“Still Life in Landscape” by Sharon Olds

Drunk driving is a known problem throughout the world, there are many accidents and deaths that occur each day because of stupidity and ignorance. In many cases families are torn apart and left heartbroken for the rest of their lives because of drunk driving. Drunk driving is the number one major cause of accidents and deaths on the road. Carelessness is responsible for drunk driving, and can be easily avoided, it can deal a great amount of pain and suffering and change the lives of many.The poem sets up a true meaning of what reality really is and can be seen and interpreted through the different perspectives by the child, reader and audience. The child in the poem in â€Å"Still Life in Landscape† by Sharon Olds interprets the poem as being reality and see’s for herself the dangers that exist. The child’s description of what she sees send a strong image to the reader that reality does exist and these things happen everyday.The gruesome imagery in this poem is u sed to make a strong statement about reality. All these examples can be explored even further. The author in â€Å"Still in Landscape† uses some very descriptive gruesome imagery to describe the scene of the car crash. The imagery that is used in this poem is intended to make a very strong impact on how reality is really displayed and what really goes on in the world. The author narrates the poem through the eyes of the child and describes what the child sees and feels. A woman was lying on the highway, on her back, with her head curled back and tucked under her shoulders so the back of her head touched her spine between her shoulder-blades, her clothes mostly accidented off, and her leg gone, a long bone sticking out of the stub of her thigh, my mother grabbed my head and turned it and clamped it into her chest, between her breasts†(Lines 3-13). The child is seeing reality at first hand and her mother can only grab her head and turn it clamped into her chest.The mother is not really protecting her child by just holding her but representing the endless number of bystanders in the world that do nothing about people that create and cause these tragedies. Throughout the poem in â€Å"Still Life in Landscape† the child is experiencing a true feeling of what reality really is. She sees the horrible scene of the crash site with the woman lying on her back with the back of her head touching her spine. â€Å"A woman was lying on the highway, on her back, with her head curled back and tucked under her shoulders so the back of her head touched her spine†(Lines 3-5).This description of what the child sees at the crash site makes you shiver and makes you feel query and makes you realize that this is really what goes on in the world. The consequences to drunk driving can be unforgettable when the outcome comes out to be death or pain to another family. Tragedy is happening all around us. We do not always see it. The cars do not always collide, bu t people still drive drunk. This problem will continue to grow, and people will continue to suffer. This is what reality is really about. But is there anyway to prevent situations like this?Will it ever stop? That is what the poem is addressing. Reality is that people die, all the time, due to stupidity and ignorance. Society usually believes only what it really wants to believe, it wants to ignore reality and live a healthy life without any circumstances, but that’s not how it is. If People witness or experience actual events of disaster or trauma only then do they really experience true reality. Carelessness can have a great impact on society or on an individual whether it showing up in drunk driving or any other problem related to reality.Works Cited Sharon Olds, The Upswept Room (2003) NY: Alfred A. Knopf, p. 23.

Analysis of Bullet in the Brain

The short story â€Å"Bullet in the Brain† is written by Tobias Wolff. The story takes place in a bank, where we meet the main character Anders. We see the incident from an omniscient narrator’s point of view. The short story is told in chronological order with flashback.We meet Anders in the beginning of the text as a rude and sarcastic man, who has the need to be sarcastic towards a strange woman. When Anders gets shot in the head, the first thing the narrator tells the reader is the things, which did not pass before his eyes.What we hear about here is things he has experienced in his adult life. The narrator returns to Anders real thoughts, and takes the reader back in time to his childhood. In the last part we once again return to the present moment. Anders critiques the bank robbers, as he would criticize one of the books.For example you can tell he is criticizing them, when he says: â€Å"(†¦) Great script, eh? The stern, brass-knuckled poetry of the dangero us classes† He finds these bank robbers to be predictable in their actions, and he cannot take them seriously.â€Å"Did you hear that? † Anders said. â€Å"Bright boy† Right out of â€Å"The Killers†. Tobias Wolff introduces flashbacks, when Anders gets shot in the head, to show the reader his highlights in his, now ending, life.Wolff accentuate the fact that, what Anders did not remember, is just as important and telling about his personality, as what he did remember. The narrator is introducing Anders’ flashbacks by list, what the reader would assume.

Backsourcing Pain

When an individual from the United States nowadays calls the customer support center of a business organization, chances are the customer support representative is one who resides another country. Globalization has opened opportunities for businesses to outsource their IT and customer relations department to other countries, usually in Asia. Although offshore outsourcing is a relatively recent trend, companies outsourcing their IT needs to other countries in the United States have been going on for a very long time. Such was the case of JP Morgan Chase.This paper would provide a brief summary on the outsourcing venture with IBM in 2002 as well as the reasons for the premature termination of the venture between the two companies and whether the company’s decision was in full diligence in terms of the agreement between the two companies. It would also discuss the pros and cons of bringing back IT functions of JP Morgan Chase which were outsourced to IBM. Definition of Backsourci ng In order to full comprehend the decision of JP Morgan to backsource their IT functions, the definition and process of backsourcing should be first discussed.Companies have begun to look into outsourcing their Customer Relations and IT functions to other companies in order to acquire high quality services while cutting back expenses that the company would have to deal with if these were done in-house. However, once these operations are outsourced, it becomes more difficult to monitor the quality of service being provided. Because of this, many companies have decided to bring back these operations in-house through a process they have called â€Å"backsourcing† (Overby, 2005b; Tadelis, 2007).While this process may be the ideal choice for many companies who are unsatisfied with the services provided by the outsourcing company, many companies would rather choose to work thing out with the outsourcing companies as opposed to backsourcing the operations that have been originally outsourced because of the expenses that concur along with backsourcing so much so that out of the 70% of executives that have stated their disappointment in the quality of service being provided by outsourcing companies, only 25% of them have decided to backsource the operations that have been originally outsourced to other companies.These expenses include the reestablishment of all of its own systems, employees and operating procedures in order to realign these with the corporate structure and strategies of the company (Overby, 2005a). Backsourcing Endeavor of JP Morgan Chase Stephanie Overby’s (2005a) article â€Å"Outsourcing – and Backsourcing – at JP Morgan Chase† provides a look into the events surrounding the decision of the senior executives of JP Morgan Chase to outsource and ultimately backsource their IT functions to IBM.Since 2001, news started to circulate among the employees of JP Morgan Chase that the company was looking into outsourcing mo st of its IT functions to IBM. The venture was announced through a press release on December 20, 2002. The venture was to last seven years and had cost JP Morgan Chase $5 billion. In the contract between the two companies, IBM was to handle the data centers, helpdesks, distributed computing and data and voice networks of JP Morgan Chase. Thomas B.Ketchum stated in the press release that the venture would create an environment that will promote efficient growth of the company, acceleration of the innovation of the technology used of JP Morgan Chase, increase the service quality provided to the shareholders and customers of JP Morgan Chase and provide career opportunities for the employees of the IT department of JP Morgan Chase while reducing the expenses that the company would otherwise have to face (Overby, 2005a). Unfortunately, this was not the case.Many employees of JP Morgan Chase have stated that once the venture was underway, they had to first be re-interviewed by the executi ves of IBM for the same position that they were employed in prior to the outsourcing of the IT functions to IBM by JP Morgan Chase. Many of the employees have been laid off as a result. Those who were retained experienced salary cuts of as much as 20% (Overby, 2005a). On September 15, 2004, JP Morgan Chase had announced through a press release that they were prematurely ending their outsourcing venture with IBM.Austin Adams, CIO of JP Morgan Chase, stated in the press release that the decision was reached after the senior executives of the company believed that managing their own IT functions was the best options for the company in order to attain its long term goals since it would provide competitive advantages and more efficiency in the level of service being provided. Another reason for the decision was the completion of the merger between JP Morgan Chase and Bank One which was finalized on July 1, 2004.Because Bank One had previous experiences in backsourcing their own IT functi ons, the merger between Bank One and JP Morgan Chase would ensure a smoother backsourcing transition (Overby, 2005a). Diligence of JP Morgan Chase’s Backsourcing Just like all backsourcing projects of different companies, many analysts have viewed that the outsourcing and subsequent backsourcing of the company’s IT functions were both costly and challenging despite its senior executive being noted to state that the transitions were smooth.This was supported by the lack of diligence the senior executives placed on the morale and security of its employees as well as its selection of the outsourcing company (Overby, 2005a). In the past three years, IBM has made a mark in being an outsourcing company so much so that the company’s outsourcing activities, handled by IBM Global Services, was accountable in increasing IBM’s revenues from $36. 3 billion to $46. 2 billion between 2002 and 2004.During the time that JP Morgan Chase entered in an outsourcing venture w ith IBM, IBM has already been handling the outsourcing services of many multibillion dollar companies which included American Express, Deutsche Bank and Michelin. This impressive clientele would initially make any company looking into outsourcing their IT functions make IBM a viable choice (Overby, 2005a). However, the senior executives of JP Morgan Chase have failed to look more closely into the quality of service and performance provided by IBM to its outsourcing clients by doing more background research.Many financial experts including Schonenbach and Dane Anderson, program director of Meta Group, have actually noted that while IBM may continuously be catering to multibillion dollar companies, the most recent deals closed by the company have been significantly smaller and only lasting for a short period of time. This sudden shift on the contracts and deals closed by IBM resulted in the fact that multi-billion dollar deals are initially not lucrative on the part of the outsourcing companies.Hence, they would try to compensate for their losses by charging their clients for services which they would consider to be not included in the original contract signs. Oftentimes, the corporate clients would resist in paying for these added services and improvements in spite of them agreeing that these are necessary, severely hampering the IT functions needed by the corporate client (Overby, 2005a).Another shortcoming committed by JP Morgan Chase when deciding the outsourcing company they selected was to take into consideration of the experience of Bank One with IBM when they outsourced their IT functions that caused them to pull out their IT functions and return the operations in-house a few years prior to the completion of the merger between the two banks. In their experience, Bank One viewed that outsourcing their IT functions to IBM caused a stagnation of their entire IT staff.Once the venture between Bank One and IBM, the venture failed to meet the bank’s goa l to provide a competitive advantage as far as technology was concerned because the technology used was not updated during the venture and new projects were not looked into. Bank One also noticed that there were a number of things that were some things that were not accomplished as a result of the vagueness of the contract between the two companies. This provided a loophole for IBM to charge for services that were not previously done by the bank when the IT functions were still in-house.As a result, these additional services were not completed unless Bank One would pay more. One example of this was the need to add or remove user of a particular account, this would mean that the IT department would need to update all 1,500 servers being used by for the needs of the company manually. Although a Tivoli module was introduced that could allow the updating of the banks databases and servers faster and more efficiently, this was never implemented by IBM since Bank One refused to pay for th e additional costs that IBM was charging them for this module (Overby, 2005a).As a result of the failure of the executives of JP Morgan Chase to look more closely into these factors, the company not only experienced the same challenges that Bank One faced when it outsourced its IT functions to IBM, but also experienced a decrease in the morale of their employees as well as their level of trust towards the company. Employees no longer believe in anything that the senior executives would say or do (Overby, 2005a).Moreover, the executives failed to take into consideration the work and effort that would be needed in the backsourcing process. Jeff Kaplan, senior consultant with the Cutter Consortium’s Sourcing and Vendor Relationship Advisory Services and the managing director of ThinkStrategies, stated that there were seven steps that every company who is considering to backsource IT functions that have been outsourced to another company must take in order to ensure a smooth tran sition in bringing back the IT functions in-house.Among these steps, Kaplan mentioned that the company must first establish a schedule and plan for the backsourcing process which should include provisions in order to ensure that the outsourcing company would be able to support the client until such time that it is able to reassume complete control of its operations. The company must also be able to determine the staff rearrangement and responsibilities at the soonest possible time in order to minimize the decrease in the productivity and morale of the employees (Overby, 2005b).Unfortunately, this was not the case as clearly seen in the problems that JP Morgan Chase had to face during the backsourcing process. During the period when IBM handled the outsourced IT functions of JP Morgan Chase, employees were unable to get their jobs done because they did not feel that they were secure in their respective positions regardless on whether they were permanent employees of JP Morgan Chase o r contractual.Because they were unsure on whether they would be relocated to IBM, retained in JP Morgan Chase or laid off altogether, employees began to become hesitant in committing to new projects, resulting to JP Morgan Chase’s revenue to decline. More and more of the ongoing projects of JP Morgan had begun to also slow down in terms of its development and completion, causing an increase in the pent-up demands for IT services (Overby, 2005a). Things did not improve during when the backsourcing process was underway.JP Morgan Chase now had to reverse all the reorganization done in order to support its IT function. This caused disruptions in the normal operations of the company because both managers and staff members to re-establish the systems and operating procedures back into the company. On top of this, JP Morgan Chase had just completed a merger with Bank One. This resulted to a re-shuffling of the employees of the two companies based on the different staffing levels, cu rrent skills, budget and working assignments.In the end, more employees were laid off and more projects piled up (Overby, 2005b). Key Lessons from JP Morgan Chase’s Outsourcing Venture The decision to backsource or to switch vendors is becoming increasingly common as firms vie for ways to continue to IT costs and improve IT service levels (Whitten & Leidner, 2006). The outsourcing venture and subsequent backsourcing of the IT functions of JP Morgan Chase provides companies who are looking into outsourcing their own IT functions to other companies whether within the United States or overseas.While it is true that in the long run, outsourcing IT functions are able to minimize the expenses that a company would otherwise incur should the IT function remain in-house, companies should understand that these does not happen immediately. As such, executives of the company should first perform an operations audit and needs assessment in order to evaluate and weigh whether outsourcing t heir IT functions is indeed the most viable venture that the company should invest in. Indeed, deciding hastily on an outsourcing venture expected on instant improvements would lead to higher unit costs in the long run (Hummerston, 2007).Another lesson that could be gathered from the case of JP Morgan Chase is the amount of diligence that executives should put into with regard to the contract between the client and the outsourcing company in order to ensure that not only both parties would benefit from the venture, but would ensure that the client would be able to terminate the contract and regain control of the venture in the event that after careful evaluation, the outsourcing venture is not meeting up with the expectations of the client.While it can be assumed that JP Morgan Chase had ensured that there were such provisions allocated in the contract that they have signed with IBM regarding their outsourcing venture, the experiences and challenges JP Morgan Chase had to overcome d uring the short period of time that IBM handled its IT responsibilities.Aside from experiencing similar instances that had occurred with Bank One, many employees of JP Morgan Chase have stated that the situation between JP Morgan Chase and IBM was so dire that even the most trivial everyday activities were not accomplished because of contract obligations, which included the restocking of office supplies that are needed such as batteries for pagers, and reams of bond paper (Overby, 2005a; Overby 2005b).Ironically, the best time to think about backsourcing a company’s IT function is during the period when the company is just considering in outsourcing its IT functions. The reason for this is for the company to ensure that the expenses and the time to be allotted in both the outsourcing and backsourcing would not have an adverse effect not just on the morale and level of trust the employees of the company have, but also the overall productivity and financial standing of the comp any (Overby, 2005b).

Health and saftey in the work place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health and saftey in the work place - Essay Example In safety audit process, the management and all the employees of the company should be knowledgeable and follow the guidelines to avoid as well as handle the hazardous situations in an effective manner. In addition, the employees are needed to enhance their skills and quality to have a better understanding about the safety measures based on which operations can be performed in accordance with health and safety system (Cahill & Kane, 2010). Government introduced new laws related to safety measures and can charge penalties if the company does not maintain the safety rules. The company at first has to request permit from the government to start up the business to assure the government that they take the necessary safety requirement for the company and its employee. The company should plan for the emergency requirement to fight with hazardous situations. After analyzing the adverse situation, it should introduce some core safety measures with the help of a mechanism. The company should take the feedback to set the preventive measures and aware the employees about the adverse situations, so that they keep themselves alert in perilous situations for reducing panic amid employees in such situations. These all are the safety measures that the company can keep in check to avoid accidental incidents in the workplace (Bigelow & Robson, 2005). The common safety audit has to handle some general issues regarding the safety of a workplace such as safety measures from fire, electrical problems, construction safety, proper maintenance of standard rules and regulation, mechanical and physical safety of the company. The engineering company should follow the guidelines of H&S measures to manage the risks associate with the same. To mitigate the risk associated with H&S, the company set the risk management approach. Risk management system provides

MGMT458 U1 IP AVON Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MGMT458 U1 IP AVON - Research Paper Example At that point, it goes on. It weighs in at 249 words that blanket everything from surpassing contenders to expanding shareholder quality to battling breast disease. Its incredible to do numerous essential things at the same time, yet your Mission statement ought to give workers and the globe at large with one or two key objectives that characterize accomplishment in your universe. In the event that one cannot get that into a sentence or two, backpedal and attempt once more. This is not a Mission essay it is a Mission Statement. The company should Attempt to total up your whole organizations mission in one or two sentences. It should Consider it thusly: its Mission Statement, at its best, ought to have the capacity to twofold as its slogan. Compact Mission Statements are additionally more memorable and powerful. Therefore, there is no compelling reason to make it excessively complicated; simply state the motivation behind your organization, your explanation behind beginning it in any case. No, mission statements can—and ought to have that hopeful twist, yet they should serve a true need. There are four key components found in successful Statement: Value, Inspiration, Plausibility, and Specificity. In several short sentences, the company ought to have the capacity to pass on the estimation of the organization, why its brand exists, rouse and empower your workers, sound totally sensible and possible, and be as particular and relevant as could be expected under the circumstances. The company should discover a key subject for its organization, and verify each of these segments rotate around it. Moreover, Mission statements might be fiercely not quite the same as one organization to the next. The thought here is to pick whether you need your organizations announcement to reflect its transient objectives or its long haul yearnings. Make sure to pick stand

Rape and Associated Criminological Theories Research Paper

Rape and Associated Criminological Theories - Research Paper Example The authors consider the differences and similarities between the two studies, and behavioral themes that were consistent across the studies. The studies were both undertaken by the authors and used information present in databases held by the police and the courts. Finally, they examine what role behavioral analysis of rape provides and how the behavioral profile found in the study differs from that which is described from members of the community who have experienced rape firsthand. The first study they examined used data gathered from the police records of the Victoria Police on perpetrators of sexual assault on adult women. In total, information was gathered on 130 men who were charged with the crime. These records include the responses to a 263 question survey which is used to track violent crimes in Australia. The study used the responses from 28 of these questions which focused on the behavioral characteristics of rapists. All of the men whose information had been used had bee n charged within the previous 12 months. The second study that the authors examined used transcripts from court cases that had occurred within the past five years. A total of 50 transcripts were used, and these represented men accused of sexual assault of an adult woman. ... Five behavioral themes were examined throughout the two studies, and the prevalence of these in each of the cases was examined. The themes were: brutal or physical, oral, vaginal, kissing or fondling and anal. These were determined by examination of the questions used in the survey for the first study and what the common themes were. The authors found that the most common relationship between rape victims and the perpetrators of the rape was that of strangers for both studies they examined. For both studies the authors found that the most common theme was vaginal, and most common combination of themes was kissing and vaginal. Clay-Warner and McMahon-Howard tested two theories of whether, and if so, how and when rape victims report being raped using data gathered in conjunction with the Census Bureau known as the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The NCVS is a survey that is jointly conducted by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The experimental design is uses stratified clusters, with individuals living on military bases, correctional facilities and without a home excluded from the survey. Once selected for the survey, a household will remain within it for three years, with interviews conducted every six months on each individual above the age of 12. Responses to the survey were analyzed for individuals who reported sexual violation, this was the dependant variable. For the first study the responses were categorized into reported and not reported. In the second study, the results were broken down into three categories, reported by the victim, not reported and reported by a third party. The two theories that Clay-Warner and McMahon-Howard examined are the Behavior of Law theory, proposed by Black and Classic Rape Theory. The

Hurricane Katrina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Hurricane Katrina - Essay Example cane Katrina is discussable; however, an aspect that remains critical in the minds of individuals who survived the disaster is that, despite the measures taken as preventive strategies, such did little in offering preventive measures during the occurrence of the deadliest and most destructive Hurricane Katrina (Nova). New Orleans is one region that underwent significant destruction from the devastating actions of Hurricane Katrina. The region saw the effects of the Hurricane Katrina cause deaths of approximately 1,500 individuals with another hundreds of thousands left without residential areas after the violent storm surges caused by Katrina breached levees leaving behind it about 80 percent of the city submerged below water (Nova). Despite such destructions, New Orleans city remains very vulnerable to flooding, raising fear among residents that in a repeat of a similar disaster, equal destruction will be witnessed as previously seen. The main reasons in support of the increased vulnerability of New Orleans city to flooding is the element of low elevation in comparison to the sea levels. Secondly, the city lacks the appropriate preventive mechanics against storm surges such as wetlands and barrier islands, which have proved worthwhile in other regions towards the prevention of increased flooding (Frontline). Human activity has significantly contributed towards the damage of the city. In creating room for expansion during its construction, swamplands were drained around the sea in creating a room for more expansion, which interfered with the wetlands available for preventing flooding (Nova). Such drained resulted into subsidence of the city land to a level 6 feet below the sea level. In preparation for the Hurricane Katrina, scientists and city officials developed the levee system as a means of replacing the natural protection that had previous been destroyed. In addition to such preparations, scientists also published a number of warnings informing city

Business Organisation and Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Business Organisation and Policy - Essay Example Where as, if the country has a government, which prefers large companies and even sometimes the government invests a lot to pull the sick companies, definitely the sentiments would be in favour of size. In a condition of economical boom, most of the people seek their entrepreneurial dreams to come true. The venture capitalists are there to help them out in this. Situations become gloomy in economic downturn. Venture capital firms would be in no position to help them out. In such a situation, big companies can sustain for long than the small ones. The situation can be seen from other point of view also. For an example, an industry, whose demand has decreased drastically; a large company, being in that industry, would get hit badly than the smaller ones. The smaller ones would incur less cost than the bigger ones. Even the economic downturn can be encouraging for the entrepreneurial business. In such a scenario employment opportunities would get squeezed. Many people would be inspired to have their own business this time. Even in recession time, companies prefer to squeeze themselves; by cutting on their employee size or selling off some of the non profitable divisions of a conglomer ate. Sometimes some social reasons can encourage a company to be whether small entrepreneurial or of larger size. Social pressure can play an important role to create emotions in favour of the entrepreneurship. Technology has encouraged having smaller entrepreneurial companies; but taking the help from the bigger ones. The small companies grow using the servers of the big companies; taking the help from their research and development. Sometimes large companies can have problems in communicating between themselves; the centred management information system might not be efficient enough to carry on the co-ordination within the business systems; that time the

Tranexamic Acid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tranexamic Acid - Essay Example The researchers indicate that tranexamic acid is an effective antifibrinolytic agent. Tranexamic acid competes with lysine for the binding sites on the plasminogen molecules. Thus, it effectively inhibits the formation of plasmin. The binding of tranexamic acid on lysine binding sites located on plasminogen molecules is reversible. Other studies have shown that a good number of orthopedics use tranexamic acid because of its safety, efficacy and affordability. The researchers conducted a double blind study involving 40 patients who had to undergo a unilateral TNR for osteoarthritis. The study occurred in a tertiary health care facility after obtaining approval from the hospital’s ethics committee. The procedure was conducted by three experienced orthopedic surgeons. The study aimed at determining whether tranexamic acid significantly reduces post operative blood loss and the need for blood transfusion in Indian patients undergoing TKR. One half of the group was given 10mg/kg of tranexamic acid prior to the surgery. The placebo group was given normal saline without tranexamic acid. The study found out that tranexamic acid significantly reduces post operative blood loss and the need for blood transfusions in patients undergoing TKR. However, the study lacked sufficient clinical evidence and literature to support the findings. The usefulness of the study to my research is that it illustrated the significance of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss during surgical procedures. Furthermore, same results were posted in the study carried out by Dunn and Goa. The researchers’ study methodology relied on meta-analysis of previous studies. One study reported that the need for transfusion was reduced by 60% in patients administered with aprotinin (1005). On the other hand, the study indicated that administration of tranexamic acid reduced the need for transfusion by 43% (1005). In order to validate this information, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis of previous studies. The researchers utilized literatures that have been in the journals since 1966. The researchers used Adibase to locate literatures. In addition, the researchers found references from the list of published journals resourceful. The study endeavored to explore the use of tranexamic acid in surgery and other indications in order to recommend its usefulness and effects associated with its use. The researchers revealed that tranexamic acid can be used in various hemorrhagic conditions. They reported the acid can significantly reduce post operative blood lose and the need for blood transfusion. They noted that the acid is affordable and tolerable when compared to aprotinin. In addition, the researchers found out that tranexamic acid reduces mortality and urgent surgery in patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The acid can also be use as an alternative to surgery in menorrhagia, reduces menstrual blood loss and, has been effectively used in reducing bleeding during child birth. The research seems to have been limited to literature that could be accessed via the search engine. The researchers also concentrated on past literature in evaluating their objective.

Examine the distinguishing features of HRM In A Developing country( Assignment - 1

Examine the distinguishing features of HRM In A Developing country( Australia) - Assignment Example According to (Technology Evaluation,2011)â€Å"The knowledge base on human resources management systems affords clients the opportunity to rapidly determine their criteria for management and employee personnel tasks. Its extensive criteria include benefits and payroll management, employee self service, data warehousing, and health and safety requirements†. Human resource management has various features and functions, which helps it to achieve its specific strategies and goals. Today the business world has vast numbers of large and International business organizations where human resource plays a vital role in its daily operation and systematic running. As per, Armstron(2002,pg.15) â€Å"Human resource strategy has two key elements: there must be strategic objective and there must be a plan of action which is to be met as a goal of the organization. The features and function of Human resource management is wide and varied, as it handles the whole issue related to In many developing countries the Human resource management is fully or partially established to aid the smooth functioning of big and international organizations .With the increasing influence of globalization, the demands of human resource management is heightening at great level , also is the need for improving the effectiveness of its staff. Tessema(2006.pg86-105)states that ,â€Å"As performance is a multi-faceted and complicated concept, HRM outcomes were used as mediating factors between HR practices and employee performance†. Human resource mainly deals with the functions of the employees in an organization and without this department the activities of a business fail. Human resource strategies are heart and soul to a developing nation as it helps in the upgrading of the economical status of the country. The human resources management department is the division which handles all the core activities related to the employees and their welfare. In the past decades , the globalization have

Trade Off Pecking Order Essay Example for Free

Trade Off Pecking Order Essay The trade-off theory is derived from the debate over the Modigliani-Miller theorem. Modigliani-Miller (1963) accounts for corporate income tax into their original theorem. This created a benefit for using debt as it shields taxable income. They argue that corporate tax allows for the deduction of interest payments in calculating taxable income. As a result, the use of debt will increase the firm’s after-tax cash flow. This means that profitable firms should use debt to shield their income from tax. This would imply that a firm would use 100% debt financing. However, Modigliani-Miller (1958) failed to take into account the agency costs and bankruptcy costs associated with debt. Using debt carries additional risk, which means that it is not optimal to finance using debt alone. One of the main costs of debt is the threat of financial distress. These costs occur when a company uses so much debt that it cannot meet its financial obligations. According to Warner (1977) and Barclay et al. (1995), financial distress has both direct and indirect costs. These direct costs include legal and administrative costs of liquidation. Indirect costs could include the loss of customers and suppliers. Based on previous analysis by Bradley et al. (1984), firms with volatile earnings are more likely to face the costs associated with financial distress. This is because the possibility of a firms earnings dropping below their debt obligations is higher, meaning that these firms have less leverage. This makes it unattractive for firms to have too much debt. The trade-off theory can be broken down into two parts. The first is known as the static trade-off theory. Frank and Goyal (2005) , defines a firm to follow this if : â€Å"A firm’s leverage is determined by a single period trade-off between the tax benefits of debt and the deadweight costs of bankruptcy.† The trade-off theory goes back to Kraus and Litzenberger (1973), which implies that a firm evaluates the various benefits and costs of different leverage plans. Financial managers often think of the firm’s debt-equity decision as the trade-off between the tax benefits of using debt and the cost of financial distress. The company should reach a decision so that marginal costs and benefits are balanced. This threshold of debt is generally called the optimal (target) level of capital structure and is defined by the trade-off between costs of debt and its benefits. More precisely, it will be at the point where the marginal benefits of each additional unit of debt equal to its marginal costs. The trade-off theory of capital structure recognises that target debt ratios of can vary from firm to firm. Companies with safe, tangible assets and a high amount of taxable income should favour high leverage ratios. Companies that have low profits and risky, intangible assets should prefer to rely primarily on equity financing. The second part of the trade-off theory is known as the target adjustment behaviour (Frank and Goyal 2005). This focuses on the deviations in from the target level of debt and this is gradually obtained over time. Under the static trade-off theory, financial managers look to obtain optimal capital structure. Random events can occur which will move the company away from it. As long as the optimal debt-equity ratio remains stable, then the firm should move gradually back and mean reverting behaviour can be observed. According to Myers (1984), a firm will set a target debt-equity ratio balancing the debt tax advantages against the costs of potential bankruptcy. If there were no costs associated with adjusting capital structure, then companies should always be at their target debt-equity ratio. In reality there are associated costs, which results in delays in adjusting to the optimum (adjustment costs). Random events may occur that will move firms away from their target capital structure. In practice, it should be possible to observe random differences in debt-equity ratios among firms with the same target debt levels. According to Myers (1984) and Flannery and Rangan (2006), the presence of adjustment costs may restrict the firms’ ability to revert back to their target capital structure immediately, suggesting the occurrence of partial adjustment toward the target level. The partial adjustment mechanism allows for the firms’ observed leverage ratio not always being equal to their target level. This mechanism suggests that firms make leverage adjustment if the costs of being away from the target leverage ratio are higher than those of moving toward the target; otherwise it is not rational for these firms to make leverage adjustments, because the adjustment costs will be large enough to cancel out the benefits of moving toward the target level. However, it assumes that adjustment towards the target occurs at symmetrical rates. No distinction is being made between the below target leverage ratio and the above-target leverage ratio, suggesting that the adjustment costs as well as the ben efits of increasing and reducing leverage are symmetrical.

The Crucible dramatic and emotional Essay Example for Free

The Crucible dramatic and emotional Essay I wanted to make my version of Arthur Millers yellow bird scene in The Crucible dramatic and emotional. I wanted to create dramatic tension in the scene by emphasizing how angry, frustrated, and emotional the characters are. At the start of this scene Abigail crated a vision of yellow bird. I made Abigail look frightened but angry at the same time. This made the scene more dramatic as Danforth was extremely angry and confused. I did this to make audience want to know more and make them feel anxious. During the next part of the scene there is a lot of disagree between John Proctor and Danforth. I emphasized the frustration of the characters by making them shout angrily and sound violent. This was to build up the tension in the scene to influence the audience to feel shocked. In the next part of the scene Abigail accuses Mary Warren of sending the yellow bird upon them to hurt them. This shocks Mary, as she is innocent so she cries out in a horrified and confused manner. Mary Warren starts to get impatient because no one will listen to her point of view. The girls start to wind her up by repeating what she is saying. I directed the girls to speak in a soft-echoed tone of voice. This is because this would frustrate Mary even more and make her more angry and upset. I also positioned the girls to face Mary and stare at her, this was to build up even more frustration within not only Mary but the audience as well, as they know that she is innocent. I wanted Mary to appear more upset and emphasize the emotion building up inside her. The girls pursue in acting in this way until Mary breaks down in tears and is weeping and pleading. This brings more emotion to the scene, and I wanted Mary to come across weak and scared. Danforth is asking questions but isnt getting the answers he wants, so I made him lose control at points and show much impatience to make the scene more dramatic. Proctor becomes even angrier and sounds violent because no one will listen to him either. He knows he has real difficulties with controlling rage because he is so frustrated, while the girls are still repeating Mary Warren. This makes a scene full of mixed emotions; anger, frustration, depression and a bit spooky. Eventually the girls voices become louder this makes Mary not weaker but angrier and Mary cries out loudly. I thought because Mary is now appearing stronger the girls would be furious, so I made them repeat their teasing of her in a cold bitter tone of voice. I wanted to demonstrate group power as shown by the girls and how it effects one single person. As every one is shouting and screaming at each other, they become more and more furious. This emphasizes the frustration within the scene. For example Danforth starts speaking louder and far more sternly because he wants to be heard and he is trying to maintain his authority. Eventually the girls dominate Mary so much she gives in and confesses. This is a real shock, so the tones of voices are lowered because the girls have got their own way. When Mary accuses Proctor, the confusion and the shouting return because he is angry and knows that now no one will believe him. During this part of the scene Danforth calms down and speaks in a more patient tone of vice this is because he is relived because things are starting to make sense, although it is a lie. The next part of the scene is when Mary Warren cries out that she loves God. I thought this part of the scene was practically highly charged and I emphasized this by directing Mary to break down in tears once again. Hale and Proctor become more distressed and more aggressive through out the end of the scene because they know the girls are lying and this is particularly damning for them. Hale gets for frustrated he quits the court leaving Danforth even more confused and impatient as he is scared that he may lose his authority. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Security Of Pakistan And International Terrorism Politics Essay

Security Of Pakistan And International Terrorism Politics Essay Security concerns are always a priority within a developing society; in simultaneity with the developing of individuals into groups, tribes, societies and ultimately the nations and states. In contemporary world it is generally assumed that states are the basic unit of international socio political arrangements. Idea of national security can be traced back to concept of states/ state sovereignty since during ages of kingdoms, state sovereignty was vested in the kings person; safeguarding him especially in battle and times of crisis. Over the centuries, kings lost their power and nation states established themselves in international arena. With emergence of the nation states in Europe, sovereignty was no longer vested in person of one individual but rested in sovereignty of the nation state itself. 2. National Security since then became essentially competitive; something to be achieved at other states expenses and increase in one states security arrangements got directly linked to the decrease of its adversarys security capabilities. 3. During Cold War era most common approach to the study of security was one, which examined the best means to mitigate external threats to the political/ territorial integrity of nation states. Predominant threats were seen as external military threats from other states or perhaps from strategic interaction between states since end of Cold War period. Alternative approaches to the security gained prominence in general and these approaches de-emphasized military issues/ responses/ focus instead on non-military threats (either intra state or trans national in nature and character). 4. Alternate security approaches in vogue include concepts like common security, cooperative security and comprehensive security. Concept of comprehensive security primarily concentrates on well being/ prosperity of human beings, economic prosperity, resource development or national security/ sovereignty. Centre of gravity remains Human Resource Development while connotations may vary between different Security Models. Basic thrust remains on enabling secured environment for progress, attainment of higher standards of human/ economic and dominance related issues. 5. National Power is one of the most important characteristics of a nations security capabilities and plays an important role on international scene. It implies possession of control, authority or influence over other nations/ states while National Power Potentials can be referred to as nations ability to influence behavior of others in accordance with its own national objectives/ goals and aims with focused on own national interests. States endeavor to maximize their share of power, utilizing own elements of national power to its advantage. Pakistan is the 7th largest country in the world and a nuclear power; blessed with most of the essential elements to ensure security and well being of its people. Being the front line state against the war on terror Pakistan is playing key role; while it has to maintain a credible conventional/ unconventional military forces for its own security since creation. Pakistan did not develop in socio-economic fields as it should have, however, with a w ell identified/ permanently known enemy, ever changing interests of major global players (notwithstanding other internal factors/ shortcomings); did get affected adversely in the past few decades. Problem Statement 1. Pakistans security dynamics essentially relate to changing global environment and internal problems being faced by the country especially after the break up of USSR and Pakistan becoming a nuclear country in 1998. Pakistans current predicament is much more complex compare to situation as it was in 1971. The security environment has the impact of sectarianism, intolerance, weaponisation, economic problems, good governance, ethnic strive and terrorism. These factors impact Pakistans internal as well as external security parameters. 2. In order to investigate and research security dynamics of Pakistan, the study will focus on: a. Analysis of Global Environment and the way it is impacting Pakistans Security paradigm. Analysis of internal security environment. Conclusion Recommendations 3. The challenges necessitate bold and imaginative policies. A correct perception of threat analysis leads to formulation of correct policies while correct understanding of threat scenario will lead us to devise appropriate measures to ensure security of Pakistan. Objective of my Research 1. Pakistans national security has external and internal dimensions. It essentially focuses on parameters like territorial integrity, national sovereignty and absence of a threat to these core national values. At international level the existence of trans-national actors and networks, which are resorting to terrorism and their penetration in Pakistans security environment, threatens the internal and external security dynamics of Pakistan. Terrorism has global implications. In order to analyze it in proper perspective its origins need to be examined so as to find lasting solutions to this international menace. 2. This paper would focus on defining terrorism, causes that have given birth to it and how it grew in Pakistan and its internal and external consequences for Pakistans security so as to recommend viable options for future security requirements. Significance Of Research Controlling extremism and fighting terrorism in Pakistan are part of a broader spectrum; that requires synergized global efforts as well as Resolve/ Sincere Efforts not only from Political Leadership of the country but every citizen of Pakistan. At the same time it calls for a change in thinking of Western Leadership; who perceives Islamic World as volatile/ hostile and bent upon challenging the world peace. To live in comparative safety, World Leadership will have to reassess its strategic interests, particularly in the Muslim World. Scope of my Research Analyzing genesis of terrorism in our society, its effects, internal security environment, and measures taken by the Government to tackle this menace I have proffered few recommendations to enhance counter terrorism capabilities at national level as well as for Army and Law Enforcement Authorities (LEAs). Limitations of Research Under prevalent security environment it is difficult to access records/ reports and evaluation studies conducted by the LEAs and Government Departments; to have a true insight to the factual position/ desired information. Scope of this topic is so vast that even whole world has not been able to agree on single definition of the word Terrorism; and so will be to identify its root causes, linkages and overall designs. Efforts will be made to evaluate this very important threat and global issue that has adversely affected Pakistan. Facts and figures quoted in this research paper have been taken from Open Sources i.e. ISPR Statements/ Reports, Electronic and Print Media and through personal interaction with responsible Government Official who deal with this issue but they opted not to be quoted in the best interests of the State. Hypothesis Global security and social environment impact Pakistan and Muslim world adversely which has widened the gap between the Muslims and rest of world. One of the views to solve this predicament is to create a change in approach towards Muslim society and remap the fight of terrorism which was initiated to control the few extremists instead of whole Muslim world. Literature review 1. The new millennium has bought with it new and daunting challenges for the world in general and Muslims in particular. The most obvious of these and even most acute, are political in nature. Most of the current world conflicts involve Muslims, which has inevitably led non-Muslims to believe, though wrongfully, that Islam is a religion of intolerance, militancy and terrorism. This perception is rapidly involving around the globe connecting Islam to fundamentalism, fundamentalism to extremism and extremism to terrorism. Naturally, these beliefs have created a deep mistrust of the west in the Muslim world. So the reality of suspicion and mistrust is on both sides of the divide. Pakistan itself has been a victim of terrorism even before 9/11. It posses an internal threat of colossal magnitude to our society. There have been many attributory factors which are generally well known to fight against this invisible source, it is imperative that the spirit of religion is not only clearly und erstood but also projected both home and abroad. We must take this threat seriously and also devise counter measures for its spread and prevention to make Pakistan safe for us and our future generations. 2. Terrorism was once considered an instrument of the insurgents in a certain phase of their struggle for gaining the coveted goal of ultimate freedom from a particular regime or an occupational force. It is now used as sweeping term against all those elements that seek to bring about socio-political change or even vent off their frustration without any end in view. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 have pushed the Muslims into a very difficult situation. The can come out of it only if they fully understand the global, regional and internal dynamics. There is no room for ignorance and obstinacy. Pakistan lies at the centre-stage of all the geo-strategic changes taking place in this part of the world. While she works with the global and regional actors to manage the influence of external environment, her greatest challenge lies within Pakistan. Since the influences of global, regional and domestic environments have conflicts and contradictions; the formulation of strategy to fight war on terror becomes extremely complex and challenging. The irony is that the sole super-power is loosing her goodwill capital very rapidly in the world and religious extremists of Pakistan do not loose any opportunity to spin any global event to their selfish political advantage. Likewise, regional actors like India do not hesitate to take advantage of global war on terror to label freedom movement in Kashmir into cross border terrorism. Pakistans strategic responses are therefore complex but not impossible. Theoretical Framework 1. 21st Century has witnessed terrorism as an emerging threat to world peace and security. This overgrowing menace has various forms and manifestations; its spectrum is broad and deep-rooted, ranging from religious and ideological extremism, sectarian intolerance, sub-national militant assertions, geo-strategic and political dynamics to transitional inclinations. Terrorism is not random, undirected or purposeless violence. It has clear objectives and uses violence and aggression as means to attain these objectives. Viewing this phenomenon from a restricted prism and merely focusing on the terrorist activities would mean administering a simplistic therapy to an exceedingly convoluted malaise, whose roots are well-woven into the geopolitical dynamics and socio-economic injustice. 2. The emergence of transitional terrorism has signaled a fundamental change in the nature of conflict, a paradigm shift from the cold war period. While the history of terrorism is very old, there is a little doubt that the events of September 11 dramatically changed the global security environment and the traditional concept of National Security. Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism for a long time. Our geostrategic location and proximity to the endemic sources of conflict place us unenviable situation. 3. To combat terrorism effectively, social and economic uplift and political resolution coupled with the requisite use of force should found the basis of counter terrorism strategy, but this too may appear easier said than done, because terrorism today, is an extremely complex and intricate phenomenon. Research Methodology Method Basing on my research and I will be using following methods:- Documentary Research Questionnaire Type For the subject paper the most appropriate type of my research is carry out the survey. Nature Exploratory Research Design It is obvious and perhaps without any doubt that terrorism has affected the global peace more than any epidemic or natural hazard the man kind has ever known. This fact has compelled me to carry out an effort to express my ideas to a level where needed and for this purpose the best option available were to carry out my survey through questionnaires including relevant information and public response. The second most reliable and authentic source of information was through the documentary evidences. Data Analysis Tools During the research I will be mainly focusing on the tools like;- Self administered questionnaires Research papers This research is undertaken for the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree; the information in use from this survey will be kept confidential. Security of Pakistan and State of International Terrorism QUESTIONNAIRE Name________________________________________ Age __________ Profession____________________________________ Date__________ Note: Please encircle your appropriate choice Do you agree that terrorism has affected our society? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that Pakistans role as a frontline state has due importance in war against terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Does 9/11 incident has any significance in war against terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Are you satisfied with Americas role in war against terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that Pakistans Government hasnt handled the war on terrorism in a right way? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that the war is the only way to eliminate terrorism from our society? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you propose that government should hold dialogues with the terrorists? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that media has any role in eradicating the terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that media is playing a right role in eliminating and creating awareness in the people regarding terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that United Nation has completely failed in controlling terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you agree that terrorism is more deep rooted than ever since the war against terrorism stared? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that war against terrorism has directly affected our country and our socio-economic structure? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that International Aid could help Pakistan to fight against terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Are you satisfied with the result war against terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that the war against terrorism has adversely affected our new generations? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree You think that we can easily role back from this war against terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Are you satisfied with the role of Muslim World and OIC in war against terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that the existing methodology of war against terrorism is working perfectly? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you believe that the result of this war has produced significant positive effect on our society? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you believe that the result of this war has produced significant negative effect on our society? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you suggest that Pakistan should stop supporting the war against terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that now our society has more awareness and has clear vision about their role in war against terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that Americas decision is more aggressive and they should find some other way to end up this war against terrorism? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that drones attacks are effective? Are they posing any threats to our National Integrity? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do you think that we must dialogue at every level and forgive terrorists, and should give them a chance to start their lives once again? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Any other Comments:- ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ End Notes V.P. Dutt, Indias Foreign Policy in a Changing World, (New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House , 1999) p. 4 B. Raman, Internal Security, Changing Environment, South Asia Analysis group, 26 June 2002. p. 483. International Terrorism and Anti-Terror War: Chinese Perspective by Xia Liping, Conference on Global Terrorism at Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad on August 29-31, 2005. p. 1 Syed Raffat Hussain War against Terrorism: Pakistani Perspective IPRI issue of Winter 2004. IPS Publication Terrorism and Challenges to Pakistan Available at www.ips.org.pak Economic survey of Pakistan 2004-05 Ibid. Education system of Pakistan-a presentation made by Secretary Education in ND Hall.

Polio :: essays research papers

Poliomyelitis, infectious virus disease of the central nervous system, sometimes resulting in paralysis. The greatest incidence of the disease, also known as infantile paralysis, is in children between the ages of five and ten years. The disease was described in 1840 by the German orthopedist Jacob von Heine. In its clinical form it is more prevalent in temperate zones. Symptoms The virus usually enters the body through the alimentary tract and spreads along nerve cells to affect various parts of the central nervous system. The incubation period ranges from about 4 to 35 days. Early symptoms include fatigue, headache, fever, vomiting, constipation, stiffness of the neck, or, less commonly, diarrhea and pain in the extremities. Because nerve cells that control muscular movement are not replaced once they are destroyed, poliovirus infection can cause permanent paralysis. When nerve cells in respiratory centers, which control breathing, are destroyed, the victim must be kept alive by an iron lung (see Artificial Respiration). For every paralytic case of poliomyelitis, however, there may be 100 nonparalytic cases. Treatment Because no drug developed so far has proved effective, treatment is entirely symptomatic. Use of moist heat coupled with physical therapy to stimulate the muscles was first initiated by the Australian nurse Elizabeth Kenny, and antispasmodic drugs are administered to produce muscular relaxation. In the convalescent stage, occupational therapy is used. Disease Control Three broad types of the virus have been identified: the Brunhilde (type 1), Lansing (type 2), and Leon (type 3) strains. Immunity to one strain does not furnish protection against the other two. Poliomyelitis control was made possible when, in 1949, the American bacteriologist John Franklin Enders and his coworkers discovered a method of growing the viruses on tissue in the laboratory. Applying this technique, the American physician and epidemiologist Jonas Salk developed a vaccine prepared from inactivated poliomyelitis viruses of the three known types. After field trials in 1954 the vaccine was pronounced safe and effective, and mass inoculation began. The American virologist Albert Sabin subsequently developed a vaccine containing attenuated, live polio virus that could be given orally.

Psycho :: essays research papers

1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Watching the shower scene with and without music helped me to understand Hitchcock’s use of music throughout the film. Hitchcock used the high-pitched music during the scenes that were intended to have a high-tension effect. For example, when Marion was stealing the money, talking to the cop, and driving especially. The movie would probably get boring if we were just watching her driving and driving and driving. By adding the high-pitched music, Hitchcock created tension and suspense. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my opinion Marion Crane is innately a good person. Although she stole the money, I think she did it mostly out of desire to help her boyfriend and to get out and away from her home and live with her boyfriend. It is obvious throughout the movie that Marion knows that stealing the money was a bad idea, she was extremely paranoid, she was obviously not used to doing anything considered â€Å"bad† or illegal considering the way she acted towards the cop, and in the end I think that if she were really a bad person the killer would have not been identified. Before she was murdered she was planning on returning to Phoenix, which she knew was the right thing to do. If Marion’s sister hadn’t gone looking for her, no one would have known she was even murdered. I think that since she was innately a good person, that that is the reason the murder was pieced together and solved in the end. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think this was a good film to show in this class. It showed us a lot about techniques to create suspense, and it helped show us how different horror movies were when they first started out. I thought it was funny that they could use chocolate syrup as blood since it was in black and white. Black and white movies must be a lot cheaper to make even when not considering color price. The censorship was so different when this movie was made. Most of us I think were stunned that they didn’t actually show the murders (being stabbed), and couldn’t even show Marion’s butt in the shower. I’m personally a wuss when it comes to horror movies, and I thought I’d be scared of Psycho just because I normally would be. But I realized that after watching this movie that I’m more afraid of the blood and the music than anything else. A friend and I used to watch scary movies sometimes during sleepovers and we’d always hit the Mute b utton every time we got really scared, because we realized a lot of what causes us to be scared is the suspense that the music in a movie builds.

How does Priestly keep the attention of the audience in Act 1? :: English Literature

How does Priestly keep the attention of the audience in Act 1? Inspector calls was set in 1912, it was written in 1945, and was performed in 1946. Priestly wanted to show his views, so he created a performance called ‘Inspector Calls’ to show that he cares for others, so Priestly maintains interest by using various different devices, and that’s what my essay will be about, the various devices that Priestly used the keep the attention of the audience. Firstly, the play has got a pace, which is fast, the evidence of this is that the Inspector doesn’t keep talking to the same person for five minutes, he asks one person one question and then he goes onto the next person. The point of this is Priestly doesn’t bore the audience he keeps everyone’s attention by going thought the scenes. In Inspector calls the characters were each revealed step by step, and eventually they all revealed properly at the end of the play. At the end of act 1 the only characters that have been revealed is Mr Birling, because they found out that he had sacked Daisy Retton just for asking if she could have abit more money, Gerald was also revealed but not much, because Shelia knew that Gerald new something when the Inspector said the name Daisy Retton because his face gave the impression. The point of this is that they have only revealed two characters in act 1 so that the audience will want to keep watching, because they would like to know where the other characters come in the mystery. Secondly, the play refers to the political climate of time, the evidence of this is that once he has asked someone a question, they answer it, then the person he had asked a question to before he asks them i.e. ‘did you know anything about that’. The point of this is, if any one out of the audience has misunderstood a little bit of a sentence then he goes back over it but in a different way of saying it later on, so then that person has understood the whole storyline so far. Also the storyline is slowly unravelling of the plot, but by the end of act 1 the audience is completely drawn in. The evidence of this is, the stage directions in the book, the font is different and it says ‘ she looks at him in triumph. He looks crushed. The door slowly opens and the inspector appears, looking steadily and searchingly at them,’ so if you were watching the play, then the Inspector will open

The Origins of Masks

There is evidence that masks have been under the eye of the world for at least 20,000 years. There is evidence to prove this all over the world, which includes paintings on the walls of the insides of various different caves in Southern France, to images also painted or inscribed on the walls of pyramids in the Sahara desert of Egypt. Although our own British culture is extremely different to that of many others around the world, we are becoming increasingly more aware of how and why masks were first invented and the repercussions of them all around the globe. This is due to television documentaries, internet pages, and books at all of our local libraries. It is this point alone which initially brought my attention to that of the African Tribal, Japanese Theatrical and the Viennese Ball masks. Although these are all quite different types of masks, they all have similar reasons for existing, whether it is religious, celebratory, or even to shadow one's identity. By today's standards, many people believe the creation and use of masks to be only that of historical value; however this could not be more wrong as there is in depth evidence all around us which proves otherwise. African Tribal Mask. Example of Bamileke High Priest Mask taken from www.rebirth.co.za For many centuries African Tribal masks, played a major role in rituals, celebrations, ceremonial and tribal initiations. Masking rituals are normally accompanied with prayer, music, song and or dance. After researching the masks of African Tribes people, it is clearly visible that the different types of masks in which they use/used, fit in to eight different categories. However, the one that grasped my attention from the moment I set eyes upon it was the Bamileke Mask. When I first seen this mask I was immediately mesmerised by the fact that where it is reasonably bright and colourful, it becomes increasingly dull when the expressions of the face are observed. This fact initially led me to believe that this type of mask was created for funerary purposes; however this is merely the tip of the iceberg. The Bamileke mask was always worn by the chief of a particular tribe and it was this character that would take up the role of high priest, or chief, enabling him to initiate new-born babies to the tribe, lead celebratory or funerary rituals, lead his army in expeditions of war, harvesting and planting of crops and many more. â€Å"It is believed that when the Tribe leader wore the mask, he was transformed into animal form, primarily elephant, lizard, or buffalo. This allowed him to create a link between the human and spirit realm to seek guidance from his ancestors† (1). This is a prime example of the fact that the Bamileke mask was used for religious ceremonies, however from my own personal research, I think it would be unjust to declare that this mask is of purely religious qualities, because in this unique culture, everything which is done, whether it regards basic human survival techniques, or celebratory events, it is impossible to determine where religious elements come into the equation as they treat everything they do with such high regard. Bamileke masks are always constructed of a mixture of different natural materials. Where most traditional tribal masks were made from clay or mud, which was molded into the shape to fit the wearers face, the Bamileke mask was carved directly from the trunk of a tree which had been blessed by one of the elders before hand. It was then that a mixture of mud and sand was added on top of the wood to allow a suitable surface for painting, adding beads and stones, and in some cases, decorative leaves. Japanese Theatrical Mask. Example of Shikami Mask Taken from www.nohmask.com Japanese theatrical and dance performance masks are known as Noh masks. â€Å"Each individual mask represents a certain person, hero, devil, ghost or legendary animal, depending on what the character is in the performance†2. Masks were first used in Japan, since the Jomon period of time. This period of time spanned from 10,000 B.C; to 300 B.C. Out of all the Japanese masks that I came across while researching them, there was one particular mask that stood out to me above all of the others, the Shikami mask. These particular masks are used to represent a demon, (this can be taken literally or metaphorically, depending on the story line of the play). For example, if the certain play is centered on the afterlife or elements of a more dark, or gothic nature, the Shikami mask would more often than not be taken literally. However if the play was focusing on more modern themes, for example adultery, or murder, the Shikami mask would probably be metaphorical for a person who is to be looked upon as being of a more evil or bad nature. I believe that the way in which the Shikami mask is presented is extremely clever, as on many occasions, it would look like Satan or other dark or demonic characters as they would do so from a stereotypical point of view, in order to make the audience immediately scared or at least weary about them. A basic description which is used across many books and internet sources for a Shikami mask is, â€Å"Fierce scowling face, showing extreme agitation, used for demonic spirit. It expresses masculine rage. The Shikami mask features the application of dark red colour, to crow's-feet and temples of the head†3. Japanese masks are always made of materials such as clay, dry lacquer, cloth, paper, and wood. The Shikami mask in particular is handcrafted from wood, before it is painted in a shiny lacquer. This is done to make every element of the mask stand out. The main surface area of the Shikami mask was always painted bright red, in order to express the anger and ferocious nature of that particular characters aura. The eyes and teeth were always painted bright gold, in order to bring more attention to them rather than anywhere else on the mask, as it was these aspects of it which explained the theme of the mask in more detail. Viennese Ball Mask. Venetian Ball Masks originated from Venice in the 13th century, however the exact year in which they were invented is unclear. The first Carnival of Venice was recorded in 1268 and it was these events in which the masks were initially used. Where as the African Tribal and Japanese theatrical masks are not only harder to come by, but are always a lot more expensive, Viennese Ball masks can be found as easily as looking through your everyday shop windows. The fact that they are always a lot more decorative and fancy in a sense, they are commonly used for public holidays, the most famous of which being Halloween. Example of Renaissance Long Nose mask taken from www.nohmask.com Viennese masks were originally invented so that a certain person, usually who came from an upper class background, could participate in activities which they would not normally do so. There are a wide range of different Viennese masks, some of which merely cover only the eyes, to others which cover the vast majority of the face, and some times even the hair or neck of the wearer. This allows them to engage in certain activities which they would not normally do so, and keeps their true identity hidden from the public eye. In modern day life, there have been many adaptations of the Viennese Ball mask to adequately obtain discretion, for example a balaclava. However this form of discretion has enabled many illegal activities to be completed more successfully, and nowadays they are commonly banned from sale at many major retailers in a bid to try and discourage these things from happening. When they were first invented, Viennese Ball masks were more often than not made with papier machete. This was achieved by taking a mould direct from a person's face, and then building off that. In more modern situations however, plastic or latex was used, as it was simply easier to gain a more precise and accurate version of the design in which the person desired. On most occasions, a mold was created first, using the same techniques of the papier machete way; however melted plastic is then placed in to the mould, effectively making it quicker and in most cases cheaper to produce. A certain Viennese mask which I was drawn to, was the renaissance long nose mask. Considering the time period in which these masks were originally created, it astounds me to even consider how such a complex design was achieved with the tools that they would have had access to. The initial idea of the long, pointed nose was almost a superstition as it was believed to be an imitation of the devise which was used to hold vinegar in around the time of the bubonic plague to hold off the disease, or at least the bad odors of the sick or dying. Conclusion. From the research which I have gathered about these three different masks, I have discovered that although they all originated in extremely different circumstances, the reasons for their creations are not all that different. It is clear to me that whether the reason for the masks' being is to allow someone to transform into animal form in order to get in touch with their spiritual or ancestral roots, or simply just to shadow someone's everyday personality, they have been put their, in place in order to allow a person to change their usual form; almost a form of escapism. It ha also come to my attention that whether it regards masks, or any other aspect of a certain culture which is different to our own, they are most definitely not to be underestimated no matter what time period in which it derives from.

Marriage and the Chinese Revolution

Before the 1949 revolution, Chinese women were regarded as lower in social rank than men, notwithstanding the general disempowerment of women due to the lower social class that they belonged to. Women were considered chattels, especially by the noble classes, in which families arranged marriages for their daughters in order to secure favors from government officials, warlords and even from the imperial household. Moreover, men could have as many wives as they wanted, notwithstanding the utter lack of power of women to secure a divorce from their husbands, in the event that they were abused and badly treated. Mao Zedong said this about the Marriage Law, â€Å"The Marriage Law affects all people's interests and is one of the basic laws of China, next only to the constitution†¦It is the legal means through which to carry out reform of the marriage and family system in China, the weapon with which to fight the feudal family system, and the tool necessary to establish and develop a new marriage and family system.† For all the faults of Mao’s China, the marriage law which the communists implemented liberated the women from the bondage of a patriarchal society which dictated the terms of their existence, including their choice of a life partner. By decreeing the dismantling of a feudal system of relations between men and women, women were now able to truly choose to marry only those that they truly love. While such a state policy exists, it took more than the marriage law to truly ensure that the social inequality in a Chinese marriage was implemented politically and culturally, to ensure that women indeed held half the sky. On the other hand, such liberation of Chinese women in marriage then did not amount to utter sexual promiscuity as in Western countries, except at present, where changing partners and spouses seem to be as fast as changing mobile phones and cars in Chinese contemporary society. As divorce is China is as easy as selling the newest Ipod, it is now steadily undermining once more the value of marriage and the commitment that is intertwined in its concept. If the women were treated as chattels in feudal China that no mutual consent in marriage ever really existed, the present increasing number of divorces seems to manifest that with the increase in personal income and spending of the Chinese is rendering as a commodity the institution of marriage. These things, treating women as chattel and the commodification of marriage, are both social evils which destroy the basic sanctity of marriage, in view of the family as the basic institution in any society. As the Chinese economy grows by leaps and bounds, it has also led to the creation and reproduction of a new inequality in the institution of marriage, where mutual love and commitment are not at the center of the institution but property relations to outpace all other families in a cutthroat competition for financial security and success. It is no different from feudal China where families arranged marriages for their daughters because it destroys the long-held idea, even by Mao Tsetung, that marriage should only be based on mutual respect and love by partners with a deep perspective on their relationship and a long-term goal for the development of both partners’ lives in all aspects – physical, economic, social, and even spiritual. Is divorce China's new fad? By Leon D'souza ZIBO, People's Republic of China– That China's revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong, was an incessant womanizer is no secret. For 22 years, beginning in 1954, Dr. Li Zhisui, his personal physician, chronicled the former dictator's dark private world. In his critically acclaimed book, â€Å"The Private Life of Chairman Mao,† Dr. Zhisui writes candidly about the erstwhile chairman's voracious appetite for carnal pleasure. Mao was constantly hosting dances and card-playing parties to find new young women to indulge his fantasies. He was â€Å"married† at least four times and had ten children with whom he had rather distant relationships. However, for all his shortcomings, Mao was a firm believer in the power of womanhood. He was fond of quoting an old Chinese proverb, â€Å"women hold up half the heavens,† and in his â€Å"Little Red Book,† which attained Biblical importance during the Cultural Revolution of the late 1960s, he spoke audaciously of the need for equality of the sexes. â€Å"In order to build a great socialist society, it is of the utmost importance to arouse the broad masses of women to join in productive activity. Men and women must receive equal pay for equal work in production,† Mao declared. The former chairman began a transformation of the submissive role that Chinese women were historically relegated to over centuries of dynastic rule. One of his earliest reforms involved sweeping changes to China's harsh marriage norms. Before the advent of Communist Power, marriage was somewhat of an unholy institution in China, a form of socially sanctioned bondage. Chinese director Zhang Yimou's brilliant film, â€Å"Raise the Red Lantern,† tells of the sordid state of affairs in imperial times. Arranged and mercenary marriages were considered normal practice then. A wealthy man could have as many wives as he pleased. Widows were not allowed to remarry and no woman could ever ask for a divorce. Mao changed all that. His first â€Å"Marriage Law† abolished the system of arranged or forced marriage and extended equal protection to women and children. The new legislation forbade bigamy, child marriage and public interference in the freedom for widows to remarry. Mao took personal interest in the implementation of the measure. â€Å"The Marriage Law affects all people's interests and is one of the basic laws of China, next only to the constitution,† he emphasized. â€Å"It is the legal means through which to carry out reform of the marriage and family system in China, the weapon with which to fight the feudal family system, and the tool necessary to establish and develop a new marriage and family system.† Noble goals notwithstanding, Mao's reforms weren't greeted well in a country steeped in a long tradition of patriarchy. Some derided the edict as a formula for societal instability that was sure to trigger an epidemic of divorces. â€Å"It is a law for divorce,† these naysayers argued. In some ways, they were right. Divorce is fast becoming something of an emerging trend in modern China, where successive marriage laws have empowered women who now initiate more than 70 percent of break ups. In fact, so pervasive is this trend that in a story some years ago, The New York Times Seth Faison pointed out that it was even beginning to affect the way ordinary Chinese greet each other in the street. â€Å"For years,† Faison wrote, â€Å"people have greeted each other with a question that reflected the nation's primary concern: â€Å"Chi le ma?† or â€Å"Have you eaten?† Now according to a popular joke in Beijing, people who see a friend on the street voice a new concern: â€Å"Li le ma?† â€Å"Have you divorced?† But unlike other countries, where divorce is seen as a social problem, the Chinese seem to view this trend as a sign of the changing tide for women in a country where they were once mere objects of desire. As the Beijing Youth Daily explained in a story a while back: â€Å"The high rate of divorce reflects a kind of ‘master of my own fate' notion among urban residents. From an overall perspective, it represents a kind of social advancement.† Financial independence resulting from a surge of women in the workforce seems to be driving the divorce rate. Chinese women now actually do hold up half the sky. They account for more than 46 percent of the total working population according to statistics. Women experts and entrepreneurs have come to the forefront in large numbers, playing key roles in hi-tech industries as well as large and medium state-owned enterprises. This has helped level the balance. â€Å"In the past, women were very dependent on men for survival. They were not allowed to work. Today in China, women earn their own money. They are becoming more and more independent, and so they need not remain married to men that aren't loyal to them,† said Huang Yan Ling, an English teacher at the Zibo Foreign Language School. Huang was raised in Zibo, the rural northeastern city in Shandong Province where she now teaches middle school. As a mother herself, and someone who grew up away from the relatively liberal atmosphere of the rapidly westernizing cities along China's eastern coast, she isn't a loud supporter of the spate of divorces. â€Å"I think it is very bad for the children,† she emphasized, when asked why she balked at the trend. Nevertheless, she is delighted that increasing numbers of Chinese women are standing up for themselves, and places the blame for failed marriages squarely on the infidelity of the men involved. â€Å"When most men approach middle age, they have a lot of money. When they have money, they look for younger girls because they just want to have fun. They don't really love their wives,† she suggested matter-of-factly. â€Å"So it is good for some women to file for divorce.† Nevertheless, there is room for tightening up the law to facilitate separations while preventing the situation from spiraling out of hand. One of the ways Huang points to is increasing the amount of alimony payable as child support. â€Å"In China, if a couple files for divorce, the woman usually gets custody of the child. This places her in a difficult position. The man can get away with making payments as low as 300 Reminbi Yuan (approximately $38) per month,† she explained. â€Å"I think this is not right. Men should be made to pay more. That way, maybe they will think twice about cheating on their wives.† At the end of the day, whether bane or boon, China's climbing divorce rate is an indicator of significant social change. Mao's China has opened up for women doors they could never previously have hoped to unlock. Today, women wear the pants in many families here. And although you won't get their husbands to admit it, most married men live in peril of their wives ire. Take Yu Ke Hong for example, one of my colleagues at the Zibo Foreign Language School. A month ago, my brother-in-law, Brian, and I, tried to coax him into buying a dog for his family while we were out pet shopping at the weekend â€Å"dog market.† Yu laughed when we presented the suggestion, then added candidly that his wife would â€Å"throw him out of the house† if he showed up on his doorstep with the cute Chinese Shar-Pie we had picked out for him since she didn't care much for dogs. Enough said. You know who calls the shots in his household. Leon D'souza is a frequent contributor to the Hard News Cafe Marriage and the Chinese Revolution Before the 1949 revolution, Chinese women were regarded as lower in social rank than men, notwithstanding the general disempowerment of women due to the lower social class that they belonged to. Women were considered chattels, especially by the noble classes, in which families arranged marriages for their daughters in order to secure favors from government officials, warlords and even from the imperial household. Moreover, men could have as many wives as they wanted, notwithstanding the utter lack of power of women to secure a divorce from their husbands, in the event that they were abused and badly treated. Mao Zedong said this about the Marriage Law, â€Å"The Marriage Law affects all people's interests and is one of the basic laws of China, next only to the constitution†¦It is the legal means through which to carry out reform of the marriage and family system in China, the weapon with which to fight the feudal family system, and the tool necessary to establish and develop a new marriage and family system.† For all the faults of Mao’s China, the marriage law which the communists implemented liberated the women from the bondage of a patriarchal society which dictated the terms of their existence, including their choice of a life partner. By decreeing the dismantling of a feudal system of relations between men and women, women were now able to truly choose to marry only those that they truly love. While such a state policy exists, it took more than the marriage law to truly ensure that the social inequality in a Chinese marriage was implemented politically and culturally, to ensure that women indeed held half the sky. On the other hand, such liberation of Chinese women in marriage then did not amount to utter sexual promiscuity as in Western countries, except at present, where changing partners and spouses seem to be as fast as changing mobile phones and cars in Chinese contemporary society. As divorce is China is as easy as selling the newest Ipod, it is now steadily undermining once more the value of marriage and the commitment that is intertwined in its concept. If the women were treated as chattels in feudal China that no mutual consent in marriage ever really existed, the present increasing number of divorces seems to manifest that with the increase in personal income and spending of the Chinese is rendering as a commodity the institution of marriage. These things, treating women as chattel and the commodification of marriage, are both social evils which destroy the basic sanctity of marriage, in view of the family as the basic institution in any society. As the Chinese economy grows by leaps and bounds, it has also led to the creation and reproduction of a new inequality in the institution of marriage, where mutual love and commitment are not at the center of the institution but property relations to outpace all other families in a cutthroat competition for financial security and success. It is no different from feudal China where families arranged marriages for their daughters because it destroys the long-held idea, even by Mao Tsetung, that marriage should only be based on mutual respect and love by partners with a deep perspective on their relationship and a long-term goal for the development of both partners’ lives in all aspects – physical, economic, social, and even spiritual. Is divorce China's new fad? By Leon D'souza ZIBO, People's Republic of China– That China's revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong, was an incessant womanizer is no secret. For 22 years, beginning in 1954, Dr. Li Zhisui, his personal physician, chronicled the former dictator's dark private world. In his critically acclaimed book, â€Å"The Private Life of Chairman Mao,† Dr. Zhisui writes candidly about the erstwhile chairman's voracious appetite for carnal pleasure. Mao was constantly hosting dances and card-playing parties to find new young women to indulge his fantasies. He was â€Å"married† at least four times and had ten children with whom he had rather distant relationships. However, for all his shortcomings, Mao was a firm believer in the power of womanhood. He was fond of quoting an old Chinese proverb, â€Å"women hold up half the heavens,† and in his â€Å"Little Red Book,† which attained Biblical importance during the Cultural Revolution of the late 1960s, he spoke audaciously of the need for equality of the sexes. â€Å"In order to build a great socialist society, it is of the utmost importance to arouse the broad masses of women to join in productive activity. Men and women must receive equal pay for equal work in production,† Mao declared. The former chairman began a transformation of the submissive role that Chinese women were historically relegated to over centuries of dynastic rule. One of his earliest reforms involved sweeping changes to China's harsh marriage norms. Before the advent of Communist Power, marriage was somewhat of an unholy institution in China, a form of socially sanctioned bondage. Chinese director Zhang Yimou's brilliant film, â€Å"Raise the Red Lantern,† tells of the sordid state of affairs in imperial times. Arranged and mercenary marriages were considered normal practice then. A wealthy man could have as many wives as he pleased. Widows were not allowed to remarry and no woman could ever ask for a divorce. Mao changed all that. His first â€Å"Marriage Law† abolished the system of arranged or forced marriage and extended equal protection to women and children. The new legislation forbade bigamy, child marriage and public interference in the freedom for widows to remarry. Mao took personal interest in the implementation of the measure. â€Å"The Marriage Law affects all people's interests and is one of the basic laws of China, next only to the constitution,† he emphasized. â€Å"It is the legal means through which to carry out reform of the marriage and family system in China, the weapon with which to fight the feudal family system, and the tool necessary to establish and develop a new marriage and family system.† Noble goals notwithstanding, Mao's reforms weren't greeted well in a country steeped in a long tradition of patriarchy. Some derided the edict as a formula for societal instability that was sure to trigger an epidemic of divorces. â€Å"It is a law for divorce,† these naysayers argued. In some ways, they were right. Divorce is fast becoming something of an emerging trend in modern China, where successive marriage laws have empowered women who now initiate more than 70 percent of break ups. In fact, so pervasive is this trend that in a story some years ago, The New York Times Seth Faison pointed out that it was even beginning to affect the way ordinary Chinese greet each other in the street. â€Å"For years,† Faison wrote, â€Å"people have greeted each other with a question that reflected the nation's primary concern: â€Å"Chi le ma?† or â€Å"Have you eaten?† Now according to a popular joke in Beijing, people who see a friend on the street voice a new concern: â€Å"Li le ma?† â€Å"Have you divorced?† But unlike other countries, where divorce is seen as a social problem, the Chinese seem to view this trend as a sign of the changing tide for women in a country where they were once mere objects of desire. As the Beijing Youth Daily explained in a story a while back: â€Å"The high rate of divorce reflects a kind of ‘master of my own fate' notion among urban residents. From an overall perspective, it represents a kind of social advancement.† Financial independence resulting from a surge of women in the workforce seems to be driving the divorce rate. Chinese women now actually do hold up half the sky. They account for more than 46 percent of the total working population according to statistics. Women experts and entrepreneurs have come to the forefront in large numbers, playing key roles in hi-tech industries as well as large and medium state-owned enterprises. This has helped level the balance. â€Å"In the past, women were very dependent on men for survival. They were not allowed to work. Today in China, women earn their own money. They are becoming more and more independent, and so they need not remain married to men that aren't loyal to them,† said Huang Yan Ling, an English teacher at the Zibo Foreign Language School. Huang was raised in Zibo, the rural northeastern city in Shandong Province where she now teaches middle school. As a mother herself, and someone who grew up away from the relatively liberal atmosphere of the rapidly westernizing cities along China's eastern coast, she isn't a loud supporter of the spate of divorces. â€Å"I think it is very bad for the children,† she emphasized, when asked why she balked at the trend. Nevertheless, she is delighted that increasing numbers of Chinese women are standing up for themselves, and places the blame for failed marriages squarely on the infidelity of the men involved. â€Å"When most men approach middle age, they have a lot of money. When they have money, they look for younger girls because they just want to have fun. They don't really love their wives,† she suggested matter-of-factly. â€Å"So it is good for some women to file for divorce.† Nevertheless, there is room for tightening up the law to facilitate separations while preventing the situation from spiraling out of hand. One of the ways Huang points to is increasing the amount of alimony payable as child support. â€Å"In China, if a couple files for divorce, the woman usually gets custody of the child. This places her in a difficult position. The man can get away with making payments as low as 300 Reminbi Yuan (approximately $38) per month,† she explained. â€Å"I think this is not right. Men should be made to pay more. That way, maybe they will think twice about cheating on their wives.† At the end of the day, whether bane or boon, China's climbing divorce rate is an indicator of significant social change. Mao's China has opened up for women doors they could never previously have hoped to unlock. Today, women wear the pants in many families here. And although you won't get their husbands to admit it, most married men live in peril of their wives ire. Take Yu Ke Hong for example, one of my colleagues at the Zibo Foreign Language School. A month ago, my brother-in-law, Brian, and I, tried to coax him into buying a dog for his family while we were out pet shopping at the weekend â€Å"dog market.† Yu laughed when we presented the suggestion, then added candidly that his wife would â€Å"throw him out of the house† if he showed up on his doorstep with the cute Chinese Shar-Pie we had picked out for him since she didn't care much for dogs. Enough said. You know who calls the shots in his household. Leon D'souza is a frequent contributor to the Hard News Cafe