Tension Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tension - Essay Example Stressors are the external stimuli that evoke physiological or behavioral change in people.† (Everly and Smith, 80) Coping with anxiety and tension was one of the most essential challenges I faced in my young life and, I swear, it was a meticulous task altogether to control tension and stress in my life. Being a very sensitive gentleman with great potential for personal achievements, I realized the need for making intensive efforts to deal with the issues concerning tension when it began to delay several personal glories. Therefore, I began to learn more about tension, stress and anxiety and the reasons for human tensions. I also made it a point that I practice some of the tension management methods which could be useful in dealing with the issue of tension and stress in personal life, and the ultimate result of all these efforts has been convincing to me as I noticed enormous changes in my attitudes as well as actions. Therefore, I hold the view that tension and stress managem ent is most valuable to human beings who are prone to suffer from the consequences of tension in life. As mentioned before, my first reaction to an understanding of the threats of tension in my life was to recognize or learn the factors which contribute to tension in human life, followed by an intense and determined decision to adopt measures to fight tension in my life. As I started analyzing the theories and literature on tension and stress, I came to realize that negative thoughts as well as undesirable feelings contribute greatly toward the mood of tense-tiredness. It was obvious to me that reducing tension in life was the essential answer to the problems I encountered in my personal achievements and it can also help one in getting away from the negative state of tense-tiredness. From the various case analyses available in the literature on

The Pazzi Conspiracy Essay Example for Free

The Pazzi Conspiracy Essay Abstract: On a sunny Sunday in April of 1478, assassins from the Pazzi family attacked Lorenzo de’ Medici and his brother Giuliano. Giuliano lay bleeding on the cathedral floor, and later bled to death. Lorenzo, however managed to get to safety—not a good thing for the Pazzi family. Up to this point the Pazzi clan had been considered one of the most noble and well-respected clans. They were financiers who â€Å"feared and resented the Medici’s swaggering new role as political bosses. † 4 This failed assassination attempt doomed the Pazzi family. The Medici’s put forth swift and brutal revenge. Each of the Pazzi family who had taken part in the assassination attempt was either hanged or beheaded, and the bodies were hung from the windows of the governmental palace. As if this wasn’t punishment enough, the Pazzi’s were forced to change their surname. Every remnant of evidence that the Pazzi family had once been a well-respected clan was wiped out by the Medici’s. 4 It was Easter Sunday within the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The Priest was just bringing the Mass to a close, when assassin’s attacked the de’Medici brothers, Lorenzo and Giuliano, brutally stabbing them. Giuliano was stabbed a horrifying nineteen times, and the blood drained from his body right there on the cathedral floor. Lorenzo, however, was stabbed only once in the neck, a cut that apparently missed any major arteries, and he fought his attackers with all his might until he got free and ran away to hide. 5 Of course there was chaos within the cathedral, and some brave soul ran to pull the bell pull to send out a distress call and summon other Florentines to help ward off the coup attack taking place within the cathedral walls. Shortly thereafter every church in Florence was also tolling their bells, call the men of Florence to â€Å"defend their Republic.† Who were these Medici’s who had taken control of their government? It is believed that they were descendants of apothecaries—today’s pharmacists—and were relatively unknown in the 14th century. Giovanni Medici was the mastermind of the family and his business acumen and sheer boldness brought the Medici family from the shadows directly to the forefront of the political world in Florence. 6 Giovanni was one of five sons. He lived with their mother, a poor widow woman. A wealthy cousin of Giovanni’s acquired a position for Giovanni as an employee of the Medici Bank in Rome, and it was not long before Giovanni, demonstrating his boldness and business prowess, moved straight to the top in the bank, actually displacing his own cousin. Giovanni was a blatant risk taker, and began laundering money for Baldasarre Cossa, commonly known as a pirate. Giovanni even went so far as to put up the money to allow Cossa’s bid for the Papacy, and in 1410 Cossa was actually elected Pope John XXIII. Of course the former pirate felt obliged to reward his good friend Giovanni by making the Medici family the new Papal Bankers. Giovanni became known as â€Å"God’s Banker.† This turned out to be quite a lucrative venture for both parties involved—the former pirate, and the former nobody who rose to such a high position. The Medici bank received a hefty ten percent of everything the Church brought in. At this time in history there was a rather unscrupulous debt collection service run by the church itself. If people didn’t pay, they were promptly excommunicated, a very powerful motivator. Soon the Medici family were the third wealthiest family in Florence, much to the dismay of the older, more established families who saw the Medici family as money-grubbing interlopers. Giovanni Medici soon built an entire network of thugs and thieves who both demanded and rewarded unconditional loyalty. He set up the banks so the managers shared a stake in their bank, and even banned loans to Kings or Princes, as he felt they were absolutely the worst risks. He often advised his descendants to â€Å"Always keep out of the public eye—never show pride.† 6 It would have been better for all involved if they had taken this advice to heart. Giovanni’s son, Cosimo de Medici was trained from a very early age to take over the banking empire from his father. Cosimo was a dedicated learner, â€Å"studying classic texts, attending lectures and becoming one of the first generation of Humanists. Cosimo urged his father to turn the family’s wealth to civil patronage.† 6 When Cosimo inherited the position of Capo from his father, the Albizzi family, another wealthy, powerful, family made up treason charges against him out of sheer jealously and Cosimo was actually sentenced to death for these false claims. Luckily he bribed his way from prison and hid out for a while, later returning to Florence more powerful than ever. However, shortly after Cosimo returned, he was attacked in a dark alleyway and his attackers cut his face from ear to ear. He lived, but bore the scars known as â€Å"che brutta figura†, which translates into â€Å"revenge through humiliation.†6 Cosimo, much like his own father well understood how politics and power worked. His own advice to his heirs, which was much like his father’s advice to him was, â€Å"Do not seek power. Wait until they call you.† Cosimo had two sons, Giovanni and Piero. Giovanni was certainly his father’s favorite, and was obviously being groomed to take over the family business while Piero was sickly, and stayed out of the public limelight because of his ill health. Piero devoted himself to learning, and became well-respected as a diplomat. In fact, King Louis XI had such a high opinion of Piero that he gave him the specially bestowed honor of â€Å"permitting Piero to stamp the lilies of France on one of the balls of the Medici arms—this one ball colored blue for that purpose.† 6 When Piero’s brother Giovanni died unexpectedly, Cosimo began grooming his grandson, Lorenzo to take over because he felt Piero’s health was unstable and that he couldn’t handle the job. Piero had two sons, Lorenzo and Giuliano. Lorenzo, at the tender age of seventeen was well known for his courage and boldness, â€Å"single-handedly foiling a Pitti family plot to assassinate his father Piero.† 6 Lorenzo was indeed well educated in banking and diplomacy in order to follow in the family footsteps, but he apparently also had a lust for the other side of life; wine, women and song.   He married at nineteen and fathered seven children, two of them adopted. Lorenzo was a patron of the arts and promoted such artists as Bottcelli and Leonardo DeVinci, even going so far as to take a young Michelangelo into his own home and â€Å"raising him like a son.† 6 Lorenzo’s trademark phrase was somewhat different from that of his father and grandfather: â€Å"He who wishes to be happy let him be so, for of tomorrow there is no knowing.† Giuliano de Medici was Lorenzo’s younger brother, and shared Lorenzo’s passion for life. He fathered an illegitimate child in his youth, and when he was murdered on that fateful Easter Sunday Lorenzo later adopted that son. While Giuliano loved his older brother, there was also some natural resentment involved in their relationship. As for the Pazzi family, consider this heritage: â€Å"During the First Crusade in 1088, as Christian soldiers scaled the walls of Jerusalem, a fighter named Pazzo Pazzi was the first man over the top. Pazzo was often known as â€Å"the madman.† 11 As a reward for his courage, he was gifted three small stones from the Holy Sepulcher.† 7 The Pazzi were an old Florentine family, and two of the family members were even named in â€Å"Divine Comedy,† by Dante. There were also boasts of having a knight in each generation. The Pazzi arms which reflected their long and noble history contained â€Å"crescents, battlement towers and twin dolphins on a blue field with nine crosses.† 7 The arms represented Christian faith, generosity and freedom, and the Pazzi’s displayed it proudly. Andrea de Pazzi entered into banking in the fourteenth century. He was a sharp businessman and quickly amassed a fortune. However, being one of the â€Å"grande† names in the area they were excluded by Florentine law from participating in their own government. Because of this law, Andrea decided to relinquish the status of â€Å"grande† and give his own sons the opportunity to hold public office. 7 During a visit in 1443 by Pope Eugene IV to the Pazzi family, the Pope made a deposit of 4000 florin into the Pazzi bank, showing that there were â€Å"Papal accounts that could be pried away from Medici control.† Andrea left three sons, Antonio, Piero and Jacopo, all of whom were well-educated in the banking trade and all of whom held a large fortune and extensive assets. Jacopo was the only son who would live long enough to â€Å"become enmeshed in the conspiracy to assassinate the Medici brothers.† 7 Interestingly, however, Jacopo happened to also be a strong supporter of Piero de’ Medici, Lorenzo’s father. Jacopo was known throughout for his great generosity to the poor, and although he began as an observer, he eventually allowed his nephew, Francesco, son of Antonio, to draw him into the assassination plot. Francesco, Jacopo’s nephew was known as â€Å"diminutive, pale and driven,† but apparently he harbored great resentment for the Medici’s, in fact it soon became apparent to all that his hatred of the Medici’s had overtaken every aspect of his life, and even allowed him to conveniently forget that he was in fact related to the Medici through marriage. 7 This urgency that Francesco displayed, along with his intense hatred for the Medici clan became the driving force for the assassination plot. So, now we know about the Medici clan and the Pazzi clan. The other factor in this triangle were the Pope and his court. The conspiracy planned by the Pazzi actually had the blessing of the church because Pope Sisto IV â€Å"contemplated to demolish the dominion of Medici and for this purpose he sustained the groups led by Pazzi’s family which had replaced de Medici in the office of bankers.† Francisco della Rovere was destined from his very childhood for the Franciscan order. 8 On the death of Pope Paul II, he was elected pope and called Pope Sixtus IV. Unfortunately Pope Sixtus used his position as Pope to further his own family members by obtaining political appointments for them. When Lorenzo â€Å"refused Sixtus’ demand on the Medici bank for a loan of 40,000 ducats to purchase the town of Imola,† the conspiracy was set into motion. 8 Sixtus wanted to acquire the town in order to give it to his nephew, Riario. Girolamo Riario was the nephew of Sixtus and was one of the key plotters in the assassination attempt on the Medici brothers. Riario married the daughter of the Duke of Milan, and used this marriage to attempt to sabotage the relationship between the Duke and Lorenzo. â€Å"Riario fueled Francesco de Pazzi’s inner fire by intimating that the Pazzi family would play a large part in the next government of Florence, while coveting the future Dukedom of Florence for himself.† Archbishop Francesco Salviati was born into one of Florence’s most active political families and was related by marriage to the Pazzi, Medici, Vettori, and other very powerful families. 8 Salviati was a â€Å"flatterer, a gambler, and lusted for the power that could be attained through church favour.† 8 He easily became a co-conspirator in the attempted assassinations. Count Riario himself summoned Battista to meet with himself and the Archbishop Salviati. Salviati strongly persuaded the others to agree with him about wanting a â€Å"coup d’ tat in Florence, and Riario and Salviati then outlined what they considered to be Lorenzo’s evil intentions against each of them, telling Battista repeatedly that when the Pope died, Riario and his state would be in grave danger from Lorenzo. 10 Riario and Salviati finally bluntly told Battista that the only thing to do was to â€Å"cut Lorenzo and Giuliano to pieces, to have troops ready in secret, and to go into Florence and do this thing.† 10. Battista was reluctant, believing they were discussing something very big, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to become involved, but the other two were persuasive. Although nobody knew at the time, there were literally hundreds of mercenary troops settled firmly within the borders of Tuscany, â€Å"poised to invade the city at a signal that never came.† It was Salviati and Francesco de Pazzi who masterminded the plot to assassinate Lorenzo and Giuliano. Riario, always working behind the scenes, remained in Rome. Interestingly enough, the plan was hardly a secret, and was fairly widely known. The Pope reportedly even stated that â€Å"I support it—as long as no one is killed.† 11 Rather a silly statement when the plot is an assassination plot. When Lorenzo escaped the assassination attempt, he locked himself in the sacristy. â€Å"A coordinated attempt to capture the Gonfaloniere and Signoria was thwarted when the archbishop and the head of the Salviati clan were trapped in a room whose doors had a hidden latch.† 11 The assassination attempt had failed, and â€Å"enraged Florentines seized and killed the conspirators.† 11 Jacopo Pazzi was tossed from a window, and if that weren’t enough to kill him, he was finished off by the angry mob, then dragged naked through the streets and eventually thrown in the river. 11 The entire Pazzi family were stripped of all their worldly possessions, and every â€Å"vestige of their name effaced.† 11. Salviati, even though he was an archbishop was summarily hanged on the walls of the Pallazo. Lorenzo actually appealed to the crowd to show mercy, but to no avail, as many of the conspirators and even those only accused of being co-conspirators were killed. Lorenzo managed to save the nephew of Sixtus and two other relatives of the plotters, and the main conspirators were hunted down throughout Italy. During the assassination plot, Marsilio Ficino, who was the son of Cosimo Medici’s physician, became important in his own right. In 1478, largely as a result of the war which resulted from the assassination plot, the plague broke out in the city of Florence. Ficino published a very different sort of work; a practical guide to the treatment of the plague, and was written in Tuscan to be readily accessible to his fellow citizens. 12 This work went on to be translated into Latin and published â€Å"alongside Galen’s work on fevers, as a standard medical work. It is easy to forget that all Ficino’s works of profound contemplation and leisurely presentation were written against a backdrop of intense social and political disturbances.† Another player in this era was Caterina Storza, an illegitimate daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza who ended up married, at the age of fourteen, to Girolamo Riario, the nephew of Sixtus, and a primary player in the assassination attempt on the Medici family. Caterina came to be known as the â€Å"Machiavellian mother† in Machiavelli’s works. 1 Eventually, after the assassination attempt, the tables were turned and Riario was murdered by a group of conspirators in his own home, just after lunch. The murderous group then took Caterina, her mother, her two half sisters, an illegitimate son of Girolamo’s and her six children, captive. Although the aim of the assassination attempt was to get rid of the Medici family, and show Lorenzo in a bad light, the aftermath of the fateful Easter Sunday actually showed quite the opposite. Lorenzo had kept his head during the entire chaotic episode, and he would show time and time again as things progressed that he was intelligent and calm in the very worst of circumstances. When the conspiracy fell apart, Sixtus was furious and drew up â€Å"an ecclesiastical censure against Florence, withdrawing sacraments and the right to a Christian burial from all the citizens of Florence.† He excommunicated Lorenzo all on his own, which actually had little effect, so he formed a military alliance with King Ferrantes of Naples and began planning an attack on Florence itself. 3 The allies that had previously helped the Medici were not anxious to help the Medici fight the Pope, and even though it seemed there would be another disaster, Lorenzo’s â€Å"brilliant tact,† averted it. â€Å"Switching effortlessly from avenger to peace-maker, he personally traveled to Naples to confer with the King, and an understanding was achieved without resorting to war. From then on Lorenzo became known as the Savior of Florence.† Lorenzo followed closely the policy which was begun by his grandfather Cosimo. He managed to â€Å"maintain a balance of power between the five chief Northern Italian states, forming defensive alliances and thus keeping a check on invasions from foreign powers.† 3 The Medici Bank had been somewhat neglected since Cosimo’s time, as he had turned more and more to politics, and though Lorenzo did his best to turn this around, he found himself, for perhaps the first time in his life, in financial difficulties. To keep himself afloat, â€Å"he resorted to embezzling Public Funds, and it was this that later undermined his rule.† Although we have all been led to believe that â€Å"history belongs to the victors,† it is still very sad to understand that every trace of the Pazzi family, one of Florence’s oldest and most respected families, was wiped out following the attempted coup. 13 â€Å"The Pazzi coat of arms was torn off their buildings. A special governmental commission spent the next two years disentangling Pazzi assets with a view to confiscation. Anyone with the name of Pazzi was forced to change it. Women of the family were forbidden to marry in Florence, which was as good as not allowing them to wed at all. No portrait of any Pazzi adult is known to have survived.†   It is an entire piece of history completely destroyed as a result of one act. The aftermath of the Pazzi Conspiracy continued for many, many years after the event itself. As stated, Lorenzo became something of a hero, despite his embezzlement problems, and when he died at the young age of forty three, there was a â€Å"massive display of public grief and the entire population attended his funeral. He was buried in the Medici Chapel in the Church of San Lorenzo, where his brother Giuliano already rested.† 3 Lorenzo left behind quite a legacy however; his second son Giovanni and his nephew Giulio (the illegitimate son of Giuliano, who had been captured with Caterina after Giuliano’s death) were later to become very powerful popes, Pope Leo X and Pope Clement VII. 3 Works Cited 1. Hairston, Julia L. â€Å"Skirting the Issue: Machiavelli’s Caterina Sforza.† Renaissance Quarterly, Volume53, Issue 3, (2000) http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?action=printdocId=5001097598 (October 17, 2006) 2. History of Florence. â€Å"The Pazzi’s Conspiracy.† (2004). http://www.aboutflorence.com/pazzi-conspiracy.html. (October 13, 2006). 3. Lorenzo. â€Å"Lorenzo the Magnificent.† 2005. http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/4-19-2004-53113.asp (October 16, 2006). 4. Martinez, Lauro. â€Å"April Bood: Florence and the Plot against the Medici.† Oxford University Press, USA; (April 1, 2003). 5. McClelland, Aaron D. â€Å"The Pazzi Conspiracy† (2005). http://www.3.telus.net/Quattrocento_Florence/pazzi.html (October 15, 2006). 6. McClelland, Aaron D. â€Å"The Medici.† (2005). http://www.3.telus.net/Quattrocento_Florence/pazziplayers-medici.html (October 15, 2006). 7. McClelland, Aaron D. â€Å"The Players, The Pazzi.† (2005). http://www.3.telus.net/Quattrocento_Florence/pazziplayers-pazzi.html (October 15, 2006). 8. McClelland, Aaron D. â€Å"The Pope and His Court.† (2005). http://www3.telus.net/Quattrocento_Florence/pazziplayers-pope.html. (October 15, 2006) 9. McClelland, Aaron D. â€Å"The Conspiracy.† (2005). http://www3.telus.net/Auattrocento_Florence/pazzi-conspiracy.html (October 15, 2006). 10. McClelland, Aaron D. â€Å"The Second Meeting.† (2005). http://www3.telus.net/Quattrocento_Florence/pazzi-second.html (October 15, 2006). 11. Pazzi. â€Å"Pazzi Conspiracy.† (2005). http://www.answers.com/topic/pazzi (October 17, 2006). 12. Rees, Valerie. â€Å"Marsilio Ficino Renaissance Man.† History Today, Volume 49, Issue 7, July, 1999. http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?action=printdocId=5001275749 (October 13, 2006). 13. Walters, Colin. â€Å"A Florentine Family Tires of Medici Rule.† The Washington Times, May 18, 2003. http://www.questia.com/PM.gst?action=printdocId=5001929719 (October 14, 2006).

Halloween :: Creative Writing Essays

Halloween It was a dark and stormy Halloween night and Sal and Jess her best friend were at Sal's house for the night to watch movies. Knock, Knock, Knock, "Sal, someones at the door do you want me to answer it?", Jess yelled to Sal who was upstairs doing her hair in the bathroom. "Yeah Cool Jess its probably just some more annoying trick or treaters anyway", replied Sal. Jess got up off the couch and approached the door making sure to peer through the peephole to see who it was. All she could make out were two small dark figures so she guessed they were trick or treaters. She then opened the door just enough so she could have the latch on. "Grrrrrrr we are the creatures from hell", screamed the smaller of the two figures. Both the figures were dressed with a bed sheet that had obviously been painted black and thrown over their heads with just two tiny holes where the eyes would be. The other figure then said "whats it gunna be lady, trick or treat?" Jess opened the door fully now and beckoned them to come inside. "Just wait here", she said as she ran up the stairs and into the bathroom where Sal was still combing her hair. "Sal what should I give those two boys", asked Jess. "I dunno give them one of those chocolate things near the fridge", Sal replied. Jess turned and went back down the stairs into the kitchen to find the bars. "Are you still there boys?", she yelled. But there was no reply. Jess stopped and went back to the front door. To her surprise the boys had vanished and there was no sign of them. Fine she thought to herself at least it saves two more chocolate bars for me. Suddenly Jess heard a voice but she didn't know what it said or where it was coming from. "Is somebody there?", Jess inquired taking a huge gulp at the same time. "Yeah me", replied the voice in a strong tone. Arggghhhhh Jess screamed as she saw a tall man bearing a long sharp knife. Jess turned around and bolted back up the stairs as fast as she could. "Sal, Sal the...the...theres a huge guy with a knife downstairs", Jess stuttered. "What are you on about Jess?", replied Sal. "Im serious Sal there's a guy with a knife downstairs and he's 'gunna' kill us", shrieked Jess as the panic set in. Sal was begining to get worried now as she tried to think straight.

Hobbes Against Limited Government

Explain and discuss Hobbes' belief that neither limited government (where the sovereign is bound by laws) nor divided government (a system of checks and balances) is a practical possibility. Word Count: 2, 764 words In Leviathan, Hobbes imagines rational self-interested parties in a state of nature choosing among three alternatives: remaining in this state of nature; grouping themselves together under a government with limited, or divided, power and authority; or forming themselves into a civil society governed by a sovereign with unlimited power and authority. He contends, however, that the second alternative is basically illusory. Because of the constant danger of factionalism, civil war, and social disintegration in a group governed by a â€Å"mixarchy† with limited or divided power, such a form of social organization does not provide its members with sufficient security to really remove them from the state of nature. The choice of the parties, according to Hobbes, is therefore reduced to one between absolute sovereignty and the state of nature, and as the state of nature is â€Å"a state of war of all against all† Hobbes concludes that the parties would choose absolute government as the lesser evil. Absolute monarchy is the form of absolute government Hobbes prefers – as this furthers his political agenda of providing a means to resolve the civil conflict devastating his country – but nothing in his theory of sovereignty depends on the preference. In fact his concept of absolute sovereignty can be more convincing when not linked to a monarch, thus in this essay I will Hobbes’s former argument in isolation. Why is absolute sovereignty necessary? Hobbes's primary argument for the doctrine of absolute sovereignty is essentially an argument against right reason. Hobbes claims that any appeal to right reason or â€Å"the truth† comprises a completely inadequate basis for the resolution of disputes, because if disputes are about what the truth actually is, then appealing to these concepts – which cannot be identified without ambiguity or uncertainty – is essentially inconclusive and therefore self-defeating. Concern for the truth or right reason will not resolve isputes successfully or peacefully when people have entrenched and irreconcilable positions, because that is precisely the route to conflict and violence — â€Å"the state of war, of every man against every man. † Hobbes establishes that if each individual were allowed the liberty to follow his own conscience without constraint, then as such consciences vary, peace and harmony in the state would be short lived due to a persistent tendenc y to disagreement and civil disobedience. This diversity of consciences and the unrestrained exercise of individual judgment would render any common action highly uncertain or virtually impossible. Although men, according to Hobbes, are not political by nature, their association depends on an agreement to observe justice among men who disagree about who ought to receive what, thus they need common standards of right and wrong to regulate their affairs. Where it is impossible to obtain a unanimity of wills and agreement a common policy cannot be determined so, Hobbes informs us, an artificial will or person must be created and accepted. This â€Å"artificial right reason† introduces a public level of judgment that takes precedence over private judgments, so the problems of the latter are avoided. A sovereign may produce an incorrect answer which does not correlate with the truth, but the judgment stands â€Å"not because it is his private Sentence; but because he giveth it by Authority of the Sovereign †¦ which is Law. † Even if one believes that the sovereign’s decision is fundamentally wrong, civil disobedience is prohibited. That person has an obligation to obey, or face the consequences of the punishment power exercised by the sovereign. Thus, Hobbes’s sole and unique remedy for the â€Å"state of war against all† supports the concept of absolute sovereignty as a necessary and sufficient condition for the formation of a genuine political union. A possible argument against this contention that states without an absolute government will inevitably deteriorate into a state of war is that there have been numerous small, so-called â€Å"acephalous† societies that exist for long periods without any stable leadership, law or politics in their daily lives. On the small scale at least these societies can get by with the laws f nature alone, yet Hobbes seems to suggest that their existence is impossible to explain. Scholars have suggested that Hobbes’s state of nature is peopled with the men of the seventeenth century, and his theory is designed around the problem of sustaining and policing a large and prosperous society, so this may not be a major defect, as acephalous societies tend to be relative ly rare, small and isolated. Hampton contends that Hobbes's argument fails to prove that people, as he describes them, would institute his definition an absolute sovereign. Hobbes proposes that the creation of an absolute sovereign is necessary to secure peace in the commonwealth, but the very existence of the sovereign is ultimately determined by the people as subjects. Thus, Hampton argues that the subjects cannot create a sovereign who meets the definition given by Hobbes — a ruler who decides all questions in the commonwealth and whose reign is absolute and permanent. Hence, it does not follow that peace and harmony in civil society can be secured and guaranteed by the adoption of Hobbes's scheme. Hampton’s argument is, I believe, a sound one and while it questions the likelihood of establishing an absolute sovereign, its relevance is limited here as the society Hobbes is writing for already have a monarch, which he endeavours to persuade them to obey. Why does Hobbes believe limited government is not possible? Hobbes sets out to demonstrate that civil society can only be truly unified when the state incorporates a single validating authority with clearly defined decision-making procedures, which can arrive at definite decisions and initiate common action — despite a divergence of consciences. Some scholars suggest that Hobbes requires a single human decision-maker and fails to recognise that a group of decision makers would have the same effect, such as a parliament with a set of clearly entrenched rules or laws. However, on a wider reading of his works, it seems to me that Hobbes believed in any form of absolute government – an absolute democracy, aristocracy, or closed oligarchy would also be feasible, so long as the power of the group is absolute. Hobbes’s assumption is that human disagreement is all pervasive; that the subjects of a commonwealth are incapable of reaching a unified interpretation of a constitution and, therefore, an adjudicator (or adjudicative body) will be needed to interpret the constitution for them. Such a body constrained by law would simply fail because laws, and the words which constitute them, can always be subjected to various interpretations. Therefore, some member of the political system must have the authority to determine what the law is with a clear, unambiguous and indisputable answer. Hobbes contends that if there is a power that is limited within a state, then it must be limited by a greater power. So the search for the greatest power in the commonwealth – the sovereign power – will be realised when we come to an ultimate power, that effectively limits all others, but which is unlimited in its own right. The authority that determines the meaning of the laws and can force obedience to those laws by all is effectively the absolute sovereign because the power to reach a final binding decision is located in it, even if that body regularly delegates power to another. So, for example, if the King is dependent on an assembly, then it is the latter body which is ultimately sovereign. In essence, Hobbes claims that a government comes into existence only with the appointment of a ruler with absolute power — a power that effectively transcends all others, and over which there is no appeal. Any authority with that standing and intended to perform that task according to Hobbes must be legally absolute, that is, unchallengeable in the name of any other legal authority. If the authority cannot enforce obedience to the laws by all, then they have no power, and the Government is not constrained by law. Why does Hobbes contend divided government is not a practical possibility? Hobbes believes a government limited by law is also necessarily divided, and this appears sound. Further, he contends that such a divided government, or a system of checks and balances where power is spread between various branches of government, is fundamentally unstable and will inevitably degenerate into civil war. A government with sovereignty divided among different branches was rejected by Hobbes in the following terms: â€Å"For what is to divide the Power of a Commonwealth but to dissolve it; for Powers divided mutually destroy each other. Once again Hobbes maintains that what destroys this kind of constitutional arrangement is the impossibility of agreement as to the interpretation and enforcement of moral rules or principles. The heads of all divided governments necessarily live in a state of nature with respect to one another. Each branch acts for its own self-interest, and with no common power ove r them, will transcend into a state of war with respect to one another. Each branch is assumed to behave just as humans would: in a state of nature, and exclusively motivated by their egocentric and selfish tendencies, civil war will inevitably follow. Hobbes believed a state to be an artificially organized whole run by a person’s mind, so it can be expected to behave as a body does (given that a body too is an organized whole run by a human mind). Hobbes’s vision is of a unitary state with one government run by a mind, or a group of minds, which will behave like a small organization run by a human mind. Problems with these arguments: History is against Hobbes, as in reality divided governments can – and do – work well, certainly they are no more unstable than some absolute governments. The United States of America is a paradigm example, despite the American Civil War of 1861-1865, few would argue that their constitution successfully divides power between the separate branches – parliament, legislature, and judiciary – who each act as a check and balance on the other branches to prevent the abuse of absolute power. It is also conceptually possible to have a limited government which is not seriously divided. New Zealand is close to this model – while the Governor-General has a power to veto laws, by convention this is never exercised. Where such limited governments rule, there seems to be no increased concern of the sovereign abrogating the laws. Both limited government which is not divided, and divided government, can work in a stable way as checks and balances on power effectively impose a minimum standard of competence and thought, which makes for more rationality (and less room for errors) by those in power. History therefore proves there must be an error in Hobbes’s theory. But this does not mean his entire argument is wrong, his theory may be adapted to cope with this development: it is not simply true that a state of nature between human-like actors is necessarily a state of war – for the latter to result the former also requires other factors, including scarcity (which does not generally exist for politicians, hence the success of divided governments). Hobbes’s argument presupposes scarcity between individuals, and it is also true that states may be in situations of relative scarcity with one another – so they too may drift into a state of international war. Another explanation for this phenomenon is that the collective action of members of governmental branches is not the same as individual action. It is too simplistic to argue that such branches behave just like giant robots or individual people would, as they are divided by the varying individual consciences of their members. For a group to behave like an individual its members must subsume their own desires and motivations to peruse those of the group, but there is no proof that primarily selfish people, as Hobbes defines them, would do this. In reality, branch members may be aligned with members of other branches – particularly as they are usually elected by each other – inhibiting a war between the branches of government. This analogy may also extend to the relationship between nations, which in the opinion of this author, are currently generally not in a state of war. The European Union has been remarkably successful at fostering commercial and psychological links between state members – so these hitherto competing nations no longer regularly engage with one another in warfare. Perhaps Hobbes would reply that members of the European Economic Community now exist as a single state, rather than individually. This is doubtful however, as the European Union does not have a collective military force, which Hobbes considered a necessary common power for a government. Thus, at least in Europe, there exist today states which are in a state of nature with respect to one another in Hobbesian sense, yet they are in a state of real peace. Problems with Hobbes’s remedy: Some academics have suggested that perhaps Hobbes’s remedy – absolute government – is worse than the disease he attempts to avoid – the state of war. Under an absolute government there cannot be respect for individual rights in the sense of a law protecting such rights that the sovereign cannot override. But Hobbes argues that if people accept the necessity of absolute government then there is no incentive for that government to systematically violate the rights of human subjects, as if people do not rebel then the government will have no reason to think their power is under threat. Vitally, Hobbes’s theory assumes the rationality of the sovereign, but there are intuitive reasons for thinking that people in powerful positions are not psychologically usual, or rational. Acton’s famous aphorism â€Å"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men,† reflects the historical trend of powerful, aggressive and seemingly irrational leaders such as Stalin and Hitler. In Leviathan, Hobbes himself notes that people may object to exposing themselves to â€Å"the lusts, and irregular passions of him, or them that have so unlimited a power in their hands. His later argument that a sovereign who is already on a pedestal of glory will not desire even more seems dubious, and also seems to directly contradict his argument of a â€Å"general inclination of all mankind a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death. † Furthermore, absolute governments typically have am bitious foreign policy, Hobbes confessed this: â€Å"Kings, whose power is greatest, turn their endeavours to the assuring it at home by laws, or abroad by wars: and when that is done, there succeedeth a new desire; in some, of fame from new conquest. Maintaining a large army to succeed in battle will require heavy taxation and conscription, as Hobbes knew The Royal Government of France had implemented. Hobbes basic proposition is that obeying the government is the only way a peaceful life can be achieved. However, life might still be â€Å"solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short† for people who obey their governments and are conscripted into armies with high casualty rates. The prospect of international war did not seem to concern Hobbes greatly – this optimism probably stems from his personal experiences of the English and French international conflicts, which were far less destructive than the interpersonal conflict observed in civil wars. Hobbes would have known of the incredibly destructive Thirty Years’ War however, and as modern technology has since vastly increased the possibility of international harm, in the opinion of this author, a constant state of international war is a major concern and if it inevitably stems from organised polity, then this is not unquestionably better than a state of nature. Conclusion The alternatives available when Hobbes wrote, given England’s political history, did seem to be only absolute monarchy or anarchy and dissolution. We now know that a middle possibility does exist, a sovereign body may be limited by something that is not a superior body: an elected body of men may enjoy unlimited legislative powers, yet face the possibility of dismissal at the next election. Hobbes emphasised that a government draws its authority from below; its subsequent performance can also be subject to periodic review from below. Electorates† are neither superior decision-making bodies, nor are they organised bodies at all – only all electors taken collectively. Yet their existence may effectively restrain sovereign legislature’s absolute constitutional freedom, thereby avoiding the Hobbesian dilemma that a decision-making authority can be checked only by a rival or by a more powerful body. In his autobiography, Hobbes states that the goal of publishing Thucydides was to â€Å"point out how inadequate democracy is, and how much wiser one man is than a multitude. † Hobbes clearly believed that democracy posed many threats to political stability. But it is probably an exaggeration to think of Hobbes as anti-democratic in a modern sense, in his day democracies – such as ancient Athens – failed to last, and seemed practical only for small states as they required active and continuous participation by the people in their own government. Hobbes should not be assumed to be opposed to the large modern democracies we have today, which he never could have predicted or imagined. References: Finn, S. (2006). Thomas Hobbes and the Politics of Natural Philosophy. Cornwall: MGP Books. Goldsmith, M. (1966). Hobbes’s Science of Politics. London: Columbia University Press. Hampton, J. (1986) Hobbes and the Social Contract Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hobbes, T. Leviathan. (1994). Retrieved on 02 April 2009, from The University of Adelaide Library Database http://ebooks. adelaide. edu. au Hopkins, S. (2009). Hobbes and Absolute Sovereignty. Retrieved on 01 April 2009, from Pathways to Philosophy website http://www. philosophypathways. com Kafka, G. (1983). Hobbes’s War of All Against All. Ethics (93)2, 291-310. Pigden, C. (18/03/2009). Personal Communication. Lecture: Philosophy 227/327. Rogow, A. , & Lasswell, H. (1963). Power Corruption and Rectitude. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. Shelton, G. (1992). Morality and Sovereignty in the Philosophy of Hobbes. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Sorrell, T. (1986). Hobbes. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Sorrell, T. (Ed. ). (1996). The Cambridge Companion to Hobbes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Springborg, P (Ed. ). (2007). The Cambridge Companion to Hobbes’s Leviathan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Watkins, J. (1989). Hobbes System of Ideas (2nd ed. ). England: Gower Publishing.

Like the Molave

MILITARY AIRCRAFT A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat: Combat aircraft are aircraft designed to destroy enemy equipment using their own armament. Combat aircraft are normally developed and procured only by military forces. Non-combat aircraft are aircraft not designed for combat as their primary function, but may carry weapons for self-defense. These mainly operate in support roles, and may be developed by either military forces or civilian organizations. To control and maneuver the aircraft, smaller wings are located at the tail of the plane. The tail usually has a fixed horizontal piece, called the horizontal stabilizer, and a fixed vertical piece, called the vertical stabilizer. The stabilizers' job is to provide stability for the aircraft, to keep it flying straight. The vertical stabilizer keeps the nose of the plane from swinging from side to side, which is called yaw. The horizontal stabilizer prevents an up-and-down motion of the nose, which is called pitch. (On the Wright brother's first aircraft, the horizontal stabilizer was placed in front of the wings. Such a configuration is called a canard after the French word for â€Å"duck†). The first aircraft flight was made by the Wright Brothers I 1903, it lasted only 12 seconds and covered 120 feet (37 meters) but it proven that a man could build and fly a heavier-than-air machine. In 1909, the first military aircraft in history was delivered to the Signal Corpse. This aircraft, like the original Wright Brothers’ flying machine, was a pusher-type design (its engine was behind the pilot and in front of the propellers) with a 30 horsepower engine, skids for landing, and room enough for a two man crew. By the end of the 1914, pusher-type aircraft had been condemned in favor of the tractor type design, in which the engine was mounted in the front of the pilot and behind the propeller. After that may changes were made in an effort to gain a bit more speed. Combat aircraft (warplanes) divide broadly into fighters and bombers. There are several variations between the fighter and the bomber, including fighter-bombers, such as the MiG-23, ground-attack aircraft, such as the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik. Also included among combat aircraft are long-range maritime patrol aircraft, such as the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod and the S-3 Viking that are often equipped to attack with anti-ship missiles and anti-submarine weapons. The main role of fighters is destroying enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat, offensive or defensive. Many are fast and highly maneuverable. Escorting bombers or other aircraft is also a common task. They are capable of carrying a variety of weapons, including machine guns, cannons, rockets and guided missiles. Many modern fighters can attack enemy fighters from a great distance, before the enemy even sees them. Examples of air superiority fighters include the F-22 Raptor and the MiG-29. WWII fighters include the Spitfire, the P-51 Mustang and Bf 109. An example of an interceptor (a fighter designed to take-off and quickly intercept and shoot down enemy planes) would be the MiG-25. An example of a heavy fighter is the Messerschmitt Bf 110. The term â€Å"fighter† is also sometimes applied to aircraft that have virtually no air-air capability – for example the A-10 ground-attack aircraft is operated by USAF â€Å"Fighter† squadrons. Bombers are normally larger, heavier, and less maneuverable than fighter aircraft. They are capable of carrying large payloads of bombs. Bombers are used almost exclusively for ground attacks and not fast or agile enough to take on enemy fighters head-to-head. A few have a single engine and require one pilot to operate and others have two or more engines and require crews of two or more. A limited number of bombers, such as the B-2 Spirit, have stealth capabilities that keep them from being detected by enemy radar. An example of a conventional modern bomber would be the B-52 Stratofortress. An example of a WWII bomber would be a B-17 Flying Fortress. Bombers include light bombers, medium bombers, heavy bombers, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. The U. S. Navy and Marines have traditionally referred to their light and medium bombers as â€Å"attack aircraft†. Air force missions require short-, medium-, and long range transports. The C-130 Hercules can haul up to 36,500 pounds (16,500 kg) of cargo, be readily converted into an ambulance, or be modified for special duty such as high altitude mapping, weather reconnaissance, search and rescue, flight refueling, ferrying fuel to advance bases, and ski operations in arctic regions. Military transport (logistics) aircraft are primarily used to transport troops and war supplies. Cargo can be attached to pallets, which are easily loaded, secured for flight, and quickly unloaded for delivery. Cargo also may be discharged from flying aircraft on parachutes, eliminating he need for landing. Including aerial tankers; these planes can refuel other aircraft while in flight. An example of a transport aircraft is the C-17 Globemaster III. A WWII example would be the C-47. An example of a tanker craft would be the KC-135 Stratotanker. Helicopters and gliders can transport troops and supplies to areas where other aircraft would be unable to land. Calling a military aircraft a â€Å"cargo plane† is incorrect, because military transport planes also carry paratroopers and other soldiers. Helicopters deserve special mention as military aircraft. They are unexcelled for rescue work and for delivery of people and material to otherwise inaccessible areas. Some helicopters are armed and serve as attack aircraft, providing gun and rocket fire against ground targets. Other helicopters deliver assault troops to advanced combat areas and supply them with ammunition and other needs. Special-purpose research aircraft are occasionally designed, assembled, and tested in order to experiment with advanced aerodynamic, structural, avionic, or propulsion concepts that must be validated before they can be applied to other aircraft designs. Research aircraft are usually well instrumented, with performance data telemetered on radio-frequency data links to ground stations located at the test ranges where they are flown. Several countries are developing vertical takeoff and landing. Experimental techniques include the use of wings that can tilt 90 degrees from the horizontal to vertical or any position in between, engines that tilt while attached to fixed wings, helicopter blades that can be folded and stowed while the aircraft is in forward conventional flight, buried jet engines whose exhaust can be directed downward of from the rear, and combination of all of these. As of now the high cost of developing new military aircraft has resulted in cooperative efforts among the various European NATO countries. Teams of designers from several countries have worked together to develop and build aircraft to be used by the armed services of all NATO partners.

Argumentative essay Essays - Emotions, Positive Mental Attitude

Argumentative essay Essays - Emotions, Positive Mental Attitude Professor Voll English 101: Freshmen Writing 12 Dec.2014 Desirable Future In todays world, it is rare that a great number of people spend their entire lives essentially going after something that is not meant for them, especially in the pursuit of wealth and careers. People often have the notion that those certain things will bring them happiness and satisfaction. However, after people receive these things, instead of feeling content, those people will ultimately feel a sense of emptiness. Society is money oriented simply because money is imperative for everyday life. Statistically speaking, there are several people who have an extreme interest in money and would commit to anything to successfully attain that money. Virtually, a lot of people intend to believe money will bring them pleasure, but in reality it often does not give people joy. Money can bring unneeded frustrations that cause stress, not happiness. In the long run, people will realize that the particular thing they were doing their whole lives is not meant for them because they wanted something else. In life, people forget that what they are truly after is happiness; joy is what people really want. After chasing money, people would eventually being to feel miserable because the money they desired was not what they really wanted out of life. For example, most people who win the lottery do not step forward right way to claim the money. They typically wait a few days to create a plan and think over wh at they will do with their money. The winners begin to notice that although it is an honor to win the money, it could lead to a vexation, potentially creating problems. If people win the lottery and do not use their money wisely, they may end up losing all of their fortune. Therefore, they will come to a realization that they did not desire to win the lottery because it causes many problems that people have to encounter because being a winner of the lottery involves a lot stress. It may not be meant for them due to their inability to handle the probable pressures that arise, leading them to the realization that winning the lottery may not be what he or she wanted overall. Feeling very happy is what people want to envision for their future. It is very important to be happy in the career that you choose; everyone wants to be able to adore their job, and everyone should be able to do so. Another thing that people go after is jobs. The majority of people anticipate that specific jobs will welcome them to a sense of happiness in their lives. On the contrary, this is not always the case. People will start to feel a lack of contentment with themselves. To illustrate, many people attend college to attain a quality education in a field where they can make a lot of money. Money cannot make you happy. An excessive amount of money is what most people think of when searching for a job. People usually attempt to get a career that will provide them a good income or a certain position. To be honest, people think that these things will make them feel on top of the world, as if it will make them completely happy. People could possibly feel joyful for a while, however the happiness they have is not considered to be prolonged. That sense of happiness will not last long. When people are never home to spend time with their loved ones or attend family activities, they have second thoughts about what is really important. If people continue seeking jobs that are going to give them a reasonable income or certain status only, they will ultimately come to an understanding that chasing that job was not the right choice because they wanted something else. What people truly want is something that is going to make them feel like they have fulfilled something in their life, oppose to feeling depressed. The best thing to have is satisfaction: a happy feeling because of something you enjoy not something you know was not honestly meant for you. In the end, people recognize and start to feel disappointed with themselves because of the

Free Essays on Youth And Crime

What is the "super predator"? He or she is a young hyper criminal who is committing acts of violence of unprecedented coldness and brutality. This newest phenomena in the world of crime is perhaps the most dangerous challenge facing society and law enforcement ever. While psychopaths are not new, this breed of super criminal exceeds the scope of psychopathic behavior. They are younger, more brutal, and completely unafraid of the law. While current research on the super predator is scarce, I will attempt to give an indication as to the reasons a child could become just such a monster. Violent teenage criminals are increasingly vicious. John DiIulio, Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University, says, "The difference between the juvenile criminals of the 1950s and those of the 1970s and early 1980s was the difference between the Sharks and the Jets of West Side Story and the Bloods and the Crips. It is not inconceivable that the demographic surge of the next ten years will bring with it young criminals who make the bloods and the Crips look tame."(John DiIulio, 1997) They are what Professor DiIulio and others call urban "super predators"; young people, often from broken homes or so-called dysfunctional families, who commit murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and other violent acts. These emotionally damaged young people often are the products of sexual or physical abuse. They live in an aimless and violent present; have no sense of the past and no hope for the future; they commit unspeakably brutal crimes against other people, often to gratify wh atever urges or desires drive them at the moment and their utter lack of remorse is shocking. (John P. Walters, 1997) Studies reveal that the major cause of violent crime is not poverty but family breakdown - specifically, the absence of a father in the household. Today, right now, one-fourth of all the children in the United States are living in fatherless h... Free Essays on Youth And Crime Free Essays on Youth And Crime What is the "super predator"? He or she is a young hyper criminal who is committing acts of violence of unprecedented coldness and brutality. This newest phenomena in the world of crime is perhaps the most dangerous challenge facing society and law enforcement ever. While psychopaths are not new, this breed of super criminal exceeds the scope of psychopathic behavior. They are younger, more brutal, and completely unafraid of the law. While current research on the super predator is scarce, I will attempt to give an indication as to the reasons a child could become just such a monster. Violent teenage criminals are increasingly vicious. John DiIulio, Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University, says, "The difference between the juvenile criminals of the 1950s and those of the 1970s and early 1980s was the difference between the Sharks and the Jets of West Side Story and the Bloods and the Crips. It is not inconceivable that the demographic surge of the next ten years will bring with it young criminals who make the bloods and the Crips look tame."(John DiIulio, 1997) They are what Professor DiIulio and others call urban "super predators"; young people, often from broken homes or so-called dysfunctional families, who commit murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and other violent acts. These emotionally damaged young people often are the products of sexual or physical abuse. They live in an aimless and violent present; have no sense of the past and no hope for the future; they commit unspeakably brutal crimes against other people, often to gratify wh atever urges or desires drive them at the moment and their utter lack of remorse is shocking. (John P. Walters, 1997) Studies reveal that the major cause of violent crime is not poverty but family breakdown - specifically, the absence of a father in the household. Today, right now, one-fourth of all the children in the United States are living in fatherless h...

5 Breakthrough Techniques For Running A High-Traffic Blog

5 Breakthrough Techniques For Running A High-Traffic Blog When you jump out of an airplane,  you  better have a plan ready. Step one is a parachute, and step two is learning how to hit the  ground. Paratroopers have a  technique for this that allows them to  land safely. They call it a PLF (parachute landing fall). It goes like this: US Department of the Army manual, Public domain Balls of the feet Heels of the feet Side of the thigh Side of the hip, or buttocks Back of the shoulder blades Make sense right? Theres nothing like easing into it. Now, what about your blog? A blog launch is a lot like the initial jump out of an airplane. It is exhilarating, fast paced, and comes with an amazing view, but what happens after the free fall? Eventually, as a blogger or content marketing pro, you need a good plan in order to breakthrough the initial launch and begin running  high-traffic blog. Are you  really getting the traffic and attention you hoped for? Does your content have an ROI? Are you  going to be able stick the  landing without breaking your legs? Just like parajumpers, bloggers need a 5-point plan for sticking the free fall. Maybe you just launched a new blog, or maybe you are looking to revitalize a long-held content marketing plan. Either way, you need to have a process ready and that is what I have tried to compile in this post. I am calling it,  The 5 Point Plan For Running A Breakthrough Blog, and its actually pretty doable. This guide is  designed to take your blog from launch to high-end breakthrough traffic. The following five steps are what it takes. 1. Develop A Super-Human Understanding Of Your Audience We have been spending the entire month of August blogging  about  finding, growing, creating, and (most importantly) understanding your blog audience, and weve been doing it for good reason – it is the cornerstone of any breakthrough blog. Your blog exists for the pleasure of your audience. If you dont understand them, then how will you ever reach them? Too often, we take the Field of Dreams approach to content creation. We believe that if we write it, they will come.  Wrong. We need to have purpose in what we publish. One of the things that we talk about often is learning to expand your content core.  The purpose of this exercise  is to understand the difference between what you do, and what you need to talk about. This is where you start to understand your audience. The key is finding the content that your audience really cares about, and using those topics to reach them directly. It is a crucial component for any breakthrough blog. Further Reading: How To Find Your Target Audience In Content Marketing Are You Making These 5 Assumptions About Your Audience? How To Write For Two Audiences At Once 3 Hidden Google Analytics Reports To Help You Understand Your Audience 2. Find A Truly Unique Voice Lets face it. Youre arent the first person in the world to launch a blog in your niche, industry, or even on your city block. When it comes to blogs and content marketing there are few new ideas. Been there, done that. Dont let this dismal take on blogging stop you from trying though. The reality is that you dont have to be doing something new to be doing something great. Truthfully, most blogs are simply doing the same thing as everyone else. Theyre not that great. The key is to figure out how youre different. At , we call this a  Blue Ocean Strategy,  and it works because it is strategy without real competition. So, what is your Blue Ocean Strategy? The main quality of a Blue Ocean Strategy is that it is completely unique. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. You will need to come up with something on your own, but done correctly, it should provide you will a clear path to creating a blog that your audience loves to read. Further Reading:   Want To Make Your Blog Stand Out? Use The Blue Ocean Strategy How Pixar’s Creative Process Will Help You Produce More Innovative Content 3 Memory Techniques That Get People To Remember Your Content Is Familiarity Killing Your Project Before You Even Launch? 3.  Create An Achievable Publishing Schedule You have to set a schedule detailing how often you will  blog. If you dont, you  will fail. Its as simple as that. For early bloggers, I like to suggest that they start posting content as much as five times per week. This is a great way to start learning the ropes and get used to pressing that daunting publish button. As good as that may sound, though, it wont always be achievable, and thats really the most important part about setting a blogging schedule: You need to find something that you can set, and achieve. Once you know how often you will post, you need to develop an editorial calendar and process for planning our your content before you start to write. Here at , we provide a free set of editorial calendar templates that make this process easy. These free templates are designed to break your content down into three tools: An annual overview to rough-out your content plan for the entire year. An idea zone to plan out individual posts and content ideas. A one-month calendar to plan out specific posts for each day of the month. Download Free Content Marketing Editorial Calendar Templates You can download these free templates and an easy step-by-step guide on how to implement them into your daily workflow from our website. Just follow the link above. The best part about using a  paper editorial calendar is that it can help you start the habit of using one to plan your content marketing. Eventually you will need bigger and better tools like itself, but this is a great way to ease-in without a major financial investment. Further Reading: Get Our Free Editorial Calendar Templates The Ultimate Guide To Writing A Consistent Blog With A Content Marketing Editorial Calendar Try This Breakthrough Content Marketing Workflow For Your Team   4. Write Amazing  Content That Is Undeniably Sticky This is a biggy: To break through with your blog, you need to create better, and more original, content than everyone else. This can come in many unique forms. It could be longer (long-form content). It could be more visual. It could be better at telling a story. It could excel at SEO. Really, it could be anything. Even in a time with  Google, bots, and SEO, quality content is still the line that we need to measure  ourselves by, and it isnt always that easy. Sometimes content flows from our fingertips like lightning, and other times it drips like a painful leak in an old faucet. This is may require an adjustment to your process, but you must  find a better way. One of  first places to start writing sticky  content is with a great  headline. Before you even start to create your content, headline generation is a good way to think through your post before words meet the page. We like recommend writing at least 25 different headlines  during your early brainstorming process. This will get things flowing, and help you frame your content properly before going too far. You can also measure the emotional value of your headlines to ensure proper reach. Further Reading: Proof That Emotional Headlines Get Shared More On Social Media 25 Scientifically Proven Ways To Write Better Headlines For Your Blog 4-Step System For Writing A Great Blog Post, Even If You Have Writers Block The Perfect Blog Post: Simpler Is Better 5. Learn  How To Promote Your Content Like A P.R. Wizard One of the saddest stories in the world is the blog post that is published and never heard from again. After pouring all of your effort into an outstanding and insightful post, it will be up to you to make sure that it is heard around the world. In order to run a breakthrough blog, you are going to need to have a promotion plan in place. There are two big things that you need to be doing.

Multimedia and design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Multimedia and design - Assignment Example ny professional in any occupation where they build or construct something from scratch, there are right ways and wrong ways to utilize elements of design and they are not all based on what someone simply likes. When looking at the fashion, someone can design an outfit but is it functional? Badly designed outfits will never be worn and are not ever going to be purchased if they do not include good elements of design. The same with a car. If the design of a car is based on what the creator likes, then no one would buy it. Design in these fields has to do with marketability and bad design can crush profitability. Interior design is another field where elements can create different moods. If a person mixes and matches fabrics and textiles all due to their own likes, the space can be overwhelming to be in or even evoke a negative response. When it comes to design in technology, while taking a look at a website, if a design of a website is not functional, no users will come visit the site. If it is cluttered and is chaotic, it is not appealing to anyone. When looking at multimedia as a personal experience, it is all about using design of pictures, interactive features and other elements to create ways for people to get something out of their experience. When thinking of blogs, websites or social networking sites, it is a goal of multimedia techniques to intrigue others. It is a form of marketability and branding to enhance a persons visit. It is not necessarily for ones own use but for productivity and profitability increases in ways to increase others personal experience. It creates more of a personalized

IDS policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IDS policy - Essay Example Also, there are different evils associated to these network structures. For instance, personal information theft, business information hacking and virus attacks are the contemporary issues businesses are facing nowadays in the network communication and data transfer areas (Frederick, 2002). Furthermore, because of the increasing amount of intrusions the local networks and Internet have turned out to be uncertain, therefore, businesses more and more applying a variety of systems that monitor information technology security breaches (Sans, 2009). Network intrusion as its name represents, attempts to recognize attempted or applied intrusions into network and to carry out proper actions for the intrusions. Intrusion detection includes an extensive collection of methods that differ on several axes. A few of these axes comprise: (Silberschatz, Galvin, & Gagne, 2004) The types of input inspected to identify intrusive action. These could comprise user shell commands, process system calls, as well as network packet headers or contents. Several types of intrusions might be identified only by correlating information from various such sources. The variety of action capabilities. Basic and straightforward types of actions consist of changing an administrator of the possible intrusion or in some way halting the potentially intrusive action, for instance, killing a course of action engaged in actually intrusive activity. In a complicated type of action, a system might clearly redirect an intruder’s action to a trap. A false resource exposed to the attacker with the aim of observing and gaining information about the attack; to the attacker, the resource appears real. These levels of freedom in the design of space for detecting intrusions in systems have brought an extensive variety of solutions acknowledged as intrusions detection systems (IDS) (Silberschatz, Galvin, & Gagne, 2004). Gem Infosys desires to protect

To what extent does an understanding of the history and development of Essay

To what extent does an understanding of the history and development of business and the nature globalization help in our underst - Essay Example Notably, the founding of the history of business can be accredited to Wallace Don ham (Eibe, 2012). Business education originated since the Second World War and it can be accredited to the United States. Many of the business schools in the United States enrolled business history in their academic programs. Europe has been accredited for producing the first work on the company history. Additionally, in India, business education can be referred back in the 1960s where the Indian institute of management was among the first to implement business history in their curriculum. This study discusses the contributions of business history and emergence of globalization on the way of performing business in the current society. With that in mind, the implication of the understanding of business and globalization will be enlisted. ... In the same regard, understanding of business history helps managers to regain managerial and managerial techniques. As noted, the history of business has been in the limelight for quite a long time, however it is only until recently (late 1990s) that more effective work towards the value of business history was recognized. More importantly, an understanding of the business history helps in the development of the business and the economy especially in formulation of  strategies in the current rapid changing business environment. In 1996, a survey carried out by the management history division of the management Academy established, adoption of business history courses yielded a variety of benefits. Their research, formed as a basis for continued research in the contributions made by business history in today’s business. Indeed, the historical component of business on the following key points. History is an important aspect for understanding of the nature of human and his/her past endeavors, thus giving light on the present as well as future activities in a number of ways. A historical study expounds on the understanding of humanity and key lessons for human ambitions, aspirations as well as organizations. Additionally, history enhances communication skills and the ability to evaluate healthy skepticism and evidences to some opinions and propaganda (Know ells, 2008). It offers business studnts with an exerpt of development of a country economy and international economy, providing insights into the structure of industries as well as, evolution of business strategies (Gibson et al, 1999). Business history broadens business education through the focus on technology, business ethics, the corporate culture as well as government

Consumer behaviour and marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Consumer behaviour and marketing - Essay Example Generally, marketing to such a consumer base has to be made depending upon certain strategies. However, in an era of globalisation, serving consumers worldwide is what most marketers and producers have to do. Global consumer culture hence implies, the expansion of businesses and organisations all over the world in order to serve people belonging to different cultural backgrounds (Arnould, 2009, p. 3). Such a strategy involves a huge research to study the innate characteristics of consumers and this is where the importance of the present research lies. Outline In this era of globalisation, the concept ‘Global Consumer Culture’ has its own significance. It would not be wrong to say that the multinational organisations have to invest money as well as time to frame up strategies for each of their destination countries. Global consumer culture is a relief for them to let them think the world as a global village and a single market. However, evidences show there are a number o f obstacles resisting the spread of this concept. The segment ‘Global Consumer Culture: The Limitations of the Concept’ has discussed these points taking reference from books and journals. At the end, a conclusion has been inferred from the discussion and analysis, carried in the earlier segments. The analysis and evaluation section is primarily associated with the different kinds of consumers that the marketers have to deal with and the strategies that they adopt to handle each according to their cultural backgrounds. Global Consumer Culture: The Limitations of the Concept â€Å"Consumer culture can be defined as a social arrangement in which the relations between the [lived cultural experience of everyday life] and social resources, between meaningful [valued] ways of life and the symbolic and material resources on which they depend, is mediated through markets† (University of Wyoming, n.d., p.1). Consumer culture is a system, in which the behaviours found in t he consumption process and in all times and places it is dominated by the consumption of commercial products. This also enables the transmission of existing cultural values, norms and habitual ways of doing things from generation to generation. The consumer behaviour is largely influenced by the free personal choice in the private arena of daily lives. In this modern era, the consumer culture is no longer governed by tradition rather it is more influenced by instability in the economy. Globalisation culture positioning is a strategy, used to cover various consumer segments emerging with the global consumer culture (Warren, 2009). As the globalisation has spread its wings; companies do not bother to cross the boundaries of the countries. In such a case, global consumer culture is driven by the expansion of the organisations and its marketing principles across the globe. In theoretical terms, global culture can be described as the process wherein the global consumers would be united i n way to make this world as a single market place. As per Belk, introduction of global culture would lead to homogenisation of global consumption. Global consumer culture facilitates the same consumption behaviour of the consumers, which means that consumers in every corner would have the opportunity to eat the same food items, wear the same fashionable clothes, drive the same types of cars, watch the same television programs, stay

Explain the structure and objectives of the UK and US regulatory Essay

Explain the structure and objectives of the UK and US regulatory systems and assess whether they are capable of regulating the f - Essay Example It will then discuss the Dodd-Frank Act passed by the United States Congress and conclude with an estimation of the efforts of both countries. UK Financial Regulatory Measures In the UK several reports were made that reviewed the global recession crisis with the purpose of offering corrective suggestions that would bear on the regulation the financial service industry. The important ones were the Turner Review, The Treasury White Paper on Reforming Financial Market, and the Walker Report that dealt with corporate governance. The first important report was produced by Lord Adair Turner. In May, 2008 Turner was appointed Chairman of the Financial Services Authority. By the Bank of England Act 1998, the Tripartite Authorities was created consisting of the Her Majesty's (HM) Treasury, the Bank of England, and the newly created Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA took over bank supervision services from the Bank of England. Turner is an insider of the both the UK and the US financ ial markets. In the United States he worked for Chase Manhattan Bank from 1979-92 and for Merrill Lynch Europe where he serviced as Vice-Chairman during the period of the recession, 2000-2006. In 1994, Turner became a director of the influential American consulting firm McKinsey & C. Turner presented a formal talk to the Bank of India in February, 2010. The event was the 14th C.D. Deshmukh Memorial Lecture. He made several observations that foretold ways in which the U.K. would be concerned with meeting the economic crisis. Financial transaction taxes could be used to control Short-term speculative inflows. Capital requirments against trading activities and leverage constraints on bank and non-bank trades were practical tools Macro-prudential tools could be used to warn off asset price bubbles and not interest rate levers. Turner's remarks were essentially in accord with the May, 2009 Turner Review. The review went against the efficient market theory that was often used to support a stance of self-correcting markets. It stated, "Market efficiency does not imply market rationality", making a note of "self-reinforcing herd effects and of prices overshooting rational equilibrium levels" (Turner, p. 40). Suggestions made by the report included raising the amount of capital in the global banking system; requiring capital against book trading activities; enforcing the role of regulators to avoid and check unnecessary procyclicality; introducing a maximum gross leverage ratio; intense supervision of bank liquidity positions and use of a core funding ratio to be reflected on balance sheets. Regulation should be based on economic substance as opposed to legal form and unregulated financial institutions should fall under the authorities of regulates. Regulation standards under global agreements should apply to offshore financial centers. Retail depositors should be generously covered by deposit insurance. Credit rating agencies were addressed to avoid conflicts of inter est under dictates of good governance and structured finance ratings should stand review within the Basell II framework. Credit Default Swaps should fall under "clearing and central counterparty systems". Macro-prudential analysis should be used by the Bank of England and the FSA and

ME Portfolio Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ME Portfolio Project - Essay Example In addition to this, the article examines three specific countries that were not within Europe during the historic transformation and how the business cycle performed compared to the ones within the European region. The outcome expectations of the study were that there would be an avenue that arises due to the changes made. This will therefore create new opportunities for the business cycle. This paper however is a critical analysis of the article. The paper looks at the economic principles that are found in the article and their overall significance on the entire business cycle. Five microeconomic indices are identified and each is defined and explained in detail giving out its economic impact on this scenario. After all this, the paper finally gives a conclusion on all the information and how it has affected the overall business cycle in the region. Economic principles related to the article There are many economic principles applied in this article, however for this particular pap er, only three will be discussed to come to a conclusion about the overall economic impact of these principles. The first economic principle seen here is the principle that people face trade off’s meaning that every action has an economic cost. This means that when one thing is implemented, then there is another that has been shorter down. So if one moves from selling tomatoes to selling onions then the economic benefits of selling tomatoes is gone. From the article, euro was adopted as a single currency to serve 17 different countries. This was a good move to enable trade to develop in the 17 countries and lead to a lot of opportunities. However before the introduction of the euro as a single currency to serve the entire region, each of the 17 countries had banks and other stakeholders who traded in force to make a living. This means that after the adoption of the euro, several of these opportunities were lost hence leading to a slight change in the overall business cycle es pecially for banks that play a major role in the economy of a particular country. This transition will also mean that most of the money exchange businesses will have to either face out or reduce due to the use of one currency over the entire region (Eichner, 2011). This makes the region harder to economically compare themselves with great economic giants like the US which has a lot of money exchange businesses. The second most prevalent economic principle is that the cost of something is what you give up to get it. This principle means that whenever we want something new, we do some changes, and then we have to undergo some costs that are exactly the same as what we are losing. This means that before the implementation of anything, we have to be sure that the cost of the new product is much more than the cost of the older product. In the article, the entire European region set up a common central bank to serve the entire region. This means that if before this each country had its ow n central bank then there functionalities were either removed or completely minimized. This will in fact have a direct impact on the entire entire region. The cost of having a single central bank comes at the cost of having to do away with some of

Explain the structure and objectives of the UK and US regulatory Essay

Explain the structure and objectives of the UK and US regulatory systems and assess whether they are capable of regulating the f - Essay Example It will then discuss the Dodd-Frank Act passed by the United States Congress and conclude with an estimation of the efforts of both countries. UK Financial Regulatory Measures In the UK several reports were made that reviewed the global recession crisis with the purpose of offering corrective suggestions that would bear on the regulation the financial service industry. The important ones were the Turner Review, The Treasury White Paper on Reforming Financial Market, and the Walker Report that dealt with corporate governance. The first important report was produced by Lord Adair Turner. In May, 2008 Turner was appointed Chairman of the Financial Services Authority. By the Bank of England Act 1998, the Tripartite Authorities was created consisting of the Her Majesty's (HM) Treasury, the Bank of England, and the newly created Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA took over bank supervision services from the Bank of England. Turner is an insider of the both the UK and the US financ ial markets. In the United States he worked for Chase Manhattan Bank from 1979-92 and for Merrill Lynch Europe where he serviced as Vice-Chairman during the period of the recession, 2000-2006. In 1994, Turner became a director of the influential American consulting firm McKinsey & C. Turner presented a formal talk to the Bank of India in February, 2010. The event was the 14th C.D. Deshmukh Memorial Lecture. He made several observations that foretold ways in which the U.K. would be concerned with meeting the economic crisis. Financial transaction taxes could be used to control Short-term speculative inflows. Capital requirments against trading activities and leverage constraints on bank and non-bank trades were practical tools Macro-prudential tools could be used to warn off asset price bubbles and not interest rate levers. Turner's remarks were essentially in accord with the May, 2009 Turner Review. The review went against the efficient market theory that was often used to support a stance of self-correcting markets. It stated, "Market efficiency does not imply market rationality", making a note of "self-reinforcing herd effects and of prices overshooting rational equilibrium levels" (Turner, p. 40). Suggestions made by the report included raising the amount of capital in the global banking system; requiring capital against book trading activities; enforcing the role of regulators to avoid and check unnecessary procyclicality; introducing a maximum gross leverage ratio; intense supervision of bank liquidity positions and use of a core funding ratio to be reflected on balance sheets. Regulation should be based on economic substance as opposed to legal form and unregulated financial institutions should fall under the authorities of regulates. Regulation standards under global agreements should apply to offshore financial centers. Retail depositors should be generously covered by deposit insurance. Credit rating agencies were addressed to avoid conflicts of inter est under dictates of good governance and structured finance ratings should stand review within the Basell II framework. Credit Default Swaps should fall under "clearing and central counterparty systems". Macro-prudential analysis should be used by the Bank of England and the FSA and

Information technology management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Information technology management - Essay Example gement refers to the discipline that comprises of resources and approaches by which information and technology resources are managed in respect to the priorities and needs identified (Clark, 2003). The resources relied on this process include data, software programs, hardware facilities like computers, information centres and facilities as well as the staff needed to maintain and oversee these systems and processes. This paper examines the concept of information and technology in organisations and the process that go in the research and creation of products that become market leaders, creating competitive advantages for them, while consolidating their market position. In addition, it focuses on apple Inc., a company that has a technological and innovation culture in the process of creating different mobile technologies and other electronic products that it sells. Apple inc., one of the chief companies in the technological industry is a multinational American company that is headquartered in California, USA (Grady, 2009). The company’s main objectives involve designing, developing and selling various kinds of consumer electronics, online services, personal computers and softwares among others. Among the products the company is known for include the iTunes Store, Apple store, the Mac and associated line of computers and the famous iPhone smartphone. Apple Inc. was established by three people, who were Ronald Wayne, Steve Wozniak and Steve jobs in 1976 with the main objective of developing and selling personal computers (Dormehl, 2012). Later in 1977, the company was officially incorporated under the name, Apple Computer, Inc. as the company changed and shifted its focus on consumer electronics; it changed its name to Apple Inc. in 2007. Among the many technologies that Apple Inc. has developed, the iPhone was the mobile technology that gave it success in the mobile industry as at the time of its launch. Actually, the iPhone is one of the smartphones that were

A Problem in the American Education System Essay Example for Free

A Problem in the American Education System Essay This problem will have dire effects on those dropouts as well as other aspects such as financial and health problems. Many factors ultimately push the students off their path to a bachelors degree and end their dreams of ever becoming a doctor or maybe even a businessman. Along with those causes, there are serious consequences for those college dropouts. One effect that happens when a college student drops out of school would be that a huge debt must be paid back and since they dropped out it turn to be a wasted investment. Students looking to go to college, hen dropout have no answer to pay the money back which they were hoping to find a career with a college degree they wanted. Students often put a lot of money into college, thus putting them into debt. When the payments are finally too high for them they cannot afford to stay in school and all the money they put in is for naught. The students are under so much debt after dropping out and have nothing to show for it. That college degree they were hoping to receive at their graduation in non-existent which they were hoping to use as a tool in order to become successful. Who knows hat career a degree could have got them into, maybe a well-paying Job that would keep them from going broke from paying all the loans they used to go to school. All the money that could have been used in order to gain knowledge will be down the drain and the student now would have a harder time paying back those loans and supporting themselves. This also affects the schools and the taxpayers. All the money they are putting into paying and helping students with their schooling has nothing to showing for it. The millions of dollars that are being put into paving the way for the tudents financially do not pay off and instead money is lost. This slows down the whole country as there are less available new young workers to fill the positions of new work. Without a college degree, students earning potential are much lower than those of graduates. In order to pay off debts from loans to go to school and bills, students have to find a source of income and without a degree, finding a Job is much harder. Dropouts have a harder time finding a Job than those already with a degree. With a bachelors degree, it is easier to find Jobs as many opportunities are now open. A cause of college students dropping out is the amount they have to pay for just one semester. As many students do not even have a Job it is difficult for them to support themselves after paying for tuition and also pay for supplies they would later need for classes such as textbooks. A report from the Public Agenda for the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation shows the students from the ages of 22 to 30 years old shows state that their main reason for leaving school is their problems with financial stability. From my experience as of today even now I have a problem having to pay for school at CSULB. Luckily I have financial aid because without it I would it I dont think that I could have survived the first semester of college. Family problems such as having kids during school, or taking care of a sick family member could cause someone to leave college. Having to spend a large amount of time away from thing such as studying for an upcoming test really hurts the students in the long run. This hurts them because it keeps them preoccupied with things that they need to accomplish which is their dream of finding a career in their major and pursue it. Stress develops which may be from the numerous personal problems. Rising uition make students actually have to think about what they buy next. Most students already have to Juggle work and school at the same time Oohnson). I know for a fact that going to college is a hard task even now as a freshman, there is more homework and students have to pay for everything themselves. I understand why most students drop out because they cannot handle the pressure. Another cause for college dropouts is their scores on exams. Of course doing bad on a test will make students fail your class as this is already obvious. Lots of factors also cause students to do poorly on their exams such as stress and financial roblems One final cause for students leaving college early is their lack of motivation and preparation. As most students say their high schools did a poor Job in preparing them for their next step in life stated from a survey by Public Agenda (Crosseley). In college students have to manage their time socially and their time for school. Prioritizing this time is now critical of the all the times spent in school. Being bored really will not help you succeed in receiving a bachelors degree in your hand. For the many college students that attend today that go to college it may be a hard task. Still, college dropouts remain a problem in the American education system.

Pakistan | A tourism analysis

Pakistan | A tourism analysis Pakistan is a good place for tourism as it has the most appealing and breathtaking views of mountains, plateaus and deserts. It has the high potential to attract a large number of foreign tourists, along with that, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) had set up 27 motels and 3 restaurants for the convienience of these foreign tourists, PTDC need to intensify their marketing ability in order to attract tourists from countries like, China, Middle East Korea, Japan, and many other countries. Moreover Pakistan government need to take certain actions, in order to promote and acknowledge Tourism in Pakistan, as doing so will not only benefit us financially but will also bring unity, compatibility and harmony among nations. Moreover government also need to encourage private sector to develop tourism-friendly environment which will result in financial stability. Source: PTDC page on mountaineering, http://www.tourism.gov.pk/mountain.html Research methodology: Most of the data obtained for this research will come secondary sources including book, internet, magazine etc but to increase the accuracy of information I will conduct primary research to validate my results from secondary data . Primary research for this assignment was conducted through a telephonic interview with people who are influence by the tourists. I have taken a sample size of 30 people who belong to different places but have one thing in common and that is they have interest in tourism in Pakistan. The sample selected [people who are either potential customer for tourism in Pakistan ir those who belong to promote tourism in Pakistan together with those who earn their living by providing service to foreign tourist. Following are the few questions which I have ask to these people in order to gather the data for my research. How are conditions in Pakistan for foreign tourists Do Pakistan has got enough place for foreign tourist to visit. How is security situation across the country What place would you suggest to foreign tourist to visit Do government of Pakistan taking enough steps to promote tourism Do people of Pakistan welcome tourist in their country In response to first question 70% of people interviewed responded that conditions in Pakistan are good enough to tourist. The condition include security situation but also include infrastructure road network and other conditions while the raining 30% were quall divide for example 15% said conational Pakistan are not favourable for foreign tourist while remaining 15% said they were not really sure. Out of the total sample I have selected 90% people do believe that Pakistan has enough place for many tourist to see and therefore had the other issue such security etc resolve Pakistan has much to offer foreign tourist while 10% people were not sure if Pakistan had enough place to offer to foreign tourist. In response to question of security conditions most people who were outside the Pakistan believe that Pakistan is not very secure country for foreign tourist and that accounted for the 80% of them while remaining 20% whom majority were Pakistanis in United Kingdom believe that Pakistan is though affected by terrorism and other issue but still security conditions in the country are satisfactory enough for the foreign tourist. While remaining people who were inside the country and when whether foreign tourist should Pakistan without risking their security have replied positively. When I ask on few places that people know should be interesting for tourist many people replied by pointing out historical place such Taxila, Mohn Jo daro to sea beeches of Karachi and beautiful natural place in Gilgit-Bilistan. But sadly people who were outside the Pakistan were not really sure the famous places to visit in Pakistan. In response to the question of whether government of Pakistan is promoting tourism in Pakistan whether its domestic tourism or foreign. Almost 70% of people said that government of Pakistan should do more and is not doing enough to promote positive image of the country. While remaining 30% were not sure about the government action to promote tourism. When I ask the question whether Pakistani people welcome tourist almost 90% agree that Pakistani people do welcome tourist either they are coming from other part of the country or from the other of the world. Tourism in Pakistan Due to its diverse culture, people and landscape, Tourism is growing industry in Pakistan, even after considered as one of the most dangerous country in the world, According to British Magazine The Economist. In Pakistan there are number of varieties of attraction that ranges from the ruins of ancient civilization such as Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa and Taxila, to the Himalayan hill-stations that attract those interested in field and winter sports. Moreover, Pakistan has several mountain peaks of height over 8,000 metres (26,250 ft), that attract adventurers and mountaineers from around the world, especially to K2. Many domestic and International tourists visit these areas most often in the month starting from April to September. Tourism has become the source of income for local people. In 2009, Pakistan was ranked 113 out of 130 countries to visit, According to the World Economic Forums Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report (TTCR). Although due to Political instability, suicide attacks, religious conflict, kidnapping of foreigner and uncertainty in the country had badly affected the Tourism throughout the country, especially NWFP, which is currently renamed as Pakhtoonkhwa. Source: Eco tourism: For decades, Ecotourism has become the significant part of the tourism business in Pakistan, as it has offered much tremendous experience along with the stunning mountains of NWFP, attracting number of tourists all over the world for hiking, skating, forest camping, climbing, and exploring the regions natural parks and forests. Pakistan ecotourism destination is unforgettable for those who have ever visited it. http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/pk Especially, Swat, Huns, Aruba, Abbott bad, Murfree, Narran and Kahn have yet been known as the ideal tourists spot for both summer and winter season. The snow-peaked mountains, the natural parks and the wildlife in the forests offered a thrilling experience especially for the one who is in search of adventure. The natural beauty of this mountainous scenery has attracted number of tourists generating vital jobs for local people in the hospitality-related businesses. Moreover the Swat valley alone known as the Switzerland of the East has become the centre for 800 hotels. Over 40,000 local people Pakistan employed directly in hospitality. http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/pk Impact of war on tourism in Pakistan: Over the past decade, and especially since 2007, the rapid spread of terrorism have not only created uncertainty in the country but also crushed the major sector of economy that causes unemployment, Suicide bombing has become common in everywhere likewise, in shops, markets, public places, business centres and institutes. War and conflict is not limited to a particular city. Its effect is everywhere, anybody can be victim of it. Due to fight between military and religious forces, the NWFP- which is considered 70% of the countrys tourists site, and where millions of people involved in the tourism industry are badly beaten. Continuous war and terror has weaken both the economy and defence of the area. http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/tellis_pakistan_final.pdf Due to worst security situation and many of the popular location are converted into war zones, hardly few travellers now visit Pakistan. Although after 9/11 attack in USA, there was a slow decline of tourists in Pakistan but the recent military operations and suicide attacks have been the last nail in the smashing of tourism industry. Since the initiation of the major religious and military offensive, the earning that comes from tourism has been declining dramatically. From Rs 16 billion in 2007, revenues halved in 2008, with a further major fall in 2009. The industry is now facing a $50 million annual loss as a result of the military operations. The hospitality business had experienced a major fall of 40% in room occupancy countrywide. Moreover in NWFP, the insurgency has caused the shutdown of tourist industry. From the last three years the hotels have been closed while the industry has lost of Rs 600 billion. Moreover the transport industry is also going through tough times. Due to huge job losses in tourism and other related industry, majority of the people have migrated to other cities in the search of employment. Moreover the revenue that was generated from tourism has been declined by 11.8% in 2008, while 12% in 2009. The average family involved in tourism business used to earn around 40,000 per mouth and soon after war their earning has dropped to 5000/ month. With more than 25,000 people killed and more than a million displaced in the past year, planned hotel projects have been put on hold. The number of mountain climbers and foreign trekkers has reached zero. Barbarism and bloodshed now run rampant in places which once offered peace and tranquillity. No-one would dream of visiting these places for pleasure now. http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/tellis_pakistan_final.pdf Moreover adding to the crises faced by these shattered tourism industry, the federal budget has also been cut by 36 percent for 2010-2011 comparatively with the previous year. The only project this year will be to reconstruction and renovation of existing buildings. There isnt any scheme introduced in order to help overcome terrorism. With the Pakistani political leadership appears to unaware of the real potential of industry, that show little or no prospect in the coming years of tourism attaining momentum that it lost. With the whole industry standing on the boundary of collapse the future looks blank for Pakistan most spectacularly beautiful locations. http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/tellis_pakistan_final.pdf Pakistan strategy to control extremism: In the eighth year of the global war on terror, the international community has realized that it is a war of ideas that cannot be won through force. Eventually Pakistan sees that countries today have adopted unique approaches towards deradicalization according to the requirements of their cultural, political situation, and social specification. The aim of these practicing deradicalization programmes in Middle East and South East Asia, at a collective level, is to change the worldview of the affected persons. Private sectors or at some places government and private sectors together adopted the approach of rehabilitation and re-education of the detainees. The reason behind the failing of war on terror on both sides of Pak-Afghan border has also some structural causes such as refusal of Taliban from Afghan government, public perception of Pakistans policies as a key US ally, use of force as a priority option, continued US drone attacks, denial of any relief and transitional justice to the victims of military operation, issue of Afghan refugees, and lack of trust between US, Pakistan and Afghanistan. There is a strong tie between lack of human security and terrorism. Rise in extremism can lead to human insecurity and vice versa. Since independence, government of particular south Asian states have not been providing their people with minimum security. Governments and ruling classes, instead of focusing on dealing with the issues of human survival and development, embarked upon perpetuating their poPakistanr and influence. Subsequently, no South Asian country has been able to free itself from discriminatory and exploitative policies, which led to increased insecurity and to the rising number of communal and terrorist outfits. Even after the problem these outfits have made, no serious action has been taken by the government or civil society in order to diminish rise in extremist trend at the initial stage. All of the regional states are facing the menace of extremism and terrorism in one or other form. http://www.rferl.org/content/Analyst_Defeating_Extremism_In_Pakistan_Requires_Regional_Strategy/1368724.html Currently south Asian region are facing serious security threat which is due to increment of terrorism and extremism. There are various factors that have led towards this situation. The politics of violence and extremism in South Asia is mainly the result of faulty national policies and interference of external powers. The regions vast potential is hostage to unresolved inter-state and intra-state conflicts. In most of the states, the governments (either democratic or military) have failed in providing good governance and solving social problems such as unemployment, social injustice, and poverty. The political culture in these states was unable to meet the imperatives of globalization. In addition, instead of promoting unity and integration (both at national and regional levels) it led to ethnic solidarities and identification with religion and culture. Source : http://www.cssforum.com.pk/general/news-articles/articles/26177-causes-extremism-south-asia-pakistan.html How tourism situation could improve in Pakistan The tourism sector is being overlooked by the successive governments and quite tiny amount is allocated in Public Sector Development Programme that hardly caters for it demands. At global level, Pakistan is wrongly projected in the media and tourists are advised not to visit this south Asian country, which offer four-season tourism opportunities. Security is just not only the issue that has haunt the terrorism but there are also some other factors involved which add to woes of this multibillion dollar trade the world over. These factors involve like, Moreover, Lack of infrastructure, facilities to the tourists, transport, discouraging response from officials circles etc are also some of the areas that are need to be improved.` Until and unless take this (tourism) industry on priority basis, Pakistan are not going to see it flourishing. Pakistan also needs to put in maximum resource in our tourism sector. Pakistan has very diverse and rich culture to offer tourist together with lots of opportunity for adventure tourism as the four provinces and three territories of Pakistan are very diverse and so different that it doesnt look like to foreign tourist that they are in same country with different culture, attractions and different seasons. Pakistan should improve the image of country by first of improving security situation in order to convince foreign tourist that they are safe in the country because in the past the incident like kidnapping of American journalist and attack on srilankan team together with bomb blast in big cities of the country lead to a feeling among the west that Pakistan is not a safe country which is main cause of declining tourism in the country especially tourist from western countries are reluctant to visit Pakistan because of the fear that country is not safe enough. Together with these measure Pakistan need to improve its image by promoting itself on various platforms around the world and together promoting hospitality industry through giving them incentives, Pakistan can catch significant number of tourist looking for adventurism or natural beauty visit Pakistan and contribute significant revenue for the government of the country while providing employment to big number of its population. Security situation for tourist in Pakistan: Pakistan have got a number of places where tourist can visit and these places are safe and secure especially the southern part of Pakistan is very much safe together with northern areas like gilgit and biltistan which are very beautiful and well received by tourist that even though when war on terror going on bu the tourism in northern areas is increasing and every more and more foreign tourist are visiting these areas. The mountain there are very clean and beautiful which catch the attention tourist and that s the prime reason why many people who visited Pakistan will be able to tell you that how beautiful the place which is though not very promote but well received by people around the world. Source: http://www.eturbonews.com/15162/diversity-adventure-story-and-false-media-news-pakistan Every year thousands fo people from the countries such India and china are coming to see the Pakistan and they came here andseee the country hwile goi ng back they told their families and friends about the country which is not told on media.every Pakistan receive a grea t number of adventure tourist who came here because they believe that Pakistan is safe when they return with positive experience they act as advertisement for the country. Source: http://www.eturbonews.com/15162/diversity-adventure-story-and-false-media-news-pakistan The people of Pakistan are welcoming and they give respect to visitors and greet them, show them local custome anad tribal way of doing things which tourist find attractive and interesting. For the adventure tourist especially Pakistan is very good place, as in Pakistan there are huge mountains like the eastern Himalaya and other, these mountain have a height of over 8000 metres and are longest chain of mountain where people can do tracking, exploration, or anything in this beautiful area. Source: http://www.eturbonews.com/15162/diversity-adventure-story-and-false-media-news-pakistan Pakistan is unique ! Situated in the heart of the South Asian sub-continent, it is a country with its own history and cultural heritage, fascinating in its own right. Pakistan was the site for one of the worlds earliest human settlements, the great prehistoric Indus Valley Civilization, the crucible of ancient empires, religions and cultures. The land of Pakistan ranges from lofty mountains in the north, the Karakoram and the Himalayas, through dissected plateaus to the rich alluvial plains of the Punjab. Then follows desolate barrenness of Baluchistan and the hot, dry deserts of Sind blending into miles and miles of golden beaches of Makran coast. Come and Explore the Treasures of Pakistan with us. A visitor to Pakistan is more than a tourist to us he is an honoured guest. Competitive advantage of Pakistan over other countries: In order to compete in this environment every country in the competition to catch tourist have to offer competitive advantage which is the things that country can do best. The possession of competitive advantage is in itself is not enough but countries like industries to communicate it to potential tourist in rest of the world. The basis of competitive is always lie in the resources of the country with prime important is the way that country use these resource in order to get competitive advantage and also with the fact that the resource which formed the basis of competitive advantage are of sufficient quantity and quality. The three major resources for country are financial resource, physical and human resource . While these resource of financial human and other physical are in economics refer as land, labour and capital with the basic skills entrepreneurship. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/pakistan/images/badshahi-mosque-pakistan$24057-10 Its a open secret that northern areas of the country are very rich for attracting the potential tourist where the natural beautify of landscape with their traditional cultural heritage have made a heaven for eco tourist especially. But sadly those northern areas of the country are not very well developed and considered by government and therefore are not very well protected and their natural beauty with their unique cultural heritage couldnt effectively conserved by government of Pakistan till today. Though when considering adventure tourism we think about Nepal and other countries located in the region but Pakistan has enough to offer in adventure tourism such as five out of fourteen mountain peaks of K2 are situated in the Pakistan where there height reach to as much high as 8000 meter and together with this some of the largest glaciers are situated within the territory of gilgit-bilistan as these are largest glaciers outside the polar region. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgit-Baltistan Mohenjo-Daro was a city located in the south of Modern Pakistan in the Sind Province, on the right bank of the Indus River. It was built between four and five thousand years ago, and lasted until 3,700 BP. It was part of the Harrapan Civilization, and the city had at least 35,000 residents. Mohenjo-Daro means mound of the dead. The city was approximately one square mile in size. In 1922-1927 large scale excavations at Mohenjo-daro Pakistanre carried out by R. D. Banarjee and continued by M. S. Vats and K. N. Dikshit under the direction of Sir John Marshall. E. J. H. MacKay carried out further excavations from 1927 to1931. Sir Mortimer Wheeler made small excavations in1950. http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/pk In Balochistan there are many caves for cavers and tourists to visit especially the Juniper Shaft Cave, the Murghagull Gharra cave, Mughall saa cave, and Pakistans naturally decorated cave, the Mango her Cave. Pakistan is a member country of the Union International de Spà ©là ©ologie (UIS). The northern parts of Pakistan are home to several historical fortresses, toPakistanrs and other architecture including the Huns and Chitral valleys, the latter being home to the Kalash, a small pre-Islamic Animist community.[Punjab is also the site of Alexanders battle on the Jhelum River. The historic city of Lahore is considered Pakistans cultural centre and has many examples of Mughal architecture such as the Badshahi Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Tomb of Jahangir and the Lahore Fort. The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) also helps promote tourism in the country. HoPakistanver, tourism is still limited because of the lack of proper infrastructure and the worsening security situation in the country. The recent militancy in Pakistans scenic sites, including Swat in Khyber Parkton Kawa province, have dealt a massive blow to the tourism industry. Many of the troubles in these tourist destinations are also blamed on the frail travel network, tourism regulatory framework, an d low prioritization of the tourism industry by the government, low effectiveness of marketing and a constricted tourism perception. After these areas Pakistanre being cleared off the militant groups in late 2009, the government, with financial support from the USAID, started a campaign to reintroduce tourism in Swat valley. Pakistan receives 500,000 tourists annually, with almost half of them heading to northern Pakistan http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/pk Strategies to improve tourism in Pakistan: 1. Safety 2. Emergency evacuations 3. Easy bookings of hotels and resorts, train and air services, cabs etc. Tourism is, in the current period, one of the areas that can provide regional and country, a profitable and economic development. Natural and anthropogenic potential which Romania has is necessary to be properly exploited, providing promotion and development of investment programs, able to attract a large number of tourists. The project is presenting a series of specific mountain tourism development through investment programs focused on strategic quality tourism services and protect the natural environment. Airports are the gateway to the country. Facilities and handling provided at the International airports from a lasting impression on the foreign tourist. Our airports suffer from a number of drawbacks despite the vast improvements undertaken in recent years. Sufficient attention has not been paid to the periodic training and education of personnel involved in handling immigration, security and health checks. Personnel at the airports would be encouraged to learn at least one foreign language. Suitable financial incentive will be provided for this purpose. Facilitation counters located in the immigration area will be manned by the personal of PTDC. Accredited representatives of recognized travel agencies would be given identity cards valid up to airline and immigration counters. Baggage handling and clearance system should be improved. The tour operators will arrange insurance cover for the tourist groups handled by them. The existing requirement of police registration and restriction of movement of foreigners would be removed except where specifically required under security considerations. Most tourists visiting Pakistan require visas, which are issued by Pakistani Embassies or High Commissions in other countries. While implementation is satisfactory, visas are an irritant to tourism and add to the cost of a holiday. Visas for nationals from some neighbouring states include considerable restrictions, which puts significant limitations on the development of regional tourism. However, as a part of its policy to facilitate tourism, the government has recently eased restrictions on visas. Source : http://www.tourism.gov.pk/travel_guide.html The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation maintains 21 Tourist Information Centres at various sites across the country; in addition, there are information offices Operated by provincial tourism authorities. However, the standard of service offered invariable and a rationalization of all centres is required, with staff training in foreign languages and customer relations. High-tech Tourist Information Centres of the kind available at Karachi International Airport, with e-mail, fax, and website facilities need to be established at the other major airports and city centres. A website of 1500 pages showing Pakistanis scenic tourist sites and cultural heritage has recently been launched which will greatly enhance awareness both nationally and internationally. Source : http://www.tourism.gov.pk/travel_guide.html There are approximately 41 tour operators in Pakistan that provide destination Management services for domestic and foreign tourists. As their services are critical to the development of international tourism, they need to be treated as a primary sub-sector and supported accordingly. Several areas of regulation impact negatively on tourism, such as the forbidden Photography of bridges and airports, and restricted zones where trekkers require special permission to enter. These restricted areas could be limited and perhaps renamed permit zones. Tribal leaders may be involved in the development of tourism activities in their areas. Although Pakistan possesses world-class tourist attractions, the international tourist Potential of areas such as the Swat Valley has been considerably reduced because of the lack of planning regulations, over-development and environmental degradation. Due to lack of co-ordination between the tourism industry and authorities in charge of natural, historical or religious sites, the tourism potential of such sites is not fully realized. Source : http://www.tourism.gov.pk/travel_guide.html Conclusion: Its the only industry, which needed more and more exploration (Zamar Sheikh) Pakistan is a major tourist attraction because it is blessed with natural beauty and Historical places that can yield huge foreign exchange if properly and methodically Exploited. Tourism could become foreign exchange earning industry for the country. Though Pakistan, has lately taken initiative but still there is dire need of tireless efforts to exploit this sector and to add more dimensions to attract the tourists. No proper attention was paid to harness the God gifted opportunity to earn more and More foreign tourists and foreign exchange which would open up new vistas of Employment in the tourism sector. Moreover the tourists may find and explore the market of their interest in Pakistan. Involvement of private sector was important to give boost to tourism. Private sector Should be given not only tax exemption but they also should be provided with vast Opportunities to invest and they must be facilitated also in terms of money; a network of five stars hotels and motels should be constructed at all tourists spots and tourist Operators may be provided necessary facilities, which on the one hand helped reduce unemployment while on the other harness foreign exchange. Private sector should take initiative to develop and exploit all tourist attraction and Historical location in the province, which unfortunately, has suffered due to negative Concept about its law and order. Good hotel industry acceptable to the international standards would give boost to the Tourist industry, which has suffered because of a number of reasons and one of them, was lack of proper accommodation for local as well as foreign tourists. At present there are about 4000 to 4500 rooms available in five star hotels throughout Pakistan, which were insufficient to the demand. There are problems n Pakistan which prevent this country from attracting its due share of international tourist and therefore to attract the tourist and to boost economy the government of Pakistan have to take serious measure to prevent threat of security to tourist together Pakistan need to promote itself as tourist destination at international forums but these both measure are equally important . The most important aspect security concern of tourist and therefore without taking proper measures to avoid security threat of security. the government of Pakistan should be conscious and careful when people visit this country and must show them how humble and welcoming they are and how interested people in Pakistan are to greet the foreign tourist as well as local tourist alike. Pakistan has truly potential for being a hot tourist spot in region especially for adventure tourism and eco tourism its potential is not unseen but need of the hour is promote itself and to reduce the concerns tourists. Postmodern Literature | The Harry Potter Series Postmodern Literature | The Harry Potter Series The Study of Postmodern literature has always been very interesting because of its contemporary relevance to us. Literature of postmodernism emphasizes the subjectivity of a work of art than the objectivity of it. It also attempts to deconstruct the so called modern and it promotes obscurantism. This new form of literature describes the antithetical to the conventional systems of so called morality. Literature of postmodernism rejects the modernist system of beliefs such as historical, rational and scientific notion in favor of ironic, self-conscious and experimental work of art. We do find the postmodern writers do not present the ideal world instead they project the real world and the problems in different ways. Hence this paper presentation focuses on the Harry Potter series written by J K Rowling with a special reference to the post modernist features in them. J K Rowling gives prominence to techniques such as magical realism, archetypal characters and metafiction. This paper wou ld venture into exploration of the glossy cover of popular fiction attributed to the Harry Potter series so as to understand and analyze the aspects of postmodern literature in it. J K Rowlings Harry Potter Series J K Rowling is a British writer born in the year 1965. She currently resides in Scotland with her husband and three children. She became most popular for the Harry Potter Series. After writing for more than five years, she got her place in the literary world. In the words of J K Rowling, I am an extraordinarily lucky person, doing what I love best in the world. Im sure that I will always be a writer. It was wonderful enough just to be published. The greatest reward is the enthusiasm of the readers. Harry potter series has drawn the attention of audiences of all ages around the world. She bagged the Hugo Award, the Whitbread Award for Best Childrens Book, the Bram Stocker Award as well as many other honours. She has been also names as the most influential woman in Britain by leading magazine editors. In the recent times, she extends to the works of charity such as one parent families, comic relief and Lumos. She is considered one of the best accomplished story tellers, who have the real sense of teenage psyche in her works. It is widely accepted that J K Rowling being a contemporary novelists in the post colonial era has contributed more to the literary arena. She is unique in her writing style with regard to the following aspects such as crafting her own characters, creatures, spells using Latin words and employing present-day events. J K Rowling speaks that, in some ways, she just writes what she sees in her mind. I have a very visual imagination. I see a situation and then I try to describe it as vividly as I can. And I do love writing dialog. Dialog comes to me as though Im just overhearing a conversation. It is widely accepted that J K Rowling being a contemporary novelists in the post colonial era has contributed more to the literary arena. Postmodern aspects in Harry Potter series: Harry Potter series is considered to be one of the most read and enjoyed work in the contemporary world. We do come across some of the prominent post modernistic aspects in them to a great extend. They are such as magical realism, metafiction, archetypal characterizes and so on. Magical Realism Magic becomes art when it has nothing to hide. Ben Okri Magical realism is primarily a literary style or genre of fiction, in which magical elements are into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality. A good number of magical elements are present in the series such as magical creatures at Hogwarts. J K Rowling used these creatures from the folklore, Greek mythology and other works of the past. We do encounter many ordinary animals with magical qualities. For example Owls deliver mails in the story. The other prominent magical factors employed in the series are as follows: magi-zoology, Hogwarts School, the rules and regulations of the ministry of magic and so on. The author purposely deploys these magical aspects to craft a realistic environment and it helps us to comprehend the story well. We find the unification of the muggle and magical worlds, namely the real and the magical worlds. Metafiction: Metafiction attempts to make the readers belief the artificiality of the work of art and it also generally ignores the obligation for willful suspension of disbelief. J K Rowling makes us belief the magical world to a great extent by incorporating the essence of magical realism. She supersedes the traditional notions of storytelling by including fantastical and supernatural elements in the novel adding to the excitement and thrill of the readers and audience. In other words the technique of fabulation is presented in the series with an effect of reality where one feels part of this make believe world and finds oneself involved to a great extent. Fantasy: Harry Potter series proves to be possessing elements of fantasy in them significantly. The super natural creatures such as dragons, elves, vampires, werewolves, dragons and talking animals are present in the novels. Most of the characters do perform magic and the protagonist Harry Potter and his friends own innate strong magical powers. We do have an extraordinary and powerful villain in the form of Lord Voldemort, who is exposed completely at the end of the story. There is also a great battle as in an epic, which shows the hero Harry Potter is nearly at the end of his life, yet he becomes victorious. The weapons Harry Potter uses such as Eragon, wand, sword are unique and powerful compared to what others have. The whole series mostly happen in the fictional place of Hogwarts School makes the series to be more fascinating to the readers. Finally the language used is very much fabricated one and it makes the readers to transform themselves in the magical world. Hence the Harry Potter series do possess the elements of a fantasy novel. Archetypal Elements: The archetypal elements are very much prevalent in the story. In other words, one come across recurring themes, symbolic situations, rituals, moral characters, colours, and images in the series. The protagonist, Harry Potter becomes the questing hero and he does encounter a number of challenges throughout the story. He becomes the totem for integrity, suffering, hard work, virtue and patience to the other characters in the novel as well as the readers. Harry Potters magical world posses other archetypal figures namely Hermoine and Ron who become Harrys partners, Troll and Filch turn out to be threshold guardians. The mythical trails and quests begin with the aim to conquer the villain Voldemort taking Harry and his friends through many difficult and challenging situations. All these events prove to consisting archetypal elements in them. Conclusion Harry Potter series becomes a part of the postmodern literature based on the themes and techniques discussed earlier. This series has got the ability to appeal to readers of all nationalities and ages. The story comprises of dynamic and complex elements of boarding school stories, fairy tales, detective novels, adventure stories, fantasy novels and quest tales. The movie adaptation of her work cannot be discounted for its literary value while providing one with entertainment. Throughout the series, readers constantly encounter different themes such as death, heroic quest, prejudice, oppression, normality, survival, self discovery, love, power, abuse of power and free decision making. Besides, J K Rowling engages the interest of the younger generation along with that of the adults with her imaginative and creative richness. Wildlife Crime Prevention Strategies: Badger Culling Wildlife Crime Prevention Strategies: Badger Culling According to Sykes Matza (1957) techniques of neutralisation can be understood as a set or classification by which criminals seek to justify and rationalise their criminal behaviour. The techniques the theory of neutralisation is built on four main observation points, the individuals express guilt over their illegal deviant behaviour, the individuals frequently respect and admire honest, law-abiding individuals, a line is drawn between those whom they can victimise and those they cannot, the individuals are not immune to the demands of conformity. The author will analyse these four points in more detail later in the essay in relation to the research article. A long-standing rural idea is that the countryside is a crime-free place to live, however, crime is by no means non-existent in rural areas. Yarwood (2001) argues that the geography of crime is Firmly entrenched in the urban environment and, by contrast, crime in the countryside has largely been ignored (Yarwood, 2001) Rural areas are sometimes described as being close knit. This term refers to the idea that people in rural areas have high levels of social intimacy with social connections being more immediate, more intense which is often based on similarities within the community (Weisheit et al 1996). This supports the criminologists theory of neutralization which outlines that one of the four observation points was that individuals frequently respect and admire honest, law abiding individuals. So therefore, wildlife crime between the rural communities is accepted within the closeness of the rural community setting. Rural culture is seen as being traditional, slow to change, relatively intolerant of diversity and unaccepting of outsiders (Wiesheit et al, 1996). Wildlife crime encompasses a range of offences including trading in endangered species, poaching, and acts of animal cruelty such as badger baiting, and cock and dog fighting (Countryside agency, 2004a). However, statistics on the levels of these offences are not officially collated. It has been noted that such crimes are hard to quantify not least because accurate figures do not exist on domestic and wildlife populations and that in many instances, the crime has no human witnesses or victims (Anderson 1997) One of the problems facing wildlife criminology is the lack of criminal laws with which to frame research activity (Bierne, 1999). The frequent absence of a clear framework through which to pursue research is connected with a much broader definition of crimes against nature. The RSPB reports that bird crime has been on a downward trend over recent years (RSPB, 2002). Nevertheless, the organisation believes that this may have been the result of the foot and mouth crisis restricting access to large parts of the countryside. The issue of wildlife crime in the countryside has received considerable attention in recent years. Fox hunting is an apposite example of how crime is a cultural construct. Whereas foxes have been legally hunted for centuries, it seems inevitable that the activity of fox hunting has become a criminal offence. The controversy surrounding the act of fox hunting led the government to pass the HUNTING ACT 2004 in November 2004 (Hunting Act, 2004) this act made fox hunting illegal with dogs in England and Wales in 2005. In America, the activity of fox hunting is referred to as fox chasing. Fox chasing can indeed go on for years and the population of the foxes are maintained (Smart, 2004). The absence of a clear definition of wildlife crime has not stopped the causes or motivations of wildlife crime. (Macdonald, 1961) states that animal cruelty in childhood leads to anti-social behaviour and aggression in later life, and labels this as the violence graduation hypothesis. Control theories have been hugely influential in the sociology of deviance, and linked with explanations of wildlife crime. Control theory suggests that criminal activity occurs when the controls or rules that ensure conformity are somehow lessened. The rural community as stated earlier can be a close knit community. Hirschi (1969) suggests that conformity arises from four types of social controls that create a social bond, attachment- strong social attachments encourage conformity, and thus, the rural community may conform towards wildlife crime due to social bonds. Opportunity- the more one perceives legitimate opportunity, the greater the advantages of conformity. Involvement and belief that in the rural community, strong beliefs in conventional morality and respect for their authority figures. Within the rural community different generations will respect their elders and peer groups and conform to their ideas and beliefs with reference to wild life crime. Badger culling has featured as part of government attempts to eradicate the disease Bovine Tuberculosis (b TB) in cattle. This disease is spread between cattle but can be transmitted by badgers to cattle. (Grant, 2009). Bovine Tuberculosis was found in badgers after a dead badger was identified having the disease. Farmers attempted to cull the badgers, leading to various protests from wildlife campaign groups. In 1973 The Badgers Act prohibited the killing, injuring or taking of badgers, except by authorised personal. It is not an offence for an authorised person to kill a badger if a court is convinced his action was necessary for the purpose of preventing serious damage to land, crops, poultry or any other form of property or for the purpose of preventing the spread of any disease. (The Badgers Act, 1973) Wildlife criminologists focus on the theory on Sykes Matza (1957) techniques of neutralisation; this theory can be used in the sociology of deviance to account for a wide range of deviant behaviour (Cohen 2002). Neutralisation techniques can be understood as a set or classification of discourses by which criminals seek to justify and rationalise their criminal behaviour. Sykes and Matza (1957) wanted to build upon (Sutherlands, 1939) theory differential association which states that an individual learns criminal behaviour through techniques of committing crimes and motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes. These techniques reduce the social controls over the delinquent, neutralisation is defined as a technique, which allows the person to rationalize or justify a criminal act. There are five techniques of neutralisation. Firstly, denial of the victim refers to the belief that whoever is harmed by an action deserved its consequences. Secondly, in denial of responsibility, of fenders argue that their actions were caused by forces beyond their control. Thirdly, denial of injury suggests that no-one suffered as a result of the crime. Fourthly, in appealing to higher loyalties, offenders cite that importance of maintain loyality to small groups rather than society. Fifthly, condemnation of the condemners refers to statements that suggest disapprovers are hypocrites who have caused more harm (Sykes Matza, 1957) Coleman (1994) adds another concept of techniques of neutralisation and states that denial of necessity for the law, everyones doing it, and claims of entitlement. There have been several attempts to apply these concepts to explain wildlife crime. Forsyth Evens (1998) have analysed the neutralisation techniques used by individuals involved in organised dog fighting. Eliason Dodder (1999) have shown how deer poachers deploy the claim to entitlement. They also use the concept that they have a right to the defence of necessity to justify their criminal activity, due to believing the concept that what is on their land is the poachers property. Sykes Matza (1957) further develop their views on delinquency as a result of a deviant sub-culture, which exposes the individual to crime and in turn teaches deviant behaviour or sub terranean values, which cause them to deviate from the norms of society. This is captured in the concepts of drift (Matza, 1964) Drift is explained as a gradual process, which results in moulding the individuals behaviour. Once the crime is committed the delinquent feels guilt and must balance their behaviour by returning to act in a law-abiding manner. Drift can be described as soft determinism, which views criminality as partly chosen and partly determined. The will to commit a crime occurs when one of these conditions is present, preparation and desperation. These allow the individual to form the decision to commit a crime. Preparation occurs when a criminal act is repeated once the person realizes that the criminal act can be achieved and is feasible. Desperation activities the will to initially commit a crime because of an extraordinary occasion, which is the feeling of lacking control over ones surroundings (Matza, 1964). In conclusion, this research article analysis of farmers reasons for illegally culling of badgers in England and Wales. Utilising the concept on Sykes Matzas neutralisation theory, the article highlights the activity in which badger culling occurs and how the rural community rationalise their deviant behaviour. The farmers attitudes and neutralisations might be perceived as a means they can view themselves as faultless victims and suggest that badger culling is a justified reaction to the current issue of preventing the spread of disease. The government on the 11th December 2012 announced it will delay a planned cull of badgers in England and Wales until next summer. Environment secretary Owen Paterson stated that it was crucial to get it right and it is too late in the year. Under the current Government plan, several thousands of badgers could be shot, in an attempt to decrease the levels of the disease Bovine Tuberculosis. Many Anti-Cull campaigners have welcomed this latest news on the activity of legal badger culling. How Effective is Notting Hill as an Urban Fairy Tale? How Effective is Notting Hill as an Urban Fairy Tale? Urban fairy tales is a supernaturalism mirror which reflects aspects of our inner world. For those who infiltrate themselves in what the fairy tale should combine, it becomes natural depression and quite pool which at first seems to reflect only on our own mental representation. Fairy tales consciously fabricate their settings and social environment, allow happenstance and magic to determine events and structure their narratives in such a way that the protagonist of the story undergoes a series of mental measurements before achieving his or her goal. In romantic comedies, the real focus is the power of love. Love is not merely the catalyst for action in a romantic comedy, it is the shaper of the story arc. Although many romantic comedies seem to initially set up their protagonists eventual mate as their antagonist, in most cases love itself is the antagonist. Wrestling with love can force a character to grow or to resist growth, but either way, loves effect on the central character i s what drives the story. Billy Mernit. So how do romantic comedies occupy the interest of an audience? All the romantic comedies I have ever seen somehow tries to clarify their version of the perfect couple, something the audience should strive to be. The writers of these films twig a man and a woman who are seamlessly perfect for each other. The characters have some force separating the two of them, they may be from different backgrounds, live on opposites sides of the world or one of them may even be already in a relationship. But we all know how a romantic comedy ends! The people who should be together end up together and they live happily ever after. No one really watches these movies for the ending as they are so predictable, viewers unquestionably watch these films to see how the relationship blossoms and grows, to feel the warm heart stings pull when the two people finally end up together. The 1990s saw a rise of genres that reached their extremum in contemporary British cinema, of which one is identified as the romantic-comedy. Robert murphy writes his article City life: Urban Fairy-tales in late 90s British Cinema (2009) that released romantic comedies during this existing period, notably those written by Richard Curtis, underpin a fairy tale structure. Although realism has been a predominant theme of British filmmaking Murphys idea of a fairy tale suggests that romantic comedies such as Notting Hill (roger michell,1998) reflect romantic characteristics of everyday life. Murphy assertion that narratives are stylised as a magical quest [1] (Robert Murphy, 2009) for goal orientated ideologist who get through a successful conclusion by stop the villain which, has been part of the Hollywood prescription since the 1920s. This essay will analyse and discuss Notting Hill as an Urban fairy tale regarding Murphys theory of fairy-tale narrative styles and British locations ser ving as an enchanting landscape and urban theme. The emotion in films is a very meaningful and important aspect to the narrative drive, this is perhaps the key factor that is essential to creating a successful film. Without a plausible and workable storyline, a film will almost definitely lose all hope of generating verisimilitude. An aspect which significantly affects how effective the storyline is in creating the verisimilitude critical to a romantic comedy/urban fairy tale is how sound effects and the sound track to the film is used. There is music to help up the tension in action movies and music which allows us to soften our hearts to heart-breaking yet romantic prince and princess things happening to the characters, which allows to open the vision of believability to a whole new level. A Characteristic which effect how successful a film is how well the characters are developed and how well they portray their characters. The producers of Notting Hill chose very appropriate actors that represented the characters at a very authentic standard. The actors were well constructed, very thoughtfully, to come across as prince and princess like characters during the films events. However, the prince and princess like characters I thought were not only equally well-constructed. I found that the villains who didnt necessarily realise that they were being villainous often had the best effect on the viewer and add fairy tale like qualities to the film. I found it more stimulating when there were numerous villains involved because otherwise there is little tautness and conflict during the narrative and this often leads to me switching off to the events on screen. The typical fairy-tale story line is in a linear form which per Murphy began either with a lack which must be remedied (the absence of an heir, a suitable marriage partner, enough food or land or wealth); a curse which has been removed (a spell cast by a which is disrupted and has to be restored (death or misfortune sends a, sometimes reluctant [2](Robert Murphy, 2009). British fairy-tale genres tend to be structured chronologically like the Hollywood storylines, they experiment the romantic lives of multiple middle-class people who elaborate different trends of relationships with love serving as the central postulate. Notting hill fits in a straightforward linear conspiracy that have individual hero and villains. Like William and Anna in Notting Hill, shapes romantic boundaries among opposing social classes within a fantastical situation. Notting Hill is structured in more straight-forward narrative that presents its protagonist William Thacker (Hugh Grant), a middle-class bookstore owner who convergence film star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) and progressively begin a relationship. Their happy ever after was forced to a halt as both characters having personal obstacles in their lives, Williams obstacles being recently divorced, and Anna facing famous pressures. Their relationship was an escapism from reality. In the end their obstacles is what reunite them together. This is to celebrate the idea of a union between two well-suited equals, even as its narrative simultaneously formulated a series of events and circumstances capable of keeping the couple apart until the very end. The couples first encounter is significant to the urban fairy tale as it takes place in Williams bookstore that features travel books. This is a sense of escapism particularly for Anna from the Hollywood scene, and it is when we first get a sense of their possible happily ever after. We see very early in the film that Julia Roberts character Anna is a prominent example as she portrayed in the opening scene as this goddess princess, through her Hollywood stardom. Roger Michell uses a number of filmic techniques that portrays Anna as a princess, the use of   voice over within the opening scene boosts her as Hollywoods biggest star alongside the non-diegetic sound SHE by Elvis Costello the lyrics especially   represents her natural beauty she may be the face I cant forget the trace of pleasure or regret   may be my treasure or the price I have to payà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ this song is playing whilst we are seeing   montage footage of Anna at Hollywood events, with low key lighting and the use of close ups and extreme close ups make sure the viewers attention is always on her. However, it is those Hollywood scenes that prevent her from her happily ever after ending. Anna primarily looks for an escape from her Hollywood lifestyle through her inter est in everyday Britain Murphy notes Anna is lured from the vacuous superficiality of a Hollywood lifestyle by the promise of life in the city of tranquil parks (all the more tranquil for being open only to the rich), street markets she can peruse with only minimal intrusions into her privacy and friendly people who, even when in   awe of her, act in a natural, unsycophantic way.[3] (Robert Murphy, 2009) Whilst Anna develops her interest in the ordinary lifestyle the travel books shows significance as well as her relationship with an everyday resident. Her relationship with William do battle with social classes, this is recognised in the films tag line can the most famous film star in the world fall for the man in the street. Murphy notes if this cycle of films is remarkable for its evacuation of class conflict and its conservative representation of society, it is less a matter of sympathy switching from the poor and oppressed to the privileged and successful, than of a rappr ochement, a papering over the rifts that had opened up between rich and poor, losers and winners in the 1980s. [4](Robert Murphy, 2009)   Richard Curtis use of linear narrative structure was used frequently in the 1930s in Hollywood romantic-comedies, like it happened one night (Capra, 1934), is vital to reflecting the elegance within contemporary Britain. Americas Universal Pictures distributed Notting Hill, despite its main characters, cast and crew being British, though street states that this represents a traditional strengthening of exclusive notions of Britain. Notting hill works as an urban fairy tale because of the basic narrative structure, most of the success of this film being such a classic rom-com is down to the talents of Richard Curtis, who has a detailed eye for situation comedy. It is a delightful love story that is sometimes foreseeable in the narrative structure however Richard manages to find a persuasive originality. It is the clash of cultures that is wonderfully emphasised during this film such as the scene when William bring Anna to his sisters dinner party. William and his friends might be inte rchangeable with Charles and his friends in terms of character types but they are set lower in the class hierarchy and have none of the glamour and prestige which still attaches to the English aristocracy.[5] (Robert Murphy, 2009) The impression that Anna seems to have on the regular British people be a symbol for cinema in relation to Hollywood. Like how women are represented, male protagonists are what Murphy describes sleeping prices and frogs waiting to be kissed.[6] (Robert Murphy, 2009) They appear attractive and sophisticated, which they are superficially unware of, possess no machismo features of masculinity. Hugh Grant is perhaps the most noticeable star within the romantic-comedy and urban fairy-tale genre not only because he appears in films such as Love Actually, Four Weddings and Bridget Jones but also because of his star status that enhances a prince like status. Grants persona is that of the well up brining Englishman whose off screen behaviour confirms stereotypes ab out upper-class hypocrisy over sexual matters. In this sense, grant is a typecast actor whose characters are frequently the handsome and well educated individual who represents the amiable males in Britain in relation to Murphys idea of a sleeping prince, Notting Hill further discovers Williams personal complications before claiming his reward, Anna specifically admires his unique lifestyle with flatmate Spike (Rhys Ifans), his social life among unproductive friends and most importantly his recovery from his recent divorce and new love determination. Notting Hill signifies many characteristics of the star lifestyle, red carpet events, press, fans stopping for autographs, being followed by lurid journalists, etc. but the star lifestyle is also shown somewhat undesirably, especially when compared to life in Notting Hill. Realism, or verisimilitude, is largely an important part of film, yet it is hard to believe that a film star would fall in love with a regular person and give up her whole lifestyle to live a low quiet lifestyle in Notting Hill. It is an essential part of genre films as it is usually the credibility elements of a film that lay the practicalities of its pleasure which in turn entices audiences to see the film in the first place. In the case of Notting Hill, the demand is in the wanting. Postponement of disbelief allows the viewer to believe that anything is possible and the film star of their imaginings is within their grasp. It is an apparently realistic lifestyle. Celebrities are important to culture as they have a foremost control over the representation of people and their films tend to reflect the foremost ideology of western society. Bad press can be such a disaster for both the actors careers and whatever films they have due for release. But luckily for Grant, the incident with the prostitute didnt affect his career too bad, in fact people laugh at the prostitute reference in Notting Hill. Notting Hill is representative of the genre in terms of narrative contraries attracting, falling in love, dithering apart, living happily ever after, characters near group of friends to pick up when youre feeling down, another love interest to whichever end the relationship for a short amount of time. British romantic comedies have a tendency to to be set in or near London. Music and soundtracks tend to be popular music from popular artists and use instrumental score to create and build the spectators reaction. Cinematography lean towards close up camera angles on the protagonists faces throughout instants of powerful emotion. It also topographies a reasonably accurate symbol of stardom in the narrative and stars actors who have become iconographic in relations of genre. When I started this essay my aim was to identify and analyse in depth how effective Notting Hill is to an urban fairy tale and in doing so I hope to have proven that it is very important for the film director and producers to think of all the characterises that go into making this particular genre. I have discussed that the making of a successful urban fairy tale/ romantic comedy means that the cinematography and the use of camera angles is used to reveal emotion, the narrative and the characters need to be built very carefully, the actors must be talented enough to represent the characters well, the music and any effects used must be applicable to the genre and events within the film and that the cultural dissertations and must also be thoughtfully used. I hope to have been successful whilst completing this essay by discussing the key factors that shows Notting Hill as an urban fairy tale. As Notting hill settles with a happy ending or determinations like a traditional fairy-tale st ory. The linear structure can, in some ways, be foreseeable but the significant aspect of Notting Hill is that it can centre on contemporary issues with Robert Murphy supporting concept of fairy tale Britain increasingly contributing a positive factor. Finally, Notting Hill establishes a spirit of Hollywood within but at the same time it maintains a sense of British independent film making. Bibliography https://film essay sand articles. word press.com/ category / romantic-comedy/ http://www.term paper warehouse.com / essay-on / Romance-Movies/ 121294 https://www.megaessays.com / view paper / 98479.html Murphy, Robert (2009), Citylife: Urban Fairy-tales in Late 90s British Cinema, in Robert Murphy (ed.), The British Cinema Book: Third Edition (London: BFI), pp.350-7 Higson, Andrew (2011), Film England: Culturally English Filmmaking since the 1990s (London and New York: I.B.Tauris), particularly Chapter 3, pp.67-96 Mather, Nigel (2006), Tears of Laughter: Comedy-Drama in 1990s British Cinema (Manchester; New York: Manchester University Press) http://www.talking pix.co.uk / Article Notting Hill Genre. html http://www.teenink . com / opinion / movies _music _tv / article / 171583 / Misleading Movies The Romantic Comedy / http://www. Npr . org / sections / monkey see / 2013 / 03 / 06 / 173424536 / are romantic comedies dead https://en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Notting _Hill _(film) http://www. Imdb . com / title / tt0125439 / [1] Robert Murphy . (2009). city life: urban fairy-tales in late 90s British cinema . In: Robert Murphy THE BRITISH CINEMA BOOK. 3rd ed.london: palgrave macmillan. 358. [2] Robert Murphy . (2009). city life: urban fairy-tales in late 90s British cinema . In: Robert Murphy THE BRITISH CINEMA BOOK. 3rd ed.london: palgrave macmillan. 358 [3] Robert Murphy . (2009). city life: urban fairy-tales in late 90s British cinema . In: Robert Murphy THE BRITISH CINEMA BOOK. 3rd ed.london: palgrave macmillan. 363 [4] Robert Murphy . (2009). city life: urban fairy-tales in late 90s British cinema . In: Robert Murphy THE BRITISH CINEMA BOOK. 3rd ed.london: palgrave macmillan. 364 [5] Robert Murphy . (2009). city life: urban fairy-tales in late 90s British cinema . In: Robert Murphy THE BRITISH CINEMA BOOK. 3rd ed.london: palgrave macmillan. 363 [6] Robert Murphy . (2009). city life: urban fairy-tales in late 90s British cinema . In: Robert Murphy THE BRITISH CINEMA BOOK. 3rd ed.london: palgrave macmillan. 360