Harry Potter and Traditional Spiritual Values

This becomes a somewhat silly argument because there is not evidence of the Harry Potter series undermining traditional values. That is to say, while the books have become incredibly popular and sold millions of copies (to say nothing of the millions of tickets sold to the cinematic adaptations of the novels), American society has not changed. In other words, the books and the films have not set in motion a radical change in American civilization nor have they led to any conversions to witchcraft.Furthermore, the Harry Potter series are very traditional in their approach to ‘good and evil. ’ Harry Potter is not an anti-hero. He is an adolescent trying to find his place in the world while struggling with the fact that he is a warlock and this sets him apart from much of society. However, underlying Harry Potter’s actions are a desire to do good deeds in the world and, in the primary theme of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, develop solid relationships with peers and avoid capitalizing on his warlock skills in an unfair way.Unfortunately, there will be those who will get ‘hung up’ on the magic and witchcraft angle of the series, but to do so is to take life just a little too serious. It is, after all, a harmless children’s book series that contains solid moral messages and not an attempt at undermining values and indoctrinating the youth. To a great extent, many of the negative feelings towards the series will be developed by individuals who have not actually read the series or have developed a pre-existing opinion that has already drawn a negative conclusion.

Annual Per Capita Healthcare Costs By Age Essay

The United States has way higher healthcare costs than any other country in the OECD, mostly which is because of the extremely high expenses later in life. 17 cents of every US dollar is being spent on health care. At about age 60, healthcare expenses for US citizens skyrocket, averaging between $40,000 to $45,000 a year per person, which is way above Germany, who has the next highest with only about $10,000. Dr. Ficshbeck, an engineering professor who runs a website called deathriskrankings.com, says the high costs are not completely without some reward. He said when it comes to deaths caused by disease, men from the US have a survival advantage over men from western Europe starting around age 65 that steadily increases over time. American women have this same advantage starting around age 80. This means if Americans died from diseases at the same rate as people from the Netherlands, for example, there would be about 60,000 more male deaths and 14,000 more female deaths in the US, all after the age of 70. France is among the few exceptions because they have a lower death rate from disease, but for the most part, the United States has a lower rate of diseased-caused deaths than Western Europe. Dr. Ficshbeck’s research also shows evidence that Americans have a higher death rate during young adulthood and middle age mainly due to health. Obesity rates, which are one of the leading causes of type 2 diabetes, are 3 times higher in America than France, and more than twice as high as in Germany. This study could mean that American healthcare is not totally at fault for not producing better results, but the American people themselves should be to blame for not making better health choices earlier in there lives. Ficshbeck believes that the edge the United States is getting in the latter years are due to our superior screening and treatment of diseases, the most prominent one being cancer. Americans have an average 5 year survival rate for breast cancer. This is higher than any other country in the OECD. Although Americans have a small advantage when it comes to death rates caused by disease for people over the age of 70, it isn’t a big enough advantage to prove that all of the money we spend on older American’s healthcare is providing that much of a survival advantage. A Boston University economist by the name of Dr. Lawrence Kotlikoff believes that the problem with our healthcare overspending problem stems from Medicare. He says the system has no cost control, and that pretty much any services that hospitals or doctors provide, Medicare will pay for. He has a very interesting idea for an alternative system that will provide incentive for practicing healthy habits (which the lack of proves to be one of main reasons for our not-so-superior life expectancy rates) and also lower US healthcare spending. He advocates issuing everybody vouchers through health insurance companies that would vary in value depending on the receiver’s health status, kind of like how car i nsurance companies are run. This sounds like a great alternative in that it would give people a good reason to be healthy which, in turn, would lead to less money being spent on expensive tests and procedures.   Robert Martensen, director of the office history at the National Institutes of Health is skeptical of how much of the United States’ health care spending is actually going towards increasing lifespan. He says that 40 to 50 percent of Medicare is being spent on intensive care which may not necessarily increase their chances of survival. European countries spend a lot less after the age of 65 mainly due to the fact that they have a lot more general practitioners, fewer specialists, and more centralized control over the number of hospital beds. Another researcher, named Dr. Jonathan Skinner, believes that although the US may be spending too much on older people’s health care, Europeans may also be doing too little. Having a specialist for every organ in the body of a patient with a chronic illness is a big part of the reason Americans are overspending. A payment technique called â€Å"bundling† could be a solution to this problem. It suggests that doctors and hospitals be paid a set amount for each patient diagnosis, such as diabetes or heart failure, and then have the ability to be rewarded with additional payments for meeting certain standards for quality care. This will give the doctors more control on what they should be spending their money on, so if they deem it unnecessary, they won’t have to â€Å"waste† money on specialized care for a patient. The problem with bundling and the reason many physicians are against the idea, is that a doctor can’t always know ahead of time if they shouldn’t spend money on a patient. Although the US is spending way too much on Medicare, that’s not a decision any doctor wants to be in control of.

Factors influencing News editors’ decisions Essay

Factors influencing News editors’ decisions Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   News form an important part in the society because it helps in providing people with information as well as keeping people updated on events and happenings that are taking place across the world. The factors which I think news editors consider in making a decision include: Age of the targeted audiences. The editors have noted that the age group of those who read the Newspapers and those who watch TVs is different in that the older generation prefers written content unlike the younger generation who prefer visuals and audio which is available through television (Halan, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Secondly, the difference in taste and preference of the audiences also affects the choice of news presentation by the editors. There are people who prefer a combination of the visual and audio (Islam, 2008). Therefore, the use of TV to present some news makes a greater impact than when the newspapers are used. Furthermore, news editors aim at being providers of exclusive news for their audiences. Therefore, to maintain exclusiveness with their news as compared to their competitors, news editors would choice an alternative that would make them exclusive to the audience(Halan, 2009). This will enable them to achieve higher sales in terms of newspapers or high viewing rate if they use the TVs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, the other factor that I think may be an influence on the choice of news presentation, whether through a newspaper or television is whether the news is meant for international or the national audience(Islam, 2008). To reach a wider audience internationally or nationally, news editors would prefer a means that is easily accessible to majority of the targeted audience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore, in conclusion, it is my view that age, exclusivity, taste and preference of the targeted audience, and national or international interest that the news is aimed at form the factors that influence the decision of the editors. The end result is for them to achieve more sales, higher viewing rates as well as enhanced reputation. References Halan, Y. C. (2009). Communication skills: Effective editing; a practical handbook to develop good editing skills. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers. Islam, R. (2008). Information and public choice: From media markets to policy making. Washington, D.C: World Bank. Source document

Hamlets Journey from Antic Disposition to Actual Insanity Essay

Hamlets Journey from Antic Disposition to Actual Insanity - Essay Example Since Hamlet is guided by the ghost of the previous king about his murder by poisoning him into the ear while sleeping in the orchard, the protagonist appears to be determined to retaliate to his uncle i.e. King Claudius and mother Queen Gertrude eventually. He this seeks relief in pretending insanity, but subsequently appears to be becoming real insane out of sheer rage and fury in the wake of the disclosure made by the ghost at the beginning of the play. However, his insanity, either pretended or actual, has been a matter of great interest for the critics and analysts alike, where it becomes very difficult whether his real mental disorder begins after the end of his pretending the same, or he is in full senses till he encounters his fatal end. In addition, the curiosity also arises about the temporary state of insanity he undergoes, which maintains close proximity with real mental retardation instead of the feign kind of lunacy. Hamlet’s insanity appears in the play in Act I Scene V, immediately after the revelation made by the ghost, which invites Hamlet’s arousal, who looks resolute to enquire whether the ghost is justified in its claim or not. However, he is confident about the truthfulness of the statement made by the ghost; it is, therefore, he declares the queen as the most pernicious woman and a villain as well (Act I, Sc. V, line 105), which would not wait for even few weeks to remarry with the new king after the assassination of her previous husband. One of his first soliloquies also elucidates the same that even a beast could mourn longer the death of a spouse than his mother has done (Act I, Sc. II, lines 150-151); consequently, he declares frailty as synonymous to the woman (I, ii, line 146). Consequently, the situation of his father’s murder and his mother’s second marriage disturbs Hamlet in such a way that everything looks drab, dull and dismal to him. Eventually, he decides to take any step, even committing suicide to bring his life to an end. However, he decides pretending insanity, in order to punish the culprits involved in the conspiracy of his father’s murder. Hamlet settles his mind on wearing black clothes while attending the royal court in order to demonstrate his melancholy over his father’s sad demise as well as make the protest against the assassination through his words, acts, and gestures. Since his inner sorrow is so great that his dour appearance is merely a poor mirror of it (I.ii.68), so he would prefer to stay in nightly color in order to realize the queen about the graveness of the sad incident. In addition, he also takes his friend Horatio into confidence by informing him that he would observe feign madness and be finding anything odd and strange in his behavior would be just putting on an act (I, v, 166-183). The play, arranged by Prince Hamlet within the play, reveals that he has not observed real madness till he had hired the services of the actors. It is, therefore, he states that the play is the thing where he would catch the conscience of the king (II, ii, 600-601) by keenly witnessing his expressions at the death scene of the player king. He also plays the same trick on the queen by noticing her expressions, while the player queen views: A second time I killed my husband died when the second husband kissed me in bed.

A Socioeconomic Analysis in Sierra Leone Research Proposal

A Socioeconomic Analysis in Sierra Leone - Research Proposal Example The aggregate microfinance program in Sierra Leone has currently a loan portfolio worth US$3.4 million, with some 45,717 active borrowers and 23,243 depositors accounting for US$963,373.90 (MIX, 2011). Microfinance has been intended as the flagship project through which the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may effect grassroots level economic development while at the same time providing women the impetus to explore a wider range of possibilities and thereby contribute to the advancement of their families and communities. There is great difficulty, however, in the sourcing of loans for women to establish their businesses with. Traditionally, women are able to get loans only from their male relatives, and oftentimes with substantial collateral. While loans are available from the bank, this channel would only grant loans to women who have a man’s backing. When the loan is being taken out without a male endorser, it has been the case that women are commonly pressured into having sex by bank staff (Guardian, 2011). The sorry state of women under the traditional norms in Sierra Leone has prompted development planners to embark upon sustained and organized microfinance aimed specifically at women. Recently, the U.S. State Department had sent a mission, comprised of women technology experts, to Sierra Leone in order to gather the facts and recommend a solution as to how technology can improve women’s ability and subsequently empower them.... The sorry state of women under the traditional norms in Sierra Leone has prompted development planners to embark upon sustained and organized microfinance aimed specifically at women. Recently, the U.S. State Department had sent a mission, comprised of women technology experts, to Sierra Leone in order to gather the facts and recommend a solution as to how technology can improve women’s ability and subsequently empower them. â€Å"We know effective development comes when women are targeted† (Guardian, 2011), because of women’s generally close affinity to the household. As it stands, there are still no businesswomen’s group or any organization of the sort which could accelerate the process of enabling women to be economically productive 1.3 Statement of the research goal Briefly stated, the goal of this research is to determine whether or not the microfinance programs undertaken among the women in Sierra Leone have succeeded in empowering Sierra Leonean wom en in a significant way. 1.4 Research objectives In order to arrive at relevant conclusions in response to the research goal, the research shall seek to find answers to the following objectives: 1.4.1 To describe the state of operations undertaken by microfinance programs implemented in Sierra Leone 1.4.2 To determine the impact of microfinance programs on the economic development of the country 1.4.3 To determine the perception of women microfinance borrowers of their level of empowerment as a result of their availment of microfinance programs 1.4.4 To compare the data on the microfinance programs and the perception of respondent women borrowers of their level of empowerment, in an effort to correlate the two 1.4.5 To

Automotive Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Automotive Design - Essay Example When an automobile is being designed the customer's taste and expectation plays a very important role, as it affects the market and the sales. The competition in the automobile industry is growing day after day. Every company is trying hard to out beat the other in providing the customer with the best possible design and engineering. The future of automotive design will see different kinds of automobiles, such as, eco-friendly vehicles, custom made vehicles, vehicles that are not too heavy on the pocket and suit the lower middle class section of the society. Eco-friendly vehicles are on the rise. Moving away from the traditional form of fuel, that is petrol and diesel, vehicles are being designed to run on gas. Gas is not only cheaper than petrol and diesel; it is also fuel efficient and gives the vehicle a better mileage. Designing fuel efficient vehicles is on the rise as people are looking for vehicles that are cost effective and easy to maintain. Another advantage of vehicles that run gas or electricity is that they are eco-friendly and produce less pollution. Another design feature that is growing is start-stop.

Governing the Uk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Governing the Uk - Essay Example Political power has been devolved to new ranks of government, the judiciary has been mandated to review the government actions with a lot of powers, introduction of new systems of electing representatives have been devised, second chamber membership has been reorganized, authority over monetary control has been delegated to an independent body, access to formal information has been slackened and the way political parties are being funded has been reviewed. There are some consequences that have been observed as a result of these reforms on Britain’s political structure, though they endure silence regarding their impacts. Some are devoted to impacts of reforms, but pay attention to individual bodies or institutions, instead of looking at the impacts of several reforms realized jointly. Even though these tremendous changes have been witnessed, there are several reforms that need to be tackled due to everyday emergence of new political shifts. This stands to be the right time to a sk some questions regarding institutions and policies that need changes to sustain development in the United Kingdom for the next reasonable century. This latter will try to outline some few changes needed in some institutions to foster growth. The United Kingdom has several structural flaws, witnessed in years of insufficient durable skills investment, innovation and infrastructure. Investment failure is firmly grounded as a result of inability to acquire even planning, tactical vision and partisan consensus on the required policy outline to support development and growth. Radical changes are needed especially in the parliamentary sectors. Britain parliament has always been mandated to oversee most of infrastructural developments geared towards Britain realizing its economic development. At the same time, Parliament also steers infrastructural development in Africa especially to African countries who are members of the European Union. According to parliamentary reports, economic in frastructure responsible for water, communications transport and power is the main engine to kick out poverty. It supports economic development and significant economic growth. Accessing necessary infrastructure still remains a challenge with a reasonable number of Africans still in dire need for these infrastructures. United Kingdom government through its parliament spend billions of dollars in funding these developments of which is appropriate since Africa is also a major business partner; the question procedures involved in undertaking these transactions. It is not breaking news to hear of funds embezzlement set for such projects, this triggers a lot of question in a common citizen’s mind on how tax pay is being spent. The parliament has been awarded power to oversee these projects but they still do face a lot of challenges. For parliament to realize effective outcome, one of my major recommendations is the formation of an infrastructure commission and board management. Th is board’s strategy is to give independent skilled intelligence to parliament to aid it in prioritizing infrastructure development. Stronger support can be fostered through the infrastructure management commission whose mandate would be to ensure implementations of these priorities. At the same time the commission should have authority to share these benefits with those who stand a chance of losing from these

Discounted and non-discounted cash flow techniques Essay

Discounted and non-discounted cash flow techniques - Essay Example This report aims at appraising four different projects on the basis of both discounted and non-discounted cash flow techniques. After the relevant computations, one project will be advised to be acceptedThis report also highlights the projects appraisal techniques in detail such that every technique will be discussed and its strengths and weaknesses will be elaborated. One by one every project will be considered for appraisal and its relevant computations will be provided in the appendix. The decision as to which project is to be accepted lies basically on two broader grounds namely as financial and non-financial. Here the financial grounds are discussed such that financial grounds itself can be bifurcated on two basis which are discounted cash flow techniques and non-discounted cash flow techniques. The discounted cash flow techniques have both the absolute and relative techniques. The most popular absolute technique is Net Present Value (NPV) technique which has also been used in t his current analysis. The relative discounted cash flow techniques may have various forms in which the famous ones are Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Profitability Index (PI). On the other hand, the non-discounted cash flow techniques consist of Payback Period, Urgency and Accounting Rate of Return (ARR). Discounted Cash Flow Techniques In this particular analysis, NPV, IRR and PI are used as discounted cash flow techniques to appraise the project whereas only Payback is used as non-discounted cash flow technique as other techniques cannot be used because the non-availability of the relevant data. The following discussion contains detailed explanation of discounted cash flow techniques. Net Present Value Net Present Value technique is the most famous project appraisal technique such that it explains the benefits of the project in an absolute financial sense. This technique provides an absolute figure as how much the project would earn given in its project life. This technique wor ks on the basis of discounting such that cash out flows and flows are discounted through an appropriate discount rate which is generally the weighted average cost of capital. In the way, the present value of all cash outflows and inflows are computed and then all the present values are summed up to obtain the Net Present Value of the project. Strengths The strength of this technique is that it provides an absolute amount which reflects the overall benefits that the project can provide now. This technique is also quite simple to calculate and quite easy to understand. Weaknesses The weaknesses include that the NPV of a particular project can exactly be equal to another project but both the projects may have significant differences in the magnitude of the cash flows. Another weakness of the technique is that it is based on the future expectations such that cash flows are projected with judgment. In case if the economic and financial situation changes, then the actual results may vary significantly from the estimates NPV. Comprehensive financial knowledge is also required to compute the NPV especially in those projects where tax implications have the key impact upon the generation of cash flows. Internal Rate of Return This discounted cash flow technique is also quite popular among the financial analyst such that it works on the basis of NPV. Internal Rate of Return is that rate at which the Net Present Value of a project becomes zero. This means that if the IRR is used as a discount rate instead of WACC which can produce a nil NPV. Hence if IRR exceeds than WACC, then the project can produce positive NPV. However, if IRR remains lower than WACC then NPV would also remain in a negative zone. Strengths The biggest strength of IRR is that it is a relative measure and a comparable one. It is also easier to understand the logic that works behind it. The interpretation of IRR is quite easy and this technique is also quite consistent with the objective of maximizing th e wealth of shareholders. Weaknesses There are many drawbacks of this

Organizational Capabilities and Strategic Management of Google Essay

Organizational Capabilities and Strategic Management of Google - Essay Example In relation to the study the company which has been selected is Google as a multinational corporation that was founded in the year 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin who were Ph.D. Students at Stanford University. It is a search engine that provides various internet services such as advertising technologies; cloud computing, internet search, and software. It links various Web pages allowing sharing and accessibility of information. Brin and Larry note that its mission is organizing world information and making it accessible and useful to everyone. It offers tools that enable one to do a fast search such as Google Chrome and Android. It also focuses on the success of various businesses in the online world and offline too.  Ã‚   It does this by focusing on products such as media and sales ads. For the web, Google has built various products with the intention of making the web and the experiences of the users better. Google has proved to have a wide range of organizational capabilitie s that enable it to stay ahead of the market competition. Scott states that one of the capabilities that Google has is innovativeness in terms of its products and even how they offer the services. This can be clearly seen from its motto of continuous innovation. Google usually invests some of its money and time towards innovation growth by encouraging its employees to come up with new products and ideas. An example is where it recommends 20% of the technical employees’ time to be spent on their own activities while 80% of their time spent on advertising and core research. This investment has accounted for half of new features and products that have been created by Google. Every employee is given freedom of thought and ability to make changes to projects or even create their own projects. This in effect continuously encourages the employees to concentrate on coming up with new ideas that will add value to the company. The ideas are presented in an open environment which enhanc es its image. Dornefest and Calishain note that another capability that Google has is its strong organizational culture (133). It uses every opportunity in motivating employees by regular recognition of best performers. It has an open culture where every employee contributes to the running of the organization by accepting ideas from everyone. This in turn makes people to be comfortable in raising their ideas without intimidation which leads to its success. When hiring, goggle has a culture of hiring people based on the capabilities and not their experiences and it hires smart and determined workforce which contributes to higher capabilities. Another culture that the company has is that of holding weekly all- hands meeting where people raise ideas and issues directly to the management. This culture is effective because it leads to quality production and quick decision making as well as problem solving. Another capability is that Google provides the best working environment for its workers. This has been evident from the many awards that Google has received as ‘the best place to work’ which has in turn led to employee satisfaction. This capability is of great importance for it attracts a lot of professionals to the company. This in turn has seen the company to comprise of a lot of people who have great potential making the company to stand in a better chance of expanding and developing new ideas. Information technology is another capability that Google has which makes it to be more competitive. This is from the ability to link various pages and come up with other products and search tools (Brin 95).Having vast technology has enabled Google to connect various web pages, advertise and even sell. With enough resources that Google as i.e. a good capital base, it has been able to purchase tools that add to its efficiency. An example is where Google bought You Tube which has led to its efficiency in terms of its market share. This has been from the fact that a lot of people love watching live

Intro to Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intro to Film - Essay Example The story is written and directed by Joss Whedon who brought the movie into reality with the assistance of the production designer James Chinlund and the art directors like Benjamin Edelberg, Jann K. Engel, Gregory Hooper, Billy Hunter, Richard Johnson and Randy Moore. The trailers of the movie (movieclip.com) show the main characters of the story in action, depicting their attributes. For instance, the Ironman describes himself as playboy, billionaire and genius. One could see how confident he is about himself with the way he talks and walks so that viewers cold almost dislike his character. He also says he is not a team-player, unable to work with others, when he and the other members of the team were called for their mission. However, as any other hero, the Ironman has a soft spot and that is, having the heart to do whatever it takes for him to be a part in saving the world. In addition, his claim to being a billionaire is not just a matter of talking but the truth of it is shown through his lifestyle and the gadgets used for his armor. Viewers cannot help but be amazed at how Ironman’s suit is undressed and kept by machines as he walks in his home. His residence is full of highly advanced technology like touch-screen, thin, transparent and sleek computers. His cell phone is one that is not yet seen in the market today. This makes the film quite futuristic because it demonstrates gadgets that may be produced in the future. In contrast to the character of Ironman, Captain America is the humble and quiet type of guy. His costume makes viewers easily detect him because of the star and colors of the American flag used in his attire. Thor portrays a warrior. His clothing shows he is not of this world but from somewhere where they are not as modern as the humans on earth. Hawkeye is the mortal hero with an exceptional skill in archery. His simplicity makes every viewer easily connect to him. The only female member of the team, the Black Widow, is a beautifu l young Russian spy who is skilled and witty. She bears the soft side of any woman and portrays it well in her character as the one sent to convince the Incredible Hulk to join the team in retrieving the powerful tesseract from the antagonist, Loki. When the scientist asked her what she would do if he said no to her, the woman answered that she will persuade him. Unlike the other heroes, she does not have superpowers but she is endowed with exceptional skills that make her essential in the team. She is a warrior, a symbol of courage who will not say no to any war. Her physical built is not only aesthetically useful in her role but it also shows how appropriate her role is. Lighting effects are largely used in the movie especially that it is an action-science fiction that portrays highly advanced technologies. For instance, the suit of Ironman makes him able to fly and appear in a flash. This necessitates the use of lights from the suit to show how fast he travels. Without the light, he would not be recognized from afar not until he gets near the camera for a clear view. However, with a spark of light that becomes larger as it gets nearer, the Ironman is presented in a more realistic manner that makes viewers awed. Another role of lighting seen in the movie is; it attracts the viewer’

Indirect free kick Essay Example for Free

Indirect free kick Essay There are fouls and misconduct happen during and sometimes after the match in football. When a player kicks or attempts to kick another opponent is one of the offences, however there are other ways of make an offence and that’s by tripping an opponent which can be used by using your hands to throw them down, using the legs which is a common one, however, it is also an offence to just stand in front of them or behind them. There are more offences and they are jumping at an opponent, charging them in a violent or in dangerous way, charging them from behind using boot feet, attempting or striking to strike at the opponent, holding and pushing an opponent and finally it is also an offence to handle the ball for example carrying it, striking it or using their hand or arm which is then followed up by giving the other team an indirect free kick. When a player has the ball and he makes a back pass to his goalkeeper directly, and the goalkeeper holds the ball with his hands or has any contact with his hand then the other team will be rewarded with an indirect free kick. This rule was put it in place recently in 1992 which was done because it stopped the goalkeeper from wasting time and holding the ball from opportunities to the other team and by also taking possession of the ball with the hands. This also stopped the goalkeeper from having more than 6 seconds limit of goalkeeper possession. Another reason for this rule to be put in place was because it made the games more interesting and less boring. In order for a team to score a goal, the whole ball passes over the goal line, in between the goalposts and under the crossbar. As you can see in the picture to the right, it shows that the whole ball has to pass otherwise even if it’s touching the line a little bit; it’s considered as play on with no goal. There have been some recent changes in football because a lot of times the referee is blamed for not making the right decision about the ball going in or not so therefore FA has introduced a new referee which is called an assistant referee and his job is to stand on the goal line to make sure and have a better view of the ball going in or not. They have done this because it ruins the fair play between the teams especially when the games are very important. In order for a team to win a match, the team has to have more goals than the other team and if it ends up being equal, then the game ends as a draw which means neither of the teams won. In some games there might be extra time provided because one team has to win so therefore they play with extra time.  A goal can be scored from anywhere on the play, from anyone who is playing and that included the goalkeeper too. Goals are also scored from penalties and free kicks. However a goal cannot be scored directly from a throw in so therefore it has to be touched by someone else after the throw in order to score a goal. A goal cannot be counted if the referee has not blown his whistle for the game to restart. Another way a goal cannot be scored is if you are taking an indirect free kick because it’s indirect so therefore the ball has to be passed to someone in your team and then you can score.

Cask of Amontialldo - Character Traits Essay Example for Free

Cask of Amontialldo Character Traits Essay The character of Montresor in, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is one who can only be defined with words along the lines of evil, or wicked. He vows to avenge the bold and childish Fortunato, whom Montresor swears did him wrong. Montresor could be described with many bold words, one being guilty. Though he is guilty, he is determined not to get caught. For instance, Montresor declares, â€Å"I must not only punish, but punish with impunity† (Poe, 1). Essentially, he is saying he will seek revenge on Fortunato, but he will get away with the vicious crime. Another obvious character trait for the devious Montresor, is dishonest. He claims to have obtained a cask of Amontillado, when the reader can tell through situational irony this is not true. He claims, â€Å" I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, but I have my doubts† (Poe 1). Fortunato unknowingly follows the fiend, and in theory, seals his own fate. Montresor is also quite sneaky. He slyly gets Fortunato into a small inlet in his wine cellar also a home for skeletal remains. He hastily chains him up before the poor Fortunato can even realize what’s happening. Explaining the situation, Montresor says, â€Å" inding his progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly bewildered a moment more and i fettered him to the granite† (Poe 4). Lastly, Montresor is just plain mysterious. Readers never know exactly why he decided to go after Fortunato, but it is hinted he offended the killer in some way. When asked about his coat of arms, Montresor blatantly states, â€Å"A human foot the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel† (Poe 3). The motto underneath is â€Å"nemo me impune lacessit† (Poe 3). To conclude, Montresor plays not only a degrading character, but one of many evils.

Difficulties of Cost Control in Construction Industry

Difficulties of Cost Control in Construction Industry CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Problem Statement: In every industry, cost control is a must in order to make sure that a project or production can make maximum profit or to make sure that the budget of a project does not burst. Locally, the actual costs of development of a project will normally being higher than necessary. In order to have an effective cost control in construction industry, it is necessary for us to determine the difficulties of cost control and to identify the factors contribute to the cost control difficulties in a project in order to overcome the difficulties or to avoid those factors that may cause difficulties to cost control of a construction project during construction stage, thus to have an effective cost control for the construction project and complete the project within the budget or under budget. 1.2 Aim and Objective: The aim of this paper is to study the difficulties of cost control in construction industry during the construction stage. In order to achieve the study of aim, some objectives have been established as below: To ascertain the importance of applying cost control in local construction industry. To highlight the cost control difficulties in local construction firm during the construction stage. To investigate the factors contributing to cost control difficulties in local construction firm during construction stage. 1.3 Background: Cost control is a process that should be continued throughout the project life cycle of a project. In construction industry, cost control should be continued from the inception of the project until the completion of the project to ensure that the cost of the construction project is kept within the agreed cost limits. For cost control of construction industry, it can be divided into two major stages; the control of cost during design stages and the control of cost by construction firm right after the commencement of the construction work of the construction project. According to Ashworth (2004), cost and schedule control is one of the most important functions of management once a project is identified. Cost control is paramount during the feasibility and design phases because a projects feasibility is normally tied to the cost of a project. Besides that, cost control during the construction phase can be paramount for large projects due to their potentially high construction cost and profiles. As mentioned by Nunnally (1998), the measuring and collecting the cost record of a project and the work progress are included in the cost control of a project. Besides that, the comparison of actual progress with the planning is also involved. The main purpose of cost control of a project is to gain maximum profit within the designated period and satisfactory quality of work. According to Pilcher (1994), he defined cost control as the regulation, by executive action, of the cost of carrying out the various activities which go to make up a project or a contract. The regulation (for cost control) designed for a specific industry will need a major modification if it is used in other industry because of the different nature or the business. He also said that for all construction projects, costs must be controlled and monitored from all the parties involved including client, consultants and contractor. This study will mainly focus on the difficulties of applying cost control during construction stage. That is because of in my opinion, what is needed in a cost control methodology is to proactively seeks out potential difficulties and factors contributed to those difficulties and provides project managers with as much warning as possible before their occurrence. This study provides a milestone for construction firm in the factors that likely to causes the difficulty in cost control. 1.4 Scope of Study: Cost Control is commonly used in every industry and almost in every project, the study will only focused on cost control difficulties of construction industry or a construction project during the construction stage. This study will ascertain the importance and the use of applying cost control in local construction industry. Besides that, the difficulties in applying cost control during construction stage also falls within the scope of this study. After highlighting the difficulties theoretically, an interview will be conducted with experienced Contract Executive or Contact Manager or Project Manager to determine the difficulties of cost control during construction stage practically. Finally, after understanding the difficulties of cost control during construction stage, the factors contributing to cost control difficulties during construction stage will also be highlighted. 1.5 Research Methodology The study is conducting in three stages. First stage is literature review. The literature review will started with the introduction to cost control. In the introduction to cost control, the definition of cost control will be reviewed and the literature will also review the importance of cost control in construction industry. Moreover, the literature also will review the difficulties of applying cost control during construction stage. Furthermore, articles and notes about the cost control difficulties will be searched. All literature will be review deeply by referring the previous research paper, article, journal and etc. These sources can all be found in Google, Emerald, Yahoo and from the library of College Tunku Abdul Rahman. At second stage, an interview will be conducted with experienced Contract Executive or Contracts Manager or Project Manager face-to-face to obtain the information about their current practices in cost control system of their company, the practical difficulties and factors contributing to the difficulties in cost control will be identified by the Contract Executive or Contract Manager or Project Manager. The chosen Contract Executive or Contract Manager or Project Manager must be experienced enough in cost management of construction industry and willing to provide valuable information regarding the research topic. Last stage is writing up the content of the dissertation and the information obtained during the interview will be analyse and compare with the theoretical information. Conclusion of this study should be the result of the comparison between the practical and theoretical difficulties during cost control of construction stage faced by the contractor. 1.6 Benefits of Study By conducting this study, it allows me to have a rough idea on the Cost Control system. Completing this study also gives me a better understanding regarding the purposes and importance of Cost Control. Besides that, it also provides me with better perception regarding the difficulties during the application of Cost Control during construction stage. Furthermore, the interview conducted with the experienced Personnel will definitely allow me to review the current practices of Cost Control in the construction industry. 1.7 Dissertation Organisation Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Cost Control Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology Chapter 4: Analysis of the Result and Discussion Chapter 5: Conclusion CHAPTER 2: COST CONTROL 2.1 Introduction to Cost Control 2.1.1 Definition The term Cost is defined by Dictionary.com (an application of iPod Touch) as the price paid to acquire, produce, accomplish, or maintain anything. Whereas the term Control in Dictionary.com, it defines Control as the act or power of controlling; regulation; domination or command. For construction industry, the term Cost should be referred to the amount paid by a party; either a person or a corporation, to another party; normally a contractor, either to construct a complete building or a particular section of a building. And for the term Control in construction industry, it should be referred to an official mean of regulation or restraint in the management of the project. According to Marchesan and Formoso (n. d.), the combination of the term Cost and Control should be defined as the application of procedures that result in early illumination of potential changes in resource requirements and in the timely surveillance of the usage of funds to permit action that will keep cost within a predetermined range. While for the other definition of Cost Control, we can refer to Ashworth (2004), he defined Cost Control as a process of planning, checking and verifying project expenditure based on established standards and taking the necessary corrective action to ensure that the total project expenditure is approximately to the estimated budget. While according to Ritz (1994), he stated that Cost Control gives a different meaning to a different people. Some people engage it with engineering costs; some states that it is a cost report, value engineering, cost management etc. Cost Control involves all the activities above in different time by different parties and all the parties involved in a project will have their own responsibilities and roles in cost minimization and Cost Control. Other than that, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyor Committee defined Cost Control as the total proves which ensures that the contract sum is within the clients approved budget or cost limit. Further definition can refer to Mueller (1986), he stated that the cost control is the ability to influence the final cost of project positively with modifying negative performance trends. In addition, Kwayke (1997) defined Cost Control as a process where construction cost of a project is manage with the best method and systematic approach in order that the contractor would not suffer losses during the execution of the activities of the project and the cost of construction of a project would not be over-estimated by the developer. By concluding all the definition mentioned above, Cost Control in construction industry should be the application of procedures or regulation during the construction project life cycle to plan, check and verify the construction project expenditure based on the established procedures or regulations to ensure that the construction project expenditure is within the project budget, within given timeframe with quality specified and also to ensure that resources are used to best advantages or maximization of the profit for the construction project. 2.1.2 Statement of Facts in Cost Control As stated by Roger (2000), he said that Cost Control is a broad set of cost accounting methods and management techniques with the common goal of improving business cost-efficiency by reducing costs, or at least restricting their rate of growth. Cost Control is used in business to monitor, evaluate and the most important to increase the efficiency of specific areas within their operations. As for Nunnally (1998), he stated that cost control of a project involves measuring and collecting cost record and work progress of a project. Besides that, comparison of actual progress with the planning is also involved. He also mentioned that the main objective of Cost Control of a project is to maximize profit within the given timeframe and to achieve satisfactory quality of work. If the application of cost control is by a systematic procedure, it will result in ease of collection of important cost data in estimating and controlling of the cost of the coming projects in future. Kwakye (1997) states the main purpose in cost controlling for a construction project should be active controlling of final costs for owner, and not just to record and registering the payment. Cost Control Reports must be prepared for efficient Cost Control. The Cost Control Report is based on the cost data collected, it is important to project the costs in to future and to estimate or re-estimate the cost of the work yet to be completed. Amount of detail and the time interval between Cost Control Reports must be considered and the time interval is varied depends on the level of management for which they prepared the Reports for. For example, Cost Report should be received by site manager on weekly basis. Since the commencement of the contract, any new information must be taken into account and makes a suitable reporting system is important for a cost control system. According to Koh (2005), if an adequate reporting system is used, the estimator would become more reluctant in the future to use cost data that have been fed back from the site and granting the estimator some time to determine sufficient detail about the data and conditions they acquired. In addition, Koh (2005) also suggested two areas to check whether the Cost Control reporting system is efficient or not. First is to check on the profitability of the work and second would be check on efficiency carried out against the standard of the output rates that were used by the estimator in compiling the estimate. 2.1.3 The Purposes and Importance of Cost Control One of the principal objectives of Cost Control for most project or organisation is the achievement of minimum cost for a particular project. Achievement of minimum cost is to maximize the profit and profit in simple terms is what is left after all the income accruing to the enterprise has been received and all of the costs or outgoings have been paid. For all construction projects, cost must be monitored and controlled, whether from the point of view of owner, designer or a contractor. It helps to distinguish the problems arise and understanding of the problems which occur in each phase of industry enables better co-ordination of the activities of the many participants in a single project (Pilcher, 1994). Besides that, according to Pilcher (1994), the importance of Cost Control is due largely to the following: To provide the relevant feedback, carefully qualified in detail by all the conditions under which the work has been carried out, to the estimator who is responsible for establishing the standards both historical and future; To provide the client with a value-for-money project. Example: To give the building client a building which is soundly constructed, of satisfactory appearance and well suited to perform the functions for which it is required, combined with economical construction layout. To provide data to assist in the valuation of those variations that will arise during the course of the work; To provide immediate warning of uneconomic operations, both in the long and the short term; To limit the clients expenditure to within the amount agreed. In simple terms this means that the tender sum and final account should approximately equate with the budget estimate. To achieve balanced design expenditure between the various elements of the buildings. Thus, the sums allocated to cladding, insulation, finishing, services and other elements of the building will be properly related to the class of building and to each other. To summarize progress. To promote cost consciousness; The contractor may ascertain the maximum income that they may receive according to the contract sum, then ascertain the initial cost expenditure, or provide detailed brief to his own construction team who will then determine the actual cost that may involved. But most schemes are a combination of these two extremes. There has in recent years been a great need for an understanding of construction economics and Cost Control, particularly during the construction stage of projects. As stated by Ashworth (2004), Cost Control also should serve the following purposes: The clients requirements today are more complex, a more effective system of control is therefore desirable during the construction stage up to the completion of final account and thereafter during costs-in-use. There has been a trend towards modern designs and new techniques, materials and methods of construction. The designer is able to choose from a far wider range of products and this has produced variety in construction. The traditional methods of estimating are unable to cope in these circumstances to achieve value for money and more balanced designs resulting that in the end the contractor may need to bear for extra cost due to the faulty design. Contractors profit margins have in real terms been reduced considerably during the past decade. This has resulted in their greater cost-consciousness in an attempt to redress possible losses. There is a general trend towards greater cost-effectiveness, and thus a need to examine construction costs not solely in the context of initial costs but in terms of whole-life costs, or total-cost appraisal. World recession has generally produced a shortage of funds for capital purposes and construction in general. This has been coupled with high inflation and interest charges, resulting in the costs of construction soaring to high levels. Although the relative costs compared with other commodities may be similar, the apparent high costs have resulted in greater caution, particularly on the part of contractor. 2.2 Difficulties of Applying Cost Control Procedures At present, serious problems exist in the cost control and management of construction project. For example, for some construction project, the design is earlier than the study of feasibility, which makes the later turn into useless. In bidding, some construction companies perform illegally, which makes the bidding fail to control project cost well. The popularization of assigned subcontracts and various subcontracts serve as potential threats for project quality. The delay for project payment, especially for workers wages, is serious. Some projects can not manage the changes of designs, construction companies fail to follow the designs completely, which may lead to larger costs for construction. Some construction companies emphasize on the control of quality and period but fail to control the cost. All these activities make the cost of construction project out of control in our country, which is harmful for the sustainable and healthy development of construction industry. Gao (2009) has stated that the following is the difficulties in Cost Control of construction stage. 2.2.1 Fail to Estimate the Project Exactly The project estimation is performed at the very beginning, namely in the study of feasibility. Present compilation of study of feasibility is lack of details. No effective items to control the number of project. The estimation has a lower preciseness. Besides, the study of feasibility has no necessary investigation. Some potential geological disasters can not be identified effectively, which leads to the rise of costs. Although some companies make details for implement, the effect is poor. In order to establish the project, some companies may reduce the number of project and decrease costs. 2.2.2 The Compilation of Project Budget Has Poor Reliability At the stage of design, the investigation is far from sufficient. Some fundamental materials for design are inexact. As a result, the design may be irrational and will be changed significantly in construction, which causes the poor reliability of budget. 2.2.3 Working Drawing Budget is Unpractical At the working drawing design stage, compile the project budget according to the design. The working drawing budget is to calculate the cost of design. The rationality of working drawing budget is about how to organize the construction and how to reach the design requirements by what kinds of methods, plus how to arrange the construction period, and how to manage workers and machines under different seasons, according to scientific designs. All these tasks are supposed to be arranged by construction companies. For design companies, to compile the budget is unpractical. 2.2.4 Do not Follow Basic Construction Procedures and Can not Control Costs For some projects, time is urgent. Therefore, the design is maybe imperfect. And the construction does not follow the basic procedures strictly. Sometimes, the study of feasibility turns into useless papers. As a result, the estimation and the budget can not control the project cost effectively. 2.2.5 Contract is not Managed Well Some developers neglect to manage contracts. They do not follow the terms written in contracts strictly. Besides, some developers can not calculate the cost of project quantities correctly. They are incapable of managing external workers effectively. 2.2.6 Irregular Management and Many Changes for Project Developers can not design properly and have to change the management methods. Or, the execution is weak. They can change the design as will. Then, the scale of project is increasing and the cost is rising. 2.2.7 Rise of Cost Due to Unreasonable Financing Structure At present, the funds for construction project in Malaysia are mainly from domestic loans, foreign funds, self-collected by construction companies, and other sources. Although financing ways are few and some are immature, limits are more. Sometimes, funds can not arrive in time. In order to insure the process of project, the construction companies have to apply loans from banks. Therefore, a large proportion of construction funds are from banks as loans. And the credit period is long and can not match with investment return. The characteristics of construction industry determine the lagged-behind investment return. One financing channel increases risks and costs, which leads to the accumulation of loan balance in banks, increasing construction costs and pressures for later in operation. 2.2.8 System is imperfect One of the factors that cause overspending is the management. Main items that cause overspending include management fees, compensation fees for removing, and supervision. Main reasons include: Lack of a perfect cost control system and can not manage and control the cost systematically, which makes it hard to identify the out-of-control of cost in time. Lack the idea of cost control and the constraint mechanism. Project managers are always focusing on quality and construction period, but not cost control. The absence of system makes the expenditure more irregular. No integrated standards for management fee are effective. Workers are more than necessary in construction companies. 2.3 Factors Contributing to the Difficulties of Cost Control 2.3.1 Control of labour cost The control of labour cost frequently causing much troubles to Cost Control because of the productivity of labour is variable and causing the difficulty to the estimating stage. Although experienced estimators have their own database of historic cost data, but these data can only ever be regarded as an average for a given trade and does not make allowance for particular circumstances. A prediction of how labour will perform in the future on a particular project must be incorporated into an estimate of cost. Site management is greatly affecting the labour efficiency and their productivity. It is important that all labour resources, either self-employed or employed as labour and materials sub-contractors, are fully supervised and co-ordinated, to ensure that the labour resources are efficiently organized and making best used of them. If the labour resources are not well organized, it may reduce the productivity of the labour and making cost of labour to be higher hence causing difficulties to Cost Control because the labour cost is different with the estimated cost. 2.3.2 Site Condition After the design of engineer, quantity surveyor will normally estimate the amount of the designed work, but due to the site condition is unpredictable, it cause the cost estimation is rather difficult. In many of the construction project, there are majority of unforeseen and differing site condition are found in subsurface work such as tunneling and foundation work, such situation can also arise in rehabilitation and restoration work, retrofitting to meet revised seismic codes and projects that improve energy efficiency. Where ground water level is close to the surface of the site, closely pumping operation may be needed throughout the substructure work. This unforeseen situation will increase the construction cost. A wet site may also involve raising temporary sheds and offices on brick bases and more costly temporary work. The cost of excavation in rock is much more expensive than working in normal ground. This type of strata will need to be examined and to determine what type of support is needed to the sides of excavation. All this will contribute to the difficulty in cost control when the construction method is carried out wrongly. 2.3.3 Location of site The cost of building on a site in a city could be much expensive than construct a similar building on a provincial site. This is due to higher wages, materials and other costs. For instance, a project on a remote location site may involve long lengths of temporary access road and of temporary power cable for electricity suppliers and increased costs of transporting operatives and materials to the site. A site in a congested central area of a city will give rise to major problem in delivery and storage of materials and equipment, protection of adjoining building, construction method to carry out substructure work, restriction on the use of mechanical plant and to the protection of the public. Overcoming these problem involve considerable additional cost and all these will considerably contribute to the difficulty in cost control. 2.3.4 Materials In some of the guides the cost of materials can be easily identified, and adjustment to the measured rate is therefore a simple process. Material prices often depend on contractor, location, quantity and discount and hence making the estimation process to be rather difficult. The materials wastage of site will also contribute to this because there will be difference between the actual amount used and the estimated amount used. 2.3.5 Overheads and profit In most case, during the estimation process, the amount of overheads and profit will normally just referred back to previous projects. But the amounts included in the published rates vary considerably. In some guides nothing has been allowed, and these expect the user to add an appropriate amount. In other information, up to 25% has been included on margins of 3%. In addition, overhead costs have generally been reduced in order to keep costs to an absolute minimum, while seeking to maintain the required workload. Builders will therefore need to access their own percentage and adjust this according to that quoted. Surveyors, in attempting to predict tender values, will also need to take this into account in their approximate estimate. 2.4 Chapter Summary Cost Control in construction industry should be the application of procedures or regulation during the construction project life cycle to plan, check and verify the construction project expenditure based on the established procedures or regulations to ensure that the construction project expenditure is within the project budget, within given timeframe with quality specified and also to ensure that resources are used to best advantages or maximization of the profit for the construction project. Cost Control need to serves the purposes like to provide the relevant feedback, to provide the client with a value-for-money project, to provide data to assist in the valuation, to provide immediate warning of uneconomic operations, to limit the clients expenditure, to achieve balanced design expenditure, to summarize progress and to promote cost consciousness. Difficulties of Cost Control during construction stage are failed to estimate the project exactly, the compilation of project budget has poor reliability, working drawing budget is unpractical, do not follow basic construction procedures and can not control costs, contract is not managed well, irregular management and many changes for project, rise of cost due to unreasonable financing structure and system is imperfect. Factors that contribute to those difficulties are control of labour cost, site Condition, location of site, materials and overheads and profit. It is necessary for management to study the difficulties involved and the factors contributing to these difficulties so that they will design a cost control system that more efficient for a particular project. Chapter 3: Research design and methodology 3.1 Introduction In this chapter, the research methodology used in this research will be discussed. The method of conducting research to achieve the aim and objectives will be reviewed to ensure that all the information obtained is reliable. Among two research strategies that suggested by Naoum (2007), which is Quantitative Research and Qualitative Research, Qualitative Research will be used as the research strategy for this dissertation. The reason to use Qualitative Research is because of it allows the topic being studied to give much valuable answers to questions put to them. Structured interview will be conducted with at least five (5) contractors so that sufficient information can be obtained to proceed with the field work. The interview will be carried out face to face with the interviewee, however, it also may be carried out over the telephone or any other methods like email or webcam. The targeted personnel to be interviewed are contract executive, contract manager or the project manager of the company. Since it is a structured interview, the questions to be asked are presented in the same order and with the same wording to all interviewees. The main objectives of this interview section are to clearly understand the ability of the contractor in cost control and the difficulties that they are dealing with during cost control of project they undertake. While the other objectives are to ascertain the importance of cost control during construction stage with the contractor and last but not least to investigate the factors that contribute to difficulties that they are dealing with during cost control. The interviewing session has the advantage of providing experience or opinion based information for the dissertation. Questions prepared are open- ended questions for the interview so that in-depth information can be collected. The questions are set by referring to the aim and objectives, data obtained will be of the opinions and perception as individual interviewee knowledge and experience of research area. 3.2 Questionnaire Construction The principles that are followed in constructing the questionnaire for the research are as shown in Figures 3.1 below: Research objectives + Literature review Questions Lead to Lead to Issues, topics and ideas Principles on how research objectives are translated into specific questions. (Naoum, 2007) Before constructing the questionnaire, the potential ideas which can be developed into a questionnaire at a later stage are listed out. In order to have the ideas to develop into questionnaire, the research proposal and the literature review is reviewed and all possible questions which are related to the research is written down to obtained the first thought questions. Those listed out question are all based on the aim and objectives of the research. After the first thought questions have been identified, the final questionnaire is constructed by introducing a number of section or categories for the questionnaire and the first thought questions are fitted into these sections. The research questionnaire was divided into two sections in which the first section is to obtain the back ground and information of the interviewees as well as their organization. This is to ensur

Movies Of 2001 :: essays research papers fc

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 1.â€Å"Cast Away†. Yahoo Online: Netscape Navigator. http://castawaymovie.com/index2.html March 19, 2001 This article emphasizes the idea that no matter how many obstacles are put in our path, we will find ways to accept them. This article is well written, but has limited amounts of information present. 2. â€Å"Caveman’s Valentine†. Yahoo Online: Netscape Navigator. http://www.beatboxbetty.com/moviereviews/moviereviews1/moviereviews1.htm #cavemansvalentine March 18, 2001 This article states that there are many nice touches to the thriller. Samuel L. Jackson portrays his character very well. This article does not have much information on â€Å"Caveman’s Valentine†, but it written well. 3. â€Å"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon† Dogpile Online: Netscape Navigator. http://www.findaarticles.com/m1312/1_379/62496416/p1/article.html March 18,2001 This article describes â€Å"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon† as â€Å"The Matrix† of traditional martial arts films. This movie of revenge is brought to life by its magnificent combat scenes. This article provides a great review and is written well. 4. â€Å"Down to Earth†. Google Online: Netscape Navigator. http://hollywood.com/movies/downtoearth/index.html March 17, 2001 The synopsis of this movie reveals that â€Å"Down to Earth† is based on the 1978 movie â€Å"Heaven can Wait†. This article gives a detailed description of the movie and is easy to read. 5. â€Å"Enemy at the Gates†. Dogpile Online: Netscape Navigator. http://www.filmreview.co.uk/db/review.cgi?enemyatthegates March 20, 2001 The article tells of how â€Å"Enemy at the Gates† brings to life the battle of Stalingrad. The movie is very long and there is not suspense or action to hold the viewers attention. The article is well written and clearly explains the movie. 6. Ebert, Roger. â€Å"Billy Elliot†. Yahoo Online: Netscape Navigator. http://www.suntimes.com/Ebert/Ebert_reviews/2000/10/10/302.html March 21, 2001 Ebert describes â€Å"Billy Elliot† as awkwardly put together and unexplainable shifts in characters. This article is well written and easy to understand. 7. â€Å"Fellowship of The Rings†. Google Online: Netscape Navigator http://movies.ign.com/preview/2014.html March 20, 2001 This article describes â€Å"Fellowship of the Rings† an amazing picture that are dead on the books, and bring them to life. The article not smoothly written and lacks much description. 8. â€Å"Finding Forrester†. Dogpile Online: Netscape Navigator http://spe.sony.com/movies/findingforrester/html March 20,2001 This article includes director Van Sant’s views of how â€Å"Finding Forrester† is a progression form his â€Å"Good Will Hunting†. This article is focused on the director’s and screenwriter’s views of the film. It is written well and easily readable. 9. Fred, Chris. â€Å"15 Minutes†. Google Online: Netscape Navigator. http://www.movie-list.com/num.15minutes.shtml Fred describes â€Å"15 Minutes† as trying to portray the truth about the society of America. This article is poorly written. 10. Holt, Dera. â€Å"Traffic†. Yahoo Online: Netscape Navigator. http://indie-review.com/movies/traffic.html March 17, 2001 Holt describes the films great writing, compelling plot, and amazing cinematography.

21st Century :: essays research papers

In A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking There were very many interesting theories and facts that were brought up about physics. A couple of these theories and fact help lead me to deciding on my opinion about the future of physics in the 21st century. My opinion is that in the 21st century a couple of things will happen in the way of physics. First I think scientist will continue work on old experiments and make new theories. Another one of my thought are that scientist will prove previous theories wrong. The continuation of scientist finding out more theories and furthering previous experiment is a big possibility. This is likely to happen because since about 200 BC scientist and philosophers have been making theories about Earth and how things on Earth work as well as in the Universe. One of the earliest examples of these theories was Aristotle. Aristotle thought that the Earth was stationary and that the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars moved in circular orbits around the earth. Then in the 2nd century ad , Ptolemy made a model which elaborated the theory made by Aristotle. In his model "The earth stood at the center, surrounded by eight spheres that carried the moon, the sun, the stars and the 5 planets known at the time. Years and years after all these first theories of how the universe was setup scientist found that all the planets revolve around the sun. This is an example of how was seems so simple now like how the planets work was so complicated to our predecesso rs, and as for what I think, what we find so complicated right now will be so simple in later decades. I also believe that in the 21st century scientist will prove that previous theories that were made by scientist are false. Stephen Hawking sums this up by saying "At the beginning of this century, it was thought that everything could be explained in terms of properties and continues matter which shows how quickly things can change in the world of science, because of this Max Baron put it this way "it is possible for physics as we know it to be over in six months" because theories change so quickly that physics may not be where it is now in six months.

Which Type of Salt will Increase the Boiling Point of Water the Most? :: boiling point, science, experiements,

The researcher conducting this experiment is trying to find out which salt- Epsom, table salt, and sea salt- will increase the boiling point of water the most. Sodium chloride is believed to increase the boiling point of water because when salt is suspended into the water, the sodium and chlorine ions leave the â€Å"salt crystals† and mix with the water molecules. (â€Å"Why does salt†¦ raise boiling point of water?†, 2009). People discovered salt around 900 B.C. They would dig up salt near the Dead Sea and in South America. Salt has been important in the world’s culture for thousands of years. People used to use it to preserve meat or fish. Salt was so valuable that in several places, some would use it as money and others would trade it off for something else. (Aasen, et Al 1999). Common salt is another word for table salt. Table salt was researched to have the most of sodium chloride and actually has ninety-nine point nine percent (â€Å"Natural sea salt - will not cause high blood pressure†, n.d.). The researcher thinks it will increase the boiling point in water the most because it has the highest amount of sodium chloride present. Common salt is said to be the most used matter in the chemical world. Salt is translucent and can create electricity if melted. It is also known to melt ice or snow because it can be added to water to create a mixture that has a lower freezing point than purified water (Aasen, et Al 1999). Common salt is necessary in everyday lives because it carries vital substances. It also has many uses, but is found to be used in food only one percent of the time (McGrath and Travers, 1999). It is used to clear ice and snow off of roads, during the production of chlorine, in livestock feeding, to preserve foods, and to improve the taste of some foods. (Aasen, et Al 1999). The researcher did research and found that Epsom salt is called â€Å"hydrated magnesium sulfate†. Magnesium sulfate is not to be swallowed and if it is can be harmful. It is slightly reactive, the ability to mix with chemicals, and is not flammable which means it does not catch fire easily. Magnesium sulfate is a transparent white powder that is odorless and that dissolves quickly in water. It is good to use because it is not toxic to the environment (Baker, 2008).

Weather Investigation

Aim: To record the temperature around School to try to discover if there is a microclimate. Hypothesis: There is a microclimate around the school. The temperature will change. Geographical Theory What is a microclimate? The climate of a small, specific place within a larger area. An area as small as a yard or park can have several different microclimates depending on how much sunlight, shade, or exposure to the wind there is at a particular spot. Compare macroclimate. Plan: In my experiment I am going to measure * Wind speed * Wind direction * Temperature- caretakers room, the English room, Italian room, tree by tennis courts * Air pressure * Rain fall * Cloud cover Method 1) Firstly, we went to the Geography room where we took a look at the Barometer. We read the black needle and then turned the gold needle to the black needle so that tomorrow we would be able to read the air pressure for today. 2) Then we went outside to the rain gauge near the pond. We lifted it up and read how many millimetres of water were inside it. We then emptied it so that tomorrow we cold read from fresh. 3) Next, we went to the tennis courts and measured the wind speed and wind direction using an anemometer and our finger. To use the anemometer you need to hold the digital reader in your hand and lift the other part until you get the highest reading. We licked our finger to find the wing direction and also used a compass then where our finger felt the coldest was where the wing was coming from. 4) We the measured the cloud cover by using observation and counted the number of clods comparing it in eighths. 5) Finally, we measured the temperature around the school reading the results from four different thermometers situated in four different places around the school. These are: the Italian room, the English room, the tennis courts and outside the caretakers room. We measured the current temperature from a normal thermometer and the lowest and highest temperature of the day from a max. min. thermometer. Analysis On Wednesday there was the least amount of air pressure but the most amount of rainfall. It also had the slowest wind speed but the highest number of oktas. Also,on Friday there was the most amounts of air pressure and the lowest number of oktas for the cloud cover. Description of results: On Monday the air pressure amount was between the highest and lowest amount, 998 mb. It had a lot of rainfall of 10 mm and the highest fastest wind speed of 6.4 ms going into the direction of east and 7 oktas for cloud cover. On Tuesday it had the second smallest amount of air pressure of 989 mb and the median amount of rainfall which is 5.5 mm. The wind speed was one of the slowest as it was only 5.1 ms heading east. There were 6 oktas for cloud cover. On Wednesday there was the least amount of air pressure with 981 mb and the most rainfall which is 11.5 mm. It had the slowest of wind speed of 0.75 ms heading south – east and the most cloud cover of 7 oktas. On Thursday it was a median amount of air pressure, 998 mb and the second smallest amount of rainfall with 5 mm but on that day the rain gauge tipped over so 5 mm was not the correct result. There was a wind speed of 5.9 heading south and the cloud cover was of 6 oktas. Lastly on Friday there was the highest amount of air pressure, 1012 mb and the lowest amount of rainfall which was 1.8mm. The wind speed consisted of 6 heading north the cloud cover being 5 oktas as the lowest. Conclusion I have concluded that there is a microclimate in different places around St Michael's Grammar School. But on certain days it was more obvious then others. This is because all the temperatures are varied because of small changes such as facing south- which is where the sun is, or if there is a building in the way which can block sunlight, or if the weather is cloudy, which blocks the sun from getting to a certain area, which changes the temperature in the different areas. Evaluation This investigation was quite accurate but there are a few ways I would make this better. First of all I would make sure that the rain gauge is straight and steady so that it collects the right amount of rain that should be collected so that the rainfall results will be completely 100% accurate. Next I would make sure that the wind speed results are correct as well by using the anemometer properly and waiting longer for the highest amount of wind speed so that we can get a larger result. Another thing is to reset the temperature everyday at the exact minute from the past 24 hours so that the temperature will be accurate for every day. Overall the investigation had reasonably accurate results and there are ways to improve it but it in the end it was a great weather investigation.

A Performance Constraints of Thai Economy

It may be useful to put the discussion of performance constraints of the Thai economy briefly in perspective. Over the past 2 decades, the Thai economy has been one of the best performing economies in the world, characterized by sustained high growth rates, averaging 10. 3% 1985-90, and 8% in the years prior to the crisis (1990-96). This growth was accompanied by a dramatic decline in the incidence of absolute poverty, from 57% in 1962 to 14% in 1992, with per capita income increasing from $700 per annum in the late 1960s, to $2,700 in 1996. At the same time, rapid growth was accompanied by environmental degradation, resource depletion, and an increasingly unequal distribution of income and wealth. However, on balance a remarkable record of development. During this period of rapid growth and economic transformation, Thailand became increasingly integrated into the world economy through trade and investment flows, and production linkages. As the economy expanded rapidly and became more complex in structure, it posed more and new types of strains and challenges to economic management or â€Å"governance† systems at both the macro (i. . public policy) and micro (enterprise) levels. As the relative role of the private sector increased in the economy, the importance of enterprise management and performance correspondingly increased. Looking more deeply at Thailand†s performance, manufactured exports grew by about 23% per year between 1980 and 1995, almost doubling during 1992-1995. However, in 1996 export growth fell practically to 0 per cent, with labor-intensive exports usually identified as the main culprit. Certain factors are generally cited as responsible for this abrupt and dramatic decline: External factors cited included the emergence of new competitors, with the coming on stream of new production facilities in lower income/lower wage countries such as China, Indochina, Philippines, further complicated by the30% devaluation of the Chinese yen in 1994;  · Domestic factors cited generally relate to rising wage rates and overvalued exchange rates. Domestic wage rates during 1991-95 rose about 11%, on average or about 5% increase in real wages per year, cited as the key factor in the slowdown in growth of labor intensive exports. The real effective exchange rate of the baht is estimated to have appreciated by about 15% during 1995-97, primarily because of the linkage to the US$, which appreciated against the yen. While the above factors suggest that Thailand was losing its edge in low cost, labor intensive exports, these are at best partial explanations for the overall decline in export performance. The impact of rising wages should not have come this suddenly and pervasively, given that wages were rising for some time, with no significant impact on xport performance. For example, textiles, gems and jewelry, which are not particularly labor intensive declined significantly in the 1996 crunch, as did many technology intensive products. 5 Similarly, the timing and size of the real exchange rate appreciation is not sufficient to explain the sudden, dramatic drop in export performance. If the â€Å"usual suspects† are not sufficient to explain the export slowdown, then could this be primarily a â€Å"cyclical† downturn, e. g. the result of short-term, mainly external, adverse factors? There is some support for this being a factor. There was a global slowdown in world trade in 1996, with the growth rate of world manufactured exports dropping from 8. 6% p. a. during 1990-95, to 2. 1% in 1996 6 . All countries in Asia were hit, with Korea and Thailand the worst affected. If the basic problem of export performance could be seen as cyclical, then in terms of the main focus of this paper, the management of the economic crisis perhaps can indeed focus on the financial sector. That is, the â€Å"real sector† will realign itself, as the financial crisis begins to be resolved, and the â€Å"cycles† will at some point, begin their upswing though the global economic outlook looks less than optimistic at this time. Although cyclical demand factors seem to be relevant, they are only partly helpful in understanding the performance of the Thai (real) economy prior to the crisis. There seems to be more to the story. For example, industry-specific factors may have also been at work: a rapid rise in US sourcing of garments from Western Hemisphere producers such as Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador, led to a relative loss of US market share by Asian exporters, including Thailand, among others. It is not clear whether this shift in sourcing is a â€Å"cyclical† factor, or a â€Å"structural† shift in the basis of competitive advantage (e. g. relating to NAFTA; relating to the increasing role of time or order cycle as a competitive actor, an issue touched on in section III). A fundamental question that emerges from the perspective of the present economic crisis relates to the performance of the corporate sector prior to the crisis, a performance which was then further aggravated by the financial devastation of corporates by the crisis. In particular, were there clear signs of deterioration in performance, especially at the micro (enterprise) level prior to mid-1997, masked by rapid (export) growth? If yes, then resolving the present crisis in terms of restoring the Thai economy†s performance is likely to require a focus on the â€Å"real sector† simultaneously with addressing the problems of the financial sector. This is likely to be especially important for Thailand†s economic renewal and sustainable growth, given expectations of a global economic environment over the medium term characterized by slow growth and increasing competition for both markets and capital.

Kongi’s Harvest Essay

President Kongi, the dictator of an African developing nation, is trying to modernize his nation after deposing King Oba Danlola, who is being held in detention. Kongi demands that Danlola present him with a ceremonial yam at a state dinner to indicate his abdication. Daodu is Danlola’s nephew and heir, and he grows prized yams on his farm. Daodu’s lover Segi owns a bar where Daodu spends most of his time. Segi is revealed to be Kongi’s former lover. The different tribes are resisting unification, so Kongi tries to reach his goal by any means necessary, including forcing government officials to wear traditional African outfits and even seeking advice from the man he deposed. In a climactic scene at the state dinner, Segi presents Kongi with the disembodied head of her father. Post-Colonial review Colonization and Post colonization are twin evils in the so called civilized times. During colonization criticizing the Empire was not possible. But in the postcolonial era the colonized is not spared. Personal freedom demands that a human being has the right to follow any religion and faith. According to social rights he has the right to social security, protection and participation in the cultural life of the community. But these fundamental rights were denied to the colonized and the post colonized. The writers in the post-colonial period expose the cruelty and dehumanization ruthlessly practiced on the colonized. The very means and ways by which the native was discredited become effective weapons to hit back at the colonizer. The native was demeaned as a ‘savage’, his land called ‘a dark continent’, his heart ‘heart of darkness’, his religion ‘barbarous’ and himself ‘a cannibal’. The post-colonial writers use their cultural myths to prove the ignorance of the colonizer and his racial prejudice. They prove through their myths the greatness of their religion, the cosmic vision engendered by it, the possibility of rejuvenation inherent in it and the lesson of universal brotherhood advocated by it. The writers aim at exploiting various techniques as myths, carnival, intertextuality, palimpsest, contrapuntal reading, symbol etc. to help the reader see things from a new angle so as to question the official version of history, the so-called authenticity of the canon and the authority of intellectual hegemony exercised. The difference between the post-modern writer and the post colonial writer is that the former does it to promote nihilistic playfulness, whereas the post colonial writer is always conscious of the suffering undergone by the individuals; starting from concrete experience of pain he expresses his characters’ utter disorientation at the psychic level. The post colonial writing aims at rejuvenation of the wronged colonized and restoration of their prestige and identity. Myths engender ageless wisdom. When a writer uses it creatively and dynamically, he invests them with fresh layers of meaning and interpretation which highlight the contemporary reality. Malinowski’s observation affirms this; â€Å"Myth contains germs of the future epic, romance and tragedy† and continues that it â€Å"finds itself in certain of its forms of subsequent literary elaboration† Myth and ritual in a primitive society are the sustaining forces both in normal times and crises. No wonder all the African writers seek recourse to myths for restoring the fragmented personality of their fellowmen and reclaiming the distorted faith in their cultural tradition. Soyinka as a great traditionalist uses myths as the core of all his writings whether they are poems, fiction or drama. Kongi’s Harvest, Wole Soyinka’s latest play, has predictably created a sensation at Dakar, where it was presented at the Negro Arts Festival. For Soyinka has chosen a topical subject, African nationalism, and whether he tikes it nor not, his hysterical Kongi has probably been judged as much in terms of Nkrumah’s ejection, for example, as by artistic merit. This reviewer is largely unfamiliar with African politics and the traditional values upon which Soyinka apparently bases so much of his work. Consequently, these remarks of an unabashed outsider of necessity concern only the clarity and coherence of the play considered, perhaps unfairly, outside its social context. As mounted in the Arts Theatre at the University of Ibadan—that is, without the final scene, called â€Å"Hangover† and with considerable confusion attending its conclusion—the play depicts for the outsider what sort of harvest a man reaps if he sits alone on top of a mountain. That is Kongi’ssituation through the greater part of the play’ he descends, at its conclusion, to a harvest festival at which he is presented not with the expected new yam, but with a decapitated human head. Kongi, as several characters, in the play remark, is a poseur , a man who thinks of the world as watching him at all times. He sits upon his mountain looking out on the world, and at the same time, he is visible to that world. Such an approach to living seems to have taken its, emotional toll. Kongi is, hysterical, and in the final scene, he delivers in mime what we are told is a four-and-a-half hour speech, while the affairs of the world – the preparation of the new yam and the noise thereof— completely submerge the words of the speech. The speech is pure gesture, devoid of sound, unheeded by the world. The gestures, full of fury only, are those of a man out of all emotional control. Ranged in various more or less defined sorts of opposition to Kongi are at least three characters. The first of these is Oba Danlola an old arid obstinate, fiery, traditional leader. He is in detention as the play opens, presumably for opposition, and one of the major actions of the play involves bringing Danlola to present Kongi with the new yam—to renounce in effect his traditional authority in I he feast. The old order passeth, and DanLoJa finally consents. The outsider is not really competent to judge Obas generically. One imagines that, as sketched, Danlola is a stock traditional figure, and he seems a pleasant enough fellow. Yet, at one point, two characters liken him to Kongi in the important matter of posing. To the uninitiated there seems little obvious point in the comparison not because Danlola does not pose, but because his posing does not seem to have produced hysteria. This point may also be made in terms of the notion of â€Å"isms† developed in the play. Kongi, rules a land called Isma and his devotion to â€Å"isms† seems to be a function of his posing. Danlola, poseur though he may be, can’t really be said to participate in this fondness for â€Å"isms†. We have only the bare, unqualified assertion of Danlola’s likeness to Kongi and nothing visible on the stage to suppport the statement. Surely, here Soyinka has either led us considerably astray, or has failed entirely to carry us with him. Apparently, Danlola’s nephew and heir, Daodu, is also ranged against Kongi and his â€Å"isms†, â€Å"Apparently†Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ because we see Daodu do precious little. He is a bar fly, a habitue of Segi’s Night Club, and Segi’s present Lover. Segi is a sort of Herculean whore, Kongi’s former mistress about whom terrifying stories circulate: she destroys men, the suggestion is, sexually. It does not appear to what extent. Kongi’s present, highly disorganized condition is owing to his experiences with her. Nor is it clear whether it is Segi or Daodu who has the upper hand in their relationship. When he is not drinking Segi’s beer. Daodu raises champion yams on a farm settlement which runs a sort of Loose competition to the Kongian establishments, outdistancing them every time, it is his yam which is selected at the concluding festival, pounded and presented to all but Kongi, Obviously in the matter of harvest Daodu and his yams are separated from Kongi and hiS human head by the distance between life and death. However, Daodu at one point in the play announces a platform of resistance to Kongi which is predicated upon very nearly universal hatred and, to follow the metaphor, human heads. Segi opposes his position pleading for a loving approach to one’s fellow men, but, like so much in the play, the point of this conversation remains obscure. One is left to speculate whether Segi here asserts her basic domination of Daodu, or whether Daodu is to be viewed as the â€Å"developing character† who grows out of his hatred, or whether it is all a horrible joke. Segi’s words of love sullied by her profession. At any rate Daodu’s program of hatred seems clearly opposed to his benevolent yam growing, and we never see him do anything which resolves the issue. Segi may also be placed in opposition to Kongi, but if it is difficult to determine Daodu’s and Danlola’s positions, with Segi the problem is hopeless. Primarily this is true because we see her do even less, than Daodu. She never acts unambiguously in such a way as to disprove the persistent story that she destroys men. Her relation with Daodu is so undefined as to shed little light on this matter. For much of the play she maintains silence, which she breaks most noticeably with her passionate appeal for universal love. Here, her destructive tendencies seem open to question. Her other major action, completely at odds with her profession of universal love, concludes the play. Facing Kongi directly, she presents him with the decapitated head of her father. As staged, the confrontation is symbolic with a capital ‘S’ , in view of the obvious sexual overtones of the harvest festival, one immediately suspects that Kongi’s particular harvest results from cultivating the Likes of Segi, that if one resorts to her one can only get abominations. Here again Soyinka may have led us astray. If Segi is a champion in the pitched battle between the sexes—engaged in the good fight Soyinka his portrayed in The Lion and the Jewel—destroying men as rumor reports he does, Soyinka has carried us a long way from African nationalism in that final scene. For in that case, Kongi, and also Danlola and Daodu are mere tools in a perverse fertility rite, and the trouble with Africa lies not in its dictators, but in its whores. In view of the series of major interpretive alternatives suggested above, one is forced to conclude that Kongi’s Harvest is, to the outsider an incoherent sprawl. Alternative, and mutually exclusive interpretations are not artistic ambiguity, Soyinka sets us on a number of scents, which pursued, lead in no single direction. We are led into every briar patch in the area, along widely divergent andmutually exclusive paths, and end by running in very small, perplexed circles. Against such a view of the play two objections might be raised. First, some of the suggestions about the meaning of various actions might be termed over-ingenious. Such an objection must be at least partially granted; yet, Soyinka himself must bear partial responsibility for this critic’s over-zealous application, Soyinka has the true dramatist’s gift of making actions seem significant. His imaginative use of action and language effectively commands the audience â€Å"look here, this is important, and you should watch carefully†. When a comparison of two characters is underlined try considerable discussion of the comparison, when a dumb character finally speaks, when a passive character finally acts, we cannot choose but suspect the situation is important. Perhaps Soyinka is too good at gelling, our attention, with the result that we are fascinated by the non-essential as well as the essential. On the other hand, it might be objected that a man as unfamiliar with African politics and culture as this reviewer cannot form a proper opinion of such a play. This too is a formidable objection. Still, drama is a public form of art, if it is anything, and an artist like Soyinka should decide whether he wants to reach anything larger than a purely Nigerian or African public. It would seem that an artist tries to order parochial events in such a way that they have more than a parochial significance in presenting the uninitiated a dramatic experience with African politics Soyinka only confuses, and one can only suspect that he is confused himself. The matter of Right and Left Ears of State exemplifies the outsider’s difficulties very nicely. Those two remarkably named characters are introduced, as the henchmen of Kongi’s Organizing Secretary. They are a grand â€Å"sight gag†Ã¢â‚¬â€the conception funny enough to demand our attention, and we expect that they will do something amusing. Instead, they disappear mutely into the backroom of Segi’s Night Club, never to re-appear. We later learn that they have been killed in retribution for Kongi’s politics. Their memory lingers on, however; we can’t really believe that we have lost them so early; moreover, various characters employ â€Å"ear† phrases which recall their names to us. As a result, when in the last scene, the head is presented to Kongi, we, without Soyinka’s stage note stating whose head it is, recall, even if only for a brief moment, our old friends the Ears. Our attention, in other words is at least partially distracted at this important point by the strong expectation that the Ears will prove interesting. Soyinka must reckon with the fact that he can arouse our interest, and in nonessential matters, handle that talent carefully. It is a great disappointment to realize finally that, in the interests of coherence and clarity, many fascinating dramatic touches in Kongi’s Harvestshould, like the Ears of State, be more fully developed, carefully subordinated, or lopped off. Conclusion The end of the play leaves no hope in us for the purging of such societies. The struggle by Daoudu and others to overcome Kongi’s destruction is doomed. This futility of action is first hinted in the proverbs from â€Å"Hemlock† . Even Daodu and Segi who are the only ones courageous enough to openly condemn Kongi’s rule, are in the end victims of the predicted general clampdown indicated by the iron grating that clamps on the ground at the end of the play.