THE SCAFFOLDING OF SIN Essays - English-language Films,

THE SCAFFOLDING OF SIN For thousands of years, humans have confronted their sinfulness. Some trust in their religious faith to help with their struggles, some sin more to hide the truth. But in the end, man must stand alone ? as a sinful creature before God. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale has a difficult time finding a place to relieve his sin. The Scarlet Letter's scaffold is a place for the protagonist to find peace with himself. That scaffold holds more importance than just somewhere to condemn prisoners. It is the one place where Dimmesdale felt liberated to say anything he wishes. In Puritan culture, the scaffold is used to humiliate and chastise prisoners, be it witches at the stake, thieves in the stocks, or a murderer hanging from the gallows. In The Scarlet Letter, the scaffold was viewed more as a place of judgement. ?Meagre ... was the sympathy that a transgressor might look for, from such bystanders, at the scaffold.? (p. 63) Indeed, it was used for castigation, but it was also a place of trial: Hester's trial was held at the scaffold. Standing upon the platform opens oneself to God and to the world. ?They stood in the noon of that strange and solemn splendor, as if it were the light that is to reveal all secrets, and the daybreak that shall unite all who belong to one another.? (p. 186) Being on the scaffold puts oneself in a feeling of spiritual nakedness- where you feel exposed to God, but cleans ed. It was the one place where Dimmesdale could find complete reconciliation. Witnessing such an event as reconciliation is quite a fascinating experience. But without knowing what is going on, it can also be quite horrifying. ?Without any effort of his will, or power to restrain himself, he [Dimmesdale] shrieked aloud: an outcry that went pealing through the night, and was beaten back from one house to another, and reverberated from the hills in the background; as if a company of devils, detecting so much misery and terror in it, had made a plaything of the sound, and were bandying it to and fro.? (pp. 178-9) Indeed, the townsfolk felt the latter. ?Drowsy slumberers mistook the cry either for something frightful in a dream, or for the noise of witches.?(p. 179) They did not understand that this was his reconciliation. Both Governor Bellingham and Mistress Hibbens had awoken to the frightful sound and looked from their house in investigation. When they perceived it was the Reverend in another of his midnight vigils rather than a cry for help, they stumbled rig ht back to their sleeping chambers. Along with this inquisitive attention from onlookers, came the looks of disdain, from Chillingworth and others. ?Smiling on her [Hester]; a smile which -- across the wide and bustling square, and through all the talk and laughter, and various thoughts, moods, and interests of the crowd -- conveyed secret and fearful meaning.? (p. 284) Chillingworth might of had other plans, but after hearing what Dimmesdale had to say, Chillingworth thrust himself to his knees and admit defeat. Although he was a sick man, Dimmesdale's struggle was not for life, but for repentance. In fact, his mental anguish of sin is what had caused his illness. Dimmesdale would spend some nights scourging himself, just himself and a whip-like punishment device. He felt it critical to admit his sin to himself and to his community and brethren ?... The Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale turned to the dignified and venerable rulers; to the holy ministers, ... as knowing that some deep life-matter -- which, if full of sin, ... was now to be laid open to them.? (pp. 306) This act of declaring his sin is one step closer to salvation. The scaffold provides a perfect venue to stand before God with everything before oneself. Dimmesdale stood before God and his community and chose to ?sink upon the scaffold. Hester partly raised him, and supported his head against her bosom. Old Roger Chillingworth knelt down beside him, with a blank, dull countenance, out of which the life seemed to have departed." (p. 308) On the scaffold, Dimmesdale openly brought his sin to light and felt restored.

The Blackstone Commentaries and Womens Right

The Blackstone Commentaries and Women's Right In the 19th century, American and British womens rights- or lack of them- depended heavily on the commentaries of William Blackstone which defined a married woman and man as one person under the law. Heres what William Blackstone wrote in 1765: By marriage, the husband and wife are one person in law: that is, the very being or legal existence of the woman is suspended during the marriage, or at least is incorporated and consolidated into that of the husband; under whose wing, protection, and cover, she performs every thing; and is therefore called in our law-French a feme-covert, foemina viro co-operta; is said to be covert-baron, or under the protection and influence of her husband, her baron, or lord; and her condition during her marriage is called her coverture. Upon this principle, of a union of person in husband and wife, depend almost all the legal rights, duties, and disabilities, that either of them acquire by the marriage. I speak not at present of the rights of property, but of such as are merely personal. For this reason, a man cannot grant anything to his wife, or enter into covenant with her: for the grant would be to suppose her separate existence; and to covenant with her, would be only to covenant with hims elf: and therefore it is also generally true, that all compacts made between husband and wife, when single, are voided by the intermarriage. A woman indeed may be attorney for her husband; for that implies no separation from, but is rather a representation of, her lord. And a husband may also bequeath any thing to his wife by will; for that cannot take effect till the coverture is determined by his death. The husband is bound to provide his wife with necessaries by law, as much as himself; and, if she contracts debts for them, he is obliged to pay them; but for anything besides necessaries he is not chargeable. Also if a wife elopes, and lives with another man, the husband is not chargeable even for necessaries; at least if the person who furnishes them is sufficiently apprized of her elopement. If the wife be indebted before marriage, the husband is bound afterwards to pay the debt; for he has adopted her and her circumstances together. If the wife be injured in her person or her p roperty, she can bring no action for redress without her husbands concurrence, and in his name, as well as her own: neither can she be sued without making the husband a defendant. There is indeed one case where the wife shall sue and be sued as a feme sole, viz. where the husband has abjured the realm, or is banished, for then he is dead in law; and the husband being thus disabled to sue for or defend the wife, it would be most unreasonable if she had no remedy, or could make no defence at all. In criminal prosecutions, it is true, the wife may be indicted and punished separately; for the union is only a civil union. But in trials of any sort they are not allowed to be evidence for, or against, each other: partly because it is impossible their testimony should be indifferent, but principally because of the union of person; and therefore, if they were admitted to be witness for each other, they would contradict one maxim of law, nemo in propria causa testis esse debet; and if against each other, they would contradict another maxim, nemo tenetur seipsum accusare. But, where the offence is directly against the person of the wife, this rule has been usually dispensed with; and therefore, by statute 3 Hen. VII, c. 2, in case a woman be forcibly taken away, and married, she may be a witness against such her husband, in order to convict him of felony. For in this case she can with no propriety be reckoned his wife; because a main ingredient, her consent, was wanting to the contract: and also there is another maxim of law, that no man shall take advantage of his own wrong; which the ravisher here would do, if, by forcibly marrying a woman, he could prevent her from being a witness, who is perhaps the only witness to that very fact. In the civil law the husband and the wife are considered as two distinct persons, and may have separate estates, contracts, debts, and injuries; and therefore in our ecclesiastical courts, a woman may sue and be sued without her husband. But though our law in general considers man and wife as one person, yet there are some instances in which she is separately considered; as inferior to him, and acting by his compulsion. And therefore any deeds executed, and acts done, by her, during her coverture, are void; except it be a fine, or the like manner of record, in which case she must be solely and secretly examined, to learn if her act be voluntary. She cannot by will devise lands to her husband, unless under special circumstances; for at the time of making it she is supposed to be under his coercion. And in some felonies, and other inferior crimes, committed by her through constraint of her husband, the law excuses her: but this extends not to treason or murder. The husband also, by the old law, might give his wife moderate correction. For, as he is to answer for her misbehaviour, the law thought it reasonable to intrust him with this power of restraining her, by domestic chastisement, in the same moderation that a man is allowed to correct his apprentices or children; for whom the master or parent is also liable in some cases to answer. But this power of correction was confined within reasonable bounds, and the husband was prohibited from using any violence to his wife, aliter quam ad virum, ex causa regiminis et castigationis uxoris suae, licite et rationabiliter pertinet. The civil law gave the husband the same, or a larger, authority over his wife: allowing him, for some misdemeanors, flagellis et fustibus acriter verberare uxorem; for others, only modicam castigationem adhibere. But with us, in the politer reign of Charles the second, this power of correction began to be doubted; and a wife may now have security of the peace against he r husband; or, in return, a husband against his wife. Yet the lower rank of people, who were always fond of the old common law, still claim and exert their ancient privilege: and the courts of law will still permit a husband to restrain a wife of her liberty, in the case of any gross misbehaviour. These are the chief legal effects of marriage during the coverture; upon which we may observe, that even the disabilities which the wife lies under are for the most part intended for her protection and benefit: so great a favourite is the female sex of the laws of England. Source ï » ¿William Blackstone. Commentaries on the Laws of England. Vol, 1 (1765), pages 442-445.

Organized Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Organized Crime - Essay Example This paper will discuss various aspects of organized crime by focusing on the fundamentals of criminal law. Simply, the organized crime could be called as the illegal activities performed under an organized set up intended to make profit. It has been considered as a multi-faceted phenomenon which is evidently associated with different activities like drug transport, illegally transporting human beings, illegal trafficking of firearms, smuggling, money laundering, and many more. Organized crime groups have developed their own highly equipped teams with modern weapons and operating systems. The criminals have also created national and international tie up with terrorist organizations and other rebellious groups. Organized crime can be in many forms. It ranges from the smallest crime where just two persons have agreed to contribute together, to the crime that may progressively lead to highest levels of Mafias among the gangs of immigrants. As Levitt and Dubner (2005) point out, the historical figures show that there were more than 1,300 street gangs, catering to every ethnic, political, and criminal issues in Chicago alone. Mafia activities are sometimes interchangeably used to represent highly organized crime. Criminal law constitutes a very small part of the entire field of law and it is considered to be one of the most incoherent and underdeveloped areas of law. In olden days, tribal groups practiced their own private laws regarding the system of criminal justice. Some modern societies still maintain their own differences in criminal laws like civil law systems of France and Germany. In contrast, criminal laws in the United States are well structured and preserved by legislature for each jurisdiction. â€Å"Crimes are ‘owned’ by the state, prosecuted by the state, and the only thing separating a civil wrong from a criminal wrong is that fine line

Mass Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mass Culture - Essay Example The distinction between 'serious' and 'popular' music was tackled by Adorno. Serious music is perceived as refined music compared to popular music. Serious music is regarded as highbrow as distinct from popular music which is considered lowbrow. (Witney, 2002). However, Adorno rejects these categories as a basis for making a distinction between serious and popular music. Adorno stressed that the works of early Viennese classicism were rhythmically simpler than the common arrangements of jazz. He further pointed out that based on melody, the wide intervals of â€Å"Deep Purple' and 'Sunrise Serenade' makes these much more difficult to emulate compared to Haydn. In particular, he explained that the supply of chords of the classics is limited compared to a modern composer who culls from Debussy, Ravel and later sources' (Adorno 1990:305). The rallying point of Adorno was the question of whether culture validated the experience of the individual or whether culture had eclipsed it. (Ridlesss, 1984). According to Adorno and Horkheimer, under monopoly, all mass culture is identical. Movies and radio are not art but businesses made into an ideology to reinforce the rubbish they produce. These businesses refer to themselves as industries. Some persons explain the culture industry in technological terms. They state that reproduction processes are necessary that would require similar needs in many places to be satisfied with identical goods. Adorno and Horkheimer stipulate that the standards were based on consumers’ needs. ' needs. The basis on which technology acquires power over society is the power of those whose economic hold over society is at its greatest. A technological rationale is the aim of domination itself. It is the coercive nature of society alienated from itself. The outcome is that the technology of the culture industry resulted in standardization and mass production. (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1993). Moreover, Adorno and Horkheimer states that the man with leisure has to accept everything that the culture manufacturers offer him. The industry robs the individual of his function since the industry does the schematizing and classification for him. (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1993). Adorno and Horkheimer stated that style is significant in every work of art. The artistic expression is imbedded in the style or into the language of music, painting and words. The promise a work of art holds depends on how it will create truth by lending new shape to the conventional social forms. The fulfillment of art lies in their aesthetic derivatives. (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1993). The culture industry is basically a spectacle which is illusory. In the face of the person who isstimulated by all those brilliant names and images there is an ode to the depressing everyday world it sought to escape. The culture industry is essentially pornographic and prudish. Love is further downgraded to romance. After the descent, license becomes a specialty, it is knows as "daring. The stronger the positions of the culture industry become, the more it can handle consumers' needs by manufacturing them, manipulating them, disciplining them, and even by withdrawing amusement from them. (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1993). In the culture industry, the individual is an illusion due to the standardization of the means of production. The reactions of human beings have been reified that the idea of anything specific to themselves shows as an abstract notion. The emphasis is on bodily perfections devoid of distinction. The triumph of advertising in the culture industry is that consumers feel compelled to buy and use its products even though they see through them. (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1993). Stuart Hall's encoding and decoding diagram is closely related to the works of Eco, Adorno and Horkheimer. Hall showed that production practices in television translate into a message, a sign-vehicle which is organized by means of a set of codes

Material science Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Material science - Research Paper Example GBS has also been found to be a major means of deformation for polycrystalline materials leading to the belief that GBS controls superplasticity properties. GBS refers to the displacement occurring when two grains subjected to external stress slide over one another in which the movement occurs at or in closer proximity to the common interface between the grains (Langdon 598). The occurrence of grain boundary sliding has been demonstrated by several scholars over the years. Grain boundary sliding has increasingly become an area of interest among material scientists. Two different forms of GBS have been suggested. The first form of GBS suggested by Rachinger in 1952 involves the displacement of nearby grains in which the grain’s original shape and size is retained despite being evidently displaced over each other (Mayo and Nix 2). This phenomenon has been demonstrated as a form of deformation in polycrystalline materials under creep situations where the number of grains within the measured length increases in the same direction as the external tensile stress (Rachinger 81). Rachinger GBS exists under two different situations namely; conventional creep where the size of the grain d exceeds that of the equilibrium sub-grain as well as in superplasticity where the grain size is smaller than the equilibrium size of the sub-grain (Langdon 598). Both GBS GBS also exists in form of Lifschitz sliding which represents the offsets in the boundaries that occur due to stress and does not increase the number of measured grains (Langdon 598). The main difference between the two GBS forms is that while Lifschitz is an accommodation process by itself, Rachinger sliding entails accommodation through intragranular grip (Nieh, Sherby and Wadsworth 40). The two GBS types have been unified through rate equations which are consistent with empirical observations (Vastava and Langdon 2339). Grain boundary sliding also plays a significant role in superplasticity.

Healthy Rise In GSK Profits Commerce Essay

Healthy Rise In GSK Profits Commerce Essay This report outlines the analysis made at micro and macro level on UK based pharmaceutical company, Glaxo SmithKline Plc. In this context the scope of the industry is analyzed and based on the threats that the industry can face a critical study is carried out to predict the future market position of GSK among its competitors. This analysis made is based on various models and frameworks like Porters five forces, Porters generic strategies and PESTEL analysis. These models help in clearly defining the strategic position, strategic fit and the competitive advantage of the company with respect to sustainability over the future market scenario of the pharmaceutical industry. GSK is one of the market leaders in pharmaceutical industry that comprises of 7% of the worlds pharmaceutical market. It is head quartered at UK and with operation based in US has a long history from 18th century. GSK was a result of two major market holders; Glaxo Wellcome (Burroughs Wellcome Company and Glaxo Laboratories) merged with SmithKline Beecham (SmithKline Beckman and Beecham group plc) to form GlaxoSmithKline Beecham during the early 2000 (Glaxo SmithKline, 2009a, 2009a; Glaxo SmithKline, 2009b). Pharmaceutical Industry A pharmaceutical industry in general can be defined as a private organization where discovery, development, manufacture and sales of drugs and vaccination into the market takes place (Britannica, 2009). With respect to the case study company, GSK proves to be a market leader as a research based pharmaceutical industry providing diversified health care products to influence humans life towards betterment (Glaxo SmithKline Plc, 2009a; FAME, 2009a). Market share: The recent statistics (Euromonitor, 2009a; Euromonitor, 2009b) shows that GSK by holding 7% worlds pharmaceutical market share remains to be the second major pharmaceutical company in the world and it is the third largest leading OTC health care company with a market share of 3.4% following Johnson Johnson Inc and Bayer AG. Recent report shows that GSK has shown increase in their turn over market share in vaccine sales and diversified products in US irrespective of the recession during 2008 (Brian Kevin, 2009). There has been a 10% increase in profit and sales during the third quarter of 2009. This was due to the sales and urgent orders made by various governments around the world for the treating pandemic influenza virus (Milligan, 2009). GSK gives a tuff competition to its major market share holders and generic. The pharmaceutical industry can be classified as an oligopoly market, because two major firms GSK and Pfizer will be working together to obtain solution for HIV/AIDS. Thus this will lead in building barriers for the other minor market competitors to reach the top 5. But still the generic industries in the market remain to be a major force of competition for GSK when its products patent expires (Jack, 2009). External Analysis on GSK The external analysis on GSK is done using PESTEL and Porters five force models. Macro environment The PESTEL analysis is generally used at the macro environment of an industry to understand the key drivers for change. This frame work tells the managers to make efficient strategy based on the PESTEL analysis report. Thus a few core factors of change are discussed below, POLITICAL: The US Govt by approving the license application for the pandemic vaccine allows GSK to manufacture and supply its unadjuvanted vaccine for the use of US people. Similarly many other European and Asian nations have also ordered for this vaccine which in turn will reflect a hike in GSKs revenue (Milligan, 2009) TECHNOLOGY: GSK adopted sourcing technologies from Emptoris solutions to obtain spend analysis, supply and contract management software solutions that empowered the company to add up another billion to the profit (Emptoris, 2009). The result of this was proved with the awards that it received at 2005 Baseline ROI leadership Awards for Supplier coordination and Performance management (Ziff Davis media, 2009) SOCIAL: The demographic changes are similar in Africa (Cutler J. Cleveland, 2009) India and China. The changes taking place raises a demand for increase in the standardization of the people and influencing longer life to them for a fraction of a price charged at UK. Thus GSK finds the emerging markets like these countries and establishes its brand and products to gain advantage of the changing demographic factors (Financial Times, 2009a). ENVIRONMENTAL: The threatening animal rights campaign caused the smaller firms to shift their company headquarter from UK .But GSK with the support of UK govt dissolved the case (BBC news, 2009a). LEGAL: The patent protection has been a major issue while making a sales competition with the generic manufacturers (Jack, 2009a). ECONOMIC: The recent economic recession that hit the US and UK market made GSK to cut jobs in selected plants (Decision news media, 2009). The analysis has helped in defining the extent of macro environment that supports GSK through it progress by providing few facts that remains to be driving factors to bring change for the companys revenue and brand image. However, certain environmental issues and legal factors can make the investors to rethink. Finally UK govts dependency on GSKs share towards economy is an added advantage that will remain ideal. Industry and sector: The Porters five force framework explains the influence of competitive forces surrounding an organisation. The key factors like exit barrier for existing company and entry barrier for new entrant (Gassmann et al, 2004 p21) to emerge as a rival to GSK are discussed below. Power of buyer: Power of buyer may not be a major issue for a new potential entrant to consider, but he cant stick to a single supplier. Considering GSK, it maximizes the number of chemical supplier to avoid supply disruption which results in loss in market share. On the other hand it minimizes the number of machinery and equipment to single supplier for processing products to maintain identical standard (Pierce Lisa McTigue, 2004). Power of supplier: The power of supplier is very low in the current pharmaceutical market because procurement through reverse e-auction (Science Direct, 2009) results in low switching cost (Gassmann et al, 2004 p23) and it is being followed effectively by GSK. The high supplier concentration ratio in pharmaceutical industry makes the suppliers to liberate their powers over the buyers. Threat of substitute: Threats from generic manufactures (Jack, 2009a) of drugs, have been a major threat to GSK because price competitiveness is always a major attraction to insurance company, International bodies like NICE to approve and for the end customers. Threat of entry by a potential entrant is medium. A new entrant can be former chemical manufacturer or supplier then the complexity for the company to emerge into a pharmaceutical company is quite easy. Regulative forces: The major issue in a pharmaceutical industry can be the patent protection, changing trade law and taxation, tort law (Glaxo SmithKline, 2001), approval from FDA (Russell, 2008), European and other regulatory authorities. Rivalry: Globalized leaders such as Merck, GSK, and Pfizer have remained as strong rivals in launching new or updated products (Griffiths, 2006). Competitors: The critical success factors are influencing aspects of a product that are valued by the customer/consumers. Thus the organisation has to consider these factors for taking advantage among their competitors (Johnson et al, 2008).As discussed before GSK deals with prescribed drugs and non-prescribed drugs (OTC). Thus these diversified products that it manufactures have various customer and consumers. There are four critical success factors identified in GSK as per customers valuation. They are Value, Variety, Share return, Skilled clinical testing, Value: OTC products can expect a lot of price sensitive customers buying those in the shops. However, the prescribed drugs which have less price conscious patients and more public and private hospitals. Drugs purchased by the hospital board are checked for its cost effectiveness by national organisation like NICE. GSK with high brand images looses the market due to low cost generic products after the expiry drugs patent. So GSK has to consider about the cost factor to overcome the price war. Effectiveness: Generally the drugs with more effectiveness towards the medical problem are preferred by the end customer. GSKs LEVITRA ® (Glaxo SmithKline, 2009e) which had 25% higher efficiency than it competitors drug Viagra gained an edge. Skilled Clinical testing: It is a major concern for NICE and NHS in UK. They are more concerned about the side effects that a drug can cause if it is not properly tested. (Glaxo SmithKline, 2001). Variety: diversified products with high variation are always expected by the consumers globally. GSK develops OTC products, prescribed drugs and orphan drugs (FAME, 2009). So this factor is not an issue for GSK since it has a high to make further improvements. Internal Analysis on GSK The internal analysis on GSK has been basically carried out by analysing the strategies of the company. Strategies of GSK To make a general analysis of competitive advantage the company is facing through its strategies, Porters generic strategy tool is been used (Porter, 1998a; Porter, 1998b). Porters generic strategies consist of 3 basic subdivisions such as Cost leadership, Differentiation and Focus strategy. GSK use certain strategies to create an unassailable position or outpace the competitors in the pharmaceutical industry. Considering the past 5 years GSK has effectively chosen and implemented several strategies to meet its goals. But not all those strategies have produced expected results. Cost leadership: According to porter risk outcome from having cost leadership distracts a company from possessing diversified products (Porter, 1998a). GSKs strategies have never aimed for having a cost leadership. Their major concern was to produce cost effective drugs by sourcing globally through reverse auctioning and not producing low cost drugs like the generic manufacturers who wish to position themselves in low-cost position in the industry. So GSK cut and save expenses in production and procurement to avoid the risks in differentiation as mentioned by porter Differentiation: GSK follows the strategy of MA on various biotech firms around the globe to make a use the latest technology for its drug discovery and development. This adds value to the product and the people pay the premium price fixed by the company. GSK invests more on Research Development for adding more value to the product. Recent alliances with Harvard Stem Cell Institute (Glaxo SmithKline, 2008a) and acquisitions such as that of Stiefel Laboratories and Genelabs (Glaxo SmithKline, 2008b) provide added advantage to the research and development of drugs. Competitive Advantage Resources The resources can be classified into tangible, intangible and human resources. Tangible: This can be diversified into financial and physical tangible resources. The financial resources are cash, securities and borrowing capacity (Hitt et al, 2009). Financial resources and physical assets are identified and valued in the firms financial statements. Database (ORBIS, 2009) reports GSKs balance sheet tangible asset value to be $14,108,592. The physical assets include labs owned and leased, land space for offices, manufacturing plant, medical equipment, non-medical equipment. However, the primary objective of resource analysis is not to value a companys assets, but to understand their potential for creating competitive advantage. Hence therefore GSKs tangible resources are threshold resources. Intangible: The intangible resources are the most important rather than tangible resources (Hitt et al, 2009). This is because the company introduces its premium price with the confidence to the brand image it has. And the people who have no idea about the same product from an unknown company prefer the branded product at the premium price. The intangible resources of GSK are generally the brand image, Government support to protect the patent, good will of the company, public relation. The global public policy in Glaxo SmithKline (2007) states that, Patent protection stimulates and fundamentally underpins the continued research and development for new and better medicines for diseases including those which occur in the developing world. Without adequate intellectual property protection, the medicines that are needed in the developing world are far less likely to be developed. (2007:p.2) And a cover story from Business week (2007), states that, GlaxoSmithKline discovered that, by investing to develop drugs for poor nations, it can work more effectively with those governments to make sure its patents are protected. Thus its clear from the above statement that GSK which finds the emerging countries like India, China and under developed markets for its drugs. The company uses the strategy of preferential pricing system to obtain goodwill, patent protection from the government and to boost itself as a monopoly in the market. Thus brand image and UK Government support are the unique resources of the company. Human Resources: The human capital of GSK measures to be the highest among all other competitors like Pfizer, Roche and Johnson and Johnson. There are 101,133 employees working as a part of GSK worldwide in various departments of research, development, and production. GSK alliance with state owned university carries out its research with the scientists and students there at the labs (ORBIS, 2009). Capability Prahalad and Hamel state that the term organizational capability can be coined as firms capacity to deploy resources for a desired end result . (1990: p 79-91). According to (Prahalad Hamel, 1990) Core competences are those that contribute to customer value, and to enter new market. The key capability factors are, Ability to merge and acquire: GSK has the capability to merge and acquire firms of same or different industry for lateral and vertical integration. The company has the ability to work along with rival market holder Pfizer(Pharmaceutical marketing, 2009) and it has merged with dermatology specialist Steifel. MIS: managing information system is one of the functional capabilities obtained through vertical integration with software solutions organisation like ORBIS. GSK choose to use a Lean Sigma approach to analyze the issues and develop a long term solution that supports the needs of a global company of their size (Orbis, 2008). Vertical Integration: GSK advisor uses the services of PricewaterhouseCoopers (Pricewaterhousecoopers, (2009), which provides Human Resource Services to manage compensation, pensions, share schemes and wider reward, technology, training and tax. Research and development: as a part of organisational capability GSK possess the ability to make research various drugs according to changing market demand (Glaxo SmithKline, 2009f). GSK has the ability to integrate the functional capabilities to form the value chain. Aligning Resources and Capabilities The capability and resource together form the key competitive advantage when exploited together to execute the strategy (Prahalad Hamel, 1990). In the process of aligning the resources and capabilities it is necessary to understand the companys superfluous strength that is the RD and effective vertical integrating capability. GSK finds emerging market like China and India and under developed countries of Africa. Then the management members along with the team that analyzed the market (cross functional capability i.e, developing new product) discusses about the demand of the country and decides on a perfect product to market in that country. GSK gained popularity of horlicks in India by late 1930 itself. Horlicks was launched a sleeping aid in Britain (Telegraph, 2005) and as a supplementary malt drink in India, where it holds a market share of 75% in health drink sector (Somvanshi, 2009). It also supplies drugs of great demand like H1N1 vaccine as per order made. GSK makes an agreement with the government for protecting its patent to provide the drugs at a lower cost. As these are emerging countries that are ready to allow large foreign investment accepts the deal for patent protection. Thus GSK with its financial resource targets enters the developing market with the objective establishing its brand as w ell as avoids the threat of generic industries. By acquiring, merging or by creating alliances with other existing firms who are specialized in other fields, the knowledge and skills of the employee are used to develop newer products under its ownership of GSK (Ruddick, 2009). Generally the pressure to merge with other firms builds up, when a companys block buster drug is about to expire. By this practice GSK builds up its strength to compete the challenge with newer and innovative products. However GSK has failed to exploit the resources and capabilities to its strategies at its maximum extent to attain regulatory approval from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Russell, 2008). Conclusion It can be argued that the GSK is perfectly in the growth stage. However company has to concentrate on innovation, developing block buster drugs, and efficiently restructuring the pipeline, rather than concerning about the off-patent. The key issues that the GSK face now is, the low returns provided to the investors and share holders. The increasing cost of the production and development of drugs increases the possibility of higher sunk costs. The outlook of pharmaceutical industry as a whole suggests that the industry may run out of highly skilled scientists in the future but still remains to be the most attractive industry with high barrier to entry. Thus GSK considering the future issues and changing factors in mind has to progress through this economic downtime to prove its capability. References: BBC news (2009a). Glaxo wont be driven out of UK. [Online] Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4988858.stm Last accessed 18th November 2009. BBC news (2009b). Healthy rise in GSK profits. [Online] Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8331080.stm Last accessed 18th November 2009. Brian Kevin (2009). Flu factor adds zest to healthy GSK results. [Online] Available from:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d4d9d664-76f1-11de-b23c-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1. Last accessed 18th November 2009. Britannica. (2009). InEncyclopà ¦dia Britannica -UK [Online] Available from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1357082/pharmaceutical-industry. Last accessed 17th November 2009. Business Week. (2007). Beyond the Green Corporation. [Online] Available: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_05/b4019001.htm. Last accessed: 28 November 2009. Cutler J. Cleveland (2009). Environmental change and socioeconomic factors in Africa. [Online] Available from: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Environmental_change_and_socioeconomic_factors_in_Africa#Social_change. Last accessed 22nd November 2009. Decision news media (2009). GSK axe begins to fall. [Online] Available from: http://www.in-pharmatechnologist.com/Materials-Formulation/GSK-axe-begins-to-fall. Last accessed 18th November 2009. Emptoris (2009). Company Overview. [Online] Available from: http://www.emptoris.com/company/overview.asp Last accessed 19th November 2009. Euromonitor. (2009a). Company shares-Euromonitor from trade sources/national statistics-UK [Online] Available from http://www.portal.euromonitor.com/Portal/ResultsList.aspx. Last accessed 17th November 2009. Euromonitor. (2009b). Company factfile-UK [Online] Available from http://www.portal.euromonitor.com/Portal/DocumentView.aspx. Last accessed 17th November 2009. FAME. (2009a). Overview-UK [Online] Available from https://fame.bvdep.com/version-20091031/cgi/productselect.dll?newproduct=1context=CJQ1H0kick=1logoutonswitch=9ROG9P. Last accessed 17th November 2009. Financial Times (2009a). Lucozade hits the cold drinks to China. [Online] Available from: www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1fe7fa22-ac5e-11de-a7540044feabdc0.html. Last accessed 22nd November 2009. Gassmann et al (2004a). Leading pharmaceutical innovation 2nd edition. [Online] Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Last accessed from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iry1nJHAc_sCprintsec=frontcoverdq=leading+pharmaceutical+innovationei=8K0KS92gBIKgMtSt9KYP#v=onepageq=f=false. Last accessed 18th November 2009. (p23). Glaxo SmithKline. (2001). Outlook and Risk factors. Available: http://www.gsk.com/financial/reports/ar/report/op_finrev_prosp/outlook/outlook.html. Last accessed 28 November 2009. Glaxo SmithKline. (2007). Global Public Policy and Issues. [Online]. Available: http://www.gsk.com/policies/GSK-on-IP-and-access-to-medicines-in-developing-countries.pdf. Last accessed 28 November 2009. (p-2) Glaxo SmithKline. (2008a). GlaxoSmithKline and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute announce a unique collaboration to enable the discovery of new medicines. Available: http://www.gsk.com/media/pressreleases/2008/2008_pressrelease_10089.htm. Last accessed 28 November 2009. Glaxo SmithKline. (2008b). GlaxoSmithKline to acquire Genelabs Technologies to increase focus on novel small molecule therapies for Hepatitis C. Available: http://www.gsk.com/media/pressreleases/2008/2008_us_pressrelease_10145.htm. Last accessed 28 November 2009. Glaxo SmithKline. (2009a). Our Company -UK [Online]. Available from http://www.gsk.com/about/company.htm Last accessed 17th November 2009. Glaxo SmithKline. (2009b). Our History -UK [Online] Available from http://www.gsk.com/about/history.htm. Last accessed 17th November 2009. Glaxo SmithKline (2009c). GSK and Shenzhen Neptunus create new alliance to develop and manufacture influenza vaccines in China. [Online] Available from: http://www.gsk.com/media/pressreleases/2009/2009_pressrelease_10061.htm. Last accessed 19th November 2009. Glaxo SmithKline (2009d). US FDA approves GSKs pandemic H1N1 vaccine [Online] Available from: http://www.gsk.com/media/pressreleases/2009/2009_pressrelease_10129.htm Last accessed 19th November 2009. Glaxo SmithKline. (2009e). THE IMPACT OF ED ON ERECTILE FUNCTION. Available: http://www.levitra.com/about-erectile-dysfunction.html. Last accessed 27 November 2009. Glaxo SmithKline. (2009f). H1N1 influenza: responding to a pandemic. Available: http://www.gsk.com/infocus/influenza-A-H1N1.htm. Last accessed 27 November 2009. Griffiths, K. (2006). Glaxo medicine beats older diabetes rivals. Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2951867/Glaxo-medicine-beats-older-diabetes-rivals.html. Last accessed 28 November 2009. Jack (2009a). Generics make a dent in GSK sales. [Online] Available from: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dbd75fce-7b59-11d9-9af4-00000e2511c8.html. Last accessed 18th November 2009. Michael A Hitt,R.Duane Ireland, and Robert E. Hoskisson. (2009). Strategic Management::Input. In: Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization : concepts cases. United States: Cengage Learning Academic Resource Center. p76-80. Milligan (2009). Healthy rise in GSK profits. [Online] Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8331080.stm. Last accessed 18th November 2009. ORBIS (2008). GSK case study. Available: http://www.orbisglobal.com/SiteMedia/w3svc815/Uploads/Documents/GSK%20Case%20Study%202008.pdf. Last accessed 27 November 2009. ORBIS. (2009). Balance sheet. [Online] Available: http://orbis.bvdep.com/version-20091125/cgi/template.dll?checkathens=1kick=1product=13user=oxb.b5ce71006d6c243cpw=asGpiegbTuqWNfAr1N6v4A%3d%3d. Last accessed 28 Novenber 2009. Pharmaceutical marketing . (2009). GSK LINKS WITH PFIZER STIEFEL: Company moves to advance in HIV and dermatology . PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING -DORKING. . 20 (12), p6-7. Pierce Lisa McTigue (2004). GSK breathes easy with new inhaler line: robotics and adaptable equipment help GlaxoSmithKline meet demand for the markets No. 1 asthma inhaler. [Online] Available from: http://www.allbusiness.com/plastics-rubber/plastics-product-manufacturing/298291-1.html Last accessed 18th November 2009. Prahalad, C.K. and Hamel, G. (1990) The core competence of the corporation, Harvard Business Review. p. 79-91. Pricewaterhousecoopers. (2009). GlaxoSmithKline. Available: http://www.pwc.co.uk/eng/services/glaxosmithkline_case_study.html. Last accessed 28 November 2009. Porter, M. (1998a). Generic Competitive Strategy. In: competitive strategy- Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. New York: free press. p35. Porter, M. (1998b). Generic Competitive Strategy. In: competitive strategy- Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. New York: free press. p37. Ruddick, G. (2009). GlaxoSmithKline buys Stiefel for $3.6bn . Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/gsk/5186751/GlaxoSmithKline-buys-Stiefel-for-3.6bn.html . Last accessed 28 November 2009. Russell, J. (09 Apr 2008). GSK rebuked by FDA over Avandia trials. [Online] Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/2787811/GSK-rebuked-by-FDA-over-Avandia-trials.html. Last accessed 28 November 2009. Science Direct (2009) Getting the most out of reverse e-auction investment. [Online] Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VC4-4H7THJ8-1_user=558526_rdoc=1_fmt=_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1105992232_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000028481_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=558526md5=0136d63f7d9ff73367852ba539382bb0#bbib12 Omega Volume 35, Issue 4, August 2007, Pages 403-416. Last accessed on 21st November 2009] Somvanshi, K. (2009). GSK Consumer Healthcare: A classic defensive stock. Available: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/Investors-Guide/GSK-Consumer-Healthcare-A-classic-defensive-stock/articleshow/4303094.cms. Last accessed 28 November 2009. Telegraph. (2005). A wake-up call for Horlicks. Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2928124/A-wake-up-call-for-Horlicks.html. Last accessed 28 November 2009. Ziff Davis Media (2009). Baseline Magazine Announces 2005 ROI leadership Award Winners. [Online] Available from: http://ziffdavis.com/press/releases/050706.0.html Last accessed 19th November 2009.

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Bride -- Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeche

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Bride Hello everyone. I guess this is slightly unusual - the Bride doing a speech - but as you all know, the chances of me being able to stay quiet whilst everyone else does a speech were pretty slim. A good speech, they say, should be like a mini-skirt - short enough to be interesting, yet long enough to cover the essentials! So here goes........ Thank you all for coming to share the day with us. Many of you have had to take time off work and/or travelled a fair distance to be with us today - we really do appreciate the sacrifices that have been made for us. Of course, there are some faces missing from this celebration as I look round the room and for whatever reason, cannot be with us to share this special occasion. I'd like to make a toast now to the different people we've known and loved who are looking down on this celebration and hopefully having a little one of their own up there! Ladies and Gentlemen, would you please stand and raise your glasses to 'Absent Friends and Loved Ones'. Thanks to everyone who has helped in one way or another. I won't mention names as I'll more than likely forget someone and upset them! Special thanks to Mom, Dad, Irene and Jimmy for their generous contributions. Also, thankyou to Irene and Jimmy for raising James so well, althoufg I understand that the warranty's out of date and the refund deadline has long since passed. I think I'l... ...finally start to let himself go! Anyway, thankyou James for turning up today, on time and appropriately dressed. (Turn to hubby) You are the love of my life, my best friend and now my hubby. I don't think anybody could be as happy as I am today and I can't wait for us to share the rest of our lives together. I'll drink my own private toast to James later. Iwould now like to propose another toast, this time to you, our guests. (Get hubby to stand up) Cheers everyone! I had a great laugh writing this speech and even more of a laugh delivering it - especially as the Best Man (and everyone else) had no idea it was coming and he was geeing himself to stand up!! Hope this helps other Brides planning a speech.

Long Haul Destinations Essay

Task 3: Explore the factors affecting long haul destinations P3&M115% still in November.ase .er numbers in the future as security tightens further to keep up with the constant threat of att Many things will affect people’s decision to travel, the destinations they choose and for how long they stay. Different destinations are affected by different factors, here we will explore these factors and the destinations they effect. Time Zones & Length of flight All journey times are given in local time which incorporates any addition or subtraction for GMT. This can cause confusion when working out journey times. There is also daylight saving to take into account, British Summer Time (BST) is when the clocks go forward on the last Sunday in March – all other countries use daylight saving too. New York are behind 5 hours  this is expressed as GMT-5 South Africa is 2 hours ahead  this is expressed as GMT+2 An inconvenience of time zone changes during travel is fatigue caused by jet lag, this is the effect unusual rapid change has on the body’s internal clock. This can make you feel tired and unwell which, if you are travelling for pleasure especially, you may be disappointed to start your holiday this way. Another worry of long haul travel is deep vein thrombosis (DVT) caused by long periods of inactivity, this can easily be combated though by regular leg stretching whilst flying. An example of this could be flying from the UK to Australia. As this is such a long flight, around 24 hours (not including the stop over) and with a time difference of around 11 hours, jet lag is a major factor for anyone making this journey as is the threat of  DVT. Seasonality & Extreme Climactic Conditions Seasonal weather differs between destinations, as the northern hemisphere (UK) has its cold winter in the second half of the year, while the southern hemisphere (Australia) has its warmer ‘summery’ season during this time. This affects tourists for many reasons. Most people will do the most holiday travelling during the warmer months or ‘peak’ season, although this is usually more of an attractive idea, it is usually a lot more costly. Seasonal public holidays can also effect travel, in countries where the winter season is the off peak time of the year meaning travel bookings are usually cheaper, public holidays such as thanks giving, Christmas and new year can make travelling at certain times during this season very expensive. Another effect of seasonality is restricted travel caused by bad weather. Restricted travel is a regular problem in countries with high rain fall, snow fall and other adverse weather. In 2011, seven of the nine provinces of South Africa were affected by extreme flooding caused by excessive rainfall leaving 100 people dead and thousands homeless. The effects of disasters like this can be devastating to the travel industry as people begin to view the affected destination as unsafe so opt for other destinations with a lower risk factor. Africa in 2011 due to excessive rainfall her adverse weather. . in the year meaning for the most part Extreme climactic conditions such as monsoons, hurricanes and other forms of tropical storm can also have dramatic effects on peoples travelling habits so certain destinations. Extreme climactic conditions affect many parts of the world in different ways. For instance: In Southeast Asia between May and October is the monsoon season – This mix of torrential rain and gale force winds effects 1/3 of the world’s population each year and has had devastating effects. Although this is a beautiful part  of the world and popular with tourists, many people would consider when they travel there due to the weather risks. In the USA many states have been effected by hurricanes. The most recent of these was hurricane Sandy in October 2012, the most destructive storm in the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record and the second costliest hurricane in American history. The human cost of this horrific hurricane was a death toll of 285, also leaving thousands homeless. This horrific storm cost the tourism industry in the area hundreds of millions daily in lost revenue and repairs, and spanned the 450 mile long Boston to Washington DC corridor, which is the most densely populated such stretch in the U.S. and is the location of the country’s most densely collected tourism infrastructure. Many holiday makers and travellers were put off greatly from travelling to this part of the USA, in October 2012 hotels saw a 25% decrease in their occupancy rate and 15% still in November. Entry Requirements Ruleslimactic conditions affect many parts of the world in different ways.tinations sk factor. by excessive rainfall leaving 100 po of entry for foreigners vary from country to country. One entry requirement that is now common place with most long haul destinations is a visa. A visa is a stamp in your passport that permits you to enter a certain country for a certain period of time. There are different types of visas depending on the purpose of your visit e.g. work, student or holiday. For some, the visa process is fairly straight forward and not to costly, however the process and fees are determined by things like where you come from, your personal back ground and which country you intend to visit. Up until 2013, in the UK the process for Chinese visa applicants was very costly and complicated. The chief executive of British Airways announced in 2012 that the complicated process for Chinese nationals was deterring them from visiting the UK and as a result, the British economy was su ffering with 149,000 Chinese nationals visiting the UK in 2012 compared to the 1.1 million that visited the Schengen area. The Chinese visa process was simplified in 3 ways. The first, Chinese travel agents can now send the UK application as part of the Schengen visa application instead of two separate forms, to reduce duplication as many  people travelling from china will not travel solely to the UK. The next, a 24 hour superior priority service and finally a mobile visa service cutting the entire process time to less than 5 minutes. This has already made a significant difference in the number of Chinese tourists arriving in the Uk with figures for the first half of 2015 up 4% on the same period of the previous year. Although this example is based around a relatively specific group of people, it demonstrates how the visa application process can heavily effect tourist habits to a destination. Another common entry requirement in certain parts of the world its of the world are vaccinations. To some people, vaccinations are simply a necessary evil in the process of travelling abroad and one which a lot of people are happy to accept as part of their journey if it means they will be protected against deadly diseases and sickness. However, there are people who are put off greatly by the idea of having to have shots to go on holiday. For instance, to enter Brazil 7 immunisations are required; hepatitis a, hepatitis b, diphtheria, tetanus, rabies, typhoid and yellow fever. Travel Restriction In July 2014 fighting broke out following a long conflict between Israel and Gazza. Since then and still now there are restrictions in place affecting travel to the affected areas which include parts of Israel, Egypt and Syria. Due to the unpredictability of the security situation, people are strongly advised not to travel to the area at all. Another type of travel restriction is what we are allowed to pack in our suit case. Following terrorist attacks such as 9/11 and other security threats, what some view as harsh restrictions have been placed of the things we are allowed to carry with us on an airplane. Other causes for this are natural, such as in Australia where the rules on food items and natural material being brought into the country are very strict this is due to the threat of parasites, bugs and diseases that are not present in Australia being brought in and infecting crops etc. Certain countries have strict rules about what they can eat due to religious and cultural tradition, these people may be put off travelling  to Australia if they could not bring certain food items with them or risk facing a heavy fine if they try. As security measures at airports tighten, passengers begin to ask if their rights are being infringed upon in the attempt to keep us all safe. In October 2010, the Daily Mail reported on the outrage felt by passengers regarding the new pat down and search techniques being used in airports across the world. After the prsvious disgust at thAfter the previous disgust at the x-ray body scanners that are able to see through clothing, passengers are now given the choice of the new pat down search instead. The new procedure has been described as invasive, passenger rights groupsed as invasive and are saying it could become a moral issue. A regular female flyer from Florida said she felt helpless and violated and that the process left her in tears. With technology advancing, security measures must be constantly updated and tightened. Such extreme measures as ‘naked’ x-ray scanners and invasive body searches are relatively recent as the threat of attack becomes more apparent but will we see a decline in passenger numbers in the future as security tightens further to keep up with the constant threat of attack? mes more aparent of attack s searches and the fear over the threat of terrorist attack Safety Safety is one of the main factors for people when making travel arrangements. Many of the issues I have written about such natural disaster, international conflict and infectious diseases affect the safety of a place and therefore peoples decision to travel there. Something which has become more and more of a worry to people traveling is terrorism. The terrorist bombings at the Boston Marathon on 15th April 2013 had a short term effect on tourism but will cause increased security at future events. Although the immediate effects of the bombings were mostly economical, the tourism industry was affected, the city of Boston was brought to a stand-still, with people unable to get in or out. Flights were cancelled and delayed while low level air space was closed while police searched for the bombing suspects, dinner and hotel reservations were cancelled affecting the hospitality trade, as a  large area in the heart of such a big city was closed off while the events were under investigation, businesses in the area suffered, having to close, thus causing implications for the local economy. Tour operators and travel agents suggest that there is no lasting impact on the tourism industry and that people are still happy to visit and remain in the city and the marathon organisers expected the event to take place as expected the following year. A news report in July 2014 by the Economist outlined the effects seen by the Kenyan tourist industry after 2 nights of terror attacks carried out by Islamic extremists left 65 people dead. Tourism in Kenya, which accounts for 15% of the nation’s GDP, has been left in tatters after warnings from UK and other foreign governments pr ompted tour companies to evacuate tourists from the resorts of the tourism hot spot Mombasa, operators say it will take years to restore confidence in the region. Health Issues Pandemics and the threat of international infection affect the travel industry greatly as when a destination is deemed unsafe to enter all non-emergency travel is halted. In February 2014, Ebola broke out in West Africa and soon after all non-emergency travel into the affected areas was stopped to stop the infection spreading. Ebola has claim almost 2000 lives to date and could potentially kill 90% of those infected. Some countries have now relaxed their Ebola related travel restrictions although despite the improvement of the outbreak and its transmission in affected countries, many places continue to enforce travel restrictions for safety reason, with many airline totally suspending travel to a from Sierra Leon, Liberia and Guinea. Many other countries located close to the effected are also have entrance restrictions in place. In December 2014 the Daily Mail published a report attempting to reassure tourists that areas such as the Gambia are totally unaffected by the Ebola outbreak and are still safe to visit as usual. Since the outbreak, the Gambia in west Africa has seen a 50% decrease in charter flight compared with the previous year as terrified holiday makers turn their backs on the region over fears of infection and the tourism industry in the area has been brought to its knees despite the fact the country does not even border the affected areas and the UK government  have declared the Gambia an Ebola free zone. Speaking in the report Dr Marina Novelli, reader in the School of Sport and Service Management at the University of Brighton, said panic caused by misinformation has had a huge impact on tourism in Ebola-free countries. DR Novelli urged holiday makers not to be discouraged from travelling to the Gambia saying if the area was not safe to visit she would not have travelled there. Social Situations Difference in culture can also effect people’s decision to travel. People who live in western countries such as the UK and Europe might have quite a culture shock when visiting other countries whose traditions and customs are upheld so strongly. In 2013 Russian president Vladamir Putin passed a law which means now foreign tourists could be subjected to the same anti-gay rules as residents. Gay (or pro-gay) tourists can now be arrested and detained for up to two weeks before being sent back their home countries. This will drastically affect the decision for members of the gay lesbian bisexual transgender community to travel to Russia in the future. In July 2013 a news report by the gay star news documented how 4 Dutch tourists had been the first tourists to be arrested for ‘gay propaganda’ under the new anti-gay law. One of those arrested was councillor for the Dutch groen links or green party of Groningen Kris Van der Veen. Van der Veen and his party were believed to be visiting the county making a documentary about gay rights in Russia. After the arrest the 4 tourists were detained awaiting trial in Moscow. After trial, the possible punishment they could expect for their ‘crime’ could be as much as a hefty fine and two weeks detention in a Russian prison before being deported back to the Netherlands. On the 11th Marsh 2011, an earthquake hit off the pacific coast of Tohoku, Japan causing an undersea mega surge with tsunami waves. It was the most powerful earthquake ever to hit Japan and the fourth most powerful in the world since modern records began in 1900. The final report confirmed 15,889 deaths, 6150 injuries and 2601 people missing, as well as 127,290 building totally collapsed. The earthquake and tsunami caused heavy structural damage to roads and railways in the north of Japan.

History of the Income Tax essays

History of the Income Tax essays The federal progressive income tax has been an issue that has been argued on the floors of Congress, in front of the United States Supreme Court, in front of television cameras, and around the dinner table. The tax served its purpose in supplementing revenue during the Civil War and World War I, but continued taking from Americans income in peacetime, allowing fewer dollars to be spent on goods and services. When the American government was in a deficit, it was harder to argue for the abolishment of the income tax, but now that Congress is looking at a government surplus for the first time in decades, the question is raised again: Do we have to have a progressive federal income tax? Prior to the Civil War, the vast majority of government funds came from tariffs on imports. The only exception was during the War of 1812, when blockades by the British, as well as the war being with the young countrys number one trade partner, lowered income from tariffs. Government revenues were accompanied by funds from the sale of public lands, such as the Louisiana Territory and the Oregon Country, as well as excise taxes, which were introduced during the War of 1812 (Hansen 62). As Abraham Lincoln, who once said that he had no money sense and never enough money to fret him, came into office with a national debt of nearly $75 million and little to no inflow of customs duties, as well as an outflow of investments to foreign countries by investors who feared war. After attempts to raise money by selling bonds, doubling tariffs, increasing excise taxes, and creating license fees, it was realized that another form of tax was needed (Paul 7-8, Witte 67). The details of the tax, however, were not agreed on easily. The tax was originally proposed to tax land in each state, with revenue to be handed out according to population. The idea of this tax created a congressional rebellion, led by the South and West,...

God Exhibits Parental Characteristics. Uses examples from the Old Testament of the Bible to prove that God exhibits the traits of a parent when interacting with humans.

God Exhibits Parental Characteristics. Uses examples from the Old Testament of the Bible to prove that God exhibits the traits of a parent when interacting with humans. Many people look to God for comfort. They live their lives based on His teachings in the Bible. People also look to their parents for comfort and live their lives based on what they teach them. In numerous ways, God is comparable to a parent. Providing comfort, setting rules, and disciplining are three traits of parents that God exhibits.One way God is similar to a parent is He provides comfort to His children. An example is when people are upset over the loss of a loved one, their parents are there to comfort them. After Cain murders Abel, God gives Eve another son, Seth, to console her. Another is if a child is afraid, they look to their parents to protect and comfort them. When Cain is worried that someone will kill him, God assures him that whoever slays him shall suffer a penalty seven times as worse. Plus, parents cover their children when they are cold.English: The story of the Eden Garden. The temptat...Similarly, God provides covering for Adam and Eve when they are ashamed o f their nakedness. While He provides comfort, he also has rules that one has to abide by to earn it.Another way God is like a parent is He sets rules and advises His children. First, just as parents advise their children not eat certain candies and foods, so does God. God tells Adam and Eve never to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Also, parents inform their children that they have to do chores around the house to earn their allowance. Comparatively, God informs Adam that he needs to labor in the field to produce food for his family. In addition, parents advise their children not to be lazy and do something with their lives. Likewise, God tells Adam and Eve to be fruitful...

Letters of Van Gogh Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letters of Van Gogh - Essay Example Vincent van Gogh wrote and preserved many letters during his life, which were made into a collection. Most of the letters were addressed to his brother. His total tally of letters amounts to 819, whereby 600 of this letters were to his brother Theo. Some of van Gogh’s letters were addressed to his sister Wil. One letter went to Kruysse, a friend, while other letters went to Emile and Rappard. After Vincent van Gogh had died in 1891, his wife collected these letters and addressed them to respective addressees. The letters were later organized and published in 1914. Most of the authors describe Vincent van Gogh as a man who protected even the least scrap of paper. Vincent van Gogh was both an art historian and art therapist as well. His works leads mostly to interdisciplinary articles. This article also presents a mindset and a word view which is primarily Jungian, though it has been informed by the works of Julia Kristeva. His letters also presents the unions of the opposites, the complementarities, and bipolarities, which are consistently pointed out on all the levels, which includes the lifestyles, the words, the images, and the analysis of the formal elements of art. In addition, the works of Vincent van Gogh asserts the diagnoses of bipolar disorder, which are exacerbated by the borderline personality disorder. The letters of Vincent Van Gogh depicts the literature skills as well as a unique authentic literary skills and style. His style mirrors the Balzac literature, which he had previously read and valued. His literary style also reflects the historian work of icons such as Michelet, Zola, who was a naturalist, Voltaire, as well as Flaubert.

Attraction of Developed Markets for Emerging Market Brands Essay - 1

Attraction of Developed Markets for Emerging Market Brands - Essay Example This paper illustrates emerging markets as the markets or nations that have economies classified as being in their relatively early development stages. These nations’ financial markets are less developed compared to the major financial centers from all over the world. However, these markets are becoming increasingly integrated and sophisticated into the international and developed markets. The emerging markets spread across the globe and they differ extensively in their cultures, political, and economic behavior, as well as in factors that drive their market growth. There has been an increasing attraction of the developed markets for the emerging market brands, though they face numerous challenges. Emerging markets face numerous challenges in their efforts of joining and competing in the developed markets. Agtmael stated that limited financial resources and the lack of international experience force the emerging markets into becoming low-cost equipment manufacturers and provid ers for the developed markets. The result is that the developed markets consider the products within the emerging markets as commodities and competitive, which leads to lower performance levels of the emerging markets, as well as the products within these markets. An additional obstacle for emerging markets venturing into the developed markets is that the developed markets are the negative stigma that consumers in these markets have on products from the emerging markets. Most of the consumers within the developed markets, as Agtmael states, are usually not willing to pay the market price of emerging commodities. This forces the companies within the emerging markets to lower their sales prices to make sales. In return, the companies get little or no income, and at times, they make losses on the products they provide to the markets. The negative stigma of the developed markets makes it difficult for the brands within the emerging markets to grow and join the developed markets. Emergin g market brands seek to join the developed markets for various reasons. The different reasons are mainly to benefit from the greater developed market. The main reason is to gain a greater market. Developed markets have more customers compared to the emerging market. These markets provide a wider range of consumers for the products that exist within the markets compared to the developing markets. The developed markets usually have more participants, who are willing and committed to trading business activities.