Food industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Food industry - Essay Example The company has made great advances in the production of fast foods through their kitchen prototyping, standardizing, self-serving along with fundamental changes in their marketing demographics (Schlosser, 212). The company has been offering fast foods to various classes of customers who include teenagers and the elderly. The beef department of the company is currently being dominated by immigrants who offer cheap labor in the various branches that the company has opened up across the globe. Through the process of recruiting more cheap workers, the organization has been able to expand their activities while at the same time maximizing their profits (Mankiw, 141). In consolidating their activities, Fast food Nation has been able to acquire many other smaller companies in different countries for the purpose of expanding the scope of their activities (Schlosser, 79). For instance, the company has acquired companies that indulge in packing meat such as Kenny Dobbins along with IBP Inc. T hey have been additionally able to ensure that all the outlets deal with uniform franchises (Kroeger, Vizjak, Moriarity, 89). The Omnivore’s dilemma offers a wide variety of foodstuffs for humans that range from industrial and organic foods and the foods we scavenge for ourselves such as meat products (Pollan, 62). The company manufactures the above meals in an effort to diversify their activities while expanding their activities across national along with international boundaries. They have enjoyed economies of scale with their production costs decreasing over the years as a result of using cheaper forms of labor, the use of technology in their activities and advanced production methods (Mankiw, 132). The company acquires its raw materials from many areas, which implies that they rarely have shortages in their production. The company’s production has however faced problems as a result of animal diseases which affect their production along with the

Rational Database Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rational Database - Assignment Example The journalists write the story of the news they collect and enter it into a form. After they write their stories, they submit it to the database by pressing the â€Å"submit† on their screens. Immediately they press the "submit"; the data enters the database. The data is stored in the database in tables that are called store tables.   These tables are organized to have the headlines, the dates, the venues and cities, the content, the images and other attributes of the story. Then the query that will display which information is written down. Therefore whenever a visitor visits the website, the query runs and will show the news as HTML to him when he strikes on the query.   There are important things in choosing it as a good primary key for the database. First, it is unique; there is no other ‘formula 1’. Secondly, the key will be easy to see and easy to access the information from it. It will also be used as a link to the story in the table that cannot be written directly.

Divorce Reform Act

Divorce Reform Act In 1963 the law still denied divorce except to those who could provide evidence sufficient to convince a court of a partners adultery or other matrimonial offence. In that year, a determined attempt was made to change the law to allow divorce where a couple had lived apart for at least seven years. The attempt failed. But less than a decade later the Divorce Reform Act 1969 allowed divorceif the parties had lived apart for two years (and both consented) or five years (if one did not consent). How did such a dramatic change come about in what, in this context, seems a remarkably short time? (Castles, 1994) One answer no doubt lies in what could be called the spirit of the age. 1963 was, after all, the year in which (according to Philip Larkin) sexual intercourse began. It was also the year of the so-called Profumo affair in which a Minister of the Crown admitted lying to Parliament about his relationship with a woman; and unprecedented press publicity was given to the surrounding events and rumours. (For example, another Minister was said to indulge in weird sexual practices involving his appearing nakedsave for a maskat parties.) Lord Dennings exhaustive investigation into these matters (concluding that although there had indeed been orgies where guests indulged in sexual activities of a vile and revolting nature and that it was true dinner had been served by a naked masked man yet there was not a shred of evidence that the man in question was a Minister) did little to calm the fevered atmosphere. In the circumstances, it became increasingly difficult to believe that civilisation woul d be endangered by allowing the thousands of (often elderly and usually eminently respectable) couples living together in what came to be called stable illicit unions to crush the empty legal shell of an earlier marriage so that they could become in law what they had long been in fact (Castles and Flood, 1991). Increase in divorce The massive increase in divorce associated with the two twentieth-century World Wars had been a source of grave anxiety to conventional opinion, which saw in the insidious growth in the divorce rate a tendency to take the duties and responsibilities of marriage less seriously than formerly and a threat to the whole stability of marriage as the basis of a secure and stable family life. At a somewhat less lofty level, those concerned with the administration of the family justice system became preoccupied with avoiding its collapse under the apparently relentless pressure of dirvorce petitions. 1But even amongst those who firmly believed the ideal of marriagein particular as a way of providing children the settled and harmonious life on which so much of their future happiness depends to be the traditional union for better for worse, for richer for poorer . . . till death us do part there was concern about the lot of the hundred thousand or more people living apart from their legal spous es in stable unions to which the law denied recognition. The impossibility of legalising such relationships against the will of an innocent legal spouse denied many men and women (and in particular the children they bore) adequate social and financial protection (Ceschini, 1995). In 1951 in an attempt to meet this concern, Mrs Eirene White had introduced a Private Members Bill into the House of Commons, avowedly intended to deal with marriages in which the spouses have lived separately for seven years, but in which no hitherto recognised ground for divorce exists or in which one partner, having grounds for action, declines to take it and keeps the other partner tied against his or her will, generally for life. The Bill did this by invoking a new principle, in that it looks to the breakdown of the marriage as the ground for divorce (whilst not prejudicing the right of an injured party to seek divorce under the existing matrimonial offence provisions). This was to be achieved by adding seven years separation to the existing grounds for divorce; but divroce was only to be granted on the separation ground if the court was satisfied, first, that there was no reasonable prospect of cohabitation being resumed; and secondly, that a petitioning husband had made adequa te provision for his familys maintenance (Chesnais, 1996). Everyone who spoke on the Bill conceded that the existing law, particularly by denying the freedom to remarry to those whose marriages were long functionally dead, was capable of causing considerable hardship and unhappiness. But opponents of change claimed that in relieving this unhappiness the Bill would weaken the institution of marriage and thereby produce much more unhappiness in the future (Smith, 2002). The Labour Government The Labour Government accepted that the problem of the stable illicit union was a real one. But the Attorney-General suggested that there were many other problems with the marriage laws, that it would be wrong to select one of them and deal with it in isolation, and that the right course would be to set up a Royal Commission to make a comprehensive study of the marriage laws. Although the House of Commons gave a second reading to the White Bill by 131 votes to 60, Mrs White eventually acceded to Government pressure and withdrew her Bill on terms that the Government would set up the Royal Commission it had proposed. In reality, as Lord Chancellor Jowitt told Archbishop Fisher, he had agreed to the Royal Commission in the hope of avoiding (the White Bill] which had given rise to it (Clark, 1999). The Royal Commission, established as one of the last acts of the Attlee Labour Government in September 1951 under the chairmanship of Lord Morton of Henryton was thus a temporising measure of a once traditional kind; and its Reportthe fruit of four years deliberation certainly did not satisfy the hopes of those who had seen a Royal Commission as the only chance of getting a real reform of the divorce laws, much less the expressed wish of Archbishop Fisher that a full inquiry would lead to a settlement lasting fifty years (Chester, 1977). On the main issue of the ground for divorce, the Commission was hopelessly divided. On only one proposition was there any broad agreement. All save one of the Commissioners agreed that the existing (and much criticised) law based on the doctrine of the matrimonial offence should be retained. Nine of the nineteen signatories went further and took an even more conservative view: they rejected the introduction of the doctrine of breakdown of marriage in any form. For this group such a doctrine would inevitably entail recognition of divorce by consenta change disastrous to the nation encouraging people to abandon their marriages on the flimsiest provocation–whilst divorce simply on the basis of a period of separation would have even more damaging consequences for the institution of marriage . . . it would mean that either spouse would be free to terminate the marriage at pleasure . . . [and] people would enter marriage knowing that no matter what they did or how their partners fel t, they could always get free. For these nine members, the proper function of the law was to give relief where a wrong had been done, not to provide a dignified and honourable means of release from a broken marriage. The matrimonial offence doctrine might indeed be artificial in its application to some cases, but it none the less provided a clear and intelligible principle; and the external buttress of a system of law specifying the circumstances in which individuals had the right to seek the dissolution of marriage helped them to strengthen their good impulses and weaken the bad (Smith,1992). Commissioners Another nine Commissioners did take a more positive view of reform. This group did not accept that divorce should only be available on proof of a matrimonial offence; and recommended making divorce available when a marriage had broken down irretrievably as demonstrated by the fact that the spouses had lived apart for seven years or more. But five of this group would have refused divorce for separation if either party objected; and even the four prepared to accept separation divorce against the will of one spouse would have insisted on an applicant in such a case demonstrating that the separation was attributable to unreasonable conduct of the other spouse. Only one member of the Commission, the Scottish judge Lord Walker, was prepared to take his stand on the ground of principle that the law should favour the dissolution of marriages which had indeed broken down, irrespective of the guilt or innocence of the petitioner; and that divorce should be available to a spouse who had lived a part from the other for at least three years and could establish that the facts and circumstances were such as to make it improbable that an ordinary husband and wife would ever resume cohabitation (Castles, 1994). Although the (Conservative) Government was sensitive to charges that Royal Commissions were a recognised and timely method of shelving inconvenient questions no one, in the light of the divergent views put forward in the Morton Report, could possibly expect any government to introduce legislation permitting divorce (even by consent) after a separation of seven years and any kind of official support for legislation permitting a man who had gone off leaving a guiltless wife for seven years [to] come back and divorce her against her will seemed even less likely (Smith, 1997). Not surprisingly, this setback was a bitter disappointment; and the criticisms made of the Morton Report by Professor O. R. McGregor have been influential in creating an enduring and strongly unfavourable perception of the Morton Commission. In McGregors view, the Morton Report contributed nothing to our knowledge; and had proved to be a device for obfuscating a socially urgent but politically inconvenient issue. It was ( McGregor conceded) a matter of opinion whether the Morton Commission was intellectually the worst Royal Commission of the twentieth century (although since he thought there could be no dispute that [it] is the most unreadable and confused it would seem the competition for the wooden spoon was, in McGregors view, not severe) (Simotta, 1995). This is not the place for a detailed examination of McGregors polemic; but subsequent events suggest that at least one of McGregors criticisms had touched a sensitive nerve. McGregor claimed that Lord Morton and his colleagues were hostile to the social sciences, that as a result of their ignorance of evidence which social scientists could have providedextending, apparently, to actual knowledge of the types of divorce law most likely to promote marital and familial stability the Commission was unable to penetrate to the heart of the problems set before them. The view that the assistance of social scientists was essential to inquiries became part of the conventional orthodoxy; and, as we shall see, considerable efforts were made to secure a social science input for the group established seven years later by the Archbishop of Canterbury (Peters, 1992). McGregor also seems to have regarded as a weakness the fact that the Morton Committeein contrast to the 1912 Gorrell Commission (whose chairman was known to have strong views in favour of divorce law reform, but whose membership also included some known to take a strongly conservative view)did not include either a representative of the Church on the one hand or any active proponent of reform on the other. It is certainly true that the Government devoted considerable effort to achieving a balanced and impartial membership; but if this was an error it was one which was not repeated. As we shall see, there was no nonsense about impartiality as a criterion in choosing sources of advice in the years leading up to the 1969 reforms (Meisaari-Polsa, 1997). Whatever may be thought about McGregors triumphalist beliefs in the potential of social science research for policy making, in one respect he can be shown to have been plainly wrong. He asserted that it was a safe prediction that divorce reform will take a long, long time; but in fact, little more than a decade later, the Divorce Reform Act swept the concept of the indissoluble marriage into history. Six years after the Morton Report divorce reform was given another chance. A Bill providing for divorce on the ground of seven years separation was brought forward by Mr Leo Abse Mp. The House of Commons gave the Bill a second reading and it passed through its Committee stage. But opponents of separation divorce let it be known that any Bill containing such a provision would be talked out; and, faced with this formidable opposition, Abse withdrew the clause adding separation to the grounds for divorce in exchange for an agreement that the other provisions in the Bill (designed to remove obstacles to reconciliation attempts ) would reach the statute book. An attempt in the House of Lords to reinstate the separation divorce provisions also failed (Kooy, 1977). A significant factor in this apparent further reverse for the cause of reform was thenow much more sophisticatedopposition of the Church, organised behind the scenes with great efficiency by the first holder of the post of Lay Secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Beloe. Beloea distinguished educationalist and in that capacity a member of the Morton Commission had special responsibility for organising episcopal representation in the House of Lords and moved easily and confidently between Lambeth Palace, the Palace of Westminster and Whitehall. It is true that the contents of the Abse Bill at first took Beloe by surprise; but intelligenceon such matters as the religious affiliations and marital status of Cabinet Ministers was rapidly gathered and put efficiently to use. During the passage of the Abse Bill through the Commons, Beloe took an active part in the efforts to organise MPs opposed to separation divorce. He scrutinised the list of MPs nominated to serve on the Stan ding Committee considering the Bill (and he appears to have been successful in getting one change made). Finally, he masterminded the publication of a firm statement of the Churches opposition to separation divorce (Haskey, 1992). But Beloe really came into his element when the Abse Bill got to the House of Lords and Lord Silkin and others made a determined attempt to reinstate the clause permitting separation divorce. Beloes briefing paper for the Archbishop was prophetically headed How to secure rejection of Mr Abses clause; and to that end he skillfully organised opposition. Ramsey made a speech in the debate uncompromisingly rejecting the proposed addition of seven years separation to the existing grounds for divorce, and the Lords defeated the proposal on a division. Beloe appreciated that this could not be the end of the matter. He had been warned by the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Home Office that a Bill providing for separation divorce was almost certain to be introduced by a private member the following session; and he was concerned that the Conservative Party faced with the need to modernise its image in the run-up to a General Election might see divorce reform as one means of doing so (Smith, 1 997). Divorce provision Everyone agreed to be an unsatisfactory law and of not being prepared to face reality in its approach to social questions, while the way in which Abse had been forced to drop the separation divorce provision had given rise to a great deal of anti-clerical feeling. Against this background, the Church clearly needed to take some action; and the links and understandings established by Beloe during the progress of the Abse Bill became of crucial importance in apparently restoring the Church to its position of influence over policy (Simotta, 1995). The Churchs Board for Social Responsibility had in fact already initiated conversations about the possibility of some alternative basis for divorce, but progress had been slow. This led Beloe to float, at a meeting with senior officials from the Home Office and Lord Chancellors Department, the notion that the Archbishop might set on foot a somewhat more formal investigation into marriage and its dissolution; and the suggestion that the Archbishops mediation might be aimed at the possibility of substituting for all other grounds the ground that a marriage had come to an end emerged. Evidently this was favourably received; and in June the Archbishop announcedalbeit in a somewhat low key way that he had asked some fellow churchmen to seek to find a principle at law of breakdown of marriage . . . free from any trace of the idea of consent, which conserved the point that offences and not only wishes are the basis of breakdown, and which was protected by a far more thorough insistence on r econciliation procedure first (Peters, 1992). It is difficult to believe that this announcement brought much cheer to the supporters of divorce reform faced as they were with yet another failure to carry legislation through Parliament, or indeed whether the civil servants who had become involved had any real expectation that the Archbishops initiative would bear fruit; but in the event it proved to be of decisive importance in preparing the ground for the 1969 Reforms. The composition of what came to be called the Archbishops Group (chaired by Robert Mortimer, Bishop of Exeter was somewhat different from the group of churchmen originally envisaged by Ramsey, in part because both the Home Secretary and the Lord Chancellor took an active part in suggesting who should (and who should not) be asked to serve. It is true that membership was confined to those thought to be Christians, but no requirement of religious observance was imposed; and the selection process came to resemble that traditionally conducted in Whitehall trawls of th e great and the good, with slots being allocated to particular professions (for example, child psychiatry) and interests (for example, marriage guidance). There was one particular problem: criticism about the lack of social science expertise in the Morton Commission made it seem imperative that a sociologist be a member of the Archbishops Group; but considerable difficulty was experienced in identifying a sociologist who could be described as a Christian, even in the broadest interpretation of the word. Eventually Professor Donald MacRae accepted an invitation to join the group (Meisaari-Polsa, 1997). Invitations to join the group were ultimately sent out in January 1964; and the members held their first meeting at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies on 26 May 1964. It had been decided (after some discussion) to make public the existence and remit of the Group. Ramseys letter of invitation to join the Group had made clear the dilemma the Church faced. He and other church leaders were opposed to seven years separation as a ground for divorce since if it did not also require consent this would cause great injustice whilst if it did it would undermine the nature of the marriage contract as a life-long intention. For those reasons it had been right to reject the Abse proposal. But the law remained unsatisfactory not least because there is often recourse to a fictitious planning of matrimonial offences in order to obtain a divorce (Kooy , 1977). How was the Group to resolve the dilemma? At the outset, Mortimer made it clear that the ultimate objective was to try to put forward proposals which would be acceptable to humanists and Christians alike. The numerous letters he had received touched on (1) the desire of one party to a marriage to be free to legitimise a new union and its issue and the reluctance of the other party to permit this; (2) the general ignorance of and impatience with legal procedures, particularly those which submit an undefending spouse to hearing unexpectedly the material facts alleged against him without opportunity to reply; (3) the difficulty of obtaining payment of maintenance without burdensome and costly visits to court; (4) the fear that divorce for separation might endanger general acceptance of marriage as a life long contract (Haskey, 1992). The Group met on eighteen occasions between May 1964 and March 1966, and considered an impressive body of evidence from some distinguished and expert witnesses. It did not take long for it to reach a consensus. The law as it stood was universally agreed to be unsatisfactory; and there was a strong prima-facie case for the substitution of irretrievable breakdown as the sole ground for divorce, replacing the matrimonial offence. The court would have power to dissolve marriage if having regard to the interests of society as well as of those immediately affected by its decision, it judged it wrong to maintain the legal existence of a relationship that was beyond all probability of existing again in fact.This would involve the court giving a judgment on the state of the marriage; and its decree would no longer be against the respondent but rather against further legal recognition of the marriage (Haller, 1977). The Group remained adamantly opposed to divorce by consent: which (as Bishop Mortimer was to say ) was open to the grave, indeed overwhelming objection that it would reduce marriage to a purely private contract and would ignore the interest of the community. Hence, it was to be for the court, representing the community, to decide whether the marriage had indeed irretrievably broken down; and, although the agreement of the parties in wanting a divorce would not be a bar (and might even count in favour of a decree) in no case would such an agreement of itself suffice to effect divorce. It was, for the Archbishops Group, essential that the court should always examine the issue of breakdown according to the evidence; and it made it clear that its recommendation for amendment of the substantive law was conditional upon procedural changes to enable the court to conduct the inquest it believed to be necessary into the alleged fact and causes of the death of the marriage relationship and to get to grips with the realities of the matrimonial relationship instead of havingas it thought was the case under the offence based lawto concentrate on superficialities (Gray, 1998). The Group refused to accept that any of the well-rehearsed objections to the breakdown principle outweighed its advantages. No doubt (the Group accepted) critics would point to the economic deprivation caused by divorce; but the solution to that lay primarily in reforms of the law of property, pensions (a topic much discussed) and insurance. The Group was correct in its prophesyindeed, the problem of pensions after divorce remains a source of difficulty more than thirty years laterbut it did not see it as part of its remit to prescribe detailed remedies for these problems (Graham-Siegenthaler, 1989). What of the objection that breakdown divorce would allow the guilty to take advantage of their own wrong? The Group thought that the courts judgment could and should be seen as the recognition of a state of affairs and a consequent redefinition of status (rather than as a verdict of guilty after a law suit), and for that reason the maxim would have no general application. But even so, the Group accepted the need for a safeguardin the form of an absolute bar on divorcein cases in which to grant a divorce would be outweighed by other considerations of fundamental importance such as the public interest in justice and in protecting the institution of marriage (Goode, 1993). On one matter in particular the Group was adamant: the doctrine of breakdown was an alternative to divorce founded on the matrimonial offencethe lesser of two evils. On no account should breakdown be introduced into the existing law in the form of an additional ground for divorce. Indeed, the Group thought that rather than to inject into [the offence based law]a small but virulent dose of incompatible principle it would be better to keep the law based firmly on the matrimonial offence and to consider how the administration of the law could be improved (Glendon, 1989). The Established Church had traditionally opposed any further erosion of the great principle proclaimed by Christ holding marriage to be a life-long obligation terminable only by death with all the sacrifice which such an obligation imposed; but as long ago as 1937 the Church had come to accept that it was no longer possible to impose the full Christian standard by law on a largely non-Christian population. On that basis, Putting Asunder at the outset drew a distinction to which it attached great importance. How the doctrine of Christ concerning marriage should be interpreted and applied within the Christian Church is one question: what the Church ought to say and do about secular laws of marriage and divorce is another question altogether . . . Our own terms of reference make it abundantly clear that our business is with the second question only. Hence (as the Observer newspaper put it) the Report was not in any sense another theological tract written by theologians for the Churchs c ommunicants. (Glendon, 1987) The Commission accordingly produced a Paper, which was discussed at a meeting with Representatives of the Archbishops Group on 17 February 1966. Mortimer insisted that any presumption of breakdown arising from the various fact situations enumerated by the Commission should be capable of being rebutted in order to avoid any suggestion that the matrimonial offence was to be preserved under another name; and he repeatedly emphasised the need to ensure the effectiveness of the various safeguards proposed by the Group. However, the two sides agreed that there appeared to be no difference in principle between the Group and the Commission; and the Commission redrafted its paper to reflect those discussions (Fisher, 1992). In the meantime, opinion was being prepared for a breakthrough. The Lord Chancellor announced that the gap between the two bodies was being narrowed; and the Church Assembly on 16 February 1967after an important debate in the course of which Professor J. N. D. Anderson warned of the mounting and increasingly broadly based demand for reform which he thought it would be disastrous for the Church to ignore resolved to welcome Putting Asunder (Federkeil, 1997). Eventually on 2 June 1967the terms of the agreement between the Archbishops Group and the Law Commission were finalised and in due course published: irretrievable breakdown was to be the sole ground for divorce, but there should be no detailed inquest. Rather, breakdown was to be inferred, either from one of several specified facts askin to the traditional matrimonial offences or from the fact that the parties had lived apart for two years if the respondent consented to divorce or for five years if there were no consent. Mortimer had insisted on one alteration to what had been intended as the final draftnamely that the power to refuse a Decree where the Court thinks that in the circumstances it would be wrong to do so, shall be mandatory and not permissive. This amendment was duly made (whereas various other requests by the Group were not accepted by the Commission) (Friedberg, 1998). But all this was too late to influence events. On 12 October the Cabinet accepted Gardiners advice that a Bill to give effect to the concordat should be drafted by Parliamentary Counsel in the Law Commission and handed to a private member. The Government was to remain neutral on the merits of the Bill but would consider making government time available for the Bill in the light of the degree of support shown for it on Second Reading. The Law Commission settled Instructions to Parliamentary Counsel, and on 29 November the House of Commons ordered the Divorce Reform Bill presented by Mr William Wilson MP to be printed. Although there was inadequate parliamentary time for the Wilson Bill to get onto the statute book the Bill was taken over by another private member, Mr Alec Jones, and received the Royal Assent on 22 October 1969 (Ermisch, 1993). As has long been recognised, the publication of Putting Asunder played an important part in facilitating the reform of the divorce law effected by the Divorce Reform Act 1969not least influencing what has been described as the quite remarkable consensus on the broad lines of reformand Putting Asunder certainly had a decisive influence on the form which the legislation took. But how far did that Act truly give effect to the principles upon which the Archbishops Group founded their support for reform? (Council of Europe, 1998). First, the Group was adamant that irretrievable breakdown should be the only ground for divorce; and it is true that the Divorce Reform Act 1969 provided that the sole ground upon which a petition could be based was that the marriage had broken down irretrievably. But it soon became clear that this ringing assertion was little more than verbiage. However clear it might be that the marriage had broken down, the court could not dissolve it unless the petitioner could establish adultery, behaviour, desertion, or a period of living apart; and if any of those facts could be established the court was bound to dissolve the marriage unless the respondent could discharge the almost impossible task of satisfying the court that the marriage had not broken down. There is no reported instance of a respondent succeeding in so doing; and Mortimers assumption that the evidence of breakdown would be rebuttable rather than conclusive has been demonstrably falsified. The reality is that the effective g round for divorce under the 1969 Act was not breakdown at all but rather the three matrimonial offences referred to above and separation for the prescribed period: Andersons gloomy prophesy turned out to have been well founded. The remarkable consensus was obtained by concealing the truth (Commaille, J., et al, 1983). Moreover, experience soon showed that the divorcing population wanted the speedy divorce which could be obtained on the basis of an allegation of adultery or behaviour, and more than three-quarters of all divorces were granted in that way. This tendency was reinforced in 1977 when court hearings of divorce petitions were effectively abandoned. Far from burying the matrimonial offence, the reforming legislation ensured that it not only survived but flourished (Clark, 1999). Secondly, the Group was adamant that there should be no divorce by consent. The parties might indeed consent to the dissolution of their marriage but this was only to be brought about by court order after appropriate inquiry. Divorce was not only to remain the act of the court, rather than that of the parties; but it was central to the Groups thinking that the Court should first satisfy itself by inquiry that the marriage had truly broken down and (as Mortimer put it in the final debate) the courts must take seriously their duty to enquire into all the facts alleged and to be quite sure that they are satisfied that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. But in fact the court hearings under the Divorce Reform Act were rarely more than a perfunctory formality; and even the formality was effectively abolished in 1977. Yet again, the legislation failed to give effect to the policy on which Putting Asunder had been founded. Those responsible for formulating the concordat must have kn own that there would in practice rarely if ever be any inquiry into breakdown; but, unsurprisingly, they chose not to disabuse Mortimer and his colleagues of their belief that the court would carry out an inquest, at least in cases of doubt (Coase, 1960). Finally, the Group consistently insisted on the need for safeguardsboth of the interests of vulnerable members of the family and of the public interest in upholding the institution of marriage. So far as economic saf

War is Kind by Stephanie Peace and Wilfred Owen’s Anthem for Doomed Youth :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

War is Kind by Stephanie Peace and Wilfred Owen’s Anthem for Doomed Youth War and peace, another saga in the on going battle of good versus evil. Ironically though, war (evil) is created in the process of pursuing peace (good.) The world today believes that peace is freedom, the right to live, and a harmony between all. Certain places or people do not agree with this though, so the â€Å"good† must go in and conquer the â€Å"evil† in order to create peace. Where as Claude McKay would agree with me that war serves to create peace, Wilfred Owen would more than likely say that war does nothing but bring death. War is not pretty, as decorated as it may be, but it does have a purpose. Without fighting, without battles, without war, our nation would not be what it is today. We had to fight for our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. Once we obtained this, we then had to fight to keep it from the Nazi’s, from the Japanese, and even Russians. In McKay’s â€Å"America†, he compares our nation to a tiger who’s tooth sinks into his throat. He is saying that America is strong and fierce, and that blood must be spilled in order to â€Å"stand with in her walls with not a shred/ Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer† (725 9-10). If America wasn’t this tiger, if America didn’t fight for what those with in her believe is right, then the people with in her would live in fear and terror of being attacked themselves. This is why we must fight, so that we can keep our peace. While war may keep our peace, there are people who sacrifice themselves during battle who will never get a chance to see it. This is how Wilfred Owen views war in â€Å"Anthem for Doomed Youth.† Instead of those who fight in battle being surrounded by peace, they only hear the â€Å"monstrous anger of the guns† and only see â€Å"[candles] Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes† (731 2, 11). No, for those who fight in war there is no peace, only death. Only decay. This is all those who fight see and hear; this is what loses in around them. To those who fight in war, there is no winning. To those who fight in war, there is no victory. No, instead there is only the â€Å"pallor of girls’ brows†, only tears and sorrow (732 11).

Kalabagh Dam And Hydroelectric Power In Pakistan Environmental Sciences Essay

The Kalabagh Dam was one of the proposed undertakings in Pakistan when it comes to hydroelectric power workss in the state. The proposed Kalabagh Dam was supposed to be built on Indus River. Government of Pakistan was the backing authorization in the building. Mianwali District was selected as the proposed site of the darn precisely situated at Kalabagh. The part was near to the boundary line of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The very origin of this undertaking was controversial and different authoritiess had a serious argument on the building of this reservoir. It was eventually in December 2005 when, so General Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan announced that Kalabagh Dam will be constructed for the greater involvement of Pakistan. He made several agreements for the building every bit good during his government. It was back in May 2008 when Raja Pervez Ashraf, the Federal Minister for Water and Power of Pakistan called off the Kalabagh Dam undertaking. Raja Pervez Ashraf farther justified his determination by saying that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and other stakeholders involved in the undertaking were opposing badly and it was non executable. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gilani stated in one of his interviews post the 2010 Flood that desolation would hold been manner less if Kalabagh Dam was constructed. Kalabagh Dam was a multi-purpose undertaking in footings of nature and was expected to hold a storage capacity of 6.1 million acre pess ( MAF ) . The undertaking was expected to endorse the Water Apportionment Accord ( WAA ) that happened in 1991 harmonizing to which the irrigation system to states was to be streamlined. In add-on to this, the aim of Kalabagh Dam was the handiness of inexpensive hydropower. The National Grid was anticipating a rise of 3600MW in the production capacity. Kalabagh Dam was supposed to take up 110,500 sq. Miles of Catchment country in the Kalabagh Region in District Mianwali. Harmonizing to the statistical analysis, the location had a maximal inundation record of 1,200,200 cusecs of H2O back in 1929. The mean one-year H2O flow at the location is found to be an tremendous 91.4 MAF that best suits the location to be turned into a Dam. Kalabagh Dam was a mega undertaking with an expected gross capacity of 7.9 MAF and unrecorded capacity of 6.1 MAF. It was planned that Kalabagh Dam is traveling to hold power units each bring forthing 300MW, 12 in measure with the turbine caput design of 170 pess. The complete human dynamo was an indoor one and the production in the initial stage was expected to be around 2400MW and finally lift to 3600MW in the running stage. The expected cost of this undertaking back in 1997 was somewhat around Rs. 250 Billion when the US Dollar was drifting at Rs. 45. Kalabagh Dam was planned for the greater involvement of the state and its resources. Pakistan being one of the blest states around the universe has a batch of fresh H2O supplies round the twelvemonth. The geographics of this state is good suited for dikes and H2O storages both for storage intents and power coevals intents. Kalabagh Dam was proposed for settling down the irrigation system and had hydropower potencies as good. The greatest advantage of Kalabagh dike was that it was rendering great consequences on an highly low-cost monetary value ticket. Kalabagh Dam was the least expensive multi-purpose solution to both the irrigation and power outages. Both the irrigation and power coevals capacities of Pakistan were expected to lift well through the undertaking. It was expected to be the 2nd great irrigation system after the Indus Basin Project in the late 1960 ‘s with similar function of doing a good start towards a incorporate national H2O resource development-cum-management system. The undertaking was all set to get down in 1980 ‘s and the undertaking would hold been in the on the job status by twenty-first Century harmonizing to the engineering back so. The contention started developing from the really start of the undertaking and rose from the state of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The contentions were all wholly based on deficiency of information or hear say. There were reserves in the heads of many people around these states based on pure conservative ideas. There were many alterations made in the initial stage in order to do it look friendly to an mean head but that excessively, was of no usage. LITERATURE REVIEW As stated earlier, the building of Kalabagh Dam triggered a great contention amongst the four states of Pakistan. It was merely Punjab that favored the undertaking that is besides the strongest state amongst the four. The other three states expressed their reserves and dissatisfaction on the undertaking and their provincial assemblies passed declaration against the proposal. This places the undertaking into the consideration stage for a long clip until it was confirmed in 2005 and so rejected in 2008. WAPDA has already highlighted the fact that Pakistan is traveling to be confronting terrible H2O deficit in the hereafter if nil was done to make storages. The H2O handiness in 1951 was every bit low as 5260 three-dimensional metres while it fell to 1038 three-dimensional metres in 2010 whereas the population was 34 million and 172 million severally. Harmonizing to statistics, the least to keep the provinces of a H2O sufficient state is 1000+ three-dimensional metres of H2O. There are even premises that the building of dike is traveling to adversely impact the environment every bit good as any other big dike does. The building might besides displace a figure of people from the site locations. The building was planned to originate in 1984 but did n't get down even as yet. Punjab ‘s Point of Position: Punjab is the lone state in complete favour of the Kalabagh Dam as this undertaking was expected to provide both H2O and hydro-electric power for a really nominal cost. Water demands in Punjab are besides higher as the population here is great as compared to other parts of the state. The H2O that flows into the Arabian Sea is a pure waste for those life in Punjab where the H2O can be used to water lands that are sterile. Punjab is in desperate demand of two dikes apart from merely the Kalabagh Dam at Bhasha and Skardu. Kalabagh Dam ‘s site is best suitable and this would hold been built at the first topographic point harmonizing to the demands of the state. The dike was best suited to water Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar. Punjab is the state that will be affected to the maximal extent if the Kalabagh Dam is non built. The Water Treaty between Pakistan and India that initiated in 1960s set the royalty of Sutlej and Bias into the custodies of India. Ever since this pact was signed, the Ravi, Sutlej and Bias are used merely the season of inundations when India needs to let go of H2O. Electricity produced by H2O is the cheapest amongst all that is produced by other resources. The state even agreed that it is non traveling to claim any royalty despite the fact that the location of Kalabagh was situated in Punjab. Sindh ‘s Point of Position: The strongest of the oppositions of Kalabagh Dam is Sindh on evidences of â€Å" larceny of H2O by Punjab † . Sindh claims that Indus River belongs to it by virtuousness of the name and history. Sindh farther claimed that the building of Mangla and Tarbela was the greatest larceny of H2O that was used for irrigation in Singh. Sindh raised expostulation on the portion of Indus H2O that they receive. The claim was that Kalabagh Dam will water Punjab and North-West Frontier Province. Sindh besides claimed that the coastal countries of the state demand changeless supplies of H2O into the Arabian Sea so that the H2O from the sea does non irrupt into the land. This intruding would go forth a batch of country of Sindh into saline desert that will come up as an environmental issue. This will besides destruct the coastal Rhizophora mangles. The building of Mangla Dam and Tarbela Dam already turned the mighty Indus River turn into a watercourse station the Kotri Barrage in Hyderabad. They besides justified that large dikes can non do on H2O that comes chiefly from rain as it does non rain throughout the twelvemonth. If there was no rain, Sindh did n't see any H2O station the Kotri Barrage. The location is said to be unsuitable for such a building as there are legion breaks on the lowest point of the vale. There were a figure of other environmental jobs that were non addressed in the yesteryear. Silt is the greatest of the issues that can do H2O deficit impacting the capacity of Manchar Lake and Haleji Lake. The Sindhis were non convinced with the attempts of President Musharraf and the Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz mentioning to the H2O larceny that took topographic point in 1991. Political Parties like Muttahida Qaumi Movement who was in favour of General Musharraf and was ally in the Federal Assembly were badly opposing the thought of Kalabagh Dam. Parties like PMLN retracted themselves from their stances saying that the Dam should be built for the greater involvement of the state. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ‘s Point of Position: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ‘s point of position is pretty different from that of other states. Their first claim was that Punjab was ne'er good at carry throughing promises. The state was non even believable for maintaining up the constitutional warrants. Another of their concern was with mention to the Ghazi-Barotha hydro electric power. They claim that the full canal system of Ghazi-Barotha system tally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while the turbines lie 500 metres within the Punjab state but the royalty is rejected to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The royalty of coevals of Kalabagh dike became an issue even when the undertaking was finalized as people populating in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa expected the Federal Government to be unfair in giving royalty to the state alternatively expected them to travel for the favour of Punjab. They besides stated that the Nowshehra District will be submerged by the dike and there will be even more part of the state being affected from water-logging and salt. Balochistan ‘s Point of Position: Balochistan is non straight affected by the Kalabagh Dam instead there have been a figure of patriots Baloch Standards that consider that Punjab has been governing the smaller states in the yesteryear. Discussion Kalabagh dike has been a difference of all time since the really thought was incepted. There have been terrible resistance to the building of Kalabagh Dam through all times from three States of Pakistan and none apart from Punjab merely have favored the building of Kalabagh Dam. There were different evidences posed by other provincial authoritiess warranting that Kalabagh Dam should non be constructed. General Pervez Musharraf, ex-president Pakistan had elusive programs to build Kalabagh Dam in 2016 harmonizing to the feasibleness study ( Fulcher, 2006 ) . The dike site close to Kohat part and the Khewra salt mines was controversial from the really first twenty-four hours and the later was the largest operating salt mine around the universe. There was a immense hazard that the salt will leach in immense measures from the scopes into the river Indus and the overall hydrology of the part is traveling to alter drastically. This came up as another great concern to the oppositions who were non in the favour of Kalabagh Dam. The aforesaid literature reappraisal has set a batch of things clear to us including the advantages and disadvantages of Kalabagh Dam. The Water and Power Development Authority has suggested that the entire land that will be submerged as a consequence of Kalabagh Dam is about 14,000 hectares ( Fulcher, 2006 ) . There were certain independent appraisals as good some of which went high up to a monolithic 74,000 hectares. The ulterior appraisals were all overdone and were meant for nil but propaganda against the proposed developmental undertakings. Even the first portion of the appraisal did non account for the land that will be inundated in instance of a river inundation happening. It even does non account for the land that will be taken up in instance the degree of the river rose. The building of Kalabagh Dam has a figure of advantages apart from the few disadvantages excessively. There is no manner that we can disregard the disadvantages but we can surely look for ways to cut down the impact. There are advocated distributed all across the state apart from the oppositions. The major protagonism comes from the state of Punjab and from the technocrats of Khyber Pakhtoonkhuwah. They have a figure of claims to recommend that Kalabagh Dam is traveling to help the state acquiring rid of power and H2O deficit. The best protagonism lies in the H2O deficit. As mentioned above, Pakistan is traveling towards a province where H2O scarceness is traveling to predominate and the possibility of one dike on the Indus River ( Iyer, 2006 ) comes up as the best justification that sets Kalabagh Dam an of import undertaking. It is non merely agribusiness that Kalabagh Dam is associated with but besides electricity. There has been a serious power deficit for old ages now and the most appropriate solution to the deficit is hydroelectric power that Pakistan has the potency of bring forthing at a really sensible monetary value. The fabrication sector of the state needs Kalabagh Dam for the power issue for a sustainable advancement of the state ( Khan, 2009 ) . Mangla Dam, Tarbela Dam, Chashma Barrage were first-class undertakings that provided Pakistan with H2O for irrigation and power at the same topographic point but the siltation procedure has caused a batch of volume shortage. The deposit in the dike can non be dealt with until or unless an option is built and the best alternate possibly is Kalabagh Dam. Kalabagh Dam will come up as an add-on storage volume that will run into the H2O lack in the early Kharif period runing from the months of April-June. This has a critical value for the cotton harvest turning in Sindh. The Kalabagh Dam, on the whole will apportion H2O harmonizing to the WAA-1991 and will modulate high inundation hazards in the Indus river every bit good as bring forthing Hydro-Power to power the whole of Pakistan ( Khokhar, 2008 ) . In times when Tarbela was non build, the one-year mean H2O flight was 38 Million Acre Feet below Kotri that rose to 64 subsequently on. With the building of Kalabagh Dam, this can be brought back to 32MAF ( Al-Khobar, 2011 ) . Another 26MAF out of this 32 can be easy controlled and utilized to convey the backward countries of Pakistan into usage by utilizing the national H2O resources development attack. The primary energy beginning of Pakistan is oil and gas where the demand oil and gas in the state is estimated to be around 51 million metric tons of oil equivalent ( TOE ) ( The Nations, 2010 ) . Pakistan is bring forthing 34 million TOE yearly while the shortage is met through imports chiefly. As an option to this, the big graduated table hydropower incorporated with a multi-purpose storage can assist cut down the cost of electric supply within the range of a standard consumer. The best portion of Kalabagh Dam is the add-on of 2400 MW of electric power to the National Grid in the early stage and finally lifting to 3600 MW installed power ( WAPDA ) . This will greatly cut down the burden casting issue that the state is confronting as of now with the industry and production traveling in serious debt. A impersonal argument will acquire in a batch more so this into history and one can happen another set of advantages of Kalabagh Dam for the prosperity and unity of this state. The greatest of them is a decreased dependence on imported fuels that accounts for a immense amount of our foreign modesty. Kalabagh Dam can guarantee economic prosperity of Pakistan if the undertaking is handled with attention. It besides produces employment for 30,000 persons around the state during the building stage and there will be a batch more who will be employed after the undertaking is commissioned. Construction monetary value is another concern for Government of Pakistan while the direct benefits from Kalabagh dike suggest that the dike will pay 25 billion per annum therefore accounting for the whole investing in 9-10 old ages ( Khokhar, 2008 ) . The energy generated at Kalabagh Dam is expected to be around 20 million barrels of oil yearly. This will assist cutting short the import budget every bit good as the transit and handling charges that are charged for treating the imported oil. Apart from the economic point of position, the Kalabagh Dam Project has several societal benefits excessively out of which settling down of the grudge from Southern Punjab are the greatest of all. Kalabagh Dam is traveling to water major parts of Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar therefore a major grudge from the part will be settled down itself. In add-on, Punjab state does non claim any royalty on the coevals of resources from Kalabagh Dam, it is merely the lack of trust that does non allow this undertaking happen. Decision Pakistan is into a province where the lacks are at its extremums. Pakistan has long been known as an agricultural state and agribusiness is non possible without irrigation. The current state of affairs is traveling quickly towards H2O scarceness hence doing serious injury to the agricultural sector of Pakistan. In add-on to that, the electric power coevals beginnings have all been exhausted. Even Mangla Dam and Tarbela Dam have moved into the last phases of their lives, the demand of Kalabagh Dam this minute is critical to run into the demands of both irrigation and power. There are legion disadvantages of the building of Kalabagh Dam that has raised a serious resistance from other parts of the state chiefly from Khyber Pakhtoonkhuwah and Sindh Provinces. The overall resistance has been propagated so good that the common adult male life in these parts negotiations about the disadvantages of Kalabagh Dam and non about the advantages. This is non merely it: Punjab has long been known as the powerful ordering state that is another serious hinderance in the building of Kalabagh Dam. Kalabagh Dam, one time constructed will render a figure of advantages to the state both socially and economically cutting short the power shortage that prevails in the state. I am sitting in dark this minute due to power deficit here in Pakistan and there is no solution that seems to be apart from building of hydroelectric power that is both inexpensive and convenient..

J. Joyce Clay

James Joyce was a master storyteller who loved to create plot and thematic nature centered on character paralysis. His mastery came in his subtle ability to weave the main characters true essence of paralysis by slowly seeping it into the veins of the reader. Most of Joyce’s collection of stories casts men in the main role where he follows the male protagonist through strife. In Clay, however, the theme follows a woman and her trials of separation—a loss she denies is ever present due to her paralysis. As we attempt to unfold the meaning of James Joyce’s use of paralysis in his classic tale, Clay, one thing stands out. In most other published fiction, Joyce shows a preference to focus on the voice of the male character. Clay, however, is an exception. Here, his central character—the protagonist—is a female. Yet, just because the focus of most of his fiction is set aside for the male sex, does that mean he hopes to glorify this sex? Hardly. We must look into just how Joyce perceived the male character versus the female character in his stories. From one front, we can say that, by-and-large, because his protagonists were male, there was some gender stereotyping going on in the mind of our author. We must, however, look deeply into his use of paralysis as a central theme. This paralysis is not exactly a place people prefer to be. However, many of us can relate to suffering, pain, and loss. These are some of the reasons Joyce’s story Clay is profoundly telling. Another interesting point to consider is this: Was Joyce using men in the starring role as an opportunity to place them on an award-winning podium? Or, was this an opportunity to bash the male gender? So just what was his biased reasoning behind rarely using female protagonists? Did he stereotype the female persona? Were his stories a form of gender racism? In answering this, it is clear that the main character suffered, to varying degrees of emotional, physical, and social discomfort. These characters—male or female—were not something a reader would aspire to. So, just because the role of the female protagonist was rare in a James Joyce story, there is not sound evidence that he preferred the male gender over the female gender. It could be argued, for instance, that his focus on the troubled male was his way of bashing this sex. Surely glory was not an overtone in Clay or many of his other published works of art. So we go to the next question: Did Joyce treat women differently than his male roles? Some can argue that his paralysis-based stories were a chance for Joyce to belittle the female character. In Clay, Maria, our protagonist was viewed as almost distasteful to look at. However, Maria didn’t see it this way. At the very least, we can say that gender role stereotyping was prevalent. In looking at the female voice, we can see that he did place women in the mother/lover/wife role. In the male role position, we see that the character, Joe, is in a much freer position that Maria. Albeit Joe did have a disease of his own: alcoholism. But, Joe was also typecast in the head-of-household role, and the one who others reported to—even though he had a drinking problem. Yet, Maria was the protagonist, so the lead character is, obviously, going to be the sufferer anyway. What’s more important to remember is the fact that James Joyce placed all his characters in debilitating situations. So, sexism doesn’t seem a likely analysis behind the author’s reasoning for creating such one-sided male character-based stories. If someone is looking for a hero or role model, regardless of sex, they will not find it in Clay, or any of his short fiction paralysis-based stories. Joyce had deep reasoning behind staging the story of a maid and how she relates, reacts, and is portrayed by a family who she’s worked with for many years. Paralysis, once again, was Joyce’s underlying motive that created such magic on the page. Upon an initial read of this short classic, there appears to be very little action in the story, with the main thrust coming from emotion and thoughts surrounding Maria—our seemingly wafer-thin female who is loved and respected by those in her life, at least according to Maria. All the characters in the story, in fact, appear to lack any depth. The spiritual epiphany seems to be missing as well. Maria, as transparent as she first appeared, is shown to reveal herself as a charismatic person who has a gift for touching others. Joyce, once again, did this with clever wit. The author loved to move the reader along at a smooth, almost velvety pace. Then, almost out of thin air, he’d add tiny, silent bombs of description that spoke volumes about a character’s past. Maria, for example, is referred to as†¦ a very, very small person indeed but she had a very long nose and a very long chin. She talked a little through her nose, always soothingly†¦ Joyce, here, uses description of Maria’s facial features to tell so much more about her than the dimensions of her nose and chin. We are given a taste of her past: a soft spoken, generous woman who radiated joy in others by her willingness to aid her fellows in need. This radiating joy, however, is something that only Maria perceives. This dysfunctional means of viewing herself as lovely doesn’t become fully apparent until we are through with the story; for Joyce takes this entire process of painting Maria’s emotional state with slow, yet deliberate, remarks. Many times its the way he casts a scene and how the minor characters act or ignore Maria that truly adds color to his theme of paralysis. According to Maria, people saw beyond her less than charismatic nose and chin, seeing her shimmering inner beauty shine forth. It was her actions and unconditional devotion that created her beautiful persona. However, Joyce goes on to use a narrator who works more like a thief. This thief of a narrator tells the tale in a voice that leads the reader off-course so he can hide the wealth of the true theme and moral. For, beyond Maria’s long nose, the narrator goes on to describe Maria as a petite, small-boned and attractive woman. Joyce does this as our Maria—a woman who is valued as reliable, caring, and wise—gains pleasure by marveling over herself in the mirror. Joyce is so subtle that it doesn’t hit the reader until he or she is two or three sentence beyond the scene where Maria gets pleasure out of looking at the soft, gentle slopes of her frame. But only Maria sees herself as lovely. The story opens with positive embellishments by her tea-party friends. They say she is likable and hard-working, a woman with a knack for â€Å"keeping-house. † In effect, this is the minor characters way of patronizing Maria for her inefficiencies and trappings as a maid. Joe, a man she worked for, adds that she holds the standing of a â€Å"proper mother† whom he has formed a deep bond with. Joyce wrote, Mamma is mamma but Maria is my proper mother Joyce, of course, twists things up nicely by adding the fact that Joe has a drinking problem. So, how reliable is he? Yet, even with his joy for booze, Joyce ties it all together with such clarity that the reader is willing to excuse Joe’s drinking problem and accept him as a reliable source when he relates to how Maria has affected him. In comparison to other short stories by James Joyce, this is a rare example of a protagonist suffering from that subliminal paralysis who is actually liked by the other characters. Take Dubliners, for example. In Dubliners, the protagonist is viewed as shallow and lacking integrity. Maria, in contrast, receives preferential treatment by how the other characters voice their opinion of her. True they like her, but they also feel sorry for Maria. This is very empowering yet, at the same time, places the reader on a cliff of wonder. How can this woman who is viewed so highly be suffering from a life-long paralysis? Something is amiss. But what? This is what makes Joyce such a master at toying with paralysis. A more introspective look at Maria reveals the warped perception she sees in herself. How can a woman look at her own long beak of a nose with bulging chin and consider it glamorous? When she laughed, wrote Joyce, her grey-green eyes sparkled with disappointed shyness and the tip of her nose nearly met the tip of her chin. Although the narrative voice is not Maria, per se, we can see that she fancies her own image, as referenced earlier. Maria screens out the fact that it would be a stretch to say that someone was beautiful if the tip of her nose nearly kissed her pointy chin when she laughed. Joyce mentioned that people ignore her in the pastry shop. Plus, when she is on the crowded tram, no one—initially—considers moving over to make a seat for her. Chivalry, back in the morning of the twentieth century, was much more prevalent than it is today. So why would almost every man on the tram offer her no consideration? Furthermore, there is a man who recognizes her and he offers his seat. But he’s a drunk. Even the drunk had stealthy motives: The drunk stole her cake while on the tram, at least this is what could be inferred from the text. So, with careful examination, it becomes very clear that sweet little Maria, is not the person she feels she is. While on the tram, Joyce hit readers with the following description that parallels her life of solitude. She will always be more than one step shy of fitting into the mold of the American middle class. In the following statement, Maria is placed in yet another metaphor where she is going in the wrong direction in her life. Joyce wrote, The tram was full and she had to sit on the little stool at the end of the car, facing all the people, with her toes barely touching the floor. The paralysis becomes more apparent when we analyze Maria’s life as a single woman. She will never marry and is cemented—trapped—into working as a maid for the rest of her life. Joe’s family, somewhat secretly, mock Maria for living the life of a maid†¦. never to be someone’s maiden. In fact, the initial take is that the family truly loves her. As the family gathers, Joe attempts to show some tact by bringing up the notion of everyone should take a drink, just to loosen up. Joe, of course, wants more port, to feed his alcoholic vice. Yet, at the same time he infers that Maria, too, should take a drink. That way she can forget about her sorrowful life. Joe even insists that Maria take a drink. Maria, still blinded by her own faults, refuses the drink. As the story closes, Maria sings a few stanzas of a poem that speak of the fact that she will never live the wealthy life. This singing even brings tears to Joe’s eyes. The reader, once again, is left to wonder this: Is Joe sinking into the depression of alcohol? Or is he feeling sorry for Maria? That is left to the readers’ imagination. One thing is certain, though: Maria will never overcome the paralysis that stymies her.

The evolution of the world Essays - Pseudoscience, Apocalypticists

The evolution of the world Essays - Pseudoscience, Apocalypticists The evolution of the world Ancient History The evolution of the world The Greek geographers of the later Roman period developed systematic calculations for the mapping and shaping of the earth. However, what would come to replace these systematic calculations? Why were the ideologies of a flat earth accepted and why were those of a spherical earth ridiculed? The answer to this question is very simple and can be answered by one clear and concise word: Religion. "Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her." (Ezekiel 5:5) This verse from the of book Ezekiel simply states that the city of Jerusalem should be in the center of all maps created. This eliminated the need for any latitude or longitude. Before hand, there had been more than six hundred maps created, not one having this holy city as the center. There was nothing new about putting "the most sacred place at the center" says Boorstin. The Hindus placed Mount Meru, a mythological 70,000 foot high mountain at the center of their map. In the Muslim faith, the Kabah in Mecca was the highest point on earth and the polestar showed the city of Mecca to be opposite the center of the sky. As one can clearly see, many maps, had different centers. Each map had a different center, each based on a different religion. Many years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the Greeks theorized that the earth was a globe. But after that, there was a period in history called "The Great Interruption." This period was categorized by a complete silence where people in general, forgot about the issue of whether the earth was flat or whether it was a globe. Another reason that brought the theories of a globular world to rest was because the priests told the general public that the earth was flat. Priests such as St. Augustine and others invented the Antipode theory, which stated that a world shaped like a globe is impossible because objects would be hanging downwards and growing backwards. Once again, religion played a major part in this argument that would rage on for many years to come. To conclude, much like the theories of the priests in the first 400 years after the birth of Jesus Christ, who said that Jerusalem was the center of a flat earth, one might be able to relate this period in time to a much more recent and modern one. Prior to the French Revolution in 1789, France was ruled by an absolute divine right monarchy. The institution that had the most power at the time was the Catholic church. No one in France would ever dare question the word of the Church. Everything the Church said had to be true and that was that. This is further reinforced by the churchs persecution of Copernicus who later again theorized that the earth was not the center of the solar system. This illustrates that 1000 years later, religion remained the backbone of society, and to a lesser extent, the same still holds true today in certain societies.

Challenges of Divorce essays

Challenges of Divorce essays Throughout my life I have been confronted with many challenges. Although some are greater than others, I believe that divorce is the greatest of all in my life. My parents divorce has definitely added character to my life. Within all the negative aspects of the divorce there is also a bright side to all the hard times and pain. I believe divorce comes with consequences, because I have experienced them first hand. One downfall to a divorce is the traveling involved. Some children are lucky to have their parents still live in the general vicinity of each other but for me that is not the truth. My father lives over one hundred miles away and my brother and I must travel the two and a half hour trip every other weekend in order to see our dad. A troubling aspect is figuring out what weekends we are available to take part in this trip. Scheduling time to be with my dad seems more difficult as the years progress. It is hard to find time when I am not occupied with school activities or sports. Being unorganized can get extremely hectic, especially when my brother and I have not visited my dad in several weeks. This eventually means that I will miss spending time with my friends during special events which usually occur during the time I am with my father. This being my last year in high school, I want to have as much time with my friends as possible. Although the negative aspects are great there are even greater positive effects to divorce. One rewarding part of having divorced parents is the larger family. Being able to spend time with even more relatives is a reward in itself. I receive tremendous amounts of love and care from each and every one of my relatives. The most exciting part is visiting all my relatives for the holidays. Besides the fact that there are countless people enjoying each others company, during the holidays I receive more presents than I would if my parents were still together. It is grea...

All About the French Regular Verb Passer (to Pass)

All About the French Regular Verb 'Passer' ('to Pass') Passer (to pass) is a very common and useful regular -er verb, by far the largest group of verbs in the French language. It may be used as a transitive verb that takes a direct object or an intransitive verb, and in doing so, its  compound tenses  are conjugated with either  avoir  or  Ãƒ ªtre. Intransitive Passer   à ªtre With no direct object, passer means to pass and requires à ªtre in the compound tenses: Le train va passer dans cinq minutes.   The train is going to pass / go past in five minutes.Nous sommes passà ©s devant la porte midi.   We passed by the door at noon When followed by an infinitive, passer means to go / come to do something: Je vais passer te voir demain.   Ill come (by to) see you tomorrow.Pouvez-vous passer acheter du pain  ?   Can you go buy some bread? Transitive Passer Avoir When passer is transitive and has a direct object, it means to pass, to cross, to go through, and it requires avoir as the auxiliary verb  in the compound tenses. On doit passer la rivià ¨re avant le coucher du soleil.   We need to cross the river before sunset.Il a dà ©j passà © la porte.   He has already gone through the door. Passer is also used transitively with a period of time to mean to spend: Nous allons passer deux semaines en France.   Were going to spend two weeks in FranceJai passà © trois mois sur ce livre.   Ã‚  I spent 3 months on that book Transitive versus Intransitive While the meanings are nearly the same, the difference is in the object (the noun following the verb). If there is no object, or if a preposition separates the verb and object, the verb is intransitive, as in Je suis passà © devant la porte. If theres no preposition, as in Jai passà © la porte, its transitive. Se Passer The pronominal se passer most often means to take place, to happen, or, in reference to time, to go by. Quest-ce qui se passe  ?   Whats going on?Tout sest bien passà ©.   Everything went smoothly.Deux jours se sont passà ©s.   Two days went by. Expressions With Passer With  idiomatic expressions  using the French verb  passer, you can butter someone up,  handcuff someone, kick the bucket, and more. passer   clothing  Ã‚  to slip on/intopasser   infinitive  Ã‚  to go do somethingpasser la douane   to go through customspasser la radio/tà ©là ©   to be on the radio/TVpasser lheure dà ©tà ©Ã‚  Ã‚  to turn the clocks foward, begin daylight saving timepasser lheure dhiver  Ã‚  to turn the clocks back, end daylight saving timepasser pas lents   to pass slowlypasser de bons moments   to have a good timepasser de bouche en bouche   to be rumored aboutpasser des faux billets   to pass forged moneypasser devant Monsieur le maire   to get marriedpasser du coq là ¢ne  Ã‚  to change the subject, make a non sequiturpasser en courant   to run pastpasser en revue   to list; to go over in ones mind, go through  (figurative)  passer (en)   ordinal number  Ã‚  to put in ___ gearpasser là ¢ge de   to be too old forpasser larme gauche  (familiar)  Ã‚  to kick the bucketpasser la journà ©e/soirà ©e   to spend the day/eveningpasser la main d ans le dos quelquun   to butter someone uppasser la tà ªte la porte   to poke ones head around the door passer le cap   to get past the worst, turn the corner, get over the hurdlepasser le cap des 40 ans   to turn 40passer le poteau   to cross the finish linepasser les bornes   to go too farpasser les menottes quelquun   to handcuff someonepasser par   to go through (an experience or intermediary)passer par de dures à ©preuves   to go through some rough timespasser par toutes les couleurs de larc-en-ciel   to blush to the roots of ones hair, to turn pale (from fear)passer par luniversità ©   to go through collegepasser pour   to take for, be taken forpasser quelque chose quelquun   to pass/hand something to someonepasser quelque chose aux/par profits et pertes   to write something off (as a loss)passer quelque chose en fraude   to smuggle somethingpasser quelque chose sous silence   to pass something over in silencepasser quelquun tabac   to beat someone uppasser quelquun par les armes   to shoot someone by firing squadpasser sa colà ¨re sur quelqu un   to take out ones anger on someone passer sa mauvaise humeur sur quelquun   to take out ones bad mood on someonepasser sa vie faire   to spend ones life doing Conjugations You can see all the tenses  of passer, both simple and compound,  conjugated elsewhere. For now, below is the present tense to illustrate that passer hews exactly to regular -er conjugation endings.   Present tense: je passetu  passesil passenous  passonsvous  passezils  passent

Passion vs. Reason Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Passion vs. Reason - Essay Example The stories of these characters, unique they may be, actually revolve into common themes: the issue of passion and reason, the complexities of public life and responsibilities vs. the reality of their personal realm, and as well as the role of the gods in man’s destiny. Are humans’ passions uncontrollable, whatever its cost to others may be? Does the passion of humans reign supreme over reason at the end of the day? While Phaedra may be the queen of the kingdom, having responsibilities over their realm and is supposed to be guided by reason, actually holds a secret desire for her stepson (Lawall et al., 2003). Hyppolytus the prince may have the life that any man would want, the riches, power and authority, but is actually finding a hard time to be with the person he loves (Lawall et al., 2003). Oenone the old nurse is supposed to have the moral standpoint to care for the royal household, but she acts as a key to unleash Phaedra’s desire (Lawall et al., 2003). The seus the king is supposed to be just and righteous, as expected of a ruler, but is overcome by his emotions and imposes on his son a severe punishment for a crime that his son has not committed (Lawall et al., 2003). ... ackground of Phaedra as a queen: the expected actions of her, and as well as the different ways that she explores in order to show society that she acts the way that a queen must act. This would be analyzed in comparison to her hidden desires: her unforgiving and intense passion for the love of her stepson, up to the point that her acts would lead to serious consequences not just for the royal household, but for the kingdom as a whole. From this analysis, at the end of the paper, the researcher would give a conclusion answering the question of passion vs. reason, on whether the passion of humans reign supreme over reason, regardless of the costs to other may be. At the first act of the play, it can be seen that Phaedra at public acts like what is expected of a queen: the responsibility of administering the kingdom while the king is away, as well as showing an example of moral and civil uprightness (Lawall et al., 2003). However, behind this public facade lies a very dark secret: Phae dra’s intense and overpowering passion on her stepson, Hyppolytus (Lawall et al., 2003). In fact, this passion is against all of the prevailing moral standards if society: the King is still believed to be alive, making this love illegitimate and totally unacceptable (Lawall et al., 2003). However, the nurse Oenone eventually acquires knowledge of the dark secret of Phaedra, wherein Phaedra actually requests that she would want to die rather than face the shame of the public knowing her illegitimate desire for her stepson (Lawall et al., 2003). In this case, the contradiction between the public persona and the private life of Phaedra can clearly be seen: she does not give up her illegitimate love for her stepson Hyppolytus, but would not compromise her stature as a queen and is desperate

How has the use of ICT enhanced the quality of learning and teaching Essay

How has the use of ICT enhanced the quality of learning and teaching across the curriculum at Key Stage 3 - Essay Example of impact of the use of ICT on teaching and learning at Key Stage 3 already existed within a wide literature on educational uses and outcomes of ICT in classrooms and out of school settings. This study is designed to investigate the issues in more detail and involves wide collection of data from the researches conducted in this context. Since Key Stage 3 is the foundation stage so special emphasis has been laid on it in this document. The main aim of this study is to : This study draws on the evidences available on the progress made in schools and the learning and skill sectors. It is based on the research done by various government agencies like Becta, Ofsted, DfeS etc. So the data has been collected through: This study would help in understanding the current challenges in realising the objective of ICT based education. It should lead to improvement in the provision and planning in the use of ICT, which has become an all school issue. It would bring forth the progress issues and challenges. This document would provide information that would help in formulating educational policies on the deployment of ICT, for key stage 3. The study reveals that initiatives taken by government has borne fruitful results. There is significant developments at pupil, teacher and school levels. But in certain cases it was observed that unavailability of sufficient resources became main obstruction in the path of progress like in the case of music departments. The pupil motivation has increased. Pupils have become increasingly independent users of ICT tools and information sources. They have become more focused, efficient and rigorous in their use of ICT, and carry out a range of increasingly complex tasks. Teachers feel more

Employee Ownership and Effect on Attitude Essay

Employee Ownership and Effect on Attitude - Essay Example Majority believe that employees sharing ownership tend to be hard workers who subsequently pay more attention to the quality of the work that they deliver compared to their non-owner counterparts. Moreover, Keef (1998) further asserts that employ owners are also highly inclined to vote their shares for the interest of an organization. Klein (1987) also recognizes certain sociological effects of employee share ownership within an organization. He posits that allowing employees to some ownership of a company is a form of wealth distribution among workers and consequently enhance the wide and equitable distribution of the products of economic success. Consequently, this also serves to reduce possible management or labour-related conflicts. Some proponents of the employee ownership have also approached the issue from a political stance and have viewed the strategy as a symbol of economic democracy within an organization. Nevertheless, there have been a number of concerns that have been r aised by the opponents of employee ownership. Most have argued that by allowing employees to own a stake in an organization, they are likely to be exposed to unwarranted risks. In addition, there will also be a likelihood of an increase of management and labour-related conflicts. ... companies. Employee ownership can take place in a number of ways. The process is usually multidimensional in its approach. When talking about employee ownership, there are four major aspects that normally come in mind. To begin with, the first dimension of employee ownership is the determination of the percentage of workers who will actively participate in ownership of the firm. Another aspect to be taken into account when making decision pertaining to employee ownership is the percentage of ownership to be held by employees within an organization. Similarly, prior to allowing employees to have the legal ownership of a company’s shares, the rights and privileges employees will have as result of owning a stake in the company will also be determined. The rights and privileges held by the employees are usually determined by the manner in which the employees own the company’s shares (Trewhitt, 2000). Employees can assume either direct or indirect ownership of a company. In indirect ownership of a company, the employees own the company’s stocks through a workers trust, whereas for direct ownership, employees can willingly purchase or sale a company’s stocks. Kruse (2002) affirms that nearly 7.7% percent of all workers in the private sector in the U.S. own shares in their companies either directly or indirectly, a figure that translates to nearly 20 million workers. According to Vuaghan (1995) employee ownership may have a positive effect on behaviour and attitude of employees on the condition that such employees regard the value of their ownership as a means for greater income and job security. On the contrary, it may pose very little or no effect on their attitude and behaviour or even have a negative influence on the same if the

Risk Management Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Risk Management Systems - Essay Example In practice, the process can be very difficult and balancing between risks with a high probability of occurrence but lower loss versus a risk with high loss but lower probability of occurrence can often be mishandled. Intangible risk management identifies a new type of risk - a risk that has a 100% probability of occurring but is ignored by the organization due to a lack of identification ability. For example, when deficient knowledge is applied to a situation, a knowledge risk materializes. Relationship risk appears when ineffective collaboration occurs. Process-engagement risk may be an issue when ineffective operational procedures are applied. These risks directly reduce the productivity of knowledge workers, decrease cost effectiveness, profitability, service, quality, reputation, brand value, and earnings quality. Intangible risk management allows risk management to create immediate value from the identification and reduction of risks that reduce productivity. Risk management also faces difficulties in allocating resources. This is the idea of opportunity cost. Resources spent on risk management could have been spent on more profitable activities. Again, ideal risk management minimizes spending while maximizing the reduction of the negative effects of risks. In Norfolk Sentara, they have developed different programs to lessen the risks associated with diseases and they have implemented these programs efficiently that they have received recognition for their patient safety assurance. Norfolk Sentara addressed the needs and safety of their patients as if they were their own relatives. They work hard to provide the best patient care possible and also to provide treatment plans that will help alleviate the patients' pain and sickness.  Ã‚  

Deaf reading reaction #3 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Deaf reading reaction #3 - Coursework Example However, I do not agree with certain aspects as highlighted by Watson. For instance, by mentioning that sign language was not an equivalent to English and that it was equivalent to a ‘rude and imperfect’ speech which is barbarous, I feel aggrieved since there are many deaf and dumb people in the society today who benefit from it. Therefore, had it been phased out, a lot of people would have been disadvantaged significantly. Discussing this article along the perspectives of deaf babies brings redefines the whole topic. Through this and the babies’ growth cycle of speech, I have learnt a lot that has totally changed my views and would be glad to read more in the related topic area probably by the same author. In spite of the author’s choice of words some time being technical and might not be understood by all, the topic is elaborately discussed. I would recommend this article for reading to everyone as it is immensely

Strategy Implementation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategy Implementation - Term Paper Example In centralized organizational structure, the authority for decision making is determined at the top, and a few people being responsible for making decisions and creating organization’s policies. Decentralized organization structure means that every level of management throughout the organization is given authority to decision and policy making. Lines of authority have limits and powers, that is, separate, different levels of an organization structure. These lines define different groups of people such as the manager, human resource team, and chief engineers. Lines of communication are the path one follows to convey given information from one level of an organization to the other until the top level is reached (Pryor, et al, 2009). This helps make efficiency of performance increase among the workers as they are free to convey their issues to the top groups with ease. According to Pryor et al. (2009), committees are the most formal of these types of work group, appointed or sele cted to perform a function on behalf of a larger group. They must be headed by a committee chair and are composed of individuals representing different points of view e.g. junior or senior faculty. A team is a group of people with complementary skills organized to function cooperatively as a group. They change the culture of an organization from one tradition to a focused level so that to forefront change. Task forces are work groups comprising experts, in specified areas of knowledge, and skills to accomplish an objective. Systems The company budget is set annually based on the previous year expenditure with considerations for expected maintenance, acquisition of new airliners and staff training, promotions and the projected cost of operation. The company’s strategic plan, e.g., expected expansion, diversification, insurance costs and cooperate responsibility, is factored. As stated by Bower (1966), planning is the process of developing and maintaining a project plan that pr ovides supporting details to the project definition in terms of resources, time, cost, scope, and schedule. In the airline company, the plan provides the framework that will ensure that the project results are achieved within defined performance objectives of time, cost, quality, and slope. The planning is both at an individual and collective levels and involves five phases: first, the purpose and principles definition, where the question why is answered and the boundaries sets and focus toward completion done. Secondly, the expected outcome is visualized. Thirdly, idea generation that is brainstorming for moving project to completion. Fourthly the suggested and brainstormed ideas are organized to set the sequence and priorities. Lastly the next course of action is identified. The performance evaluation measures in the airlines involve the use of annual net income, market value per share, quality of strategic and business plans, customer satisfaction and the skills of the employees. The team is evaluated based on; attendance and constructive participation in team meetings, contribution to a group effort independent of team meetings, ability to work as a team, and overall contribution (Bower, 1966). People According to Bower (1966), employees in an airline must possess skills that help them deliver the expectations of the organization. They include skills in catering, maintenance, machines operations, human resource and many others. They are the skills gained by employees in their various

Deaf reading reaction #3 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Deaf reading reaction #3 - Coursework Example However, I do not agree with certain aspects as highlighted by Watson. For instance, by mentioning that sign language was not an equivalent to English and that it was equivalent to a ‘rude and imperfect’ speech which is barbarous, I feel aggrieved since there are many deaf and dumb people in the society today who benefit from it. Therefore, had it been phased out, a lot of people would have been disadvantaged significantly. Discussing this article along the perspectives of deaf babies brings redefines the whole topic. Through this and the babies’ growth cycle of speech, I have learnt a lot that has totally changed my views and would be glad to read more in the related topic area probably by the same author. In spite of the author’s choice of words some time being technical and might not be understood by all, the topic is elaborately discussed. I would recommend this article for reading to everyone as it is immensely

Chinese fiction Essay Example for Free

Chinese fiction Essay â€Å"No Longer Human† is a Japanese novel written by Osamu Dazai. It is considered as Dazai’s masterpiece and categorized as the second-best selling novel in Japan, whereas â€Å"To Live† was written by Yu Hua is a Chinese fiction. â€Å"No Longer Human† is describe as a labor of fiction, the novel is recited in the first person and have several elements which laid down an autobiographical source, such as suicide, a recurring theme in the author’s life whereas, the story of â€Å"To Live† started some time in the 1940s. The main character of this sotry is Xu Fugui who is a local rich mans son and habitual gambler, who lose his family property to the tricky Longer, driving his father to his grave in the process. His attitude also causes his long-suffering wife Jiazhen to leave him with their daughter, Fengxia and their unborn son, Youqing, the same thing with Oba Yozo in â€Å"No Longer Human†. The novel â€Å"No Longer Human† covers the portrayal of the life of Oba Yozo, who is a trouble soul not capable of revealing his true self to others and who is instead forced to uphold an impression of worthless jocularity. This story tells the emotional and interesting story of a young man who is caught between the disintegration of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. The novel is made up of three chapters which narrate the life of Oba Yozo from early childhood to late adolescence. In the first chapter of the novel, it deals on how the overcome by an extreme feeling of alienation and finding it nearly impossible to socialize with those who besiege him, Oba Yozo can but resort to buffoonery in order to ascertain an interpersonal relationships and fit into place in a vain effort to disregard the furious sexual abuse he was subjected to by a couple of servants during his childhood. In the second chapter, Oba Yozo becomes more and more troubled over the potential penetrability of his cheerful impression, which, together with the pressures of academic life, leads him into a violent cycle of drinking, smoking and harlotry, ending in a one-night stand with a married woman with whom he planned to commit double suicide. Though he survived, the woman passed away, leaving him with nothing but an unbearable feeling of guilt. In the this chapter, several years later, Oba Yozo is dropped out from High School and commits into a relationship with a destructive woman, who immediately betrays him with another man. Oba Yozo is once again driven to the edge of committing suicide, but was not able to do so because he becomes an alcoholic and a morphine addict. The story comes to a close with Oba Yozos confinement in a mental institution where he finally assumes he is no longer human, neither happy nor unhappy, but merely a man of excesses. The story of â€Å"To Live† is somewhat similar to the novel â€Å"No Longer Human† in a sense that both the main characters of the novels were engaged into alcoholism, drug addiction and losss of their families. However, in the novel of â€Å"No Longer Human† the main character’s story ended upon his confinement in a mental insitution, while in the story of â€Å"To Live† the main character after he loses his entire family fortune, eventually reunites with his wife and children, but is forced to start a shadow puppet troupe with partner Chunsheng to support his family. The story of â€Å"To Live† during the Chinese Civil War is in full swing, and both Fugui and Chunsheng are forcibly enlisted into the Kuomintang forces during a performance. After a heavy battle, Fugui and Chunsheng are captured by the communist side, where they quickly become entertainers for the troops. Eventually Fugui is able to return home, and once there, finds out that Fengxia has become mute due to a fever. The story of â€Å"To Live† gives emphasis to the peak of the Great Leap Forward. During this period the local town chief enlists Fugui and Jiazhen to donate all scrap iron in their possession to the national drive to produce steel and make weaponry for liberating Taiwan. As an entertainer, Fugui performs for the entire town, which has been devoted entirely over to producing steel. They enter this work with great passion, and the movie devotes some time to portraying the familys unity and happiness. For example, the young boy Youqing defends his sisters from bullies picking on her for her muteness. Aside from the Great Leap Forward period, the novel also give attention to the period of Cultural Revolution. The village chief advises Fuguis family to burn their shadow puppet drama props, which have been deemed as counter-revolutionary as they are traditional cultural elements. Also, Fuguis daughter is now grown up. Her family arranges for her to meet Wan Erxi, who is a local leader of the Red Guards, a worker with a salary, and also a kind-hearted and caring man, but lame in one leg. They fall in love and marry. During Fengxias childbirth, her parents and husband accompany her to the county hospital, where they find out that nurses are in charge as all doctors have been sent to do hard labor for being reactionary academic authorities. The nurses assure the family that they have nothing to fear, but the family is skeptical, and manages to retrieve a doctor from confinement to oversee the birth, under the pretext of making the doctor see his revolutionary mistakes. As the doctor has not eaten for several days, the family purchases for him seven steamed buns. However, the young woman begins to hemorrhage, and the nurses panic, admitting that they are only students and do not know what to do. The frantic family and nurses seek the advice of the doctor, but it is found out that he has overeaten and is semiconscious. The family is helpless, and Jiazhen can only hold the hand of her daughter as she slowly dies. The story ends several years later, with the family now consisting of Fugui, Jiazhen, their son-in-law Erxi, and grandson Mantou. The family visits the graves of Youqing and Fengxia, where Jiazhen, as per tradition, leaves dumplings for her son. Erxi buys for his son a box full of young chicks, which they decide to keep in the puppet drama prop chest, now empty of its contents. â€Å"To Live† such is not the same as â€Å"No Longer Human† because as you can see the character of the novel â€Å"No Longer Human† is more on of being useless to the family and to the society because Oba Yozo just ended up in confinement because his woman had another man. Another distinction between the two stories was that the character of â€Å"To Live† realized and did something good for himself and for his family, whereas in the novel â€Å"No Longer Human† the main character shows no changes in his life. â€Å"No Longer Human† on the other hand is basically autobiographical, founded on events from Dazais own life. He was a literary rock star, but a deeply unhappy guy, attempting suicide several times before finally succeeding. There is in fact a monument at the spot where he killed himself that is, along with his mistress. The book is uncommon from what we think of as autobiography, in that the reason for writing is not so much to tell a story there is no real employment, beginning, middle, and end in the traditional sense, but rather, the text is a sort of rambling exploration of the self. There is no forced form, instead, an effort to create a straightforward relation between author and reader, to explain a precise point of view. The book itself is very fascinating. It makes the reader want to learn Japanese, for beginners, because no matter how talented the translator, there is no getting throughout the fact that the grammatical structure of Japanese is completely different from that of English in that it is completely possible, and even ordinary, to compose a sentence in Japanese with no subject. Clearly, the entire book is written in this form, which would be particularly appropriate to the work itself. The book is the related story of a very unhappy guy who is essentially chronicling his downward spiral. Nevertheless it is hard to say if it is really a downward spiral, that is, though he does identify a moment at which he came to an end to be human, it is not totally clear that he was ever really human, through his own definition, to begin with. One question is what it means, in his eyes, to be human. . Oba Yozo’s character is raging against rationality, and the way, in which it dehumanizes people, so in a sense, though he calls himself a mouse, etc, he could be seen as claiming that he is really the only human. Dazais character, Oba Yozo in the novel, sees himself as inhuman, primarily, it seems, because he lacks certain fundamental human character. He maintains for instance, that he has in no way felt starving. On the other hand, there is also a certain issue of domination at play like; he is not capable to say no to anyone, to refuse permission for anything. In this sense, one could say that he is entirely determined by the outside world. Notwithstanding the fact that he has an inner life, he maintains it hidden from the outside world. As a matter of fact, his behavior is entirely, he claims, an act, he plays the clown for the pleasure of others, declining to let his own emotions reveal. The main characters of the novel have a clear similarity to notes from deeply unhappy men who are convinced of their own uniqueness, but there are definitely differences the way they choses to end up their stories. References: Dazai, Osamu. No Longer Human. New York: New Directions, 1973. Yu Hua. To Live: A Novel. (1993). Trans. Michael Berry. New York: Anchor-Random House, 2003.