Early Greek Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Early Greek Philosophy - Essay Example They believed everything is only so to the eye of the beholder, and so to was it with knowledge itself according to the Sophists. Socrates, however, opposed to the Sophist position. He attempted to understand the nature of such absolutes as Justice, Goodness, or Beauty in discussion with others. Ultimately, his aim appears to be a form of the Golden Rule. If everything is relative and nothing is static, how would it be for one to be on the less than desirable side of relativity? Socrates used a dialectic technique (86). Socrates’ preferred method of debate was that of the question-answer session. He would question his opposition, and based on their answers, formulate additional questions until the relative err or truth in a given belief could be brought to light. This way, it was more as if the student derived his own conclusion from obviated facts than simply believing what is told him or her. The path to wisdom is not necessarily the accumulation of knowledge but more the honing of one’s power of discernment. Socrates believed that much like a midwife helps a mother bring forth a newborn so do teachers assist students in drawing out clarity from things in their own minds (96). As such a teacher can no more bring forth understanding from a person devoid of at least some ideas than a midwife can bring forth life from a woman not pregnant. Socrates augmented this method with strategic use of Irony. Irony is the employment of communication on multiple levels – usually an exoteric and an esoteric. The exoteric level is that of obvious, literal meanings. The esoteric is that of hidden, basic meaning. Socrates applies this method to keep his listeners engaged in his speech throughout the processes of clarification. Socrates’ discussion with Thrasymachus is representative of this process (99). The question he is trying to decide in the discussion with Thrasymachus is whether might makes right. He ultimately argues against Thrasymachus position by

Beowulfs Boasting

Beowulfs Boasting Beowulfs Boasting Beowulfs boasting is not merely to show how great he is but rather to keep true to his word and honor as a man. Beowulf does not boast for the sake of making himself look good. Marie Nelson from the University of Florida defines that there are two types of boasting that can be found in this Anglo-Saxon tale. The first form of boasting is modern boasting which consist of bragging and the second is an act of promising. Nelson states that the first type of boasting helps to establish Beowulfs credibility as a man who can be trusted to do what he says he will do, while type two boasts show the degree to which he commits himself to follow through on his promises (1). Anglo-Saxon boasting differs from modern boasting because modern time boasting focuses on making one look better than someone else. Anglo-Saxon boasting consist of making promises that are to be kept in order to keep ones honor intact. Modern boasting focuses more on displaying ones best attributes for all to see. Boasting is not merely a way to show off to others. Beowulf uses boasting to show loyalty to his liege. He shows his respect for his king, Hygelac, by vowing to keep the honor of his countrymen secure. One thing that always concerns Beowulf is keeping his word. He hopes to keep his word to Hygelac, and return home with his men after successfully defeating Grendel. In lines 199-201, Beowulf states his plans to aid Hrothgar in his troubles and defeat Grendel. Beowulfs community did not [try] to keep him from going along with his plans. (Heaney, line 202) No one questions Beowulfs boast because he has proven himself in the past and his word is valid. The boasting is a way to prove how honest what one says to be true. According to Dr. Kelly Taylor from the University of North Texas, Boasts were taken seriously. Boasts were understood to be serious utterances with personal, social, legal and political consequences. Beowulfs boasting represents a pledge to his King and community that he mu st keep. Beowulf keeps his word throughout the poem as he makes promises to defeat Grendel, Grendels mother, and the dragon. Modern boasting can be seen in the poem as well. In lines 480-490, there is a description of the Danes boasting about [waiting] for Grendel with their whetted sword. The Danes were bragging to show how courageous they would be when Grendel came to attack but later the reader learns that many of the boasting men were slain by Grendel. Beowulf is a man of his word. Lines 407-426 detail Beowulfs request to Hrothgar, asking his permission to fight Grendel. Beowulf boast to Hrothgar about his abilities and the strength of the mean of Geats. As Beowulf speaks to Hrothgar, the reader notices that he does not sound conceded when speaking to the king but rather humble. However in lines 415-418, the reader recognizes boasting in the contemporary use of the word. He discusses his strengths and how capable he is of fighting Grendel. This type of bragging helps support Beowulfs promise to Hrothgar. Beowulf is selling his skills, as well as the capabilities of his men, to Hrothgar and his community. While Beowulf is convincing Hrothgar to honor him the duty of fighting Grendel, he also mentions he would like to heighten Hygelacs fame and gladden his heart (line 435-436). On line 2145, Beowulf returns from the adventures and presents all his gifts to Hygelac as a sign of loyalty. Beowulfs boasting is a form of honoring his king as well as maintaining his reputation as a great warrior. Beowulfs boast reassure the people of Heorot that they will be safe. The boasting is a morale booster for them. When the people of Heorot thought all hope was lost, Beowulf arrives to raise their spirits. The Oxford English Dictionary defines boasting to mean to speak of with pride. Beowulf restores pride to the people of Heorot with his boasting. This bold speaking allows the people of Heorot to trust Beowulf and have confidence that he can slain the beast they call Grendel. Beowulfs heroic boasting is what makes him a great warrior, it allows him to prove himself and to show what he is capable of. In lines 630-639, Beowulf is speaking to Wealhtheow about his intentions for the battle with Grendel. Marie Nelson from the University of Florida states that Beowulfs promise-boast within these lines defines that Beowulf takes his promises very serious (Nelson 5). Beowulf states I shall fulfill that purpose [of killing Grendel]or meet my death here in the mead-hall (line 636 and 638). The lines state that Grendel will try his best to fulfill his promise and if not he will meet his fate at the hands of Grendel and is willing to accept them. Anglo-Saxon boasting is all about willing to accept fate but using all of ones abilities to keep a promise. Beowulf keeps his promise and defeats Grendel. Another form of the bragging type of boasting can be found in the poem when Grendels arm is put up for display for the country men to view. Although modern boasting can be seen throughout the poem, promise-boasting was more valuable to the Anglo-Saxon men rather than bragging (Nelson 5). Boasting is a form of showing off as well as a form of honesty. Both types of boasting are shown throughout the poem. Beowulf tends to brag less and make more promises. In the end, he succeeded in accomplishing all of his promises and thus confirming his boast. Works Cited Nelson, Marie. Beowulfs Boast Words. Diss. English Department, University of Florida. Florida: Springer, 2005. 23 Jan. 2010. Boast. Oxford University Press. 2009. 23 Jan. 2010. Taylor, Kelly. Boasting. 2004. 23 Jan. 2010.

Benedict Arnold Essay -- essays research papers

Benedict Arnold The name Benedict Arnold has become a synonym for a traitor to one's country. In the first years of the American Revolution, however, Arnold was a brilliant and dashing general, highly respected for his service to the patriot cause (see Revolution, American). Benedict Arnold was born on Jan. 14, 1741, in Norwich, Conn. His father, Benedict, was a well-to-do landowner. His mother was Hannah King Waterman Arnold. While a boy, young Arnold twice ran away to join the colonial troops fighting in the French and Indian War. When he was 21 he settled in New Haven. In time he became a prosperous merchant and a captain in the Connecticut militia. He married Margaret Mansfield in 1767. They had three sons. Arnold played a gallant part in the American Revolution and became a major general in 1777. His wife had died in 1775. Early in 1779 he married Margaret Shippen, by whom he had four sons and one daughter. Arnold lived lavishly and soon found himself badly pressed for money. He then began his treasonable activities. Most historians agree that Arnold did so for money, though he may also have resented lack of further promotion. Whatever his motive, he regularly sent vital military information to the British and was well paid for it. His wife helped him, often acting as messenger. In 1780 Arnold obtained command of West Point and at once conspired to turn over the garrison to the British. He met Maj. John Andre, a British spy, and made final plans. Andre was captured, h...

‘Originally’ By Carol Ann Duffy Essay

Our Life is one long Journey, with good as well as bad times in it. From childhood to old age, we strive forever to experience and learn, often positive as well as negative turns in life often bringing upon one a lot of change. In the poem ‘originally’ by Carol Ann Duffy, one reads about a seemingly sudden change in a Childs life, where one is confronted with leaving their home, their country, to live somewhere else unknown. In ‘Originally’, which is divided into three parts, one follows the experiences of a speaker, who seems to have been forced to leave his or hers home, change and crisis being endured, and how the speaker in the end effect, slowly, adapts. The Poem though seemingly talks about this child leaving its home and changing, the Poem also shows how People all there lives change, starting by growing up to become a teenager, then to an adult and in the end to an aged person. The Poem starts of with a type of introduction; it begins the Poem by setting up a mood, by explaining how she moved with her family. The speakers love for her homeland is exemplified by using domineering words such as ‘own’, which makes it seem as something unique, and also by telling the reader that her brothers were ‘bawling’ the word ‘home.’ A combination of alliteration and imagery in the first line â€Å"red room† and â€Å"fell through the fields† also helps emphasize this. All of these rather unsympathetic words encourage a development of a depression throughout the Poem. The personification of the ‘miles (which ran) back to the city†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ seems to indicate how, while being on this train, makes the child feel worse and worse knowing its becoming more distant from its homeland, and this reflecting that the land is passing so quickly it seems to be running away past. The whole stanza mainly concentrates on the child and its family, except for the last line, this sudden change also brings up strong emotions because from one image of leaving the place you have always known to be your home, one suddenly notices how scared this child must me when the speaker says that it ‘stared/at the eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw’ it shows how terrified it feels and how it only has her old trustworthy bear with her to help her. The Bear being blind seems symbolic, suggesting that the speaker does not know what will become of its family in their new home, and much like an old toy is often blind because it has lost its eyes over the years. In the second stanza one learns about the problem the person had to go through once it had arrived in its new homeland. The first line ‘all childhood is an emigration’ fittingly captures the themes of the entire poem it shows how especially in ones childhood one changes all the time, teenager, Puberty, becoming an adult these are huge changes and can also be compared with types of emigrations. Throughout this stanza one learns about what difficulty the child had learning to adapt to the new culture, the accent sounds unfamiliar, kids do things she has not seen any of her friends do in her old homeland, and it shows how people all there lives are confronted with unknown customs and traditions, and one must nearly always learn to live with them, often to such an extent that you don’t know anything else anymore. The speaker talks about a lot of unusual and seemingly repulsive things like boys eating ‘worms’ or shouting words one doesn’t understand, in the lines before she also talks about Pebble-dashed ‘estates’, meaning very boring and dull housings. All this also seems to point out that the child seemed to have once lived in a better place, maybe the child parents use to have more money and something happened making them loose everything, and forcing them to move to a cheaper living area. This also gets reflected when the speaker talks about its ‘parents anxiety stirred like a tooth in my head’ which is a very effective way of explaining the worries and problems the child was confronted with. In the last line the font is though changed to italics representing the speaker talking and for the last time saying ‘I want our own country’, the speaker saying ‘own’ for the last time also shows how the child still doesn’t feel at home and by wanting its own country, meaning its ‘original’ homeland where it lived in before everything else changed. In the last stanza the Crisis has ended the person has gotten use to its new surroundings and is already feeling at home in this once new place. The mood is still relatively unenthusiastic but the person does start seeing a positive side in things. The speaker incorporates the persons family for a last time, when she says ‘seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel only/a skelf of shame.’ this line links back to the previous stanza with the  imagery of worms and slugs, which is not literal, but a metaphor for fitting in. The simile ‘my tongue shedding its skin like a snake’ tells the reader of the speakers not only of the speakers changed accent but also perhaps refers to many of the speakers old memories and habits which she has had to get rid of as they seem useless in her new home, and the person now in class ‘sounding just like the rest’ also emphasizes it having completely adapted to its (now not so) new surroundings. In the final lines of the poem though the person looks back one last time when being asked, ‘where do you come from?’ by a stranger, remembering its troubles having to adapt and sadness of having leave its once homeland, but now when being asked ‘Originally?’ the child ‘hesitates’ because it doesn’t not anymore if this is now his homeland or if ‘Originally’ means the one he once came from. The poem shows, in this case, how a child had to suddenly move from its homeland to a new place, strange and bizarre, in its view so different and at first seemingly impossible to be able to adapt, but in the end the child does manage to get over all its troubles, and to adapt to a completely new culture, where people do things it thought know one does. The Poem seems to use this child’s story as an example, of how much change people have to go through, and that even though it always seems impossible to be able to learn and adapt, one nearly always manages, and even though one does remember how it had once been, lives with it, and enjoys its new way of living.

New York Incineration Case Study

The way in which New York City (NYC) manages its waste is dominantly based upon landfill. Though this is not the best solution is sparks controversy throughout Staten Island where the waste is ‘dumped' as many claim. Why is this so? NYC has a problem with managing its waste as NYC alone creates 26,000 tons of waste per day half of which is commercial and the remainder is residential. Nevertheless, private companies collect commercial waste leaving residential waste to NYC's department of Sanitation. The sole destination for 13,000tons of residential waste is the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island. The highest mound is 180feet high, twenty inches higher than the statue of liberty! The Fresh Kills Landfill site on the Western side of The Staten Island is the -only- landfill site that remains open. It has served NYC for over half a century it was due to close on the 31st December 2001. It received 12-14,000 tons of solid household waste per day, by a barge from four other boroughs. The key problem with it is that it only has 5% of the city's population and on top of that it is the smallest place. Though not everything about Staten Island is a negative; this could be because the garbage industry provides economic development, jobs and increased spending power follow. To operate the landfill site requires 500 employees whose jobs range from crane and tractor operators to chemists and geologists. Although the daily volume of waste is high there has been a decrease in waste; it has fallen from 21,200tons per day in 1986 to 13,000tons per day in 1995. You can read also Costco Case Study Fresh Kills Landfill site attempts every precaution to ensure that it is environmentally friendly. It does it by following these simple steps: > Monitoring System – Allows checks to be made of the build-up of the landfill gas, as well as the effects of operation on ground and surface water supplies. And landfill slope stability is examined regularly. > Litter Prevention – The barges are covered with nets during transport, while booms contain litter around the waters of the landfill site. Fences around the perimeter of the operation have the same effect on the island. > Landscaping – Ecologists are working to introduce native plant varieties tolerant of the conditions in an attempt to establish the area as a wildlife habitat. > Leachate Treatment Plant – To prevent percolating rainwater from becoming contaminated the plant removes pollutants prior to the water being returned to the waterways. > Construction Debris Recycling Area – Processes 750tons per day of debris, e.g. concrete, asphalt and soil. Steel is extracted from the process and sold for recycling. The product is used to construct the roads throughout the landfill site. > Composting Facility – Garden waste is collected and turned into compost. It is used in the landscaping process around the site. It is also made available to the public free of charge. > Landfill Gas Recovery – Consisting of primarily methane and carbon dioxide, landfill gas is collected and customized at the facility onsite. The methane is purified into pipeline quality gas, which is then sold to a local company. Nevertheless space is limited and a two decade estimate has been put on the Fresh Kills site meaning that a more long-term approach to wasted handling will have to be in effect. Managing waste in the future In spite of predictions in 1996 that the Fresh Kills Landfill site could operate for another two decades, Mayor Guiliani announced the closure of the site in 2001. He proposed that there had to be a new approach in dealing with the City's waste, and he publicised the creation of a task force on the Fresh Kills closure. Five recommendations were put forward: * Increasing Recycling * Promoting waste reduction * Encouraging waste prevention * Refusing the exportation of waste elsewhere * Supporting education about waste and recycling Now there is a recycling drive throughout the City which now means that every household is part of the Curbside Program, where waste for recycling is collected from the roadside. A contracted was negotiated with Visy Paper (NY) Inc., who constructed and now operates a $150million recycled paper mill on Staten Island. It is the largest manufacturing project in NYC in 50years. It employed 1,000people during construction and now has a labour force of 115. Also, NYC's mayor has pledged to not build or renovate any incinerators in the city. But then again, there are still problems because what is proposed of the commercial waste which accounts for the other half? After 2001, it will be recycling waste prevention and waste reduction schemes as good as they all may be, is it really probable that they will be able to ‘absorb' 13,000tons of waste on a daily basis? One person who is not convinced is the state Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge. Garbage Importers & Exporters The state of Virginia is a number two importer after Pennsylvania, with NYC accounting for 60% of Virginia's imports. A survey by Virginia Commonwealth University found that 87% of people were keen to limit garbage imports with only 9% opposing. Mainly the ones opposing argued that there would be a loss of revenue and would hurt communities where garbage is a big business. With imports totalling 4million tons per year there is hardly†¦

How Much Land Does a Man Need Essay Example

How Much Land Does a Man Need Essay Example How Much Land Does a Man Need Essay How Much Land Does a Man Need Essay The chief character of How Much Land Does A adult male Need? is a clear illustration of an insatiate desire for ownerships and wealth which at the terminal destroys the individual. Pahom was populating a life free from anxiety as his married woman said and without clip to allow any nonsensical settee in his head harmonizing to Pahom’s words. As the narrative develops it reveals Pahom’s existent job was indoors him because he was neer content or please with the land and the ownerships he had. At the beginning of the narrative. Pahom was a provincial without land of his ain. working daily to back up his household and believing Our merely problem is that we haven’t land plenty. If I had plentifulness of land. I shouldn’t fear the Satan himself ; when in world the greed within Pahom lied hibernating and he was non cognizant that his desire to obtain plenty of land will necessarily rouse the monster inside him that could neer be satisfied. The first clip Pahom had a land of his ain was a farm of 40 estates. So he became a landholder. ploughing and seeding his ain land. doing hay on his ain land. cutting his ain trees. and feeding the cowss of his ain grazing land. When he went out to plow the Fieldss. or to look at his turning maize. or at his grass hayfields. his bosom would make full with joy . This farm seemed to him unlike any other land. carry throughing his dreams until he heard the narrative of a better topographic point where he will be able to hold more land of his ain. At this minute the greed in him began to blind Pahom to the simpleness of his life and to be thankful and fulfilled for what he had. The 2nd farm he acquired had 125 estates and Pahom. had three times every bit much as at his former place. and the land was good maize land. He was ten times better away than he had been. He had plentifulness of cultivable land and herbage. and could maintain as many caput of cowss as he liked. Obviously greed does non hold bounds and it is a portion of our human nature some posses a greater degree of greed than others but however greed holds no boundaries and the word plentifulness has no significance at all. I wonder what Pahom’s married woman was believing now because in the conversation she has with her sisters. she was more concerned with the enticements of the environing towns but did non see the greed lying inside her hubby that one time. fed leads to destroy. Pahom had it all but Pahom was non happy. he was non content. he was non satisfied with the land he had. His greed lead him in to a way of devastation that is best described by the dream he had the dark before his decease. He thought he was lying in that same collapsible shelter. and heard person chortling outside. He wondered who it could be. and rose and went out. and he saw the the Bashkir Chief sitting in forepart of the collapsible shelter keeping his side and turn overing about with laughter. Traveling nearer to the Chief. Pahom asked: What are you express joying at? But he saw that it was no longer the Chief. but the trader who had late stopped at his house and had told him about the land. Merely as Pahom was traveling to inquire. Have you been here long? he saw that it was non the trader. but the provincial who had come up from the Volga. long ago. to Pahom’s old place. Then he saw that it was non the provincial either. but the Devil himself with hoofs and horns. sitting at that place and chortling. and before him lay a adult male barefoot. prostrate on the land. with lone pants and a shirt on. And Pahom dreamed that he looked more attentively to see what kind of a adult male it was lying at that place. and he saw that the adult male was dead. and that it was himself! He awoke horror struck. Pahom neer had adequate land. he ever needed more to feed the insatiate greed that controlled his life. The following extract from the verse form Who Am I? written by Dietrich Bonheoffer describes better the status of Pahom’s battle: Who Am I? This or the other? Am I one individual today and tomorrow another? Americium I both at one time? A dissembler before others. And before myself a contemptibly woebegone doormat? Or is something within me still like a beaten ground forces? Fling in upset from triumph already achieved? Who am I? They mock me. these alone inquiries of mine Whoever I am. Thou knowest. O God. I am Thine. Time after clip Pahom was non able to bask the fruit of his difficult work as a consequence of the greed devouring him. As the adage says: A greedy adult male hasten after wealth and does non cognize that poorness will come upon him Proverbs 28:22 Pahom died seeking more and more land of his ain and at the terminal his retainer picked up the spade and delve a grave long plenty for Pahom to lie in. and buried him in it. Six pess from his caput to his heels was all he needed .

Overview of the Sentencing Stage in Criminal Cases

Overview of the Sentencing Stage in Criminal Cases One of the final stages of a criminal trial is sentencing. If you have reached the sentencing stage, that means that you have pleaded guilty or were found guilty by a jury or judge. If you are guilty of a crime, you will face punishment for your actions and that is usually sentencing by a judge. That punishment can vary widely from crime to crime. In most states the statute that makes the action a criminal offense also establishes the maximum sentence that can be given for a conviction- for example, in the state of Georgia, the maximum  fine for possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana (a misdemeanor) is $1,000 and/or up to 12 months in jail. But, judges often do not give the maximum sentence based on a variety of factors and circumstances. Pre-Sentencing Report If you plead guilty to a crime, whether as part of a plea deal or not, sentencing for the crime is usually done immediately. This is particularly the case when the crime is an infraction or a misdemeanor. If the crime is a felony and the defendant is facing substantial prison time, sentencing is usually delayed until the judge in the case can hear from the prosecution, the defense,  and receive a pre-sentencing report from the local probation department. Victim Impact Statements In a growing number of states, judges must also hear statements from the victims of the crime before sentencing. These victim impact statements can have a significant influence on the final sentence. Possible Punishments The judge has several punishment options that he can impose during sentencing. Those options can be imposed singularly or in combination with others. If you have been convicted, a judge can order you to: Pay a finePay restitution to the victimGo to jail or prisonServe a time on probationDo community serviceComplete educational remediation, counseling, or a treatment program Discretion in Sentencing Many states have passed laws that provide for mandatory sentencing for certain crimes, such as child molestation or drunken driving. If you are convicted of one of those crimes, the judge has little discretion in sentencing and must follow the guidelines outlined  in the law. Otherwise, judges have wide discretion in how they form their sentences. For example, a judge can order you to pay a $500 fine and serve 30 days in jail, or he can just fine you with no jail time. Also, a judge can sentence you to jail time, but suspend the sentence as long as you complete the terms of your probation. Special Probation Terms In the case of alcohol or drug-related convictions, the judge can order you to complete a substance abuse treatment program or in the case of a drunk driving conviction, order you to attend a driving education program. The judge is also free to add specific restrictions to the terms of your probation, such as staying away from the victim, submitting to a search at any time, not traveling out of state, or submitting to random drug testing. Aggravating and Mitigating Factors Several factors can influence the final sentence the judge decides to hand down. These are called aggravating and mitigating circumstances. Some of them may include: Whether or not you are a repeat offenderWhether or not someone was injured during the crimeYour background and characterIf you express remorse or regretThe nature of the crime itselfImpact statements from the victims The background report the judge receives from the probation department can also have an influence on the strength of the sentence. If the report indicates that you are a productive member of society who made a mistake, the sentence might be much lighter than if it indicates you are a career criminal with no real work history. Consecutive and Current Sentences If you were convicted or entered a guilty plea to more than one crime, the judge can impose a separate sentence for each of those convictions. The judge has the discretion to make those sentences either consecutive or concurrent. If the sentences are consecutive, you will serve one sentence and then begin serving the next. In other words, the sentences are added to each other. If the sentences are concurrent, that means they are being served at the same time. The Death Penalty Most states have special laws regarding the imposing of a  sentence in a death penalty case. In some cases, a judge can impose the death penalty, but in most cases, it is decided by a jury. The same jury that voted to find the defendant guilty will reconvene to hear arguments for and against the death penalty. The jury will then deliberate to determine whether to sentence the defendant to life in prison or death by execution. In some states, the jurys decision is binding on the judge, whereas in other states, the jurys vote is merely a recommendation that the judge must consider before determining the final sentence.

7 Ways to Beat Writers Block

7 Ways to Beat Writers Block 7 Ways to Beat Writers Block 7 Ways to Beat Writers Block By Michael Every writer, at times, has trouble thinking of what to say next. Or what to say at all. The cause may be fear, pressure, perfectionism, but often lack of inspiration. No doubt even Mesopotamian scribes of five thousand years ago hesitated before putting stylus to tablet. We’ve written about writer’s block several times over the years, and here are seven practical suggestions to ease the symptoms of writer’s block. 1. Give yourself something to edit Seeing all my mistakes motivates me to change them. So why not leave your rough drafts rough? Dont proofread as you write. Leave out words (I, you, he, she, they, a and the) that may help you write faster. Abbreviate freely. Later, fixing these little things gets me into an mood for work, and I end up fixing the big things too. Correct spelling, neat handwriting or accurate spellchecking is only necessary to make sure you can later recognize what you wrote. Getting close may be okay. I’ve typed usable prose in the dark. When Ive seen rough drafts of famous literature, I marvel at how rough they were. 2. Get a running start As you work on your book, to make it easier to get started again, reread or even retype what you wrote last time. With my first novel, I allowed myself some light editing of what I had already written, before charging into the new days writing. That may not work for everyone. Many writers prime the pump by doing free writing putting down anything that comes into their heads. You could start by copying out a paragraph from an author you admire. Or type a common proverb over and over, such as All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. On second thought, dont do that. 3. Choose your stopping points Stop when you know what you will say next, not when you dont. That is, dont finish your scene before stopping for the night; leave it ready to finish the next day. Yes, this seems counter-intuitive, stopping the flow of words to keep the words from stopping. But this way you can choose your own stopping point instead of letting circumstances (or bedtime) choose one for you. Youre stopping at a point from which its easy to start again. For example, if youre Jane Austen writing Pride and Prejudice, as soon as your heroine finds out who broke her sisters heart (because the man tells her it was him), that’s a good place to call it a night. In tomorrow’s writing session, Miss Bennet will tell Mr. Darcy exactly what she thinks of him, and writing the rest of that scene will be a breeze. 4. Write super-slow Writing slowly is the normal way to write, so if you get used to it, you wont stress about it. Everybody thinks faster than they can verbalize. A professional speaker might give a memorized speech at 9,000 words an hour, but a professional writer can’t memorize anything because they haven’t written it yet. They might write 1,000 words an hour, less than one word in three seconds. Even dictating one word a second sounds embarrassingly slow to someone who isnt used to it. Great writers get used to it. Imagine Charles Dickens as he begins writing A Tale of Two Cities sometime between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. one day: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.. (long pause) it was the age of (pause) something (pause) wisdom, it was the age of (pause) something something (long pause) foolishness It sounds a lot better without the pauses, but I don’t think Dickens could have written without any. Dickens was sharp, but not superhuman. He was a phenomenally successful public speaker, but he spoke smoothly only because he carefully prepared his speeches. With a pen. He couldn’t write his first draft as smoothly. Even a skilled public speaker doesnt speak without pauses, so why should a writer feel ashamed of pauses? 5. Write super-fast On the other hand, you might try to write at the speed of your thought. Writing fast lets unexpected thoughts slip in. You will lose fewer of those good thoughts that flee away before you can write them down. When the thoughts come more slowly, that is less of a problem. When the thoughts come more quickly, you may find your fingers cant keep up with them. Above all, if you find your train of thought derailed by your internal editor, dont let it win. Simply refuse to edit until you’ve finished writing. One helpful technique: never hit the backspace key more than once. Tell your internal editor that at this point, if you want editing or proofreading, one backspace is all you get. Another helpful technique: never hit the backspace key at all. 6. Mix it up Changing around the elements of your story, making them fresh, will often spark inspiration. We wrote about one way to do that the SCAMPER method, which stand for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Magnify, Put to Other Uses, Eliminate, and Reverse but there are many others. Changing up your approach to your writing will benefit more than yourself. Readability experts such as Rudolph Flesch have discovered that readability goes up any time a writer uses an unexpected word, such as chicken in an astronomy article, or cucumber in a web design article, or any time a writer uses quotation marks anywhere. 7. Recharge your batteries One way to break your writers block is to change your routine. Research shows that you can increase your creativity simply by using your less-dominant hand occasionally. So spend some time away from writing. Spend time reading. Read something outside your field. Work outside your field (or work in a field, if you never have). Pray or meditate. Visit another part of the world. Chop wood. Talk to a a child. You’re a writer, yes, but you’re not only a writer. Becoming a fuller human being will make you a fuller writer, and writers block may become less of a problem. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"Hyper and HypoEspecially vs. Specially

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Case Study Example It has become quite difficult for Karen to select or predict the right person for promotion since the performance of all these individuals are fluctuating in nature over the past period and there is also pressure from the upper management to select individuals based on different interests, non-compliance to which may lead severe consequences for the organization in terms of both internal and external aspects. Moreover, another quandary faced by Karen is that she is also emotionally attached to one manager i.e. Carmen whom she would like to promote based on her poor financial grounds. However, on the other hand, promoting either of the other two managers could lead to prove beneficial for her in the distant future. Therefore, Karen is facing a problem in selecting the right manager based on their different attributes such as performance, upper management pressure, emotional attachment and future benefits, all of which is making it very hard for her to select the right manager in an un biased manner and transparently. A prospective candidate for promotion, Carmen, a 34 years old African American having one child, had completed her graduation, in the lower half of the college class studied by her, from Northwest State. Her association with the company had been for four years and she was serving in the industry for eight years. Her performance had been quite average but she had very high energy level. It needs to be noted that she at times faced certain problems in managing her staff and moreover her child had a past history of medical issues, thus a pay hike would be quite accommodating in her case. Karen knew Carmen for a very short time but they seemed to get along very well. Furthermore, Karen once had to perform the role of a baby-sitter for Carmen’s daughter in an emergency scenario. With this concern, promoting Carmen may lead to a view that Karen is playing favoritism (Ashkanasy & Daus, 2002). In this

Service(hospitallity) Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Service(hospitallity) - Term Paper Example Assessing the people who had served our stay, it seemed to me that the people there genuinely love their job and was not doing it for the sake of work to make a living. It may be a cultural thing because Filipinos were really known as hospitable evident with the survey that they are one of the world’s happiest and friendliest people (despite widespread poverty in the country) but I am sure that management has contributed to it. There are many factors that contributed to the pleasant experience of our vacation. Foremost of those, I really felt that the people who attended to us were genuinely pleased to have us around. Not that they are desperate to have customers because they also had significant numbers of guest nor did they charge exorbitant rates. To sum these factors, its a combination of culture, good management and highly motivated workforce. Of these factors, I will only tackle good management and its effect to workforce because these are relevant to the course. The factors contributed to excellect customer service delivery were a) employee expectations were met b) employees were empowered c) guest loyalty. The workforce delivered an excellent service to their guests because their expectations in terms of monetary remuneration were met. Not that they are concerned with money alone nor is motivated solely by pay, but being in an island with few jobs made them appreciate the opportunity that their jobs gave to them. I noticed this when I had an ocassional talk with the bar tender when I had an afternoon drink (its pretty hot there) and he narrated that their jobs pay very well compared to other jobs. Meeting employees’ expectations are very important in hospitality industry because it directly relates to their motivation to do the extra mile that would please a customer. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs also mentioned this that in any organization, meeting the physical needs of employees

Timeline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Timeline - Essay Example The American Revolution took place during 1775 and 1783 and was led by George Washington. The purpose of the American Revolution was to gain freedom and equality for every man and woman in the United States. They felt that since everyone was created equally, they should be treated equally as well. George Washington took it upon himself to make sure that the United States became the great country of equality that it is today. July 4, 1776 brought about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a document that guaranteed the freedom of people living in America. Many important figures took place in this event, including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Hancock, all of whom were among those to sign the Declaration. It was on this day that the United States gained its independence from other countries and powers that used to be stronger than the United States of America. The previously mentioned men helped to make it possible. Almost a decade later, on September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States was introduced to a land that was steadily becoming freer and more equal for all who lived there. The Constitution contains the basic freedoms of Americans, from being able to vote to being treated equally in society regardless of race, gender, nationality, or religion. George Washington and James Madison were among those present for the introduction of the Constitution, and played important roles in the adaptation of the new laws. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln announced an end to slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation, an order introduced during the American Civil War. This order proclaimed freedom for more than three million slaves, five hundred thousand of which were immediately freed. The rest of the slaves were freed as the war become worse. Because of the Emancipation Proclamation, it is now illegal to own slaves in the United States, as well as in other countries

Assignment chapter 9 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chapter 9 - Assignment Example and, nationalism can also be termed as a centrifugal force as it can cause a group of people to place their needs in front of the needs of all other groups in the same state. Nazi Germany is a historical example of nationalism gone wrong. National cohesion and identity can be achieved by nationalism or pride in unities nation. Additionally, immigration can encourage national cohesion in assorted educated populations that have ignored all kinds of racial discrimination. The Law of The Sea is an international agreement that determines ecological and commercial conditions for using the worlds oceans. It assures the protection of oceans from ecological degradation, constitutes rules for commercial organizations that rely on the sea for resources, sets maritime zones, and maintains autonomy of navigation. Treaty was signed by 161 nations. Governments reseat their capital city to a forward-thrust capital to stimulate economic development in underdeveloped parts of the state. Development of capital cities generally encourages development of infrastructure and economic growth in the city where they are seated. The suggestion that one nation can annex the territory of another on the basis of common traditions of the locals living in the two separate states. It is also termed as pan-nationalism. This can explained amongst pan-Africans, as most of Africas present borders were drawn up during colonial era with slight reference to the ethnicity of the people which lived on both side of the suggested boundary

Identity and immigrants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Identity and immigrants - Essay Example Sen’s form of clothing and the American way of dressing. It is the cultural norms, beliefs and values which motivate immigrants to preserve their culture (Tong 562). Baharati is less conservative in the mode of dressing while on the other hand Mira and Mrs. Sen are very conservative to the Indian way of dressing. Baharati’s form of clothing does not depict the Indian identity but rather the American identity. This is a form of cultural rebellion which characterized some immigrants (Ahadi and Rogelio 848). Mira and Mrs. Sen maintain the Indian identity through their clothing because they feel obliged to maintain their culture. The conservative nature of the two women stems from the fear of betraying their ethnic values and beliefs (Khanna 59). The attitudes and choices related to marriage among immigrants are culturally instigated (Tong 563). Baharati and Mira used to express the same views or opinions about marriage when they were back in India. However their viewpoints on marriage differed when they reached America. Mira retained her Indian viewpoints of marriage when she arrived in America. This is depicted by the fact that she married an Indian student from Wayne State University. Baharati’s views on Marriage are Americanized. This is revealed by the fact that she decided to marry a fellow student regardless of the fact that he was not of Indian origin, but an American whose parents were Canadian. It is therefore evident that Baharati’s views on marriage were based on the fact that you do not have to marry someone from your own ethnic background. On the other hand Mira believed that she had to marry someone who is Indian like her. It is evident that Baharati was prepared for the emotional strain that wou ld result from marrying someone who was not from her own ethnicity (Baharati 274). Mrs. Sen was similar to Mira on her views on marriage. For instance, her husband Mr. Sen is from her own ethnic background. Mrs. Sen also maintained her

Vizir Case Analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Identity and immigrants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Identity and immigrants - Essay Example Sen’s form of clothing and the American way of dressing. It is the cultural norms, beliefs and values which motivate immigrants to preserve their culture (Tong 562). Baharati is less conservative in the mode of dressing while on the other hand Mira and Mrs. Sen are very conservative to the Indian way of dressing. Baharati’s form of clothing does not depict the Indian identity but rather the American identity. This is a form of cultural rebellion which characterized some immigrants (Ahadi and Rogelio 848). Mira and Mrs. Sen maintain the Indian identity through their clothing because they feel obliged to maintain their culture. The conservative nature of the two women stems from the fear of betraying their ethnic values and beliefs (Khanna 59). The attitudes and choices related to marriage among immigrants are culturally instigated (Tong 563). Baharati and Mira used to express the same views or opinions about marriage when they were back in India. However their viewpoints on marriage differed when they reached America. Mira retained her Indian viewpoints of marriage when she arrived in America. This is depicted by the fact that she married an Indian student from Wayne State University. Baharati’s views on Marriage are Americanized. This is revealed by the fact that she decided to marry a fellow student regardless of the fact that he was not of Indian origin, but an American whose parents were Canadian. It is therefore evident that Baharati’s views on marriage were based on the fact that you do not have to marry someone from your own ethnic background. On the other hand Mira believed that she had to marry someone who is Indian like her. It is evident that Baharati was prepared for the emotional strain that wou ld result from marrying someone who was not from her own ethnicity (Baharati 274). Mrs. Sen was similar to Mira on her views on marriage. For instance, her husband Mr. Sen is from her own ethnic background. Mrs. Sen also maintained her

Neural Networks Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Neural Networks - Movie Review Example able to check their payload; the load capacity they can contain in any operation and there be able to know the maximum load beyond which it fails or develop dramatic loss in accuracy. In the story, it is very clear that through neural networks robots can be controlled remotely through gestures and be directed to perform some tasks depending their interpretation of those gestures or symbols shown. Neural networks have been used for robot control over long time now and have evolved to high levels of control that are intricate. Firstly, a robot can be learn through the neural networks; this is achieved a neural network brain for the robot. An example of a good robot learning task is navigational tasks that may include learning to detect objects or obstacles like a wall and to move about a space in a defined path. Through the learning, the robots can develop maps in their ‘brains’ for the environment they are in after being taught. This includes recognizing as well as being able to predict behaviors and upcoming obstacles on their paths through voice recognition and may be light detecting sensors within them. Critical decision-making can be inculcated in robots by neural networks where it is supposed to weigh the negative and positive effects of its actions depending the outcomes of the action it is about to take. This shows the analytical characteristics involved and measurement of the levels of effects caused by the activities undertaken by the robots. For example, given more than one task to perform which have different slack times to be finished on their due dates, the robot will determine the best option by choosing the task with the least slack times to be performed first. Another area where the neural networks have been used is in the control of the robots movements in the joints as it performs it tasks. It can offer a continuous movement or a discontinuous movement that is stepped. Depending on the pace of the tasks it is expected to perform the robot is

Media Giant Rupert Murdoch And His Empire Media Essay

Media Giant Rupert Murdoch And His Empire Media Essay As the new millennium dawned, global television tracked the rise of the sun across the world (Thussu, 2006, p. 1). The twenty-first century brought with it the opportunity for millions of people to be able to communicate internationally in different time zones (Thussu, 2006). In such a global village that we live in, competition plays a magnetic role for attracting media giants to be present across borders spreading like wild fire. An apparition now haunts the world: The birth of a mercantile media structure is globally dominated by a diminutive numeral of influential media giants, mostly U.S.-based transnational media corporations (TNMCs). This structure continuously strives to strengthen the foundation of the global market and works towards advancing commercial values, while negatively portrays journalism and culture. It is a disaster for anything but the most superficial notion of democracya democracy where, to paraphrase John Jays maxim, those who own the world ought to govern it. (McChesney, 1997). The development of this mercantile system is very recent. Previously in history i.e. 1980s, the structure was tilted towards national boundaries. Communication and media industries were locally regulated and owned while importing limited music, books, TV shows, and films for decades. The decade of the 1980s saw the worlds economy become more fully privatized. Current trends in privatization and free market economies have led to an international consolidation of media companies. The trend towards consolidation has begun to emerge worldwide (Gershon, 1997, p. 5).The pressure implanted by the IMF, World Bank, and U.S. government in the 1980s to deregulate and privatize media and communication systems which overlapped with the new digital and satellite technologies led to the consequences towards the growth of transnational media giants (McChesney, 1997). The Major US media giants which dominate numerous universal media and international media-related markets are Time Warner, Disney, News Corporation, Viacom, and NBC Universal among a few others. They are spread widely nationally and across national borders. All are based in the United States, the central nation, with broad semi peripheral and some peripheral market activities (McPhail, 2006). This paper will concentrate on the media giant Rupert Murdoch and his empire News Corporation, one of the main benefactors of privatization of infrastructure of global communication. It will briefly describe the history of the existence of the company whilst focusing on an analysis of the international expansion strategy that Murdoch adapted during his journey to acquire the world of media. While analysing different strategies; as well as geographic expansion, there will be an effort to decipher the relation of the tools of extension to the powerful existence of different theories which have played a vital role in the establishment of media structures. Historical Background of News Corporation Changes in technology have pushed the flow of transnational traffic in media products. This development has mainly benefitted media conglomerates like News Corporation which lead media content and delivery mechanism by owning numerous networks and production facilities. This commercial dominance has raised many concerns about cultural homogenization. However, an obvious effort has been noted towards regionalisation and localisation of content to match local and cultural precedence of viewers given the heterogeneity of the universal market (Thussu, 2007) The President and founder of the News Corporation Ltd, Keith Rupert Murdoch, is a legendary example of a tycoon from his era who contributed immensely in the 19th century towards the tradition of the great press barons (Gershon, 1997). Murdoch, in one of his speeches said that For better or for worse, our company (The News Corporation Ltd.) is a reflection of my thinking, my character, my values. Rupert Murdochs universal vision of a new communications atmosphere is made up of both a corporate strategy and a social vision. The companys existence can be traced to the year 1923, in Australia, when News limited was set up in Adelaide with the intention of circulating a daily newspaper. Rupert Murdochs father Sir Keith Murdoch invested in minority interest in News limited in the year of 1949. The company was then officially established in South Australia in 1979 (Gershon, 1997). News Corporation is an entertainment based transnational media company which diversifies within eight different media sectors including Newspapers, Book Publishing, Magazines and Inserts, Filmed Entertainment, Television, Direct Broadcast Satellite Television, Cable Network Programming and other. Geographically the activities of News Corporation are spread out primarily in the United Sates, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Australia, Asia and the Pacific Basin (News Corporation Press Releases, 2010). News Corporation is engaged in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Ireland in the publishing business of magazines, newspapers through its variety of subsidiaries. The Company publishes English language books worldwide via its wholly owned subsidiary HarperCollins Publishers. Furthermore their subsidiaries allow them to be also involved in the enlargement, invention and allotment of network and television programming as well as broadcasting television stations. It also owns shares in BSkyB and V, and Sky Italia which are involved in the direct broadcast satellite (DBS) business. The company currently owns the entire FOX franchise of broadcast networks; as well FOX film studios responsible for many blockbusters (News Corporation Annual Report, 2007) The birth of free flow of information after World War II contributed majorly towards the liberation of media markets. This theory lead to the existence of modernization theory, it also played a vital role in the decision of privatization. Murdoch has strategized to make competent use of liberation of cross-media ownership widely in the USA and the British media markets. He also strategically entered the private satellite operators into the arena of telecommunications and broadcasting. News Corporation risked a large sum on investment by leasing time on new satellite ventures such as Astra and Asia Sat (Thussu, 2000), Murdoch has been able to create a truly international media corporation, at the heart of which is satellite television. (Thussu, 2000, p. 107) All parent companies and subsidiaries are united through a common owner Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch demonstrates an expansion strategy through vertical integration, which has played a vital role in its most crucial times. The company was one of early migratory conglomerates of vertical integration, this move helped News Corporation to utilize the profits through its content operation via their existence in numerous distribution sectors of the media value chain. This move has certainly been a tactical way to achieve authority and probably produce a profitable position in various media markets (Flew and Gilmour, 2003). Murdoch chose to adapt a borrow and buy philosophy that enabled him to debt leverage his way to the very top. Each successful acquisition would generate profitable results however that required greater patience. Foundations of News Corporation in Australia After his fathers death on his return to Australia in 1954 Murdoch instantly started to struggle to increase the circulation of his Adelaide newspaper. Despite the negative attitude of other publishers and the constant underrating by his opposition he dedicated all his efforts to the print business with a passion, and learned the techniques of every aspect of newspaper production. He published exciting news stories in an effective writing style, soon making returns to Murdochs small holdings. He strategically took risks by acquiring smaller newspapers that were not doing well and then turned them around (Tuccille, 2003) Murdoch in a few years of success bought his first television station in July 1959, in Adelaide, calling it Southern TV. He was an innovative young man who throughout was in search for new communication technologies continuously making an effort to amalgamate them into his existing businesses. Later in a year he took over the Daily Mirror in Sydney and its associated Sunday paper for $4 million; the paper soon enough was known to be notorious for exciting and bizarre headlines and articles about sex and mayhem. He took immediate action to change this image and established TheAustralian in the mid of1964, as a national newspaper in Canberra. This paper was a twist from the norm; it discussed social issues and government policies and rapidly acquired the respect of journalists. (Encyclopedia of Business, 2010) Expansion to Britain Murdochs past in the U.K., from his days in Oxford, had left in him bitterness for the English upper class; they had made him feel like an outsider, as if they regarded Australians as inferior being and he planned to strike back at them. He had planned to expand to Britain at the first opportunity. As evident, Murdoch has no set strategy to operate his business; however he expanded internationally through making strategic alliances in Britain which later he transformed into acquisitions. This is evident as he become a principle investor in 1969 for News of the World (a newspaper previously owned by the Carr family) while facing direct competition by Robert Maxwell, who had an infamous reputation in the news circle. Murdoch gradually became the sole proprietor for News of the World by manipulating complete control of the corporation (Tuccille, 2003) In the same year he had an opportunity to take over a dying newspaper at its true cost called the Sun formerly known as the Daily Herald, a predominantly left-wing newspaper. The unions at that time felt that Murdoch would have been a better choice to keep the newspaper viable and trade union jobs unharmed, as opposed to Maxwell who had also shown interest in buying the newspaper. Murdoch revamped the newspaper into a tabloid which was greatly criticized by many of the British newspaper establishments. However Murdochs rebellious nature ignored the criticism and planned to assemble a team of reporters and promotion experts including many from Australia. By the 1970s the Sun had become Britains most popular publication with an increase in circulation to 1.7 million, which at present is replaced by 4 million. News Corporation has grown beyond its newspapers origin as it continues to be the largest newspaper producer in the world. In addition News Corporation owns many different British newspapers including the prestigious, The Times, New of the World, and The Sunday Times (Gershon, 1997). Murdoch uses cross-media ownership and synergies as another strategy, resulting in him being able to promote his ventures across, virtually, all media segments. There is an expectation by News Corporation for major synergies to be created between U.S. satellite operations and its global business. These synergies are part technology-related, for example by sharing security software or electronic programme guides, and part content related, as for the example the combined bidding for global sports rights. The power of cross-platform synergies is most evident in association to motion picture studios and television/cable platforms and networks. This is the vicinity where synergistic potential of power in relation to media supply chain are mainly noticeable (Gunther, 2003). Furthermore, Murdochs launch of Sky Digital in 1989, a four channel satellite television service, was afterwards merged with a competitor named British Satellite Broadcasting to form British Sky Broadcasting, in 1990. The merger instantly became a success with its multi-channel subscription service which was positioned to dominate interactive digital television (Forreste, 2010). BSkyB provides a wide portfolio of genres of television programming like entertainment, news, sports etc. in order to cater to a wide variety of target audience. Sky News and Sports have seen trends of consistent growth and viewership (McPhail, 2006). Moreover, BSkyB is now Europes most profitable broadcaster with 40% holding of U.K. news corporations; though at one point it led New Corporation towards bankruptcy due to a week global economy and lack of cash flow (Guardian, 2010) Murdochs media power supported Margret Thatcher with her struggle to liberalize regulation on cross media ownership. The victory of the British labour party in the 1997 election supported by the Sun lead to the Murdochization of the media, which transformed the media background in the U.K. and other countries. Since then, entertainment and infotainment have emphasised at the price of the public service function of the media (Thussu, 2006). Expansion to Europe Having established a base in the U.K., Murdoch expanded his business into Continental Europe by establishing partnerships in Germany and Italy. News Corporation penetrated the satellite television industry in 1983. It possessed many assets in Satellite Television PLC (SATV), which during the 1980s was set up to supply to Northern European audience. After two years alongside the scrutiny of the BBC, SATV, renamed Sky Channel and consisted approximately, of three million subscribers in 11 European countries. Murdoch was not encouraged in further increasing his acquisitions as he had already forged a union with, French television giant Canal Plus to create paid-television-services across Europe. Having only conquered 6% of Western Europe, few homes had cable television; the market for pay-TV was unreached (Fiero, 2002). Now News Corporations central business policy is to use soccer as a fuel to powered satellite dish sales across Europe. Murdoch is using sports programming to enter new markets; he has acquired premium sports rights for his network and is using an identical content approach that he pursued with BSkyB (News Corporation Annual Report, 2007). Expansion to the U.S.A. Murdochs journey to enter the U.S. market began in 1976 when he acquired the New York Post. Following this, in September 1985 Murdoch decided to become an American citizen in order to satisfy the legal requirements of the U.S. markets that only a U.S. citizen was permitted to own assets in the U.S. television industry. Later that year News Corporation entered the U.S. media market, by purchasing Metromedias seven television stations amounted at $2 billion. Murdoch not only took over these seven stations but also gained their market rank and their competitive position. This purchase resulted News Corporation to build the foundation of Fox television network. In 1986, News Corporation purchased 20th Century Fox for $1.55 billion (Fiero, 2002) From Murdochs early stages of business acquisitions recognized the significance of vertical integration as a strategy for launching a new business. In the two years Murdoch was guaranteed to create a stable source of programming and readymade distribution channels. The Fox Television Network was launched in April 1987 with 108 affiliates. Fox network opted for a highly differentiated strategy in comparison to the other U.S. networks. They plan to aim their programming towards a younger and urban audience. Fox introduced three distinguishing programming formats, reality based, counter culture and tabloid television (Albarran, Chan-Olmsted, O. Wirt, 2006) In the early years of development Murdoch faced heavy financial losses, however in a few years the network was able to reach 91% of United States through an amalgamation of VHF and low powered UHF stations. The network also transformed its programming from three nights a week to five nights. The financial recovery of these loses how Murdochs long term strategy in which he is prepared to suffer losses in the short run with the expectation of gaining long term returns in the future. Murdochs synergizing strategy helped him save Fox network in its initial years by cross investing from his other well to do companies (Gershon, 1997). Further to this Mr Murdoch and his management spend a good deal of time lobbying for support for proposed mergers and acquisitions and for favourable changes in the law such as those relating to media ownership and digital piracy in the USA. (Curwen, 1999) Other assets under News Corporation in the U.S. are the Weekly Standard, Hughes Electronics with a 34 % stake in the company and DIRECTV. Â  The vertically expansion acquisition of DirecTV is a fundamental piece representing Murdochs media empire, providing him with a lucrative distribution platform in the US, which can be used to offset the rising influence of large cable operators such as Comcast. There is a strong concern that News Corporation might not be able to advantage from its economies of scale and from efficient allocation of resources as of its vertical structure due to variations in strategies with DirecTV. Joint ventures with DirecTV are necessary for absolute vertical integration which allows News Corporation to adapt to an incomplete vertical structure. It may be added that Mr Murdochs position is so dominant that there is a niggling fear that he could yet put recent advances at risk, although he has recently made clear that the immediate strategy is to absorb and im prove DIRECTV rather than make further acquisitions. (Curwen, 1999). In 2005 News Corporation bought inter-mix media which holds myspace.com and many other famous social networking websites. In 2007 News Corporation attained Dow Jones, the publishers of the famous Wall Street Journal for $ 5.6 billion (News Corporation Annual Report, 2007) One of Murdochs moves has lead to a shift in the Australian market as he announced to move the head quarters from his native land to the U.S. This has created uproars and criticism by many, however the U.S. government subsided this protest by announcing that this move was in the best interest of the U.S. market (Shah, 2004). Expansion to the Asian Markets News Corporation further expanded to the Asian media market in the mid 1990s by investing in a joint venture with Phoenix TV and Star TV. Star TV then acquired Hutchvision Hong Kong Ltd; the very first satellite television licence in 1998. Very soon Star TV in China realised that Pan Asian broadcasting was not a practical strategy to adopt for Asian markets. Hence, it divided the media services into northern and southern i.e. China and India, respectively, as their main target. The flourishing Zee TV which is a joint venture of Star TV in India broadcasted in their native language Hindi further emphasised for Star TV to go local. Therefore Star TV continuously was on a quest to seek joint venture prospects in the district (Chalaby, 2005) News Corporation has used an array of strategies to consolidate its position in Asia, potentially the worlds biggest television market.(Thussu, 2000, p. 112). STAR TV network was set up to cater Asian audiences to global corporations and promoters. The enhancement of technology in satellites and dishes as well as the rapid expansion of liberalization and government deregulation certifies a concrete broadcasting future in Asia. STAR TV aims to stay in Asia on the very top of Satellite broadcasting. To capitalize on viewership Star TV is moving towards local language fare (McPhail, 2006) Star TV has assertively taken on the strategy of indigenisation in offering localized channels. This is truly an example of going glocal this strategy demonstrates how the global can include both the transnational and geo-culture by nominating the local to sustain the leading flow. Their localized channels include Star Chinese channel (for Taiwan), Star Japan, Star Plus and Star News for India, VIVIA cinema for the Philippines. ESPN Star Sports a joint venture of ESPN and Star to provide coverage of Pan Asian and international sports event is Asia. Murdochs Star Select are gradually localizing their content to cross into the gulf region. This Arabisation includes the use of subtitles for American programs and sensitising language as well as the depictions of sex and nudity (Thussu, 2006). In Asia News Corporation are faced with many burdens; political, economical, cultural and social. In order to eliminate these barriers to entry this works hand-in-hand with morality, democracy as well as with capitalism. This liberation of mechanisms for Asia is a result of communication, capitalism and democracy which create greater access, choice prosperity and social equality (Weber, 1995). Conclusion With News Corporation Murdoch has created an international empire of media, technology and sports franchise. His vast multimedia holdings have always been global in nature. With satellite system in Europe (BSkyB) Asia (Star TV) and North America (direct TV) Murdoch may be on his way to create a global media infrastructure (McPhail, 2006). There are three main strategies News Corporations business model is based on vertical control and horizontal networking, vicious quest of market expansion and the leveraging of community, and political elite opinion. In context of globalisation theory the company has been steadily occupied in structuring a foundation of geographically dispersed assets via mergers and acquisitions, direct foreign investment and strategic partnerships. This mechanism is interconnected, equally fundamental and established on the capability of Murdoch to build connection between media, political and economic system in the joint ventures of the corporations financial development (Arsenault and Castells, 2008) News Corporation consists of many various businesses within the umbrella of the company and therefore when examining the overall strategy of News Corporation, one needs to understand and scrutinize the various, individual, tactics that each sub-business applies in order to stay ahead of their competition in each respected industry. When examining Murdochs growth-tactics, in order to expand the News Corporation Empire, it would be adequate to state that he practices very aggressive strategies despite the industry divergences. In the print industry the company has adopted a cost-leadership strategy (van den Bosch, de Man, 1997), in order to monopolize the industry competition. When it comes to the television media, i.e. Fox, the company has spread in many directions, and their assets are vertically integrated to live up to the strategies of expansion in order to benefit from long-term returns. News Corporation has always been in quest to search power more than distribution, and the introduction of new digital technologies has created an opportunity to develop that type of power. The proceedings that help the continuous growth of News Corporation are the mature, non-digital distribution activities. Murdoch complies with a three-phase strategy in which profitable, high growth old businesses move the company ahead and please investors while mature parts of the company fund the growth areas of the future. (Turow, 2009). Diversification of News Corporation might create a possibility to enhance the position as more than one sector of the business is experiencing damaging changes. The major issue with that would be that Company would have to either adjust to an absolutely new business, or they would have to stick to what they know and hope they can keep ahead in the media market. Globally News Corporation thinks of itself more grandly than other media conglomerates. Like Disney another major media conglomerate, News Corporation necessitates for synergy among subsidiaries, global reach, and the use of new technologies. Unlike the other giants, News Corporation does not run on a business model of an official planning department. Criticism has been highlighted upon the way the company does not undertake acquisitions on the grounds of comprehending synergies with the core businesses, but mainly have the incentive of acquiring an asset on a lower price and selling it for a significant profit after it has been turned around. Due to which News Corporation lacks the connectivity to exploit synergies to its full capacity. The company is vastly spread out with very little connectivity. Murdochs strategic vision has always composed of expansion as the key factor. He has deserted his 1980s high-debt strategy, and has substituted it with more conservative management style. This allows him to be less dependent and exempts him from creating short-term shareholder value and rather focusing on long-term vision even if shareholders and financial markets would likely oppose such actions (Freedman, 1996). Murdochs strategies at times seemed risky and unsuitable and were against market norms but his commendable ability to handle the media industry, his fearless risk taking approach, joint with his exemplary familiarity of the media industries and his mystifying capability to sense the popular pulse, still lead to his extraordinary success (Thussu, 2000) Rupert Murdoch is a businessman. He has built News Corporations competitive advantage by continuing to maintain control of his joint ventures with other media giants and by leveraging his ability to influence audiences around the world in order to gain political favours. Authority in every system is attained on the foundation of safe entrant to the others. According to this point of view, Murdochs authority is not bound to a particular association with a political actor in a nation at any one point in time. What really matters is his control over multiple connecting points (Arsenault and Castells, 2008). Murdoch quoted The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore, It will be the fast beating the slow (Chappelle, 2007).

R.F. Insurance :: essays research papers

R.F. Insurance is a commercial insurance company based on the east coast. In 1984, a group of graduate students were given a project to asses job design, career development, and job motivation in a particular district office of R.F. Insurance. The findings of this group despite the limited number of respondents permitted to take the student’s survey are more or else what can be expected given the circumstances surrounding employment at R.F. Insurance. The district office operates under the control of the district office manager who is essentially in charge of a sales team, claim adjusters, several office clerks, and one loss prevention engineer. The sales team is in charge setting up the appropriate account for the customers need and finishing the sale. Information about the customer is provided by the loss prevention engineer who meets with clients and helps to evaluate the risk of insuring a potential client. Once the sale is completed the district manager assigns the policy to one of the claims adjusters based on the complexity or importance of the policy and policy holder. From this point on till the policy is cancelled, the claims adjuster will handle ever aspect of customer service associated with the insurance policy. The rest of the paperwork, filing, and processing is handled by the clerks of the office. Each clerk has specific tasks and is responsible for filling out a daily work sheet which the lead clerk collects and c reates a weekly report on their work. When the team of graduate students began their analysis they did so under the agreement that the district office manager had control and veto power over the survey’s and interviews being used. However, upon discussing matters in more detail the district office manager further limited the students to questionnaires only. The questionnaires were to include a modification of the Job Characteristics Inventory and a 24 question survey. The district office manager instantly revoked the clerical staff from participating in the questionnaire and also vetoed six questions he did not like. He distributed the questionnaires to only 5 sales people, 4 claims adjusters, and only 3 of 8 clerks. The results of the questionnaire were as expected. The 9 higher ranking employees generally reported a more positive experience with job development, utilization, influence, and advancement then did the 3 clerks. From the data collected you can only infer that the other 5 clerks would more then likely share similar feelings.

Nathan Bedford Forrest Essay -- Nathan Bedford Forrest Hero Bio Essays

Nathan Bedford Forrest   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States Army, in its doctrine, lists nine basic principles. As stated in Field Manual 100-5 these include objective, offensive, mass, economy of force, maneuver, unity of command, security, surprise, and simplicity. 1 Napoleon had 115 maxims, Sun Tzu had 13 principles, but Nathan Bedford Forrest’s advice was the utmost of simplicity, â€Å"Git thar firstest with the mostest men.†2 As we look at the challenge facing our nation’s military today, our leaders would do well to look at Forrest’s campaigns and strategies as a guide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Forrest won respect for risking his life while trying to save his aging uncle. Subsequently, Forrest won the affection of Mary Montgomery who, in 1845, became his wife.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1851 Bedford moved to Memphis. He won several elections as an elderman and prospered as a businessman. When he closed out his business in late1859 war was eminent. He was involved in his own cotton business and was busy putting his family affairs in order. His net worth was 11/2 million dollars and he was netting $30 thousand a year for his cotton. While he was a slave trader during this period, Colonel Adair described his actions as â€Å"Forrest was kind, humane, and extremely considerate of his slaves. He seemed to exercise the same influence over them that in a greater degree he exercised over the soldiers who served him as devotedly as if there was between them a strong personal attachment.5 On 14 June 1861, he enlisted in Memphis as a soldier in Captain White’s Tennessee Mounted Rifles Company.6 This unit would become a subordinate unit of the Seventh Tennessee Calvary Regiment. Forrest was the unit’s commander when the war ended. Friends of Forrest’s approached Governor Harris and General Polk, which subsequently resulted in an authorization allowing Forrest to raise a battalion of mounted rangers. By October of 1861 he had eight companies of men comprising a total of 650. Most arrived with pistols and shotguns, as well as horses, which resulted in Forrest still attempting to obtain rifles for them when the unit was ordered to Dover as reinforcement for what was to be Fort Donelson. As Colonel Tate described then to General Johnston, â€Å"Colonel Forrest’s regiment of cavalry, as fine a body of men as ever went... ... York: Simon & Schuster), Volume 2, 607. 9. Wyeth, 27. 10. Robert E Corlew, Tennessee, A Short History. (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press,1989), 307 11. Wyeth. 61. 12. Ibid., 100-101. 13. Ibid., 184. 14. Edwin C. Bearss, Forrest at Brice’s Cross Roads. Dayton, Ohio: Morningside Bookshop, 1979), 28 15. Thomas Jordan & J.P.Pryor, The Campaigns of Lieutenant General N.B.Forrest. (New Orleans, 1868), 16. Wyeth, 241. Bibliography Bearss, Erwin C. Forrest at Brice’s Cross Roads. Dayton, Ohio: Morningside Bookshop, 1979 Brasher, Justin â€Å"Forrest’s Headquarters† and â€Å"NBFHQ† 2001 (a website) Corlew, Robert E. Tennessee: A Short History. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1989 Current, Richard N. Encyclopedia of the Confederacy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985. Jordan, Thomas and Pryor, J.P. The Campaigns of Lieutenant General N.B. Forrest .New Orleans, 1868. Matloff, Maurice, General Editor, American Military History. Washington D.C.: Office of the Chief of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Military History. United States Army, 1969. Wyeth, John A. MD, Life of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Dayton, Ohio: Morningside Bookshop, 1975 reprint   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of 1898 ed.

Acknowledging Sources Essay

For this entry created by the student, the student apparently misunderstood the source materials since although the source mentioned the roughness of the sport, the article that was used by the student as the primary source material did not directly state nor imply that the spectators are included in the roughness that occurs in hockey.   Also the student assumed that since the article mentioned that there were â€Å"built-in cooling-off periods† and â€Å"higher emotional temperature than [†¦] baseball or [†¦] football† (qtd. in McGrath 9), there was no cooling-off instances in the game of hockey (Spatt 475). 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Have the source ideas been acknowledged with sufficient and accurate documentation, according to MLA style?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The source ideas in this student’s essay were not sufficiently and accurately documented based on the MLA style.   This is evident in the lack of an in-text citation at the end of the paragraph of the student’s essay and thus committed an act of plagiarism.   According to Spatt, even if the writer may have used his or her own words in order to construct the paragraph, the ideas used by the student were that of McGrath (Spatt 475).   Without the ideas provided by McGrath in his article, the student would not have been able to create the said essay paragraph.   As such, credit and acknowledgement must be given to McGrath for his insights regarding the game of hockey (458-59). 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Have quotations from the source been indicated with quotation marks?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The student borrowed the term â€Å"cooling-off periods† (qtd. in McGrath 9) from the article that was used by the student from the source material without the use of quotation marks.   This was the second error of the student that could cause the essay work be classified as a plagiarized essay.   Not only did the student not acknowledge the source where the ideas for the essay were derived from, but also the student failed to acknowledge the exact wording used by the author of the source used by the student through the use of quotation marks (Spatt 459). Student Essay B 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Has the source been misquoted or misunderstood?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The student had misunderstood the context of the essay presented by McGrath in his article (Spatt 475).   Based on the essay that was constructed by the student, the reader of the essay would assume that the passionate emotional outbursts observed during hockey games were crucial in each hockey game (Spatt 475). 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Have the source ideas been acknowledged with sufficient and accurate documentation, according to MLA style?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the student acknowledged the author of the article from where the ideas for the essay were derived from, the student may have overdid the documentation.   Since the student already specified the name of the author whose ideas were used in the essay, the student did not need to use the name of the author in the in-text citation at the end of the paragraph.   The specification of the page number at the end of the essay paragraph would have sufficed (Spatt 469). Also, the student placed the in-text citation after a period ending the essay.   In creating in-text citation, this should be placed before the period except in instances when the parenthetical citation is located at the end of an indented quotation.   It is only when indented quotations are included in the essay where the end of the indented quotation should be ended first with a period and then the parenthetical citation is placed after the period.   This is because there are no quotation marks that would state the end of the indented quotation that was inserted in the essay (Spatt 469). 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Have quotations from the source been indicated with quotation marks?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As with the first essay, the student borrowed the exact wording from the article used as the source material for the essay.   In this case, the student failed to put the words â€Å"cult of toughness† (qtd. in McGrath 9) in quotation marks.   Although the student did include an in-text citation in the essay, according to Spatt, there are two things that the student must remember to prevent plagiarism.   The first is that the source of the ideas should be acknowledged in the form of in-text or parenthetical citations.   The second is that if the student or the writer would opt to use the exact words used by the author in the resource material, the student should also place these in quotation marks (459). Student Essay C 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Has the source been misquoted or misunderstood?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The student who created this essay did not misquote or send another meaning to the readers of his or her work apart from what the author of the resource material was trying to imply which was that although hockey was considered a rough sport, the roughness associated with this is embedded in the game similar to that of a ritual (Spatt 475-76). 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Have the source ideas been acknowledged with sufficient and accurate documentation, according to MLA style?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The student properly acknowledged the author and the main source from where he or she derived the ideas for the essay from.   Since the student already mentioned the name of the author of the article in the paragraph, the student only included the page number from where the article was located.   The student also stated the page number where the article was located before the period ending the sentence of the paragraph which is the correct placing for the parenthetical citation (Spatt 458-59). 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Have quotations from the source been indicated with quotation marks?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The student had accurately indicated various terms that he or she had used in the essay he or she constructed with the use of quotation marks in order to establish to his or her readers that the student is acknowledging not just the source where the ideas where taken from, but also acknowledging that some of the vocabulary and terminologies that the student used in the essay where also the terminologies and vocabulary that were derived from the article as well (Spatt 459). Student Essay D 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Has the source been misquoted or misunderstood?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The student who created this last essay was accurate in delivering the same idea that McGrath had (qtd. in Spatt 475) intended his article to relay to his readers. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Have the source ideas been acknowledged with sufficient and accurate documentation, according to MLA style?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the student had acknowledged the source materials used for the essay using a parenthetical citation, the style that was used by the student for the in-text citation was incorrect.   The format to be used for using an in-text or parenthetical citation for the MLA style is to specify the last name of the author followed by the page number inside the parenthesis.   The last name of the author should not be separated from the page number using a comma.   Also, the page number should not be preceded by the letter â€Å"p† (Spatt 466-67). 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Have quotations from the source been indicated with quotation marks?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The student had specified quotations from the source with quotation marks.   However, there was only ones that needed to be placed in quotation marks which were the phrases â€Å"fistfights to routinely break out† (qtd. in Spatt 475) and â€Å"cult of toughness† (qtd. in Spatt 475) since these were direct quotations from the article written by McGrath.   The phrase â€Å"burn at a high emotional level† (Spatt 476) was a paraphrase done by the student from the original text from the article which was written as â€Å"burn at a much higher emotional temperature† (qtd. in Spatt 475).   This being the case, the student did not need to put this inside quotation marks. The phrase â€Å"ritualistic pushing† (Spatt 476) should have included three periods in between and after the words â€Å"ritualistic† and â€Å"pushing† because in the original article, there were additional words in between and after the two words.   The addition of three periods in between these two words would advise the readers that although this was a direct quotation from the article, the student left out some of the words in order to make the statement or the phrase more cohesive and as such be able to create a clear statement while ensuring that the ideas and thoughts of the author are acknowledge in order to prevent any possibility of plagiarism (Spatt 477). Works Cited Spatt, Brenda. Writing for Sources 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.

Environmental Terrorists (Development or Destruction?) – A proposal for a 40 minute documentary

After decades of methodical environmental damage, it has become apparent that our vital life support system (Mother earth) is getting worse and in a general state of decline. One question on the minds of many people is: What happens at the end of this decline? We are often told that we can adapt to the present state of the environment. But this assumption is increasingly being shown up to be false, as we observe the effects of global warming, the pollution of the eco-systems, potential changes in the food supply, ocean currents, costly weather changes, the destruction of raw materials (such as timber) and much more. In any effort to educate the public and politicians towards action concerning the environment, three questions must be answered honestly and convincingly: ? Are we heading for a collapse of the world's ecosystems that sustain us? ? What are the effects of man made environmental damage on local and global communities? ?Can we restore the environment and work alongside Nature instead of against Her? For some, the answers to these questions are fundamental to their very existence. How long are we prepared to wait and watch as the environment rebels and fights back against Nature's ‘terrorists'; whilst people, communities and populations are destroyed by mankind's insistence on taking more than we are willing to put back? In this verity documentary my team and myself, will focus and examine the devastating effects environmental neglect and over consumption of raw materials has had on a small village on an Indonesian Island named Bukit Lawang. Background On the 2nd November 2003, a flood hit Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra. Approximately 300 people have been killed, with 1400 made homeless. The village was a popular tourist destination, close to Sumatra's main town, Medan, known for a relaxing friendly atmosphere, and famous for the orangutan rehabilitation centre. The flood hit in the evening, around 10pm, while many people were asleep prior to their 4am awakening for Ramadan. The rain had been falling for a couple of weeks, and the river was already high. However on the evening of Sunday 2nd November the waters began to rise sharply, giving some people precious seconds to get onto higher grounds. For most people, however, there was no time to escape. A torrent of water came flooding down mixed with debris and uprooted trees from the constant illegal logging in the jungle, leaving the village in ruins. Bukit Lawang is now unrecognizable. The entire bank of the river has been destroyed, simply washed away, along with many of the inhabitants, and tourists unfortunate enough to be caught up in it all. It has been commonly reported that the flood was the direct result of illegal logging, in an area were people rely on the river to provide their drinking water, bathing and sewage system. Film I would like to shoot the film using classic verity style, with the use of interview (interpreter required), narration voiceover and music (where relevant). Our aims are to educate the viewer on the wider implications of acts against the environment/nature, and the local/global consequences of these actions. By highlighting the hidden dangers often overlooked or disregarded by governments, companies and individuals, we aim to produce a piece that will illuminate the necessity to cooperate with Nature and its Laws. Or face a backlash that may result in a very live threat to the very existence of mankind. We will attempt to take a comprehensive, observational journey through the country and its terrestrial surroundings, highlighting the rich environmental and cultural diversity within the Island/village. We will explore the anthropology of the village (and near by villages) and it's inhabitants in an attempt for the audience to get a feel for the way of life of the populace and also their reliance and subsistence of Nature. (For example: the use of timber/plants for building homes, fishermen and their activities within the rivers, the use of plants for medicinal purposes, their Spiritual/symbolic beliefs, their farming/hunting/cultivating techniques and economic systems. Example scenes: We follow a group of fishermen out one dawn onto the rivers .A fisherman is cut whilst out casting nets into the river. We see how the men/women of the village use leaves and barks as an antiseptic, as opposed to westernized medicine. A young couple in a nearby village are getting married. We see the preparations being made and the different roles undertaken by the males and females of the village. We also get a look at the symbolic nature and spiritual aspect of the festivities. The next phase of the documentary (will be observational, but include narration) focusing on the rapid destruction of Indonesia's forests, and the local effects of ‘logging' on the environment. The area is hit by floods every year, but environmentalists claim that illegal logging has stripped the area of much tree cover and other vegetation which would normally protect and absorb water during rainy season. We will attempt to define and clarify what ‘logging' actually is (using computer generated graphics and on-site filming) and also interview both legal and illegal loggers (through the use of an interpreter) if possible. We shall also contact and get the views of local and global environmentalists and environment scientists to give views, research and scientific evidence to support any claims made. We then progress to the actual flooding of Bukit Lawang, using archive video footage (with permission) from BBC News, CNN and Lonely Planet of the tragedy. This first section will be heavily narrated, and will include video footage, newspaper clippings, sound bites and photographs (again with permission) of the event. Example scene: Video footage of total havoc and devastation: the villagers piling the bodies of the dead high into a pile. Children crying, clinging to mothers, homes being washed away and destroyed in front of the very eyes of the owners, and the clean up operation undertaken by the army in trying to rescue survivors. (The mood will be very somber and frightening; the music chosen will also reflect this.) Footage will be included of Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim claiming the disaster was â€Å"Exacerbated by extensive illegal logging in the hillside area.† And also describing the illegal loggers as â€Å"terrorists, with the consequence of the disaster being as dangerous as a nuclear bomb!† This will also be tied up with filming the effects of the flood on the villagers who have lost family and loves one's in the flood, children who have been orphaned, schools destroyed and homes lost (1400 people are believed to be homeless, although the kindness of the families and others means that most have somewhere to stay). This section will also include narration and interviews with those willing to talk on camera. (Voice over will be added in post production). I have discovered three eye witnesses to the event; a Mr Anthony Hurford, who was living in Bukit Lawang for the last two months doing volunteer work, Mr Agun Jungle (and baby daughter), who is a villager and one of the survivors of the flood, who is now trying to make a living organizing trekking trips around the Island, and Dutch tourist, Leo Zwetsloot, staying at the Bukit Lawang Cottage Hotel. I endeavor to interview the subjects and get their similar or contradicting (as the case may be) experiences of the flood, who/what they felt was to blame for the tragedy and the after effects on their lives. Example scenes: (Voice-over alongside archive video footage) Eye-witness and survivor, Anthony Hurord, gives his live account of the panic, terror and devastation of the flood. â€Å"Houses, people and trees were swept down the river†¦A massive pile, maybe the size of a football pitch; of huge tree trunks personal belongings, bodies and the odd tin roof†¦There simply is no village.† We speak with one of the ‘Elders' of the village, an old man, who survived the flood by quick thinking and helpful neighbors, who dragged him up the village and into safety. The man used to survive on his son's income from illegal logging, and now must rely on the kindness of the other villagers, as his son's have both been killed in the disaster. We see his shame at having played a passive role in the disaster, and the other villager's reactions and treatment of him since. He valued the income at the time, but was oblivious to its catastrophic consequences. We get a sense of the community's resentment at the Government (and the ‘elder!'), for not doing enough to stop the illegal logging trade which benefited a few, yet ultimately cost him the lives of many. A council is also called to decide on the fate of the known illegal loggers and their supporters within the community, (These scenes will be spread out to conclude during the duration of the documentary.) The film will progress (using observation, narration and interviews about the immediate and government aid necessary for the up building of the village. The attempt of the community to rebuild itself, its schools, homes, environment and economy. An attempt will also be made to conduct government interviews with the environment Minister and the President and get their opinion/views on the current situation. (We will aim to ask hard hitting questions about the government's knowledge of the illegal logging trade. Asking who knew of these activities and why wasn't more down to police the issue? Who benefited most from this illegal trade? Does the government feel even partially responsible for the deaths of hundreds of its populace? And question what it intends to do to prevent a situation like this occurring again? Example scene: President getting increasingly uncomfortable at the barrage of questions, resulting in a refusal to answer anymore and the termination of the interview. Resolution We will conclude with the final statements of the environmental scientists, and their opinions for the future, of not just Bukit Lawang, but of the globe in general. Scientific evidence for greater action is becoming clearer, but it is yet to become incorporated into an effective economic action plan for preserving and restoring the environment. In fact we seem to be going in the opposite direction, while environment researchers continue to gather evidence indicating that powerful action must be implemented at all levels of government and in communities all around the world. Using computer technology we will visually replicate images of the deterioration of the planet if we continue on our present course. We will use facts from various environmental agencies on the present state of affairs globally, and their predictions/solutions for the future. Example Scenes Our last shots are of a ‘council of elders' debating, and finally reaching a decision on the future of the illegal loggers within the community, and of Agun Jungles attempts at attracting tourists onto his tours (with little success). Agun realizes he has to leave the village if he is to carve out a life for himself and his young daughter. We see him on a small boat traveling to nearby Malaysia, waving goodbye to his bith land. We see the pain in his eyes, but also the steely determination to provide a better life for his child. The elder previously interviewed has been granted pardon of responsibility and allowed to live within the village, provided he actively participates in the rebuilding of the community. Whilst the illegal loggers are allowed to stay within the village on the condition they help the army (and other environmental agencies) in their attempt to re-forest the land.