Force and Movie Batman Leaps

Superheroes have been around for a time now, since 1934 starting with Mandrake the Magician made by Lee Falk, and then came Superman made by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. But how do superheroes do what they do? They play mind tricks, can lift up incredible amounts of weight and do stuff no regular human can do. In this paper I’m writing you will see how superheroes violate Newton’s 3 laws of motion. First let’s talk about batman and the movie that just came out called the dark night rises.In this movie batman leaps from a building for 4 to 5 seconds before opening his wings neglecting significant air resistance (this affect Newton’s 3rd law). Scientists found out that all that force applied exert about 1600 pounds of force to his arms. Not even the worlds strongest man can lift that much!! Next we talk about spider-man and his trickery. In his the movie spider-man 3 is basically immortal, never dying person.For example In a climatic battle scene spider man fall 80 stories and survives without breaking a bone, concussion, or presumably any internal bleeding. Lets use Newton’s second law to calculate (Fnet=ma) how much force the ground exerts on spider-man upon impact. After calculation we see that the weight of that fall is 47 tons. Wow if that any one else they would have die. Lastly we talk about the science of star trek (Kirk’s magic fingers). In the trailer we see that James T.Kirk is driving a car which is going about 80 mph (36 m/s). the car seems to be about 30 meters from edge when it starts skidding through dirt and sand. Newton second law says Fnet = Ffriction = Â µmg = ma where the acceleration of the car is completely due to the friction force. M is the mass of the car, g is equal to the acceleration due to gravity (9. 8m/s2) , Â µ is the coefficient of sliding friction between sand and tires (0. 5 at most), and a is the acceleration of the car.Solving for a we get: a = Â µg = (0. 5)(9. 8m/s2) = 4. 9 m/s2I f we assume a relatively constant acceleration then a = (v2 – v02)/2x Where v0 = 36m/s, a = – 4. 9 m/s2 and x = 30 m. Solving for v we find that the car goes over the cliff at a speed v = 32 m/s. so we figure out that Kirk fingers can hold 877 pounds. Someone knows how to work their fingers. So now you see what happens behind the scenes . So the next you see a movie don’t believe you see.

Organizational Culture of Google Essay

Introduction Sergey Brin and Larry Page who were PhD Students at Stanford University met in 1996 and they came up with the idea of starting a search engine that they named BackRub. However on 14th September 1997, the two students renamed this search engine to Google and in the year 1998 this organization was launched officially. The term Google was derived from the word googol which refers to digit one (1) followed by hundredth (100) zeros. Studies show that, Google receives millions of users on daily basis and it is estimated that this organization is worth billions of US dollars. In addition to this, Google has proven to be among the leading organizations with diverse cultures and has been named as the best performing organization that ingrates Culture and Diversity in Decision Making process. Some of the Awards that have been given to Google include: Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County, Organizational Excellence Award, and Diversity in IT Award, UK IT Industry Award, and National Association of the Deaf Accessibility Award among many other Awards. Google’s Culture The bottom line of Google’s success across the globe stems from the culture that has been developed by the key stakeholders in the organization. It is indeed quite evident that, Google has grown considerably since 1998 when the company was officially launched and currently, its employees are more than 200, and come from all parts of the globe. I will examine Google’s culture of ethical standards and behavior as well as observable organizational policies in the Company. Although Googlers share common goals and visions for the company, Google hail from all walks of life and speak dozens of languages, reflecting the global audience that Google serve. And when not at work, Googlers pursue interests ranging from cycling to beekeeping, from frisbee to foxtrot. The culture of ethical standards and behavior in Google Typically, employees of Google Company are smart people and coming from various parts of the globe, they speak different languages and their cultures vary. As a matter of fact, these employees are expected to serve all customers without any favor or discrimination, thus â€Å"Don’t be evil† is key to Google’s stakeholders, members of staff and all employees working for Google Company. This statement is very vital to Google Company and it is expected that, everyone working in the Company as well as other members of staff should respect one another and above all honor those laws and guiding principles that have been established in the organization especially when it comes to the entire process of decision making (Weber, 2008). In addition to that, clients’ information is vital in the Company and the company expects every employee and other members of staff to ensure that customers’ information and data is given adequate protection from unauthorized access. The company expects that, all its employees maintain high levels of integrity at all time and any employee or staff member who is found to have jeopardized his work by exposing clients information and data to unauthorized access is held liable for all the damages caused will be forced to pay for the ultimate price of his negligence of duty (Schermerhorn, 2012). If there was ever a decline in the web searching service, Google will have to adapt to the new demand. This is why it important for them to strive to hire the smartest and the brightest within the field. Google has the employees to adapt to a decline in the web searching service, the employees that they currently have and will be able to hire will be able to adapt to any other business that Google wants to become during this decline.(Bulygo, 2013) Furthermore, protection of Google’s assets is very important to all employees and staff members of this company. It is quite evident that, Google is rich in intellectual data, communication facilities, employee data, clients’ information, and Company equipment among other assets from in all parts of the globe (Flamholtz & Randle, 2011). The company expects all employees, and other people who access these assets to protect them from any  access by other people with ill motives. This goes hand in hand with the working environment of Google Company and studies shows that, Google ensures that all employees work in a violence free environment and this has enabled employees of Google Company to be very productive at all time. This goes hand in hand with the issue of drug and substance abuse and in this respect; the company does not allow her employees, staff members to use or to promote drug and substance abuse. How I determined that Google has shown the culture of ethical standards and behavior Google Company has adopted the culture of ethical standards and behavior. To Frost, this culture is entrepreneurial, dynamic, and innovative and above all it makes employees to be creative in their places of work (Frost, 2009). It is quite evident that, employees and managers of Google Company embrace risk-taking and innovation, thus they work hard in order to ensure that Google Company is on the leading edge as compared to other organizations or companies from all over the world. Indeed, employees and members of staff of Google Company are unified by their commitment towards implementing what they have or what they know. In addition to that, Google Company aims at leading other companies or organizations in the industry, thus to achieve this, it encourages freedom and individual initiative among her employees and staff members. Factors that caused Google to embody the culture of ethical standards and When Google was officially launched in 1998 as a search engine many people took advantage of various types of information that were being sold by the company. As the company grew and spread all over the world cases of misuse of the available data and information were reported from various parts of the globe. This threatened Google’s performance in the industry and the company came up with various codes of ethics and standards that were meant to guide staff members and users of Google’s information. Secondly, Google being the leading and the best performing organization all over the world needed come up with the culture of ethical standards and behavior. The main reason behind this is that for any organization or company to be successful then all its employees and members of staff should be guided by well established ethics (Schein, 2010). Type of leader that suits Google Company In my opinion, I believe that the ideal leader for this company is the one who has the ability to cultivate Google’s presence continuously. In addition to this, the leader should be customized to the type of business in order for him to deliver the impeccable customer service demanded customers and also to ensure that the company produces amazing results. This individual should lead by example and lead all employees towards the attainment of the company`s mission and vision. He should be approachable, open minded and very knowledgeable. Conclusion In an event of a decline in the demand of goods and services of Google Company, it will be a prudent for the company to adjust its culture to match the trend. In my view, I believe Google Company has been adjusting its culture in a number of ways in to make the most of prevailing conditions. It is quite evident that all employees and stakeholders of Google Company are committed to service delivery and one of the adjustments to be made by the Company is to create fun times between employees and clients. This will allow employees of the company to share their amazing experiences and services with their clients and this will increase the demand of goods and services of the company by these clients or customers. References Flamholtz, E., & Randle, Y. (2011). Corporate Culture: The Ultimate Strategic Asset. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press. Frost, P. J. (2009). Organizational culture. Beverly Hills u.a: Sage Publ Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Schermerhorn, J. R. (2012). Organizational behavior (12th ed.). Danvers, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ` Weber, S. (2008). Organizational behavior – Google corporate culture in perspective. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH. Bulygo, Z(2013, Feb 11) Insidw google’ culture of success and employee happiness.[Web Log Post]. Rettirved from http://blog.kissmetrics. com/google-culture-of-success/

Ethnic and Racial Studies Essay

In the next decade Herzl was to arrive at the same analysis in- dependently, for he did not know of the existence of Pinsker’s work when he wrote The Jewish State. In his diary, and on several public occasions, Herzl, indeed, made the beau geste of saying that he would not have written his book had he been aware of Pinsker. On the other hand, Ahad Ha-Am, Herzl’s great antagonist, devoted a lengthy essay to analyzing Pinsker (whose pamphlet he translated into Hebrew) in order to deny that Pinsker was a political Zionist of Herzl’s stripe. Obviously neither Herzl nor his opponent Ahad Ha-Am was engaged in self-delusion. Pinsker’s thesis, that anti-Semitism must henceforth be the determining consideration of a modern Jewish policy, indeed is central to Herzl’s thought and, even though less apparent, it is equally at the core of Ahad Ha-Am’s philosophizing. Nonetheless, the intent and direction of Pinsker’s construction are significantly different from those of both his successors, and the definition of that difference is of great importance. Pinsker’s analysis of anti-Semitism, despite its surface rationalism, is, in reality, far more pessimistic than Herzl’s. He mentions the Christ- killer accusation with greater emphasis as a symptom of the basic malaise, which is national conflict, and his terminology, in which anti- Semitism is called a â€Å"psychic aberration — demonopathy — the fear of ghosts,† shows an intuitive awareness of its unplumbable and un- manageable depths that is not equally evident in Herzl’s work. The most important difference between the two, however, appears in their conceptions of the role of the gentile world in the founding of the Jewish state. The most that Pinsker hopes for is its grudging assent to an effort that really depends, in his view, on the summoning up of the last desperate energies of the Jew. Almost every page of Herzl’s volume contains some reference to his confidence that the western nations will collaborate in creating the state he envisaged and some further proof of the great benefits his plan would confer not only on the Jew but on society as a whole. As a west European who had grown up in relative freedom, Herzl could assume even at the end of the century that a world of liberal nationalism is attainable, and he imagined Zionism’s solution of the Jewish problem as a major contribution to such a future of international social peace and tranquility. For Pinsker, writing in Odessa in the midst of pogroms, the focus was almost entirely on the woes of the Jew, on removing him from the recurring and inevitable nightmare. Pinsker’s generation had far less stake in the political and social structure of Europe than did Herzl’s, even at its most disenchanted, but there is one level on which it was indissolubly involved in modernity. These Russian Jews had, indeed, never lived even a day as equal citizens of their native land, but, nonetheless, they had been schooled by western culture and were creations of its spirit. Conclusion Though the Jew must evacuate the terribly hostile world those values have created, Pinsker can imagine no alternate to modern civilization. Ahad Ha-Am is, therefore, wrong in attempting to make Pinsker a forerunner of his own basic notion of a cultural renaissance, a reinterpretation of the old values of Judaism in terms of modernity. What Pinsker reflects is the â€Å"rent in the heart,† the torment of a man who cannot believe in the good will of the general society whose faiths he shares. As the horizons of the Jew kept darkening in recent decades, this complete loss of trust in society, which began in 1881, was to lead to serious and fundamental questioning of the very foundations of western culture. Pinsker, and not Herzl, is the ultimate ancestor of the profoundly pessimistic strain in Zionism. With him there begins a new age in modern Jewish thought, the era of recoil from the values of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As a result, after the various revolutions lost their initial elan, a conflict of interest ensued between the makers of the revolution and those Jews who accepted or followed it. It was useful to the newly powerful to discard the label of subverters of society and become legitimized as true heirs of the past; emancipated Jewry, on the other hand, especially in its â€Å"messianic† segment, needed a utopia based on reason, i. e. , it required a true revolutionary break by all of society with its past. Here we stand at the threshold of the ultimate paradox in the relationship between the Jew and modernity. His defensive schools of thought have found themselves coming to terms with ideas and social structures which were outrunning them, and the more messianic doctrines soon acquired a certain shrillness, for they inevitably assumed the unwanted role of keepers of the conscience of the main modern movements. The last doctrinaires of the Enlightenment and what followed after, the epigones of the true faiths as opposed to their sullying compromises with the world, are to be found in modern Jewish thought. Bibliography Bulmer, M. and Solomon, J., Conceptualizing multi-ethnic societies. Ethnic and Racial Studies 24 6 (2001), pp. 889–891. Esses, V. M. , Dovidio, J. F. , Jackson, L. M. and Armstrong, T. L. , The immigration dilemma: The role of perceived group competition, ethnic prejudice and national identity. Journal of Social Issues 57 3 (2001), pp. 389–412. Goldberg, G. , Changes in Israeli voting behavior in the municipal elections. In: D. J. Elazar and C. Kalchheim, Editors, Local Government in Israel, Jerusalem, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (2001), pp. 249–276.

The linguistic mecanism to produce an allegorical message in a play Essay

The linguistic mecanism to produce an allegorical message in a play narrative - Essay Example Confounded with trying to discern the difference between symbolism and allegory, it is important, as a starting point, to pose one guiding definition of each of these terms. For purposes of this discussion, the term ‘symbolism’ refers to elements within a piece that transforms appearance into an idea and the idea into an image in such a way that the idea remains always infinitely effective and unreachable in the image and remains ineffable even if uttered in all languages. In other words, symbolism presents an idea in such a way that it cannot be separated from the image selected to portray it as well as impossible to describe as well in words regardless of the language used. Allegory, on the other hand, transforms appearance into a concept, rather than an idea. This concept is also transformed further into an image, but this time it is done in such a way that the concept can be grasped and described as something different from the image even as it is being expressed in it (Goethe, 1991, p. 88). With these two concepts – allegory and symbolism – clearly defined and separated, it is also important to realize that allegory can be developed through the use of personification and/or through conceptual allegory, the â€Å"presentation of the concrete to suggest a long train of mental associations, conscious and subconscious [†¦] the one-to-one recognition process of allegory† (Haworth, 1980, p. 14). Through this paper, it will be discussed how the character can become an allegory through the process of personification as well as how conceptual allegory emerges as a result of the careful use of narrative. The principle way in which this is done is through the use of semiotics. The term ‘semiotics’ is today defined as â€Å"the theory and study of signs and symbols, especially as elements of language or other systems of communication, and comprising semantics, syntactics, and pragmatics† (â€Å"Semiotics†, 2002). However, the first person

GLOBAL CHANGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GLOBAL CHANGE - Essay Example He insists that there is no global warming. In his article, he says that there are no known facts about there being a link between concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide with imminent catastrophic global warming only predictions are there. According to him, the whole global warming phenomenon is more of a political issue than a scientific one (Bellamy, 2007). In spite of all the skepticism about the global warming and climate change, there are still those who believe that it exists. One of these people is the writer of an article â€Å"Seven Answers to Climate Contrarian Nonsense† by John Rennie. He gives seven claims that are contrary to the claims and global warming contradictions provided by the skeptics one of whom is Senator Inhofe. He provides evidence from scientific places like the US Geological Surveys which indicate that human activity is the leading reason for global warming (Rennie, 2009). The evidence is enough to indicate the presence of global warming and hence I support that there is global warming and humans should change their ways. Rennie, J. (November 2009). â€Å"Seven Answers to Climate Contrarian Nonsense.† Scientific American. Retrieved from:

Process Analysis Essay on the Various Types of Development Patterns

Process Analysis on the Various Types of Development Patterns - Essay Example I had never heard of many of the different types of patterns of development. Therefore subsequent to the initial introduction to this pattern by the lecturer I decided I needed to obtain additional material in order to enhance my ability to effectively utilize the process analysis. Thus, I searched the internet and other text for a more detailed analysis of the process. I then decided to attempt to write a process analysis on my own. The assignment to choose a type of pattern of development and write an essay displaying the process analysis has been a challenging but a formative experience. I began to analyze in a systematic manner the necessary steps for the process. This approach was rather trying in the context that I did not exist in a vacuum. William Shakespeare’s allusion to the fact that â€Å"life is a stage and we are the actors† rings true when one considers the plethora of activities from which one must devote one’s time. At one point I became so overwhelmed that I had no other choice but to create a to-do list in order to prioritize my activities. Thus, after the creation of the to-do list and the prioritization of the activities, I eventually arrived at the stage when it was time to write. I brainstormed the ideas, created a semantic map and itemized the content of my five paragraphs that were needed for the process analysis essay. I, therefore, wrote the paragraphs and edited e ach paragraph for errors in grammar or spelling. It was a fulfilling experience because it allowed me to observe in an objective manner the various stages through which my practice of the writing was taking me. I began by having very little knowledge about the writing process. After the initial practice, I discovered that my writing skill was rather mediocre and needed a great deal of improvement. I began, therefore, to experiment with the different types of patterns of development.

Sunlife Insurance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sunlife Insurance - Case Study Example The firm had decided to diversify into other businesses at a time when it was facing very stiff competition from new entrants into the insurance business. The company responded so well to the pressures of diversification through moving into the businesses that were contiguous to its traditional insurance base. These businesses included residential mortgages, mutual funds, as well as personal trust services. Through these businesses, the sales agents were able to push the other services of the company, much to the benefit of the company. The mutual funds business was able to generate profits at a time when other companies were recording losses and therefore diversification into the line of business and relying on the sales agents was a good decision (Sun Life Financial, 2012). By getting into the other lines of businesses like consumer banking, the firm was able to attract other customers through its other businesses like the consumer banking where the agents were referring the custom ers at the bank to buy mortgages and the other services offered by the firm.   Its partnership with Century 21 Real Estate enabled it to get to sell mortgage packs to the customers referred to it by the real estate firm into which it bought some stake sometime earlier. The agency system the company had invested in enable the firm to achieve very broad coverage that it would not have been able to have it gone for the brokerage system used by other firms. All in all, the decision to diversify into the other lines of business favored it.

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

Reflection paper - Essay Example The role of books has been downplayed to an extent where books are slowly fading off the scene. Literary works such as Harrison Bergeron, The Cold Equations, The Pedestrian, The Pit and the Pendulum and 1984 are some which deserve to be read on by generations to come due to their remarkable content and style. Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut is set in the future where government control is quite strong. Harrison is the fourteen year old son of Hazel and George but has to be taken away from his family by the government (1). Equality is strictly implemented, which means everything or everyone has to be average. This implies that no one can be stronger, more beautiful or more intelligent. Equality, in essence, is maintained through the use of â€Å"handicaps† (Vonnegut, 1). This is one reason why George has a radio implanted in his ear that inhibits his thought process by using periodical noise tuned by the transmitter controlled by the government. The story provides a graphical journey to the future where individual qualities are suppressed and technology dominates social lives while the government presents the worst form of a controlling authority. Due to its far-thinking storyline, the book should be read by people and thus should be kept from the hands of the firemen. Another futuristic story, although controversial, is presented by Tom Godwin in his book The Cold Equation. The book is set in a science fiction like setting where an EDS (Emergency Dispatch Ship) is heading towards the planet Woden. According to the rules, any stowaway discovered on the way is to be jettisoned off the EDS (Godwin, 1). The pilot faces the dilemma after he finds an eighteen year old young girl named Marilyn, who wants to see her brother after ten years. However, in the desperation of the situation, Marilyn is ejected out of the spacecraft out into the space or the whole EDS could have suffered. Again, the book wonderfully creates a fictitious

History 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History 2 - Essay Example "Keep fear away from me, Varuna, and hold fast to me, O emperor of Order" (Rig Veda 28:6). This line proves that Aryans believed in things that cannot be physically proven like metaphysics and God. Believing in such things can't be adopted as a result of discovering physical evidence in the universe. The Aryan mythology believes that God appears "as embodiments of natural phenomena" and as "allegories of the internal forces in the human bosom" (Schroeder, 1938, p. 60). This idea results in the idea that humans and other natural phenomena are similar to each other (Schroeder, 1938, p. 60). Since god appears as natural phenomena and internal forces, this view made Indo-Aryans love god without the fear that can be found in other religions like Islam. Varuna isn't praised in the Rig Veda as much as God is praised in the Quran. Paul Deussen (n.d.) supports this theory. About this theory he says: "While with the Semites God is above all master and mankind his servant, with the Indogermans [Indo-Aryan] the idea of God as father and mankind as his children prevails" (Schroeder, 1938, p. 61). The 6th line mentions that Aryans fear something and they ask God Varuna to take that fear away. Some lines mention the things that Aryans feared including the 9th line: "Move far from me what sins I have committed: let me not suffer, King, for guilt of others.

Did the USA need to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 Essay

Did the USA need to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 - Essay Example Simultaneously, it demonstrated a change within the nature of warfare, as well as the beginning of a novel age. American Head of state Harry Truman’s contentious verdict to drop an atomic-bomb on Japan concluded the 2nd World War as well as initiated the nuclear era (Leahy 2008). Since the culmination of the warfare, Truman’s verdict has been the focus of much debate, largely becauseof the huge civilian fatality toll, which ensued from the assaults. Nevertheless, the setting of the era as well as the demand to culminate the 2nd World War rendered the usage of the nuclear-powered weapons an indispensible action to force the Japan’s surrender. Truman’s verdict to employ the atomic-bomb over Japan was vindicated by the historic setting of the 2nd World Warfare, Japan’s repudiation to surrender totally, and the huge death toll projected from an attack of central Japan. Revisionists have reckoned the usage of the atomic-bomb a misdemeanor against humanit y because of the high civilian casualties as well as horrific effects, which ensued from the attacks. The subject of morals has made this debate much more controversial (Leahy 2008). Assessed by today’s ethical standards, the usage of the nuclear bomb on Japan that produced thousands of fatalities is commonly viewed as ethically wrong (Hayes 2006). Nearly 150,000 nationals were murdered because of the attack of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Only forty three thousands of Hiroshima’s populations of three hundred and fifty thousand were soldiers (McNulty 2005). Conferring to the American Strategic Bombing Assessment, all but three thousand, two hundred and forty three of the seventy thousand people slayed by the bombing of Hiroshima were civilians (The United States Strategic Bombing Survey 2006). Because of the large civilian death-toll from the bombardments, the usage of the nuclear explosives is contended to be unlawful (Frank 2009, pg. 19). Rendering to the ‘Draft Rul es of Aerial Warfare’, outlined in February of 1923, the bombarding of nationals was an illegal and illegitimate usage of military force. The ‘Draft Rules of Aerial Warfare’ assert that the Aerial bombing is legal only when aimed at a martial objective, namely, a purpose where the injury or destruction would establish a distinctive military benefit to the destructive, and additionally firms that if legal military goals such as martial establishments as well as factories employed for military reasons are so positioned, that they can never be attacked without the undiscerning assault upon the civilian populace, the aircraft should abstain from assault (Leahy 2008). The bombing of Japan’s warfare production industries unavoidably resulted to the prevalent bombings of huge areas occupied by civilians. Hence, according to global law, Nagasaki and Hiroshima were not legal military targets (McNulty 2005). As the attack of these towns was unlawful, the usage of th e nuclear bombs is contended to have been unfounded rendering to the prevailing international decree during the 2nd World War (Hayes 2006). The large civilian death-toll, which ensued from the attack of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, occurred in a dreadful manner. Radiation illness afterwards claimed tens-of-thousands’ of lives of people who were not directly murdered by the attack (Hayes 2006). Burchett Wilfred, a journalist who went to Hiroshima on September of 1945, depicted the predicament of radiation fatalities that in Hiroshima, 30 days following the first nuclear

How Was Christianity Effective Spiritually to African Slaves When They Essay

How Was Christianity Effective Spiritually to African Slaves When They Were Forced Into Slavery - Essay Example ery being the darkest and most excruciating as they must have been too the period that drew the best abilities and most noble of traits among the race, a look into their spirituality during those periods must be a whole enlightening exercise that should provide truly relevant references for our present situations. This paper shall be specific to the Christian Spirituality of the African slaves during the Atlantic Slave Trade era between the 16th and the 19th century. Christianity was first introduced in West Africa by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. I have no source to indicate the extent of Christian conversions in the western coasts of Africa by the 1700’s . But that side of Africa having had trade relations with Europeans already at those times, notably with the Spaniards, the Portuguese and the Dutch, there must have been some extent of evangelization going on by those times. In the book From Slavery to Freedom, author John Hope Franklyn mentions resistance of the native Africans to the Christian Faith as the bearers of the teachings were associated with the institutions of the slave trade to the New World. "It was a strange religion, this Christianity," he wrote, "which taught equality and brotherhood and at the same time introduced on a large scale the practice of tearing people from their homes and transporting them to a distant land to become slaves." Compounding this local resistance is the deliberate and methodic eradic ation of the Africans’ identity in the slave trade. Folk religions, as were the African traditional beliefs and cultures, even their languages, were being systematically suppressed to deter organized resistance. â€Å"Slaves in the eighteenth century came from various African societies, cultures and nations, such as the Ibo, Ashanti and Yoruba on the West African Coast. Consequently, slaves from differing ethnic groups displayed little commonalities. Africans were black, but did not experience a homogenous existence they shared

Death of Salesman Analysis Essay Example for Free

Death of Salesman Analysis Essay Women assume various roles in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Mainly we find them in the home, or the â€Å"workplace†. For us, they serve as windows to observe and formulate an opinion of the main character, Willy Loman and his boys Happy and Biff. For reference, the women include, Linda Loman (Willy’s wife) the boy’s childhood and current girls/women, â€Å"The Woman† (Willy’s mistress), and Jenny (Charley’s secretary). Notably, there are several aspects that unify these women. First, they are subordinate to the men; second, they are emotionally or materially dependent; third, the men are mutually dependent on the women for emotional or physical needs; and fourth, they serve as male ego supporters. Moreover, the women are portrayed as weak. Granted, societal views of women’s roles have drastically changed over the past seven decades, the women’s characters in Death of Salesman have not. Miller skillfully navigates us through the past and present in order to capture a complete image of Willy’s life. I will attempt to do the same with Linda Loman. I selected her because of her distinctive propensity to be overly protective of Willy. My intention is not to understate the relevance of the other women. Yet, my focus on Linda is based on my opinion that she is the central female figure and best ambassador to reveal Willy’s dynamic nature. Willy: â€Å"You’re my foundation and support, Linda.† (1216) We are introduced to Linda in the present. For the time and even for today, she is the ideal American wife. Caring, nurturing, supportive, and loyal to her husband and children. Yet, today, one may say overly supportive. A captive of the time period, she is limited; and therefore, emotionally and financially dependent on her husband. While here, we are able to feel her comforting and sheltering nature. She selflessly protects Willy from his insecure thoughts, his children, and acknowledging his financial failures. Yet, she cannot guard him from his depression and suicidal attempts and ideations. The scene opens with Willy prematurely returning from a sales trip. He is explaining to Linda that he could not maintain mental focus and that the car kept veering off onto the shoulder of the road. As we will come to know, she is well aware that Willy’s mental status is declining. She deflects the blame by saying, â€Å"Oh. Maybe it was the steering again. I don’t think Angelo knows the Studebaker.† (1213) Willy accepts responsibility, â€Å"No, it’s me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1214) Nonetheless, she continues to divert the cause by saying, â€Å"Maybe it’s your glasses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (1214) Her well-intended effort to be supportive is unfortunately enabling Willy’s serious â€Å"nervous breakdown† to be ignored. In the literary sense, it is an example of situational irony. Her intention to be helpful is not actually helping. For us, it is in this moment with Linda, that we immediately realize that Willy is undergoing serious internal and exter nal stress. It is manifesting into depression, mumbling, mental and physical wandering, and severe depression. It will proliferate throughout the play, and tragically, be the cause of his final decision. During their conversation we are also introduced to the adult boys, Biff and Happy. Linda informs Willy that the boys are both sleeping, and that, â€Å"Happy took Biff on a date tonight.† (1214) The report automatically generates interest in Willy. Which, we can translate to mean, Willy is in favor of his boys being in the company of women. As the conversation continues we are made aware of the tension that exists between Willy and his oldest son, Biff. As well, Linda let’s us know that Willy has a temper. She tells him, â€Å"You shouldn’t have criticized him, Willy, especially after he just got off the train. You mustn’t lose your temper with him.† (1215) For me, his temper is validated by his response, â€Å"When the hell did I lose my temper?† (1215) Typically, a non-temperamental person would not respond in that manner. As they continue on the topic of Biff, we get the first glimpse of Willy’s contradictory nature. At one moment Willy says, â€Å"Biff is a lazy bum!† (1215) While in a follow up comment he says, â€Å"Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young man with such—personal attractiveness, gets lost. And such a hard worker. There’s one thing about Biff—he’s not lazy.† (1215) Well, which is it? Is Biff lazy, or not? Willy’s contradictory tendency will be further exemplified. I find a touch of comical irony, when prior to going to the kitchen, for a glass of milk, he asks, â€Å"Why am I always being contradicted? (1215) While in the kitchen, we go back in time with Linda and Willy. We see that her support of Willy has endured the test of time, as have his inconsistencies. The younger Linda asks, â€Å"Did you sell anything?† (1224) At first Willy says, â€Å"I did five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston.† (1224) Linda wants to tabulate his commission so she retrieves a pencil and paper from her apron pocket. She â€Å"number-crunches† and replies, â€Å"Two hundred—my God! Two hundred and twelve dollars!† (1225) Once he realizes that there will be an expectation to produce that money, he back-peddles and says, â€Å"Well, I didn’t figure it yet, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1225) She is persistent, â€Å"How much did you do?† Then a more realistic figure emerges, â€Å"Well, I—I did—about a hundred and eighty gross in Providence. Well, no—it came to—roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip.† (1225) As easily as Linda can do the math, so can we. Willy’s original report claims approximately 1,200 gross. When realistically his entire trip probably netted 200 gross. If we are inclined to believe that estimate as honest, he has overinflated his sales by six times the actual amount. After realizing that the actual commission amount is not enough to cover the monthly expenses, a dialogue ensues that reveals another incongruence and his insecurity. Willy states, â€Å"Oh, I’ll knock them dead next week. I’ll go to Hartford. I’m very well liked in Hartford. You know, the trouble is Linda, people don’t seem to take to me.† (1225) Again, in the same sentence he contradicts himself. I think we can all relate to feeling â€Å"less than† at some point in our lives. Since, I know I can, his previous and following statement elicits empathy on my part. He claims that people are laughing at him when he goes to his sales calls. He doesn’t know the reason, he is just aware. Linda’s perpetual support of Willy continues, â€Å"Oh, don’t be foolish† and â€Å"Why? Why would they laugh at you? Don’t talk that way, Willy†. (1225) She continues to console him and coddles his fragile ego by replying, â€Å"But you’re doing wonderful, dear. You’re making seventy to a hundred dollars a week.† (1225) There is something to admire about her positive outlook. Willy continues to share his feelings about his diminished sense of self-worth. This time, it comes from his critique of his physical image, â€Å"I’m fat. I’m very foolish to look at, Linda. I didn’t tell you, but Christmas time I happened to be calling on F.H. Stewarts, and a salesman I know, as I was going in to see the buyer, I heard him say something about—walrus. And I—I cracked him right across the face. I won’t take that. I simply will not take that. But they do laugh at me. I know that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1226) I would like to draw your attention to the opening scene where Linda cautions Willy about his temper. We are now in the past, and we have a tangible example of Willy’s temper. In this case, it has even erupted into violence. Linda doesn’t even bat an eye when he tells her that he hit someone. Instead, she is the constant pillar that supports his ego, â€Å"Willy, darling, you’re the handsomest man in the worl d—† (1226) Really, Linda? I can’t imagine my husband telling me he hit someone and not be compelled to probe him further about the incident. Through Willy’s reminiscent daydreams, we hear the laughter of a woman, who will later be revealed as â€Å"The Woman†, his mistress. (1226) Willy has just added another criteria to analyze him against. He is unfaithful to his committed and loving wife. Until now, I could sympathize with Willy’s insecurities, even understand his need to overinflate his earnings and maybe even relate to his temper. But, positioned against my own moral standards, I don’t care for a womanizer. Nor would I make an exception if the roles were reversed. He pulls away from the memory and declares, â€Å"You’re the best there is, Linda, you’re a pal, you know that?Ã'  On the road—on the road I want to grab you sometimes and just kiss the life outa you.† (1226) Anyone who understands simple psychology realizes that it is guilt that moves him to profess affection for his wife. Yet, a key term he uses provides insight to how he actually views her, â€Å" you’re a pal†. These words cannot be misconstrued to mean: I love you, you mean the world to me, and I can’t wait to rush home to you. As a matter of fact, he retreats into his memories and we spend time with â€Å"The Woman†. In this brief moment we can conclude that his mistress provides an outlet when he’s on the road, she fuels his ego, and she suits his purpose by being able to send him directly into the buyers. In return, he fulfills her material need for stockings. (1227) Back from his memory of â€Å"The Woman†, we are still in the past where he is remembering a scene of Linda mending her stockings. He commands her to throw them away. Although we already know Biff and Happy from their own earlier dialogues and Willy’s memories (which I did not address), it is here that Linda provides insight into younger Biff. She tells Willy that Biff must return a football that he stole from the school, and that he is also too rough with the neighborhood girls. (1227) Willy is annoyed with Biff and he explodes at Linda when she urges him to do something about Biff’s behavior. (1228). It is important to know, all of Willy’s past memories and mumblings have occurred while he went down to the kitchen for that glass of milk. Finally, we arrive at the kitchen, in the present. This part does not include Linda. Yet, I find it important to include because this exchange contains a missed opportunity. Not that there weren’t several others. Happy comes down to check on Willy. He finds his father mumbling, and out of concern and sadness, Happy tells him that he will financially provide for the rest of Willy’s life. In expressing his frustration with Happy’s claim to â€Å"retire† him for life, Willy makes an explicit cry for help, â€Å"You’ll retire me for life on seventy goddam dollars a week? And your women and your car and your apartment, and you’ll retire me for life! Christ’s sake, I couldn’t get past Yonkers today! Where are you guys, where are you? The woods are burning! I can’t drive a car!† (1228) And there it is! A desperate, agonizing plea for attention, ‘Where are you guys? The woods are burning!’. He realizes his condition, he is begging to be acknowledged, begging for attention, and begging for help! He feels alone in his suffering. I could imagine his desperation, and we would not be human if we too did not feel his pain. The neighbor, Charley enters, and Happy is sent away. In the interest of focusing on Linda, we will fast forward through this part. Yet, during Charley’s visit and through Willy’s memories, we meet an influential character in Willy’s life (his successful brother Ben). Charley leaves after a heated round of cards. Yet, we remain in the kitchen while Willy heads outside. Linda comes looking for Willy in the kitchen. Both boys come down to discuss their father’s apparent troubling condition. Instead of addressing it, she scolds them both for being judgmental of their father. Happy transfers his anger onto Biff and blames his father’s condition on Biff’s failures. This scene foreshadows the underlying trouble between Biff and his father. Linda asks Biff, â€Å"Why are you so hateful to each other? Why is that?† (1235) Biff is reluctant to admit that he is resentful towards his father. She cautions that one day the boys will try to come home and there will be strangers in the house. Biff replies, â€Å"What are you talking about? You’re not even sixty, Mom.† She reminds him that his father is not doing well and goes on to say, â€Å"Biff, dear, if you don’t have any feeling for him, then you can’t have any feeling for me.† (1235) This is an endearing symbol that all families are interconnected, and we each play an integral role. In a passionate plea she proclaims, â€Å"You can’t just come to see me, because I love him.† She goes on to acknowledge Willy’s character flaw, â€Å"I know he’s not easy to get along with—nobody knows that better than me—but†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (1235) Willy enters the kitchen and he is delighted to see Biff. His erratic behavior is puzzling, and Biff asks, â€Å"What the hell is the matter with him?† Linda defends Willy, as if from a physical threat, â€Å"Don’t—don’t go near him!† Out of disgust, Biff snaps, â€Å"Stop making excuses for him! He always, always wiped the floor with you. Never had an ounce of respect for you.† (1235) This is a loaded, emotional and hurtful comment. But, we will easily unpack why Biff feels that his father has not cherished his mother. Another scene, that does not directly involve Linda, is a mandatory addition. Nearing the end, we come to know that the younger Biff caught his father with â€Å"The Woman† in a hotel, while his father was on a business trip. (1267) The experience grants Biff a moment of clarity, it also permanently shatters his image of his father. Ultimately, she is the measure that Biff judges his father by. In that hotel room, the reality of his father’s pretentious persona crystallizes. He calls him a liar, and a fake. (1268) We will come to understand that this pivotal moment created a fissure that could never be filled. Inevitably, it altered the chain of events in Biff and Willy’s lives, not to mention Linda’s. They remain distant from that moment forward. Poor Linda is never directly told about the affair, which is the sole reason of why Biff resents his father, and the ultimate reason that has caused Willy to be so depressed. The most important detail I have saved for last. As I first claimed, I found Linda to be the most important woman that brings Willy into perspective for us. Early on, Linda confesses to her boys that Willy has deliberately smashed the car on two separate occasions, (1237) and that she has found a hose in the basement that he intended to connect to a gas line. Just prior she delivers a very heartfelt command to her boys. For us, Linda sums Willy up, â€Å"Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that ever lived. But he’s a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He’s not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person.† (1236) There we have it, Willy has attempted suicide and continues to be tormented with his ideations. Unfortunately, his final suicide attempt is successful. What a strange word, ‘successful’ can be when used to describe death by suicide. But, in Willy’s mind, through death he could attain financial success, make a lasting impression with his sons (mainly Biff) another form of success to Willy, leave 20K for Linda (huge success), and have everyone acknowledge him with a big â€Å"send off† (success in the form of recognition). As we know, in the end, it did not play out that way. The few people in attendance did not view his death as a success. What he left behind was pain.

Remarks On 40th Anniversary Of D Day

Remarks On 40th Anniversary Of D Day Remarks on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day by Ronald Reagan delivered in Normandy is a sample of a effective and persuading speech, where the speaker uses different stylistic devices to increase the impact of his words and speech on the audience. As the matter of fact, the speech focuses on the historical events related to World War II but Ronald Reagan attempts to intertwine the historical events of the past with the present moment. Moreover, he shows the close link between the past heroic deeds of Americans and the need to unite efforts of all democratic countries in the new struggle against their common enemy. In general, the speech is quite successful due to the use of various stylistic devices, logical and emotional presentation of key ideas and the appeal to the authority, such God, which makes the speech closer to minds and souls of the audience and make people feel sympathetic and follow the lead of Ronald Reagan. In actuality, the speech Remarks on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day opens with the reference of the author to the past and to the heroic struggle of American and European soldiers against their common enemy the Nazi regime in Germany, which spread its influence all over Europe and threatened to the freedom of the US as well: We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. (Reagan). In such a way, the author uses the contrast between the present calmness of the place and the past heroic struggle and turbulent events that accompanied the D-Day in 1944. Actually, Ronal Reagan shows that the past was full of tragic events and the D-Day has changed the calm environment of Normandy and its quiet and powerful nature. The D-day is depicted as something abnormal, as a challenge to the nature and as an attempt of Americans and their allies to restore the natural order, when democratic nations united their efforts in the struggle against Nazi Germany, which threatened to their freedom and fundamental values. The use of contrast by Ronald Reagan has a profound impact on the audience because it is obvious that the audience can be shocked by the present calmness of the place and the past turbulent events, which cost thousands of lives to Americans and their allies. In such a way, Ronald Reagan engages the audience with the help of the contrast. At the same time, he attempts to strengthen the impression from his speech on the audience and to increase its persuasive power by appealing to the authority. IN this regard, Ronald Reagan abundantly refers to God as the highest authority and it is according to Gods will he attempts to act and to appeal to the authority of God, who, as Ronald Reagan attempts to show, defined the outcome of the war and justified actions of Americans and their allies in the course of World War II and does so in the present time. IN fact, he attempts to show that all actions and events are ruled by God: This world He created is of moral design. Grief and tragedy and hatred are only for a time. Goodness, remembrance and love have no end, and the Lord of life holds all who die and all who mourn (Reagan). Such an appeal to the authority of God helps Ronald Reagan to gain attention of the audience and to show that what he is saying is not just his own ideas and beliefs but what he says is grounded on his fi rm belief in God and His will and power to determine the life of people and guide people to the virtuous and good life. In such a context, Ronald Reagan derives from material values and draws the attention of the audience to fundamental spiritual values: As weve been assured, neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities, nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth can separate us from Gods love. May He bless the souls of the departed. May He comfort our own. And may He always guide our country (Reagan). This is another manifestation of the appeal to the authority, which shows that people should not focus on their material life but there are more important values. At the same time, along with the appeal to authority and the use of contrast and other stylistic devices, Ronald Reagan develops his speech logically and reasonably but often he refers to emotions and moral values of the audience. In this regard, it is possible to trace the effective and systematic use of pathos in the speech of Ronald Reagan. For instance, her refers to the veterans of World War II as follows: These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. And these are the heroes who helped end a war (Reagan). Obviously, the use of pathos contributes to the persuasion of the audience because it evokes basic moral values in the audience, such as the respect to the elder generation and to veterans of World War II, who were true heroes and Reagan stresses their heroic struggle and deeds, which cost so many lives for the US and its allies. In addition, Ronald Reagan appeals to emotions of the audience and feelings of veterans as well as other people listening to his speech. In this regard, it is possible to refer to the story of Bill Millin of the 51st Highlanders. In fact, this story is the manifestation of ethos in Remarks on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day, which Ronald Reagan uses to evoke strong emotions in the audience. While evoking strong emotions in the audience, the speaker can direct listeners and persuade them in his righteousness. At any rate, when the audience is emotionally affected, people readily accept the message of the speaker without even thinking about what he is actually saying. In such a context, the regular reference to the past are particularly effective in the course of the speech: Yet you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief. It was loyalty and love (Reagan). Obviously, such use of ethos can hardly keep the audience, especially veterans of World War II, indifferent to what Reagan is saying. In stark contrast, such reference to the past and emotions of the audience make people follow the lead of Ronald Reagan. People start thinking over questions the speaker poses and they can hardly think clearly over these questions because Ronald Reagan provides immediately the answer to the questions he poses. Thus, he provides the audience with the answer giving them practically no time to consider over possible alternative answers to the questions. Furthermore, Ronald Reagan uses ethos to strengthen the heroism of American soldiers and allies in World War II: They are the names of people who faced death and in their last moments called home to say, be brave and I love you (Reagan). At the same time, this sample of ethos shows the effective way in which Reagan has linked closely the tragic events that took place in Europe and sufferings of people in the US. Thus, he revealed the fact that World War II was the tragedy for all people all over the world. However, Ronald Regan steadily and logically leads to the audience from the past to the present time. In this regard, he uses logos to make his speech reasonable and persuading: Were bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. Were bound by reality. The strength of Americas allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europes democracies. We were with you then; were with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny (Reagan). At this point, Ronald Reagan uses logos to draw attention of the public to the current problems the US, all Americans and democratic people face. In fact, he uses the events of the D-Day that occurred forty years ago as the background to the present threats to the democracy and the US and its allies. He uses skillfully logos to show that threats of the past persist and today Americans still face numerous problems and threats, whi ch can put under a threat their freedom and fundamental values. In such a way, he logically concludes that Americans and their allies should unite their efforts in the struggle against new threats that emerge in the contemporary world. Moreover, in the end of his speech he refers again to the authority of God to complete his speech and back it up with the authority of God. Thus, Remarks on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day is a persuasive and effective speech delivered by Ronald Reagan in 1984. The speech has proved to be quite successful due to the skillful use of stylistic devices, logos, ethos and pathos. Ronald Reagan has managed to show the heroic deeds of Americans and their allies in the past and, what is more, he has managed to intertwine those deeds and past threats with the present situation to show that threats persisted and Americans should be aware of existing threats to their freedom and traditional values. In such a way, the speech Remarks on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day is the sample of the logical and emotionally strong speech that persuades the audience.

Mergers and Acquisitions in SME Lending

Mergers and Acquisitions in SME Lending CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION In the process of industrialization small business plays an important and economic growth. It increases per capital income and output, makes available employments for the labour market and usually promotes successful deployment of resources which are considered vital to steering of economic development and growth. It is presumed that the lower income segments of Nigeria benefit when SMEs have better access to finances because they alleviate poverty by creating more jobs and better wages. ( Emeni and Okafor 2008). In many of the developed economies and developing economies both have come to value, realise and appreciate small businesses. Being that small business are pioneering, well-organized, resourceful and allows fast decisions process to be taken because of their relative small size. They are major players in the process of industrialization and economic development. ( Ememi and Okafor, 2008) In most up-and-coming nation of the world, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have become the vanguard of economic expansion. They create employment opportunities as the most significant employer of labour force; in addition they increase the nations per capital income and output invariably increasing the GDP by effective resource utilization. Also in large developed nations, SMEs plays a noteworthy role in influencing the economy. Taking China for example, SMEs are said to be accountable for sixty percent of the industrial output employing seventy-five percent of the workforce in the metropolitan centres. ( Anas A.Galadima, 2006). All over the world and in all country, government have come to realise the significant of this class of companies. And as such have originated all-inclusive policies to encourage, give confidence, support and promote the establishment of SMEs. Improvements in small and medium enterprise are a plus for employment generation, solid entrepreneurial base and encouragement for the use of local raw materials and technology. (Oladele, 2009). There are a lot of challenges that SMEs face in both the developed and developing countries and they are massive. One main aspect is financing, the ability to obtain and acquire loans. Most small businesses are not attractive prospects for banks. Berger et al. ( 1998) suggest that larger banks may be less predisposed than smaller banks with less complex structure, to supply credit to small businesses. Back home in Nigeria the talk is very similar with the on-going of other country. But of late the Bankers Committee intervened in 2001 with a scheme called the Small and Medium Industries Equity Investment Scheme (SMIEIS). The idea brought life and empowerment to SMEs discarding all other credit schemes which were not properly implemented. (Aina, O. 2007). Nigerian banking reform is a product of global effort and consolidation is one of its major achievement that everyone have welcomed happily. This consolidation wave has greatly enhance the average magnitude and size of banking institution generally. The mean size of the total assets of banks has increased by 439% from 2003 – 2009, recording =N=2767.78 billion to =N=14,923.00 billion banks total assets figure (CBN report 2009). Prior to the introduction of banking reform, the banking sector was repulsively undersized, small, weak and frail, leading to numerous and several economic setback. Besides the benefits related to consolidation on the supply of credit to small and medium enterprises, merger and acquisition have also increase the size of banks from small less complex establishment to conglomerate multinational companies in Nigeria. These includes mobilization of domestic savings, improved allocation of resources, elimination of deep-rooted inefficiency , mobilization of foreign savings and above all enhanced accessibility of small scale funding. But in all these what is less comprehensible, is the effect that bank MA has on the supply of credit to small businesses in Nigeria.(Emeni and Okafor, 2008). Related Literature Other related studies have established some well renowned facts on the effect of consolidation on small business lending. In a recent article Berger, Allen N., R. Demsetz and P. Strahan. (1999) suggest that consolidation is only valuable and favourable to a certain extent. The consequences of consolidation could have direct and also indirect effects. The direct effect being an increases in bank size, increase in market share and enhance bank performance, the indirect effect can be a reduction in the availability of financial services to small businesses. (Berger, Allen N. R. Demsetz and P. Strahan. 1999). Other studies Vera and Onji (2010) illustrate that because most small businesses depend greatly on less complex small banking institution for their principal source of funding, consolidation of the banking industry may reduce ease of access of loans to small business in the US. Earlier researchers find that small businesses have not been unfavourably affected by bank merger and acquisition on making credit available to small business (Peek and Rosengren 1995, 1998; Berger et al. 1995). This is because these studies relied on data up to the mid-1990, while data as at 1995-1997 being the peak of consolidation were not fully employed. This has proven to be of interest to further scrutinize whether the new wave of consolidation may affect small businesses differently. In view of this importance piece of information and the imperfection of the market mechanism to mobilise and allocate financial resources to socially desirable economic activities of any nation it is worthwhile to investigate the relationship between merger and acquisition and credit availability. Based on the above background, the enthusiasm and motivation of this research is to critically scrutinize and observe if there is any relationship, or connection between bank mergers and acquisitions as a resourceful solution to lending. This study, therefore, want to investigate and find evidence that consolidation between banks of diver structure and asset base that occurred as a result of the Nigerian banking reform of 2004, could negatively affect small business lending. This is the reason why we choose to examine the effect of MA to SMEs in Nigeria. Aim and Objective Aim The main purpose of this dissertation is to examine whether bank mergers and acquisitions are a resourceful solution to lending to SMEs. As a result the main research question is: Do banks mergers and acquisitions increase or decrease credit availability to SMEs? This leads to a number of sub-questions: Does financial performance in the banking sector adversely affected small business lending after MA occurs? What other factors affects or is responsible for credit availability to SMEs from the Nigerian banks? To present key findings and recommendation based on data analysis and information collected. Research Methodology There are several research methods that could have been used in this work, such as a Questionnaire based survey through the distribution of questionnaire. Carrying out direct interviews with Small business owner and Bank managers or loan officers is also an effective means to collection of data information. Since the main purpose of this study is to examine if bank mergers and acquisitions increase or decrease credit availability to SME, we will be using accounting based financial ratio analysis. The use of financial ratio in measuring a banks performance and its effectiveness to distinguish high-performance banks from others is quite common in the literature (Abdulla, 1994a; Samad, 2004a). Data Sample Ten Nigerian commercial banks which have effectively been consolidated with other smaller banks will be considered in this study over the period of 2000-2009 based on the following reasons: First, these banks are long established locally incorporated banks in Nigeria. Secondly they have been involved in the consolidation process from small bank to mega banks, passing through the premerger phase up to the post merger phase. Thirdly the period 2000-2009 effectively covers the span before consolidation and after consolidation. The data that will be used in this study is taken from Bank Scope. The annual financial statement of the top ten commercial banks based on their asset base. All the figures are expressed in Naira (=N=) the Nigeria indigenous currency. Since one of our aims is to examine whether the amount of small business lending is affected by the new consolidation legislation passed by Nigeria government on bank reform, we will also be comparing the figures from the statutory reserve. This is mandatory for all commercial banks in Nigeria to invest 10% of their profit before tax to Small and Medium Enterprise Equity Investment Scheme. It is more likely that we will capture the total amount of small business lending that is actually supplied to small businesses within Nigeria. Dissertation Structure The dissertation is split into five chapters: Chapter one is the introduction of the dissertation topic, related studies and the motivation for the choice of the dissertation Chapter two focuses on the Nigeria banking sector, how the banking sector has developed in Nigeria over the years. Covering the history of the Nigerian banking sector divided into four periods: the budding period, the expansion period, the consolidated period and the post-consolidated period. High lighting major financial developments from liberalisation that saw the existence of 87 banks to the consolidation of banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria deadline of 2005. Chapter three is a literature review on academic literature and analytical view on merger and acquisition and its theory in banking. This chapter aims at providing a complete picture of bank mergers and acquisitions (MAs) in the theory of banking and at offering economic evaluation and strategic analyses of the process. The main characteristics of this process is how it has affected lending to small business Chapter four introduces the Small and Medium Enterprises, what they are, why they exist. This Section will review some recent literature that is particularly relevant to the effect of bank consolidation on small business lending. Chapter five discusses the empirical results, in which the main findings of the performance of the banks during the period 2002 – 2009 are analysed. This last chapter, Chapter six concludes and highlights the limitations of the study and recommendations for the future research Summary We have been able to introduce the topic of the dissertation and the motivation behind why it was considered important to investigate funding of the small and medium enterprises. Small business play vital role in the process of industrialization and economic growth. It is presumed that the lower income segments of Nigeria benefit when SMEs have better access to finances because they alleviate poverty by creating more jobs and better wages. Developments in small and medium enterprise are a plus for employment generation, solid entrepreneurial base and encouragement for the use of local raw materials and technology. Governments all over the world have realised the importance of this category of companies and have formulated comprehensive public policies to encourage, support and fund the establishment of SMEs. The most worrying challenges facing SMEs in many developing countries is funding. In the next chapter we will be reviewing the Nigerian banking system. We will be looking at a brief history of the Nigerian banking system dividing its growth into four phases, and see how it has evolved from many smaller banks into fewer mega banks. We shall also be looking at the major regulators of this industry and see how they have effectively influence the actions that has lead to merger and acquisition in the banking industry. Also see how the merger and acquisition phase has influenced lending to the small business through the new monetary policies on SMEEIS and Microfinance banks to aid economic growth, which is the main aim of this dissertation.

My Favorite Summer Vacation :: Summer Vacation Essays

My favorite summer vacation was when my Father took me to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. What made it even more memorable was the fact that it was my very first time on an airplane. I cannot recall another time in my life when I experienced so much joy. That trip to Universal Studios was the first time my Father and I actually did something together, just the two of us and was something brought me close to my Father. In this essay I will tell you about my plane ride over there, what I did right when I got there, and about my time at Universal Studios. I can still remember how excited I was before take off, I mean it felt like forever while we sat in the plane waiting to take off. Just all the anticipation that was inside of me had just made the wait even longer for me. Finally, I heard the pilot say 'prepare for take off'. When I heard those words I was so overjoyed I could hardly contain myself. That rush I got once the plane took off was an experience like no other. The plane ride was about hours long and I enjoyed every minute of it. Little did I know, that was less than half of the fun I was going to have at Orlando. After we got off the airplane, we rented a car and drove to my Uncle Joe?s house. We finally got there and then we all went out to eat dinner. We went to some Italian restraunt and boy was it good. To this day, I have never tasted anything as good as the Veal Picata I had that day. I ate so much that I could hardly move and once I got back to my uncle?s, I just passed out and went to bed. I had a big and exciting day ahead of me. I was going to Universal Studios and I couldn?t wait. The whole drive there I was just wondering what I was going to do and see over there. I mean I thought I thought I was excited about my plane ride there, but that wasn?t even half of what I was feeling at that time. Once I saw the roller coasters as we drove to Universal?s Island of Adventure my face just lit up like the sun.

The Unalterable Human Condition Exposed in Shirley Jacksons The Lotter

The Unalterable Human Condition Exposed in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery The short story, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, managed to capture various human tendencies stemming from the very heart of the unalterable human condition. The willingness to follow tradition blindly, the inherent cruelty of humans, and the unwillingness to change were the primary negative behaviors depicted in the story. The unalterable human condition is one of the truths of human existence. Throughout the course of history, humans tend to act in the same ways, repeat the same mistakes, and end up little better than they were a century before. Although technology has changed, increasing the quality of life, behavior patterns have not changed, decreasing both the sanctity and quality of life. One may begin to wonder if the human race will ever change its behavior in any more ways than rhetoric. The short story, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, managed to capture various human tendencies stemming from the very heart of the unalterable human condition. The willingness to follow tradition blindly, the inherent cruelty of humans, and the unwillingness to change were the primary negative behaviors depicted in the story. People enter into society with certain traditions having long since been established. People are terrified of changing those traditions because of the fact that those traditions have been in existence for decades, even centuries. If they have survived that long, people consciously or unconsciously reason, they must be correct. However, that is not necessarily the case. In The Lottery, the tradition must have been at least a century old, as the black box used to choose the lucky winner "had been put into use even before Old Man Wa... ...s existed for thousands of years, human beings are still making the same mistakes as they were when the first humans walked the earth. People live and die, empires rise and fall, while human behavior remains the same the entire time. People ought to learn from the mistakes of the past, not forgetting the things that have gone wrong. The great authors of the world have taken advantage of the unalterable human condition, using it to point out the grave errors that the natural behaviors of human beings can lead to. But before humans begin to dwell to such errors, they should remember that the mistakes they have made are not as important as the lessons humans draw from them . . . Works Cited: Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. 5th ed. Ed. Laurence Perrine. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Publishers 1998. 180-186

Human Proportions in Architecture

‘After having considered the right arrangement of the human body, the ancients proportioned all their work, particularly the temples, in accordance with it'. To what extent does the human body influence architectural forms and writing from antiquity to 1600? The study of the human body has spanned centuries, from the mathematicians of antiquity to the humanist scholars of the High Renaissance, and parallels between the bodily proportions and architecture have played their part in some of the most celebrated architectural feats.Writers and architects throughout this period never eased in exploring the various ways in which the ‘arrangement of the human body could be applied to architecture, from associations with the Golden Section, to the Roman perfect numbers, and the creation of the square and the circle as ‘ideal' forms derived from the Vitamins man. Yet, whilst all these issues were significant to the architects and writers of this period, many other factors wer e Just as important in determining the architecture produced.It is important to take into account not only alternative systems of proportion other than those derived from the human body, but also the historical and social context in which buildings were being designed. Furthermore, whilst writers and architects were influenced by the use of the human body in previous works, they were often equally influenced by the mere ‘authorities' of the past, and whilst human proportions may have been passed on through the centuries, the meaning behind its involvement was frequently lost, so that it was not a conscious reference to the human body, but a keeping with tradition.The theory which exists as the basis of this discussion is notion established by Aristotle, who scribed the relationship between the human body and the rest of reality: â€Å"the body carries in it a representation of all the most glorious and perfect works of God as being an epitome or compendium of the whole creati on†l . This idea of man as a microcosm in the grand macrocosm of the Universe is one which led to the belief that in creating architecture for the worship of God, it was only those proportions created by God himself, namely those of man, which could ever be worthy.Yet, over the course of the next millennium, a whole host of different interpretations of the human DOD were made, so that it was not a single set of ideas which became applied to architecture. To begin in antiquity, the most basic way in which the human body influenced architecture was in the creation of the classical orders. Most simply, it is understood that the form of the first Doric order derives from the warriors of King Doors in Greece, and thus displays â€Å"the proportions strength and beauty of the body of a man†.Though the intricacies of the Doric order, namely the triptychs and mottoes, are believed to originate from timber construction of the primitive hut which was then copied in stone, the mas culine, war-like associations of the order were very influential throughout antiquity, during the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. Examples of the Doric order include the Temple of Hyphenates, Athens, mid 5th century BC, built in dedication for the blacksmith of the Gods and forger of armor, as well as Brakeman's Temperate 1502-19, for SST. Peter, 1 by G.Odds and R. Tavern, y and Building : Essays on the Changing Relation of Body and Architecture, (Cambridge, London : MIT, 2002). P. 35 the hero and martyr. The Corinthian and Ionic orders display as much human influence in their architectural forms and associations, respectively having derived from the Ionian and Corinthian peoples. Based on the more civilized Ionian women, the Ionic order expressed feminine values of a matronly figure, with the curls of hair, folds of drapery and sandals represented in the volutes, fluting and base of the column.Similarly, the Corinthian order is thought to have derived from the basketwork of a Corinthian maiden, and so portrays the slender, refined qualities of a young girl, surrounded by acanthus leaves for the capital. In his architectural reties of 1537-43, Sebastian Series states that â€Å"temples to male saints whose lives were less robust than delicate, or to females saints who led matronly lives should be Ionic.Temples to the Virgin Mary, virgins, nuns, should be Corinthian†. Thus, it is apparent how the various forms of the human body can be influence not only the physical forms of the building, but also their values and associations. Historically, it is important to note that architecture based in mathematics, meaning that to the ancients, the practice of architecture was not differentiated from that of thematic theory.This is therefore a strong argument in favor of how bodily proportions influenced classical architecture, reiterated by Vitreous who claimed that â€Å"without symmetry and proportion there can be no principles in design, that is, if ther e is no precise relation between the members, as in the case of the well-shaped man†2. Furthermore, it was the mathematician, Pythagoras (582-507 SC), who suggested that the Golden Section was based on human proportions, and therefore proving its importance in the dimensions of classical buildings.The most celebrated example of this system of proportion is the Parthenon, built on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece in the 5th century BC. Although several elements, including the dimensions of the fade, the spacing of the columns and the interior rectangular space can be seen to agree with the Golden ratio, very few scholars still believe that the Parthenon was originally intended to comply with the theory discovered by Euclid sometime after it was built. Therefore, in terms of their utilization of the Golden Section, it does not appear that the architecture of the ancient Greeks was strongly influenced by the human body.Yet, when returning to Vitreous, another example of the human b ody influencing architectural forms and writing is introduced. In Book Ill of his Ten Books of Architecture he confronts us with the fact that man, when â€Å"placed flat on his back, with his hands and feet extended, and a pair of compasses centered at his navel, the fingers and toes of his two hands and feet will touch the circumference of a circle and described therefore. And Just as the human body yields a circular outline, so too a square figure may be found from it. 3 The importance of this discovery to the scholars of antiquity, that man could fit into the two most perfect geometric units, was immense, as it was thought to reveal a fundamental truth about man and the world. In light of the earlier notion of the microcosm-macrocosm, it becomes clear why 2 Vitreous, Book Ill of his Ten Books of Architecture, quoted in R. Witter, Architectural Principles in the Age of Humanism, (London : Academy Editions, 1973) 3 Vitreous, The Ten Books on Architecture, Book Ill. Architects and theorists were keen to emulate the square and circular forms, as derived from the human body, within their work. Within ancient Rome there are few centralized buildings, but any such examples prove how ideas of centralization were not only discussed in architectural writings, but were actually put into practice. The Pantheon, Rome, rebuilt during the reign of Hadrian c. 125 AD, is a primary example of the celebration of the two purest geometric and anthropomorphic forms, with the plan consisting of a circle attached to a square.The square entrance-hall, which opens onto the vast coffer dome of the interior, is one of the most technically brilliant feats of its day, as well as a huge influence to architects and writers of the true. One further example of central-planned buildings of antiquity is the Temple of Minerva Medical, of 4th century Rome between the via Albanian and the Aurelian Wall. Though it exists today as a mere ruin, its original decagon's structure and dome adhere to the geometrical recommendations of Vitreous and the ancient mathematicians, illustrating the influence of the body on architecture.The issue of centralized structures was one that preoccupied the minds of architects and theorists through the centuries, but it was not until the Renaissance, and Liberties De Re Edification off when centrally planned churches became fully established. In his stipulations for the ‘ideal church', Alberta declares that the circle is the shape most celebrated in nature, but he also advocates 8 other geometric shapes derived from the circle including the square, hexagon and decagon, and rejects the form of the basilica because of its inadequacy in comparison to the temple. Michelangelo choir for AS Annunciate, Rome 1444, is considered to be the first centralized building of the Renaissance, based on a circle with attached semi-circular chapels. Liberties San Sebastian, Mantra of 1460, however, makes use of the Greek cross plan, with 3 arms protruding from a central cross-vaulted interior space. Yet, perhaps the figure to show the greatest interest in the physical manifestation of the central plan was Brucellosis.His Old Sacristy for San Lorenz, commissioned by Giovanni did Basic De Medici, and completed in 1428, is considered â€Å"the first Renaissance space that could actually be entered†5 . The plan consists of one exact square with 3 surrounding squares a third of the size, with the overall cube being surmounted by a hemispherical dome. Similarly, Brutishness's Santa Maria dogleg Angel, 1434, has a central plan based on an octagon surrounded by 8 chapels each with rounded ends like an apse.AY these buildings, of which there are many more, make use of the central plan and thus illustrate the influence of the human body from which they were derived. Yet, it may not be the case that the architects adopted these shapes for that same reason, and it is therefore necessary to identify other factors which may have led to thei r adopting of centralization. To begin with, it is possible that characters like Brucellosis and Alberta, at the time f a thriving classical revival in Florence, were simply being influenced by the 4 R.Witter, Architectural Principles in the Age of Humanism, (London : Academy Editions, 1973) p. 6 5 F. Hart, History of Italian Renaissance Art: Painting: Sculpture: Architecture. (London, 1987) prestige of centralized buildings and wanted their buildings to carry the same associations of a powerful Roman Republic. Aside from the obvious example of the Pantheon, as mentioned earlier, a further direct influence from Rome may have been the Santos Stefan Rotund which, in the sass, underwent major restoration work byReselling under Pope Nicolas V, bringing it to the attention to the likes of Alberta, Brucellosis and Michelson. Another massive influence is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, where a circular wall encloses a ring of columns and is surmounted by a dome. Moreover, Ju st as pilgrimage buildings on the main routes to or within the Holy Land imitated elements of the sacred buildings of Jerusalem, small rotunda churches were built in Europe as satellites of more important churches being approached by pilgrims. It has therefore been suggested that Liberties SanSebastian may have been built as a â€Å"sacred station en route to Sans Andrea†6, and thus emulates the centralized plan as a reference to the affiliations to the Holy Sepulcher, and does not relate to the Vitamins man. Other issues suggest that the use of centralization does not directly bare reference the human body, particularly when acknowledging the religious focus that many churches of the Renaissance still fostered, despite being built during the flourishing of humanism. Giuliani dad Sandals S. Maria dell Career, Pratt 1485, has the plan of a Greek cross, with 4 arms Joined to the crossing and a dome suspended over the Rossini.Here, however, architectural intentions other than th ose of centralization appear to prevail, when considering the manner in which the dome doesn't touch the incommoding of the arches, the pure white walls and geometrical simplicity of the building. Overall, Giuliani dad Seasonal has created a church that is able to â€Å"evoke in the congregation a consciousness of the presence of God†7, Just as Alberta stipulated that an ideal church should have a â€Å"purifying effect and produce the state of innocence which is pleasing to God†8.In addition to the issue of centralization, the human body is represented in architecture through the proportions and mathematical ratios applied to the building. Just as Plato thought that proportion was â€Å"the bond that holds things together†9, Alberta commented in his treatise of 1450 that: â€Å"Just as the head, foot and indeed any member must correspond to teach other and to all the rest of the body in an animal, so in a building, and especially in a temple, the parts of the whole body must be composed so 6 R.Tavern, On Alberta and the Art of Building (New Haven, London : Yale University Press, cache), p. 144 7 Editions, 1973) p. 19 8 9 Ibid. P. 6 R. Paddock, Proportion : Science, Philosophy, Architecture (London : E & FAN Spoon, Bibb p. 182 that they correspond to one another†10. This idea manifests itself in the way that buildings incorporate an overall system of proportion, but more specifically, the inclusion of the â€Å"perfect' numbers, as defined by the ancients, resulting from the tradition in which architectural measurements were made using parts of the body (foot, digit, cubit and inch).It was a combination of the discovery that a man's foot is one sixth of his height, with the knowledge of the 10 digits of the human body, which deed to the numbers 6, 10, and 16 being hailed as superior to all others, and those which would allow the perfection of the human body to be mirrored in architectural expressions. Liberties fade for Santa Maria Novella, completed in 1470, displays not only the unified proportions outlined by his treatise, but the ratios of perfect numbers.The whole fade is based on the unit of a square, but crucially, the central rose window stands at a height of 36 units above the entry platform, within a fade 60 units high. This ratio of 36:60 is significant because it relates directly to the emissions of the ‘ideal man' who is 60 inches tall, with a navel 36 inches off the ground. Other references to this particular ratio based on ‘perfect' numbers as determined by the ancients include Brutishness's oratory of Santa Maria dogleg Angel, and San Sebastian, with a ratio of 6:10 for the main elements of the building such as the door, apses, portico vault and dome.It is therefore apparent that there was a strong influence of the â€Å"perfect† numbers (relating to the human body) in the Renaissance, but, as witnessed with regards to centralization, this issue does not appear significant i n the Middle Ages. Only a few examples exist, one of which is Milan Cathedral in Lombardy, Northern Italy, which was begun in 1386 under the archbishop Antonio dad Assault, and displays proportions based on the ‘perfect' numbers in the width of its nave which is divided into 6 units of 16 brachia.The use of the perfect numbers as ratios for elements of buildings appeared extensive in the Renaissance, and widespread throughout architectural theories. It is also possible, however, to identify several other systems of proportion which were equally as influential on the architecture of these years. Whilst Pythagoras identified the Golden Section and the â€Å"perfect numbers†, he also discovered how musical harmonies could be determined by measured lengths of string, and therefore how the corresponding mathematical ratios could be applied to architectural proportions.In De Re Edification, Alberta appears to be strongly influenced by these discoveries, asserting the notion o f beauty in music being paralleled in architecture, and recommending ratios based on intervals greater than an octave. Francesco did Giorgio, in his Attractor did architecture,1482, does not write explicitly on the theory of proportion in architecture, but still comments on music ratios when making recommendations for the S. Francesco Della Vagina, Venice, completed in 1534.Here he explains how the ratio of width to height of the nave should be based on the musical harmony of a 4th (ratio 3:4), and makes suggestions for the width of the chapels and transepts on similar terms. He gives no explanation for his choice of particular ratios, only stressing the view stated by Alberta that a system of proportion should be related 10 press, CACHE), p. 202 to the whole building, and that churches should reveal the â€Å"perfection of the divine Ewing itself†1 1.In addition to musical ratios, another system of proportion that stands in competition with that based on the human body (name ly ‘perfect' numbers) is the notion of sacred geometry. This system particularly arises during the Renaissance, and is identifiable again with the example of Brutishness's Old Sacristy for San Lorenz, where the 3 arched windows are said to allude to the trinity, the four walls of the cube denote the evangelists, and the 12 ribs of the dome stand as a symbol for the apostles.One final and major way in which the human body influenced architecture is that of the orders. Having established counter-arguments regarding the physical properties of buildings, it is necessary to incorporate social issues into the debate. Although the ancient texts explained the importance of using human proportion in buildings, and the various ways in which they manifest themselves, this does not mean that subsequent theorists and architects were equally as influenced by these theories.Instead, when identifying the similarities between treatises on architecture, it may be that writers were influenced by the authority of previous writers, and not specifically the content of their writing. Furthermore, when comparing, for example, Alberta and Francesco did Giorgio, writing respectively in 1450 and 1482, it is crucial to note differences in their personalities, activities and educational background which will have influenced their work.This point of social and historical context is clarified by Alberta himself who said that: â€Å"the greatest Joy in the art of building is to have a good sense of what is appropriate†12, whilst Filtrate's work of 1465, â€Å"can be seen as an explicit historical document, albeit of arduous interpretation†13. The varied and extensive influence of the human body on architectural forms and rating have been discussed with reference to the classical orders, geometric shapes, proportions, ratios and measuring systems.However, whilst all these influences are apparent, it is necessary to question the extent to which these ideas, originally found ed in the human body, were used deliberately, or whether the architectural forms in which they manifested themselves were imitated for their own sake. Likewise, it is also possible to identify other influences and issues concerning the context and individuality of the artist which suggest the human body was rarely of he greatest influence.

High School Speech Materialism and Money

We Have become largely materialistic as a society. Nowadays the size of your income is the point that defines you and happiness is the latest Ipod. Now just take a moment to consider. What was it that made you happy as a toddler? Was it that you had the latest Pumpkin patch fashions? Or perhaps it was that your parent’s earnt more than your best friends parents? No it was simply the love and affection of your parents, a sense of achievement when you achieved something and the companionship of people your own age. You see, I think those toddlers are onto a good thing. I believe that we as the young people of New Zealand place far to much emphasis on the importance of money. If you think about it, all that money causes is bad things; Debt, relationship problems, and inter-class prejudice. Money has such a strong influence over our lives, so much so that it often causes relationship problems. Many couples have put relationship problems down to financial problems. Debt and lack of income place major financial stresses on people. As a result their relationships with friends and sexual partners suffer. This can often lead to domestic violence, alcoholism and abuse. Recently a survey was conducted by a New Zealand relationship service. This survey revealed that 41% of couples experiencing relationship problems blamed their financial issues. A representative from the National relationship service declared that the groups of people most susceptible to domestic violence were young couples experiencing relationship troubles. We’ve all seen the massive controversy in the media about Slumdog millionaire Actress, Rubina Ali’s father tries to sell her. If money were such a brilliant thing why it was the very reason for a father trying to sell his daughter? His very own flesh and blood? Breaking up a whole family. I believe that if we were to place less importance on money then many relationships would benefit greatly. Debt is a major intrusion into people’s everyday lives. Debt is becoming a far more predominant issue. This is because a lot of the younger generations are un educated about the consequences of using credit and eftpos cards. They are also unaware of how to keep their accounts under control. Debt has become more of an issue in recent years with the introduction of electronic devices. Credit cards now allow people to spend heir money in advance meanwhile they are charged large amounts of interest. Because they are unable to physically ‘spend their money people are often fooled into spending large amounts of money. This is essentially a loan. The credit companies then charge the customer high interest rates and by the time the customer pays-off this debt they have paid almost twice the amount for an item in orde r to use their money in advance. The amount of debt an average New Zealander racks up is increasing. Take for example, a survey carried out by the Reserve bank of New Zealand in 2001. This survey stated that the average amount of debt as a New Zealander had increased by 10% over the ten year period since 1991 This is a leading cause for depression and mental illness. I believe that if proper education about money was given and the use of technology with money was reduced then money would become less of an intrusion into our everyday lives. Money encourages discrimination and prejudice. Society is quite distinctly split into different ‘classes’. These ‘classes’ are majorly influenced by, Yes you guessed it, Money. Why should someone be any less of a person just because they have a smaller income than the next person? The universal declaration of human rights declares that each person is entitled to certain things. Sadly are unable to access such things as they have a small income. Many low income families find that they are frowned upon by the ‘Upper classes’. One such person, a student, was mocked and taunted by her peers as her family had to carry out a ‘paper run’ to help sustain their family. As ashamed as I am to say it I stood back and watched while such blatant discrimination was taking place right in front of me. This is just one example of inner-class prejudice. The government also shows prejudice towards different classes by providing subsidies for health care and other services. Families qualify for these benefits by being under a certain income. Often families with incomes just slightly above the qualification standard often struggle to pay for such services but receive no subsidy. To qualify for a community services card a family must have a combined income of less than seventy thousand dollars per annum. A family earning seventy two thousand dollars per annum had a child that became critically ill. Because their income was two thousand dollars higher than the requirement this family received no financial help from the government and as a result they are now in major debt. I believe that inter class prejudice would become less of an issue and the lifestyle of many people would improve if less emphasis were put on money. So as the young people of New Zealand we need to take a stand and make a difference! Lets stop our consumer society form being consumed! We need to realize how the influence of money affects our relationships, emotions and attitudes towards others.