Managment in arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managment in arts - Essay Example FNAC (National French Collection of Contemporary Art) can be considered as an example of cultural diversity in selecting the artistic works. Fifty percent of the arts collection contains French works while the other fifty percent comprises the works of arts of non-French artists. The numbers of bought works of art are French as well as non-French and are bought in a similar ratio. There is no restriction in terms of nationality and origin of the artist in terms of his/her artistic work and the works of art are bought and sold without any obligation concerning culture, nationality or origin. As far as ratio of artistic work from other nationalities is concerned, it is not equal. FNAC indicates that the artistic works from US are enormous in ratio as compared to other countries. The higher ratio from which, the works of art belong are from western richest economies such as United States, Britain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. The collection of artistic works at FNAC contains the artistic works from 55 different countries, which represents that globalization has impacted the sector of artistic work to a great extent. The structure of artists’ nationalities is not affected because of increasing or decreasing ratio of non-French artistic works. There is a hierarchy, which is followed in order to give positions to the works of art. Globalization has not opened grounds for the poor but has provided more grounds to the rich. United States is considered at the top in terms of hierarchy of works of art in terms of foreign representation. Collections of the works of arts at various places in the world give prominence to the artists of the place while the artistic works from prominent countries such as United States, France, Britain, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Belgium and many others, are also considered crucial and given concentration on the basis of the nationalities of the artists. The artists are

Tower Cranes Essay Example for Free

Tower Cranes Essay Force Force can be defined as that which causes a mass to accelerate. Force has common units of pounds force (lbs) or Newtons ? Acceleration (F=MÂ ·A). In other words 1 Newton is the force required to accelerate 1 kilogram by 1 m/sec2, or 1 pound force is the force required to accelerate 1 slug by 1 foot/ sec2. You will notice that the imperial unit for force is pounds force and not just pounds. There is a common inaccuracy in our language that is only really important when talking about physics. The word weight truly refers to a force – this is why your weight on the moon is not the same as your weight on earth. To fully understand this we need to dissect the mathematical meaning behind the force term. Two components go into calculating a force; the first is mass, the second is acceleration. What is mass? Mass is the amount of stuff present in a given sample, lets say a person. A person’s mass will be the same whether on earth or the moon – in both places that person is made up of the same amount of stuff. Mass has two common units; kilograms (kg) and slugs. So a person might have a mass of 70 kg or 4. 78 slugs. For the example of weight, or the downward static force exerted by an object, the acceleration of interest is the acceleration due to gravity. The acceleration due to gravity can be defined as the pull one object exerts on another. For this pull to be felt, one of the objects has to be extremely massive. For most people the most massive object they will encounter is the earth. The acceleration due to gravity on the earth is 9. meters/sec2 or 32. 2 feet/sec2. So a person on earth might weigh (70kg x 9. 8m/sec2) = 686 Newtons or (4. 78 slugs x 32. 2 feet/sec2) = 154 lbs. On the moon the same person will weigh (70kg x 1. 62 m/sec2) = 113 Newtons or (4. 78 slugs x 5. 32 ft/ sec2) = 25 lbs. So when a person says they weigh 154 lbs they are being true to physics, but when they say they weigh 154 kg, they’re actually referring to their mass. As a further twist, it’s also interesting to note that the acceleration due to gravity changes with altitude. So your weight at sea level will be slightly different that your weight at the top of a mountain (Newton’s law of gravitation Fg = G ? gravitational constant). ? kg ? m ? . The equation used to mathematically define force is Force = Mass x 2 ? ? sec ? m1 ? m2 , where G is the r2 Stress Stress is defined as force per unit area and has the common units of Pounds force per Square Inch (psi) or Pascals (Pa) (a Pascal is a Newton per square meter or kg/m sec2). In construction there are five basic types of stress which concern engineers. These are bending, tensile, compressive, shear, and torsional stress (see picture below). For the purpose of building Popsicle stick bridges we are really only interested in bending, compression, and tensile stresses. When we take a close look at bending we’ll see that it is just a combination of tensile and compressive stresses. Of these three types of stress tensile is perhaps the easiest to measure. As a result engineers will take samples of material and, using special machines, subject them to higher and higher tensile loads until they break. By dividing the force at which the sample breaks by the cross sectional area of the sample the materials Ultimate Tensile Stress (UTS) can be determined. The ultimate tensile stress is given the symbol ? (Greek letter sigma), and essentially represents the strength of a material. For comparisons sake a sample of plain carbon steel might have a UTS of 50,000 psi, while pine (which is what Popsicle sticks are made of) might have a UTS of 1,000 psi. It is important to recognize that UTS is not the only important consideration when selecting a material, but material selection is a bit outside the scope of this summary. Let’s take a closer look at tension and compression. Tension is the stress an element experiences when exposed to a pulling force. To get a feeling for tension think about a piece of string. String can only experience tension; it is not able to resist pushing or bending. Compression is the opposite of tension; it’s the stress an element experiences when exposed to a pushing force. Sand is an example of a substance which can only experience compression. A column of sand can support a large load, but is unable to resist any pulling force. As most materials have different tensile and compressive loading potentials, it is important to know what sort of forces will be exerted on every member in a building or bridge. Bending combines both tensile and compressive forces in a single element. To demonstrate this, take a look at the picture below. It’s pretty obvious from this picture that bending puts one face into tension while the other is in compression. It also logically follows from this conclusion that at some point between the two faces there must be a point where there is no tension or compression. This point is called the neutral axis. The mass of material above and below the neutral axis will always be equal. So in a symmetrical member the neutral axis will be along the midline, but will not necessarily be along the midline in an irregularly shaped member. This simple concept of leverage can be used to explain several more complex concepts in structural engineering. The first is why it’s easier to break a Popsicle stick when it’s bent on its flat side as opposed to its edge. To explain this we have to explain the concept of leverage. This one is pretty simple and can easily be demonstrated by the classroom door. Leverage (also called moment or torque) occurs when a force is applied to an object which can rotate about a pivot point. In the case of the classroom door the pivot is the hinge and the force applied comes from the person wanting to open the door. In the case of bending a Popsicle stick the pivot is the neutral axis and the force we’re concerned with is the tension or compression on the outside faces. Moment is calculated by multiplying the force applied by the distance from the point of force application to the pivot. If you increase the applied force, or the distance from the pivot point, the moment increases. That’s why door handles are put as far from the hinge as possible – we make the distance from the point of force application to the pivot point as large as possible, that way a small applied force will create a large moment. So the Popsicle stick is harder to break when bent on edge because we’ve increased the distance from the neutral axis to the point of maximum force. Explain the difference between tensile, bending, and compressive forces with examples of the equations used to calculate each. Explain truss elements and why they are a superior way of building a bridge. Sample FEM output for simple bridge design o Calculate the amount of popsicle sticks required to make a simple beam with the same strength as a truss element. Hints on building a strong bridge o Truss o Strength comes from the Popsicle sticks, not the glue – but well glued joints are a must. Additional information: http://andrew. triumf. ca/andrew/popsicle-bridge/ http://www. eir. ca/resources/presentations/Bridges%20-%20By%20Doug%20Knight. doc

Agricultural Climate Adaptation: Pakistan Wheat Industry

Agricultural Climate Adaptation: Pakistan Wheat Industry Agricultural Climate Adaptation plan:  A Case Study of Pakistan wheat industry Lubna Naz 1.0  Introduction 1.1 Global warming as a result of climate change is projecting higher temperature and unpredicted rainfall pattern coupled with extreme events like flash floods and storm. This never seen before phenomena would be a threat to mankind in all sphere of life if no appropriate actions are taken. As elaborated in the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of IPCC (2007), the average temperature of the globe has risen to 0.6 °C between the year 1901 to 2000 and will projected to increase more by 1.8-3.4  °C by the end of this century. 1.2 Agriculture among the various sector of the economy of Pakistan is considered to be the most fragile sector to the unexpected changes in the climate that not only affect the amount of its production and quality but also put pressure on the availability of natural resources needed for the development of agriculture sector. Concurrently, wheat being an important agricultural industry for the economy of Pakistan is not spared from the effects of climate change. As a matter of concern, it is fundamental for all associates of the industry together with policy and decision makers to work out an adaptation strategy on how to overcome the negative impact of climate change and continue to remain a competitive sector. Successful and effective adaptation measures will need both strategic and tactical approach that based on best practices to cope with the adverse effect of climate change. Furthermore, an efficient screening and monitoring will also be needed in order to have better evaluatio n of the adapted practices that whether they are effective in controlling and minimizing the unfortunate impact of climate change. 1.3 The rise in temperature, unpredicted rainfall coupled with the increase intensity of extreme events such as drought and stress all have significant impact on the wheat industry in Pakistan. High Rainfall results in flood, waterlogged condition and hail damage that negatively affect the wheat production. As a consequence, infestation of insect, pest and diseases outbreaks and result in severe damage and in some cases even complete crop loss. Similarly, increase in temperature also negatively affects the yield of the wheat and cause major economic loss in Pakistan. As reported by Rasul et al. (2011) the rise in temperature greatly reduced the wheat yield in Pakistan particularly at sowing time and grain filling period. Furthermore, Rawson and Macpherson (2000) also reported that wheat crop destroyed faster in waterlogged conditions and as a consequence seedlings of wheat die within two days and thus resulted in low yield. Apart from the low yield other identified impact of climate change on wheat industry is decrease in GDP, decrease in foreign exchange, effect policy making, penalties by buyer; for unable to supply the required amount of wheat grains, difficulty in transportation, outspread of insect and pest, affect the livelihood of the farmers and as consequence disturb the economy of the country. Many potential adaption measures such as crop management practices, new varieties, crop rotation and water management are used in wheat industry in Pakistan. However, these practices need to be customized, improve or incorporated in different ways to cope with the adverse effect of climate change. 2.0 Adaptation plan Appropriate adaptation plan is required in the wheat industry to minimize and prevent the damage caused by the adverse effect of climate change and increase the production and yield of the crop. Well planned and early adaptation strategies will not only save cost of production and cultivation techniques but in long term save millions of lives that depend on agriculture sector for their livelihood and employment. The adaptation strategies are needed at all levels of administration like local, regional and national. Therefore the objective of this paper is to set up an adaptation and mitigation plan for wheat industry in Pakistan to eradicate or minimize the challenges caused by high temperature, unpredicted rainfall and extreme weather condition. 2.1 Government involvement Pakistan is signatory to 15 Multilateral Environmental Agreements which is mainly related to climate change, biodiversity and rehabilitation. On the basis of its international commitments, Pakistan established a number of policies, projects and framework to reduce the environmental hazards such as National Disaster management Authority, Global Change Impact Study Centre and Task Force on Climate Change. However, the country is still in the hunt for further international assistance and support (khan et al. 2013). The government of Pakistan together with all the agencies involved should focus on capacity building, circulation of funds and technology, research for agriculture development, institution and framework and therefore, develop effective adaptation strategies and policies to reduce the vulnerability of wheat industry regarding changes in climate. 2.2New breeding program 2.2.1As describe earlier, temperature and rainfall both has devastating effect on wheat grain yield in Pakistan. Successful and productive plant breeding program is needed to be adapted to enhance the production and yield. The temperature is projected to increase in the northern areas of Pakistan coupled with high rainfall, in such area slow maturing cultivars having greater heat requirement should be planted that have positive effect on the photosynthetic activity of wheat. However, the region with the high temperature and decrease rainfall (arid and semi arid plains of Pakistan) the wheat cultivars having early flowering characteristics with wide row spacing should be sown as this will allow grain formation in cooler part of the year (Van Ittersum et al. 2003). Moreover, seed with good crop establishment, early hybrid vigour, responsive to increase in carbon dioxide concentration and ability to retain flower in windy and hot climate is needed to be planted (Richards 2002). Iqbal et al. (2009) also reported that crop varieties resistant to high temperature and of short duration should be planted in order to minimize the adverse impact of high temperature. 2.2.2 High temperature is expected to reduce the risk of frost and increase the grain yield. Therefore, wheat should be sown earlier so that plant can set up the grain formation in the cooler period when there is low risk of frost (Howden et al. 1999). Iqbal et al. (2009) also reported that alternative sowing dates should be used to avoid the adverse impact of high temperature on the crop at the time of sowing or other sensitive growth stages. 2.1.3 The climate change favours the infestation of insect, pest and diseases which lowered the yield of the crop. The best measure is to use integrated pest management strategy and Area Wide Management that is the coordination of the farmers and the policy makers of the entire areas. Furthermore, the use of genetically modified crop resistant to peat and disease should be introduced and cultural practices need to be modified such as mixed cropping and crop rotation to reduce the spread of disease (Stokes Howden 2008).Pakistan Agricultural research and development sector is focusing on all these strategies and development of new varieties of wheat to reduce the risk of climate change. 2.3Crop rotation and management Various crop management practices can be used to reduce the risk of the wheat crop to environmental hazards. Such as in case of heavy rainfall the growers need to adapt the zero tillage practices so as to have greater infiltration. Avoid compaction of the soil by farm, machines, human and livestock traffic (Easterling et al, 2007). However, in poor rainfall areas of Pakistan wide rows and skip row planting should be practiced to increase the yield and stability of the wheat. Hammer et al. (1996) reported that the timing, variety of the crop and rate of fertilizer application should be based on the seasonal rainfall and available soil moisture and nutrient content of the soil. Furthermore, use of modern agriculture technology like laser land levelling and crop diversification should also be included into consideration. 2.4  Milling quality 2.4.1 Wheat grain contain high level of protein content such as durum wheat but increasing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere negatively affect protein content and hence reduce its flour quality. However, the reduction depend on the choice of cultivar selected and amount of nitrogen fertiliser applied (Rogers et al, 1998). To maintain the nitrogen content of the wheat grain, increase use of leguminous crop or increase use of nitrogen fertilizer need to be adopted (Hayman and Alston 1999). The growers should continuously monitor the nitrogen content of the paddock and should be well aware of the nitrogen management in the cropping system. Furthermore, nitrogen leaching, poor crop vigour, high rainfall during grain filling all contribute to decrease in protein content of the grain. Appropriate breeding program and effective policies is needed to enhance the quality of the harvest. 2.4.2 During the past 60 years there has been tremendous increase in flour mills in Pakistan. Starting with 19 flour mills, currently, 915 mills are working in Pakistan. It is therefore proposed that instead of having too many flour mills, only few huge mills should be accomplished which will positively affect the economy of the country. 2.5land and Water resource Management 2.5.1 Water is enormously important for agriculture sector of Pakistan and it economy, which depends on the scarce natural resources. The agricultural sector of Pakistan mainly depends on Indus river system (IRS) for 90% of its irrigation (Piracha and Majeed 2011). However, this natural resource is getting scarce with the time and proper water management practices should be reformed under the prevalence of climate change. According to Sayed (2008), the National Water Policy of the country has made a transparent and rational institutional framework policy to meet the demands of the twenty first century. Moreover, the Integrated Water Management Approach is also implemented based that is based on the utilization of both surface and ground water. The author also mentions that reallocation of water at the provincial level by balancing water availability to cropping system is one of the important task of the National Water Policy. Furthermore, according to Iqbal et al. (2009) present irri gation system of Pakistan need be customised to maximise the water use efficiency and appropriate irrigation technology should be used. Furthermore, the author also mentions that alteration in row spacing and the use of drought tolerant varieties need to be used to minimize the loss of water. The construction of small dams and checks on the Indus River and its tributaries would increase storage of water and decrease the severity of floods. 2.5.2  The unpredicted rainfall, rise in temperature and carbon dioxide concentration negative affect the composition of soil. The loss of nutrient such is phosphorus and nitrogen through surface runoff and leaching negatively affect the growth of the wheat. As reported by Hayman and Alston 1999 proper amount of nitrogen fertilizer should be added to the paddock in order to have good crop establishment. Moreover, proper soil management practices should be adopted to minimise the risk of surface runoff and leaching. 2.6  Transport infrastructure Hike in temperature as well as increase intensity and frequency of extreme events such as heavy rain, snowfall and flood have substantial impact on the transport infrastructure of Pakistan and cause severe destruction of railways, roads, shipping and airports. Effective adaptation measures should be taken to increase the resilience of infrastructure and this could be done by two ways. The first one is to construct the new infrastructure according to the magnitude and sensitivity of the particular area to the present and future predicted climate. Secondly the existing infrastructure should be made more resistant to changing climate by retrofitting and continues monitoring and maintenance. 2.7  Seasonal weather forecast As reported by Iqbal et al. (2009) the advance seasonal forecast is one of the best options to take appropriate adaptive measures. Furthermore, Crimp et al. (2006) also elaborated that â€Å"using climate information (seasonal forecast) in conjunction with system analysis producer can significantly reduce various risks†. On the basis of weather forecast, farmers need to adopt different operations. Such as if forecast is about the drier weather the farmers need to apply split application of some of nitrogen fertilizer to ensure good planting, and also maximize no till area. But if the forecast is about wetter season then farmers should sow the wheat earlier and apply fungicide to minimize the effect of leaf disease of wheat (Meinke and Hochman, 2000). 2.8  Disaster risk reduction Unpredicted pattern of monsoon rain and melting of glacier due to rise in temperature increase the level of water in the Indus Delta of Pakistan and subsequently these phenomena result in flooding. Effective strategic plan is required to maintain the continuous and balance water flow in the river and to meet the future demands of the society. As reported by sheikh et al. (2008) expansion of the natural reservoir capacity is needed in order to decrease the risk of flooding and drought and to address the consequent decrease in the river flow after all glacier have been melted. Moreover, the authors also mention that the reservoir should also be expanded in order provide the minimum water flow to the sea to prevent the intrusion of the water into the Indus delta region and to meet the future needs of the water. 2.9  Economy and Financial institution 2.9.1 As stated earlier, Pakistan economy largely depends on agriculture sector and wheat is the main staple crop of the country. The decrease in yield and quality of wheat has negative impact on the economy of Pakistan. In order to minimise the burden on the economy of Pakistan, development of new policies and appropriate measures to be implemented that could help in eradicating the hazards and catching the positive effects of climate. 2.9.2 Loan policies of financial institution can greatly limit the option for the growers to adjust farm management practices in light of change. These financial institutions may have to change their policies according to the needs of the farmer and predicted changes in the environment. Moreover, they should support and educate the farmers about onward selling and play constructive role the industry. 3.0  Barriers to adaptation strategies 3.1 Pakistan being an agriculture country is extremely vulnerable to climate change. However, Pakistan does not have the proper monitoring and screening system for the prediction of extreme events like flood, storm or changes in the climate that makes the development of short term adaptation strategies and mitigation measures immensely difficult. Although several weather station are working in different parts of the countries, but still due to the diverse topography some significant region are left uncovered (Climate Risk Adaptation Profile 2011). Moreover, the existing findings proposed that Karakorum glacier are expanding but these finding are based on the restrictive information of glacier snouts and suggest that loss of mass in Karakorum glacier reduce the quality and availability of water. As reported by to Sheik et al. (2008), there is a lack of current knowledge and evaluation techniques on the effect of climate change on the Hindu Kush region and lack of understanding and mod el assessment of glacier melting pattern and flow of water in Indus River. All these need to be address in order to have better evaluation of the problem. Moreover, the Hunza river basin has no meteorological station that severely constraint the utilization of Model River flows under climate change. References Piracha, A., and Majeed, Z. (2011). Water Use in Pakistan’s Agricultural Sector: Water Conservation under the Changed Climatic Conditions. International Journal of Water Resources and Arid Environments 1(3): 170-179. Climate Risk and Adaptation country profile. (2011). Vulnerability, risk reduction and adaptation to climate change Pakistan. Global facility for disaster reduction and recovery. Crimp S, Gaydon D, Howden M, Hall, C, Poulton P, Hochman Z. (2006) Managing Natural Resource Issues in a Variable and Changing Climate. Final Report to Land and Water Australia, Managing Climate Variability Program. pp86. Easterling, W.E., Aggarwal,P.K., Batima,P., Brander,K.M,. Erda, L., Howden, S.M., Kirilenko, A., Morton, J., Soussana,J.F., Schmidhuber, J., and Tubiello, F.N.(2007): Food, fibre and forest products. Climate Change 2007. Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Hammer, G.L., Holzworth, D.P. and Stone, R. (1996) The value of skill in seasonal forecasting to wheat crop management in a region with high climatic variability. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 47: 717-737. Howden, S.M., Reyenga, P.J., and Meinke, H. (1999) Global Change Impacts on Australian Wheat Cropping. Report to the Australian Greenhouse Office. CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology Working Paper 99/04, Canberra, pp121. IPCC (2007): Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), Climate Change 2007, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Iqbal, M.M., Arif, Goherr, M. A., and Khan, A. M. (2009). Climate-change aspersions on food security of Pakistan. A scientific journal of COMSATS – SCIENCE VISION. Vol.15 (1). Khan, F., Ahmad, A, and Atta-ur-Rehman. (2013). Tracking Adaptation and Measuring Development (TAMD) in Pakistan. Appraisal and Design Phase Report. Meinke, H. and Hochman, Z. 2000. Using seasonal climate forecasts to manage dryland crops in northern Australia. In: Hammer, G.L., Nicholls, N., Mitchell C. (eds.) Applications of seasonal climate forecasting in agriculture and natural ecosystems: The Australian experience. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, p 149-165. Rasul, G., Chaudhry, Q. Z., Mahmood, A., and Hyder, K. W. (2011). Effect of Temperature Rise on Crop Growth Productivity. pakistan journal of meteorology, 8 (15). Rawson, H. M., and Macpherson, H. G. (2000). Irrigated Wheat: Managing Your Crop. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. pp 27-28. Rogers,G.S., Gras P.W., Batey I.L., Milham P.J., Payne, L., and Conroy, J.P. (1998) The influence of atmospheric CO2 concentration on the protein, starch and mixing properties of wheat flour. Aust J Plant Physiology 25:387-393. Richards, R.A. (2002). Current and emerging environmental challenges in Australian agriculture- the role of plant breeding. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 53, 881-892. Sheikh, M. M., Iqbal, M. M., Ali, G., and Khan, A. M. (2008). Global warming in the context of Pakistan: major concerns and remedial strategies. Symposium on â€Å"Changing Environmental Pattern and its impact with Special Focus on Pakistan†. Stokes, C.J., and Howden, S.M. (2008). An overview of climate change adaptation in Australian primary industries – impacts, options and priorities. Report prepared for the National Climate Change Research Strategy for Primary Industries. Sayed, A.H. (2008). Climate change and its realities for Pakistan. Manager Policy, Freshwater World Wide Fund for Nature, Pakistan. Symposium on â€Å"Changing Environmental Pattern and its impact with Special Focus on Pakistan†. van Ittersum, M.K., Howden, S.M., Asseng, S. (2003) Sensitivity of productivity and deep drainage of wheat cropping systems in a Mediterranean environment to changes in CO2, temperature and precipitation, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 97:255-273.

Similarities of hip-hop and the blues :: rap music

Rapping the Blues: The Similarities of hip-hop and the blues Hip-hop is one of the major music genres of today like the blues were in the 1950's. Stanley Crouch views hip-hop as being vulgar and obscene while he sees the blues as being one of the classic music genres. In actuality, these two genres are similar in many ways. A very important part of Stanley Crouch's life is his love for the blues. Many of his essays are related to or have aspects of the blues contained within them. Crouch relates topics that he writes about to the blues, because this is a subject he believes he is very familiar with. In The All American Skin Game, Stanley writes, "Jazz is very important to my vision of life in our time." (Lamb, 1). Jazz gives him a feeling of individuality and community. This means that when individuals push him, and he pushes them back, they both become better individuals as well as a better community. For Stanley, the blues tell the stories of the African-American community. Some of the stories talk about the harshness of their lives, but they also talk about the good times they had. [People] play the blues to get rid of the blues not to get them." (Lamb, 1). When people play or even listen to the blues, they are letting all of their worries go. They are not worrying about their job, the bills, or their kids. They are just trying to enjoy the moment when the blues are playing. The blues are some people's release from the stresses of their lives. To say it lightly, Stanley Crouch does not like the hip-hop genre of music. The dreadlocks, the clothing style, and the "vulgar": gold chains are just a few things he does not approve of at all. (Crouch, 1 ) It astounds him to see how far African-American music has fallen since the days of the Motown. Stanley was quoted as saying this about rap, "It is rudeness, vulgarity, and pornography disguised as ‘keeping it real.'" (Crouch, 1) He also went on to say the hip-hop music genre has the worst impact of all music genres on our culture today. (Crouch, 2) Crouch believes one does not need much talent to become a successful rapper unlike the jazz greats he listens to all the time. In Stanley Crouch's view, the only messages that rappers put in the minds of todays' youth is that they need to have sex, kill people, and do drugs all the time. Similarities of hip-hop and the blues :: rap music Rapping the Blues: The Similarities of hip-hop and the blues Hip-hop is one of the major music genres of today like the blues were in the 1950's. Stanley Crouch views hip-hop as being vulgar and obscene while he sees the blues as being one of the classic music genres. In actuality, these two genres are similar in many ways. A very important part of Stanley Crouch's life is his love for the blues. Many of his essays are related to or have aspects of the blues contained within them. Crouch relates topics that he writes about to the blues, because this is a subject he believes he is very familiar with. In The All American Skin Game, Stanley writes, "Jazz is very important to my vision of life in our time." (Lamb, 1). Jazz gives him a feeling of individuality and community. This means that when individuals push him, and he pushes them back, they both become better individuals as well as a better community. For Stanley, the blues tell the stories of the African-American community. Some of the stories talk about the harshness of their lives, but they also talk about the good times they had. [People] play the blues to get rid of the blues not to get them." (Lamb, 1). When people play or even listen to the blues, they are letting all of their worries go. They are not worrying about their job, the bills, or their kids. They are just trying to enjoy the moment when the blues are playing. The blues are some people's release from the stresses of their lives. To say it lightly, Stanley Crouch does not like the hip-hop genre of music. The dreadlocks, the clothing style, and the "vulgar": gold chains are just a few things he does not approve of at all. (Crouch, 1 ) It astounds him to see how far African-American music has fallen since the days of the Motown. Stanley was quoted as saying this about rap, "It is rudeness, vulgarity, and pornography disguised as ‘keeping it real.'" (Crouch, 1) He also went on to say the hip-hop music genre has the worst impact of all music genres on our culture today. (Crouch, 2) Crouch believes one does not need much talent to become a successful rapper unlike the jazz greats he listens to all the time. In Stanley Crouch's view, the only messages that rappers put in the minds of todays' youth is that they need to have sex, kill people, and do drugs all the time.

Hockey Observation Report

Yesterday was the first time bought a ticket to watch a live game of junior hockey. I sat behind the net of Pets for two periods and watched the game. That's a great place to see if London boys are going to shoot the puck into the net or not, but also, it's hard to look at the left way of the rink to follow the game. It was a great time, and it is much better than watching on TV or internet. I can really fell the atmosphere at the stadium and enjoy the game. That was the game that people expected London Knights will get the ten-game winning streak, but London boys were lost before over 9,000 fans atBudweiser Gardens. Subculture Members Senior was the largest group of audiences in Budweiser Gardens. You probably could see them everywhere, and they also are one of biggest fans of London Knights. It's easy to recognize them by their outlooks, drinks they had (mostly were beer for men), clothes (they dressed London Knight Jerseys with old design, not the new one). They have huge knowledg e not only about Indo Knights hockey, but also about other subcultures of hockey: women hockey, NIL, Olympic hockey†¦ Junior and minor also are big parts of fans.They normally had a group of friends and watched the game together. They wore hoodoos or hockey jerseys with jeans and sneakers. You could hear them talk about the game and players that they adore not only London Knights but also other teams from NIL such as Toronto Maple Leaf, Detroit Red wings, Winnipeg Jets Young adults came to the game alone or with their friends. They drank beers, and their outlooks are different with: Jeans, shirts or T-shirts, caps†¦ Beside the topic about London hockey, they also talked about NIL, works, loves, lives†¦ Its not hard to define them with other groups.Families came to the game with their children. They talked to kids bout hockey, players, the rinks, the puck†¦ I believe that a passion Of a kid was developed by their parents, especially their fathers. Kids and then Wi ll become a big fan of hockey and could be a good player too. Beliefs and Values At the last two minutes, after the coach of London decided not to put the goalie on the rink to protect the net after they got the first shot, but another player, Petrography got the chance to shoot the third score in the net of team London. A lot of audiences felt angry and disappointed; they screamed loud.They stood up and left their seats to go home because they believed hat London would lose because no more chances for London to get 3 shots into the net of Petrography to win the game, and finally, Knights' boys were lost. When one player of Petrography had to get in the penalty box and London Knights had a good chance to score, all of audiences that Loon's fans started standing up and chanting: â€Å"Go, Knights go! Go Knights go! † to cheers for the boys because fans believed that London could get one shot for that big chance. They were absolutely right; London boys slapped grateful shot int o the net with all hard try.The scaffold was blow upped by those screams of London fans. Customs and Behaviors Before the game began, everyone stood up and Sang the song â€Å"O Canada†. Almost everybody just stood up and listened to children's choir sing the song, but the man who stood behind me sang it out loud. I could feel that Hess so proud of Canada and also respect to it and all other people. A fan sat right behind the net of Pets punched on the protected glass when London boys missed their shots so many times. He punched and screamed loud: â€Å"Shoot that puck into the net† to show his anger on the boys and the way they played.At the corners of the rink, players of both Pets and London usually push heir rivals into the bar to make them cannot move and get hurt. Therefore, players could create chances to get the puck or help their team mates get the puck to score or protect their goal. Loon's goalie normally went out a little too far from the goal and he stood more on the left of the net. That created chances for Pets boys to get two scores into Loon's net. Lineup is a normal thing but it shows people's behaviors. Audiences waited on the line to get into the arena and also to get out during the break time. People just usually line up to buy foods, tickets†¦ ND other things else, but inning up to go washroom and waiting for quite long time is really polite and culturally. It shows people's good ethics and behaviors. It's absolutely right to say that Canadians are very polite. A London boy broke his stick while he was trying to get the stick from a Pets boy. Then he decided not to care about the stick but moving follow Pets boy to hinder him pass the puck to his team mates. He also tried to get another stick from the other boys when he got a chance. My seat is not the best place to follow all over the rink because it's hard to see what's happening on the left corners at our seats.Teases why every time suck was passed to that place, peo ple normally tried to leaned and moves their body up a bit, so they could watch the game easily; therefore they would not miss if London boys score. Clapping your hands to make applause for your home team is normal thing, but when it's done for Loon's competitor- Pets is a different story. A man that is London Knights' fan, who sat beside my section made applause for Pets boys after they had hit London boys one shot. In my opinion, that was really great shot from the left side of the net, and it should be appreciated not only by Pets fans, but also other people that are not.Almost everyone stood up, clapped their hands, and screamed loud right after London boys got one shoot into Pets' net. That's the way people cheer up for their boys and show their excitations. They kept doing it for a while until the game started again. The referees normally did not move after they dropped the puck until boys get it or shot it far away from him. They do not want their movements affect to the puck ; therefore, players could easily to follow and throw or pass it to their team mates. Social Relationships Few parents came to watch their sons play on the game.They came to enjoy he game and cheer not only for their boys, but also the others too. Taking pictures could not be forgotten because they want to capture the moments that their sons were skating, playing and enjoyed the game. Couple groups of minor players' sibling socializing cam to watch the game of London Knights. They could enjoy watching their favorite sport, but also that could be an example for them to learn how to play, what can be happened, how they can solve problems†¦ They sat together, talked to each other, and commented about the game. A few couples of husband and wife came to watch the game as the way to relax on the weekend.They sat beside each other, shared foods and drinks†¦ During the second break, kiss cam moved around to catch people's kisses and ask people to make kisses. It was wrong for few times when it mixed up two couples and made people laughing. A group of Pets fans came to Budweiser Gardens to support their boys. They sat together and talked about both London and Pets, how they play, about London†¦ They were very happy when Pets beat London boys with ratio 3-1. Some journalists also were there to watch the game and also record about it for London local newspapers. Hind that they watch it more carefully than there people because that they have to write a report later to provide the information about the game for people who did not came to. Institutions and Organizations When got into the gate, saw few groups of minor hockey organization was selling 50-50 tickets for their upcoming game next week. If you buy a ticket at Budweiser Gardens that was sold by minor hockey organization, you just need to pay half of price (it was around 10 bucks), and a lot of people like junior, parents purchased couple tickets for themselves and their kids to enjoy the game while s upport for minor hockey organization.Aluminum Associates sold stuffs of London Knights team such as: hats, stickers, pucks, jerseys†¦ That are provided to Loon's fans. They get involve with Budweiser Gardens to sell things while supporting for London boys and also bring revenue to run the team. Banshee College sold ticket of the game for Banshee students with price that under regular price to bring students to the game. They work with Budweiser to get tickets for students with cheaper price. You probably could see a lot of Banshee students with their tickets that was purchased at Biz Booth. Material GoodsSince I got into the Budweiser Gardens, could see a lot of people wear Indo Knights' jerseys: kids, men, and women, senior†¦ Not only that, they also dressed Knights' hats and scarf. Everything made a wonderful picture of white, yellow and green. A lot of people ate pizza of Pizza Pizza while they were watching the game. During the brake time, the line of people waiting fo r pizza at Pizza Pizza store was as long as other stores'. Pepsi is favorite drink for kids during the game. They also grabbed few bags Of popcorn to get ready for the show. For adult men, they bought a cups or bottle of beer like BudLight or Budweiser with French fried from Harvey's or other brands. In the second breaking time, London Toyota Company showed audiences their two brand new cars for 2014. Everyone kept talking about it for a while until the game start the third period. After the breaks, two girls sat beside me came back with a bag of Lays' chip and a Harvey's' burger. I saw some women and kids wore yellow and green cheer gloves, the main colors of London Knights. There was a kid sat in front of me with a small hockey stick with London Knights' sticker on his hand since the game starts until the end. LanguageI probably have to say that the man sat beside me during the game is one of the craziest fans Of London Knights. He screamed out loud at the guy of Pets, who put a g uy of London team on the rink: â€Å"Shut the f*** up Devils! † He looked very serious and tried to protect the player of the team he likes. â€Å"Go, Knights go! Go, Knights go! † was chanted to cheer up the spirits of players by audiences (kids and seniors almost) when they have good chance to attack and score. The sound kept going around and around with the applause, the sound of the bell from a woman, and the vaguely trumpet.It made both audiences and players feel exciting and happy. Some other young guys from the section beside me got mad when the game almost finished. When London players shot the puck out of the net of Petrography, they screamed: â€Å"That net must have a big hole! † Fans got really angry because London boys missed too many chance to get the puck into the net. When the game almost finished, referees decided to put both players Of Petrography and London into the penalty box because they got fight. The Petrography player yelled at referee: ‘What the h***? Why do I need to go there? ND continued fighting with the boy of London. Both of them finally were eliminated out of the rink. The two boys sat at the 2 lines in front of me attracted me while the discussed about the game and players: â€Å"He should shoot it immediately when he was close to the net, not waiting for others†¦ † They talked about it with a wonderful passion, and they are in live with the game. Ill. Conclusion Attending the game was the great time to relax for the weekend and finish my reading week, but got a bit disappointed because London boys were defeated 3-1 by Petrography Pets.Anyway, enjoyed the game, mingled tit the crowd, and were a part of the game like other London Knights fans. It was a good chance for parents to bring the hockey passion to their kids while showing their passions also. Junior hockey in London is great subculture for everyone who loves Hockey. It is not only the key to help junior players to become a profess ional hockey player, but also, it is the game for people to show their loves to hockey and Loon's team. In addition, London is a door for kids to see that hockey is an important passion of their lives. You cannot have the felling how London fans get crazy until you are a part Of it.

Social Work Psychosocial Assessment

APRIL’S PSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT Referral April was not a referral client; rather she did her own research after feeling unsupported by her previous therapist. She found this practice on the Pratt Institute listserv as she was looking for a psychologist close to school. According to April, she received a diagnosis of stage three Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma five weeks ago and had not told anyone close to her. She wanted to talk to someone â€Å"objective† to figure out what steps to take next. Client IdentificationDemographics: April is a 23 year-old woman who currently lives on campus at Pratt Institute studying architecture and urban planning. Her parents are married and she has a 21 year-old brother, Daniel, who has a diagnosis of Down syndrome. Her father used to be in the army and now works for the US Department of Veterans Affairs, her mother cares for her brother. Employment/Education: April is in her second year at Pratt and presents to overwhelmed with current workload, yet managing to get by.She seems focused and undeterred by her presenting issue to complete her education. It is unclear if April is employed, she did not mention it. Income and Source: As stated above, it is unclear if April is currently working, receiving financial help from her parents, or receiving government loans and bursaries. Further information on her sources of income may need to be clarified to determine as this could have an impact on the care available to her in the near future. However, her interest in alternative medicine could mean she is not worried about finances.Living Environment: The specifics of April’s living environment are unknown. She has not stated any concerns about her living situation. Sources of Information The information contained in this assessment was acquired in an in person appointment with April that she scheduled. No information was obtained from any other sources. Problem Definition April was diagnosed five weeks ago with stage three N on-Hodgkin Lymphoma. April stated she feels â€Å"tired† and has been experiencing â€Å"night sweats† lately.Although, she states that she â€Å"knows† she has cancer, she seems to be in denial about the severity of her illness. April has a hard time talking about her diagnosis (she had to write it down), and seemed to be avoiding what she came to talk about although she expressed wanting to talk with someone objective who was not personally invested in her well-being. April was previously seen by a Pratt therapist, which she stated did not go well though she found her old psychiatrist â€Å"nice enough†, she felt that she was only a good listener with â€Å"nothing to say†.She seemed to be annoyed with the previous therapists attempts to contact her after she decided to stop going, although she did not let her know she would not be returning. April became very defensive when talking about her family, when this worker asked if she felt that her br other took up most of her mother’s time, she quickly shot the idea down. She presents as being exceedingly independent, yet extremely loyal to her family. April communicated that she is falling behind on her schoolwork, she seems particularly concerned with maintaining her current life and does not appear to be taking her diagnosis seriously.April expressed wanting to explore her other options of acupuncture, herbal therapies, and meditation even though her oncologist suggested she begin chemotherapy immediately. April appears to be experiencing an internal conflict and seems to have a hard time trusting others or asking for help. History/Antecedents: April stated that she had a cough that would not let up, as she grew tired of coughing in class she finally went to the health counter at Pratt. She was prescribed antibiotics, which did not help her cough.She had resigned herself to wait to speak to her dad, a retired army official now working for the US Department of Veterans Affairs. When she began experiencing night sweat she returned to the health center, where she was annoyed to be accused of taking diet pills or using cocaine. After being sent to the Brooklyn hospital for a chest x-ray, a big mass was discovered behind her spine. A bone marrow biopsy was done and she was diagnosed with stage three non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It has been five weeks since April’s diagnosis and she has not told her parents or anyone close to her.It is unclear if April is aware of the magnitude of her illness, though she stated she knows she has cancer, she does not appear to be taking the diagnosis seriously rather she is carrying on with her life as if nothing has changed. April expressed that perhaps she does not want treatment and maybe she would rather die than put her life in someone else’s hands. It is unclear if April truly believes that she has cancer. Past Solutions: As indicated previously, April received her diagnosis five weeks ago and presents as b eing in denial as to the seriousness it entails.She previously was seeing another therapist, however she did not like her and stopped going after only two sessions. It is not clear as to what was discussed in these sessions, as April only said that her previous therapist was not much older that her, had â€Å"nothing to say†, and told her â€Å"the same story twice†. She stated that she stopped going without telling her therapist she would not be returning and was overtly annoyed when the therapist tried to reach her many times after, which she felt was â€Å"over the top†.April stated she has not yet began seeking medical treatment, nor has she confided in her family as to her situation for their support. April seems overly concerned with the reaction her family will have upon receiving the news of her illness. It is likely that she is keeping this information from her family to protect them as well as to maintain her independence. Contributing Factors: Aprilâ €™s diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was not brought on by any factors determined in the session. However, April’s tiredness and night sweats are probable symptoms of her illness.It is likely that April’s independence is making it hard for her to tell her family and friends about her illness. She also stated that her brother’s autism took up a lot of her mother’s time and that â€Å"no one talks about her† this could show where her independence developed from. April spoke about her recent break up with her boyfriend who she remains good friends with but has a new girlfriend from a well off family. April stated that she has not told her boyfriend or friends about her diagnosis; April may be believing her denial of her diagnosis and keeping it to herself, makes it less real.Her inability to talk about her diagnosis may be a factor of her need to control her life as an independent young woman and not wanting to ask for support with her illness sh ould be further explored. The Client System Functioning: April became defensive several times during this interview. She stated that she did not want to talk about her cancer diagnosis many times during the session. She expressed that she has been feeling tired and having trouble sleeping, experiencing night sweats and waking up in a soaked bed. Other than the above April appears to be still functioning at a high level nd is able to get to school and besides her recent assignments is doing fine at school. It should be noted that April appears physically to be in good health, she is a well-dressed, attractive young woman. She appears to be well spoken and intelligent, yet she is in denial about her illness. Strengths/Coping Skills: During this interview April was commended for her independence, also her loyalty towards her family was also a strength brought to her attention. April seems to have a strong support system, although she is not using it at the moment. She has family and fr iends who care about her.April’s ability to remain in school and continue on with her studies is also a strength to be noted. Her communication skills are well developed, even though she was unable to express herself in this meeting there is potential for it in the future. Relationships and Social Support: It is unclear what the extent of April’s relationship with her family, friends, or community is. As stated earlier, April is a very independent young woman and though she did mention her family in the interview, she has not told them about her illness as she does not want to put any stress on them.Further exploration regarding the depth and quality of her relationship is needed. During the interview, April expressed that she and her ex-boyfriend are still â€Å"good friends† and that they get along great. He however is unaware of her diagnosis. April mentioned she has other friends but no other details were provided. April seemed to take a liking to this worke r, and expressed being happy that this worker was older than she had expected. She seemed to have an easy time talking as long as she was guiding the conversation but closed up upon being asked questions she did not feel like answering.Resources/Obstacles: April acknowledged that she does not like to ask for help, she stated that she was able to go see a therapist at school. Though the sessions were quickly terminated they lead to her finding this practice and setting up an appointment. Although, she finds them inefficient, April identified the school’s health center and her oncologist as a present resource available to her. April mentioned her family but it is unclear if she sees them as a resource. She stated her brother suffers from autism and takes a lot of her mother’s time, and father is often busy.April also mentioned she has a good relationship with ex-boyfriend but acknowledged that she does not confide in him or her other friends. This suggests that April is used to fending for herself and her independence is an important resource to her. April’s need to control a situation presents as a obstacle for her, as she seems to close people off when they get too close to asking information she is not ready to share. This may have been the case with her previous therapist who she stopped seeing, claiming she was â€Å"incompetent†. April did not mention any other support systems.It is unclear if she has other individuals she can rely on and appears to have issues with relatedness. Professional Opinion April appears to be in denial about her diagnosis of stage three non-Hodgkin lymphoma and what it entails. April appears to be taking the diagnosis as a big inconvenience rather than recognizing the seriousness if holds. April has not began treatment, although her oncologist has recommended that she begin immediately. She appears to be an intelligent, independent, young woman; it is possible her apprehensions on sharing her diagnosis with family are related to her not wanting to lose her independence.April appears to be more concerned with what her family’s reactions to diagnosis will be and the stress it may cause them, rather than what the diagnosis means for her health. It is this workers opinion that April is used to taking care of herself and is fearful that her parents will not be there to support to her if she puts herself out there. April’s having chosen to look into alternative medical treatment, even with her oncologist’s advice to begin immediate treatment, shows her need to be in control of her life.It is this worker’s opinion that April is fearful of giving up the one thing she has depended on her entire life; her independence and ability to care for her. During the interview, April mentioned other relationships; her ex-boyfriend, his new girlfriend, and friends. While these people maybe able to provide support to her in the future, April is currently not ready to share her diagnosis or ask them for help. Plan An intervention plan was not created as April left without formulating a plan or scheduling a second session.However, it is this worker’s opinion that the following steps need to be taken; April needs to recognize that there is no shame in asking for help or relying on others in her time of need, April should talk to her oncologist about her considering alternative medicine and see how she thinks she should proceed, and April needs to tell her parents about her diagnosis. As she left without scheduling an appointment and this worker is unaware if she will call to schedule one, it is unclear of what will transpire. However, this plan will be further discussed with April if she does make a second appointment.

Baoyu and the Green Delight

Baoyu and the Green Delight Introduction Baoyu was sent by his grandmother to a new garden so as to cheer him up. The new garden was being built by his grandmother – Jia. Here, his grandmother wanted the Baoyu to experience something special – something that could only be achieved in the Green Delight. Her understanding of the environment in Green Delight was one of the major reasons why she opted to have Baoyu go to the garden.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Baoyu and the Green Delight specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This was done in a bid to cheer him up after the death of his best friend. Apparently, Baoyu’s best friend – Qin Zhong, had passed away. A few days after Baoyu had gone to the garden, Jia Zheng came to visit his daughter. He was accompanied by a team of men who arrived at the garden to conduct and assessment. This was to be done through inspecting the various sectors of the garden (Cao, Hawkes, Minfor d, Gao, 2.36). Men also wanted to get inscriptions about their personal experiences from the garden. During the men’s’ visit to the garden, Zheng and other people who had accompanied him ran into Baoyu. Earlier, Zheng and his men had been told of how good Baoyu was when it came to writing couplets. Zheng decided to test Baoyu’s talent by having him write a couplet about the garden. He asked Baoyu to develop a couplet that would bring out the qualities of the garden. Later, Zheng belittled efforts by Baoyu and scolded him for his criticism of the suggestions that had been given by Zheng’s men. However, they continued to be pleased with Baoyu’s talent in regards to composing couplers and providing appropriate names for the garden. (Cao, Hawkes, Minford, Gao, 2.36) Baoyu’s Life in the Garden The descriptions of the garden clearly show that its landscape provided the viewer with a beautiful and very luxurious scenery. The author has dedicated a great deal of time to explain about the setting of the Green Delight. Here, the author aimed at ensuring that the reader was able to familiarize with the setting of the garden. Creating this understanding was important as it would help in understanding the impact of the garden in regards to reformation and the process of healing. Despite the main aim of sending a boy to inspect the garden as a way to recollect himself after the loss of his best friend, sending Baoyu to the garden was also a means to broaden and stir his creativity (Cao, Hawkes, Minford, and Gao, 2.44). When he finally settled at green delights as his residence, Baoyu spent quite some time with his maids and cousins and his life became enjoyable to such an extent that he and his maids produced four garden night poems to reflect the carefree mood they lived in. For Baoyu, moving into the Garden with the girls was such a great experience and he was extremely content with his life. Everything appeared to be more relax ed in the Garden than when he was living at home. His happiness is clearly obvious from the four poems he produces while spending his time there. The poems soon became popular among the people around him and they urged him to write even more poems.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More His happiness, however, subsided into boredom after a while and he slowly started getting entertained with forbidden books about love that were brought to him by one of his servants. Despite being warned about bringing those books into the Garden, Baoyu remains defiant and does so anyway. Here, the author tries to form the background of an analysis where the character of Baoyu is becoming more and more questionable. Although Baoyu was in an environment where he was expected to be presentable, his actions remained questionable. (Cao, Hawkes, Minford, and Gao, 2.51) Green Delights as an Ar chitectural Dwelling From the descriptions given in the book, Green Delights appears to be such an amazing place of abode. The author of the book has been successful with regards to presenting the setting of the garden. Here, the author presents details that can aid the reader in formulating a mental picture of the garden (Cao, Hawkes, Minford, and Gao, 2.57). This is one of the techniques that the author has employed in presenting the cool environment that existed in Green Delights. The garden is presented as on of the best places where a person can opt to relax and unwind. The garden is quite and peaceful – able to provide a relaxing environment, unlike the other busy and noises place around the mansion. Green Delights as a Community The boundaries in the garden are relaxed and there is peace in the society within the garden. Peace is evident in the setting of the garden as well as the interaction between different people. For instance, one cannot how the coordination betwe en the mains and other people within the garden accounts for peace. The maids interact with the authorities in respect and these accounts for the efficiency of service within the boundaries of Green Delight. The people being served are also satisfied with the nature of service being provided by the maids. Here, the quality of the work being done by the maids improves as they get to interact with other people within the Green Delight. The arrangement of the garden and the manner in which people interact with nature in Green Delight is also an important element of the peace in the garden. The gardeners have taken their time to ensure that the garden is in the right setting and the garden continues to bring the relaxing serene in Green Delight. Interactions between the different people in Green Delight also accounts for the harmony in the surrounding. (Cao, Hawkes, Minford, and Gao, 2.66)Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Baoyu and the Green Delight specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since moving to Green Delights, Baoyu’s life changed drastically. His encounter with so many people changed his perspective of many things completely. As stated earlier, Baoyu was initially able to broaden his thinking and managed to nurture his writing skills and used them to the benefit of the community. His interesting poems were liked by many and everyone was yearning for more. This went on for as long as he felt motivated to continue doing the same. His passion later died and he immediately began losing his integrity. His servants noticed his boredom and decided to offer an alternative form of entertainment (Cao, Hawkes, Minford, and Gao, 2.70). He started reading forbidden books about love and despite being cautioned, he kept on carrying the books to the garden. The more Baoyu continued to stay at Green Delight, the more he continued to change. This change is presented as a reaction to the surrounding at Gre en Delight. Basically, the author tries to present the impact of the surrounding in the garden to character reformation. Green Delights Reflection of Baoyu’s Character and Values Since moving to Green Delights, Baoyu’s life changed drastically. His encounter with so many people changed his perspective of many things completely. As stated earlier, Baoyu was initially able to broaden his thinking and managed to nurture his writing skills and used them to the benefit of the community. His interesting poems were liked by many and everyone was yearning for more. This went on for as long as he felt motivated to continue doing the same. His passion later died and he immediately began losing his integrity. His servants noticed his boredom and decided to offer an alternative form of entertainment. He started reading forbidden books about love and despite being cautioned, he kept on carrying the books to the garden. Clearly, Baoyu was slowly losing touch with these values and ac cording to some women who surrounded him, he certainly needed reform. Other women, however, were simply sympathetic to his condition at the time. Daiyu, one of his closest friends seemed to be hurt as if she had been greatly affected herself. The charmingly nurturing and yielding Aroma, on the other hand, appeared to be someone who has just got herself into Baoyu’s life for her own ambitions. To some people, this was no news as they had already visualized it coming way back. (Cao, Hawkes, Minford, and Gao, 2.76)Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Later, in a discussion with Aroma, Baoyu wished that he could die in the presence of all the women and had his corpse float on the women’s tears to a faraway place where even a bird could not fly to. This is a clear indication that Baoyu was equally displeased with his own life and felt that he had no reason to live. His experiences in life must have greatly contributed to his thinking in this manner. Conclusion As it has been discussed in this essay, it is clear that one’s character can be easily influenced by the surrounding environment. It only had to take Baoyu from his quiet environment to a more vibrant one that his life was completely transformed. Sadly, the transformation was mostly negative. Baoyu’s situation depicts a common scenario of one starting quite well in life but loses direction along the way. From being an innocent young man, he slowly veered towards the wrong and undesirable path. Cao, X. and Hawkes, D. and Minford, J. and Gao, E. The story of the stone: a Chinese novel Vol. 2. Virginia: Penguin Books, 1973. Print.

Redundant Object Pronouns in Spanish

Redundant Object Pronouns in Spanish Although by definition, pronouns are words that stand for nouns, it is common in Spanish to use a pronoun, particularly an object pronoun, in addition to the noun it stands for. Such use of redundant object pronouns occurs most commonly in the following situations. When the Object of a Verb Precedes the Verb Placing the object before the verb, while certainly common in Spanish (and possible in English to give a sentence literary flavor), can be at least slightly confusing to the listener. So placing a redundant object pronoun helps make it clearer which noun is the subject of the verb. The redundant object pronoun in these cases is mandatory or nearly so, even when the form of the verb (such as it being plural) might seem sufficient to indicate what the subject and object of the verb are. For example, in the sentence El buffet de desayuno lo tenemos de mià ©rcoles a domingo (We have the breakfast buffet from Wednesday to Sunday), buffet de desayuno is the object of the verb tenemos. The lo (which isnt translated but in this case would be the equivalent of it) is redundant but still required. Some examples, with the redundant object and pronoun in boldface: Al presidente le vamos a preguntar quà © es lo que ha ocurrido. Were going to ask the president what it is that has happened.La piscina la encontramos muy sucia. We found the swimming pool very dirty.Los instrumentos los compraron gracias al apoyo financiero de su madre. They bought the instruments thanks to the financial support of their mother. Youll probably come across the redundant object pronoun most often with gustar and verbs similar to gustar, which normally put the object ahead of the verb. Note that when these verbs are used, they are usually translated with the object in Spanish being the subject of the English translation. A Cristal le gusta estar rodeada de gente. Cristal likes to be surrounded by people.A Sakura le encantaba ir al parque a jugar. Sakura loved going to the park to play. To Provide Emphasis Sometimes, especially in Latin America, the redundant pronoun may be used even when the object appears after the verb in order to provide emphasis. For example, in Gracias a ella lo conocà ­ a à ©l (thanks to her, I met him), the lo remains even though the speaker added a à ©l to call attention to the person the speaker met. We might convey a similar thought in English by placing strong stress on him. When the Object of the Verb Is Todo   Although not required, todo (or its variations) as an object is sometimes accompanied by a redundant pronoun that matches it in number and gender. En sus ojos lo puedo ver todo. In your eyes I can see everything.Tengo mucha fà © que los van a rescatar a todos vivos. I have a lot of faith that they are going to rescue everyone alive. To Repeat the Object of a Verb in a Relative Clause   Sometimes people will use a grammatically unnecessary object pronoun in a relative clause (one that follows a  subordinate conjunction). For example, in Hay otros aspectos del gobierno que los aprendemos (There are other aspects of the government that we learned), the los isnt needed, but it helps link aprendemos to aspectos. This usage isnt particularly common and is sometimes considered grammatically incorrect.

Write a paper comparing and contrasting commercial aviation careers Research

Write a comparing and contrasting commercial aviation careers versus military aviation options. Which one is preferable Why - Research Paper Example Despite the challenges that plague the operation s of the airliners, the globe is fully dependent on air travel to fulfill its operations. This explains the reason for the plenty availability of jobs at airlines, airplane organizations, airports, and military organizations all around the world. These career paths are different, as some are more technical than others are. Contrary to this, the difference between the commercial aviation careers and military aviation spans more than just the salaries (Campbell, Castaneda & Pulos, 2009). The desire of many aspiring aviation employees is piloting. The difference, however, is the size of plane that a pilot flies. Besides, a number of contributors make the flight possible, as the airplanes require maximum attention before taking off. Regional commercial airlines often pay $20 every hour (Wheatley, 2012). This notion has inflicted the ambitions of many aspiring aviation workers, with each waiting to fly a jumbo jet. The average annual salary for an aerospace program management director is approximately $151, 000 (Wheatley, 2012). These directors deal with the development of an aviation company strategy, with the negotiations of new aircrafts. Besides, they are responsible for the profitability of the airline company. In the military, the aerospace management director executes the orders from the air wing panel on the tender for the aircraft types that the military needs. This position is to order for the aircrafts from the manufacturers, with the budgetary allocation fixed and inflexible as compared to the commercial airline career. A pilot is an aviation expert who operates aircrafts to transport goods or people for one place to another. In the commercial aviation field, corporations and airline owners employ pilots. In the military front, they are employees of the government. It is however notable that there exist pilots who operate private transport services in private

Case study on HIV Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On HIV - Case Study Example Since the patient has recurrent pneumonia, it is also advisable to know whether or not the patient has been receiving IVDU or blood transfusion including possible drug addiction and vaccination history since HIV virus can be transmitted through the use of needle via blood contact. Other information should include asking whether or not the patient has been diagnosed with hepatitis B or C, neoplasms, night sweats, adenopathy, pharyngitis, mouth and anal pain, depression, and significant changes in sleeping patterns. All these factors increases the chances that the patient will have low immune system making her easily infected with HIV virus. It concerns me that the patient has a history of recurring pneumonia, had a smoking history, fatigue, 7-lbs unintentional weight loss during the past six months, and has a long history of an abnormal vaginal yeast infection. Since the patient has recurring pneumonia and has 5-day history of fever, dyspnea, and right-sided pleuretic chest pain, I would like to ask whether or not the patient is experiencing shortness of breath and cough since these symptoms together with the patient’s health complaints are associated with opportunistic infections like Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) – the most common type of respiratory infection, and Myocobacterium avium complex (MAC) / Mycobacterium avium intracellular (MAI) which is the common bacterial infection among the patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) / HIV infection (Johnson, 2004, p. 2). With regards to fatigue and 7-lbs unintentional weight loss during the past six months, I would like to ask whether the patient is experiencing loss of appetite, nausea, oral and esophageal candidiasis which is often characterized by painful white patches when swallowing food, oral lesions, or retrosternal pain (Johnson, 2004, p. 2). All these additional questions are necessary

Critical analysis Twelfth Night Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical analysis Twelfth Night - Essay Example Although categorized as a romantic comedy, relating the story of a pair of twins washed up separately upon the same shore, each thinking the other is dead, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night provides a great deal of this kind of social commentary as the two youths become involved with nobles they meet in their journey back together. By analyzing a single scene of this play, one can begin to understand how Shakespeare managed to convey social position and degree of intelligence in such a way that calls into question the prevailing social assumptions of his time. The scene is divided by the arrivals of two of the characters to Olivia’s house that quickly demonstrate the difference of social classes existent in England at the time. At the opening of the scene, Feste, the house jester, returns after an unexplained absence and finds it necessary to charm his way back into his mistress’ good graces. According to Richard Holinshed, â€Å"These men are profitable to none; for, if their condition be well perused, they are enemies to their masters, to their friends, and to themselves† (1580). Thus, his behavior seems to suit his station as in attempting to ease his way back into the household, he distracts the other characters from pursuing his personal activities by making jokes until the scene is interrupted by the arrival of Viola, disguised as the servant Cesario, delivering a message of love from Duke Orsino for the noblewoman Olivia. The conversation between Olivia and Cesario sparks an immediate and intense interest from Olivia, who recognizes Viola belongs to her own upper class. In both halves of this scene, language variety reveals social class as well as sincerity of intention within the characters portrayed. Feste changes his language style depending upon whom he is speaking with, making it possible for him to switch from one class to another simply by changing his means of communicating. As he speaks

Information Systems for Accountants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Information Systems for Accountants - Essay Example As the project progresses, some of these tasks may change due to unforeseen or miscalculated circumstances, therefore the original task duration, and its sequence must be modified. These methods diverge in intricacy from simple to-do lists to GANTT charts, to a more complicated network scheduling techniques such as CPM or Critical Path Method, PERT or Program Evaluation and Review Technique, and Precedence Diagramming. CPM and PERT charts consumes a lot of time to create manually thus outshine the real work to be done by the method used to represent the work. Precedence Diagramming is like CPM and PERT but it let different logic relationships to be signified in graphic form and it allows relationships to be represented in various ways making it more illustrative of the real life construction process. All of the above techniques when done manually are unfortunately very difficult. Project tracking or monitoring involves registering these various changes throughout the project, and making suitable changes to the projected schedule. Making constant schedule revision throughout the life of the project is an arduous task for the planner and the result may not be accurate and probably will not meet the deadline. Nevertheless, there are tools available to help plan and track projects more efficiently like Microsoft Project. Microsoft Project is a computer program designed to automatically plan, schedule, and track the progress of the project. An easy, powerful, and flexible project management tool that puts you in command of your projects, helps you keep everyone up to date and involved, and is well suited with the working style of today. Manage simple or multifaceted projects by scheduling and tracking all your activities so you can stay on top of their development. Sets up your plan swiftly, initialize your plan by creating and arrange your task list so you can simply validate details and overall

Eassy 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Eassy 1 - Essay Example Therefore intuition and deduction from this information is a priori (Lawhead 22). Rationalism is a perceived truth about something. In an argument by Lawhead rationalism is a feeling of truth about an object or an idea (23). The author further points out that the feeling is accompanied by a general assumption about truth about something (Lawhead 23). Additionally, rationalism is created about a fact that can be proven be fact or a creation. For instance, a person may believe in the belief that God exists because it is a fact that is believed beyond reasonable doubt. In this particular case, the assumption that God exists may be proven but with a strong believe but not with experience. Lawhead points out that rationalism is basically factual theories but with no physical experience or proof (45). On the other hand, empiricism is a theory that can be proven with experience. Lawhead defines empiricism as an idea or theory that is real (56). The vice is different from rationalism which is based on beliefs. Empiricism can be proven by physical evidence. However, there is no source of knowledge on an idea that can prove its existence. The only source on knowledge while using empiricism is experience. For instance, when person undergoes an operation to remove a tumor from their body they experience the medical process but they do not have the chance to see the operation. In this particular case, the person undergoing the surgery does not know the source of the tumor or the process the operation. However, the experience both pain and recovery. In future the person may describe the experience not with specific knowledge of the events but with their experience of the events. This may include the pain they felt, the time they took to recover or the price they paid for the operation. T his is a perfect example of an empirical idea. Lawhead argues that empiricism gives us knowledge more effectively

The Pan American Road Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Pan American Road - Research Paper Example By this time, after the industrial revolution, it had become clear that the two American continents not only needed to be connected but that they also needed to be have a good network of roads which would connect economically strategic points all over the two continents. The idea was however for development of a single route rather than a network of roads. It was however only until On 29 July 1937 that the United States and eleven countries from South American country managed to sign a convention that would help in each of the countries doing their part in the completion of the highway. By 1950, Mexico finished its portion of the highway and became the first state from the South American continent to finish its portion of the Pan American Road. The rest of he states also cleared their portions later and the highway was completely. However, the highway lacks uniformity because there were no clear standards to help in making sure that the road will have the same standards. Roads Previo usly In Place along the Current Pan Am Route While the Pan American Highway was an idea on its own, most of the roads which today constitute the Pan American Highway were already there and existed way before the countries agreed to build the Pan American Highway. ... As the Pan American Highway joins Canada, it becomes highway 97 which again becomes US highway 97 as it joins the main continental USA. The Pan American Highway can therefore be seen as having come to replace already existing states. The idea of the Pan American Highway therefore only came to reinforce an already existing idea as some of these roads were already in existence. However, the ideas were supposed to help in standardizing roads across two the continents. Whether this was an achievement that has been a source of discussion with some arguing that the idea of a Pan American Highway has failed drastically. How it was developed (construction efforts throughout the different countries, costs, workers) Each state was required to finance its construction of its portion of the Pan American Road. However, some states got partial financing from other states within the Pan American association. For instance, Panama got partial financing of the construction of the Pan American Road fro m United States of America. In Panama, for instance the cost of construction amounted to twenty million, five of which was provided by the United States of America. However, the cost of construction for the highway cannot be clearly established due to the fact that some of these roads already existed even before the official Pan American Road. In every country, the construction was done mainly by the local population from which labour resources were gained. However, those countries which did not have the right technology had to depend on those which had more advanced technology in order to gain this technology needed for the same. What It Was Made Of As already discussed, there were no specific standards which were supposed to be looked at in order to make sure that

Information Systems for Accountants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Information Systems for Accountants - Essay Example As the project progresses, some of these tasks may change due to unforeseen or miscalculated circumstances, therefore the original task duration, and its sequence must be modified. These methods diverge in intricacy from simple to-do lists to GANTT charts, to a more complicated network scheduling techniques such as CPM or Critical Path Method, PERT or Program Evaluation and Review Technique, and Precedence Diagramming. CPM and PERT charts consumes a lot of time to create manually thus outshine the real work to be done by the method used to represent the work. Precedence Diagramming is like CPM and PERT but it let different logic relationships to be signified in graphic form and it allows relationships to be represented in various ways making it more illustrative of the real life construction process. All of the above techniques when done manually are unfortunately very difficult. Project tracking or monitoring involves registering these various changes throughout the project, and making suitable changes to the projected schedule. Making constant schedule revision throughout the life of the project is an arduous task for the planner and the result may not be accurate and probably will not meet the deadline. Nevertheless, there are tools available to help plan and track projects more efficiently like Microsoft Project. Microsoft Project is a computer program designed to automatically plan, schedule, and track the progress of the project. An easy, powerful, and flexible project management tool that puts you in command of your projects, helps you keep everyone up to date and involved, and is well suited with the working style of today. Manage simple or multifaceted projects by scheduling and tracking all your activities so you can stay on top of their development. Sets up your plan swiftly, initialize your plan by creating and arrange your task list so you can simply validate details and overall

The Pan American Road Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Pan American Road - Research Paper Example By this time, after the industrial revolution, it had become clear that the two American continents not only needed to be connected but that they also needed to be have a good network of roads which would connect economically strategic points all over the two continents. The idea was however for development of a single route rather than a network of roads. It was however only until On 29 July 1937 that the United States and eleven countries from South American country managed to sign a convention that would help in each of the countries doing their part in the completion of the highway. By 1950, Mexico finished its portion of the highway and became the first state from the South American continent to finish its portion of the Pan American Road. The rest of he states also cleared their portions later and the highway was completely. However, the highway lacks uniformity because there were no clear standards to help in making sure that the road will have the same standards. Roads Previo usly In Place along the Current Pan Am Route While the Pan American Highway was an idea on its own, most of the roads which today constitute the Pan American Highway were already there and existed way before the countries agreed to build the Pan American Highway. ... As the Pan American Highway joins Canada, it becomes highway 97 which again becomes US highway 97 as it joins the main continental USA. The Pan American Highway can therefore be seen as having come to replace already existing states. The idea of the Pan American Highway therefore only came to reinforce an already existing idea as some of these roads were already in existence. However, the ideas were supposed to help in standardizing roads across two the continents. Whether this was an achievement that has been a source of discussion with some arguing that the idea of a Pan American Highway has failed drastically. How it was developed (construction efforts throughout the different countries, costs, workers) Each state was required to finance its construction of its portion of the Pan American Road. However, some states got partial financing from other states within the Pan American association. For instance, Panama got partial financing of the construction of the Pan American Road fro m United States of America. In Panama, for instance the cost of construction amounted to twenty million, five of which was provided by the United States of America. However, the cost of construction for the highway cannot be clearly established due to the fact that some of these roads already existed even before the official Pan American Road. In every country, the construction was done mainly by the local population from which labour resources were gained. However, those countries which did not have the right technology had to depend on those which had more advanced technology in order to gain this technology needed for the same. What It Was Made Of As already discussed, there were no specific standards which were supposed to be looked at in order to make sure that

Theoretical Positions of Jung, Adler, and Freud Essay Example for Free

Theoretical Positions of Jung, Adler, and Freud Essay Recently, there has been a debate on the subject of a statutory minimum wage. Different parties have different point of views about it. The unionists believe setting a higher amount can help to reduce the continuously increased wealth gap in Hong Kong, but the businessmen worry that it will increase the operating costs of their businesses. I will discuss the pros and cons of a statutory minimum wage in the following paragraphs. For the advantages, firstly, a minimum wage can force employers to offer reasonable salaries to their employees and give them guidelines on how rational salaries should be set. This can help to protect employees from being exploited. Secondly, the problem of income inequality can be addressed by increasing low-income groups’ salaries so that it can help to promote social justice and greatly improve social harmony and stability. Moreover, the policy can encourage the unemployed citizens to rejoin the work force and thus reduce the burden on the government. Although there are many advantages of setting a minimum wage, there are some drawbacks too. The unemployment rate may rise after implementing the minimum wage law. Due to the increase of operating costs or production costs, some employers may lay off their staff. And it may discourage employees to improve their working attitude and skills as their wages are protected under the statutory minimum wage system, working incentive may thus become low. When we talk about the level of a statutory minimum wage, we have a lot to concerned about, for example, the economic situation, GDP etc. I think the living standard is very high in Hong Kong at present, so the level of a statutory minimum wage should be high enough to meet a family’s daily expenses. At the same time, we should also consider the financial burden on the employers. If not, laying off staff or even closing down the businesses may be the result. The government, therefore, should consider all these issues, think twice and make a wise decision. From http://www. tkp. edu. hk/newsletter/archives/2610 News Point Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung ( ) explained how the members of the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission ( ) came to be agreed on the initial statutory minimum wage rate. According to him, they considered four main criteria: 1. it should not be too low; 2. it would not cause low-paid jobs to disappear in large numbers; 3. it would not inhibit economic development; 4. it would not significantly damage Hong Kongs competitive advantages. To protect labour rights, Hong Kong may need not only minimum wage legislation but also standard working hours legislation ( ). The Legislative Council has adopted a motion to call for the enactment of such a law. To encourage underprivileged citizens and low-income employees living in remote districts to find work or stay in employment, the government launched in 2007 a pilot transport support scheme (). Under the scheme, eligible citizens have been provided with time-limited transport allowances. The Labour Department ( ) is responsible for protecting other labour rights enshrined in various pieces of labour legislation (such as the Employment Ordinance ( )). Minimum wage a issue for people to decide: Hong Kong chief Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Donald Tsang on Friday continued to defend his decision not to legislate on the controversial minimum- wage issue in his latest Policy Address. Speaking on RTHK Friday, two days after presenting his Policy Address, Tsang said he did not want to see the issue dealt with in court as some legislators have said they would press ahead with plans to seek a judicial review after the government decided not to legislate for a minimum wage at the moment. It is a matter for the people to decide, not the courts, Tsang told a call-in radio show Friday morning. I think we should try to solve this matter amicably, in the community. Fundamentally it is not even the legislature and the government. It is a matter for the people, he added, in response to what he called a very strong union and labor voice on minimum wage. In Hong Kong, the arguments on minimum wage between the labor and the employers have lasted for many years but without consensus. The labor has always pressed ahead to legislate on minimum wage among the security and cleaners sectors in particular as soon as possible. But employers said in order to compete in a globalized economy, it is a remaining advantage for Hong Kong not to force employers to accept the deal via legislation. If this matter were pushed through the Legislative Council at the moment, Tsang said, it would be a very, very bloody fight there would be serious arguments over this, the community would be torn apart. In his policy address, Tsang proposed to launch a Wage Protection Movement for workers in the security and cleaning sectors. He promised to legislate on the minimum-wages issues two years later if the movement fails and employers are not paying market rates. ‘Hong Kong lawmakers debate minimum wage CNN 14 Jul 10 Hong Kong lawmakers resumed debate Wednesday on a bill that may result in the regions first statutory minimum wage. The Minimum Wage Bill is a controversial piece of legislation that lawmakers hope will protect the most vulnerable workers in Hong Kong, one of the few places in the world without any sort of minimum wage law. The debate is set to take two to three days. A recent government survey showed that around half a million workers in Hong Kong earn less than $4 an hour. These include low-skilled workers from the catering, retail, and cleaning industries. According to Man Hon Poon, a policy researcher at the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Union, the lack of legal protection for workers has led to serious exploitation. Workers in restaurants have to work for 12 hours or even 14 hours a day to earn a living, he said. They cannot even go to the cinema. Legislator Tommy Cheung, however, claims that the government should not interfere with the free market economy, which he says has served Hong Kong well in the past. A minimum wage could deter investors and lead to increased unemployment, said Cheung, who represents the catering industry. There is one fear within the industry, that they would have to close down, he said. When you see a closure, everyone loses out. The government first proposed the current bill in 2008 following a failed attempt at a voluntary minimum wage. Labor unions, however, have been lobbying for a minimum wage since 1998, following the Asian financial crisis. The rate of the minimum wage has also been under great debate. Trade unions have been demanding a minimum wage of $4 while employer groups have been asking for $3 per hour. If the bill passes this week, the rate of the minimum wage will be set by the Minimum Wage Commission, a consortium of trade union members, employers and scholars, in the coming months. Once the chief executive approves the rate, employers will have six months to implement the law. The Hong Kong government estimates that the earliest the minimum wage law may take effect is May 2011. http://edition. cnn. com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/14/china. hong. kong. minimum. wage/index. html? hpt=T2fbid=cFYYtTV0ap3 The Minimum Wage: An Unfair Advantage for Employers October 1989 †¢ Volume: 39 †¢ Issue: 10 †¢ Print This Post †¢ 1 comment Professor Boudreaux teaches economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Suppose you want to help the sellers of a specific product. One thing you might want to do is try to ensure that a buyers’ market for that good or service isn’t created. A buyers’ market is an economic situation that favors buyers over sellers. For example, everyone hopes that the real-estate market in his hometown will be a sellers’ market when the time comes to sell his house. No one wants to have to sell a house when real estate is in a buyers’ market. Nevertheless, people who advocate mini- mum-wage legislation to improve the lot of unskilled workers in effect support government creation of a buyers’ market as a way to help sellers of unskilled labor. Freely Moving Prices: The Great Equalizer Economics and common sense teach us that, other things being equal, as the price of a product rises, more units will be offered for sale but fewer units will be demanded by consumers. If a price is too low, there will be an excess demand for the good or service in question, and buyers will compete for the limited quantities available by offering higher prices to sellers. If a price is too high, there will be an excess supply, and sellers (who cannot sell all that they wish at the high price) will compete for customers by offering lower prices. So long as there are no government-imposed restrictions on prices, prices will tend to adjust in each market so that the quantities demanded will be equal to the quantities supplied. It is important to realize that prices change only when there are bargaining inequalities between buyers and sellers. Prices rise only when the amount demanded by buyers is greater than the amount supplied by sellers; prices fall only when the amount demanded by buyers is less than the amount supplied by sellers. Put another way, prices rise only when there is a sellers’ market, and prices fall only when there is a buyers’ market. The rise or fall of prices, however, eliminates the inequality of supply and demand and, thus, eliminates the conditions that people describe as sellers’ markets and buyers’ markets. Freedom of price adjustments ensures equality of bargaining power among buyers and sellers. Freely moving prices are the great equalizer. Employers compete for human labor services, like most things of value in a society based on private property in a market in which sellers and buyers engage in voluntary exchanges. Wage rates (in combination with other forms of compensation) are determined in the labor market. If this market isn’t hampered by government, wages will constantly adjust so employers and employees enjoy equal bargaining power. Of course, unskilled workers aren’t as productive as workers with greater skills, and so wage rates for skilled labor tend to be higher than wages for unskilled labor. It is a myth, however, that highly skilled workers enjoy greater bargaining power with employers than do workers with fewer skills. If wage rates are free to adjust to their market-clearing levels, unskilled workers will enjoy as much bargaining power as the most highly skilled workers, because freely moving wage rates adjust so that the amount of each type of labor demanded will tend to equal the amount supplied. Employers can have no bar gaining advantage over even the most unskilled workers if wage rates are free to move to the levels at which the amount of labor services demanded is equal to the amount supplied by workers. Freely moving wage rates are the great equalizer of bargaining positions among employers and employees. The Minimum Wage: The Great Unequalizer Minimum-wage legislation prohibits wages from falling low enough to equate the number of people seeking jobs with the number of jobs being offered. As a result, the supply of unskilled labor permanently exceeds the demand for’ unskilled labor at the government-mandated minimum wage. Minimum-wage legislation thus creates a buyers’ market for unskilled labor. And as in all buyers’ markets, buyers (employers) have an unequal bargaining advantage over sellers (unskilled workers). Consider, for example, a grocer. Suppose he decides that a clean parking lot will attract more customers, and that this will increase his sales by $10 per day. Of course, the grocer will pay no more than $10 a day to have his parking lot cleaned. He then investigates how best to get this done. Suppose there are two options available to him. One way is to hire a fairly skilled worker who can clean the parking lot in one hour, while the second way is to hire two unskilled workers who, working together, will get the job done in the same time. Other things being equal, the grocer will make his decision based upon the relative cost of skilled versus unskilled labor. Let’s assume the skilled worker will charge $6 an hour, while each of the unskilled workers will charge $2. 50 an hour. In a free labor market, the grocer will hire the two unskilled workers be-cause, in total, it costs him $5 per hour for the unskilled workers whereas it would cost $6 for the one skilled worker. But what will the grocer do if a minimum wage of $4 per hour is imposed? To hire the two unskilled workers will now cost him a total of $8 an hour. The skilled worker now becomes the better bargain at $6 an hour. Minimum-wage legislation strips unskilled workers of their one bargaining chip: the willingness to work at a lower wage than that charged by workers with more skills. The result is unemployment of the unskilled workers. Consider another effect of the minimum wage. Because there are more people who want jobs at the minimum wage rate than there are jobs to go around, employers have little incentive to treat unskilled workers with respect. If an employer mistreats an unskilled worker, the employer need not be concerned if the worker quits. After all, there are plenty of unemployed unskilled workers who can be hired to fill positions vacated by workers who quit. In addition, the permanent buyers’ market created by the minimum wage encourages employers to discriminate in their hiring and firing decisions on the basis of sex, race, religion, and so on. Suppose an employer has two minimum-wage jobs available, but there are ten unskilled workers who apply for the jobs. Bemuse the workers are prohibited from competing with each other on the basis of wage rates, other factors must determine which of the workers will be hired. If the employer dislikes blacks, and if there are at least two non-black workers who have applied for employment, no black workers will be hired. With a surplus of unskilled workers, there is no economic incentive to stop this bigoted employer from indulging his prejudices. Conclusion Minimum-wage legislation creates an excess supply of unskilled labor and gives the buyers of unskilled labor an unfair bargaining advantage over the sellers of unskilled labor. It is a fantasy to believe that the welfare of unskilled workers can be improved by such legislation. Unskilled workers shouldn’t be restricted to a permanent buyers’ market. Hong Kong Sets Minimum Wage At HK$28 Per Hour The citys new minimum wage finally has been released. The HK$28/hour base is roughly the cost of two cartons of milk, a fast food meal or four premium beers. Secretary for Labor and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said the new wage, set to come into effect May 1 if it passes the legislature, represented an average wage increase of 16. 9 percent affecting some 314,600 employees. The cost will be roughly HK$3. 3 billion. Tabled for discussion at the Legislative Council Wednesday, the new wage was a milestone in the protection of the rights of low-income workers and a hard-won achievement given the controversy amid the citys laissez faire system, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said. To offset the impact on the labor market, the Labor Department will improve employment services for the young, middle-aged and those with disabilities, he added. By the Minimum Wage Commissions estimates, the new minimum wage amounts to 48 percent of Hong Kongs median hourly wage during the second quarter of 2009. More than half (61. 4 percent) of the more than 314,000 workers expected to benefit from the new minimum wage are women. A quarter of those who will benefit are over the age of 65 and 18 percent work in a part-time capacity, Cheung said. On a sector basis, 35. 5 percent of workers are from security and cleaning companies while 19 percent work in restaurants and 16 percent in retail. Cheung said the impact on employment will be relatively mild, especially when viewed against the improving economic and labor market conditions. Shying away from commenting on concerns that employers would start cutting back on employee benefits to offset increases in costs due to the new wage, Cheung urged employers to communicate closely with their employees, particularly to have frank discussions [and to] work together. Unionist lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan said he was disappointed with the rate saying it will be based on figures two years old before its implementation, adding HK$28 an hour was not enough to provide for a family. He favored the HK$33 an hour rate supported by employee groups. Commission chairwoman Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah said the commission does not think a HK$33 hourly rate was sustainable. She noted, half the burden would eat into company profits while the number of companies falling into the red would go up by 60 percent. She added those companies employed 120,000 workers. Catering lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan said the new wage would be difficult for smaller operators to bear, calling for government relief such as the waiver of licenses fees for one year and subsidies (RTTNews) Hong Kong will implement its first minimum wage rate, set at HK$28 per hour, from next year, the Secretary for Labor and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said Wednesday. The initial statutory minimum wage rate at 3. 61 per hour in U.S dollar terms will come into force on May 1, 2011. The rate was higher than that demanded by business, and less than the HK$33 favored by trade unions. Cheung said that the statutory minimum wage, which is totally new to Hong Kong, is intended to protect grassroots workers and ensure that the pay that they get is commensurate with the hours worked. Regarding the wage rate, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said that it has been a subject of controversy and it is also a milestone in our protection of the rights of low-income workers. The minimum wage ordinance notice 2010 will be published in the Gazette on November 12 and tabled at the Legislative Council on November 17. About 314,600 or 11. 3% of Hong Kongs employees will be effected by the change, with 61. 4% being women staff, 25. 3% employees aged 55 and above, and 18. 8% part-time workers, the governments information service department said. In July, Hong Kongs Legislative Council passed the Minimum Wage Bill without stipulating the actual wage and thereafter formed a committee to set the minimum rate.