English Short Story on Belonging

It was Raoul, and I wished for him to go away. He knocked again then stuck his head around the door. ‘How are you? ’ he asked with concern. Anger overcame me. ‘For god’s sakes, they can’t send me away because of a headache. But if you think I look suspicious why don’t you report me yourself, after all, you become their lackey more and more each day,’ I retorted, staring him down. He paled, ‘Keep your voice down, people outside might hear’, he shut the door behind him and stepped in the room. I tried to force myself to be calm. What is it that you want? ’ I asked him coldly. I knew I was over reacting but I didn’t care, he was the only one who I could take my anger out on, though by looking at his darkening expression I could see it was becoming increasingly dangerous to do so. I had a habit of pushing the people who tried to get close to me away. It started out as an accident but now I just generally didnâ€⠄¢t want to talk to people, I avoided them as much as possible. ‘Maybe you don’t care about being taken but I do, caution is the only thing that has kept us safe thus far. No thanks to you,’ he added. ‘A headache is nothing, but you know how little things are blown out of proportion. It is a short step from a whisper of gossip to being sent to the government’s so called â€Å"refuge†. ’ ‘You have been made a supervisor’, I said flatly and now his face flushed. A look of pride mixed with shame passed across his face. ‘How could you’, I asked, hurt. I know that we had never been close since being taken but he was still my brother, but for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that I did love him in my own way. He must have assumed that I wanted nothing to do with him. He raised his fist and shook it in my face, ‘you will not ruin this for me, you may be my sister but it is my obligation to this facility to denounce you. ’ ‘You wouldn’t dare denounce me. ’ I said. ‘Your own fate would be ruined if it was known that you had a psycho as your sister, they would drag you to the â€Å"refuge† along with me. So don’t pretend you care for me. ’ A look of hate passed over his face before he turned and headed out of my room. When he had gone I was still filled with tension. We used to be so close when we were younger, a dutiful son and I the wandering daughter, loved dearly by our parents. But that was all destroyed when the government took my mother to the â€Å"refuge† and my father had followed to rescue her but he never came home. Then a week after my parents disappeared, a man in a suit came, looking all important with his hat and briefcase. My brother only opened the front door to let him in because he had information regarding our parents. He told us that they were taken by the government for resisting the system and that we would never see them again. And that my brother and I were to be taken to a government institution for orphans like us. I was only 8 years old at the time. Raoul was 12. This was of course where we were now, having no choice but to accompany the staunch looking businessman in his stiff dark suit. Inside the facility was a school and factory. We orphans were made to mass produce objects the government needed. My mother was accused of, by one of her close friends, being a person with special abilities, much like a witch. However, they were mental abilities which gave her the power to read thoughts and emotions. But I, unknown to anyone but my brother, had inherited her abilities and more. I could Put thoughts into the minds of others and make them act on it, as well as being able to read thoughts and emotions. These abilities only came to me recently, exactly after I turned 16 three months ago and soon I was to be tested again by the probing machines, which tested any for any possible signs these abilities manifesting. I had recently been suffering from major headaches, rendering me senseless and immobile, and it was these that were causing me to be under suspicion. In this institute, it was dangerous to be seen talking to others because close friendships were not allowed. Though it wasn’t hard for me to avoid making friends, I stayed clear of making friends, preferring not to open myself up to another but rather keeping everything bottled up inside. Pretty soon after I arrived here, the others learned that I wanted nothing to do with anyone so I was left to myself. I once heard a girl comment on my lack of social skills, the other girl she spoke to just said that it was thought I suffered from severe depression. A simple hello could be considered as forming an alliance between the children that might lead to future trouble. In this place, suspicion was like a physical plague. Not that I had any trouble avoiding talking to others; I avoided it as much as possible, never being able to enjoy interacting like normal people, unable to communicate my feelings and desires through physical touch or talk. I asked an instructor why we were here once and he told me simply that we orphans didn’t belong with normal people because of who and what our amilies had been. And that if we were to leave the institute, society would shun us or pretend that we did not exist. I looked back to the times when I was living at home, I had a few friends, not many due to my shyness, but we did everything together, wandered the village, roamed the areas and playing games every chance we could. Thinking about them now, they probably wouldn’t remember me and if I were to show up one day in my old home, they pr obably wouldn’t greet me warmly or at all. Most likely I would be avoided like a bad smell. That fact alone is one of the reasons I dislike making friends, alienating myself from them because I’m scared of being hurt. The instructors thought my headaches were a result of working with dangerous substances, and when I cried out in the night in pain, they heard about it from the whisperers, those of us orphans who told the instructors about anything suspicious to give them a good name. They had been asking me suspicious questions and I new it was only a matter of time before they linked the headaches to my mental abilities as these were known symptoms. And now I had to worry about my brother dragging me along to these instructors himself! I knew it wouldn’t be long before I was discovered and sent away to the â€Å"refuge†, another government facility specifically designed to house people like me. But everyone knew that the name is hollow, that there is no refuge but existing in its place is an experimental research jailhouse for the abnormal people like me. The government wanted to figure us out and use us to their own advantage. Not for the first time did I feel cold and alone, knowing there was no one who I could confide my worries or fears too, no one who could comfort me or give me support, no one that could understand me. I just wanted to belong to someone or something. Resigned to my fate, slowly, remembering better days in my parents loving arms, I silently cried myself into sleep. I woke up to my bedcovers being roughly pulled off. As far as I could tell from the darkness, it was well before 6am when I had to wake up and get ready for the day. Someone turned on the light and I was blinded by its sudden brightness. My eyes adjusted to the light as I blinked away sleep. Two instructors and my brother were standing next to my bed. ‘Get up, you are to be taken to the testing room,’ said the instructor closest to the door. I looked at my brother questioningly but he wouldn’t meet my eye. I wasn’t scared like I thought I would be as I walked barefoot down the cold bare corridor, I felt numb, like all my senses and emotions were shut away into a box inside my mind. I tried to sense thoughts or feelings of the three accompanying me but I only received a similar numbness as to what I was experiencing. It was as if they had done this kind of thing so many times that they were immune to any thoughts about it. We stopped in front of the door leading to the room, I had been in this room a number of times, like all the other orphans in the vicinity, and it was unchanged from my previous visits. The bright harshly lit white-walled room consisted of a plain synthetic chair with a small square table holding a computer. I was lead through a glass door to the right of the desk, into another section that contained the CT scanner machine. The CT scanner was what would scan my brain looking for abnormally functioning brainwaves. The supervisor roughly grabbed my arm, painfully strapping it. After which he injected a large syringe filled with purple die into my protruding vein. Although painless, the intensity of this experience made me feel rather light-headed. I wished there was someone who cared enough about me to save me, or to give me a reason to resist and attempt escape. But there was no one. They put a tight brace upon my head to prevent any movement of the head, which would disrupt the scanning process. Then earmuffs were placed over the brace and onto my ears to drown out the intensely loud buzzing of the machine in action. I felt like I was in a kind of trance as they lead me to the machine, there was complete silence throughout the whole process. The last time a word had been uttered was back in my bed-chamber. Oh how I longed to be back in my small, hard bed, and for what was happening to be nothing more than just another nightmare.

Health and Family Life Education School Nutrition Plan Essay

The goal of the â€Å"Healthy Eating, Active Living Project† at The People’s Cathedral Primary School is to assist children and families in making healthy food choices by supporting nutrition policies, expanding opportunities for nutrition education and focusing on physical improvements in the canteen. In order to bridge school activities with nutrition habits in the home, families will be engaged through school sponsored Family Nights, cooking demonstrations, and nutrition related homework assignments. At the project’s conclusion, the school’s overall nutrition environment will improve substantially, such that healthy eating habits are the norm- rather than the exception. Children will be afforded the opportunity to consume enough energy and nutrients to fuel optimum learning and physical development. Targeted Environments and Population The â€Å"Healthy Eating, Active Living† project will focus on the entire student population The People’s Cathedral Primary School along with their families. The school is located within the St. Michael district, serving 350 students ages 3-12 years in preschool to class four. The school population will primarily be reached through school based intervention. Primary Healthy Eating Challenges to Address Achieving nutrition integrity within a school, means taking a comprehensive approach to program planning, management, operations and integration of nutrition into the total education program of the school. With this in mind, I anticipate working with the following three challenges to create and sustain a healthy eating climate at The People’s Cathedral Primary School. These challenges are: †¢ School policies to support healthy eating habits and choices †¢ Nutrition education as an integral part of the school’s curriculum †¢ Equipment to serve fresh fruits and vegetables in the canteen The People’s Cathedral Primary School is particularly concerned about the nutritional health of their students, who are among the highest-risk groups for childhood obesity and diabetes. The staff of The People’s Cathedral Primary School is highly motivated by the goals and opportunity of the â€Å"Healthy Eating, Ac tive Living† project to pursue more aggressive nutrition policies for their students. Education is an integral component in guiding healthy food choices. As part of the nutrition education integration component of this project I will work diligently with school staff to develop and integrate nutrition education into core subjects. Through this cross-curricular approach, teachers will be able to address multiple learning requirements in a time effective manner. The third challenge of the project is the physical availability of healthful options. It is my belief that the school and community have a shared responsibility to provide all students with access to high-quality foods as an integral part of the total education program. The People’s Cathedral Primary School has demonstrated the receptivity to nutritional interventions through a morning snack program. However, while fruit and vegetable consumption is up, The People’s Cathedral Primary School is without a plan to continue incorporation of fresh fruits and vegetables into the student’s diets in a sustainable manner. Through this project proposal, the school would purchase a salad bar that would deliver fruits and vegetables on an ongoing and sustainable basis. Proposed methods of increasing access to healthy food and healthy eating choices The overall goal of the â€Å"Healthy Eating, Active Living† is to help children make healthy food and activity choices by supporting policies, nutrition education and physical improvements at The People’s Cathedral Primary School. Improvements in all three areas will result in a school norm that supports healthy food habits and choices. Goal 1: Develop and maintain an Effective Partnership to promote healthy eating. Goal 1’s main tactics are to form a workgroup within the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), complete assessments, develop an action plan for the school, and pursue additional financial support. This workgroup will provide oversight and technical assistance to the project. Assessments will be completed to review food consumption patterns, school nutrition policy, and need for physical improvements to the kitchen and canteen. Parents and teachers who are culinary experts with experience in improving kitchen and canteen environments will assist. Additional funding will be pursued, specifically to support a full kitchen and cafeteria renovation. Goal 2: Increase community awareness of the health and other benefits of healthy eating The main tactics of Goal 2 are to develop a health promotion campaign, encourage healthy foods from diverse cultures, and develop a video highlighting project activity. The project will work with local culinary experts such as Chef Peter Edey and Chef John Hazzard as well as students, staff and families to develop fun, engaging, and culturally relevant health promotion materials to be posted throughout the school and to be sent home. As an example, a Healthy Eating Map that highlights inexpensive places to purchase healthy foods, will be developed and distributed to the school community. Project staff will coordinate quarterly Family Nights to promote healthy foods from diverse cultures through cooking demonstrations and celebrations. The school will introduce an ethnic food menu. The local media will be enlisted to promote events at the school. Lastly, Class 3 and 4 students will create a video o f project activities and impacts to share with surrounding schools. Goal 3: Increase access to and availability of diverse healthy eating programs The primary tactics of Goal 3 are to introduce nutrition education, promotions and programs into the school. Nutrition education will be enhanced through a variety of projects. First, the school will introduce a salad bar into the school meal program. Second, the school will work with community agencies to offer cooking demonstrations for all classroom and families. Third, this project will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and school staff to bridge the connection between the canteen and the classroom, better integrate nutrition education into core subject areas, and provide nutrition field trips to local farms. Finally, the school will work with The Ministry of Agriculture during the summer to increase nutrition opportunities for the students they work with. The increased collaboration of school staff on promoting nutrition will allow positive nutritional messages to be reinforced in a variet y of settings throughout the school. Staff will also benefit as they increase their knowledge level about healthy nutrition. Goal 4: Enhance policy and organizational supports for healthy eating . In order to address Goal 4, I will work with a core group of staff to complete an assessment of the school’s nutrition environment and policies using Ministry of Agriculture assessment tool. The school will be asked to focus on a small number of policies. Partnering agencies will support the school in implementing current and new nutrition policies through training, technical support and incentives. The group will also work with local culinary experts to assess the existing canteen environment to see how the school can include a salad bar into their existing space and streamline how food is served so that children are standing in line less. The adoption of these policies will help create a school norm supportive of a healthy nutrition environment. Goal 5: Improve built environments, facilities, equipment, and other supports for healthy eating Goal 5 deals with the physical changes needed at the school to support healthier eating. The school canteen is currently without a salad bar and bulletin boards for promoting good nutrition. The project would allow the school to purchase a salad bar, bulletin boards, and other equipment needed to prepare and promote fresh fruits and vegetables. The project will also allow for physical improvements needed in the school garden to supplement nutrition education activities.

Personal responsibility Essay

If one cannot rely on himself, then others cannot rely on him. At some time in one’s life there will be someone who depends on them for something. If this person doesn’t have their self-figured out then how will they figure out how to take care of that person’s needs? You are the only one that can take control of your life and to rely on someone else to do it for you is hurting yourself and those around you. Personal responsibility is a necessity in life and also helps the community as a whole become more efficient. I was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 2012 and transitioning from the Military to the civilian life style with a pregnant wife was one of the most challenging periods of my life. Instead of taking a break from working and living at home with my mom and collecting unemployment benefits, I had personal responsibility to get up and find a job after getting out to do what it takes to take care of my family. After working full time for a year we were barely making it, living pay check to paycheck. During this time I was consistently looking for new job opportunities. I didn’t blame anyone for my poor situation but myself and realized if I didn’t do anything I would be stuck here for the rest of my life. I just recently moved to San Diego County, receiving better pay and benefits to support my family’s needs. While my current job is paying the bills and we are living comfortably, I start to look into the future. My son will grow up, and he will have more complex and expensive needs like School field trips, sports uniforms, and college Tuition. So I decided to go to school to advance my career in the IT industry. By the time I graduate with my bachelor’s degree, I will have 10 years of IT experience with certifications in specific fields. This goal will allow me to reach my financial goal before reaching the age of 30 and way before my son is ready for college. Getting a degree isn’t just a matter of going to school and graduating, there is work that is required to get the grades to pass and keeping a High GPA. That will take dedication to project groups, taking the time to do the reading, and write the essay. If you take the initiative to do more than just pass your class, it will reflect on your professional career. In conclusion, there are many things that come into play when it comes to personal responsibility. For me it was the fear of failure, the positive stress I instilled in myself to be motivated to excel my professional career for the sake of my family. In order to take care of others, first you must take care of yourself.

'One of the aims of EMU was that only the global balance of payments Essay

'One of the aims of EMU was that only the global balance of payments of the European Union with the rest of the world be of im - Essay Example In the recent economic epoch it is analyzed that the economic structure of different nations in the euro zone is actually separate. The monetary inflexibility of the policies in the EMU is becoming difficult when followed under the current economic operations of different nations. There is a widespread financial crisis in the European states (Kenen, 2000). The rigid policies of EMU prevent the monetary authorities in different countries to undergo the process of deficit financing that would help the nations to pay out its creditors. The EMU aims at evaluating the currencies of its European states and thus improving their Balance of Trade. It facilitates the nations to collect higher tax revenues and achieve a successful growth in their GDP (Visser, 2004). The essay tries to show how the EMU aims at improving the Balance of Payment (BOP) situation of Euro zone states with the rest of the world. The essay will try to analyze the optimal policy that can be adopted by the European Union to improve its balance of payments disequilibria with the rest of the world. Balance of Payment and its Significance The Balance of Payment helps to take an account of the monetary transactions carried out by a nation with the rest of the world (McCombie and Thirlwall, 1994). ... The current account looks into the trading affairs mainly of tangible goods and services; on the other hand the capital account looks into the inflow and outflow of financial assets in an economy. A nation can have either a fixed or a floating exchange rate. If a country has a fixed exchange rate then the central bank of the nation accepts foreign fund inflow exactly at par with the level of fund that the nation has out-flowed. By doing so the state makes the exchange rate of the economy rigid. The BoP surplus or deficit can only be analyzed in that situation by the reserves of foreign exchange with the central bank. On one other hand if the exchange rate of a country is more flexible than the central bank does not intervene in the matters of goods and service trading. In such situation, the country’s currency evaluates if its exports are more than its imports and the currency devaluates if the imports are more than the exports. The essay will throw a light on the BoP situatio ns of the almost all the states as a whole who are included in the Euro Zone. BoP Situations of Euro Zone The countries in the European Union are undergoing severe financial crisis since the latter half of 2009. The nations are not only facing a sovereign debt crisis but also a crisis in their banking affairs. The Euro Zone nations are lagging behind other nations both in terms of competitiveness and growth. In some of the countries the crisis was so severe that to refinance their state debts they had taken assistance from the third parties. The commercial banks in the Euro zone are undercapitalized (Baimbridge and Whyman, 2008). The configuration of the nations of the Euro zone countries as a monetary

The Great Railroad Strike 1877 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Great Railroad Strike 1877 - Research Paper Example strike failed to a considerable level, but it evoked labour upheaval, social change, political mainstream and organization among the American labourers. The workers at Ohio and Baltimore railroad went on strike because their wages were reduced twice over the previous year. The striking workers refused to let the trains run until all the pay cut were returned to respective employees affected.1 Following the civil war, railway industry was the leading sector in industrial growth. The development of several railway lines was fuelled by the government grants and subsidies during 1870s, making the railroad become the largest commercial sector in USA. The Chicago Tribune termed it as â€Å"the very heart and life of the modern system of commercial existence.† As the expansion of the railway continued, their economic and political power grew dramatically. In contrast, the workers in the railroad industry lacked political as well as an economic power. An increasing influx of workers from Europe and rural areas to the city meant that labour supply surpassed demand. Since an individual worker was not considered as valuable commodity, several companies rarely had a good incentive to respond to the workers needs. In addition, there were little ideologies of solidarity among workers and labour unions were being viewed as criminal gang organizations. Some existing unions were u npopular with the public and were not able to execute their duties because they feared facing legal challenges. The problem faced by some labour movement intensified in 1873 when economic panic erupted. The unemployment rate was at 25% and the value of an individual worker dropped considerably. Moreover, as the government continued cutting the wages, the unions and workers revolted and fought back. Railroad workers faced the harsh working environment and were not able to collectively respond to the persistent wage cut. As corporations suffered consistently, reduced revenues and economic depression

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 7

Economics - Essay Example Malthusian economics posits that the world economy is in danger as that the arithmetic growth of food production cannot keep up with exponential growth in population. What he fails to anticipate is the rapid technological improvement which significantly improved productivity. The present world situation becomes a proof of how technology has improved the efficiency among economies. It should be noted that technologically advanced countries like United States and Japan enjoys high level of production compared to their less advanced counterparts. The change in technology can be illustrated as a shift in the production possibility frontier. With technological advancement, processes in the value chain are conducted more efficiently. Mechanizing processes even necessitates the employment of less human resources which can significantly slash production costs. These resources can then be channeled to the production of other goods. In order to prescribe a solution for the problem of unemployment, it is important that its causes should be first laid out and fully understood. There are basically four types of unemployment each with different causes. This section will examine how to efficiently create jobs and reduce demand-deficient unemployment. Demand-deficient unemployment occurs when there is not enough demand to employ all those who want to work. It is also known as cyclical unemployment as it directly varies with business cycles. It can be noted that when the economy is booming, there is a strong demand for employees from various firms. This will cause a low level of demand-deficient unemployment level. However, during times of recession, demand for labor will drop thereby causing an increase in demand-deficient unemployment. Economic growth and unemployment are seen to be inversely related. As the economy grows, more jobs are created and unemployment declines.

Negative Impacts of Globalization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Negative Impacts of Globalization - Assignment Example This paper discusses the potential negative effects of globalization. The negative impacts of globalization Increase in unemployment One of the most frequently debated consequences of globalization is outsourcing. As more and more people from the developing countries migrated to the advanced economies, employers in the host countries started to take benefit of it by offering jobs to migrants instead of the local citizens. This saved them the cost of business as the migrants agreed to work upon salaries significantly lower than what a local candidate with the same level of competencies and abilities would ask for. Migrants are â€Å"ready to work at one-fifth of what someone in developed world may call 'low-pay'† (Pillai, 2011). A vast majority of such migrants come from such countries as India and China to the advanced countries like Canada and the USA. A lot of people in the developing countries are competent in spoken English and are eligible to serve in many areas including the customer service field. While globalization has brought fortune for the migrants as well as their home countries in terms of remittance, the local citizens of the developed countries are very upset and often outraged upon the increasing tendency of the employers to replace them with the migrant workers. They feel like their jobs are being taken away. Many of them accuse the migrants for the socioeconomic issues that keep surfacing in their countries from time to time. Mismatch between work load and salary There is a significant percentage of migrants who have reached the advanced countries through illegal channels. Such people are ready to work in the host countries at any cost. Employers take advantage of their situation and make them take a lot of work-load for a minimal wage. â€Å"Women work two-thirds of the world’s working hours, produce half of the world’s food, but earn only ten percent of the world’s income, and own less than one percent of the wo rld’s property† (members.tripod.com, n.d.). Although many migrants are earning much more than they did in their home countries, yet they have to go through very tough circumstances on daily basis in order to maintain their living in the host countries. Spread of racism This issue is linked with the one just discussed. A lot of people in the developed countries are not satisfied with the quality of customer service they receive from the migrant workers. They either express problems understanding them and accuse them of not speaking English with reasonable competence, or complain that the worker offended them because of his/her lack of awareness of the cultural and social norms and values of the host country. Such encounters between migrant workers and the indigenous people have â€Å"caused a lot of animosity among people and has added to the dissent that people already have against outsourcing† (Pillai, 2011). Most of the issues are unnecessarily overemphasized u pon. These kinds of problems lay basis for racism that is often complained of in the developed countries. Decline of developing countries Many people are of the opinion that globalization has benefited the developing countries by enabling their citizens to earn money abroad and send to their homelands as remittances, but very few of

Rousseau's view on language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rousseau's view on language - Essay Example This means that at first the worlds did not have meaning per se and acquired stable meaning only later in history when speech lost its original characteristics. Furthermore, Rousseau suggests that the theories which argue that the origin of language might be easily explained by the necessity of the people to communicate about future actions and coordinate them are mistaken. He points out the fact that when a person is crying, the situation is understandable without any words as the person feels compassion and might comfort the other person without even knowing the language. As has been mentioned before, one would make no mistake pointing out that speech and song originate for a common source: the desire to convey inner feelings. While they were developing together, there are several factors that accelerated evolution of the former, such as the invention of writing. Indeed, people started to record what they say much earlier than they invented ways to record

Is Hydropower Really Environmentally Friendly Essay

Is Hydropower Really Environmentally Friendly - Essay Example Hydropower’s negative impacts on the environment are almost equal to its positive impacts, thus making its impacts on the environment a heated topic for debate. The positive and negative impacts of Three Gorges Dam on the environment will also be explored in this paper (Draper  7, 11; Honningsvag et al. 183; Moog 1; Gunkel 1). There is a possibility that fossil fuels are gradually decreasing and because the global warming is increasing due to their use, water is apparently a much cleaner source of energy. Moreover, unlike fossil fuels, water cannot be depleted. This is because when water evaporates from oceans and lakes, it is pulled back down to earth by gravity and back into these water bodies. There are many measures that make hydropower an environmentally friendly source of energy. These include changes that are made either to the hydropower plant or the area surrounding it. Trees can be planted on the land along the banks of the water nearest to the hydropower plant, in order to prevent erosion of the soil there. Fluctuations in the level of the water can be minimized by making sure they take place within the regulation height normally used instead of taking place between the whole maximum and minimum regulation height. This measure avoids many fishes from remaining stranded in the reservoir when the rest of them migrate to rivers or deeper water (Draper  7, 11; Honningsvag et al. 183, 204, 206). However, according to a quantitative study of several Austrian rivers, artificial fluctuations in water can have an adverse effect on the fish fauna and benthic invertebrates living in those waters. In the investigation, the breakdown of benthic invertebrates and fish fauna was calculated throughout the length of the rivers. The results showed that between 75 and 95 percent of benthic invertebrates’ biomass was found in the first few kilometers of river length. On the other hand, a decrease of between 40 and 60 percent of benthic invertebratesâ⠂¬â„¢ biomass, compared with areas undisturbed by fluctuations, was found within the following 20 to 40 kilometers. When the biomass of fish fauna was detected in the same length of river, the results were similar to the ones mentioned previously. This proves that hydropower plants can reduce the biomass of fish fauna and benthic invertebrates in the rivers that precede them (Moog 1). Another negative effect of hydropower plants, according to some new investigations, is that they do contribute to the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane, which are greenhouse gases. When reservoirs, which are part of hydropower plants, are in a eutrophic state, and trophic levels are high, anaerobic conditions are bound to occur with the emission of methane. The pathways for the production of methane include diffuse emission through the water-air interface, foaming, and degassing in the hydropower plant’s turbines and downstream in the reservoir spillway and the initial river length. High e mission rates of both carbon dioxide and methane are found particularly in shallow and tropical reservoirs. By calculating the energy density, hydropower capacity and ratio of the reservoir surface, it has been found that some reservoirs have a global warming potential that is more than that of coal use for production of energy. This investigation questions the labeling of water as a

NESTLE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

NESTLE - Essay Example Nestle sales for 2010 were almost CHF 110 bn (roughly 109 billion US Dollars). It manufactures and sells about 7500 brands in different nutrition and wellness categories. This report provides an analysis and evaluation of the range of alternative aspects related to international entrepreneurship employed by Nestle to influence business activity, by clearly identifying conclusions drawn from the analysis. The paper will give recommendations and suggest areas of further study. The report finds the international business prospects of the company in its current position are positive. The areas of weakness require further investigation and remedial action by management. Introduction Entrepreneurship is a process through which individuals or organizations identify opportunities, allocate resources, and create value.   This creation of value is often through the identification of unmet needs or through the identification of opportunities for change. Entrepreneurs see â€Å"problems† as â€Å"opportunities,† then take action to identify the solutions to those problems and the customers who will pay to have those problems solved. Entrepreneurial success is simply a function of the ability of an entrepreneur to see these opportunities in the marketplace, initiate change (or take advantage of change) and create value through solutions. (Greg). International or Global Business is defined as the exchange of goods and services among individuals and businesses in multiple countries. It is specific entity, such as a multinational corporation or international business company that engages in business among multiple countries. To initiate and expand international business, International marketing is required. International marketing is the process of conceptualizing and then conveying a final product or service worldwide with the hopes of reaching the international marketing community. Proper global marketing has the ability to catapult a company to the next leve l, if they do it correctly. Different strategies are implemented based on the region the company is marketing to. Global /International marketing is especially important to companies that provide products or services that have a universal demand such as automobiles and food.( jetzt). In this backdrop, Nestle is a true International entrepreneur / business. Henri Nestle in Vevey, Switzerland, founded the company in 1866 with headquarters still located there. Company employs around 280000 people and has factories or operations in almost every country in the world. Nestle sales for 2010 were almost CHF 110 bn (roughly 109 billion US Dollars). It manufactures and sells about 7500 brands in different nutrition and wellness categories. (Nestle) .Nestle deals in variety of food, health and nutrition products. Main categories of products include but not limited to Baby Foods, Sports Nutrition, Chocolates, Waters, Coffee, Beverages, Frozen Meals, Ice Cream and Frozen Treats, Imported Foods, Healthcare Nutrition, Pet Foods and Food services worldwide. Creating a global business strategy involves first carrying out an environmental analysis of political, economic, social, and technological trends that are relevant to operating on a global scale. An organization’s mission statement should then reflect this global focus. A mission statement is a relatively short statement outlining the purpose of an organization. It creates a direction for the organization. Having a clear set of objectives enables strategic planners within an organization to develop the plans - strategies that enable the organization to focus on global markets. A key element of this global strategy will be a global

Infection Control & Work Health and Safety Assignment

Infection Control & Work Health and Safety - Assignment Example Codes of practice provide comprehensive information about sections of acts or regulations. It also gives an outline of actions, activities, responsibilities, responses and technical requirements to conditions and measures to be observed within a work place. Therefore, the WHS regulation and codes of practice support activities of the WHS Act. Similarly, the codes of practice support activities of the WHS regulations. Pertussis is caused by a bacterial microorganism Bordetella pertussis and uses the human body as a reservoir. The bacteria breeds in the respiratory system hence pertussis mostly affects the respiratory tract causing heavy coughing and sneezing to patients. Pertussis spreads through the droplet mode of transmission. It is caused by viral micro-organisms referred to as rotavirus, Norovirus or Astrovirus. The human body is responsible for providing reservoirs for the viruses. The condition’s portal of exit is through the human gastrointestinal tract and leaves the body through faeces. Acute gastroenteritis spreads via vector transmission. Hepatitis B is caused by viral micro-organisms referred to as hepadnavirus. The human body provides a reservoir for the survival of the viruses. Microorganisms that cause Hepatitis B reside in the urinary tract and can be caused by pathogens. This condition spreads through direct contact to people with the virus. For example, transmission can be through sexual intercourse. When conducting clinical therapies, health workers are required to practice set procedures when dealing with spills. It is also necessary to note that spills should be cleaned immediately, and the area disinfected to prevent multiplication of infections. In clinical settings, most spills include body fluids or ought to be treated before disinfection and correct waste disposal techniques applied (WHS Act qtd. in Safe Practices Learning Guide 2012: 21). In managing spills, health workers should observe standard

Financing SME Essay Example for Free

Financing SME Essay The definition of Small Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) varies from country to country. The classification can be based on the firm’s assets, number of employees, or annual turnover along with the loan amount. Central Bank of Sri Lanka defines SMEs as enterprises with less than Rs. 600 million turnover per annum and with a maximum exposure of Rs. 200 million mainly to be classified as a SME for Basel II Capital adequacy calculation and utilization of funds accumulated in the Investment Fund Account in Banks. Whatever the definition, and regardless of the size of the economy, the growth of SMEs throughout the region is crucial to growth of respective economies. Because, SMEs play a critical and important role in providing job opportunities, enhancing the quality of human resources, maximizing the use of local resources, saving foreign exchange, nurturing a culture of entrepreneurship, fostering creativity and opening up new business opportunities etc. Most corporate organizations in Sri Lanka or elsewhere are the establishments started as SMEs in its early stages. Classic examples from our own country may be Nawaloka Group, Access International, Softlogic Group of companies. In most literature, it is mentioned that access to financing has been recognized as a major impediment for many SMEs and its growth, whereas corporate business entities have the advantage over the SMEs in doing so primarily as a result of their formalization. However, according to Juliet Mckee and Kimball Dietrich (2003), most common problems for SMEs are the lack of access to market information and technology, the low quality of human resources and the lack of access to capital. Despite efforts by financial institutions and public-sector bodies to close funding gaps, SMEs continue to experience difficulty in obtaining risk capital. These funding gaps relate to firm size, risk, knowledge, and flexibility. The development literature focus a good deal of attention on issues faced by SMEs in accessing finance. Traditionally, the focus is on obstacles created by financial institutions, mainly by commercial banks or on imperfections in the broader institutional environment. However, SMEs also make decisions about financing and display attitudes that have an important bearing on financing decisions. Therefore, constraints may also appear on the â€Å"demand side† of the financing market. Objective of this article is to discuss the key challenges and issues for bankers pertaining to SME lending, of which, part of them are inherent in SMEs and for others bankers are responsible. 1. Issues of SMEs 1. 1 Lack of financial literacy or weak financial literacy In the literature, lack of financial literacy is designated as informational asymmetries where SMEs typically posses privileged information on their business that cannot be easily accessed or cannot be accessed at all by lenders or outsiders. Reasons for this may vary and also have different perspectives. SMEs are mainly driven by entrepreneurs who have nurtured in their own ways to prospective SMEs. As a result of hard ways of development, they either had no time to devote further education or do not believe in learning. This is evident from the credit applications that are submitted to banks for financing. This eventually leads to low levels of financial literacy among entrepreneurs. Financial literacy is the ability to understand how money works in the world: how someone manages to earn or make it, how that person manages it, how he/she invests it (turn it into more) and how that person donates it to help others. More specifically, it refers to the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions with all of their financial resource. Though many SME owners are sound in developing business models and working out the profitability of products and services, understanding about the macro picture of the SME’s overall financial standing in terms of profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flows is week. As a result, they sometimes opt to resort to outsiders or merely depend on themselves in preparation of financial information which may or may not reflect the actual picture of the SMEs. Because of this impediment, banks have no choice, but to depend on collateral for SME financing. At the backdrop cash flow lending is encouraged, financial institutions are struggling to project the SMEs’ sustainable bankability. This is recognized as the main obstacle for banks and financial institutions in financing SMEs. One of the options to counter this impediment is the concept of â€Å"Para accountant†. A Para accountant is an external consultant who uses finance, economics, risk management and technology skills to help organizations prepare and report financial and tax statements according to accounting principles and regulatory requirements. A Para accountant also may review a firms internal controls, processes and procedures to ensure that such controls are adequate. A Para accountant may work on a clients site or remotely. They are not necessarily qualified accountants, however, might be an option. Bankers’ prime objective in this endeavor is to develop reliable sources of information so that they could project the sustainable cash flows of the business. With this objective banks could train their credit appraisal officers as Para Accountants, who will interacts with prospective SMEs and develop a set of financial information while strengthening the banking relationship over a period of time. 1. 2 Entrepreneurs’ knowledge about building a prospective banking relationship A banking relationship is about much more than just selecting a bank to handle a company’s bank accounts. If the relationship is managed well, it can help a company to thrive. SMEs that use more than one bank will need to manage multiple banking relationships. A company will first have a business account (or several) at a retail bank (or banks) for all day-to-day financial transactions. Whether it is retail, SME or corporate, the banks should have a team of business banking advisers on hand, to advise and guide a company. It’s important to ensure continuity— banks usually offer a contact with a designated person and in turn expect to deal with the same person or persons from the company. A good banking relationship depends not only on personal rapport, but also by having a solid understanding of the company and its financial needs. Over time, a banking adviser should build up a good understanding of the company’s preferred ways of doing business and incorporate that into how their banking requirements are handled. There are many advantages having a sound banking relationship for SMEs. The bank is more likely to offer loans and other lines of credit, potentially at preferential rates of interest, if the bank advisers feel there is a good relationship with the company. The bank’s advice can be tailored for the company’s needs and personal style, rather than given generically. In times of crisis, a company having its bank’s support will be crucial. Even if a company is a text-book case of insolvency, strong personal rapport with a company representative means that the bank is more likely to offer leeway if it knows that directors are doing their utmost to keep the company going. Failure to develop a strong relationship, however, means that the SME is likely to miss out on good advice and, crucially, support in times of difficulty. However, unfortunately, many SMEs are not on the right track to understand the importance of having a good banking relationship. Given that no sound financial information are available, at least, SMEs should try to maintain a healthy customer relationship with the financial institution to entice financial needs, especially in difficult periods. It is both Bankers’ and SMEs’ responsibility of developing a prospective banking relationship over a period of time without compromising risk capital. More than the credit facilities, credit plus would be reasonably appropriate to start such a relationship and then move into advanced levels of relationships along with credit facilities. 1. 3 Financial discipline of entrepreneurs As Henry Ford correctly cited, â€Å"Wealth does not come accidently. You have to plan for it. † One’s discipline explains the right behavior and ability to take decisions without emotions. Hence, financial discipline is all about right financial decisions. In order to be financially discipline one should understand concepts of accounting and financial management in SME business. Accounting in general is all about record keeping and developing summary financial reports. Most commonly available financial reports or information are the profit and loss account, balance sheet and the cash flow statement. Unless SMEs keep records of their daily activities, it is difficult to develop financial statements with regard to their businesses. With no financial statements, SMEs will always struggle in making financial decisions. More often, there is no clear distinction between the business finance and the finances of the proprietor. Therefore, it is critical that the lender examines carefully borrower’s all commitments, i. e. , those related directly to the business and those associated with the proprietor’s private life and assets. Lack of Business Planning is a result of weak financial indiscipline in SMEs where investment decisions, working capital decisions, even pricing decisions are based on the entrepreneurs’ values than on facts. The lack of proper financial discipline results in incorrect business decisions, which hampers the sustainability of the SMEs. MacRobert (2002), in his SME manual explains why SME borrowers are different to commercial and corporate borrowers. One of the common reasons is unskilled/ untrained principals. Many SME principals in the Asia-Pacific region are self-starters, often with limited formal education, and minimal training in business management skills. That is not to say that they are incompetent, but that they often lack the capacity to research information on ways to strengthen their businesses, and, indeed, to be aware that such resources even exists. Role of the bankers in this regard is to educate the importance of financial discipline through strong banking relationships. Bankers are one of the key sources, to get SMEs to believe in financial discipline. Bank officers should take the initiatives in this endeavor to educate the SME owners. Role of the Government is also a key imperative in developing required conducive environment through institutional and policy frameworks. Some universities in Sri Lanka have already started dedicated departments to teach courses related entrepreneurship. (Example: University of Sri Jayewardenepura and University of Colombo) and It is important to note that Business studies is part of the GCE A/L curriculum. Recent budget proposals in 2011, 2012 and 2013 has given enough support to encourage SMEs and SME financing and one of the very useful proposals was to direct government banks to set up dedicated SME Branches not only to facilitate SMEs with easy access to finance, but also to educate SME owners and to guide and direct them to right places and people. However, strengthening the institutional framework to develop business development support services is also an imperative. 2. Issues with Banks SMEs are not only critical to the economy, but also to the banks’ profitability. Most diversified banks maintain a substantial percentage of exposure to the SMEs as a strategic investment given the diversity within the SME portfolio itself. It is always profitable, but need to properly evaluate and closely monitor the delinquencies to avoid any credit risks. It is a perception as well as a fact sometimes, that SMEs are always highly risky as explained by many banks. It may be due to several factors including, non availability of financial information, no tax returns, no collateral, one man show, highly sensitive to economic conditions, no proper organizational structure, and many more. These are reasons given to avoid or very conservative underwriting of SME credit proposals. As a result of these reasons, credit policies of financial institutions are based on stringent credit guidelines. 2. Institutional framework with hindering process issues In the case of many developing countries, the above mentioned obstacles to SME financing are exacerbated by institutional and process factors. Most developing countries are still highly concentrated and have uncompetitive banking sectors. This reinforces the tendency to adopt conservative lending policies. Credit policies which mainly cover the credit risk and market risk, endorse a processes which covers many elements to secure exposure, while satisfying the regulator’s requirements. This eventually results in a value driven Credit culture in financial institutions. According to MacDonald and Timothy (2006), management’s credit policy determines how much risk the bank will take and in what form. A bank’s credit culture refers to the fundamental principles that drive lending activity and how management analyzes risk. There can be large differences in their lending philosophy. The three potentially different credit cultures are: values driven, current profit driven, and market share driven. The institutional framework is reflected through the credit policy in this part of the world, the tendency is to inculcate a value driven credit culture, which has the following attributes: Focus is on credit quality with strong risk management systems and controls Primary emphasis is on bank’s soundness and stability and a consistent market presence Underwriting is conservative and significant loan concentrations are not allowed. Typical outcome is lower current profits from loans with fewer loan losses It is evident with lower non- performing ratios prevailing in banks justifies that credit risk is covered with loan risk mitigation factors and discourage granting venture capital to SMEs. Eventually, SMEs need to resort to acceptable securities which hinders them from easy access to finance from financial institutions. 2. 2 Collateral syndrome (Risk avert) Strong value driven credit cultures in financial institutions always tighten the belts in covering credit risk. Unless the financial institutions develop competencies in cash flow based lending, credit officers have no choice but to cover themselves with collateral in risky SME lending. Competencies itself will not drive the business unless the risky lending is rewarded with challenging business targets. Security based lending propositions are gradually becoming unhealthy for economies as it discourages strategically important investment decisions. Government of Sri Lanka recently enacted legislations to ease the pressure on SMEs through amendment of Parate execution where normal civil procedure of debt recovery should be applied for loans below Rs. five million with security of property mortgages. 2. 3 Weak competency in building cash flow based lending propositions Strong value based credit policies encourage security oriented lending and creates knowledge gaps in credit officers. Security oriented lending does not require strict cash flow projections and credit evaluations. Developing cash flow projections is an art and requires overall knowledge about the industry, technology, external factors (external climate) and specific firms (internal climate) along with econometrics modeling to analyze the cash flows. When it comes to large projects, knowledge in project appraisals and risk analysis will help the credit officers to get exposed to project financing. At the backdrop of investor confidence and developing businesses in emerging economies, venturing into risky business propositions is in the agenda of the banking and financial intuitions. Financing SMEs are risky but at the same time profitable, so indeed banks need to develop how best they could mitigate the risk of these ventures. One of the options is to gradually develop a culture of SME financing with confidence through development of competencies in their credit officers. Competency development not only addresses econometric techniques of analyzing and evaluating the credit proposals, but also industry knowledge and exposure, experiences of sick industries and business units, world politics and world economics, knowledge in emerging markets and technologies, behaviors and issues of labor, understanding the entrepreneurship etc. Conclusion Many of the literature examine the issues of financing SMEs world over. However, there are key issues not only from the SMEs point of view, but also from the financial institutions and, government’s point of views. No one can expect the SMEs to nurture in best practices all by themselves. In this regard, the role of financial intuitions is greater, when it comes to inculcate and nurture SMEs in the right directions. The issues for SME financing discussed above are the keys, but there are many others which needs further discussions.

Listed Building Consent Application Example

Listed Building Consent Application Example Christina Kleanthous Papademetriou   Keepers Lodge Canterbury Road, Denton with Wootton, Kent, CT4 6QZ Contents Introduction Information and Background Purpose of the study Listed Buildings Legislative Background Significant Findings Significant Issues Historical Background and Heritage 2.0 Historical Context, Aesthetic Context, Communal Context Description of Buildings Important Figures and Decorative Interior Description and Characteristics Exterior Description and Characteristics The Proposal Implications and The Justifications Description of the Proposal Implication of the Proposal Justification of the Proposal Methodology for Grand Application Details for achieving the project architecturally Design Details and Planning 5.0 Conclusion 6.0 Appendix, Drawings and Illustrations 7.0 Bibliography Introduction 1.1 Information and Background Keepers Lodge, Denton with Wootton Description: Keepers Lodge for Denton Court Listed Grade: II* First Listed on: 28th of May in 1987 English Heritage Building ID: 178568 OS Grid Reference: TR2155546979 OS Grid Coordinates: 621555, 146979 Location Coordinates: 51.1791, 1.1685 Located in: A260, Wootton, Kent CT4 6QZ Area / Zone: Denton with Wootton Responsible Authority: Dover District Council Region: Kent, England Postcode: CT4 6QZ List entry Number: 1070010 The building is a Mid-19th (1842) Century Building, combining characteristics from three different architectural styles, mainly a Victorian designed building (1837-1901) with decorative characteristics from the Gothic Revival (1840-1880) and the Italianate Style (1840-1885). It is used as the Keepers Lodge, originally property of Denton Court and its gardens. The Jettying design is what is mostly seen in its exterior and interior with a painted cement rendering with an applied frame and tiled roof. It has an identical for the time T-shaped plan in a characteristic Old English style Decoration of the time. It is an one story building with an extended attic as well. It is built on a plinth supporting base with central stack and 2 gabled dormers. Decorative three light oriels are located to the left side of the buildings interior and trilateral oriels located to the right side on the ground floor. The main door is a half- glazed arched door and its surrounded by a gabled porch. [1] Keepers Lodge is located halfway among Canterbury and Folkestone, lies in a valley surrounded by the Denton Woods Park that runs from North to South and the hills that rise to both East and West, on the rear right side of A260 road exposed to the extremely busy main road which connects Canterbury to Folkestone, which runs through the Denton Woods and the Centre of the villages Wootton, Denton and Selstead and the fast traffic makes a dangerous environment for the property, especially with no fence or any other kind of protection available. The property is located in between the three villages, just 2km outside Selstead, 3km outside Wootton and 5km outside Denton, where horses and sheep can be seen feeding on the slopes of the village park and woods. It is an Outstanding Natural Beauty Listed Area and any property or figure in the whole village is closely controlled. It is yet unknown of who designed the building originally, and further down to its existence. The legal owners of the building are the owners of Denton Court. The present owner of the Court is George and Francisca Gosling. Although owning the Keepers lodge as well, it has been out for sale since 1995, without managing to sell the property just yet. Currently the building is still used as a residence, but without a permanent tenant, which puts the property at risk, as its structure and skin (window frames, paint, roofing), started collapsing and showing a significant damage that needs taking care off. Unfortunately, there is no pending application or interest in preserving the property at the moment, neither for specific elements of it nor the whole property in general. 1.2 Purpose of the study Listed Buildings This Listed Building Consent Report is a heritage and design statement, which has been prepared in regards with the stage of the property currently with no intention of preserve or restore the property, and the fact that a further damage will affect its character and appearance as a building of special architectural and historic interest. In addition, this report also mentions the concern in regards with the conservation and restoration of important figures of the building, which are in a risk stage, such us the roof, the windows and the significantly important satyr-corbels. Both its interior and exterior are prime example of early Victorian Architecture, and to refurbish elements of the entire building, is of high importance. The property is a Grade II* listed building, located towards Denton Historic Village, a village listed as an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and any building is tightly controlled and listed as a historic building of important heritage characteristics. As a Grade II* Listed building, makes the property a particularly important building of more than just special interest, only 5.5% of listed buildings are Grade II*, but also, and more important, is that it is among the small percentage of 0.2% of the listed buildings listed although built after 1842. This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest and categorized as a National Park Property and Entity as well. The nature of the property, its style and its decorative detailing, which incorporates a number of distinct elements with different features, and the extent of the proposed works have driven the purpose of this document. A full list, illustrations and drawings of each figure and decorative to follow in the next chapters. 1.3 Legislative Background In the first years of peace after 1825 something like a cultural revolution happened, which changed the form and content of cultural production in England. This social and economic change, trigged by the French Revolution, released the Picturesque and Romanticism as a status in the design field and of course in the way the world perceived communities and how they wanted them to look like. The Victorian Idea was the one who rejected the cold and proud neo-medievalism of the early Gothic Revival, and instead, it was the one promoting heritage consciousness and the notion of providing and building houses with a national identity and characteristics that will last in time and are derived from national perceptions and alikes, hence Henry III preferences in design as a reference. [2] All Districts in England take the above very seriously and try to protect as much as possible any heritage of importance, especially if they are an outstanding architectural or historic building of national interest, or if they have an important material in use. The legislation laws in Dover District states that a delicate amendment or extension to allow the continued use or new use of a listed building is acceptable and allowed, in order to safeguard the special character of a listed building, but after of course the appropriate building consent application is issued and approved for any interior, exterior changes, or demolition of any part of it. For Keepers Lodge of Denton Court, until today, the only previous applications for alterations submitted was one, requesting: A) A proposal for the construction of 2 dormers and structural repairs incorporating wall buttresses and wall ties. The application was submitted by Mr. G Gostling on the 26th of August 1988, and permission was granted by the case officer Tim Flisher on the 19th of October 1988. B) Two further Proposal Appeals were made requesting Tidying of Roadside Fencing and to reduce and clean one Lime Tree in a Conservation Area, but the only information available state that the appeals are on a Decided2 State without any further information available for the public. 1.4 Significant Findings Anyone who would like to know and get a first insight of how the original Victorian Jettying Style Buildings look like in Englands Architectural Heritage, could look in examples such as the Keepers Lodge of Denton Court and the whole Denton Historic Village as well, and perceive the details and characteristics relatively easily. [3] Jettying as a distinguishing characteristic of many historic buildings is mostly seen in buildings build between 15th 16th century and 18th-19th century, for timber framed buildings. The distinguishing heavy appearance had an impressive influence in the appearance of the historic centers of England, in places such as Kent, Chester, York and Shrewsbury. [4] Although a house of small dimensions, and not expected to last until today, its original design and method of construction remains visible today, making it a prime example of reference for its purpose. [5] This specific style used in Keepers Lodge in Denton, and seen in several buildings of its time, is the identical box-framed type house, an innovative high quality method of its construction, building type. Its characteristics include a hall running, from ground to roof, through the center of the house. The house is jettyed all round with huge wooden supports reinforced in the attic over the central hall. This strong late medieval and early Tudor home is shielded by a hipped, tiled roof, and was built by yeomen, matching the plan of the main Denton Court house. Buildings located in the south-east of England and Kent more specifically, even relatively small housing and farms, carry upon them, the idea to build houses of comfort, security and craftsmanship. [6] This box-frame style, allowed the house to be up to three full height floors and to provide an easy construction of wings. Its name -box-frame- was derived from the fact that the core vertical supports are detained in place by it s horizontal beams.[7] 1.5 Significant Issues The property is currently not occupied by any tenant, which puts the property at risk, as it has no one to preserve the propertys significant characteristics and take care of any damages cause by time or weather, cause to the property. Because of this issue, the Dover District has no intention of preserving Keepers lodge, or take care of the damages caused on the roof, window frames and on the port decorative figures, because there are no applications submitted, or anyone showing interest of care for the Lodges stage. 2.0 Historical Background and Heritage Historical Context The beautiful Victorian Structure lies to the South of the Denton village and cannot be seen from the village itself, but rather from the road towards the village. The Denton Court and its Keepers Lodge are a very antique-decorated style buildings and were a significant of importance and style properties since 1086 for the Denton Court, and since the start of its construction for the Keepers lodge. The owners and tenants of the properties were important figures of history since the start of its construction such us, Odo, Bishop of Baieux, King Edward as tenant and Ralph de Curbespin as sub-tenant. When the Bishop fell into degradation, all his properties and belongings were taken away by the crown, and thats when the Denton Court and the entire land was given to Gilbert Magimot but with all lands been under the Kings ownership. Throughout the following years between 1087 to 1792, the land and any building currently build in it, changed several hands, until it ended up in 1792 to Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges who refurbished, repaired and added additions to the mansion of Denton Court, such us for example new gardens around the house. As the first private owner of both the Denton Court, Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges introduced the idea of building the keepers lodge for the Denton Court in 1792, but came into existence much later on, in 1842 by other members of the family, who wished to complete the plans Sir. Brydges had for the property. As the most important owner of the property, Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges, an English author and genealogist, member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1812 to 1818. He was a founding member of the Roxburghe Club, a publishing club of well-off bibliophiles. He was announced as a Knight Grand Commander of the Equestrian, Secular, and Chapterial Order of St. Joachim in 1807 and was mad e a baronet on 27 December 1814, few years before dying in 1839. [8] After 1810, the whole property carried on being under the Brydges family but it had different families as temporary tenants. William Willats bought both properties and its gardens in 1867 and retouched and rebuild anything that needed restoration in both properties, without modifying the original architecture in which they were build. The gables located on the west side were restored and new structure was added. The central faà §ade though, was changed to face south as an alternative to the west that used to face, so that when passing in front of it from the highway you only see the west side of the building. When William Willats passed away, he left his property to his son, and it was since then passed from to the next generations of the family, until todays owners the brother and sister George and Francisca Gosling. [9] There are several stories said for the small Lodge house, such us that there is blood marked on the stairs, and its still visible, where previous owners during WW1, two brothers, one killed the other on the stairs. A story that was never confirmed, but always draws the curiosity of several visitors of the area. Also, another interesting fact for the property is that one of the visiting residences was the poet Gray, were he restored the lodge to an exceptional state when he was living there with additions such us new adjoining grounds. Lastly, a more recent representation of the building, at its current stage, was featured in TV in Treasure Hunt where there was a clue buried within the lodge. A further search of 500m around the property was done by using the Heritage Gateway Website and no further information about the property or the listing was found when it comes to its historic background. [10] Aesthetic Context The visible South facade, the entrance and the gardens of the property form a significant part of the street scene. As the first property to be seen before entering the historic village of Denton, it provides us with a first insight of the architecture and the characteristics of every building, located in the village, beforehand. The common features of the buildings design, offered in advance by the street, in terms of construction method, material, style, roofing, windows and framing. Away from the property, as soon as you enter Denton, the picture is more varied. Although all buildings are derived from the same architectural era, you see a variety of different roofing materials, wood colors, window styles, some buildings are well preserved and some others not, which makes the village an interesting case study. Nevertheless, is still a beautiful combination of Victorian architecture, old and more recent build. Communal Context Dover District Council focuses on the appearance and preservation of the properties within its Conservation and Heritage Area, as its ethics believe in contributing to the sense of treating a city / town / village as a historic monument and keeping it attractive for locals and tourists as well. The Council issued a Historic Map covering Denton, with Denton Court and Keepers Lodge visible, hand-drawn, in 1896 by the cartographers of the Ordnance Survey. Description of Buildings Important Figures and Decorative 3.1 Interior Description and Characteristics The Interior of the lodge can be described as extremely traditional for its style with significant characteristics; with a skirting board half-way up on the walls and a picture frame around the ceiling, featuring engraved animal, bird or floral prints on the wooden frame. The floor is a mid-toned polished floorboard with a large patterned carpet in the middle of the floor leaving the polished floorboard t be seen only as a border and only. In general, the colors within the rooms are soft, subdued tones, nothing too bright or intense. Delicate gray, lavender and light natural teal color, which give a warmer feeling inside. The pro-hall, living room and the kitchen are full with accessories, soft furnishings and decorations such as framed photographs and pictures, floral vases and souvenirs, carved mahogany, walnut and oak furniture, quite significant for Victorian architecture. Last but not least, the big fireplace in the living room attracts every visitors eye when walking inside, es pecially because of his outstating engraved from nature scenes wooden frame of the fireplace. 3.2 Exterior Description and Characteristics The exterior design links the building with the rest of the village, although distant, as during Victorian period homes typically looked very similar because they were designed to be linked together. An outstanding, well-known for its architectural style period, jettied gable, and the frame covering the whole structure of the building, is decorated with satyr-corbels, along with perforated barge-board and patterned frame. Lastly, a decorative outstanding detail of the building, is the embellished canted bay located on the ground floor, the sash windows, the slate roof and its white colored brick which adds to its exterior a more interesting aesthetic to visitors. The Proposal Implications and The Justifications 4.1 Description of the Proposal It is hard not to love Victorian buildings because of their characteristic ornate architecture, their elegant proportions and sophisticated detailing. It is well known that they were built to be admired, and theyve rise the test of time, too. Having all these in mind, firstly the lodge needs a proper re-touch. A proper care needs to be taken into consideration for the special Victorian roofing of the property and its engraved ending detailing, its beautiful port decorative characteristics, stair, windows and wall engravings and also a proper preservation of the outstanding for its time-and age satyr-corbels. Preserving a home that is 175 years old entails substantial work, and working with the best contractors and products specialized on this manner. [11] As the property is not owned or occupied by any tenant, a public use is what I believe will give to the property the appropriate value and use, and most importantly represent the important heritage and architectural style it represents. The Lodge, as mentioned before, is located in the middle of a National Park, near two historic villages, commonly visited by tourists interested in English heritage, professional historians or even cyclists passing by the park, my suggested use of the building would be a small Tea-Library Room. 4.2 Justification of the Proposal Tearooms in England are usually small restaurants where non-alcoholic drinks and light meals are served, usually in buildings where they have a specific character, internally and externally, and with significant aesthetics and dignified atmosphere. Tea is a significant feature of the British culture and it has been for centuries one of the worlds utmost tea consumers and flavor inventors. Thinking of the buildings location, neither a pub or a different type of shop would the users of the area or people passing by would use or need. The suggestion of combining the Tea Room with walls full of books to give it the use of a library as well, derived from the buildings past, as a dedication to its first owner, Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges, who was an author and a bibliophile. This combination describes perfectly the English Culture; enjoying a cup of tea, in a Victorian Architecture building, in the middle of a national park, while reading a book. Although the external style of a building may be its most attractive and noticeable aspect and its public face, its interior is even more vital in the buildings history and heritage identity. Exactly because of its interior, this property would be ideal for this use and to be a prime example of its use and its architectural style. [12] 4.3 Implication of the Proposal The current stage of the property does not support the proposal of being turned into tea-room library which needs an approved kitchen supported-facility, a second fire exit, and an additional support structure to be added on the walls, in order to support the extra weight of the books that will be placed on the walls. From the Heritage Lottery Fund website, we found out that Eating and drinking businesses are between 71% to 79% more likely to be found in a listed building than in a non-listed, in towns, mainly due to the fact that an attractive interior and an important heritage identity aesthetically environment, brings more customers and visitors to the building, especially if its a non-museum or retail shop one. Which means that those difficulties and implications are not hard to overcome, as long as the appropriate measures and consideration is taken. [13] 4.4 Methodology for Grants and Funds Application Rather than leave such a beautiful piece of architecture to collapse, this proposal would be highly beneficial to the community of Denton due to rising the use of the area and provide a development to the area, which is expected to increase the visitor numbers. Because this project is a small-scale one, finding the appropriate funding organisation to support the proposed project, will not be difficult to find, and a trust that can afford it. In this specific case, funding becomes a matter of public fundraising from locals, donations from book and writers associations, private financing or small grants. One of the most obvious additional funding source for this is the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The HLF is the public organisation responsible for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, who are responsible for monuments and listed buildings conservation. From an appropriate study of the HLF and whom they fund, it appears that the above proposal fits their conditions for funding: According to the HLF there are a few grants that Keepers Lodge Tea and Library House could apply for, but because the application process is quite complex, the decision on funds is not an easy one to get or granted. But because of being an important source of funding for heritage projects, the budget available according to the HLF per year for these projects is  £375million. Surely the lodge can be considered at-risk and under used, and bec ause of Denton being a Historic village and an area of economic deprivation, is an advantage for the application process for funding this project. The application process has two rounds: On Round one the application is submitted were it has to clearly demonstrate the feasibility of the scheme suggested and also to demonstrate how the redevelopment of the building will contribute to the development of both, the area and to the heritage of England. Round two consists of the development of the project and the period were the project is supposed to and follow the proposed and agreed plan. There is also another more specific option to for collecting funds for the regeneration of such a project by committees such us; The Educational Grants Directory, The Grants Register, A Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need, The Youth Funding Guide and the Directory of Grant Making Trusts; All the above are Private Library and Community Trusts which fund projects that provide or improve community spaces, cultural facilities and places for outdoor recreation, or grants of between  £300 and  £10,000 for community running projects in the UK that allows people to take part in arts, sports, heritage or literature, or promote education, the environment or health in the local community. Although the proposed redevelopment of the Keepers lodge will more certainly cost more than  £10,000, a request and application to more than one of the above Trusts will be necessary. The most important key feature in grants and funds applications to any organisation is a strong management of the application plan. Although big organisations such as HLF, offer advisory and mentoring services, in smaller ones, this might not be an option and the decision on wherever the application will be approved or not would be relied to the applicants clear illustration of everything important and necessary into its application. Financial data need to be provided, new architectural plans need to be comprehensively discussed with clear drawings in place for the organisation and obtaining of the works, and also a full detailing of all expenditure planned to be spend on the whole project as well. 4.5 Details for achieving the project architecturally Design Details and Planning Exterior Design Outdoor Dining and associated outdoor waiting area Main entry and fire exit Services, utility infrastructure and storage area Pedestrian-vehicular circulation system and parking Exterior Retouch Because the setback from the street is evident, and the Lodge is surrounded by a very big open space the addition/creation of a backyard outdoor dining space is suggested, along with a small bar on the backyard as well, which can be used as reception as well for summer use of the outdoor area. A Shading for the outdoor dining should be integrated with the main structure. A small reception area will be added by the main entrance within the pro-hall for greeting the guests and visitors, and also, as the kitchen has two windows, one of them till be turned into a fire exit for safety purposes and also straight access to the outdoor backyard as well. Service area and storage area should be added as part of the design requirements, and it is suggested that an extension is added at the back of the kitchen, hidden from public eye, in order not to interfere with the beauty of the structure itself. The introduction of an appropriate parking is required for a logical and safe vehicular and pedestrian circulation pattern throughout the site that minimizes conflicts. The external walls roof and windows needs replacing, because of their age they started falling down and their damages is visible and dangerous for public use. Interior Design Modification of the single used kitchen to an equipped integrated kitchen Architectural cladding treatment and ventilation system Bathroom alterations requirements Transformation of living room walls to bookshelves from floor to ceiling for library purposes New refrigerator space and introduction will be needed because of the change to the use of the kitchen to cooking for a lot of people, along with keeping inside drinks etc. The working tops should be increased from 25cm that are currently to 50cm as stated by law, and replaced to stainless-steel material for health and safety requirements. As the building is under danger because of not been treated properly, before opening the building to the public, a proper treatment to its cladding and also windows should be replaced for better ventilation and safety purposes. No need of introduction of new ones is needed. The bathroom is located next to a medium size storage area, which both can be merged in order to create a bigger in size bathroom. Although requirements state that two bathrooms are required, because of the buildings size and use it is not necessary as long as the current one is upon the standards for male, female and disable access. The interior design of the building is beautiful as it stands so its dominant existing character will be kept and preserved. The introduction of the bookshelves will be done with the appropriate material which is oak wood to match the rest of the building and give the feeling of an old library and the aesthetics will be perfectly represented. [1] Historic England Website Listing of Keepers Lodge, Denton KEEPERS LODGE, Denton with Wootton 1070010| Historic England, accessed December 18, 2016 [2] Mandler. P., The Fall and Rise of the Stately Home, (New Haven and London, 1997) [3] Brittain-Catlin, T., The English Parsonage in the Early Nineteenth Century, (In Association with English Heritage Reading 2008) [4] Mandler. P., The Fall and Rise of the Stately Home, (New Haven and London, 1997)

The Great Gatsby | Critique

The Great Gatsby | Critique Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. This quote voiced by William Shakespeare is a popular idea among many all over the world. Whether this idea is true or not, one thing is certain. Jay Gatsby in the novel The Great Gatsby was truly a great figure. Greatness is a definite and identifiable quality. Modern-day greatness can be defined in four points. Firstly, having honesty and integrity. More elaborately, having enviable qualities and a strong conviction to stand up for what is right. Furthermore, making the world a better place than you met it. And lastly making a positive impact in your world even when you have passed on. Gatsby was not an honorable and noble man. His dishonesty about his true identity and background puts his greatness in question. Ill tell you Gods truth, I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West-all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years. He further continues to say, My family all died and I came into a good deal of money. The truth concerning his background is exposed later on in the novel, where Nick narrates James Gatz-that was really, or at least legally, his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people-his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. Clearly all of what he claimed to have been has been proved false. Even Nick affirms to Gatsbys falsehood when he says Moreover he told it to me at a time of confusion, when I had reached the point of believing everything and nothing about him. Furthermo re, Gatsby cannot be considered noble because he aspired to take another mans wife. I suppose the last thing is to sit back and let Mr Nobody from Nowhere, make love to your wife. Gatsby didnt make the world a better place than he met it. His illegal businesses only helped make others lives worse. Youre one of that bunches that hangs around Meyer Wolfshiem A great a man wouldnt be carrying out illegal business with a criminal. Further evidence that Gatsby had made peoples lives miserable, was when Tom said, And you left him in the lurch, didnt you? You let him go to jail for a month over in New Jersey. Moreover, like Nick said, if Gatsbys partnership had included the Worlds Series transaction 1919 then that transaction would finally support that Gatsby never made his world a better place. The last mark of greatness, that Gatsby didnt possess, was that he didnt make a positive impact even while he was dead. This was unveiled when no one showed up to his funeral. The minister glanced several times at his watch, so I took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasnt any use. Nobody came. No normal person dies without anybody coming to their funeral, not to talk of a great person. Not even his closest companion, Meyer Wolfshiem, attended his funeral. Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead. Furthermore, when Gatsby died the world continued as though he never even existed. Gatsbys house was still empty when I left the grass on his lawn had grown as long as mine. However, could it be possible that the word great in The Great Gatsby could mean something more than the modern meaning of the word? Could it be that Gatsby was truly great in reference to a certain aspect of his existence? Although he may not fit the present day meaning of the word, Gatsby can be described as great. Gatsby is admired and idolized in the eyes of only one character in the novel-Nick. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life Nick has some deep insight into the character of Gatsby. For example when he comments on Gatsbys smile saying, It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It is evident, that Nick admired several aspects of Gatsby. One of such aspects was Gatsbys ability to make a new identity for himself when he needed to be someone else. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to his conception he was faithful to the end. He did whatever was necessary to attain this new identity. Practise elocution, poise and how to attain ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Read one improving book or magazine per week. Another one of such aspects that Nick commended was Gatsbys romanticism. it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. In a world where moral standards were deteriorating and where true love was lacking, Gatsby was a shining example. For Gatsby, the fulfillment of the American Dream was to possess Daisy Buchanan, a woman whom Gatsby perceived as an ideal wife, the golden girl, the kings daughter, a grand prize, and a perfect match. It excited him that many men had already loved Daisy-it increased her value in his eyes Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves, of the freshness of many clothes, and of Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud He found her excitingly desirable. Gatsby never deviated from his aspiration of winning Daisy, even in the face of opposition and stark reality. Nick admired that along with Gatsbys steadfast determination. And lastly, Nick admired Gatsbys dedication to making his dreams a reality. Gatsby was willing to give everything for this dream. Gatsby knew he would need wealth to get Daisy, so he established a business that would give him prosperity. Moreover, he bought a house right across the bay from Daisy, just so he could be close to her. Not to mention how he hosted parties, night after night just so he could find Daisy. His unwavering optimism, even when Daisy had clearly rejected him and chosen Tom, was worthy of praise. I suppose Daisyll call too. His dreams had always sustained him and increased his perseverance. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him. Nick was impressed by Gatsbys ability to live for and purse one dream, which he didnt realize was unachievable. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in th at vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. Nick overlooks all of Gatsbys flaws and shortcomings and sees a greatness in Gatsby that no other character recognizes. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. Finally, we could say that Gatsby is not a man of honor and integrity. But however, he was the one that decided to take the blame for running over Myrtle, which eventually cost him his life. Gatsby might not have made the world a better place than he met it, however like Gatsbys father said If hed of lived, hed of been a great man. A man like James J. Hill. Hed helped build up the country. And although he didnt make a lasting impact even when he was dead, he did while he was alive, especially on Nick. In conclusion, despite his shortcomings, flaws, and unfortunate outcome, his unfailing love and strong drive for success are what make him, Jay Gatsby of West Egg, great.

Jackson Pollock :: Essays Papers

Jackson Pollock Jackson Pollock was an American abstract artist born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912. He was the youngest of his five brothers. Even though he was born on a farm, he never milked a cow and he was terrified of horses because he grew up in California. He dropped out of high school at the age of seventeen and proceeded to move to New York City with his older brother, Charles, and studied with Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League. Thomas Benton was already a great artist at the time in which Pollock studied with him. Benton acted like the father figure in Pollock’s life to replace the original that wasn’t there. Benton was known for his large murals that appear on ceilings or walls. â€Å"Jack was a rebellious sort at all times,† recalls his classmate and friend, artist Harold Lehman. He grew his hair long and helped pen a manifesto denouncing athletics, even though â€Å"he had a muscular build and the school wanted to put him on the football team,† says former teacher Doug Lemon. Pollock always was upset with himself in his studies because he had troubles drawing things like they were supposed to look. From 1938 to 1942, Jackson joined a Mexican workshop of people with a painter named David Siqueiros. This workshop painted the murals for the WPA Federal Art Projects. This new group of people started experimenting with new types of paint and new ways of applying it to large canvas. People say that this time period was when Jackson was stimulated with ideas from looking at the Mexican or WPA murals. Looking at paintings from Picasso and the surrealists also inspired Jackson at this time. The type of paint they used was mixing oil colors with paint used for painting cars. Jackson noticed that the shapes and colors they created were just as beautiful as anything else was. Jackson realized that you didn’t have to be able to draw perfect to make beautiful paintings. Jackson started developing a whole new way of pa inting that he had never tried before and his paintings were starting to look totally different from before. Jackson also started action paintings, which are paintings that are abstract, but get the word action from the way they are made.

HR Compliance and Ethics Essay -- Business Human Resources

Today’s business performs in form of a corporation or an organization that consists with various people to conduct and perform work tasks for such a company to achieve its business goals. Therefore, those people who work for such companies should be treated equally for receiving an opportunity to achieve their lives as they are humans under the ethical and moral concern. Moreover, everyone who lives in the same nation should also have the right to pursue his or her achievement through ability of such a person, not because of other factors such as gender, age, race and ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disabilities, and social status, or because a person is discriminated by those factors. In 1961, Affirmative Action was created by President John F. Kennedy, which had its purpose regarded to gender and race in employment, and was a movement of Equal Employment Opportunity Act (Fullinwider, 2009; Gomez-Mejia & Balkin, 2002; University of California, 2002) According to Byras and Rues (2004), they defined that â€Å"equal employment opportunity refers to the right of all people to work and to advance on the basis of merit, ability and potential† (p. 43). Therefore, some important laws of equal employment opportunity in which human resources managers should know are as the following. Equal Pay Act of 1963 The Pay Act of 1963 prohibit sex-based discrimination in pay rate to employees which means employees of such companies who work the same or similar jobs get paid the same rate of pay either they are man or woman. However, the act allow such companies to use difference of wage, salary, or other compensations based on seniority, merit, quantity and quality of production, or a differential due to any factors other than sex and oth... ...ed April 29, 2010, from . Fielding, J. (1990). Discrimination law—impermissible use of the necessity defense and the bona fide occupational qualification. Western New England Law Review, 12(1), pp. 135-165. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from Google Scholar database. Fullinwider, R. (2009). Affirmative Action. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved November 5, 2009, from . Gomez-Mejia, L. R. & Balkin, D. B. (2002) Management. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Mathis, R. L. & Jackson, J. H. (2006). Human resources management (11th e.d.). Ohio: Thomson Corporation. University of California at Irvine. (2002). A brief history of affirmative action. (updated 11/02/2005). Retrieved November 5, 2009, from .