The Beautiful Country

Most people who live in the country dream of someday moving to the city and living a different life. Upon weighing the options, one may find that although sometimes boring, country life has much more to offer than city life such as better opportunities, better environment, and fresher food. The first advantage the country has over the city is greater oppurtunity. Although the city is filled with opportunities such as better education. The Country offers more of hands on experience while learning.The city is highly Populated, which makes it a lot harder to have any teacher to student bonding. However, in the country, less students are in each classroom, so it is easier for the teacher and student to interact. The jobs in the city are considered to be more mental than physical, which can cause mental strain on a person's mind. Although, in the country the jobs are more physical than mental. Physical work can cause pain in the long run, but mental strain has a higher risk to cause life threatening issues.When it comes down to making friends in the city a person has a low chance. The city has enough people to make friends, but most of the people in the city are too busy to take time out of their lifr to even introduce theirselves to one another. However, the country is filled with nice, friendly people that are looking forward to making new friends daily. A better environment is a huge benefit to living in the country. Living in the city, the view is usually the same no matter where you go. The buildings in the city seem never ending.The tallness of the buildings and the graffiti that usually cover them eliminate any chance of a good view outside your window. Because the city is lit up twenty-four hours a day, the chance of catching a glimpse of the stars is also very rare. The constant sound of sirens and car horns eliminate any possibility of a good night’s sleep as well. Pollution is also greater in the city than in the country. Because there are a lot mo re people in the city, there are many more cars on the road. There are also more factories for these people to work which also aids in the pollution in the city.In the country, there are hardly any tall buildings. Residents of the country can usually step outside of their home and see a long stretch of green grass. The stars are almost always shining at night and the only sounds one may here while trying to go to sleep are the crickets chirping. Pollution is a lesser issue in the country as well. There are fewer people in the country which means fewer cars on the road. Because many people have their own farmland and make money that way, the need for factories for jobs is not as great in the country.

African Cinema

African cinema is inaccurate to be tagged as a â€Å"national cinema† for Africa has more than 50 states. The interaction of these nations with European countries, with the exception of some parts of the South Africa and other Mediterranean countries like Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia, paved for the development of film-making (Abrams, Bell, and Udris, 2001).In fact, not until 1980s, the government of the African nations failed to show compassion for the film-making which resulted to the inability to produce film that is indigenous to their own culture. This reluctance for film making was largely attributed to the prevalence of socio-political problems including drought, famine, peace and order, and the foreign debts to western countries.Consequently, the commonly referred as â€Å"Black African Cinema† was actually dominated by the European and American firms in its early period. On the other hand, as rituals and spiritual beliefs are typical to African societies , the film directors used this aspect to convey socio-political messages to the African viewers.Brief HistoryThe first initiative for the development of the Black African film-making was realized in 1966 through the creation of Film Festivals in Carthage, Tunisia and in 1969 during the Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso (Abrams, Bell, and Udris, 2001).These events farmed out for funds necessary for the indigenous film-making which eventually called for the Black African film-making pioneers like Paulin Vieyra, Oumarou Ganda, Med Hondo, Desire Ecare, and Ousmane Sembene, the father of African film.This group of film-makers was influenced by the European liberal movements like Italian neorealism and Soviet Montage Theory in producing thematic films on colonialism in African nations. Further, in 1970s-1980s, as these film-makers continue to explore the past of African nations, they progressively tackled the imperialism and colonialism themes in their film production (Abrams, Bell, and Udris, 2001).However, not only the inadequate film production has impeded the growth of film-making but also the lack of distributing networks for the local film produced. Thus, the public has continuously patronized the foreign films supplied mainly by the North American and European countries.Meanwhile, despite the influx of European and American influences, the thriller and comedy genres along with the western influences like Cameroun and Nigeria have slowly sprouted in several African regions. As such, the thematic creation of time and space like magical works of the characters in â€Å"Sarraounia† and â€Å"Emitai†, and narration or oral story-telling techniques like in â€Å"Ceddo† were employed and integrated in film production (Abrams, Bell, and Udris, 2001).These techniques specifically the time and space narration were absorbed by the succeeding generation of Black African Directors including Souleymane Cisse for â€Å"Finye† and â€Å"Yeelen†, and Indrisaa Ouedraogo for â€Å"Yaaba† and â€Å"Tila’i† (Abrams, Bell, and Udris, 2001).In addition, while the nationality of other film-makers such as Sarah Maldoror and Haile Gerima was questioned, they were called as diaspora figures for they were able to integrate the world problems on slavery in the African films.The aforementioned films signified the progress of photographic quality brought by the Burkina Faso’s modern technical facilities. As well, the universality of the themes like in â€Å"Tilai† projected the culture where it was patterned after. The theme of â€Å"Tilai† was an exploration of Burkina Faso’s cultural inquiries.That is, as traveler returns to his town, his father has taken the woman of his affection which eventually leads an affair between the traveler and his stepmother. The cultural questions, adaptation, and its relevance to fast-changing society are the crucial themes in the African Cinema.For instance , a South African film concerning homosexuality was presented in the 1995 Ouagadougou Festival and received a mass walkout from the African viewers (Abrams, Bell, and Udris, 2001).Hence, the most formidable dilemma faces by the African film-maker is the cultural and moral issues in the cinema. This menace could be alleviated through a continuous cooperation with the diaspora and other black film-makers abroad.Yeelen Synopsis and AnalysisIn the â€Å"Yeelen†, which means brightness, of Souleymane Cisse, Niankoro who is a native Bambara leaved his mother’s custody and went for a spiritual enlightenment quest. On his way, his father who abandoned them for a long period of time was in incessant chase after him for his sexuality and magical powers.Then, an ancient cosmos in the verge of death was reborn and hindered Niankoro’s will in putting off the spiritual contrivances of his father. The malicious Soma, as expecting the final battle between him and his son and to several patriarchal conflicts, said that in order to ensure success, one must learn betrayal.Meanwhile, King Rouma Boll wanted Attou, his wife, to bear a child through the magical powers of Niankoro. But Niankoro’s penis deceived him and impregnated Attou. Instead of taking vengeance against Niankoro and Attou, the king gave freely his wife to the magician.On the other hand, the mother-son relationship in the movie was portrayed by the bathing of Niankoro’s mother while praying for his safety. This scene evoked an African mother who is self-abnegation dependent (Diwara, 1988).The film started with a rising sun scene with the appearance of the burning of a live chicken. Then, a boy came into the scene that brought a wooden statue with a goat. In another setting, Soma performed a ritual with a chicken and set it on fire.The scene with the sacred objects, the wooden statue, and the pan over the Wing of Kore, foreshadowed the various secrets in the movie. The repeated app earance of these objects in the scenes denoted their crucial roles in decoding the secrets in the whole movie. With these, Cisse encouraged the viewer to take an active role in the interpretation, analysis, and discovery of each symbolic thing.In line with this, the scene of confronting two groups of warriors with a close-up scene of a knife positioned the midst of the three parallel lines on the ground and ended with the two bodies of opposing warriors implied the holiness of the men as well as the ritual objects.As similar to the spectator warriors, the viewers tend focus on the event to decode it. As the opposing warriors push one another towards the outer lines, the meaning of the ritual remained in secrecy. In addition, the trouble of one spectator warrior in controlling his horse showed his overwhelming interest for the outcome of the duel while the viewers’ anxiety to decode the mystery of the ritual rises.When one of the warriors became victorious, his group chased th e loser’s flock. This denoted the African sense of collectivism; a single individual fight for the entire group (Diwara, 1988). After losing, the warrior took the knife on the ground and committed suicide.At this point, the mystery of the ritual is revealed; the duel is a matter of life and death and the loser warrior must take responsibility for the shame and failure.As the ritual was demystified, the scene then has incited the emotion of the viewer on the consequences of the duel. In these scenes, Cisse tried to persuade every African to look deeply into the root of their culture and avoid comparison with the western culture.Although â€Å"Yeelen† is an African film, the movie tackled universal themes such as spiritual struggles and other premises of native religion. As well, the film has Oedipal and Eden-like overtones. Further, Cisse depicted the film’s Bambara natives and magical powers by means of an Albino and a dog walking backward (Diwara, 1988).Moreove r, a Hollywood movie with a character similar to Yeelen can hardly be found. Cisse tried to reveal the non-linearity of the Bambara’s belief; their religious belief is always moving back to the initial â€Å"brightness† that created the world. As the film begun with the scene of the red-shining sun, it ended with Attou with her son lifting the buried two egg-like objects in the desert.Hence, the director of Yeelen showed the cosmos’ rise, fall, and rebirth in parallel with deep respect and understanding on the shape of things.As both Soma and Niankoro were perished in the end, Attou’s son denoted the hope for renewal. The film also addressed the corruption and oppression in the African nations and portrayed the psychological aspects by means of the social experiences of the African society.Furthermore, Cisse has shown the political solutions to tyranny and oppression in Africa not through the Western tenets of democratic ideals but by means of a political inspiration from the past political experiences of Africans. Also, Cisse equqted his magical realism in the movie to the Western’s scientific realism in their science-fiction movies. African Cinema The art of film making was introduced in Africa in 1920’s but it was after almost 40 years that the surfacing of African film makers came into play. It was also during those times that the films reflected the social and the political realities to the Africans who were in the verge of attaining independence from their colonizers.The themes were usually centered on nation building and the slashing down of colonial oppression.To start off with a analyzing the differences and the influences of the colonial and post-independent film making, it is wise to describe the previous film making scenes.   The film making industry scenario was highly influenced with the highlight of colonial sensibility as the main issue, later it then centered more on the stylistic nature of the art and with emphasis on abstraction and lastly, it evolved into the center theme for independence and opinions on the wide spectrum of the effects of colonialism.In the early 1970’s the trend of the film making industry maintained an aggressive approach towards the promotion of sociopolitical freedom from colonial mentalities; but it also showed signs of revolutionary patterns such as the philosophies of communism, socialism and capitalism. Because of these themes that emerge in the African films, this further pushed forth for the exploration of various political systems and ideologies that gave rise to the Third World Cinema.In the book by Teshome H. Gabriel entitled Third Cinema in the Third World – The Aesthetics of Liberation describe the ideas of Third Cinema as the perfect marriage of filmic experiences such as style and ideology.   Ã‚  He even went further by expressing the motives behind the production of the African movies as a way to express their ideologies towards various social issues and at the same time put forth a consciousness to the audience; in short these African film makers are activist rather than artists.The main characteristics of films created by th e new wave of African film makers and writers, is the painting of the wide contradiction between the political independence and the society’s present structure that they inherited from colonial influences.Moreover, there are also the issues of running the state with bilingual orientations and the crossings that their culture has to endure further with the coexistence of different patterns of life in a single society.Aside from this political weight, the direction of the African film making pointed out to Islam and how it thrived despite the domineering effects of foreign colonialism, and it is even more interesting to note that the religion spreads faster than independence.During the African colonial years, film making did not center much on the emphasis of religion and its cultural effects and in fact this even went as far as manifestations of anti religious claims in the industry; however, this change with the rise of contemporary post colonial film making.Other characteris tics cited in this new type of movies is the revival of the connection between social opinion and social inclusion, that means to say that the protagonist in these stories are mostly social inclusion done in a narrative manner.African directors used the films that they create in order to inculcate the culture of change; mostly these films shows the connection and the effects of the pre-colonial, the colonial and the post colonial societies in Africa.

Bible Essay Example for Free

Bible Essay Choose cite format: APA MLA Harvard Chicago ASA IEEE AMA There are many accounts in the Bible that state God as the creator. Genesis 1 and 2 are both creation stories but slightly differ in their accounts; Genesis 1 is a day by day account of all the things God created in not so much detail whereas Genesis 2 explains the creation story in a way that focuses more on the creation of man and woman than just the lands. Having two accounts of the creation story means that it is easier to come up with your own conclusion as to how the earth was created. The first line of Genesis 1 is â€Å"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth† There is no explanation as to where God came from or why He is there, He just exists and creates the heavens and the earth. This alone is showing God as the creator. Genesis then carries on to state all the things God created all with no scientific or physical proof or evidence as to why and how God is doing so. â€Å"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them† This quote is from line 27 and is on the 6th day. The repetition of the word ‘created’ is enforcing to the reader that God is the creator of everything and this is done so that there is no doubt in the readers mind whether God is the creator or not. God creating man and woman in his own image is showing that we are superior to other beings such as animals which shows that God is the humans superior. Being made in Gods image is his way of blessing the humans in life as we are made in the ‘Creators’ image. â€Å"Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This quote is saying that God is passing down his ‘ruler ship’ on to the humans. This means that God is starting to ‘back away’ from his previous role and now feels that he has created a world that the inhabitants (humans) can look after. Genesis two is another creation story but has a few differences to Genesis 1. While Genesis 1 speaks a lot more of the specifics of how and when each part of the earth was made, Genesis 2 speaks a whole lot more about the creation of humans rather than the land. The most time that the creation of land is mentioned is at the beginning of Genesis 2. â€Å"This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens-â€Å" This is the first thing said in Genesis 2 and it is stating that God is the creator. It says that God created both the heavens and the earth; there is never any question or vagueness about God creating the heavens and the earth it is all very matter of fact. Although Genesis 2 doesn’t always speak of God ‘creating’ things it often personifies God in such a way that he is planting or making objects. â€Å"And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-â€Å" This quote doesn’t say that God created the trees but made them grow from the ground, this is essentially saying that He created them as it was the first sighting of trees but is said in a different way as so not to force the ‘creation’ down your throat like Genesis 1 does. This is so that you can come to your own conclusion about which one is more plausible or correct but there is still no doubt as to god being the creator. Job 38 from the Book of Job is a story of how Satan and God have a disagreement where Satan was saying that Job only worships God because he is prosperous in his life, God then agrees to take away all his possessions and leave him with nothing to show Satan that Job would still worship him even if he was left with nothing. Job’s three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar try to comfort Job but they end up doing the opposite and tell Job that the reason for all his losses is because he has sinned and now God is making him suffer. In the end Job has had enough and questions God, this makes God angry and then Job has a better understanding and realises that he should have trusted God all along. God then returns all of Jobs health and possession in better amounts than they previously were. This story is God showing his power and his superiority to humans. â€Å"Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? † This is God saying that he is mightier than any human and they do not compare to His power. This is also showing that God is omnipotent and that we know nothing compared to him. This is all enforcing that God is the creator and better than all the humans. â€Å"Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn it’s place,† This is saying that God has dominance over everything in the world, humans and nature. After Gods account of all his majestic works (such as the world and humans) and power, Job has to acknowledge God’s right as creator to do as he pleases and to not be questioned. Job is essentially the personification of all humans who do not believe god as the creator, Job doubted God and his ability so god became angry; this is supposedly what happens every time someone doubts God. Psalm 8 is a song about the lord God and his creation. â€Å"You have set your glory above the heavens† While this quote form the first verse isn’t directly linked to God being the creator it is saying that God has stated his glory in a way that so far in this psalm we do not know yet, we know that God has glory which could mean he has done something great. â€Å"When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers† Now we start to work out what it is that causes God to have glory, â€Å"the work of your fingers† we are literally told that God has made the heavens with his ‘fingers’. This personification of God shows that people saw him as one of them but also appreciated his greater power, this could possibly relate to humans being made in God’s image. â€Å"you made him a little lower than the heavenly beings† This quote is, like Job 38, stating God’s dominance over the humans. God made humans a little lower than heavenly beings so that they knew their place and that they were lesser than himself ‘the creator’. Bible. (2018, Oct 23).

Ethical Issues in Women's Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical Issues in Women's Health - Essay Example The problems are known to originate from societal influences associated with cultural beliefs and implications with regard to ethics (Smith, 2009). The greatest influence is the well-known traditional power imbalance in women. Women are expected to provide care, love and respect to the society without questioning the behavior and the decisions made by men. Gender imbalance is known to be the main cause of domestic violence, sexual assault women have also faced reproductive problem issues and women living in apt poverty giving birth to, many children and lack financial support from men (Smith, 2009). Majority of women who are victims of gender imbalance in fear of reporting their problems to the right authority. Medical practitioners and nurses have had difficulties handling the problem of domestic violence (Grace, 2009). Another challenge experienced by women is the expectations women are required to deliver to the society. For instance, the society expects women to be mothers, careg ivers, professionals, wives and friends all at once. As women strive to balance these roles, they experience health difficulties thus jeopardizing with ethical expectations of the society. Sara’s case Sara is a 19-year-old pregnant girl who is in a dilemma about where to live to protect her fetus. Sara went to the healthcare for a checkup, and the nurse in charge noted some bruises. When Sara asked, confessed that her boyfriend who is responsible for the pregnancy abused her. Sara is currently living with her father and two siblings. Sara’s family suggested that she relocates to her mother’s place. In the past, Sara had a unhealthy relationship with her mother, and she is not comfortable living with her, in addition her boyfriend claimed that, if she relocates he will no longer be responsible for the her and the baby (Smith, 2009). Sara does not want to lose her boyfriend and the father of her child therefore, she is afraid of making the decision of relocation. Sara’s case is similar to many other cases facing a number of women globally. Ethical and legal considerations have to be taken into account, to help people like Sara. Many are times, when abused, pregnant women are unable to decide appropriately. The nurse in charge of Sara’s situation has to help Sara make the decision with regard to her situation (Smith, 2009). Sara can be practically considered to be a teenager and not capable of making a reasonable decision. Sara ought to be empowered first, because the abuse inflicted by her boyfriend are as a result of powerlessness, therefore; through empowerment she is going to be more informed and can make the decision that protects her and the fetus. The nurse in charge has to ensure the decision made must favor both Sara and the fetus. The decision to relocate may be suitable for the fetus but not for Sara emotionally (Smith, 2009). Nonetheless, the decision to remain may put the fetus at risk due to constant abuse from Sar a’s boyfriend. In addition, the boyfriend must also be involved in this case. He is responsible for putting Sara and the fetus at risk, talking to him and knowing what disturbs him will be crucial in taking care of the situation. If the boyfriend is reluctant change, his abusive ways the law can also be factored in the case (Grace, 2009). Even though, Sara may be reluctant about involving the law,

Management of ChangePrepare a report for the senior management of an Essay

Management of ChangePrepare a report for the senior management of an organisation of your choice identifying an agenda for a management of change programme - Essay Example The role of a leader and communication will be taken into account to reduce resistance to change and speed the process of change. Prescription for change High rates of its development, great volumes of currency receipts have an active influence on various sectors of economy that promotes formation of hotel industry. The most well known Hotel chains are Hilton, Radisson, Sheraton, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Ramada, Concord, and Ritz. The development of hotel industry is a current need. The history of development of various hotel corporations, as a rule, testifies, that the level of profit is a result of quality service. The main objective of hospitality operator is to maintain the level of service quality and develop strategies to improve their services. The organization under analysis is Hilton hotel chain. It should be noted that hotels and environments have a two-way reciprocal relationship. On the one hand, hotels are open to, and dependent upon, the social and physical environment that surrounds them. Hotels need financial resources and political legitimacy (a set of laws by which to operate) provided by outside institutions and governments (Hayes, Ninmeier, 2003). Customers are significant members of the environment. And knowledge and technology are also a part of the environment: they are produced by other actors in the environment and purchased by the organization as educated labor or as pure knowledge assets. Organizational environments change includes changing knowledge and technology, new values, new markets, and changes in the global distribution of wealth. Environmental change is a main cause of organizational failure. As environments change, they pose new problems for managers of organizations. New knowledge, for instance, can invalidate the existing knowledge of an entire hotel industry. When environments become turbulent, complex, and resource constrained, the knowledge and skills that Hilton hotels once possessed can become useless, and even a hindrance to change. Hilton hotels will acquire new knowledge and technology, and employ these assets in production quickly. From a Hilton management standpoint, technology is a major environmental factor that continually threatens existing arrangements. At times, technological changes occur so radically as to constitute a "technological discontinuity," a sharp break in industry practice that either enhances or destroys the competence of firms in an industry. Fast-changing technologies, such as information technology, pose a particular threat to organizations. To ensure customer satisfaction Hilton hotels should implement and develop new strategy based on Web services. It is not a unique and a new form of service (some hotel chains have already used this service, but still it is one of the most beneficial area for attracting a new customers). The idea of web-enabling Hilton hotels is to provide hotel management companies with the tools they need to compete more e effectively and to grow their businesses successfully. With the help of Internet Hilton hotels, known for its patchy supply chain and bungling circulation processes, will have the possibility to improve efficiency, inventory, audit control and to diminish infrastructure and operation costs by web-enabling their business online. Internet will support the hotel industry to be better equipped to handle business desires, paying attention to clients' needs, competitors and

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 54

Assignment - Essay Example Furthermore, they enlighten one to know the price range. According to Zwicky et al (2000) advertisements on firewalls enable one to know which one fits what size of business and the features to acquire since some of them are more commonly mentioned than others are. A firewall such as NetScreen has been mentioned in many firewall adverts. As a result, it has been the choice of many and feedback has been received on how good it is. In addition, it has also been categorized as the fastest firewall (NetScreen). A scenario of the NetScreen firewall installation is for an organization that I worked for. The system admin, who was hired to see through the network security of the organization, discovered that the existing firewall needed to either be upgraded or changed. This is because the organization was running on Checkpoint FW-1 without service packs. Therefore, a decision was made to migrate to the NetScreen firewall. The reasons given were, firstly, to enable the use of a firewall that does not rely on an operating system. Secondly, was its credibility based on the feedback from a research done on how it has been used by many trade groups (NetScreen). The procedures to be followed by staff may include the

Motivating Arab Americans to Participate in Politics Article

Motivating Arab Americans to Participate in Politics - Article Example Susana Dabaja was the first Arab American to be elected as the president of the City Council of Dearborn City in Michigan. It was in January 2014 that Susana Dabaja and her other fellow Arab Americans i.e. David Bazzy, Robert Abraham and Mike Sareini made the majority of the 7 seat city Council of Dearborn (Elian). In the year 2013, the highest volume of Arab American candidates was seen running the local offices which were never ever seen before in the history of America, thereby breaking ground in their own respective cities in the struggle to win the right to the â€Å"chair†. Currently, Arab Americans who are running offices in Dearborn City Council include Susan Dabaja - who is the president of the Council, Rose Hykel - who holds the position of the tax collector since the year 1997, Robert Alex Abraham who is also serving at the Council from year 2002 and Mike Sareini who is a Councilman. According to the statistics, it can be seen that the number of Arab Americans involved in politics and running offices has drastically increased over the years. If we look through the number of Arab American running offices we can observe that they are quite less in number than the other ethnic groups present in America. The ratio of Arab Americans in American politics is less than many of the other ethnic group’s interests in the American politics. Although the number of Arab Americans has drastically increased after the Iraq War still it is less than many other groups. Therefore there is a need of motivating the Arab Americans to actively take part in politics or at least learn the importance of their vote so that their respective ethnic group is not deprived of their rights.

Statistics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Statistics - Assignment Example Although, the banks are willing to provide the needed investments, it is the decision of the finance manager and the CEO to determine whether such type of activities really help to enhance the company’s performance. Importantly, from the analysis, it can be understood that the company would do well even if it postpones drawing money from the bank. The analysis utilizes various statistical tools to determine the normal probability distribution as well as find the various probabilities asked in the questions. Introduction If the organization having already achieved sizable success in a particular market or captured the majority market share there, they will venture into new markets. On the other hand, if the currently operating market becomes saturated with heavy competition, then also organizations step into newer markets. Whatever be the motivations, organizations could enter or expand into newer markets with a basic wish to grow further and beat off the competition. When the organization makes that move, apart from fully studying the entering market, it needs to study its strengths and weakness in its various operational sectors. On those lines, it needs to focus on its financial resources. If the organization has optimal financial resources, it can confidently invest while entering the newer markets. However, when it is deficient in its financial resources, it needs to generate or facilitate flow of funds from external sources like banks in the form of loans. Although, loans from banks can provide the needed impetus for the organization to enter the market, it has inherent risks. This is applicable to USASuperCars as well, as its decision to get loan from the HSBC bank could have risks. At the same time, USASuperCars could have a strong financial status, and also could have taken the finance based decision based on strong analysis. Thus, this report mainly emphasizes on the development of a suitable suggestion which would help USASuperCars to make fina ncial decisions based on statistical analysis. This report will use proper statistical methods in order to get a better understanding of the decisions that the company needs to undergo. Background Supercars are the term given to a fast  sports car, with stunning looks, optimal specifications and very expensive in nature. As Cheetham (6) stated, although there is no definitive answer, yet the term Supercars â€Å"is widely accepted by car enthusiasts to describe an exotic, powerful and expensive car that represents the ultimate performance, styling and pure unadulterated driving thrills.† Due to the elite nature, these cars are not mass produced by the organizations and have exclusive clientele. Considering this elite and exclusive nature of super cars, organizations manufacturing and selling these types of cars have to be very specific and clear cut in the decision they make not only in the internal functioning but also in the strategies, they come up in the external enviro nment. â€Å"Supercars are showcases of a manufacturer's technological ability in design and in performance. They are cost-no-object exercises, built in editions often limited to the marketing department's ability to sell.† (Martin 7). Considering these perspective, the USASuperCars Company is planning to sell minimum number of its cars in four different countries. The company is

Blog Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Blog - Article Example Lead as a heavy metal has wide industrial and home uses before it was realized it is too toxic for some people. Men in general can tolerate higher levels of lead in their blood without a significant adverse physiological effect; however, women manifest lead poisoning in a different way due to their peculiar bone turnover periods of women such as during pregnancy and during the menopausal stages (Vahter, Akesson, Liden,Ceccatelli, & Berglund, 2007, p. 85). Besides in gender, lead also manifests differentially in susceptibility among young boys than young girls. First question: Why are boys more susceptible to lead in terms of neurotoxicity while in girls, the lead manifests itself through adverse immunotoxic effects in these girls? What could be the deeper explanation for this variation in susceptibility and their manifestations? Second question: What is the exact biomechanism process by which men become more susceptible to arsenic poisoning than women? As it is, biotransformation of arsenic by a process of methylation is different in men than in women, resulting in the men more vulnerable to its bad effects especially in adverse skin-related reactions. Women seem to be more tolerant of arsenic. Vahter, M., Akesson, A., Liden, C., Ceccatelli, S., & Berglund, M. (2007, May). Gender differences in the disposition and toxicity of metals. Abstract. Environmental Research, 104(1), 85-95. Retrieved November 2, 2014 from

MONEY AND BANKING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MONEY AND BANKING - Essay Example e pursuit of individual advantage stimulates the country by rewarding the ingenuity by using the powers bestowed by nature to enhance efficient distribution of labour (Agur 2008, p. 67-69). The country should specialize of efficient production of goods. The balanced trade ensures high standards of living. The interventions by the government distorting the market incentives may be unambiguously harmful. The tariffs limiting the trade may prevent the benefits exchanges. The trade balance means that losses are as a result of the displacement of people by imports (Agur 2008, p. 67-69). A country should also ensure flexible exchange rates in order to prevent the decline of the currency relative to the trade surplus currency from other countries. Regulating the exchange rates ensures that imports are more expensive to reduce the demand on imports. Also, exports should be at relatively low prices to foreigners so as to increase the demand for exports. The country should also aim at maintain ing the purchasing power parity and balanced trade (Agur 2008, p. 67-69). Part 2 The Foreign exchange markets are involved with the transactions for national currencies. The existent of such markets is influenced by the incorporation of the national currencies to the economy. In the world, the economy uses different currencies hence the need for the foreign exchange markets. Foreign exchange market is an example of exchange normally used in the international currencies decentralized globally. The financial centers around the world act as anchors for trade between different kinds of buyers and sellers. The foreign exchange markets influence relative value for the different currencies. The parties involved in the exchange markets buy another currency using quantity of another currency... From an economic view, trade deficits characterize poor economies. Most of the countries experiencing trade deficits are involved in consistent borrowing from other countries. Borrowing is not among the viable strategies in businesses. Labour unions consider trade deficits as key contributors to unemployment and it that it undermines the future production. The pursuit of individual advantage stimulates the country by rewarding the ingenuity by using the powers bestowed by nature to enhance efficient distribution of labour. The Foreign exchange markets are involved with the transactions for national currencies. The existent of such markets is influenced by the incorporation of the national currencies to the economy. In the world, the economy uses different currencies hence the need for the foreign exchange markets. Foreign exchange market is an example of exchange normally used in the international currencies decentralized globally. The financial centers around the world act as anchors for trade between different kinds of buyers and sellers. The stance of the monetary policies in industrialized countries has been inconsistent in bringing the value of foreign exchange currency back to its average value. This assumes the depreciation of the policies on the exchange currencies. The restriction of intervention in influencing the value of the exchange currency and the policy on intervention was consistent with the macro economy needs, and this led to the increased conflicts between the monetary policy stance and the use of intervention.

Frank Lloyd Wright Essay Example for Free

Frank Lloyd Wright Essay Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect, interior designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 projects and over 500 of them were completed. He promoted organic architecture in his time which is quite popular now. (Baruffii, 2008) He also designed officer, churches, schools, sky scrapers, and museums. He authored more than twenty books and many articles. He was a popular lecturer in both Europe and the United States (Toronto Star, 1987). This paper will discuss Frank Lloyd Wright’s history and compare it to the reasons why he is still popular today and will remain popular in the future. Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland Center Wisconsin into a farming family who struggled to make a living. His parents separated when he was 14. Frank then became responsible for his mother and sister as he never saw his father again. There is no record of him graduating from high school but he was accepted as a special student at University of Wisconsin in 1886. He married in 1889 and built his own home at that time. Frank Wright then went to work for another architect but lost his job when that architect found that he was designing for some on his own. He then established a business of his own out of his home. He renovated and added on to the house several times. He moved his office downtown and then moved it several other times (Huxtadey, 2009). Frank Lloyd Wright left his wife with six children to spend time in Europe while writing his first book, with the wife of a friend. He then came home and built Taliesin on 200 acres inherited by his mother. His then wife and her two children were murdered in this home. The home became his winter home and is now the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. This home is located in Scottsdale Arizona and could not be more â€Å"green† than if it had been built as part of that movement today. Wright then met and moved into to Taliesin again with a divorcee though he was still married to his first wife. He, at the same time began to the design of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. He lived in Tokyo during the construction of the building. Keeping his innovative style, he designed the Imperial Hotel using both Japanese and Western architecture. He wanted to show that Japan was becoming a modern nation and that they had ties to the West. The Imperial Hotel was demolished in 1968 but some of the entrance was retained in a museum. It is studied to this day for design tones for today and tomorrows buildings. During the depression, like everyone else work was difficult to find. Wright began lecturing and writing at this time and had finally received a divorce from his first wife and married a second. He finished several books by now and was contributing to architecture magazine. Shortly thereafter, he opened his school at Talesman. The tuition was $1,100 and he shortly had a waiting list. In 1934 Wright designed and built Fallingwater which has become one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world. The house was built for Edgar Kaufmann in Bear Run Pennsylvania. It was built on a waterfall. During this time Wright was also beginning to design his modest housing. The first was his Usonian house in Madison Wisconsin. He believed that everyone should have an architect and not a cookie cutter house. (wright. htm) Wrights Fallingwater house is one of those designs that speak to our thesis. It is a design of his day, a design of today and is believed to be a design for tomorrow. There are things about mans human nature that we tend to forget. We are a part of nature. When Wright designed this home he liked the powerful sound of the waterfall and the strength and beauty of the forest around it. There were dramatic rock ledges and beautiful colors in the granite all around. He wanted the design to flow as part of nature and it did and does and will. It takes ones imagination to a place many of want to go but find difficulty in getting to. Many thousands of people view this home every year and are in awe of its beauty and design (Steffenson, 2009). Wright then returned to Arizona where he got involved in many projects in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area. He designed the Opera House at the University of Arizona which was originally designed to be built in the Mid-East but was built here instead. He had a short period in his history when he suddenly likes what can only be called retro-sci-fi modernism. At that time, he designed what was to be the Southwest Christian Seminary. Many say the design was straight out of Flash Gordon. The design was never built. Benjamin Adelmans House was designed and built in Scottsdale in 1951. The Norman Lykes house was the final house in the area as it was designed just before Wright died in 1959. It was a 2,800 sq. ft. home that was circular in design and was actually built in 1967. He had much influence in architecture in the area as he was this areas most famous snow bird. He came here every winter and consistently had another idea for the desert. That was one of the beautiful things about Wright is that he could see beauty everywhere and was able to use the landscape as part of the design. Is that not what we are looking for today and probably tomorrow? Last but not least there is the Guggenheim Museum. It turns 50 this year (Lubow, 2009). Wright had yearning to elevate human society through its architecture. He felt that how we lived was how we learned. The beauty of where we lived should be mainted and nature should be a part of all design. The Guggenheim Museum is a part of the dream and the vision that Wright had throughout his life. This would be the last building he designed. It opened in New York City October 21, 1959 (Lubow, 2009). Frank Lloyd Wright died 6 months before it opened. He had many problems in making it happen. There were budget issues, building code issues, and even issues with the artists that would eventually display in the building. He spent essentially 16 years of his life designing and overseeing this building. There are some of those issues that the artists were concerned about. It is difficult to hang paintings in the museum because of the slanting of walls among other things. However, it is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and it is said that it is prophetic in its way of meeting the needs of today and the world of art (Lubow, 2009). Wright seemed to see today’s world and how we would envision art when he designed the building. This writer would wonder if the next 100 years they will feel the same. One of the many things that Wright believed shows in his design of the spaces at the Guggenheim. He felt that though we all crave being alone sometimes, we are only truly well developed humans when we are all socially developed. The Guggenheim is built to accommodate that. It is huge and seems bigger than life but as one ambles through, it feels as if one is alone with the art and at the same time a part of those around them. Only the design can make one feel this way. Again, is this not a design for the future? There are so many beautiful spaces built by Frank Lloyd Wright. We can only begin to know what he was truly thinking. In his biography he talks about his beliefs about human nature and the spaces they live in. His Prairie houses were built for the average homeowner and yet they are like no house that any of us can own though many of us would like to. The Prairie houses were low horizontal designs with open interior spaces. You see their influence in homes all over the United States. In conclusion, it is obvious that the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright has not gone away. His original designs are some of the most beautiful designs in the world and he is appreciated as the most famous architect of his time. He continues to be popular today as we try to move toward designs that are more natural and more part of the nature around us. In all of the designs that have been developed to take in the affects of the landscape around them we find Wright elements. These are the things that support the fact that Frank Lloyd Wright was a visionary of his time, our time and the future. Resources Baruffi, K. , (2008). 10 great places to behold Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision. USA Today. Available at http://www. ebscohost. com http://architect. architecture. sk/frank-lloyd-wright-architect/frank-lloyd-wright-architect. php Huxtadey, A. , (2009). The hand and eye of genius. Wall Street Journal. 25(24) pg. 7. Lubow, A. , (2009). The triumph of Frank Lloyd Wright. Smithsonian; 40 (3) pg 52-61. Prairie Styles, Frank Lloyd Wright (1997). http://www. prairiestyles. com/wright. htm Steffensen, I. , (2009). Frank Lloyd Wright and the gift of genius. The Journal of American Culture, 32:3. pg. 257-268. Toronto Star. (1987). Frank Lloyd Wright: his influence lives on in home furnishings; AP news features. Pg 6.

Toyota Company Limited Essay Example for Free

Toyota Company Limited Essay BACKGROUND When we talk about company, we are talking of the world’s seventh largest corporation. On the car manufacture Industry, the company is the third ranked. Toyota is a Japan based motor company that manufacturers cars, vans, Lorries and tractors selling them to a wide variety of global markets. It is also a renowned manufacturer of tracks and motor car accessories. Toyota Company started in 1937 with the headquarters currently based in Japan. The very first car that the company manufactured was the Toyota AA in the early 1930s. Later, new brands emerged like the Luxuries, Lexus. These gave rise to more Luxurious brands like the Tundra, Camry, Scion and Prius. Currently, the company manufactures and sells millions of vehicles each year. In 2008 for instance, it plans to manufacturer more than ten million vehicles. The company has set up marketing bases in the UK and parts of Asia to help in the marketing of its vehicles. To-date, the company boasts of profits of up to $ 12 billion (made in 2006) accompanied with increased sales. To further boast its market share, the company has acquired stakes in other automobile companies like ISUZU Motors (6%) and in Fuji industries (8%). The company’s shares are traded publicly on the New York stock exchange. Products and Services offered Toyota produces the following Toyota type of cars: Hilax Surf, Land Cruiser, RAV4, Caldina and Auris. Other brands include Vitz and Lexus. Toyota also offers financial services such as giving credit in form of Loans to small and medium enterprises. The company offers these financial services to over twenty five countries across the globe. The Toyota subsidiaries operating these financial services are wholly owned by the parent Toyota Company. Started in Australia, the services are now offered Europe, USA and Asia. Besides, automobiles, the company also make robots and has even entered the textile industry. The company is best known in making computerized loans and sewing machines. Corporation culture and Management The company has development out of certain believes which the members of staff and top corporate directors hold. To them, management decisions are based on long-term developments rather than school-term objectives. There is a culture of consensus in decision-making as opposed to chest thumping and neglect. There is also the culture of people avoiding fixing of problems, instead of getting quality of work is advocated for. There is always the desire of using only high technology in the manufacturer of vehicles that would satisfy customers. The company doesn’t believe in wastages. By-products of processes are used as raw materials of other processes. Work is planned in such a way that there are no over-production unnecessary motions of medicines. Waiting costs are also kept at a minimum through thoroughly calculated machine operations. The company deals with its clients with the highest level of accountability. Every brand of vehicle truly represents what its descriptions are. The profit margins and mark-ups (of cost) are calculated without customer exploitation. Mission statement â€Å"To have a profitable growth through the provision of the best services to customers and support is the dealers. The company aims at becoming the best companies across the globe. Organizational structure Toyota has a flat organizational structure with the managing Director who doubles as the Chairman being at the top. Down the hierarchy is the General Manager and various managers who report to the General Manager. These are: Financial Manager, Marketing Manager, Commercial Manager, After-Sales Manager and the Administration Manager. The Commercial manager controls the retail sales, marketing, Fleet sales, Long-term rental, and daily rental. Under the financial manager are the internal control , accounting and the financial analysis departments. The After sales manager governs the Buying and Purchase shops, customer care and accessories. Departments under the admistrative manager are the human resources, financing, Information Technology, Purchasing and Quality control management. All these work towards realizing the overall goals of Toyota. Decision-making strategies In Toyota, everybody is brought into board as far as   decision making is concerned. However, the junior staff do not make decisions rather are given the chance to express their suggestions in a written platform. It is on the basis of these suggestions that policy is formulated by top management. SWOT analysis is greatly employed before decisions can be made on pertinent issues. SWOT means Strengths, Weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The management evaluates what their strengths are before a decision to embark on a new brand is reached and before making any new acquisitions among other several decisions. Other new opportunities are also rated against the company’s strengths. The company uses the knowledge of its weaknesses to seek for means of reducing them against the threats imposed by the environment The pros and cons of every aspect is also looked at before decisions are made. The direction the decision would take would then depend on the number of   merits and demerits if a given path is undertaken. In complex areas, the company applies scientific processes like linear programming and other stochastic models to make decisions. Motivational Strategies Top management get their goals executed through the employees. It is therefore important to ensure that employees are motivated for them to effectively carry out their daily chores. The management of Toyota has however ensured that its workforce is highly motivated to avoid problems associated with demotivation such as go-slows, sit-downs and strikes. One of the things that Toyota has done is to empower employees. Toyota comprises of very many departments each of which is occupied by persons qualified in that field. Every department has been left to make control its own activities whereby people are left to make their own decisions. There is little or no interference from the top management who feel that such an arrangement makes the employees to feel a sense of ownership of the company. To foster empowerment of employees, suggestion boxes are evenly distributed within the company premises. They use these boxes to air their grievances without fear or intimidation. This doesn’t end here because the management meets regularly with the employees to deliberate on the findings of their suggestions. Benefits Employees of Toyota get some rebates/discounts on the market price of the vehicles. This special concession has been in existent for quite some time. Workers also obtain gifts for better performance be it in the sales and marketing department or the assembly department. The gifts range from cash to even free motorcars. In this way they are motivated to perform even better in the season that would follow. The Toyota company’s employees also have a savings plan/ scheme to which they make annual savings. This gives them financial security even after their terms of services expire. They do not fall short of a healthy insurance Scheme that gives them a surety of compensation incase one gets ill or is injured while serving the company.

Migration In Malaysia and Economic Impact

Migration In Malaysia and Economic Impact Throughout human history, migration of human beings is a pre-requisite of human progress and development. Without migration, human being would be doomed to an existence worse than that of the animals. Even animals migrate to seek a better life. The first humans migrated out of Southern Africa thousands of years ago and spread throughout the world and people have been moving about since then. People also migrate because of factors like wars, poverty, discrimination, and for political or even religious reasons. In modern times, people often migrate for security, work and even for education opportunities. Organised immigrant labour migration and free immigration in Malaysia took place under the British colonial administration in the 19th century. During this period, the British required immigrant labour from China, India and Indonesia to help them in the exploitation of natural resources of the colonised countries establishing plantations and building infrastructure. It is mainly because of immigrant labour provide a steady, adequate and cheap supply of workers at a time when the locals labour was either deemed unsuitable or was not interested in working under the same harsh conditions as migrant labour. This period of free movement into Malaya saw large numbers arriving to work as well as returning home. However, because of free immigration and economic difficulties in the countries of origin, many immigrant workers decide to settle down in Malaya permanently. Malaysias rapid economic development since independence has relied on Malaysian workers moving from rural-to-rural and rural-to-urban areas and immigrant workers, especially from Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other Asian countries. In the case of movement from rural-to-rural areas, rapid migration was swift mainly by government intervention in rural development and agriculture. Rural-to-urban migration accelerated after government intervention in urban and industrial development was stepped up, especially after the second Malaysia Plan. The push and pull factors at the international level in the region also caused workers to migrate to Malaysia for employment. The accelerated economic development programmes and the sustained high economic growth rates in Malaysia over approximately three decades caused the influx of immigrant workers to meet the increasing demand in the Malaysian labour market. WHY PEOPLE MIGRATE There are many theories that attempt to explain why people migrate. Among others is the need and stress theory  [30]  . This theory holds that every individual has got his own needs to be fulfilled. These needs take various forms including economic, social, psychological and cultural. The higher the chances that an individuals needs will not able to be fulfilled, the higher the stress he suffers from. If this stress grows beyond tolerable limits, the individual will force himself to move to a different area, which seems to promise possible fulfilment of his needs. The migration of people from one country to another country is not a new phenomena. Since early days of colonialism, the colonial powers travelled around the world in search for raw material and new territory. Some of them moved to seek for freedom of worship and some even moved because of the instability of the government. The migration of Muslims from British India to form an Islamic state of Pakistan is one of the biggest voluntary migrations in history  [31]  . Wars and conflicts are another reason for mass movements of people and this kind of movement is categorized as refuges. Because of the situation are so serious, the international consciences were moved and many voluntary organisations were formed to assist these refugees. The Vietnamese Boat People is a good example of the mass movement of people of this nature. Today, we still can see refugees fleeing their country because of war and a good example is the latest situation in Liberia and Sudan. These people who enter another country through unofficial channels are known as illegal immigrants who later, may create problem to the host country. In modern days, seeking for a better life and a stable economy become the main factors that influences migration. Sociologist have long analysed migration in terms of the push-pull model  [32]  . This model differentiates between push factors that drive people to leave home from pull factors that attract migrants to a new location. Push factors occurs within sending states, that is, those that send migrants abroad, while the pull factors occur within receiving states, that is states that received migrants from abroad. Push factors are negative aspects of the sending country, while pull factors are positive aspects of the receiving country  [33]  . In fact, these differentiating factors are really two sides of the same coin. In moving migrants must not only see a lack of benefits at home but also a surplus of benefits abroad. There are also more ambiguous factors, called network factors that can either facilitate or deter migration. Generally, the network factors are the networks of friends and relatives already settled in destination countries that serve as sources of information and anchor communities for newcomers  [34]  . The network factors also include, cost of travel, the ease of communication and international business trend. These factors are not related to a specific country, but still have a profound effect on international migration. The Pull Factor Generally, there are two factors attracting migrants to receiving countries. First, the higher standards of living and higher wages; economic provide the both biggest push and pull factors for potential migrants  [35]  . Second, Labour Demand; almost all developed countries have found that they need immigrant labour. Rich economies create millions of jobs that domestic workers refuse to fill but immigrant workers will cross borders to take  [36]  . In the case of Malaysia, a wave of labour migration began in the early 70s where shortage of labour became critical especially in the plantation sectors. In mid 80s, the labour shortage becomes acute and this has attracted more immigrant workers into the country. The Push Factor Generally, there are several reasons driving people to emigrate from their home country. First, lack of jobs/poverty; economic provides the main reason behind migration  [37]  . In some countries jobs simply do not exist for a great deal of the population. In others, the gap between the rewards of labour in the sending and receiving country are great enough so as to warrant a move. Second, civil strife, war, political and religious persecution; some migrants are impelled to cross national borders by war or persecution at home  [38]  . Some of these migrants end up in receiving countries as refugees or asylum seekers. Third, environmental problems  [39]  ; environmental problems and natural disasters often cause the loss of money, homes and jobs. The Networking The demand-pull of jobs is linked to the supply push of low wages and joblessness by migration networks. Migration network encompasses everything that enables people to learn about opportunities abroad and take advantage of them. Others are motivated to go abroad by family members who are working or settled down in the host country, contractors, labour brokers and other often-shadowy middlemen or tekong who promise the migrants better deals. WHY MALAYSIA BECOME MIGRANT DESTINATION The theory of migration occurs because of the sending and receiving factors mainly due to the push-pull and supply-demand forces. The influx of immigrant workers to Malaysia is not a recent phenomena. Malaysia replicates the complexity of international migration that exercises both of imports and exports of labour. Better economic growth and Malaysias geographical location that shares common borders with it neighbouring countries has become a pull-factor for migration to Malaysia. In contrast, the economic disparity, inequality and poverty in the country of origin serve as the push-factor for them to migrate, looking for jobs and better living. Generally, there are many other reasons why these immigrant workers choose Malaysia as their destination. First, Malaysia geographical location, second, the stable and sound government, third, labours shortage, fourth, higher wages and finally, the employer attitudes. Geographical Location Malaysia geographical location, which is in the centre of South East Asia is easily accessible either by land or sea. In addition, the easy access and the shortage of enforcing agencies along the extended shores and entry points into Malaysia have caused the entry of many illegal immigrants undetected. Stable and Sound Government Since independence, Malaysia has been governed by a stable government and with sound economic growth. This political and economical stability has become the main attraction for migration. Comparatively, Malaysia has been seen as the most stable nation in this region in comparison to her neighbours. As such, others have regarded this country as an oasis in the region. Labour Shortage Malaysia has been experiencing a very high level of industrial development and it has developed further to be classified as a newly industrialized country. Therefore, from the human assets perspective the country has generated a huge demand of the work force especially unskilled workers for immediate employment in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. The labour shortage in Malaysia has become an important issues and employing immigrant workers is considered to be the most viable short-term solution. Higher Wages Generally, the immigrant workers in Malaysia can be regarded as an economic migrant. Comparatively, Malaysian employers pay higher wages to the immigrant workers for a similar job back home. This situation is made even worse, where the wages offered is considered low for the local workers. Thus, it opens the job opportunities to the immigrant workers. The Employer Attitude The Malaysian employers attitude is also another pulling factors that attracted foreign workers. Beside that, it is suspected that there has been a simultaneous entry of huge number of illegal workers as well. Similar to the legal workers, the illegal workers were also employed in the construction, manufacturing and service sectors at a very low wage rate. It is a known fact that employers prefer this arrangement for various reasons such as a lower overhead cost and preventing them from registering to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Social Security Organization (SOCSO), medical and social benefits. For the illegal immigrants, because of their unlawful status, they become less demanding in terms of salary and other privileges. As for the employers, in order to boost their production, the illegal immigrant workers can be easily employed to work extra hours with minimum wages. THE MIGRANT COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Most of the immigrant workers in Malaysia came from her neighbouring countries; Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand  [40]  . However, in early 90s, immigrant workers from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and few other countries started to dominate the Malaysias labour workforce. Therefore, it is only realistic to identify the country of origin of the immigrant workers and examine the push factors that make them migrate to this country. Indonesia Being the largest country in this region with 1.9 million sq km, Indonesia is facing administrative problems in trying to govern the nations vast regions equally. To develop the whole country, it requires massive effort and resources and this have created a gap between the provinces. Some parts of the country enjoy multi multi-fold development while others are still left far behind  [41]  . The problems of socio-economy seem to have centred on its big population, since Indonesia is the fourth most populous country with approximately 225 million. The Indonesian economy is dependence on oil and gas, plywood, textiles, rubber and palm oil. However, the limited resources and infrastructure available were not adequate to accommodate the demands of growing population  [42]  . This among other factors has caused poverty, which is estimated 24% of its population. Beside that, unprecedented turmoil in recent years, first the Asian financial crisis, followed by the fall of President Suharto, the first free election since 1960, the loss of East Timor, independence demands from restive provinces, bloody inter-ethnic and religious conflict and devastating tsunami had worsen the economic situation, increased the inflation and unemployment rates. Thailand Like Indonesia, Thailand is also facing the problem of poverty, where 80% of the population lives in the rural areas and most of them are poor farmers. The reason is simple; the Thai government is concentrating more on defence rather than the socio-economy development of the country. Philippines The Philippines, which consist of 3,666 islands, is facing almost similar problem like Indonesia in terms of administration and developments of the provinces. Beside that, religious conflict between Islam and Christian has imposed serious threat to the country. This is coupled with the uneven development between the provinces, which has created a disparity situation amongst the citizen while the armed revolution by the militant groups in Southern Philippines post a major threat to its internal security. Bangladesh This small country with a large population is facing many problems. The high rates of poverty and political instability of the country has influenced the citizen to look for better opportunities in other countries. The country also constantly experiences natural disaster such as floods and drought, which made the situation worst. Myanmar The close policy of Myanmar to the outside world is one of the reasons for the backwardness of the country. The poverty rates is very high amongst the population of 85% Buddhist. Being a poor country, Myanmar faces the same socio-economy problem and political instability, which hinder the development of the country. Nepal With its ancient culture and the Himalaya as a backdrop, the landlocked Kingdom of Nepal has for many years been the destination of choice for foreign travellers in search of adventure. The country with an area of 147,181 sq km and 26.3 million people is one of the poorest countries in the world where more than 40% of its population is estimated to live in poverty. Being a landlocked country with limited agriculture and other industries, Nepal economy relies mainly on tourist industries. However, the current political turmoil and the growing Maoist guerrilla insurgency movement that keeps the tourist away are now undermining the Nepal economies. Maoist rebels have been waging a campaign against the constitutional monarchy in a conflict that has left more than 11,000 people dead since it started in 1996. Based on the UN reports, it is indicated that, the rebellion has displaced more than 100,000 people  [43]  . Nepal also has been at odds with neighbouring Bhutan over the repatriation of thousands of refugees living in camps in Nepal. The refugees, Bhutanese of Nepalese descent fled violence in their homeland in early 1990s. With these ongoing problems, worsen economy and political situation has drive away the people to look for a better living in other countries. Other Countries Other than the countries mentioned, there are also immigrant workers from India, Pakistan, China, Middle East and even African countries. These countries are also facing the same socio-economy problem and political instability. However, the numbers is not as high as the other immigrants from the Malaysias neighbouring countries. Some enter the country legally but had extended their stay although their visa had expired. Their main reason in doing so is to earn a better living in this country. SUMMARY In summary, Malaysia needs the immigrant workers for the development, but their presence should not dominate the labour work force because they will definitely pose some positive and negative impact as well as threat to the national security. The positive and negative impact of their presence varies. From the economic perspective, their employment helped the continuous development and economic growth of the country by filling the gap of the acute labour shortages. On contrary, their presence and employment depress wages and this has reduced the competitiveness of local workers and frustrates attempt made by the trade unions to improve their working terms and conditions. A productive and competitive workforce is crucial for Malaysia in order to develop a knowledge-based economy and to achieve its aspiration of becoming a fully developed nation. However, most of the immigrant workers are unskilled or semi skilled labours with lower academic background. Therefore, the government has to formulate a comprehensive policy governing this requirement, which will definitely incur extra cost and procedures to the employer. As a result of this bureaucracy, the employer often blamed the process of importing workers as being lengthy and tedious process. Therefore, they recruited illegal workers who are readily available for employment. Socially, being less educated, poor and lower social class, these immigrants workers seem to be un-stabled economically, physically and mentally. As a result, negative competitions for a better living can emerged from these situations. For example; their incursion into non-designated jobs like petty trading imposes unnecessary competition to the local traders. They also compete with the locals for cheaper housing especially in the urban areas, which resulted the rise in rental and short supply of houses. Some of them are even move into developing new illegal squatters and this has impose strain on the basic amenities in the areas. Any slightest conflicts resulted from this competition might turn into social clashes between the immigrants and the locals. Immigrant workers have also been seen as a threat to security and political stability. This stems from their ignorance of the countrys law. This can be seen from various activities such as, illegal entry, involve in criminal activities, over staying, opening government land illegally, and many others. These activities will definitely have serious implication on security. Illegal entry for examples, implies that Malaysias has porous borders and was unable protect the borders, allowing not only economic migrants to come through but also any subversive elements. Illegal entry will also enables those with contagious diseases to filter through and spread it to the population.

Sr. :: essays research papers

Alternative Dispute Resolution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alternative Dispute Resolution is the most important aspect in the court’s structure because it allows to resolve disputes before ever having to spend money or time. Having to use the court system to resolve disputes can take several years and cost a lot of money. Companies have taken into their system ADR because it can solve problems faster and cost less money. Every company can sure have ADR in every single case they have because they can save tons of money and time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not always disputes can be solved, this means that people have to take that extra mile to solve the dispute. If the parties do not agree with the decision taken by the arbitrator it can be appealed. The Congress made an act, the Federal Arbitration Act, they promote the dispute for the courts at the state level. The Uniform Arbitration Act is that people before been send to court they have to go through other ADR. There are many forms of ADR: arbitration, meditation, conciliation, minitrial, fact-fading and judicial referee. In ADR you use the most common form that is arbitration. This form is where the parties involved choose and impartial third person to listen and decide who should win the dispute. This third person is chosen by the American Arbitration Association. The courts that address this issues depend on what the arbitrator says. The court tend to have great deference with the arbitrator. There are many cases that get solved with ADR but some do not. There is something that comes into my mind every time I hear ADR, it is that you can save money and time when you use arbitrators. Personally I have been there and it does really save time and money. I had a case between X and myself. In this case I was arguing because my car’s transmission broke down and my car was still in warranty and because of some engine alterations they void my warranty. When I was told that my warranty was voided I went to DACO and they told me that they were going to help me get my car fixed with warranty. I think to myself that thanks to DACO I did not had to pay one thousand pure american dollars. DACO in my case worked as and arbitrator and help me get my problem solved in a couple of days and also made me save money. Sr. :: essays research papers Alternative Dispute Resolution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alternative Dispute Resolution is the most important aspect in the court’s structure because it allows to resolve disputes before ever having to spend money or time. Having to use the court system to resolve disputes can take several years and cost a lot of money. Companies have taken into their system ADR because it can solve problems faster and cost less money. Every company can sure have ADR in every single case they have because they can save tons of money and time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not always disputes can be solved, this means that people have to take that extra mile to solve the dispute. If the parties do not agree with the decision taken by the arbitrator it can be appealed. The Congress made an act, the Federal Arbitration Act, they promote the dispute for the courts at the state level. The Uniform Arbitration Act is that people before been send to court they have to go through other ADR. There are many forms of ADR: arbitration, meditation, conciliation, minitrial, fact-fading and judicial referee. In ADR you use the most common form that is arbitration. This form is where the parties involved choose and impartial third person to listen and decide who should win the dispute. This third person is chosen by the American Arbitration Association. The courts that address this issues depend on what the arbitrator says. The court tend to have great deference with the arbitrator. There are many cases that get solved with ADR but some do not. There is something that comes into my mind every time I hear ADR, it is that you can save money and time when you use arbitrators. Personally I have been there and it does really save time and money. I had a case between X and myself. In this case I was arguing because my car’s transmission broke down and my car was still in warranty and because of some engine alterations they void my warranty. When I was told that my warranty was voided I went to DACO and they told me that they were going to help me get my car fixed with warranty. I think to myself that thanks to DACO I did not had to pay one thousand pure american dollars. DACO in my case worked as and arbitrator and help me get my problem solved in a couple of days and also made me save money.

Audience Perception of the Stereotypical Black Image on Television Essa

Audience Perception of the Stereotypical Black Image on Television In the introduction to the section on understanding social control in Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, Paula Rothenberg states â€Å"The most effective forms of social control are always invisible†(507). One of the most prevalent forms of invisible social control the creation and perpetuation of stereotypes. Studies have shown that stereotypes can become so ingrained in the minds of those exposed to them that the target of the stereotype might not only believe the mythological image, but also inadvertently act out the image they are expected to play (Snyder). In addition, those who subscribe to the stereotypical images of others will â€Å"notice and remember the ways in which that person seems to fit the stereotype, while resisting evidence that contradicts the stereotype†(Snyder 514). Stereotypes control by creating false images that work to maintain the status quo and keep those who hold power in their positions of power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For stereotypes to be an effective method of social control, they must be created, dispersed and perpetuated. Though the process of using stereotypes as social control is invisible, as Rothenberg declares, the distribution of those images is anything but invisible. The average American watches between 30-31 hours of television per week (World Book). That constitutes the number of hours for a full-time job. This statistic illustrates that television is an incredibly powerful medium for dispersing information, entertainment, and misinformation: â€Å"negative images of African-Americans propagandize misinformation about African-Americans†(Cosby 137). Misinformation about disadvantaged groups in America has historically found plenty of airtime on television: â€Å"television brings to an otherwise heterogeneous audience a single set of values and social descriptions produced to the specifications of the owners of the broadcast industry and their advertising sponsors†(Matabane 21). These images have been shown to affect the way these groups are perceived and acted towards by the white mainstream (Ford 1997). The combination of the prevalence of negative images of minorities and the scientific proof of the effect these images on the behavior of the majority group lead to an invisible form of social control perpetuated through a most visible medium. Th... ...African-Americans on Person Perception.† Social Psychology Quarterly. 60. 1997 (266-278). Frye, Marilyn. â€Å"Oppression.† Race, Class, and Gender in the United States. Ed. Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth, 2001 (139-143). Gray, Herman. Watching Race. Minneapolis: Univ. of Minnesota, 1995. Lewis, J. and S. Jhally. Enlightened Racism. Boulder: Westview, 1992. Malik, Sarita. Representing Black Britain: Black and Asian Images on Television. London: Sage, 2002. Matabane, Paula. â€Å"Television and the Black Audience: Cultivating Moderate Perspectives on Racial Integration.† Journal of Communication 38(4). 1998 (21-31). Ross, Karen. â€Å"In Whose Image? TV Criticism and Black Minority Viewers.† Ethnic Minorities and the Media. Ed. Simon Cottle. Buckingham: Open University, 2000 (133-147). Rothenberg, Paula. Ed. Race, Class and Gender in the United States. New York: Worth, 2001. Snyder, Mark. â€Å"Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes.† Race, Class and Gender in the United States. Ed. Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth, 2001, (511-517) World Almanac & Book of Facts 2003, p282, â€Å"Statistics on the average number of hours Americans spend watching television per week as of October 2001.†

The Pursuit of Happiness in Fahrenheit 451 :: Fahrenheit 451 Essays

Happiness plays an important and necessary role in the lives of people around the world. In America, happiness has been engrained in our national consciousness since Thomas Jefferson penned these famous words in the Declaration of Independence: â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† (Jefferson). Since then, Americans have been engaged in that act: pursuing happiness. The problem however, as Ray Bradbury demonstrates in his novel Fahrenheit 451, is that those things which make us happy initially may eventually lead to our downfall. By examining Guy Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451, and the world he lives in we can gain valuable insights to direct us in our own pursuit of happiness. From Montag and other characters we will learn how physical, emotional, and spiritual happiness can drasti cally affect our lives. We must ask ourselves what our lives, words, and actions are worth. We should hope that our words are not meaningless, â€Å"as wind in dried grass† (Eliot). History Before we look into specifics, we’ll examine the history and development of â€Å"happiness† as a philosophy. Of course, the emotion of happiness has always existed, but it began to be seriously contemplated around 2,500 years ago by philosophers like Confucius, Buddha, Socrates and Aristotle. Shortly after Buddha taught his followers his Noble Eight Fold Path (which we will talk about later), Aristotle was teaching that happiness is â€Å"dependent on the individual† (Aristotle). Probably more than any of the early philosophers, Aristotle promoted happiness as a central component of human life. The Greeks used a term, eudaimonia, which is often used as the Greek word for happiness. However, most scholars translate it as â€Å"human flourishing† or â€Å"well-being of the spirit.† Along with eudaimonia, terms like arete, â€Å"virtue†, and phronesis, â€Å"practical or moral wisdom†, are at the core of Greek philosophy. So if you could have asked Aristotle â€Å"What components or values must a person have in order to live a fulfilling life?† He probably would have answered, â€Å"Virtue, wisdom, and spiritual well-being.† Would Aristotle have been pleased with the futuristic world of Fahrenheit 451? Probably not. Certainly, the lack of virtue, learning, and the false sense of happiness would have astonished any of the early philosophers. Physical Happiness

Influence of Sex in Society

Sex plays a major role in today's society. From television, radio, music, and advertisements, to video games, the Internet, and even art and pictures, all forms of media use sex to help sell their products. With the public being exposed to so many different types, the overuse and exploitation of sex is common. Is sex a useful tool, or a ploy to get the attention of the public? Before discussing sex in the media, one must understand why it has come to be that people use sex as a gimmick. â€Å"The writing of modern history has resulted in a viewpoint that is nothing short of a stag party. The history of women is ignored, hushed up, and censored in the most literal sense of the term. This method of eliminating the social and political destiny of half of humanity is the most effective form of supremacy. † (Janssen-Jurreit, 1982, pp. 15-16) The world we live in today is still man-made, no less now then in the nineteenth century. Eve Zaremba states in Privilege of Sex: â€Å"Women's self-awareness as females has until very recently reflected the world's (i. e. men's) image of them; how well their personal performance matched male expectations. As English Canadians began to develop an identity in 19th century society, they mirrored the â€Å"ideals† for women of the Victorian period: gentility, weakness, ignorance and submissiveness. (Zaremba, 1974, p. i ) These individual roles, as described by Oneill and Leone in Male/Female Roles: Opposing Viewpoints as the relationship of a man or woman to society on the basis of gender, became essential in shaping male and female attitudes towards one another. Over the past twenty years remarkable changes in these traditional male and female roles have been witnessed. The subsequent impact on men, women, and families due to these changes is believed to be, by many social historians, caused by the re-emergence of the women's movement. (p. 13) Though a positive alteration of roles has occurred, how is it that children of this century still may obey stereotypes? â€Å"A baby is born knowing nothing, but full of potential. † (p. 19) Oneill and Leone believe that the process by which an individual becomes a creature of society, a socialized human being, reflects culturally defined roles and norms. The first crucial question asked by the parents of a newborn baby is â€Å"What is it? A boy or a girl? † (p. 25) Other queries about attributes of health and physical conditions are only brought up afterwards, the first priority is to establish its sex. † Indeed, almost immediately, gender identity is permanently stamped on the child by the name it is given. † (p. 26) Recent research has established beyond a doubt that males and females are born with a different set of â€Å"instructions† built into their genetic code. Studies at Harvard University and elsewhere show that marked differences between male and female baby behaviour are already obvious in the first months of life. Females are more oriented towards people. Male infants, on the other hand, are more interested in â€Å"things. † Stanford psychologists Karl Pribram and Dianne McGuinness conclude that women are â€Å"communicative† animals while men are â€Å"manipulative† animals. Some people believe this is hereditary, while others think that if boys and girls were brought up in exactly the same way then all behavioral differences between men and women would evaporate. Beginning in early adolescence, children develop their own ideas of male and female roles with the perception of the conduct and activities of his or her parents and other adults in their world, including characters on television. Young people are exposed to advertising from a very early age. The effect, says the Ontario Ministry of Education, especially of advertising on television, â€Å"has a significant bearing on girls' and boys' behaviour, and their aspirations. To most children the commercial message is another piece of information received from the television set. It is often difficult for them to distinguish truth from fiction, particularly when the fiction is packaged in compelling words, striking images, and catchy music. † (Ontario Ministry of Education, 1975, pp. 5-7) An overwhelming amount of the visualizations that young kids see are the stereotypical images of women and girls. â€Å"This almost makes it seem legitimized, states Hon. David Macdonald, as it is reinforced and perpetuated by the mass dissemination of these images in broadcasting. (Macdonald, 1979, p. 3) Children know in their minds that women, like men, come in all ages, shapes, sizes, and colours, but they do not see this represented in the broadcast media. The increasing diversity of women's lives is also omitted in most broadcasting. For example, commercials and programming most often portray women as mothers performing domestic tasks, as economically dependent homemakers, or as sexual lures for products or decorative objects. â€Å"Such images constitute a limiting or narrowing of women's, men's, and children's perceptions of themselves and their roles in society. † (pp. -5) Sheila Copps made public her comments that â€Å"sexist and racist stereotypes were prominent in advertising. † (Curtis, 1996, p. 6) A member of the Canadian Advertising Foundation (CAF), Patrick McDougall, fired back by saying Copps had no clue what the CAF does and adds that Canadian advertising has immensely cleaned up its act and that there is very little if any sexist advertising being broadcasted. (p. 6) The overall content of television nowadays has changed dramatically from that of the past. Today characters deal more and more with important issues such as teen pregnancy, stds, spousal abuse, and birth control. Impoco, 1996, p. 58) Five to ten years ago, this subject matter was unheard of for use in programming content, as TV families tended to be occupied with trivial things such as outrageous clothing and hairstyles. Although Canadians have improved their broadcasting standards, not everyone is completely following their trend. In an intensive study done on American programming, it was found that a sexual act or reference occurred every four minutes on average during prime time. (p. 59) â€Å"Sex Sells,† the old adage goes. (Menzies, 1996, p. ) Sexiness, as a component of the good life, is a staple for advertisers – Coca-Cola decorated its drug-store posters at the turn of the century with coquettish young women who male drinkers wished to date and female drinkers to emulate. (Carter, 1996, p. 53) Finnish yogurt makers ran an ad with hot, young, well-built Finnish boys holding containers of yogurt, with the slogan â€Å"Less fat, more taste†¦. Eat it. † This aroused a scandal and nationwide debate. A formal pole was conducted on these ads and some interesting statistics were produced. Two-thirds of respondents were male, and two-thirds thought the ad was sexist. There was a sharp contrast in the female contingent, as the vast majority of whom thought the ads were sexy and quite acceptable (Holland, 1996, p. 31) These stats just prove that when the shoe is on the other foot, women view ads much in the same way that men do, and men are offended at seeing themselves portrayed as objects. Nowadays everyone seems so sensitive about anything brought up in the media. â€Å"Even when it comes to the etiquette of using sex appeal in advertising, it seems that there is a wrong way (exploit women) and a right way (exploit men). The pendulum has swung the other way now. If one is to gaze upon an exposed chest in an ad these days, chances are it belongs to a man. Male models have emerged as the politically correct â€Å"babes† of the 90's. Yet, pray tell, where is the massive public outcry? † (Menzies, 1996, p. 9) Mediawatch, an organization that â€Å"monitors† the depiction of women and girls in the media, admits that you certainly see more naked male flesh today, than you did three years ago. They contend that the effects of objectification on men and women aren't equal because â€Å"men and women aren't equal to begin with. Author of this column, David Menzies writes â€Å"Hmmm, I still dunno. Isn't a double standard, by any other name, still a double standard? † (p. 9) There is another more serious problem then offending the genders, with sex in the media today.. â€Å"Advertising images featuring young models in suggestive poses are sending out sinister messages to pedophiles,† according to one of Australia's leading forensic psychiatrists, William Glaser. He argues that some advertising messages are giving pedophiles subconscious approval to commit crime. It's a very subtle thing, but a young girl posing suggestively in a revealing bikini can send out the wrong message,† Glaser says. He adds â€Å"I don't blame the advertising industry, but feels it fuels the fire when it comes to pedophilia. † (Johnson) Also, the attractiveness of sexual aggression as crime news, and therefore as prime news, has been recognized by many newspapers lately. â€Å"While comfortably hidden under the cloak of objective crime reporting, sexual violence can be endlessly exploited for its titillating value, its crypto – pornographic quality and its sexist slant. † (Johnson, 1997, p. 24) As rape and sexual assault became a more serious social problem in the 80's, this prime news story has helped many papers to sell more copies in the competitive news market, while creating an impression of responsive and responsible reporting. â€Å"Newspapers are adept in sensing issues that arouse general interest and they then subtly alter the terms of the debate to achieve the end result of selling newspapers and making a profit,† alleged authors Maria Los and Sharon Chamond. â€Å"There is a thin line when it comes to educating the public on a problem, or exploiting it for it's shock value. † (Los and Chamond, 1997, p. 93) Although this is a horrible exploitation, there is yet another form of media that rivals this problem. The Internet is the worst for having excessive sex in the media, as it is not regulated. All of the other forms of broadcasting have some sort of committee or association that analyzes and approves all ads and shows before they are released to the public. With the Internet, there currently are no real ways of suppressing the content. There are programs such as Net Nanny that will not open sites containing certain material, but what's stopping a kid from going over to a friend's house or to school and going to the Playboy site? With it's vast geographical span, the Internet has the most numerous amounts of possibilities for media purposes, due to it's ability to reach anyone that can access a modem. Problems such as pornography and hackers generate a fear in a lot of people and scare them from using one of the greatest information resources of our world. We've all seen and heard how sex is used in today's media. With all of these problems and outcries being raised about it, some may as why is it used at all? Well sex is a part of life, everyone's life. It is a common ground to all people. Everyone will experience it or will be or have been affected by it. Producers, advertisers, writers and musicians must believe that if they include it in what they're trying to sell to the public, people will somehow relate to it, and be drawn in by it. A lot of times, writers and critics just go overboard and over analyze things that may not be as terrible as they make them out to be. Sex in advertising can be a useful and educational tool, when employed properly, but if people in the media offend just as much of society as they win over, by producing worthless, excessive overloads of eye candy, then the use of sex is wasted.

Digital Fortress Chapter 14

Becker gazed down at the cadaver. Even hours after death, the Asian's face radiated with a pinkish glow of a recent sunburn. The rest of him was a pale yellow-all except the small area of purplish bruising directly over his heart. Probably from the CPR, Becker mused. Too bad it didn't work. He went back to studying the cadaver's hands. They were like nothing Becker had ever seen. Each hand had only three digits, and they were twisted and askew. The disfigurement, however, was not what Becker was looking at. â€Å"Well, I'll be.† The lieutenant grunted from across the room. â€Å"He's Japanese, not Chinese.† Becker looked up. The officer was thumbing through the dead man's passport. â€Å"I'd rather you didn't look at that,† Becker requested. Touch nothing. Read nothing. â€Å"Ensei Tankado†¦ born January-â€Å" â€Å"Please,† Becker said politely. â€Å"Put it back.† The officer stared at the passport a moment longer and then tossed it back on the pile. â€Å"This guy's got a class-3 visa. He could have stayed here for years.† Becker poked at the victim's hand with a pen. â€Å"Maybe he lived here.† â€Å"Nope. Date of entry was last week.† â€Å"Maybe he was moving here,† Becker offered curtly. â€Å"Yeah, maybe. Crummy first week. Sunstroke and a heart attack. Poor bastard.† Becker ignored the officer and studied the hand. â€Å"You're positive he wasn't wearing any jewelry when he died?† The officer looked up, startled. â€Å"Jewelry?† â€Å"Yeah. Take a look at this.† The officer crossed the room. The skin on Tankado's left hand showed traces of sunburn, everywhere except a narrow band of flesh around the smallest finger. Becker pointed to the strip of pale flesh. â€Å"See how this isn't sunburned here? Looks like he was wearing a ring.† The officer seemed surprised. â€Å"A ring?† His voice sounded suddenly perplexed. He studied the corpse's finger. Then he flushed sheepishly. â€Å"My God.† He chuckled. â€Å"The story was true?† Becker had a sudden sinking feeling. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† The officer shook his head in disbelief. â€Å"I would have mentioned it before†¦ but I thought the guy was nuts.† Becker was not smiling. â€Å"What guy?† â€Å"The guy who phoned in the emergency. Some Canadian tourist. Kept talking about a ring. Babbling in the worst damn Spanish I ever heard.† â€Å"He said Mr. Tankado was wearing a ring?† The officer nodded. He pulled out a Ducado cigarette, eyed the no fumar sign, and lit up anyway. â€Å"Guess I should have said something, but the guy sounded totally loco.† Becker frowned. Strathmore's words echoed in his ears. I want everything Ensei Tankado had with him. Everything. Leave nothing. Not even a tiny scrap of paper. â€Å"Where is the ring now?† Becker asked. The officer took a puff. â€Å"Long story.† Something told Becker this was not good news. â€Å"Tell me anyway.†