The Role of Visitors Attractions to the Success of the South Bank Assignment

The Role of Visitors Attractions to the Success of the South Bank - Assignment Example South Bank of the River Thames in London has numerous of the best-recognized attractions and is a large place to spend at least a day of the holiday. The South Bank lies near the River Thames, which stretches under the Tower Bridge, Westminster Bridge, and 212 other bridges. It was enthused by the 1951 Festival of Britain subsequent to post-war austerity and to commemorate the anniversary of the 1851 Great Exhibition held by Queen Victoria. South bank is the biggest single-run arts center in the earth and consists of Royal Festival Hall, The London Eye, The National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Gabriel's Wharf and Tate Modern Art Gallery. (Bell, 2010). Visitor attractions symbolize a complex division of the tourism business and are the catalytic focus for the growth of tourism services and infrastructure. As this area develops, there are still numerous queries to be answered and problems to be recognized such as what visitor attractions really are, what forces drive t heir growth, who visits them and why, how they are managed and funded, and what the various day-to-day challenges are regarding their marketing and management. â€Å"A visitor attraction is a valuable addition to a holiday experience in an area. It can provide the vital component which is ‘something-to-do’ in the locality† (Visitor Attraction n.d para.1). With a cultural and artistic melting pot, growing day by day, glittering riverside sights at night, South Bank is one of London’s most exciting and vibrant destinations. Best recognized for being in the vicinity of so many of London’s major and prime attractions, South Bank is also just opposite to the Houses of Parliament, â€Å"a mere stroll from Covent Garden and the Tate Modern and home to the London Eye, the Imperial War Museum and the renowned Royal Festival Hall† (South Bank, 2011, para.1). The South bank Centre includes the Hayward art gallery and also Queen Elizabeth Hall. Part of t he achievement and success of the region have attributed to the high levels of access to public transport. There are several major railway terminals near and on both sides of the river, which include Charing Cross, Waterloo, Blackfriars and the London Underground scheme, from west to east, at Waterloo, Westminster, Blackfriars, Embankment, and Southwark. (South Bank, City Hall- London 2012). Critically evaluate how these attractions have contributed to the success of the South Bank. The designing concept behind the South Bank is bringing together various buildings, connected by the general denominator of their idea: culture. Cultural tourists desire to enjoy exhibitions and concerts, to test local food and study about local ethnicity, to enjoy the ambiance of a place. â€Å"London’s South Bank hosts some of the world’s premier cultural facilities and has long been frequented by many kinds of people: local residents, workers, tourists, and commuters, as well as music, theatre, and museum-goers† (Waterloo: South Bank, 2012, para.1). South Bank cites once more advantage of  its location, which is their main factor of success, in relation to Covent Garden and London’s Houses of Parliament, by the appeal that city iconic images propose; the possibility to have an attractive cultural experience as it mentions the London’s, cultural heart.

FINANCIAL REPORTING Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

FINANCIAL REPORTING - Assignment Example The paper presents the financial evaluation of the company and for this particular purpose, the most effective tool of ratio analysis has been utilized. The financial ratios are usually divided into various sub categories such as profitability, gearing and liquidity, each put emphasis on a different area of the financial outlook of the organization. These analyses form an integral part of the financial statement analysis, especially from the investor’s point of view, which are always looking for avenues to invest in countries having strengthened and stabilized financial ratios and representing an upward trend. In addition to the financial evaluation, for the purpose of risk assessment, several risks has been identified and assessed such as firm related risks, currency risks, capital structure risks and market risks. The Kerry Group PLC actively follows the corporate governance directives issued by the government for the corporation registered in the Ireland. Being a premium co mpany listed on the stock exchange, the company is required to follow the directives of the corporate governance requirements. ... Market and Industry Risk and competitor analysis The company operates in a highly competitive market where its competitors are continuously devising methods through which their profitability and market share can be increased. The company is exposed to a risk where its competitors can introduce a major change in their production process through introducing a state of the art technology. This can not only enhance the efficiency of their production, but it can significantly provide them with the cost leadership as well. In order to analyze market competitive forces, Porter gave a five forces model which analyzes the competitive forces acting in the market which a corporation has to manage in order for it to obtain competitive advantage. 3.2 Porter Five Forces Model Analysis Porter’s five forces model is an effective tool in exploring the competitive forces of the environment in which the organization operates. It allows the business to critically analyze its current business stra tegy and formulate one which can allow it to achieve a competitive position in the market. With the advancement in Information Technology, it has been prominently observed that the businesses are now focusing more and more on implementing information system in order to make the best use of their resources. In the mentioned case, KERRY GROUP PLC has several functional units carrying out activities related to the manufacturing and delivering of food merchandise. By integrating these units using information system, KERRY GROUP PLC can gain competitive advantage in the market which can by analyzed in the light of Porter’s five forces model. The first competitive force according to the model is the entry of new competitors

Role Suitability and Job Performance Research

Role Suitability and Job Performance Research Introduction Role suitability and job performance are two of the key elements studied and developed by occupational psychologists, and have frequently been discussed over an extended period of time. Job performance measures an individuals ability and results in their job, taking into account their ability to use initiative, their thoroughness in completing the tasks assigned to them and the effort they put into each. (Boshoff Arnolds, 1995) Role suitability is the governing attribute looked for in interviews and recruitment and measures the individual against criteria associated with successful application in a specific job role. When considering potential employees, it is vital for companies to ensure that they employ the most effective and efficient worker for the role, whilst also ensuring that the individual will be able to shoulder the responsibilities of the work the role entails. To achieve this, occupational psychologists are employed to advise in the recruitment process. They consider the individual differences that are vital in predicting ability and behaviour within a job role. Two main factors that are considered as the main indicators in job performance are personality type and general mental ability (GMA). General mental ability tests have been used for many years as a measure of potential job performance and validated research over an 80 year period has shown that the tests correlate with job performance measures across a large variety of job roles. (Outtz, 2002) GMA is most often referred to as intelligence, though differentiates from the intelligence normally spoken about by psychologists due to its lack of genetic potential. It is more accurately portrayed as an individuals ability to learn (Hunter Schmidt, 1996) Used as a general indicator of ability, it does not measure specific aptitudes that may be involved in a job, such as numerical aptitude or verbal aptitude. Personality is the other highly regarded indicator of performance in the workplace. Early reviews into the use of personality and job performance gave negative conclusions (eg. Guion Gottier, 1965, Reilly Warech, 1993). However, more recent research has evidenced suggestions that certain job-related criteria can be predicted through the testing of personality. One advantage that it has over cognitive ability testing is that it allows an element of fairness in selection choice, due to a lack of adverse impact on employees. Method Participants The experiment was carried out by joint honours psychology and counselling students from University of Wales Trinity St David Swansea. The participants were of mixed gender, all aged 18 and over. Each participant gave full written consent before taking part in the experiment. Design The experiment was of a correlational design, set to measure whether there were any correlational effects between personality type, in particular extroversion, and their abilities at scoring on a cognitive task. The statistical analysis was carried out using IBMs SPSS program (IBM, 2013). Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) will be used to analyse the results. Cronbach alpha coefficients was used to assess the internal consistency of the BFI-10 test. Finally Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients was used to examine the relationships between the variables. Procedure Each participant firstly completed a consent form, giving full written consent as to their participation within the study. The BFI-10 questionnaire was then issued to the participant, completed, then received and recorded by the experimenter. The Sales ability task was then issued to the participant, its two parts described, then completed by the participant. These papers were then collated by the experimenters and the data entered into SPSS, where the statistical analysis would be carried out. Materials The personality type was measured using the 10 question shortened version of the Big Five Personality inventory test, the BFI-10 (Rammstedt John, 2007) as this allows for an efficient and effective measurement of personality. This is measurable through a likert scale, with five steps ranging from 1= Strongly disagree to 5= Strongly agree. It measures levels of extroversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, conscientiousness and emotional stability with two items (questions) linked to each personality element. The cognitive ability task was measured through an adaptation of the National Sales Aptitude Test â„ ¢ as this is a validated and trusted indicator of ability in a sales environment. The test was adapted and designed to enable us to measure the following key elements of sales ability: Communication skills, persuasive ability, resilience, customer focus, relationship building, attention to detail, problem solving ability and listening skills. These are all important elements when considering somebodys potential sales ability. The test was made up of two sections, each graded differently. Section One was graded by a number value being given to each answer provided, whereas Section Two a point was given for each correct answer. IBMs SPSS software was used to carry out all statistical analysis. A consent and debrief form were also used to gain written acceptance of participation, and to debrief the participants following the experiment. Results All participants completed both scales. The mean score on the extroversion questionnaire was 6.47 with a range from 3-10 (SD = 2.11) and the mean score on the cognitive task was 58.8 with a range from 35-78 (SD = 10.75) In order to test the hypothesis that there is a positive association between increased levels of extroversion and cognitive ability in sales, the relationship between the two was explored using a correlational analysis. The results of a Pearson product-moment correlation indicated an insignificant weak negative correlation between the two variables (r = -.079, n = 40, p = >.05) with very little association being shown between the two variables (See Figure 1). The experimental hypothesis was therefore unsupported. Figure 1. Scatter-graph showing weak negative association between variables. Reference List Rammstedt, B., John, O. P. (2007). Measuring personality in one minute or less: A 10-item short version of the Big Five Inventory in English and German. Journal of Research in Personality,41(1), 203-212. IBM Corp. Released 2013. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Boshoff, C. Arnolds, C. (1995) Some antecedents of employee commitment and their influence on job performance. South African journal of Business Management, 26(4), 125-135. Outtz, J.L., (2002) The role of cognitive ability tests in employment selection. Human Performance. 15(1/2), 161-171. Hunter, J.E., Schmidt, F.L., (1996). Intelligence and job performance: Economic and social implications. Psychology, Public Policy and Law, 2, 447-472. Guion, R.M., Gottier, R.F., (1965). Validity of personality measures in personnel selection. Personnel Psychology, 18, 135-164 Reilly, R.R., Warech, M.A., (1993). The validity and fairness of alternatives to cognitive tests. In C.C. Wing B.R. Gifford (Eds.), Policy issues in employment testing. (pp. 131-224) Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic.

The Clown Doll: An Urban Legend Essay -- Urban Legends

The Clown Doll: An Urban Legend When my friends and I were younger, we loved to tell each other scary stories late at night at sleepovers. This memory resurfaced this past February as three friends and I exchanged tales late one night while on a trip in New Jersey. All of the stories were entertaining, but this purportedly â€Å"true† urban legend remained in my mind long after the other accounts. â€Å"The Clown Doll† was told by a twenty-year old, Christian female University biology major. She was born and raised in Pittsburg, PA, which is where she heard the story and where the story itself is set. As soon as she had all of our complete attention, she began the legend as follows: Well, back in high school, one of my best friends told me this story. It’s true because it happened to one of her close friends that went to a different high school in my hometown. This actually happened. This girl always babysat for this certain family in a nice, medium sized suburban neighborhood. The family had two kids; the little girl was six and the boy was eight. They lived in a nice, two story house. But there was something weird about the family. They loved dolls. They had a huge collection of dolls. Kind of weird, but you know. And so they had dolls displayed in cases and dolls sitting out. One night, the parents go out to a dinner party, and this girl comes to baby-sit the children. She takes care of the kids, feeds them dinner, plays with them, and then puts them to bed upstairs. After that, she comes back downstairs and sits on the couch in the living room to start watching TV. But the whole doll thing is really creeping her out. She just doesn’t like the way they are sitting there and seem to be looking at her. But th... ...y proposition. People want to be able to feel safe in the comfort of their own homes, and be able to protect their own families. Tellers of the Clown Doll tale seeks to instill chills in their audiences by interrupting this idealized vision of security. Another fear that is made evident in this story is the apprehension and dread that accompanies thoughts of the taboo. The Clown Doll manifests our society’s fear of things or people that are different, such as little people or the mentally or physically handicapped. Those with mental illness are unknown, taboo, and frightening to our society. There are many examples of mentally ill people being the center of movies about serial killers or stories in which we â€Å"normal† people cannot control the actions of those with mental illnesses. People afflicted with these diseases are normally kept away from everyday society

Firefighter Injuries and Deaths Essay

While civilian deaths and fatalities have gone down by 53. 6 percent in the last 20 years, only 20 percent decrease of the same has been reported from the firefighters. In fact, in the last 20 years, the United States has recorded an increased number of deaths and fatalities more than any other time in history. 1999 recorded the highest deaths at 112, followed closely by 2003, which recorded 105 deaths. This rate begs the question, are the fire fighters working more to ensure civilian safety, while risking their own lives? Safety standards during fire fighting Safety standards in the firefighting department have seen tremendous improvements in the past 20 years (Pessemier, B. 2009). This includes increased training among the fire fighters about the safety standards and better work practices, in addition to the purchase of better and efficient fire fighting equipment. In the last 10 years, a 34 % death increase was recorded among the firefighters. This in turn indicates that despite the improvements in the fire fighting department, there has been a decrease safety measures in the fire services. According to the US, fire Administration (FEMA), the approximate number of firefighters who have perished in firefighting activities in the last 20 years average to 100 firefighters annually. This trend was at its worst in the 1980’s, took a downward trend in the early 1990’s and resumed the high number in the late 1990’s. A study carried out between 1990 and 2000 by FEMA to establish the real cause of the injuries and deaths among the firefighters revealed that 44 percent of firefighters die due to heart attacks. Fatal injuries was second accounting for 27 percent of the deaths, burns and asphyxia ranked third accounting for 20 percent of all deaths(FEMA, 2008) The report also revealed that firefighters aged above 35 years stands more risk of medical related deaths. Such include heart attacks and stroke. Below 35 years, firefighters were more prone to traumatic injuries that eventually led to their deaths (FEMA, 2008). The report further revealed that 60 percent of the casualties fell under the above 40 years age bracket, while a third of them were aged above 50 years. This too begs the question, is age a factor when analyzing the rising deaths among the firefighters? This question can be answered by a closer look at the affiliation of the firefighter fatalities. 57 percent of all firefighter fatalities were affiliated to volunteer fire fighting agencies. These agencies had both volunteer fire fighters and volunteer personnel. However, seeing that career personnel make a mere 26 % of the fire fighting agencies through out the country, the proportionate of volunteers suffer fatalities. In fact, career firefighters only account for 33 percent of the fatalities. Here, the question of age pops again. An approximate 40 percent of the volunteers are aged above 50 years. Training is of outmost important for both career and volunteer firefighters because it prepares them on response tactics and safety procedures. Training on emergency response, incident command, safety and hot fire cases should be sufficient. However, at least 6 percent of fatalities in the past 10 years occurred during training. This was a higher number than what was recorded in the preceding 10 years. Physical fitness training has been the leading cause of training fatalities, followed closely by live fire and equipment drills (FEMA, 2008). Fatalities of volunteers and career firefighters are only recorded as a firefighter death if the person was on duty and if his death occurred 24 hour after he/she completed a fire related call on behalf of a fire department (Medgenmed. medscape. com, 2006). The Occupational safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued safety guidelines in 1980, as a way of combating the rising deaths and fatalities among the fire fighters (Marshall, S. T, 2004). In the guidelines, the organization authorized the use of fire-retarding clothing and self-contained breathing equipment. Although it was not clear, whether it was the guidelines or the decreased number of fires that were registered between 1979 and 2002, the number of fatalities in the fire services decreased annually by 52 percent in the three year period (Marshall, S. T, 2004). The working conditions To comply with OSHA’s regulations, firefighters are required to carry a self-contained air apparatus weighing 30 lbs. They must also wear protective clothing, which wears another 30 lbs. Although this offers more protection to the firefighters, critics argue that the additional 60 lbs that the fire fighters have to drag along during a firefighting exercise adds to physical stress and may lead to exhaustion, which is a leading cause of cardiac arrest related deaths(Marshall, S. T, 2004). The protective gear and the oxygen apparatus that fire fighters carry in their fire fighting exercises has also been blamed for an increased aggressiveness among the firefighters. The worrying thing about such aggressiveness is that most firefighters do not realize that the safety gear does not offer overall protection against death. Lack of adequate information about conditions that may be tackled and those that are too risky is also insufficient (Marshall, S. T, 2004). Unlike earlier times where firefighter based the decision to fight a fire from indoors by how hot their ears were, modern day hoods cover the ears and the temperatures can rise to fatal levels without the fire fighters recognizing it. That is the leading cause of many flashover incidences, where everything in a building, including the firefighter ignites concurrently due to very high temperatures (Marshal, S. T, 2004) Unlike earlier times where veteran firefighters knew it was time to leave a building when they felt dizzy or started coughing, the modern day breathing devices shield them from inhaling smoke. The tell tale signs that may signify the need to leave a building are therefore disorients them from the realities of a dangerous indoor environment. When smoke concentration becomes too high, there can be a sporadic ignition of the area. As such, even the training on working in zero visibility conditions comes to naught, as the firefighter will be engulfed in the random fire within a short time (Marshall, S. T, 2004). The OSHA regulations further require fire fighters not to start a fire fighting exercise unless a team of at least four people has been assembled. This requirement was put in place as a means of ensuring that assisting firemen were available just in case those fighting the fire needed it. Although noble in its intentions, Critics argue that this piece of regulation, known as 2 in/2 out protection standard hinder less than four firefighters who arrive at the place of fire on time to manage fire spread before it grows. As such, they argue that time that could otherwise be used to combat the spread of the fire is lost as fire fighters attempt to establish rescue teams (Marshall, S. T, 2004). Deaths that occur when firefighters are traveling to the fire destination are also on the rise. This are documented as Motor Vehicle Collisions (MVCs), and has accounted for an average of 22. 5 percent annual fatalities in the US since 1984. In a haste to respond to fire alarms, majority of fire fighters who perished in MVC s are in private vehicles. This is because the fire fighters can respond to a fire emergency from anywhere. Most MVC fatalities resulted from collisions. Disregard of the traffic rules is a major cause of such fatalities as firefighters forget/ignore wearing seat belts (USFA, 2009). In 2007, data by the OFPC Academy of on fire Science on fire fighter casualties revealed that 33 percent of all casualties was not determined, while 26 percent either suffered fractures, dislocation, sprain, swelling, strain, amputation or a crush. 13 percent were suffering from undisclosed pain and an equal percentage suffered abrasions, bruises, cuts, wounds or punctures. 4 percent had been affected by hazardous inhalants, while an equal number suffered burns. Two percent of the casualties had shortness of breath. Human error also plays a significant role in firefighters deaths. Sometimes, the firefighters may be too ignorant to safety precautions that they end up jeopardizing their own lives. In other cases, some one else’s negligence or omissions may end up casing fire fighter deaths. The latter is best explained by the four young fire fighters who perished in the North central Washington fire in 2001. The four young men were part of a crew that had been pulled to a safe location after the fire became too enormous, but later sent out in an attempt to fight it. The water pumps that were to draw water from a nearby Chewuch River refused to start and the young men deployed their fire resistant tents on a poor ground just steps away from a safer ground (Maclean, J. N, 2007) Programs that would reduce death and injuries among firefighters The protective gear used by firefighters during fire fighting mission has been subject to criticism for a long time now. To begin with, there were gaping incompatibilities between components such as the hood, the SCBA and the gloves. In past years, the quality of the hood and the SCBA greatly improved. The weak link to the protective ensemble thus became the gloves. Many fire fighters claimed that the gloves hindered them from performing tasks such as manipulating switches, holding tools and grasping straps. The reason behind this was that the gloves could not fit perfectly, with the finger gloves being too long. Fire fighters also said that the materials used on the gloves decreased a person’s agility and thus could affect the response time (LaTourette, T, 2003). To rectify these weaknesses that may end up causing injuries to the firefighters, I would suggest that materials, fit and the agility of the firefighters be considered before the manufacturers can settle on the specific material to be used on the firefighting gear. Another concept that would have significant impact death and injury reduction among the firefighters is the safety culture concept (Pessemier, W. 2009). This would require empowering individuals and organization with risk handling skills that would not compromise their fire fighting goals. This means that the firefighters would be trained on fire fighting methods that poses minimal risks to their wellbeing. The fire departments in different states will also need to develop and implement effective systems to manage vital safety behaviors among the firefighters. In addition, the state needs to provide sufficient funds for the continued training of firefighters on critical safety measures. Members of the fire service departments must also be willing to challenge any assumption, value or practice that they think can jeopardize their safety (Pessemier, W. 2009). Another approach that can decrease the number of fatalities that happen to firefighters, is adopting the safe person model. This model, which was proposed by Mark Jones, a deputy fire officer in the UK, would also work in the United States. Jones described the safe person model as the combined responsibilities between individual firefighters and Organization responsibility. Individual responsibility requires the fire fighter to be a competent person, able to work with a team whereby the fire service takes the initiative of selecting people suited for the fire fighting exercises, providing them with the right information, instructs and trains them accordingly, in addition to providing them with protective equipment and right supervision( riskinstitute. org). Deaths that occurred due to motor vehicle collisions as firefighters respond to emergency calls can also be reduced by training the fire fighters on basic road safety tips. Such includes wearing safety belts at all times and driving carefully despite the need to get the emergency venue on time. According to USFA statistics, only 21 percent of the firefighters who died on MVC cases had worn their seat belts when the collision occurred (USFA, 2008). Checking on the fitness of volunteers should also be a priority for all fire services. Health screening before the volunteers can be given the green light to work should be mandatory. This should be made in order to evaluate each person’s medical history. Such should include their age, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, weight, Family history and their physical tolerance levels (Sharkley, B. 2008). People aged above 45 years, who have physically inactive and those who have heart disease threat factors should be taken for extra checkups. Those with conditions such as high blood pressure should not be considered as the condition could end up in heart problems during exertion. Healthy adults should then be taken up as volunteers after the medical review. After taking up the firefighting volunteer roles, people aged 40 and more years should ensure that they continue engaging in cardiovascular activities. This is because regular exercises reduce the risk of developing heart diseases. Firefighters who have experienced situations that could have cost them lives should also be encouraged to speak up as other people can learn from their experiences. As noted by John B and Tippet Jr. (2005) in their report titled â€Å"Improve Leadership, report near misses†, encouraging firefighters who have experienced near-misses would serve as a learning venue for other firefighters. Such a program would be voluntary, confidential, secure and non-punitive for the firefighters who tell their personal accounts (John, B & Tippet,Jr. 2005). Laudable firefighter fatality reduction initiatives Under the auspices of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), firefighting organizations convened a meeting in 2004 and came up with 16 initiatives that if implemented would see to the reduction of the firefighters fatalities in the United States. They include: ensuring that fire fighting organizations had a responsible and accountable leadership, include tactical planning and strategic approaches at all levels when responding to emergencies, encourage firefighters under their organizations to employ safe practices only and develop a training and standardization mechanism which should be followed by all organizations. Additionally, the organization suggested that there should be a set standard for fitness standards, and that all initiatives towards decreasing the fatalities among firefighters should be documented. Conclusion Reducing the number of deaths and injuries among the firefighters is a challenge that would take efforts from both individual fire fighters and the firefighting organizations that they work for. It takes individual assessment to gauge the risks involved in a firefighting scenario and hence such requires good personal choices. On the other hand, it is the responsibility of the firefighting organizations to ensure that people working in the organization either as career firefighters or as volunteers meet the medical and physical requirements. It is also the organizations prerogative to ensure that firefighters are trained accordingly, have the right equipment and that they have the correct firefighting wear. Only then can people in the United States realize yearn to have fewer deaths among people who take up the hardest job and risk their lives when doing it. References John B and Tippet Jr. (2005). Improve leadership, report near misses: Learn from others about saving ourselves. Retrieved January 28, 2009 from http://www. iafc. org/displayindustryarticle. cfm? articlenbr=27206 Jones, M. (2008). Concept, policy and Practice: The UK fire context. Retrieved January 28,2009 from http://www. riskinstitute. org/peri/images/file/S908-D7-Jones. pdf LaTourette, T. Et al: (2003). Protecting Emergency responders. New York: Rand publishers. Maclean, J. N. (2007). The Thirty Mile Fire: a Chronicle of Bravery and Betrayal: New York. Henry Holt Marshall, S. T. (2004). Suppressing Volunteer Firefighting. Publication: regulation. Retrieved January 28, 2009 from http://www. allbusiness. com/human-resources/workplace-health-safety/317752-1. html Pessemer , W. (2009). Synopsis: Developing a safety Culture in the Fire Service. Retrieved January 28, 2009 from http://www. everyonegoeshome. com/newsletter/2008/february/safetyculture. html Sharkey, B, J. (2008). Cardiovascular Risks of Wild land Firefighting. Retrieved January 28,2009 from http://www. firejock. com/articles/Cardiovascular%20Risks%20of%20Wildland%20Firefighting. htm US Fire Administration (USFA). (2008). Historical overview: firefighter fatalities. Retrieved January 28, 2009 from http://www. usfa. dhs. gov/fireservice/fatalities/statistics/index. shtm

Advertising Billboards Essay

Everywhere you look these days you see a billboard or advertisement selling or promoting a product, it’s inevitable. You get in your car to go somewhere and look out the window and you are surrounded by them or you open a magazine and every other page is an ad promoting something. You walk into a store or public place and at every turn there is something staring you in the face. Since billboards are so big and visible from a distance they are hard to miss. It’s basically shoved in our faces without us having a choice, but to look and glance at it. Since we are exposed to this and this is something that everyone goes through on a daily basis, we tend to ignore a lot of it until something catchy or interesting catches your eye. Advertisements make things more appealing and make us more inclined to buy products. With the amount of competitors out there selling the same products, advertisement companies try and beat them out by coming up with attention getting ads. Advertisements these days seeming have more and more sexual content in them making them borderline inappropriate to fully inappropriate and unnecessary. See more: Experiment on polytropic process Essay This can be a negative effect on the public causing image issues and men and women being degraded. By using sexual innuendos and images, advertising companies are catching the attention of the public in bad and negative ways. Most advertising ads, whether on T. V. or on a billboard have some aspect and sort of sexual content involved. Many billboards or advertisements have a sexual hint in the message which may be taken literally and figuratively. They have two meanings depending on how you take it. It is usually a simple everyday product with a statement or saying to catch your attention. For example while looking at ads online, I came across an ad for a Toms Ford Fragrance. This ad contains a woman with red lipstick and red nail polish, she is clearly naked as she holds her breasts and the bottle of cologne is in between them. Now this woman has nothing to do with the cologne whatsoever, but I bet she helped sell a lot of the product which is directed at men. Why was it necessary to have her half naked in the ad? Because sex sells. Another ad and billboard I came across was for Ace Hardware. You have the Ace logo in the right corner and on the left in white writing against a black backdrop reads, â€Å"Need a good screw? Now this has a double meaning, you can take it literally as in needing a screw for maybe a project or something around the house or figuratively in a sexual way and meaning sex. Are these forms of advertising necessary, no, but it catches people’s attention and aids in selling and getting their product out there. Nudity has even become a major component in selling. Advertisement companies may think sex sells so they glorify it and use it. Yes, it helps to sell the product, but what affect does that have on society. Sex often has nothing to do with the product. If you look at clothing ads for top selling companies, it’s normal to see a woman or a man posing in a pair of jeans with their shirts off standing with their â€Å"perfect† bodies. Or you’ll see a woman in a bathing suit advertising for a hamburger company. Why do they need their shirts off or why does she need to be in a bathing suit? Because again sex sells. They are not completely naked but there is a lot of skin showing. This can create image problems in our society and make us self conscious as we try to strive to be like what they see in the ad or on TV. It causes body issues as you want your body to look like theirs, skinny and toned. Self esteem is a major issue that our younger generations are faced with especially in girls as they try and look like these women. For decades advertisers have come up with an â€Å"ideal† for the perfect woman. This woman represents what five percent of women look like, yet this body type represents 98% percent of the women seen in the media (Kilbourne). People look at themselves and compare themselves with what they see and tend to want to emulate it. Seeing these ads over and over with people you may want to look like can distort your thinking. You may start to dress like these ads and in turn are showing more skin because you think this is acceptable since it’s all you see around you. Or if you see a new product being advertised you want you go out and buy it not really needing it, but just want it because it’s the new â€Å"it† item, you can become never satisfied with things because you’re constantly out buying the new stuff. Sex appeal is a factor because would you buy something from someone who is considered less attractive? No, would be a common answer to some because our surroundings and being are built on looks and we are a very vain society where looks matter. So with companies having this way of thinking, how do others view this? They most likely are thinking the same thing. From commercials to infomercials you see beautiful people posing and acting selling something you may want. It can and may degrade men and women. Men are shown in these ads, but if you notice it’s mostly women who seem to be objectified to sell the products. Women are widely seen as sex symbols, so why not use them in ads. It’s become so common to see women half dressed that I don’t think we really realize what is being put out there. It has become a norm to see raunchy or inappropriate billboards and laugh. Many don’t see it as degrading, but as funny and entertaining. So imagine if we find humor in the ads and billboards now, just how far will the companies go to push the envelope to sell something. Using men and women in these ads in sexual ways only objectives them and we shouldn’t have to see them that way just to sell a product. Using â€Å"sex sells† is sending a bad message to the public. I think we should change our way of advertising and censor the ads a bit. Be considerate and respectful and realize that that ad might offend someone. There are a lot of people who feel these ads are wrong and shouldn’t be advertized. In fact, numerous women and men contacted the organization National Organization of Women (NOW) to complain about the sexist beer ads that for example were ran during the football season (NOW). NOW is just one of many organizations out there fighting for the cause of changing advertisements. So with people on board of changing the way billboards and ads are being presented and put out there we will one day see a change or at least see a reduction in the sexual ads out there. We as a society should see what is being put out there and see that what they are promoting is only a product.

Helen Pitts Douglass, Wife of Frederick Douglass

Helen Pitts Douglass, Wife of Frederick Douglass Born Helen Pitts (1838 - 1903), Helen Pitts Douglass was a suffragist and abolitionist in the 19th century. She is best known for marrying politician and abolitionist reformer Frederick Douglass, an interracial marriage considered surprising and scandalous at the time. Fast Facts: Helen Pitts Douglass Full Name:  Helen Pitts DouglassOccupation: Suffragist, reformer, and abolitionistBorn: 1838 in Honeoye, New YorkDied: 1903 in Washington, D.C.Known For: A white woman who married the mixed-race abolition leader Frederick Douglass, Helen Pitts Douglass was an advocate in her own right and pushed for abolition, suffrage, and her husbands legacy.Spouse: Frederick Douglass (m. 1884-1895) Early Life and Work Helen Pitts was born and raised in the small town of Honeoye, New York.  Her parents, Gideon and Jane Pitts, had abolitionist views and participated in anti-slavery work. She was the oldest of five children, and her ancestors included Priscilla Alden and John Alden, who had come to New England on the Mayflower. She was also a distant cousin of President John Adams and of President John Quincy Adams. Helen Pitts attended a female seminary Methodist seminary in nearby Lima, New York.  She then attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, founded by Mary Lyon in 1837, and graduated in 1859. A teacher, she taught at the Hampton Institute in Virginia, a school founded after the Civil War for the education of freedmen.  In poor health, and after a conflict in which she accused some local residents of harassing students, she moved back to the family home at Honeoye. In 1880, Helen Pitts moved to Washington, DC, to live with her uncle.  She worked with Caroline Winslow on The Alpha, a women’s rights publication, and began to be more outspoke in the suffrage movement. Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass, the well-known abolitionist and civil rights leader and ex-slave, had attended and spoke at the 1848 Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Convention. He was an acquaintance of Helen Pitts’ father, whose home had been part of the pre-Civil War Underground Railroad.  In 1872 Douglass had been nominated – without his knowledge or consent – as the vice presidential candidate of the Equal Rights Party, with Victoria Woodhull nominated for president. Less than a month later, his home in Rochester burned down, possibly the result of arson.  Douglass moved his family, including his wife, Anna Murray Washington, from Rochester, NY, to Washington, DC. In 1881, President James A. Garfield appointed Douglass as Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia. Helen Pitts, living next door to Douglass, was hired by Douglass as a clerk in that office. He was often traveling and was also working on his autobiography; Helen Pitts helped him in that work. In August, 1882, Anne Murray Douglass died.  She had been ill for some time.  Douglass fell into a deep depression.  He began to work with Ida B. Wells on anti-lynching activism. Married Life On January 24, 1884, Frederick Douglass and Helen Pitts were married in a small ceremony officiated by the Rev. Francis J. Grimkà ©, at his home. Grimkà ©, a leading black minister of Washington, had also been born into slavery, also with a white father and a black slave mother. His father’s sisters, the famous women’s rights and abolitionist reformers Sarah Grimkà © and Angelina Grimkà ©, had taken in Francis and his brother Archibald when they discovered the existence of these mixed-race nephews, and had seen to their education.  The marriage seems to have taken their friends and families by surprise. The notice in the New York Times (January 25, 1884) highlighted what were likely to be seen as the scandalous details of the marriage: â€Å"Washington, January 24. Frederick Douglass, the colored leader, was married in this city this evening to Miss Helen M. Pitts, a white woman, formerly of Avon, N.Y.  The wedding, which took place at the house of Dr. Grimkà ©, of the Presbyterian church, was private, only two witnesses being present. The first wife of Mr. Douglass, who was a colored woman, died about a year ago. The woman he married to-day is about 35 years of age, and was employed as a copyist in his office. Mr. Douglass himself is about 73 years of age and has daughters as old as his present wife.† Helen’s parents opposed the marriage because of Douglasss mixed-race heritage (he was born to a black mother but a white father), and stopped speaking to her.  Frederick’s children were also opposed, believing it dishonored his marriage to their mother. (Douglass had five children with his first wife; one, Annie, died at age 10 in 1860.) Others, both white and black, expressed opposition and even outrage at the marriage. However, they had support from some corners.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton, longtime friend of Douglass though at a key point a political opponent over the priority of women’s rights and black men’s rights, was among the defenders of the marriage.  Douglass responded with some humor, and was quoted as saying â€Å"This proves I am impartial. My first wife was the color of my mother and the second, the color of my father.†Ã‚  He also wrote, â€Å"People who had remained silent over the unlawful relations of white slave masters with their colored slave women loudly condemned me for marrying a wife a few shades lighter than myself. They would have had no objection to my marrying a person much darker in complexion than myself, but to marry one much lighter, and of the complexion of my father rather than of that of my mother, was, in the popular eye, a shocking offense, and one for which I was to be ostracized by white and black alike.† Helen was not the first relationship Douglass had had aside from his first wife. Beginning in 1857, Douglass had carried out an intimate relationship with Ottilie Assing, a writer who was a German Jewish immigrant. Assing apparently thought he would marry her, especially after the Civil War, and believed that his marriage to Anna was no longer meaningful to him. She left for Europe in 1876, and was disappointed that he never joined her there.  The August after he married Helen Pitts, she, apparently suffering from breast cancer, committed suicide in Paris, leaving money in her will to be delivered to him twice a year as long as he lived. Frederick Douglass’ Later Work and Travels From 1886 to 1887, Helen and Frederick Douglass traveled together to Europe and Egypt.  They returned to Washington, then from 1889 to 1891, Frederick Douglass served as the US minister to Haiti, and Helen lived with him there.  He resigned in 1891, and in 1892 to 1894, he traveled extensively, speaking against lynching.   In 1892, he began to work on establishing housing in Baltimore for black renters. The following year, Douglass was the only African American official (as a commissioner for Haiti) at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.  Radical to the end, he was asked in 1895 by a young man of color for advice, and he offered this: â€Å"Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!† Douglass returned to Washington from a lecture tour in February 1895 despite declining health. He attended a meeting of the National Council of Women on February 20, and spoke to a standing ovation. On returning home, he had a stroke and heart attack, and died that day. Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the eulogy which Susan B. Anthony delivered. He was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York. Working to Memorialize Frederick Douglass After Douglass died, his will leaving Cedar Hill to Helen was ruled invalid, because it lacked enough witness signatures.  Douglass’ children wished to sell the estate, but Helen wanted it as a memorial to Frederick Douglass.  She worked to raise funds to establish it as a memorial, with the help of African American women including Hallie Quinn Brown. Helen Pitts Douglass lectured her husbands  history to bring in funds and raise public interest.  She was able to buy the house and adjoining acres, though it was heavily mortgaged. She also worked to have a bill passed that would incorporate the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association. The bill, as originally written, would have had Douglass’ remains moved from Mount Hope Cemetery to Cedar Hill. Douglass’ youngest son, Charles R. Douglass, protested, citing his fathers wish to be buried at Mount Hope - and insulting Helen as a mere companion for Douglasss later years as well. Despite this objection, Helen was able to get the bill passed through Congress to establish the memorial association. As a sign of respect, however, Frederick Douglass’ remains were not moved to Cedar Hill; Helen instead was buried at Mount Hope as well in 1903. Helen completed her memorial volume about Frederick Douglass in 1901. Near the end of her life, Helen Douglass became weakened, and was unable to continue her travels and lectures. She enlisted the Rev. Francis Grimkà © in the cause.  He convinced Helen Douglass to agree that if the mortgage had not been paid at her death, the money raised from the property being sold would go to college scholarships in Frederick Douglass’ name. The National Association of Colored Women was able, after Helen Douglass’ death, to purchase the property, and to keep the estate as a memorial, as Helen Douglass had envisioned.  Since 1962, the Frederick Douglass Memorial Home has been under the administration of the National Park Service.  In 1988, it became the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. Sources Douglass, Frederick. Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. 1881.Douglass, Helen Pitts. In Memoriam: Frederick Douglass. 1901.Harper, Michael S. â€Å"The love letters of Helen Pitts.† TriQuarterly. 1997.Marriage of Frederick Douglass. The New York Times, 25 Jan. 1884. https://www.nytimes.com/1884/01/25/archives/marriage-of-frederick-douglass.html

Essay on Critical Annotated Bibliography

Essay on Critical Annotated Bibliography Essay on Critical Annotated Bibliography Essay on Critical Annotated BibliographyToday, the copyright law is one of the most controversial issues because, on the one hand, the copyright protects intellectual property rights, while, on the other hand, the emergence of information technologies and modern telecommunication systems have opened new opportunities for creative work of people using materials legally protected by the copyright. In this regard, it is possible to refer to the documentary A Remix Manifesto directed by Brett Gaylor.Before the presentation of the documentary, Brett Gaylor encourages people to do more remixes from the movie and, thus, to make his idea of the new concept of the copyright come true. The emotional appeal of the director to the audience can be traced throughout the documentary as Gaylor persuades the public that the traditional copyright law is outdated and he attempts to present the existing legislation as the copy RIGHT suggesting moving to the copy LEFT that means that copyrights should be come more liberal. In fact, he is a proponent of creative commons since the documentary is created on the ground of contribution of many people and the director explores the contemporary concept of the copyright and how it should be changed to meet the modern cultural and technological environment.To make his message more persuading, Gaylore refers to the authority of renowned activists, journalists, and other reputable people, who stand on the similar ground for creative commons and changes of the modern copyright law. The appeal to the authority of renowned people is a useful device that helps to gain the support of the audience and persuade viewers that his vision of the copyright is basically right.To defeat any possible argument of his opponents, Gaylor appeals to the logic and reason of the audience by referring to the case of Jammie Thomas, a single mother making $36,000 a year, who was ruled to pay off $222,220 in damages for making 24 songs available for download on the Kaz aa file-sharing network. The audience can hardly keep from being sympathetic in relation to Jammie Thomas and may believe the payoff is too high.In such a way, Gaylor steadily but logically leads the audience to the only possible conclusion that the law, including the copyright law, should distinguish the copyRIGHT represented by corporations and the copyLEFT represented by free creative communities. The director concludes that people have the right to realize their creativity and publish their creative works freely within the public domain.In fact, the argument of Gaylor is logical and reasonable as well as it is emotional. However, he apparently tends to stand for the copyLEFT but he also tends to underestimate the risk of misusing the concept of creative commons and other ideas related to his concept of copyLEFT, which implies free individual creativity in the public domain. In a long-run perspective, the refusal from the traditional copyright law and the shift toward public crea tivity, or creative commons, or whatever, leads to the violation of the intellectual property rights of individuals and companies because whatever intellectual property that goes public will be unprotected by the copyright anymore.Thus, A Remix Manifesto is the documentary that raises an important issue of the change of the copyright and the emerging conflict between the right of individuals to creativity in the public, open domain, and the protection of intellectual property rights.

Latins 1st Conjugation Verbs

Latin's 1st Conjugation Verbs There are four  conjugations of Latin verbs that you need to learn to read or translate  Latin. In addition to the verbs of the 4 regular conjugations, there are also several irregular verbs. The Latin 1st conjugation verbs, like the Latin 1st declension nouns, are marked by an a as in amare. Noting this a (a thematic vowel) should help you to distinguish verbs of the first conjugation from those of the second, third, or fourth conjugations. Amare:To Love The infinitive (which we translate as to ...) ending for the first conjugation is -are. Note that there is no separate word to. The infinitive includes the sense of to within it. One of the difficulties of Latin is learning that there is often not a neat, one-to-one correspondence between words in English and Latin. The infinitive of the 1st conjugation verb. e.g., amare, translates into English as to love. The 4 principal parts of a 1st conjugation verb have the following endings: -o, -are, -avi, -atus. A typical verb is laudo praise, so its principal parts are: laudolaudarelaudavilaudatus. Infinitives Active Present - portare to carry, to be carryingPerfect - portavisse to have carriedFuture - portaturus esse to be about to carry, to be going to be carrying Passive Present - portari to be carriedPerfect - portatus esse to have been carriedFuture - portatum iri to be about to be carried, to be going to be carried, to be carried Participles Active Present - portans carryingFuture - portaturus about to carry Passive Perfect - portatus loved, having been carriedFuture - portandus to be carried Imperative Active Present - porta, portate (second person) Carry!Future - portato, portatote (second person)portato, portanto (third person) Passive Present - portare, portamini (second person) Be carried!Future - portator (second person singular)portator, portantor (third person)

Gang Violence in Charlotte Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Gang Violence in Charlotte - Research Paper Example Over the past quarter, a century the American society has experienced an increase in the gang activity. Most of the gang members are young people who are highly prone to peer influence. Numerous studies have acknowledged the significant role that firearm play in perpetuating the menace of gang violence. However, there are few studies that have examined how the accessibility of firearms has facilitated the growth of gang violence. Studies estimate that the state of North Carolina has over 100,000 gang members (Smith & Furuseth, 2006). These statistics are merely estimation since there are no statewide records that accurately depict the numbers of gang members. These figures indicate a growth by approximately 200% of gang activity over the past decade. Due to this upsurge, the State government has been forced to initiate a task force specially dedicated to dealing with the gang menace.Other reports indicate that the gang members are responsible for over 1000 homicides and nearly 10,000 felonies in the city of Charlotte over a period of five years. Other crimes reported to be attributed to gang member include 9000 robberies and nearly 500 rape cases (Smith & Furuseth, 2006). A recent survey that profiled the gang member found out that a significant number of gang members lie with the age bracket of 10-25 years (Smith & Furuseth, 2006). This has greatly worried the policing department as it appeared that gangs were getting younger and aggressive. In Charlotte, gang membership is largely dominated by male.

Epistemological Beliefs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 10

Epistemological Beliefs - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that the rule operates on personal rules and philosophies. It states the nature in which a single individual operates and make decisions should not be influence by an external forces and the third party. In counselling and psychotherapy the psychotherapist and the counsellors should not influence the nature in which the patients make decisions based on their conditions. The therapist should respect the rule in autonomy and design the environment that that assist the patients to make informed decisions. There comes a time when the psychotherapist or the counsellor is caught between the patients’ right o make autonomous decisions and their beneficence duty. In the scenario the patient may choose to go against the psychotherapist prescription. In matters like these the patients may the priority and upon evaluation and identification of the patient’s autonomy rule the psychotherapist has no choice but to respect the patient’s decisions.

Discuss four aspects of the social context of care Essay

Discuss four aspects of the social context of care - Essay Example Health is also affected by the kind of living and working conditions he enjoys and whether the people he is interacting with are having a positive influence on his life. (Wilkinson Richard and Marmont Michael, 2003) There was a previous school of thought which prescribed that the doctors along with the nurses should not get too involved in the social aspect of the patient. One tends to lose their level of reasoning and rationality of thought on such interactions. Making the correct diagnosis along with administering the drug by the nurses were the requirements of a doctor and a nurse. However the present school of thought introduces a social aspect into the medium whereby doctors and nurses are advised to have a more pleasant interaction with the patients. Even if the patient can afford the treatment the greatest barricade for ordinary people gaining access to proper healthcare includes class, gender, ethnicity and disability. Stigma Stigma relates to a psychological problem that is experienced by patients having Aids, epilepsy and other mental illness. This is characterised by a feeling of depression and low well being. (Brakel Wim, 2005) The literary concept of stigma is defined as the social rejection of an individual or a group due to a negative judgement made by the society at large due to a health problem that the individual or group is facing. Stigma is associated with the following actions 1. Discrimination- This entails preferential treatment given to some people over others due to a particular health issue a patient might posses. (Wilkinson Richard and Marmont Michael, 2003) Source: Brakel Wim, 2005, measuring social stigma 2. Participant Restriction- This involves the problems a patient might experience when intermingling with society in general. Participation is restricted from certain activities which can have a negative impact on his psychological well being. (Brakel Wim, 2005) 3. Stereotype- This occurs when the society at large perceives people suffering from a particular illness as all having the same personality traits and behaving in a certain manner. This can give rise to cliches with society not appreciating the individuality of the person. Stigma affects the mental condition of the patient adding to the illness or disability he is already experiencing. People tend to develop an inferiority complex. Stigma and discrimination is harmful in areas related to medical access to these patients. For AIDS patients the primal fear is total isolation since the general feeling among public is that it is contagious and can spread via contact. ( Brakel Wim, 2005) This fear causes them to hide their disease resulting in severe lowering of self esteem. Concealing the disease can also increase the risk of them aggravating it even further at the same time affecting the individuals around them. Indicators have been developed to assess the stigma that is associated with each disease like Aids and leprosy. The AIDS Attitude Scale develop ed in 1992 has been used for stigma assessment among health care professionals. (Brakel Wim, 2005) This has now been updated to include the attitude of the general public as well. One instrument called the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC) has been developed to measure stigma for different health conditions by creating a data base of the attitude of society at large. The answers to the queries are graded on a scale of 0-3. The answer ‘

Why is the British Government pursuing a policy of austerity while the Essay

Why is the British Government pursuing a policy of austerity while the economy is not growing - Essay Example The failure strategies and policies include the government opting to greatly cut down on the budgets of some of its departments to as low as thirty percent (Barrell and Liadze, 2009, p. 208). The Government had employed the austerity policies and hoped that it will greatly check on the budget deficit to minimum level of zero percent by the end of that financial year. This was also considered as a move by the government to boost its economic status and assist in paying off its public debt. Despite the above measures, the budget deficit of Britain has remained at an alarming rate and with the impact being felt most by the citizens following the increased recessions (Barrell and Liadze, 2009, p. 207) Pressure in now mounting on the government to come up with working solutions as well as cut down on the credit ratings. The austerity approach failed to meet its intended role of certifying things beyond reasonable doubt thus resulting to a huge setback in the economic development of Britai n. The Government of Britain is being accused of simply trying to experiment how efficient the austerity approach can be to its economy (Barrell, Holland, and Hurst, 2012, p. 933).This experiment has led the Britain citizens to live in depression for a long period of time.. From the look of things with regards to Britain economy, it is most likely that the austerity policies will not be easily implemented. Economists have come out strongly explaining that measures like cutting down on government expenditure may in the long run reduce the economic output largely, tax revenues to decrease, and spending on benefits to increase (Barrell and Liadze, 2009, p. 207). This however takes time and may end up resulting in an increase in the budget deficit. The government had intended to win back the favor of investors and businessmen by employing the austerity strategy. The effort to try and salvage the economic situation following the implementation of austerity policies has resulted to a big battle by the Bank of England to try slash investment spending (Delong and Summers, 2012, p. 78). This measure has however remained decimal and depressed. The government has also blamed the Eurozone for being its biggest business partners yet in has don e nothing to help it with the issue of recession. The government of Britain may try resolving this recession issue by loosening its fiscal policy (Delong and Summers, 2012, p. 78). Despite such positive advice, the government has remained adamant and has continued to propagate the pre-Keynesian economics. This approach has resulted in some positive changes in the country’s fiscal policy but most people have not yet felt the fruits of his efforts and opt for better contribution. Back in 2009, the government had forecasted that come 2013, the deficit would have gone down by 3.5 per cent of G.D.P. With time, the forecast has proven to have been too optimistic (Delong and Summers, 2012, p. 78). Despite the government coming up wit h measures to reduce economic budget deficit as well as government spending, it has not yet fully implemented these measures as it keeps on postponing them with the latest future date being put at them forward until 2016 to 2017 (Fatas, 2012, p. 78). The debt-to-G.D.P. ratio, which the government opted to go up by about seventy per cent, has surprisingly hit seventy-five per cent, and chances are that it will continue to increase up to eighty per cent in 2016. (Fatas, 2012, p. 78). The British government also blames the Eurozone crisis for the immense reduction of the amount of Britain exports goods. If the government realized that the external environment was unreliable it could have adapted to boosting the domestic market and solve

Implementing Strategy & Managing Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Implementing Strategy & Managing Change - Essay Example The crux of the solution is to facilitate a sense of participation to all the stakeholders associated with the issue to solicit maximum cooperation and compliance. This report concerns the implementation of the proposal regarding setting the standard time in which a fire engine arrives at a location at 12 minutes. This proposal though being placed as an inalienable part of the current RMP has come across stiff resistance from the trade unions, government officials and the public. A successful implementation of this proposal necessitates the appraisal and understanding of the external environment in which the organization operates and identifying the salient cultural, political and technical constraints responsible for augmenting such resistance for this proposal (Greener & Hughes, 2006). It was found that extending a sense of ownership and participation to the stakeholders associated with and impacted by the issue would certainly go a long way in assuring a successful implementation of this proposal (Beitler, 2006). As per the existing best practices corroborated three years ago, a fire engine is expected to arrive at 65 percent of the fire incidents within 5 minutes and at 90 percent of the locations in 8 minutes (London Safety Plan, 2008/2011). As per the available data, in the last three years, the fire engines failed to reach at 65 percent of the incidents within 5 minutes (London Safety Plan, 2008/2011). Hence, the attendance standards desperately need to be revised. Going by the current realities, there will also be instances where the fire engines will take more time then the one enshrined in the existing best practices, to arrive at a location. Hence, the setting the maximum time to 12 minutes is pragmatic and realistic. There exists a plethora of cultural factors causing resistance to the proposal under consideration. In the context of the fire and rescue services, London always commanded a peculiar background and attitude (Pepys, 1995).

Constitutional and Administrative Law Assessed Corsework Essay

Constitutional and Administrative Law Assessed Corsework - Essay Example he principle of separation of powers assumes that certain functions should be carried out by different institutions with neither impinging the other’s authority. As Montesquieu argued; â€Å"All would be lost if the same man or the same ruling body†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦were to exercise these powers.3† Furthermore, Lord Acton commented that â€Å"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely4†. Accordingly, the preservation of separation of powers is essential as a check on autocratic power. As part of this, judicial review of the legality of acts of the executive represents the central method by which courts control exercise of governmental power; which in turn operates as a central underlying facet of the separation of powers. As such, the doctrine of ultra vires is theoretically vital in serving as a testament to the independence of the judiciary in its role under the fundamental constitutional separation of powers in ensuring that public bodies, such as government departments, local authorities, tribunals, agencies have not acted ultra vires5. Moreover, the ultra vires doctrine is cited as the first principle of natural justice and the rule of law that public bodies are required to act within the scope of the powers allocated to them by Parliament6. With regard to the UK position, the doctrine of the separation of powers has traditionally been limited and criticised for being somewhat unclear in comparison to other democracies7. Nevertheless, it has been commented that the doctrine does in fact influence everyday operations of the executive, legislature and judiciary8 and Barnett argues that â€Å"Separation of powers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ runs like a thread throughout the constitution of the United Kingdom9.† Nevertheless, in the UK there has not been a clear separation of the branches of the state10, but rather a fusion, which in turn has created polarised debate with regard to the need to reform the British constitution. For example, the executive clearly carries out

Implementing Strategy & Managing Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Implementing Strategy & Managing Change - Essay Example The crux of the solution is to facilitate a sense of participation to all the stakeholders associated with the issue to solicit maximum cooperation and compliance. This report concerns the implementation of the proposal regarding setting the standard time in which a fire engine arrives at a location at 12 minutes. This proposal though being placed as an inalienable part of the current RMP has come across stiff resistance from the trade unions, government officials and the public. A successful implementation of this proposal necessitates the appraisal and understanding of the external environment in which the organization operates and identifying the salient cultural, political and technical constraints responsible for augmenting such resistance for this proposal (Greener & Hughes, 2006). It was found that extending a sense of ownership and participation to the stakeholders associated with and impacted by the issue would certainly go a long way in assuring a successful implementation of this proposal (Beitler, 2006). As per the existing best practices corroborated three years ago, a fire engine is expected to arrive at 65 percent of the fire incidents within 5 minutes and at 90 percent of the locations in 8 minutes (London Safety Plan, 2008/2011). As per the available data, in the last three years, the fire engines failed to reach at 65 percent of the incidents within 5 minutes (London Safety Plan, 2008/2011). Hence, the attendance standards desperately need to be revised. Going by the current realities, there will also be instances where the fire engines will take more time then the one enshrined in the existing best practices, to arrive at a location. Hence, the setting the maximum time to 12 minutes is pragmatic and realistic. There exists a plethora of cultural factors causing resistance to the proposal under consideration. In the context of the fire and rescue services, London always commanded a peculiar background and attitude (Pepys, 1995).

Organic food - Agriculture Essay Example for Free

Organic food Agriculture Essay Ever wondered why organic foods are more expensive? Why organic foods are kept separately from the other food in a grocery store? Why some produce has special labels? The food all looks the same on the outside. An apple marked organic looks the same as any other apple in the produce section of the store. The difference is not the outward appearance but how the apple was grown and processed. The word organic gives the impression that the food will be safer and more nutritious to eat than food without the organic label. Many scientific studies have been done to find if there is a significant difference in safety and nutrition. The studies all conclude the same information. Organically grown foods are not any more nutritious or safer for consumption than conventionally grown, non-organic foods. Many people are not clear regarding how organic and non-organic also known as conventionally grown food is grown in the United States. Organically grown food is grown and processed using no synthetic chemicals, such as fertilizers or pesticides (Environmental Protection Agency, 2009). Pesticides derived from natural sources, such as biological pesticides, can be used in growing and producing organically grown food (Environmental Protection Agency, 2009). Biological pesticides are bacteria or fungi that are applied to the plant to control bugs (Environmental Protection Agency, 2009). If raising livestock, the animals eat organic animal food (American Progress, 2008). Organic farming does not have adverse effects on animals and people. Using biological pesticides and fertilizers does not leave toxins or harmful residues in the environment (American Progress, 2008). These types of pesticides and fertilizers are considered to be environmentally friendly, unlike non-organic farming. Non-organic or conventionally grown food is food grown with chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth. Insecticides are used to reduce pests and disease. Chemical herbicides are applied to soil to prevent and kill weeds. The animals are given antibiotics when sick. Growth hormones and medications are given to livestock to prevent disease and spur growth (Mayo Clinic, 2009). The two methods of farming are very different regarding farming techniques. Farming techniques are the main factor that contributes to a food classification as organic or non-organic. Organic farming techniques are one reason the cost is higher than conventionally grown food. Organic farming uses crop rotation (American Progress, 2008). This is growing one type of food, then harvesting that food and planting a different crop in the same place. Crop rotation helps keep the soil fertile. Organic farmers rely on the spreading of mulch or manure to keep weeds down (Mayo Clinic, 2009). Organic farmers may use methods such a hand weeding as opposed to using herbicides sprayed on the entire crop. Organic farmers may use beneficial insects and birds to keep pests from destroying crops (American Progress, 2008). Organic farming is much like farming before all the technological advancements in farming that is used today in conventional farming. Organic farming is designed to reduce pollution and conserve soil and water (American Progress, 2008). Either way a farmer chooses to grow food, the food still has to pass all standards set up by the United States government. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set standards all food producers must adhere to and pass whether organically or conventionally grown. Food must be safe before it is sold to consumers. The National Organic Program (NOP) develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. The NOP also accredits the certifying agents, both foreign and domestic, who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards (United States Department of Agriculture, 2010). The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) and the NOP assure consumers that the organic agricultural products they purchase are produced, processed, and certified to consistent national organic standards. The labeling requirements of the NOP apply to raw, fresh products and processed products that contain organic agricultural ingredients. Agricultural products that are sold, labeled, or represented as organic must be produced and processed in accordance with the NOP standards (Agriculture Marketing Service, 2010). If the food passes all the criteria, the food can legally carry an organic label. Labels are an important part of correctly marketing organic food. All food has to be classified and labeled before it can be sold for consumption whether organic or non-organic. Before a product can carry the organic label, it must pass all the USDA guidelines. Products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients are considered 100% organic. Examples of completely organic products are single-ingredient foods, such as fruits, vegetables, eggs. These type foods are labeled 100% organic. These foods can carry a USDA organic seal (Mayo Clinic, 2009). Food that contains organic ingredients but also have other ingredients that may not be organic are considered 95% organic (Agricultural Marketing Service, 2008). An example of this type of food is cereal. Manufacturers and farmers may use the word organic on the product label if the food contains more than 70% organic ingredients (Agricultural Marketing Service, 2008). The label is not the USDA label but the manufacturer’s label. An example of this type of food is a soup that has a manufacturer label boasting it has organic ingredients. Foods containing less than 70% organic ingredients cannot use the word organic on their product label (Agricultural Marketing Service, 2008). The USDA issues heavy penalties for misrepresenting a product as organic. Natural food is not organic even though the two are usually within the same section in a market. Natural food is a term that may confuse people. Natural food does not have strict labeling standards set up by the USDA. Thus, many products can carry a natural food label. It would be easy to misconstrue natural food as organic. By definition, natural food is food that has undergone no or minimal processing and contains no additives such as preservatives or artificial coloring (Encarta, 2009). Natural food is the way the food is processed after it has been grown. Organic and non-organic food is defined according to how it was grown and then processed. The quality of food is still the issue for natural, organic, and non-organic when deciding what to buy. The quality of the food is one of the main issues between organic and conventionally grown food. The concern about conventionally grown food is if the food contains chemicals or chemical residue. Many studies have been done on organic and conventional food. Conventionally grown food does contain trace amounts of residue from the chemicals used in producing the food. Thoroughly washing produce with water and scrubbing before consuming reduces the residue on the fruit or vegetable (Mayo Clinic, 2009). According to the studies, there is no difference as far as taste. Taste is subjective to the growing conditions, season, and if a food is at its freshest point (Mayo Clinic, 2009). Taste is, of course, a matter of opinion. Something that studies can measure is the nutritional value of food. Many studies have been done comparing the nutritional value of organic and conventionally grown food. The studies have shown that there is no conclusive evidence to prove that organic food is more nutritious than is conventionally grown food (Mayo Clinic, 2009). The USDA, even though it certifies the food, does not claim organic foods are safer or more nutritious than conventional food (Mayo Clinic, 2009). An organic facts site states the following about organic and conventionally grown foods, â€Å"There is no evidence to prove that organic food is healthier than non organic food. People prefer organic food because they feel it is safer than conventional food as chemicals are not used in its production (Organic Facts, 2010). † Study after study does not prove organic food safer or more nutritious than conventionally grown food. Nutrition is not the only issue at hand. The controversy lies in the growing methods between organic and conventional farming. The issue should deal more with depleting the soil of its minerals and the chemicals washing off into the water supplies. The labels are added to organic food so that consumers have a choice. A consumer can easily identify organic products by the labels. When at the supermarket, look over the organic section. Do not worry that one fruit or vegetable tastes better than the other. Do not ask if one is more nutritious than the other. What should be asked, do I want to help conserve the environment? References Agricultural Marketing Service. (2010). Agricultural Marketing Service – National Organic Program. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://www. ams. usda. gov/AMSv1. 0/NOP American Progress. (2008). Organic vs. Conventional Foods-The Gloves Come Off. Retrieved January 13, 2010, from http://www. americanprogress. org/issues/2008/09/organic_green. html Encarta. (2009). natural food definition – Dictionary – MSN Encarta. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://www. encarta. msn. com/dictionary_1861696699/natural_food.html Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Organic Farming/Agriculture/US EPA. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://www. epa. gov/oecaagct/torg. html Mayo Clinic. (2009). Organic Foods: Are they safer? More Nutritious? Retrieved January 13, 2010, from http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/organic-food/NU00255 Organic Facts. (2010). Difference Between Organic and Natural Food | Organic Food Basics | Organic Food. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://www. organicfacts. net/organic-food/organic-food-basics/difference-between-organic-and-natural-food. html.

Marian Halcombe Between Genders And Gender Roles

Marian Halcombe Between Genders And Gender Roles According to Lyn Pykett most of Collinss novels explored the way in which gender roles were constructed, and, at the same time, explored various pressures for and anxieties about changes in gender roles in the mid-nineteenth century (2005: 128) and offered a critique of the class and gender hierarchies of Victorian society (2005: 223). The Woman in White is one of those novels to which Pykett referred to and Collins uses his unconventional heroine Marian Halcombe to serve his purposes. In this chapter I want to show that Marians unconventionality resides in the way she looks and behaves and that this allows Collins to challenge gender roles and that she is used to blur gender boundaries. The novel begins with Walter Hartrights words This is the story of what a Womans patience can endure, and what a Mans resolution can achieve. (Collins 1) After a first reading of the novel these words will prove he is an unreliable narrator at least, if not a man who consciously wants to mislead the readers into thinking that a woman is only passive and must endure and that only a man is strong and capable of great deeds, when this is not always the case, especially in this novel. I say this because throughout the novel there are male characters that must have patience and endure and female characters that are resolute and active. For instance, Sir Percival must have patience if he wants to get in possession of his wifes money and Count Fosco constantly reminds him of that patience, Percival -patience. Youre always talking of patience' (Collins 285). Marian Halcombe, although a woman, has resolution Miss Halcombe cut the knot of the little embarrassment forthwith, in her resolute, d ownright way (Collins 42) and throughout the novel her resolution will recommend her as a powerful woman as I will show later on in this chapter. His words can be interpreted as reflecting the Victorian ideology of the separate gender roles for women and men. However, I argue that these words are not fully illustrative for the content of the novel and for its characters because of Marian Halcombe and what she represents in the economy of the novel. What she does shows that a woman is not always patient and enduring but can be also resolute. Marian Halcome whose far more interesting character represents the only significant variation on business-as-usual in the novels gynaeceum (Miller 176) is portrayed from the beginning of the novel as being between the genders in the sense that her physical description shows she is both masculine and feminine (Pykett 2005:126). From her description it can be seen that at this point in the narrative that her femininity resides in the beauty of her body and her masculinity in the traits of her face. Walter Hartright describes her and his contradictory reactions thus Her figure was tall, yet not too tall; comely and well-developed, yet not fat; her head set on her shoulders with an easy, pliant firmness; her waist, perfection in the eyes of a man (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) The ladys complexion was almost swarthy, and the dark down on her upper lip was almost a moustache She had a large, firm, masculine mouth and jaw; prominent, piercing, resolute brown eyes; and thick, coal-black hair, growing unusually low down on her forehead (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)To see such a face as this set on shoulders that a sculptor would have longed to modelto be charmed by the modest graces of action through which the symmetrical limbs betrayed their beauty when they moved, and then to be almost repelled by the masculine form and masculine look of the features in which the perfectly shaped figure endedwas to feel a sensation oddly akin to the helpless discomfort familiar to us all in sleep, when we recognise yet cannot reconcile the anomalies and contradictions of a dream. (Collins 24-25) As Sophia Andres well remarks Walters conventional expectation of femininity is unsettled by the disjunction of femininity with masculinity (371) when he first sees Marian and his reaction could have been the reaction of any other Victorian that had fixed conceptions about the way a woman had to look like but I argue that Collins mocked in a way the gendered expectations of Victorians when he created Marian and showed that women are not all the same and that masculinity can characterize a woman too and not only a man. Her sister Laura makes an indirect remark about her masculine face when she returns from her honeymoon and exclaims that she missed her own dear, dark, clever, gipsy-face (Collins 188). Talking about Marians description Valerie Pedlar notes that Walter finds himself face to face with a lady who is not at all easy to categorize and who falls outside conventional literary or social models (76) My opinion is that it is precisely because she cannot be categorized by the con ventional society of the age that she can be seen as expressing Collinss contempt for the Victorian gender norms and gender definitions. Apart from her masculine face she has other masculine physical traits of which she is aware My hands always were, and always will be, as awkward as a mans (Collins 204) because they are big. Another remark that she makes about herself and that implies she is aware of her masculinity is that made when she tries to stop herself from crying because she says My tears do not flow so easily as they ought they come almost like mens tears, with sobs that seem to tear me in pieces, and that frighten every one about me (Collins 144). When she makes choices about her personal items she intentionally highlights her masculine side because from Laura we learn that she has a horrid heavy mans umbrella with which she always would walk out with when it rained (Collins 188).Her personal choices like that of having a mans umbrella instead of a smaller womans umbrella show that she disregard the etiquette of the time and this furthermore implies that her wishes are more important for her than what other s think is right for a woman to do. One would think that a discussion about the fact that she has a heavy mans umbrella is not very illustrative for the subject of this chapter but the fact that it is heavy shows that Marian has physical strength and since women in that period were considered fragile mentally, morally and physically and she is a woman, again points to one conclusion: Victorian gender expectations are flouted. According to Carolyn Oulton her masculinity is initially signaled in the references to physical traits such as facial hair (84) but throughout the novel instances when she is seen as masculine and treated like if she were a man and when she behaves in a masculine way occur. Masculinity is associated with physical and mental strength and Marian possesses these qualities that lastly make those who know her realize she is unique. One of these persons is Eliza Michelson who said to Laura when she realized that Marian had disappeared from Blackwater Park despite the fact she was ill Remember, my lady, what surprising energy there is in Miss Halcombeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ She might well make an effort which other ladies in her situation would be unfit for (Collins 344). She is an extraordinary woman and without doubt people notice that. Count Fosco is surely the one person who most sees how different she is from other women and admires her despite all her masculine traits. He says to Percival when they talk about how to get in possession of Lauras money She is sharp enough to suspect something, and bold enough to come downstairs and listen, if she can get the chance. (Collins 285) Can you look at Miss Halcombe and not see that she has the foresight and the resolution of a man? With that woman for my friend I would snap these fingers of mine at the world. With that woman for my enemy, I, with all my brains and experienceI, Fosco, cunning as the devil himself, as you have told me a hundred timesI walk, in your English phrase, upon egg-shells! And this grand creatureI drink her health in my sugar-and-waterthis grand creature, who stands in the strength of her love and her courage, firm as a rock, between us two and that poor, flimsy, pretty blonde wife of yoursthis magnificent woman, whom I admire with all my soul, though I oppose her in your interests and in mine, you drive to extremities as if she was no sharper and no bolder than the rest of her sex. (Collins 291) He acknowledges her as a powerful enemy because she is resolute, courageous and intelligent as a man but he is also capable of seeing her as a feminine woman and this furthermore makes him admire her. After reading her diary he states Admirable woman! I allude to Miss Halcombe. Stupendous effort! I refer to the Diary. Yes! These pages are amazing. The tact which I find here, the discretion, the rare courage, the wonderful power of memory, the accurate observation of character, the easy grace of style, the charming outbursts of womanly feeling, have all inexpressibly increased my admiration of this sublime creature, of this magnificent Marian (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Under happier circumstances how worthy I should have been of Miss Halcombehow worthy Miss Halcombe would have been of ME. The sentiments which animate my heart assure me that the lines I have just written express a Profound Truth. (Collins 302-303) He not only praises her for all that she is and does but he also seems to declare his love for her. He considers himself powerful, courageous as I am by nature (Collins 545) and intelligent and she being an unparalleled woman as he himself observed, could have been the perfect match for him precisely because of her strong nature. They are very much alike. She is the first and last weakness of Foscos life (Collins 556). What Collins seems to suggest through Count Foscos voice who does not blame Marian for not being as feminine as women have to be but on the contrary is that such atypical Victorian women as her should be acknowledged in their society although they undermine mens domination. Not only Count Fosco realizes that she has things in common with men and admires her. Walter Hartright says about her She caught me by both handsshe pressed them with the strong, steady grasp of a man à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ She stopped, drew me nearer to herthe fearless, noble creature (Collins 107). The same Count Fosco who talked about Marian in such admiring terms had talked previously in terms that express the mentality of the time about ways in which men can rule women and about resolution that is characteristic of men and that women cannot possess. After reading what he later on says about Marian and after all the instances when she uses her resolution it is clear that Marian does not fail in resolution and that again conventional ideas of the time do not fully apply in her case. Human ingenuity, my friend, has hitherto only discovered two ways in which a man can manage a woman. One way is to knock her downa method largely adopted by the brutal lower orders of the people, but utterly abhorrent to the refined and educated classes above them. The other way (much longer, much more difficult, but in the end not less certain) is never to accept a provocation at a womans hands. It holds with animals, it holds with children, and it holds with women, who are nothing but children grown up. Quiet resolution is the one quality the animals, the children, and the women all fail in. If they can once shake this superior quality in their master, they get the better of HIM. If they can never succeed in disturbing it, he gets the better of THEM (Collins 291) Although Marian has manly impulses like that of hitting Sir Percival I started to my feet as suddenly as if he had struck me. If I had been a man, I would have knocked him down on the threshold of his own door, and have left his house, never on any earthly consideration to enter it again. But I was only a womanand I loved his wife so dearly! (Collins 218) and Count Fosco, My hands tingled to strike him, as if I had been a man! (Collins 495) she refrains herself because she knows that a violent act would do her no good as she is in neither cases in the position of gaining anything from hitting them. Often, her transgressions of gender roles are made with the purpose of protecting her sister and in the first case if she strikes Sir Percival she risks being thrown out from his house leaving her sister unprotected from his villainies and in the second case the situation is the same, she risks leaving her sister unprotected and alone as Walter is not in the city to stay with her. With all her transgressions her options as a woman are limited and being a man would have certainly opened up more possibilities for her. When she arrives at Blackwater Park she waits impatiently for her sisters arrival from her honeymoon and she affirms If I only had the privileges of a man, I would order out Sir Percivals best horse instantly, and tear away on a night-gallop, eastward, to meet the rising sun () Being, however, nothing but a woman, condemned to patience, propriety, and petticoats for life, I must respect the house- keepers opinions, and try to compose myself in some feeble and feminine way. (Collins 174) The last sentence describes the condition of middle-class women in Victorian England, condemned to a domestic existence but these are not necessarily her own words expressing her beliefs and opinions because she says that she must respect the housekeepers opinions and the fact that she mentions this thing makes me interpret what she says as being the ironical rendering of the housekeepers words. Marian is glad when some people around her, for example Count Fosco, see her masculine side and treat her differently than they would treat a conventional Victorian woman He flatters my vanity by talking to me as seriously and sensibly as if I was a man (Collins 197). Not all who meet her treat her like Count Fosco and there is an amusing moment with a school teacher that thinks she is as traditional Victorian woman, therefore weak and who tries to protect her from a shock. Instead of being grateful she is ironical and the answer to his attitude shows that she is not satisfied when people treat her as a weak woman I beg your pardon, Miss Halcombe, interposed the school-master a little uneasilybut I think you had better not question the boy. The obstinate folly of his story is beyond all belief; and you might lead him into ignorantly- Ignorantly what? inquired Miss Halcombe sharply. Ignorantly shocking your feelings, said Mr. Dempster, looking very much discomposed. Upon my word, Mr. Dempster, you pay my feelings a great compliment in thinking them weak enough to be shocked by such an urchin as that! She turned with an air of satirical defiance to little Jacob, and began to question him directly. (Collins 72- 73) On the other hand, although she is not satisfied when people think she is a weak person she herself has moments of weakness. Those moments attest she is feminine too. After the discussion with Laura, during which Laura said she was going to marry Sir Percival after all, she starts to cry The tearsmiserable, weak, womens tears of vexation and rage started to my eyes. She smiled sadly, and put her handkerchief over my face to hide for me the betrayal of my own weaknessthe weakness of all others which she knew that I most despised (Collins 159). She despises weak people and tries to hide her own weakness. She tends to believe that it is the fact that she is only a woman (Collins 529) and has a womans body that makes her weak and that this weakness is not representative for who she really is inside. Her femininity is not as accentuated as her masculinity but without a doubt it is a part of who she is too and she learns to accept it. After she moves with Laura and Walter she has to take c are of the household and she says to Walter What a womans hands ARE fit for, she said, early and late, these hands of mine shall do. They trembled as she held them out (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) the unquenchable spirit of the woman burnt bright in her even yet. I saw the big tears rise thick in her eyes, and fall slowly over her cheeks as she looked at me. She dashed them away with a touch of her old energy, and smiled with a faint reflection of her old good spirits. Dont doubt my courage, Walter, she pleaded, its my weakness that cries, not ME. The house-work shall conquer it if I cant. (Collins 390) Although moments like the one mentioned in the last paragraph that show her femininity are not as many as those that show her masculinity they exist in the novel. For example, in the beginning of the novel Walter is shocked to see she has masculine qualities and he expects her to have an inexpressive facial expression like that of a man and to have the voice of a man too but he is pleased to see that her dark face lighting up with a smile, and softening and growing womanly the moment she began to speak (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) These odd words of welcome were spoken in a clear, ringing, pleasant voice (Collins 25). Also, she dresses in a feminine way. Walter notices when he looks at her, Mrs. Vesey and Laura that she is richly clad with delicate primrose-yellow colour which matches so well with a dark complexion and black hair (Collins 44). When she prepares to spy on Count Fosco and Sir Percival she says that A complete change in my dress was imperatively necessary for many reasons () In my ordinary evening costume I took up the room of three men at least (Collins 287). When Walter asks her if she would write to him after he leaves Limmeridge House her dark eyes glitteredher brown complexion flushed deepthe force and energy of her face glowed and grew beautiful with the pure inner light of her generosity and her pity (Collins 107) showing that despite her masculine face she is capable of having womanly feelings. Another moment when her femininity is revealed is when she talks with Walter about telling Laura that her husband died and Walter notices that An unaccustomed tenderness trembled in her dark eyes and softened her firm lips, as she glanced aside at the empty chair in which the dear companion of all our joys and sorrows had been sitting (Collins 499). She has a robust physicality (Oulton 85) but her body has its limits and because of that she has to give up doing things despite herself like the moment when she wants to go and look for Laura after talking with Count Fosco who told her she does not have to sign Sir Percivals act my head was giddy and my knees trembled under me. There was no choice but to give it up again and return to the sofa, sorely against my will (Collins 244). The limitations of her body show again her femininity. From the beginning of the novel she makes mean and sarcastic remarks about women herself included. For example, she says to the puzzled Walter Hartright that How can you expect four women to dine together alone every day, and not quarrel? We are such fools, we cant entertain each other at table. You see I dont think much of my own sex, Mr. Hartright (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) no woman does think much of her own sex, although few of them confess it as freely as I do (Collins 25-26). Her words can be interpreted as showing her disappointment for the way women behave. I opinion that at the same they show she tends to have misogynistic views on women. Normally misogyny is associated with men and in this case her words furthermore show that she is masculine too. She observes his bewilderment and continues I will give you some tea to compose your spirits, and do all a woman can (which is very little, by-the-bye) to hold my tongue (Collins26) The irony is that she does not hold her tongue but on the contrary so her remark is somehow sarcastic attacking the ideology of separate gender roles. After she says this Walter remark that she was laughing gaily (Collins 26) so this sustains what I have just said. Other examples of remarks about women coming from her are Women cant draw-their minds are too flighty, and their eyes are too inattentive (Collins 27), Women, as everybody knows, constantly act on impulses which they cannot explain even to themselves (Collins 227) and Women can resist a mans love, a mans fame, a mans personal appearance, and a mans money, but they cannot resist a mans tongue when he knows how to talk to them ( Collins 228). According to Lyn Pykett she does not think much of either sex (Collins 126) and her affirmation is confirmed by Marians words about men No man under heaven deserves these sacrifices from us women (Collins 159). The same Lyn Pykett sustains that Collins uses Marians proto-feminist pronouncements and her active involvement in rescuing Laura and helping Walter to restore her half-sisters identity as a way of questioning and challenging current gender roles (Collins 126). In the light of the matters discussed in this chapter it is clear that these instances named by Pykett are not the only ones when Collins challenges gender roles. Another instance when gender roles are clearly challenged is when Marian disregards all the rules of proper womanly behaviour and spies on Count Fosco and Sir Percival staying on the roof of a verandah. Throughout the novel she is active and helps Walter not only by doing different activities that are not typical for a woman in the Victorian period but also by giving him advices that are helpful and that determine him to trust her. In an age when few middle-class women had the power to act against the gender norms and defy the hierarchy of gender roles of their society she is one such example of woman who behaves differently than expected and when for example she fails to express her opinion as she usually does people around her are astonished. Such a situation is when asked by Mr. Gilmore to say whether they should trust Sir Percival when he said that Anne Catherick was taken by him to the asylum with the permission of her mother she says nothing and his reaction is resolute, clear-minded Miss Halcombe was the very last person in the world whom I should have expected to find shrinking from the expression of an opinion of her own (Collins 117). According to Lilian Craton the dark and ugly qualities of Marians physical appearance defy the feminine ideal but enable her strong sense of individuality as do the masculine personality traits (133). I agree with her but I would also add that her feminine qualities should not be disregarded. Marian is not defined exclusively by the masculine but by the masculine and the feminine at the same time and the fact that she is a combination of these two is what make her unique. By presenting her as being between genders Collins subverts traditional Victorian gender definitions. She fails to comply with contemporary gender roles and as a consequence she affirms her individuality.