Financial management assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial management assignment - Essay Example the companies favor financial restructuring as the company can still be in the business and can avoid the legal problems associated with bankruptcy proceedings. The goal of a debt restructuring is to lower the interest payments and extend the terms of the loan in order to get through a bad patch and not to write off a companys debt.   Companies considering the debt restructuring must first prove that their current market downturn is a temporary phenomenon and will ultimately past and the company will be able to resume profitability.   Thus companies have to convince their stakeholders like creditors, bankers, and distributors that the company will be able to improve the financial condition with the new finance arrangements within a specified period of time. It is important that all the stakeholders actively participate in the preparation of the Financial Restructuring Plan. In some cases even after the Financial Restructuring plan is implemented the company would end up in bankruptcy due to dissatisfaction among certain group of stakeholders or due to bad execution of the Plan. Bankruptcy should be the last option for the companies as only about 15 to 20% of the companies are able to come out of bankruptcy and the cost of bankruptcy is pretty high. It is evident from the current Case study that the company is Over leveraged, that is the debt:equity ratio is very high. Financial restructuring would also be taken up by the companies which are Under leveraged. These companies raise debt to buy back shares. Financial restructuring can also be taken up when the company’s financial position is effected due to Sluggish sales or seasonal sales problems. Often company would raise debt to fund expansion projects but the expansion projects do not give the expected returns resulting in the defaulting of interest payments by the company. Financial restructuring helps the company improve its credit score, which would be useful if the company intends to borrow in future.

The Washington Consensus, 1989

The Washington Consensus, 1989 Introduction: Economists have been trying to develop policies as a unique pattern of guaranteed growth independently of its development level. One such attempt was called the ‘Washington Consensus presented by John Williamson in 1989, which referred to a combination of principles adopted from various international policies unified in ten main steps as a way of creating a growth pattern for a country (mostly developing and transitioning countries; especially in the region of Latin America) (Williamson, 2004). Another international organization, called the World Trade Organization (WTO), has been trying to help in creation of liberalized trade environment and push forward economically undeveloped countries by supporting their integration into a multilateral trading system worldwide. Even though, both the Washington Consensus and the World trade organization have acquired quite much negative connotation, the WC for its attempt to generalize growth pattern and the WTO for providing advantageous treatment to some of the organizations members, the positive results emerging from their existence are very visible in the international trading environment. Washington Consensus, source of many debates: The Washington Consensus, initially developed in 1989, as explained by his author John Williamson was not meant to become a policy viewed as a universal growth and development prescription but it was his way of listing ten policies that were held in the city of Washington aimed to set off the economic growth in the area of Latin America. However, according to his own words he did not necessarily include all of the policies that promote development but the primary common feature that must have been their nature of consensus. (CID, April 2003). The Center for International Development at Harvard University listed the following policies as the common denominator of the Washington Consensus provided by Washington-based institutions for the Latin America area: â€Å"Fiscal discipline, A redirection of public expenditure priorities toward fields offering both high economic returns and the potential to improve income distribution, such as primary health care, primary education, and infrast ructure, Tax reform (to lower marginal rates and broaden the tax base), Interest rate liberalization, A competitive exchange rate, Trade liberalization, Liberalization of inflows of foreign direct investment, Privatization, Deregulation (to abolish barriers to entry and exit), Secure property rightsâ€Å" (D. Bloom, D. Canning, J. Sevilla, p.58, 2003). This list of policies serving as a piece of advice for launching an economic growth rate increase in developing countries received much critique afterwards. Highly accomplished economists have expressed their opinion that this model was a huge step towards neoliberal models, which are nowadays used interchangeably with the term of the Washington Consensus. (Williamson, 2004). However, the criticism was not constructive because they perceived the idea of the ten principles from a different perspective than it was actually formulated by its author. Williamson decided to react and enter a never-ending debate surrounding his original concept and that leads to creation of two mainstream variations of his Washington Consensus. He was inspired by Mr. Stiglitz and Rodrick critics, and did his best to object them in his work The Washington Consensus as Policy Prescription for Development (Williamson, 2004). He explains that Stiglitzs critique upon the Consensus, which was marked as a ‘P ost-Washington Consensus was actually only a transformation of the former one put in different words. However, the main idea of pursuing â€Å"equitable development, sustainable development and democratic development† (Williamson, 2004) after all have stayed the same. Williamson has also applied further discussion towards the arguments of Mr. Rodrick and expresses an agreement with his description of developed countries systems and successes. On the other hand, everyone interested in international economics, international relations and international law is knowledgeable about current situation of enhanced economies and their mutual interaction. What Rodrick actually failed to do is naming resources of the well being in developed countries and assessing them as a logical pattern or a manual for less developed countries, which are to seek this kind of a growth rate hint nowadays and also in the future. Moreover, Rodrick added to the original Williamson thought other points: â⠂¬Å" Corporate governance, Anti-corruption, Flexible labor markets, WTO agreements, Financial codes and standards, â€Å"Prudent† capital-account opening, Non-intermediate exchange rate regimes, Independent central banks/inflation targeting, Social safety nets and Targeted poverty reduction.â€Å" (CID, April 2003). Another strong current, formed as an anti-globalization movement, has been criticizing the Washington Consensus and its trade liberalization. Many of the critics, including Tariq Ali and many others have seen the Washington Consensus as a labor-exploitation policy of poor and undeveloped countries. Contradiction has been found in a reduction of tariffs that allowed free movement of goods while on the other hand labor market was restricted of moving freely due to the requirements of visa and work permits and therefore leading towards restriction of human rights. (STWR, May 2007) Despite such strong arguments against the Washington Consensus, anti-globalization movement has never been taken seriously. The reason for that was found in the positive outcomes that have arisen of Washington Consensus policy, such as the positive attitude towards sustainable development of undeveloped. Basically, the Washington Consensus did take a challenge and tried to create such a pattern that could work not only on the Latin American countries but could be also applied to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on their pursuit towards economic growth. (CID, April 2003). Although, there are also many exemplary countries such as India, China, Vietnam , Chile, etc. that have achieved an extraordinary turn around in the economic development on their own without following any kind of a universal manual, such unique accomplishments will be seen in future because of the need for finding a recipe to enhance developing economies is a must-do policy. Therefore, economists like Williamson would and will continue their work of seeking the right combination of the components of an international trade policy that would prove as a helpful strategy in future economic situations. The WTO, its efforts, controversy and reflections toward future: Compilations of policies like The Washington Consensus are in the center of attention of international organization namely The World Trade Organization (WTO), which seeks to promote the international trade and economic globalization with least harmful effects. The misconceptions about the Washington Consensus as explained above have been one of the main arguments of anti-globalization movement across the world. These groupings of people perceive it as a deathtrap of powerful countries imposed on developing countries with the intention of causing even deeper crises and putting them into greater disadvantage on global market. â€Å"The World Trade organization officially was established on January 1, 1995, as the successor to GATT (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and as the legal and institutional foundation of the international trading systemâ€Å"(D. Palmeter, P.C. Mavroidis, page 13, 1999) Moreover, the World Trade Organization is dealing with various trade regulations between the participating countries: â€Å"It provides a framework for negotiating and formalizing trade agreements, and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants adherence to WTO agreements which are signed by representatives of member governments and ratified by their parliaments.† (Fairtrade, 2010). Moreover, disputes that may arise between the countries are mostly the main topics on WTO trade negotiations Currently the negotiations dealing with great issues like agriculture, tariff and non-tariff barriers to international trade and trade concept amendments are in progress and close to the end at the 4th WTO Ministerial at Doha, Qatar. The discussions were launched in 2001 and according to Ian F. Fergusson in his Congress Research Service Report there are â€Å"three issues among the most important to developing countries, in addition to concessions on agriculture. One issue, now resolved, pertained to compulsory licensing of medicines and patent protection. A second deals with a review of provisions giving special and differential treatment to developing countries. A third addresses problems that developing countries are having in implementing current trade obligations.† (I. F. Fergusson, page 3, 2006) The special and differential treatment provisions imply prioritized position for developing countries in international trade negotiations. In terms of international politics â₠¬Å"developing countries are guaranteed: longer time periods for implementing agreements and commitments measures to increase trading opportunities for these countries provisions requiring all WTO members to safeguard the trade interests of developing countries support to help developing countries build the infrastructure to undertake WTO work, handle disputes, and implement technical standard Provisions related to least-developed country (LDC) membersâ€Å" (WTO, 2001) However, according to further findings the situation is quite different and no matter how the intentions may be stated the United States of America along with international financial institutions and multinational corporations play main role in the game of international politics no matter whether a pattern like the Washington Consensus is in place or an organization like the WTO is leading some negotiations to favor poorer nations development. To explain the argument more precisely, the WTO has a clause which guarantees one vote for each of its members but most of the decisions are not made by the voting process because they depend upon consensus. Therefore, opposing voices like to use several disputes as examples of the discrimination of the developing countries (e.g. environmental issues, banana case, textile case, etc.). One of the most visible cases was so called banana case when the decision of the WTO was presented as a move favoring the USA and putting the developing countries in disadvantage. To be more precise the decision was a ruling against the EU and not against developing countries in first place. The whole issues started and ended with tariffs set on bananas, which were preferential to African and Caribbean countries producers, mainly French and British colonies members of LomÃÆ' © Convention (The Assosiated Press, 2008). The WTO made an objective decision based on its agreements. Furthermore, there is another event to mention and it is a fact that four other developing countries out of Latin America including â€Å"Ecuador, the worlds largest banana producer (The Assosiated Press, 2008) protested together with the US against EUs banana tariffs. Yet the WTO policies contain dispute settlement clauses, which have been used quite many times successfully when fighting back the decisions made by developed countries. The developing countries also have a chance to turn in proposals for the WTOs future programmers in order to change their current position in multilateral trading system next to developed countries. Among other requests â€Å"these include: belief that better implementation of existing WTO agreements, including faster removal of textiles restrictions, longer transition timetables for developing countries and greater technical assistance, should have priority over negotiation on new issues, desire to change or ease some WTO rules which they believe give inadequate weight to their situation, disappointment at continuing barriers to their exports, particularly against processed products based on their own natural resources, concern at the practical burdens involved in taking part in WTO work for the small delegations o f developing countries, and at the cost of dispute cases.â€Å" (WTO, 1999). To conclude, an inference that the WTO favors big powerful countries and MNCs and therefore it is pain in the eyes of public audiences cannot be completely disproved at any stance. However, evidence provided above has concluded efforts of the organization and its members toward including more of the concerns about developing countries difficulties and implementation of the appropriate solutions. Summary: To sum up, both the Washington Consensus and the World Trade Organization have common vision of promoting economic development via core set of rules and policies. As to every controversial topic there are advantages and disadvantages to mention but in order to survive their results must be positive otherwise there is still room for improvement or termination. Both Mr. Stiglitz and Mr. Rodrick were right in their lectures on economic growth policy guidelines but they did not assert any statement what so ever that would be contradictory to the Washington Consensus in its fundamental essence. However, the great increase in development growth rate examples of China, India, Vietnam, etc. are spotlights in current global economic scene due to their considerable difference when compared to the Washington Consensus idea pursued by the IMF or the World Bank. Achievements of these countries are a foretoken of a completely new approach to the development of developing nations. Future predictions It is relatively hard to make any predictions considering the future of the WC and WTO. Washington Consensus did indeed create healthy basis for the WTO future but there is hardly enough space for both organizations on the international scene. Most likely the Washington Consensus will become only a term used for comparison with more current and up-to-date development approaches. The World Trade Organization, on the other hand, has a long way to go and its members are here to predefine its future path. The WTO is neither undemocratic nor it undermines the sovereignty of its member states and their governments. However, there are still many problems in relation to negotiations with developing countries to resolve and providing special and differential treatment to them will not solve those problems but may help along the way towards sustainable development.

Low Voter Turnout is NOT a Significant Problem in the United States Ess

Low Voter Turnout is NOT a Significant Problem in the United States The different strategies in political campaigning have led to lower voter turnout and less political participation by the general public according to Steven Schier in his book, "Payment Due: A Nation In Debt, A Generation In Trouble." Different public and private interest groups can link these downturns to the changing political strategies and the lobbying of the government. Political participation and lower voter turnout is something that we should not be concerned about and doesn’t pose a significant problem in the United States. The low level of political engagement that Schier says is going to be approximately 50% of the citizenry can be explained in many ways. One of the reasons for the low level is what Martin Wattenberg points as being the citizenry lacking party identification. People are tending to not identify with a party and therefore not vote solely for that party. Wattenberg claims that some saw the lack of party identification to have implication that seemed quite threatening for democracy (Wattenberg, 23-25). Keefe points out that â€Å"strong partisans are less numerous than in the past. Split-ticket voting is common everywhere. Most voters do not view parties in a favorable light (Keefe, 74).† With the lack of party identification has come the rise of parties of accommodation. Parties of accommodation have made it impossible for the number of citizens engaged in politics to remain as high as it once was. If the party does not stand for something than people aren’t a s interested in making a stand with the party. In the 2000 election there where 2 parties of accommodation running candidates of accommodation against each ot... ...y. The two major parties ensure that people with the same basic ideas and the same basic goal for the country, such the life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, will remain in power. Schier’s concerns have basis to them, but in the end the United States political structure will continue to run. The presidents may become indistinguishable from each other but they will still have the same general goals and the same outlook. The average American citizen may not be interested in and may not participate in politics, but politics in general will remain the same. The elite will run the country and the average citizen will either voice their opinion by voting or ride the shirt tales of other voters. Politics may be exclusive, but the exclusive elite is chosen by the masses. Timothy J Penny, Steve Schier. Payment Due: A Nation In Debt, A Generation In Trouble

Character of Iago

Shakespeare employs a variety of language, dramatic and theatrical techniques in shaping my understanding of the rather enigmatic yet definitely Machiavellian, character of Iago. Shakespeare reveals him to be a cunning and conniving exploiter and manipulator of other characters who become caught in his web of lies, deceit and evil schemes. Iago is forever the cold, calculating pragmatist who is cynical about anything associated with goodness, such as love, virtue, reputation and honour. Iago constantly plays the role of ‘honest Iago’, which is shown by Shakespeare’s constant dramatically ironic use of this phrase over twenty-three times. All characters have no hesitation in trusting every word Iago says, and taking everything he tells them to be true. The duplicitous nature of Iago is shown in conjunction with the symbolism of the Roman God, â€Å"By Janus†. Janus is a two faced God, who perfectly represents the nature of Iago, the two sides, one he only displays to the public and Roderigo and one only displayed to everyone else. This nature is further emphasised by Iago through his dialogue, â€Å"I am not what I am†. Similar to this includes the dialogue, â€Å"I serve him to serve my turn upon him†. The honesty that the other characters believe Iago has, allows him to adapt the personality of cunning, conniving manipulator of people, allowing him to exploit their emotions for his personal uses. He achieves his aims under the pretence of acting to help individuals but really he is egotistical and serves only for himself. He plays on Othello’s â€Å"free and open† nature, on his mission to prove Desdemona’s infidelity and create the metaphor of the â€Å"green-eyed monster†, which both Othello and Iago will nurture. Iago’s also gives Cassio â€Å"free and honest† advice about asking Desdemona for his position back after his fall from grace, showing again the dramatic irony Shakespeare portrays. Iago also continues to assure Desdemona that Othello’s sudden change in mood has nothing to do with Desdemona herself, but instead to do with state business. This further serves him in his plan for Othello’s downfall. Poison imagery by Shakespeare refers to the poisonous effect of words that Iago has caused seen in â€Å"The Moor already change with my poison†. The Machiavellian villain of Iago is constantly portrayed through the symbolism of hell or Satan throughout the play. â€Å"Hell and night/Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light†. While this shows Shakespeare’s symbolism of white being equivalent to good and dark to evil, it also references the fact that only Iago can bring about this action, or so he believes, and show the world of a crueller Othello. In the intertextual temptation scene, to that of the Garden of Eden, Iago is playing the traitorous and evil snake convincing Othello to do something which he would have never though of before. For Iago women are simply a means to an end. They are only needed to fulfil men’s sexual appetites and serve the various needs of men. He believes that women are not as intellectual as men and hence their opinion should not be valued nor asked for. It is of Iago’s opinion that emotions can leave one weak and rash decisions come about from those who think with their hearts rather than their heads shown in this dialogue, â€Å"If the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions†. Any man that becomes corrupted by their feelings or the heart in a fool, hence Iago does not believe in love of another person. He does however believe in self-love, that is to say Iago is the epitome of selfishness. Iago is unable to love another male or female, as a friend or lover. He describes the act of lovemaking with continuous reference to distasteful and crude animal images such as â€Å"Goats and Monkeys† or â€Å"Black ram† and â€Å"White Ewes†. Iago also employs the use of the symbolism of sexual ‘appetites’, suggesting that just like food they are something that needs to be regular or often. As seen with Emilia’s dialogue â€Å"They eat us hungrily and when they are full/ they belch us† The racist Iago is also obvious throughout Othello. He feels resentment and hatred towards Othello because, not only is Othello a general or commander of the Venetian Navy, he has managed to win such a prize as the lovely Desdemona. This is shown through Iago’s dialogue and comparison of Othello to a â€Å"Black ram†, â€Å"Barbary horse† or having â€Å"Thick lips†. He also constantly refers to Othello as â€Å"The Moor†. While this may not have been considered racist at the time, Iago does it in such a way that he wishes to alienate Othello from white society. He rarely says the name Othello, and if he does he mentions it with venom and anger towards him. Finally in the last scenes the real Iago is revealed. Through dramatic irony in Emilia’s dialogue, Shakespeare shows how the other characters innocence in regard to the man who has convinced Othello to believe such horrible tales, â€Å"I will be hang’d if some eternal villain/Some busy and insinuating rogue/Some cogging, cozening slave to get some office/Have not devis’d this slander. I’ll be hang’d else†. It appears that â€Å"honest Iago† no longer exists but instead has been transformed into a â€Å"villainous knave†. As the situation worsens and the culprit is identified the insults develop into â€Å"demi-devil†, â€Å"damned slave†, â€Å"Spartan dog† and â€Å"notorious villain†. All these terms are juxtaposed to the constant positive emotive terms that have been used to describe Iago throughout the rest of the play. Throughout Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, we see the cunning and manipulative character that is Iago. Each scene, through Shakespeare’s use of theatrical, language and dramatic techniques, as more of Iago’s cunning plan s revealed, more evil within Iago is exposed and left goodness or virtue within him. Even in Iago’s final lines he offers no remorse but only self-satisfaction for the deed he has caused.

Reconstitution of a Partnership Essay

Partnership is the relation between persons who have agreed to share the profits of the business carried on by all or any of them acting for all. An essential element of partnership is to have an agreement and wherever a change takes place in this relationship it results in reconstitution of the partnership firm. Reconstitution of the firm may happen under any of the following circumstances and as a result there will be a change in the profit sharing ratio: 1) Change in the profit sharing ratio amongst the existing partners; 2) Admission of a new partner; 3) Retirement of an existing partner; 4) Death of a partner and 5) Amalgamation of two partnership firms Change in the profit sharing ratio of existing partners: The partners of a firm may decide to change their profit sharing ratio and in such eventuality, the gaining partner (i.e. the partner whose share has been reduced) unless otherwise agreed should be paid some compensation and the compensation is the value of goodwill represented by the gain because the change in profit sharing ratio means that one partner is purchasing from another partner of the profits. For example; James and Jones, two partners of a firm are sharing the profits of the firm in the ratio of 3:1 and if it is decided that in future both will be equal partners, it means that James is selling to Jones  ¼ th (3/4-1/2) share of profits. Therefore, Johns will pay to James an amount equal to one fourth of the total value of goodwill. In concrete terms, suppose, the profit is $20000 previously James would get $15000 and Jones would get $5000. After the change in the profit sharing ratio, each would get $10000. James, therefore, loses annually $5000 and Jones gains $5000. If the goodwill is valued at $40000, Jones must pay James one fourth of $40000 namely $10000. This adjustment is usually made by passing an adjustment entry. In this case, John’s capital account will be debited and James’ capital account will be credited with $10000. In addition to the adjustments for goodwill, the change in profit sharing ratio also requires the adjustment of profit/loss on revaluation of assets and reassessment of liabilities, accumulated reserves and profit (or loss) etc. Sacrificing ratio and gaining ratio: Change in the profit sharing ratio of existing partners will necessarily mean that one or more partners are surrendering a part of their share in the profits in favor of one or more other partners. A part of share being so surrendered is termed as â€Å"sacrificing ratio† while the share gained by each partner is termed as â€Å"gaining ratio†. â€Å"Sacrificing ratio† is computed by deducting the new ratio from the old ratio. â€Å"Gaining ratio† is computed by deducting the old ratio from the new ratio. References: http://classof1.com/homework-help/accounting-homework-help/

WWII and the homefront essays

WWII and the homefront essays Civil Defense and Race Relations in World War Two Civil defense and race relations were two current topics during World War Two. There was a plethora of racism throughout the country at this time. At the same time because of the possible threat of bombings by Hitlers Luftwaffe or his new age V-rockets there was the issue of civil defense. Certain races during the Second World War discriminated against. One of the races that faced this discrimination was the Japanese-Americans. The Japanese-Americans had done nothing wrong, but the biased views of many Americans of European heritage caused this terrible discrimination. Many Americans saw the Japanese-Americans as a threat to their national security. Most of the Japanese-Americans were United States born citizens. Even though the Japanese-Americans were discriminated against over 8,000 young Japanese-Americans were eventually drafted into service by the end of the war. Many Japanese-Americans were put into internment camps. These camps had many striking resemblances to the German concentration camps. There were camps in six states along the west coast. The Japanese-Americans were rounded up, especially along the west coast and put into these camps. These people had already been discriminated against before the war but with the attack on Pearl Harbor bitterness arose in America. The camps were usually old army tents set up in the desert. The people were fed little and held under strict watch. In early 1942 President Roosevelt gave into the military leaders complaints and gave the okay to round up the Japanese Americans and place them in the camps. These Americans were forced to sell there houses in a very short period of time. They usually had to sell their homes a very low price in order to sell them before they were put into the camps. Many Japanese-American business men were also forced to sell their business at very low prices to avoid the being seized by ...

Shrek Essay Example

Shrek Essay Example Shrek Paper Shrek Paper Essay Topic: Film Shrek is a comical animated fairytale based variously on literary archetypes and Disney-esque tropes. However, this fairy tale theme has been subverted using numerous presentational devices throughout the film, in many different ways. I am going to explain thoroughly how this is revised and shown in the film. At the opening of the film, the audience is led to believe that this is different than a traditional fairy tale. It starts off with an old distinguished story book, opening to reveal a traditional style fairy tale. The historic style of font, picturesque illustrations, and general gentle setting, lead to the preconception that it is another archetypal tale. With the traditional story book phrases, such as Once upon a time and conventional storylines such as The princess was locked in the highest room of the tallest tower, awaiting true love and true loves first kiss. Near the end of the short fairy tale, a large green hand rips the last page out of the book. Comically implying he used the page as toilet paper, based on the mise en scene and editing of Shrek emerging from an outhouse after tearing out the page and the sound of diegetic flushing. This kind of behaviour would not be shown in an archetypal fairy tale, leading the audience to see this is not the type of story they were expecting. The main character, Shrek, is an ogre. This is a clear subversion of a fairy story, as the main character, or hero, tends to be a handsome prince. It is also a subversion of his character as traditionally ogres are brutal, cruel and most importantly, of evil temperament. However also in the beginning Shrek is seen behaving in a human fashion. His habitat is quite homely and domesticated and is even shown performing a human cleansing ritual involving brushing his teeth and even having breakfast. This immediately alerts the audience or at least makes them suspicious, that Shrek must surely be a positive character as he is acting like an approachable human being and not a man eating ogre. However, a little later in the film, Shrek is seen confronting a gang of villagers who are trying to ambush him at his home. Suddenly his character seems a lot more sinister, as he uses traditional archetypal ogre threats, (such as Ill grind your bones to make my bread). But instead of carrying out his threats, he simply tells them to run away. Then terrifyingly roars in the faces of the villagers. This is shown by a close up of Shreks open mouth with food encrusted teeth. This adds to the traditional image of a disgusting ogre, unlike the humanised character we saw in the first scene. The two different sides of him revealed here show that he is a conflicted character. Torn between acting like a traditional ogre and a human character, these parallel images are reflected throughout most of the film. The presentational devices used in this chapter of the film help show this subversion as traditionally an ogre would not show any human characteristics at all and would not doubt the content of his own nature. During his travels, Shrek is introduced to Donkey. They meet when Donkey is pursued by a gang of soldiers and Shrek scares them away. Donkey is grateful and begins to chat to Shrek in a friendly manner. Shrek clearly struggles with the idea that someone does not judge him as a traditional ogre but as a human. Shreks character is more aggressive towards Donkey as he evidently doesnt know how to deal with the situation. This again shows Shreks conflicted character and how he finds it difficult to cope with not being judged on first impressions. Later on, Shrek and Donkey go on a quest issued by Lord Farquaad to rescue the Princess Fiona. When found, the princess appears to be another archetype; the beautiful damsel in distress, waiting to be rescued. However all is not as it seems, as later she is seen performing unladylike actions, such as burping and violently attacking a gang of men who mistakenly attempt to rescue her. The princesss role in a traditional animated fairy tale is to be a weak, beautiful, innocent, damsel in distress. This completely shows the misogynist viewpoint of male/ female roles in fairy tales. Lord Farquaad has all the aspects of a heroic character with his large castle and kingdom, riches and the fact that he wants a princess as his bride. However, his first impression and the actions he is seen doing persuade the audience otherwise. When we first meet lord farquaad, the presentational skills and devices used create a sinister, negative impression of him straightaway. A low angle shot is used to make him appear large and intimidating while he strides down a corridor. The dim background lighting and harsh marching music also add to the daunting effect of the scene. Even his first actions seem chilling, as he is precisely putting on his gloves showing that he means business. After this scene, he is shown torturing another character, the Gingerbread Man, for information. He even threatens the Magic Mirror to make him into a king. After hearing the mirrors solution to marry a princess, he then hires someone else to recue her for him. These are not things an archetypal hero would do at all, in fact, he shows more of the characteristics of a villain; again subverting the stereotypical tale. When Shrek and Donkey visit Duloc, more presentational devices are used in favour of Lord Farquaad. When Shrek and Donkey are discussing with Lord Farquaad the nature of the quest, Lord Farquaad is on a balcony far above them. A low angle shot is used to make him more impressive and show his higher status from the other characters. This was also cut to another shot of a close up behind lord Farquaad, creating a mise en- scene and making him seem bigger and therefore more important in comparison with Shrek. These presentational devices accurately help show the difference in status between characters, establishing their direct contrast to one another. In conclusion, the presentational devices used in Shrek help subvert the archetypal fairy tale through many aspects. Firstly, the use of low angle shots helps to establish status and contrast between characters and even with the characters themselves. For example, a close up of a characters face helps to display their emotions to more accurately. The themed background music used also helps to create a certain atmosphere or setting for a particular character, helping the audience perceive a character easily. Overall, the use of presentational devices in the film Shrek, assist in subverting the generic conventions of traditional fairy tales in a humorous and easy viewing way for the audience.

Announcing #IWriteBecause - A Campaign For Writers

Announcing #IWriteBecause - A Campaign For Writers Announcing #IWriteBecause: A Campaign For Writers, By Writers The pinnacle of a writer’s life may not ever be a tearful speech at the Oscars. (â€Å"I want to thank my ergonomic keyboard for not giving me carpal tunnel.†) However,  though it might not take the form of a miniature golden statue, all writers possess inspirations that drive them to put pen to paper. So what's yours?We know that words are powerful - and now more than ever, we can use our words to get the message of writing out and do good. Perhaps one day a child who watches your video will be able to say that #TheyAlsoWriteBecause.How  can you contribute to #IWriteBecause?Submit your short, one-minute video via the campaign site, and tell us your reasons for writing. In doing so, you’ll be joining writers of all stripes who already sent in videos, including bestselling author Mark Dawson, award-winning food and travel writer Joanna Pruess, USA Today bestselling author Carter Wilson, New York Times bestseller David Heinemeier Hansson, and popular BookTuber Hailey LeBlanc.We’re featuring a couple of videos every day on the site, so feel free to browse through other writers’ stories! The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, or so they say.Here are a few questions to get you started:Why do you write?What do you love the most about writing?What do you get out of writing?What do you want to achieve by the end of your career as a writer?So grab your phone or a camera now. You can change a child's life for the better. All it takes is a minute to fill in the blank and say via video: I write, because ___________.Why do you write? This is your chance to tell us. Send us a video through the campaign site  and contribute to the movement.

Biometrics and Wireless Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Biometrics and Wireless Technology - Essay Example This technology is now the more favoured method of identification over traditional methods like password and PIN identifications. High numbers of passwords and PINs are generated on a daily basis as more and more people are settling in with the pace of technology. These PINs and passwords are saved electronically on database servers, which at some point may run out of space. In this scenario, the better choice for a person is to be her or his own password. In today's market many types of biometrical identification tools are available such as fingerprinting, face recognition, finger and hand geometry, iris recognition, voice and signature recognition (von Graevenitz 2003). Biometric data collected using sensors are converted to digital formats for storage into computer databases. Fingerprinting biometrics has been long in use by the crime solving agencies and immigration authorities. However, technologies to use iris, face, and voice for recognition are still in their infancy. According to the founder and chairperson of CardTech/SecurTech, Ben Miller, biometric technologies have been in use since 1968. The University of Georgia was a pioneer in the use of biometric technology when in 1973 the university set up a hand-scanning system that helped restrict entry into its all-you-can-eat dining halls. Fingerprinting, iris recognition, retina recognition, face recognition, and hand recognition have been successfully imple... Fingerprints are then stored in image formats or encoded character strings. This technology is cost effective and very accurate (Biometrics 101). Irises are also a unique characteristic that can be scanned saved in a digital format. Since irises remain unchanged after surgery or with the use of glasses or contact lenses, this technology is fast gaining popularity (Biometrics 101). Retina recognition systems are used in some high-risk facilities such as military installation systems. This technique is considered the most accurate among all available biometrics technologies. However, the installation cost for this technology is high (Biometrics 101). Face recognition systems analyse the facial geometry of a person and can verify a person's identity within a very short time and from a distance of 2 feet (Biometrics 101). As the internet age has progressed and matured, it has seen the advent of wireless technologies, which have brought flexibility of communication, as wireless systems do not need any physical connections. Transmission of data in wireless systems takes place through radio frequency. The popularity of wireless devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, smart phones, and other handheld devices is at its height at this time. Karygiannis and Owens (2002) recognised that wireless networks are at the same risk as wired networks but they are also vulnerable to a few new security threats due to the limitation of wireless protocols. For security implementation, in wireless systems biometric technology is getting a lot of attention as it provides an extra level of security. It can be used as a stand-alone security device or along with another protection system. Agencies that need higher levels of

The Similarities and Differences Between Three Middle East Countries Research Paper

The Similarities and Differences Between Three Middle East Countries - Research Paper Example Despite this widespread theme, there are some differences in the way how some Arab and/or North African countries are run. This paper will compare the similarities and differences between three Middle East countries: Syria, Israel, and Libya. One of the similarities between Syria, Israel, and Libya is that there is constant fighting at the moment, albeit for very different reasons. The civil war in Syria has continued on for over a year now, with almost 20,000 thought to have been killed by the government supported by Bashar al-Assad. Likewise, Israel had constantly been involved in the conflict with the Palestinians ever since Israel became a country in 1948. Many hundreds of people are killed each year due to battle, and there are occasional flare-ups that result in military activity in order to defend Israel’s sovereignty. Finally, Libya also experienced some violence, with up to 10,000 people killed during an eight-month civil war. Violence is commonplace among all these t hree countries because of the internal conflict that remains. Other countries within the area also experience the same level of violence on a regular basis, so it can be concluded that Syria, Israel, and Libya are just representative of the greater region as a whole. Despite Syria, Israel, and Libya all succumbing to violence and/or civil war, there are some key differences between the three countries. The most obvious one has to do with religion; Israel is predominantly Jewish, but Syria and Libya are Muslim. Besides this, Israel has also largely been unaffected by the events of the Arab Spring. The violence that occurs on a daily basis in Israel comes from longstanding rifts with the Palestinians rather than an uprising of sorts. There is really very little chance of Israel going the same way as either Syria or Libya because it is a sound democracy. The difference between Libya and Syria is that one country still has an ongoing civil war (Syria) while the other one (Libya) is now in the process of changing to a democracy. Also, the western response to each country’s strife has been remarkably different. While NATO support was forthcoming for Libya, the same cannot be said about Syria, whose leader remains defiant despite the introduction of sanctions against his country. Syria, Israel, and Libya all have their differences yet they are defined by certain characteristics. The Arab Spring is a reoccurring theme among these nations, except Israel, has proven to be largely immune from it. The differences between the three countries are confined to religion and the current state of violence within each country. 2. Explain 4 things that the United States, England, and some other European countries have in common. The United States, England, and Ireland all have factors that set them apart from the rest of the world. These factors can be broken down into three categories: political, economic, and military. The most obvious similarity between the United States , England, and France is that they all rely on a democratic system of government. Citizens have the power to elect officials to the highest office and then remove them if they so choose. Additionally, each of these three countries’ justice systems revolves around a common law system. A common law legal system places more power in the hands of judges through the courts rather than judges making decisions solely based on any codes or statutes.

Case Study-Sting Ray Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

-Sting Ray - Case Study Example PoolVac also wishes to use its sales data for the last 26 quarters to estimate demand for its Sting Ray.Demand for Sting Rays is specified to be a linear function as the following: 1. Run the appropriate regression to estimate the average variable cost function (AVC) for Sting Rays. Evaluatethe statistical significance of the three estimated parameters using a significance level of 5 percent. Be sure tocomment on the algebraic signs of the three parameter estimates. (30%) At a confidence level of 95% (5% level of significance), all the three parameters are significant, as they have a p-value of less than 0.05. Notably, a (intercept) has a p-value of 1.96*10-17, while the coefficients b and have p –values of 0.000342 and 0.01299, respectively The model implies that average variable costs is a function of both Q and square of Q. the first parameter, intercept is 152, implying that the expected average cost at constant quantity is 152. As quantity varies, average cost will vary directly with Q2 (positive parameter) and inversely with the quantity (negative coefficient). Notably an increase in quantity does not necessarily increase average variable cost, the effect depends on which variable(either Q or Q2 ) has a greater influence. Evaluate the statistical significance of the three estimated slope parameters using a significance level of 5percent. Discuss the appropriateness of the algebraic signs of each of the three slope parameter estimates.(20%) h= 3.166Ph and p-value of 0.027, implies that holding price and income constant, If competitors reduce their prices by a unit, customers shift from sting ray to its substitutes hence demand reduces by 3.166 units and vice versa. 5. The manager at PoolVac, Inc. believes Howard Industries is going to price its automatic pool cleaner at $250,and average household income in the U.S. is expected to be $65,000. Using the regression results from Question 4, write the estimated demand function (with only P as

Partnership Accounting Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Partnership Accounting - Coursework Example Capital - William $ 87,500 Capital - Frank $ 87,500 Capital - Sammy $ 175,000 4. General Partnerships is that all partners have unlimited liability. This means that if a business is not able to pay back its debts, the partners are held responsible to pay the debtors back and they can be forced to sell of their personal assets in order to repay the debt. Only under certain circumstances, there can be a partner with limited liability; however that partner does not take part in the management of the business. Under Limited Partnerships there exist some partners whose liability is limited to the contribution of capital in the business. The resignation, retirement or death of such partner does not cause the dissolution of the firm. However, one partner has to have unlimited liability while the partners with limited liability do not take part in the management of the business. Also, such a partnership has to be registered. Joint Venture Partnership is similar to a general partnership, howe ver it lasts for only a certain time period or for a certain project. Usually two companies share the costs, risks and benefits by running a project. However, a written agreement is not necessary. 5. The two methods of recording changes in the membership of a partnership are Bonus Method and Goodwill Method. Under bonus method, the assets accounts increases by the amount of capital contributed by the new partner. Any access amount paid to acquire the interest in the business is credited to the respective partners account. However, under goodwill method, a goodwill account is opened to account for this access amount. It is an intangible asset. 6. A. The list of provisions is: 1) Nature of the  partnership   2) Contributions to the partnership 3) Allocation of profits and losses 4) Interest on Capital 5) Interest on Drawings 6) Management Duties 7) Policy upon admission or retirement of partners. 6. B. The articles of partnership are very significant as it outlines the nature of t he business, the names of the partners, their addresses, the address of the business. Also it includes the duties of each partner, their profit and loss sharing ratios, any salaries if applicable. It has clauses relating the percentage of interest of capital or interest charged on drawings. It may also contain the policy upon admission or retirement of a partner. All the partners and witnesses sign the articles of partnership agreement. Apart from highlighting the various factors relating to the business, it can serve as a legal document. Many partners contribute their capital, labor and skills to the business which has high risk associated with it. Therefore, there is a possibility that there is disagreement among the partners over assignment of duties, division of profit or loss or the admission of a new partner. In case a partnership agreement has not been framed and signed, this can lead to lawsuit. However, if a lawyer is involved and the articles of partnership are stated, it resolves conflict easily as all partners can refer to it. For instance, a dispute arises among distribution of profits among partners, it can be served as a legal document in the court and the conflict can be easily resolved. To avoid legal implications, it is always better to have a partnership agreement to prevent any partner from violating the agreement. It is signed to protect the interest of all partners. Discussion Board The partnership agreement is a legal document that not only serves in the interest of the partners but the government as well. The agreement not only covers the type of the business that it will carry but other important aspects. Many a times the profit and loss sharing ratio is different from the capital ratio, in such cases partnership agree

Pastry chef jacques torres Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pastry chef jacques torres - Research Paper Example â€Å"Chef Jacques Torres†). He spent eight years under the guidance of French chef Jacques Maximin at Hotel Negresco. He used to attend the classes during his off time. After completing the classes, he was also trained at Cannes Culinary School. While he was working in the hotel, he had participated in various prestigious food events. He received various honors and awards such as he achieved gold medal from Japanese Pastry Chef Association as well as at French Championship of Desserts (Torres, â€Å"Jacques’ Early Years†). 2.0 Beginning and Earliest Jobs In France, Jacques Torres had worked in a bakery shop named La Frangiapane as a trainer. After completing his training for 2 years as a pastry trainer, he shifted his job in Hotel Negresco which was located at Nice, France. He worked there for 8 years. Subsequently, for a few years he had worked to earn his degree as Master Pastry Chef. In the year 1980, Jacques Torres was encouraged by the prestigious Ritz-Carl ton and motivated himself towards the US, first to Palm Spring followed by Atlanta. After that period he then moved to work as Pastry Chef in the kitchen of Le Cirque restaurant in New York. This was a reputed French restaurant (Culinary Schools. Org. â€Å"World-Class Pastry Chef: Chocolatier Jacques Torres†). He received honor of the Confederation of Japan. He then joined Ritz-Carlton hotels to work as corporate pastry chef. He also trained other chefs across the US. He used to conduct occasional classes of FCI during the year 1993 when he was working in Le Cirque. He taught classes twice a month and managed entire curriculum for improvement (Sailhac, A., â€Å"French Culinary Institute's Salute to Healthy Cooking†). In 1989, he was inveigled to Le Cirque. His regular job in Le Cirque was to serve celebrities, royals, clients and friends along with those who loved his creations. Success had come early for Jacques Torres due to his talent, dedication, and willpower to come up with â€Å"something new, something else, always, always†. It was always an assurance to offer sweet surprises from him. He offered ’champagne truffles’, ‘bars of chocolate’, ‘covered chocolates’, ‘items for weddings and events’, and also ‘Jacques Torres chocolates’ (Torres, â€Å"Great Chefs Jacques Torres†). 3.0 Current Business Jacques Torres was French chocolatier; he has become a well known chocolate entrepreneur after his extensive efforts in his work with restaurant industry. At present, the entrepreneur produces confections from chocolate crunch puffs to Champagne truffles. Nowadays, he makes both chocolate delicacies and produced chocolate from cocoa beans. He has created and sold his own line handcrafted chocolate as well as various others high-end confectionary products to his four factories and retail locations in New York along with retail enterprise in Atlantic City at Harrahâ€⠄¢s Casino (The Sun Winefest ’12, â€Å"About Jacques Torres†). He became owner of his own chocolate shops in the year 2000 by opening a modernized warehouse with a cobble stone street in DUMBO section of Brooklyn. Jacques Torres opened his second location featuring a state-of-the-art chocolate manufacturing plant. In this place, the customers can observe the process of transformation of cocoa bean to chocolate

Change management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Change management - Assignment Example People develop new initiatives, new projects, and new technologies, which are all meant for improvement, or for solving problems. Change is experienced at various levels, including the personal and the group level. Therefore, in this case, companies are places where change will be experienced in form of organizational change. Although change is a good concept, this might result in detrimental effects, if it is not well managed. Therefore, the skills and knowledge about change management are important for individuals and organizations today in order to experience a successful transition. This semester, through different class activities, I have learnt and gathered great and diverse knowledge about the concepts of change and change management. I have learnt about these concepts in greater depths, including the different theories of change management. In addition, I have practiced reflections on change and organizational change, based on my personal experiences. All these have been help ed to shape my perspective on change and change management, thus built my personal philosophy of managing change. This essay is a reflection of important insights and knowledge about change management, which I have acquired during this semester. ... Companies today are faced with high competition in the market, thus they have to compete favorably, in order to remain productive. For favorable competition, these have to adopt new strategies, which will make them have a competitive advantage in the market. The new strategies might involve the employees in the company or the business processes, including technology, employee roles, among others, and this will call for the employees to adjust to the new processes. Today, there are cases of employees, who have showed reluctance in adopting changes in their companies, while others have shown adherence. This means that employees will respond to change in a company differently (Hiatt & Creasey 2003). On the other hand, Beerel (2009) notes that some professionals lack sufficient knowledge on change management, thus, have failed to effect change in their companies successfully. People hold different views and perspectives about the academic knowledge and theories of change management. Howe ver, during this I have come to appreciate the importance of the insightful views of various scholars about change and change management. This includes different models and theories, which scholars have developed to help explain the process of change and change management. With regard to the current theories on change and change management, I have taken special interest in the scholarly work of Dr. John Kotter. Being a professor at the Harvard Business School, I consider this to prove that he has diverse knowledge on issues in business, including change management. Among his 18 books about leadership, I find â€Å"Leading Change† (1995) and â€Å"The Heart of Change† (2002) to be more relevant to the topic of change management, as these

Pastry chef jacques torres Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pastry chef jacques torres - Research Paper Example â€Å"Chef Jacques Torres†). He spent eight years under the guidance of French chef Jacques Maximin at Hotel Negresco. He used to attend the classes during his off time. After completing the classes, he was also trained at Cannes Culinary School. While he was working in the hotel, he had participated in various prestigious food events. He received various honors and awards such as he achieved gold medal from Japanese Pastry Chef Association as well as at French Championship of Desserts (Torres, â€Å"Jacques’ Early Years†). 2.0 Beginning and Earliest Jobs In France, Jacques Torres had worked in a bakery shop named La Frangiapane as a trainer. After completing his training for 2 years as a pastry trainer, he shifted his job in Hotel Negresco which was located at Nice, France. He worked there for 8 years. Subsequently, for a few years he had worked to earn his degree as Master Pastry Chef. In the year 1980, Jacques Torres was encouraged by the prestigious Ritz-Carl ton and motivated himself towards the US, first to Palm Spring followed by Atlanta. After that period he then moved to work as Pastry Chef in the kitchen of Le Cirque restaurant in New York. This was a reputed French restaurant (Culinary Schools. Org. â€Å"World-Class Pastry Chef: Chocolatier Jacques Torres†). He received honor of the Confederation of Japan. He then joined Ritz-Carlton hotels to work as corporate pastry chef. He also trained other chefs across the US. He used to conduct occasional classes of FCI during the year 1993 when he was working in Le Cirque. He taught classes twice a month and managed entire curriculum for improvement (Sailhac, A., â€Å"French Culinary Institute's Salute to Healthy Cooking†). In 1989, he was inveigled to Le Cirque. His regular job in Le Cirque was to serve celebrities, royals, clients and friends along with those who loved his creations. Success had come early for Jacques Torres due to his talent, dedication, and willpower to come up with â€Å"something new, something else, always, always†. It was always an assurance to offer sweet surprises from him. He offered ’champagne truffles’, ‘bars of chocolate’, ‘covered chocolates’, ‘items for weddings and events’, and also ‘Jacques Torres chocolates’ (Torres, â€Å"Great Chefs Jacques Torres†). 3.0 Current Business Jacques Torres was French chocolatier; he has become a well known chocolate entrepreneur after his extensive efforts in his work with restaurant industry. At present, the entrepreneur produces confections from chocolate crunch puffs to Champagne truffles. Nowadays, he makes both chocolate delicacies and produced chocolate from cocoa beans. He has created and sold his own line handcrafted chocolate as well as various others high-end confectionary products to his four factories and retail locations in New York along with retail enterprise in Atlantic City at Harrahâ€⠄¢s Casino (The Sun Winefest ’12, â€Å"About Jacques Torres†). He became owner of his own chocolate shops in the year 2000 by opening a modernized warehouse with a cobble stone street in DUMBO section of Brooklyn. Jacques Torres opened his second location featuring a state-of-the-art chocolate manufacturing plant. In this place, the customers can observe the process of transformation of cocoa bean to chocolate

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (YEAR 3) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (YEAR 3) - Essay Example Power is a force or a store of political influence through which events can be affected. Politics involves activities or behaviors through which power is developed and used in organizational settings. Political behavior is initiated to overcome opposition. If there is no opposition, political activity is not necessary. Bases of power may be divided logically: personal power is derived from personal attributes and expertise while position power is derived from official position. There are many ways to describe the uses of power. Organizations are made up of individuals who are grouped into coalitions of interests. Coalitions form to protect and improve their vested interests. Often they are formed along departmental lines, but not always. This refers to the political interests in the organization. The different subunits in an organization are not neutral. Each group has a distinct set of interests which is frequently at odds with other groups. The groups compete for favourable allocation of resources. The structure of an organization is a crucial determinant of the flow of the distribution of resources, therefore built into the organization is a structure of advantage and disadvantage. It is in the interests of a group to have resources distributed in its favour. So interests refer to the relationship between an individual or group and the distribution of organizational resources. Interests are concerned with securing a fair share of organizational resources, and are expressed through a motivation to enhance or defend a particular distribution of organizational resources. Organizations differ in the distribution of power. In some power is focused and concentrated within a narrowly drawn coalition, in others power is relatively dispersed between multiplicities of groups. There is a difference between power and authority which has to be made

Role Of A Social Work Practitioner Social Work Essay

Role Of A Social Work Practitioner Social Work Essay Interrelationship can be defined as a mutual or reciprocal relation (Oxford University Press, 2012). A theory in social work is a framework for understanding (Thompson, 2000a, p. 22). It provides the practitioner with an understanding of client behaviour and emotions. Where theory enables understanding the client and the situation they are encountering, practice is how the practitioner interprets this knowledge and uses it. It is the process of interviewing, accessing and assisting the client. Thompson (2000a) states the relationship between theory and practice can be seen as a direct parallel with that between thinking and doing (p. 4). Social work practitioners learn theories so they can be more competent and professional in their practice. Without theory and a solid knowledge base, the social work practitioner inadvertently becomes less effective (Thompson, 2000a). Howe states (as cited in Collingwood, Emond, Woodward, 2008) some social work practitioners believe that theory is not required and that the best decisions are based on pragmatism and common sense (p. 72). However, according to Fisher and Somerton (as cited in Collingwood et al., 2008) theory may not be explicitly articulated, and it may not be used well, but there is no such thing as theory-less practice (p. 72). An example of a how theory interrelates with practice is what Connolly and Healy (2011) call mountain-moving theories (p. 28). These are approaches that aim to shift oppressive structures and/or dominant discourses so that we can move towards a more equitable society (Connolly Healy, 2011, p. 28). Social work practitioners are considered to have power and influence, therefore they need a practice that does not discriminate, oppress or show prejudice in terms of sexism, racism, ageism and disablism (Thompson, 2006, p. 40). Anti-oppressive practice is the practice in which a social work practitioner strives to reduce, undermine or eliminate discrimination and oppression (Thompson, 2006). When working with a person with a disability, a social work practitioner must be careful not to oppress the client themselves, therefore social work practitioners follow the principle of minimal intervention (Connolly Healy, 2011, p. 29). They need to use skills that involve empowerment which means b elieving that people are capable of making their own choices and decisions (Connolly Healy, 2011, p. 28). The social work practitioner would use their knowledge, access to resources, and power to enable the client to feel powerful and supported. They would not make decisions for the client but would let them decide for themselves, giving the client the tools necessary to realise their potential (Connolly Healy, 2011, p. 28). By using the right theory in their practice the social work practitioner has enabled the client to feel validated, giving them greater control of their lives, therefore building up their confidence and allowing them to be valued members of society (Connolly Healy, 2011). Connolly and Healy state anti-oppressive practice provides a theoretical explanation, guidance in terms of approach, and techniques for responding to the needs of people (Connolly Healy, 2011, p. 28). According to Thompson a paradigm is a theoretical approach which encompasses a number of related theories (2000, p. 27). Theoretical paradigms play an important role in social work as they guide the practitioner on what may be happening in the clients world. Social work practitioners can choose which approach to take by which paradigm they deem more appropriate to the situation (Thompson, 2000b). They can choose to focus their practice on a particular or singular paradigm or use multiple paradigms, in an eclectic manner (Poulter, 2005). Poulter states eclectic workers argue that not being locked into one particular paradigm frees practitioners to determine what actually works best in practice (2005, p. 1999). Although there are many theoretical paradigms of social work one main one is systems theory. An understanding of systems theory involves looking at the sociological effects of society on the client and how they are being affected by them (Thompson, 2000b). With Bronfenbrenners ecological theory, the social work practitioner takes the clients current environment into account. This theory includes microsystems, mesosystems, ecosystems and macrosystems (Connolly Healy, 2011). It is a valuable theory because it allows the practitioner to look at the whole picture. For example if there was a problem with a child, the social work practitioner would firstly look at the microsystem surrounding them. This includes the childs family, school, peers and neighbourhood which interact daily with them (Santrock, 2011). The social work practitioner would then look at the mesosystems that impact the clients life; this is the relationship between the childs microsystems and how they affect each other (Santrock, 2011). The ecosystem consists of links between a social setting in which the indiv idual does not have an active role (Santrock, 2011, p. 29), examples of this are parents work places and social welfare services. Here, the social work practitioner looks at how the parents work place or hours of work affect the child or how social welfare is influencing the familys life (Payne, 2005). The macrosystem involves the culture in which individuals live (Payne, 2005, p. 29). This is the familys values and beliefs and how this affects the child. By looking at the whole picture the social work practitioner can obtain a true picture of the child and his / her environment. By using a theoretical paradigm the practitioner has managed to fully comprehend the clients situation and what its influences are; now they can use their knowledge of practice to provide assistance to the child and family. As theory and practice are interrelated, it is accurate to say that they shape one another as well. Sheafor and Horejsi determine that, not only is it hard to separate theory and practice but practice is the process of using knowledge and applying theory in order to bring about specific change (2008, p. 46). During the process of time and practice, a practitioners knowledge base develops, changes, and becomes more comprehensive. To help recognise when change is needed, part of the social work practitioners role is to constantly reflect upon what they do and what they think about what they have done (Dominelli, 2004, p. 250). Reflexivity practice is cyclic, and begins with the experience of the task, reviewing what has happened, conceptualising and trying to understand relationships and finishing by predicting what to do next, thus giving the practitioner a new idea of how to proceed next time (Chenoweth McAuliffe, 2012). Reflexivity provides an opportunity to understand the way in w hich the workers personal views and interpretation intersect with practice-in-situation (Harms Connolly, 2011, p. 6). Reflexivity leads to praxis when an ideology is added; this is the process of strengthening our practice and a form of continual growth for the practitioner (Harms Connolly, 2011). During this time theories will also grow and change, leading to a change in practice. As most social work practitioners want to bring about change and help people, they are more inclined to promote social action (Shaefor Horejsi, 2008). Examining social injustices and inequalities in society is just part of the social work practitioners role (Payne, 2005). According to Payne (2005) this has led to the development of perspectives that broaden the range of factors that lead to inequality and injustice (p. 230). Culturally sensitive practice in New Zealand was developed in order to promote perspectives that encompassed MÄ ori value and beliefs. Social work practitioners saw the need to treat MÄ ori within the context of their culture, not the dominant culture of the Pakeha. MÄ ori well-being is viewed as holistic, containing characteristics from the spiritual, mental, physical and extended family (Durie, 1994). Where a psychodynamic theory might work with a Pakeha, the one to one dynamics and required openness of the dialogue, does not encompass the culture of MÄ ori. This led to the development of mÄ ori models like the whare tapa whÄ  model, Te Wheke and NgÄ  Pou Mana (Durie, 1994). The whare tapa whÄ  model was formed from the findings that MÄ ori health was suffering due to the westernised treatment of them while sick (Durie, 1994). The standard dominant Pakeha model of health was not allowing MÄ ori to follow their cu ltural beliefs; therefore a new theory or models were developed to encompass MÄ ori culture. This in turn led to improved practice. Social work practitioners now understand when working with Maori that it is not just the individual that needs to be considered but the collective (Durie, 1994). In conclusion, the interrelationship between theory and practice denotes that they are reliant on one another for the social work practitioner to develop their professional selves. For quality practice, a social work practitioner must have a sound knowledge base of theory and practice. The developments of new perspectives enhance the ability of the social work practitioner to have an ethical practice. Thompson states (as cited in Thompson, 2000a) practice which does not take into account of oppression and discrimination cannot be seen as good practice (p. 10). The use of theoretical paradigms in social work practice provides the practitioner with an understanding of where the client is at in their situation, what they will do to assist the client and how they will do it. Theory shapes practice in the way that what the practitioner learns will affect the way they practice. Similarly how the practice is developed, is based not only on theory but also experience, so this shapes theory i n that it may be modified to suit. The process of reflection helps the practitioners ability to look back on their practice and the theories they have used, allowing them to review their thoughts and feelings. A change in theory and practice has enabled MÄ ori to be treated in a way that is more in line with their culture, making the practitioner more sensitive and well-rounded which leads to an improved practice.

Humorous Wedding Speech Given by a Friend from Work :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Humorous Wedding Speech Given by a Friend from Work Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. And, on behalf of the bridesmaids, I’d like to thank Anthony for his kind words. I certainly agree that they did a great job today. And as for the rest of his speech, I always knew he’d be hard to follow – but I didn’t expect an unintelligible, mumbled noise. Oh well, it only goes to show that just when you think you know someone well, they go and surprise you. But in fact, I haven’t known Anthony for all that long. Anthony and I actually met about six years ago when we were working for the same company. In fact, it’s rather amazing that we have become such good friends, given the relatively few occasions back then that he actually bothered to turn up to work at all. But good friends or not, I do have a theory as to why he’s chosen me to be his best man and not one of his older friends. If you ask me, it’s because he didn’t want a best man who’d be able to tell you about all the embarrassing mishaps and misdemeanors of his youth. Like the time, aged 15, that he was invited round to have tea with his first girlfriend’s parents and managed to walk dog poo across their new living room carpet. I always thought that pale cream was an impractical colour for carpet. And, after that, afternoon, so did Sarah Bailey’s parents. And unfortunately for Anthony, Sarah herself found him to be a rather impractical boyfriend. And so that was the end of that. And I’m sure his choice of best man was similarly influenced by a desire to keep under wraps the post-A-level pub crawl that led to him spending a night in the cells after vomiting off a bridge onto the bonnet of a passing police car. Anthony, I hope you now see that it was never going to be that easy – which brings me onto your stag night. Now, the men in the room will be aware of what goes on at a stag do and Anthony's was certainly no different. We did all the usual things – museums, a cream tea, a classical concert and a trip to the theatre †¦ were not amongst them. But considering there were 12 lads hell-bent on giving him a night he’d never forget - but probably rather would forget if they’d got their way – I think I did a pretty good job of looking after him.

Graduation Speech: Always Look On The Bright Side of Life :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I have been chosen today to come before you and give some words of encouragement to the graduating class because I am seen as an example of one who has succeeded in school. And yet, I am by no means the only person in our class who has succeeded. Woody Allen once said, â€Å"Success is 80 percent showing up† and since all of you have shown up here today and at school for the last 12 years, you all are most of the way there. So what makes up the remaining 20 percent? Not getting all As on your tests, or going to state or winning first prize in a contest. It is merely trying. If you try your best, you have already succeeded, regardless of where you end up. The world is a fickle place and too often the most deserving, hardest-working people are passed over in favor of the ones who obtain the best-looking accomplishments. Thus, one’s measure of success should be based not on how well you do by society’s standards, but on how hard you worked and how much you got out o f it. As Tennyson once said, â€Å"How dull it is to pause, to make an end, To rust unburnish’d, not to shine in use!† But rather, we should be, as he said, like the â€Å"spirit yearning in desire To follow knowledge like a sinking star, Beyond the utmost bound of human thought ... To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.† Just because we are graduating today does not mean we now know everything; rather, it is just the opposite. As we go out into the world we will continue to grow, to learn, to mature. Indeed, this is perhaps one of the greatest qualities of mankind, that we can develop our minds to better understand. It is a rare and important gift that should not be abused through neglect or halfhearted attention. Never stop trying and never stop learning because the moment you do, you begin to die. Once you leave here tonight, you will no longer be seniors. You will be adults, set adrift with the entire world at your disposal. It will be up to you, and you alone, to decide your futures. Today more than ever, as we stand at the dawn of the new millennium, you have the opportunity to become something great, to achieve wondrous deeds.

Romanticism – Samual Taylor Coleridge & Joseph Turner

In a reaction to the rational, conformist conventions of the Augustans, writers and artists of the Romantic era advocated the transcendence of rationality through a sublime and imaginative connection with the natural world. This emancipation from traditional social and moral restraints informed their literary, artistic and philosophical pursuits. It was these qualities that marked the movement as unique in the history of European intellectual discourse. Romanticism derived largely from the ‘transcendental idealism’ of Emmanuel Kant, which proposed that things exist outside the intellect that we simply cannot comprehend through pure reason. Three Romantic texts – Samual Taylor Coleridge's poems ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison' and ‘Kubla Khan' and Joseph Turner's painting Snowstorm: steamboat off a harbour's mouth – reveal how the human imaginative appreciation of the natural world is able to transcend physical limitations as well as the restrictions of technology and logic. Coleridge, in particular, was a true proponent of the Romantic tradition. He described the uniting of reason and feeling as ‘intellectual intuition’ and saw imagination as ‘the ultimate synthesising faculty, enabling humans to reconcile differences and opposites in a world of appearances. His poem ‘This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison' clearly exemplifies the power of the imagination, combined with the redeeming and regenerative power of nature, which enables him to overcome the isolation of egotism. The intimate, personal nature of this conversation poem engages the reader as they are transported with th e poet to new locations and perhaps themselves transformed. Coleridge presents an idealised view of pastoral England with vividness, intensity and delicacy, thereby stimulating the senses and the mind. Colours used to evoke mood and imagery, ‘blue betwixt two Isles Of purple shadow! ‘ is integral throughout. His vision is visceral, bringing enlightenment and contentment to the poet and the reader. The poet also controls light intensity to great effect; binary opposites reflect his thought process, as in â€Å"pale beneath the blaze†. He contrasts dark and light, pale and radiant, shadow and sunshine throughout. His thoughts also move from the finite ‘dell, overwooded, narrow deep' of the first stanza to the infinite ‘wide, wide heaven' of the following stanzas. Antithetical concepts of freedom with restriction, absence with presence and the imagined with the real create a systolic and diastolic rhythm that merges Coleridge's psychological beliefs with his imaginative experience, aligning with what Kant describes as the individual's ‘subjective reality'. The structure of the poem is cyclic, with emphasis on pain before pleasure, with ‘well, they are gone, and here I must remain' before the later stanza that begins with ‘A delight comes sudden in my heart, and I am glad as myself were there. The poet ceases feeling isolated and communes with nature, imagining that he is with his friends, before ending by referring to the lime-tree bower beneath which he sits, and to his friend, the ‘gentle-hearted Charles', once again. The illumination of nature's power and its ability to transform can also be seen in another of Coleridge's poems ‘Kubla Khan'. The first stanza, set inside the walls of Kubla Khan's ‘pleasure dome' in Xanadu, contrasts with the second stanza which takes the reader outside those confines, reflecting the same systolic and diastolic thoughts that are evident in ‘This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison'. As Xanadu is a synonym for ‘paradise' or ‘utopia', the poem can be considered a reflection on Coleridge’s perception of heaven, linking to the pantheistic belief that God is found in nature. ‘The sacred river Alph' running through this paradise represents in the realm of a poet's imagination a holy and divine place. The ‘caverns measureless to man' reflect the endless creations that can emanate from such a powerful imagination. The ‘walls and towers' that encircle the fertile ground and the ‘enfolding' of greenery speak of the poet's energy in trying to capture and hold onto nature's power and beauty. The intensity of the world outside the tamed garden highlights the power of the natural world in contrast to the ultimate fragility of man-made structures. The ‘dome of pleasure’ built by Kubla Khan may be taken to represent the man-made and may perhaps be a comment, on a wider scale, to the Industrial Revolution. Coleridge juxtaposes this with an image of the natural flow of the river to sea, showing his greater appreciation for the creative force of nature. Joseph Turner's painting Snowstorm; steamboat off a harbour's mouth making signals in shallow water, and going by the lead also contrasts the natural world and the man made. Like the eruption of the natural world in Kubla Khan, this painting illustrates an extreme phenomenon of nature — a snowstorm at sea. The Neo-Classicists believed that technology would triumph over nature. Turner's painting, however, depicts the awesome power of nature, and its sublime beauty, as it overpowers technology. The steamboat, representing the latest technology of the time, is a symbol for the Industrial Revolution, which was in full swing by this point. The experience of being caught in a storm on board the steamboat, provided Turner with the conception for his painting. Turner claimed that he had the ship's sailors strap him to the mast, so as to capture the true atmospheric conditions of the event. ‘I wished to show what such a scene was like' Turner wrote. ‘I got the sailors to lash me to the mast to observe it [the storm]; I was lashed for hours† The sleet, the bitterly cold, roaring winds and the surging waves throwing up sea spray were the atmospheric conditions Turner needed to feel. This personal experience of such a sublime moment in nature enabled him to record, through his painting, the feelings and emotions of an individual's experience of the storm. While Turner's original idea for the painting emanated from actual experience, its execution derives from complex imaginative truths. The painting has a very clear relief like surface and the texture is picturesque, as the brush strokes are very evident. Turner wanted to be innovative and to challenge tradition, to produce works that depict a sublime atmosphere and spirit. The painting is an emancipatory expression through its intensity of hue, which renders the image of the boat barely recognisable, thus challenging Neo-Classical mechanistic properties of sharp colours and realism. All three texts — the Turner painting and the two Coleridge poems — depict the sublime beauty of nature and its ability to transform a negative human mind-frame and to transcend the man-made products of the Industrial Revolution. While the ways in which each of the individual texts show this differs, they each allow the responder to appreciate the same ideas. Coleridge provides two different perspectives in his poems ‘This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison' and ‘Kubla Khan'. The first is an entirely first-person perspective, typical of his conversational poems, enabling the reader to become involved on a personal level. ‘Kubla Khan' is mainly narrated from a third-person perspective, giving it a grander story-like feel. Like â€Å"This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison† Joseph Turner's â€Å"Snowstorm: steamboat off a harbour's mouth† represents a personal appreciation of an extreme natural event. The event is shown to be as violent as it is beautiful and the form enables the viewer to visually appreciate it and connect with it on a transcendental level. It clearly illustrates the power of the natural over the unnatural. As Northrop Frye has argued, ‘Romanticism has brought into modern consciousness the feeling that society can develop or progress only by individualising itself, by being sufficiently tolerant and flexible to allow an individual to find his own identity within it, even though in doing so he comes to repudiate most of the conventional values of society. ’

Introduction and Purpose Statement Essay

Introduction and Purpose Statement Defined In this week’s assigment, I am turning my attention to article B, to evaluate the introduction and purpose statement. The authors reporting on a qualitative study use the introduction to provide the audience with a narrative to introduce the topic, to identify that the topic is well-established, beginning with the general problem, then focusing on a specific problem and its consequences (Creswell, 2009; Harley, Buckworth, Katz, Willis, Odoms-Young & Heaney, 2007; Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). The authors additionally use the introduction to justify the importance of the problem associated with the topic, identify discrepancies in literature, and conclude with the purpose of the study. The introduction is an important aspect of a journal article, because it not only provides background information, and allows the authors to describe the problem by exploring a specific phenomenon or concept, but it also provides how the study will provide remedies or solutions, and adds to the existing knowledge base (Creswell, 2009; Laureate Education, Inc., 2009; Harley et al., 2007). The introduction concludes with the purpose statement, which establishes the direction of the research, orients readers to the main intent of the study, and what the researchers hope to accomplish (Creswell, 2009). Qualitative research uses the purpose statement to focus on and advance a single phenomenon by exploring relationships or by drawing comparisons among ideas using neutral language. In addition, it demonstrates inquiry strategies for data collection, analysis, and research processes, identifies the participants, and the site at which the research takes place (Creswell, 2009). In the following paragraphs, the introduction and purpose statement elements of the McGrath & Pistrang (2007) article are examined and evaluated, along with some of the nine purposes for research from as described by Newman, Ridenour, Newman & DeMarco (2003). Evaluation of the Introduction of Article B (McGrath & Pistrang (2007) McGrath & Pistrang (2007) begin to introduce the topic of interest in their abstract, by mentioning what the study examined, defining who the participants were, the location where the study took place, data collection methodology, three dimensions of qualitative data collection and analysis, and the issue involved in the topic. As described by Creswell (2009), Dr. Patton (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009), and Harley et al. (2007), the authors begin to justify the study in the first paragraph of the introduction by citing that the topic is a well-established concern, and mention a specific cultural and sub-cultural population, by mentioning that the study took place in the U. K, and involves youth and staff at homeless hostels. McGrath & Pistrang (2007) explore the past extent of the problem, along with how it has changed in recent times, giving statistics outlining the extent of the problem. The authors then identify past research that has identified youths at homeless hostels as being at greater risk for social, emotional, and physical problems to a much greater extent than other people in the same age group. The authors narrow the problem by asserting that homeless youth living in hostels lack of supportive social networks to help improve their experiences, and address the difficulties associated with defining whether their problems are causes or consequences of being homeless youths. McGrath & Pistrang (2007) maintain that previous authors recommended that hostels hire older staff to establish or offer youth surrogate parent relationships, and address a specific discrepancy as failure to expand on how the relationship would work, offering no theoretical model for programs to follow for working with homeless youth. Furthermore, they examine specific staff helper elements of warmth, empathy, and acceptance as important issues to address, which contribute to the quality of the relationship between hostel workers and homeless youth. The authors define the relationship between homeless youth and hostel workers as the broad investigation and aim of the study, the areas and aspects of the hostels, the range of time youth spend at hostels, and the types of support youth and staff required so that the programs are beneficial. They indicate that staff members often have little training or education regarding their role, or how to effectively work with, and support the needs of homeless youth. Their introduction concludes by describing the purpose statement and research methodology, described next. Research Purposes as Described by Newman et al. (2003) Newman et al. (2003) describe nine elements, which may be included in the purpose statement. Adding to the existing knowledge base, the impact on a personal, social, and organizational level, understanding complex phenomena, generating new ideas, informing constituencies, and examining the past all seem to be relatively important features in the McGrath & Pistrang (2007) article. The authors are attempting to add to the existing knowledge base by describing the aim of the study as examining the experiences and elements involved in the relationship between residents and hostel workers, based upon the perceptions of the residents. They provide the direction of the study, by indicating why it was qualitative, which justifies the research. McGrath & Pistrang (2007) mention using a phenomenological approach, which is used to enlighten the audience to the specific issue of the nature of the relationship between homeless youth and hostel workers. They identify the phenomena as having three helping or supportive elements of warmth, empathy, and acceptance on behalf of the staff, based upon the perceptions of the residents. Therefore, they are including the impact of these elements on the residents on a personal, social, and organizational level to explain the complexities involved in the phenomena, and to inform constituencies (Newman et al., 2003). McGrath & Pistrang (2007) examine the past in order to interpret and reinterpret findings, examine discrepancies and consistencies, and examine social and historical origins of the current social issue. The authors accomplish this by mentioning that there has been little research focusing on the psychological issues related to the experiences of homeless individuals, and the need to study the issue in a social context. Their phenomenological method of inquiry justifies the aim of the study, which was to obtain accounts of the experiences of the homeless youth, and the emotional, empathetic, and acceptance levels of staff to improve upon services, as to make programs more beneficial. The three dimensions of emotional, empathetic, and acceptance levels of hostel staff generate new ideas, helped the researchers form the hypothesis and theory, and to describe and define relationships, along with culture and sub-culture. For example, the authors define the relationship between residents and hostel workers on the three dimensions, and they describe the U. K. as a specific general culture, and the sub-cultures as the homeless youth and hostel workers as the participants of the study. The two sub-cultures exist within  the larger cultural population, as homeless youth living in two different types of hostels, and the work sub-culture described as the uneducated or undertrained staff members at the two types of hostels (McGrath & Pistrang, 2007). The general culture, along with the two sub-cultures are used in order to describe why the specific methodology of interviewing residents was utilized, further justifying why they conducted the research, the studies aim, and strategies for improving conditions. In conclusion, there is a great deal more to say about the McGrath & Pistrang (2007) article, but overall, I found many of the key elements included in the introduction, described by Dr. Patton (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009), Creswell (2009), and Harley et al. (2009). I was also able to identify several of the nine features of the purpose statement, as proposed by Newman et al. (2003), found in the way that McGrath & Pistrang (2007) addressed the purpose of the study. Examining and evaluating the writing of these authors gave me an opportunity to gain a much greater understanding of the key elements and concepts regarding the nature and importance of the introduction and purpose statements. References Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Harley, A. E., Buckworth, J., Katz, M. L., Willis, S. K., Odoms-Young, & Heaney, C. A. (2007). Developing long-term physical activity participation: A grounded theory study with African American women. Health Education & Behavior, doi:10.1177/1090198107306434 Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Purposes of Research. Baltimore: Author. McGrath, L., & Pistrang, N. (2007). Policeman or friend? Dilemmas in working with homeless young people in the United Kingdom. Journal of Social Issues, 63(3), 589-606. doi 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2007.00525.x Newman, I., Ridenour, C. S., Newman, C., & DeMarco, G. M. P. (2003). A typology of research purposes and its relationship to mixed methods. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 167-188). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

The Birth of Jesus

The painting depicts the prediction of the birth of Jesus and how it came to pass. This happened after the visitation of angel Gabriel to Mary, who was a simple and humble Jewish woman. The angel broke the news to Mary that she had found favor with God, and she will conceive and give birth to a son, Jesus (Chisholm, Hugh, ed, (1911). He further elaborated that Jesus would be the son of God, the most high. At this point, Mary was totally confused and worried about the abrupt news but she later consoled herself and said since she was God's servant, she will do as he says. Moreover, Mary was betrothed to a man called Joseph, who lived in Nazareth (Baynes, T.S., ed., 1978). During this time, a Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus had ordered a census and both Mary and Joseph had to travel to the town of Bethlehem (Orenstein, Nadine M., ed. 2001). The journey took them several days and by the time they arrived, the inn was already full and they were compelled to spend their night near the livestock's shed. Coincidentally, Mary gave birth to Jesus and laid him in a manger. In the same night, there were shepherds in the field near Bethlehem and were watching over their flocks. Suddenly, the angel appeared to them and broke the good news to them that savior, the Messiah had been born and is lying in a manger. (Freed, Edwin D 2004). They immediately hurried to the place and found Jesus as they were directed. They later went to spread the news. Later, wise men saw a star in the sky that signified the birth of a new king. They followed it to the place where Jesus was and knelt down to worship him. They brought him gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense. According to Mosaic laws, Jesus was taken to the temple where he was named, circumcised and purified. This was conducted by Simeon.In the first scene, angel Gabriel appears to Mary. The second scene shows the shepherds and wise men who came to visit Jesus and his parent Mary and Joseph. Finally, Jesus is taken to the temple by his parents and is received by Simeon. During the visitation of Jesus by wise men, the gifts were used as a symbol of honor to the born king. Joseph is the patron artist who was a simple village man (St. Joseph Biography). His original location was Nazareth. He was chosen by God to be the earthly father of Jesus. He was a carpenter and had gathered exceptional skills in craft work (Alin Suciu, 2009). He feared God and he would obey him in face of severe humiliation. He came from a humble background and this subjected him to engage in carpentry. Also, Joseph was a man of strong conviction and lived his beliefs in his actions (Bart D., 2011). He is celebrated for his obedience and patience even after Mary, his fiancà © gave birth to Jesus although she was a virgin. Jesus was regarded as an artist because he used to give verbal, visual and dramatic forms to the complicated situations (J. Dwight Pentecost, 1998). He taught the word of God by giving analogies, parables, and creative expressions (Andrew S., 25 September 2015). According to the gospels, his birth took place on November of 5 B.C at Bethlehem. After he completed his work on earth, he died on A.D 33 at a place called Golgotha (Pheme Perkins, 2007.). He was known for using parables in his teachings. (John P. Meler 1992). The original location of his artwork was first meant to be viewed in synagogues, where he presented various sermons. Moreover, this artwork was religious and was meant to make his followers think critically so as to understand the word of God fully. Also, they were used as a means of illustrating profound and divine truths. He claimed that such stories were easily remembered and indicated symbolism that was rich in meaning. â€Å"The entire artwork can be traced back to Gospel period where absolute chronology of Jesus is explained into details (Michael Grant, 1977)†. Further, this historical period is recorded in a number of historical and non-Christian documents like Jewish and Greco-Roman sources (Marcus Borg, 1999). Further information indicated that the baptism and crucifixion of Jesus marked prominent historical events. This period simply means the genesis of the good news and it cut across various groups of people. During this period, Jesus started his ministry, which was later considered as fulfillment of New Testament prophecies (W.D Davies, 1984). He walked down all cities along with his disciples preaching the gospel and urging the people to repent so as to see the kingdom of God. This took him the whole of his lifetime on earth. During this period, he faced mockery and humiliation from some groups although he had a good number of followers. â€Å"Artwork was made to make the Christians understand that those who humble themselves, God uplifts them (Ben Witherington III, 1998)†. This is portrayed when Virgin Mary, a simple village woman was visited by an angel and informed her of good news. Later, the birth of Jesus in the manger indicated the humble beginning of his life (Meier, John P, (1991). It also expressed that Jesus was the king since he was visited by various people who came to worship him. Also, Christians should understand the need of recognizing the church as the temple of God. Even the parent of Jesus observed mosaic laws and took him to the temple for various rituals. Therefore, Christians should follow the footsteps of Jesus by obeying the word of God. Works CitedBen Witherington III. (1998). â€Å"Primary Sources†. Christian History, 17(3), 12-20.Freed, Edwin D (2004).â€Å"Stories of Jesus' Birth†. Continuum International: 119. John P. Meler (1992). Bordering Jew on Reconsidering the Historical Jesus.â€Å"A Chronology of Jesus Life,† pp. 375-433. Anchor Bible Reference Library. Michael Grant. (1977). Jesus. An Historian's Review of the Gospels, p.71 Scribner's