How is our current Economic growth compared to 30 years ago Essay

The year 1979 saw both external and internal conditions become difficult owing to rising inflation with end user prices increasing by 13%. The years 1979 to 1981 saw the US experience a double-digit price increase owing to global petroleum price increases, federal financial policies, plus the spending patterns of the government. The United States economic system started to take a descending trend. In order to manage such financial troubles, the administration of jimmy carter squeezed the national financial plans and implemented financial restraint (United nations, 2008). The administration as well declared short plus long-term energy regulations and attempted to control the financial climate. By mid 1900s, the US was a key end user of almost each significant industrial unprocessed material. Approximately 40 percent of the global total production of commodities was done in the US industries, even though American population was approximately 6 percent of the global total, with its total territory area being approximately 7 percent of total earth surface (Kubarych, 2002). United States production has gone on expanding recently, although at a more sluggish pace compared to other First World nations. THE United States by far surpasses each other country in the volume of her Gross national product (GNP) in unqualified terms. Unites states’ GNP experienced a growth rate of more than 300% ($3. 3 trillion) from 1970 to 1983. The year 1998 saw Americas Gross Domestic product (GDP) REACH $8. 5 trillion; per person GDP reached $31,500. 2002’s per person GDP mounted to $37,600, with national GDP amounting to $10. trillion. US Inflation in the 1990s was not significant as it was from the 1970s to 1980s. US rates are lower than those of many First World nations. From 1970 to 1978, for instance, end user prices rose by 6. 7 percent per annum (Sheikh, 1999). Following twenty years of financial prosperity, the US witnessed a financial decline in the 1970’s, an era famous for the unparalleled blend of stagnating economic progress plus inflation, which led to the development of the term stagflation. Overseas competitors within Europe and Japan confronted the world dominance of US manufacturers, whereas the 1973-1974 and 1979 petroleum crises eroded public trust in business and government institutions (Fisher, 2009). The mandatory Lockheed and Chrysler bailouts symbolized the tough changeover to a fresh economic period, characterized by the significance of the service segment and plus the growth of little business ventures. During the initial presidential tenure of Ronald Reagan, beginning in 1980 to 1984, America witnesses 2 harsh recession years succeeded by 2 strong recovery years. Inflation rates declined with many new job opportunities created. However, the early plus mid-eighties economic growth was accompanied by several shocking developments. National budget shortfalls, arising from spectacular military expenditure increases, and from increasing entitlement plan, for instance, Medicare and Medicaid, costs, averaged in excess of $150 billion per year. As at 1992, total shortfall amounted to $290 billion, in other words $1,150 per each American citizen (Marcy, 2008). Additionally, company debt increased spectacularly, and family borrowing increased twofold compared to personal revenue. The 1980s as well experienced banking crisis due to several factors including: problem lending to Third World nations; elevated interest and inflation rates; and speculative property market schemes that made many banks collapse when the early 1980s property market boom collapsed. The Ronald administration brought in Reaganomics in 1981, which were fiscally-expansive financial policies, thus reducing federal revenue levy rates by twenty five percent. Inflation reduced from 1980’s 13. 5 percent figure to a mere 3 percent in 1983 because of tougher control of interest rates and money supply by the Federal Reserve and a brief recession. Real GDP went on increasing and unemployment went on rising to peak at 10. 8 percent in 1982, and then fell to 5. 4 percent in 1989. The disparity between the wealthy and the poorest increased whereas the national debt tripled. In 1981 the national debt was $930 billion; it stood at $ 2. 6 trillion in 1988. The United States began to experience huge trade shortfalls (http://www. mofa. go. jp/POLICY/other/bluebook/1980/1980-1. htm). The beginning of deindustrialization from the late 60s to early 70s made income differentials rise to an all time high. However, consumers had a record ability to purchase quantities of commodities they never were able to purchase before. Due to the practice of US companies to outsource heavy engineering and manufacturing labor operations to less developed nations, income differentials rose dramatically. The US Gini coefficient in 2005 had increased from 1968’s 0. 386 to 0. 469. The difference between the wealthy and the impoverished grew larger by the close of the 1900s. The proportion of the national revenue appropriated by the wealthiest American household increased from 1977’s 18. % to 1990’s 24. 5%, whereas the proportion of the most poor dropped from 5. 7 percent to 4. 3 percent. Outside America’s trade circumstances worsened due to the development of a swelling trade shortfall by a combination of a passive American dollar and elevated foreign investment levels. The 1990s saw America plunge into an economic recession due to rising petroleum prices after Iraq invaded K uwait, reducing credit availability, and a steep interest rates rise (McConnell, Bruce, Flynn, 2006, 137). Output dropped by 1. 6 percent with 1. 7 million job opportunities being lost. Unemployment levels increased from 1989’s 5. 2 percent to 1991’s 7. 5 percent. As at 1998, unemployment rates had dropped to 4. 5% (Sheikh, 1999). The revival that commenced in 1991 launched a continuous expansion period, which boasted of being the 3rd largest, since the Second World War, in 2000. Actual GDP growth varied from 2 percent to 3. 5 percent; the figures for 1998 were 3. 9 percent. Following climaxing at 7. 5 percent, unemployment dropped progressively during the early and mid 1990s, dropping to 5. 6 percent by 1995, 5. 3 percent at the close of 1996, and remaining less than 5 percent in 1998. Inflation generally remained less than 3 percent past 1993/1994. The stock markets were exempted from being influenced by the restrained economic climate; they increased from 1995 to 1997 owing to reduced employment, strong company profits, and reduced inflation. Stock markets expansion had declined as at 1999/2000. The bipartisan balanced-financial plan, that was passed and ratified in 1997, was another reason for buoyancy. The scheme, merging spending and tax cuts over some 5-year duration, aimed to balance the national financial plan by the year 2002. The government, in 2001, predicted a $275 billion budget excess for the financial year ending 2001 September, a prediction that was soon reversed. At the dawn of the 21st century, substantial financial concerns, apart from the usual concern regarding how much longer the boom would last before ultimately collapsing, included America’s huge trade shortfall, the rising medical expenditures for aging citizens, plus the inability of the sturdy economic system to enhance the circumstances of the impoverished. Starting in 1975, household revenue gains were witnessed almost solely by the top 20 percent households. Nevertheless, towards the close of the 1990s plus early 21st century, productivity continued to expand, the job market was squeezed, and inflation remained comparatively low. Economic expansion halted by mid 2001, mainly owing to the conclusion of the extended asset boom, particularly within information technology sectors. The economic system suffered a recession towards the close of 2001, affecting the manufacturing and service sectors. The September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks on the US worsened the underperforming financial situation. 001 Mean real GDP growth increased by a mere 0. 3 percent. The economic system of the United states, which in the 1990s dictated worldwide economic progress, turned out to cause global financial decline in north America, Japan, Europe, southeast Asia, and Latin America. The economic system began a slow recovery in 2002; GDP growth estimates were 2. 45 percent. Scholars attributed such modest upturn to the capability of commerce think tanks to react t o financial inequities on the basis of real-time data, deregulation, plus creativity in product and financial markets. However, local confidence regarding the economic system continued to be low, and combined with key company failures, such as World Com and Enron, plus extra stock market limits, the upturn remained uneven and sluggish. Growth declined by the close of 2000, with unemployment rates rising to 6. 3 percent by July 2003. CPI rates of inflation dropped to below 1. 5 percent at the start of 2003. This raised anxieties regarding the possibility of deflation. There was also a significant increase in armed forces expenditure due to the 2003 Iraq war (http://resources. metapress. com/pdfpreview. xd? code=wr28t0l0n1187370&size=largest). After the Iraq war, consumer expenditure and stock values rebounded; housing market continued to be sturdy; inflation rates were low; extra tax reductions were enacted; the American dollar decreased in value on global markets; growth productivity was sturdy; and petroleum prices dropped (McConnell, Bruce, Flynn, 2006, 131). Due to such factors, numerous analysts forecasted a more positive financial situation come 2004. However, the national budget shortfall was predicted to amount to $455 billion in 2003, the biggest deficit ever recorded. The US economic climate was mainly shaped through private expenditure; the decline of private expenditure had a vital role in slowing down the gross national product growth rate. However, fixed ventures were as well already declining. Nevertheless, economic progress did not persistently decline in 1978; rather, it varied significantly from, one quarter to the next. Despite the fact that the rate of growth showed consistent patterns, the anticipated improvement regarding the US balance of payments was not realized. The year 1979 witnessed a sharp decline in car trade by America’s 3 main auto manufacturers, Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. This led to the dismissal of about 100,000 employees in the automobile industry. By 2002, the US economy had a number of weaknesses and strengths. The strengths were witnessed in: the housing market; automobile sales; imports, military expenditure; and inflation. Weak segments were: the labor market; trade fixed investments; construction; bank loans; and profits. Regarding strong points, the housing sector witnessed sturdy price rises, averaging approximately 7 per year. Reduced interest rates allowed households to re-fund mortgages and dispense some gains on homes. Credit card and car loan access was as well simple. Such extra monetary resources support sturdy consumption expenditure. Regarding automobile sales, owing to sufficient liquidity, consumers could capitalize on low-cost funding incentives and price reductions to purchase automobiles at prodigious rates. However, automobile firms were unable to earn much due to the existence of a highly aggressive environment where pricing supremacy was non-existent (Yellen, 2008). Pertaining to imports, much consumption emerged in form of increased import levels and current account and trade deficits. In defense expenditure, the increase in armed forces hardware, particularly aviation spare parts and airplanes added approximately 0. 5 percent to GDP expansion. Inflation was mainly caused by petroleum and housing prices. In 2002, labor market growth was minimal and new layoffs diminished. Unemployment rate stood at 6 percent. Regarding trade fixed investments; there was tremendous surplus capacity within a number of ultra-modern industry sections, particularly telecommunications apparatus. Senior managers further tightened investment budgets. In the construction industry, the drop in non-housing property development was catastrophic. Local government and state infrastructure programs were downsized due to budgetary constraints. Regarding bank loans, standards were tightened and costs increased, particularly for borrowers with little creditworthiness. Loan demands dwindled. Regarding profits, numerous industries were not making any profits (http://www. nationsencyclopedia. com/Americas/United-States-ECONOMY. html). The US economy in 2008 shrunk at a 6. 3 percent yearly rate in the last quarter of 2008. Unemployment rates are increasing with about 13. million unemployed people, translating to an 8. 5 percent unemployment rate. This situation has worsened the home market problem. A recent Case-Shiller survey indicated that the decline in home prices increased in 20 surveyed city districts, declining nineteen percent per annum for the 3-month time period concluded in January 2009. Business owners have added to the problem by reducing expenses, especially the labor cost, and operating squeezed inventories, downsizing delivery lines, postponing all except the most compulsory capital spending, and generally evading risks in order to maintain business margins. The outcome is that the American economic system is static, with no new ventures and no gains (http://www. oecd. org/document/45/0,3343,en_2649_34573_38630765_1_1_1_1,00. html). The contraction of us overseas markets, that are essential to economic growth through the sale of high-value services and goods, is another negative development. The World Bank predicts that global economic systems will experience a 1. 7% decline in 2009, with international trade experiencing a 6. 1% decline. The Federal Reserve is taking radically proactive plus highly creative measures to reinstate credit market vibrancy and control financial decline. In about 1 year, the Federal Reserve has: set up a loan structure for main security merchants , adopting fresh types of guarantee for such loans; started exchange lines with 14 key trading partners , for example, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Banco de Mexico, Monetary Authority of Singapore, and Korean Central Bank , to offer such overseas central banks the capability to provide united states dollar financial support to organizations under their command ; developed facilities for backstopping financial market joint funds; started fresh mechanisms in conjunction with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. nd the Treasury to fortify particular banks’ security; carried out a key plan to buy business paper, which is a major element of the economic system; started to reimburse bank reserves interest; declared plans to purchase as much as $100 billion of Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan, and Freddie Mac direct debts, and then pushed up the amount to $200 billion; declared plans to purchase $500 billion worth of the mortgage-backed securities supported by Freddie, Ginnie Mae, and Fannie, then pushed the amount to $1. 5 trillion; declared and recently implemented a novel facility for supporting the provision of asset-supported securities guaranteed by learner loans, credit card loans, car loans, plus loans collateralized by the Small Business Administration; and commenced the procedure of buying as much as $300 billion worth of long-term Treasury securities to assist enhance private credit markets conditions. In addition, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) lowered the federal funds levels to 0-1/4 of 1 percent. At the same time, the FMOC reduced the rates charged on banks when they borrow from FMOC’s discount window in order to reduce the credit cost to the economic system. Therefore, the balance sheet of the federal reserve has expanded to about $2 trillion currently, which ids in excess of twice the increase witnessed since its inception in 2008.

Is Oedipus a Victim of Fate?

Fate the un-avoidable Throughout the vast history of literature, various concepts have come and gone. The idea of fate or fatalism has been a concept that has survived the test of time. Numerous characters have succumbed to the power of fate and the character of Oedipus from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is a prime example of the vast power of fate within literature. Sophocles effectively depicts the wrath of fate as he portrays how Oedipus fell victim to fate and his efforts to disregard fate were futile. Once again fate manages to triumph and displays no character whether king or slave can avoid its gaze. One can attempt to change his or her fate. Numerous beings have put their entire lives into avoiding fate. Even if the strength of the earth and heaven united, what is decree as fate can only manifest itself according to time. However, in various situations one’s fate can be determined before the being is even given life. This is the very situation Oedipus was unknowingly born into. Before Sophocles would begin his play viewers would already have an idea of the play’s prologue. The prologue detailed Oedipus’s rise to king and more importantly his connection with fate. Oedipus was born to Laius King of Thebes and his wife Queen Jocasta. Before his birth Laius and Jocasta were given an ominous message by the god Apollo stating that their own son would kill his father and marry his mother. Soon after the revelation of this message, Oedipus was born. In order to avoid his fate, Laius crippled Oedipus’s ankle and gave him to a shepherd instructing the shepherd to leave Oedipus to die in the mountains. The saying â€Å"Father like Son† is ironically portrayed here. Laius did the same thing Oedipus tried throughout the play, avoiding fate. Even while planning his own son’s demise Laius was just portraying the qualities his own son would grow to inherit. As Oedipus falters in his clash with fate so does Laius as one learns in the prologue, Oedipus grows up and unknowingly kills Laius. This effectively follows the path set out by fate and Oedipus blindly follows this path while actively denying it. This denial would sprout into an utter defiance of fate by Oedipus and the final result would not be in his favour. Wisdom is an attribute that can be utilized in numerous ways. The most important aspect of the usage of wisdom is whether it benefits or harms the user. During the play a key line is said by the character Tiresias, the local prophet. When called upon by Oedipus, Tiresias states, â€Å"Wisdom is a dreadful thing when it brings no profit to its possessor†. This is a very significant statement. It clearly defines the situation Oedipus puts himself through. Oedipus’s lust for knowledge and thirst for admiration by his subjects spells his own demise. Through constant pressuring by Oedipus, Tiresias reveals Oedipus was the one who killed Laius. It seems Oedipus brought upon his own fate through the pestering of Tiresias. The unaccounted factor is the reason for Oedipus’s actions. Fate is responsible for a series of plagues that have engulfed Thebes and have situated Oedipus in a scenario where he must find the killer of Laius to undo the plagues. The forcefulness of Oedipus is fuelled by fate ensuring Oedipus has a viable reason to obtain knowledge no matter the consequence. Once again Oedipus is inadvertently on fates path which only harm him by its end. Chance is a very interesting concept. The belief things happen unknowingly and by mere luck. In the play chance is over shadowed by fate, a pre-determined destiny. A prime example of the contrast between these two factors is the arrival of the Corinthian messenger. One can say the messenger came by chance and luckily found Oedipus. Realistically the messenger was just a pawn in the pre-determined plan of fate. The messenger relays to Oedipus that the king of Corinth, Polybus has died. This news over joys Oedipus and Jocasta due to the fact fate supposedly stated Oedipus would kill Polybus his biological father. As the couple rejoice and mock the concept of fate, the messenger informs Oedipus that Polybus was not his biological father. This is fate playing another hand to ensure Oedipus continues on to his pre-determined destiny. Fate sent the messenger and it ensured the messenger shed light on Oedipus’s actual origins. This was no portrayal of chance; Oedipus faced the cold hard reality of fate. Oedipus due to his crazed nature went into a frenzy to determine who birth parents were. One can understand what follows and how the play climax’s as Oedipus goes to obtain the last piece of knowledge required to seal his fate. Oedipus was blinded by a thirst for knowledge and fate ensures this blinding becomes a reality. Fate is one word that can have momentous effects. No matter what period of history is examined, fate within literature has always held importance. Numerous characters no matter how great or influential have fallen into the hands of fate. Perhaps one of the greatest characters to fall into fates gazed was Oedipus from Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King. Sophocles used his mastery of the human mind to portray the fact even though Oedipus thought he was all knowing, he unknowingly was always on fates pre-determined path. No matter what Oedipus did his fate had been determined before hand and the concept of fate emphasized no character could avoid it. Fate added another character to its intricate web of pre-determined destinies. Works Cited Knox, Bernard. Oedipus the King Translation: New York: Simon & Schuster inc. 1994

Basant as a Cultural Heritage of Lahore Essay Example for Free

Basant as a Cultural Heritage of Lahore Essay Basant as a cultural heritage of Lahore by Yasir Raza Naqvi Lahore is an exceptionally festive city. The people of Lahore commemorate many festivals and events throughout the year, amalgamating Mughal, Western and current trends. This blending is extended to include the grand and historically significant festival of Basant. Though religiously not a Muslim cultural event, it is widely celebrated by the Muslim majority population Lahore. It is precisely due to the same reason coupled with other ‘non-Islamic’ practices that it has come under severe criticism by the mullahs. The celebration of Basant grew at an increasing rate in the late 90’s till 2005 where it suddenly came under ban due to an increasing number of deaths caused by highly tensile glass coated threads. Due to the official recognition during Musharraf’s early regime, kite making had become an industry, employing hundreds of thousands of people. The implementation of ban of kite flying followed by the ban on kite making left almost 500,000 families employed. Political turmoil followed by the ban on Basant added misery to the already crawling economy of Pakistan as the number of tourists who came to Lahore just to see the magnificent event of Basant fell tremendously. Therefore, In this essay, I tend to analyze the tri fold significance that Basant holds for Lahore. I would briefly shed light on the history of Basant and its transformation over the years till today coupled with the criticism it faced by religious elements of Pakistan. I would later explain how Basant becomes the center of tourist attraction, and generates a lot of revenue for the local industry thus securing an important position in translating the cultural heritage of Lahore. I would also seek to mention the reasons for the implementation of ban on Basant and propose solutions to uplift it. In the pre-partitioned Punjab, Hindus, especially of Lahore- celebrated Basant by flying kites. It was precisely during that time that the Muslims of Lahore, almost equal in number-comprising of the 48% of the population of Lahore, were instructed by the mullahs of that time to refrain from celebrating the event as it was typically a Hindu festival. However, the youth of that time did take part in the event by flying kites. After partition, almost all the Hindus had left Lahore for India but their tradition of Basant remained; and even today Lahoris take pride in Basant and fly kites from their rooftops with the same enthusiasm. Being the historic capital of Punjab there is no other place where Basant is elebrated with as much vigour and enthusiasm as the ancient city of Lahore. Traditionally, a festival confined to the old-walled city, it has now spread throughout the city. The celebration of Basant is incomplete without the kites and it is for the same reason that Michael Palin in his book Himalaya says: â€Å"Everyone in Lahore flies their kites for a day. † (Palin) Marshall Cavendish in his book People of Western Asia briefly states about the history of Basant and its celebration in the following words: â€Å"Lahore’s spring festival, Basant (buh-SAHNT): also known as Jashen-e- Baharan), is celebrated in February or March each year. It is an ancient festival that has become increasingly popular in recent years, attracting visitors from other parts of the country. Basant is celebrated with feasting, music, dance and crafts, and the wearing of yellow costumes or scarves, a symbol of the new spring. The most striking feature of the festival is the kite flying. Thousands of kites of all shapes, sizes and colors fill the skies and soar from parks and city roofs. At night, music rings and while white kites are flown, which reflect lights and fireworks. Throughout Pakistan there are local spring fairs with folk dancing; feasting; fairground attractions, such as swings and ferries wheels (sometimes made of wood in rural areas); music; and sporting contests. † (Cavendish) The celebration of this event which includes the spending on the purchase of kites has constantly being termed by the mullahs as un Islamic. In an interesting piece written by Roy McCarthy in The Guardian (17th May 2003), a young woman supporter of the Jamiyat (religious party) is reported as vehemently arguing against Basant. It is not Pakistani culture. Pakistanis don’t need new festivals. The most obnoxious part of the Basant is that it encourages young men and women to dance together and drink alcohol. This is not Islam. This is not Pakistan. This is not part of our civilization. † (The Guardian) The cry by the Jamiyat and other religious parties to impose ban on purely religious grounds, that is, Basant being a Hindu festival and thus unIslamic; therefore it should not be celebrated for the same reason might not be a reasonable argument. Firstly because, Basant is more of an ethnic event and it was celebrated by the Hindus and Muslims (the younger lot) alike by flying kites on Basant day and kite flying is more of a sport in the contemporary world, so the question of kite flying being Islamic or unIslamic does not arise . Secondly, ‘there is no denial to the fact that religion is very important and integral part of the culture of Pakistan but we should remember that cultural traditions are also a cause to celebrate and if nothing else the celebration of Basant can be viewed by the specific gathering of the ethnic group. This is further strengthened by the statement made by Sheikh Saleem, lahori and a local kite maker, â€Å"eid musalmanon ki hoti hai or Basant lahoriyon ki†. Thus it is purely a cultural event and Basant and kite-flying contrary to fundamentalist perceptions had nothing to do with religion. Thirdly, Basant has always been supported by the sufis of the past who were the early preachers of Islam in the subcontinent and were all very close to religion of Islam. However, during times when the state comes under religious influences (MMA had an impressive victory in October 2002), there are efforts to discourage what is, after all, not a religious festival. Pakistan† (Rengel) Sufis of Sub-Continent have a convention of adjusting to the local culture and language of the places they visited to spread Islam. The Chishti sufis, have not only tried to relate to the South Asian culture and music, they even tested and developed different cultural forms. Basant is a living example of religious open-mindedness and respectfulness of other creations of God. Previously, it was these Dargahs and Khaneqahs, which served as basis where people could share equal liberty, message of transparency and oneness. Basant is a tradition initiated eight hundred years ago by the famous poet Amir Khusro. Thus, the sufis of the past, namely Nizamuddin Auliya, Baba Zaheen Shah, Amir Khusro also took part in celebrating the event of Basant through songs. The song sung on Basant commemorates a special event in a saint’s life. Blum and Neuman) Kite-making and kite-flying interdependent on one another spread from the confines of ‘undroon sheher’ across Lahore, and as the city of Lahore expanded, so did the trade. It grew to such a degree that it attracted people from around the world and made Lahore a place of great tourism for Pakistan and a dynamic source of income for its residents. The festival of Basant transformed over the years due to the introduction of kites of different shapes, sizes and colors and as Saeed writes â€Å"Kite Fighting is an integral part of the Basant Kite festival. Saeed) It is precisely this magnificent display of kite flying on Basant day that made Lahore famous and thus it became the center of tourist attraction. People belonging to upper as well as lower economic classes from around the country and beyond packed city hotels for a few days of late-night festivities. Thus, as the celebrations of Basant got bigger and bigger, more and more support started coming in the form of endorsements by the government, and sponsorship and advertisement by multi-nationals in the private sector such as Coca Cola, Pepsi and Nestle. Official statement of District Chief Nazim of Lahore, 2003, Basant had created a business of Rs. 2 to 3 billion in the province and provided lot of opportunities to common people and owners of cottage industries in the country. To some independent estimates overall euphoria of Basant would generate economic activities of Rs. 4 to 4. 5 billion in the province in 2004†. (Khan) Gradually, the event which was once a general celebration of spring became overly competitive and transformed from being a fun sport to a killer sport claiming hundreds of innocent lives. As the nature of Basant changed so did the demand for the kinds of kites needed and thus new models, enormous kites and ‘dors’ toughened with steel wire, chemical and glass to have room for the ‘kite-fighting’ of Basant replaced the traditional kite design, size and thin ‘dors’ that never utilized anything more than starch. These changes are in-fact the root of the present dilemma. â€Å"Kite flying on Basant has taken 505 lives in the last two years. The supreme court of Pakistan has mentioned 45 kite-flying related deaths in city over the last six months and 460 last year†. Zia) The factor that makes this activity even deadlier is that the dangers to human life from this commotion are multi pronged. In simpler words, the group of people affected by this cannot be specified. Actually, it is so large and all-around a group that the risks seem horrendous. Unlike other hazardous sports, the activity of celebrating Basant and more specifical ly more often than not, affects people who are not even slightly related to kite flying. The deaths quoted above are a testament to this argument. A majority of these deaths were of the unfortunate motorcycle riders who couldn’t endure the wounds after the stray strings, used for kite flying, cut open their throats. Then there were deaths due to the distraction caused by these stray strings. Young boys running after and chasing kites also add up to to this very ill-fated club. The number of wounded people and the number of accidents that kite flying on Basant has been causing is alarming to say the least. But the horror doesn’t end here. Many kite flyers were victims themselves; deaths caused by falling off rooftops, electric shocks due to the use of metal strings and obviously they too have the hazard of the stray thread slitting their throats. The killing of innocent people was not the only reason that the government imposed at a ban on basant. The monetary losses caused by kite-flying are astonishing. Fluctuations in the power supply and frequent electricity trippings have become identical with Basant. Pakistan Times show a grim picture: â€Å"As many as 48,173 power trippings were caused by kite flying were recorded in different parts of the provincial metropolis during the first quarter of current fiscal year. † (Pakistan National News Desk). Every year, the Basant days in Lahore are like a mini-blackout. And the people who have to take the toll are the people who have to work through days and nights to ensure that the people get uninterrupted power supply. The sharp strings and metal twangs can cut through the insulation of wires and every day, hundreds of transformers are left burnt and rendered useless. LESCO: â€Å"The losses suffered by LESCO 350 million rupees during the last 4 years ending 2003 out of which a loss of Rs. 20 million was caused in 2002 by metal wires. Moreover, one grid station had been damaged by metal wire every year during this period resulting in a loss of Rs. 8 to Rs. 9 million and the destruction of 210 feeders. † (LESCO) It is estimated that if there are 50 one-hour breakdowns, it costs Rs. 2. 5 million to WAPDA Steel and glass-edged wires are banned but manufacturers still report roaring trade. (Pakistan times†¦) Kite making is traditionally a family enterprise. Behind every kite is the effort of a minimum of six people. The skill is one that they acquire in their ‘virasat’ as Baqir Ali Butt stated. In some ways kite-making has been altered by the changing circumstances of Lahore but in other ways it has stayed the same. It continues to provide employment for men, women and children, including handicapped persons and the incomes of 500, 000 people are dependent upon the trade â€Å"Around 500,000 families, directly related to the kite flying business, have lost their sources of livelihood because of the ban on Basant†¦[†¦] The ban is costing them Rs 200 million annually, and at the same time damaging other businesses that are indirectly related to the festival. They said that the people related to the industry, including kite makers, twine (dor) makers, wholesalers and retailers, had lost their means of earning a living. The cost of the paper used in kite making is estimated at around Rs 90 million and the cost of the twine used for flying kites is estimated at around Rs 40 million. The process of making kites involves around Rs 40 million, said Lahore Kite Flying Association General Secretary Sheikh Muhammad Saleem. â€Å"These were taken two years back. Now the number must have jumped,† he said, adding that 500,000 families had suffered because of the ban. † (Dawn International) (Tasleem) â€Å"The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Punjab police to register and take affidavits from the manufacturers of strings for kite flying in the province that they would not produce metallic and other dangerous strings which play havoc with human lives and power lines during Basant festivities. The National Assembly was recently informed that Wapda lost Rs30. 2 million in revenues due to Basant-related mishaps in the Punjab from 1999 to February 2004. Basant as a Cultural Heritage of Lahore. (2017, Feb 24). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Role of social media in the success of the 2011 Egyptian revolution Research Paper

Role of social media in the success of the 2011 Egyptian revolution - Research Paper Example Egypt uprising, or as otherwise called 25th January transformation of 2011, following 11 days after Zine El Abidine, the Tunisian president was toppled when a huge number of Egyptians rated in the roads requesting the acquiescence of Hosni Mubarak. During the challenges in Cairo, one lobbyist depicted why social media was vital to the association of political turmoil. "We utilize Facebook to plan the dissents, Twitter to organize, and YouTube to tell the world, â€Å"On June 6, 2010, Khaled Said was pounded the life out of by police in a cybercafà © near Alexandria. His death advanced a remarkable solidarity in Egypt. After his death Wael Ghonim had established a Facebook page titled, "We Are All Khaled Said," It posted cell phone photographs from the funeral home of his beaten and bloodied face, and YouTube recordings played up differentiating pictures of him upbeat and grinning with the realistic pictures from the mortuary. The Facebook page of Khaled Saeed wound up noticeably fo cal in the dispersion of challenges all through Egypt, as a substantial number of individuals utilized it as a wellspring of data chosen to get out to the road in a quiet exhibit set on the twenty-fifth of January, 2011.On the other hand, Twitter was another segment of social media that was generally utilized during the transformation of 25th of January. During the unrest, Egyptian Twitter clients utilized this government for political talk, association, sincerity, and enlistment, considerably changing business as usual".

Figurative Language versus Literal Language Essay - 14

Figurative Language versus Literal Language - Essay Example tz (2006), idioms are forms of figurative speech that use words or phrases to mean something else, especially the meanings that are indicated in the dictionary. In the event of a word to word translation of the entire phrase, it is obvious that the entire meaning of the idiom will be lost. For instance, the author may write, sit on the fence. This does not mean literally sitting on the fence, but in reality secluding oneself from a certain activity. Idioms aid in relaying the anticipated messages to the readers, by heightening their reasoning capability beyond the obvious denotation. Amphiboly is a form of language presentation whereby the author creates some form of grammatical mistakes through the organization of words in a sentence or idiom according to Morris (2000). More often than not, this creates some of uncertainty or construal of the wrong meaning as indicated by the authors. Where the author states that they are brewing beer is a good example. This may either mean that they are they are planning something destructive or brewing beer. In this case, the readers are aggravated to dig deeper in the real meaning that was to be depicted. Analogy on the other hand as a form of metaphorical speech refers to creation of a form of impression linking two things that are completely dissimilar in reality (Rieke & Silars, 1997). Analogy plays the function of creating a form of enlightment to the readers to find what the author attempts to conceal. The author may specify he is a dead computer. This means that the person is as good as dead, as they cannot function. â€Å"Flame words†Ã‚  in language are used by the authors to create a particular tone in the readers, especially a negative atmosphere. The author may need to insist on the readers that the work being portrayed has some a lot of negatives that the readers must put in mind while reading a text. For instance the author may use the title, A Death Trail to mean that the major theme in the work relates to a nasty

Challenges of Functional Electrical Stimulation in Clinical Essay

Challenges of Functional Electrical Stimulation in Clinical Engineering Practice - Essay Example It is also evident that, scientific studies on FES have not extensively focused on navigating their research outside persons with stroke (Enderle and Bronzino 2012). There is some research gap that needs to be covered in order for FES to be used in other areas. The use of FES for the hemiplegic shoulder have been proved to be troublesome to some patients since some cutaneous pain receptors get stimulated, and this has been cited to affect tolerance and compliance (Fred, et al 2009). In this regard, it is crucial for the Bio-medical Engineering practitioners to broaden the spectrum of the application and use of FES to other medical practitioners such as psychiatrics in order to help in advising and counselling person with stroke before and after the use of FES devices (Bronzino 2000). Introduction Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) is an area of modern rehabilitation engineering and method that is used to generate contractions in paralysed muscles through the application of small pulses of electrical stimulation to nerves present in the paralysed muscle (Peng, et al 2010). This process is controlled in regard to the proper functioning of the muscle. FES as an application revolves around orthotics, which aids walking in addition to practising functional movements that are related to therapeutic benefit. It is important to note that the application of FES is mostly used in clinical engineering in treating nerves and muscles. Besides, the stimulator used in this process must be substantially tiny to allow it to merge with the patient (Grill, et al 2001). Notably, efficiency of FES is best demonstrated when the nerves supplied by muscle appear not to be damaged. Hence, this application has been used in Clinical Engineering in conditions such as spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, head injury and stroke among other nerves and muscles relates conditions. Similarly, the application could be used in orthopaedic condition where there is weakness of the muscle as a result of disuse or inhibition. Conversely, Functional Electrical Stimulation is not recommended for lower motor neurone conditions such as polio, guillain-barre syndrome, as well as, other conditions that are related to low motor neurone (Sheffler and Chae 2007) Majority of the patients who are involved with this application are known to use to FES in their daily activities. With time, patients continuously become less acquainted to the device resulting to an ultimate control of their limb. According to a recent research conducted by a scientist in the medical field, therapeutic effect of FES is crucial in ensuring that there are means that brings back function to those patients who suffer from upper motor neuron lesions. In fact, over the past fifty years, FES has been widely used on individuals with leg muscle dysfunction and spinal injuries. This application is used to evoke movements in individuals who are experiencing dysfunction in their joints, and spinal injuries. The elec trical currents are mostly used through application on the skin surface into the individual’s paralysis (Dollar 2007). Apparently, FES is used for alternative functions such as generating hand grasps in patients who might be suffering from tetraplegia, as well as, causing an upright posture and locomotion especially in patients who are suffering from paraplegia.

Diversity Hiring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Diversity Hiring - Essay Example " It is irrefutable that current business operations have evolved over time, confounding managers with new issues. The evolution of new business strategies is in response to the changes in the external environment of business organizations. It should be noted that the developments in the market mentioned were beyond the effects of neither the current economic turmoil nor the technological revolution which radically altered the way business is done. The present mode of business is strongly influenced by the emergence of hypercompetitive markets that resulted from the rapid integration of markets brought about by globalization. As businesses are faced with new challenges and opportunities, it is imperative that they also employ a new approach in doing business. They do this by strengthening their core competencies by aligning their respective resources to their various objectives. It is irrefutable that human resource is the indispensable, if not the most important, asset in a business institution. The contribution of human resource in the success and mere survival of a company cannot be overstated. As such, companies are seen to align their workforce in order to fully reap the opportunities present in the market. Diversity hiring is the new trend in choosing the employees to work for an organization. As more and more companies are embracing this new system, more reports and empirical evidences are also reported which support direct hiring. This report will look at direct hiring as an ethical issue in business organizations. The first part will briefly look at the scope of direct hiring in the United States. Discussions on its advantages and ethical considerations will also be set forth. The paper will conclude with the key points tackled. Scope of Diversity Hiring The first step toward creating a more diversified workforce was taken by the President John F. Kennedy with the establishment of The President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. This effort gave way in the formation of workforce which is comprised of people with different nationality. It should be noted that during this period there is a lack of appreciation of the value of diverse teams. In contrast, the program was enacted to create equal opportunity for prospective employees regardless of their ethnicity. However, the present day situation is now different. The importance of having a diverse team working for a business organization is not only done in order to comply with this requirement but due to the perceived value of inclusivity. In fact, a leading proponent of diversity recognized the importance of hiring employees with diverse backgrounds in order to boost the performance of a business organization. Gloria Johnson Goins, the vice president of diversity and inclusiveness for the Home Depot asserted American businesses should willing embrace this new trend in order for them to adapt to the nation's business demographics. According to ASME, workplace diversity is "the variety among people related to such factors as age, culture, education, employee status, family status, function, gender, national origin, physical appearance, race, regional origin, religion, sexual orientation, and thinking style." Thus, diversity embraces the differences among individuals and utilizes them for the utmost benefit of the business organization. As companies come to recognize the contribution of workplace

Urban Development Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Urban Development Study - Assignment Example New urbanism considers everyone in the society both the rich and the less advantaged. Real estate housing provides shelter for both the rich and the poor. Greenhouse buildings, which consume less power, are also included herein. Such buildings least pollute the environment and use natural lighting to cut on electrical consumption. Some employ special ultraviolet glass that does not allow in too much heat nor reflect it to drivers and cause accidents. In general, the idea visualizes a city where there is reduced traffic congestion, adequate housing, and rise in suburban extension. Bicol River, the river of our time points at the importance of rivers more so in transport. The river is able to accommodate relatively large vessels. Rivers form part of the hydrologic cycle when it comes to precipitation, water provision, cool environment, maintaining water tables amongst others. The Bicol River has allowed Catholics living in the area in their annual Virgin Mary celebrations. This boosts cultural identity that in turn spurs environmental protection and encourages social bonding. Embracing culture encourages the community to stick together and care for each other. Jane Jacobs urban wisdom tries to seek and a plea for the rights of those who live in the slums. Urban planners feel that slums deprive the society of the clean environment causing more harm than good. Urban planners carry out land use analysis and opt to destroy slums since their cost-benefit ratio is not convincing. She developed concepts such as the mixed up development, which was not openly accepted. Mixed developments, integration pedestrian connections are a few examples. The focus is to allow adequate housing, reduce travel distance, stronger and more compact neighborhood amongst others.  

Haven't choose a topic. Please help make one Essay

Haven't choose a topic. Please help make one - Essay Example Iago believes that he has the potential, desired characteristics and qualifications necessary for the position in question. He says, â€Å"And I know my worth well enough to know I deserve that position.† He is against Othello’s choice for the position that spikes his hatred for him. Othello on his part prefers Cassio a guy from Florence to be his assistant rather than Iago. Iago confines in Roderigo about his anger and eventual plan. Iago, on the other hand, sees Cassio as unsuitable for that position accorded to him. Iago says, â€Å"He has never commanded men in any battle. He’s got no more hands to the knowledge of warfare than an old woman.† His loyalty to Othello is also in the balance due him being left out, and this comes out when he asks Roderigo if he should fell loyal to Othello after e betrayed him. Iago hates his master Othello, and this illustration is evident when he tells Roderigers that his main reason for serving Othello is to get what he wants. And he is only hiding his real feelings about the job in order to get enough time to execute his plans, Iago states, â€Å" I’m not whom I appear to be.† His friend Roderigo who also has a grudge with Othello for taking away the woman he had always dreamed of marrying, Brabantio’s daughter and the love of his life from him. Ths situation is decribed by statements like â€Å"The native act and figure of my heart. In compliment extern, ’tis not long after. But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve. For daws to peck at. I am not what I am† (I.i.57–65).He found an excellent chance to get back at Othello for this reason and therefore supporting Iago as he was to achieve too. When Othello secretly gets married to Desdemona, Iago, and his ally raises an alarm at Brabantio’s house informing h im of what had happened behind his back. Iago then quickly leaves the place to join his master so that he is not suspected to have been part of the betrayal. He saysof him, â€Å"IAGO Even now, now, very now, an

Leadership and management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership and management - Essay Example It appears neither is aware of how to move beyond the conflict. The firm has assigned an important project o a team lead by James and Irene a key member. James knows that Irene has important skills and energy to make important contribution to the teamwork but is worried their continued conflict is likely to derail the team performance. It is therefore important to resolve the conflict, first, to avoid negative impact on the project, which is very critical to the company strategic goals. Problem Analysis As human resource manager, James requested intervention in resolving the conflict with Irene for the benefit of the company. Structured meeting is one of the initial processes of bringing conflicting individuals together to identify the underlying problem, and is an opportunity for active participation in indentifying problem and proposing possible approaches for resolution (Gottlieb, 1997). In such scenario, it is important to recognize the importance of make the meeting a conducive opportunity for the two individuals engaged in a conflict to interact without reservations. Hence, the first task as a mediator in the conflict is identifying a venue that is convenient two the both conflicting parties. The venue selected by the mediator and mutual accepted by both parties. To achieve that, the mediator ensured that the selected venue was convenient to both parties in terms of time spent to get there, the social status outlook is neither demeaning nor intimidating to both parties, is devoid of unnecessary interruptions and distractions and that the scheduling of the meeting allowed relatively unlimited time for conversation. Once, the venue mutually accepted, it was important to undertake a thorough background check of the history of conflict between the two individuals, reported to the human resource department. This involved a critical analysis of the possible causes of the conflicts, their resolution and the implication of the human resources decision on both par ties. According to Cortina et al (2001), checking the background of the conflict allows identification of uncivilized behavior or abuses involved in the interpersonal conflict. The result of this process indentified several factors, which were significant to the ensuing conflict between the two parties. First, it is apparent that the difference in opinion and the mode of expressing them was a major source of friction between James and Irene. Secondly, the nature of organizational structure required some power distance between senior managers and the junior staff. Accordingly, Irene felt that James was misusing these organizational characteristics to suppress brilliant ideas, which would improve work performance and at the same time ease the difficult of performing tasks. On the other hand, James noted that Irene has tendency to overlook organizational procedures, and even though this produces desired outcomes, the pose great danger to organizational policy. Further analysis f the tw o employees showed that their education background is different. James been much older is a student of the traditional management school of thought while Irene is much younger and exposed to modern management approaches. It was also apparent that although James had far much working experiences

Reasons for United States Possible Attack on Iran Essay Example for Free

Reasons for United States Possible Attack on Iran Essay The topic on the possibility of United States launching a military attack against Iran has dominated much news for several years since the Bush administration and during which some quarters speculated that such an attack would be ordered before the administration left office. As early as 2005, a number of articles had started revealing the imminent plans by Pentagon to order military operations against Iran. While people and the media may speculate and give their opinions about many aspects of the imminent war, the most important issue to understand is the reasons which may spark the attack. It is therefore the objective of this paper to discuss the reasons why US would engage in a military land war with Iran. 2. 0 The Euro-Based Oil Bourse This is one of the major reasons which revolve around the plan by Tehran government in 2005 and 2006 to start competing with the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), the largest physical commodity futures exchange in the world based in New York and the London based International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) by using the euro-dominated oil trading mechanism (Clark, 2004). The logic behind this is that by using this mechanism in international oil trades, the euro is going to take dominance and establish a firm ground which will serve to overshadow the strength of the U. S dollar in the global oil market. The U. S government therefore considers this a real threat by Tehran government which warrants intervention to protect the dollar from being toppled off from its long term monopoly in the critical international oil market. It is worth noting that lack of an oil pricing standard that is euro-dominated also referred to oil â€Å"marker† in the oil trading industry is one of the technical challenges facing the euro-based trading system in oil transactions. The oil markers currently in operation today are the U. S dollar dominated which include Norway Brent crude, West Texas Intermediate crude, and the UAE Dubai crude. In the spring of 2003, Iran laid down a requirement that all the transactions for its Asian and European oil exports be conducted using the euro currency though the pricing of oil was still predominantly controlled by the dollar. Following an official announcement in 2004 that Iran had intentions to develop an Iranian oil Bourse, it raised the concerns that a stiff competition would ensue between the Iranian oil bourse and the U. S owned NYME and the IPE (Clark, 2004). The macroeconomic implications of such a development would cause a shift in the international commerce in both Middle East and the European Union which is the largest importer of oil from OPEC producers. Consequently, the financial hegemony enjoyed by the IPE and NYMEX would be greatly challenged and thus the U. S is likely to avoid this through military action. 3. 0 The Ambitious Nuclear Program of Iran The Tehran’s nuclear ambition is another possible reason as to why the U. S may launch a land military attack on Iran. This has been seen from the latest series of sanctions on Iran by the Obama administration which mainly targets the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps which is the most powerful social, political and economic institution in Iran. The organization also has a large number of companies and banks and therefore makes it an appropriate target for these sanctions (LANDLER COOPER, 2010). However, the critical thing to focus on with regard to this issue is whether these sanctions have the capacity to compel Iran to halt its nuclear program. If the history of political and economic sanctions against countries is anything to go by, then Iran may not change its course despite the sanctions and this may lead to war. The reason for the sanctions is to â€Å"contain† Tehran which depicts a link which leads from diplomatic pressure to military action (Nadal, 2010). Tehran views this threat as real considering that its two neighbors to the west and to the east have a large number of U. S troops. 4. 0 Conclusion A possible military action on Iran by the US cannot be overlooked since the reasons surrounding this possibility would also have major effects on the economy and the security of the US. Considering the economic problems facing the US, the attempts by Iran to establish the euro-based oil bourse may seem as an attempt to suppress the dollar in the international oil market. The nuclear program also would threaten the security not only of the US but also of the world if it is not either regulated or completely halted. To aver the nuclear weapons development, Washington ought to try and alter the perceptions of threat harbored by Iran against America. References Clark, W. (2004). The Real Reasons Why Iran is the Next Target: The Emerging Euro-denominated International Oil Marker. Retrieved August 20, 2010, from http://www. globalresearch. ca/articles/CLA410A. html LANDLER, M. , COOPER, H. (2010). U. S. Eyes New Sanctions Over Iran Nuclear Program. Retrieved August 20, 2010, from http://www. nytimes. com/2010/02/10/world/middleeast/10sanctions. html? _r=1 Nadal, A. (2010). Sanctions against Iran and the Next War. Retrieved August 20, 2010, from http://www. campaigniran. org/casmii/index. php? q=node/10518

The reasons for changing patterns of marriage Essay Example for Free

The reasons for changing patterns of marriage Essay Examine the reasons for changing patterns of marriage and divorce over the last 50 years or so. Marriage is the legal relationship between two people in eyes of law. Over the last 50 years or so, the patterns of marriage and divorce have changed significantly and are still changing in today’s society. This is due to many factors such as less stigma, changes in women’s positions, secularization ,cohabitation and many more. Nowadays, there is less pressure to marry and a lot more freedom for individuals to choose the type of relationship they want. It’s considered more important about the quality of a couples relationship, rather than the legal status. The main and most important reason for the decrease in marriage and increase in divorce was the change in attitudes towards them. People now believe that it is alright to get a divorce if they are not happy in their marriage and with that, the stigma towards divorces has decreased. People divorce now on a day to day basis. We see in magazine articles about celebrities getting divorce and no one is against it anymore, unlike before when older members of the family would encourage the younger couples stay together through thick and thin. Thats the same for marriage, as more and more people want to cohabit with their partner rather than get married as women now have more opportunities to work, higher expectations and set own rules about their life’s that before wasn’t possible. Secularisation is also involved in why there are changing patterns of marriage and divorced. Churches are in favour of marriage, and do not encourage divorce but as their influence declines, people feel freer to choose not to marry. People do not let the influence of the church or god take over their decisions. Society today has became secular, no place for god. Divorce has increased dramatically over the past 50 years. Now 1 in 2 marriages are likely to end in divorce. High divorce rates mean people are able to re-marry however, some churches do not accept remarriages. People are also now marrying later in life, as people stay longer in education and are likely to cohabit first. This is partly due to the legislation that was took into place in 1969 called The Divorce Reform Act. This Act made it easier for couples to get divorced and made it a lot cheaper for those who could not afford it in the past. The Government have also introduced the welfare provision which made it easier for w/c women to get divorced as this  law helped women financially with divorce and being a single parent. In addition, Alan and Crow agree with the idea that there have been changes in the position of women. Women are now better educated, which makes them less dependent on men financially, which therefore enables women have greater freedom not to marry, or to end a marriage. In support, feminists see divorce as desirable as it shows that women are breaking free from the oppression of the patriarchal nuclear family. However Functionalist writer Parsons states that he believes people getting divorced is everything that is wrong with society. He believes that marriage essential as there is a clear division of labour, That both the man and women should play their role in the family and not break it apart as it is essential for the smooth running of society. However Wilmot and Young argue that the roles have changed and men are now taking on greater share of domestic tasks and women are now working in the labour market. Although feminist Oakley totally disagrees with Wilmot and Young. Oakley dismissed the idea of the symmetrical family. She critics Wilmot and Young as they only asked one question in their research do you help with housework?. She believed this question was irrelevant to their research as it does not state how much the men actually do and the domestic division of labour had led to the increase in divorce as women do not want to carry out a dual burden role. In conclusion these reasons have all dramatically affected the increase in divorce and the decrease in marriage. However it must be acknowledged women are not rejecting marriage and that there has been an increase in remarriages so this means that women are now raising their expectations and not rejecting marriage.

A Study On Hard Disk Drive Computer Science Essay

A Study On Hard Disk Drive Computer Science Essay Every desktop computer, laptop and netbook contains a hard-disk drive. The hard-disk drive, better known as the hard drive, is one of the most vital components in a computer. The hard drive stores information for the computer in a non-volatile way, meaning that when the user shuts off the computer, all the information he saved will still be there when he turns the computer back on. Today, hard drives can store an enormous amount of information. We will take a look at how a hard drive operates and saves information. Figure 1 is a picture of a typical hard drive (Hallock). Figure 1: Enclosed hard drive (Hallock) Six basic elements make up the composition of a hard drive: The enclosure, spindle motor, hard drive platters, actuator arm, interface and logic board. The enclosure is simply the outer shell that protects and holds everything together. The four largest and most important properties that will be outlined below are the interface, logic board, hard drive platters, spindle motor, and the read/write to disk. The actuator arm will be referred to and described within these outlined sections (Hallock). Interface A hard drive connects to your computer through a specific type of interface (Bleeping Computer). The hard drive port and the port on the computer where they connect must be the same; otherwise they will not be able to sync up together. Logic Board The logic board performs several significant operations. The logic board is the brain of the hard drive. It tells the computer what the drive is, how big it is, what cable its connected to, and how to access the drive in your operating system. Figure 2 below is a picture of a logic board (Hallock). Another key function of the logic board is the read/write cache process, without this the hard drive would be slow in saving and retrieving files. When a computer is told to open 1,000 megabytes of information, the hard drive passes the information to you as quickly as it is able through the cache process. While the hard drive is loading the first 16MB of the file, the next chunk of data is prepared to roll and is waiting in the cache; when you open the cached chunk of data, another is fed into the cache, and so on until all the information is opened. This is the read portion of the cache process, the reverse of this process occurs to write information (Hallock). This cache process is an integral part of the read/write to disk function that is described in a section below. Hard Drive Platters Platters are the round plates in the Figure 4 below (Bleeping Computer). Platters contain all the information stored on the hard drive. The platters themselves are the most important and complicated component included in a hard drive. Todays platters are thin disks (thus the hard disk name) of glass or aluminum, coated with an ultra-thin layer of a cobalt alloy, which is naturally magnetic. Data is written to sectors which are organized into concentric rings outwards from the spindle called tracks, and all of those are managed into clusters by the file system youve chosen. To write the data, the actuator arm aligns the magnetization of the platter in a pattern recognizable to the hard drives logic board (Hallock). In other words, the actuator arm swings across the platter to find information that the user desires. The Spindle Motor The spindle motor is the most basic moving component in a hard drive. The spindle motor is controlled by the logic board and is responsible for turning the hard disk platters, allowing the hard drive to operate. The faster the spindle spins the faster the read/write capabilities the hard drive has. Below in Figure 3 is a spindle motor stripped of its platters and all other components (PC Guide). Figure 3: Spindle Motor (PC Guide) Read/Write to Disk The read process is when the user requests data from the hard drive and it is transmitted to the computer. The write process is when the user saves information on the hard drive for later use. Here are the steps in the read/write process: The user requests information on the hard drive. The operating system accesses the files and locations via the motherboards hard drive controller. The operating system tells the hard drives logic board that it wants a file. The logic board spins up the platters on the spindle. The actuator arm is moved into position. The logic board reads and amplifies the very weak, isolated magnetic fields that comprise your data. The logic board begins using the actuator to read information from the sectors in the requested cluster. Information is streamed into the hard drive cache. The information is fed from the cache, to the hard drive controller, to you and RAM. The write process is almost the exact opposite, except instead of accessing the platters to find a files location; its accessing the file table to find free clusters for write space (Hallock). Summary Hard drives are the main component in many computer-driven technologies today. There are seven basic parts to a hard drive; the enclosure, spindle, platter, motor, actuator arm, interface and logic board. A hard drive in where all the information is stored on a computer. Hard drives have been a key innovative technology in saving and storing data that has become such an integral part of our society. Works Cited Hallock, Robert. How Hard Drives Work.Icrontic. N.p., 5 June 2007. Web.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10 Mar. 2010. Hard Disk Spindle Motor.The PC Guide. N.p., 17 April 2001. Web.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12 Mar. 2010. How Hard Drives Work.Bleeping Computer. Bleeping Computer ,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12 Nov. 2005. Web. 10 Mar., 2010.

War, Peace, the Homefront, and Uncle Sam :: Personal Narrative Writing

War, Peace, the Homefront, and Uncle Sam I. In our house when I was growing up, there were three WWI posters that my great aunt had saved in her attic. My father rescued and framed them, hanging the posters in the hallway at the top of the stairs. I walked past them on the way to my room which was at the end of this hallway. There was no way I could avoid Uncle Sam trying to recruit me every time I went up the stairs. He never budged, determined to enlist me before I could even read. I had the sense that he was measuring every ounce of my patriotism: I Want YOU for US Army, he called out, pointing and glaring straight at me as I made my way up the stairs. I always continued forward, nearing closer to that long, protruding finger as though responding to his beckoning, feigning my conscription, only to turn the corner to my room. There is some speculation as to whether Uncle Sam was a real person. (Many historians point their fingers to Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who during the War of 1812 provided large supplies of meat to the US Army. Soldiers noticed that the crates of meat were marked with the letters "U.S." and it was then said that the meat was from "Uncle Sam" Wilson.) I knew he was real because Uncle Sam appeared before me in many forms. At night, if the hall lights were not on, Uncle Sam’s white stars would stand out, glowing softly. When I was sick the red YOU became demonic, hurting me if I looked at it for too long. In the late afternoon when the sun had drifted into the hallway and hit the walls in a slant, half of the poster would be cast in shadow, sometimes leaving Uncle Sam’s face concealed in darkness, yet his hand would be exposed, dangling in the sun. In the morning if it wasn’t overcast, if the light filtering inside the house was bright enough, I could see my reflection in the glass as I came up the stairs, my face on top of his. II. Uncle Sam has disappeared. He no longer urges civilians to enlist in the military. Today, Uncle Sam has been replaced with slick, sensational ads, often enhanced with computer graphics. At the end of these commercials, the slogan "Be all that you can be" is sung, the last "be" drawn out so it lingers in your head after the commercial break is over.

Defining a Hero Essay -- Mythology

To the world today, a hero is someone distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility, or strength; but really, anyone can be a hero. A hero can vary from someone as well-known as George Washington to someone as unheard of as anyone’s very own mother. Someone who has done a good deed for someone else is hero. The biggest heroes are the ones in well-known books and plays, such as Odysseus from The Odyssey, or have made a huge difference in the history of this world, like Mahatma Gandhi. Siddhartha Gautama is a hero, but not in the same way Odysseus or Gandhi are. Although these three influential people went through different journeys in order to accomplish different things, they are all heroes in their own way and have been through the same cycle of the road of trials and crisis/salvation. The word â€Å"hero† has several definitions. In Greek mythology, a hero was originally a demigod. A hero can be the principle character in a play, movie, novel, or poem. A hero can even simply mean someone who is discerned by outstanding courage, dignity, or power. Even though there a many different types of heroes, they have all been through a journey with many obstacles that they had to overcome. The journey of a hero is one huge cycle, starting at the home of the hero and ending at the same place, the home. There are two very important stages of journey cycle—the road of trials and crisis/salvation. The road of trials stage is basically the obstacles the potential hero had to overcome. The crisis/salvation stage is the disaster that occurred and how the hero was saved from it. Odysseus faced many obstacles, and there were many crises that he underwent. The journey of Odysseus was mythological. He left his homeland of Ithaca to go fight in the Tro... ...without giving up in order to achieve their goals. And that is what you call a hero. Works Cited "Gandhi, Mohandas K. (1869-1948)." King Institute Home.Stanford University.Web. 23 Feb. 2011. . Boeree, C. G. "Siddhartha Gautama."My Webspace Files. 1999. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. . Homer, and Frederic Will. The Odyssey. New York: Pocket, 2005. Print. Hooker, Richard. "Siddhartha Gautama." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 1996. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. . Potpourri, Kamat. "Gandhi: A Biography." Kamat's Potpourri -- The History, Mystery, and Diversity of India. 4 Jan. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .

Prospero’s Problem With Perfection Essay -- Prospero Tempest shakespea

Prospero’s Problem With Perfection: Why Magic Isn’t Enough Giovanni Pico’s Oration on the Dignity of Man promotes the perfectibility of mankind. In the oration, Pico presents a specific, sequential program for man’s spiritual ascendancy to godly flawlessness. And yet Pico’s program is dealt a literary blow in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest when the protagonist, learned mage Prospero, is unable to complete Pico’s curriculum and quits his magic entirely. The divergent view of man expressed in these two works exists on many levels, but I believe the essential tension is revealed in the role of a single character in The Tempest: the misshapen manservant Caliban. Caliban is grotesque and base. Arguably, his external ugliness reflects a moral hideousness within. Cosmo Corfield, in his scholarly article Why Does Prospero Abjure His â€Å"Rough Magic†? explicates this relationship when he associates â€Å"Caliban’s bestiality with a propensity to evil.† However, Caliban’s consignment to the realm of evil and vice must be examined more closely. Is Caliban so evil? Is earthiness necessarily linked to immorality? Understanding the character of Caliban is essential to understanding why Prospero is unable to achieve perfection. Pico’s program for man’s perfectibility consists of three stages. He sees men as â€Å"first being purified, then illuminated, then finally made perfect† (16). These stages also follow in rigid sequence. Purification is achieved by â€Å"refraining the impulses of our passions through moral science . . . by dissipating the darkness of reason by dialectic† (16). Once cleansed of the â€Å"filth of ignorance and vice,† we may then â€Å"suffuse our purified souls with the light of natural philosophy† (16). After illuminat... ...ke us remember what is significant. We may accumulate books and be filled with magical promise, yet still be – as Prospero until the very end – clueless. Pico’s program is best appreciated as a way of living – a desire to be the best person possible. Man’s perfection is wholly distinct from the perfection of God. The perfected man remains grounded in all that is human and natural; his eyes set not only on the heavens, but focused also on the world before him. Works Cited Corfield, Cosmo. â€Å"Why Does Prospero Abjure His â€Å"Rough Magic†? Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol.36, No.1 (Spring, 1985), 31-48. Mirandolla, Giovanni Pico della. Oration of the Dignity of Man. Trans. A. Robert Caponigri. Washington D.C.: Regnery Publishing, 1999. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004. Prospero’s Problem With Perfection Essay -- Prospero Tempest shakespea Prospero’s Problem With Perfection: Why Magic Isn’t Enough Giovanni Pico’s Oration on the Dignity of Man promotes the perfectibility of mankind. In the oration, Pico presents a specific, sequential program for man’s spiritual ascendancy to godly flawlessness. And yet Pico’s program is dealt a literary blow in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest when the protagonist, learned mage Prospero, is unable to complete Pico’s curriculum and quits his magic entirely. The divergent view of man expressed in these two works exists on many levels, but I believe the essential tension is revealed in the role of a single character in The Tempest: the misshapen manservant Caliban. Caliban is grotesque and base. Arguably, his external ugliness reflects a moral hideousness within. Cosmo Corfield, in his scholarly article Why Does Prospero Abjure His â€Å"Rough Magic†? explicates this relationship when he associates â€Å"Caliban’s bestiality with a propensity to evil.† However, Caliban’s consignment to the realm of evil and vice must be examined more closely. Is Caliban so evil? Is earthiness necessarily linked to immorality? Understanding the character of Caliban is essential to understanding why Prospero is unable to achieve perfection. Pico’s program for man’s perfectibility consists of three stages. He sees men as â€Å"first being purified, then illuminated, then finally made perfect† (16). These stages also follow in rigid sequence. Purification is achieved by â€Å"refraining the impulses of our passions through moral science . . . by dissipating the darkness of reason by dialectic† (16). Once cleansed of the â€Å"filth of ignorance and vice,† we may then â€Å"suffuse our purified souls with the light of natural philosophy† (16). After illuminat... ...ke us remember what is significant. We may accumulate books and be filled with magical promise, yet still be – as Prospero until the very end – clueless. Pico’s program is best appreciated as a way of living – a desire to be the best person possible. Man’s perfection is wholly distinct from the perfection of God. The perfected man remains grounded in all that is human and natural; his eyes set not only on the heavens, but focused also on the world before him. Works Cited Corfield, Cosmo. â€Å"Why Does Prospero Abjure His â€Å"Rough Magic†? Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol.36, No.1 (Spring, 1985), 31-48. Mirandolla, Giovanni Pico della. Oration of the Dignity of Man. Trans. A. Robert Caponigri. Washington D.C.: Regnery Publishing, 1999. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004.

Hrm Interventions Essay

It is also an important and comprehensive approach to manage employees in the workplace environment. HRM needs to be integrated with the overall strategy to ensure effective use of people and provide better returns to the organizations in terms of ROI (Return on Investment) for every rupee or dollar spent on them. If the HRM continues to practice this way it will lead to the success of the organization and also the organization will start utilizing its employee capabilities completely. Human resources are the most difficult resources to manage in an organization. HRM is responsible for effective designing and implementation of various policies, programs and also about developing and managing knowledge, skills, creativity and talent. HRM focuses on managing physical and emotional capacity of employees. As a result of this the range of HRM is developing day-by-day. Hence, HRM manages harmonious relationships in an organization along with maintaining a balance between organizational goals and individual goals. There are three human resource management interventions: Performance management, Career planning and development and work force diversity. Organization’s human resource specialists perform these change processes. Performance management is an integrated process in which an organizational employees are involved either individually or within a team to achieve its goals and policies. Employee performance management includes: 1)Planning 2)Monitoring 3)Developing 4)Rating 5)Rewarding 1)Planning: It means setting performance expectations and goals for groups and individuals to use their abilities to achieve organization objectives. Employees should be involved in the planning process to understand the goals of the organization. Performance appraisal plans are developed to evaluate the performance of a team or an individual by a manager or a supervisor. Performance appraisal plans should be official working documents that are put into effect. 2) Monitoring:In this stage the performance of employees is monitored and feedback is provided to the employees about their performance. Monitoring continually will help the organization to check the standards of the employees and also help them to make changes to meet the standards of the organization. This can be done by conducting status meeting and submitting reports about their progress. Any unacceptable performance can be identified at any time with the help of continuous monitoring. 3)Developing: In this phase of the process the organization helps the employees to develop their skills by providing training. Training helps the employees to improve their performance, boost their job-related skills and to withstand the changes in the workplace such as the introduction of new technology. Lack of performance of the employees can be developed in this stage and help them to achieve more goals of the organization. )Rating:In this stage the organization evaluates the performance of the employees against the standards of the organization’s performance plan. By rating the organization will come to know about its best employees. This can be done by maintaining rating record which compares the performance of the employees from time to time . The rating of record is assigned according to procedures included in the organization’s appraisal program. It is based on wo rk performed during an entire appraisal period. 5)Rewarding: Rewarding means appreciating employeesfor their performance. It can be done in different ways such as saying simple words like thank you and rewarding employees with awards based on their performance. Rewards can either be formal or informal. Therefore, all the five components in the performance management process work and support each other for effective development of the organization. Second and most important HRM intervention is Career planning and development. Nowadays most of the organizations have adopted career planning and development to increase communication and healthy environment among the employees which will result in the effective growth of their organizations. Career development programs are required to the people irrespective of age and gender for the development of the organizations. Career is the progress and actions of a person related to occupation throughout a lifetime. Different stages are present in a person’s career. There are five stages in a person’s career-Growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance and disengagement/withdrawal. Growth (4-13 years of age) is the initial stage in a person’s career where the person thinks about his/her future. Second stage is exploration (early teens to mid-twenties) where the person becomes definite about occupational choice. They do many trial jobs before deciding on their appropriate field to work. Third stage is establishment (mid-twenties to mid-forties) where the person establishes in a long-term in their chosen field. Maintenance (mid-forties to mid-sixties) is the fourth stage in which the person achieves successes in their career. They also tend to help their subordinates as they are more experienced. They try to maintain stability in their job. Last and final stage in career is disengagement/withdrawal (mid-sixties) in which the person takes retirement and try to explore new jobs. Career development helps people to achieve their career objectives. It can be linked to career planning at different stages. It includes managing a person’s career between different organizations. Career development interventions can be used for many goals. These interventions are mainly designed for young employees rather than managers. Some of the interventions which are related to career stages are as follows: realistic job preview is related to establishment which helps the person to know the work requirements. Developmental training helps the person to gain knowledge to reach their goals. This intervention is related to establishment and maintenance stages in career planning. Performance feedback and coaching comes under establishment stage which helps the person to know about their performance. Work life balance planning helps the person to maintain balance between personal and professional life. It comes under establishment and maintenance stages . Challenging assignments keeps the person engaged with interesting and creates an enthusiasm towards work. This comes under maintenance stage. Dual-career accommodations comes nder maintenance stage and it helps the person to find satisfying work projects. Phased retirement falls under withdrawal stage of a person’s career where the person retires from the job. All these interventions will result in various desired consequences such as increases job satisfaction and commitment, monitors human resources development, strengthens organizational capability, improves quality of life, maintains member motivation, increase s productivity ,decreases stress in later stages of life and also reduce turnover and training costs for the organization. Work force diversity interventions are the third type of HRM interventions. Organizations should develop their human resources in such a way that it should maintain diversity in an efficient manner. People from various regions may work together in an organization. They may differ in various ways like age, gender, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality traits, ethnicity and culture. An organization with diverse workforce can better achieve its goals. Employees from diverse workforce can learn more and achieve more experience as they work in a mixed environment. Other than the employees of the organization, clients can also gain profit from it as the organization which encourages diverse workforce will be more open and flexible. As people come from various cultures and backgrounds in diverse work force they can learn more business practices. Employees can develop their knowledge, communication skills, problem-solving capabilities through diverse workforce. All the employees need to be trained to work either individually or as a part of a team.

Efficiency Increasing System by Using Preheating Method Essay

EFFICIENCY INCREASING SYSTEM BY USING PREHEATING METHOD METHODOLOGY The concept of increasing the fuel efficiency of a petrol engine in this project, is to pre-heat the intake air which is flowing through the carburetor. The humidity in the atmospheric air affects the petrol vapourisation in the carburettor. Therefore, by pre-heating the inlet air to the carburettor for a considerable amount, the vapourisation can be ease and in turn complete combustion is achieved. Moreover by reducing the water vapour to the engine, the steam formation in the engine can be reduced pitting of the engine cylinder, piston and exhaust pipe. Reference: http://seminarprojects.com/Thread-efficiency-increasing-system-by-using-preheating-method#ixzz2elrJlavP Most of the cars in today’s market give a maximum of 30 to 40 miles per gallon and hybrid cars giving upto 50 miles per gallon. The efficiency of Internal Combustion Engines used for this purpose is very low, about 25%. The heat generated during the combustion of fuel is converted into work to drive the car is wasted to the atmosphere, as anti-freeze(Ethylene Glycol) is used to cool the engine and circulated through a radiator which transfers the heat to the atmosphere. The heat generated by combustion of fuel such as gasoline or diesel is converted into the work because of the pressure created by the combustion process. In this invention, the heat is recovered by pre-heating/pressurizing the fresh air used for the process of combustion. The temperature of the pre-heated fresh air used for combustion is increased to above 1400 degrees Fahrenheit by passing through a heat exchanger to recover heat from combustible gases. Fresh air for combustion is heated to about 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. According to Thermodynamic Laws, by heating the air in a closed space with constant volume at room temperature to 1600 degrees F., the pressure is increased about to 50 psi. In order to have a higher pressure, the fresh air is first compressed upto 100 psi before passing through a heat exchanger. This will give the available working pressure of about 350 psi before

High school diploma Essay

I did 4 years in Senn High School and there were a lot of problems in school. Dropping out of high school is a huge issue for many teens today. As society demands hardworking graduates with good character, the nation should require keeping teens from dropping out of school and improving student’s education for the future. There are many causes for why teenagers drop out of school. But there are few solutions for allowing them to finish high school with high diplomas. Pregnancies, drugs, gang involvement and bullying play a big role in the dropout rate. How can high schools help students to earn their high school diplomas and stop dropping out of school? Many kids attend High schools that have a different culture, or way of doing things. I will always remember my years of high school. However, I feel my high school years have been the most memorable. I strongly believe that high school is the open door, into the rest of my life. The last days of my high school career are fast approaching and I can only imagine how I’ll be feeling when I step out of Senn High School for the very last time. Throughout these four years, I have felt a lot of requirements about graduating high school. I didn’t think that the time to graduate would come soon enough. I came across a great interest essay that starts with the question of why smart kids are, on average, low status in the high school environment. The short answer is that being popular in that environment is a full time job, and smart kids, even if they want to be popular, want to do other things as well. The author goes on to make quite a lot of interesting, understanding, and disturbing points about how children are brought up. What bothers me is not that the kids are kept in prisons, but that they aren’t told about it, and the prisons are run mostly by the person who is confined in a prison. In my high school Spanish class we were supposed to speak in Spanish. I don’t think any of us knew Spanish well enough to make our way through this huge book. Like the rest of the class, I just study the notes. When we were given a test on the book, I noticed that the questions sounded odd. They were full of long words that our teacher wouldn’t have used. Where had these questions come from? From the notes, it turned out. The teacher was using them too and we were all just pretending.

Research Paper the Maltese Falcon: Existentialism Essay

Dashiell Hammett, father of the American hard-boiled genre, is widely known for producing a suffocating world of realism in his works (â€Å"Hard-boiled fiction†). According to Paul Abraham’s â€Å"On re-reading The Maltese Falcon,† the realistic atmosphere of Hammett’s third novel is reactionary to the post-war turmoil in which the work was born (97). This provides the ideal foundation for subtle philosophical concepts of existentialism such as, quests for truth, self identification, and the significance of existence to build throughout the novel. Richard Layman, in his critical review of Hammett’s novel (also titled The Maltese Falcon), proposes that the philosophies of Hammett’s generation can be found within the text of his novel (71). Hammett conveys an existential theme in his work The Maltese Falcon through his use of themes of inquiry and self absorbed characters as well as his Flitcraft parable. Existentialism, in a simple form, is a philosophy concerning existence and its significance. Layman asserts that â€Å"[existentialism] had its roots in the mid-nineteenth century and flourished in the United States from the 1930s until the 1960s† (71). According to the web-article â€Å"World War I† from the New World Encyclopedia, subsequent to the Great War, â€Å"the optimism for world peace of the 1900s was entirely gone. † Therefore, without the blinders of social optimism, American society could question ideas such as, the occurrence of mass destruction in a â€Å"just† world and the significance of existence in such a world. Hammett’s firsthand experience with the existential crisis—caused by what the historical context from the website â€Å"The Maltese Falcon† presents as global wars, the Great Depression, and other struggles of the 1930s—leads Hammett to employ different techniques throughout his work, providing subtle allusions to existentialism. One method through which Hammett conveys existentialistic thought is through his themes of inquiry in The Maltese Falcon. The plot is centered on the continuous quest for an idolized icon—the Maltese falcon, a precious bejeweled bird. Hammett incorporates an ecclesiastical theme through this pursuit of an icon. The quest for their icon ultimately leads to the demise of the characters involved in its search. It steals the identity and climatically the life of the mob-boss Gutman. Brigid, the femme fatale, also loses in this pursuit, for she is left to the mercy of the law in the final pages. Whether death or imprisonment plagues the characters involved, the quest for an icon consumes their lives. Hammett illuminates the detrimental consequences of such quests through the aforementioned loss of identity, life, and freedom. This message is countered by the existentialistic denouncement of all icons. Existentialism provides a simple solution for such futile quests: lives are not wasted in the search of an icon. In pursuit of a precious icon, all characters lose themselves—a root of the existentialist crisis: loss of self, questioning of existence (â€Å"Existentialism†). Another theme of inquiry in Hammett’s novel deals with the constant search for the truth. Spade, the protagonist, is tormented by the ambiguity of truth throughout the novel. Spade is forced to discern lies from the truth within the first pages of the novel, where he meets Brigid, or rather â€Å"Miss Wonderly† as she is dubbed upon primary introduction. Brigid, notorious for her deceitful ways, confesses to Spade, once an invested relationship is established between the two: â€Å"I am a liar. I have always been a liar† (353). Layman observes that â€Å"the challenge for Spade in the book is to make up the rules as he goes along; to decide for himself, without outside guidance, what he believes and what he believes in† (71). These decisions shape Spade’s actions and help to define his character. Spade, concerning himself â€Å"with the quest for relevance and authenticity,† as David Pickus writes in his expose on existentialism, is not the only character involved in the search for truth (17). Brigid, Gutman, Cairo, and Wilmer are forced to come to terms with the quest for truth and authenticity when it is discovered their falcon is a mere fabrication of the true Maltese falcon. After shaving the black enamel from the base of the falcon Gutman exclaims â€Å"it’s a fake. † Gutman reacts with his â€Å"breath [hissing] between his teeth† and â€Å"his face [becoming] turgid with hot blood† (430). This is representative of the anger Gutman possesses upon the realization of this on-going search for authenticity. Another method in which Hammett unveils existentialistic undertones is through his self-absorbed characters. Layman writes about Spade: â€Å"He is defining who he is. That is the simplest statement of the philosophy of existentialism†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (71). Spade relies solely on himself and often stretches the hands of the law. He undermines the police in order to prevent interference within his investigations, denouncing their authority. For example, when Dundy, a police officer tells Spade, â€Å"You’ve gotten away with this and you’ve gotten away with that, but you can’t keep it up forever. † Spade nonchalantly replies: â€Å"Stop me when you can† (341). The article from the Philosophy website, titled â€Å"Existentialism† states that â€Å"an existentialist believes that a person should be forced to choose and be responsible without the help of laws, ethnic rules, or traditions. † Spade epitomizes this idea with his actions throughout the novel. Brigid is another character who does not function within the realm of laws and rules; however, she is a less responsible character than Spade. Brigid’s efforts are invested into self-preservation. She continuously fights to stay one step ahead of everyone through creating a web of lies, which ultimately becomes a defining element of her character. Her deceitfulness and obsession with obtaining her desires without concern for consequence or reputation demonstrates her loss of self in pursuit of something worthless; she becomes nothing more than a wanton woman with no true identity. In addition to his characterization, Hammett also utilizes the Flitcraft parable as a means of conveying existentialistic thought. Martin Harris writes: â€Å"The Flitcraft parable has been examined closely by those who see the story providing an important key to Hammett’s feelings about the meaning (or lack thereof) of human existence† (241). The Flitcraft parable tells the story of a man who completely changed his life in consequence of one random event. Flitcraft, a satisfied family man, encountered a near death experience via a construction beam plummeting into his path. This event made him contemplate the randomness of life—there are no certainties. Spade tells Brigid: â€Å"[Flitcraft] felt like somebody had taken the lid off life and let him look at the works† (335). Flitcraft understood the uncertainty of life after this experience. With this epiphany Flitcraft began a new life; he took the randomness of life and incorporated it into his existence. Aware of mortality and the significance of one’s identity, Flitcraft exposed himself to an alternate life. While Flitcraft ultimately ended up settling back into his prior lifestyle, the afterglow of his near death experience permitted him to revel in existentialism, for according to the web-article â€Å"Existentialism† the search of self-being is a fundamental element of the existential philosophy. Whether it is through various themes, characters, or a well placed anecdote, the undertones of existentialism exist within the pages of Hammett’s novel. Hammett effectively incorporated themes from his era into his literature. In a time where the â€Å"spirit of optimism in society was destroyed,† Hammett acknowledged realism within the text of his art (â€Å"Existentialism†). While existentialism no longer has an intoxicating hold on modern society, it lives in the pages of influential authors. The Maltese Falcon’s subtle cues to such great philosophical ideas assist in the significance that Hammett’s works hold to this day. Works Cited Abrahams, Paul P. â€Å"On re-reading The Maltese Falcon. † Journal of American Culture 18. 1 (1995): 97-107. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 July 2010. Dooley, Dennis. Dashiell Hammett. New York: F. Ungar Pub. , 1984. Print. â€Å"Existentialism. † Philosophy. AllAboutPhilosophy. org, 2010. Web. 01 Aug. 2010. . Hammett, Dashiell. The Novels of Dashiell Hammett. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965. Print. â€Å"Hard-boiled Fiction. † Encyclop? dia Britannica, 2010. Web. 30 July 2010. . Harris, Martin. â€Å"Hammett’s Flitcraft Parable, The Stepfather, and the Significance of Falling Beams. † Literature Film Quarterly 34. 3 (2006): 240-248. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 15 July 2010. Layman, Richard. The Maltese Falcon. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Print. â€Å"The Maltese Falcon. † The Big Read. National Endowment for the Arts, 2010. Web. 16 July 2010. . Metress, Christopher, ed. The Critical Response to Dashiell Hammett. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1994. Print. Pickus, David. â€Å"Paperback Authenticity: Walter Kaufmann and Existentialism. † Philosophy and Literature 34. 1 (2010): 17-31. Philosopher’s Index. EBSCO. Web. 31 July 2010. â€Å"World War I. † New World Encyclopedia. 09 May 2008. Web. 06 Aug. 2010.