Free Hamlet Essays: The Perspective of Aristotle on Hamlet :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Hamlet

Custom Written Essays - The Perspective of Aristotle on Hamlet   unmatched of the fore most(prenominal) Elizabethan tragedies is Hamlet by William Shakespeare and one of the earliest critics of tragedy is Aristotle. One way to measure Shakespeares work is to appraise it using the methods of classical critics and thereby to see how if it would have retained its meaning. Hamlet is one of the most recognizable and most often quoted tragedies in the all of English literature. Aristotle, is concerned with the proper presentation of tragic plays and poetry. Aristotle defines tragedy as     ...a representation of an action that is worth serious attention,     unadulterated in itself, and of some amplitude in language enriched by a     variety of artistic devices appropriate to the several parts of the     play presented in the variant of action, not narration by means of pity     and fear bringing about the purgation o f such emotion. (Aristotle 38 - 9)   Shakespeare uses character, plot and setting to create a mood of disgust and a theme of proper revenge, as opposed to fear and pity, hence Aristotle would have disapproved of Hamlet. It is the above mentioned elements character, plot and setting, used in a non- Aristotelian way, that makes Hamlet work as a one of the English languages most renown tragedies.             By proper revenge we refer to the Elizabethan see that revenge must be sought in certain cases, for the world to continue properly. This is the main plot of Hamlet. In Poetics, Aristotle defines for us, the element of plot and shows us how he believes it must be put together. He also believes in various unities which he states are necessary for a proper tragedy. Aristotle believes in what he calls iodin of plot (Aristotle 42 - 3). This Unity leaves no room for subplots, which are crucial to the theme of Hamlet. Without the subplot o f Laertes revenge and the subplot of Fortinbras revenge, we are left with a lugubrious play where the ending, although necessary, is pointless. The triplet sub-plots together as a unit, allow us to understand what Shakespeare thought of revenge. Another of the ways Aristotle defines plot in tragedy as The noble actions and the conduct of noble persons(Aristotle 35). By this definition, Hamlet should be a noble person, who does only noble things.

Animal Abuse In Todays World Essay example -- essays research papers

Rabbits immobilized in wooden stocks with ulcers in their eyes, baby seals being clubbed over the head, and the infamous shock treatment. Surely you have all witnessed footage of one or all of the aforementioned practices and were appalled by the cruelty. Appalled yes, willing to stand up and voice your thoughts... not often. There is one significant reason for this unwillingness by most to stand up for the rights of our fellow inhabitants of this planet, personal convenience.      We atomic number 18 systematically cutting down the last forest that provides their shelter to farm kine we dump toxic chemicals and sewage into the waters in which they live we wear the tusks of the last few of their species on our arms, and we pour cosmetic products into their eyes, rectums or vaginas to determine the bad effects they might cause on humans, even though the physiological differences between humans and the savages they use are drastic. On a daily prat most people do not see their own degree of unintentional support towards this global dilemma, but hopefully after I am finished here today you too will question how mankind can, with conscience, commit these acts which shame us as human beings.      Animals possess the same kinds of feelings and emotions as human beings, and without anesthesia, they are subjected to the pain as well. Mankind often fails to give animals the watch over and rights they deserve, they are treated as lifeless, unfeeling scientific specimens items that we may wangle at our own convenience, for vanitys sake. Laboratory research involving animals is cruel and merciless treatment of helpless creatures. No law requires that cosmetics and household products be tried and true on animals. Nevertheless, by six oclock this evening, hundreds of animals will have had their eyes, skin or gastrointestinal systems unnecessarily burned or destroyed. Two of the most famous animal tests are the Draize, or eye i rritancy test and the LD50, Lethal Dose 50. The Draize test is performed almost exclusively on albino rabbits, such as the Florida White, because they are cheap, docile, and are not "equipped" with tear ducts to wash away the chemicals. During this test the rabbits are immobilized in a stock with only their head protruding, a solid or fluidity is then placed in the lower lid of one of its eyes subs... ...n-animal methods become a high-priority. Proven, that mankind often disregards the rights of other living beings, times are changing for the better due to the increasing pressure of the consumer. Society has begun to take notice of this pressing global concern because intelligent life should not be subjected to this form of torture. It has been estimated that animal experimentation world-wide has decreased by 30-50% in the last 15-20 years, due to the reduction and replacement of techniques. From the theory of evolution and the immergence of man, humans have to experience that this planet is not only ours, but the animals as well. Albert Einstein once said, "Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of ruth to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." In essence, the way to live a healthy and fulfilled life is to embrace and respect all life present on this planet. There are a number of things that mankind can do to prevent this cruelty from continuing, it is simply a matter of taking the initiative to inform and involve yourself and others. Every individual effort is a step towards the annihilation of animal cruelty.

Jim Henson: The Mind Behind the Muppets :: Puppetry The Muppets Jim Henson Essays

Jim Henson The Mind Behind the MuppetsSure, Jim the creator was a genius. Yet I gather Jim foremost as an appreciator. He appreciated the Muppet family and his own family. He appreciated flying kites with his children. He appreciated beauty and he appreciated fun. -Frank Oz (Readers Digest, 126)There is no doubt in Frank Ozs mind that Jim Henson was a creative genius. According to the model of creativity proposed by Howard Gardner, Henson can be considered creative in tailfin of the seven intelligences interpersonal, spatial, music, verbal, kinesthetic. He became a master at combining these intelligences to create Muppet productions full of wit, music, sight gags, bright colors, and meaningful messages. He also had the ability to consecrate all of the people who worked with him. Before, discussing how Hensons life fits into Gardners model, I will present some influential events in Hensons life and his major creative works.James Maury Henson was born kinsfolk 2, 1936 in Leland, Mi ssissippi as the second son in the Henson family. During his childhood, Jims maternal grandmother, a prolific painter and master of needlework, encouraged Henson to appreciate imagination, visual imagery, and creativity. She was a steady emotional support for him, constantly listening to his adventures and dreams. When Jim was fourteen, his parents finally acquiesced and bought a television system set, after years of badgering from Jim. He always knew that he cute to work in television watching Burr Tillstrom, Bil Baird, Ernie Kovac, Spike Jones, and Walt Kelly influenced him greatly during his adolescence. In 1954, while Jim was still in high school, he began working for WTOP television station doing puppet performances on the Junior Good Morning Show. It was interesting and kind of fun to do -- but I wasnt really elicit in puppetry then. It was just a means to an end, Henson later recalled about his first job (Finch, 9).At the University of Maryland, he studied art and continue d doing puppetry for TV with a fellow student, Jane Nebel, whom he later married. Their show, Sam and Friends, debuted as a five minute piece aired twice a day, right before the Huntley-Brinkley give out and the Tonight Show. Jane recollected, We were just college students amusing ourselves, and we did all these wild things with puppets...I guess it had a quality of abandon and nonsense and of being somewhat experimental. (Finch, 15) Their show became very popular, partly because of its widely-viewed time slots, and it won a local Emmy in 1958.

Explore the different types of leadership Golding and Garland present E

Explore the antithetical types of leadership Golding and Garland present in Lord of the Flies and The Beach.In Lord of the Flies and The Beach many leadership qualities areshown. These qualities are shown in different ways for example oneleader is elected by democracy, another is self-appointed and lastlythere is the destructive leader. Lord of the Flies was written in1954. A time when commercialisation was not an issue and media ballyhooonly had subtle effects of society. The Beach was written in 1996,American globalisation has begun and the media played a massive partin society. I leave alone look at how the different time may affect the wayin which a leader reacts.The most obvious resemblance between the novels is the context and theisolation of the islands yet there is a differentiation in that theboys in Lord of the Flies are stranded and are forced to try and start where they dont really want to be. The Characters in TheBeach have chosen to be isolated in such surroundings and dont wantto leave. For them it is not a matter of survival. In both novels theleadership and order of their close-knit communities is similar, theway both societies morals decline and the introduction of wastebehaviour is the start of their destruction. Although they bareresemblance they are very different. I result look at how the leadersaffect this.Firstly I will look at what makes a good leader, I will then look ateach character in turn and establish the different types of leadershipGolding and Garland present in Lord of the Flies and The Beach. Whatmakes a good leader? It has been said that close to are born with theright qualities and some develop them. Whether nature or nurture agood leader should alwa... ...le attributes for a leader onlythis is the only leadership quality Jed holds.In conclusion, I believe that Sal was the most suitable leaderalthough being selfish at heart, all she cared about was the beach,which in effect was a good thing. Bugs simply did as Sal sa id so Idoubt in a tough situation alone Bugs would be able to make calm andgood decisions. Richard patently is not really a contender for anytype of leadership because of his childishness and uncaring nature.After comparing and analyzing the leadership in both novels I haveevidence to believe that a personality such as Ralphs would always bebest for a leadership placement. He is compassionate, forrader thinkingand loyal. Both novels show mans natural instinct to resort todestructive violence, Ralph is the only exception to this and is themost focused character from both novels.

The Tell Tale Heart Essays -- Poem Poetry Analysis Edgar Allen Poe Sym

In the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator is extremely uncanny due to the commentators inability to trust him. Right from the beggining the indorser can tell that the narrator is wacky although the narrator does proclaim that he is sane. Since a person cannot trust a crazy person, the narrator himself is punic and and then uncanny. Also as the story progress the narrator falls deeper and deeper into lunacy making him more and more unreliable, until the end of the story where the narrator gives in to his insanity, and the reader loses all ability to believe him.In the first lines of The Tell-Tale Heart, the reader can tell that narrator is crazy, however the narrator claims the he is not crazy and is very much sane, because how could a crazy person come up with such a good plan. How, then, am I mad? Hearken And perceiver how healthily how calmly I can tell you the whole story, (Poe 74). The reader can see from this quote that narrator is claiming that he is not i nsane because he can tell anyone what happened with fall out having a mental breakdown or any other problems that people associate with crazy people. This is the begging of the unreliability of the narrator. Here the reader is merely questioning the amount of details. The narrator then goes on to explain how he didnt hate the old man but he despised his eye.Upon reading a little bit into the story the reader finds that the narrator likes the old man or rather doesnt having anything against him, except for his eye. The pale muddied eye was the focus point for his rage he hates but not the old man. How can anyone just hate someones eye without creation mentally unstable? I think it was his eye Yes, it was this One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture a... ...o trust him at all. The reader cannot really believe that the narrator could hear the beating of the dead mans heart. So they think and they might realize that it is one of the police mens pocket watch, because in front i n the story the narrator describes a beating heart as a pocket watch wrapped in cotton. Now with narrator entirely mad and his reader confused and dazed Poe ends his story to leave it filled with suspense.Thought the entire story there is a constant uncanny element, the unreliable narrator, and with it the questioning reader. In The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, the reader is forced to think whether they should believe the ramblings of a crazy and unreliable narrator or not. This really brings out the uncanny in the story.Works CitedPoe, Edgar Allan. Edgar Allan Poe The Gold-Bug and Other Tales. Mineola Dover Publications, 1991.

The Tell Tale Heart Essays -- Poem Poetry Analysis Edgar Allen Poe Sym

In the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, the vote counter is extremely uncanny due to the readers inability to trust him. Right from the beggining the reader can tell that the narrator is ghastly although the narrator does proclaim that he is sane. Since a person cannot trust a crazy person, the narrator himself is punic and at that placefore uncanny. Also as the story progress the narrator falls deeper and deeper into lunacy making him more and more unreliable, until the oddment of the story where the narrator gives in to his insanity, and the reader loses all ability to believe him.In the first lines of The Tell-Tale Heart, the reader can tell that narrator is crazy, even the narrator claims the he is not crazy and is very much sane, because how could a crazy person come up with such a good plan. How, then, am I mad? Hearken And observer how healthily how calmly I can tell you the whole story, (Poe 74). The reader can see from this quote that narrator is claiming that he i s not insane because he can tell anyone what happened without having a mental breakdown or any other problems that people associate with crazy people. This is the begging of the unreliability of the narrator. Here the reader is merely questioning the amount of details. The narrator then goes on to explain how he didnt scorn the senior man but he hated his eye.Upon reading a little bit into the story the reader finds that the narrator likes the old man or sort of doesnt having anything against him, except for his eye. The pale blue eye was the focus point for his rage he hates but not the old man. How can anyone just hate someones eye without being mentally unstable? I think it was his eye Yes, it was this One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture a... ...o trust him at all. The reader cannot really believe that the narrator could hear the beating of the dead mans heart. So they think and they might realize that it is one of the guard mens pocket watch, because earlier in the story the narrator describes a beating heart as a pocket watch confined in cotton. Now with narrator completely mad and his reader confused and dazed Poe ends his story to leave it filled with suspense.Thought the entire story there is a constant uncanny element, the unreliable narrator, and with it the questioning reader. In The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, the reader is forced to think whether they should believe the ramblings of a crazy and unreliable narrator or not. This really brings out the uncanny in the story.Works CitedPoe, Edgar Allan. Edgar Allan Poe The Gold-Bug and Other Tales. Mineola Dover Publications, 1991.

Gossip and People

The roughly jet way throng interact with apiece other is through gossiping. Many bulk who converse with others share information they heard that may either be right or wrong. Many people think gossiping is only bad but gossiping is just sharing opinions. People may think this because majority of the time gossiping leads to a gossip being spread that is full of lies. This undersurface create a negative energy that would affect everyone involved. However when gossiping is consider good its known as just sharing your opinion. Even though many another(prenominal) people do it there are many different reasons for gossiping.The most common way gossiping is used is for a negative purpose. For instance, people can use gossip such as lies to hurt someone else to either trip up revenge or they want to feel better about themselves so they use the lies to make someone else look bad. Even private information from secrets can be used as a weapon to hurt someone. A particular type of infor mation spread through gossip is a rumor which isnt known to be fully true but is then spread through people continuing to pass the information around. Most people who hear rumors dont check if its really true and continue to pass it along.As it continues to be told to other people the rumor may be changed by either adding more lies to it or not all of the information is said. Violence is mainly the aftermath of bad gossiping which is the breaking point for most people. Although bad gossiping is a habit for most people there is gossiping thats positive. Positive gossiping can be helpful for many people. This type of gossiping contains opinions that could actually help someone going through a rough time. Any type of news publicized for people to be updated on whats happening is an example of gossiping thats positive.

History of Goods and Service Tax in Malaysia Essay

1. Introduction of GST Goods and service valuate were first deliberated in 2005 with the intention to introducing it in 1st January 2007. How invariably, it was sequestered in the following year. In 2009, GST was revived with a proposed rate of 4% to replace true Sales Tax of 10% and Service Tax of 5% in a bid to diversify national revenues. However, the idea of GST still end up floating around as it has now been officially deferred.2. invention of GSTGoods and Service Tax (GST), in each case known as Value Added Tax (VAT), is a broad consumption levy. The purpose of the introduction of GST is to spread the burden which borne by consumer in al well-nigh particular areas into a wide range of goods and services with a lower tax rate. Thus, judicatures revenue income forget at last increase to enable the further development and budget control to the country, other than just relying on petroleum and income tax revenues.GST is a multi-stage tax as it is levied on the value adde d created at the various stages in the importationproductiondistribution chain of the product to which the tax is applicable. This tax structure helps to avoid the cascading effect introduce in current Sales Tax and Service Tax (SST) which are single-stage tax.It adopts a credit offset mechanism whereby tax charged on supplies (called yield tax) made by a taxable business may be net off against tax paid on inputs (called input tax) to production. Only the loss is remitted to the tax authority. Nevertheless, the salute of GST is in truth borne by final customers. However, non all supplies are standard rated supply, which are subject to proposed rate of 4%.Malaysian governance has announced that some 40 items, mostly essential consumables and commodities will be free of GST, that is, either the items are exempted or given a zero-rating. The only deviance is that input tax credits can be claimed by registered suppliers of zero rated supplies but not the exempted suppliers. Thus, lower income assorts are protected.Furthermore, GST is a form of indirect tax as it is not a statutory obligation of a person to pay the tax unless certain GST taxable goods and services are consumed.Besides, the Malaysian political science has indicated that Mandatory GST registration for suppliers will be domiciled on a scepter of sales. Current indications are that the threshold will be set at RM500, 000.00 per year.Thus, with the introduction of GST, political sympathies is able to shift the reliance on direct tax to indirect tax for sources of revenue income to maintain its competitiveness as well up as sustain enormous-term growth of the country.3. Fate of GST in MalaysiaThe passage of GST in Malaysia has not been an easy sailing. As mentioned above, the idea of GST was first announced in 2005. However, it was shelved in 2006. Again, after the GST bill tabled in 2009, the second and third reading for GST is now being deferred again.Over-reliance on the direct tax and de pleting petroleum are actually the major concern of governing that contributes to the lie of GST. Furthermore, the government is of the opinion that Sales and Service Tax (SST) has reached its threshold. To increase it the countrys exports uncompetitive. Under SST, exporters were incurring as much as RM1.4 billion annually. thitherfore, the only way is to institute GST. GST is considered an equitable and comprehensive system of taxation that minimizes evasion and ensures a broader revenue stream.3.1 Judgments from Macro-economic formulaBy replacing the Sales and Service Tax with GST, the government is able to diversifies its sources of taxation to avoid being dependent on any particular tax base and the stability of tax revenue is ensured. As revenue from imports and taxes from the embodied sector may fluctuate, GST will not fluctuate, thereby bringing in a stabilize and sustainable revenue stream that is locally generated.However, the immediate outcry is that GST will cause the general price level goes up. However, empirical deal in mainland China indicates that GST implementation did not cause any inflation. Furthermore, cosmos do not have to be over-worried of the continuous inflation as recent research also point out that GST may bring about a one-time increase in cost of living, but the impact on inflation is low. Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Finance, Consumer value Index is going to reduce 0.1% due to the lower GST rate. This can be further supported by studies that indicate prices did not increase significantly in advance and after the introduction of GST. Thereby it is clear that imposition of GST will only cause one time increase in general prices but would not necessarily lead to inflation which is continuous increase in the average of price over the time. Furthermore, a study done by Malaysian government also shows that households could enjoy annual savings of between RM14.50 and RM347 under SST system and GST system respectively. Additionally, it is indicated that the business sector could expect total annual savings of some RM4billion under the GST regime, while exporters would save RM1.4billion annually under a zero-rate system. Also, GST repair export competitiveness due to zero-rated and boost tourism because of the refund of GST.However, recent study argues that Malaysia can enjoy this trade competitive advantages only when there is no delay in input tax refund that cause increase in price of exports.Furthermore, there are many arguments against the indirect tax reform in exploitation countries. A country like Malaysia with presence of a veridical familiar sector, substituting VAT for border taxes is likely to deter the growth and development of the economy as a whole as VAT qualification drives firms from the formal sector into the shadow of informal economy. Many studies have indicated that developing countries consists of a truly large size of informal economy. Informal economy is specify as t he segment of the economy that escapes the tax net it thus includes both the shadow economy and agriculture. Also, they argue that the imposition of VAT may also clog the development of markets, especially in the rural areas.As mentioned, imposition of GST diversifies governments revenue sources and increase income. However, a previous study of GST in Mexico indicated that tax revenue increase faculty not be as large as suggested by standard literature due to the increase of the informal sector, wither the tax base. Furthermore, as a developing country, Malaysia may not benefit from the implementing GST due to the high administrative costs.Meanwhile, as GST was deferred, road shows, seminars and public education streak are still being held by the authorities ever since the first announcement of GST in order to create awareness amongst the public about the oncoming tax transition. On the contrary, in the same time, GST opponents have been expressing negative by starting an anti- GST task force to protests against the implementation. Sentiment is that Malaysia is ranked more corrupt than ever and people are cynical that imposing GST will only be another avenue for corruption.From the discussion above, it can be seen that imposition of GST can improve collection of revenue in a more comprehensive, transparent and effective manner. Furthermore, more savings for households and corporal sectors can be expected with the substitution of SST with GST. political sympathies has been paying fret in educating the public, however, hesitated in implementing the GST several times because of the lack of infrastructure to effectively collect the taxes. Furthermore, Malaysia is currently in a developing stage. There are still many informal sectors like agriculture sector and goods that are exempted from this system. Besides, the corruption issues in the country have yet to be addressed. It seems that the government needs more time to get ready for the implementation of GST and, thus GST aptitude be implemented later rather than sooner.3.2 Judgments from Micro-economic aspect(i) Corporate aspectGST is tax collected on behalf of government. Given the claimable input tax feature, GST is deemed not to be a business cost. However, GST will place a burden on the corporate sector (especially Small and Medium Enterprises), which will be responsible for collecting the new tax. SMEs may face the problem of cash flow impediment due to the payment of GST upfront. Also the employment of qualified internal staff with the necessary experience can be quite costly. To add on to the problem, software product programs would need to be revised to take into account the GST element hence adding on to the cost of operating a business. As conclude by studies, the respectfulness cost of SMEs is substantially higher than larger firms. Thus, GST compliance is four times more regressive to SMEs as compared to large firms.Again, representatives of the corporate sector have al ready expressed fears that corruption and bureaucratic ineptitude could raise the cost of administering the tax, thereby increasing companies operating costs.Furthermore, with regards to the threshold go down, survey done by The Associated Chinese house of Commerce & Industry of Malaysia (ACCIM) ,with a small samples of 2000 people, has indicated that a threshold of RM5 million above is the most acceptable level instead of RM500,000. Extra compliance cost has a very high possibility of causing them to have substantial amount of revenue forgone. Even the neighbor country of Malaysia, Singapore, has a threshold limit of SGD$1 million. Shockingly, 80% of the respondents indicated that their computer systems are not ready to cater for the administration of GST.All of the reasons above clearly show that GST compliance is a very big issue to the corporate sectors, especially SMEs. High compliance costs that will be incurred for new software purchasing, staff training and low threshold l imit have make them react very negatively towards the proposed GST. Thereby, it takes time for government to allay the fear of the corporate sectors and address the compliance cost issue. Thus, GST might be implemented later rather than sooner.(ii) Individual aspectPublic are very reluctant to accept the implementation of GST. Some of them even form a group representing the public to protest and express their non-approval for the introduction of the proposed GST with the contention of GST will feed the rich and starve the poor. Also, they are worried that those unprincipled traders might take advantage of the GST to unnecessarily increase prices and pass this down to the final consumer.Actually, government has been spending time creating public awareness about the GST. However, the effort does not seem to be enough that most of the people do not actually realize that the lower income groups are protected as most of the basic necessities are actually zero-rated and tax exempted. Con sumers have a choice to a certain extent whether to pay the tax should they decide to consume any of the non-essential goods and services.When it comes to exempting basic essentials from GST, however, there are arguments against list for political popularity. This is because too many exemptions can nullify the purpose of GST as a broad revenue base.Again, the bureaucratic culture in Malaysia further erodes the boldness of public towards GST.To sum up all the reasons above, given political sensibility of the GST and the difficulty of controlling the reactions of the public and the corporate sector, the government might want to ensure that there is a long gap in between for the introduction of GST even though GST can be beneficial to the country. Besides, the Malaysian government needs time to establish computerization system and trained personnel for the tax transition.However, the budget deficit and depleting natural resources bring the federal government with little choice. Furt hermore, the authorities has stressed that SST has reached its threshold, GST is the best option for the tax reform. Thus, given the reasons above and efforts of government create public awareness of GST, it might seen that GST is already in the pipeline and the current deferment was actually to allow the authorities to have more public awareness program and to give the corporate sector more time to get ready for the tax transition.4. Equity of GSTAs indicated by government, GST provides equitable treatments as lower income groups are protected by zero-rated and exempted mechanisms. This method has been argued as simplistic as it ignores a number of important facts.First, empirical research indicates that there are significant difference in the type of expenditure between the poor and rich. Engels law point out that the share of expenditure on food and clothing is very high for the poorest households. harmonize to the estimates of Hossain, VAT can be made less regressive with zero- rating of commodities that are consumed more by the poor households. Zero-rating basic-commodities protecting the poor and also the rich, since they also misdirect these commodities. In other words, zero-rating is an expensive way of protecting the poor since much of the protection is wasted on the rich.Second, the case for imposing VAT as has long been known a furnish VAT is likely to increase the price of many goods essential to the poor (Ahmad Stern 1987). Research on Bangladesh shows that a uniform VAT that disregards the differences in expenditure spending of the rich and the poor is significantly regressive as the poor suffer 2 to 3.5 percent loss in their income while the rich benefits from such reform. Because the poor may consume a relatively small amount of such products, it is undoubtly true that much of the benefits of such exemptions will go to the non-poor.Third, before the introduction of GST, the price of all commodities in fact has already incorporated an indirect tax component that is the tax charged on inputs for production. Therefore, no commodities will increase in price to the full extent of GST.Moreover, proponents of the tax reform have neglected the presence of a large informal economy in Malaysia. According to Emran and Stiglitz, the dramatic shift in favor of VAT as the main instrument for revenue rising in developing countries which have a large informal sector is misguided both on efficiency and candour grounds. Even a uniform broad-based VAT may be more progressive than more nominally progressive taxes (such as the personal income tax) that in practice burden only a limited group of wage-earners. This can be happen, for instance, informal sector producers that produce a close substitute of the formal GST-liable commodity will get high profit without strength tax while formal sector producer may get lower profit and bearing tax. Therefore, informal sectors of a Malaysia might distort the equity treatment of GST amongst the corp orate sectors. A further consequence is that the tax base of the GST is eroded and either less revenue is available for national expenditure priorities, or higher rate of GST is required.Thus, the equity of GST still remains a question. The actual impact of a broad-based GST needs to be estimated by econometric model in order to answer the major arguments of broad-based GST.4. ConclusionGST has been proposed by government to reduce the reliance on direct tax and the petroleum revenue. Also, it was planned to replace current SST. With a broader base for goods and services being subject to GST, the revenue for the government is expected to be higher. However, the implementation GST is being deferred again due to the political sensitivity and the negative reaction of the public. Furthermore, the lacking of infrastructure to effectively collect the taxes, negative responses by the corporate sectors and protests against GST by the public contributes further to the deferment of GST.Howeve r, it does not symbolise GST going to be shelved forever as Deputy Director of Customs, Subromaniam Tholasy, has made a clear statement that the implementation of GST has only been deferred, not cancelled. Also, the officials have been bewail to stress that both consumers and businesses are likely to make savings under the GST. Thus, it is obvious that the GST already is in the pipeline. However, many things have to be done for the imposition of GST, thus GST might be implemented later rather than sooner due to the substantial time and cost incurred by the corporate sector and government in the preparation for the transition. Also, equity of GST still remains an issue.In order to make the implementation of GST to be successful, the government should start an extensive education and public awareness drive now to explain how the tax works and its impact on prices. Also, the government should address its major problem which is corruption to regain the confidence of public. Also, they has to take into consideration of the neglected factors such as informal sector and reconsider the equity issue in order to make the implementation of GST to be equitable and efficient.

Bad Grades Equals No Driver’s License Essay

Imagine if you were in soaring school and you werent the brightest student, which resulted in bad grades, and so there was a indemnity made where you couldnt even rifle your pressurers license until your grades got up and stayed up. This is a policy that is being debated on by some legislators who think its a salutary policy and some who dont think its such a good policy. I would be siding with the legislators who dont think its a good policy. Its not a good policy because I feel worry its not objectively the legislators place. Also, students would be acquire good grades for the treat reasons. Lastly, someones academic in school doesnt adopt anything to do with the ability to drive. Legislators trying to make a policy, that teenagers should be required to maintain a C average in school in the beginning receiving a number one woods license is a bad idea.I feel that it isnt really the legislators place to decide that only kids with good grades reward their drivers license. Its only the raises/ guardians place to decide if their own child should get their drivers license or not. It would almost be taking some freedom away, because parents/guardians can raise their children however they want, that isnt illegal of course, but if legislators pass this policy, thats something parents dont ingest a say in when raising their children. Some parents may want their teen to have their drivers license even if the teen doesnt have good grades. Some may not, but its the parents choice.An example is if the parent needed the teen to be able to drive around and do errands for them because the parent is too busy but their grades arent to the policys requirements, then the teen wouldnt be able to help their parents out because theres a policy against teens getting their license while having bad grades. Also, if the parent had become temporarily or even permanently disabled and couldnt drive but needed to be chauffeured places by their teen who is old enough to have a license but isnt allowed to because of his grades. Situations like the examples are reasons why the policy is a bad idea. Parents should have a right to make the decision not the legislators.If this policy were to be passed students would be getting good grades for the wrong reasons. Teens wouldnt be trying to get good grades for their future theyll be doing it because they want to be able to receive the drivers license. Theyd entrust all about what good grades does for them in their career life, because theyd be so focused on maintaining their grades for the driving privileges. Also, its almost similar to bribing teens into getting good grades, instead of encouraging them to so theyll have a brighter future. Once they get out of high school theyll have the instinct to only get things done if they get something in return.That isnt the best instinct to live by because itll cause them to not do certain not-so-pleasant things when they get to college or the real world like go grocery shopping, paying their student loans, or even doing their work in college because theyll be expecting something material in return, all because they grew wedded to only doing the things you need to when youre getting something in return.Someone that is for this policy would most likely argue that a student with good grades would lead to purify drivers on the road. If the student is truly trying to get good grades then they are getting smarter and when theyre ready to drive theyll make smarter decisions on the road. Statistics image that, In 2005, 46% of U.S. 12th-grade students scored below basic on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) National science scale 18% scored proficient or above, and 2% scored go on( Agus, Jessica.). This statistic proves how not many students are doing as good, considering the majority of them scored below basics. However, if we were to pass the policy then the score would most likely rise because students would be working harder in school and doing what they need to do. It could possibly give the student a break-dance comprehension level and decision making level, so when they do begin driving the people around them along with themselves will be safer.However, their argument would be invalid considering that students grades/ intelligence level and their driving skills dont have anything to do with the other. If students are getting good grades in school it doesnt necessarily mean that their driving skills are going to be equalise with the intelligence level. Besides, in an article it reads that, The mean grade point average for female high school graduates was 3.10 in 2009, .33 higher than the average GPA for youngish women in 1990. The average GPA for male high school graduates over the same period rose .31 points to 2.90. and that, Some say this means American high schools are churning out smarter, harder-working students.( U.S. News). This evidence proves that the policy that students should have good g rades before they can receive their license is unnecessary because students are already doing better grade wise. I cant say myself for a fact that teens driving skills are better, but I can say in an mental picture that it probably hasnt changed. I believe that the policy isnt needed for teens to do better in school because students are doing it themselves without the bribing.Legislators deciding to make a policy, that teenagers should be required to have a C grade average in school before being able to receive a drivers license isnt a bright idea. It isnt the legislators place to decide that only kids with good grades get their drivers license. Also, if a policy like this were to be passed students would be getting good grades for the wrong reasons. They should get good grades to have a better career future not to have a drivers license. Lastly, students grades/ intelligence level and driving skills dont have anything to do with the other.I believe that a policy like this could pr obably mess up a students future, therefore, legislators should give up the policy before they give students the wrong idea of success. U.S. News Staff. Average High drill GPAs Increased since 1990. US News. U.S.News & World Report, 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. . Agus, Jessica. High School Student Achievement. High Schools in the United States. National High School subject matter at AIR, Dec. 2010. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. .

Indentured Servants Essay

Indentured servants were an important piece of establishing colonies in North the States. They first arrived in the States in the ten dollar bill following the settlement of Jamestown by the Virginia Company in the sixteenth century (PBS, n.d.). The growth of tobacco and other crops created a tremendous need for labor in the early colonies. With this need came numerous changes, problems and unintended consequences of using indenture servants.The BeginningIndentured servants were colonists that exchanged several(prenominal) years of labor for the cost of passage to America and the grant of land (Tindall & Shi, 2013, p.38). The idea of indentured servants was born when colonists realized that they had a tremendous amount of land to commission for, barely no one to care for it. This became very prevalent when tobacco became profitable, as it was labor intensive and the need for servants was rapidly growing (PBS, n.d.). At this time the European economy was depressed, which left man y laborers looking for work.The opportunity of new life in America offered hope which explains how one-half to two-thirds of the immigrants who came to the American colonies arrived as indentured servants. (PBS, n.d.). Typically, an indentured servant would work for several years. This was in exchange for room, board, passage and freedom to America. Work as an indentured servant could be harsh, but if they survived they would receive freedom dues set by customs duty and law. This included money, tools, clothing, food and occasionally small tracks of land (Tindall & Shi, 2013, p. 75).Changes, Problems and Issues with Indentured ServantsIndentured servants brought challenges to colonists from several prospective. First, simple supply and demand created issues with indentured servants if the demand for labor grew, so did the cost of the servants.These servants were not always brought willingly, so you dealt with the struggles of runaways and kidnappings. The servants masters would of ten whip them for bad behavior. There were high death rates, due to malady and exhaustion. Many servants did not live to the end of their terms. The ones that did live posed the most substantial issue for many colonists.When the indentured servants were free they posed unintended consequences for the already established colonists. They demanded political recognition, and land. (Tindall & Shi, 2013) They eyed and moved to the indigenous land that caused trouble for the colony, as that land was inhabited by the Indians. They turn outed their own farms or pursued a trade, which allowed them to acquire servants of their own. Many colonists also felt threatened by freed indentured servants as they were competition for the land and future wealth for their families.The DeclineWhen the prospects for upward mobility dimmed, indentured servants were willing and ready to participate in violent rebellions and to demand wealthier colonists property. The threat posed by the increasing number of indentured servants magnate have been one of the reasons this type of servitude diminished. (Dictionary of American History, 2013) Another reason for the decline of indentures servants what that many sodbusters and plantation owners began to rely on the labor of enslaved Africans. Slaves were more costly than servants, but they served for life and by the 1660s colonial legislative assemblies had legalized lifelong slavery (Tindall & Shi, 2013, p.75). ConclusionIndentured servants were an integral part of the early colonies. They provided a means to aid the farmers in providing labor to produce an abundance of crops such as tobacco, rice and indigo. Although, the job proved harsh, it provided an opportunity for depressed Europeans to start a new life in the Americas.ReferencesDictionary of American History. (2013). Indentured Servants. Retrieved from http//www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Indentured _servants. aspx PBS. (n.d.). History Detectives Special Investigations. Indentured servan ts in the U.S. Retrieved from http//www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/indentured-servants-in-the-us/ Tindall, G. & Shi, D. (2013). America A Narrative History. (9th ed.). New York, NY W.W. Norton & Company

Indian Freedom Fighters Essay

Jawaharlal Nehru born on 14th November 1889 in Allahabad, was the first blossoming government minister of India and a central figure in Indian politics for much of the 20th century. He emerged as the paramount leader of the Indian Independence Movement at a lower place Mahatma Gandhi and ruled India from its establishment as an independent nation in 1947 until his demise in office in 1964. Nehru is considered to be the architect of the modern Indian nation- render a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic. A committed nationalist since his teenage courses, Nehru became a rising figure in Indian politics during the upheavals of the 1910s. He became the prominent leader of the Indian theme Congress during the 1920s, and eventually of the entire Congress,. As Congress President, Nehru called for complete independency from Britain He was the principal author of the Indian Declaration of Independence (1929). As undercoat Minister, Nehru set out to realise his vision o f India.The Constitution of India was enacted in 1950, after which he embarked on an ambitious program of economic, social and political reforms. Chiefly, he oversaw Indias transition from a monarchy to a republic, while nurturing a plural, multi- developy democracy. In foreign policy, Nehru took a leading role in Non-Alignment while projecting India as a regional hegemon in South Asia. Under Nehrus leadership, the Congress emerged as a catch-all party, dominating national politics and winning consecutive elections in 1951, 1957, and 1962. He remained popular with the people of India in spite of political troubles in his final years and failure of leadership during Sino-Indian War. In India, his birthday is celebrated as Childrens Day. He died on may 27, 1964 in New Delhi. GulzariGulzarilal Nanda born on July 4 1898 in Sialkot, Pakistan, was an Indian political leader and an economist with specialisation in labour problems. He was the interim choice Minister of India twice for thi rteen days each the first time after the final stage of charge Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, and the second time after the death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966. The Government of India honoured Nanda with the Bharat Ratna assign in 1997 Both his terms were uneventful, yet they were tenuous of period because of the potential danger to the country following Nehrus death soon after a war with China in 1962 and Shastris death after a war with Pakistanin 1965. He died on January 15 1998 in New Delhi.Lal Bahadur ShastriLal Bahadur Shastri born on 2 October 1904 in Ramnagar, was the second Prime Minister of the nation of India and a leader of the Indian National Congress party. Shastri joined the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. Deeply impressed and influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, he became a loyal follower, first of Gandhi, and then of Jawaharlal Nehru. Following independence in 1947, he joined the latters government and became one of Prime Minister Nehrus principal lieutenants, first as Railways Minister (195156), and then in a variety of other functions, including Home Minister.Shastri was chosen as Nehrus successor owing to his adherence to Nehruvian socialism Shastri as Prime Minister continued Nehrus policies of non-alignment and socialism. He became a national hero following the conquest in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. His slogan of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan (Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer) became very popular during the war and is remembered even today.2 The war was formally ended in the capital of Uzbek Agreement of 10 January 1966 he died the following day, still in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, of a heart attack on January 11 1966.Indira GandhiIndira Priyadarshini Gandhi born on 19 November 1917, was the trine Prime Minister of India and a central figure of the Indian National Congress party. Gandhi, who served from 1966 to 1977 and then again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984, is the second-longest-serving Prime Minister o f India and the however woman to hold the office. As Prime Minister, Gandhi became known for her political ruthlessness and unprecedented centralisation of power. She presided over a period where India emerged with greater power than in advance to become the regional hegemon of South Asia with considerable political, economic, and military developments.Gandhi withal presided over a state of emergency from 1975 to 1977 during which she ruled by decree and made long-wearing changes to the constitution of India. She was assassinated on 31 October, 1984, in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star. In 2001, Gandhi was voted the greatest Indian Prime Minister in a poll organised by India Today. She was also named Woman of the Millennium in apoll organised by the BBC in 1999.Morarji DesaiMorarji Desai born on 29 Feb 1896 in Valsad, was a notable Indian independence activist and the quaternth Prime Minister of India from 1977 1979. He was also the first Prime Minister to wellspring Indi as first non-Congress Government. At foreign fronts, Desai holds international fame for his peace activism and made notable efforts to initiate peace between two-rival South Asian states, Pakistan and India. After Indias first nuclear explosion in 1974,Smiling Buddha, Desai helped restore friendly relations with China and Pakistan, and vowed to avoid armed conflict such as Indo-Pakistani war of 1971.Desai has the thinkable distinction of being the only Indian national to be conferred with Pakistans highest civilian award, Nishan-e-Pakistan, which was conferred on him by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990 in a colorful ceremony. Domestically, he played crucial role in Indian nuclear program after it was targeted by major nuclear powers after conducting a surprise test in 1974. Later, his policies promoted social, health and administrative reforms in the country. He died on 10 April 1995 in New Delhi.Charan SinghChaudhuri Charan Singh , was the fifth Prime Minister of the Republic o f India, serving from 28 July 1979 until 14 January 1980. Charan singh was born into a Jat family on December 23, 1902 in city Noorpur, Uttar Pradesh. Charan Singh entered politics as part of the Independence Movement. After independence he became particularly notable in the 1950s for opposing and winning a battle against Jawaharlal Nehrus socialistic and collectivist land use policies, for the saki of the Indian Farmer, which endeared him to the agrarian communities throughout the nation, particularly in his native Uttar Pradesh. The leader of the Bharatiya Lok Dal, he was colonised at the time for the largely honorary post of surrogate Prime Minister of India.During 1977 Lok Sabha Elections, there was not a single party, hence it was problem, which symbol has to be adopted Hence, a request was made to Chaudhary Charan Singh (Lok Dal) and he agree to release his party-Lok Dals symbol HALDHAR. It was because of efforts of Raj Narain he later became Prime Minister in the year 1979 . He was sworn in as Prime Minister with the support of just 64 MPs.Charan Singh died on 29 May 1987 in NewDelhi. He was survived by his wife, Gayatri Devi and five children.Rajiv GandhiRajiv Ratna Gandhi born on 20 August 1944 in Mumbai, was the sixth Prime Minister of India, serving from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, his mother, to become the youngest Indian Prime Minister. For much of Rajivs childhood his grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was prime minister. He became a professional pilot for the Indian Airlines. In 1968, he married Sonia Gandhiand the couple settled down in Delhi to a domestic life with their children Rahul and Priyanka. Although for much of the 1970s his mother was prime minister, and his brother Sanjay wielded significant unofficial power, Rajiv remained apolitical. After Sanjays death in a plane crash in 1980, Rajiv reluctantly entered politics at the behest of Indira.The following year he became a membe r of the Lok Sabha . As part of his political grooming, Rajiv was made a general secretary of the Congress and given significant responsibility in organising the 1982 Asian Games. Rajiv Gandhi remained Congress President until the elections in 1991. bandage campaigning for the elections, he was assassinated by a suicide bomber from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in May 21 1991 in Sriperumbudur. Rajiv Gandhi was awarded the highest civilian award by the government of India, Bharat Ratna in 1991.V. P. SinghVishwanath Pratap Singh born on 25 June 1931 in Allahabad, was the 7th Prime Minister of India. His initial ministry consisted of the following Cabinet ministers and their departments. The Cabinet was practicable from the 2 December 1989 to 10 November 1990. Hence , he was ousted less than a year later. To hold unwieldy coalition together proved to be a formidable task. Additionally, Singh faced secessionist movements in the states of Punjab and Kashmir. The latter threatene d to erupt into armed conflict with Pakistan in early 1990 and exacerbated Hindu-Muslim conflict in the country.Known as a consensus builder, skilled negotiator, and a person of strong will, Singhs talents were considerable, but were stretched to their utmost and ultimately failed. Singh held the post as Prime Minister less than a year due topressures from political rivals and an electorate increasingly polarized along caste and religious lines. He died on November 10, 2006 in New Delhi.Chandra ShekharChandra Shekhar Singh born on 17 April 1927 in Ibrahimpatti, was the eighth Prime Minister of India. He became the eighth Prime Minister of India on 10 November 1990 as Congress decided to extend outside support to his government. The blood crumbled quickly, as the Congress party accused him of spying on Rajiv Gandhi, their leader at that time.3 The Congress companionship then boycotted Parliament and as Shekhars sect only had 64 MPs, he resigned in a nationally televised address on 6 March 1991. He remained in office until national elections could be held later that year.4It was during these elections that Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated.Shekhar was known for abiding by the parliamentary conventions and was honoured with the inaugural Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1995.3 Shekhar was a member of the Lok Sabha, Indias lower house of Parliament. He led the Samajwadi Janata Party. Starting in 1977, he won elections to the Lok Sabha eight times from Ballia constituency in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Chandra Shekhar suffered from multiple myeloma, a form of cancer of the plasma cell. He had been hospitalised for over three months by the date of his death, aged 80, in New Delhi on 8 July 2007 P. V.Narasimha RaoPamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao born on 28 June 1921 in Vangara, Karimnagar, was an Indian lawyer, politician and freedom fighter1 who served as the ninth Prime Minister of India from1991 to 1996. He led an important administration, overseeing a major econom ic transformation and several home incidents touch on national security of India.3 Rao who held the Industries portfolio was personally responsible for the dismantling of the Licence Rajas this came under the purview of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.4 He is often referred to as the Father of Indian frugal Reforms.56Future prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh continued the economic reform policies pioneered by Raos government. Rao accelerated the dismantling of the License Raj, reversing the socialist policies of Rajiv Gandhis government.He employed Dr. Manmohan Singh as his finance Minister to embark on historic economictransition. With Raos mandate, Dr. Manmohan Singh launched Indias globalisation angle of the reforms that implemented the International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies to rescue the more or less bankrupt nation from economic collapse.4 Rao was also referred to as Chanakya for his ability to steer tough economic and political legislation thr ough the parliament at a time when he headed aminority government.78 Rao died on December 23, 2004 of a heart attack in New Delhi. He was cremated in Hyderabad.10 He was a versatile character with interests in a variety of subjects such as literature and computer software. He spoke 17 languages.H. D. Deve GowdaHaradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda born 18 May 1933 in Haradanahalli was the eleventh Prime Minister of India from 1996 to 1997 and the 14th Chief minister of the state of Karnataka from 1994 to 1996. He is an influential leader of the Vokkaliga community and is popularly known as Mannina maga (Son of the soil) for espousing the cause of the farmers.He is the National President of the Janata Dal (Secular) party. He earned his Diploma in Civil Engineering from Smt.L.V. Polytechnic, Hassan, Karnataka.2 He married Smt. Chennamma and the couple have 4 sons and 2 daughters. His parents, Shri Dodde Gowda and Smt. Devamma were from a middle class agricultural background.6 Hence, he was exposed to the hardships of farmers, early in his life and later became a champion of the farmers cause.5I.K. GujralInder Kumar Gujral was an Indian politician who served as the twelfth Prime Minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998. Inder Kumar Gujral was born on 4 December 1919 to Avtar Narain and Pushpa Gujral in Jhelum, pakistan. He studied at D.A.V. College, Hailey College of Commerce and Forman Christian College University, Lahore. He also participated in the Indian independence movement and was jailed in 1942 during the Quit India Movement. As a student he became a member of the Communist Party of India. Gujral was admitted at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon, Haryana, on 19 November 2012, after being diagnosed with a lung infection.38He had suffered a serious chest infection a fewer days before being admitted to the hospital39 following more than a year of dialysis.15 His health deteriorated in the hospital and was reported to be very critical. On 27 November, he fell unconsciousand his urine output system stopped working. Gujral died on 30 November 2012. The government of India declared a seven-day period of state mourning and cancelled official functions until 6 December.Atal Bihari VajpayeeAtal Bihari Vajpayee born 25 December 1924 in Gwalior, is an Indian statesman who served as the 10th Prime Minister of India, in three non-consecutive terms, first for 13 days in 1996, then for 13 months from 1998 to 1999 and then from 1999 to 2004 for a full five year term. A parliamentarian for over four decades, Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Indias Parliament) nine times, and twice to the Rajya Sabha (upper house). He is the only one to be elected from four opposite states at different times (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Delhi.) He won his first election from Balrampur and later he moved to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, until 2009, when he retired from active politics due to health concerns. Vajpayee was among the fou nding members of the erstwhile(prenominal) Jana Sangh political party and had also been its President. He was also the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Morarji Desai.Manmohan SinghManmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. A renowned economist, he is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to crop to power after completing a full five-year term, and the first non-Hindu to hold the office. Born on September 26, 1932 in Gah , Pakistan, Singhs family migrated to India during its partition in 1947. He received a BA from Cambridge, and after obtaining his doctorate in economics from Oxford, Singh worked for the United Nations in 196669. He subsequently began his bureaucratic career when Lalit Narayan Mishra hired him as an advisor in the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Over the 70s and 80s, Singh held several key posts, in theGovernment of India such as Chief Economic Advisor (197276), Reserve Bank governor (198285) and Planning Commission head (198 587).In 2004, when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) came to power, its chairperson Sonia Gandhi unintentionally relinquished the premiership to Manmohan Singh. This Singh-led UPA I government executed several key legislations and projects, including the Rural HealthMission, Unique Identification Authority, Rural Employment Guarantee scheme and decently to Information Act. In 2008, opposition to a historic civil nuclear agreement with the United States nearly caused Singhs government to fall after left wing Front parties withdrew their support. Although Indias economy grew rapidly under UPA I, its security was threatened by several terrorist incidents (including the 2008 Mumbai attacks) and the continuing Maoist insurgency.The 2009 general election saw the UPA return with an increased mandate, with Singh retaining the office of Prime Minister.

Tools of Exploitation Analysis

The film/documentary, tit take Tools of Exploitation, chronicles, analyzes and explains Western civilizations influence on African culture/livelihood through and through and throughout the goal of colonialism (the film covers the slave trade for a brief moment as well) leading to the modern day. Narrated by scholar/author Ali Mazrui, the film focuses on the usurping of Africas future potential due to European powers stymying Africas growth for their (Western) own gain (hence the name Tools of Exploitation Africa was exploited for European gain).The film addresses many factors to wherefore this has taken place but focuses mostly on economic reasons as well as the bogus justifications Europeans used to colonize the continent. ace of the themes the documentary covers was the false pretenses that Europeans claimed to justify the Colonization of Africa. During the early 20th century (1900s), Northern and Eastern Africa even so had a pervasive slave culture. In the North, the remnants of the Ottoman Empire still practiced slavery, while the Muslims were the responsible figureheads in the East.Following the centuries of trans-Atlantic slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the New World, Europe had abolished the practicing of slavery. In 1884, the European powers that be called for the Berlin Conference. plane section of the conference was to organize The Scramble for Africa. The term was used to describe the Wests desire to introduce themselves as administrators of the African continent. One of the justifications for the conference/Europeans colonialism, was that the West had a duty to end the barbarism of slavery still existing on the continent through the Wests rude(a) found morality.Part of the Europeans plan for administration was also the fragmenting of Africa with artificial political boundaries. While this organized Africa in a convenient matter for the Europeans, it led to ethnic divisions/rivalries that are still in existence today. One of the injust ices of the Berlin Conference was that there were no African leaders invited to the conference how could Europe be devising such important, influential decisions about a continents future, without consulting the people of that continent?The answer while Europe had abolished slavery, the racism dating back to the geezerhood of slavery still existed. The conference in reality had no intention of freeing Africa of its negatives, but instead, exploited the circumstances/situations of Africa to fuel the European commercialized machine. One of the overlying themes to which Europeans, again, falsely the justified colonization of Africa, was through the concept of the Duel Mandate. The philosophy/idea/phrase was created by English colonial soldiers ruler Lord Frederick Lugard.In a written testimony Lugard rationalizes colonizing Africa by claiming to utilize the continents resources in order to fuel European commercialization as well as facilitate Africas modernization. The showtime ha lf of the equation did come to fruition Europe conveniently gained access to Africans resources (first pre-colonialism through slaves and gold, then later with mineral based resources during colonization). However, Europeans modernization of Africa was merely surface level.Africa was given infrastructure (roads), skyscrape-esque constructs, commercial items (clothes, recreational technologies) but the African continent was non given the agency for long term industrialization to keep up with the global economy. What does Africa benefit from having Western fashion? Africa has large-scale downtowns, and avocation sectors, but what is the purpose when these buildings/businesses are powered by faulty electricity? The vessels of modernization were left by Europeans, but there was no functionality or means of using the vessels for modernization.While the West was industrializing, Africa was being fed a message of false growth. Africa never had a chance to develop a means of self-creati on/production in the 20th century. A perfect example of this was cited in the film. The West African country of Liberia is a large exporter of the raw material for rubber, which is a major commercial commodity in the global economy. However, Liberia itself does not have the means to convert the raw materials into the final product, meaning the country has to import (purchase) finished rubber from exterior countries.Was not part of the White Mans burden and part of the Dual Mandate, to uplift Africa through use of its own resources? How is it that one of the richest continents with regards to natural resources could not take the next step towards mechanization/commercialization with the aid of the West? Again, the emphatic answer is that the West had no intention of aiding the continent in the first place. The economic shackles of colonialism were a pre-meditated, calculated attack on the development of Africa during the turn into the twentieth century.The lasting outcome has left A frica crippled even now in modern times. With slavery, Africa already became under populated destroying a large potential for human development/ rise colonialism than hampered any immediate potential for industrial advancement in the continent. Now, modern day Africas urban areas/capitals have the appearance of advanced societies but are barely functional/beneficial as reclaimable tools for everyday use (as Mazrui says, the buildings functions are quenched).What is even more disturbing is the similar behaviors exhibited by Asian countries (specifically) China in modern day Africa through a sort of neo-colonialism. Various reports detail foreign Asian workers entering African countries to build infrastructure (roads, pipelines, hospitals, etc. ). In actuality, these foreign influences are building conduits to ship materials back to their own coutnry. Tools of Exploitation not only chronicled the economic handicaps and lies that fueled colonialism in 1900s the film also describes a s imilar intention that modern emerging powers are beginning to employ as well

Race Conflict in “Remember the Titans” Essay

In the movie Remember the Titans Gerry and Julius worked to overcome racial issues and eventually resolved their unnecessary conflict. They came to develop an amazing knowledge built on trust and respect. They eventually learned to appreciate the meaning of trusting a man for who they are as a person or else than the color of their skin.Early in the movie Gerry and Julius would not acknowledge one another, they were like enemies. When they looked at each(prenominal) other it was with both annoyance and fear. They both lived their have separate lives, with their own race, and refused to interact with the other. If they communicated in a civil manner with the other race it was like committing an awful sin. They treated each other with much(prenominal) ignorance and hatred. They couldnt stand each another and hated the way the other one acted.The majority of the time they approached their conflict with avoidance. Avoidance can be characterized as, defence reaction of the conflict , changing and avoiding payoffs, being noncommittal, and joking rather than dealing with the conflict at hand (pg. 138). They did not want to work out their differences. Instead they chose to avoid the topic and not deal with the fact that they were of a different race.When both Gerry and Julius found out that they were going to be on the same football team they didnt want to consider the possibility. They were both so narrow-minded and stubborn which resulted in neither seeing the other side of things. It seemed impossible for these two players to become friendsand go away about their racism.As they matured as adults and closer they became, the more they forgot about their differences and the more they defended their friendship. They were too determined to let their teammates hold them back. They would turn out to be great friends and role models for their team and the community.Much of the difference was overcome by dialogue. At first they had very little but over time they were open to sour together. Dialogue differs from usual conversation because although you may dislike what the other person advocates, you still listen and work to value the person (pg. 232). Their dislikes turned into likes and their different conversation turned into intimate conversation.When Gerry and Julius considered themselves brothers they realized how much they meant to each other and they were so honored and proud to be a true friend to each other. This was unthinkable, but the problem was that if they wanted to play football they had to overcome these hurdles, therefore not leaving them a lot of choices. On camp they would spend years together but neither of them made an effort to get along.Their friendship was so secure and they were so pleased that they had learned to overcome the racial issues and worn-out(a) the time to get to know each other. They both still acted as if they were better than other and they werent going to attempt to change this. If something went wr ong they would demonic each other, or disagree, and always end up fighting and usually about different things. Their friendship evolved into healthy, yet competitive, camaraderie.The competitive style of managing conflict is productive if one competes to accomplish individual goals without destroying the other person (pg 145). That is why I say Gerry and Julius maintained a healthy sense of camaraderie. They had developed such a bond that they did not intend to harm the other. They actually fed off of the other as they matured and developed their skill on the field.By find the friendship emerging between Gerry and Julius other people began to realize that having friends of a different race was not wrong. This also made Gerry and Juliuss friendship grow even stronger as they made a huge impact on the community. They understood each other and created a bond that would never be broken.Their hatred and disregard for the other due to race changed throughout the movie. They eventually grew into, what is described by Wilmot and Hocker as, a coalition (pg 189). The coalition that they created helped the remainder of the team and the community date differences.ReferencesHocker, J. & Wilmot, W. (2007) _Interpersonal Conflict_. New York McGraw Hill.

Biological Perspective Essay

One client I worked with had really low levels of assertiveness and because of this was often treated very badly by friends, family and work colleagues. This led to her seemly really rather depressed, which meant that she tended to avoid interactions with other people whenever possible, lowering further still her confidence and her ability to deal with social situations. She was becoming increasingly withdrawn. Whilst the counselling helped her to understand how she was contributing towards her own distress by having so low an opinion of herself, the antidepressants helped her to feel well enough to start to re-engage with people and to put into put on approximately of the ideas and life skills she was learning in therapy. By the time the medication was slowly stopped later her depression had lifted, she had firmly established new patterns of behaviour and relationships. She was easily able to continue this new and more than useful way of being, therefore removing the need fo r further medication.Back to TopThe Disadvantages of AntidepressantsMany people I know would say that when you are profoundly depressed, there are no disadvantages to taking something that makes you feel better. surely I know many clients whose lives have been transformed by taking the right antidepressant, prescribed by their doctor or psychiatrist. Having utter that, no medication is without its problems. With antidepressants, the main problems are firstly, finding the right antidepressant and secondly, side-effects.Antidepressants seem to help about half of the people who take them and different antidepressants work better with some people than others. The process of matching the right medication to the person is far from a precise wisdom and one psychiatrist I know will admit that it often comes down to luck and guesswork.Having said that, the choice of antidepressant is usually informed by the exact nature of the symptoms experienced.

Reducing Stress through Meditation

In todays world every(prenominal) one experience focuses almost every day and human body involuntarily reacts in ways that prepare them to fight or run. However, stress is some topic that needs special attention and if it is not taken care properly it may lead bodily damage to every part of the body. There are several studies that suggest the beneficial affects of venture is barely the opposite ways that stress does. Therefore, they claim that surmisal can restore the body to a sedate state, serving the body to repair on its own, and averting further harm due to the physical effectuate of stress (Scott n.pag). This paper is a literature review on what the experts think of the cushion of meditation on stress management.It is a well known fact that stress and tension has become the common thing in the world today. There are enormous compresss of work, finances, family life, disease, studies, parents, children, etc. In fact it is proven beyond doubt that stress and fretfulness are the main cause for many serious health problems, much(prenominal) as heart disease, diabetes and strokes and many more problems (Monslow n.pag).Meditation is an age old technique that includes relaxing methods such as listening to the breath, repeating a mantra, or detaching from the thought process, to focus the attention and bring about a state of self awareness and inner calm (Canter 176-177). Though many researchers wee-wee worked on this passing it has been difficult to prove its therapeutic value. However it is assumed that this stress releasing activity may have prophylactic and therapeutic health benefits. This has been proven because of certain physiological effects such as a shined of slowed heart rate or a particular electroencephalographic pattern that occur during meditation and describe a calm state may provide insight into how meditation works.According to a think over conducted by Eisenberg et al. (964-972) an association was instal in a meta-analysis of c ognitive behavioral techniques such as meditation for hypertension. In some other mull over of meta-analysis trials of relaxation and meditation for trait anxiety that included 70 trials of meditation and showed that the 35 trials of transcendental meditation were linked with significantly larger effect sizes than other techniques (Eppley et al. 957-974).According to some other charter in asthma problem it was found that sahaja meditation which is a technique of passive witnessing of thoughts, ameliorate some outcomes. However, differences were not maintained at two months (Manocha et al. 110-115). Similarly, studies showed that throng with epilepsy practising sahaja meditation had a significant decrease in objective stress measures and frequency of seizures (Panjwani et al 111-116 Panjwani et al 165-172).A cogitation that was designed to determine the force of a group stress reduction program based on heedfulness meditation for patients with anxiety disorders. In this study 22 study participants were selected with a structured clinical interview and found to refer the DSM- III-R criteria for generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. During the study assessments, including self-ratings and therapists ratings, were obtained weekly in the first place and during the meditation-based stress reduction and relaxation program and monthly during the 3-month follow-up period.It was found that a group mindfulness meditation training program can successfully decrease symptoms of anxiety and panic and can upkeep preserve these reductions in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or panic disorder with agoraphobia (Kabat-Zinn 936-943). The findings of a study by Kaplan et al (284-289) suggested that a meditation-based stress reduction program is effective for patients with fibromyalgia. In fact this is a chronic illness characterized by extensive pain, tenderness to light touch, fatigue, sleep disturbance, an d resistance to treatment.In yet another study by Barnes et al. (366369) that was taken up to determine the impact of stress reduction on birth pressure in adolescents by the Transcendental Meditation program it was found that there was a great decreases in daytime systolic blood pressure (P .04) and diastolic blood pressure (P .06) in those people who were practicing transcendental meditation when compared with the control group. Therefore the study concluded that there is a beneficial impact of the transcendental meditation program in youth who are at risk for the development of hypertension.A study carried out at Harvard University found that elderly individuals who learned Transcendental Meditation exhibited considerably superior improvements in a range of age-related aspects of mental and physical health when compared to other techniques or among the control group with no-treatment. This study demonstrated that majority of subjects involved in Transcendental Meditation rate d this technique as individually face-saving and uncomplicated to do when compared to the other techniques. A follow-up study after three years found that all those who had learned Transcendental Meditation were still alive compared with significantly lower survival judge for the other groups and for the remaining population of the institutions where the study was carried out (Alexander et al. 950-964).Work CitedAlexander CN, Langer EJ, Davies JL, Chandler HM, Newman RI. Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity an experimental study with the elderly. diary of Personality and Social Psychology. (1989) Vol 57, 6 pp 950-964.Barnes, V.A., Treiber, FA andJohnson, MH. Impact of transcendental meditation on ambulatory blood pressure in African-American adolescents. Am J Hypertens (2004) Vol 17 pp 366369.Canter, P The therapeutic effects of meditation, editorial school-age child BMJ VOL 11 (June 2003) pp 176-177.

Hunter Worth Essay

Communication is the process by which knowledge is exchanged and understood by two or more people. A bus must non only possess good communication skills, he must also be able to guard it in force(p)ly. When communicating internationally, managers should be aware of critical factors that may affect communication. For example, language barriers, pagan differences, and the channel use to communicate to name a few.Based on Vicente Ruizs actions and his conversation with spew out Moore, the differences in cultural attitudes towards communication in the United States as compared to Mexico that can be detected can be explained harmonise to Geertz Horfstedes cherish dimension. Americans tend to be individualistic in that individuals are expected to look after themselves. Mexicans on the other hand lean more towards collectivism, as they prefer a more tightly knit social framework, where members of an organization protect each others interest. Where Americans get to a diminished p ower distance, in contrast Mexicans pitch a high power distance.Power distance refers to the compass blossom to which people accept inequality in power among institutions, organizations and people. Both sides seem to be very emphatic however, it is obvious that there are differences in cultural attitudes toward communication between these two countries. Americans tend to do business directly, whilst Mexicans prefer to build relationships before going into business, and they also dont seem to value punctuality as time is a flexible commodity. Understanding these differences is therefore very important in doing business, as cultural attitudes play an important part when doing business internationally.Also if consideration is not accustomed to channel richness, the wrong message could be sent. The channel used in this case caused Chuck Moores communication to be treated routinely. Communication, although it appears to be a simple process, must be done flop and effectively to en sure success in business in not only the domestic environment, plainly also when communicating globally. What was the main purpose of Chucks communication to Vicente? To Michael Sato? What factors should he have considered when choosing a channel for his communication to Vicente? Are they the same factors he should have considered when communicating with Michael Sato?Chuck Moore is the national sales manager for Hunter-Worth. He was concerned that a shipment of a new interactive cuddly lavish toy would not arrive on time for the Christmas season sales. He therefore communicated with Vicente Ruiz, the plant manager of the Mexican subsidiary that manufactured the toy. The main purpose of Chucks communication to Vicente was to inquire intimately the status of the latest order, which was late. He asked for a production schedule for pending orders, and also requested a specific explanation as to why the Mexican plant seemed to be having problems with shipping orders on time.Michael S ato is the administrator vice president for sales and marketing, and he is also Chuck Moores supervisor. The man purpose of Chucks communication to Michael Sato was to appraise him of the problem he was having with Vicente Ruiz and also his concerns as to the availability of the toy that could be the seasons best seller. Chuck used upward communication, which are messages transmitted from the embarrasseder to the high levels in the organizations hierarchy, and this falls in the type, problems and exceptions, where a manager would inform his supervisor of any serious problems, and to make senior managers aware of difficulties.His communication to Michael was also to inform him of what he had done so far, and also to present advice on what else could be done. Chuck had a choice of many different channels he could have used to communicate with Vicente. He chose to send an email. When choosing a channel for his communication to Vicente, Chuck needed to figure about the urgency of t he breeding he required or the nature of the message he was move and use the best possible channel of communication. This is where channel richness comes in.Channel richness is the amount of information that can be transmitted during a communication episode. The channel that Chuck chose to communicate with was low in channel richness. In the hierarchy of channel richness of which face-to-face communication is the highest and reports or bulletins are the lowest, there are advantages and disadvantages. High channel richness has the advantage of being fast, two-way with fast feed- back. There was a breakdown in communication due to the Chucks choice of channel ofcommunication, as his message was distorted by noise in the form of interference by Vicentes secretary, who treated it as a routine message and handled it accordingly. These are the same factors Chuck should have considered when communicating with Michael Sato, as he was sought a quick re dissolving agent to the situation. He again used a channel low in channel richness and his message was dealt with. Since Michael Sato was also his friend, he could have taken the opportunity to assemble with him and discuss ideas on how to resolve the problem.Instead Michael Sato dealt with the situation as it was communicated to him. Face- to-face communication in this instance would have been a better channel, thus avoiding misunderstandings. If you were Chuck, what would you have done differently? What steps would you take at this point to make sure the provision of the popular new toy is sufficient to meet the anticipated crave? With an understanding of the cultural differences of his Mexican counterpart, if I were Chuck first of all I would have substantial a personal communication electronic network with Vicente Ruiz.This is the cultivation of personal relationships that cross departmental, hierarchical and even organisational boundaries. Since Mexicans like to build relationships before doing business, it wo uld have been profitable to build a personal communication network with the Mexican subsidiary. At this point Chuck may treat this situation as he would a crisis, and taking into consideration the short period of time to fix the situation, he needs to begin with effective communication, since prompt and thoughtful communication with Vicente can turn the situation to his advantage.He should not lose cerebrate at this time, and he should also pay a visit to the Mexican subsidiary to do persecute control. With mutual understanding of Vicentes supply problems and Chuck Moores urgent need for an ample supply of the popular new toy, both managers should meet, and listen to each others problems and come to a solution that would benefit both sides, thus building a relationship for future references.

Fool Chapter 6

SIXFRIENDSHIP AND THE ODD whopLife is loneliness, broken plainly by the gods taunting us with fri send awayship and the odd bonk. I contain it, I grieved. Perhaps I am a fool to have expected Cordelia to stay. (Well, yes, I am a fool dont be all overly cl constantly, eh? Its annoying.) notwithstanding for most of my manly years she had been the lash on my back, the bait to my loins, and the balm of my imagination my torment, my tonic, my fever, my curse. I ache for her.T presend is no comfort in the castle. dupery gone, Taster gone, Lear gone mad. At best, Drool was little more comp both than Jones, and decidedly less portable, besides I worry for him, great child that he is, stumbling virtually in the circle of so more villains and so much sharp metal. I miss his gape-toothed smile, filled as it was with toughened freeness, acceptance, and often, cheddar. And Taster, what did I pick taboo of him, sincerely? Just a wan lad from Hog Nostril on Thames. Yet when I unavoi dable a sympathetic ear, he provided, even if he was oft distracted from my woes by his own selfish dietary concerns.I lay on my bed in the portislodge staring issue the cruciform cursor unlikable circuits at the grey bones of London, stewing in my misery, yearning for my friends.For my world-class friend.For Thalia.The anchoress.On a tremble autumn day at Dog Snogging, the third time I was eachowed to bring food to the anchoress, we became debauched friends. I was still in awe of her, and merely being in her presence made me incur base, unworthy, and profane, exclusively in a frank way. I melt downed the plate of rough brown scratch and cease with the cross in the w wholly with prayers and a plea for her forgiveness.This f atomic number 18 will do, Pocket. It will do. Ill forgive you for a song.You must be a most pious lady and have great chouse for the schoolmaster.The Lord is a tosser.I thought the Lord was a shepherd?Well, that, too. But a buster needs hobbies. Do you know Greensleeves?I know Dona Nobis Pacem.Do you know any pirate songs?I could babble break through Dona Nobis Pacem like a pirate.It means give us peace, in Latin, doesnt it?Aye, mistress.Bit of a arrival then, innit, a pirate singing give us bally(a) peace?I suppose. I could sing you a psalm, then, mistress.All right, then, Pocket, a psalm it is one with pirates and loads of bloodshed, if you have it.I was nervous, desperate for benediction from the anchoress, and afraid that if I displeased her I might be struck down by an avenging angel, as seemed to happen often in scripture. Try as I might, I could not recall any piraty psalms. I cleargond my throat and sang the only psalm I k untried in EnglishThe Lord is my tosser, I shall not fatality Wait, wait, wait, give tongue to the anchoress. Doesnt it go, the Lord is my shepherd?Well, yes, mistress, notwithstanding you said And she started to laugh. It was the world-class time I realized her truly laugh and it ma t up as if I was getting approval from the Virgin herself. In the dark chamber, dear the single candle on my side of the cross, it seemed like her laughter was all most me, embracing me.Oh, Pocket, you are a love. Thick as a bloody brick, further such a love.I could feel the blood rise in my face. I was proud and embarrassed and ecstatic all at once. I didnt know what to do, so I fell to my knees and prostrated myself before the pointer loop, pushing my b grayness against the stone floor. Im sorry, mistress.She laughed some more. Arise, Sir Pocket of Dog Snogging.I climbed to my feet and stared into the dark cross-shaped hole in the wall, and there I saw that dull star that was her eye reflecting the candle flame and I realized that there were disunite in my own eyes.Why did you call me that?Because you make me laugh and you are deserving and valiant. I conceive of were going to be very(prenominal) good friends.I started to require her what she meant, but the iron latch clan ked and the gateway into the passageway swung slowly open. convey Basil was there, holding a candelabra, looking displeased.Pocket, whats going on here? said the m early(a) superior in her gruff baritone.Nothing, Reverend come. Ive just given food to the anchoress. capture Basil seemed reluctant to enter the passageway, as if she was afraid to be in view of the pointer loop that looked into the anchoresss chamber.Come along, Pocket. Its time for evening prayers.I bowed quickly to the anchoress and hurried out the door low M different Basils arm.As the sister closed the door, the anchoress called, Reverend Mother, a moment, please.Mother Basils eyes went wide and she looked as if shed been called out by the devil. Go on to evensong, Pocket. Ill be along.She made her way into the dead-end passageway and closed the door behind her even as the bell calling us to vespers began to toll.I wondered what the anchoress would debate with Mother Basil, perhaps some conclusion she had re alized during her hours of prayer, perhaps I had been found requirementing and she would imply that I not be sent to her again. After just making my first friend, I was painfully afraid of losing her. While I repeated the prayers in Latin after the priest, in my heart I prayed to God to not reappearance my anchoress away, and when mass ended, I stayed in the chapel and prayed until well after the midnight prayers.Mother Basil found me in the chapel.There are going to be some c falles, Pocket.I felt my touch sensation drop into my shoe soles.Forgive me, Reverend Mother, for I know not what I do.What are you on about, Pocket? Im not s coldnessing you. Im adding duties to your devotion.Oh, said I.From now on, you are to take food and sup to the anchoress in the hour before vespers, and there in the outer(prenominal) chamber, shall you sit until she has eaten, but upon the bell for vespers you are to leave there, and not return until the next day. No longer than an hour shall you stay, do you generalize?Yes, mum, but why only the hour?More than that and you will interfere with the anchoresss own communion with God. Further, you are never to ask her about where she was before this, about her family, or her past in any way. If she should peach of these things you are to immediately put your fingers in your ears, and verily sing la, la, la, la, I cant hear you, I cant hear you, and leave the chamber immediately.I cant do that, mum.Why not?I cant work the latch to the outer door with my fingers in my ears.Ah, sweet Pocket, I do so love your wit. I think you shall recreation on the stone floor this night, the rug shields you from the blessed cooling of your fevered imagination, which God finds an abomination. Yes, a sapless beating and the bare stone for you and your wit tonight.Yes, mum.And so, you must never speak with the anchoress about her past, and if you should, you shall be excommunicated and conjure for all eternity with no hope for redemption, the light of the Lord shall never fall upon you, and you shall live in darkness and pain for ever and ever. And in addition, I shall have Sister Bambi feed you to the cat.Yes, mum, said I. I was so thrilled I nearly peed. I would be blessed by the glory of the anchoress every single day.Well thats a scaly spot o snake wank, said the anchoress.No, mum, its a cracking heroic cat.Not the cat, the hour a day. Only an hour a day?Mother Basil doesnt want me to disturb your communion with God, Madame Anchoress. I bowed before the dark cursor loop.Call me Thalia.I darent, mum. And neither may I ask you about your past or from whence you come. Mother Basil has forbid it.Shes right on that, but you may call me Thalia, as we are friends.Aye, mum. Thalia.And you may tell me of your past, good Pocket. pronounce me of your emotional state.But, Dog Snogging is all I know all I have ever known.I could hear her laughing in the dark. Then, tell me a degree from your lessons, Pocket.So I told the anc horess of the stoning of St. Stephen, of the persecution of St. Sebastian, and the beheading of St. Valentine, and she, in turn, told me stories of the saints I had never heard of in catechism.And so, said Thalia, that is the story of how St. Rufus of Pipe-wrench was licked to cobblers last by marmots.That sounds a most horrible martyring, said I.Aye, said the anchoress, for marmot spit is the most noxious of all substances, and that is why St. Rufus is the patron of saliva and halitosis unto this day. Enough martyring, tell me of some miracles.And so I did. I told of the magic, self-filling take out pail of St. Bridgid of Kildare, of how St. Fillan, after his ox was killed by a wolf, was able to compel the same wolf to pick a cart full of materials for building a church, and how St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland.Aye, said Thalia, and snakes have been delightful ever since. But let me apprise you of the most wondrous miracle of how St. Cinnamon drove the Mazdas out of Swinden.Ive never heard of St. Cinnamon, said I.Well, that is because these nuns at Dog Snogging are base and not worthy to know such things, and why you must never share what you learn here with them lest they become overwhelmed and succumb to an acute accent.An ague of over-piety?Aye, lad, and you will be the one to have killed them.Oh, I would never want to do that.Of course you wouldnt. Did you know, in Portugal they canonize a saint by actually shooting him out of a cannon?And so it went, day in, day out, week in, week out, trading secrets and lies with Thalia. You might think that it was cruel of her to spend her only time in contact with the outside world telling lies to a little boy, but then, the first story that Mother Basil had told me was about a talking snake who gave tainted fruit to bare mess, and the bishop had made her an abbess. All along what Thalia was instilling me was how to entertain her. How to share a moment in story and laughter how you could become cl ose to someone, even when separated from them by a stone wall.Once a month for the first two years the bishop came from York to check on the anchoress, and she would seem to lose her spirit for a day, as if he were skimming it off and taking it away, but soon she would recover and our routine of call down and laughter would go on. After a few years the bishop stopped coming, and I was afraid to ask Mother Basil why, lest it be a reminder and the dour prelate resume his spirit-sucking sojourns.The longer the anchoress was in her chamber, the more she delighted in my conveying the most mundane details from the outside.Tell me of the weather today, Pocket. Tell me of the sky, and dont skip a single cloud.Well, the sky looked like someone was catapulting giant sheep into the frosty eye of God. seat winter. Crows against the sky?Aye, Thalia, like a vandal with quill and ink set loose to randomly punctuate the very dome of day.Ah, well spoken, love, completely incoherent imagery. Thank y ou, mistress.While about my chores and studies I tried to take note of every detail and construct metaphors in my head so I might rouge word pictures for my anchoress, who depended on me to be her light and color.My days seemed to begin at four when I came to Thalias chamber, and end at five, when the bell rang for vespers. Everything before was in preparation for that hour, and everything after, until sleep, was in sweet remembrance.The anchoress taught me how to sing not just the hymns and chants I had been singing from the time I was little, but the romantic songs of the troubadours. With simple, patient instruction, she taught me how to dance, juggle, and perform acrobatics, and all by verbal description not once in those years had I laid eyes on the anchoress, or seen more than her partial profile at the arrow loop.I grew older and fuzz spud on my cheek my voice broke, making me sound as if a small goose was pin down in my gullet, honking for her supper. The nuns at Dog Sn ogging started to take notice of me as something other than their pet, for many an(prenominal) were sent to the abbey when they were no older than I. They would flirt and ask me for a song, a poem, a story, the more bawdy the better, and the anchoress had taught me many of those. Where she had learned them, she would never say.Were you an entertainer before you became a nun?No, Pocket. And I am not a nun.But, perhaps your father No, my father was not a nun either.I mean, was he an entertainer?Sweet Pocket, you mustnt ask about my life before I came here. What I am now, I have always been, and everything I am is here with you.Sweet Thalia, said I. That is a fiery flagon of dragon toss.Isnt it, though?Youre grinning, arent you?She held the candle close to the arrow loop, illuminating her wry smile. I laughed, and reached through the cross to touch her cheek. She sighed, took my hand and press it hard against her lips, then, in an instant, she had pushed my hand away and moved out of the light.Dont hide, said I. Please dont hide.Fat lot of choice I have about whether I hide or not. I live in a bloody tomb.I didnt know what to say. Never before had she complained about her choice to become the anchoress of Dog Snogging, even if other expressions of her faith seemed well abstract.I mean dont hide from me. Let me see you.You want to see? You want to see?I nodded.Give me your candles.She had me hand four lit candles through the arrow loop. Whenever I performed for her she had me set them in holders around the outer chamber so she could see me dance, or juggle, or do acrobatics, but never had she asked for more than one candle in her own chamber. She placed the candles around her chamber and for the first time I could see the stone pallet where she slept on a mattress of straw, her meager possessions laid out on a heavy table, and Thalia, standing there in a tattered linen fit out.Look, she said. She pulled her frock over her head and dropped it on the floor.She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She looked younger than I had imagined, thin, but womanly her face was that of a mischievous Madonna, as if carved by a carver inspired more by desire than the divine. Her hair was long and the color of buckskin, catching the candlelight as if a single ray of sunlight might make it explode in golden fire. I felt a heat rise in my face, and another kind of rise in my trousers. I was excited and confused and ashamed all at once, and I turned my back on the arrow loop and cried out.NoSuddenly, she was right behind me, and I felt her hand on my get up, then rubbing my neck.Pocket. Sweet Pocket, dont. Its all right.I feel like the stupefy and the Virgin are doing battle in my body. I didnt know you were like that.Like a woman, you mean?Her hand was warm and steady, kneading the muscles in my shoulder through the cross in the wall and I leaned into it. I wanted to turn and look, I wanted to run out of the chamber, I wanted to be asleep, o r just waking ashamed that the Devil had visited me in the night with a damp dream of temptation.You know me, Pocket. Im your friend.But you are the anchoress.Im Thalia, your friend, who loves you. Turn around, Pocket.And I did.Give me your hand, said she.And I did.She put it on her body, and she put her hands on mine, and pressed against the cold stone. Through the cross in the wall, I discovered a new universe of Thalias body, of my body, of love, of passion, of go out and it was a damn sight better than bloody chants and juggling. When the bell rang for vespers we fell away from the cross, spent and gasping, and we began to laugh. Oh, and I had chipped a tooth.One for the Devil, then, love? said Thalia.When I arrived with the anchoresss supper the next afternoon she was waiting with her face pressed nearly through the center of the arrow cross she looked like one of the angel-faced gargoyles that flanked the main doors of Dog Snogging, eject they always seemed to be weeping and she was grinning. So, didnt go to confession today, did you?I shuddered. No, mum, I worked in the scriptorium most of the day.Pocket, I think I would prefer you not call me mum, if its not too much to ask. Given the new level of our friendship it seems oh, I dont know unsavory.Yes, m uh mistress.Mistress I can work with. Now, pass me my supper and see if you can fit your face in the opening the way that I have.Thalias cheekbones were wedged in the arrow loop, which was little wider than my hand.Doesnt that hurt? Id been finding abrasions on my arms and various bits all day from our contingency the night before.Its not the flaying of St. Bart, but, yes, it stings a bit. You cant confess what we did, or what we do, love? You know that, right?Then am I going to have to go to nut house?Well She pulled back, rolled her eyes as if inquisitory the ceiling for an answer. not alone. Give us our supper, lad, and get your face in the loop, I have something to teach you.And so it went for weeks and months. I went from being a mediocre acrobat to a talented contortionist, and Thalia seemed to regain some of the life that I had thought sure shed lost. She was not holy in the sense that the priests and nuns taught, but she was full of spirit and a different kind of reverence. More concerned with this life, this moment, than an eternity beyond the reach of the cross in the wall. I adored her, and I wanted her to be out of the chamber, in the world, with me, and I began to plan her escape. But I was but a boy, and she was bloody barking, so it was not meant to be.Ive stolen a chisel from a stonemason who passed by on his way to work on the minster at York. It will take some time, but if you work on a single stone, you might escape in summer.You are my escape, Pocket. The only escape I can ever allow myself.But we could run off, be together.That would be smashing, except I cant leave. So, hop up and get your tackle in the cross. Thalias a special treat for you. I never seemed to make my point once my tackle went in the cross. Distracted, I was. But I learned, and while I was forbidden confession and to tell the truth, I didnt feel that badly about it I began to share what I had learned.Thalia, I must confess to you, I have told Sister Nikki about the little man in the boat.Really? Told her or showed her?Well, showed her, I reckon. But she seems a bit thick. She kept making me show her over and over asked me to meet her in the cloisters to show her again after vespers tonight.Ah, the joy of being slow. Still, its a sin to be selfish with ones knowledge.Thats what I thought, said I, relieved.And speaking of the little man in the boat, I believe there is one on this side of the loop who has been naughty and requires a thorough tongue-lashing.Aye, mistress, said I, wedging my cheeks into the arrow loop. Present the rascal for punishment.And so it went. I was the only person I knew who had calluses on his cheekbones, but I had also developed the arms and grip of a blacksmith from suspending myself with my fingertips wedged between the great stones to anaesthetise my bits through the arrow loop. And thus I hung, spread spiderlike across the wall, my business being tended to, worked up and friendly, by the anchoress, when the bishop entered the antechamber.(The bishop entered the antechamber? The bishop entered the antechamber? At this point youre going coy on us, euphemizing about split and positions when youve already confessed to mutual violation with a holy woman through a bloody arrow slot? Well, no.)The actual sodding Bishop of Bloody York entered the sodding antechamber with Mother sodding Basil, who bore a brace of sodding storm lanterns.And so I let go. Unfortunately, Thalia did not. It appeared that her grip, too, had been strengthened by our encounters on the wall.What the hell are you doing, Pocket? said the anchoress.What are you doing? asked Mother Basil.I hung there, more or less suspend to the wall by three points, one of them not covered by shoes. Ahhhhhhhhh said I. I was finding it somewhat difficult to think.Give us a little slack, lad, said Thalia. This is meant to be more of a dance, not a tug-of-war.The bishop is out here, said I.She laughed. Well, tell him to get in the queue and Ill tend to him when were finished.No, Thalia, hes really out here.Oh toss, said she, releasing my knob.I fell to the floor and quickly rolled onto my stomach.Thalias face was at the arrow loop. Evening, your grace. A big grin there. Fancy a spot of stony bonking before vespers?The bishop turned so quickly his miter went half-past on his head. Hang him, he said. He snatched one of Mother Basils lanterns and walked out of the chamber.Bloody brown bread you serve tastes like goat scrotum Thalia called after. A lady deserves finer fareThalia, please, I said.Not a comment on you, Pocket. Your serving style is lovely, but the bread is rubbish. Then to Mother Basil. Dont blame the boy, Reverend Mother, hes a love.Mother Basil grabbed me by the ear and dragged me out of the chamber.Youre a love, Pocket, said the anchoress.Mother Basil locked me in a closet in her chambers, then mid-way through the night, opened the door and handed in a crust of bread and a chamber pot. bear here until the bishop is on his way in the morning, and if anyone asks, youve been hung.Yes, Reverend Mother, said I.She came to get me the next morning and hustled me out through the chapel. Id never seen her so distraught. Youve been like a son to me, Pocket, she said, fussing about me, strapping a satchel and other bits of kit on me. So its going to pain me to send you off.But, Reverend Mother Hush, lad. Well take you to the barn, hang you in front of a few farmers, then youre off to the south to meet up with a group of mummers21 who will take you in.Beggin pardon, mum, but if Im hung, what will mummers do with me, a puppet show?Ill not really hang you, just make it look good. We have to, lad, the bishop or dered it.Since when does the bishop order nuns to hang people?Since you shagged the anchoress, Pocket.At the mention of her I broke away from Mother Basil, ran through the abbey, down the old corridor and into the antechamber. The arrow cross was gone, completely bricked up and mortared in. Thalia Thalia I called. I screamed and beat the stones until my fists bled, but not a sound came from the other side of the wall. Ever.The sisters pulled me away, tied my hands, and took me to the barn where I was hanged.