John F. Kennedy Was Born On May 29, 1917 In Brookline, Massachusetts.

John F. Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was the second child of nine children. He lived in the suburbs of Boston but as his family grew his father's income increased and they moved back to Brookline. John had a seemingly happy childhood. He attended private selementary schools where he played sports and games. Though never making the varsity, his father encouraged him to take part in athletics. He was taught by Roman Catholic lawmen at Canturbery School and later spent four years at the Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut. Though suffering from many illnesses, his classmates voted him "most likely to succeed." He graduated in 1935, he ranked 64th in a class of 112. In the summer of 1935 he studied at the London School of Economics. He then went to Princeton University to study. During Christmas break his freshman year he had an attack of jaundice and was forced to leave. Through much determination he enrolled at Harvard in 1936, where his fater went to college. He played football and graduated in 1940. Soon after he graduated he wrote his first book, "Why England Slept." It received good reviews. In March of 1941, Kennedy volunteered for the army, he was rejected shortly after for a back injury he obtained playing football at Harvard. He took classes to strengthen his back and was accepted into the navy. In 1943, Kennedy was on a navy boat when it was detroyed by the Japnese. He was thrown from the boat, and forced to swim the seas for a rescue ship. He received a Purple Heart for his brave actions. He also recieved a Navy and Marine Corps. medal. But after having more problems with his back and operation he was discharged in 1945. Kennedy had many jobs after he was discharged from the Army. He was unsure of the career he wanted to pursue. He worked as a reporter for Hearst Newspapers, which he covered a conference that established the United Nations. He then returned to Boston to pursue his new career as a polititian. In early 1946, Kennedy announced his cadidacy. Some of his rivals called him a "carpetbagger", a person who traveled south for reconstruction. These comments did not bother Mr. Kennedy, he campaigned ceaselesslyand nearly doubled the vote of this nearest opponent. Moving forward again, Kennedy announced his cadidacy for the Senator of Massachusetts, in 1952. On September 12, 1953, Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier. Not too far into the marriage Kennedy suffered from a major illness due to his bad back injury. He underwent two spinal operations. While he was out of the senate office he wrote a book, "Profiles of Courage", which won a Pulitzer Prize in Biography. It is yet indeed President John F Kennedy led an exciting life. He did everything from attending great colleges to earning purple hearts for courageous behavior. He married a beautiful woman with whom he shared lovely children. Although he did live a great life, in the peak of his presidency his life was put to an end. As the nation joined and mourned his death, people from all over the world gathered at the funeral in Washington D.C. to pay their respects. Mayor Willy Brandt of West Berlin expressed the world's sense of loss when he said that "a flame went out for those who had hoped for a just peaceful and better life." President Kennedy was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. It is believed that President Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald. It was never proven because Mr. Oswald was shot to death just days after the death of the president by Jack Ruby. In the commission's report (made public on September 24, 1964) Oswald was said to have fired the shots that killed John F. Kennedy. Furthermore, the committee stated that they "found no evidence" that either Ruby or Oswald "were part of any conspiracy, domestic or foreign, to assasinate President Kennedy". However, in 1979, the House assassinations committee concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald "probably" was part of a conspiracy that also may have included members of organized crime.

American Manifesto essays

American Manifesto essays My name is Alexander Paul Halpin. I am a PROUD citizen of the great country of the United States of America. As of now this country is great but as we know this the U.S. is an imperial nation and all empires decline and eventually fall. I love my country more than anything and I am very frustrated at the direction it is going in it is almost a burden that I cannot possibly bear because our countrys lack of morals, religion, and education are gutting Lady Liberty from the inside out. But it is a burden I have to bear because no one else will. I feel I have to this fight even if I fight alone. In this manifesto I will explain where our country is going, why it is going there, who is doing this to our nation and how we can fix it if its not too late. After I finish this hopefully others will join the fight I need help. I will not stand by idly and watch our country destroy itself period. I do not care if I have give up my possessions or even my life, I regret that only have one life to give for the United States of America and all her loyal citizens. Have you ever driven by a sewage a plant and said damn that stinks! Well that is what I say when I think of where our country is going. It all starts with the loss of good old fashioned American Morals. We as a people have sight of what is most important, which is God, Family, and Country. These three values are the most important values we ever have specifically in that order none comes before those three values. If you take a firm stance on those values any others will always follow. Our country has been going downhill for a long time if we dont stop it soon our freedoms and great democracy will be gone forever. Everyone wants to do something about it, but they all think they wont make difference I am telling you if we all stand together and fight on a united front we will never be conquered. The lack of religion i ...

A Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen Essay -- Henrik Ibsen, A Dolls House

Nora Helmer keeps a big secret from her husband, Torvald and she fears what will happen if he ever finds out. She secretly borrows a large amount of money from Nils Krogstad, a fellow employee of her husband at the bank. This money is borrowed to help her husband recover from a serious illness. Nora never tells Torvald of the loan and pays it back in small installments with her household allowance. Torvald is appointed bank director and the first thing he wants to do is fire a man who once forged a signature on a document. This man is Nils Krogstad. It is later revealed that Nora also committed the same crime Krogstad has committed. Nora forged her father’s signature in order to get the money. Krogstad threatens to reveal Nora’s secret if her husband fires him from his job. Nora truly tries to convince her husband to not have Krogstad fired, but ault that Nora leaves him, but in reality it is neither of them, it is society. Truly, Torvald is weak and tries to take on a role that society is telling him to grasp on. He has to be dominant towards his wife and he has to be the â€Å"controller†. It took time for Nora to transform into a new person, but after she did, she became a person who could not stand to be a â€Å"doll† any longer. A doll must do whatever the controller wants them to do. Dolls are silent, do not express opinion and do not accomplish much without the controller. Nora was this doll and realized she no longer wanted to take part in this role. Torvald and Nora become victims of social pressures that define the perfect man and the perfect women not because of everything that went wrong in their relationship, but because Nora realizes she no longer wants to play â€Å"doll† with her husband, the â€Å"controller†.

Module 4,5,& 7 Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Module 4,5,& 7 Strategic Management - Essay Example Geographically, U.S. entertainment / gaming spread is limited, basically, to Las Vegas, Illinois, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Atlantic City. City councils, reluctant to provide development properties and licenses to casinos / hotels, constitute a major drawback for entertainment / gaming industry’s expansion plans. Expanding abroad is one strategy entertainment / gaming major players resort to in order to make up for slowing returns inside and to avoid prolonged licensing procedures. Further, given heavy investments in real estate developments, a typical entertainment industry strategy for growth (Ross, Keeffe, & Middlebrook, 2006), market expansion based on property development is both an opportunity during booms and a threat during recessions and economic down turns (Stein, 2009). Given no public mission statement exists for Mandalay Resort Group, Mandalay’s vision should build upon company’s founders’ conception of fun, play, and entertainment. Future actions by Mandalay should center on insights possibly translated into following set of goals and objectives: 1. Expanding on concept of â€Å"entertainment† such as to, on one hand, approach â€Å"gaming† players (e.g. Nintendo) whose main target (teens, young adults, and family) borders on Mandalay’s (e.g. themed parks, play areas, and â€Å"low roller† clients) and to move away from wrong-doing characterization associated with gaming and gambling industry upon entering markets (e.g. Middle East) whose local cultures regard gaming – and enjoyment of it – as sinful, on another. 3. Investing wise in real estate developments especially in local market (i.e. U.S.) in which gains achieved during booms cannot be guaranteed at sustainable levels during recessions and downturns – let alone negative public image impressions of a luxurious facility / development, working great as fun and entertainment destinations during booms, but questioned as extravagancies and spoils during hard

Real Interest Rates Movements in China Coursework - 1

Real Interest Rates Movements in China - Coursework Example It is commonly perceived that the increase in real interest rates may negatively impact the growth of the economy. The reason may be that the higher real interest rates may effectively increases the cost of funds (Dotsey , 1998). The increase in real interest rates, however, has both positive and negative impacts on the economy because for some countries it may attract investors because of increase in investment returns, whereas, for other countries it may increase the cost of funds borrowed. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the impact of real interest rates on the economic growth of China. The reason for the selection of China is that the china’s economy is considered as highly competitive internationally. Moreover, despite of being a developing nation, China’s impact on international financial market in terms of trade is significant. In addition to this, study of the impact of real interest rate instead of nominal interest rate on economic growth of China, may give more accurate results of the relationship because real interest rate is a pure single factor. The aim of the research provides a road map of study and helps the researcher to list down the goals he wants to achieve from the result (Munhall & Chenail, 2008). The goal of research is â€Å"To Analyze the contribution of real interest rates towards the economic growth of the China†. The goal of the research clearly indicates that the paper is based on the evaluation of the significance of relationship between the two factors i.e. real interest rates and the economic growth of China. The objectives of the research are determined in a way that break downs the aim of the research to make the analysis more objective and focused and to answer the questions with the help of scientific procedure (Kothari, 2004, p. 2).     

Family Systems and Healthy Development Essay Example for Free

Family Systems and Healthy Development Essay Healthy development is generally understood as the progressive physical, emotional, cognitive and social maturation that takes place in a person’s life from conception onwards into adulthood. This process is further influenced by a continuous whirlwind of biological and environmental factors. Of the numerous environmental factors that an individual encounters over the course of the life span, it is clear to see family systems play a significant role and can be extremely impactful on the developmental process. To gain a better understanding of the impact of family on healthy development, it is worthwhile to consider the various family structures that exist in our culture. The portrait of the family in today’s society is no longer rigidly defined by marriage, which is characterized by a two parent household with children; rather there are increasing numbers of single parents, teen parents, divorced parents and same-sex couple parents. â€Å"Sometimes we forget the great variety of forms, not only of the families living amongst us, but also those presented in scripture. There are single person families like Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. There are families experiencing difficulties like Joseph and his brothers, or broken families seeking new life like Naomi and Ruth† (Way, 2003). Of the various forms that the family structure can take, one consistent factor that is crucial for the facilitation of healthy development is family stability. Parental mental competence, stable-loving caregivers, positive or negative parenting are all factors that contribute to the establishment of the stability of the family unit. The home environment is arguably one of the most important facets of an individual’s childhood growth and development. When there is structure and stability children tend to thrive and are more self-aware and assertive, versus when there is little to no stability the opposite effect can be expected to occur. â€Å"When disruptions in the stability of the family environment occur, youths’ ability to develop adequate   self-control skills may be compromised, leading to both internalizing and externalizing problems (Malatras Israel, 2013). Though there are notable differences in the childrearing practices around the world there are marked similarities that exist in the context of determining a healthy family unit. It is helpful to consider socioeconomic status, parental contributions and involvement, sibling relationships, family history and cultural norms when trying to determine the overall health of a family system. Factors such as warmth, emotional availability, routine activities such as predictable bed or mealtime activities, religious observances and communication are of considerable importance when evaluating the health of a family system in the Western culture. However in other cultures such as the Caribbean there is less emphasis placed on the feelings of warmth and emotional connections and more on discipline, control and behavior management. Children in the Caribbean are expected to perform adult responsibilities at a much earlier age than their American counterparts. For example in a study conducted on child health in Jamaica â€Å"at the age of four or five, children of both sexes begin doing household chores such as sweeping, mopping, floor polishing, and caring for younger children† (Sargent Harris, 1992). Children are also expected to complete tasks such as cooking and laundry as early as the age of seven. Within the constraints of cultural norms, one can say that a healthy family system is one in which the developing child can thrive physically and emotionally and is on track to becoming a functional member of that society. In the same way that a healthy family system can assist an individual in becoming self-sufficient and aware; there are negative impacts that can occur when there are breakdowns in the foundation of the family. For example in families where psychological maltreatment takes place, the effects can be detrimental to the child who as a result may suffer from low self-esteem, lying, misbehavior, and underachievement in school. The impact of abuse on brain development is also profound and has been linked to a reduction in the size of the amygdala and hippocampus later on in adulthood. It is also noted that the fear, terror and stress associated with abuse may also produce permanent changes due to the overstimulation of the limbic system (Feldman, 2014). In conclusion, one can clearly see the vast significance that the role of  family plays in the physical, spiritual, social and cognitive development of an individual. The family unit is the training ground for life in the world at large and its impact can be either positive or negative. However there are several other factors at work in determining how an individual will handle their life regardless of the cards that they are dealt. For instance a child who grows up in a home where he has been the victim of psychological maltreatment may still have a chance at being a fully functional and contributing member of society due to his resilience and ability to traverse difficult circumstances. Likewise some children who are given all the tools for success, emotional stability and great family environment may still make bad decisions later on in life. The research is unprecedented in its support that healthy family systems, regardless of cultural norms facilitate the production of health y independent adults who are able to thrive in the society of their upbringing. References Feldman, R. S. (2014). Development across the life span (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Malatras, J. W. and Israel, A. C. (2013), The Influence of Family Stability on Self-Control and Adjustment. J. Clin. Psychol., 69: 661–670. doi: 10.1002/jclp.21935. Sargent, C., Harris, M. (1992). Gender ideology, childrearing, and child health in Jamaica. American Ethnologist, 19(3), 523-537. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/645199. Way, P. (2003). Family systems. The Clergy Journal, 80(1), 14-15. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230514795?accountid=12085.

Essays on Death and Suicide - Witnessing Death :: Personal Narrative Writing

Personal Narrative- Witnessing Death I witnessed the death of a man, today. His name was Daniel. He was painting the house next to us. He was on the top couple rungs of the ladder when it folded under him. It was a cheap ladder. Corroded aluminum. I am right in the line of sight on the back porch of our house; I hear the ladder starting to collapse, and see him hit the ground. At first I call out to him. He doesn't respond. I guess I should have called 911 then. I don't. I run over to him. He's barely conscious. I ask him if he is ok, and he can't form any words. He's moving around his left arm, as if searching for something on the ground. I remember that he has glasses, and then see them laying 5 feet away on the grass. I put them on him. One of the legs of the glasses had snapped off, so they don't go on straight. I get my mom. When she gets there, she asks him what is his name. "Daniel," he wheezes out. She asks him what day it is, but his eyes glaze over, and he loses consciousness. She goes in and calls 911. When she comes back out, she tells us that they're on their way. Then she just stands there waiting next to him, and I sit next to him with my hand on his shoulder. He's convulsing, and he gasps. I can feel his body tensing up under my fingers. I let go. He is foaming at the mouth. We talk to him, saying stuff like, "It'll be ok, the ambulance is on its way." and, "Just hold on, Mr. Daniel, hold on, till the ambulance gets here." He's still for 20 or 30 seconds at a time, not even breathing, it seems like. Then he convulses gently. Each time he convulses, I feel myself sighing in relief, that he hasn't gone yet. It is more serious than I had thought at first. He was still alive when the paramedics finally got there. But (the fireman said later) he stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating as they stood over him, checking his pulse. They did CPR on him, right there on Ms. Lucy's lawn, and a few minutes later, they loaded him onto the ambulance. I say to the fireman, "How is he? Is he alive?

Hansson Private Label Case Study Essay

This project is to identify and analyze HPL (Hansson Private Label ) company’s new investment decisions based on a series of calculations include: Operating Cash Flows (OCF), Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Sensitivity Analysis. The analysis suggests that Hansson should be very cautious regarding the investment proposal that is developed by his manufacturing team. Although the projections and analysis of the project for the next 10 years proposed by Robert Gates seems reasonable and will generate positive NPV and an IRR greater than the discount rate, NPV is very sensitive with regard to unit volume and unit selling price changes. A decrease in the projected unit volume and selling price might produce a negative NPV. Company Background and Performance Analysis The Hansson Private Label (HPL), started in 1992 when Tucker Hansson bought over Simon Health and Beauty Products with 42 million (17 million with debt), is a company that manufactures personal hygiene products including soap, shampoo, sunscreen, mouthwash, and shaving cream (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). Over the years, HPL has grown steadily under Hansson’s conservative expansion strategy, which is to expand only when Hansson makes sure that the capacity with any new facility should be at least 60% (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). Right now, the four plants of HPL are all operating at 90% capacity, and the business generated 681 million in revenue in 2007. The market for personal care industry is mainly driven by the unit selling price, which has increased by an average of 1.7% each year in the past four years. Unit volume has increased less than 1% annually. Taking down to the company level, we can see that HPL has been growing steadily with revenue incr eases by about 35% in 2007 compared to 2003. The company has maintained an average growth of 8% in revenue throughout the five years. The net income has also grown by 33% from 2003 to 2007. Net income margin has averaged 5.3% each year in the last five years. HPL’s balance sheet for the past five years was looking better with total assets increased by 13% from 337.8 million in 2003 to 380.8 million in 2007, and long-term debt decreased by 40% from 91.6 in 2003 to 54.8 in 2007. Cash flows from operations have averaged 32 million throughout the years, which  means the company has well controlled its operating cash flows. It is not difficult to conclude that Hasnsson’s conservative expansion strategy has worked out well for HPL and the market share has reach a little over than 28% of the private label industry. Currently, Hansson is facing a new investment opportunity initiated by its largest retail customers that could take the business into the next level and significantly increase its competitive force in the private label industry. Since HPL is already operating near full capacity, the project requires Hansson to invest in new facility which costs $45,000 to accommodate for the additional production capacity (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). However, this investment is not without significant risks. First and for most, Hansson would need additional debt to finance the new projects. This will double HPL’s debt to value ratio and creates financial distress for the company and Tucker Hansson since most of his personal wealth is tied up with the company. Secondly, this important customer is only willing to commit to a three year contract with HPL. At the end of expiration date, it is uncertain whether the customer will continue to buy HPL’s products. In case it does not renew the contract, Hansson will have to find alternative customers in order to keep the production capacity going. Thirdly, because the risks associated with the new project increase the overall risks with HPL, the shareholders and creditor might require a higher rate of return. And since creditors claim the debt first in case of default, stockholders would have to live with the residue. If HPL cannot operate at the projected capacity, the value of the company will be largely decreasing, and put the company at danger. Investment Evaluation -Cash Flow Forecasts-capital planning and recommendations for change The cash flows of each year during the lifetime of the project are derived by net operating income plus depreciation and minus the change in net working capital. Depreciation is included in the net income because it is tax deductible, and then it is added back because depreciation is a non-cash expense and should be added back to the cash flow statements. The change in net working capital is also taken into account in OCF since it is the change in cash flows. The calculation of OCFs is based on the projections developed and proposed by Robert Gates, the leader of the manufacture team.  The production capacity starts at 60% in the first year of the project’s lifetime, and thereon steadily increases up to 85% at the end of the project. As mentioned earlier, the largest retailer is only willing to sign a contract of 3 years. The projection for capacity of 60%, 65%, and 70% in the first three years are reasonab le because there is enough demand from this customer. However, assume the customer decides not to buy products from HPL after the expiration; there is not enough demand for such high capacity in the next 7 years unless it finds other customers who are willing to buy their private label products. The project would become over optimistic for HPL. The unit selling price is another important contributor to the overall OCFs. Gates forecasts that the selling price will increase at 2% each year throughout the 10 years with a start at $1.77. Given that the market for private label products is growing considerably fast in recent years with consumers’ increased acceptance level, the projections for unit selling prices seem reasonable. However, a little fluctuation in unit selling price has a big impact on the cash flows and net present value. The sensitiveness of NPV in regards to the selling price will be discussed in detail in the sensitivity analysis session. One more factor that we are concerned about is the raw material costs for production. Right now the cost for raw material sits at $0.94 per unit in 2009 and steadily increases by 1% each year during the lifetime of the project. What if the costs growth is set too low? If the costs of raw material are happen to be higher than the projected figure, NPV again might be negative. Therefore, Hansson needs to take all these factors that might impact the project’s NPV into account and do a separate analysis for each one of them. And then make final decisions by combining the effects of each factor. -Sensitivity Analysis-NPV and IRR Using Gates’ projection and assume everything goes well as planned; the investment has an NPV of $5249. NPV is calculated using present value of future cash flows and the initial investment. Working capital of the last year of the project is returned to the cash flow, and is taken into account in the calculation of NPV. IRR of the project is 10.22%, greater than the discount rate of the investment. Both NPV and IRR suggest that Hansson should invest in the project. Sensitivity analysis of NPV and IRR is conducted to determine the sensitiveness of NPV and IRR in response to  changes in the parameters. First, a unit price increase about 7% from $1.77 to $1.90 is used to calculate the effect. With starting price at $1.90 and other things remain unchanged; the project has a positive NPV of $33,547 and IRR of 19.25%. Similarly, when the starting price increases to $2.00, the correspondence NPV and IRR is $55,314 and 25.31% respectively. On the other than, if the price decreased b y 10% of the original price projection; the project has an NPV of -$3458 and IRR of 7.02. And in this case, the project needs to be rejected. As we can see from the attached spreadsheets, NPV and IRR are very sensitive to price changes. Even a small fluctuation in price could result in a negative NPV of the project and an IRR smaller than the discount rate. Using the same method, we also measure the sensitiveness of the NPV and IRR on unit volume changes. When the unite volume decreases by 10% of the original forecasts, the NPV of the project becomes a negative of $10,176, and a corresponding IRR of 4.32%. And if the unit volume is increased by 10% of the original, the NPV changes to a positive of $22,043 and a IRR of 15.64%. These figures deviate far from those in the otherwise normal scenario, which also suggests that NPV and IRR are quite sensitive to changes in the unit volume. In other words, if the unit selling price does not grow as forecasted and that the demand is not as optimistic; it is highly possible that the stockholders of the HPL will experience losses. Careful consideration should be given to the market pr ice and demand, and what is the true drive force of the private label industry. Industry Analysis In 2007, the personal care industry had total sales of 21.6 billion and the private label industry accounted for 4 billion of the total with 2.4 billion whole sales from manufactures (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). HPL, as one of the leading manufactures, had over 28% market share of that total. Exhibit 2 of the private label share of U.S consumer packaged goods spending (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010) shows that the unit share and dollor share both grow at approximately 1% each year from 2005 to 2007. One thing I am curious about is that the growth is the true growth or as a result of the inflation? If it is due to the inflation, the projections of sales would be far off leading to a failure of the project. Hansson has to be especially careful with this assumption and weight the inflation effects  accordingly. It is found that the retail giants and mass merchants have shown increasing interests in developing in-store brands (private labels) because of the attrac tive marginal benefits and low costs provided by the private label products. Another reason is to achieve a distinct shopping destination for customers and maintain customer loyalty (L.E.K, 2013). One implication for HPL, under such trends, is that the marketing team should pay more attention to packing. Packaging has become a crucial element for the retailors and the private label industry. Innovative packaging not only strengthens private label’s competing power with national brands but also impress consumes by presenting value adding features including user friendly, modern, and appealing green packaging (L.E.K, 2013). If HPL is able to incorporate the innovative packaging into its program, the company will be more competitive and take more market share even after the contract with its customer expires. Recommendation and Discussion The project has a positive NPV and an IRR greater than the discount rate (9.38%), which means that in theory, Hansson should take this investment opportunity. However, I wonder if the projections are a bit too optimistic. In this paper, we only test the sensitivity on price and volume changes. The management should look at the factors that will have essential impact on the project such as the limitation of the contract with this customer and the industry growth figures. It is better to break the investment lifetime into two portions, and calculate NPV and IRR separately. The first portion is the 3-year contract period, and we are pretty sure that the project will be profitable in this period. The second portion would be the remaining period after the contract expires. This is the part where uncertainty problem lies. As we discussed earlier, the customer might or might not continue to buy products with such volumes with HPL, and given the fact that this industry is largely controlled by retailers; HPL should make clear whether it is able to find a replacing customer of this scale. Another issue with this investment is that Robert Gates could intentionally push Hansson to take the project because they think the company has reached to a maturity stage and there would be no opportunity for further growth. This is the principal-agent problem we talked about at the start of the module. If  Hansson is confident enough in Gates’ projection, this project is worth taken. Using the data provided in the case, we also calculate the discount rate of the project and get a rate (9.44%) that is slightly higher than the rate (9.38%) provided. The required rate of return of equity is determined by the CAPM. The beta of HPL is the average beta of similar companies in the similar industry which is a beta of 1.4. Market risk premium, riskless rate, and the portion of debt and equity are also given in the case, and these are used to calculate the WACC. The higher discount rate suggests that the project is riskier than proposed and higher discount rate should be used. An alternative for Hansson could be finding an investor who’s willing to invest in the project and share the profits and risks with the company. However, the downside of this option is that the cost of equity is higher than the cost of debt. Cost of equity is 10.7% as calculated in the WACC spreadsheet, whereas the cost of debt that is with 25% D/V is only 7.75%. But this option allows Hansson to diversify away some of its risks, and that Hansson is less financially distressed. That all been said, Hansson should consider the suggestion of incorporate innovative packaging into its product line if Hansson were to take this project after careful evaluation of the financial and non-financial risks. The benefits of innovative packaging would allow HPL stands firmly in its competing position against the competitors. Reference Stafford, E., Heilprin, J., and Devolder, J., (2010) ‘Hansson Private Label, Inc.:Evaluating an Investment in Expansion’, Harvard Business School (Accessed: 06 April 2014). L.E.K Consulting (2013) ‘Generic No More: How Packaging Innovation Can Help Private Label Gain Market Share’, Executive Insights, XV(23), pp. 1-4. Available at:http://www.lek.com/sites/default/files/L.E.K._How%20Packaging%20Innovation%20Can%20Help%20Private%20Label%20Gain%20Market%20Share.pdf (Accessed: 9 April 2014).

A Study of Trends in Indian Partition Literature Essay

The Partition of India was the geographical division of colonial India into two bordering nation states of India and Pakistan based on religious demographics.1 It was proposed as an unsavoury but necessary accompaniment to the Independence of India from the British Empire. However, it was not only a diplomatic and administrative exercise but rather had a long-lasting psychological impact on the human population of these areas. Though Bapu2 was firmly against this idea, it was reluctantly accepted by Nehru and Jinnah as the only solution to the growing communal divide between the Muslim and Hindu communities. 3 However, what the political class had never predicted was the unprecedented amount of bloodshed, violence and widespread civil unrest that followed in its wake. Even years after this event, the perpetrators and the victims are still baffled as to the cause of this â€Å"madness†4 that gripped civilized society. In the aftermath, historians pretended to ignore it terming it unfortunate but somewhat inevitable while literature tried to come to terms with its bestiality and future implications. The authorial response of the first generation was severely limited however due to a level of emotional attachment and involvement in the subject matter. They lacked perspective and varied in two ways: either they were very brief and lacked empathy or tended to be voyeuristic in nature. The official responses attempted to historicise Partition through statistics, facts and figures while literature, to the contrary attempted to give voice to subaltern perspectives personalising victim narratives. Despite such a movement, it was not until the 70’s that it was realised that hardly any attention was paid to the experiences of women during Partition. There was a deep reluctance to address the gender atrocities committed during Partition and it manifested itself through the invisibilisation of women voices. Although it had been clear from the start that the worst sufferers of Partition violence had been women5, a stoic silence upon the tragic reality had been maintained. Many of these women had led forgotten lives and their trauma suppressed in an attempt to forget the onslaught upon their bodies and minds. Therefore, renewed efforts began to document and portray the forgotten stories of such women. But it was a complex problem in many ways. Partition had had a multifaceted impact on the women of India and Pakistan that not only defined their coming lives but also impacted the future generations as psycho-somatic memories and construction of familial structures post-Partition.6 Literature took the initiative of this task: there were two major strains of women oriented Partition narratives that emerged in the period thus. One school of thought dealt with Partition as a backdrop to the â€Å"larger narrative†. In such stories, the lives of the main characters were highlighted and their lives were allegorised to represent the trauma of the nation itself. The stories of their existence were represented dually: as human beings involved in personal dramas and as social creatures part of a larger mainframe. Their places within the higher superstructure and as creatures dominated by the larger contexts were analysed by writers. A startling example of this was â€Å"The Clear Light Of Day† by Anita Desai which never referred to Partition in specific incidents but rather subtle, broken reflections into the people whose day-to-day lives were affected by the growing communal tension and changing socio-political equations. It refers to the ties of family, friendship, kinship and love that were abruptly ruptured by the literal division of the nation. There were novels such as â€Å"Ice-Candy Man† by Bapsi Sidhwa that looks at Partition from the ‘outside’. The narrator Lenny is imbued with unique qualities that were highly unconventional for the times. She was a child, hence she had a limited worldview, a Parsee, hence not religiously biased and neither a participant, physically disabled, therefore able to sympathise with the suffering of others and, a girl therefore her narration is unapologetically gender-conscious. What she learns, is all by association. The story is a sharp attack on official discourses that denied the suffering of millions of people. Lenny’s story is not only her own but a mirroring of girl-children everywhere that were faced with questions with identity, sexuality, community and nation as a whole and how they shaped individual lives. A child is brutally honest and spares nobody and nothing. She has no inbuilt prejudices so she can speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. As a result of such experimental tales, women felt ready to finally speak up. But, their attempts were met with more resistance than expected. They were themselves reluctant to speak about they went through; it was too painful but combined with societal pressures, their mouths had been almost sealed shut from fear. For daring to break this unspoken taboo, some of them faced severe consequences and were even disowned by their own families for besmirching the family name. But such actions often took a huge toll on their mental and physical health and though they had survived, they hadn’t healed. As a result of mass migration, women were abruptly uprooted from their homes to move to a strange and unfamiliar place. They had to build their lives and homes anew, sometimes with no support system. Many of these women were so bereaved at losing their home and hearth, that they could never recover from this sense of loss. Women in traditional society had since ancient days been tasked with looking after the home. Since they were not allowed to venture outside their domain7, the home had been almost personified for them. It was a living breathing space. The only place which they could rightfully stake claim to and which was a source of comfort and solace for them. They were so tangibly attached to their land that family was synonymous with home and her identity came to be defined by her place in the home. Hence when forced to migrate, their sense of unsettlement and upheaval was immense. They could never return to their past lives and change was not so easy for these women who had never been given the opportunity to trespass their comfort zones. Some stories that movingly illustrated the dilemmas of such women are â€Å"Jadein† by Ismat Chughtai, â€Å"Sikka Badal Gaya† by Krishna Sobti Sahni and â€Å"The Thirst Of Rivers† by Joginder Paul . These women had to undergo the process of relocating their selves. Many women like Bebe from â€Å"The Thirst†¦Ã¢â‚¬  refused to leave their homes assured of its protection from evils outside. However, their families were broken up with some members choosing to stay back and some leaving for a new land. Due to differences in opinion, family members become estranged and refused to talk to each other or had problems meeting each other due to large geographical distances. Often, migrants did not have enough money to travel back and forth and permits were hard to come by. Due to mutual hostilities, communication across borders was sketchy at best. Hence, many a times, a natural void between families occurred. All the while, the matriarch of the family remained a silent witness to events. The family ties that she had spent all her life building up and nurturing were breaking up right before her eyes and she was helpless, unable to act or intervene. Who would listen to her? Partition had served to further communal tension and hardening religious identities than perhaps any event in the history of India or Pakistan. People who had lived together for several millennia with tranquillity were suddenly made conscious of their differences from each other. They who had been friends earlier were suddenly staunch enemies and women bore the brunt of these realizations. In â€Å"Peshawar Express†8, one such incident is narrated when at Wazirabad station, where Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities had celebrated Baisakhi together for ages becomes a site of base humiliation and gruesome celebration; the women of the Hindu and Sikhs communities were paraded around naked as if they were nothing but objects of gratification for the general public. These women had become mere shells, their souls long dead. In Kamleshwar’s â€Å"Kitne Pakistan†, the author ruminates upon the fruitlessness of Partition and the breaking of bonds of families, love and friendships due to its occurrence. It is the story of a Muslim girl, Bano who falls in love with a Hindu boy, Mangal but is not able to marry him because of religious dogmas. She is told that she will cause communal riots. There is a hidden implication in this viewpoint that seems to say that the cause of every mishappening must be a woman somehow. Rules for men and women in traditional dogmatic societies are different It is ironic that men are not chastised for forcibly marrying a man of the other religion but they will not allow their daughters to choose her spouse on her own and he may never belong to another religion. There is rampant hypocrisy and hollowness in societal mores regarding women. Bano is married off to Muneer who unable to provide for his family with his own hard work resorts to selling his own wife’s body to earn money. The shamefulness of this situation is beyond imagination. These are not falsifications as advocated by fundamental religious leaders but a retelling of many women’s lives. Another kind of psychological trauma that many women underwent was the loss of a child. Many women were forced to leave their children by their husband and children during flight. Children became a burden during this time. They had to be cared for especially with crucial funds required by the family going for their supplies. Also, escapees with children were more vulnerable to attacks by rioters since they not only had to look after themselves but look after their child as well. There are real life cases documented by Urvashi Bhutalia in her book, â€Å"The Other Side Of Silence† wherein women of Muslim as well as Hindu communities were forced to desert their infants that could raise an alarm in the rioters by making noise. Sikh men told tales of killing their children, asking the author, if they should be saving themselves or their daughters? Clearly, man’s inherent selfishness had come to the fore where no one mattered more than the self. Many children were abducted during the widespread chaos to be sold off as domestic help or prostituted in the streets. Women who lost their children during this time were incessantly plagued by guilt and grief. One such woman was Kulsum from â€Å"Pali†9 who lost her child and along with him, her mental balance as well. She was blanketed completely by her grief and only the return of her child restored her sanity. But meanwhile, Zenab who had taken care of her son, Dilip when she found him lost had developed a motherly bond with him and cannot bear parting with him. She knows that she has no biological claim over him but what the mind knows, the heart does not. Eventually, she has to reconcile herself with the reality of her situation. But her life will forever be shadowed by this sadness. Women who were forced by circumstances to give up their child were forever haunted by their own actions and decisions. They were always in search of redemption and peace and could not reconcile themselves to the loss of their offspring. One example of this can be seen in â€Å"The Abandoned Child†10. Infant as well as toddler girls were left by the roadside or killed by their families to avoid making them a target. The life story of one such girl is narrated in â€Å"Where Did She Belong† by Suraiya Quasim wherein the protagonist Munni is not sure of her religious or national identity. She is pushed into prostitution by her so-called ‘saviour’11 , who only wants to use her for economic gain. She is deceived by two of her customers who pretend to love her, but leave her bereft when Partition happens. Nobody asks for her or enquires as to her whereabouts. She is deceived by everyone in her life, ultimately. There were also cases of women who were injured and deceived by members of their own community. People who had been their well-wishers and whom they trusted implicitly, took advantage of their vulnerability and preyed on their bodies. Ayesha’s12 story is the ultimate tragedy of such a ‘lady’13. In guise of protecting her and reuniting Ayesha with her daughter, Nurul takes her with him to Pakistan but betrays her trust by prostituting her instead. She is cursed to a life of assault, on her body and her mind. Her saviour turns out to her destructor. She dies a life of desolation, her own brethren refusing to come to her aid and never seeing her child again. Afroz too in â€Å"I Am Game†14 falls weak due to her instincts of providing and caring for daughter. Seeing no option left for herself and her child, she agrees to prostitution. This depicts to us the sad state of affairs during Partition, when uncertainty and insecurity reigned supreme. Man, woman or children, all had to protect themselves on their own and women for the sake of their families were forced into professions of exploitation to earn their keep. Besides these atrocities, women were also subjected to particularly vulgar sexual attacks. Writers like Ashis Nandy, Veena Das, and Mushirul Hasan describe the bizarre and horrific nature of sexual violence afflicted on women. It was pornographic in its varied forms. Their bodies were mutilated, disfigured, slogans15 branded on them like they were animals, their wombs sliced open and their foetuses savagely butchered. Women were reduced to spoils of war who were never allowed to unburden themselves or be free. They were reduced to a part of the multitude, just one of many. Many victims had been traumatised to an extent that they lost themselves to insanity. They could not cope with their reality. Many underwent derealisation16 wherein after the superficial wounds had mended, they started to deny that anything had ever happened to them. It became something of a nightmare, horrific but fantastical. Literature becomes a cathartic medium for many such women, a chance to narrate their tale. Such memoirs also provided a base for Partition scholars to analyse the feminine subject in social and historical contexts of that time period. Partition has often been termed as the dark underbelly17 of Independence but what it really exposed was the base attitudes of patriarchal Indian society, be it any religion. It revealed how women were equated with the community they belonged to. Though the violence was inter-religious in nature, the modes of inflicting violence were one and the same. All ethics were forgotten in the frenzy of religious vendetta. Revenge was used as an excuse to inflict wounds. They were the contested sites between two opposing factions and were devoid of any agency. One example may be an incident in â€Å"The City Of Sorrow†18 , where a man is forced to strip his sister naked by someone of the other religion. When given a chance to retaliate, he forces his tormentor to strip his own wife naked. Hence, the revenge is complete but ironically, in both cases, the women were the innocent parties who became the medium of exacting justice. They were expected to uphold familial and communal honour and were sacrificed at the altar of â€Å"izzat†19 if they were in danger of being captured by the enemy. The concept of honour was internalised20 hence any stain on it was beyond tolerance by patriarchal society. Therefore, to insult and hurt communal sentiments, it was natural that in order to debase the enemy and shed him of his honour, women of his community were targeted systematically. There were also women who had been indoctrinated to such an extent by religious propaganda that they committed suicide, misled into thinking that they were fulfilling their duty as women. This tradition dates back to the time of ancient Rajputs whose women committed Johar21 to sustain their honour. Hence, it has been a concept propagated throughout the history of religions, Hinduism especially. Bhishma Sahni in â€Å"Tamas† and Jyotirmoyee in â€Å"The River Churning† present such incidents where women of Hindu and Sikh communities drown themselves in wells in order to â€Å"save†22 themselves. Women of the family were the most precious possessions and were to be protected at all costs. However, when they presented an obstacle in the escape of their family, they were brutally â€Å"martyred†23 without compunctions by the family itself. The men of the family did it all in order to save themselves first and to prevent dealing with the hassle of looking after these women. Such people had no conscience in them. This is demonstrated in Shauna Singh Baldwin’s novel â€Å"What The Body Remembers† where the daughter-in-law of a Sikh family, Kusum is mercilessly killed by her father-in-law and furthermore chopped into pieces to prevent her from being â€Å"contaminated†24 by Muslims. Her womb is also removed as a symbolic gesture to signify her being pure25. We can therefore read into the implied fear and repulsion of a child born of an inter-religious union. Hence, Kusum is a victim of her own family’s moral code. Such incidents are not hyperbolic in nature but rather fictionalized accounts of reality. Women who were misfortunate enough to fall into the hands of the â€Å"other†26 and raped by them could never again return to their roots. They were dirtied and treated as untouchable because they had lost their chastity to the enemy. In â€Å"The River Churning†, the protagonist, Sutara is treated as a lower caste untouchable would be27. Though never raped, even staying in a Muslim household had damned her. She had become polluted like Sita. Like Sita, she became a victim of â€Å"social morality†.28 If women had become pregnant somehow, it was even worse for them. They were miscarried forcibly and if the child was born somehow, he or she was never accepted as a part of the family. Women themselves had to come to terms with their reality. They had to learn to let go of their self-loathing which often took root in their minds. They had to live with a child who was a constant reminder of their suffering. Yet, women learned to let go and forgive but their families could not move past this situation. The woman was given the choice of either abandoning her children or her family. Therefore, she was kept trapped in overlapping identities of woman, mother and daughter. There was no time to consider the interests of the self. The children of such women were often physically, mentally and verbally abused all throughout their lives. They were the victims of religious hatred. It left deep scars on their psyche that could never be repaired. They were often castigated for having lived and their mothers looked at with contempt for not having died in order to preserve themselves. Women often started hating their own selves when faced with a constant stream of disgust and repulsion. It is said that â€Å"Rape is the only crime where the victim is held guilty† and these women were the prime examples of this adage. They were made to feel guilty, demeaned and dehumanized to such an extent that they often felt that dying would perhaps have been a better option. Women were at the highest risk of being abducted during migration across borders. These women stranded on the wrong side were forcibly converted and married off to their abductors. They were raped repeatedly or sold off as entertainment. Women were objectified as commodities and their bodies became alien to their own selves. They were not their own persons but mere belongings. Anis Kidwai in her novel, â€Å"Azaadi Ki Chaon Mein† writes starkly about these girls who were nothing but stuff to be shared among the men who were, but slaves of their lust. In his short story, Open It!, Saadat Hasan Manto further elaborates upon the savagery doled out to these women. The main protagonist, Sakina had been ravaged to such an extent that she had lost her personality and her sanity. She was alive only physically, but emotionally and mentally dead. She knew nothing but what she had been forced to go through again and again. Her senses had been so wrecked that she only expects men to want one thing from her i.e. her body. This story presents a horrifying picture to the reader who is compelled to question if Sakina will ever recover from her trauma. Other women were forcibly married off to their abductors and underwent alienation of the self. They were conflicted as to their identities. On one hand, they felt abhorrence for their abductors. On the other hand, such marriages often bore children which caused these women to war with their motherly instincts. Ultimately losing all hope of rescue or restoration, these women had resigned to their life but, again, they were expected to return at the behest of the respective governments of the two countries. Women had become mere tools of diplomatic manoeuvring between the hostile governments who were under immense political pressure to retrieve the population of women that had been left behind or abducted during Partition. One such woman’s tale is narrated in â€Å"Exile†29 where the woman narrator is forcibly married to her abductor, Gurpal, a man who regards her as nothing more than a maid that he brought to serve his mother (Badi Ma). What is even more poignant is the fact that Badi Ma, a woman herself is not able to empathise with her Bahu30 or show kindness towards her. She is merely there to serve their needs, like a tool. Ironically, Gurpal who is clearly devoted towards his mother evidently has no guilt about ill-treating a woman of another community. We can see here the oppressive influence of patriarchal society that does not allow for women to exercise an opinion of their own. The narrator has never been able to accept Gurpal as her husband. In nine years she has never able to understand why her brother, whom she dearly loves has not come to rescue her. She feels lonely and abandoned by her loved ones. She longs for her home and wants her life to end at last so she can be at peace. When the soldiers arrive to rescue her, she knows that she cannot return since she will not be accepted back as a ‘mother’. And she cannot leave her children. Hence she hides from the soldiers. Her apprehension of the other option can be justified by reading â€Å"Lajwanti†31 whose tragedy is shrouded by complete silence. She was treated abominably by her husband, Sunderlal who asserts his domination over her body and mind by beating her like an animal. She bore it all as part of her wifely duties clearly adhering to traditional norms of domesticity. But when she is abducted during Partition chaos, her husband, perhaps, feeling remorse for how he had treated her, became a campaigner for the rights of abductee women. He advocates their rehabilitation and reacceptance into society but when his wife, Lajo is restored to him, he distances himself from her and sets her on the pedestal of a goddess. She feels alienated, lonely and longs for her old life where she could at least interact with her husband. In the present, her husband wants her to forget her sufferings and not to speak of them. But can the past really be forgotten as easily as he wanted it to be? Many women who had built new lives for themselves post-Partition often came face to face with their pasts when their lost loved ones returned back to them. In this situation, what was the woman to do? Should she abandon her present life to return to her past happiness? This is obviously a problem to which there is no clear-cut solution. But it was often expected of women to move on from their pasts and not look back but even they are living, breathing human beings with feelings and emotions. These may be unwanted but cannot be so easily banished from the mind. Women end up feeling conflicted all throughout their lives. One text that accurately depicts one such situation is â€Å"A Visitor From Pakistan†32 where the protagonist Saraswati is trapped between her first husband, Baldev whom she had thought dead; and her husband at present, Sunderdas who had saved her and her parents during the riots. Her own mother chastises her for even talking to Baldev so then who will understand her predicament? She is blamed for something that she is not even responsible for. Partition left a long-lasting impact on the women who witnessed and suffered through it. They passed on the lessons they learned to their daughters hoping for a better future for them. It is an important part of women’s history and it should be analysed carefully to change the conservative thought processes of Indian society to avoid women from becoming subjects of patriarchal oppression and break the repetitive patterns of history. END NOTES : 1. India and Pakistan were divided along the Radcliffe Line with Muslim majority areas seceded to Pakistan and Hindu-Sikh majority areas to India. 2. Mahatma Gandhi was deemed the â€Å"Father Of The Nation† and hence affectionately called Bapu by the general populace. 3. J.L. Nehru and M.A. Jinnah were leaders of the Congress party and Muslim League respectively. They were not agreeable to sharing power in the united govt. of sovereign India and hence the only option was to divide the country with both parties ruling over their majority vote areas. 4. The metaphor of madness was used by many Partition writers like Saadat Hasan Manto in â€Å"Toba Tek Singh† to describe the religious hatred that changed normal people into rioters, rapists and murderers. 5. J.L. Nehru stated this in The International Women’s Conference in 1947 alluding to the extreme violence perpetrated upon women in North India. 6. Ideas postulated by Carl Jung and supported by Freudian theories. 7. Women were kept under purdah and not allowed to meet with people outside the family. Women lived in separate quarters of the house called the ‘antahpur’ which was solely in their control. 8. written by Krishan Chander 9. written by Bhishma Sahni 10. written by Gurmukh Singh Musafir 11. Ironic since Munni’s saviour is herself a victim of circumstances and Munni is just a way to earn more money. 12. â€Å"A Grave Turned Inside Out† by Ibrahim Jalees 13. Ayesha was the lady of a noble family but debased to the level of a common prostitute. Shows that societal hierarchies were suspended during Partition. 14. written by Sultan Jamil Nasim 15. The slogans Hindustan Zindabad and Pakistan Zindabad were carved onto their bodies as validating gestures of the victimiser’s own national identity. 16. Derealisation is a psychological condition where the subject deludes himself/herself into thinking that their present reality is illusory and unreal and that reality is different. 17. Independence was achieved after a long struggle, so there was jubilation among the people but at the same time, this happiness was marred by the grief of Partition and its aftermath. 18. written by Intizar Hussain 19. Izzat is one of the basic concepts of Hindu womanhood where a woman’s honour is defined by her chastity and any outrage of her modesty stains her honour as well as her family’s. The family’s honour is an extension of the woman’s honour. 20. Internalisation is the process of integration of certain values as part of the self-identification. It becomes a part of one’s self-image. 21. Johar is the ancient Rajput tradition of women jumping into huge fire-pits to save their honour from the enemy’s army if defeat seemed imminent. 22. Women jumped into wells to protect themselves from rape and mutilation. Dying chaste was preferred to living a life of humiliation. Hence, they were saved in the eyes of society. 23. Women who committed suicide were venerated because they were believed to have died for a noble cause. Hence, their deaths received social sanction and appreciation. 24. If women were raped, their bodies no longer remained solely of their religion. And, hence, inter-religious taboos were applied to such women. Hence chopping of the bodies signified that no one of the other side had had sex with her or would be able to. 25. The womb was removed to signify that it did not carry a Muslim bastard child and her ability to do so is removed from her. 26. During conflict, the opposing faction is alienated and presented as someone strange and unfamiliar to the minds of the mob. This requires dehumanization of the people from the other side so that they do not evoke emotions of sympathy. 27. The taboos associated with untouchability are not allowing them to eat and drink from the same vessels and prevent from touching them. 28. Sita was banished from Ayodhya because even though she was pure, the people of Ram’s kingdom did not believe her. Doubts were cast on her character since she had lived in Ravana’s Lanka for a long time. 29. Written by Jamila Hashmi 30. When a bahu arrives in her marital household, she is bedecked with jewels, dressed in finery and serenaded by shehnai. She is full of happiness and hope. Here, the narrator is exactly opposed to this situation and yet, ironically she has become the bahu of a family. 31. written by Rajinder Singh Bedi 32. written by Ramlal BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. â€Å"Partition In Fiction: Gendered Perspectives†, Isabella Bruschi, New Delhi, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd.,2010 2. In The Heat Of Fratricide: The Literature Of India’s Partition Burning Freshly (A Review Article)†,Jason Francisco 3. â€Å"Stories About The Partition Of India†, Vol. 1.,Ed. By Alok Bhalla, Delhi,Harper Collins, 1994 4. Re-Membering Woman: Partition,Gender And Reorientations, â€Å"Narrating Partition:Texts, Interpretations And Ideas†, Sukrita Paul Kumar, Indialog Publications,2004

Tybalt is an agent of the tragedy Essays

Tybalt is an agent of the tragedy Essays Tybalt is an agent of the tragedy Essay Tybalt is an agent of the tragedy Essay Tybalt is an agent of the tragedy. The tragedy was always going to happen because the two lovers were star-crossed and were always going to end in a tragic manner. We know this because of the prologue and we know it because that is what happens in tragedies.Tybalt is Juliets favourite cousin and he is also a prominent member of the Capulet gang which regularly fights the Montague gang. It is inevitable that Romeo should fight Tybalt after Tybalt kills Mercutio, one of Romeos best friendswho was killed protecting Romeos good name. Romeo unwittingly caused his best friends death, so he felt that he had to kill Tybalt in an act of revenge.Tybalt, however, was one of Juliets favourite cousins and when she finds out who killed him, she nearly changes her mind about Romeo. However, as soon as the Nurse begins to criticise Romeo, she changes her mind and the tragedy really begins where the two lovers kill themselves.The chorus tells us at the beginning of the play that Romeo and Juliet are a Pair of star crossed lovers. The implication of this is that they are fated to die because it is written in the stars.Both Romeo and Juliet have a sense of foreboding about the future and refer to the stars. In Act 1 scene 4 before going to the Capulets ball Romeo says:My mind misgives some consequence, yet hanging in the starsforfeit of untimely death.Later when he is told of Juliets apparent death he says:Then I defy you, stars!In Act 5 scene 3, just before taking the poison he says:Will I shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world wearied flesh.One of the ingredients in a tragedy is that there is usually a tragic flaw or weakness in the central character, which leads to their downfall. However, in the case of Romeo and Juliet the central reason for their deaths lies outside their characters. It is the family feud rather than any weakness in the lovers personalities that leads to the tragic end.There are several references in the play that suggest that the deaths are the result of divine workings. In Act 5 scene 3 the Friar says to Juliet:A greater power than we can contradict hath thwarted our intents.He is suggesting that the events are beyond human control. Later, when telling the Prince about what happened, he repeats this idea by saying:I entreated her come forth and bear this work of heaven with patience.The Prince also supports this notion when speaking to Romeo and Juliets parents:Heaven finds means to kill your joys with love.The Prince seems to be implying that the families have been punished because of their feuding.It would of course be possible to argue that the events of the play also turn on chance and wrong turnings. However, I hope that the above points will add to the arguments that you have already constructed for your assignment.How could it not be an important bit in the play?! The two lovers have been together for their wedding night, wake up, and find out that daylight is going to part them probably (they think) for some time, as Romeo has been banished to Mantua for killing Tybalt. Juliets family is waking up and will discover Romeo soon. No wonder Juliet says:O now be gone! More light and light it grows.And no wonder Romeo replies:More light and light: more dark and dark our woes.Its a key scene, emotionally the best thing that can happen to two young lovers now turns out to be the beginning of what is possibly the worst thing that could happen to any two human beings, i.e. undeserved death .But its also the poetry which makes it so sad and powerful; when Juliet says:Some say the lark makes sweet division.This doth not so, for she divideth us.It is as if she is almost pouting childishly to make their parting less important or final, and the sort of joking pun on divideth/division seems almost designed to comfort herself. But the lark is also an innocent, beautiful, natural creature and a reminder that she is too, and Romeo also, and that their forthcoming deaths (which we know already, from the P rologue) are to be all the more unnatural.The rest of the story you doubtless know: Juliets plan to take a sleeping pill for forty-eight hours and then escape to Mantua backfires. Romeo gets a message to say shes dead, kills himself just a few terrible seconds before Juliet wakes up, as happy as during her night of passion with Romeo, to find her lovers dead body next to her, in the cold tomb to which she had been taken.A fine play, and portrait of young love struck down enjoy it!This answer is posted on behalf of Fee.Star-crossed is a phrase that comes from the prologue to Romeo and Juliet. It literally means not favoured by the stars, or unfortunate. This is the first sign we have that the actions of the characters may be controlled by fate or the stars. Many references to fate are spoken by Romeo. Romeo comments that he fears the role of fate if he goes to the banquet at the Capulets: my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars. In act five scene 3, Romeo says tha t in death he will shake the yoke of inauspicious stars.Of course, the role of fate is only one explanation for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. It is important to remember other key reasons such as the feuding families, the nature of young love and so on.When we first see Romeo he is a typical thoughtless young man, in love with love, ready to take silly risks in order to see the girl he fancies he is in love with. He uses the language of conventional courtly love to talk about her, look at Act 1 Scene 4:I am too sore enpierced with his shaftBut once he sees Juliet, in Act 1 Scene 5, he is shocked into using quite different language:Oh she doth teach the torches to burn bright.Have a look at these two scenes in detail and see how he is changing from a conventional young man with conventional emotions into a passionate lover.Look at the way the relationship between Romeo and Juliet matures him. In Act 3 Scene 1 he actually tries to get out of a fight between the Montagues and Capule ts:Villain I am none therefore farewell.He is in a wonderful mood because of his relationship with Juliet and he is also no longer the sort of lad who likes a fight for the sake of it. It is a great shame that this doesnt work with Tybalt!Despite his killing of Tybalt he still tries to maintain his relationship with Juliet, look at the mature way in which they carefully plan their future. I think it is not so much Juliet who changes him, but the relationship that he has with Juliet that changes him. Go back and have a look through the play and see what you think.

HIPAA, CIA, and Safeguards Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HIPAA, CIA, and Safeguards - Case Study Example It never took enough precautionary measures to ensure the privacy of information. Investigations also revealed that the organization never implemented enough physical safeguards. This is due to the fact that it never had proper facility access controls. In fact, the requirements are as per HIPAA security rules. It has been noticed that health plans as well as health care providers do not comply with the requirements of HIPAA as far as information security is concerned. HITECH Breach notification rule is assertive in ensuring that rights of patients are protected. The rights ensure that information about the patient is given protection to enable privacy of the service (HHS, 2012). Apart from paying $1.5 million, BCBST had to promise to review and revise its policies concerning security and privacy. The health providers and health plans do not provide robust and regular training for employees as required by HIPAA rules. It is required that confidentiality of information is maintained such that the information is not disclosed to unauthorized people. OCR has investigated issues on lack of compliance. It investigated several institutions including hospital chains, small provider offices, major medical centers, national pharmacy chains, health insurance issuers, and group health plans among others. OCR has been specific in its investigations (Gibson, 2013). Among the issues include patients lacking access to protected health information, PHI. It was found that there are no proper safeguards to PHI. The health institutions do not put implement proper administrative safeguards that are used to protect electronic the protected health information. Another issue was unauthorized disclosure or use of more than the minimum necessary protected health information. Another case happened to Hospice of North Idaho when it violated HIPAA security rule. It agreed to pay the government $50000. According to the investigations of OCR, it was found that an unencrypted

Problems With Managing Software Development Essay

Problems With Managing Software Development - Essay Example If all the requirements have been gathered and have been put down in an appropriate manner, the designers and developers can better understand the software and hence produce a better and reliable product. On the other hand if the software has not been defined properly, it is likely that it will not be able to meet the customer’s requirements and will contain a lot of bugs. This is another problem the managers need to consider during development. Technology plays an important role in the process of software development. The development work is highly related to the hardware equipment being used. If, during the development process there are hardware deficiencies, it can be a huge nightmare for the developers. It can affect the quality and reliability of the output. Moreover, malfunctioning of hardware can cause delays in development schedule. It is a standard process that the project deadlines are determined considering the development time it should take. However, in order to win over a project, many estimators put up unrealistic deadlines. This becomes a problem for the development team and it becomes extremely difficult to manage development. What ends up happening is that either the team totally ignores the deadlines and carries development on their own routine, or in order to meet the deadlines, they create panic and end up making a poor quality, unreliable product. Composition of a software team is very important and a crucial factor in the success of a project. The project team needs to have individuals who have the right skills required for the project. If a functional team of vendors, experts, and end users doesn’t exist, the project cannot successfully complete. This is another critical problem faced during development when the team does not have the resources to complete the tasks. User is the key person in the software process. He is the ultimate person who will be using the software