Letters vs. E-mail Essay -- Communication Writing Technology Essays

Letters vs. E-mail: Communicating through Writing My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins live in Ireland leaving oceans and expensive air fare separating us. Through pictures, stories, letters, and phone calls I have come to know the history of my family, what brought my mother to this country, and what a life in Ireland is like. However, over time these forms of communication were not strong and consistent enough to enable me to build an emotional connection and relationship with specific members of my family. I mainly just heard my mother’s point of view and got to know my family through her experiences with them. That was before the invention of electronic mail, a faster, cheaper outlet for communication that can reach anyone in the world who has access to the World Wide Web. Without technology, cyber space, and e-mail I would have very little communication and understanding of my family in Ireland. Prior to the creation of e-mail, writing letters was the best way to communicate overseas or anywhere a phone company considered long distance. Phone calls were too expensive and the time difference between Ireland and Michigan made it inconvenient to reach someone at a suitable hour. Phone numbers and area codes are also constantly changing while e-mail addresses stay with you wherever you go. While I was in High School my family moved three times, making it difficult for my relatives overseas to keep up with which number was the most recent. However, they knew it was still possible to get a hold of us via e-mail. Communicating through letters was exhausting, demanded time, and required readable penmanship. It could take almost two weeks to receive mail and half the time it would... ...f writing provide for a fast and effective mode of communication. There are both positive and negative characteristics associated with the use of the postal mail system and the handwritten letter versus electronic mail and computer created text. However, without the invention of e-mail it would not be possible for me to communicate and keep in touch with my family overseas as often and frequently as I do. Thanks to e-mail I can now build a better relationship with family members I seldom get to physically interact with. Works Cited Baron, Dennis. â€Å"From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies.† Tribble and Trubek 36. Lesser, Wendy. â€Å"The Conversion.† Tribble and Trubek, 227-231. Tribble, Evelyn, and Trubek, Anne, eds. Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 2003

Banyan Tree Essay

Minimal advertising, still high level of brand awareness through company’s public relations and global marketing programs. Faced the challenge of translating and maintaining the success of a niche Asian hospitality brand into various market segments on a global scale ‘Innovative niche product that could also bridge the price gap in this market’ Building a resort comprising individual villas with locally inspired architectural design and positioned as a romantic and intimate escapade for guests; ‘Sanctuary for the senses’. Banyan Tree Gallery: ‘local culture and heritage and promoting cottage Crafts, retail outlet showcasing indigenous crafts, works closely with village cooperatives and not-for-profit craft marketing agents. Marketing: high-end travel magazines in key markets – public relations – global marketing programs (increase editorial coverage) – few key wholesalers in each targeted market – agents specializing in exlusive luxury holidays targeted at wealthy customers – membership in the Small Luxury Hotels and Leading Hotels of the World – GDS cose ‘BY’ (own global distribution system used by travel providers to process airline, hotel, car rental and other distribution partners around the world. Actively caring for the natural and human environment, revitalizing local communities, worked actively to preserve, protect, and promote the natural and human environments in which BYT resorts where located. Minimizing the impact on the environment Green Communities = planted trees, engage local communities, associates, guests to share the causes of climate change and actions that can reduce our collected carbon footprint. Green Imperative Fund to further support community-based and environmental initiatives in the regions where it has a presence. The company believed in building profitable resorts that would benefit the surrounding environment and contribute to local economies through the creation of employment and community development projects. Businesses with local farmers and traders by making it a point to purchase fresh produce from them. Community Relations Department was set up to develop and manage community outreach programs. Seedling: BTHR’s formalized program which aimed to help  young adults from local communities and motivate them and provide the means for completing their education to successfully enter the labor force as adults. Future: openening city hotels and angsana hotels in Dubai and London (angsana brand in response to the demand for hotel operators in Asia that were keen to introduce spa services in their hotel, it is more contemporary and affordable brand. Musem Shop by banyan tree: joint partnetship with Singapor’s national heritage board to showcase Asi’a rich and diverse cultural heritage through unique museum-inspired merchandise. Banyan Tree Holdings (Banyan Tree) is an investment holding company involved in managing and developing premium resorts, hotels and spas in the Asia Pacific. To date, the Banyan Tree Group manages and/or has ownership interests in close to 36 hotels and resorts, around 73 spas, 91 galleries  and 3 golf courses in 28 countries The company operates in Asia, Mexico and Morocco, New Zealand, Africa, Dubai, and the UK. Banyan Tree operates through three business segments: hotel investment, property sales, and fee-based. 1: The hotel investments segment relates to hotel and restaurant operations. The property sales segment comprises hotel residences, Laguna property sales and development project/site sales. Hotel residences business relates to the sale of hotel villas or suites which are part of hotel operations, to investors under a compulsory leaseback scheme. Laguna property sales business relates to the development and sale of properties which are standalone vacation homes in Laguna Phuket. Development project/site sales relates to pure development land sales or development land sales which are fully or partially developed with infrastructure. The fee-based segment comprises the management of hotels and resorts, the management of an asset-backed destination club, the management of private-equity funds, the management and operation of spas, the sales of merchandise, the provision of architectural and design services, the management and ownership of golf courses, and rental of retail outlets and offices. The company’s subsidiaries (dochterbedrijf) include Banyan Tree Spa Bangkok, Banyan Tree Spa Bintan, Banyan Tree Spa Ringha, Banyan Tree Spa Phuket, Banyan Tree Sanya, and Banyan Tree Macau, among others. Banyan Tree Holdings (Banyan Tree) is engaged in the management and development of premium resorts, hotels and spas. The company’s key services include the following. Hotel and restaurant operations Sale of hotel villas or suites – Development and sale of properties – Pure development land sales – Management of hotels and resorts – Management of an asset-backed destination club – Management of private-equity funds -Management and operation of spas – Architectural and design services – Management and ownership of golf courses – Rental of retail outlets and offices. The following companies are the major competitors of Banyan Tree Holdings Limited: Central Plaza Hotel Public Company Limited – Four Seasons Hotels Inc – Associated International Hotels Ltd In the past few years, such events risks as the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, bird flu, floods and riots in Thailand have been hard on our industry, causing tourism as a whole to dry up in their wake. By comparison, economic recessions are part and parcel of the business cycle, which we are able to take in our stride and counter with a variety of measures. During the year, the world remained mired in the European sovereign debt crisis and American economic weakness. Although these conditions affected our arrivals primarily from Europe, we were able to capitalise on the flourishing Chinese market. At our four resorts in the Maldives, for example, the number of Chinese guests surpassed those from Europe. In our continuing efforts to rebalance the Group’s assets, we made the bargain purchase of Banyan Tree Seychelles which gave rise to a net gain. We also sold and leased back Angsana Velavaru in January 2013. The hybrid structure of this deal is a first for Banyan Tree, and we are pleased with how it allows us to rebalance our portfolio while still participating in the profits from the operations of Angsana Velavaru. 2012: with overall revenue growing 3% to S$338. 4 million. Due to improved results from our hotel investments and fee-based businesses, as well as a higher contribution from completed sales of property units. Group EBITDA was S$74. 5 million, up 51% on the back of higher revenue and a gain on the bargain purchase of Banyan Tree Seychelles. This in turn resulted in PATMI increasing by 856% (S$14.9 million), tempered by higher finance costs and income tax expenses. HOTEL INVESTMENTS Our hotel investments delivered a stronger performance in 2012, with Group-owned hotels posting total revenue of S$187. 7 million, up 15% from the previous year. This was due to the higher contribution from our Thai properties and the consolidation of revenue from Banyan Tree Seychelles from 2Q12 onwards. These gains were partially offset by lower revenue from our Maldives properties as Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Angsana Ihuru were temporarily closed for refurbishment. As a result of the increase in revenue, EBITDA for this segment grew by a healthy 69% to S$36. 6 million. PROPERTY SALES Revenue from property sales was S$42. 7 million. The 36% decrease was due to the sale of development sites in Lijiang, Yangshuo and Huangshan to our China Fund in 2011. Excluding those transactions, revenue and EBITDA from property sales saw growth of 43% and 74% respectively, thanks to a higher contribution from completed sales of property units. FEE-BASED Total revenue from our fee-based businesses registered growth of 9% to reach S$108. This was attributable to an increase in fees from hotel management and architectural and interior design and other services. Accordingly, EBITDA for our fee-based businesses grew by 23%. 2013 appears to be another challenging year for the global economy. We anticipate continued weakness in our European target markets. In Asia, which has been the world’s economic engine these past four years, growth is likely to moderate. Despite the cooling of China’s economy, the tourism market both inbound and outbound is expected to continue to grow. The Chinese government is aggressively promoting domestic tourism as part of its strategy to increase domestic consumption, thereby cushioning the slowdown in export manufacturing. Banyan Tree’s strong branding and rapidly expanding footprint in China will position us to take advantage of this trend. Our seven regional marketing offices in China will be invaluable in enabling us to tap the vast potential of this market and to enhance awareness of our hotels with key accounts in China. Our strategy going forward will include continuing with our asset rebalancing to unlock value and deploy capital to more promising markets. At the same time, we are exploring the possibility of extending the successful Fund model into other areas. In terms of growing particular segments, we will be focusing on increasing income from our fee-based and property sales businesses. We have built the fee-based segment to a point where it now has an impetus of its own. On the property sales front, we plan to move into selling more primary and serviced residences. Primary residences under the Banyan Tree brand, â€Å"We will also be going forward with the establishment of a third brand of residences to be wholly sold and managed by us. † Rather than compete with local property developers, we will leverage our branding and design skills to market to a niche audience in China. We will also be going forward with the establishment of a third brand of residences to be wholly sold and managed by us. Catering to an entirely new market of price-conscious buyers, these properties will be smaller in size yet deliver the quality and innovation that are hallmarks of Banyan Tree. Strongly associated with our brand is the concept of a triple bottom line. In our pursuit of economic, social and environmental success, we made major investments in resource conservation, training and benchmarking, greening and community efforts in 2012. Under the EarthCheck system of sustainability certification, we also planted in six-year a total to over 220,000 trees. Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts offer an intimate retreat experience featuring its signature blend of romance, rejuvenation and exotic sensuality. Our philosophy is based on providing a place for rejuvenation of the body, mind and soul – a Sanctuary for the Senses. Placing special emphasis on providing guests with a sense of place, each Banyan Tree property is designed to fit into its natural surroundings, using indigenous materials as far as possible and reflecting the landscape and architecture of the destination. Pioneering  the tropical garden spa concept with Asian health and beauty remedies passed down from generations, Banyan Tree Spa was created as the signature experience in all Banyan Tree resorts, to complement the â€Å"Sanctuary for the Senses† wellness concept. With the emphasis on high service standards and consistency, therapists are professionally trained at Banyan Tree Spa Academies in Phuket, Thailand, and Lijiang, China. The Banyan Tree Gallery supports local communities by exhibiting and retailing indigenous handicrafts, which are also found in the resorts. A quintessential highlight of the Banyan Tree experience, Banyan Tree Gallery aspires to recreate the unique Banyan Tree experience with  its extensive selection of  Asian-style furnishings, Banyan Tree Spa collection, eco-friendly products, indigenous village handicrafts, ethnic apparel and accessories, and objects d’art. Banyan Tree Holdings Limited is a leading, international hospitality brand that manages and develops premium resorts, hotels and spas. Its innovative business model is based on seven business segments generating multiple income streams that is unique in itself within the hospitality industry. This formula of developing and managing complementary product offerings with in-house talent makes it difficult for competitors to duplicate with the same level of success. Banyan Tree’s vertically integrated business model comprises: Hotel investment– Banyan Tree owns and manages luxury hotels under its brands, as well as hotels that are managed by other world-class operators. Hotel management– Banyan Tree additionally manages properties under the Banyan Tree and Angsana brands for other owners. Canopy Marketing Group Pte Ltd – A company wholly owned by Banyan Tree Services, Canopy Marketing Group Pte Ltd provides high-level strategic insights on various global niche markets to drive top line performance of our diverse range of lifestyle products including hotels, resorts, spas, gallery, destination club and residential ownership. It has a full-suite of marketing capabilities specializing in the branding, marketing and promotion. Spa operations– Banyan Tree Spa pioneered the tropical garden spa concept, and has since grown to over 60 outlets worldwide. Gallery operations– The retail arm is consolidated under Banyan Tree Gallery, which comprises five brand segments located in over 70 stores worldwide. Hotel residences – Hotel inventory are primarily sold under the brand name Banyan Tree Residences. Property sales – Properties that are not part of hotel operations are sold by our subsidiary company, Laguna Resorts and Hotels, and its subsidiaries, in Laguna Phuket. Design and other services – Revenue from design services is earned by Architrave, Banyan Tree’s in-house architectural arm. Other service fees include income from operating golf clubs. Real Estate Hospitality Funds – Banyan Tree Capital was set upto tap private equity and other sources of investments in order to provide a cost efficient structure to fund the Group’s future developments. With about 8,000 associates of over 50 nationalities, the diversity of its workforce is a key feature of the Group and helps to inspire its international outlook. To address its talent development needs, Banyan Tree launched Banyan Tree Management Academy (BTMA) in 2008. This centralised training facility located in Phuket, Thailand will train future Banyan Tree leaders needed to sustain organisational effectiveness and to meet the demands of its rapid global growth. Part of Banyan Tree’s vision has always been to grow into a global business, with a portfolio of properties strategically placed around the world. The Group’s mission is inextricably intertwined with its commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainable growth, as it continues to expand globally. The launch of Banyan Tree Residences, which allows investors to buy their own signature villa, townhouse or apartment in Banyan Tree resorts. Banyan Tree Private Collection was launched to cater to the growing niche for destination club membership 2005: Marking the group’s long awaited foray into China is Banyan Tree Ringha, in Yunnan. 2001: Banyan Tree established the Green Imperative Fund to formalise its corporate social responsibility efforts. The Banyan Tree Spa Academy was set up to provide training for new therapists as well as research new treatment recipes and techniques. Banyan Tree Capital is a real estate fund management company established by the Banyan Tree group, a renowned luxury hospitality company listed in Singapore, to focus on hospitality-based real estate investment. Banyan Tree Capital raises, develops and manages branded hospitality funds in key development markets of the Banyan Tree group. With a combination of fund management and asset development capabilities, Banyan Tree Capital leverages on the group’s expertise in premium hospitality real estate development and management to generate attractive investment returns for its investors. Banyan Tree Capital is headquartered in Singapore with offices in China and Vietnam. We have successfully achieved higher room rates than the existing market in locations such as Lijiang, the Maldives and Seychelles. We have also found that our iconic brands also help raise the value of the surrounding land. Our innovative city products combine all the iconic elements of our brand and differentiate developers within established, high cost city markets. We have the flexibility and capabilities to adapt our model to various locations so as to maximize returns for the developer As part of our strategy of enlarging our footprint in China, we will also be launching two more hotels in Shanghai and one in Tianjin, adding to our ever growing presence in various gateway cities. We are also employing our capabilities all across China, where large tracts of land are being developed into gated residences and luxury hotels offered to the Chinese elite. One of Banyan Tree’s prime concerns is its associates. We pride ourselves in providing high levels of service excellence and providing tailor made training and career development programmes for our employees. No stone is left unturned in regards to training and proper introduction before a Banyan Tree is put into operation. Trained to the basic standards of 5 star hotels. Employees were empowered to exercise creativity and sensitivity although the strict administrative rules of the management. Employees were taken to and from work in air-conditioned buses, access to various amenities (good-quality canteens, medical services, childcare facilities). Banyan Tree is one of the world’s biggest and well known spa operators. Our levels of quality and service are unparalleled and uncompromised. We are the only vertically integrated hospitality company with strong capabilities to tackle and anticipate the challenges of master planning and developing an integrated resort. We are able to take a property from inception to delivery with efficiencies that is entirely brand specific. Our  in-house design team, Architrave, and project services team are extremely involved in all phases of the development – master planning, designing, developing and coordinating, to ensure developers a timely delivery of their asset. Being experienced developers, we are able to ensure that efficiencies and economies of scale are maximized along with guest experiences. Bintan, the Maldives and Phuket where the Angsana resort is positioned next to a Banyan Tree resort with shared back of house facilities. This model has allowed us to lower costs without cannibalizing rates, thereby boosting returns for our developers.

Investment Appraisal Essay Question Essay

Q3) Using quantitative and qualitative information, suggest which school Felix and Holly should invest in. In the case study we are told that Felix and Holly are finding it hard to decide whether to invest in a soccer school or a netball school. They can use many different investment appraisal techniques which are both qualitative and quantitative in order to identify which investment would be most appropriate or worthwhile. They need to consider the level of risk involved, how quickly the investment will take to pay off and whether the investment will be profitable. There are three main types of quantitative investment appraisal techniques that Felix and Holly could use to identify which investment is most profitable. The first investment appraisal technique is payback and this measures how quickly the investment can be paid back. Using the estimations that Felix and Holly have submitted, the payback period for the soccer school is 3 years and 4 months. The payback period for the netball school is 2 years and 8 months. This means that Felix and Holly would be better off investing in the netball school as it would take a shorter period of time to cover their cost. Another investment appraisal technique that could be used is accounting rate of return. This appraisal measures the profitability of any investment and the profit is expressed as a percentage. Look more:  capital budgeting examples essay For the soccer school the accounting rate of return is 8.8% whereas it is 17.6% for the netball school. The comparison between these two proves that the netball school would be a better investment as the percentage of accounting rate of return is much higher than that of the soccer school. In addition, another quantitative method of appraisal is net present value. Unlike payback and ARR, this investment appraisal considers the value of money over time. It converts all monetary values into today’s values to allow for a realistic assessment of the returns of the years ahead. At 8% over 5 years, both the soccer school and netball school investments have a positive value which means that they are both worthwhile. However the value of the netball school is  £12,430 which is a lot higher than the soccer school value at  £6,950. This means that the netball school would be much more profitable for Felix and Holly as the value of the money is still greater than the soccer school. Qualitative methods of investment appraisal can also be used to identify which school would be most worthwhile for Felix and Holly to invest into. Some important factors that would need to be taken into consideration by Felix and Holly for their business are their objectives, resources available and the economy. A qualitative method of appraisal that can be used is internal rate of return. This investment appraisal allows specific information such as the return on the investment to be calculated. When calculated for the netball school, the internal rate of return is over 20% whereas the internal rate of return for the soccer school is between 16% and 20%. This means that the netball school has a higher rate of return than the soccer school. In conclusion, after using both quantitative and qualitative methods of investment appraisal I have identified that the most worthwhile appraisal would be the netball school. My reasons for this is because it has a shorter payback period which means that it would take a much shorter period of time to pay back. In addition, the accounting rate of return of the netball school was much higher than the soccer school. Moreover, the net present value proves that the value of the money invested within the netball school will be much higher than that invested in the soccer school over a 5 year period. Consequently, the internal rate of return shows that the rate of return on the investment of the netball school is higher than the return on the soccer school. Overall, all the various investment appraisal techniques that have been used have their advantages and limitations. A payback appraisal is quick and easy to calculate and can be easily understood but it does not calculate the overall profitability of the investment or consider timing of cash flows within the payback period. Whereas an accounting rate of return does take cash flows into consideration. It also focuses on the profitability of the investment and is a good source for comparisons. Its limitations are that it ignores the timing of cash flows and the value of money over time. A net present value appraisal considers both timing and size of cash flows but it is a fairly complex system to use. Lastly, the internal rate of return can be easily used to compare different investments but is also very complex to understand and use. All appraisal techniques have many limitations but they are valuable methods to consider when deciding on a particular investment. In this case all four appraisal techniques have been used to conclude that the most appropriate investment would be to invest in the netba ll school.

Bringing up baby

Bringing up baby Essay Screwball comedy shows irreverence for love associated with childish. For instance, comments such as, Stand still, Godfrey. Itll all be over in a minute, as Carole Lombard says to William Powell as their characters are about to be wed in My Man Godfrey demonstrates the ridiculousness and childishness of the upper classes. She seems almost his mother, chiding an impatient and antsy child, and neither of them seems to understand the gravity of their situation, a fact that would not escape the original viewers. It is almost as though they were children playing at getting married, not thinking about the fact that marriage comes with commitments and responsibilities. Many times the adult thing to do is talk about your feelings, no matter how hard that is, and in Love Crazy, if Steve just told Susan exactly what happened at Isobels apartment and what they did, all the craziness could be avoided. Similarly, in The Awful Truth, if Jerry just told Lucy what he did in California and both discussed their strong doubts and feelings, they would have never jumped to erroneous conclusions as to each others faithfulness and ended up divorced. In His Girl Friday, if Walter just admitted that his love for Hildy was stronger than his love for his work, Hildy would never have left and theyd been together before the movie had even started. All their troubles could be avoided if they were just honest and spoke out about what went on inside them instead of playing such extravagant games and expecting themselves and others to jump through ridiculous hoops. In the world of Screwball Comedy, such actions are triggered by an association with the freedom of childhood. (Gehring, p.38) It is their inherent desire to be selfish that keeps them from doing the greater good. Childish behavior would coincide with Steve being impatient about getting his anniversary sex at the end of the night and therefore ruining the night by convincing Susan to do it in reverse, Jerry demanding answers about the Lucys relationship with her teacher but not feeling any responsibility for his actions in California, or Walters concern for making money and getting his girl but complete unconcern with the greater good of society or Hildys feelings. It can be seen that childishness is their inability to contain their composure and retain control over their own desires instead of letting their desires controlling them. Byrge and Miller compliment Gehring in his attempt to capture the characteristics that would describe a childlike nature to the Screwball comedy characters by describing them as, The innocently aggressive, noisily silly, endearingly defiant, and happily destructive way that little children at play repeatedly disturb the peace and boredom of adults vain attempts at domestic tranquility (2). This childishness and inability to accept adult life is one of the most marked elements of a screwball comedy. Romantic comedies take the exact opposite approach to this question. Instead of reverting to childish antics, such as in a screwball comedy, they hold that adult behavior is a more desirable way to live by. Elements such as careers, morality, truth and the feelings of others play into the decision making. For instance, in My Best Friends Wedding, the heroine Julianne and her gay best friend lie on her bed and discuss the moral and ethical ramifications of stealing a groom from his bride and thus destroying another couples wedding in order to satisfy Juliannes selfish desires. This kind of rational discourse is nonexistent in the screwball world. In fact, in the screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby, Grant must make the decision between a normal, safe relationship from which he is already committed to or the zany, unpredictable life with the comic anti-heroine. READ: A Doll's House Externalizing Inner Problems EssayIn the end, Grant drops his marriage commitment to the normal woman in favor of the screwball heroine. In a direct contrast, in the romantic comedy My Best Friends Wedding, Michael decides to stay true to his prior marriage commitment with his fianci e despite Juliannes confession of love, breaking the screwball mold and making the obviously the more responsible course of action. However, even Juliannes confession of love is a direct contrast to a screwball comedys course of action. In a screwball comedy, important issues are swept under the rug and are not discussed. An example of this is The Awful Truth, in which the issues in Jerry and Lucys marriage and their reasons for suspecting each other of infidelity are not truly discussed. Juliannes profession of love to Michael, fruitless as it ends up being, is a much more adult response to an emotion than Lucy and Jerrys reaction to their emotions. Another major difference is that within romantic comedies, the career and responsibilities play a major role in the lives of the characters. Everyone in the romantic comedy has a career and is actively involved within that career. However, in screwball movies such as The Thin Man, detective Powell is happy just spending his wifes money and experiencing the most pleasure he can in his settled down state. At one point, everyone is enjoying cocktails at a party when the joyful singing on the radio is interrupted by a report describing a developing criminal investigation and Powells response is to turn it off saying Does it always have to be business? When confronted about the investigation by his friends his response is Im a gentleman now implying his lack of concern for his responsibilities and career. However, in Youve Got Mail, the hero and heroine clash over their businesses. Joes book Superstore threatens to destroy Kathleens smaller bookstore, and they clash continuously over their careers. This can be juxtaposed to The Awful Truth in which there is no attempt to establish an occupational cover for Cary Grant. In fact, there was a point in filming When Cary came to that scene he stopped and laughed, Where am I supposed to have gotten any money? He asked. I never work, you never show me doing any sort of job' (Gehring, 31). This is an obvious contrast to the fact that in a screwball comedy, the career of the main character is anything but important. The adult concerns of those in a romantic comedy are very different from the childish nature of the screwball comedies characters. One of the most essential elements of the screwball comedy is satire, and this comes through heavily in the reversal of gender roles in screwball comedy. While in most films, the male pursues the female of his dreams and then controls the relationship, in the screwball genre, the roles flip. Gehring makes the point that the comic antihero suffers from basic male frustration (especially in relation to women), and thus, in the screwball marriage, the questioning of the conventional marriage becomes evident in the fact that, The traditional hero can control his woman and doesnt stick his neck out for no one and the screwball male has an inability to control his wife, resulting in a true satire of a traditional marriage (Creese). For instance, in Love Crazy Steve Ireland desperately wants to make love to his wife on his anniversary and ignore everything else, but because of his inability to control the situation as a man in a traditionally portrayed marriage would, the entire situation becomes nothing more than a parody of marital conventions. He is weak and fleeting and does not at all fulfill the role of a conventional man. In another example of the reversal of gender roles, the conventional man, such as Ward Manly Man Willoughby, becomes irrelevant. READ: The darkling Thrush and Neutral tones EssayWhile he does the right thing according to society, yet he is still always wrong. No one remembers his name and in the very end he gets locked up in the asylum with no one to save him. In a traditional film in which traditional marriage and gender roles were maintained, the husband would not be weak and the strong men in the film would end up well, not in a mental institution. The last questioning of conventional marriage comes in the form of a strong, assertive woman. All the power in the film lies with Susan, Steves wife. In a completely satiric reversal of roles, she is an uncontrollable force, and, rather than being passive in the stereotype of women at that time, she moves the entire story along by herself. Everything is done according to Susans word; she asks for the divorce, she hooks up with Ward, and she sends Steve to the insane asylum. Screwball comedy is entirely female driven, with an eccentric heroine saving an antiheroic leading man from a rigid lifestyle. A classic example is when Hepburns love rescues Grant from his mundane career and equally sterile fianci e in Bringing Up Baby. In addition, the inevitability of the screwball heroines victory is nicely summarized in Lady Eve, when Henry Fonda learns the moral of the screwball comedy: when you think, consider or try to understand, you lose. By considering the morality of being with Barbara Stanwyck, he ends up unhappy and sets himself into a wacky cascade of screwball moments brought about by our heroines thirst for revenge. Every time Fonda throws a quote such as The difference between man and beast is the ability to understand, he learns facts he didnt want to know, such as how many men Stanwyck had been with before him. Fonda doesnt truly learn his lesson until at the end where he finally says, I dont want to understand. Still, the genre also has room for the antiheroic screwball heroine who wins despite herself. In Bringing Up Baby, Hepburn ruins Grants car, ruins his golf game, and loses his opportunity at getting the million dollars grant, and even destroys the brontosaurs exhibit (symbolically the last vestiges of his academic rigidity), but in the end Grant still falls in love with her. Eventually, she both loosens up the classically rigid male and frees him from a domineering, deadening fianci e. This female dominated relationship is not so apparent in romantic comedies The screwball heroine has lost some of her allure. Sleepless in Seattle borrows from screwball comedy without really becoming a part of the screwball genre itself, because it lacks double entendres, fast talk, and the mock adultery. Despite having zany situations and a romantic plot, Sleepless in Seattle is an addition to the romantic comedy genre (Shumway).

The effects of poverty in the development of children's thinking Research Paper

The effects of poverty in the development of children's thinking related to mathematics - Research Paper Example Children from economically challenged families appear to have a more difficult time in learning mathematical skills than do children from families with secure finances. While the body of research that exists on the topic has tended to focus on ethnicity as a component to the achievement gaps that are appreciated where learning mathematics is involved, it is more clearly evident that economic disparities create achievement gaps where expectations are not being met. Economic power asserts a certain level or propriety where knowledge is concerned, but this can be used where context is shown to be essential in learning mathematical knowledge. Putting math into context with real life situations appears to increase the ability to effectively use mathematical knowledge. Socialization appears to be the key to how learning is accomplished and learning math is affected when earlier socialization towards learning intangible concepts has not been established. The effect of economics on the gaps in achievement as observed between low and high income families is more likely due to the differences in socialization towards learning rather than in a disparity in income. There is a belief based upon research that children from African American and Latin ethnic origins, as well as those from low socio-economic areas have lowered scores on standardized tests than to those from Caucasian ethnic origins and with a higher level of socio-economic advantages. According to Flores (2007), â€Å"Specifically, data show that African American, Latino, and low-income students are less likely to have access to experienced and qualified teachers, more likely to face low expectations, and less likely to receive equitable per student funding â€Å" (p. 29). ... In the study done by Flores (2007) who also focuses on socio-economic status, the statistics concerned with ethnicity is also considered. Flores (2007) presents data concerning standardized tests still shows a disparity in regard to ethnicity. In African American students, 91% have not met the mathematics proficiencies expected by the eighth grade. For Latino students that figure is 87%. Asian American students, on the other hand, show that 53% are not meeting mathematical expectations and Caucasian students are at 63%. The first notable information from these statistics is that over half of all students are not meeting mathematical achievement expectations by grade eight. The discussion, when focused on socio-economic backgrounds, shows that while 38% of children from financially secure homes meet expectations in mathematics on standardized tests, only 13% of children from economically insecure families meet those expectations (Flores, 2007). Economic disparities also lead to cultur al disparities with families having members with minds that have been trained academically have a much easier time in transferring that type of learning discipline onto their children. As poverty and academic achievement are related, families in lower socio-economic levels are less likely to have achieved higher education; therefore their children are not taught how to pursue education nor to have an admiration for economic achievement. One of the other misconceptions where research has focused on culture and ethnic issues where learning is concerned is that there has been an association with culture and ethnicity. According to work done by Nasir and Hand

Close Reading of the Feminine Mystique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Close Reading of the Feminine Mystique - Essay Example Betty Freidan studied and interviewed women that were suburban wives living in good houses with their administrative husbands who made lots of money before writing the book. These homemakers had done all things right. They had wedded when they were young, and some hardly finished or did not finish high school at all, while others were college dropouts, all for the target of marrying their darling and gratifying the perfect illustration of the feminine mystique. After marriage, these women had had large numbers babies by normal childbirth. Furthermore, they stitched all their clothing and cleaned all their dishes by use of hands. They also took the initiative to breastfed all of their children, and they concentrated on their husbands and children’s goals and interests so much that they lost focus of their own. Despite the fact that these women were dwelling by the ideal standards placed by the womanly mystique, they were terribly unhappy. A lot of them were visiting psychoanalysts without helpful results, thus many were anchoring depressing thoughts, resentful and considering all from an extramarital affair to self-murder. The psychoanalysts identified chronic fatigue syndrome to be the most ordinary problem of all (Coontz 19). The women that had this problem had listlessness as well as restlessness. They were at all times tired despite of how much they laid in bed. Their bones and joints always ached. They could never remain interested in or focused on one topic for a long period. They were bodily with their children all the time, although never present in spirit. Betty Frieden had extremely fine thought out ideas, and the American homemakers of the sixties, and later years, really required these ideas. For example, Friedan makes a comment on how the work of the house expands to suit the time available. She clearly noted that the houses of the women who were working were at

Sphalerite Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sphalerite - Essay Example As sphalerite is soft and fragile it is mostly best left unset as collectors or museum pieces. Gem-quality material is usually a yellowish to honey brown, red to orange, or green There are a number of ways sphalerite is formed; bacteria also play a role in its formation. In the regions where there is low oxygen solution such as flooded tunnels the bacteria's take in zinc and sulfur from the water and combine them to create a byproduct of sphalerite known as sulfide, which reacts with the metals including zinc creating insoluble products. This build up of microbial precipitation by the bacteria have led to the discovery of large zinc sulfide deposits by the miners. The biofilm formed is grey in color and is further developed naturally to form sphalerite. Sphalerite is a cubic crystal with zinc and sulfur atoms tetrahedrally coordinated. This structure is similar to that of diamond. The hexagonal analogue is known as wurtzite structure. The lattice constant for zinc sulfide in the zincblende crystal structure is 0.596 nm, calculated from geometry and ionic radii of 0.074nm (zinc) and 0.184nm (sulfide). It forms ABCABC layers. Sphalerite is obtained from underground mining. ... It forms ABCABC layers. Mining Sphalerite is obtained from underground mining. It is the ore of zinc that is formed in veins which are layers of rocks and minerals formed underground. It is found in sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks. Sphalarite accumulates in deposits which can extend far underground. Thus underground mining is most suitable; other methods would be too expensive and difficult. The underground excavation is determined by strip ratio method which is the total amount of waste materials that need to be removed in proportion the amount of ore. Thus minimum possible waste is extracted. The underground mine of sphalerite consist of sophisticated network of tunnels, shafts and equipments. It is entered through a shaft, a horizontal tunnel or an adit which is a horizontal entry way. There are several levels in the underground mine and sphalerite in mined in rooms called stopes. It is drilled and blasted out taking care of the ceiling so that the mine does not collapse. Sphalarite mining process involves a number of equipments. Continuous mining machines are used which cut through rocks and pull them up, even separating the unusable ore from waste rock all in one system. Dump trucks are used in the mine to carry material to appropriate locations to different parts of the mine. At times shuttle cars are also used. Today in the modern era mining is a highly technological and mechanized process. Sophisticated vehicles, rail systems and state-of-the-art drilling systems are bought from manufacturers and suppliers. Ventilation systems pump in fresh air while removing poisonous gases and dust. Also, the roof is supported by timber, concrete or even steel supports. Steel rods are