Day for Night (1973) Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Day for Night (1973) - Movie Review Example This movie review aims to summarize, evaluate and analyze the 1973 hit movie Day for Night, which aspires to bring to the audience the aesthetics of cinematography. Though on a first glance it is merely a movie about a movie, the film does more than just tell a story, it portrays the art of story making in a most successful way. Truffaut brilliantly combines real life characters along with fictional characters of Meet Pamela to produce a greatly effective film, which lets the audience relate with the film unit as well as be inspired by their constant endeavor to follow the passion they share for movies. This movie, which falls into the genre of drama, comedy and romance, released in 1973, is the epitome of cinema that deftly portrays the art of filmmaking. Thus, on a superficial note, one can observe that it is simply a movie about a movie. However, on a deeper analysis, the movie effectively illustrates various issues arising in both personal and professional realms regarding the ca st as well as the crew, which a director has to face and conquer in the process of making films. The researcher states that director Franà §ois Truffaut was one of the founding fathers of the French New Wave and an eminent icon in French cinematography. The screenplay writers for this movie, originally titled ‘La nuit amà ©ricaine,’ are Franà §ois Truffaut, Jean-Louis Richard and Suzanne Schiffman, and the film stars world renowned actors such as Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Jean-Pierre Là ©aud etc. ... The off-screen characters are unbelievably real as they are imperfect with their day to day problems, and this entails the audience connecting with the characters and the predicaments that they face. The whole movie portrays the juxtaposition between the real life members of the film unit as well as the characters they portray in Meet Pamela. Truffaut’s amazing ability lies in the way he develops both the on screen and off screen characters, thus bringing overall finesse to the film and keeping the audience enchanted in the movie making process throughout the film. Truffaut also fulfills his role as a director to cast appropriate actors, which is construed by the incredibly effective performance of each individual member of the film unit with the emotions they radiate through their facial expressions and body language demanded by the particular situations of the movie. The theme of the film is basically the love and passion people posses about movie as well as movie making, wh ich is only emphasized through Joelle’s dialog when she says â€Å"I would drop a guy for a film, but I would never drop a film for a guy† (Day for Night, 1973). Truffaut wants to communicate a message to his audience that no matter what problems they face when they traverse down the path of their passions, they need to stay committed to themselves and the passion that they love and overcome whatever ordeals that come their way. If there is one moral that Truffaut wants to imbibe in the hearts of his audience, it is following their dreams and passion along with always sticking together and being there for one’s family. Though none of the members of the film unit share any blood relation, they are still a big family who sacrifice for the other and are there for them through the ups

Relationship of Staff Perception of the Importance of Physical Dissertation

Relationship of Staff Perception of the Importance of Physical Education and their Physical Well-Being to their Academic Perform - Dissertation Example Moreover, the importance of movement and physical activity among children and youth can not be discounted. Likewise, evidence from research during the 1990s has uncovered that â€Å"regular physical activity can make significant positive contribution to physical, mental and emotional well-being of children† (Bailey, 2001:2). 1.1. Aims It should not, therefore, come as a surprise that in many studies, physical education is regarded as among the most important areas in the curriculum by teachers and students alike (Bailey, 2001). In this regard, this study is being proposed to evaluate the importance of physical education and physical well-being among staff and how their perceptions of such importance influence their academic achievement in English and Mathematics subjects. Bailey (2001) argued that physical education (P.E) teachers are in a good position to encourage and motivate students to learn, and that the P.E teachers are highly responsible not to drive students away from physical education and physical activity, since the latter can happen if the P.E teachers are amiss in their roles. 1.2. ... This serves as the primary justification for the conduct of the proposed study. 1.3. Statement of the Research Problems The following problems will be addressed in this study: 1.3.1. What is the profile of the secondary students in the research locale in terms of gender, age, year level, and grades in English and Mathematics? 1.3.2. What is the perception of the staff of the importance of physical education in their life in general; and in their life as students? 1.3.3. What is the perception of the staff on the importance of physical well-being in their life in general; and in their life as students? 1.3.4. What is the relationship between the staff of the importance of physical education and their academic performance of their students in English and Mathematics? 1.3.5. What is the relationship between the staff’s perception of the importance of physical well-being and the academic performance of their students in English and Mathematics? 1.3.6. Are there significant differe nces in the staffs’ perception of the importance of Physical Education and their physical well-being when they are grouped in terms of gender, age, year level, and grades in English and Mathematics? 1.3.7. What strategies may be integrated in the Physical Education classes to ensure that students are appropriately motivated to learn in school? 1.4. Statement of Hypotheses Grounded on the research problems presented, the following hypotheses, stated in the null form, will be tested using non-directional or two-tailed analysis and 0.05 level of significance (?=0.05) 1.4.1. There is no significant relationship between the staffs’ perception of the importance of physical education and the academic performance of their learners in English. 1.4.2. There is no significant

Organizations for Elderly Care

Organizations for Elderly Care There are numerous milestones that we experience as we mature from childhood to old age. Each milestone plays a significant role in the growth and development of every individual. In these life events our family, friends and significant others are there to witness these and even share with the joys and the disappointments as well. Getting old is inevitable. It is not something we can prevent from happening or even put a halt on it. How we age depends on how we live our lives. Some may dread even the idea of getting old while others are looking forward to it. According to New Zealand Statistic (2010), the population of citizens ageing 65 years and above comprises 11 per cent of the entire population as of 1991 and is forecasted to reach 21 per cent the year 2031. New Zealand is one the countries with an ageing population and so with this information at hand, the government and private sectors has established a number of services in order to aid the ageing population as they face the physical changes of aging Organizations: Age Concern is a non-profit organization committed to ageing New Zealanders. It provides free and confidential services addressing to issues on elder abuse and neglect all throughout New Zealand. The elderly as well their care givers are given support by a team of professional staff who also takes the role of an advocate so that the senior citizens will be able to have a happy, healthy and safe lifestyle. Psychological, physical, financial, neglect, sexual and institutional abuse of the elderly will also be dealt. Service providers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to recognize signs of elder abuse and neglect and act on it. The ageing citizens are treated with utmost respect thus promoting dignity. The organization gives the adequate attention to the needs of the senior citizens by acknowledging its existence and providing the necessary help rather than ignoring it. Grey power is an organization which stands as an advocate for the rights and welfare of New Zealand citizens in the 50 plus age group. It aims for the ageing residents of the country to enjoy and experience quality health care all throughout the country. It also represents the voice of the elderly so that their needs are given attention and be heard by the government as well as acquiring and having the services necessary in the maintenance of their health, as well as the promotion of their security and dignity. Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand is a non-profit organization that caters its services to people with hearing disabilities of any gender and age. It promotes awareness of the rights of deaf people and it access and advancement to New Zealand’s sign language. It works with ageing citizens with hearing disabilities and their significant others to make them understand the importance and the need for the deaf citizens to take part in the society in order to continue living a close to normal if not normal life. Information is also disseminated to the public in order to break down misconceptions, worries and barriers pertaining to having a hearing disability. Alzheimer’s New Zealand is a not for profit organization will members throughout the country in order for people to have access to information, support and services to ageing people with Alzheimer’s disease extending it to their significant others, partners, relatives and friends in order for them to slowly cope up with the demands of caring for someone with the degenerative disease. Information is also available to the public and the person with the disease to aid them in understanding, diagnosing and assessing the disease as well as the management of financial demands of taking care of someone with dementia. HealthEd is free website provided and updated by the Ministry of Health and the Health Promotion Agency open to all New Zealanders. It provides information pertaining to health in order to promote, enhance and safeguard the health of the citizens. The website offers free online information to the ageing citizens in order for them to make the right decisions in living a healthy lifestyle and the appropriate nutrition in order for them to maintain good health. Resources are also available in the website about the degenerative diseases that one may be have or a family member may experience as they age as well as health problems that comes with age and how to cope up these arising health issues and its effects to the rest of the family. Types of Service Organizations: Hospice care is a concept of care for terminally ill ageing people or individuals allowing them to live the remaining days of their life with dignity. It does not focus on curing the disease but rather on making the elderly or resident live a comfortable way of life as possible. Its approach to care is palliative and not curative so to say. Its services include pain management, providing the needed physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual assistance of the elderly as well as their significant others in order for coping to take place. The manner of care rendered is not dependent on the agency but it is designed to the personal desire of the resident and the family. Residential Care is a type of service rendered to only a small group, usually a group lesser than 10 residents. Residents are housed in one residence with a home-like setting. Residents are offered lodging and meals are freshly prepared daily. In most cases, residents making use of these kind of service are those seniors who are still capable of doing things on their own at a certain level of independence but nevertheless nursing aids are present to assist them with activities of daily living like bathing, eating and grooming should the residents need it. This is a non-medical custodial care setting and the atmosphere of the homes is kept as personal as possible giving the residents a sense of being in their own homes. Apart from the assistance with the performance of activities of daily living the residents receive, the facility also provide them with custodial care like laundry services, housekeeping and transportation arrangement should the residents need to go to any scheduled ap pointments. In cases when residents have medications, a qualified staff will be there to remind them to continue with medication adherence, it not take part in its administration. Putting into consideration the ratio of care giver to residents, the elderly will surely be offered a lot of one-on-one tender loving care. Nursing home also known as skilled nursing facility, convalescent home, and rest home offers a standard of care to the elderly with medical needs outside of a hospital but in a residential setting. Custodial care is offered like assistance in getting out and in of bed, feeding, grooming and other activities of daily living. Laundry services are also available and meals are also prepared fresh daily. There are scheduled activities that the residents can participate in. What set them apart from the residential care facility is its capacity to render a high level of medical care. A nursing home has a licensed physician supervising the health care of the residents and skilled nursing care is available at all times, as well as nursing aides are available to assist and render care to the residents. In here, residents may have their own room or it may be a shared set up. Domiciliary Care is care provided in your own home. A care provider comes to regularly to a senior citizens home and help the resident with whatever assistance he or she needs be it with bathing, toileting, grooming, meal preparation, housekeeping and even laundry. The number of working hours for care provider depends on the resident requirements in some cases the care provider may even stay in or live with the resident. In this kind of care set up, the senior resident will experience one on one care with a health care provider in the comforts of his or her own home. Social Care Workers provide a varied range of services depending on the needs of the client and at times the financial capability of the client. When senior citizens are assessed to be experiencing geriatric conditions such as dementia, visual and hearing impairments and mobility restrictions but what to still live a life as normal as possible they often call the services of the social care providers. Social care workers come to the client’s home to assist them with bathing, toileting, and grooming. They can also be available to prepare fresh meals for the clients. The work hours rendered by the social care worker depends on how much help is needed by the client, giving the client as much independence as possible so as to maintain a sense of self pride and dignity. Social care workers also schedule interesting activities for the client to enjoy. Emotional support is also given as the adult go through the changes that come with age and advices are provided so that they may be a ble to cope up with these changes that may be caused by illnesses, age related problems and disabilities. The Social care worker also has the duty to see to it that the client regularly takes his/her medications and accompanies the client to scheduled appointments like doctor’s appointment or even hairdressers appointment and other personal appointments. Physiotherapy services. As a person ages, there are different changes that could happen regarding his health and mobility as well. Bones tend to get dense and a person may feel certain restrictions to mobility. These may be pathological in nature or due to trauma or injury. It is the role of the physiotherapist to help the elderly to fully use the functions of the body system to improve mobility and independence and keep the body systems to it maximum capacity. These services can also help in the prevention of the development of other problems that may arise later in life. In cases when improvement and maintenance of the body’s functional mobility is not achievable, the physiotherapist can still help to keep the elder pain free and comfortable as possible. Stigma, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or a group of people have about something. And as an individual approaches old age, there are a couple of major stigmas that are evident in the society and should be addressed to. Issue: Social Isolation of the Individual and their Family There are many factors that could contribute to a elderly’s feeling of loneliness and social isolation. The loss of a family member or a spouse, experiencing a degenerative disease, living alone, poor health and retirement are some of those reasons. Recommendation: There are certain factors that could contribute to an elderly’s feeling of loneliness and isolation and some of these are beyond our control. The loss of a spouse or a significant other is one that is inevitable for death is the end cycle of life but we, the care providers can do something to lessen the feeling of loneliness that comes a loss of a love one and thus helping the elderly cope up with the loss. In Kindly Residential Care Home, there should be a scheduled group activities for the clients, be it a small or a big group. By this, we are paving a chance for each resident to be socially active and be with other elderly who are also experiencing the same thing. Sharing your thoughts and feelings about something with someone who can sympathize can someone give the elderly a feeling that he or she is not alone. It would also be a good idea for let the residents give their suggestions and ideas on the kind of activities that would be done in the rest home, in this way they will feel a sense of belongingness knowing that they can take part in structuring the activities that they would be participating on. It would also be beneficial if remaining family members or even friends are encouraged to visit the residents on a regular basis in this way residents will know and feel that their existence is still of value to their family.

Scoreboards vs Blackboards: The Myth of the Student-Athlete Essay

In his essay, "The Myth of the ‘Student-Athlete", Gary Gutting argues that schools turn out more athletes than intellectuals, and that the word â€Å"intellectual† has become a swear word. I believe that this statement is very true and relevant to how mass media and education is shifting today. Take a look at how the school system is setup today, schools give out more financial aid and scholarships to students that are athletically gifted than intellectually gifted. Isn’t that backwards, shouldn't you be awarded more based on your intellect and work ethic more than whether if you can dribble a basketball or not? If this is the case then colleges are validating Gutting’s argument, that athletics is more important that academics. There are, of course, many cases of athletes who are primarily students, particularly in minor sports, but what about Division I football and men’s basketball, the big-time programs with revenues in the tens of millions of dol lars that are a major source of their schools’ national reputation? Are the members of these teams typically students first? According to the N.C.A.A.’s own survey in 2011, it showed by a huge percentile that the members of these sport teams do not identify themselves as students first. For example, football and men’s basketball players identify themselves more strongly as athletes than as students, gave more weight in choosing their college to athletics than to academics, and spend more time on athletics than on their studies. Football and men’s basketball players are admitted and given full scholarships almost entirely because of their athletic abilities. Academic criteria for their admission are far below those for other students. Their average SAT score are about 200 points lower... ...and statistics, Gutting wasn’t far off with his statement that, â€Å"schools turn out more athletes than intellectuals†. If this continues, then the unemployment rate will continue to rise and also the amount of uneducated citizens in the United States. Works Cited Gutting, Gary. "The Myth of the ‘Student-Athlete", Gary Gutting http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/the-myth-of-the-student-athlete/?_r=0 Weissmann, Jordan. "53% of Recent College Grads Are Jobless or Underemployed—How?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 23 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 NCAA. "NCAA Publications." N.p., 12 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. . Thamel, Pete. "Athletes Get New College Pitch: Check Out Our Tutoring Center." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Nov. 2006. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

Referring in detail to at least two poems: What Makes Wilfred Owen a Great War Poet?

Commencing the First World War in 1914, conscription had not yet been established, but the government were leaning heavily on the media to endeavour and recruit volunteers into the army. This was done by propaganda. Poetry and posters were the two most prominent in persuading men to fight for their country. But it was poetry which encouraged the â€Å"war fever†; poetry in which war was described as valiant and noble, and how it was an honourable thing to be able to fight for your country. An example was Jessie Pope who wrote Who's for the Game: a writer whom Owen was predominantly against. His poems he wrote partially in retaliation against propaganda, and with the intention of exposing â€Å"the old lie†. By this, he recapitulated his own experiences in the war, which were ghastly and did not show men in war as gallant and heroic. His poems also seemed therapeutic; a way of release, but the main intention it seems was to expose the truth about war. Owen illustrates his poetry with such vivid descriptions and realism, particularly in Dulce et Decorum est, so as to paint a realistic image of World War I in the reader's mind, especially in the fourth and final verse, where Owen vividly describes the horrific image of a soldier dead from gas, and he brings the reader right up close to the face of the dead soldier. By doing this, he makes it very personal for the reader. The face of a human is what shows their emotions, and what shows identity. In the poem The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson, which describes the charge of British cavalry against Russian soldiers, the whole six hundred British were slaughtered, yet not once does Tennyson pick out one soldier, or individualises this. This is what Owen does in â€Å"Dulce et Decorum est†: he individualises the soldier who has died. Another feature of this last verse is that it shows people that the war they thought would be glorious and noble is not at all that. At the end, it seems as if he is trying to make the reader feel guilty (especially after reading about the gassed soldier) by ever believing that war is an honourable thing: My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori With this, Owen asks that after knowing what war is really like (as opposed to glorious and noble), would you still tell your children if they asked that war is a wonderful and honourable thing? He therefore intends to make the reader feel guilty for this. In a war, when many people die, their deaths are recorded mostly as a statistic. Here in the last verse of Dulce et Decorum est, Owen picks out one dead individual to the reader. The dead one's face is described so vividly, so as to stand out most to the reader. One's face is what gives one identity, what shows emotion and other human characteristics. Owen purposely focuses in particularly on the face, as to give maximum emotional impact; especially a face so mutilated by the gas which would be a huge shock to one's morals. With â€Å"Obscene as cancer†, Owen is comparing this image, something he knows, to something readers at home know of well. By doing this, Owen also shows how horrifically real the war was, by comparing it to something equally horrifically real, and much closer to home. At the beginning of the second line in Dulce et Decorum est, Owen uses an interesting phrase: â€Å"knock-kneed†. In this phrase can be extracted quite a few different meanings, mostly centred on Owen's excellent use of language which brings such strong realism into his poems. It could possibly be a simple phrase in soldiers' slang, which ties in with the realism. Poetically speaking, he uses alliteration and onomatopoeia to give the idea of knees buckling and knocking together. Knocking together with what? It could have merely been the weather, as the soldiers were cold, muddy and wet, but it also gives the impression that they were shaking with fear, which ties in with the idea that soldiers were ideally viewed as strong, heroic and fearless, yet here they are scared, and defeated by this fear and the effects of the weather. This phrase also gives one the idea of violence, which is certainly and undoubtedly expected in a war. â€Å"Haunting flares† in the next line automatically gives the reader the idea of a horror story. Owen writes Dulce et Decorum est certainly in such a way which could relate it to a horror story, particularly in the last verse where he describes the soldier who died from the gas attack, for here one reads about something which is so horrific, alien and obscene that it could not possibly be real, just as the ghost or other such supernatural beings in a horror story. This ties in with when in the last verse Owen relates it to the Devil, and the Devil is not something most people would like to believe in, just as the nasty image Owen puts into the reader's head of the dead soldier is not something one would like to believe. However, unlike horror stories and the Devil, Owen's description and vivid realism make this something one must accept as real. Tied within the idea of a horror story, â€Å"Haunting flares† also has a rather psychological meaning to it. The use of the word â€Å"haunting† shows that this has been on the soldiers' minds constantly. But as a horror story, in which the purpose is to be scary, but not real, and it seems that the soldiers are treating it as such. The way Owen writes it makes it seem as if it is something that they have been constantly worrying about constantly which has made them paranoid, and so they dismiss it merely as though they are seeing things. This could be a cause of their delayed reactions when they are hit by the gas attack, for they dismissed the flares as though they were not there. In the next verse where Owen describes the gas attack, he uses language which links and relates to the idea of water. â€Å"Floundering† shows this first, as for example one who cannot swim will flounder in the water. Another possible meaning is that a flounder is a fish; a fish out of water will flap and struggle and will not survive because it cannot breathe oxygen. It seems Owen is using this to compare with the soldier who could not get his mask on in time, and he is as the fish out of water, struggling and fighting for the oxygen he cannot breathe, and in the end he will not survive. â€Å"As under a green sea, I saw him drowning† also relates quite clearly to water; the green sea being the gas, and the soldier is dying – drowning – in this green sea. In the next small verse, Owen briefly changes from the past to the present tense with, In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, chocking, drowning. This shows the traumatic and psychological effects this one event had on him. This could be because Owen saw this so close and it was so shocking to him. However, although there is no hint to it in the poem save for â€Å"An ecstasy of fumbling†, there could be a chance that the gas mask Owen ‘won' might have been fought over by Owen and the dying soldier. The sight of watching the soldier die so horrifically could leave a sharp imprint of guilt upon Owen, such as that he would relive the moment when he sleeps, in his dreams. It also shows that Owen had been forced to buy such a nasty moment to be able to function, to do his job, during the day. However, when something has such an effect on someone, it cannot be buried, and it will come back to haunt the person, as it did with Owen when he slept. However, in order for one to be able to get over such an event, it must be remembered, and part of the reason Owen wrote this poem was as a method of self-therapy, to help him recover from the moment. Owen also uses an interesting order of words in these two lines, leaving the point where he speaks about the soldier actually dying, the most important bit, till last. Because of the such traumatic effect it has on him, such a thing to say would be very hard for Owen. In Exposure, Owen focuses in particular on describing most vividly the weather and psychological effects on them during this particular time. It shows also his experience in the war, as weather was a strong enemy to both sides and both sides were badly affected. In the second verse of Exposure, Owen uses poetic technique tied in with realism to describe the weather as an army to be fought. †¦melancholy army attacks once More in ranks on shivering Ranks of grey†¦ Throughout Exposure, Owen uses vivid description to relate to the reader the weather. Here, Owen uses personification as he describes the weather as at the time a more challenging enemy to be fought than the Germans – the main enemy at the time. Also, with â€Å"a dull rumour of some other war†, he is showing that during that time the soldiers were far more concerned about surviving from the extreme weather conditions than they were about the war they were in France originally to fight. It also shows that they were not alert completely, perhaps effected by the weather and fatigue, and they are not entirely aware of how vulnerable they are to the Nazis. Exposure focuses particularly on not only the weather, but also on the psychological effects. Owen describes how the soldiers were so wrecked by fatigue and by the effects of the weather that they forgot about fighting the Nazis and merely withdrew into themselves. Within this, they seem to wonder about what they had been told about war. This is shown particularly when the phrase â€Å"Forgotten dreams†. This may be dreams of the glory after the war, things they had wished to do, dreams and plans after the war, which they have given up on, because they have realised that war is not a glorious thing at all. In this also there appears to be a loss of morale, and of hope, as if they have realised there is no hope in this war at all, be it against the Germans or the weather. There is also a religious element, in which they seem to question their faith and belief in God, and a sense of homesickness. â€Å"Glimpsing the sunk fires† shows this particularly. A fire that is not tended to dies down, and the soldiers had not been home in so long. The fire could also refer to their sunken spirits, and a drastic diminishing of hope and faith, or the diminishing of life as more soldiers die. â€Å"Shutters and doors all closed†: this could mean a few things, such as they believed they would never make it home, they will not survive this horrific war – a drastic loss of morale. Alternatively, perhaps, if they were to return home in the end things would never be the same. There is even the sense (particularly with the next line: â€Å"We turn back to our dying†) that they cannot go back until their job is done, so they â€Å"turn back to [our] dying†. They retreat from their minds and wake up to reality once more. The theme of religion is brought in with â€Å"For God's invincible spring our love is made afraid†. This could mean many things. One of the Ten Commandments is to love your neighbour as yourself. They may be afraid to love their neighbour – the Germans in this case. Or it may be that, after all that has happened to them in the war, they are afraid to any longer love; to believe in; to have faith in God. As this is what t heir belief has brought them too. However, Owen says â€Å"invincible spring†. This could mean something completely different; a sudden replenishing of morale, or of faith in God. It is as if they know they are going to die, and there is nothing they can do about it, but they realise suddenly that this is God's plan for them, and they will not die in vain. They were in the war for a reason: to protect their country and they will die doing their job. â€Å"Therefore, not loath†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – this also shows acceptance of the job God has given them. By â€Å"not loath†, it shows that they will not half-heartedly do their job, and they will do it fully and wilfully. It is clearly difficult however, for them to come to terms with what seems their destiny. Despite Owen's anger about the false propaganda, there does seem to be a sense that heroism has returned to the idea of war. â€Å"Therefore were born†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ could this mean sacrifice, or resurrection perhaps as with Jesus? With the line â€Å"For love of God seems dying†, it seems it could rather mean â€Å"For love of God it seems worth dying†. This shows that they would willingly die for the love of God. The last verse of Exposure is a verse that seems to predict their fate, which is ultimately a whole acceptance of this fate. Again, Owen's choice of language defines the strong sense of realism and the psychological theme, as with throughout the poem. There are two lines which are most prominent, the first being â€Å"This mud and us†; this line refers to clearly the dead bodies in the earth, but there is also a seemingly religious element in it also. A line from the Bible reads â€Å"Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust†. This refers to the dead bodies in the earth returning to dust, so they are at one with the Earth, peaceful and as part of nature. It seems Owen has come to realise it is simply this which is the fate that awaits them, and he has accepted fully this fate. The last line seems slightly strange then in compliance with this, for it states â€Å"But nothing happens†. Is this a sudden uncertainty of what is to happen after death, or merely a sudden thought that perhaps there is simply nothing? This contradicts their religious views, as the thought of nothing happening would mean regardless of whether they were good men or not, there would be no eternal paradise nor suffering. These two poems are relatively similar in that the main purpose for being written was to expose the horrific truth about war, which is that the ideals created by propaganda of the time that it is glorious to fight for your country, that to be a soldier is to be heroic and fearless and honourable, is opposite to the actual reality of a war. The truth of events in a war, for example the soldier who died from the gas attack in Dulce et Decorum est, is very different from this ideal image, for to die in such a way is certainly not glorious to anyone. As Owen vaguely questions throughout his poems, if you are to die in such a horrific and grotesque way, is it truly worth dying for your country? For as Owen's retreatment into his mind in Exposure, where the soldiers suffer from severe homesickness, would one not prefer to make certain they shall return to their families to care for them, to ensure their safety, rather than die so nastily and leave their family to suffer under the effects of such a death? From each of Owen's poems, it is evident that his determination and passion to expose â€Å"the old lie† to the public drove him to write his poems to perfection, using poetic devices and languages to fill these poems with layers of meaning, some which only Owen will know of, as a method of self-therapy to help him recover from the psychological effects and traumatic stress of the war. It is very sad, therefore, that he should die at such a young age, just before the ending of the war where he should have (as many soldiers who did not should have) been able to experience peace once more and also the effects his incredible poetry had on people.

Current health and safety legislation Essay

Ensure the area in or outdoors is free of any hazards or risks and is safe for CYP to work or play in safely. There should be adequate space for the number of people using it to move round comfortably and safely. Equipment should be stored safely storage should be labelled clearly. Furniture should be appropriate size for age of CYP using it. Lighting and noise should be taken into account and specific risks to individuals as in pregnancy, impaired sight or hearing, disabled, and CYP with special educational needs. We have a duty of care towards all the CYP in our care. The outdoor environment has some different needs like secure boundaries, being regularly inspected. The area should be checked for litter broken glass or animal droppings. Ensure any plants bushes or trees are safe no thorns or nettles and no poisonous or irritant leaves, berries, or flowers. Safety rules should be displayed and explained to the CYP also making sure they have a clear understanding of how to use any to ys or equipment safely. Areas that include ponds, pools and sandpits etc should be covered when not in use. Be aware of lines of responsibility for checking the learning environment for risks and hazards. Your health and safety officer should answer any queries you have. There should be the correct ratio of adults to children with suitable training and safety clearance. In both these environments and off-site visits everyone should be aware of what to do in case of: emergencies, fire alarms, incidents, accidents or illness. Be aware of possible signs and indicators of child abuse: physical, emotional, sexual abuse, bullying and harassment , neglect and failure to thrive not based on illness. The signs could be: behavioural changes such as regression, withdrawal, excessive attention seeking, aggression and negative behaviour. Physical indicators such as unlikely bruising, burns, marks, genital irritation or damage, hunger , being dirty, lack of  health care. In school we have notices about certain children whom either have allergies, specific illnesses that require specialised medication or immediate contacting of emergency services, they have a picture of the child and detailed instructions of what to do in an emergency. All incidents and accidents no matter how minor are recorded in detail in our first aid book, anything more serious has to be recorded on special incident sheets along with any witness statements. We have regular fire drill practices. There are security locks on the main exits that can only be opened with a swipe card that only members of staff have. If someone should get through this system and are unknown to staff they will be challenged by any member of staff within the school and asked to leave. All the CYP’s are regularly reminded of stranger danger and what to do if they should be approached by a stranger. The gates are locked to the entrance of the school at starting and leaving times for the CYP’s to ensure there is no danger from cars or lorries driving on and off site. CYP are regularly reminded of hygiene issues like washing hands after using the toilet or at lunch times before eating their food, there are also posters to remind them on a daily basis too.

How Film Producers Analyze Your Screenplay

How Film Producers Analyze Your Screenplay When an actor reads a script, he’ll think about how to approach his character, his motivation, his arc. When a cinematographer reads that same script, he’s thinking about lighting, camera angles, and what cinematic style to employ. The art director thinks about how to use design principles and visual techniques, while the editor assesses how everything will cut together. But what about the producer? After all, she’s the creative gatekeeper who has committed to bringing all these people together to turn your script into a movie. What does she look for? In short, everything. (Albeit from a macro level.) Because if she doesn’t understand what the script needs, how will she assemble the right team for it? Moreover, how will she find its audience? Below are six main areas that a good producer will consider when reviewing your script. Story The producer wants fleshed-out characters, dramatic tension, coherent theme, and appropriate narrative structure. These are the underpinnings of viable cinematic storytelling. The story should resonate with your target demographic – whether through comedy, drama or thrills – ultimately offering a two-hour journey that encourages the willing suspension of disbelief. Bottom line, you can take a great story and make a so-so movie, but you’ll never turn a so-so story into a great movie. Budget Producers are not only the film’s creative shepherds but also its fiscal ones. They’re responsible for deciding how much the film should cost and then securing that amount from investors. They also maintain a fiduciary duty to make choices that will benefit those investors. Smaller stories that require over-the-top set pieces or excessive visual effects might turn what would otherwise be a greenlight into a pass. Similarly, material with a low-budget feel might turn off a producer seeking something with wide theatrical appeal. Cast The right cast is almost indispensable to selling a film, so it’s no great mystery why producers rarely read a script without thinking about who would play key roles. Think about known actors whose look, style and personality might best befit the characters and let that inform your writing. The producer may ask you who you see playing those characters. Just make sure the actors you pick have a decent track record of starring in successful films. Execution Logistics At the end of the day, remember that the producer is tasked with turning your words into images. That means finding the right locations, hiring the best crew, securing vendors, determining a feasible schedule, and doing it all in a way that protects the integrity of both the story and budget. If she sees a workable path for bringing your script to screen within the budget parameters, she’s more likely to take a chance on it. Marketing Loving a script is not enough. The producer wants to know that others will love it, too. Those people will make up the movie’s audience. As she reads, she’ll be thinking about how to grab the audience’s attention before they ever buy a ticket, from posters (how will the stars look on it?) to trailers (are there some good action-oriented set piece moments?) to awards potential (can I parlay a win at Cannes into an Oscar?). Considering such things in the scripting stage yourself might make your material more marketable. Distribution A feature film is ultimately a product. Making it is only the first step. Releasing it to an audience is the rest. The producer thinks about which distributors, sales agents, and platforms will find the story appealing, whether it be a made-for-TV movie, an international blockbuster, or a small Spanish-language indie for the Latin streaming market. Elements like scope, scale, plot, tone, genre, cast type, and marketability factor into this decision, so your understanding of such things help you better craft material. Summary These six elements are critical to how a producer analyzes a screenplay, but they don’t operate in a vacuum. They all relate and affect each other. For instance, story and budget will affect the level of cast you can attract, while all three will affect logistics. Cast and budget will affect the marketing plan, and so on. As such, multi-hyphenates like writer-producers who actually produce some of their own material are in the best position to consider another producer’s mindset when writing future scripts. For further insights, here is part of an interview I did with Film Courage on this topic: https://youtu.be/PAz-hW_Vym0

Free Speech VS. Hate Speech essays

Free Speech VS. Hate Speech essays Most Americans would like to think that the United States is a place open to diversity with room for everyone. The fact is, hate is a huge block to this vision, and the atrocities of Mathew Shepard and James Byrd grow by the day increasing the search for a remedy. We used to be able to ignore people who spoke of hate because they wore white hoods and had meetings in secluded places. Now, people like Eminen and John Rocker can speak hate over the television, radio, and especially the Internet (Goldstein, 2000). This new form of hate speech has caused much debate and controversy because every where a person looks some form of hate is being spoken. Some institutions have tried to curb hate speech by instituting speech codes, which try to eliminate hate speech. However, these speech codes have been confronted by much debate. Whether or not people need to be censored is a question asked by many in the debate between The First Amendment, which guarantees Civil liberties, and The Fourt eenth Amendment, which guarantees Civil rights. Civil rights vs. Civil liberties. In short, is hate speech protected under the rights and liberties of the constitution. Hate Speech is a very troubling matter for those who believe in the right to Free Speech and expression. They want to stop the hate, but at the same time, maintain the constitution. Many have tried to define hate speech as that which offends, threatens, or insults groups based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or a number of other traits (McMasters, 1999). However, what might be easy to define for scholarly or general discourse would simply not be adequate enough to put into law. McMasters (1999), gives several reasons why hate speech is so hard to define. First, "is the definition in terms of what the speech reflects, such as bigotry, bias, prejudice, anger, or fear? Or is it a matter of what the speech conveys: intimidation, vil...

Cengage Learning Essay Example for Free

Cengage Learning Essay After taking the survey regarding the climate of my organization, I gained interesting insight into my company’s position in the work/life area. The survey provided by the Work and Family Connection asked twenty questions, in which I enjoyed answering. 1. My manager/supervisor treats my work/life needs with sensitivity. Agree 2. It is usually easy for me to manage the demands of both work and home life. Agree 3. My career path at this company is limited because of the pressure of home life demands. Disagree 4. My job at this company keeps me from maintaining the quality of life I want. Disagree 5. My manager/supervisor is supportive when home life issues interfere with work. Disagree 6. My manager/supervisor focuses on results, rather than the time I am at my desk. Disagree 7. My manager/supervisor has a good understanding of flexible work hour practices. Agree 8. If I requested a flexible work arrangement, my manager/supervisor would support me. Agree 9. My manager/supervisor is often inflexible or insensitive about my personal needs. Disagree 10. I believe my manager treats me with respect. Agree 11. My manager allows me informal flexibility as long as I get the job done. My manager tends to treat us like children. Disagree 13. My manager seldom gives me praise or recognition for the work I do. Disagree 14. My manager seems to care about me as a person. Agree 15. I would recommend this company to others. Agree 16. The work I do is not all that important to this company’s success. Disagree 17. If I could find another job with better pay, I would leave this organization. Disagree 18. If I could find another job where I would be treated with respect, I would take it. Disagree 19. If I could find another job where I could have more flexibility, I would take it. Agree 20. I am totally committed to this company. Agree Since I scored seventeen, I am in the category that states that my organization is supportive and more flexible than most; however, there is room for me to grow (Snell & Bohlander, 2013). This scoring seems highly accurate to me. I do feel as though I have a very supportive and flexible place of employment; however, I feel that there is room for improvement. References Snell, S. , & Bohlander, G. (2013). Managing human resources. Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. Cengage Learning. (2016, Sep 26).

Teacher Misbehavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Teacher Misbehavior - Essay Example As Lewis and Riley (2009), â€Å"The way some teachers respond to the stress integral to their chosen profession is by interacting with students in a way that can be conceptualised as misbehaving† (p. 417). Teachers’ behavior towards students and their way of interaction becomes negative due to stress or any other reason, which is termed in today’s world as ‘teacher misbehavior’. Teacher misbehavior is not just linked to decreased interaction between students and teachers due to teachers’ inappropriate behaviors. Rather, it is also linked with an overall downward shift in the classroom management behaviors and instructional skills of teachers. A stressed or indolent teacher is not able to focus his/her attention on his/her professional roles and responsibilities in the way an effective teacher can. It is due to the fact that stress, incompetence, and thinking about personal issues at the workplace make a person unable to deliver his/her best no matter to what professional field he/she belongs to. A teacher may show abrupt behaviors due to many reasons. In today’s professional settings, salary and working environment are two such factors that can cause a person to show misbehavior at the workplace. Teachers, who feel stressed either due to salary issues or school climate, become unable to teach their students using appropriate instructional techniques because their mind does not let them focus their attention towards their professional duties (Sava, 2002). As the result of this, teachers start taking their professional responsibilities as granted and become unable to do justice with their roles and responsibilities. This inability to do justice with professional roles and responsibilities leads to inappropriate behaviors both with students in classrooms and with colleagues at the staffroom, which is known as teacher misbehavior in the educational settings. As Sava (2002) states, â€Å"teachers who

The Yield Curve Kink Decision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Yield Curve Kink Decision - Essay Example For example, Tony Boeckh had extensive skills in bank credit and was a skilled economist. On the other hand, James Hymas, who was the president and the chief executive officer, was the portfolio manager while Eric Deckert and Bing Li were the company analysts (Hunger, 2002). Currently the company is managing over $1.7 billion, pension funds. As the company portrayed strong record of accomplishment, it attracted more clients and within 7 years, it gained over $400 million in pension business even though it lost small pension accounts that were worth $10 million in total (Iansiti and Levien, 2004). By the end of September 1997, Greydanus, Broekh and Associates annualized return stood at 13.80% rising above the SCM universe bond index that stood at 13.56% (Steve, 2010). At the same year, the company monthly returns at the end of September stood at 1.97% while the duration was 5.56 as compared to the SCM return and duration which stood at 1.72% and 5.47 respectively. According to the independent pension consultant, GBA investment style includes 20% pure interest rate anticipation while the quantitative value strategies stood at the remaining 80%. Given its effort to make sustainable investment decisions, GBA makes its investment decisions based quantitative as well as computer models. In order for the company to increase its revenue, sometimes it times the market for example in 1994 and 1995. During this time, GBA noted that the market had overshot and the possibility of interest rates declining was high. As a result, the company limited its investment portfolio to avoid losses. In most of the times, the company managed its investment portfolio in a range within 1.5 years of the recognized standard fixed income benchmark unless the customers applied a different benchmark (Steve, 2010). One notable aspect to note for GBA is that it invested entirely in government bonds, and a strategy the company adopted in ensuring the maximum earnings of

Ethics The Element of Moral Philosophy by Rachels, Meditations ( Essay

Ethics The Element of Moral Philosophy by Rachels, Meditations ( Marcus Aurellius), A man For All Seasons (Bolt) - Essay Example Additionally, the origin of morals and moral behavior is relatively unknown; as is what components a person must consider when deciding whether his or her actions would be considered moral. Unlike many consequentialists, Kant asserts deontological, or "Duty Based" morals. Essentially, morals come directly from the will of the person taking action; that person will do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. This approach to ethics is the easiest to teach, the first people learn, and the most cut-and-dry approach to ethics and moral influence available. The Kantian approach to morality relies heavily on universal acceptance and implementation of "laws" such as whether or not a person should lie, steal, or murder. Clearly, to lie, steal, or murder is wrong; therefore a moral person will never lie, will never steal, and will never murder another person. The idea of "Universal Acceptance and Application of Laws" is known as the Categorical Imperative. Kant describes this Categorical Imperative as a personal choice: act in a manner that you would like to see become a universal law. This is somewhat akin to the "Golden Rule" - in a sense. In essence, this ideal asserts that while a person is deciding whether or not to do something (such as lie) to first consider whether or not that action should be done to him. To work with the example of lying: if a person does not believe that lying should be a universally accepted practice, then that person - through logic and reasoning - should not lie under any circumstances. Deontological ethics are rarely concerned with the outcome of an action - only the action itself is measured in terms of moral evaluation. Therefore, the Kantian approach to ethics is largely impartial and more objective than other views of moral behavior. As stated by Kant, there are no exceptions within this approach to ethics and morals. If it is wrong to lie, then at no time should a person lie. No matter the outcome of a situation, deontological ethics define a person as morally right if that person did not lie. For example, people seeking employment often have to write up resumes and/or fill out job applications. Some jobs require a certain amount of experience or training within the profession - or possible a particular personality - to consider an interviewee for employment. While filling out the application, duty-based ethics would require that a person be forthright with his or her information and personality traits - even if doing so may cost him or her employment. If the result of being honest results in the loss or foreclosure of the home, the act of being honest about his or her experiences on the job application is still measured as morally correct. The Kantian approach to ethics and morals is not without its flaws; some concepts simply cannot be categorized as "universal" and other should not. For example, if one persons morals infringes upon the rights or morals of another person. The use of contraceptives can be used as an example of this. If people were to universally stop the use of contraceptives, the world would become much more populated than it already is. Teen pregnancy would being to increase, and subsequently the number of abortions and adoptions would increase proportionally. However, if everyone universally began using

Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contract Law - Essay Example Since Standard Contracts display an inherent certainty, they leave no scope for ambiguity. The Supplier who has made the Standard Contract (Employers, Banks, Investors and other such people) can impose their own clauses. They impose their own clauses and are adamant about any proposed change by the client. What makes provisions in agreements â€Å"standard† is the failure of the client to negotiate them and the willingness of those artists to accept such an off-putting reply that something is â€Å"standard.† ( IVAN HOFFMAN, B.A., J.D.) There are of course many provisions that should be included in any thorough agreement even though many of those provisions and their internal components remain fully negotiable. But at the very least, money points, royalties, advances, reserves should be considered as fully fair game in all deals. Other agreed terms, whilst not mandatory, have been subject to agreement between the negotiating parties nationally and should not therefore n eed amending in any way at local level. There are only a small number of terms which will be particular to each practice and which will need to be tailored to reflect the agreement. In the present scenario there is precious little that the client can do. There are not too many legal instruments could be provided to the client against the supplier, who has prepared the Standard Contract. As a rule, the standard conditions are valid in most circumstances.

UDL Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

UDL - Assignment Example Lesson ideas are well established by offering full plans, along with tips on introducing the topic, which would help someone to better understand how a topic should be brought up to students. Internet resources about poetry slams, including books and visual aid, supplement the lesson plans and offer extra material to be added, or to allow the teacher to tweak already existing ideas. By providing internet resources and online plans, the lesson is appealing to the modern learning style of using technology to assist comprehension. The chart of alternative methods is extremely useful in understanding how to better deal with children who have special learning requirements. Specific issues are addressed, and then are answered with possible suggestions, backed up by internet resources. Clever solutions are mentioned to deal with comprehension issues, such as using a text-to-speech tool on the computer to help students understand how to read or say certain words. This specific area of the ar ts is perfect for helping students with comprehension and reading techniques.

Dq3.1-Terence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dq3.1-Terence - Essay Example Developing knowledge workers is a complicated and imperative focus field for any company that desires to perform well and remain knowledge driven. The essay presents a discussion of major milestones for developing successful and knowledgeable workers. A performing organization perceives knowledge leadership training as a crucial aspect of being a competitive knowledge enabled firm not only at the stage of leadership, but throughout the entire company (Yap & Webber, 2015). For instance, in Acquisition Solutions, the most important factor is to provide knowledge management chances. The company should identify and develop mentors, champions, and managers through recognition and creation of an evolving set of characters for identification of knowledge leaders. Another factor is to provide resources and support for knowledge workers. This occurs through a centrally accessible learning center. It is imperative to reward knowledge workers and measure efficiency of the workers. Rewarding knowledge workers function as a form of extrinsic motivation for them to remain productive in their respective sections. Knowledge management refers to the process of taking, dispensing, and efficiently utilizing knowledge (Lindner & Wald, 2011). In a broader sense, the field promotes an inclusive approach to identification, capture, assessment, retrieval, and dissemination of all the company’s information assets (Rasula, Bosilj & Indihar, 2012). Examples of knowledge management may include databases, documents, laws, processes, and initially un-captured skill and experience in particular employees. Knowledge management enhances competencies and innovation among employees (Lopez-Nicolas & Merono-Cerdan, 2011). Knowledge management encompasses lessons learned that tries to capture and unveil information operationally acquired. It also promotes organizational culture (Zheng, Yang & McLean, 2010). When implementing knowledge

UDL Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

UDL - Assignment Example Lesson ideas are well established by offering full plans, along with tips on introducing the topic, which would help someone to better understand how a topic should be brought up to students. Internet resources about poetry slams, including books and visual aid, supplement the lesson plans and offer extra material to be added, or to allow the teacher to tweak already existing ideas. By providing internet resources and online plans, the lesson is appealing to the modern learning style of using technology to assist comprehension. The chart of alternative methods is extremely useful in understanding how to better deal with children who have special learning requirements. Specific issues are addressed, and then are answered with possible suggestions, backed up by internet resources. Clever solutions are mentioned to deal with comprehension issues, such as using a text-to-speech tool on the computer to help students understand how to read or say certain words. This specific area of the ar ts is perfect for helping students with comprehension and reading techniques.

Equal Opportunity in Education Essay Example for Free

Equal Opportunity in Education Essay The whole object of education isto develop the mind. (Sherwood Anderson) The United States of America has developed a system to educate its youth by a publicly funded system. It is the law and born civil right of each citizen to attend some form of education by a particular age. The public school system is set in place for those who choose not to send their offspring to private, religious, or charter schools. This is the present incarnation of the public school system. It is said to be equal in all manner throughout the country. That has not always been the case in this nation. That has brought forth numerous laws and enactments to grant those who find themselves on the lesser side of gaining knowledge more of an equal footing where education is concerned. In this land of opportunity, there is an expected level of availability that is expected. In a world of intense competition from within and outside of the country education one of the few ways of balancing the scales of the socially or monetarily disadvantaged is proportionate education. In this nation children have at one point or another in history been systematically held back for one reason or another. The reasons differ in the once beliefs that they were not able to learn or personal thought of not being worthy to be taught. In 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson granted the states the right to uphold the separate but equal doctrine that ruled the land. This was a great lost to all those that held a hope those later generations would do better than those who came before. Education began to become more balanced when separate but equal was pushed aside by the landmark case of Brown vs. The Board of Education. In 1954 The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Henry Billings Brown. This would begin the integration of public school which was the first step into equal opportunity for students nationwide. The Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was the next big step creating a system that would seek a fair learning experience for all. Its basic notion is that state and local funds for schools should be equitable before federal Title I funds are added to schools with large concentrations of low-income students. (americanprogress.org) The Title I funding has a slight problem in its workings that has been a detriment to the children who attend these schools. The amount of money allocated to the schools is based on the salaries of the teachers. That is a problem for schools with a high turnover ratio. Schools that have moderately younger staff that is relatively new to the task of educating young minds make less than the veterans of the better school districts. This translates into less money per teacher and that equals less money for the school and the children. It is unfortunate that less money ultimately means less of educational opportunities. The fact is that children in low income areas do not receive a fair share of money. The student need is not met by the standards laid out by the government. Money is the root of a proper education in this high end technological world. Without proper funds the simplest of supplies cannot be purchased. Computers, books, calculators, or simple printer ink is not available on a scale that is considered suitable. The eventual sharing of materials is a detriment to the students who are not allowed to have their own because of lack of equipment ready for use. The civil rights case would eventually open the door for other minorities. One that would take advantage of the Brown ruling was those with disabilities. In Brown the Court declared that it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. (web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu.) They would use this to rally their forces and demand equal opportunities for cognitively i mpaired children. Mills vs. the Board of Education of the District of Columbia and the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children vs. Pennsylvania were two cases that brought the plight of these students to the light of day. The law would be changed to give them the rights that they so richly deserved. The newest in leveling the field of education has come through the No Child Left Behind Act which was signed into being by former President George W. Bush in 2002. These reforms express my deep belief in our public schools and their mission to build the mind and character of every child, from every background, in every part of America. (George W. Bush, 2001) No Child Left Behind puts an emphasis on improving the quality of public education. It calls for increased accountability, more choices for parents and students, putting reading first, and a higher emphasis on standardized testing. However the standardized testing is one of the biggest problems of the act. The majority of teachers has a problem with the testing and calls it bias. They also put forth that the testing takes away from the true teaching of knowledge, rather they now teach to test. This makes the education of the nation less than competitive with other countries. To combat these problems in our ever changing world we must go back to the beginning. In that thought process society must rethink its past transgressions. The country must avoid the same mistakes of the past. Politicians are not the ones who should make the decisions to lead the future of United States of America. Educators should be in charge of educating the youth. Those who have spent their lives gaining knowledge to teach the children of their world should be tasked with the job of finding a way to educate equally. This task should be given to those who best fit the job description. The assignment should be outsourced if it is needed. Other countries excel in education and this nation could learn from those who educate on higher levels. Educating the masses on a more equal platform will only add to greatness. Reference Quotes on Education (n.d.) Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/eduquote.htm Ensuring Equal Opportunity in Public Education (n.d.) Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/06/comparability.html Plessy v. Ferguson (n.d.) Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plessy_v._Ferguson OVERVIEW Executive Summary (n.d.) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html The Need for Equal Opportunity and a Right to Quality Education (n.d.) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/detail? Equal Opportunity (n.d.) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer An American perspective on equal educational opportunities (2002) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?

The Impact Of Fashion

The Impact Of Fashion Fashion and Identity Long ago people started wanting to stand out from the crowd and tried be different from other people by means of changing their clothing. This was the moment when fashion first appeared. Currently, fashion is sometimes defined as a constantly changing trend. However, it is necessary to say that at present moment fashion has a deeper influence on the life of people and possess more than just trifling reasons for its existence. Fashion through clothing has become an integral part of self-realization of every person. People have been using clothing and accessories for many years to decorate the human body. From various parts of the world people present themselves in different ways and they may follow certain trends and make their own trends and trademarks. Fashion changes regularly with respect to time and location. For many centuries clothes gave out some message by those who wore it. Some trends were maintained in clothing in order to follow the cultural traditions. Fashion and style changed from each era. The major change occurred after the World War I; it shocked everyone by their own styles and morals. In the early days people used to wear clothes in such a way that the appearances of them give out the gender, age, economic class and sometimes their intentions. Fashion is a medium through which people communicate about their occupation, class and wealth. Apart from the dresses we wear there are other features for fashion like hairstyles, makeup and accessories like jewelry. People were more conserve and obligated in the past but it completely changed their life styles by cutting their hair, having tattoos and piercing their body. An important aspect of fashion is the relationship it maintains with the society, which has become more complex in the recent years. Whatever clothes we wear give out a statement to the world about us, which reveals some information about our status in the society. People were much influenced psychologically and physically by fashion and its trends. Fashion is an overlapping and interconnection of bodies which involves in promotion and production of dress and the actions performed by the individuals acting when they are dressed. Fashion clothing examines the connection between colonization and clothing material. People are spiritual and social beings, where their identity is affected by clothes in both realms. Modern tyrannies attacked the spiritual authorities of various cultures directly or indirectly by abandoning the traditional dress they need to wear and wear the clothes of modernity like party clothes of various communist moments and clothes worn by those riding the waves of fashion. Any discussion of clothing must also consider the implications of the style of clothing that is these days overwhelming all other forms of clothing: the modern Western attire. It almost abolished all distinctions among people, race or language, religion or culture or tradition.   Western dresses were developed with a certain conception of what it means to be human. Western dresses first emerged in Medieval Europe among the high classes, in a world still attached to a semblance of tradition, but, like other habits of the Western elite, it eventually became the habit of the masses, once it had become relatively affordable and readily available. There is one area where most of the part has not succumbed to the temptations of the Western mode of dress that is the clothing of women in traditional and Eastern societies. While men have almost completely abandoned their traditional dress and adopted the uniforms of the West, either of the conformist or consumerist type, women not only hold fast to their traditional clothing in their own societies, but that they choose to wear them in the progressive West, while their men are wearing suits, sneakers and jeans. Clothing does depict that a persons character can be changed or modified. It brings even honor and respect to the people. In Macbeth, the image of clothing is used to suggest that throughout the play, Macbeth tries to hide himself from his eyes and from others. Shakespeare wants to keep alive the ironical contrast between the wretched creature that Macbeth really is and the disguises he assumes to conceal that fact. Secondly, honors are thought of as garments to be worn; likewise, Macbeth is constantly represented symbolically as the wearer of robes for honor. Fashion is symbolism and all its attributes forms an outstanding base for cultural and personal identification. Identity is a necessary process of someones personality as it is a part of self-realization of a person that is required for finding a place in life. Now a days fashion is a tool for achieving harmony with the inner world and a way of revealing or concealing peculiarities. Fashion symbols are accepted as long as it does not hurt people around and when we think about fashion and identity it is necessary to remember the ethical side of the issue. Fashion and identity still remains a twofold issue which has lot of positive aspects one can enjoy and share with other people. Of course, there are many factors in the flight to and from tradition and fashion, and perhaps clothing seems a trivial matter with which to be concerned, for clothing does not fully make the identity of a person; as Dickens say in his ‘The Great Expectations. Food and shelter, is an important factor in life, the individual and the environment in which the individual lives helps to interacts with others. However, Fashion is not about utility. An accessory that is merely a piece of iconography used to express individual identity as stated by the famous Lauren Weisberger in her notable work The Devil Wears Prada. Finally to say, Fashion does impact the world largely by significantly depicting ones identity and character through clothing and other trends.

Death of a Salesman Essay -- essays research papers fc

Death of a salesman The Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller is a controversial play of a typical American family and their desire to live the American dream â€Å"Rather than a tragedy or failure as the play is often described. Death of a Salesman dramatizes a failure of [that] dream† (Cohn 51). The story is told through the delusional eyes and mind of Willy Loman, a traveling salesman of 34 years, whose fantasy world of lies eventually causes him to suffer an emotional breakdown. Willy’s wife, Linda, loves and supports Willy despite all his problems, and continually believes in his success and that of their no good lazy sons, Biff and Happy. The play takes place in 1942, in Willy and Linda’s home, a dilapidated shack on the outskirts of a slum. Willy has spent his whole life teaching and believing that you can achieve success by your appearance and by making yourself as amiable as possible. Eventually Willy begins to fabricate stories at himself to be able to live with himself be cause he can’t meet his own expectations. He falls deeper into his lies, making himself and his family suffer for it. (Thesis). In the play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller proves he is America’s social critic when he criticizes Willy’s relationship concerning his family, his lack of success in achieving his goals and his dreams along with his inner turmoil and personal collapse which result in suicide. In the onset of the play, Willy told Linda that you â€Å"work a lifetime to pay of a house. You finally own it, and there is nobody to live in it† (Cohn 56). This quote shows how Willy strives his whole life to make a home for his family and by the time he sees the realization of that one dream, his family has drifted apart and he is alone with his haunting thoughts and his ghosts. Willy has such high expectations for himself and his sons, and when they all failed to accomplish their dreams, they were unable to accept each other for what they truly were. Willy raised Biff with the idea that success depends on whether or not a person can sell himself and not how smart a person is. Biff’s tragic flaw is his acceptance of Willy’s values and not creating any of his own. When Biff realizes his father is a fake, he becomes a lost individual and he does not speak to his father for 14 years. In Willy’s family it is always Biff who receives recognition, however, H appy strives for attention too... ...sm CLC.2 . Detroit: Indiana University press. 1971. 68-96. Bibliography Bloom, Harold. Major Literary Characters: Willy Loman. New York: Chelsea House, 1991. Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Interpretations: Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Cohn, Ruby. â€Å"The Articulate Victims of Arthur Miller†. Contemporary Literary Criticism CLC.2 . Detroit: Indiana University press. 1971. 68-96. Driver, Tom F. Saturday Review. Contemporary Literary Criticism. CLC.2.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Detroit: James Brown Associates. 1970. Magill, N Frank. â€Å"Arthur Miller.† Vol.4 of Magills Survey of American Literature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New York: Salem Press. Inc, 1991. Murray, Edward. â€Å"Arthur Miller.† Contemporary Literary Criticism.† Vol.6.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Detroit: Gak Research, 1987. Perkins, George, Barbara Perkins and Phillip Leiniger. â€Å"Arthur Miller.† Readers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Encyclopedia of American Literature. 1991. Simon, John. â€Å"Arthur Miller.† Contemporary Literacy Criticism. Vol.2. Detroit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NYM Corp. 1972.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

The Great Gatsby A Criticism Of The Twenties (grade 11 Essay)

The Roaring Twenties is considered to be a time of excessive celebration and immense corruption. The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a criticism of American society and its values during this era of history. This criticism is first apparent in the people who go to Gatsby's parties. They get absurdly drunk, do not know who their host is and are rude by excessively gossiping about him. This commentary is also shown in the corruption of the police. Gatsby is able to pay off the police so that the activities going on at his home will go unnoticed and so that he may behave as he wishes. This criticism is finally shown in the corruption of friendship and love, the simple fact being that there is none. People use Gatsby and then throw him away. Fitzgerald's criticism of American society and its values during this time period is first shown in the behaviour of people at Gatsby's parties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people who go to Gatsby's house on Saturday night only go to have a good time. The guests get drunk, get into fights, and act like complete idiots. This behaviour is apparent when Nick goes to one of Gatsby's parties for the first time. Nick says,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The large room was full of people. One of the girls in yellow was  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  playing the piano, and beside her stood a tall, red-haired young lady...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  engaged in song. She had drunk a quantity of champagne...she was   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  not only singing she was weeping too...Most of the remaining   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  women were having fights with men said to be their husbands...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the men was talking with curious intensity to a young   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  actress, and his wife...resorted to flank attacks...(52) The people at the party are so drunk that they are barely aware of what they are doing. As they become more drunk, they become more absurd. The woman singing a happy song bursts into tears for no reason. Men become more friendly to women other than their wives, and wives become more violent in de... ...sby believed loved him as he had loved her for so many years, did not only not attend his funeral, but did not even send a flower or message. All the people Gatsby knows uses him for their own means and then discard him. There is no such thing as friendship or love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Roaring Twenties is considered a time of mass corruption and excessive absurdity. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses his novel, The Great Gatsby, to criticize the American society and its values in this era. This criticism is best shown in the behaviour of the people who go to Gatsby's parties; they are careless, rude and only looking out for themselves. It is also shown in the corruption of the police, who are easily paid to look the other way. It is finally apparent in the corruption of friendship and love, the truth being that there is none. This society and its values are self-centered and materialistic, caring very little for consequences and others. Fitzgerald's message is delivered magnificently and causes one to be appalled by the behaviour of the people during this time in history. Bibliography Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. England: Penguin Books, 1950. The Great Gatsby A Criticism Of The Twenties (grade 11 Essay) The Roaring Twenties is considered to be a time of excessive celebration and immense corruption. The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a criticism of American society and its values during this era of history. This criticism is first apparent in the people who go to Gatsby's parties. They get absurdly drunk, do not know who their host is and are rude by excessively gossiping about him. This commentary is also shown in the corruption of the police. Gatsby is able to pay off the police so that the activities going on at his home will go unnoticed and so that he may behave as he wishes. This criticism is finally shown in the corruption of friendship and love, the simple fact being that there is none. People use Gatsby and then throw him away. Fitzgerald's criticism of American society and its values during this time period is first shown in the behaviour of people at Gatsby's parties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people who go to Gatsby's house on Saturday night only go to have a good time. The guests get drunk, get into fights, and act like complete idiots. This behaviour is apparent when Nick goes to one of Gatsby's parties for the first time. Nick says,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The large room was full of people. One of the girls in yellow was  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  playing the piano, and beside her stood a tall, red-haired young lady...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  engaged in song. She had drunk a quantity of champagne...she was   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  not only singing she was weeping too...Most of the remaining   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  women were having fights with men said to be their husbands...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the men was talking with curious intensity to a young   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  actress, and his wife...resorted to flank attacks...(52) The people at the party are so drunk that they are barely aware of what they are doing. As they become more drunk, they become more absurd. The woman singing a happy song bursts into tears for no reason. Men become more friendly to women other than their wives, and wives become more violent in de... ...sby believed loved him as he had loved her for so many years, did not only not attend his funeral, but did not even send a flower or message. All the people Gatsby knows uses him for their own means and then discard him. There is no such thing as friendship or love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Roaring Twenties is considered a time of mass corruption and excessive absurdity. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses his novel, The Great Gatsby, to criticize the American society and its values in this era. This criticism is best shown in the behaviour of the people who go to Gatsby's parties; they are careless, rude and only looking out for themselves. It is also shown in the corruption of the police, who are easily paid to look the other way. It is finally apparent in the corruption of friendship and love, the truth being that there is none. This society and its values are self-centered and materialistic, caring very little for consequences and others. Fitzgerald's message is delivered magnificently and causes one to be appalled by the behaviour of the people during this time in history. Bibliography Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. England: Penguin Books, 1950.

50 Cent Curtis Jackson Critical Essay

Curtis James Jackson, known worldwide as 50 Cent, is one of the most successful rappers of his time. He has produced many hits as a singer, and one of his greatest hits is Many Men. The song was produced in 2003 in the album, Get Rich or Die Tryin. 50 Cent wrote Many Men after he was caught in a shooting where he was shot nine times from his hand, legs, and his chest. He miraculously survived the shooting. Once recovered from the shooting was when 50 Cent decided to write one of the greatest hits of all time that he has ever produced. The song shows a lot of emotion since it was about the shooting that almost took his life away. He talks about how a lot of people wish death against him when he’s trying to accomplish and succeed in life as a rapper. The reason why 50 Cent wrote this song was to express himself how he felt about the fact that people wanted him dead and actually tried to take his life away. The song starts off by saying, â€Å"Many men, wish death upon me blood in my eye dawg and I can’t see I’m trying to be what I’m destined to be And niggaz trying to take my life away† (Jackson). This quote explains the distress in 50 Cent’s voice by saying these lyrics. This quote means a lot, 50 Cent lets us know that many people wish he was dead, he also reflects to the night of the shooting with the blood in his eye, and how he’s trying to become a rapper and succeed and become famous while people are trying to take his life away. Those couple of lines shows a lot of where 50 Cent comes from. As a young boy he had a very hard lifestyle, dealing drugs and robberies were part of his daily routine as he would make a living. Working on music really helped straighten him up as he focused on becoming a name in the rap industry and getting away from the drug business. There were a lot of people that had hate on 50 Cent, which led to the shooting that night and which was meant to take his life away. The beat to the song goes really well to the flow of the lyrics, and makes the listeners really get zoned in to the song and to what message he’s trying to say in it. The chorus talks about people wishing death upon him and how he doesn’t cry anymore and doesn’t look up to the sky anymore, and for the lord to have mercy on him. He makes the readers feel the pain he went through and the pain he still goes through being 50 Cent. Being rich and famous like 50 Cent doesn’t mean you have everything made for you. Having a substantial amount of fame can sometimes lead to trouble, as we saw with the accident with 50 Cent. In the chorus it says, â€Å"Many men, many, many, many, many men Wish death ‘pon me Lord I don’t cry no more Don’t look to the sky no more Have mercy on me Have mercy on my soul Somewhere my heart turned cold† (Jackson). By 50 Cent saying this, you can easily comprehend the pain he was in and the damage that will always be there with him, both physically and mentally, for the rest of his life. The beginning of the song starts off with 50 Cent and a friend talking to each other. You can then hear a car racing towards them and braking really hard, and then you hear the shots being fired. He does this to reflect back to the shooting. By doing this he lets people know what this song was meant for and why he made it. Even though it was a horrific scene, he reflects on it to show people what he’s all about and how he came back from it. The lyrics for this song come from his bottom of his heart. He expresses himself in a very unique way, something not every rapper can do. The fact that he sings about his life gives the song more meaning to it, especially since it was about him in the brink of losing his life. One of the verses that stand out the most in the song says, â€Å"Are you illiterate nigga? You can’t read between the lines In the bible it says, ‘what goes around, comes around’ Almost shot me, three weeks later he got shot down Now it’s clear that I’m here, for a real reason ‘Cause he got hit like I got hit, but he ain’t fucking breathing† (Jackson). This verse really stands out in this song. He starts off by calling out the guy who shot him saying if he’s an â€Å"illiterate nigga†, and then referring to the bible in a very straight forward manner. He then refers to the guy shooting him and how three weeks later he got shot, so that’s how the bible line comes to play. He then says how the guy got shot just like he did but the shooter actually died unlike 50 Cent, that’s how he knows he’s meant to be in this world and things happen for a reason. By referring to the bible in that verse, it shows how 50 Cent is close to God and that he has a relationship with him. He uses another line in his song that refers to God and he says, â€Å"Every night I talk to god, but he don’t say nothing back I know he protecting me, but I still stay with my gat†. Once again this shows how he has a relationship with God. Mentioning God in a song must be really special for him. Even though he says how he knows he’s being protected by God, the line after that means that he still carries a gun with him. This shows how the incident really got to him to the point where he needs to carry a gun with him to feel safe even though he knows God is protecting him and by his side. Overall the song Many Men in the album Get Rich or Die Trying was an absolute success. 50 Cent expresses his feelings in a very unique way to the people about an incident that almost took his life away. As we may know now, 50 Cent is in this world for a reason. He would always be remembered as one of the greatest rappers of all time and for the name that he made for himself. Like he says in his song, â€Å"You can call me the Don†.

Coffee Industry Essay

From the discovery of small, brightly colored red berries on trees in Ethiopia came the largest imported commodity in the world, second only to oil. The coffee bean provides a livelihood for over 20 million people worldwide with an estimated worldwide retail sales expected to grow by a compounded rate of 6. 9% from 2005-2010, reaching $48. 2 billion by 2010, according to The U. S. Market for Coffee and Ready-to-Drink Coffee. [1] The two main species of coffee beans are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is a high-quality coffee typically grown at higher elevations where the optimal climatic conditions necessary to grow this specialty grade of coffee are found. Arabica coffee is traded in two ways: ? On the highly volatile New York â€Å"C† market where the â€Å"C† price is affected by the global supply as it rises and falls. The average â€Å"C† price for a pound of coffee during fiscal 2005 was $1. 04. ? Higher-quality Arabica beans are used in specialty coffee. Specialty coffee represents 10 percent of the total worldwide coffee market. Prices for specialty coffee are higher than the â€Å"C† offers in order to provide better rates payable to producing farmers for quality. [2] According to the National Coffee Association in Volume 2005. 4 of Coffee Trax, as of December 2005, forecasts for the world coffee production for 2005-2006 will be 113. 1 million bags. Production is down 5. 5% over the actual 2004-2005 yields of 119. 8 million bags. Domestic consumption in producing countries in 2005-2006 is forecast to increase to 31. 2 million bags, indicating domestic use should be 9. 9% higher in 2005/06 than in 2004/05. Using the most current data, world coffee consumption for 2003/04 was 96. 5 million bags, up by 1. 8% over 2002/03’s production. â€Å"In 1999 there were 108,000,000 coffee consumers in the United States spending an approximated 9. 2 billion dollars in the retail sector and 8. 7 billion dollars in the foodservice sector every year (SCAA 1999 Market Report). It can be inferred, therefore, that coffee drinkers spend on average $164. 71 per year on coffee. The National Coffee Association found in 2000 that 54% of the adult population of the United States drinks coffee daily (NCA Coffee Drinking Trends Survey, 2000). They also reported that 18. 12% of the coffee drinkers in the United States drink gourmet coffee beverages daily (NCA). In addition to the 54% who drink coffee everyday, 25% of Americans drink coffee occasionally (NCA). The average consumption per capita in the United States is around 4. 4 Kg. Among coffee drinkers (i. e. not per capita) the average consumption in the United States is 3. 1 cups of coffee per day (NCA). Per capita men drink approximately 1. 9 cups per day, whereas women drink an average of 1. 4 cups of coffee a day (NCA). The USDA’s 2005/2006 December estimate for world exportable production is 82.0 million bags which is 10. 2% lower than 2004/05. Total U. S. imports were down 15% for the second to third quarter of 2005. Estimated roastings for the third quarter of 2005 were up to 4. 7 million bags compared to the second quarter but down by 5. 8% for the year-ago quarter. [3] Retail prices were up from $3. 33 to $3. 40 for the average quarterly retail price of a pound of roast-and-ground coffee or 2. 1% after comparing the third-quarter 2005 to the second quarter. Compared to the year-ago quarter, average retail prices were up by 18. 1%, moving to $3. 40 from $2. 88. The average monthly retail price continues to be 20. 8% below its seven-year high of $4. 67 in August 1997. [1] Fair Trade coffee is beginning to affect the economics of the coffee industry. Coffee retailers to help maintain a sustainable supply of coffee are increasingly adopting the Fair Trade movement. Over the years a coffee crisis has developed as supply has greatly exceeded demand. This paradox of continued growth of retail pricing at the expense of the small coffee farmers has driven retailers like Starbucks to create their own methods of providing higher profits to producing farms so that supply can be maintained. Under a Fair Trade agreement producers are guaranteed a fair price consisting of a floor price of $1. 26 per pound and $1. 41 for certified organic coffee. [2] From 2002 to 2004, USAID invested over $57 million on coffee projects in over 18 countries in Latin America, East Africa and Asia in an effort to create sustainable supplies of coffee. Other movements such as Organic and Shade Tree coffee have had similar goals to help with environmental and quality concerns on the producing farms. [4] Coffee consumers are continuing to show a preference for premium coffees. While most brands have declined in sales during the past year, premium coffees have managed growth, according to data from Information Resources Inc. , which measures sales through supermarkets; drug stores and mass merchandise outlets. Ground coffees lost 1. 8 percent of sales for a category total of $1. 6 billion, but whole bean coffees were up 2. 2 percent. Starbucks grew in both segments, with a 13. 2 percent increase in ground coffee sales and 6. 4 percent in whole bean sales. [5] Retailers such as Starbucks in the specialty coffees use the highest-quality Arabica. Specialty coffee is a broad category of coffee positioned as the highest quality and/or roasted with the ideal techniques or even coffee from particular plantations. â€Å"Even though the overall U. S. coffee market has been sluggish lately, the specialty component has seen significant growth, with retail dollar sales approaching $9 billion in 2003. The segment’s sales in 2003 represented growth of 6. 7 percent over 2002’s $8. 4 billion. In 2003, coffee cafes – the approximately 11,240 retail locations including seating, such as most Starbuck’s outlets – generated $6. 1 billion in retail sales, or 68. 3 percent of the segment’s total. Coffee bean roasters and retailers – the 1,350 sites with on-premise roasting – accounted for 14 percent of sales with $1. 3 billion. Coffee retailers without seating, also known as kiosks, had sales of $810 million, which represented 9. 0 percent of the total. There were approximately 2,700 coffee kiosks operating in 2003. Mobile retailers (i. e. , carts) accounted for an additional 3. 2 percent of sales, with all other channels responsible for the rest. † [6] Driving Forces in the Coffee Industry Competitive and industry conditions experience change due to the forces that are pressuring industry participants to alter their actions. Competitors, customers, or suppliers are enticed to change their ways. Those with the biggest influence on industry structure and the competitive industry environment are driving forces. The coffee industry has four driving forces that originate in the industrial and competitive environment. A change in who buys the product and how they use it is one of the four driving forces in the coffee industry. Shifts in buyer demographics and the way consumers use the product have altered the competition for this industry. The variation has prompted producers to broaden the product line and try different sales and promotion approaches. Changing societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestyles is the other driving force that ties in with the customer base and usage. Society is changing, with the new generations being a huge influence. Parents, a huge factor in the lifestyle, attitudes, and opinions of their children, drink coffee and are, thus, promoting coffee to the offspring. These young persons are looking for caffeine to keep them going through their increasingly busy days. At age 13, who knew that coffee was needed to add to their ever-so hyper lives? Coffee is established as a drink older people consume. Young people are always aspiring to be older than they are, so coffee is marketed in a different way to the younger generations as specialty coffee and gourmet beverages. Marketing these drinks as â€Å"cool† and â€Å"hip† is also a successful method of attraction. Establishing loyalty early while coffee drinkers are young will ensure a prospective future for this industry. In addition, the use of coffee has changed over the years. Coffee was first marketed as a breakfast drink for the working parent to get a boost of energy for the day. As more women started joining the workforce, the coffee consumption increased. Throughout the years, an increasing amount of people started drinking coffee more frequently throughout the day. Today, it is not uncommon to see a person drinking a gourmet coffee drink at 10:00 p. m. , as well as anytime throughout the day. Whenever you need that caffeine-boosted beverage or just want that coffee bean taste most love, consumers now can look for multiple types of coffee drinks to satisfy the craving. Growing buyer preferences for differentiated products instead of standardized is the driving force that allows the product innovation to take lead in this industry. Due to consumers demand for something different, companies in this industry needed to expand current products to fit customer needs and wants. The success of product innovation of introducing coffee drinks and coffee flavors, made the choices for consumers grow. Consumers wanted more flavor and excitement, instead of the regular or decaffeinated options. During the hot summer months, many coffee lovers wanted the taste of coffee but were not fond of drinking a hot drink. Iced coffee drinks helped to solve that problem. Now, people can drink coffee anytime of the year. Many consumers do not just drink coffee in the morning, like the generations before; meetings, study sessions, hanging out, talking amongst old friends and other events are all done through coffee drinking. Due to the buyer influences, the coffee industry has grown in all directions and continues to see a future with innovation and other driving forces helping it along the way. Lastly, product innovation is a driving force that has allowed the coffee industry to grow. The competitive environment is fierce and product innovation is one of the key driving forces to stay on top of the industry’s market share. Coffee drinks were developed as an anytime coffee drink. Such drinks are Espressos, Cappuccinos, Frappaccinos, Lattes, and Mochas. Whether a consumer likes it hot or cold is no difference now; iced coffee is for those that do not feel like a hot cup. Black, White, Irish, Turkish and Americano are also other types of coffee to choose from. Flavored coffee is a pillar innovation to this product category allowing different consumers’ taste buds to run wild. Chocolate covered coffee beans are another innovation that expands the use of coffee in a nontraditional way, a snack. This industry growth has also allowed companies the opportunity to promote to different consumer markets. Young and old purchasers, people that like hot or cold coffee, and those that like a coffee drink in the morning or evening are all targeted now that the product lines have broadened the scope of the industry. Product innovation has helped consumers’ differentiation issues, along with allowing them to drink it anytime of day they need an extra tasty boost of energy. In order to stay on top of the competitive environment in this industry, a company has to accept the driving forces and make each one positive for the company in the long run. The following driving forces are influencing the coffee industry: change in who buys the product and how they use it; changing societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestyles; growing buyer preferences for differentiated products instead of standardized ones; and product innovation. Each of these driving forces increases the competition in the industry. The increased demand for products, especially the new innovated ones, is an opportunity for profitability as well. Because of the innovation, many people are expecting choices for the long run; the companies that offer the products consumers want will prosper. Competitive Analysis of the Coffee Industry Although there are many substitutes for coffee when it is regarded as nothing more than a liquid to drink, most people would agree that there are relatively few that would be considered viable substitutes to dedicated coffee drinkers. Historically, teas have been the greatest rival substitute for coffee, and just as there are specialty coffees, there are specialty teas as well. The key to coffee substitutes being successful in luring coffee drinkers over to their products is differentiation. While tea alone may be substantially differentiated from coffee, a dedicated coffee drinker will need some sort of hook, or angle, to get them to try something different. Often this angle comes in the form of a doctor telling them to cut back on caffeine or to stay away from coffee altogether. According to About. com the top five coffee substitutes are: 1. )Roastaroma ? a tea â€Å"blend of roasted barley, roasted chicory root, and roasted carob, with spices cinnamon, allspice, and star anise. † 2. )Genmaicha ? a â€Å"green tea with roasted brown rice. † 3. )Teechino ? â€Å"made from roasted carob, roasted barley, and roasted chicory† containing â€Å"figs, almonds, and dates. † 4. )Cafix ? â€Å"a freeze-dried grain drink made from barley and chicory. † This drink is non-acidic and does not contain caffeine. 5. )Pero ? â€Å"made from malted barley, chicory, and rye. † Although coffee substitutes are readily available and reasonably priced, traditional coffee drinkers are usually dedicated to coffee in general, if not one particular brand. Therefore, buyers tend to view substitutes as not adequately comparable alternatives. One of the coffee industry’s greatest attributes is the loyalty of their customers. Buyers of coffee can be broken down into two groups; individuals and businesses. An individual coffee drinker will have little or no real power to influence the industry or a particular seller beyond switching brands. The switching costs of individuals are virtually nothing; therefore they can move between brands whenever they are dissatisfied with quality or price. Business buyers such as restaurant chains, hotel chains, convenience stores, and supermarket chains have considerably more power than an individual buyer. This is simply due to economies of scale where a restaurant chain purchasing several thousand pounds a week will have more influence on a supplier than an individual buying one or two pounds per month. Supermarket chains are in a strong position as well, as they can offer as much or as little shelf space as they want. They can also switch brands on shelf space, virtually without cost, to replace poor selling brands with other brands, which may have a higher sales rate. Therefore buyer power depends upon the quantity bought, as with many industries. The power of buyers may range from weak to strong or even fierce. The threat of new entrants into the coffee industry is somewhat strong. While entrants into large markets may not be many, the entry of small shops in local markets offering specialty coffees has grown rapidly in the last several years. Entrants into the specialty coffee arena have been lured in by rising demand of such coffee and attractive profit margins. While these local shops will not be able to compete with large corporations such as Kraft, Proctor & Gamble, or Starbuck’s on an international basis, they can account for some competition in local, concentrated markets by offering a niche; an alternative to corporate retailers with a less personable and hospitable atmosphere. Retailers such as these tend to do well in more rural areas where major corporations may not wish to enter, or in areas where collegiate or more naturalistic atmospheres prevail. These areas may be less inclined to cater to large corporations. New entrants into the coffee industry are also faced with the obstacle of overcoming name brand loyalties. Although in some small specialty coffee markets a new brand with a unique name or style may do well, in most arenas coffee drinkers are extremely loyal to their brands when they are purchasing for home consumption. These buyers are not likely to switch brands for superficial reasons. The competitive pressure from suppliers is relatively weak in the coffee industry. The individual coffee bean farmers have little control over the price of the coffee they sell. The worldwide market has little fluctuations and any that may occur have little effect on any one particular farm. Recently world coffee supply has been exceeding demand, which has taken even more power away from the suppliers who must compete with growers from around the world. The futures market provides security to firms purchasing beans from governments. By buying these futures contracts the company is promising to buy a certain amount of coffee at a stated price no matter what the overall market price may be at the time. The government selling the contracts is promising to provide the amount of coffee stated to the buyer at the stated price regardless of the current market price. Governments also have a role in determining supply as they can set regulations governing the number of trees that are planted, provide price subsidizing for farmers, and impose tariffs. Furthermore, the price of coffee beans has not been increasing at the same rate as the price of your average cup at a specialty shop, or as fast as inflation. In January of 1996 the price of coffee beans was $1. 02 per pound [7]. Ten years later in January of 2006 the price has only increased to $1. 17 per pound, an increase of 14. 12% [7]. In the same period inflation had risen approximately 25. 3% [8]. Rivalry in the coffee industry among competing sellers is vigorous. Although the overall market for coffee grew fast in the late 1990’s, especially regarding the specialty coffee markets, it has leveled off some in the last few years and the overall demand is growing slowly. Another reason for the high level of competitiveness within the industry is due to the relatively low differentiation ability of coffee. While specialty coffees derive some level of differentiation from region of growth or roasting methods, the overall product is fairly standardized. This leads to increase jockeying for position among existing firms, as they cannot lure customers in with a variety of unique products. Some firms however are attempting to lure customers in with new products such as Folgers’ Home Cafe system, which is a one-cup pressure-brewing system. These devices use â€Å"pods,† or individually packaged coffee for single serve applications. Other companies have also been marketing individually packaged coffee so that consumers can make a â€Å"perfect cup† every time. The switching costs of buyers are also very low, if not non-existent. Buyers only have to purchase a different brand in order to switch. While some businesses may have to replace equipment if they switch brands, a business of large purchasing capacity will likely have equipment provided for them by their coffee bean supplier. The recent surge in specialty coffee brands has increased rivalry among existing firms. As companies such as Starbuck’s have grown and acquired market share, companies such as Kraft, Proctor & Gamble, and Nestle have had to increase advertising and create new specialty coffees of their own in order to compete. â€Å"Sales of specialty coffee were $10 Billion in October of 2005 and expected to rise at a rate of 7% annually, while sales of traditional brands have been falling. † [9] Over the past two years Maxwell House has seen a decline of $75 Million in supermarket sales alone. † [9] Furthermore, companies like Starbuck’s have been acquiring smaller companies and thereby growing in market share and sales. This has been done to such an extent to make them comparable to big firms such as Kraft and Proctor & Gamble who compete in various markets with multiple products. This has increased rivalry among these firms as they struggle to maintain their market share. Key Success Factors in the Coffee Industry Coffee drinkers are becoming interested in the type of coffee they drink, people who want specialty chocolates and wines want specialty coffee. Specialty coffee is label â€Å"gourmet† or â€Å"premium† coffee. The specialty coffee bean comes form rare locations and is 100% from that origin; that means no mixing with another bean. People want to know the beans country of origin and if the bean is a blend or a single-origin. Coffee originates from a variety of places like South America, Africa, Middle and Far East, and Jamaica. The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) said people want specialty coffee because of its superior coffee, â€Å"People want things to taste good and clean and no longer want cheap coffee. † The SCAA reported that 15% of American adults drink specialty coffee an increase from 6% points over 2000. According to Mintel International Group, saw producers who specialize in coffee rise, Procter and Gamble’s Millstone premium brand increased 37. 5% and Starbucks rose 23% between 2001 and 2003 (Chater, 2005). Along with specialty coffee is flavored coffee, which is increasing popular. Flavored coffee ranges from Cherry Vanilla with Pecans and Cashews, Orange Cappuccino, or even Hazelnut. The SCAA claims flavor coffee will continue to grow in the total market share. The Motley Fool Stock exchange reported that the 7-Eleven saw 5% of sales come from coffee products like the Slurpee with flavors Cherry Creme and Vanilla Nut. The Black Mountain Gold Coffee (BMG) offers its flavor coffee through Amazon. com and it is their number one flavor; Cinnamon Crumb Cake-flavor coffee became so popular that Albertsons in Texas included the brand inside the store (Friedman, 2004). The United States is the largest base of coffee drinkers and the second largest importer of coffee (Packed Facts, 2003). Therefore, it is evident that coffee is popular drink. Coffee is sold in airplanes, office buildings, hotel rooms, train terminals, schools, and grocery stores. Some grocery stores even offer coffee to drink while shopping. It is good having these locations offer coffee because it stimulates more coffee being drunk and later more purchases. It is also a good way to get non-coffee drinkers to try coffee and turn them into coffee drinkers. Coffee is sold in most stores, and even on the Internet. Having coffee sold in a variety of places ensures the consumers have easy access to purchase the product. Locations benefit by selling coffee because usually when coffee is being bought customers have a tendency to buy other products such as, milk, cream, sugar, or a mug. Numerous studies are indicting coffee can offer health benefits. It would be beneficial for the coffee industry to further these studies and use as a selling tool. The coffee bean is a plant base food, therefore offers rich antioxidants more so than broccoli and blueberries. These antioxidants can help prevent cancers, Parkinson disease, gallstones, and used for an antidepressant. Other nutrients inside coffee like potassium, niacin, magnesium, and chlorogenic acids can possibility help reduce diabetes (McAuliffe, 2005). Cautious coffee drinkers are concerned with how coffee effects the environment and farmers. Sun-grown coffee, uses fertilizers and pesticides, and contributes to deforestation; shade-grown is grown beneath a canopy of trees while preserving the forest. Organic coffee has increased 54% in 2005 through Nov 6, while non-organic coffee increased 8. 5%. Coffee drinkers want to be reassured that producers of coffee are treated fairly. Are farmers compensated fairly, no abuse, or child labor? Companies should be very weary of this issue because, if the source of coffee is not on good terms, if the farms are not healthy or unhappy employees than it could affect the industry in a negative way. Starbucks is a perfect example showing support to farmers by offering decent wages, and ways to help protect their asset (farms). Starbucks as teamed with the Fair Trade Certified Coffee by offering â€Å"Coffee of the Week† to bring awareness for the Fair Trade Certified Coffee. Other companies should take notice of the Fair Trade Certified Coffee, the Fair Trade Certified Coffee ensures farmers are properly compensated, health care, and economic stability of farms (Gimbl, 2005 & Chater, 2005). Overall Industry Attractiveness In order to decide if the coffee industry presents an attractive opportunity for earning good profits, it is important to base a conclusion on several factors. By drawing upon previous analysis of the intensity of competition, whether the impacts of the driving forces are positive or negative, the market positions of industry members as shown on the strategic group map, and also close examination of the industry’s key success factors an educated answer can be deduced. First, by examining the market size and growth potential the coffee industry presents a livelihood for over 20 million people worldwide with an estimated worldwide retail sales expected to grow by a compounded rate of 6. 9% from 2005-2010, reaching $48. 2 billion by 2010, according to The U. S. Market for Coffee and Ready-to-Drink Coffee [1]. Competitive forces in the industry point to growth through the development of product innovation and specializing in gourmet coffee and specialty drinks. â€Å"Sales of specialty coffee were $10 Billion in October of 2005 and expected to rise at a rate of 7% annually, while sales of traditional brands have been falling. † [9] This has increased rivalry among these firms as they struggle to maintain their market share. Competitive forces are conducive to rising industry profitability as long as companies continue to offer product innovation and stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the driving forces in the industry Degree of risk and uncertainty in industry’s future encompasses many issues. Coffee drinkers are many and are seemingly very loyal to their drink. Proof being that recently the coffee supply has been exceeding its demand, which has taken even more power away from the suppliers who must compete with growers from around the world. In addition several tentative studies show positive health benefits to coffee drinkers. With a trend in the United States to be more health conscious, the coffee industry has opportunity to capitalize on these finds. In contrast when examining the severity of problems facing the industry it is evident that although demand is growing the trend is that it is steadying off. Due to little differentiation and small increase in the price of coffee since 1996, companies have been forced to focus on increased product differentiation in areas such as specialty coffees; however, that too is steadying off in growth over the past couple of years. Possible strategic issues include customers increasingly loyal to certain brands, which possibly make it more difficult for smaller coffee companies to edge into large consumer base. Also coffee companies need to consider the growing demand of consumers in the ethical treatment of coffee workers and focus their attention to a coffee drinker who looks to drink it for its benefits and special offering in taste. Ultimately when drawing conclusions about the attractiveness of an industry, the perspective is important. It depends on the scope and breadth of a particular company. The attractiveness of the opportunities an industry presents depends heavily on whether a company has the resources and the competitive capabilities to secure them. A standard judgment of if an industry is profitable is if the industry’s overall profit prospects are above average, the industry environment is basically attractive; if industry profit prospects are below average, conditions are unattractive (Strickland III et al, 2004). However this analysis of the industry shows that the coffee industry has a strong future and to the right players offers an attractive business opportunity. 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Middle Tennessee State University. 2 Feb 2006 http://find. galegroup. com/itx/infomark. do? &contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodid=ITOF&docId=A139695515&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=tel_middleten&version=1. 0 Friedman, Susan. â€Å"Beyond cream & sugar: savvy Retailers recognize the value of flavored coffee. † Tea & Coffee Trade Journal 176. 3 (March 2004): 30(3). InfoTrac One File. Thomson Gale. Middle Tennessee State University. 2 Feb 2006 http://find. galegroup. com/itx/infomark. do? &contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID+T002&prodId=ITOF&docId=A114819506&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=tel_middleten&verson=1. 0 Introducing Starbucks Cafe Estima Blend(TM). Fair Trade Certified(TM) Coffe. Business Wire. LOAD DATE: Oct 10, 2005. 23 Feb 20006. http://www. businesswire. com/cnn/sbux. shtml Strickland III, A. J. , Arthur A. Thompson Jr. , and John E. Gamble . Strategy Core Concepts, Analytical Tools, Readings. 2nd ed. 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