William Goldings The Lord of the Flies - 1027 Words

English author William Gerald Golding wrote Lord of the flies as his first novel in 1954. Golding would later become famous as a novelist, playwright, and poet, yet before Lord of the flies publishers had rejected his works many times. Fortunately for Golding and future readers, his new editor Charles Monteith helped him to make some changes to the text and publish the book in September 1954 as Lord of the Flies (â€Å"William Golding† par.7). This book became hugely successful, and in 1983 Golding was awarded for it a Nobel Prize in Literature (William Golding - Prize Presentation par.1). The main characters of this novel are Ralph, Jack, Simon, and Piggy. Ralph, who represents civilizing instinct, is elected as the leader of the group of†¦show more content†¦Since the boys don’t know how long they would have to stay on the island and when they will be rescued, Ralph thinks they must be organized well to survive together. Hence, Ralph establishes rules such as holding the conch shell when a person speaks and keeping the fire to attract passing ships. However, he fails to make all the boys follow. For example, when he suggests people to build the shelter, most of them play around. Ralph is a little too lenient and does not enforce the rules strictly enough to keep order. Also, the decisions that Ralph makes lead to disagreements and cause friction between Jack and Ralph. Jack continues to blame Ralph on account of his lack of direct action against the beast. When Jack storms out of the assembly, he forms his own tribe, which is headquartered at Castle Rock, the mountain on the island. From then on, Jack begins in earnest to attack Ralph and his companions, even though they haven’t attacked Jack’s tribe. Ralph’s unifying power reaches its low point when Jack’s partisan power reaches its high point. As time goes by, Jack seems almost addicted to the state of bloodlust and barbaric frenzy. When Jack’s tribe steals Piggy’s glasses, Ralph and his last allies try to get the glasses back, heading to Castle Rock. However, Roger, who is a member of Jack’s group, rolls a boulder from the fort that smashes the conch shell and kills Piggy. The next day, Jack’s tribe tries toShow MoreRelatedWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies Essay1255 Words   |  6 Pagesever since they were born, or would they disregard all of it and do as they please because there is no definite authority figure to tell them how to live. In William Goldings, The Lord of the Flies, he brilliantly tells a story of life and death and everything in between. His use of symbolism with the conch, beast, and lord of the flies is phenomenal. It is a story that makes you think. Every person, when faced with reality, may act civil now, but in a survival situation, human nature takes overRead MoreAllegories In William Goldings Lord Of The Flies885 Words   |  4 Pagesrevolutionized his field with his model of t he human psyche. According to his model, the mind is divided into three aspects: the id, ego, and superego. William Golding’s allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies, employs these three aspects of the psyche through intricate characterization representing the concepts of id, ego, and superego. Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of young British boys who are stranded on an island in the South Pacific. They become trapped when their plane is shot downRead MoreWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies: A Review1479 Words   |  6 PagesLord of the flies is anything but an easy book to digest. It comes upon the reader like a heavy meal on a suffocating summers day. The main idea is fairly simple actually: a group of children stranded on an isolated island are trying to reenact the norms of the society they used to live in before their arrival on the island. Gradually, things descend more violently with the children looking to kill the beast that lives in the heart of the jungle . What they are unable to realize though is that theRead MoreSymbolism in William Goldings Lord of the Flies1918 Words   |  8 PagesSymbolism in William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ Definition: A symbol is something that is itself as well as something else. In literature it means literal or objective sense coupled with abstract meaning. Symbolism refers to serious and extensive use of symbols in a work of literature. Symbolism in Lord of the Flies: The novel is rich in symbolism. A host of different interpretations of the novel’s symbolism – political, psychological and religious – exists. We will look at some of the prominentRead MoreWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies Essays1958 Words   |  8 PagesIn William Goldings Lord of the Flies, the color pink is hard to overlook. Throughout the text there is pink mentioned at virtually every turn: The pink platform, cream-pink conch, pink mountain, pink faces of the children, pink pig, etc. This color represents a vast amount including, This color represents compassion, nurturing and love. It relates to unconditional love and understanding, and the giving and receiving of nurturing. (Judy Scott Kennis, The Color Pink) Pink further details, BrighterRead MoreEssay William Goldings Lord of the Flies1768 Words   |  8 PagesWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies The first chapter of the novel, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding is effective in establishing the characters, concerns and language for the remainder of the book, as well as introducing the main themes of the novel; that the problems in society are related to the sinful nature of man and good verses evil. In Golding’s first chapter, the main characters are introduced, we see many ominous signs of what’s to come through the authors choice of languageRead MoreEssay William Goldings Lord of the Flies4998 Words   |  20 PagesWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding tells the story of a group of boys on an island left out to self survive. The time was World War II when the plane the boys were in was shot down leaving young survivals on a deserted island without any adults. The whole story is about what happens during their stay on the island representing metaphoric ideas of humanity in each incident as Golding describes. Golding has reportedly said that he wroteRead MoreWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies Essay1510 Words   |  7 Pagessignificance and an In-depth look in the characters of this story In viewing the aspects of the island society, the author William Goldings Lord of the Flies as a symbolic microcosm of society. He chooses to set the children alone in an unsupervised world, leaving them to learn the ways of the world in a natural setting first hand. Many different perspectives can also be considered. Goldings island of marooned youngsters becomes a microcosm. The island represents the individual human and the various charactersRead MoreWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies Essay1265 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies Everything is breaking up. I dont know why. - Ralph What is going wrong on the island and why? The group of evacuees, all boys roughly aged between five and twelve, is dividing into two sets of people, each following either the ideal of civilisation, or the ideal of savagery. At the beginning of the novel, every boy, conditioned by society, was following the ideal of civilisation, that being the only ideal they knew. HoweverRead MoreAnalysis of William Goldings Lord of the Flies Essay700 Words   |  3 PagesAnalysis of William Goldings Lord of the Flies Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savages whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men. (Ayn Rand) This quote explains this story, Lord of the Flies, in many ways. This book is about a plane full of boys escaping from the war happening in there society but unfortunately got shot and crashed down on an island. This plane contains boys coming back

Movie Review Brotherly Love - 864 Words

Film Review The movie, Brotherly Love, came to the theaters in a cape saving the public from a never ending trilogy of movies similar to The Notebook. In all honesty, it seems like Hollywood adapted Nicholas Sparks as the go to author to adapt story plots from. Whenever a new romantic film came out you can get bet your bottom dollar to sit through a film of old lovers who reconnected through a weird circumstance and spend the whole film trying to get back. The director, Jamal Hill took it upon himself to create a film that single handedly brought back the natural and pure essence of Romantic films. Brotherly Love brought a beautiful splash of melanin to the screen while bringing together minorities from different backgrounds. The film is set in Philadelphia, where the heart of the problems takes place in an all too familiar setting, the high school. Overbrook high is a place where many inner city kids can relate to since it highlights the two major problems that is very much evident and a probl em around high schools today, drugs and crime. The separation of â€Å"The Hilltop† people from the â€Å"Bottoms† is all too common and the fact that the recent death of Omar from The Hilltop is still fresh you can almost sense a war arising. The narration is done by Jackie (Keke Palmer) whose journey into love causes more trouble than intended. Her brothers June (Corey Hardwick) and Sergio (Eric Hill) lives are followed through a close lens and the way the visuals are set up,Show MoreRelatedBollywoods Popular Culture in the South Asian Diaspora Essays2258 Words   |  10 PagesBollywoods Popular Culture in the South Asian Diaspora The centre of the Indian movie industry is in the Indian city known as Bombay, which has since been renamed Mumbai. Owing to the industrial resemblance with the American movie city Hollywood, the Indian movie industry came to be known as Bollywood. Bollywood is now an industry of massive proportions, and far from simply producing cinema; it is also closely interwoven with industries concerned with music, clothes, Read MoreMasculinity in Peter Weirs Gallipoli1893 Words   |  8 Pagesmen of the Australian outback, a complex mix of rivalry and respect, loyalty and love. This form of mateship is clearly shown between Archie and Frank’s friendship, from when they first met at the race in the start of the film, within a rivalry competition against each other for the win, moving to the journey across the desert that they both take to help Archie sign up for the war, progressing into a brotherly love, for which Frank abandons his mates to be with Archie in the light horse brigade,Read MoreAdidas Marketing Plan20779 Words   |  84 Pagesweakness†©as†©it†©is†©too†©busy†©and†©is†©not†©easy†©for†©the†©customer†©to†©navigate.†©Ã¢â‚¬ ©As†©mentioned†© earlier,†©adidas†©customers†©feel†©that†©adidas†©has†©Ã ¢â‚¬Å"become†©lazy†©in†©its†©innovation†Ã¢â‚¬ ©(Brand†©I†© Love).†©Adidas†©is†©continuously†©coming†©out†©with†©new†©innovations,†©such†©as†©the†©first†© augmented†©reality†©shoe,†©but†©has†©not†©been†©promoting†©it†©effectively.†©Ã¢â‚¬ ©Adidas†©customers†©also†© say†©that†©while†©they†©love†©the†©brand,†©they†©are†©becoming†©increasingly†©disappointed†©with†©the†© product†©(Kemp).†©Ã¢â‚¬ ©This†©mentality†©is†©hurting†©adidas’†©financially.†©Ã¢â‚¬ ©Finally,†©adidas†©Ã¢â‚¬Å"bought†©Read MoreAdidas Marketing Plan20768 Words   |  84 Pagesweakness†©as†©it†©is†©too†©busy†©and†©is†©not†©easy†©for†©the†©customer†©to†©navigat e.†©Ã¢â‚¬ ©As†©mentioned†© earlier,†©adidas†©customers†©feel†©that†©adidas†©has†©Ã¢â‚¬Å"become†©lazy†©in†©its†©innovation†Ã¢â‚¬ ©(Brand†©I†© Love).†©Adidas†©is†©continuously†©coming†©out†©with†©new†©innovations,†©such†©as†©the†©first†© augmented†©reality†©shoe,†©but†©has†©not†©been†©promoting†©it†©effectively.†©Ã¢â‚¬ ©Adidas†©customers†©also†© say†©that†©while†©they†©love†©the†©brand,†©they†©are†©becoming†©increasingly†©disappointed†©with†©the†© product†©(Kemp).†©Ã¢â‚¬ ©This†©mentality†©is†©hurting†©adidas’†©financially.†©Ã¢â‚¬ ©Finally,†©adidas†©Ã¢â‚¬Å"bought†©Read MoreUshering in Church17462 Words   |  70 Pages if you are helping anyon e in the church or assisting the weak and needy, you are operating in the ministry of helps. Is Ushering Biblical? Envisioning an usher usually conjures up an image of a white-shirted, gloved man wandering through a movie theatre with a flashlight. Church people think of bucket-passers and hand-shakers, but the Bible reveals ushers to be trusted men who handle the many details of ruling and serving God’s people. The Greek word diakonos used in First Timothy 3:8 and

Costco Case Study Analysis free essay sample

Costco’s Wholesale Corporation financial statement analysis provided many details of the operations of Costco and its competitors. Margarita Torres, an investor in Costco, added the corporation to her portfolio in 1997. She now finds it time to reanalyze the company to gain insight on whether her investment in Costco is still worth holding onto or if it is time to sell. To study Costco’s performance, three areas were reviewed. First, was an industry overview of the retail players looking at the different retail types of stores. Included were department stores, discount stores, wholesale clubs, and online retailers. It talked about when each came about and its impacts to the retail industry. Department stores were first to transform the retail industry in the late 1800s. They created the new pastime of window-shopping as well as revolutionizing retailing by offering a variety of products in one location and being known for great customer service. In the 1960s discount stores arose. These were the first retailers to differentiate themselves by concentrating less on the shopping experience and focusing on delivering lowest cost items. Wholesale clubs came along in the early 1980s. These stores were similar to discounters in their pursuit to offer the lowest price for goods, but they went about it in a different way. These clubs offered memberships, large quantities, bulk items, limited selections, and basic stores to be able to offer the lowest prices possible. The most recent retailer segment to enter the market was online retailers. Online retailers were thought to be the next big thing and take over the retail industry; however, it has shown that not as many customers have been transitioning as previously projected. Second, was a look at the industry growth for retail. The findings came to the conclusion that the sales for the retail industry, as a whole, grew similarly to GDP. Retail industry is a mature industry with companies achieving growth in excess of GDP only through stealing sales from competitors or becoming international. Lastly, a look at Costco specifically was done. Costco Wholesale was founded in 1983 and started on its path to expansion when it merged with Price Club in 1993. Costco and Price Club were pioneers in the wholesale industry, and they take great pride in having invented and developed the club warehouse concept. However, it did not take long for competition to enter the segment to take a piece the market share. A discussion of Costco’s strategy and its competition concludes the case study which is discussed in more detail below. Questions: I. Performance and Competitors Costco has two main direct competitors, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club. The three of these companies compete in many ways. Even though Costco is seen as number one by most reports, they all go up and down frequently in categories of operation in which they dominate. Sam’s Club is Costco’s largest wholesale club competitor. Sam’s outnumbers Costco in terms of number of warehouses and worldwide members. This could lead one to believe that Sam’s would then be the best. However, Costco has larger total revenues, sales per store, and operating income than Sam’s Club. How is this possible? The main reason is within their differing strategies. Sam’s Club targets a lower income customer than Costco which tends to bring the outcome of Sam’s customers spending less per visit than Costco’s. Other reasons Sam’s Club struggled to gain a significant market share right away included suffering large amounts of turnover and lacking a differentiation strategy from Wal-Mart Corporation. These two reasons have slowly diminished leaving the main difference as their target audiences. Costco’s other main direct competitor; BJ’s Wholesale Club, tends to be more similar in strategy and differentiates through the environment of their stores. BJ’s Wholesale’s strategy is similar to Costco since they both target small business owners and middle-class customers, even though BJ’s charges a lower membership fee. Both stores include many high-value goods in the product line to increase sales per customer and increase store visits through supplementary products. Where they differentiate is the size, style, and method of running each individual store. BJ’s operates smaller stores that place an importance on investing in improving flooring, lighting and signage to enhance the atmosphere and making the stores feel less like a warehouse. Also, within these stores BJ’s tends to carry more SKUs and variety of products to meet the vast array of customer’s needs. Costco attempts to cut prices by offering lower number of SKUs to make the process of distribution more easy and cost effective. Since BJ’s offer more SKUs they need to make up for the extra cost, which tends to come to the customer in marking products up more than Costco’s 14% cap. BJ’s methods have led the company to see sales and profit growth greater than Costco’s. BJ’s customers also visit the store about 12 times per year, putting it above the average of 9 times per year for Costco and Sam’s club. BJ’s also surprisingly reported greater gross margins, allowing it to claim its operations were even more efficient than Costco’s. Looking further at each company’s financial ratios, a few additional conclusions can be made. Walmart has the highest return on equity and return on assets meaning it is the most efficient at generating returns on shareholder investment and company assets. Costco has the highest inventory turnover, meaning it keeps products in inventory for a shorter amount of time than the other companies. BJ’s tends to have the lowest debt levels which demonstrate it is less dependent on leverage. All three have remained stable in efficiency, meaning that turnover is consistent within each firm. II. Strengths A core strength for Costco is their ability to be first in the marketplace and their strategy of keeping things simple. Costco has a few basic guidelines they follow for running their business. Strategies must be simple, easy to communicate, and easy to continue. Having this simple way of operation is also a great strength of theirs because they created it. Costco, who merged with Price Club, was the first of its kind. They aren’t trying to mimic someone else’s creation or strategy, but instead they are continuing to do what has been successful. Costco reaps all the benefits of the first mover advantage. As a result, they become number one in several categories. Costco out ranks its competitors through their growing  membership, sales per store, and their higher revenues. III. Strategy Costco targets a wealthier clientele of small business owners and middle class shoppers to differentiate itself from Sam’s Club. Costco values their customer which is demonstrated by promising to not markup products more than 14% over the distributor’s price. Costco also has a goal of delivering the lowest per unit price on the products it sells. Selling in bulk allows them to reach this goal. Along with this goal, Costco will not sell items in bigger sizes if it doesn’t also lower the price for its customers. Another strategy that Costco uses to keep prices low is limiting the number of SKUs from their vendors. This reduces immense production costs for manufacturers allowing them to focus on one item, in one color, in one style, to one location. Costco also keeps expenses down through their stores being in warehouse facilities with no fancy designing or features. The stores are treated more like warehouses to keep costs down for distributing goods. Pallets go directly from the truck to the floor in the store. No extra cost of a floor design or storage in the back.

Sex Hereditary Determination Essays - Sex, Epigenetics,

Sex Hereditary Determination Concerns the determination of the gonads. In mammals, determination strictly chromosomal; not influenced by the environment. Most cases- female = XX; male= XY Every individual organism has atleast one X Chromosome. Since the female has 2 X chromosomes, each of her eggs posses one X chromosome. The male posses an X and a Y, so therefore the male can produce 2 kinds of sperm, one with an X chromosome and one with a Y chromosome. If an offspring receives an X and a Y, then it will be a male. TheY chromosome carries a gene that encodes a testis determining factor. If a person had an innumerable number of x chromosomes and one y chromosome, they would be male. If a person is born with only a single x chromosome and no second x or y, then they develop as a female, but are infertile.(not able to maintain ovarian follicles) More Primary Sex Determination- In the is absence of the Y chromosome , the primordial gonad body develops into ovaries. the ovary then produces the estrogenic hormones, which contains estrogen and other such hormones, enabling the development of the Mullerian duct into the uterus, fallopian tubes, and upper end of the vagina. In the presence of Y chromosome, the testes form. The testes secrete two major enzymes. The first hormone, AMH(anti-Mulllerian duct hormone), destroys to Mullerian duct. The second, testosterone, stimulates the masculinization of the fetus. During this process the penis, scrotum, and other male anatomical structures form. The development of the primordial breast is inhibited. The body, therefore, has the female phenotype unless it is altered by two hormones created in the fetal testes. The development of gonads is the only fetal organ development process that has the chance of developing into more than one organ (under normal circumstances and barring mutations). The primordial gonad can develop into either an ovary or a testis. Before the gonad develops into the testes or ovary, it first goes through an indifferent stage, also known as a bipotential stage, during which time it has neither male or female characteristics. In humans, the primordial gonad first develops in the 4th week and remains indifferent until the 7th week. Sex Determinant genes- In humans, the major genes for the testis determining factor reside on the short arm of the Y chromosome. Individuals born with the short arm of the Y chromosome, but not the long are males. Those born with the long end but not the short are actually female. Through scientific research on XX males and XY females, the position of the testis-determining gene has been narrowed down to a small region. On the short arm of the Y chromosome there is believed to be an area called the HMG box, which stands for high-mobility group box. This HMG box is believed to contain the genetic information to establish masculinity. There are two known major genes in this HMG box that are believed to have an effect on the determining of sex, SRY and SOX9. SRY (sex-determining region of the Y) is found in XY males, is absent from XX females, is found in the rare XX males, and is absent in the XY females. Many XY women were found to have a point mutation in the SRY gene, which would prevent the SRY protein from binding to the DNA. Since humans are difficult to study, Scientists found a different way to study this gene. In mice, there is a gene homologous to SRY, which is named Sry. the mouse gene also correlates with the presence of testes; it is present in XX males and absent in XY females. To further test this theory of Sry being the testes determining gene, scientists injected the Sry sequence into XX fertilized mice zygotes. In most instances the mice developed testes and the rest of the male accessory organs, but weren't fertile(the presence of two X chromosomes prevents sperm formation in both mice and men). This is the majority of the evidence supporting this gene as the one that determines whether you are male or female. The function of SOX9 is unclear. If a male is born without a functional copy of SOX9, then a syndrome called campomelic dysplasia develops. It involves numerous skeletal and organ systems. If born without SOX9, the male child dies soon there after from distress arising from defective bronchia and tracheas. However, 3/4 of those males born without SOX9 phenotypicaly appear to be females or hermaphrodites. Since SOX9 is on the Y Chromosome, almost all women

A Separate Peace - Genes Journey Essays - Phillips Exeter Academy

A Separate Peace - Genes Journey Essays - Phillips Exeter Academy A Separate Peace - Gene's Journey Gene Forrester's difficult journey towards maturity and the adult world is a main focus of the novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Gene's journey begins the moment he pushes Phineas from the tree and the process continues until he visits the tree fifteen years later. Throughout this time, Gene must become self-aware, face reality and the future, confront his problems, as well as forgive and accept the person that he is. With the jouncing of the limb, Gene realizes his problems and the true person he is inside. Fifteen years later, when revisiting the tree, he finally accepts and forgives himself. This journey is a long and painful one. At the end of this long and winding road filled with ditches, difficulties and problems, Gene emerges a mature adult. Gene jounces the limb and causes Finny's fall and at that moment becomes aware of his inner-self and learns of his true feelings. This revelation comes to him back in his room before he and Finny leave for the tree. It surrounds him with the shock of his true self until he finally reacts by jouncing the limb. Up in the tree, before the two friends are about to make their "double-jump", Gene sees Finny in this new light. He realizes that Finny feels no jealousy or hatred towards him and that Finny is indeed perfect in every way. Gene becomes aware that only he is the jealous one. He learns of his animosity and that he really is a "savage underneath". Over a long period of time Gene had been denying his feelings of hatred towards Finny, saying that it was normal for him to feel this way. Now all of the feelings come back to him and he sees how terrible he really is. The realization that these feelings are one-sided causes Gene to to fall dramatically in comparison to Finny (he paints himself black for these feelings and because Finny doesn't share them, he puts a halo around Finny's head), concludes with the neccessity for Finny to be brought down to his level, and results with Gene jouncing the limb. After the realization of the person he truly is, in his room and up in the tree, Gene must now confront his problems, face reality, and deal with the future. He must learn that communication is very important in a relationship and that he must express himself instead of keeping his feelings inside, as he had always done with Finny. He must learn to listen to himself rather than to others. These were just a few of the many problems there were in his relationship with Finny. He must face reality and acknowledge the fact that he isn't as great as Finny, that he is his own individual person and that Finny isn't as perfect as he thought. Gene must accept the guilt for Finny's difficulties after his injury and must help Finny as a punishment and act of repentence for his deed. Gene does this by "giving a part of himself to Finny" as we see with the case of sports throughout the rest of the novel - how Gene "becomes" Finny when it comes to sports. Although the above are all of great importance, the greatest hurdle Gene must overcome is learning to live with what he's done. This painful step is the one which will allow him to completely mature. The final stage of Gene's maturation is his self-acceptence and self-forgivness. He has to accept that he isn't perfect and that he, like any other normal being (even Finny), has faults. Accepting that his innocence has been lost helps Gene move on into another part of his life and realize that he can never return to the days of his innocent youth again. He can now become a man, enter the war and adult world and leave his youth behind. Forgiving himself is the step which allows Gene to lead a normal life and enter society. He must finally forgive himself completely for his blind act and allow himself to "come in out of the rain". By accepting as well as forgiving the person that he is, Gene enables himself to move

Everyday French Phrases

Everyday French Phrases There are some French phrases that you will hear literally every day or even multiple times a day and even use yourself. If you are studying French, or plan to visit France, its important that you learn and practice five often-used French phrases. Ah Bon Ah Bon  literally means oh good, though  it  commonly translates into English as: Oh yes?Really?Is that so?I see. Ah bon  is used primarily as a soft interjection, even when its a question  where a  speaker is indicating interest and maybe a little surprise. The examples list the French sentence on the left with the English translation on the right.      Speaker 1:  Jai vu un film intà ©ressant hier.  I saw an interesting movie yesterday.  Ã‚   Speaker 2: Ah  bon?     Oh, yes? Or in this example: Speaker 1: Je pars aux États-Unis la semaine prochaine.   Im going to the United States next week.  Speaker 2: Ah bon? Really? Ça va Ça  va  literally means it goes. Used in casual conversation,  it can be both a question and a reply, but its an informal expression. You probably wouldnt want to ask your boss or a stranger this question unless the setting was casual. One of the most common uses of  Ãƒ §a  va  is  as a greeting  or to ask how someone is doing, as in: Salut, Guy, à §a va?   Hi, Guy, hows it going?Comment à §a va?   Hows it going? The expression  can also be an exclamation: Oh! Ça va!   Hey, thats enough! Cestdire Use cestdire when you want to say I mean or that is. Its a way to clarify what youre trying to explain, as in: Il faut à ©crire ton nom l, cestdire, ici.   You need to write your name there, I mean, here. Il faut que tu commences y mettre du tien ici.   You need to start pulling your weight around here. Il Faut In French, its often necessary to say its necessary. For that purpose, use il faut, which is the conjugated form of  falloir,  an  irregular French verb.  Falloir  means to be necessary or to need. It is  impersonal, meaning that it has only one grammatical person: the third person singular. It may be followed by the subjunctive, an infinitive, or a noun. You can use  il faut  as follows:   Ã‚  Il faut partir.  Ã‚  Its necessary to leave.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Il faut que nous partions.   We have to leave.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Il faut de largent pour faire à §a.   You need money to do that. Note that this last example literally translates to, Its necessary to have money. But, the sentence translates into normal English as You need money to do that, or You have to have money for that. Il Y A Whenever youd say there is or there are in English, you would use  il y a in French.  It is most commonly followed by an  indefinite article   noun, a  number   noun, or an  indefinite pronoun, as in: Il y a des enfants l-bas.   There are some kids over there.Jai vu le film il y a trois semaines.   I saw the movie three weeks ago.Il y a 2 ans que nous sommes partis.   We left two years ago.

Te Uku - wind farm project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Te Uku - wind farm project - Assignment Example t which is the first of its kind in New Zealand was commissioned in 2010 and successfully built by a joint alliance between a giant electricity generating and retailer company known as Meridian Energy and WEL Networks which is a lines company (WEL Networks, 2010). At its full capacity, the Te Uku - wind farm project is estimated to have a potential of generating up to 65MW of electricity which is currently enough to power more than 30, 000 local New Zealand homes. This is critically important not only to the local populations but also to the government of New Zealand (NZWEA, 2010). For example, apart from the local benefits, the project not only adds to New Zealand’s growing portfolio of renewable energy sources but is also set to contribute towards the country’s energy self sufficiency goals. This report provides a critical overview of Te Uku - wind farm project, reasons for its success as well as its potential outcomes to the region. The planning as well as the successful management of the Te Uku Wind farm project was primarily carried out and supervised by a team consisting of members from five different companies. For example, the principal project engineers who were largely responsible for overseeing the civil engineering design and delivery of construction materials were from Bloxam Burnett & Olliver Company. On the other hand, Coffey Geotechnics provided geotechnical consultancy for the project including inspections and certification of earthworks and construction of turbine foundations. The other companies that were involved in the planning and management of the project included Hick Spartan Joint Venture which was the main contractor for roading and earthworks including the construction of turbine foundations, Coffey Information which provided field and laboratory testing and Siemens New Zealand which was responsible for the construction of the wind turbines (WEL Networks, 2009). With support from a number of sub-contractors and sub-consultants, the

News feature story Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

News feature story - Article Example He has said that the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) is outdated and has one hundred and six occupations, many of which are less skilled and no longer in demand. The Senator has announced a new Skilled Occupation List (SOL) intended to focus on high value trades and professions and to deliver highly skilled immigrants and crackdown on persons who, through low-value education courses, are in search of permanent residency in Australia. The list will be introduced mid-year and a review of points test used to assess migrants to ensure the selection of the best and brightest will take place. SOL is a critical reform in the overhaul of the skilled migration program by the Government and it closes the door on people seeking to manipulate the migration system. All offshore General Skilled Migration’s applications placed before 1 September 2007 will be withdrawn. These people applied overseas under easier standards, including a less rigorous work experience requirement and lower English language skills. Only persons with pertinent qualifications in occupations that it lists will qualify for independent general skilled migration. Worthy to note is the fact that the new SOL introduction does not change the concessions announced in February that provide generous transition arrangements for current and former international students looking for a visa under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) program.

Cambodian Genocide Essay Example for Free

Cambodian Genocide Essay Mass graves overflowing with bodies. Bodies which have been mutilated and burned lay on the ground. Carelessly thrown everywhere as if they are not even human. This was the sight in war torn Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge controlled Cambodia and terrorized the people. They killed people who were educated, from a certain ethnic group, from a certain region, opposed the Khmer Rouge or just wore glasses. People were taken to facilities used for killing and torture and were never seen again. People were forced out of the cities and put in work camps. The people from the cities were called the New People while the existing farmers and rural peasants were called Old People. The New People were despised by the Khmer Rouge for their Western ideas. The leader of the KR, Pol Pot set up the communist government in Cambodia after the U. S. A carpet bombed Cambodia and made it politically unstable. The genocide that followed this was horrendous. The effects of it still remain. The Cambodian Genocide followed the eight steps of genocide and negatively impacted Cambodia for years to come. Classification categorizes people based on their ethnicity, race, religion or nationality. A classification in this genocide was the Old People and the New People system. The people that were kicked out of the urban cities were called the New People because of their Western ideas. The people that were farmers before the Khmer Rouge takeover were called the Old People. The Khmer Rouge got most of their support from the rural people unlike the Soviets who gleaned their support from the urban elements. The New People were more abused than the Old People. They were considered the lowest in the village and had no freedom of speech. They had to listen to the other classes. They were also not allowed to farm because they had led â€Å"corrupt† lives and had to be trained to be â€Å"productive† workers. In order to break their spirits and instill a sense of loyalty, the New People were given the longest and hardest work. The New People were not the only people that were abused and killed by the Khmer Rouge. Muslim Chams were heavily killed and oppressed. They were forced to eat pork (which is highly discouraged in Islam). If they refused to eat it then they were killed with a blow to the back of the neck with a hoe. About 400,000 Muslims were killed through this extermination process. The classification stage was heavily used in the Cambodian genocide. Symbolization refers to how people apply symbols to these different categories. The Khmer Rouge assigned a blue scarf to the people who were from the Eastern Zones of Cambodia. This blue scarf was a basically a sign that told the Khmer Rouge who was marked for extermination.. They also killed people who wore glasses. They said that the glasses symbolized that the wearer could read and was therefore literate. They also targeted cities. They destroyed some and others were re purposed to fit their needs. They believed that the cities depicted a westernized ideology and that they could not fit into their peasantism ideology. Dehumanization is the third stage in genocide. It is the denial of the other groups humanity. It depicts the other group as being less human and helps the extremists get over their squeamishness to kill. This tactic was used to demonize higher ranking people of the opposition. This means that they painted their enemies as demons who threatened the well being of the revolution. All genocides are organized. No matter how little. The Khmer Rouge evacuated Phnom Penh which led to the desolation of cities. They also classified people as Old or New People which led to the division of the people. They separated families and children and sent them to work camps where they were forced to do hard labor. They also processed city dwellers and asked them to provide autobiographies in order to document their class background. This helped them draw up kill list for people who were suspected of treason or were just from an ethnic class that was despised by them or was unfit to live. Polarization is the act of killing the opposition or the moderates who oppose the extremists. The Khmer Rouge basically decided that they wanted to show that they had enemies. So they put the New People against the Old People. The New People hated the Old People because they were favored more by the Khmer Rouge and were not worked so hard and received more food. The Old People hated the New People because the Khmer Rouge hated them. This widened the gap between the people and made them easy to manipulate. They also painted the U. S. A and Vietnam as their enemies. Basically anyone who was tied to the West was considered an enemy. Dehumanization made it easier for the to kill the â€Å"enemy†. Identification is identifying the victims and classifying them. The Khmer Rouge was secretive from the beginning. They had an agenda that included the eradication of the Vietnamese in Cambodia, yet they relied on them as allies. In preparation, the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia secretly killed Cambodians that had been trained by the North Vietnamese. They were also forced to remain hidden because they were violently attacked by Prince Sihanouks government. Ironically after his exile, he joined forces with the Khmer Rouge. But all their alliances were temporary even though the Vietnamese and Prince Sihanouk thought of them as permanent. The Khmer Rouge had their own agenda. The forced evacuation of Phnom Penh was a preparation step for the genocide. Extermination is basically a fancy term for genocide but the frankness of it shows the effects of dehumanization. Extermination is a term that describes the killings of pests. The victims are not considered humans. They are considered vermin or pests. This prompted the makings of mass graves and the brutal killings that took place. People were killed by harsh forced labor, mass executions and internal killings. The KR imposed harsh labor. They forced the people to work from dawn till dusk. They barely had any food and they were not allowed to grow their own. The KR also conducted mass executions in which hundreds of thousands of people were executed. After sometime the KR became paranoid and started killing their own members who they suspected of treason. They also killed members who were not behaving in a way that the KR wanted them to. Denial is when the country in which the genocide took place tries to cover up the evidence and divert attention away from the atrocities that were committed there. They basically burned all the records and then don’t allow historians to view the very little records that have survived the burnings. They hide the evidence. They cover up the mass graves. They burn then or try to dig them up some more. This is done to make sure that they cant be tried by a court for their actions. Denial is a big problem because the destruction of the evidence makes it harder to try the people behind the genocide. The cruelty that the Cambodian people under went is unimaginable. But the worst part is that we could have stopped this atrocity during the first six stages of the genocide. Our reluctance caused suffering for people who unfortunately lived in Cambodia. The people who were behind it may have been brought to justice but their actions are still affecting Cambodia today. The Cambodian Genocide followed the eight steps of genocide and negatively impacted Cambodia for years to come.

The Socio-Economic Link Between Town and Country Essay example -- Karl

Nowadays, nine tenth of the global population are residents of cities. This implies that urbanization reduced modern world to a state where the vast majority of population dwells in the urban areas. Nevertheless, peripheral regions constitute a substantial segment of a state`s socio-economic pattern. One of the most prominent philosophers of the nineteenth century, Karl Marx, in his extraordinary 1848 political treatise The Communist Manifesto, wrote, â€Å"The bourgeoisie has subjected the country to the rule of the towns. It has created enormous cities, has greatly increased the urban population as compared with the rural and has thus rescued a considerable part of the population from the idiocy of rural life. [†¦] it has made the country dependent on the towns† (366). In fact, Marx establishes the idea that bourgeoisie by exploiting proletarians of rural areas encourages an essential social and economic inequality between town and country. Contrariwise, Ad am Smith, one of the most influential economic thinkers of the eighteenth century, in his distinguished 1776 work Of the Natural Progress of Opulence, asserted, â€Å"The great commerce is that between town and country, which is obviously advantageous to both† (351). Inherently, Smith states the concept that country and town exist in a ‘mutual and reciprocal’ socio-economic causation and consent, in which both participants succeed in a relevant mode. To sum up, there is a significant discrepancy in Marx`s and Smith`s opinions. Specifically, Marx maintains that the country is obliged to submit to the absolute dominion of the town, or, by means of Smith`s formulation, ‘the gain of the town is the loss of the country,’ and oppositely Smith argues that there is country modifying... ...nt mode, whereas Marx suggests that in these circumstances the country acts as a defeated party. Particularly, Smith might agree that there is inequality in lifestyles between country and town, nevertheless this inequality is determined not by the town exploiting the country, but is created by the disproportional distribution of opulence between them. The other disagreement manifests in the idea that despite Marx suggests that urban lifestyle is more acceptable than rural, Smith asserts that rural lifestyle is ‘original’ and more preferable for the ordinary citizen. However, despite obvious dissensions between Marx`s and Smith`s argumentations, generally they converge to the ideological balance, since, both Marx and Smith agree that the nature of socio-economic relationships between town and country is fundamentally positive for the general population of the state.

Women in the Military

Gender discrimination is a paradigm that has affected the role of women in the society depicting her as a minority contributor. Although the number of women in the military continuously increases this mishap is predominantly depicted because women are not allowed to engage in most combat duties as their counterpart male partners in most countries for example Germany, Spain and Italy. This further stimulates the physical and mental characteristics of men and women which argue against the support of women in the battle field. Women are perceived to be weaker than men because of their body structure which contains less dense skeletal systems thus have a higher possibility of fracturing or breaking their body parts. It is also argued that women’s bodies cannot handle the g-forces that are part and parcel of combat pilots therefore, less regarded in the aviation unit. Moreover, women are perceived as more prone to health risks than men thus highly vulnerable. A fact the submarine departments relies on to deny women career opportunities in this field (Adeboyejo 7-15). Women are also considered as psychologically incompetent because men lack the confidence of women performing similar duties as them thus mistrusts them. Men are likely to develop sexual relationship with the women thus affecting their performances. This also leads to unwanted pregnancies which incapacitates the role of the women. Furthermore, women are more likely to be captured by war enemies to be later subjected to dehumanizing acts such as sexual harassment and torture. Cultural practices and beliefs also perpetuate gender discrimination in military as these practices do not allow women to perform military tasks which are regarded as men’s role. Women who engage in this practice are considered as sexually promiscuous and therefore alienated from the community. Therefore, women are forced to prove their competence more than men to counter these allegations (Silva 937-960). This report aims at sharing the views and experiences of women in the military to enable the society to broaden its perspective and knowledge in an attempt of dispelling this paradigm and improve the situation for other younger women who desire to purse military as their career. History of Women in US Military The role of women in the US military was highly emphasized from the early 1900s though gender discrepancy took the toll of their activities and they were not allowed to engage in many tasks that military men were involved in. For instance in 1917 women were recruited as military nurses and doctors to tend to the injured men. Between 1940 and 1943 women were allowed to volunteer their services into the military forces where military curriculum was prevailed to their vicinity. However, they were given small ranks and duties such as being auxiliary corps and administrative officers while the men were their bosses. In the 1990s women were allowed to involve themselves with combat roles though were not accorded the opportunity to participate in the front lines. They were given small menial tasks such as carrying heavy war equipments and weapons to the front lines (Baker 12-238). Lately the role of women in the military have been further defined as a small percentage engages in the combat duties, submarine operations and aviation duties such as military pilots as bans that restricted women from flying aviation planes and ships have been lifted, for instance approximately 170,000 military women are among the US forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan (Baker 205). However, they still have to concentrate on proving their competence to the men and the traditional society (Baker 183-227). Hardships that Women in the Military Face Civilization has not totally eradicated this phenomenon as the appointment of officers is still not fairly done because women are treated as the minority which favors the men availing more appointment vacancies to them. Also the selection criteria for women is higher in comparison to that of men as conducted research depicts women in this field to be more learned than men. Therefore, women need to prove their confidence as there are very limited slots for their enrollment into the combat unit for instance in America approximately 15% of the women in the military force are allowed to serve in the combat unit (Mitchell 176). Women also still have to face sexual abuse and molestation from their counter parts while conducting their tasks. On the contrary this unjustly actions go unpunished as women who report such incidents are perceived as weak and thus cannot handle pressure and danger (Onesto para2-5). On the other hand the life of military women who report the incidents are made miserable while in the force by men who would go to extents of killing those women as a teaching guide to others to keep their mouths shut. For example Spc. Kamisha who was murdered in cold blood by her assaulter who she had previously reported three times (Creveld 85). Clearly these complaints in most occasions fall on deaf ears thus perpetuating the criminal offense. For instance in reference to the above case, Spc. Kamisha had reported her assaulter three times with no stern action being taken against him. This increases the vigor of women as they attempt to overcome this predicament and shun it while trying to prosper in the military field. Military women are also commanding for respect and recognition of their rights from the male counterparts, the society and traditional beliefs (Creveld 82-98). It is also quite evident that men in the military receive recognition and acknowledgment for their efforts and success unlike women who have to fight for this provision by demanding popularity in the force which prevails opportunities for them to prove their competence. Also the fact that women are supposed to serve their families and fully dedicate their lives to family responsibilities has increased the campaigns against the incorporation of women in the combat unit especially in countries where Muslim as a religion is prevalent. Therefore, women try to perform dual duties of establishing their responsibilities in the military forces and at home as mothers, in an attempt of proving to the society and men in the military of their capabilities in addressing the two responsibilities to earn the same treatment and respect accorded to man (Mitchell 256). The society has depicted two different stereotypes in the human race where men are portrayed as more analytical than women thus performs their duties better than women. In the event women in the military have to emanate more effort so as to be accorded the same treatment as men and allowed to engage in tasks that men are involved in, for instance submarine and aviation activities. Therefore, women have to maximize on their liberation from administrative and cultural constraints to portray their independence and unshakable attitude to discern this allegations and prove their abilities to work under pressure depicting analytical skills (Hogg para. 3-6). Current Status of Women in the US Military. In the past women were banned from participating into ground combat activities as they did not fulfill the criteria set in the physical test standards. Currently these standards have been re-evaluated and changed to allow more women to perform combat duties as men because of the high demand for military troops to perpetuate peace in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the event women have been allowed to perform their civic responsibilities however, women are still demanding equal civic promotions and acknowledgment. This initiative has still not been fully approved even though implementation steps have taken place. Critics of this move argue that this provision will disrupt the cohesion of men while on duty thereby decreasing their performance and concentration. Also, more women are being recruited into military camps and marine forces. Furthermore, the women are now being trained to defend themselves against sexual harassment and discrimination to avert the inhuman vices that surround them (Manning 7-12). Conclusion The society, government, ethicists and critics should aim at stipulating legislations that support military women to enable them to develop their careers by availing the same treatment accorded to men and in the event protect their rights. Therefore, military women should volunteer to share their experiences both the hard times and jovial moments to enable effective publication of the social injustices they undergo and thus perpetuate the eradication of gender discrepancies in the military, thereby allowing more female youths with the desire of perpetuating their civic responsibility as military agents to do so with ease and pleasure. Word Count: 1413 Annotated Bibliography Adeboyejo, Betsy. â€Å"Women in the Military Face Increasing Opportunity and Risk. † Crisis (15591573). 110. 3 (2003): 7-15. Adeboyejo outlines the increased opportunities for recruiting women in the military as they are can now engage in Marine Corps and aviation unit activities. However, the author stipulates the risks that women have to face while in the military and sends an outcry to the relevant authority challenging them to re-evaluate their policies and improve the working environment for women. Baker, Anni. Life in the U. S. Armed Forces: (not) Just Another Job. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008. The author gives the history of women in the military and the development the career has undergone. She further elaborates the duties of both women and men in the military outlining the dedication they put to protect the residents of their countries. Furthermore, she explains that they need to be highly regarded and respected for the work they do is cannot be compensated. Anni also encourages the youths to consider military as their career prospectus because it will give them a chance to fulfill their civic duty and thus reduce the crime rate in the society. Creveld, Van. â€Å"Armed But Not Dangerous: Women in the Israeli Military†. War in History. 7. 1 (2000): 82-98. The author explains the hardships that women in the military face. He further liberates the practice of women always being armed because he describes it as a mechanism for protecting themselves from unethical behaviors that deny them their rights. Hogg, Jennifer. Military Women – Ready to Rock the Boat 18th, July, 2008. Women's Media Center. 22nd, May, 2008. < http://www. womensmediacenter. com/ex/071808. html>. Jennifer Hogg an author in the Women's Media Center published this document with the aim of outlining issues that curb the development of women. She discusses the role the society, government and traditional practices plays in advocating for gender inequality. She uses the military career for women as an example and elaborates what these women face while trying to prove their self worth. Manning, Lory. â€Å"Military Women†. Women's Review of Books. 21. 5 (2004): 7-12. The author studies the life of women who peruse military as their career. The conditions and attitudes that the women in the military display are well elaborated in the journal. The author also mentions the struggle that the women have done to improve the condition of their career which has had a positive impact on the perception of the society and government bodies. Mitchell, Brian. Women in the Military: Flirting with Disaster. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 1998. The author explains the kind of conditions women in the military undergo describing the career as a disaster. He outlines the hardships women have to dwell with everyday and the extent the mechanisms they have adopted to be able to shun the paradigm of gender discrepancy. Onesto, Li. Reality for Women in the U. S. Military: Rape in Uniform. 8th, December, 1996. Revolutionary Worker #886. 22nd, May, 2009. < http://rwor. org>. Onesto, Li a revolutionary worker wrote this piece with the aim of uncovering the sexual harassment, molestation and abuse women in the military face. She explains that when she was on duty the things she saw were horrific as women would get gang raped and not report the incident for fear of her life. Onesto says that those incidents broke her heart thus decided to air out the grievances that women in the military face in an attempt of attracting the attention of the relevant authority. Silva, Jennifer. â€Å"A New Generation of Women? : How Female ROTC Cadets Negotiate the Tension between Masculine Military Culture and Traditional Femininity. † The University of North Carolina Press 87. 2 (2008): 937-960. The author conducted interviews on, military women and men in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps to learn how women surpass the allegation aired out because of going against traditional practices and indulging themselves in masculine activities.

Letter to Jane Austen

Dear Miss Austen: I have recently had the pleasure of reading your new novel Pride and Prejudice, and am moved to make a few comments, which I feel to be of moment. I would first like to congratulate you on a remarkable literary accomplishment, which I feel will endure the test of time. I can assure you that the novel is being read and discussed in the learned and genteel society of London with much interest. It is my opinion that it will continue to be read with as much avidity at the turn of the millennium, such is its lasting appeal. Why I feel so positive about your works I will try to explain as follows. I greatly enjoyed the dialogue that you employ in your novels. Such dialogue is a whiff of fresh air to the English novel. It is short, crisp and vibrant, such as the readership of the English novel have never experienced before. It delineates character accurately, and yet at the same time carries the plot forward at a vibrant pace. It is never dull, for it is always laced with irony, sarcasm and humor. The characters are drawn with a subtle pen, and yet always seem to have a strong and distinct presence. Somehow you make it seem as if the ordinary day-to-day life in a country parish is as exciting as the tales brought back by travelers of the wild seas. How this is so, it is hard to analyze. On this point, I assure you, I have entered into heated discussions with some companions of mine. It is a bone of contention as to what philosophy you represent. As you know, this is the age of new ideas. The revolution that has taken place in Paris and on the continent testifies that we are indeed entering a brave new world, one that promises freedom for all. The French writers and philosophers revive the virtues of the classical world, and in doing so they represent the philosophy of order and reason. On the other hand the poets of Germany, mistrusting reason, and rejecting its excesses, are glorifying passion instead. Goethe and Schiller are great writers who compose novels and plays in which inner man is far more important than intellectual outer self. They are classified as the Romanticists, and our own Isles boast the likes of Wordsworth, Southey and Coleridge, who are writing in this vein. Both these philosophies are worthy of respect, for they both promise freedom. The French philosophers of the Enlightenment promise freedom from the age old clutches of superstition. The Romanticists promise a world in which our passions have fulfillment. But so far we are not able to agree on your specific philosophy. I feel that in Sense and Sensibility you have brought these two philosophies to a head. Of the two Dashwood sisters that it may concern, Elinor Dashwood you make the preserve of sense, therefore of the classical virtues of order, restraint and reason. She proceeds with caution, and does not let herself be known easily. On the other hand her younger sister Marianne Dashwood is clearly the protagonist of sensibility, impulsive and careless. However, the outcome of both sisters is happy, for they are matched in the end. Both sisters suffer tribulations, of different sorts, through the novel. On the whole, we cannot judge that one path is better than the other, solely on the evidence given to us. Yet the message that I am able to read from the novel is that the middle road is the best. Those who judge Elinor and Marianne by categories of philosophy fail to take into account their development throughout the novel. In the end it is Elinor’s feeling, which overcomes her restraint, that helps her in her choice. On the other hand Marianne’s experiences teach her restraint, without which her match would have eluded her. The same kind of truth is inherent, I feel, in the opening to your novel Pride and Prejudice, which reads: â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife† (Austen 1). Whether it is your intention or not, such an opening speaks to me of a precious truth, and this is that universal truth can only be found in the mundane world. Beyond all the elevated ideas of Classicism and Romanticism there is the simple matter of life, of finding a suitable partner, of homemaking and the raising of children, so that the wheel of life may turn in its eternal way. In all your novels the utmost importance in put on the function of finding one’s ideal match. Many might construe your novels to be about scheming women, cynically extracting the greatest advantage from marriage. I, however, see it in a different light. In my opinion, your novels are celebrating mundane life. This is why they seem so fresh and exhilarating. The men of ideas have over-emphasized thinking. Yes, even Romanticism is a philosophy in the end. Because we live in an age of ideas, thinking tends to surfeit all fields, even such a popular art as novel writing. Authentic life is forgotten in the process. Put in another way, the world has become too over-burdened with the male perspective. The woman’s perspective is needed to bring the balance back. This is what you provide, and it indeed meets the call of the age. Many would compare your novels to those of the great epistolary novelist Samuel Richardson. Like yours, his heroines are concerned with finding matches above their station. But the similarities do not proceed much further than this. Pamela is a one dimensional morality tale. The full title bears this out better, for it bears the subtle â€Å"Virtue Rewarded†. In it the heroine Pamela is shown to resist all the evil advances of her master, Mr. B., which includes rape, imprisonment, and torture. The reward for protecting her virtue, in the end, is that her master consents to marry her, vowing to be a reformed man. The plot is crude, cynical and unrealistic. It is open to satire, and all know how Henry Fielding satirizes Pamela twice, first in Shamela, then in Joseph Andrews. But it is not so easy to satirize Elizabeth Bennett, or Elinor Dashwood. This is because such characters are drawn with subtle nuances, and thus are far closer to life. Many of your female protagonists are aiming to secure social status, prestige and privilege through marriage, just as is Pamela. But those who harbor only cynical motives are shown come to bad passes. The message we read from your novels is that such social aspirations are only normal. But the suitability of match is equally important. And indeed the affections of the courting couple must not be ignored. This is so because marriage is a defining moment of life. On the whole, we learn that marriage and family life are of overriding importance. These are some of my thoughts on reading your novels Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. Yours truly, â€Å"Admirer† Works Cited Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London: Pan Books, 1978.   

A common proverb is Actions speak louder than wo Essays - Philosophy

A common proverb is Actions speak louder than wo Essays - Philosophy A common proverb is Actions speak louder than words. This phrase means that words are meaningless without actions. Actions give purpose to your words because people say and make promises but have no intentions on keeping them. Acting according to your word will allow people to be more inspired and will most likely draw people to you. For instance, a candidate who honors his word will more likely be chosen over a candidate who doesn't. Lastly, without actions, there are no results. So therefore, actions give meanings to your words, people are most likely to be inspired by someone who honors their word, and without actions there are no results. In today's world, everyone has the freedom to say anything that he or she wishes to say. However, this does not mean that everything we say is truthful and should be taken literally. When someone declares something magnificent that they wish to achieve, how many of them actually take steps towards this goal. To truly discover who someone is, one must understand their body language and how they act. Often times, what people say and their actions can be entirely different, in this instance, it is more reliable to trust the latter. Furthermore, words are easier to forget, while actions are harder to forget because they have a more lasting physical effect on people and the world around them. Actions, compared to words, are concrete and have an everlasting impression. Words are meaningless without tangible evidence that proves what a person says. By this, a person may express claims, or go as far as threaten another person, to place inspiration or fear in them, but their statements are less meaningful unless they go through with what was said. Examples of this can be found in the politics, local communities, and everyday life. The new and current President of the United States, Donald Trump, told the public one of his plans for the country would include immigration bans. After the election was over, Trump pulled back from those. However, President Trump recently took action and the immigration ban temporarily prevents people and refugees from predominantly Muslims countries from entering the United States. His actions showed the world that he would keep his word and this helps people understand how actions must be followed through in order to get the meaning of what o ne says. Actions, while powerful, still are matched and to some overwritten by words. Words have the power to build nations or tear them apart. Additionally, words can be spread by means of mass communication while actions would only be seen by those present at the time that the action was done. However, while words are able to be communicated, if no action ever took place, then words would not matter and people will always be able to tell others of the events they witnessed. Words also have a unique way of inspiring people. Furthermore, words have the power to warn an audience of what may become our future if we don't take action. While all of these points are valid, the world is not built purely on words. After all, when words exist conflict arises that only action has the power to end. In conclusion, while an argument can be made that words are stronger than actions, without actions the world would not be able to make the necessary steps that are needed to have the world be where it is today. All things considered, actions give meaning to your words, create results, and ultimately have the power to influence people more than words. It's important to follow through with actions so that the things you do are coherent with the things you say. Otherwise, your words are futile and ineffective. Actions also create results and essentially influence people more than words. If you had to choose between showing your love or saying I love you, which one would make more of an impact?

Russell Surname Meaning and Family History

Russell Surname Meaning and Family History Russell is a common patronymic surname derived from the given name Rousel, old French for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion. Russell is the 93rd most popular surname in the United States and England, and the 47th most common surname in Scotland. Surname origin:  English, Scottish, IrishAlternate surname spellings:  Russel, Rusell, Roussell, Ruessell, Roussel, Ruessel   Famous People With the Surname Robert C. Russell - Inventor of the Soundex system for indexing names by the way they soundJames Russell - Invented the compact disk (CD) in 1965 Where Is This Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution data from Forebears, the Russell surname is among the top 100 most common surnames in a number of countries, including The Bahamas (15th), Scotland (60th), Australia (68th), New Zealand (72nd), the United States (87th), England (90th), and Jamaica (91st). In England, the name is most commonly found in the southwestern counties- Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, and Surrey. WorldNames PublicProfiler identifies Australia as the country where the Russell surname is most common today, as well as in Scotland, particularly in South and North Lanarkshire, West Lothian, Falkirk, and Clackmannan. Genealogy Resources Russell  family crest: Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Russell  family crest or coat of arms for the Russell surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.Russell family genealogies: Links to descendant genealogies for a number of early Russell families in the United States.Russell family genealogy forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Russell surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Russell query.FamilySearch - Russell genealogy: Explore over 5.6  million  historical records which mention individuals with the Russell surname, as well as online Russell family trees on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.GeneaNet Russell  records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources f or individuals with the Russell  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Russell  genealogy and family tree: Browse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Russell  from the website of Genealogy Today. Sources Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Locate a scholarly article describing an applied or mixed-methods Essay

Locate a scholarly article describing an applied or mixed-methods approach to research, preferably a research article where this - Essay Example and (2) what are the internal and external factors which seem to impact new product success and failure? (Wei & Morgan 377)1. On the other hand, for the quantitative strand, the research questions focused on the following hypotheses: (1) A firm’s market orientation is associated positively with its new product performance; (2) The supportiveness of a firm’s organization climate is associate positively with its market orientation; and (3) The supportiveness of a firm’s organizational climate is associated positively with its new product performance (Wei & Morgan 378, 379)2. The study adapted a mixed-methodology called sequential exploratory mixed-methods research design. As explained in Hesse-Biber, in this type of mixed-methods design, â€Å"the qualitative component is primary and is used to generate theory or specific theoretical constructs† (71). In this study, the qualitative strand was utilized in theory development and the quantitative strand was use d in the testing of three hypotheses.

Email for Prescription for control system Coursework

Email for Prescription for control system - Coursework Example er relevant budgets that need to be prepared to analyze the movement of costs are: production budget; raw materials and purchasing budget; as well as labor budget (Agriculture and Consumer Protection, n.d.); 4. The production budget should contain the following the following information where the budget is â€Å"expressed in quantitative terms only and is geared to the sales budget. The production managers duties include: (a) analysis of plant utilization; and (b) work-in-progress budgets. If requirements exceed capacity he may: (i) subcontract; (ii) plan for overtime; (iii) introduce shift work; or (iv) hire or buy additional machinery† (Agriculture and Consumer Protection, n.d., p. 1); 5. The raw materials and purchasing budget should be evaluated in the light of factors that could influence and affect these, including production requirements; planning stock levels; storage space; and trends of material prices (Agriculture and Consumer Protection, n.d.). 6. The labor budget, finally, must be analyzed in terms of the following factors that influence and affect the costs: production requirements; man-hours available and used; grades of labour required; wage rates (union agreements); and the need for incentives (Agriculture and Consumer Protection, n.d.). 10. These costs should therefore be monitored on a regular basis, say monthly, quarterly and annually, against the budgets prepared to determine the factors influencing them and to institute the required courses of action to control and manage these costs. In response to your proposal to purchase an offset press to print manuals, instead of purchasing them from local print shops, please be advised that to enable management to decide on its feasibility and viability, the following information would be required for comprehensive and effective review: 2. The installation cost to be incurred should be determined. Some suppliers incorporate the cost of installation to their quotation price for the equipment. Since

Shakespeares Sonnets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Shakespeares Sonnets - Essay Example For centuries, and still today, the theme of Shakespeare's sonnets was presented as a complex set of stories concerning Shakespeare's own relationship(s) with that rival poet, his fair-haired friend, and a dark women, whom he either served, was in love with, or was angry with because she was pursuing his friend. Sonnet 149 continues the theme of the other sonnets by speaking to the dark lady. The sonnet seems to be both apologizing for the speaker's actions, as well as explaining those very same actions. The tone of the poem is apologetic as well as abject. It's a confusion shared by the speaker as well as the reader of the sonnet The tone is set by the first couple of lines of the sonnet by showing how subservient to his mistress the speaker has become, even to the point where he is going against himself or his own thoughts, by loving her "for her sake". The speaker continues on by saying that he will hate all those whom she hates, and that (though he considers her a tyrant) will punish himself if he does wrong by her. The speaker seems to have sunk so low that he does not even know, or understand, his own subservience (thy service to despise). In the very next line of the sonnet, he says the best of him worships the worst of her. This is the tone of someone who realizes that what he is doing is pretty low, but he sees no way that such actions can be stopped. Many experts agree with this assessment of the sonnet and even evidence it with the last two lines of the sonnet. "Tucker dismisses the couplet as 'either very obscure or impotent" and Booth notes that it 'seems inappropriate" (Evans 269). Lately, however, the theme from the sonnets has been challenged by a 'modern' translation that says William Shakespeare was expressing some homoerotic tendencies, but had to keep them under wraps because an individual (during that era) could be 'hanged from the neck' for sodomy or fellatio.Duncan-Jones states; "as for the compromising or 'disgraceful' elements of the sonnets: their homoeroticism is here confronted positively, and is newly contextualized within the powerfully 'homosocial' world of James I's court" (Duncan-Jones xiii) Many experts disagree with Duncan-Jones and even use the sonnet(s) as evidence that Shakespeare was not homosexual, but was in fact, the exact opposite.The structure of the sonnet is classic Shakespearian. Shakespeare enjoyed writing sonnets and followed the English sonnet pattern, rather than the Italian pattern. This pattern is recognizable as the standard pattern for sonnets and includes fourteen-line poems set in an iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg. As I read and analyzed this particular sonnet, the tone led me to believe that I did understand and feel the tone when it was perceived in the old-fashioned way; man torn between his love of a dark women, whom he should not love and society's perception of his love, than the Johnny-come-lately perception of the sonnet that says Shakespeare was attempting to espouse his 'homosexual' tendencies. The sonnet just did not make sense to me when I tried to read his love for another man into it. Sonnet 149 (Paraphrased) O cruel one, can you say you don't love me - Canst thou, O cruel, say I love thee not When I go against my own best

Rural Financial Intermediation of Ghana

Rural Financial Intermediation of Ghana CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study The rural sector comprises nearly 80% of Ghanas population of 18.5 million, with rural economic activities providing employment and incomes for an estimated 60% of rural dwellers (World Bank, 2001). At the same time, nearly 30 percent of rural inhabitants live below the poverty line. However, financial services remain significantly limited at present, mainly provided by informal groups and rural banks. After relatively successful macroeconomic and financial sector reforms, the absence of strong rural and micro finance institutions have continued to impede the attainment of rapid rural economic development. Existing rural financial institutions are often community-based, with strong socio-cultural linkages. The rural banks in particular are characterized by broad-based shareholdings by community members and compared to the larger commercial banks, have a higher propensity to serve clients with low asset base, education and/or collateral, clients who otherwise would have little or no access to formal financial services. At the same time, there is an emerging network of specialized micro-financial institutions that are testing out international best practice methodologies and adapting them to Ghanaian microfinance context and situations. Given the dispersion of rural banks, the nature of community ownership, and rural client base, development of strong rural and micro finance institutions would provide a coherent framework for rural economic growth that would lead to lowered poverty rates and improved standards of living for a majority of the countrys population. Since independence the Government of Ghana (GoG) has made several attempts to promote rural development to improve the living standards of its rural people. The 1992 Constitution has made a firm commitment to rural development as part of its national strategy to improve the living conditions in rural areas through decentralization with the establishment of political and administrative regions and districts. As part of its poverty reduction strategy the Government in 2000 sought funding from the World Bank under the Rural Financial Services Project (RFSP) to promote growth and reduce poverty in Ghana by expanding the outreach of financial services in rural areas and strengthening the sustainability of the institutions providing those services. The Rural Financial Services Project Objectives The Rural Financial Services Project (RFSP) seeks to promote growth and reduce poverty in Ghana by broadening and deepening financial intermediation in rural areas through the following measures: (i) strengthening operational linkages between informal and semiformal microfinance institutions and the formal network of rural and community banks in order to expand services to a larger number of rural clients; (ii) building capacity of the rural and community banks, the principal formal financial intermediaries operating in rural areas, in order to enhance their effectiveness and the quality of services they provide; (iii) supporting the establishment of an apex structure for the rural banking system to provide the economies of scale needed for these unit rural banks to address generic constraints related to check clearing, specie supply, liquidity management and training, etc. which have impeded growth of the rural finance sector; and (iv) strengthening the institutional and policy framework for improved oversight of the rural finance sector. 1.2 Problem Statement The search for a system to tackle the financial problems of the rural dweller started as far back as the 1960s under the Nkrumah regime. During that period, the need for a veritable rural financial system in Ghana to tackle the needs of small-scale farmers, fishermen, craftsmen, market women and traders and all other micro-enterprises was felt. The need for such a system was accentuated by the fact that the bigger commercial banks could not accommodate the financial intermediation problem of the rural poor, as they did not show any interest in dealing with these small-scale operators. Governments attempt in the past to encourage commercial banks to spread their rural network and provide credit to the agricultural sector failed to achieve any significant impact. The banks were rather interested in the finance of international trade, urban commerce and industry. There was, therefore, a gap in the provision of institutional finance to the rural agricultural sector. The failure of the commercial banks to lend on an appreciable scale to the rural sector had been attributed to the lack of suitable security on the part of farmers and the high operational costs associated with small savers and borrowers. Another reason may be the centralised structure of the banking set-up, which, despite their many branches countrywide, is controlled by their Head Offices in Accra, making decentralisation ineffective. One disadvantage of this system was that a centralised institution is not able to compete with the local private money lender in local knowledge and flexibility. More important still, the branch network of many banks covered mainly the commercial and semi-urban areas and did not reach down to the rural areas. Therefore, not only were rural dwellers denied access to credit from organized institutions, they could also not avail themselves of the opportunity of safeguarding their money and other valuable property which a bank provides. It is the realization that the existing institutional credit did not favour rural development that led to the search for a credit institution devoid of the challenges /disabilities of the existing banking institutions but possessing the advantages of the non-institutional credit agencies. This institution was the rural bank. 1.3 Research Questions The study sought to answer the following research questions: i. Are there success cases in the provision of rural financial services? ii. What are the challenges faced by the implementers of the Rural Financial Service Project (RFSP)? iii. How many of the rural poor have gained access to the financial services from the Rural and Community Banks? iv. What is the impact of the Rural Financial Service Project on the performance of the Rural and Community banks and what has been the profitability levels and shareholders fund of the rural banks? 1.4 Research Objectives The primary objective of the study was to ascertain the extent to which the Rural Financial Service Project had been able to promote growth and poverty reduction by strengthening the capacity of those institutions providing financial services. Other objectives for this study are as follows: i. To identify the challenges faced by the RCBs under the RFSP. ii. To assess the impact of the project on the growth and performance of the selected RCBs in terms of profitability, shareholders funds, total assets and deposits. iii. To determine the access of rural poor to financial services. 1.5 Significance of the Study The findings of this research may inform stakeholders: Government officials, policy makers, donor agencies, the World Bank and IMF of the importance of improving and strengthening the operational efficiency of the RCBs as an important intermediary in the provision of financial services to the rural areas to aid poverty alleviation. The recommendations, it is hoped, may encourage the formulation of appropriate policies and programmes to further develop these institutions with technical and financial assistance to lead the role of improving the quality of life of the rural dwellers. Results will contribute to a better understanding of the evolving structure of rural financial services and provide an input to the financial policy made by policy makers especially Bank of Ghana. 1.6 Scope of the Study The sampling area of the study covers 127 Rural and Community Banks in Ghana out of which five selected Rural and Community Banks in the Eastern, Ashanti and Greater Accra regions under the Rural Financial Service Project were considered as the sample size. These RCBs include Bosomtwe Rural Bank, Upper Manya Krobo Rural Bank, Ga Rural Bank, Nwabiagya Rural Bank and Dangme Rural Bank. The study looked at the financial performance of the Rural and Community Banks in Ghana between the period of 2002 and 2006 and also the impact of the RFSP on the selected RCBs. Impact was measured by growth in Profitability, Total deposits, Shareholders funds and access of rural poor to financial services. 1.7 Organization of the Study In order to present a systematic and consistent research, chapter one introduces the background of the study, the problem statement, the research questions, the objectives, significance of the study, and the scope of the study. Chapter two which is the literature review which will throw more light on related studies and concepts of rural financial service project, financial intermediations in the rural areas, challenges of rural financial intermediation and traditional approach to rural finance. Chapter three deals with the methodology adopted in the collection data for the research, description of the field instrument, procedure and data analysis. Chapter four is the presentation of results, interpretation and discussion of the results. Chapter five provides a summary of the study, the conclusions, limitations and recommendations of the study. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction Financial intermediation is a pervasive feature of all of the worlds economies. As Franklin Allen (2001) observed in his AFA Presidential Address, there is a widespread view that financial intermediaries can be ignored because they have no real effects. They are a veil. They do not affect asset prices or the allocation of resources. As evidence of this view, Allen pointed out that the millennium issue of the Journal of Finance contained surveys of asset pricing, continuous time finance, and corporate finance, but did not survey financial intermediation. Here we take the view that the savings-investment process, the workings of capital markets, corporate finance decisions, and consumer portfolio choices cannot be understood without studying financial intermediaries. 2.2 Importance of Financial Intermediaries Why are financial intermediaries important? One reason is that the overwhelming proportion of every dollar financed externally comes from banks. In the United States for example, 24.4% of firm investment was financed with bank loans during the 1970 1985 periods. Bank loans are the predominant source of external funding in all the countries. In none of the countries are capital markets a significant source of financing. Equity markets are insignificant. In other words, if finance department staffing reflected how firms actually finance themselves, roughly 25 percent of the faculty would be researchers in financial intermediation and the rest would study internal capital markets. As the main source of external funding, banks play important roles in corporate governance, especially during periods of firm distress and bankruptcy. The idea that banks monitor firms is one of the central explanations for the role of bank loans in corporate finance. Bank loan covenants can act as trip wires signaling to the bank that it can and should intervene into the affairs of the firm. Unlike bonds, bank loans tend not to be dispersed across many investors. This facilitates intervention and renegotiation of capital structures. Bankers are often on company boards of directors. Banks are also important in providing liquidity by, for example, backing commercial paper with loan commitments or standby letters of credit. Banking systems seem fragile. Between 1980 and 1995, thirty-five countries experienced banking crises, periods in which their banking systems essentially stopped functioning and these economies entered recessions. (See Demirg-Kunt, Detragiache, and Gupta (2000), and Caprio and Klingebiel (1996). Because bank loans are the main source of external financing for firms, if the banking system is weakened, there appear to be significant real effects (e.g., see Bernanke (1983), Gibson (1995), Peek and Rosengren (1997, 2000)). Basically, financial intermediation is the root institution in the savings-investment process. Ignoring it would seem to be done at the risk of irrelevance. So, the viewpoint of this paper is that financial intermediaries are not a veil, but rather the contrary. In this paper, we survey the results of recent academic research on financial intermediation (Gorton and Winton, 2000). 2.3 The Existence of Financial Intermediaries The most basic question with regard to financial intermediaries is: why do they exist? This question is related to the theory of the firm because a financial intermediary is a firm, perhaps a special kind of firm, but nevertheless a firm. Organization of economic activity within a firm occurs when that organizational form dominates trade in a market. In the case of the savings-investment process, households with resources to invest could go to capital markets and buy securities issued directly by firms, in which case there is no intermediation. To say the same thing in a different way, non-financial firms need not borrow from banks; they can approach investors directly in capital markets. Nevertheless, most new external finance to firms does not occur this way. Instead it occurs through bank-like intermediation, in which households buy securities issued by intermediaries who in turn invest the money by lending it to borrowers. Again the obligations of firms and the claims ultimately owned by investors are not the same securities; intermediaries transform claims. The existence of such intermediaries implies that direct contact in capital markets between households and firms is dominated. Why is this? is the central question for the theory of intermediation (Gorton and Winton, 2000). Bank-like intermediaries are pervasive, but this may not require much explanation. On the liability side, demand deposits appear to be a unique kind of security, but originally this may have been due to regulation. Today, money market mutual funds may be good substitutes for demand deposits. On the asset side, intermediaries may simply be passive portfolio managers, that is, there may be nothing special about bank loans relative to corporate bonds. This is the view articulated by Fama (1980). Similarly, Black (1975) sees nothing special about bank loans. Therefore, we begin with an overview of the empirical evidence, which suggests that there is indeed something that needs explanation. 2.4 Empirical Evidence on Bank Uniqueness What do banks do that cannot be accomplished in the capital markets through direct contracting between investors and firms? There is empirical evidence that banks are special. Some of this evidence also attempt to discriminate between some of the explanations for the existence of financial intermediaries discussed below. To determine whether bank assets or liabilities are special relative to alternatives, Fama (1985) and James (1987) examine the incidence of the implicit tax due to reserve requirements. Their argument is as follows: Over time, U.S. banks have been required to hold reserves against various kinds of liabilities. In particular, if banks must hold reserves against the issuance of certificates of deposit (CDs), then for each dollar of CDs issued, the bank can invest less than a dollar. The reserve requirement acts like a tax. Therefore in the absence of any special service provided by bank assets or bank liabilities, bank CDs should be eliminated by non-bank alternatives. This is because either bank borrowers or bank depositors must bear the tax. Since CDs have not been eliminated, some party involved with the bank is willing to bear the tax. Who is this party? Fama finds no significant difference between the yields on CDs and the yields on commercial paper and bankers acceptances. CD holders do not bear the reserve requirement tax and he therefore concludes that bank loans are special. James revisits the issue and looks at yield changes around changes in reserve requirements and reaches the same conclusion as Fama. Another kind of evidence comes from event studies of the announcement of loan agreements between firms and banks. Studying a sample of 207 announcements of new agreements and renewals of existing agreements, James (1987) finds a significantly positive announcement effect. These contrasts with non-positive responses to the announcements of other types of securities being issued in capital markets (see James 1987) for the references to the other studies). Mikkelson and Partch (1986) also look at the abnormal returns around the announcements of different type of security offerings and also find a positive respons e to bank loans. Tables 12 provide a summary of the basic set of results. There are two main conclusions to be drawn. First, bank loans are the only instance where there is a significant positive abnormal return upon announcement. Second, equity and equity-related instruments have significantly negative abnormal returns. James (1987) concludes, banks provide some special service not available from other lenders (p. 234). 2.5 Mechanisms to Improve Financial Intermediation Recent developments in growth theory have stimulated renewed interest in the interactions of financial intermediation and growth. While most of the existing literature analyses the risk- sharing function of financial intermediaries, Raju Jan Singh, 1997 focused on the asset-valuation activity of banks. Following the early contributions of Goldsmith (1969), McKinnon (1973) and Shaw (1973), a general equilibrium endogenous growth model is presented, in which financial intermediaries increase the amount of accumulated capital, improve the mobilization of savings and enhance the efficiency of resource allocation. As in Greenwood and Jovanovic (1990) and King and Levine (1993b), banks are shown to be able to improve their lending efficiency by evaluating projects. Unlike the models presented by these authors, the banks evaluation capacity is not assumed to be exogenous. The ability of banks to gather the information needed to undertake this evaluation is linked to proximity, and the notion of geography may thereby be introduced. A link between proximity and faster growth rates can thus be shown, consistent with the observations of historians such as Cameron (1967). Furthermore, Singh, 1997 showed that a bank can improve the efficiency of its lending by opening branches. A poor branch network would thus affect negatively the economic growth rate, as Cameron (1967) suggests in the case of France in the 19th century. By contrast, relaxing regulations limiting the setting up of branches would promote faster growth, as Jayaratne and Strahan (1996) observe in the case of the United States. The size of the financial sector is therefore not the only important variable; its structure and the distribution of its deposits matter likewise. The model presented by Raju Jan Singh, 1997 could be extended in various ways. The contract offered by the bank to its potential borrowers could be enriched by the inclusion of other variables besides the interest rate. For instance, collateral requirements might be considered. Cash-flow or corporate net wealth could also be introduced as additional sources of information for banks. In this context, the proportion of entrepreneurs being evaluated might appear to be dependent on the size of the latter only, and not only on the proximity of a bank branch. 2.6 Effect of Financial Intermediaries The finance-growth nexus can be theoretically postulated only within the endogenous growth framework. Financial intermediation, by reducing information and transaction costs, can affect economic growth through two channels; productivity and capital formation. With regard to the first channel, it is generally argued that financial intermediaries by facilitating risk management, identifying promising projects, monitoring management, and facilitating the exchange of goods and services, can promote efficient capital allocation leading to a total factor productivity improvement (Levine, 1997). For example, Greenwood and Jovanovic (1990) shows that financial intermediation provides a vehicle for diversifying and sharing risks, inducing capital allocation shift toward risky but high expected return projects. This shift then spurs productivity improvement and economic growth. Diamond and Dybvig (1983) argues that households facing liquidity risks prefer liquid but low-yield projects to illiquid but high-yield ones, while financial intermediaries, through pooling the idiosyncratic liquidity risks, would like to invest a generous portion of their funds into illiquid but more profitable projects. Bencivenga and Smith (1991) argue that financial inte rmediaries by eliminating liquidity risks, channel households financial savings into illiquid but high-return projects and avoid the premature liquidation of profitable investments which favours efficient use of capital and promotes economic growth. The impact of financial intermediation on growth through the second channel-capital formation-is ambiguous. Tsuru (2000) argues that financial intermediation could affect the savings rate, and then capital formation and growth, through its impact on four different factors: idiosyncratic risks, rate-of-return risks, interest rates and liquidity constraints. By reducing idiosyncratic risks and relaxing liquidity constraints, financial intermediation might lower the savings rate and negatively affect growth. By reducing the rate-of-return risks through portfolio diversification, financial intermediation might negatively or positively influence the savings rate, depending on the risk aversion coefficient (Levhari and Srinivasan, 1969). Finally, the development of financial intermediation might raise the rate of return for households savings, which also has an ambiguous effect on the savings rate due to well-known income and substitution effects. In addition, financial intermediaries effi ciency amelioration could cut the financial resources absorbed by themselves, and raise the portion of households savings converted into productive investment which favors capital formation and growth. In conclusion, the theoretical literature shows that the development of financial intermediation affects economic growth mainly through its impact on the efficiency of capital use and the improvement of total factor productivity, while its growth effect through the savings rate and capital formation is theoretically ambiguous. 2.7 Introduction to Rural Financial Services Rural financial services refer to all financial services extended to agricultural and non-agricultural activities in rural areas; these services include money deposit/savings, loans, money transfer, safe deposit and insurance. Demanders/beneficiaries of rural financial services are mainly households, producers, input stockists/suppliers, traders, agro-processors and service providers. Rural financial services help the poor and low income households increase their incomes and build the assets that allow them to mitigate risk, smoothen consumption, plan for future, increase food consumption, invest in education and other lifecycle needs. These needs can be broadly categorized into working capital, fixed asset financing, income smoothing and life cycle events. Access to credit and financial services have the potential to make a difference between grinding poverty and economically secure life. Inspite of the importance of a savings account, 77 percent of Kenyan households have no access to a bank account (Kodhek, 2003). In the late 1990s, most mainstream commercial banks closed down some rural branches in order to cut costs and improve profits. The non-traditional financial institutions have emerged to fill the gap created by the mainstream banks which locked out low income and irregular earners. 2.8 Financial Intermediation in Rural Areas Financial intermediation is crucial for the development of rural villages. If these intermediations are used properly, they can help the rural residents increase their income. Likewise, banks and financial intermediaries may be able to recover expenses and make a profit by attracting deposits and granting rural loans. Several reasons are given in favour of financial intermediation. It is argued that rural financial markets (RFMs) reduce the cost of exchanging real resources. Financial intermediations also enhance a more efficient resource allocation. Firms and individuals may have different investment and consumption alternatives. Thus, some of them want to save at the time others plan to invest. Banks satisfy both desires. In addition, financial intermediation causes gains in risk management. Rural producers are typically subject to large variations in income and expenditure. Rural production heavily depends on the weather and price fluctuations. For example, expenditures may be hea vy at planting periods while income is realized with harvest. Therefore loans and savings are important and inexpensive ways to manage at least part of households risks. Moreover, financial intermediation may allow a farmer to undertake larger investments. For instance, a loan may permit a rural producer to buy a tractor before being able to save enough money to buy one with cash. Likewise financial intermediaries can benefit large number of households by accepting their short term deposits and providing a fewer borrowers with longer-term loans. In fact, savers, borrowers and intermediaries gain from this transformation of term structures that take place through intermediation. In addition financial intermediaries that deal with borrowers as savers reduce the information asymmetry characteristic of RFMs. By observing the savings patterns of customers, they obtain information about the income and wealth of clients. By that banks are better able to assess the quality of borrowers and reduce default risk. The drawback is that there is a general tendency for governments in less developed countries (LDCs) to interfere in RFMs. Thus few observers of formal RFMs in LDCs are satisfied with their recent performance. Markets are highly fragmented; they provide little services to rural residents; political interest interferes with RFMs operations; and official lenders are frequently on the edge of bankruptcy. RFMs in LDCs do not work like the classic competitive markets. On the contrary, some imperfections are characteristic of rural banks. These imperfections lead to a variety of problems. For example, the available information is imperfect or asymmetric. These are classic problems of RFMs. Borrowers differ in the likelihood of default. However, it is costly to determine the risk of default of each borrower. This problem is conventionally known as the screening problem or sometimes it is called the adverse selection problem (see Srinivasan, 1994, p. 15). Moreover, it is also costly to ensure that borrowers take actions that facilitate repayment. This situation is known in the related literature as the incentive problem or moral hazard problem. This problem turns out to be particularly severe when rural banks lend money at concessionary interest rates. That is the way most governments run credit programmes. If a farmer receives cheap money he will not display enough effort to ensure repayment. For instance, in the presence of high interest rates, borrowers may select investment projects that have higher potential pay-offs but a greater risk. These sort of economic activities (investments) require more effort from the borrower to be successful. Finally, it is also costly to enforce the credit contracts. This factor gives rise to the enforcement problem of rural financial markets. There is very little or no penalty in default cases in rural areas of LDCs. Therefore, seldom are the borrowers expected to be sanctioned for loan delinquency. Often it is found that some rural borrowers may be able but unwilling to repay. In addition, in many LDCs property rights are poorly defined so that actions against collateralized assets are ineffective. Governments of many LDCs often, for political reasons, engage in credit relaxation programmes, which diminish borrowers incentive to make their projects successful. Therefore, it is not surprising that government-run credit suffers from a tremendous default problem. The final result is that RFMs have not developed as real and effective capital markets. In the absence of capital markets, individuals turn to moneylenders. The common belief is that moneylenders charge monopoly interest rates, which capture borrowers returns from credit. To overcome those problems innovative credit policy interventions are required. Some few new financial institutions are now being successful to combat market imperfections. Among such institutions are the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and some of its replications. For instance, group lending allows the financial institutions to transfer risk and transactions costs to credit recipients. It also permits some banking firms to monitor borrowers with other borrowers. 2.9 Current evidence: what we know 2.9.1 Challenges to Rural Financial Intermediation Hoff and Stiglitz (1990) and Besley (1994) have identified three major constraints to financial market development: information asymmetries between market participants; lack of suitable collateral; and high transaction costs. Risk related to agriculture, and to government and donor policies towards agriculture, should be added as a fourth major constraint to rural finance counting for the poor. Demirguc-Kunt and Levine (2004) noted that efficient contract enforcement, related to a supportive legal framework and robust internal operating systems in formal financial intermediaries (FFIs) is very important in the development of the financial sector and the economy as a whole. Constraints to the development of rural financial markets are discussed in more detail below. 2.9.1.1 Information Asymmetry This occurs when borrowers have more information about the out-turn of their investment and greater capacity to repay loans than lenders (Stiglitz and Weiss, 1981). FFIs usually attempt to reduce this problem by screening out high-risk borrowers from their track record (including credit performance, transactions on deposit accounts, cash flow statements and other accounts). However, in the case of most rural customers, this is not possible, because many keep no record of their transactions and/or do not use payment facilities of banks. In addition, access to borrower information is impeded by a lack of efficient transport, communications infrastructure and well-functioning asset registries and databases. 2.9.1.2 Risk High, and often covariant, risks in the rural economy are related to the dominance of agriculture, which accounts for a high percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (one third in the case of Africa) and employment (two-thirds in Africa) (UNDP Human Development Report, 2000). The long gestation period for many agricultural investments and the seasonality of output usually lead to uneven cash flow and variable demand for savings and credit. Agricultural production is largely dependent on the weather and the use of productivity-enhancing inputs is very low (both leading to yield or production risk), especially in sub-Saharan Africa where the average consumption of fertilizer is only 1015 kg per hectare, compared to about four times that on the Indian sub-continent (Pinstrup- Andersen et al., 1999). African yields are therefore very low and have risen only slightly since the 1980s (Badiane et al., 1997). Lack of credit is a major factor limiting the ability of smallholders to procure a