Critical Thinking Assignment: Buddhism

1. The question of Origin- Those who follow Buddhism have faith that the universe and god are one and the same. (Weider & Gutierrez, 201, 56) Buddhist turn to the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama also known as Buddha to live correct and at death escape the course of karma. After death, they trust they will become one with the universe. 2. The question of identity- The question of identity in Buddhism is answered in their belief that all living things are equal. They believe you must live according to the teachings of Buddha in order to escape karma and reincarnation after death. . The question of meaning/purpose- For Buddhist the primary goal is to reach Nirvana and end all personal suffering. In order to end suffering one must eliminate all fleshly desires and follow the teachings of Buddha which consists of the â€Å"Four Noble Truths† and the â€Å"Noble Eightfold Path†. 4. The question of morality- Because Buddhist believe everything is sacred they follow the † Ethical Code† instructed in the â€Å"Eightfold Path† which entails refrain from all forms of evil. The major points in the â€Å"ethical code† are; one must keep from taking a person’s life, stealing, immoral sexual behavior, lying and intoxication. 5. The question of destiny- Buddha rejected the idea Hindus hold about karma, which states that a person will continue to be reincarnated throughout time. He believed that one could escape through the denial of personal desires which lead to dissatisfaction because nothing in this world lasts. Buddha taught that everyone could reach Nirvana as long as they lived right. Once they reach Nirvana believers will live in a state where one feel neither hate nor love. Part 2: Compare and Contrast 1. The question of origin- Christians believe God is the creator of the universe and everything in it. Buddhist believers follow the idea that the universe and everything in it are one and the same. To the Buddhist everything has always existed unlike for Christians who believe there was a beginning which is explained in the book of Genesis. 2. The question of Identity-In Genesis 1:27 the bible states that we are created in the image of God. Just as we inherit traits from our parents we inherit traits from God. Buddhist believe humans and animals are one with the universe and both are equal in importance. 3. The question of meaning and purpose- For Christian’s the meaning and purpose of humans is found in John 17:3. John tells us that we are to know God through his Son Jesus Christ. We are to have a close intimate relationship with God. As ambassadors of Christ we are to go and communicate to the world what we know about Jesus, who makes this relationship with God possible. Buddhist do not believe in a personal God. They believe god is distant and does not become involved personally involved in people’s lives. The Buddhist believe their main purpose in to escape the karma and reach Nirvana where they will live without any desire. 4. The question of morality- Without God we are unable to determine what actions are right and wrong (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011, p 61) Christian believers follow the word of God as a guide to live their live. The bible calls believers to love God and to love their neighbor as they love themselves. These two commandments keeps believers from sinning against their neighbor. Buddhist believer in Buddha’s â€Å"Four Noble Truths† and the â€Å"Eight Noble Truths†. Their â€Å"Ethical Conduct† section says a person should conduct himself with â€Å"right speech, right action, and right livelihood. † These codes will liberate a person from the cycle of karma. Unlike Christians Buddhist do not believe in forgiveness the way Jesus offers it. However both beliefs agree that respect is inevitable to live in peace. 5. The question of destiny- Christians believe in heaven and hell. The difference in where a person will go depends on their acceptance in Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives. Repentance of sin is followed by the forgiveness of Christ. A Christian will live for eternity in heaven if they accept the forgiveness offered by Jesus Christ. Buddhist believe â€Å"salvation† must be worked out. According to the teachings of Buddha anyone can reach Nirvana as long as the person works to behave â€Å"right† during their lifetime.

Hostel Life Essay

After completing Class 10 or 12, it may be time for you to move out of the comfortable confines of home into a hostel, if you are attending a college located far away from your hometown. Hostel life is almost a parallel culture, an experience that takes you out of your comfort zone and exposes you to several experiences. Living by some stringent rules is one of them. Getting to know a host of students from diverse backgrounds at very close quarters, is another. Read on for an insight into this parallel life. Hostel life is a very memorable period in one’s life, but due to lack of knowledge or a casual attitude or irresponsible behaviour, you may have problems of adjustment to the hostel environment, which can affect your studies and career. This is the stage where you have to take care of yourself. From childhood, parents take care of children in every possible way, but while staying away from home and parents, you have to own up for your actions and their consequences, and become responsible for making the most of the opportunity available to enhance your knowledge as well as take the initiative for your personality development. At Management Development Institute (MDI), these are the two crucial years of student life before entering the workforce and one needs to consider it as an investment in one’s future. So, acquaint yourself with the rules, regulations and norms of the institute and seek guidance from the faculty. The 3 Ds of hostel life †¢ Discipline †¢ Duty †¢ Devotion Your hostel is a place where you can learn a lot of things including how to conduct yourself. Students are expected to follow these rules when they join the hostel: 1. First and foremost, all students are expected to acquaint themselves with the hostel rules and regulations. Lack of awareness about the rules will not be seen as a reason for not following them. 2. You will need to share your room with another student and you have to adjust with each other. 3. Following hostel rules and timings is a must. Any violation can result in strict action being taken by the wardens. 4. Students are not allowed to leave the hostel after a certain time, and this is to be followed very strictly. 5. Keeping in touch with your parents will ensure that you don’t feel homesick. 6. Give the phone numbers of your roommates and some other friends to your parents along with the hostel contact number, so that your parents can get information about you in case your number is not reachable. 7. If your roommates intentionally disturb you while studying, try and make them understand this. If this does not work, bring it to the notice of the hostel warden at the earliest. 8. Be friendly and helpful to other hostel members. 9. Participate in functions or programmes organised in the hostel. You will develop your friend circle and extra-curricular activities. 10. If your seniors ask you to introduce yourself to them, cooperate if it is in the spirit of fun and not harassment. If they try to trouble you physically or mentally, immediately speak to the warden. 11. Give priority to your studies. Remember your parents have let you to study outside because they trust you. 12. Try to maintain a healthy relationship with other students. Never interfere in others’ personal matters. 13. Bring along these things: mattress, towels, soap and shampoo. They are usually not offered by the hostels. 14. Learning cultures: One feature of hostel life is you must learn to share your room with a person from another state or region. This can be a real learning experience. There may be initial adjustment problems, but gradually you learn about other cultures. 15. Last but not the least — avoid carrying valuable things as you alone will be responsible for their safety.

Is the Chinese Renminbi Undervalued Essay

Since July 2005, first time being revalued after 11 years of fixing at 8.27, Chinese Yuan has been heading towards only one direction – all the way from 8.27 to 6.27. Although Yuan is a highly regulated currency by government, Chinese officials could no longer peg the Yuan as it used to be in a closed economy because WTO had opened up doors for Chinese manufacturers in 2001 to export cheap goods and services to developed countries. With trillions of foreign capital flooding into the country, Yuan has appreciated over 30% over seven years. However, this one-way money flow cannot be sustained. Though it is not sure whether Yuan is at the absolute equilibrium, it is currently neither significantly undervalued nor overvalued. This essay is going to explain why Yuan is modestly priced with analysis in both the fundamentals and money flows. Needs for appreciation in past In theory, two open economies should have equivalent purchasing power – that is, if 10 units of foreign currency can buy something that is valued at 1 unit of domestic currency, the implied equilibrium exchange rate should also be 10(domestic as based money). Otherwise, there is an arbitrage opportunity. We call this Purchase Power Parity. In reality, despite some limitations about this theory, it explains most of the valuation problem in China. Take a look at China’s Balance of Payments over 2003-2010 and it is obvious to observe huge surplus annually in both current and capital & financial account, accumulating to a foreign reserve of $3.3 trillion. Reach equilibrium? At the government level, on one hand, it had to increase money base to maintain exchange rate against USD at a gradual appreciation pace. On the other hand, it needs to hold huge foreign assets, primarily in USD, to back up its currency from deprecation in the event of capital outflows. Amid the money inflow, Chinese central bank faced mounting pressure of inflation on local assets. The private sectors are impacted in two ways. Firstly, Chinese residents and companies feel much richer now because higher RMB increases their purchase power of foreign assets. This means more imports and capital account outflows. Secondly, inflation and appreciation means that Chinese products and services are more expensive. And this would lead to less exports. Pew Survey showed that 70% of Chinese people feel financially better off than five years ago, which among the best in the world. In the last a few years, the fact of continues Yuan appreciation, associated with stories about how China is cash rich and how Chinese investors are buying everything they can in the world, raises interesting discussion if Yuan had appreciated enough. There is also a trend that more goods are manufactured in new WTO members such as Nepal and Vietnam that have price advantage over China. Moreover, in the currency forward market, investors have priced in modest depreciation for Yuan in the next 12 months and spot market is no longer moving towards one direction. Data shows†¦ All those various observations reveal the same process that drives RMB exchange rate to an equilibrium level. Recent data also suggests that at current FX level, the rise in trade surplus and capital & finance account surplus slowed (see chart below). So does foreign reserve. What does it means? If we apply a popular formula: Capital out flow = Foreign Reserve – FDI – Trade surplus Numbers imply that 62.4 – 128.5 – 145.8 = 211.9 billions has flown out of China in the first three quarters of 2012. Although this estimation still lacks of actual evidence, the scale of growth slowing down in foreign reserve in 2012 is worth attention since it is so large that it is hard to be justified by seasonal adjustment or calculation period discrepancy. This might signal the start of reverse capital flows of Yuan, which means Yuan is no longer undervalued. Ultimately†¦ The answer to Yuan’s valuation problem is complex especially given that it is still mostly controlled by government and there are so many dynamic factors to consider. So far there are some money flows and data support the conclusion that Yuan is no longer significantly undervalued. In the long run, as expectation of Chinese government to allow a fully conversion Yuan is built on, maybe the real answer can only be found out by then.

History of Art and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

History of Art and Technology - Essay Example Ideas that come from it are formulated by one’s reaction to the changing of sceneries as the vehicle moves from one point to another. This experience can only be felt by the person being transported, by the passenger. For one who sees a vehicle passing by, the vehicle itself is nothing but a mobile speck in seemingly still scenery. For the cargo forwarder or the airline staff, whose job is to ensure the delivery of things and people to another location, the vehicle is a means for completing a service or a business process. Therefore, their impression of the vehicle is nothing more but practical and mechanical. The philosophers and the more introspective artists have a higher degree of appreciation with a vehicle ride. For the philosophizing passenger, who seats by window of a vehicle and watches the changes of the scenery outside happening in rapid succession, a vehicle provides him something more than just a travel through space and time. As he absorbs the sight in his mind, he also transports himself from the real sensible world to one that is fictitious or surreal. What he sees are real but the quickness of the changes does not allow him to grasp fully its reality. With portions after portions only of what is real absorbed in his mind, it becomes convenient for him to create his own imaginary world. This paper provides a description and analyses of what the airline passenger or experiences as he takes a flight from an airport to another. This experience is presented in the form of an analogy to the airplane’s ten-point manual. Each point of the manual shall be the basis of the description for what the passenger notices and absorbs as he is transported. An airplane provides the passenger the sensations of being in â€Å"a relatively inert body traversing the world at high speed.† (Morse 109) This mode of transportation, however, is often the preference of

Why Asian American males are sexually overlooked (undersexed) in the Term Paper

Why Asian American males are sexually overlooked (undersexed) in the US - Term Paper Example Racially, black men on the average are considered to have the largest endowment, Asians the least and whites in between. Although this is probably true, the important thing from a sexual behavior point of view is the perception. Considering this, it should not be surprising that many women do not consider Asian males as likely prospects for sexual partnerships. Asian Birth Rates and its’ Consequences While sources indicate that Japan has a lower birth rate than China, both are very low with no signs of an imminent rebound.( East-West Center) Indeed, most of developed industrial Asia has decreasing birth rates. Even though war ravaged, Afghanistan has the highest birth rate in the region as it is the least developed. The more advanced countries such as Japan, South Korea, and China, after a period of rapid economic growth, are now slowing down. (Fogarty 2997) This means fewer employment opportunities for the young and well educated, including women. As in the West 2 incomes are required for a decent standard of living for young married couples, especially those with children. Also because Asian males are not inclined to share the burdens of domestic duties, women find it increasingly difficult to combine a fulfilling career with marriage and child rearing. Therefore, many have decided to chose one or the other, reducing the marriage rate and by extension the birth rate. If a woman decides to be a stay at home mom she would need to find a well heeled mate, difficult to do with income levels determined by age and experience. Although Japan has a very low marriage/birth rate it is slightly higher in rural than urban areas because extended families tend to live together and share the burden of child care. As well as decreasing birth rates, there is also a trend in Asia as there is in the West toward lower birth rates of males compared to females.( redOrbit 2008) Male births still outnumber female with the rates varying between 100 and 110 males for every 100 females. However, the gap is narrowing, possibly due to the effects of increased pollution. At first blush one would think that would give more opportunity for Asian males for permanent and casual relationships. The economic impediments of marriage and child rearing have been discussed above. In the case of casual sexual relationships it is difficult to find data but I think one can make reasonable assumptions based on demographic changes. With globalization and increased educational and career resulting from feminism, they are no longer dependent on marriage and support of local males. They are more able to pursue their own careers if they wish, chose not to marry and pursue sexual gratification with partners of other races who allegedly offer greater sexual prowess. Racial Humiliation as a Fetish The internet is flooded with sites catering to various fetishes including sexual, racial or both combined. A fetish is worship of an object/person because the worshipper attributes a pote ncy or magical power to the object/person worshipped which they don’t have, or alternatively feel guilty because they have an excess of it. An example of the latter would be a powerful senior executive voluntarily surrendering and humiliating himself to a voluptuous leather clad mistress. In recent times it could be an Asian feeling inferior because of his small penis, submitting himself to being degraded by say a white or black mistress, in the hope if he does so well enough, the mistress will eventually reward him with some kind of sexual relief. It is difficult to explain the psychological need for fetish worship, but it seems to relate to an attempt to correct some kind of imbalance in one’s life. One website I saw was blatantly racist with a woman portraying herself as an Aryan mistress

Potent and specific genetic interference by double-stranded RNA in Essay

Potent and specific genetic interference by double-stranded RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans - Essay Example Notably, this reflects limited interference activity. To achieve a commendable effect, there should be a high dose of the injected RNA. In an endogenous activity, an antisense-sense mixture has the capacity to produce interference that is very effective. In the development of a dsRNA (double-stranded RNA), the evident feature is the potency of the antisense-sense mixture in the interfering activity. Placing the double-stranded structure in cis has no effect on the potent activity of the interference. That is, double-strand sequences that are positioned on level 3 or 5 of a single-strand segment are not able to trigger interference. Using unc-54, fem-1 and hlh-1 to assess the target uniqueness of the effects of dsRNA, the results include (1) progeny broods with a null-mutant phenotype are produced and (2) the single RNA threads with no important interference. At cellular levels, the effects of interference of dsRNA can also be examined. Fractions of the Derived fluorescent protein (GFP) decrease when they are injected with dsRNA and the same is explained by in the figure above and

Analysis Assessment Task-Look, A Book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis Assessment Task-Look, A Book - Essay Example The picture is so important that sometimes words are dropped and pictures alone are sued to tell the story. Picture books are so important  and they have become so common and are used to deal with controversial and complex issues important to a mature audience. The books are also important in promoting core values useful in curriculum. the books also enhance thoughtful thinking in arrange of issues. Which is important in helping students attain visual literacy which is great value to English Learning Picture books have several qualities. As an aesthetic for example, different elements are often used to illustrate the aesthetic part of the picture. These include color, lines, shape, texture and sometimes, page breaks and turns, borders and breaking the frame, relationship of words and picture, and connection of other works of art. The illustrations in the picture book are meant to be seen in sequence. However, it is only possible to see one at a time. Color as has natural associatio ns. Red, for example is a symbol   for excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, all things intense and passionate.    Pink symbolizes love and romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance and calm. Ivory symbolizes quiet and pleasantness. Beige symbolizes calm and simplicity. Yellow symbolizes, joy, happiness, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard and friendship. Blue symbolizes  peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant.    Turquoise symbolizes calm. Purple symbolizes royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, and mourning.    Lavender symbolizes femininity, grac e and elegance. Orange symbolizes energy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant, demanding of attention.   Green symbolizes nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune, vigor. Brown symbolizes,  earth, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort. Grey symbolizes  security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring. Silver symbolizes calm. White symbolizes, reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical. Black symbolizes, power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, underground, good technical co lor, mourning, death (Western cultures).   Illustrator’s use of these associations will therefore depend on their cultural background. Colors have three aspects; hue, tone and saturation. Unlike in novels in which words flow from one page to the other, the page  breaks are considered very important in picture books. Authors, illustrators and editors, pay close attention to the page breaks. Babra. B, (1976), suggests that the page breaks bring about the excitement and aesthetic of a picture book. The picture book, Look A BOOK! by Libby

Independents study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Independents study - Essay Example Ordinarily, marketing is considered an activity or function performed by business firms. However, marketing can also be carried out by other organizations and even by individuals. Whenever you try to persuade somebody to buy something, you are performing a marketing activity. Broadly viewed, the essence of marketing is a transaction - an exchange. Marketing occurs any time one social unit strives to exchange something of value with another social unit. Thus, marketing consists of all activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchange intended to satisfy human needs or wants ( Stanton, 1991). eMarketing is the "product of the meeting between modern communication technologies and the age-old marketing principles that humans have always applied.E-marketing or electronic marketing refers to the application of marketing principles and techniques via electronic media and more specifically the Internet. The terms eMarketing, Internet marketing and online marketing, are frequently interchanged, and can often be considered synonymous." eMarketing is the process of marketing a brand using the Internet. It includes both direct response marketing and indirect marketing elements and uses a range of technologies to help connect businesses to their customers. By such a definition, eMarketing encompasses all the activities a business conducts via the worldwide web with the aim of attracting new business, retaining current business and developing its brand identity. E-marketing involves marketing planning within the context of the e-business e-environment. So not surprisingly, the successful e-marketing plan is based on traditional marketing disciplines and planning techniques, adapted for the digital media environment and then mixed with new digital marketing communications techniques This research looked into the advantages and limitations of eMarketing in an attempt to guide prospective marketers in the sale of their products. The Research Problem This research tried to look into the advantages and limitations of eMarketing. Much has been said about these aspects of emarketing but a few so far had looked into the benefits and limitations derived from it. Specifically, it attempted to answer the following questions: 1. What is eMarketing 2. What are the advantages of eMarketing 3. What are the limitations/disadvantages of eMarketing Related Literature This part describes and discusses important concepts, ideas, judgments and opinions of experts and authorities on topics which have bearing on the present study. The studies and literature have been reviewed to provide insights and to help the researcher in formulating problems and hypothesis and aid in the analysis and interpretation of data. What is eMarketing eMarketing is essentially part of marketing. The American Marketing Association (AMA) definition (2004) is as follows: "Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders." Therefore eMarketing by its very nature is one aspect of an organizational

Changing Roles of Worker Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Changing Roles of Worker - Research Paper Example Their work is unseen and much of it is mental. The knowledge worker is famous for making judgment calls and decisions and being paid handsomely in some cases to do so. This report will be centered on the managers and leaders who are guiding the knowledge workers and how their roles may be shifting from what that has been like supervising the traditional workers. There has been a shift noted in roles from boss or supervisor to player/coach as argued by Davenport. Davenport proposes that those managers that understand the knowledge workers’ wants and needs can get more from the people, communicate more efficiently, and lead a â€Å"managerial revolution† (p. 3). The shift in roles, from boss to player/coach is coming about. Johnson cites Davenport again stating rather than supervising the work, the manager of a group of knowledge workers will come from the group of workers and be one that is also performing the work. Hierarchies will be shrinking as they become networks a nd communities of knowledge resources. Rather than hiring and firing, the managers’ job will be to develop and train the new staff.

Compensation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Compensation - Coursework Example This discourse delves into analyzing these problems in addition, recommends solutions that the management needs take to sort out the problem. It is crucial for the management because the modern economic environment poses additional problems that would make the situation complex. Several questions concerning compensation of employees at the workplace generate complex answers. Among them, who handles employee compensation, what it entails, as well as why it is necessary for employers to carry it out (Mizell, 2010). This discourse delves into explaining the definition of employee compensation, its elements, ways through which institutions comprehend the needs of users, and reasons explaining the need for compensation. Mainly, the paper deals with ethical and legal issues pertaining to compensation a person while discharging his or her duties. The biggest question surrounds appropriate issues to consider while undertaking employee compensation. Is it legal and ethical for organizations to remunerate employees while they discharge their duties? What components should the institutions consider while setting standards of remuneration? What aspects of compensation are acceptable both ethically and legally? In the process, various theories assess whether the employe es have any privacy over what they earn at while at work. Many issues exist to support the privacy of employees terms while at work. However, opposing stands on organizations granting rights to employees are equally strong. The development of technology leads to the need to create new rules with the best example being the U.S postal system. The type of employer also carries the potential to determine the protection extended to employees. While legal issues relating to employee compensation come under extreme assessment, the same issue raises many ethical questions that the discourse will address in detail. To keep an efficient and safe work

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Essay Example for Free

The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company Essay Company’s briefly introduction Once one of the biggest baggers of groceries in the US, The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company (AP) has been reduced to a shrinking portfolio of regional grocery chains. It now runs about 300 supermarkets in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and three other eastern states. In addition to its mainstay 80-store AP chain, the company operates five banners: Pathmark, Waldbaums, Superfresh, Food Emporium, and Food Basics. AP acquired its longtime rival in the Northeast, Pathmark Stores, for about . 4 billion, but the purchase failed to reverse APs lagging fortunes. Indeed, AP in 2012 emerged from 15 months bankruptcy after a financial restructuring and closing 75 stores. More from Wikipedia: The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, better known as AP, is a supermarket and liquor store chain in the United States. Its supermarkets, which are under six different banners, are found in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. APs liquor stores, known as Best Cellars, are found in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia.[2] APs corporate headquarters are in Montvale, New Jersey.[3] Supermarket News ranked AP #19 in the 2010 Top 75 Food Retailers and Wholesalers based on 2009 fiscal year estimated sales of $9.1 billion.[4] Based on 2009 revenue, AP was the 34th largest retailer in the US.[5] From 1915 through 1975, it was the largest food retailer in the nation (until 1965, the largest US retailer of any kind).[6] AP is considered an American icon.[7] The Wall Street Journal, in an editorial on December 10, 2010, said that AP was as well known as McDonalds or Google is today and that AP was Wal-Mart before Wal-Mart.[8] What is now AP began in 18 59; it established a small chain of retail tea and coffee stores in New York City and a national mail order business. It grew to 70 stores by 1878. In the late 19th century, AP, still a tea and coffee company, became the countrys first grocery chain. At the turn of the century, it operated almost 200 stores. The company grew dramatically after introducing the economy store concept in 1912, growing to 1,600 stores in 1915. After World War I, the company opened stores offering meat and produce. In 1930 the company, now the worlds largest retailer, reached $1  billion in sales with 16,000 stores.[9] In 1936, AP adopted the self-serve supermarket concept and opened 4,000 larger stores by 1950.[10] APs decline began in the 1950s when it failed to keep pace with chains which opened larger, modern supermarkets with features demanded by customers. By the 1970s, AP stores were out of date; its efforts to combat high operating costs resulted in poor customer service. In 1975, the company hired outside management, closing older stores and building modern ones. When these efforts failed to turn the company ar ound, the heirs of the original owners, and foundations that owned a majority of the stock, sold to the German Tengelmann Group. AP then launched a store-closing program financed by the surplus assets of its pension plan.[11] Starting in 1982, AP acquired several chains; these stores operated through their names rather than AP. While AP regained profitability in the 1980s, in 2002 it operated at a record loss because of new competition, especially Wal-Mart. AP closed more stores, which included the sale of its large Canadian division. In 2007, AP purchased Pathmark, one of its toughest competitors; AP again became the largest supermarket chain in the New York City area. Highly leveraged after this acquisition, the company experienced financial difficulties because of the recession and filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2010. In late 2011, AP implemented a restructuring plan to emerge from bankruptcy.[12][13] On March 13, 2012, it was announced that AP had emerged from bankruptcy and was now a private company. History: More than 150 years ago, The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (AP) began operations as The Great American Tea Company. Its first store – on Vesey Street in New York City – sold tea, coffee and spices at value prices. Soon after, stores sprung up all around the New York metropolitan area, and salesmen took their wares to the road in horse-drawn carriages bound for New England, the Midwest and the South. In 1869, the Company was renamed The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, commemorating the first transcontinental railroad. In 1936, AP became the first national supermarket chain in the United States, one of many innovative concepts that radically changed the way consumers shopped. Its  vast advertising and promotional activities reached so many consumers that AP became an American icon. Below are select milestones from the Companys rich history: 1859-1899 Becoming a Grocery Pioneer * 1859 The Great American Tea Company is founded as a mail order business by tea and spice merchants George Huntington Hartford and George Gilman. The same year, the first store-warehouse operation opens in New York City at 31 Vesey Street. * 1869 The Company is renamed the Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, or AP. * 1880 AP begins marketing its own brand of baking powder, its first private label product. It also pioneers the use of refrigerated railroad cars to transport fruit, and becomes the first to bring fresh seafood to the Midwest. * 1881 AP becomes the first grocery chain to operate 100 stores and expands to 5,000 delivery routes. * 1880s With the publics taste for coffee growing rapidly, AP establishes its own brand, Eight O Clock Breakfast Coffee, packaged in a red bag. George Huntington Hartford names the product after the time of the day that he believed the most coffee was consumed. * 1887 Sales hit $1 million. * 1890s AP introduces premium â€Å"checks† to be redeemed for cups, saucers and other goods, marking the first original customer-loyalty program with premiums and savings coupons. 1900-1959 Becoming an Innovator and American Icon * 1912 John Hartford convinces his father and brother to launch the first no frills† grocery format in America with the opening of the AP Economy Store in Jersey City, N.J. The cash and carry store, with plain furnishings and fixtures, offered no credit, no deliveries and no premiums just quality groceries at very low prices. * 1920 The AP Economy Store concept flourishes and catalyzes an extraordinary period of growth, resulting in 4,638 stores, from about 350 stores in 10 years prior. * 1924 The AP Radio Hour launches as Americas first national radio program. Soaring in popularity through the 1930s, it featured popular artists such as Kate Smith, Harry Horlick and the AP Gypsies. * 1929 AP more than triples its store count to 15,418 stores and increases  sales five-fold to reach the $1 billion mark. * 1930s AP expands to California, Washington and Canada. * 1933 AP participates in the Worlds Fair in Chicago. Housed in a 2,000-seat amphitheater, the AP Carnival draws thousands of visitors with the AP Marionette Revue, Harry Horlick and other entertainment. * 1936 AP opens the nations first supermarket, a 28,125-square-foot store in Braddock, Pa., that enables customers to select their own groceries without the assistance of a clerk. * 1937 AP launches Womans Day magazine through a wholly-owned subsidiary, The Stores Publishing Company. The magazine features articles on food preparation, home decoration, needlework and childcare, selling for two cents a copy exclusively in AP stores. * 1941 Eight O Clock coffee becomes the best-selling brand of coffee in the world. * 1958 Sales grow to $5 billion and 4,252 stores. AP tops the industry, with volume exceeding that of its closest competitor by more than $1 billion. * 1959 AP celebrates its 100th anniversary. 1960-1999 Becoming a Supermarket Family * 1963 With its new Plaid Stamps redemption program, AP brings back the premium concept. With every purchase, shoppers receive plaid-colored stamps, which can be later redeemed for popular household items, such as snack trays and Lazy Susans. * 1971 AP opens its first Warehouse Economy Outlet (WEO). This low-price warehouse concept, featuring displays of fast-selling grocery items in the original cases, is rolled out to 1,500 stores. * 1979 The Hartford Foundation and family members sell the majority of AP shares to The Tengelmann Group of West Germany in the face of declining sales and profitability, as competitors follow consumers to the suburbs. * 1980 James Wood is elected Chairman, President CEO. Under his leadership, the company closes operations in several markets, including hundreds of older stores and the majority of its manufacturing operations. * 1981 Beginning a new growth via acquisition strategy, the Company purchases 17 Stop Shop supermarkets in New Jersey. * 1982 The Company launches the Superfresh banner in the Philadelphia area, emphasizing product freshness and strong customer service. * 1986 AP acquires the Bronx, N.Y.-based Shopwell Inc., which includes 26 upscale stores named The Food Emporium. It expands further in New York with  the acquisition of Waldbaums, Inc. that fall. * 1994 AP in the U.S. launches a new private label program, introducing four new brands across all of its banners: Americas Choice, Master Choice, Health Pride and Savings Plus. 2000-Present Innovating and Restructuring for the Future * 2000 The Food Emporium opens its unique Bridge Market store, located at 59th Street and First Avenue beneath New York Citys landmark Queensborough Bridge. * 2001 AP opens its first U.S. Food Basics store in Passaic, N.J. * 2003 To reduce debt and lower operating costs, AP exits Northern New England, sells Kohls stores in Wisconsin (which it acquired in 1983), closes all remaining Kohls operations, and sells the Eight OClock Coffee division. * 2005 The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, Inc. sells AP Canada to METRO INC., a supermarket and pharmaceutical operator in the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario Canada. * 2009 The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company celebrates its 150th Anniversary as the oldest grocery retailer in the United States. * 2010 The Board elects Sam Martin as President CEO. Under his leadership, the Company embarks on a turnaround plan and files for Chapter 11 to enable it to restructure its operations and financial obligations. * 2011 AP launches Woodson James, a new line of premium-quality Angus beef featuring steakhouse-quality meat at affordable supermarket prices, exclusive to all AP, Pathmark, Superfresh, Waldbaums and The Food Emporium stores. * 2012 AP exits Chapter 11 as a private company with 320 stores. SWOT ANALYSIS The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company (AP or the company) is engaged in the retail food business. The company offers a strong portfolio of private label brands. Green Way, a new private label launched in 2009, features over 200 healthy, organic and eco-friendly products. In the current economic environment, consumers are tending to choose private label brands due to their quality and competitive pricing. Given the growing demand for private label products, the companys portfolio of private brands offers a competitive advantage. However, the sluggish US economy could depress purchasing power of consumers affecting the sales of the company. Strengths  Weaknesses Robust private label portfolio Declining market share Operational and financial issues led to bankruptcy filing Multiple store formats Coupons portfolio Opportunities Threats Economic downturn in US affects consumer spending Online retail channel offers opportunities for revenue growth Increasing demand for organic products Intense competition Rising labor wages in the US likely to increase the operating cost Remodeling of stores will lead to incremental sales Strengths Robust private label portfolio AP offers a strong portfolio of private label brands including Americas Choice, Hartford Reserve, Live Better Wellness, Americas Choice Gold, Smart Price and Via Roma. APs Americas Choice brand presently stands among the best selling private brands in the industry. In addition, in 2009, the company launched Green Way, a new private label line featuring over 200 healthy, organic and eco-friendly products. The company launched The Food Emporium Trading Company private label brand of international specialty items, in November 2010. In the face of macroeconomic pressures, consumers are increasingly opting for private label products. According to industry watchers, private label sales have increased in the US in the recent years. In the current economic environment, value-oriented consumers are choosing private label brands due to their competitive pricing. Also, strong push from retailers and improvements in both quality and selection has been influencing the shopping trends. This trend is expected to continue even after the economy recovers as consumers consider the quality of private label brands to be as high as name brand products. In addition to providing savings to consumers, private labels provide higher operating margins than national brands to AP thereby improving profitability. Increased  penetration of these private labels will improve the margins of the company. Additionally, they offer a competitive advantage and will enable the company to develop a niche customer base. Multiple store formats AP operates multiple store formats. The companys store formats vary from full-service supermarkets featuring fresh produce, seafood, meat, deli, groceries, floral, and pharmacies, to upscale gourmet stores (The Food Emporium), to limited variety stores featuring everyday low prices (Food Basics). Through its broad base of supermarkets, AP has expanded and diversified within the retail food business. The company operates stores with merchandise, pricing and identities tailored to appeal to different customer segments, including buyers seeking gourmet and ethnic foods, a wide variety of premium quality private label goods and health and beauty aids along with the range of traditional grocery products. The wide variety of products offered to meet the needs of a diverse customer base will drive footfall and also provide immense opportunities for cross selling. This in turn will contribute to higher revenues by increasing the average ticket. Coupons portfolio Consumers drastically cut back on spending during the recession as unemployment rose and lending slowed. They are looking at generating more value for the money spent. AP, keeping this in view, launched a comprehensive coupon portfolio of innovations in 2009, to provide shoppers with more savings and convenience. The company partnered with Zavers, a pioneer in digital couponing, to launch the first paperless, clipless and completely digital coupon service available by a supermarket chain in the Metropolitan New York area. This service allows club card members at AP, Pathmark, Waldbaums and SuperFresh to go online and save the coupons directly onto their club card. The savings are automatically deducted off the customers shopping order once the club card is scanned at the checkout. Subsequently, AP introduced the Rewards Online Mall, allowing club card members to earn rewards by making purchases at over 1,000 online retailers including eBay.com, Best Buy, Home Depot, Macys, Barnes and Noble, Travelocity, Staples, 1-800-FLOWERS and many more. For every purchase made, customers can receive an average of 3% back. Once the total reaches $10, customers will receive a Rewards Certificate in the mail to be used towards their next in-store purchase at any AP, Waldbaums, SuperFresh, The Food Emporium or Pathmark store. To complement its couponing  programs portfolio, AP also premiered an innovative new online coupon gallery available via its banner websites. This service which helps customers save more money while shopping for groceries, was made available through AP’s partnership with Coupons.com. Each of the company’s banner websites features a special coupon gallery with hundreds of dollars of savings on all departments. Besides offering savings this service is convenient and saves time. Such additional benefits offered by the company will help attract customer visits. Weaknesses Declining market share AP has been losing its market share to the bigger discount retailers and wholesale clubs including Wal-Mart, Costco, Target, and BJs. These companies have expanded into the grocery business and yielded to the economic downturn by lowering prices, thereby attracting the value-driven consumers. The big-ticket consumers, on the other hand, preferred higher-end retailers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes. AP by sticking to its consistent pricing, lost its customers to these companies in the difficult retail climate, while the other grocery retail chains lowered prices considerably, endorsed value proposition, and attracted sales. The company recorded a decline in revenues of 8.3% and 7.4% in FY2011 and FY2010 respectively. The sales declined primarily due to a decrease in comparable stores sales and store closures, partially offset by sales from new stores. The overall decline in sales was primarily caused by a decrease in customer count. The loss of market share to competitors has aff ected the company financial results significantly. Operational and financial issues led to bankruptcy filing AP, in December 2010 filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code with the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to facilitate its financial and operational restructuring. The company experienced severe financial and operational issues which led to this move. At the end of the third quarter of FY2011, the company had cash reserves of $92.4 million compared with $281.8 million during the same period, the previous year.The company had long-term debt of $816.8 million at the end of the third quarter of FY2011. The current portion of long-term debt increased to $171.5 million at the end of the third quarter of FY2011 compared with $191,000 at the end of the third  quarter of FY2010. The company has also experienced several other issues that contributed to its bankruptcy filing, including large pension funding requirements and union agreements. Approximately 92% of the companys employees are represented by unions and covered by collective bargaining agreements. Furthermore, the company had about 70% of inventory tied to one supplier in an unfavorable contract. The company also had obligations, including the payment of rent on stores that were not subleased or leases terminated. The rent expenses for the mostly empty stores were estimated to be substantial next year. All the above factors put the company at a competitive disadvantage and rendered its business unsustainable in the current scenario. The bankruptcy filing and the subsequent financing will significantly affect the investors confidence in the company. Online retail channel offers opportunities for revenue growth The online retail market in the US is growing at a fast pace and the trend is expected to continue. Online sales contributed to 6% of the retail sales in 2009 and are estimated to contribute 8% of the total retail sales by 2014. Online sales grew by 11% in 2009 compared to a total retail growth of 2.5%. Online sales while offering convenience to customers, also improve a companys margins by cutting down operating costs. AP is well poised to benefit from the expected increase in online sales. Increasing demand for organic products Natural and organic food products segment is one of the fastest growing categories in food retailing. Increasing consumer awareness about health and environmental issues, along with an increasing resistance towards genetically modified (GM) food products and GM farming, has led to a rapid increase in the demand for organic food. According to industry estimates, the organic product sales in the US reached $26.6 billion in 2009, an increase of 5.3% over 2008. Of the total, organic food accounted for $24.8 billion and organic non-foods, the remaining $1.8 billion. In comparison, the total food sales in the US increased by 1.6% in FY2009.The growth trend of organic foods is expected to continue. The company offers over 200 healthy, organic and eco-friendly products under its Green Way brand. The company could leverage its presence to exploit the increasing demand for  organic products. Remodeling of stores will lead to incremental sales AP has been investing in re-modeling its stores to offer a unique shopping experience to its customers. These remodeled stores offer an expanded selection of deli, bakery, floral, meat, seafood and organics departments and many specialty sections. The Pompton Plains AP store, located in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, besides offering traditional food categories, also introduced new departments including the kids and toddler aisle featuring all the products needed by mothers in one area; an enhanced pet selection; expanded mens offerings featuring an extensive array of specialty products for men; and a special section dedicated to gluten-free packaged products. Apart from offering a wide selection of quality groceries, fresh produce, breads, seafood, and meats, APs new Port Jefferson Pathmark store features a full-service pharmacy department which provides numerous benefits to customers including, all major prescription drug plans including Medicare Part D accepted; health screening serv ices; complete diabetic supply center; patient counseling and information service; mail order and online prescription refill; and Live Better! Wellness club. The new Pathmark is designed with a bright, open layout with modern decor and colorful artwork and signage, further enhancing the overall experience for shoppers. AP’s Woodcliff Lake AP store offers expansive departments that feature a wide selection of fresh and gourmet foods. This is complemented by a full-service bakery, Starbucks Cafe, floral department and pharmacy, along with a center store department that presents a complete line of specialty items for men, children and pets. The company also re-opened the New Providence AP store with expansive departments offering a wide selection of fresh and gourmet foods, a full-service bakery and floral department and an expansive center store department with a complete line of specialty items for children and pets. The remodels with additional departments attract more consumers and offer cross selling opportunities, therefore contributing incrementally to the sales increase. These additional services will also help the company differentiate itself from its competitors. Threats Economic downturn in US affects consumer spending The US, the worlds largest economy, shrank 4.1% from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2009. Household spending fell 1.2% in 2009, twice as much as previously projected and the biggest decline since 1942. The US economy slowed in the second quarter of 2010 as scarcity of jobs eroded consumer spending. GDP in the second quarter of 2010 grew at a 2.4% annual rate less than forecast. Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of the economy, rose at a 1.6% pace in the second quarter, compared with a 1.9% rate in the first quarter of 2010. Job gains have been slow to take hold, curbing household purchases. US retail sales rose a meager 0.1% in July 2010 from June 2010, according to industry watchers. In addition, the US economy grew 2.6% in the third quarter of 2010. The World Bank forecasts the US economy to grow at a sluggish rate of 2.8% in 2011. High unemployment rate which is estimated to reach 10%, sluggish wage gains and credit crunch are all expected to keep consumers relatively cautious. The unemployment rate remained significantly high at 9.4% towards the end of 2010. Rising unemployment further reduces the consumer spending as customers feel unsecured. Thus, slowdown in US economy would depress purchasing power of consumers which could result in a decline in sales of the company. Intense competition AP conducts its retail merchandise business under highly competitive conditions. Although AP is a large regional department store chain company, it has numerous competitors at the national and local level that competes with its individual stores, including specialty, off-price, discount, and internet and mail-order retailers. Competition is characterized by many factors including location, reputation, fashion, merchandise assortment, advertising, price, quality, service and credit availability. AP anticipates intense competition to continue with focus on pricing. Some of the companys competitors have substantially larger marketing budgets, which may provide them with a competitive advantage. If AP is unable to maintain its competitive position, it could experience downward pressure on prices, lower demand for products, reduced margins, the inability to take advantage of new business opportunities and the loss of  market share. Rising labor wages in the US likely to increase the operating cost In recent times, tight labor markets, increased overtime and government mandated increases in minimum wages resulted in an increase in labor costs, which could materially impact the companys results of operation. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has increased the federal minimum wage rate in the US from $6.55 an hour in July 2008 to $7.25 an hour in July 2009. This was further increased to $8.25 an hour in July 2010, revising the labor rates for the fourth year in a row. Many states also have minimum wage laws. If an employee is subject to both state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher minimum wage. Increased labor costs could increase the operating costs for the company.

Motivation Letter Essay Example for Free

Motivation Letter Essay Economics, as a field, had always fascinated me right from my school days. As I grew up, I gradually came to appreciate the importance of economics in the modern world. In the university, I was fortunate to have been exposed to many interesting and challenging fields. However, I ultimately chose to major in Accounting, which provides me with fundamental knowledge of many economic-related theories and concepts, as well as familiarity with statistics and data analysis. I also learned the basic tenets of Economics in courses such as Finance, Management, Accounting and Public Finance. Subsequently I enhanced it with CMA Certificate courses right after graduation in 2006 These courses revealed to me the importance of the economic sector in the society, besides that I realized that Economic and Finance professionals have the privileged opportunity of managing assets and analyzing risks to ensure the future success of a company or organization. In 2010 and after having three years experience as Customer Service and Letters of Credits and Guarantees Officer, Business Development Officer at Bank Audi, and One year as Senior Account Officer / Corporate Business Development at Bank of Jordan, I realized the importance of finance and investment, giving the fact that the main decision of any enterprise is where to invest money and how to evaluate investment opportunities. Therefore, I decided to pursue postgraduate studies in investment and finance that would ideally complement my academic knowledge and experience, but unfortunately the current sad situation in my country freezes all my academic chances. So I’m looking to be a part of a respectful program and an opportunity to meet people and economists in one of the world most developed nations. In 5 years, I see myself leading an investment and financial section where I am involved building fruitful international business relations, designing structured financial products and managing well-diversified and effective portfolios by incorporating cutting edge methodologies and sophisticated tools that offer a valuable investment opportunity to the potential investor. Throughout this course I will leverage my existing skills with the knowledge of finance and economics that will help me to achieve my medium-term career goals to manage capital, create portfolios, perform mergers and acquisitions, and ensure future economic stability for corporations, as well as helping financial services industry to make the right financial decisions that will lead to economic stability and high returns. In the long-term, such knowledge, skills and experience will help me assist the Syrian market in designing, implementing and monitoring financial policies, planning and executing the financing initiatives, and interfacing with the financial community and investors.

World War II Late Attempts to Save the Jewish

World War II Late Attempts to Save the Jewish Anh Nguyen The Holocaust is a horrified event in world history. It killed over six million and left permanent scars on the Jewish population. During 1941, America engaged in the World War II. Essentially, all the resources must have been prioritized to win the war. Rescuing the Jews from the Nazis administration was not the first item on the list. Not until 1942, when the Americans fully had information about the mass killing of the Jews, there were two millions Jews killed by that time. The numbers kept on going until it reached to six millions people. It was an unimaginable scale of deaths. Americas government indifference and the media did not have an immediate actions towards the holocaust. The United States was a bystander during Germanys reign and the Holocaust because the State Department wanted to suppress the news about the Holocaust as well as the media which conflicted with the Treasury Department. The two important men that had a huge effect on the genocide were Adolf Hitler and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hitler was the mastermind behind the holocaust and he believed that the Jews were responsible for the spread of communism which was operating in Moscow. Based on this conspiracy, he and his most dedicated followers tried to destroy and murder every single person of Jewish ancestry. Hitler also believed in Darwinism which is a theory that races of humanity are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals Survival of the fittest economy. In this case, the Jews were threats and Hitler had all the rights to destroy them. At first, Hitler and his followers wanted to abuse German Jews so that they would emigrate to other countries. However, after Hitler successfully invaded Poland in 1939, instead of continuing to abuse the Jews, the new policy was to put the Jews to reservations and mass killing them all. The mass murder of the Jews first ha ppened in the fall of 1941 (McMillan, 6). Holocaust is a word originated from Greek meaning sacrifice by fire. Not only the Jews were the targeted group, some other groups were also the victims of the Holocaust. For instance, the Gypsies, the disabled, homosexuals, Slavic peoples, and other groups that were persecuted on political, ideological, and behavioral grounds were also in the systematic murder under Hitlers rules (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Words could not describe the crimes that Hitler had put on those people. Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt was remembered for rescuing the Jews by establishing the War Refugee Board. However, on January 22, 1944 when Roosevelt issued the Executive Order 9417 to establish the War Refugee Board, he did not have the intention to rescue the Jews and open the door to welcome the refugees to the United States. It was not an easy decision for him whether to act about that or not. At that time, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had the pressure of the economic depression and the problems of millions of unemployed people (Morse, 202). Moreover, the Neutrality Law was passed during Roosevelts presidency by the United States Congress in 1935 and he did not veto the law. The law was passed to limit U.S involvement in future war. Roosevelts first interest in rescue began when he invited the thirty-two nations to meet Evian, France, to discuss about the refugee situation. However, he had no intention to change the immigration regulations and so others countries. Bef ore the establishment of the War Refugee Board, Roosevelt did not have a policy or take in any refugees. It was also a hard move for President Roosevelt to take in the refugees. President Herbert Hoover passed the quota laws after the Great Depression in 1929. This quota laws made it extremely difficult for people who were trying to obtain immigration visas. The American people did not need to give shelters for the immigrants who could not support themselves. They needed to have the financial resources to prove that they can support themselves in the United States. In addition, after the World War II began in 1939, the country was put in a different stage. The refugees needed to be screened on national security grounds which made the immigration process even harder. Moreover, the United States entered the war in December 1941, most of the American consulates had closed in most of Europe which made it nearly impossible for the refugees to escape the continent. (United States Holocaus t Memorial Museum). The War Refugee Board was established on January 22, 1944 by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The board was headed by John Pehle. The board came to work immediately. Their mission was to aid the victims of Nazism while pressing the Allies and neutral nations including Turkey, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, and Sweden to take diplomatic action and create free ports to take in refugees. These free ports would only take in refugees temporarily and give them shelters until they could be sent back to their original countries. This idea of free ports came up by Samuel Grafton, a popular columnist of the New York Post. In addition, the War Refugee Board pressured against the Axis satellites. They reminded them that if they kept mistreating the Jews, the mistreatments would not go away and it would have terrible consequences. However, this action was not approved by the State department. They thought that these undiplomatic messages were placing the neutrals in an uncomfortable position. On the contrar y, these warnings did have a positive effect to rescue the Jews. For instance, the Rumanian officials feared the threats and agreed to evacuate the Transnistrian concentration camps (Morse, 317). This effort mostly succeed by the help of Ira Hirschmann an ambassador in Ankara who was determined to rescue the Jews after his visit to Evian. Hirschman persuaded the Rumanian government to issue transit visas so that thousands of Jews can go the sanctuary in Palestine. Also, he requested the Rumanian government to empty the Transnistrian camps which had only 48,000 survivals out of 185,000 Jews. Even when the United States was late in rescuing the Jews, the efforts were still counted. For instance, the War Refugee Board expedited the transmission of funds to Switzerland to pay for the Red Cross relief supplies and other rescue operation (Morse, 330). Sadly, the victory came rather late. More than 4,000,000 Jews were already in ashes (Feingold, 85) The conflict between the State department and the Treasury department made it hard for the Americans to rescue the Jews. It all started when Gerhart Riegner the representative in Switzerland of the World Jewish Congress tried to send a message to Rabbi Wise who was the president of the World Jewish Congress to know about the plan of physically annihilate the Jews of Europe in August, 1942. However, Riegner message did not go to Rabbi Wise immediately. It was suppressed by the State Departments Division of European Affairs with general agreement that the facts had not yet been verified. The message did not reach Rabbi Wise until August 28 through the London branch of the World Jewish Congress. In the final months of 1942, the stories about the mass murder of the Jews in Europe shocked the Jewish community. There was an opportunity for the Jews in Rumania to survive. Riegner also attempted to forward the information to the America about rescuing the Rumanian Jews when their governmen t was willing to co-operate to transfer seventy thousand Jews to any refuge selected by the Allies but his message ended up in the State Departments telegram number 354 of February 10, 1943 (Morse, 73). His second part of the message was asking the money to rescue the children in French concentration camps and the United States government must give the license to transmit the funds. However, the State Department did not believe Riegner message and they procrastinated to give Riegner the answer. Until December 23, 1943, the State Department issued the license to Riegner to rescue the Jews in Rumania and France (Morse, 86). The wait time to authorize Riegner the license was eight months in total. Moreover, on March 2, 1944, the War Refugee Board prepared a message to send to the Red Cross. However, this message was shot down by the State Departmentdue to the regulations of U.S British blockade of Europe. The message from the Board was sent on March 23 and not until April 29 the message was delivered (Morse, 326). The International Committee of the Red Cross had remained silent in the face of Nazi murder. The Board tried to reach out to the Red Cross from time to time and request them to take action and obtain humanitarian treatment for the helpless Jews in German. However, it never went through. The representatives from the Red Cross said they had no legal rights to force German to improve the treatment of the Jews. Their only concern were the prisoners of war and civilians. The War Refugee Board wanted the Red Cross to urge the German and its satellites to treat Jews on a status equal to the prisoners. If they turned this down, the Red Cross should demand the right to ship and distribute food packages to inmates of the German camps. With constant pressuring the Red Cross from the War Refugee Board and the help of Prince Johannes Schwarzenberg who was an anti Nazi aristocrat, they found a way to provide food for the Jews in the camps. In addition, the racial conflicts in the government was one of the motive that suppressed the rescuing of the Jews within the State Department. Breckinridge Long the chief architect of the State Department held a grudge against the Jews. As he saw the fight against the refugees as a battle against Jewish Communist agitators who were trying to ruin his political career. One of his tactics to downplay the rescue projects was to call the Jews political refugees even though the problem was only about the Jews in Europe. Also, the racial discrimination was proven by a conversation that was heard by a friend of Josiah Dubois a Treasury Department official. That Jew Morgenthau and his Jewish assistants like Dubois are trying to take over this place (Morse, 324). Even when Mrs. Ruth Shipley who headed the Passport Division asked if all the employers in the Board were American. John Pehle was surprised by the question and asked why would Mrs. Ruth Shipley asked that. Mrs. Shipley simply sa id: Well, Ive never read cables like those your people send. They just arent worded like our cables (Morse, 324) The racial discrimination was deep-rooted in the State Department. It was one of the barriers to help the helpless Jews out of Nazis rules. The media, specifically the New York Times failed to cover the fate of the Jews from 1938 to 1945. It passed many chances to inform the public about the unimaginable scale of murder of the Jews in Europe under Hitlers command. The genocide happened in the same time with the war in Europe on September 1, 1939 to nearly six years later 1945, the New York Times and other media suppressed the stories and treated the mass murder as a secondary story. According to Leff, the media did publish some of the stories about what was happening to the Jews, an average of 17 stories in a month in the Times. However, throughout the years in war, the destruction of the Jews only made the Times front page just 26 times. In those 26 times, only six stories portrayed the Jews as the victims of the mass murder. The stories are never appear back to back and the paper rarely highlighted the problems in the News of the Week or the magazine section. For instance, the Times first story on the mass slaughter was on page five of the paper. On that same paper, the story of the deaths of some civilians appeared on the front page. Some may say that the New York Times did not have enough information to write stories or the good sources. Conversely, the Times had a good idea of what was happening to Europes Jews. Even after the Allied governments confirmed the truth of the Holocaust in December, 1942, the paper did not change its coverage. There are three main explanations to this matter. The first one was the overwhelming demands of covering a world war. The World War II involved two groups of countries which were the Axis Powers and the Allies. There were total twelve countries that were involved in the war. Comparing that to the small minority group such as the Jews in Europe might make it hard to recognize the suffering they had to endure at that time. The second reason explained why some journalist found it hard to believe the authenticity of the sources. In World War I, there were a lot of fake stories about the death factories and mass gassings which was too horrific to be believed. When World War II happ ened after two decades, the journalists became more experienced and skeptical. Moreover, some of the journalists did not believe the information simply because it was too horrible. The last reason for the lack of coverage for the horrified large scale murder was the United States government. The press mainly based their news on what the government did or said and since the government did little action on the matter of rescuing the Jews, it was considered not important. In addition, the papers were afraid it would bring too much attention to the public that the America was trying to win the war to rescue the Jews. These three reasons help explain why the press downplayed the news of the Holocaust. However, during all those times, not all the front page covers were about the war. The New York Times printed twelve to fifteen front -page stories every day and only half of these were about the war. Moreover, the comparison between the numbers of deaths between the victims of the war and the extermination of the Jews were not fair. As Leff stated in her book, the murder of the Jews was not just collateral damage. It is safe to conclude that the Jews alone were singled out for complete eradication in a systematic and purposeful program (Leff, 6). As stated in the website uhsmm.org, very few reports about the Holocaust included photographs. Only after May 1945, the final days of the war and the victory of the Allied, there were more visual evidence of Nazi atrocities in American newspapers and magazines (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). In conclusion, many choices were made during the crisis which did not base on human concerns. The conflicts within the Americas government, between the State Department and the Treasury Department delayed the rescue missions. The War Refugee Board went over and beyond to help the victims running from the death camps. However, since it was established in 1944, it rescued thousands of Jews but it was too late to rescue millions (Feingold, 262). Moreover, the New York Times and other mass media at the time did not efficiently inform the Americans about the Holocaust. Most of the Americans did not know about the Holocaust as it was happening. Additionally, the media treated the mass murder of millions of Jews as secondary news. According to Leff, the New York Times was unique in the information and other American press too cues from the Times. If the mass media was able to bring the facts and the stories about the extermination of the Jews to the public, many more Jews would have been sa ved and survived from the Nazis rule (Leff, 358). Works Cited Page Dwork, Deborah, and R J. Pelt. Holocaust: A History. New York: Norton, 2002. Print. Feingold, Henry L. Bearing Witness: How America and Its Jews Responded to the Holocaust. Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press, 1995. Print. Leff, Laurel. Buried by the Times: The Holocaust and Americas Most Important Newspaper. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Print. McMillan, Dan. How Could This Happen: Explaining the Holocaust. , 2014. Print. Morse, Arthur D. While Six Million Died; a Chronicle of American Apathy. New York, Random House [1968], 1968. EBSCOhost, 0-search.ebscohost.com.lasiii.losrios.edu/login.aspx?direct=truedb=cat01047aAN=lrois.b1019655site=eds-livescope=site. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The United States and the Holocaust. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2017.

What Happened at the Battle of Fallen Timbers? :: American America History

What Happened at the Battle of Fallen Timbers? The Battle of Fallen Timbers started on Wednesday, August 20, 1794. The battle took place on the lower Maumee River Valley which is the present state of Ohio. Major General Anthony Wayne was encamped with a military force of 3,700 men, 2,000 of whom were part of the regular United States Army. The rest were Kentucky mounted militia. Fighting the Americans were some 2,000 hostile Indians. The Indians were allies of the British and the British had just recently built Fort Miamis. This fort was deep in American Territory, and stopped the Americans from further westward expansion. The tribes facing Wayne and his army were the Miamis, under Chief Little Turtle, the Shawnees under Blue Jacket and the Pottawawatomies, Ottawas, Chippewas, Saulk, Fox, and some Iroquios, plus a few British and French Canadians disguised as Indians. Wayne was not sure how he and his army would fight the Indians. The terrain was very wooded and hilly. Artillery such as cannons could not be used. It was difficult for the Americans since they were not accustomed to fighting in the forest. Since cannons could not be brought easily back into the woods Wayne left cannons at Fort Deposit and Fort Defiance. Wayne was one of the first in camp to arise on August 20. Everyone had been waiting for a surprise attack from the Indians for about three days. Most of the men were tired from not having a good night of rest, they were not ready to fight. General Wayne insisted that all the soldiers wear all their uniforms. It was very hot and the soldiers had to wear, a dark blue coat, dark hat, buff breaches, and boots. At eight o'clock the rain let up and the march began. Wayne sent out the scouts far ahead to find out what they could about the terrain. Following the scouts was the advance guard, a select battalion of a Kentucky militia. The main body following the advance guard was the Legion. They carried muskets equipped with bayonets which was Wayne's favorite weapon. What Happened at the Battle of Fallen Timbers? :: American America History What Happened at the Battle of Fallen Timbers? The Battle of Fallen Timbers started on Wednesday, August 20, 1794. The battle took place on the lower Maumee River Valley which is the present state of Ohio. Major General Anthony Wayne was encamped with a military force of 3,700 men, 2,000 of whom were part of the regular United States Army. The rest were Kentucky mounted militia. Fighting the Americans were some 2,000 hostile Indians. The Indians were allies of the British and the British had just recently built Fort Miamis. This fort was deep in American Territory, and stopped the Americans from further westward expansion. The tribes facing Wayne and his army were the Miamis, under Chief Little Turtle, the Shawnees under Blue Jacket and the Pottawawatomies, Ottawas, Chippewas, Saulk, Fox, and some Iroquios, plus a few British and French Canadians disguised as Indians. Wayne was not sure how he and his army would fight the Indians. The terrain was very wooded and hilly. Artillery such as cannons could not be used. It was difficult for the Americans since they were not accustomed to fighting in the forest. Since cannons could not be brought easily back into the woods Wayne left cannons at Fort Deposit and Fort Defiance. Wayne was one of the first in camp to arise on August 20. Everyone had been waiting for a surprise attack from the Indians for about three days. Most of the men were tired from not having a good night of rest, they were not ready to fight. General Wayne insisted that all the soldiers wear all their uniforms. It was very hot and the soldiers had to wear, a dark blue coat, dark hat, buff breaches, and boots. At eight o'clock the rain let up and the march began. Wayne sent out the scouts far ahead to find out what they could about the terrain. Following the scouts was the advance guard, a select battalion of a Kentucky militia. The main body following the advance guard was the Legion. They carried muskets equipped with bayonets which was Wayne's favorite weapon.

Good and Evil in The Devil and Tom Walker :: The Devil and Tom Walker

Good  and Evil in The Devil and Tom Walker    The concept of evil in the short story "The Devil and Tom Walker" can be shown in many ways, by Irvings' symbolism. In the short story, Tom Walker symbolizes all of mankind by portraying him as being "sinful" and evil. When there is an intent to destroy, then we get a different level of hatred. We see that good vs. evil has been a theme that is ubiquitous in many writings. The story "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a story about a man who lives an immoral life of greed. Walker lives in a wooded area, where it is solemn, and quiet area of New England. Walker runs into the devil and sees that the devil is cutting down someone else's timber. The evil is shown, by the devil in how he is premeditating the murder of a "Deacon Peabody". Walker contemplates this meeting with the devil, and recognizes that evil is wealth is the first priority for him. Tom Walker's wife, was filled with cupidity and wanted to acquire the gold that the devil had promised. Walker hadn't obliged to his wife, and due to his wife's acute cupidity set out on her own journey to acquire that gold. She had been killed because of her greed, and lack of morals for self-prosperity, which resulted in her death. This is an important example of the use of evil within "The Devil and Tome Walker". Walker is told from the devil that he could earn money through usury and extortion. Walker commits to usury and makes a generous sum of money. Walker has no repentance for such a sin and continues to his usury. The evil accumulates in the story as Walker accumulates more and more money, resulting from more and

The Space Shuttle :: essays research papers

The Space Shuttle The shuttle, a manned, multipurpose, orbital-launch space plane, was designed to carry payloads of up to about 30,000 kg (65,000 lb) and up to seven crew members and passengers. The upper part of the spacecraft, the orbiter stage, had a theoretical lifetime of perhaps 100 missions, and the winged orbiter could make unpowered landings on returning to earth. Because of the shuttle's designed flexibility and its planned use for satellite deployment and the rescue and repair of previously orbited satellites, its proponents saw it as a major advance in the practical exploitation of space. Others, however, worried that NASA was placing too much reliance on the shuttle, to the detriment of other, unmanned vehicles and missions. The first space shuttle mission, piloted by John W. Young and Robert Crippen aboard the orbiter Columbia, was launched on April 12, 1981. It was a test flight flown without payload in the orbiter's cargo bay. The fifth space shuttle flight was the first operational mission; the astronauts in the Columbia deployed two commercial communications satellites from November 11 to 16, 1982. Later memorable flights included the seventh, whose crew included the first U.S. woman astronaut, Sally K. Ride; the ninth mission, November 28-December 8, 1983, which carried the first of the European Space Agency's Spacelabs; the 11th mission, April 7-13, 1984, during which a satellite was retrieved, repaired, and redeployed; and the 14th mission, November 8-14, 1984, when two expensive malfunctioning satellites were retrieved and returned to earth. Despite such successes, the shuttle program was falling behind in its planned launch program, was increasingly being used for military tests, and was meeting stiff competition from the European Space Agency's unmanned Ariane program for the orbiting of satellites. Then, on January 28, 1986, the shuttle Challenger was destroyed about one minute after launch because of the failure of a sealant ring on one of its solid boosters. Flames escaping from the booster burned a hole in the main propellant tank of liquid hydrogen and oxygen and caused the booster to nose into and rupture the tank. This rupture caused a nearly explosive disruption of the whole system. Seven astronauts were killed in the disaster: commander Francis R. Scobee, pilot Michael J. Smith, mission specialists Judith A. Resnik, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Ronald E. McNair, and payload specialists Gregory B. Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe. McAuliffe had been selected the preceding year as the first "teacher in space," a civilian spokesperson for the shuttle program. The tragedy brought an immediate halt to shuttle flights until systems could be analyzed and redesigned. A presidential commission headed by former secretary of state William Rogers and former

The Benefits and Costs of Two or More Countries Sharing a Common Currency

Examine the benefits and costs of two or more countries sharing a common currency, and comment on the impact of the ‘one size fits all’ monetary policy of the Eurozone. Normally, the accumulation of a set of countries accepting a specific common currency is known as a monetary union. This involves the countries becoming part of the same trading bloc and accepting free trade policies between the member countries. Since the focus of the question is centrally revolved around the monetary union, the other aspects of the union will not be considered in detail. Naturally, the prime example to use when discussing the use of a common currency is the European Monetary Union. Launched on January 1st 1999, the union boasts a 16 country agreement to use the same currency- the euro. For countries to merge by a single currency requires the merging countries to meet certain criteria. This obviously brings both benefits and costs to the table. Benefits are associated with higher stability of the union as only those countries that meet the minimum requirements can join. This allows the union to ensure that the countries that join add something to the union and add value to the currency. For example, conditions in the European Monetary Union state entrant countries must have interest rates within 2% of the 3 lowest interest rate countries in the EMU and also have inflation within 1. 5%. This is important because if we take a scenario where the inflation rate is excessively high in a country, then this will affect the value of the currency by devaluing it. This devaluation has clear knock on effects as the devaluation will cause the cost of imports to rise. Domestic consumers will also shy away from domestic consumption as they see the high prices and so they will shift their consumption on consumer durables from other countries. Exports would be heavily affected by this scenario as the foreign countries would see the high prices associated with the importing of the goods and shift their interest into consumption from countries with lower relative price levels. Not only does the high inflation associated with the currency affect consumption but also investment. The unstable level of inflation will deter foreign direct investment and also reduce the net domestic investment as the returns to the investment would have a high risk associated. So obviously having specific criteria that member countries must meet help to ensure stability in the union. The negative associated with having these criteria is the one size fits all policy which will be discussed later. There are many costs and benefits associated with having the same currency. There is a key advantage to consumers and residents in the country of having the same currency. The transaction costs associated with exchanging the currencies is eliminated. This means that if domestic consumers were to travel abroad to countries within the monetary union, the identical currency would enable them to spend abroad without the need to swap currencies. This advantage is more of a social benefit as this would reduce stress to the consumer. This is because the consumer would not be worrying about if their money would arrive on time. Also the excess commission associated with changing the currencies is eliminated. Although again this commission only represents a small amount of GDP the advantage is again a social benefit as the consumer escapes the hassle associated with the exchange of the currency- often quite a stressful factor when planning to travel. There is also a benefit associated with price transparency where if the same good is sold in many of the countries in the monetary union, then it is easy for the consumer to compare prices. This should reduce price discrimination and increase competition. This is a healthy scenario for the consumer as they would benefit from price competition- often the price of the good or service falls. Despite this potential benefit there is evidence that this is not the case and that price differentiation exists- an example being price differences within member countries in the EU. The same currency and stability associated with the monetary union encourages transnational companies to invest. This is because there would multiple countries across the zone to invest in and get returns from as they all follow the same currency and would all be under the same central control. This may help the multi-national countries achieve greater economies of scale as there would be easier trading and investment capabilities across the zone. This would lower average costs for firms and increase the relative GDP in the zone. This would increase economic growth. Therefore having the same currency enables economic growth in a country through increased business confidence as there is increased stability. The drawbacks of using the same currency are also quite evident. The main and key drawback is the ‘one size fits all’ policy. Here the monetary policy is controlled by the central bank. Countries have no ability to set the interest rates in the country. This can be disastrous in a country with low consumption or investment levels. This is because if the central bank placed high interest rates on countries within the union, consumption would be further detracted, leading to a drop in economic growth. Therefore the loss of individual control is a major factor that needs to be considered before becoming part of the same currency. There can also be a case where the central bank will set interest rates that accommodate the larger, higher productive countries in the union. This will mean the smaller countries will grow at a slower rate and potentially lead to greater inequality. The one size fits all policy may mean that the union becomes less flexible and therefore the policies can place constraints on economic growth for countries. This can cause inefficiency as the production will not be at optimum potential and will limit countries. Another huge drawback is the effective exchange rate differences would be eliminated. For example, during the economic boom of the early 2000’s, England had a very strong exchange rate compared to the other European countries. This enabled cheap imports for the country, increasing domestic consumer welfare. By switching to the euro, the imports would not have been cheaper and would have left consumers with a drop in welfare as they would not have been gaining through a stronger exchange rate. Overall the costs of switching to the same currency have its drawbacks outweighing its benefits. This is especially the case for the one size fits all policy as this is the policy that loses the country its individuality and means the country loses control of its monetary policy.

How is mother essential to the development of the plot in All My Sons by Arthur Miller? Essay

Mother is essential to the development of the plot because her role in the family and her interests make up the key elements of the story. The fact that she is the only obstacle between the family and forgetting about Larry’s death is one of the main catalysts leading up to the ending. She refuses to give up on Larry, which shows her desperation and love for her son. Miller does not address her by her real name, but instead as â€Å"mother†, giving her an undeniable mother figure. This suggests that Kate is the link in the family that cannot be broken. If she falls apart, so does the family. During the play’s first few minutes, Keller says â€Å"I’m just waiting for her to see it† which shows that he is already anticipating the outcome. His short and confident words show his certainty about the outcome. On the other hand, it could also be said that Keller has been desensitised to Kate’s reactions to things related to Larry. Mother also interrupts long tensions between characters and changes the subject abruptly in order to avoid a conflict. For example, when the subject of Larry’s tree casually comes up in conversation, Mother instantly ‘presses her hand to top of her head’ and says â€Å"I’ve got such a funny pain on the top of the head†, which diverts all attention to her and her head. Chris replies with â€Å"Can I get you an aspirin?† which shows Mother’s importance in the family, and how she must not fall as all other family members will also fall. This is also apparent at the end of the play, when the realisation first hits Mother and then has a knock-on effect on Joe Keller. When Mother reads the letter, â€Å"Anne goes quickly to Mother, takes the letter from her hand and starts for Chris. Mother instantly rushes to intercept her.† These stage directions show Mother’s desperation to keep order. This emphasises the nuclear family idea which was apparent during World War II in America, where the father was to pay take care of the physical aspects of family (house, money and family business) and the mother was to take care of the emotional aspect (relationships, problems and keeping things ‘clean’ and ‘tidy’) . It could also be said that Mother causes all these problems herself rather than being an innocent bystander, because she often takes the lead by telling other members of her family what to do. Mother can also be seen to live in her imagination. At one point, she ‘raises her arm over the audience’ and says, â€Å"Remember the way he used to fly low past the house when he was in training?† Her body language emphasises the emotion that she feels while she speaks. Larry is said to â€Å"fly low past the house† which shows the comfort that she feels when Larry is close to her. It could also be said that Mother feels overprotective of Larry and cannot deal with his loss. In conclusion, Mother is crucial in the development of the plot because of her placement in the family and her evasive nature. She wants to keep her family together, which is why she cannot deal with any disruption of this norm.

The City Life and the Country Life

Living area has always been a hotly discussed topic. Each person has their own preferences for staying in either a city, or the countryside. The typical differences between the city life and the country life will be soundly presented in this piece of paper. A city life differs from a country life in term of food and intellectual stimulation. To begin with, living in the city offers you various kinds of food. Cities are supposed to be the biggest food markets, therefore chefs do not have to travel far to get the oversea ingredients.Moreover, the city is certain to provide more facilities needed for intellectual stimulation than the countryside. Some of the major ones include modern technologies in universities, the diversity of books and magazines in libraries and bookstores, the enormous number of artworks in galleries and museums†¦ On the other hand, the country life contrasts with the city life regarding food and intellectual stimulation. Citizens in the countryside areas migh t not have a long list of foods, but they can guarantee that what they have been eating is totally safe because it is self-produced.More interestingly, many people consider the countryside an ideal place for educating a cultured person. Since it does not have as many amenities as the city, life in the country brings up more contemplative peace and quietness. One would have more time interact with himself, without being distracted by the outside elements as in a city. In brief, there are remarkable differences in food and intellectual stimulation between a city life and a country life. I highly recommend that you should consider my essay to make an appropriate decision on which area is the most suitable for yourself.

Christians Should Not Take Part In Sport Or Shopping Essay

The important thing about this statement is that it can be argued two ways. Many people would see sport or shopping as a chore therefore related to work. Others would argue that it is a leisure activity and it is not work. With this in mind the church instated a law saying that all Catholics must attend mass on a Sunday. The Catholic Church itself has no laws or restrictions about shopping or playing sport on a Sunday. By tradition Sunday was the holy day separated and set aside by the fact the mass going was essential to the day’s activities. In The Old testament there is a saying in the book of Ecclesiastes saying there is a set and provide time for everything which basically means people should balance out there time between things. In today’s society were everything is on the move and rushed priorities should be examined and people should use the gift of time wisely. God himself as many believed set down the day of worship. Sunday has three main important events, wh ich coincide with this day. One: Jesus rose from the dead on this day.  Two: Sunday was the first Day of the week and the first day of creation.  Three: Jesus sent down the Holy Spirit On The Pentecost.  Sunday is also a day of celebration when Catholics come together to give praise to God and to thank God for what he has given all of them.  Sport nowadays has become big business for all involved. Among all the big names in sport no one objects to playing on Sundays because of all of the money involved. This is just a small list of all the sports that are being played on Sundays Although sport is played on money for reasons other the money many include because of TV rights and because of sponsors. Christians should not take part on sport on Sunday because sport is seen as work in the church’s eyes. Many values are expressed in sport such as sportsmanship, fairplay etc.  Shopping is the second of the changing faces of Sunday is becoming the most popular one. Many family lifestyles revolve around the parents work and therefore many parents only get to see their children at the weekends. The weekend is often regarded as the days to get the shopping done and many rely on Sunday heavily. Since seven day shopping was legalised in 1977, many have taken advantage over the law. Teresa Murray head of the N. Ireland Region Of Shopping Centres said â€Å"Sunday Shopping has become like a leisure pursuit for families and has become an important trading day for people in business.† Business provides a service and depending on the demand it either succeeds or fails and on Sunday nowadays shopping has become a demand so in order to make money business open for the maximum hours allowed which is six. Many working families don’t have much time to spend so end up using Sunday to spend time with there children or getting tings that they could get during the week such as grocery shopping. All the added time spend on Sundays has increased the employment needed for Sundays. Bob Gourley head of N. Ireland Shop Worker’s Union said â€Å"they had been opposed to the Sunday trading laws and had in fact boycotted them for many years but however hard they try Sunday trading has become a reality. Our workers only work on Sunday where it is done by agreement†

Admission to Physical Therapy Graduate Program

In all aspects of my life, perhaps the most significant inspiration that has shaped my life becoming the person I am today and gave me direction is experience itself who has taught me well. I had a tough childhood with my parents and my first marriage was unsuccessful.However, the outcome made me a stronger, more responsible and compassionate individual developing a heart for others in need. My loving and forgiving grandmother imparted to me values that have served as my guiding principles through the years. I always give my best in everything I do no matter how insignificant that may be.I believe in the saying do unto others as you would have them do unto you because true happiness to me is caring for others. This is the very reason why I worked so hard to complete my education by all means despite many obstacles so that I could be of great service to many when I finished my graduate program.Pursuing my college education was quite a struggle. I have to joggle raising two boys and st udies as well as financial resources. As a stay-home mother, I took initiatives to continue schooling whether on-line or on-site at Mountain State University and Chattahoochee Technical College maintaining very high marks. Due to lack of funds, I stopped during the fall of 2005 until April 2006.With much dedication, I moved on with my studies in May 2006. I thought then that it was impossible but I did it because I was determined, committed and focused. Currently, I am senior at Charter Oak State College finishing my undergraduate studies with a 3.90 GPA at the same time doing my required 80-hour observation.Besides my family, realizing my education would be my other great accomplishment more so when I graduate from this program. I am motivated to undertake this study because I believe that this is a good foundation to sharpen not only my intellectual purpose but my capabilities that will propel me to more achievements in life and a career in physical therapy.Ever since growing up I have uncovered my desire to help others probably because I have an outgoing personality. When I started college, I wanted to be psychologist. However, I have a neck problem that needed to be addressed through physical therapy. During my treatment, I just fell in love with whole process and like what I saw. The therapist was truly concerned about my pain and tried to make me strong and healthy again. There were these exercise equipment that help the patients strengthen their weak areas.Fitness and health are part of me. I play golf once a week at the same time goes fishing, horseback riding and hiking. I joined the Country Music Marathon last April with a time of four hours and three minutes, which landed me at the top 7% overall and top 3% in the women’s. I feel that I am a healthy person and could promote the benefits of nutrition and exercise to a lot of people. There is a shortage of physical therapist. I believe I would make a great therapist.While searching for a gradua te school that would meet my goals, I was excited to find the holistic approach of Alabama State University in Montgomery to physical therapy. I have devoted my undergraduate studies to prepare for this so that I can finally practice what I have learned. By adopting the tools and methods the university will provide, I can correctly interpret the theories and practices of physical therapy that are both insightful and sound.After graduation, I intend to pursue this career either in government or private to support my family and help those in need of physical rehabilitation making sure they get the necessary care and attention. When I gained enough knowledge and experience, I plan to set up my own therapy sessions at home during my free time to serve nearby patients.Though school may be over, I will still continue educating myself through research on-line to further expand my knowledge. I really enjoy what I do because I want to be a good example to my children and hopefully give them better education. All the hardships are nothing if you love your family.ReferenceAlabama State University, Montgomery. (2006). Physical Therapy. Heath Sciences. Retrieve August 15, 2006, from http://www.alasu.edu/Health_Sciences/default.aspx?id=16