggest compensation packages to their CEOs includes: Pfizer, Exxon Mobile, AT&T, IBM and Home Depot Inc, this is according to the recently published in AFL-CIO, America/s Union Movement. But how are CEOs being compensated We may ask. According to CNN/Money Staff writer Jake Ulick, these days, few corporate executives are doing the same despite a stretch of falling profits, rising job cuts and sinking stock prices. But a small dose of sobriety has emerged as companies reveal how they compensated their top executives last year. After enjoying a $17 million bonus in 2001 (Ulick. 2003), Sandy Weill, chief executive of Citigroup Inc. (C: Research, Estimates), took no bonus last year, when company shares fell 30.3 percent. The CEO of Eli Lilly (LLY: Research, Estimates), Sydney Taurel, earned a symbolic $1 salary in 2002 and was given options to buy 350,000 Lilly shares if they rise some 29 percent. The CEO of Oracle (ORCL: Research, Estimates), who took stock options but no salary and bonus last year (Ulick. 2003). Median executive compensation fell by 10.1 percent last year to $7.3 million, according to Equilar, which analyzed 161 proxies from Standard & Poor's 500 comp anies submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission. But the figures from Equilar, a compensation research firm, also showed that median salaries plus bonus actually rose 3.7 percent to $1.56 million in 2002, after subtracting the value of stock option and restricted stock grants (Ulick. 2003). Thus shows how the executive are paid.Another survey concurred. The highest-paid U.S. executives received a 5.9 percent increase in total cash compensation last year, according to the Executive Compensation Index. The figures, from the Economic Research Institute, found that executive compensation grew faster than annual company revenue, which rose 0.89 percent in 2002 (Ulick. 2003). CEOs running 100 of the USA's biggest companies pulled in median 2002 compensation of $33.4 million, essentially unchanged from 2001, based on an exclusive database analysis by USA TODAY and the Investor Responsibility Research Center, a corporate-governance watchdog. Conclusions say that CEO salaries and bonuses surged 15% in a year salaries for rank-and-file workers averaged 3.2% gains; that Instead of stock options, many companies gave CEOs large blocks of restricted shares, less risky equity stakes. Among 36% of CEOs receiving them, the median value was $2.9 million; that More than 90% received fresh stock-option grants, with a median potential value of $23.2 million while nearly one-third pulled in compensation valued at $50 million or more. Even at companies where pay fell, pay packages remained large. PepsiCo CEO Steve Reinemund's pay package fell 62%, but was a still-impressive $76.5 million (Strauss & Hansen. 2003) Economists have determined that not only is there a strong statistical link between firm performance and executive compens

Australian Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Australian Business Law - Essay Example Peter has $5,000 in his savings and intends to use this to purchase a state of the art bicycle and textbooks. Peter searches the internet for online bicycle stores as he had heard that you can have a good deal of second hand bicycles online. Peter finds a good selection on tourbikes.com.au (Tour bikes). The bicycle he finds is described as follows. â€Å"This is one of the most sought after bicycles we currently have in stock. It is the same model that was used by Cadel Evans when he won tour de france, a cadel evans â€Å"GF†. This model is in short supply in the second hand market and presents a rare opportunity for purchasers. This bicycle has been completely restored and refurbished. There are new tyres and new chain. The seat is extremely comfortable and comes in a dashing green colour. This bike is joy to ride. $6,000. Payment is due upon delivery† Peter really wants to purchase this bicycle but doesn’t have sufficient amount of money for the same and his t extbooks. Peter wants to know a little more about the bicycle, so he telephones the owner and sole proprietor of tourbikes, sally. Peter asks what it means in the advert that it has been â€Å"restored and refurbished†. Sally responds that: â€Å"That means that we have ensured that the frame of the bicycle is sound and has been repainted. It also includes replacement of gears and replacement of any damaged spokes.† Peter thanks sally and immediately email tour bikes the following information. â€Å"I would like to purchase the Cadell Evans GF that is advertised for sale on your website. I believe that a second hand is only worth $4,000 at best. Please advice if you are willing to sell to me the bicycle for this amount via email by close of business tomorrow. I would also like you to arrange for immediate delivery.† Immediately, Burt a middle aged cycling enthusiast has also seen the bike advertised for sale at tour bikes website. He is a Cadell Evans fan and al so emails tour bikes at the same time that Peter does. â€Å" I want to buy the Cadell Evans GF that has been listed. I will pay you $5,000† Sally reads the emails as soon as they enter the inbox and replies to Burt’s only. â€Å"Thank you for your interest in our product, the Cadell Evans restored bicycle. I cannot sell that amazing bicycle for that little. However, I will accept $5,500† Burt does not respond until 4pm the following day â€Å"Thank you for your response but I don’t think the bike is worth that much. I am no longer interested.† Sally really needs to sell the bike. She has an outstanding account with her creditors and needs to make a payment of $4,000 within the next few days otherwise she runs the risk of the bank foreclosing on her mortgage. Sally checks the time and it is 4:30pm and notes that she still has 30mins before close of business. She emails peter. â€Å"Thank you for your interest in our product. The Cadell Evans resto red bicycle. I will sell the bike to you at $4,000. I have organized immediate delivery. Payment of $4,000 is due upon delivery as specified.† The email enters Peter’s inbox at 4:45pm, (15 minutes to Closure of Business). Meanwhile, Peter is on orientation camp at the University and does not have access to his email for a period of three days. When peter returns home and checks his email, he sees an email from Sally. Peter emails Sally saying that he is sorry and he is no longer interested in buying the bicycle. He no longer wants to buy such a good bicycle for his courier job as he has just heard

Function of Storytelling Essay Example for Free

Function of Storytelling Essay The novel Atonement by Ian MCewan and the short story â€Å"The Things They Carried† by Tom OBrien both employ storytelling as a form of redemption. This is achieved in each text through the narrators freedom to manipulate the content and truth of the narrative in order to amend past wrongs and to imagine a more comforting, alternate reality. In Atonement, the narrator , Briony uses her literal imagination to alter the story of her life in hope to seek redemption for past actions with great consequence, while the narrator in Tim OBriens â€Å"The Things They Carried† tells and retells his version of the memory to help it become real. Both narratives show storytelling to be a possible healing process. P1-First step to redemption is to admit the reason for your deception. A novels allows narrator to confess the motive behind his/her sin. Briony initial stage towards redemption is by confessing the dangers of interpretation. quote- To herâ€Å"reading a sentence and understanding it were the same thing; as with the crooking of a finger, nothing between them. There was no gap during which symbols were unravelled†(37) -quote shows Brionys belief in the ease of interpretation which leads her to jump to conclusions she can never change. The blame for the tragedy is not only due to Brionys misinterpretation of events , but the misguided nature of interperation provided by books. â€Å"The Things They Carried† -The narrator describes the difficult conditions of war by describing the emotional and physical baggage they carry. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried the love letters from Martha. These horrible conditions forced Lieutenant cross to day dream about Martha which lead to Ted Lavenders death. -quote:told they carry â€Å"pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatchesand two or three canteens of water† which weigh â€Å" between 15 and 20 pounds†(241). -quote allows the reader to feel the overwhelming weight of being a soldier, which words cant simply explain. The narrator demonstrates the reasoning for Lieutenant crosss daydreaming as a way to escape from chaos of Vietnam war. P2-Using storytelling another step towards redemption is taken by characters revealing repentance by punishing themselves for their wrong doing (reveal repentance/remorse) -briony becomes a nurse and turns away Cambridge. She writes about the hard work she does as a nurse. quote: â€Å"Whatever skivvying or humble nursing she did and however well or hard she did it, whatever illumination in tutorial she had relinquished ,or lifetime moment on a college lawn, she would never undo the damage. She was unforgivable† -Lieutenant Jimmy burns Marthas letter and pictures, thus destroying his distracting fantasy in order to become a true soldier -quote: â€Å"Lavender was dead. You couldnt burn the blame† -Something is missing in explanation. How can I tie in that acts of remorse both did not make amends. P3-Novel is attempt by narrators to erase the wrong he/she did. The outcome of redemption differs for each narrator. -Briony alters the ending of the ending of the story in hope to seek redemption but does not achieve it because quote: â€Å"The problem of these fifty-nine years has been this:how can a novelist achieve atonement when, with her absolute power of deciding outcomes, she is also God? There is no one , no entity of higher form that she can appeal to, or be reconciled with, or that can forgive her† -No matter how many times she rewrites the story she will never receive Robbie and Cecile’s forgiveness. She cant achieve self forgiveness because no alternate ending that she imagines will replace the true ending. -The only way Briony will end her guilt is when her memory fails and she dies. (disease) -Narrator for â€Å"The Things They Carried† achieves redemption for Ted Lavenders death because storytelling allows the memories of Ted Lavender to stay alive. -Storytelling enables the narrators memories to be shaped and rearranged in order to make sense of past events and make them real -The narrator achieves redemption for Ted Lavenders death by storytelling because each time the story is told or retold the soldiers in the Alpha Company are being given a new life each time by the reader. -quote:At first, we learn â€Å"he was shot and killed outside Than Khe† (OBrien 241) and gradually learn â€Å"Ted Lavender was shot in the head on his way back from peeing† (OBrien 246).

Dangling Wires and Meatworks Poetry Essay Example for Free

Dangling Wires and Meatworks Poetry Essay Through the medium of poetry, composers are able to powerfully convey ideas and express personal opinions of the world around them. Robert Gray, an Australian poet who is known for his effective use of visual imagery, clearly evokes ideas and express personal concerns of ‘Global warming’ ‘sacrafice’ His incorporation of explicit language techniques, such as diction further accentuates his perspective towards the world around us. Flames, Dangling wires and Meatworks are a great examples of how Gray uses language devices to powerfully voice his opinions. Gray is a poet with many opinions and ideas to express, he effectively puts these ideas through poetry. One of Grays many influential poems Flames, dangling wires is a great example of how he conveys his ideas and opinions in his poetry. Flames, dangling wires is a poem about a filthy dump tip that is always burning in front of a city. Gray describes the dump as a cause of our actions. In this poem Gray has effectively uses sensory imagery. â€Å"The smell is huge, blasting the mouth dry† A technique used in this text is sensory imagery which triggers our taste buds. The word blasting is the most noticeable word in this text, blasting is an uncommon word to describe a smell, it is unexpected. Gray is trying to say that there are no words to describe the smell, Gray’s intentions on using the word blasting is to disgust us and so that we understand more clearly on the situation. Throughout the poem gray is describing in detail how sickening the dump tip is, as we reach the end of them poem Gray discuses about the consequences from our actions. â€Å"This is how it shall be after the men have gone. † He is saying that the mess we make is not going away and that it is stuck with us forever. Gray is known for a lot of poems, his poems talk about danger, global warming, and in this case doing what it takes to provide for loved ones, Meatworks. Meatworks is a poem about a hardworking man and his wife moving to a place but they are tight on money but in order too keep his place he is forced to work in an abattoir, but doesnt seem to enjoy it. In this poem Gray repeatedly and effectively describes the environment he’s in by using techniques such sensory imagery â€Å"Where concrete gutters crawled off heavily, and the hot, fertilizer thick, sticky stench of blood sent flies mad† . This ext has many techniques in it, the most effective technique used in this text is sensory imagery, Gray has effectively applied this technique in the line â€Å"The hot, fertilizer thick, sticky stench of blood sent flies mad† this sensory imagery immediately disgust us, planting a disturbing image in our heads. Flies are known to be around rotten food so when Gray added â€Å"sent flies mad† we have an idea of the imagery and can sort of imagine the smell. The text makes the audience understand that the abattoir is not a pleasant place to work at, and really demonstrates the sacrifice the man is giving to provide for his family. Gray is making us understand the sacrifice some people make everyday to provide for their loved ones. To conclude with, it is without doubt that Robert Gray clearly evokes his opinions and ideas on the world around him through his poetry. Opinions including social decline and global warming issues and that he effectively uses imagery in his poems Flames, dangling wire and Meatworks. It is also evident that gray brings issues concerning society and that what we do will eventually catch on to us.

The United Kingdoms Tourism Industry

The United Kingdoms Tourism Industry The United Kingdom is one of Europes most influential countries. The United Kingdom is a sovereign state positioned near the north-western coast of continental Europe (Appendix 1), comprising of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The UK is one of the 27 member states of the European Union and is spread across about 243,000 sq. km (about 94000 sq. miles). The UK has the worlds seventh largest economy by nominal GDP and eight largest economy by purchasing power parity. It was the worlds first industrialized country Mathias (2001). Tourism is one of the foremost industries in the UK size wise. According to statistics by Wikipedia, the UK is the worlds 7th biggest tourist attraction behind France, USA, China, Spain, Italy and Turkey, with approximately 29.2 million visiting in 2011. In 2011 15.3 million visitors spent time in London with an estimated spending of over  £9.4bn that represents 52% of all inbound visitor spending calculated by VisitBritain in 2011. (Appendix 2) It is predicted that UK tourism could grow to  £188b within the next decade that is 60% by 2020 and the number of jobs related to tourism could increase 264,000 to 2.89 million, according to VisitBritain. Recently however, the UK tourism industry though having a great potential of growing faces some challenges and a serious competition from other most visited tourist destinations. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: UK tourism industry can easily be analysed critically with the help of Michael Porters five forces model. Porter in his five forces model refers to an organization but can be applied to a certain industry via which we can determine the competitive strength and weaknesses of that particular organization/industry. (Appendix 3) PORTERS 5 FORCES: Porters five forces include: THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS: When it comes to tourism, people want to explore new fascinating countries and that is why new entrants catch the attention of travelers. The UK tourism industry faces threat by new entrants such Turkey, Germany and Egypt while Malaysia and Mexico have attracted many tourists in 2011. The estimated number of international tourist arrivals in the UK till June 2012 were around 29.2 million which was 28.3 million in 2010 and the change from 2010 to 2011 had an increase of +3.2% according to UNWTO (2012). In 2011, Turkey climbed up in the most visited tourist destination above the UK to become the 6th most visited tourist destination in the world with an estimated number of 29.3 million tourists which was 27 million in 2010 and showed a massive +8.7% changed from 2010 till 2011 mentioned in Tourism Highlights by UNWTO (2012). The UK is facing a serious competition from Germany, which had 28.4 million visitors in 2011 and has shown +5.5% change from 2010 until 2011. THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES AVAILABLE AND COMPETITIVE RIVALRY WITHIN THE INDUSTRY: Most of the tourists look for alternative destinations when they face problems in getting visas, bookings etc. and that is when substitutes get the upper hand. In Europe, Spain, France and Italy have been the biggest competitors of the UK tourism industry from the beginning, attracting huge amount of interest from tourists all over the world. France, which has been the most visited tourist destination and a country with a romantic image, still leads the raking of tourists visiting with approximately 79.5 million and is third in receipts with US $54 billion. Spain is second on the earners list with US $60 billion with approx. 57 million arrivals in 2011. Italy, ranks 5th with 46.1 million tourists in 2011 and receipts of $43 billion in 2011 UNWTO (2012). BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS AND SUPPLIERS: There is a lot of influence of buyers and suppliers on a tourism industry. In this report, buyers are the main tour operators of the product here, which is tourism. There are many tour operators working in the UK that offer competitive prices to tourists and discounts such as Thomas cook. They identify new locations/places and possess the power of convincing tourists to visit those destinations that has a lost cost attached to it. For every tourism industry, three As are very important and this similar is the case with suppliers. The three As are: Attractions Amenities Access Attractions include those places that are either famous for their natural beauty or are built in such a way that attracts tourists. If such places are owned by the government/owners, tourist should be allowed to visit them and the owners should always welcome them. There are many places in the UK that attracts a lot of tourist just because of their natural beauty or the way they are being constructed like The Tower of London, Windermere Boat Cruises, Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo, Royal Botanical Gardens, Stonehenge, Eden Project etc. Amenities include basic conveniences for tourist such as hotels, guesthouses, motels etc. A lot of funding is needed for this and there has to be a proper look after of these facilities. Last but not the least, Access includes means of travelling. The UK has an excellent transportation system that includes airports, railways, busses, motorways etc. London is famous for its magnificent underground tube system, which serves almost 3.22 million; people daily UNWTO (2012). PEST ANALYSIS: UK tourism industry can also be analyzed by doing PEST analysis. Which comprises of Political Factors, Economic Factors, Social Factors and Technological Factors. POLITICAL FACTORS: Political factors are those in which there is governmental interference such as laws, policies, tariffs, good and services, education, infrastructure etc. When we talk about businesses, political factors plays an important role in the regulation and operation of it. Political environment of the UK is fairly stable. There have been minor ups and downs with the issues regarding the UK joining EU and accepting Euro plus European Unions expansion and the UK supporting USA in its terrorism campaign, which has adversely affected its political stability. Other key issues includes the Visa Processing by the UKBA, VAT on tourism services, Air Passenger Duty etc. VISAS: Over the past few years, there has been a lot of new rules and regulations by the UKBA because of which many tourists face problems in getting their visas even after paying a hefty sum in visa fees. A short term visa to the UK costs  £78 which is  £25 more than that of a Schengen Visa ( £53) that gives an access to 25 counties and this is why 50% more visitors from India travel to the UK via France. From 2000 till 2009 the revenue generated via tourists from other countries has increased by 37.4% (in USD) which when compared to France (49.7%) and Germany (85.6%) is very low, according to Tourism Alliance (2012). Those tourists that come from counties other than the EU or those who require a visa are about 11% of all tourist that visit the UK (3.4m) and spend a lot on their travelling expenses per trip that contributes to an approx.  £3 billion to UKs economy, Tourism Alliance (2012). VAT: According to recent statistics by Tourism Alliance (2012) , the UK is one of the only four (others include Denmark, Slovakia and Lithuania) out of 27 EU member countries that charges full rate VAT to tourist on accommodations which is the second highest rate of VAT in Europe. This can be in a sense harmful to the UK tourism industry when compared to other tourist destinations across Europe. If the UK reduces taxes on accommodations and famous tourist destinations, it could result in a profit of  £2.6 billion over the next 10 years according to Deloitte/Tourism Respect. Other locations that have a full rate VAT in the UK includes amusement parks, museums, theaters, shows and cinemas and the UK also charges full rate VAT on restaurant meals which in EU countries averages up to 8.8%., while the average rate of VAT on accommodation in Europe is 10.3% as per statistics of Tourism Alliance (2012). When we look at competitors of UK, France in a couple of years after reducing VAT on restau rant meals from 19.6% to 5.5% showed that there were about 62,700 new jobs in that sector Tourism Alliance (2012) which is a clear indication of what other countries are trying to achieve and change in their tourism sector. AIR PASSENGER DUTY: IATA predicts by looking at the current figures that in 2014 there will be an estimated 3.3 billion tourist travelling via airplanes of which 2 billion will be travelling domestically. In November 2010, the UK Government increased APD of up to 55% and statistics from Tourism Alliance study in 2012 shows that APD has jumped to 650% for passengers travelling in economy class and 750% for those travelling in business class in the previous 5 years that contributes approx.  £2.2 billion yearly in revenue to the Government. A report by Oxera for Airport Operations Association in 2010 showed that if the government replace APD with that of EU, the Gross Value Added would show an increase of  £4 billion and there will be approximately 100,000 more jobs. ECONOMIC FACTORS: Economic factors are those due to which the spending of tourists can be affected. It includes inflation in the country, employment/unemployment statistics, Exchange rates, GDP etc. At the beginning of inflation that started to take place in second quarter of 2008, shortage in arrivals was reported and the inbound tourism of UK fell by 5% according to the Euromonitor International Figures. When the inflation struck in 2009, it affected a lot of business and tourism industry was one of those. People living in the UK preferred to spend their holidays domestically and the number of tourists from abroad also shown a decline. The Euromonitor International Figures that were recorded in 2009 showed that there was an approx. 12% decline of people travelling abroad from the UK. The inflation rate of the UK, which was last recorded in November 2012, was 2.70% according to ONS. (Appendix 4) In a report published by UKCES in 2012, it is mentioned that tourism accounts for approximately 6% of UKs GDP and has given employment to approximately 2.5 million people. Each UK nation has a tourism strategy that aims to raise the ambition of tourism over the next decade (People 1st, 2010a). Exchange rate and the fluctuations in currencies also play an important role in the spending patterns of tourists. The comparison of pound sterling versus euro has contributed a lot in the Britons spending more when they travel to other European destinations and Experts have noticed that the euro being cheaper than pound sterling has made it cheaper for the Britons to travel on holidays to European countries (Hall, 2012). The total UK tourism spend by sector can easily be seen in this image. (Appendix 5) SOCIAL FACTORS: The style of living of people and the cultural aspects that mainly comprises of population, growth, trends, careers, how safe the place is where they are living and being cautious about their health are generally considered as social factors. Tourists from other countries may not know much about the traditions and customs of the country they are visiting that may prove to be a problem at times. Some impacts of such social factors mentioned in a report of Travel and Tourism by Ann Rowe, John Smith and Fiona Borein in 2002 suggests that it will be good for the local people as well as the tourists to get together and learn more about different lifestyles which can be beneficial to both the parties as there is a room for improvement in the sectors of infrastructure, health and education, sports, traditions, heritage etc., as London is main hub of people for across the globe. In recent times people of the UK and the tourists are concerned about their safety and when travelling to the UK the riots of 2011 served as a minus for the tourism industry at that time. According to the Daily Mail UK, in India the editor of a magazine warned his followers in twitter that they should avoid coming to the UK at all. Due to these riots, many questions were raised on the safety and security procedures for the upcoming 2012 Olympics. TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS: Technology plays an important role in the development of any business or industry and when a certain business provides facilities and are equipped with latest technology it creates a better relation between them and the customers. Bookings tickets and online holiday bookings have really excelled as the time progressed. According to ONS (2011), wireless hotspots in the UK were accessed by approximately 4.9 million users and 77 per cent of households had internet access. OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE UK TOURISM INDUSTRY AND RECOMMENDATIONS: If the UK wants to compete with the other famous tourist destinations across Europe and on the list, first of the few recommendations would be to reduce the visa application charges and restrictions along with the APD and bringing them on the same level as that of other European destinations because a family comprising of 4 members from India/China pays a hefty sum of  £612 as their Visa and APD charges when travelling to the UK, Tourism Alliance (2012). Tourism Alliance (2012) in their report show that when in 2009, Taiwanese visitors were granted visas to the UK, visitors grew by 39% and the revenue obtained from them increased by 155%. Another report by Tourism Alliance in which it is clearly mentioned that APD has already cost 23000 people their jobs in last seven years and if it continues to increase at this level by 2017 it would have resulted in  £1.1 billion loss and 6000 more jobs. Secondly the high VAT that the UK charges to its tourists, Tourism Alliance in 2011 predicted that if VAT on tourism is reduced to and brought in alignment with that of European nations, the UK tourism could earn approximately  £1.3 billion per annum that is 7% increase and since this report looks at the upcoming three years the short term losses in VAT receipts would be recovered in short span of three years. CONCLUSION. There has to be a better investment and marketing plans, events like the Olympics 2012, managing them successfully so that tourist get value for the money they paid, about which a report by Deloitte and Forecasting organization Oxford Economics has predicted that tourism sector is likely to grow by 3.5% per annum between 2010 and 2020. Together all the governing bodies and agencies should work in collaboration and every one of them can play their part in making the UK a better place to visit and explore.

Developing an Eating Disorder Essay -- Eating Disorders Health Psychol

Why is it that people develop eating disorders? There is no simple explanation, and no one answer that applies everyone. There are several types of eating disorders, but the most prevalent in adolescent and young adult females are anorexia nervosa and bulimia (Larocca, 1986). There are six main areas that potentially explain just why it is that people succumb to anorexia and bulimia. These factors are biological, psychological, family, social, cultural, and media (Siegel, Brisman & Weinshel, 2002). One of the factors contributing to the development of anorexia and bulimia is biological. To some extent, it has been proven that temperament can be genetically determined. (Siegel, Brisman & Weinshel, 2002). This can easily be observed if a person looks at two children coming from the same parents and how different from each other they can turn out. â€Å"Biological factors that appear to play a role in the development of bulimia are a predisposition to depression and factors related to having a weight and shape that do not conform to the ideal standards promoted by society. These factors are for the most part due to heredity† (Sherman & Thompson, 1990, p. 63). Also, a person whose parents have a low metabolism and were predisposed to be on the heavy side will likely produce offspring of the same physical kind. This can lead to a daughter having a higher set-point weight than she will be content with, and finding it more difficult to lose weight and be as thin as she would like. Not surprisingly, anything that increases the liklelihood of having a higher weight and decreases the likelihood of being able to lose weight and keep it off should increase the probability of developing an eating disorder (Sherman & Thompson, 199... ... teenage girls showed serious signs of eating disorders† (Siegel, Brisman & Weinshel, 2002). Anorexia and bulimia are two very complicated disorders. Their cause(s) can be ambiguous at times; there is no specific reason that everyone with anorexia or bulimia develops it. There are many contributing factors to possibly explain the onset of one of the disorders. Good news is that years of research has narrowed the causes down somewhat to the six main areas that potentially explain just why it is that people succumb to anorexia or bulimia: biological, psychological, family, social, cultural, and media reasons, and in doing that, families and friends of people with anorexia and bulimia can do their best to get to the root of the problem/cause and give their friend or family member who is suffering hopefully another chance at a healthy, productive, fulfilling life.

The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman :: The Little Foxes

Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes shows a large amount of feminism throughout the play. Lillian intertwines economical independent with feminism several times. Regina Hubbard is constantly the main character involved with the economical independence and feminism. Birdy and Alexandra Hubbard are portrayed for their ability to rise above the oppression that surrounds them during most of the play. Hellman’s portrayal of Regina shows her as the wickedest character. This serves as a foundation to the message that when women are powerless they will do anything to over come it (Friedman 81). Regina shows her true nature towards the end of the play. Regina was forced to stay with Horace after she married him because she had none of her own financial backing. Since Hellman had equated money with independence Regina has no choice but to stay with Horace until she gains her own money and in turn her independence. Her strife for independence highlights her feminist nature. She is willing to endure unhappiness for as long as it takes to be independent (Friedman 82). Regina appears cold and conniving. While her husband lays dying in the house, she tells her bothers and Leo that she can put them in jail for what they have done all while keeping it unknown that she does not really know what happened. Her calm and calculating demeanor as she negotiates shows her as a very focused per son. Even though her husband lies dying she only appears to care about her money and how she can manipulate her brothers to her advantage (Galens 166). Regina says that she marries Horace solely for his money and status. She stats that she hates him and cannot wait until he dies. This outburst that shows Regina’s true feelings allows the reader to see her as a feminist in a way. She was so determined to get what she wanted that she bounded herself in a situation that she abhors for years just for a chance to achieve her goal (Galens 156). At the end of the play Alexandra ask her mother is she afraid (225). This line parallels the one in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf. This gives the idea that Regina only terrorized others as a coping mechanism to get over her own fears. Regina’s ability to overcome her fears shows her feminist side despite the immoral methods she chose (lord 146). Regina’s daughter Alexandra has had her decisions made for her by her mother in the early parts of the play.

The New America Dream is Green (and Sustainable) Essay -- Localization

Smallville is a city just like any other city in the world. It has crime, pollution, and social inequalities. However citizens everywhere are dreaming of the future. The reason people came to Smallville, or America, in the first place was to live the American Dream. This idea is that if a person works hard enough they can be or achieve anything they want. However, the current system of selfishness and ignorance of the masses has led to the destruction of this idea. In order for these dreams to survive, Smallville needs to promote change. There needs to be more information about the effects people have on their communities and the environment. There needs to be a shift towards long-term sustainability. Before there can be greener technology, ecologically friendly businesses, or sustainable energy citizens need to change their outlook on life. Every individual needs to realize their role in the community. There needs to be more emphasis on people living local, eating local, an d working local. The more localization and less globalization there is the better. The more people use what is readily available to them the more they will realize how important it is not to waste. In order for communities to get a long every individual needs to be respected. There needs to be social equality between men and women, different ethnicities, and an acceptance of the LBGTQ community. Once this is achieved, the New American Dream will be born. This new idea will include being anything you want to be while helping others reach the same goal. Smallville needs to take the steps towards a more informed and aware society so people can achieve their dreams while not destroying the dreams of others around the world. In order for Smallville to r... ...rt. "Accepting the gay person: Rental accommodation in the community." Journal of Homosexuality 36.2 (1998): 31. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. Page explains the struggles an LBGTQ citizen has when finding a place to live freely in a community. It shows that there needs to a major acceptance of the couple or even individuals who are gay by the community in order for the person to feel welcome. People usually do not like to live where they do not feel welcome. This will help me show where major change needs to be within the social realm of society. If people cannot accept each other they cannot join as a community and eventually fix other problems that require cooperation. This article's only bias is justified because it shows real stories of people being harassed. It does not give merit to the side that says these people are really the problem.

Advertising Paragraph Tenth Essay

Advertising is one of the best ways to get consumers’ attention. When the ad is spiced up with handsome men and beautiful women enjoying the great outdoors, people are likely to take a look at the ad, thinking it may be for a nice vacation or possibly for something healthy, but to the consumers’ surprise, it’s an ad for â€Å"Newport† cigarettes. How does this affect the audience? By creating an environment on the ad that is bright, lively and colorful, along with attractive men and women, it really gets the consumer’s attention well. The cigarette companies have used this strategy for years to reach their audiences, and the â€Å"Newport† ad is no different. The advertisement for â€Å"Newport† brand cigarettes does a good job of getting the consumers’ attention and even selling cigarettes in general, but when it comes to the advertisement of its own brand, the ad really lacks effectiveness. Looking at the picture, the only par t of the ad that sells the â€Å"Newport† brand are the three small packs of cigarettes in the top right corner and the word â€Å"Newport.† Everything else in the picture is just for getting the consumers’ attention. The main target audiences for this product are most likely avid male smokers, however, the ad can be geared towards both sexes. By showing the man running in front of the woman with the boogie board, he becomes the focal point. When looking at the picture, with the three packs of cigarettes and the text â€Å"pleasure† sitting directly above the man’s head along with the phrase â€Å"fire it up† pointing directly to the male, really shows how much more attention they want on or even from males. Also, by matching the colors of the man’s bathing suit, boogie board and the text, shows that the ad is more interested in helping the consumer focus on the man rather than the woman. It is because of these points that the ad fails to sell the â€Å"Newport† brand to both sexes. Another reason this ad fails to sell its product well is because it seems they put more attention i nto the picture, its surroundings and exaggerations, rather than the actual product â€Å"Newport† cigarettes. It seems they are depicting that even when the consumer smokes cigarettes, he or she can have a sexy, toned, muscular body and feel great all the time. This obviously is not true, considering that cigarettes contribute to weight gain, loss of respiratory stamina and many forms of cancer. Along with these disadvantages come stained teeth and bad breath, which all accompany the true criteria of an  everyday smoker. One of the most interesting selling points in this picture are the words â€Å"fire it up† posted right above the surgeon general’s warning. Positioning these words above the warning is a gross example of how much the cigarette companies don’t care about the negative effects their cigarettes have on their customers. Knowing that their product kills hundreds of thousands of people a year and permanently disables thousands of others, their decision to place this phrase above such a serious warning tells me that they want to convince the consumer to completely disregard how unsafe cigarettes really are. Also, the fact that the phrase â€Å"fire it up† does not include any information about the â€Å"Newport† brand cigarette itself also shows that the company really failed to sell its own brand. For an avid male smoker such as my-self, this ad does what it is intended to do. It makes us think to ourselves, â€Å"man, I could really go for a cigarette.† The ad does this well by setting a trigger off inside the consumer’s head, to start thinking about cigarettes. Unfortunately, when it comes to the advertisement selling its own brand, the ad really falls short, since the company producing the ad put more money into making the advertisement visually appealing rather than focusing on selling their own brand. In the future, it would be more advantageous for the company, if they focused more on integrating the specific benefits of using their brand over others, rather than creating an â€Å"eye pleasing† advertisement.

Solving Proportions

A comparison of two numbers is referred to as a ratio, similar to fractions that can be reduced to lowest terms and then converted into a ratio of integers. Ratios allow one to compare sizes of two quantities and unit measurements. Any statement expressing the equality of two ratios is known as a proportion, which is used in numerous formulas in today’s real world settings and applications. Using proportions is an effective way to find solutions by using the extreme means property or cross-multiplying. Extreme means property is simply the end result of the product of the extremes equaling the products of the means.Cross-multiplying is a short cut in proportions providing it is a faster way to solutions rather than multiplying each side of the rational expression equation by the LCD. Applications of rational expressions involving formulas include finding the equation of a line, distance, rate, time, uniform motion, and work problems. Proportions are used on a daily basis withou t even one realizing it by comparing measurements, unit pricing, driving distances, and calculating populations and wildlife on a daily basis to find a solution.For example, I will be using the extreme means property to estimate bear population in Keweenaw Peninsula. I was asked to solve problem #56, on page 437 of Elementary and intermediate algebra, (Dugopolski, M. , 2012) which states, that conservationists captured, tagged, and released 50 bears. Over a one-year period, a random sample of 100 bears included only 2 tagged bears in Keweenaw Peninsula. To calculate the proportion, it will allow me to expect the ratio of bears that were originally tagged to the whole population is equal to the ratio of the returning bears totaling 100 but only 2 tagged bears to the size of the sample.The variable â€Å"b† for bears is applied, then followed by cross-multiplying the extremes and means to the proper set up of the proportion to find the solution. The two ratios are as follows: 5 0/b = the originally tagged bears to the whole population and 2/100 = the recaptured bears to the sample size. The means are 2 and b and the extremes are 50 and 100. 50 = 2 b 100Correct setup of proportion. 5,000 = 2b cross multiply the means (2*b) and the extremes (50*100) 2 2followed by division of 2. 2,500 Answer after division was carried out.x = 2, 500 The estimated number of bears in Keweenaw Peninsula. Continuing onto the second assignment involving proportions, the following equation must be solved for y. Since there are single fractions (also referred to as ratios) on both sides of the equation, the extreme means property will be used again in this proportion. y – 1 = -3 x + 3 4Written as an equation; solving for y. 4(y – 1) = -3x(x + 3)Cross multiplying was done. 4y – 1 + 4 = -3x +3 +3Distribute 4 on left side and 3 on the right side. y = -3x -3 + 1 Add 1 to both sides.4y = 2x -5Last step, 4 is divided on both sides. 4 4 y = -3 4 Linear equation in the form of y = mx + b and with a slope of -3/4. Taking notice that the slope of -3/4, is the same number as the number on the right hand side of the previous equation. I must continue trying another method but still use the extreme means property and try another method to see if I get a different solution. This may be an extraneous solution that I may come upon considering if the solution does not satisfy the rational expression.y – 1 = -3O riginal equation. x – 3 4 y – 1 = -3 Distribute (x-3) on both sides and multiply. x – 3 4 (x – 3)Cancel out common factors which eliminates denominator on left. y – 1 + 1 = -3x – 3 +1 To isolate y, 1 is added to both sides. Cancel common factors. y = -3 x -1 4Equation complete and simplified. For this equation, I could have multiplied the LCD to both sides, but I found the extreme means property was an efficient shortcut. Cross- multiplying allowed me to eliminate the fractions and have the same endi ng result.We can now consider this an extraneous solution because the number showing as the solution but causes zero (0) in the denominator. As rational expressions can be tricky when there is a variable involved in the denominator so caution must be adhered. The use of proportions is everyday life and real world settings and applications are used without one even realizing it. While proportions can determine a solution whether it be driving distance, estimated population count, unit measuring, gas mileage, or to estimate an average time for a job to be completed, it is a necessary tool that is used in many ways.The ratios that build the proportion can be easily solved by cross- multiplying the extremes and means in a fast and effective way. The wildlife can be assured that their tags will be calculated with an accurate solution for any conservationist inquiring about a certain species. So the next time you find yourself comparing two quantities, deciding the average time for a spec ific job, or determining how many miles you can go on a half of tank of gas on your next road trip, remember you are actually calculating proportions!

How children development is influenced by many factors Essay

A childs development can be affected by both personal and external factors. Personal factors are those that are sepcific to an individual child and external factors are those that could theoretically affect each and every child. Personal factors include the following: Health Some children’s development may be affected by a pre-existing health condition. For example a baby’s development can be affected during the pregnancy, if a mother smokes, takes drugs, drinks alcohol or contracts certain infections such as rubella. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome occurs when a mother drinks large amounts of alcohol during her pregnancy. This condition will usually affect a child’s cognitive and physical development. The amount of alcohol consumed, as well as, when during the pregnancy it was drunk and whether it involved binge drinking or large amounts being drunk on a regular basis, will affect the level of disability caused. FAS can also cause delays in physical development as the child maybe underweight, problems with feeding and speech due to facial abnormalites and neurological problems such as alcohol withdrawal, problems with memory and communication and a low IQ. A range of developmental areas can be affected by a health issue not just the physica l development. For example: †¢Their ability to make friends. A child who is repeatedly away from school may not be able to get to know the other children. †¢Their education. Days maybe missed due to hospital or doctor’s appointments or long periods of time missed because of hospitilisation or just not feeling well enough to go to school. †¢A lack of confidence and low self esteem. They may have to rely heavily on adults in some areas of their lives and have little or no sense of self-reliance. Many doctors are now encouraging children to be partially responsible to their condition, for example children with diabetes are often encouraged to inject themselves. †¢Missed opportunities. Some children may not be able to take part in certain activities on offer. Running or playing outside may trigger their condition. There are other health issues that may affect development. This could be as simple as a bout of toncilitis resulting in a couple of  weeks off school at an important point of the child’s education or a chronic health condition like diabetes that may mean missing lessons due to regular hospital appointments while the condition is being monitored. Disability Cerebal palsy is a neurological condition that affects the brain and nervous system. It is a general term that covers a range of conditions that affect a child’s morvement and co-ordination and is caused by damage to the brain before, during or just after the birth. Again the symptoms and severity vary greatly from child to child and also by the type of Cerebral palsy suffered for example spastic hemiplegia or ataxic cerebral palsy. Some children have the ability to walk but the age at which they can do this will be affected by either hypotonia (decreased) or hypertonia (increased muscle tone). Spina Bifida is another condition that is present from birth. Generally it does not affect a child’s cognitive development but, depending on the type a child has, may affect their physical development. In severe cases the child’s legs may be partially or even fully paralysed and there may also be urinary and bowel incontinence issues. The number of children born with spina bifida is now low, due to the recommendation that women take folic acid whilst trying for a baby and in the early stages of pregnancy. Spina Bifida may not only affect a child’s physical development. It may also affect the following areas:- †¢Intellectual development as the child may have to have lots of time off of school. †¢Emotional development as they may feel different to those children around them. †¢Social development as they are not able to socialise with others. Sensory Impairment A visual or hearing impairment can have a big effect on many areas of development. A hearing impairment can mean that speech is unclear and words pronuounced incorrectly. This can lead to a child avoiding social interaction, affecting emotional and social development, if they feel unable to express themselves properly. One of the main areas of physical development is hand-eye co-ordination and for a child with a visual impairment this take a lot longer to master. Learning Disabilities A child’s cognitive development will be affected by learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD, until it is picked up on. A Special  Educational Needs Co-ordinator (Senco), which all schools have, will ensure that the extra educational support needed by the child is in place by working with the child and their parent/carers. The social and emotional development and wellbeing of a child with learning difficulties may also be affected if they are seen as ‘different’ by those around them and are teased and/or bullied and the effects of this type of treatment can cause issues well into adulthood. Genetics As soon as a child is conceived their development begins. Their genetic information is made up from both the egg and the sperm. This information can sometimes be faulty and will affect the development of the health of the child. Down’s syndrome is an example of a genetic disorder. People with Down’s syndrome have an extra copy of the chromosome 21 in the cells of their body. There are some facial and other physical features that are common with this disorder as well as certain medical problems. For example atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD). This is a condition where there is a hole in the muscle that usually separates the different chambers in the heart. Typically speaking the rate at which most children with Down’s syndrome will develop will be affected because they have some degree of learning difficulty. However, the level of difficulty will vary from one person to another. Generally the usual speech and physical milestones will be reached but at a later s tage than other children. External factors that may affect development include the following: – Poverty Poverty will probably have a major effect on development. Statistics show that children from poor backgrounds are less likely to flourish and achieve well at school. Parents will find it harder to deal with their children’s requirements which will have a bearing on all areas of development. For example:- †¢Intellectual – Limited or no access to books, internet or other resources for studying. †¢Social – May not have the money to be able to take part in activities that their friends are. †¢Physical – Poor diet or not being able to heat house in cold weather may cause health problems. Family background/environment The adults who care for children have an influence on their development.  Parents play an extremely important role in the lives of the their children. Although most parents do a good job at nurturing and providing for their children, there are a number of reasons why some parents are not able to do as good a job. Depression or an addiction to either drink or drugs are a few. Younger children may be neglected, whilst older children may have to take on a caring role within the family. A child’s development is also influenced by what they are born with and by the experiences that they have. For example a child that’s born with the potential to be a great long distance runner may not realise that potential unless they are given the opportunity to practise and the encouragement from adults to do it. A child’s cultural background can also have an effect on a number of their areas of development e.g. social – the primary language spoken at home may be different to the primary language at school. Most families suffer stresses at times, some may be temporary, some more permanent but all may have an effect on a child’s emotional and/or cognitive development and may result in a change in their behaviour or ability to learn. Here are a few examples: – †¢A change of employment. †¢Redundancy or unemployment. †¢Moving home whether locally or further afield. †¢Changes in family structure eg parents seperating, divorcing or finding new partners. †¢The birth of a new baby. †¢The death or illness of a family member. †¢The disability of a family member. Neglect/Abuse There have been a lot of studies carried out on the relationship between the different types of child abuse/neglect and the affect on the different areas of development including physical, health, emotional and behavioural. The extent of the affect varies according to the seriousness, length of time and rate of recurrence of abuse/neglect but can continue to have an impact on the adult lives. The effects of neglect/abuse on a child’s development may include:- †¢Serious brain development issues. A child that is neglected during the  first year of their life can suffer from serious brain development issues. Studies have shown that the brain of a 3 year old child who has suffered global neglect (the experience of several kinds of deprivation) will be notably smaller than a child who hasn’t. †¢Poor physical growth and or medical conditions such as anaemia caused by malnutrition. †¢Problems forming and maintaining friendships/relationships. †¢Lack of confidence/low self-esteem caused by emotional abuse. Care status Although some children in care have no developmental issues, many do. The lack of family stability and moving from one carer to another can have a negative affect on a child’s social, emotional and behaviour development and cause problems with their ability to form attachments or to deal with separations. Children may have been abused or neglected prior to entering care system. This may also affect their social, emotional and behaviour development but may also affect their speech and language development as they are too distressed to talk. They may also suffer with mental health issues that may lead to delays in their cognitive development as time off from school is required. Children in care may also meet similar issues to those with disabilities and learning difficulties.

How to Get Motivated Essay

Motivation is literally the desire to do things. It’s the difference between waking up before dawn to pound the pavement and lazing around the house all day. It’s the crucial element in setting and attaining goals—and research shows you can influence your own levels of motivation and self-control. So figure out what you want, power through the pain period, and start being who you want to be. 5 Keys to Unlock Your Creative Motivation Motivation is a much more complex process than just â€Å"wanting† to do something. When you’re working on a creative project and the going gets tough, if you’re not motivated enough, you’ll quit. And it always gets tough, whether you’re a novelist, artist, musician, or even a creative entrepreneur. In my own research with highly experienced writers, I found that motivators are often combined for best effect. Here, then, are 5 ways to raise your motivation level: 1. Increase the challenge of your project. Try something you’ve never done before. When I interviewed bestselling novelist Diana Gabaldon, she told me that she once gave herself the challenge of writing a â€Å"triple-nested flashback.† For many of us, concocting an ordinary flashback is challenge enough, but those are a snap for her. 2. Change your creative method for the stimulation of a fresh approach. I f you typically write with an outline, try not to. Or begin writing without an ending in mind. If you never write with a plan, see what happens if you plan ahead. Even if it doesn’t work, you’ll learn something. Here’s Wells Tower, author of a volume of short stories, Everything Ravaged Everything Burned: I can never coldly write a story; it doesn’t work. I’ve tried it where I have an outline, and I’ll think this is going to be so easy, but when I sit down of course it’s not. You have to get into a state of autohypnosis and let the story be what it wants to be. 3. Create from a different point of view. Do you always write in first-person? Do you never write in first-person point of view? Try the opposite. Or create something artistic from the point of view of the bicycle, or the car, or the dog or cat, or the new immigrant or the alien from outer space. 4. Look deeper to find your intrinsic motivation. Here’s how poet Ralph Angel put it: As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve learned in recent years that writing, even more than some of the most important relationships in my life, is where I am most in touch with myself, and, worst case scenario, people I love die and my life goes on. But if anything took me away from the work, I would be separated somehow from myself. 5. Forget about the goal and find the fun. This is the most crucial key to entering flow. Put all thought of audience aside for the time being and find something pleasurable about what you’re trying to create. If it’s not fun, figure out why not and make it more engaging for yourself. There’s nothing trivial about fun, as I’ve found in my talks with great creative individuals. It’s one of the many motivators that bring them back to the work they do, day in and day out. The 3 Biggest Myths About Motivation That Won’t Go Away Just Write Down Your Goals, and Success is Guaranteed! There is a story that motivational speakers/authors love to tell about the Yale Class of 1953.Researchers, so the story goes, asked graduating Yale seniors if they had specific goals they wanted to achieve in the future that they had written down. Twenty years later, the researchers found that the mere 3% of students who had specific, written goals were wealthier than the other 97% combined. Isn’t that amazing? It would be if it were true, which it isn’t. I wish it were that simple. To be fair, there is evidence that getting specific about what you want to achieve is really important. (Not a guaranteed road to fabulous wealth, but still important.) In other words, specificity is necessary, but it’s not nearly sufficient. Writing goals down is actually neither – it can’t hurt, but there’s also no hard evidence that writing per se does anything to help. Just Try to Do Your Best! Telling someone, or yourself, to just â€Å"do your best† is believed to be a great motivator. It isn’t. Theoretically, it encourages without putting on too much pressure. In reality, and rather ironically, it is more-or-less permission to be mediocre. Edwin Locke and Gary Latham, two renown organizational psychologists, have spent several decades studying the difference between â€Å"do your best† goals and their antithesis: specific and difficult goals. Evidence from more than 1,000 studies conducted by researchers across the globe shows that goals that not only spell out exactly what needs to be accomplished, but that also set the bar for achievement high, result in far superior performance than simply trying to â€Å"do your best.† That’s because more difficult goals cause you to, often unconsciously, increase your effort, focus and commitment to the goal, persist longer, and make better use of the most effective strategies. Just Visualize Succe ss! Advocates of â€Å"positive thinking† are particularly fond of this piece of advice. But visualizing success, particularly effortless success, is not just unhelpful – it’s a great way to set yourself up for failure. Few motivational gurus understand that there’s an awfully big difference between believing you will succeed, and believing you will succeed easily. Realistic optimists believe they will succeed, but also believe they have to make success happen – through things like effort, careful planning, persistence, and choosing the right strategies. They don’t shy away from thinking â€Å"negative† thoughts, like what obstacles will I face? and how will I deal with them? Unrealistic optimists, on the other hand, believe that success will happen to them, if they do lots and lots of visualizing. Recent research shows that this actually (and once again, ironically) serves to drain the very energy we need to reach our goals. People who sp end too much time fantasizing about the wonderful future that awaits them don’t have enough gas left in the tank to actually get there.