International Marketing Planning and Strategies Essay

McDonald’s is a world-famous company that provides fast- food in China. In the course of offering its services, it faced stiff competition from its rival Kentucky Fried Chicken company. The management therefore had to put into consideration some local business practices such as quality of food, staff welfare and other environmental issues. McDonald’s restaurants in China were being operated as joint ventures along with other local companies. This ensured elevated brand quality and effective management control as compared to its competitors in the market place. Additionally, its ability to quickly adjust to the varying local conditions made it to take advantage over many other competitors (Ko, 2008, 1). Through the invention of the new technology and vast capital, the company developed its own internal supply network which made them to have access to both domestic and export markets. The development of infrastructure enabled it to get its supply from within the country thus saving cost of importation. McDonald’s implemented the traditional Chinese culture which enabled it to quickly make its way to the market. For instance, it decorated its restaurants with designs symbolizing traditional Chinese culture. It also offered special festive items such as Prosperity burger during the Lunar New year. This attracted many people to eat from their restaurants. The company kept on adjusting its menu in order to capture the favorites of the people. Due to the rising competition in the market place, McDonald’s had to partner with Sinopec, a petroleum company, in order to build drive-through restaurants in most of its petrol stations in China so that it captures many customers to counter the high rate of competition. They had also to collaborate with the Chinese online shoppers so as to attract internet users for their foods and other promotional items. The company carried out an advertising campaign to bring awareness to the people of McDonald’s products. McDonald’s took advantage of young Chinese customers’ social influence. Despite the fact that it was offering its food at higher prices, the young generation viewed this restaurants as trendy places to socialize with their friends and families. They also preferred the restaurants’ site as they offered good atmosphere for relaxing. McDonald’s engaged in national campaign and took benefit of Beijing hosting the Olympic Games. They used the Chinese slogan which made it to attract many customers which made it to improve its business operations. Opportunities and threats McDonald’s faced great challenges, for instance, the rising inflation in china made it to raise its prices for almost all its products in order to make up for the surging cost of materials. This made the level of consumers to decline drastically. It also faced social threats and critics which pointed out that they did not apply health and environmental standards observed in China (Ko, 2008, 3). The transformation of China to a developed nation posed a threat to McDonald’s as it was uncertain whether it was going to sustain its momentum of operation. Marketing strategies To sustain its operations, McDonald’s should carry out some marketing strategies such as engaging in successful community and media relation program that will enable it to have increased coverage and reputation without spending a fortune. Another strategy is to set up joint promotions. In this case, McDonald’s must identify uniqueness and behavior of its frequent customers, look for other non-competing businesses already reaching them and then formulate a technique to set up joint promotions. They can also make use of emerging market trends and take advantage of increased sale opportunities before their competitors.

The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire Essay

The story of Christianity’s rise to prominence is a remarkable one but also blurry one. As far as historical fact about the beginnings of Christianity that is. Many scholars point to the time around 4 BC as the most likely period for Christ’s birth, but that is also uncertain. Likewise the year of his death is not historically accurate or clearly established. It is thought to have taken place sometime around Ad 26 through AD 36. Christianity as a religion faced many years of persecution and punishments, sometimes even death. But, over the course of a few hundred years, despite all of this, the small persecuted religion of Christianity rose to become the dominant religion of the Roman Empire (Adler). Based off of historical texts Jesus of Nazareth was a very easy going laid back religious teacher and later a Jewish leader. Raised the earthly son of a carpenter, he did not come from high class society(Rise). He was just a normal, religious boy from next door to those who knew him growing up. It was only later that the Christians began to believe he was the Messiah, which is the human personification of God. Although there is little historical text about his early life more is known about his later years during his time as Messiah. He was clearly not one of the Jewish zealots who sought to overthrow and push out Roman rule in the land but, the Roman rulers did see him as a threat to security. It is known that Jesus did denounce the priests that Rome had appointed in charge of the religious sites of the Palestine(Lunn). This denouncement could have been perceived as an indirect threat to Roman rule by Jesus. This threat coupled with the fact that he was becoming known as the â€Å"King of the Jews† is why he was condemned and sentenced to death. The Roman leaders saw his death sentence as the closing of a chapter on a minor problem before it became a major nuisance and came back to bite them in the behinds. Therefore, it can be concluded that the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth was nothing more than a political decision based on political motivations(Paulgaard). Whatever the importance his death was to the Roman leaders is went hardly noticed by Roman historians. To them his death was no more important than a street beggars. It can be assumed that the Roman leaders who agreed to his crucifixion  thought that his teachings would die along with him or shortly thereafter(Lunn). They must have been furious when his very loyal and determined followers didn’t allow that to happen. One of their own Roman citizens, Paul (known as Saint Paul) proved to be the most effective in caring on spreading the word of God the way Jesus himself did. He was a devout follower of Jesus and believed that if Jesus was willing to die for the sins of mankind and for his beliefs then it all must be true. Saint Paul became well known for his missionary trips that took him from Palestine into the Roman Empire (Syria, Turkey, Greece, and Italy). He carried only his teachings of Jesus new religion with him and spread the word to the non-Jews(Lunn). Up to this point in history Christianity was only known as a small Jewish Sect. It was Paul who took this new religion and the story of Jesus the Messiah to the masses. Most of the biblical scriptures of the new testament were written after the death of Jesus so there would have been very few available to him to use. The actual outlines of his new religion of that day is relatively unknown so Paul’s teachings and preaching would have been on the general ideas of Jesus and his ideas of Christianity such as the firsthand knowledge Jesus said he had of his holy father being the one and only God. It was Christianity’s insistence of one all-knowing and all-powerful God and others teachings like it that led to the Roman’s feeling threatened. Roman authorities waited for quite some time before deciding how to best approach and deal with this new religion. In the mean time, Paul and others like him were picking up so many followers so fast that the Roman leaders began to think of Christianity as a cult(Paulgaard). The Roman Empire had for so long kept it guaranteed religious peace due to the principles of religious toleration most of all Christianity was in direct defiance of the â€Å"official state religion of the empire.† To top it all of Christians refused to perform Caesar worship, which was required of all citizens of the Roman Empire, and this more than anything else proved of the Christians disloyalty to their Roman rulers. Finally, in AD 64 Roman authorities got an answer to the question of what to with the followers of Jesus and Christianity ,when Nero’s bloody repression led to the persecution of the Christians(Rise). This repression ,though rash and short lived, was a significant historical  event. After the repression and upon learning of the Christians refusal to perform Cesar worship, the Roman emperor Domitian sent investigators to Galilee to questions the family of Jesus. They released all they questioned without charging them but just the fact that the Roman Emperor had taken interest in this small Jewish sect proved that Christianity was no longer merely just a small Jewish sect but a force to be reckoned with. It was towards the end of the 1st century that Christians finally severed all ties with Judaism and established themselves as their own religion(World). They were Christians and they were independent of all other religions. After the separation Roman authorities no longer had them on radar. They didn’t know who Christians were independent from Judaism. The fact that Christianity was now unknown to the Roman Empire led to all kinds of rumors about this new sect. There were all kinds of rumors that Christians were performing all kinds of secret rituals such as child sacrifice, incest and even cannibalism. This led to major bad publicity ,so to speak, for Christians. During the 2nd century AD Christians were once again persecuted for their beliefs. The biggest reason this time was because Christianity did not allow their members to give the statutory reverence to the images of the gods and of the emperor. Their gatherings then became considered a civil disobedience and a transgression against the edict of Trajan. The edict of Trajan forbade meetings of secret societies and since the roman authorities considered Christianity a cult, that was a secret society(Lunn). The next serious persecutions were those under the rule of Marcus Aurelius. This period defined the Christians understanding of martyrdom. Following a period of widespread toleration of the Christians by the roman authorities after the persecution by Marcus Aurelis, Diocletian enacted what was to become the greatest persecution of Christians under Roman rule. He and Caesar Galerius launched a purge against the sect. They saw the Christians as becoming far too powerful and so in turn to dangerous. AD 312 marked the beginning of a new era in the history of Christianity under Roman rule. Emperor Constantine had a vision of the sign of Christ in a dream on the eve of a battle with his rival emperor Maxentius. The vision told him that he was to have the symbol inscribed on his helmet so he did.  He also ordered all of his bodyguard to paint in on their shields. After his victory in battle he declared that he owed his victory to the God of Christians. Constantine already had a tolerant attitude of the Christians that he had gotten from his father but before that night he had never indicated that he would be on their side(Paulgaard). His vision changed the fate of Christianity for good. Constantine secured religious toleration towards Christians all over the empire. It was in AD 324 that he defeated his last rival emperor and his final religious restraint disappeared that he became the first Christian emperor that ruled over the entire empire. He saw to the construction of many gr eat churches and great monuments to Christianity. He also became openly hostile toward the pagans and sought out to confiscate their treasures. The items confiscated were later given to the Christian Churches. Citizens of the Roman empire never really were even given time to work into Christianity, they were just kind of shocked into it by Constantine saying I am ruler and what I say goes. Following Constantine as ruler was Julian. When he took the throne he immediately renounced Christianity but could do little to change it as Christianity by then dominated the religious make-up of the empire. After years of trying to establish what was and was not part of the Christian religion in was the emperor Theodosius in AD 380 that took the final step and made Christianity the official religion of the state(Lunn). There were ups and downs for Christianity in the Roman Empire following the decision to make it the official religion, but no matter who argued against it, the fact was that Christianity was there to stay. The road for Christianity from a small Jewish sect to the official religion of the Roman Empire was a long and deadly one paved with the loves of many a Christian, starting with the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus start out with the goal of spreading the news that there was only one God and that he was a loving, forgiving, and faithful God. Roman authorities from first learning of Christianity, sought to destroy it. They wanted no part of a cult that didn’t bend to their will because they could not control them. Many Roman’s thought that by threatening and then following through with killing Christians, they would renounce their faith in their God. But, they didn’t. It took a very long time and many, many deaths and persecutions for one  Roman emperor to stand on the side of the Christians. Had it not been for Constantine and his vision, Chrisitanity may not have gotten to where it is today. It is not only to official Roman Empire’s religion it has beco me the most well known and most practiced religion among the western world to date. And it all leads back to one man who died on the cross for my sins. Bibliography 1. Adler, Philip J., Pouwels, Randall L. World Cvilizations. 6th ed. copyright 2012,2008 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. pgs 138-142 2. The Rise of Christianity. Purdue Online. Purdue.Edu.com April 22,2014 3. Lunn-Rockliffe, Dr. Sophie. Christianity and the Roman Empire. BBC History Ancient History in depth. pub.2011-02-17. Online. April 24,2014. 4. Paulgaard, James. The Expansion of Christianity in the Roman Empire. University of Saskatcewan.1 April 1999. Worldpress.com April 22, 2014.

Lap Dance Feature News Story Prompt Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lap Dance Feature News Story Prompt - Assignment Example All 11 members of council were in agreement with the ordinance while only 8 votes were required for the approval of the ordinance. One of the main conditions of the ordinance is that there has to be no touching between the entertainers and patrons in any kind of business in Redondo Beach. It also requires a 6-foot separation between the patrons and entertainers, along the performance stage to be at least 18 inches high and a rail of at least 30 inches high. Adult entertainment industry will be greatly affected by this ordinance. It includes establishments such as strip clubs, gentlemen’s clubs, adult clubs, bikini bars, nudie bars, topless bars, adult cabaret bars and others. An entertainer in the ordinance mainly refers to dancers, both men and women. Activities such as lap dancing, tucking bills in G-strings, etc will become illegal as a result of the ordinance. Mary Macy (40) said, â€Å"Adult entertainment businesses are blight to any neighbourhood. They attract a variety of criminal activity, including prostitution and drug use. The proliferation of these businesses is destroying neighbourhoods across the city.† Tonis Zaslow (35) supported Mary Macy by arguing that the quality of life needs to be safeguarded. He said â€Å"Redondo’s reputation as a wide-open city needs to end. We can and will restore the quality of life that needs to be restored. It’s time to make a stand. This is just good government.† On the adult entertainment industry which contributes $150 million annually to the economy came out very strongly against the ordinance. Ken Majors (51), owner of Peppermint Giraffe Gentlemen’s Club said that â€Å"We’ll beat this. They tried to do this in two other California cities and the voters threw it out just like that. We’ll get the 30,000 signatures in two weeks. I know it. Want to sign the petition? We’re having a party to gather signatures. Come and bring your friends.† The

The Relationship Between Racial Identity and PsychoSocial Outcomes Essay

The Relationship Between Racial Identity and PsychoSocial Outcomes Among African American Males - Essay Example This is when the youth experiment with all their hearts and show these outcomes to the world, of course with the world either accepting them or rejecting them in the process (Oyserman and Gant, 1996). The youth embarking on establishing who they are synthesize what they already know from their childhood, with their accumulated skills and abilities, and use these to construct their adult selves that do seems to justify who they really are. This adult self provides meaning and order to its thoughts, experiences, feelings and actions. Aside from these interior functions, it sought to motivate actions to the ones around it through providing incentives, standards, plans, strategies and rules of conduct. Thus, the adult self is a social construct, relying heavily on the support of the society, as it could be the one dictated by the inherent norms or it could be the one setting the norms. The social environment is also the background for which the youth can source the resources it needs i.e. education, economic resources to enable them to obtain the skills and characteristics to be the adult deemed worthy of their sociocultural position. This paper would posit racial identity as the dependent variable and the independent variables are the future achievements of the black male, in or outside of school, the black youth's self-esteem and image and the level of psychological distress he suffers. Adole Adolescents deciding on their future adult selves are open to seems-like limitless alternatives for them to choose from, varying only on their personal attainments and available resources. Nevertheless, adolescence has a funny way of imposing a limit on these alternatives. This limit is the belief that they cannot or do not have the capabalities to succeed in school, leading to a general decline in the interest as well as involvement in learning, in school or otherwise, increase in risky deliquent behaviors and suscpetibility to depression (Osyerman and Gant, 1996). This simply describes the plight of many youth black males. Though it is the same that they are open to experiment in their adolescence in order to determine who they are, society seems to be harder on them that the restriction adolescence impose on their supposed-to-be limitless pallet of identities to choose from is much more existent than their white peers. Therefore, there are evident claims of youth black males in more increased risk for school failure and dropout, arrest and incarceration, as one can see in various studies. It is important to note that this manifests more in blacks residing in America, or African-Americans adolescents. Whatever a white youth has to face as a challenge to prove itself to the world, the African-American has to take on double (Osyerman and Gant, 1996). For example, it is natural for youth in the cities to seek out for itself employment opportunities that would sustain them and lead them to satisfying career paths amidst the tapering of these labor possibilities. However, there had already been imposed a job ceiling on African-Americans that often times, advancing from entry-level positions became quite impossible. Moreover, the blacks living in poverty is actually dismaying as it increases rapidly, and jails swamped with these youth rather than the schools. The African-American are mostly in unstable, low-paying jobs or unemployed that most of them gave up on even seeking one. Thus, the

Legal and Financial Structure of Project Finance in India Essay

Legal and Financial Structure of Project Finance in India - Essay Example This paper further discusses several aspects of investment risks in India, and points out how investors can implement certain useful techniques. Finally, it offers some suggestions to overcome these challenges. Keywords: Investment, Project Finance, Investment in India, Public-Private-Partnership. Introduction: The long term financing of various types of infrastructure, industrial and public service projects are usually referred to project finance. In recent times, it has funded many large-scale natural resource projects as well as a number of high-profile corporate projects. However, similar type of financing scheme is recorded in the history of ancient Greece and Rome, the modern trend of project finance developed in last forty years. Basically this is an innovative and timely financing system. The non-recourse or limited recourse loans of project finance are mainly based upon the estimated cash flow of the project. â€Å"The key to project finance is in the precise forecasting of cash flows† (Ghersiy, 5). The assets, rights and interests of project secure the loan amount in such cases of debt. And repayment of loan exclusively depends on project’s cash flow. The balance sheet and creditworthiness of the project sponsors are secondary in it. Unlike conventional financing methods, project financing is unique. Since project financing enhances the values of some of these projects by permitting higher optimal leverage than with conventional financing.... The borrowing party has limited liability in some risky and expensive projects. Such cases are secured by a surety from sponsors. Therefore this is also known as limited recourse financing. There are many huge industrial and infrastructural projects, as already carried out successfully for certain types of project i.e. infrastructure development, mining, highways, railways, pipelines, power stations, etc. By the end of previous millennium, the private share alone in infrastructure investment varied between the lows of 9% and 13% in Germany and France and the extreme highs of 47% and 71% in the US and Great Britain, respectively (Miller & Lessard, 67). In fact, the projects that require non-recourse project financing would require significant contractual framework (Singh, 19). Moreover, the securities and borrowings are designed to be serviced and redeemed exclusively from the cash flow in non-recourse project finance. Whereas, the project sponsors or government provide undertakings t o an effect that coerce them to supplement the cash flow under assured limited conditions in limited recourse project finance. Generally, project financing is not designed for already running business rather for the large-scale innovative initiatives. Often it involves the creation of a legally independent project company financed with equity from one or more sponsoring firms and non-recourse debt for the purpose of investing in a capital asset (Esty, 213). The design of project finance is indicated in the following diagram. Figure: Project Finance Structure Source: The Institute for Public Private Partnership (Powell, 19) In present scenario, project financing emerged as an alternative to conventional financing over the world,

Mugwumps Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mugwumps - Essay Example There were massive amounts of government corruption during the Grant administration and the resulting problems drove a wedge in the Republican Party, the Mugwumps supported Democratic reform candidates such as Grover Cleveland. According to Gerald W. McFarland, â€Å"Between 1870 and 1896, the Mugwumps, most of whom were members of the Republican party’s reform faction, frequently engaged in protests against â€Å"unsuitable† party candidates† (McFarland 40). These protests helped bolster the chances of those candidates running on a reform platform and partially assisted in the election of Grover Cleveland. However, the decision to go against ones political party was not taken lightly, as Allan Peskin writes, â€Å"To be a Republican or to be a Democrat-these were not lightly-made decisions but were shaped by self-interest, ethnicity, and, above all, history, most notably the polarizing trauma of the Civil War† (Peskin 703). As a result of the election fraud and other types of corruption that caused the backlash and mugwumps to begin their attempts at reform. The infamous Tammany Society was extremely influential during this time period as well, primarily in New York which following the Civil War had an inordinate amount of influence on national elections and politics. This was in no small part due the large influx of immigrants through Ellis Island. According to Peter Argersinger, â€Å"The highly competitive political system of the late nineteenth century, as Samuel T. McSeveny has written, â€Å"led to repeated charges, countercharges, and denials of corruption, coercion, bribery, and fraud-allegations that have been echoed by subsequent political biographers and historians. Taken at face value, these outcries would lead one to believe that the two parties alternated in cheating their opponents out of deserved victories† (Argersinger 669) It is no small wonder then that so many individuals

Definitions of Giftedness and Talent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Definitions of Giftedness and Talent - Essay Example The three traits are: above-average ability, creativity and task commitment. Renzulli (2011) suggests that special programs tend to favor children with above average ability and ignore those who may perform poorly academically but demonstrate a high level of task commitment. Renzulli (2011) sums everything in his own definition which suggests that giftedness can be defined as a sum of three basic clusters of human traits – above average general abilities, high level of task commitment, and high level of creativity. Gifted children are those capable of developing and applying these traits to valuable areas of human performance. For children to attain an effective interaction of these trait clusters, they should be provided with unique programs and services that are not available to ordinary instructional systems. This can be related to the definition of Gagne (2003) who suggests that giftedness is the possession and use of superior natural abilities to at least one area of ability, to a level where an individual appears among top 10% of his peers. These natural abilities are used to develop talents through a developmental process that uses environmental and interpersonal catalysts. Talents are defined as systematically developed skills, and include arts, social affection, business, academics, leisure and sports (Gagnà ©, 1999). Natural abilities are genetically determined and include: intellectual abilities, creative abilities, sensory abilities, and socio-affective abilities. Some of the interpersonal catalysts that can be used in the development process of giftedness include physical abilities e.g. health, motivation, self-management and personality. Environmental catalysts include: other people, culture and family, programs and events. From this definition by Gagne, it is clear that the concept of natural abilities brings the whole difference between Renzulli’s and Gagne’s definition. Although both

Rawls's Theory of Distributive Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rawls's Theory of Distributive Justice - Essay Example Rawls’s theory has an historical root from social contract tradition that is associated with Thomas John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Traditional social contract theory addresses a state of nature that describes the content of a social contract which is an agreement to enter civil society. Distributive justice deals with the questions of distribution of liberties, wealth, and income (Rawls, 2003) According to Rawls there are two principles that are supposed to govern the basic makeup of a just society are the parties to the original position: an imaginary circumstance which specially constructed by a rational individual. The principles are (a) the principle of equal liberty and social justice where each individual has equal claim to adequate basic rights and liberties. In this system there are equal political liberties with guaranteed fair share. (b) The difference principle: there are social and economic inequalities that are attached to positions which are open to all un der conditions of equal opportunity, and they are to benefit even the least advantaged member in the society (Rawls, 2003). According to this principle, an inequality can benefit the person who gets the smaller share. Inequalities can form incentives which increase the size to shared, so that the smaller piece may be larger in absolute terms. The difference principle deals with strict equality under circumstances where differences in income and other rewards do not affect the incentives of an individual. On the other hand, in the real world currently, greater rewards bring forth greater productive effort, thus increasing the total wealth of the economy and therefore the wealth of the least advantaged (Rawls, 2003). Rawls argues that if the skilled and motivated increase their rewards then the poor will benefit than they would have been through equal allocation of income. He also realizes that redistribution cannot go as far as his moral preference for equality without making everyon e worse off. He argues for inheritance taxes because unregulated transfer of wealth through generation would end up in the accumulation of wealth in given section of society. According to Rawls, individuals who are not lucky enough to have wealthy parents do not have worse starting points than those who were so fortunate. He contends that society should tax the wealthy with the undeserved inherited gain of children of rich persons (Gerald, 1999). According to Rawls such a system of justice will limit the unfair resources and encourage the redistribution which will favor the disadvantaged. For Rawls it is unfair to leave the disadvantaged in no better position than before, even if the inequality does not harm them. In this way he emphasized the distribution type of justice which favored equal distribution of basic commodities like income and wealth. Practically, it implies that in difference principle, the society must distribute wealth up to the extent that the wealth of the most di sadvantaged is improved. In essence the society must tax and reallocate wealth of wealthy individual to the point where their incentive to generate more just fade away. Rawls describes his theory as political because it does not depend on assumptions that are usually unclear to rational citizens in a pluralistic society. He argues that justice require equality as it complies where everyone has fair equal rights and liberties. To Rawls disagreements are resolved on the basis of prior agreement

Film Analysis Paper Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film Analysis Paper - Movie Review Example The old man who tells the story deserves a kind of special attention and it is James Garner. Gene Rowlands is the other key actress of the film who is the mother of Cassevetes. The film gives an impression of intimacy in romance and how it lasts until the final breath; and apart from this, how the partner is trying to convince his lover of his presence who lost her memory and fails to recognize him. And the viewer gets a kind of impression that the love is so intense that connects them together even after long years of gap in interaction. Hence, one can definitely say that life is a written notebook and its pages denote the life events. Furthermore, the notebook is the influencing factor for reuniting and strengthening the love and romance among the partners. The film â€Å"The Notebook† is an ever remarkable attempt of romantic story telling. The story is narrated so beautifully that one would definitely amaze watching it. The story begins in 1940, an occasion of carnival whe n the little boy Noah Calhoun and sweet Allie Hamilton meet each other for the first time. The interaction between them springs up with a blooming concept of love and intimacy in both. Noah takes Allie to an abandoned house which he intends to buy in future. But things go beyond their expectation that very next morning she shifts to her home town in Charlseston. Later in World War II both Noah and his companion involve and latter loses his life. Meanwhile, Allie serves as a volunteer in a hospital for the injured soldiers in the war where she meets Lon Hammond with whom she gets engaged. The return from the war makes him aware of the fact that he is left with no house to lay down his head. And Noah decides to possess the abandoned house which has a nostalgic feeling with his loving girl friend Allie. One of his visits to Charleston he finds that Allie is in love with Los, seeing them in an embarrassing view of kissing each other at a restaurant. After realizing and trusting upon Noa h she follows him to his native, specifically to the abandoned house. The twist of the film begins here as the woman who listens to the story is none other than Allie and the story teller is her husband. Meanwhile the incidents of Allies mother’s and Los’ entry to Noah’s land is also demonstrated as destruction of peace in their life. At that moment itself Allie makes a confession that she has been living with him for the past many days. It is also evident that two times Noah suffers from heart attack and recovers. Ultimately, Allie recognizes Noah and requests not to leave her thus they go to bed. In the climax both seem dead on the dead, an emotional, tearful ending of the movie. The movie received much attention due to an admirable role played by the respective actors. Every character portrays own role so magnificently that the film looked so realistically. The role played by Ryan Gosling as Noah is excellent and appreciating so is the Allie Hamilton portraye d by Rachel McAdams. Precisely, these are the two characters that play a significant role in the film, attracting the attention of the viewers. The role of Lon by James Marsden Gena Rowlands seems so wonderful in relation with the story and the way of acting. The film holds lot of similarities and resemblance to the original novel or story. From a personal point of view, the film could express the real sense of romance which was present in the original story. And no doubt the credit can be shared among the casting

Boundary Location Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Boundary Location - Assignment Example This boundary allocation was considered very important. This is because it was meant to give a clear direction on different boundaries of regions (Keen 1995). This was meant to create peace in those regions. It is important to note that lots 12 and 13 were bordering each other. These lots were supposed to be differentiated properly to avoid conflicts between the neighbors. It must be noted that these two lots were put in to place by professionals who understood how to divide boundaries. It must be noted that lot 12 and 13 were divided in accordance to legal requirements that regulates issues that pertain to land (Conrow 2003). Boundary location between lots 12 and 13 was done in a better way. These boundaries were put in place by legal experts. Let me also note that location of these boundaries is in tandem with laws that regulate land in the country. It is important to note that the allocation of the two boundaries took long time. This was contributed by the complications and complexity of the whole process. It is also important to note that boundary location between lot 12 and 13 put in to account the interests of the residents in those regions. It is therefore important to highlight this will result in to creation of peaceful coexistence between the two neighbors. According to me, allocation of lot 12 and 13 was legal and proper (Wilson 2010). The part shown in figure 3 is not part of my client’s property. This is because this part has been demarcated clearly. According to the picture, my client does not deserve this region because it is within another person’s land. Let me highlight that clear demarcations, as fences should be used to differentiate different regions. This will ensure that there is no conflict between residents in those regions (Anderson 2011). The owner of cottage has to realize that it is located in another person’s land. According to the figure, demarcations show clearly that it within another

Animal Abuse Essay Example for Free

Animal Abuse Essay The Greyhound is an ancient breed of dog. It is the only dog mentioned in the Bible, and has been depicted in many ancient Egyptian paintings, dating back over 4,000 years. Greyhounds were so revered, that the Greyhounds were allowed to share their tents. In ancient Arabic countries, the birth of a son was the most important event, the second was the birth of a Greyhound. The history of dog racing can be traced back to Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century when Greyhounds were brought over to England from Egypt, where her majesty created the first formal rules of dog coursing, naming it the â€Å"Sport of Queens†. In the 18th century, England exported the sport to America, and soon the sport was comprised of racing and gambling. In 1912, the dog racing as it is known today, was established by Owen Patrick Smith, the man who invented the mechanical lure used in today’s dog racing. The first official dog track was opened in 1919 in California, and in 1931, wagering was legalized in Florida, paving the way for the development of the Palm Beach Kennel Club. The Palm Beach Kennel Club operated permits for dog racing, which officially started in America in 1932. Unfortunately, the once grandeur and majesty of the sport is tarnished with the unethical abuse these animals endure. The definition of animal abuse is â€Å"the crime of inflicting physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, usually a tame one, beyond necessity for normal discipline. It can include neglect that is so monstrous (withholding food and water) that the animal has suffered, died or been put in imminent danger of death. † (Hill, 2005). Many Greyhounds are the subject of abuse in the racing world. The Greyhounds are subject to horrible conditions. Many people enjoy watching a good race. The anticipation of the race and the thrill of their prized dog winning would make anyone want to attend a race. But it’s what happens before and after the race that has many people up in arms over the whole dog racing scene. When the dogs are not racing, they are kept in crates stacked one on top of the other. The dogs are not exercised regularly; the only exercise they get is from racing, and a race lasts for only a few minutes. If an Greyhound is injured during practice or during the race, the dog is killed and ground up for food for the other dogs. Many Greyhounds also die during the race due to exhaustion and dehydration. It is important to address this issue because animal abuse is a crime, and most people who commit these heinous acts are never brought to justice. It is also important to understand why someone could harm an innocent animal. According to the ASPCA, there are three main reasons why someone would be cruel to animals in their article titled, Why people abuse animals. The first reason is that some people abuse animals is that they do not know they are abusing the animal. Some people just don’t think about what they are doing to the animal, and others think excessive force is necessary to maintain control of the animal. A person who hits their dog when he or she does something wrong, like poop in the house, will use excessive force to show the animal that what he or she did was bad. Other people forget to roll down a window on a hot day with the animal in the car. The second reason a person would abuse animals is that the person will do it purposefully, but not for a continuous amount of time. Young kids who throw rocks at cats or kick a dog are an example of this type of abuser. Many young children can be taught through support groups and educational programs to show how an animal feels when it is abused in such a way, and many children learn to respect animals. The third reason a person would abuse an animal is the most serious form of animal cruelty. The third reason a person would abuse an animal is for power. Many of these types of people enjoy hurting the weak and helpless animals, as it makes them feel in control. Most of these people who intentionally hurt an animal have serious psychological issues that need to be addressed. If left unchecked, these issues may lead to more serious acts of violence. According the article, most people that were mentioned in the first and second reason for animal abuse can be educated through materials, counselors and educational classes. But even with the educational classes, what most people don’t understand is the psychological effects of the abuse has on animals. All animals want is to be loved and cared for, especially dogs. Humans have breed dogs to be our companions, and are the only animal that sets out to please us. When a human abuses an animal, we lose that trust that the animal places in us. The main psychological effect abuse has on dogs can be devastating. A dog may feel threatened by any human that it comes in contact with, and the dog can turn aggressive out of fear. Other dogs are fearful and maintain their fearfulness throughout the rest of their lives. These dogs may cower away from humans, shunning away when a human has an object in their hand or hide when they hear raised voices. L. Kalef wrote an article titled Psychological effects of animal cruelty, and in the article, he talked about the effects of animal abuse in Eastern Europe. For those who have traveled to Eastern European countries, it is not uncommon to be privy to packs of dogs roaming in some of the major cities, and sometimes being aggressive out of fear, hunger or abuse have led to provoke a similar reaction by the population by way of harm and abuse. Sadly, these neglected animals are under constant scrutiny and possible attack, which has become all too common. For years, welfare activists have been speaking up for the plight of the strays and the brutal inhumane abuse and killings; but no one until now has suggested that the constant exposure of this violence may instigate other and further violent activity within the community. In other words, growing up in a society being exposed to animal abuse causes further abuse and lack of compassion. (Kalef, 2012) But there are many people who argue that dog racing is not the only animal sport that has animal abuse and that it is part of the sport. Throughout the world of animal sports, there are some instances of animal abuse. In Mexico, bullfighting is a very popular sport, where the object of the game is to kill the bull or else the Matador will be stampeded or stabbed by the bulls horns. The bulls are starved and tortured, and they meaner the bull becomes, the more entertaining the sport. Also, horse racing has had its fair share of animal abuse cases. Many Thoroughbreds that receive an injury are killed, just like the Greyhounds, and made into meat that is sold for human consumption. J. Frater wrote an article titled 10 Debated acts of animal cruelty, which outlines a few instances that can be considered animal abuse. For those who have traveled to Eastern European countries, it is not uncommon to be privy to packs of dogs roaming in some of the major cities, and sometimes being aggressive out of fear, hunger or abuse have led to provoke a similar reaction by the population by way of harm and abuse. Sadly, these neglected animals are under constant scrutiny and possible attack, which has become all too common. For years, welfare activists have been speaking up for the plight of the strays and the brutal inhumane abuse and killings; but no one until now has suggested that the constant exposure of this violence may instigate other and further violent activity within the community. In other words, growing up in a society being exposed to animal abuse causes further abuse and lack of compassion. (Frater, 2010). But to most people, that is just the way the sport is. What is someone going to do with a prized race horse that has a broken leg and can no longer race? Why take the money to fix the injury, when the owner can make money off of selling the animal for food? It’s just part of the sport. But there is one question that needs to be answered. Which side is right? The truth is both sides are right. There will always be animal abuse in sports, as well as throughout the world. We as a people will not be able to completely stop the abuse, we can just diminish the amount of animals are abused. Through the use of stricter laws and more regulations, we as humans can help the voiceless. In conclusion, though there is no one way to solve animal cruelty in the world. There will always be animal cruelty in the sporting world, but as long as we humans can educate the younger generations, the amount of cases of animal cruelty will drastically decrease. Only one can hope that the â€Å"Sport of Queens† can return once again to the grandeur and majesty that the sport once was.

Information About Auto Rickshaw Engineering Essay

Information About Auto Rickshaw Engineering Essay In many Asian countries rickshaw were used as a human powered mode of transport. The cycle rickshaw in which a cart is attached to a bicycle is operated by a driver. These kind of rickshaws can still be found in cities like Kolkata. A European missionary been to Japan invented the rickshaw in Japan at the end of nineteenth century, the name rickshaw was derive from the Japanese expression Ji Riki Shaw which literally means vehicle propelled by man Around 1880 the first rickshaw appeared in India on the avenues of Simla. Some 20 years later some Chinese traders who used the rickshaw to transport goods imported few of these rickshaws to Kolkata. The same Chinese people in 1914 applied for permission to use the rickshaw to carry people and in no time all over in many south East Asian metropolis rickshaws were found. Rickshaw offered a means of earning a living for peasants migrating to the big cities. No one knows exactly how many rickshaws are on the streets of Kolkata, over a million people look to the rickshaw for their daily bowl of rice. Economists have calculated that the economic value of rickshaws and their pulling is $6 million a quarter of the budget of the whole urban transport system of a city like Paris. In 1940s Vespasan auto rickshaw or the rickshaw made out of an iron body resting on three small wheels, two on the rear and one in the front, a seating for three at the rear and a small cabin in the front for the driver, were seen. These rickshaws were fitted with a 2-stroke engine and a handle for steering like a scooter instead of a steering wheel. As the man pulled rickshaw started to work on motor it was known as auto rickshaw instead of rickshaw. The auto rickshaw had become so popular as a vehicle for hire that it became one of the chief modes of transport in India, Srilanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Thailand and many parts of Asia and Africa. But the former version of the rickshaw is still not extinct. Considering their capacity the auto rickshaw are extremely light weight , it requires only two or three person to fully lift it of the ground and it can be pushed by one person when it breaks down. The auto rickshaw has many types of models in many different countries. The older version of auto rickshaw in India had a engine designed by lambretta which consumed too much of petrol hence they were phased out and engines designed by vespa took over, the most common auto rickshaws found today in India are the Bajaj auto rickshaws. At the beginning the engine was under the seat of the driver which made the auto rickshaw very uncomfortable for the passengers as it was very noisy and it vibrated a lot. Later on the engines were modified and placed at the rear of the auto rickshaw making it less noisy, hence making the ride much more comfortable for the passengers. These auto rickshaws are mainly seen as a passenger taxi vehicle in many different cities of India having a different colour for different cities, example. In Mumbai the colours of the auto rickshaw is black for the body and yellow near the windscreen and in cities like Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad its yellow for the whole vehicle. It also had a larger version which is a seven seater, which had a diesel engine but compared to the smaller three seater petrol engine auto rickshaws these larger version seven seater auto rickshaws were much more noisier and they vibrated a lot, in spite of this , these seven seater were a complete success in several towns and rural areas of India as it carried more passengers and the cost of running was low compared to the petrol engine. These auto rickshaws were also modified from a passenger taxi vehicle to a goods carrier vehicle to transport small amounts of goods within the city or to small distances. These goods carrier auto rickshaws came in both petrol and diesel engines and it also came in different models with different engine power. The passenger 2-stroke petrol engine was changed to a 4-stroke engine which was a very successful model, and later on it was changed to a CNG (compressed natural gas) engine. 1.2 : CURRENT SYSTEM There were three types of engine model in the auto rickshaw, the belt drive (BD), rear axle (RA) and the rear engine (RE) The belt drive: in the belt drive model two belts ran down the side of the auto rickshaw which made the rear wheel move, in this model the wheels were not connected by an axle, in which if one of the belt snapped out that wheel was no longer driven. The rear axle: in the rear axle model the auto rickshaw has a rear axle driven by a perpendicular cam-shaft extending from underneath the drivers seat which was very noisy and vibrated a lot. The rear engine: in the rear engine model the engine is located at the rear of the auto rickshaw over the rare axle, assessable from a rear hatch, these models are much quieter and less bumpy. All of these three models were 2-stroke engines and lacked in the fuel department. The fuel tank was not sealed with a gas pump nozzle as the thank was unpressurized, hence the gas would flow faster when the tank is full than when it was half full later on a small value was located on the gas tube to adjust the gas flow. The driver also had to mix oil with the fuel as the engine was a 2-stroke engine. There was no energy storage system in the belt drive and rear axle model auto rickshaw, hence the headlight, brake lights and the signals lights had to run through a generator directly off the engine, in which the bulbs fused very often. But the rear engine model had a 12V electronics system including a battery allowing steady lights. All the models of the auto rickshaw did not have an electric starter hence the driver had to kick start the vehicle. The kick was located on the left side of the driver as a hand lever. (www.conspirators.net/armadillo/autorickshaw.html) Out of the three models the RE model was the most successful one as its engine was at the rear of the auto rickshaw making the auto rickshaw much quieter and less bumpy than the other two models, and it also had a battery allowing steady lights. Later on the 2-stroke engine was modified and replaced with 4-stroke petrol engine fitted with a electric starter. This 4-stroke engine model was very successful as compared to the 2-stroke engine. By this time the auto rickshaw also had diesel engine which made the cost of running very low and it was used as both passenger as well as a good carrier vehicle. There were many models of the petrol as well as the diesel engines with different engine capacity as shown. Bajaj 4-stroke: Bajaj Autorickshaw 4 stroke Specifications Engine 4 stroke Cooling Type Forced Air Cooled Displacement 173cc No. of Cylinders 1 Compression Ratio MaxPower 8.17bhp Max Power RPM 5000rpm Max Torque 11.5Nm Max Torque RPM 4000rpm Ignition Type DC Carburettor Keihin M10 A Transmission Type 4 forward and one reverse Clutch Type Wet multidisc type Electrical System 12V DC Head Light 35/35 W Horn 12V DC Chassis Type Pressed steel sheets and sections Front Suspension Helical coil spring and hydraulic double acting shock absorber Rear Suspension Helical coil spring and hydraulic double acting shock absorber Front Tyre Size (4.00 8).4PR Rear Tyre Size (4.00 8).4PR Brakes Drum Fuel Tank Capacity 8 litres Reserve Capacity 1 litres Wheel Base 2000mm Ground Clearance 200mm Saddle Height 780mm Minimum Turning Radius 2.88m Curb Weight 295kg Maximum Payload 335kg Fuel Efficiency (Ideal) 33kmpl Fuel Efficiency (Highway) 32 to 35kmpl Fuel Efficiency (City) 28 to 32kmpl Max Speed 55kmph * (The above model is available in Petrol, Diesel, CNG and LPG version.) Bajaj GC 1000 : Bajaj Goods Carrier Specifications Type Four Stroke, Single Cylinder, IDI, Compression Ignition    Cooling Type Forced Air Cooled Displacement 416 cc Max Power 8.5 bhp( 5.9 kW) @ 3600 rpm Max Torque 20 Nm @ 2400 rpm Ignition Type Electric start Transmission Type 4 forward 1 reverse gear Clutch Type Single plate, dry friction type, foot operated Maximum Payload 775 Kgs. Electrical System System System 12V DC Chassis Chassis Type Semi Monologue Suspension Front Suspension Antidive leading link with helical compression spring shock absorber Rear Suspension Independent suspension with spring shock absorber Tyres Front Tyre Size 4.510,8PR Rear Tyre Size 4.510,8PR Brakes Front Brakes Hydraulic brakes with auto adjuster Rear Brakes Hydraulic brakes with auto adjuster Fuel Tank Fuel Tank Capacity 8 litres Dimensions Overall length 2960 mm Overall width 1375 mm Overall height 1810 mm Wheel Base 2025 mm Ground Clearance 170 mm Minimum Turning Radius 2.75 m GVW 990 kg Loading Tray Length (Pick up) 1500 mm Width (Pick up) 1325 mm Height (Pick up) 250 mm Length (HiDec) 1500 mm Width (HiDec) 1325 mm Height (HiDec) 1050 mm *Because of our ongoing efforts to make Bajaj vehicles even better, specifications are subject to change without prior notice * (The above model is available in Petrol, Diesel, CNG and LPG version.) Later on the petrol and diesel engines were replaced by CNG (compressed natural gas) engines having all the same features. And till today all the auto rickshaws in India run on CNG engine. 1.3 : PROBLEMS AND AIM. 1.3.1 : PROBLEMS CAUSE DUE TO AUTO RICKSHAW As we are aware that an  auto rickshaw  or  a three-wheeler  (tuk-tuk) is a small three-wheeled operated by a single individual. They are cheap and common means of public transport in urban India and other parts of Asian countries as well as in some parts of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Peru and Gautamela. Autos run on: CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), Petrol Diesel Though Autos are cheap and common means of transport it has its own disadvantages too: 1. Traffic issues/ overcrowding Auto rickshaws have a top-speed of around 50  km/h much slower than the automobiles they share the road with. The triangular form of the vehicle makes maneuvering easy, with the single front wheel negotiating the available gap, and the rear two wheels forcing a larger space. The MMW Tuk Tuk has a top speed of around 70  mph. (Ref: MMW Tuk Tuk). Being a cheap means of transport people prefer them to taxis and other means of transport. Traffic authorities in big cities try to implement mechanisms to reduce the resulting traffic slowing, but none have proven effective due to overcrowding of Autos. 220px-Rishshaw_stand_ A typical auto stand in Goa (Wikipedia) 2. Outlook: The modern cities and roads are designed for sleeker looking public vehicles for commuting these auto rickshaws look outdated and drab and looks inferiors in front of other modern road transport vehicles. Modern city planners are looking to phase out such vehicles or promoting them to be used only in villages /outskirts of cities ANd9GcSbTNytJUyOcggJ9NdIRpcmDfmYv3ZDobxZXMFc8gxuS_jheOn6_eS3QKcH ANd9GcSJLKenN3fLi3vbPlnvwMfaNIwdJQsxKzzYKer9OGtS2qCYKqX3fg Picture: Rickshawchalleng.com ANd9GcTkCINnKj7V2mW451StC07p2wMURq9m3UvR7DC5hZvLSXKlYo9CfsygYj37KA ANd9GcTJVF153b5V1fQ81M3SsBtQimfwGjLVVsQQ5KtlyxHq3Ux_ivxpyA Ref: Cepolina.com 3. Air / Noise Pollution: Though CNG run autos are more eco- friendlier than petrol and diesel autos. However, one fact was completely ignored that is noise pollution due to gas engine. With running of so many autos on concrete road surface, because of rigidity it creates more noise. The Noise level on the road during night is much more than the specified by the The Noise Pollution Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 India. Carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and nitrous oxide is emitted out is in abundance causing health issues. Besides Carbon, huge dust particles remains suspended in the air due to the constant movement of autos which is leading to breathlessness and various other health problems. (Ref: The Cityfix) To assess the impact caused by nearly 1, 00,000 auto rickshaws, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) monitored the atmospheric quality, at two areas in the City Railway Station and S G Halli, on the day of auto strike and the day before the strike. Central Bus Stand Majestic area has the most dense auto traffic, at any time of day, due to the presence of the railway station and KSRTC bus stand. Roughly between 30% to 40% of the Citys auto rickshaws ply here. This area has reported a steep reduction in oxides of Nitrogen, upto 58.8%, on the strike day. Impressive isnt it? A clear reduction in levels of Sulphur di oxide (SO2) and Respiratory Particulate Matter (RSPM) too were reported in both areas. Oxides of Carbon reduced by 33.3% at Majestic. It is known that most of the autos in City, roughly 65,000, are two-stroke ones and with incomplete combustion in them causes pollution. These autos are the ones which are 40% air polluters in Bangalore, according to KSPCB. (Ref: moneymint.in) 1.3.2 : Aim of the project The aim of the project is to run the auto rickshaw on a electrical motor with the help of solar energy. 1.4 : objective To review the current system To replace the current system Chapter 2 : START CURREENT SYSTEM OF AUTORICKSHAW JOURNALS ARTICLES RESEARCH PARAMETRIC DESIGN INTERNET DRAFT 3D MODEL CFD FEA VALIDATE CONCLUSION END Chapter 3: LITERATURE REVIEW. 3.1: journal on solar panels on vehicles Solar panels have photovoltaic cells (PVC) which are used in solar vehicles, the suns energy is converted into electricity we can use by the help of these photovoltaic cell. Solar panels can cost upto 400$ each which is a very expensive technology. The price of the solar panels varies from panel to panel depending on how fast the panel can capture and convert the energy. In 2006 the Venturi Eclectic was presented at the paris auto show. This car used solar and wind energy but could onlt travel upto 30 miles per hour. There are many benefits of a solar vehicle, there is no noise pollution as the panels panels work silently, the energy one gets is free and has zero percent emission. The Toyota prius has a new solar roof that can power the car for at least 20 miles longer. (www.aboutmyplanet.com/alternative-energy/solar/facts-solar-powered/) Working of a solar vehicle: Solar vehicle completely depends on the energy of the sun. Unlike any other solar device the solar panels on a solar vehicle has to harness the energy from the sun. These solar panels consist of hundreds or thousands of solar cell arranged neatly ultra pure mono crystalline silicon and reach efficiencies up to 20 % ie . this percentage is converted into electricity from the total solar energy falling on the panels. The electrons are charged by the photons (light particles) when sunlight hits the solar panels, this makes the electron to move one later of the solar cell to another. Thus electrical current is produced due to the energetic movements of the electrons between the layers of the solar cell. This electric current is transferred to the battery pack when the electric motor is switched off. When the conditions are not sunny the power from the battery is used. The technology of the battery pack is similar to teh cell which powers our i-pods and cell phone made up of lithium ion c ells. Using a 220V power outlet the battery pack can be fully charged in 3 hours or a day of using only solar panels. Compared to the normal vehicles the solar vehicles have a different transmission system. Power the motor is controlled by two components called Motor controllers and Power trackers. The job of the motor controller s are to convert the DC power from the batteries or solar panels to AC electricity for the motor. By simply setting the frequency of the AC output one can manipulate the speed of the motor. The job of the power trackers is to maintain a suitable level by correcting the current when the energy is used to charge the batteries, it boost the voltage. Changes in sunlight, temperature and assorted factor makes the power output in solar panels to vary, in which necessary continuous calibration and adjustment is required, this done by the power tracker. A solar vehicles body is designed to cover three benefits to maximize energy It should be lightweight. It should have good aerodynamics. And large flat surface area for maximum number of solar panels. (www.aboutmyplanet.com/environment/solar-work/) 3.2 Articles on auto rickshaws 3.2.1 Without chargers, solar rickshaws gather dust In Chandigarh the administration provided a public transport system in the form of solar rickshaws has fallen flat. These lot of first 10 eco friendly vehicles provided by the administration are now in the municipal corporation gathering dust upon them. Later on by random selection these vehicles were given to some rickshaw drivers. At various location in the city charging points were to be provided by the municipal corporation for charging these rickshaws which were not done. Disappointed by the municipal corporation these vehicles were returned back to the municipal corporation. These green rickshaws weighted about 210 kg and had a speed of 15 to 20 km per hour and had a solar battery that lasted for 6 hours or 70 km on which these rickshaws were operated. It took about 5 hours to charge these batteries with the help of charging units which had to be connected to solar panels. In order to make this scheme successful the municipal corporation has to set up charging units at different location in the city. People would also prefer these green rickshaws to some extend compared to the diesel or petrol version of the rickshaws as it addressed environment concerns. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/without-chargers-solar-rickshaws-gather-dust/articleshow/6766082.cms) 3.2.2 Solar rickshaws find no takers BANGALORE: Indias Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) launched a solar rickshaw with great fanfare two years ago had found no takers yet. While is causing concern a engineer from Pune claimed that his design was copied by CSIR. Solecksaw which is three wheeled, in principle can use electricity to drive the motor by converting sunlight with the help of solar panels. It was promoted as a green rickshaw as it did not contribute to global warming as it emits no gases, and was developed by a unit of CSIR which is know as Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) which is Durgapur, West Bengal. But the solecksaw has not caught on in spite of its high voltage publicity. Till now in the markets these rickshaws have not been sold on commercial basis, said the head of the manufacturing technology group at CMERI Mr. Amit Banerjee In Delhi, Durgapur, Kolkata, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Dhanbad, and Ahmedabad, around 30 soleckshaws which were fabricated at CMERI were deployed initially for demonstration said senior adviser Mr. Himadri Maiti . He also admitted that they are not in operation currently due to various local management and administrative problems. The Central Electronics Limited did set-up some charging stations at few places but these stations are not been used to charge the soleckshaws batteries as the vehicle in those location are not operating said Mr. Himadri Maiti. At least 1000 solecksaws were to be deployed in the common wealth games village in Delhi was the plan of CSIR which was abandoned as the Games Organising Committee backed out on the proposal, on the plea of security issues, to which they had agreed initially. Mr. Himadi Maiti also said the proposal by CSIR to operate at least 10 solecksaws for delivering post under a pilot project And the CSIRs proposal to operate at least 10 soleckshaws for postal delivery under a pilot project in Rajashtans Ajmer district is still pending with the postal department, he said. 3.2.3 Web messenger drives civic campaigns for noble cause BANGALORE: Vivan Philips a post graduate student of psychology is the common mans messenger who take the common mans problems to the government by collating peoples votes on small yet crucial issues. Last year around June he launched a website www.consciousevolutionmovement.com where people can file their petitions with a big banner he was at Cubbon park for two issues ensuring wall climbers on metro rail pillars and urging manufactures to produce non-polluting auto rickshaw asking for votes. Vivian is still on the same campaign this year having some interesting observations: A majority of volunteers and voters he got for these issues are student. The wall climbers campaign got the maximum response and the introduction of non-polluting auto rickshaw or immediately even replacing them this issue was supported by many college students. Two other issues were recently added by him following the public demands, which included raising enough funds to educate every under- privileged child and mass production of solar panels by the government. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Web-messenger-drives-civic-campaigns-for-noble-cause/articleshow/5761342.cms . 3.3 Information on solar panels A solar panel is a device that collects photons of sunlight, which are very small packets of electromagnetic radiation energy, and converts them into electrical current that can be used to power electrical loads. The use of solar energy started more than 100 years back, at the beginning solar power was just used to produce steam to run some machinery. This was until the discovery by Henri Becquerel of photovoltaic effect allowed to convert solar energy (sunlight) into electrical energy. Becquerels discovery then led Charles Fritts to invent the first genuine solar cell in 1893 which was made by coating sheets of selenium with a thin layer of gold, from this arised the device we know today a solar panel. An American inventor named Russel Ohl patented the worlds first silicon solar cell in 1941. Ohls invention led to the production of the first solar panelin 1954. These new solar panels were first used in space satellites, but today solar panels and complete solar panel systems are used to power a wide variety of applications. How does an solar panel work?Solar Photovoltaic Power System Diagram Solar panels collect sunlight which is a clean renewable source of energy and convert it into electricity. This electricity can be use to run electrical loads. Solar panels are made up of many individual solar cell which are composed of layers of silicon, boron (which provides the positive charge) and phosphorous (which provides the negative charge). The photons are absorbed by the solar panels and in doing so an electric current is initiated. The resulting energy is produced from photons striking the solar panel surface which allow electrons to be knocked out of their atomic orbits and released into the electric field generated by the solar cell which then pull these free electrons into a directional current. This entire process is know as the photovoltaic effect. An average home can produce enough electricity using solar panels for all of its electrical load, as it has enough roof area for number of solar panels. As solar panels produce direct current (DC) it cannot be used to support electrical load, but with the help of an invertor that converts direct current into alternating current (AC), one can use the electricity to support electrical loads, different size of solar panel arrays meet different demanding electrical loads. The direct current produced by a solar panel which can converted into alternating current by the help of invertors can be used to power different loads in a commercial building or a house, it can also be used to power remote traffic controls, boat, vehicles, telecommunication equipments and many such machinery. Benefits of solar panels: Producing electricity using solar panels is a very practical way for many applications. This is very beneficial to people who live off-grid, off- grid means living in a location where there is no electrical supply from the main electric utility grid. Many homes and cabins in a remote areas benefits using a solar panel system, as compared to the huge fees for installing a electric utility poles from the main grid access point, solar power system is less expensive and if maintained properly can provide power for nearly three decades. The greatest benefits one can enjoy by using solar power is that it is a clean and renewable source of energy, as global climate change is the biggest problem we face today it is very important to reduce the pressure on the atmosphere from the emission of greenhouse gases. Solar panels require very less maintenances as it has no moving parts and if properly maintained can last for decades. Once the installation cost is been paid of a solar power system the electricity it produce is absolutely free for the rest of the systems lifespan that could be upto 15 20 years depending on the quality of the system, due to this one can eliminate the monthly electric bills and it can also be an additional income, because if one uses less power than the total power produced by the solar system the excess power can be sold to the electric utility company. (http://www.mrsolar.com/content/what-is-a-solar-panel.php)

The Great Gatsby and A Dolls House | Analysis

The Great Gatsby and A Dolls House | Analysis INTRODUCTION The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is set in the Jazz Age of America in the 1920s, where the end of the Great War brought a period of peace and prosperity. Mass production allowed much wider access to new consumer goods, such as radios and cars. The women of this era wore short hair and short dresses, and in many Western countries they finally achieved the right to vote. The former restrictions that applied to women were replaced by a new feeling of freedom. The play A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen was first performed in 1879, and through the characters of Nora and Torvald Helmer it illustrates the subordinate and confining position of women in marriages of the late Nineteenth Century. Torvald Helmer would have been easily recognised by the audience as a representative depiction of the middle class male attitude. Gender roles are highly defined in this play; even with the legal limitations of women and expectation that women would remain in domestic situations. Attitudes to marriage and relationships are reflected powerfully in these two pieces of work, where both protagonists, although they share some similarities, have extremely differing perceptions of what they want in life, which includes the different outlook each has on their marital relationship. Each of these works can be considered as early contributors to the body of modern literature. Although both are intensively concerned with their specific characters, they allow the reader to come to an appreciation of attitudes towards matrimony and relationships. Both The Great Gatsby and A Dolls House have made their contribution into the collection of literature that have marked the 1800-1900s, and through their portrayal of interesting and uniquely developed characters they have allowed reflection on the society of their time. Both pieces of work are modern in the sense of dealing with challenging issues which face modern society. The women Daisy Buchanon from The Great Gatsby and Nora Helmer from A Dolls House have been specifically chosen, being the obedient and subordinate possessions of their husbands, who evidently mask their possible intellectual potential. Whilst Nora develops a dramatic character change throughout the drama by realising her duties to herself, Daisy remains and accepts the same person she was at the beginning of The Great Gatsby. In this essay, comparisons will be made concerning both Nora and Daisys relationships with their husbands and children, as well as a deeper analysis into their personalities, uncovering the ir secret beliefs and motivations. In Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, each character is noteworthy when establishing the confusions and complexities of social relationships. The novel is considered a representation of the golden age of jazz and all of its extremes. The parties that Gatsby would host demonstrated the extreme ostentation of this era: wealth, luxury and corruption. The novel begins with a verse quotation from Thomas Park DInvilliers to introduce it; Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her and this is suggesting that one must do all things possible to impress the woman whose love one seeks. The novel is narrated by Nick Carraway, he is a persona adopted by the author and as a moral barometer the readers can value his insights and feel that he will be a reliable informant. Through his eyes and experiences we meet other characters and learn of all the relationships included in the novel. The chronology of the events of The Great Gatsby begins with the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, meeting and falling in love with a young Daisy while he is still a poor officer. When he is sent overseas, Daisy marries the very rich yet fierce Tom Buchanan. Fitzgerald gives the readers a significant impression of Tom through the use of many descriptive adjectives. The first time the readers are introduced to him he is in riding clothes this accentuates his muscularity, and his high boots are an association with military authority, and the fact that he was standing with his legs apart indicates a stance of confidence and power. Daisy, who becomes Toms wife, is also introduced to the readers in an imposing way. She is described as charming, passionate and witty and the readers learn that she had a sad and lovely face. Fitzgerald shows her personality as appealing, attention seeking, seductive and captivating in the sense that when she talks one enjoys being in her presence. Tom and Daisy also have a three year old daughter. When the readers are introduced to these characters they also learn that the relationship between them is not a typical relationship that a married couple are expected to have. To add, when Gatsby learns that Tom and Daisy married he decides to pursue wealth endlessly until he becomes a self-made millionaire. Gatsby then moves to New York and occupies a great mansion, where he begins to host generous parties to which he is hopeful that Daisy will appear. Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, lives next door to Gatsby and he is also Daisys cousin. When Gatsby learns this, he befriends Nick trusting that this will lead him to see Daisy again, which eventually does happen. The relationship between Gatsby and Daisy then is the rekindled, which introduces the readers to the central passion of the book as well as one of the most prominent relationships in the novel. Furthermore, the marital relationship between Daisy and Tom is a very unusual one due to the fact that Tom has a mistress in New York; Myrtle Wilson, who is also a married woman. The odd thing is Daisys attitude towards this relationship; Daisy continues to stay with Tom despite her knowledge of his unfaithfulness, and this is the thrust of the novel. This staggers Nick who does not understand why Daisy does not rush out of the house, child in arms, and also raises the central question, why does Daisy stay with Tom? Additionally, when Nick goes to visit Tom and Daisy at the beginning of the novel, Daisy confides in Nick, she calls herself cynical, and this is reflected in her negative approach to life and relationships. She also tells Nick that she cried when her daughter was born, the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. Daisy indicates that being a fool will protect a girl from the harsh truth of infidelity. Daisy cried when her daughter was born, sadness is fixed in her life. The readers can appreciate that Daisy is not a fool because if she were she wouldnt be concerned about Toms mistress, and Tom is not a caring husband because when his child was born he was not nearby which is known when Daisy tells Nick that Tom was God knows where when their daughter was less than an hour old. This goes to add to the bizarre fact that Daisy does not leave Tom, despite almost everything being wrong in their marriage. Also, the relationship between Myrtle and Tom is one that is clearly driven by wealth. Tom entertains Myrtle in an apartment in New York. She was young when she married her husband, George Wilson, and she thought that he was a gentleman; she had little knowledge that he was a simple soul who had borrowed a suit for his wedding. She loves the sense of wealth from Tom that George could never provide, and she stays with Tom because of this; as well as the status, prestige and ego-flattery that he provides her with. Myrtle enjoys the lifestyle with Tom, in a boasting tone she chatters about the things she intends to purchase. These items are cheap consumables of no financial consequence to Tom. Furthermore, Myrtle enjoys being a hostess; which is reflected in the confident manner she behaves in. She changes into an elaborate dress when they get to their apartment with Nick and smiles with pride whenever complemented. When Tom slaps her and breaks her nose at the apartment he has provided her with, he proclaims his power and sense of male authority because that is the type of man he is. This goes to display that this relationship offers Myrtle the wealth and status she would never be able to receive from George; only leading her to want it more from Tom. Additionally, when Gatsby invites Nick out for lunch he introduces him to Meyer Wolfsheim, who was reputed to be a gambler who fixed the World Series in 1919.This illegal act linked Gatsby with a shady and suspicious reputation. There is no proof that Gatsby was involved in this illegal act but there is a long-standing association between the men; this linkage soils Gatsby, which shows that the relationship between the two men is not a decent one. The readers know that Gatsby originated as a poor deprived man, who suddenly, driven by his love for Daisy, became wealthy and owned much more then people knew he could afford. This goes to show that the origin of Gatsbys wealth may have come illegally and so it is not guaranteed that he may have this wealth forever. Moreover, the play A Dolls House is a clear analysis of a character that goes through a great dynamic change only to find her true self and to remove the dishonest perception of herself in the eyes of those around her. This change lead the character to become fully aware of her life along with an understanding of what an insincere life she had mistakenly led, and this character is known as Nora Helmer. At the beginning of the play, Nora is portrayed as a childish and naive housewife with a talent for spending money. This view is conveyed through the parent child dialogue she has with her husband and his usual categorization of Nora as an expensive little person with a talent for melting his money in her hands. This evidently reveals Noras relationship with her husband to be very similar to that of a relationship between a spoiled child and his parents. Also, through the character of Nora, Ibsen shows us that a woman is expected to be little more than a child in her own marriage, incapable of taking on serious issues, and useful only for her ability to amuse her husband. During the course of the play, as Ibsen takes the reader through the climax of Noras controlled life, he shows how Nora develops into a wiser and more determined woman who learns to have her say. Noras development is highlighted and guided with her growing courage, her direct attempts to become more equal with her husband, and her decision at the end of the play conveys Ibsens idea that a woman has a duty to herself, and that the marriage she shared with Torvald was so confining to the extent where she could only fulfil her duty to herself by leaving her husband. However, Nora learns this through the experiences she undergoes while she was treated more like Torvalds child rather than his wife. The fact that she does not retreat at Torvalds comparison of her to minor creatures, but rather she even links herself into his terminology by saying things such as we skylarks and squirrels just proves how blind Nora was towards her husbands arrogance and superiority. A major theme of the play, deception or the gap between appearance and reality, is introduced in the very first word of the play; Hide. Nora wants to hide the Christmas tree so that the children dont see it before it is decorated. The theme is developed throughout the play until it is realized that Noras entire relationship with her husband is based on many layers of deception; one of these layers is that Nora was constantly aware of the need to flatter and protect Torvalds masculine ego. She disguises her anxiety over the repayment of the substantial loan in order to protect Torvald fro m his own somewhat exaggerated sensitivity. Another strange deception in the play is the macaroons, which are symbolic to their relationship. Torvald forbids them while Nora enjoys them secretly, which just shows that Nora is capable of lies and deception. But the fact that Torvald forbids them because they will spoil Noras teeth also adds to the way in which Nora has more of a father-daughter relationship with Torvald, rather than a husband and wife relationship, because that is a strange instruction to be given to an adult. The deceptive relationship between Torvald and Nora is contrasted with that between Dr Rank and Nora. With Dr Rank, Nora is able to be more truthful and drops the childish-flirtatious act she employs with Torvald, and she is able to have open conversations with him, which shows the audience a different side of Nora. Through the relationship she has with Dr Rank the audience are able to appreciate that Nora can be treated as a woman and handle different situations in a much stronger manner than Torvald. In A Dolls House, Ibsen explores his interest in the role of women in society. He raises questions about how much a woman has to compromise her own wishes and aims in order to fit into society. Mrs Linde has had to give up her true love, Krogstad, and marry a man she did not love in order to gain the financial security she needed to look after her mother and brothers. This is known when Nora asks Kristina why she married her husband and she replies My mother was still alive; she was bedridden and helpless, and I had my two younger brothers to look after I didnt feel I could refuse his offer. Therefore, because she let the relationship with her loved one go in order to have the wealth she needed to look after her family, which shows that her life has been one of self-sacrifice rather than self-fulfilment. The relationship between Kristina Linde and Krogstad constitutes the sub-plot. It is of less importance of that of the Helmers, but serves as a contrast to aid the understanding of the audience of the relationship between the protagonists. Krogstad and Kristina find the mutual need, they are open and truthful, and they move towards emotional love. Ibsen has employed Krogstad to provide a device to bring the play to a climax. He has also provided a different male paradigm to that of Torvald, and when he had fulfilled these tasks, he takes no further part in the play. Krogstad does not hold a grudge; he is not vindictive and is prepared to request the return of his letter from Torvald. However Kristina makes the decisive decision of the play, she wants Torvald to find out the truth of Noras secret; it was she who saved Torvalds life, she borrowed money and forged her fathers signature without his consent. The novel The Great Gatsby investigates the new incidents that women began take part in society throughout the 1920s. Throughout the novel, in contrast to life before the early 1900s, women were almost on equilibrium with men; they were allowed to dress and behave like them. They were also allowed to drink and act in an improper manner at parties, and they also began to express their views more openly. This dramatic change had a great affect on the new established place that they held in society. Daisy is a character who had the wealth and beauty that other girls would dream of, however she let Tom degrade her and philander with other women, which made her the inferior of their relationship. Eventually as the novel goes on, Daisy gives herself a sense of freedom when she has the affair with Gatsby, and this is known when Tom is on the telephone, and it is rumoured that he is talking to his girl. Daisy kisses Gatsby and tells him, You know I love you,which is followed by a firm statem ent to Jordan Baker I dont care, which displays Daisy reacting against Toms infidelity and proclaiming her own standing and independence. Whats more is that although Torvald may regard Nora as extremely inferior to him, he had never used physical violence against her, as Tom of The Great Gatsby did on his mistress. When Myrtle attempts to elevate herself by speaking about Daisy, Tom violently lashes out and breaks her nose. Although distressed, Myrlte accepts that she has been put in her place as inferior and submissive to Tom. To add, Tom would answer the calls of his mistress at dinner time; indicating that he did not have an ounce of concern for Daisys feelings whatsoever. On the other hand, Nora was Torvalds whole world, and he would not dream of hurting her. Therefore, when Daisy decides to stay with Tom while Nora decides to leave Torvald, the readers are left in a confused state. Daisy stays with Tom because despite everything they are from the same social status. Tom offered Daisy certainty of position, while Gatsby has an upstart, and there are suspicions about his money. Gatsby also has no reputation in the background of being socially acceptable. Daisy stays with the group of socially stable people, and even though Gatsby loves her, she finds her wealth and position in society more important. Furthermore, Noras ultimate decision of deciding to leave her husband and children may seem uncalled for, however she did have reasons which supported her decision. The relationship she shared with Torvald was that like a father-daughter relationship, it was dishonest as well as hypocritical. There was no love between them; she was Torvalds doll wife and when she realises this she tells Torvald I dont love you anymore. At the end of the play, Nora is aware of herself and the subordinate inferior position she held for so many years. She feels a strong sense of injustice, firstly by her father and the by her husband, and she accuses Torvald; Its your fault Ive made nothing of my life. When she states her intention I must try to educate myself Torvald is concerned only about appearance; you havent thought of what people will say and then pathetically says I could change followed by his plaintive suggestion couldnt we live here as brother and sister? Both these ideas were dismissed out o f hand by Nora. When Ibsen presented the Helmer family to his 19th century audience, he had a strong intention of using the dramatic situation to further the consideration of the need for the status of women to be reappraised. He rejected the traditional view of women as inferior appendages to men. Ibsen believed that marriage should be a mutual arrangement, and that women had the right to develop their potential through education and involvement in the commercial world. His strongly implied criticism of Torvald Helmer was a criticism of the traditional male paradigm. F. Scott Fitzgerald set out to present an impression of American life during the exuberant period of the early 1920s. Although it was a time when women rejected restrictive traditions, Fitzgerald presents more as a social commentator then crusader for change. The traditional bonds of status and security are what hold Daisys relationship with Tom together. Their marriage was far from perfect, but it was sustained; they werent happy and yet they werent unhappy either there was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together. CONCLUSION This essay examined the different attitudes to marriage and relationships that are evident in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the play A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, and in due course it was clearly evident that neither Ibsen nor Fitzgerald present marriage from the perspective of a romantic bond; there are other more practical considerations involved. Through F. Scott Fitzgerald, romance was presented through Jay Gatsby which was ultimately doomed due to the obsessive and irrational nature of it. Both literary works show the audience that marriage and relationships are impacted on by wider pressures of society in life; but whether a marriage is sustained seems to be up to individual preference. The apparent irony evident in the two pieces of literature is the fact that Nora leaves Torvald, despite the fact that he had never physically hurt her nor was he ever unfaithful to her; while Daisy stays with Tom and his violent and unfaithful nature. Daisy had more reason to leave Tom than Nora had to leave Torvald, but both characters ultimately made unexpected decisions which left its impact on the audience. Daisys attitude towards marriage is not based on infatuation or love; rather it is built on her status, both financial and social, and that is what she considers to be luxury. Noras regard for marriage was initially founded on what she thought was love; as she knew nothing more or less. However throughout the play she learns and develops into a woman able to make her own decisions; where her marriage becomes an obstacle to her individuality. Further exploration of these two works could be undertaken to explore the conflicting pressures that are faced by mothers in unhappy marriages and relationships. Catalonia: History of Independence Catalonia: History of Independence 1.0 Abstract Catalonia is a historically supressed region within Spain. After 1975, when the dictator Francisco Franco died it allowed for a new democratic Spain. This has resurfaced Catalan Nationalism. Most recently the Catalan region has called for a legal referendum in 2017, as the one held in 2014 was deemed illegal. Democracy takes priority within the region which has created increased tensions and potential for violence. The report showed there has been an increase in violence and that the governance and future threats are key concerns. The report highlights the grievances within the region, that have been accumulating. 2.0 Introduction   Europe is experiencing modern day separatism, with currently over 25 active separatist movements. Spain is the most divided ‘nation’ within Europe having experienced the most civil wars of any country. Catalonia is the most profitable region in the north west of Spain making around 20 billion a year (BBC news 2013). They have recently called for another referendum in 2017 after having achieved an attendance rate during the last referendum in 2014 from the population of 30% of the 7.5 million. The polls from 2014 gaged an opinion that is in favour of independence for the region. The poll was deemed illegal by the Spanish government, which resulted in Arthur mass, Catalonia’s president, being arrested and numerous other legal cases against the Catalan politicians (The Guardian 2016). The protests, so far, have been peaceful however it has been assumed that this may not continue as an emergence of separatism could continue as theorised based upon the past and become violent. Many other places such as Scotland, who are allied in methods with Catalonia, called for a referendum in 2014 with a concluding vote of no and to stay within the United Kingdom (The financial times 2014) Most recently with 2016 the United Kingdom parted with the European union, in an event termed Brexit. The votes for Brexit were broken up into regions, Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay within the European union which has resurfacing a call for a referendum from Scotland to be held in 2017. Within Northern Ireland the vote has caused talks around a united Ireland or for Northern Ireland to become independent. With the success of Brexit, the European union is not being presented in a positively. Within this report the tern nation is going to be examined within theoretical and historical contexts to better understand the separatist movement within Catalonia. A field based analysis was conducted to gather the opinions of the Catalan population on the notion of independence and whether they think it will be obtained peacefully. 3.0 Research context To understand the current situation within Catalonia its place within theories must be examined. Nationalism is defined as a political programme. It consists of groups of people who define as nations who form territorial states that have a single language (Hobshawm and Kertzer, 1992). Renan in (1882) said within his speech that a nation was â€Å"a group of people united by a mistaken view about the past and a hatred of their neighbours†. This nation joins biographies to have one common historical narrative (Calhoun 1993).   Nations and nationalism can be a complex definition with many theories on how it happens. Benedict Anderson (1983) differs in views with many scholars by seeing nationalism as an â€Å"imaginary political community†. He states that Communities are to be distinguished, not by their falsity/genuineness, but by the style in which they are imagined Ernest Gellner (1983) said that â€Å"nationalism is primarily a political principle that holds the political and the national unit should be congruent†. Gellner believes that nationalism was something that the modern world needed sociologically and mainly focuses on modernisation and industrialisation. Anthony smith was a critic of Gellner saying that he had misread the relationship that is between industrialisation and nationalism (Smith 1989). Smith (1989) is quotes to say that â€Å"the modern world had become inconceivable and unintelligible without nations and nationalism† Bruielly (1982) shows more of an academic approach and states that when intellectuals or professionals miss out on important career opportunities this may lead to a rise in national ideology. Nationalism to him is portrayed through intellectuals as unsuccessful professionals. This is like Kedourie’s theory about indigenous intellectuals in colonial societies and how they too turned to nationalism. The abundance of intellectuals and inability for society to find them suitable roles may explain why they turn to nationalism. (Kedourie 1960)   Nairn (1977) however, approaches nationalism in a study from a Marxist perspective. He considers nationalism to be a bourgeois phenomenon which can be seen to be a product of the disparities within capitalism (Nairn 1977). The continuation of nationalism is linked with the interests of the bourgeois (Anderson 2006). Focusing on Europe, Woodrow Wilson’s had a large impact on the Versailles Peace Conference that began outside of Paris in 1919. He had a plan to divide Europe it into ethnic-linguistic territorial states. The project was impracticable as well as dangerous, the cost of this feat would have been mass expulsion and genocide (Hobshawm 1992). However, a nation cannot be born they’re made in response to international incentive and power policies (Fearon 2004). Nationalism has been the source of anxiety and conflict in European history (Coppieters 2010). Borgen (2010) states that there were currently twenty to twenty-five separatist movements across the continent. The movements may be based upon cultural and political issues and the majority are non-violent. Separatism is mainly linked to nationalism and their ideologies. There have been two consecutive waves of separatism. In the 1950’s the first separatist movement began with the decolonisation of the world, this questioned the legitimacy of boundaries that establish under colonialism. This was closely followed by the second which happened at the end of the cold war in the 1960s toward the beginning of democratisation in the 1980 and 1990’s. The second wave was surrounded by the suppression of people’s rights and liberties under the communist regimes (Schaeffer 1998, Agnew 2001). Recent separatist movements like that in Yugoslavia from 1991- 2001 were driven by the common notion of an economic disparity. This movement was against the state as they failed to deal with this, however there was also territorial divisions within the state that showed internal colonialism based upon ethnicity and nationality (Agnew 2001) Guibernau (2000) sees nation states as a cluster of institutions that are defined and governed by the state. Stateless nations can enjoy cultural or political autonomy based upon the state’s decision. In most cases within a region that is trying to be separate their nation, the political issues that have arisen are based upon previous governmental experiences of nation building. States and nations that are trying to establish are understood to be real communities with enduring collectivises. (Brubaker 1996) To establish social cohesion for a nation building project a common identity must be established, linguistic campaigns are a powerful tool in doing this. It allows for people to bring the communities fears together by reducing embarrassment about speaking a native language.   (Webber 1991; Trueta 2008) The Catalan region in the North West of Spain during the Franco regime (1939-1975) had languages and identities supressed along with other regions. This then meant that Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, had suffered neglect. His regime created tensions in the country’s political system. It believed that Spain consists of ethnically defined identities in several regions (Bylan 2014). When democracy was restored after 1975, there had been a shift towards expressing the regional identities. The Catalan region sees itself as an independent metropolis (Mellon,2008) In history by 1898, the nationalist movements of Catalonia and the Basque country had emerged in wanting their own identity, these sources of national identity threatened the hegemonic position of Spanish nationalism (Muro 2005; Pozo Andrà ©s and Braster 1999). Basque and Catalan nationalist movements however in more recent times within Spain have unified this Spanish nationalism again (Muro 2005).   Spain is not however a formal federation it is a unitary state that has given devolving power to seventeen autonomous communities and two autonomous cities in a system that is called the state of autonomies (Bylan 2014). This is consistent with the theory that contemporary separatism is the product of the rise in modern nationalism and that they are overcoming the previous nation building project. Today in Catalonia, the current project is to build true Catalan culture through language as this is the ultimate expression. (Illas, 2014). Catalonians also express this through rituals and festivities such as human towers (Castells) (Giner 1980). The separatist movement had been mainly led by linguistics and a traversed class with rallies in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 that have staged a transformation in separatism (Illas 2014). The modern-day disparities of the Catalan people are based upon their history. 4.0 Historical context To understand fully where Catalonia fits within the nation-building theories it is important to understand the common historical narrative within the state. Starting with the 14th century within Catalonia, there was political and economic decline, due to the successive waves of the great plague. By 1365 Catalonia has lost half a million people, and in the 15th century Barcelona had its lower ever population. (Giner 1980). During the 15th century the Catalan capital was gripped by the civil war. The maritime power that once existed there was starting to decline. (Giner 1980). Now, there was a transition from early medieval contractually to liberal societies who have more of an individualistic approach. Elliot (1963) mentions the revolt of the reappears between 1640- 1652, when the Catalan people united due to castile giving them harsh treatment. The war of succession in Spain happened between 1702 to 1714. Barcelona resisted unification and was besieged in march 1713 (Guibernau, 2000) Felipe V built a fort (the Ciutadella) so Barcelona could be watched. He banned writing and teaching in Catalan and distributed Catalonia’s possessions to great powers (Webber, 1991) This abolished Catalan rights and liberties and they were subject to regime occupation (Gibernau 2000; Gibernau 2014). The events that took place started the process of national integration and state-building within Catalonia (Moreno 1988) In the 18th century the Spanish economy was based around agriculture. The Napoleonic invasion devastated the country and lead to political instability (Patrick 2016). Catalonia made positive gains with the urban middle classes and created confidence. Barcelona was then transformed into the capital of a society that was industrialising and modernising (Webber 1991). Defeudalization was happening around this time. Spain was in the process of homogenisation under the bourbons. They forcibly generalised the Castilian law and the institutions, they were creating a modern centralised state and this was completed in 1812. (Giner,1980) The trade union movement after World War One was led by the Confederacià ³n Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) which had 80& of the cities workers. Between 1919 and 1920 there was a wave of strikes and union leaders were eliminated. Dictator General Miguel primo Rivera had conflicting views on the working-class radicalism (Giner 1980) Rivera’s repression ended in 1930, he did not successfully stop the unity in Catalonia. In 1931 the formation of a Spain’s republic this was driven by the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya. The leftist popular front in 1936 won genuine autonomy (Guibernau 2014; Illas 2014). The class system of the society at that time was a product of the successive waves of industrialisation and advances in urbanisation. (Giner 1980).   The genuine autonomy that was gained by the Catalonians was short lived as the result of the Spanish civil war between 1936-1939.After Francisco Franco’s Victory in the war he imposed a pro-fascist and militarised Spain, laying emphasize on Castile as the ‘ethnic core’ of the nation (Muro 2005). The Franco regime between 1939-1975 supressed the languages and identities of the Catalonian people (Webber 1991). During this time persecutions took place of Intellectuals and language speakers. The education system featured no Catalan and the street names were changed to Castilian Spanish (Marinzel 2014). Francoist propaganda changed the narrative of the civil war to be that of a crusade and associated leftists and anti-Spain figures as a ‘cancer’ of the nation that needed to be cured (Richards 1998) The Catalonian population increased with massive migrations from deprived areas in other parts of Spain during the 1960’s and 1970’s (Serrano 2013). During this time, Catalonian separatism was emerging again as a political opposition to the dictatorship. They rivalled in literature and the arts which moulded the Catalan identity (Muro 2005). After Franco’s death in 1975, a central part of the regional policy was to promote the Catalan language. In 1978 Catalonian was defined as a democratic state within the new Spanish constitution which had granted autonomy (Giberneau 2000). This allowed for the Catalan people to change the educational system and policies within the region. In 1975 online 60% of people in Catalonia spoke Catalan whereas in 2001, 76% of Catalonians spoke Catalan (Borgen 2010). Regional feelings for Catalan nationalism rose in the 1990s and early 2000s, with it being rated sixth amid Spanish autonomous communities (Moreno 2001). Patterns of similar relationships between identity and independence emerge (Muro 2005; Serreno 2013). 5.0 Discussion Nationalism changes all the rules; a nations existence is based upon the past experiences and it challenges historians to decide a nations existence. History however is not as clear as would believe and interpretations and narratives can be different (Marino 2002). Modern day nationalism may be overcoming the previous nation-building project. Catalonians hope to achieve this by assertion of their own culture (Illas 2014). The region has been suppression numerous times as mentioned and the clear territory and history that define it as a nation are evident (Smith 1998). In the fight for independence Catalonia is aware that that staying a part of the European union is important, as there are strong ties with Spain and the European single market. With the situation in Catalonia baring resemblance to that in Scotland and the Catalan foreign affairs minister recognises that it should too have the right to vote in a legal referendum as that would stay true to democracy and a constitution is a text that is written under certain circumstances, these circumstances can change. (The guardian 2016) Brexit in the UK isn’t good news as it questions the European project. An MP called Ciudadanos accused the separatist movement of removing the state out of the 21st century. Previously however other politicians such as Mr Fernandez would welcome an exit from the EU as he sees it as being ruled by capitalists. (The Independent 2015) The rise in separatism and the need for independence grows stronger as the Catalan government fight for responsibility for taxation and spending policy (Boylan 2015). Previous grievances have shaped Catalonia culture and the desire to return to being an autonomous region is still wanted. The Catalans may fall into Renan’s definition in 1882 of a nation â€Å"a group of people united by a mistaken view about the past and a hatred of their neighbours† as the public polls reflect a rise of opinion of violence in the region. Arthur Mas the former president hopes that his prosecution for the illegally deemed poll will also be a cry for the cause of independence from Spain (The Financial times 2017). 6.0 Field based analysis 6.1 Methodology   Ã‚  Ã‚   6.1.1 Day 1 Observational study of landscape Figure 1: The route that was taken on the first day during the streetscape observational exercise The streetscape of Barcelona needed to be understood. A transect of the area was carried out in small groups. These groups covered different areas all meeting back at the same point at the Sagrada Familia, the route can be seen in figure 1. The results of the small groups were combined to gain a large-scale view of the area. Along this route elements that are seen to represent the Catalan conflict were taken note of. The different types of flags, graffiti, street names and political posters and murals along with anything else that could be seen to potentially represent the conflict were recorded. Within a table format the route walked was recorded along with where the observation occurred and a small discussion was help to note the implications of what we had seen. The differences in areas we walked through was noted as the route lead to a tourist area however was through mainly residential streets. 6.1.2 Day 2 Historical Narrative A guided walk through the city was undertook to identify the monuments that may commemorate previous conflicts. Along the walk the date in which the monument was erected was taken down, along with what it was and what it is commemorating. The reason behind doing this was to analyse how culture and history is remembered within Barcelona. Certain aspects of the monuments were noted such as what way the history is shown and If the monument represents one side more. To gauge an idea of the historical narrative Barcelona was trying to perceive, 3 historical sites were visited. These were the Catalan museum, El Borne centre and memorial democratic. The sites were visited to understand the story they are telling. A similar study was undertaken by Breen et al (2016), and observations were noted such as, is there anything that is not present within the museum? Is there any important messages they are trying to highlight? Is there a main language? To see whether the people within the museum either working or visiting understood its role, a semi structured interview was carried out.   The questions asked recorded their understanding of the role, if heritage plays a role in Catalan separatism and whether any part of the centre was controversial. 6.1.3 Day 3- Semi- Structured Interviews A method of semi structured interviews was carried out to collect qualitative data on the publics perceptions of important issues with Catalonia whilst gathering information about the person in question. The questions that were asked were: Are you from this neighbourhood?What is your first language?Did you vote in the last referendum?Were you happy with the outcome?Do you think Catalonia will gain independence? Do you think this will be achieved peacefully? These questions were asked to gather information on, the nationality of the person, the language in which they see to be their language, their political participation, their views about the last referendum and views on future independence for the state along with how possible violence will be. Cohen and Crabtree (2006) have shown the benefits of using semi structured interviews as you will only get to speak with that person one time. They also highlight the importance of it being undertaken by small groups as they collect the same information to show the varied opinion over a large area. The results are comparable and the results are collated. With a large sample taken the results could be representative public opinion and could be compared with polls that have been previously taken. This will show how the opinions in the region have changed over time. The route that was taken can be seen in figure 2. Figure 2:   Route taken and main stops while conducting semi structured interviews. 6.1.4 Day 4- Quantitative Data A quantitative data collection in the form of a social vulnerability survey. Social vulnerability shows which elements of society are worrying the most. The survey had a scoring system included the value 1 meaning that they strongly agree with the statement and 5 representing strongly disagree. The statements represented the social, economic, environmental and political situations along with opinions on the future of Catalonia.   This type of survey was conducted in small groups again and allowed the results to be combined and numerically represented. The triangulation of multiple methods stated within Duffy’s (1987)’s papers shows that this method gives a complete collection approach. 7.2 Observations and Results 7.2.1 Street Observational Survey From the transect that was carried out general observations were made. The city has undergone times of suppression and conflict and from the observations generalities were made as things observed could be expressions of nation-hood. Hans Christian Andersen in 1862, commented on Barcelona by saying that the city was the â€Å"Paris of Spain†. The first notable feature was that of the layout of the streets, the city consists of grand octagonal blocks. Antoni Gaudi has a huge influence on the architecture of Barcelona, with many Catalan people they associate his work with a period called Renaixenà §a, which tried to show better times (Giner 1980). He has become a symbol of the city. The Flags that were on the residential buildings held much significance to how they stood politically. The flags that presented Catalonia were mainly flown on buildings that were residential with the souvenir shops that sold the flags only stocking Catalan related items. The flags within the residential area differed, from the slogan that was upon it to whether it had a star present. They can send a political message and are used in campaigns. It is a tool in which the Catalan people are not afraid to change, with a flag holding great significance to a group of people, they are willing to alter the flag to send a strong political message (Borgen, 2010). Alongside the Catalan flag EU flags were found, this says that the Catalan people are scared that with independence come an exit from the single market. This is a strong incentive to stay within the unified state of Spain (Patrick 2016). Scotland holds close parallels in situations with Catalonia. The British government has also driven nationalism in the last referendum with the fear of leaving the European Union. The Scottish flag was observed on the transect showing the close similarities. The Catalan flags declined in numbers when leaving the residential area heading towards the centre. The buildings in the centre had more Spanish flags as these were mainly political or service providing premises such as hotels (figure 3a). The Spanish flag should be flown on a Spanish building and if that place is not meant to have a political view, then both flags would be outside of the building. Both flags were observed on hotels and tourist areas.   In some areas both flags of region and state were also seen, this shows loyalty to an area. For example, a bacelonetta flag seen in figure 3b Figure 3: (A) Spanish flag being flown outside of the Military building in Las Ramblas. (B) Barcelonetta regional flag. The street names were in Catalan with many commemorating people who have been influences from Catalan (figure 4a). The Sagrada Familia has taken a century to complete, still not being finished. The architect of the building is Antoni Gaudi; it is a statement of the Catalan culture and is the most visited place within Spain.   Throughout the streetscape we encountered political graffiti that was around the city voiced the political opinions of people within the community who wanted that message to be shown (figure 4b). Figure 4: (A) street sign with dedication to a self-acclaimed Catalonian. (B) Graffiti that reads â€Å"Anti-Fascist Area†. 7.2.2 Monuments Monuments play an important role in who society idealises as symbols of culture. Barcelona has many monuments that were observed to understand their political message for an independent Catalonia. The plaza de Torro monumental is a bull fighting ring that existed in the 20th century. The building is influences by Islamic design replicating dà ©cor from the previous 8th century invasion from north Africa. The building today has been repurposed as a museum due to the recent ban from Catalonia in 2012 for bull fighting (The guardian 2011). This is extremely important as they had ended a 600-year-old tradition within Spain, stepping away from the culture. The Universal exhibition was held in Barcelona in 1888. The triomf was to symbolise victory and national pride. The Arc links Barcelona’s medieval past with its future. Beyond the arc lies the park, with the Catalan parliament building residing within the parks grounds. The park has a Zoo and an elaborate fountain which at the time was put in place to show how advanced the people of Barcelona were. Like many other cities have done in the past, such as Paris. The Main Cascada monument is a grand project that took place for the 1888 universal exposition and a small contributor to it was Antoni Gaudi. The grand waterfall features goddesses showing idealising women and sexism that existed at that time.   A band stand within the Cuitedella Park was dedicated in 1991 to a transgender teen who was killed. This emphasized the cities progressive attitudes to social problems. The Als Voluntaris Catalan statue in the Cuitedella park is dedicated to the volunteers of the first and second war. The monument was subject to violations during the Franco regime with its arms being cut off in 1952. The internal flame (Fossar de les Moreres) was observed within in gothic quarter and is a contested symbolism, as it is seen to be site of the graveyard for the fallen during the siege of Barcelona in 1714. This site for Catalonians is a reminder of the homage. On the 11th of September (ladeada) people gather to this space to remember the battle. The symbolism is contested but it is used to further the nation building project. 7.2.3 Museum overview To understand the historical narrative that was being projected upon the Catalan people, three institutions were visited to understand how they were representing the history of their culture. The first site visited was the Christopher Columbus statue. This statue was erected for the Universal expedition in Barcelona in 1888. Groups of anti-capitalist councillor in Barcelona however said that the city â€Å"should not be celebrating the explorers’ colonial legacy† (The Guardian 2016). The emphasises the Catalonians feelings toward colonialization and suppression. The second Museum that was visited was the Catalan museum, the levelled institution has 3 floors which displayed a different time within Catalan history, from the bottom floor up it contained the history from the roman times to the top flow having recent achievements from the 21st century. An observation made was the fact that within the Catalan museum the paint on the walls were red and black, the colours of the anarchists. This may not have been intentional but could be a subliminal message as within the museum the Catalan culture was celebrated. Franco is not liked within the museum. From the semi, structured interviews conducted a worker of the museum stated that Spanish people will say that the museum is a lie, however the intended audience is the Catalan people and the international community. A museum worker was quoted in saying that the museum â€Å"celebrated† his heritage and that it has influence in the separatist movement. Sympathetic language was used within the Catalan museum a phrase observed in the Franco dictatorship section said ‘the unmistakable aim of Francoism was to strip Catalonia of its nationhood’ strong language was focused upon within the museum. Descriptive words were mentioned in nearly every time that contained suppression of Catalonia’s identity. Another example of this read in the museum was â€Å"language was a slow and uneven process†. The Catalonian history is showing the notion of separatism by identifying themselves as different from the Spanish, A person at the museum was quoting in saying that the Spanish â€Å"believe that this is all made up† showing Spain’s undeniable unwillingness to accept Catalonia as a nation. Whereas museums are understood to be some of the key places that deliver the message of what a nation is (Ashworth et al 2007) The el born centre showcases the streetscape within Barcelona during the 18th century. This streetscape represents Barcelona in a time when they had independence from Spain, the archaeologists could have kept excavating and gotten to a roman street. They stopped on purpose to give a utopian image of a time of independence when it was a vibrant multicultural marketing town. This gave the visualisation that there were greenspaces with music and food in the once internationally trading town. This is a clear political message of culture and heritage used at the El Borne (Breen at al 2016) It has been argued that the visitor of a museum will connect to the personal account of the narrative that is being told (Fladmark 2015). People had been quoted in saying that the centre had been â€Å"controversial†. An exhibition was spoken about that featured Franco and his dictatorship, the Exhibition was meant to last for a couple of months however it took the Catalan 4 days from when it started to have it removed. The hostility and want to forget the dark period of Franco’s dictatorship is evident in their actions. The importance of these institutions is to promote culture. These centres could be understood to b a part of the nation-building narrative which are in line with the core set of grievances that are within Catalonia (Breen at al 2016) 7.2.4 Grievances Catalonia has a key set of grievances towards the Spanish state shown in Figure 5. A few of these issues are going to be discussed. Figure 5- grievance model visually showing the key set of grievances within Catalonia. A key issue in the region is how the money that the state produce is used. Economically Catalonian has had historical grievances with the state, first starting with the Catalan bourgeois and modern industrialisation in the 19th century. Spain believe that Catalonia are â€Å"financial parasites† that don’t provide enough for Spain. Catalonia today has a fiscal deficit of 9.76%, this is highest taxed region in Europe. The people of Catalonia feel exploited as they cannot control their own funding when new services are needed within the state. Barcelona is the most visited region within Spain. The media and television play a large part in left and right wing narratives. A nation state emphasize political views this way. Gellner stressed the importance of communication in societies, the power to control the media modifies culture and is necessary for the homogenisation of the state. (Gellner 1983) Sport is an important cultural event for Catalan people. The Barcelona football club during Francoism was a representation of the Catalan nationalism and resistance against the dictatorship (Giberneau 2000) Sport is a powerful means of expressing identity (Trueta 2008). At the 17th minute and 14th second, the crowd will stand and shout ‘Independence’ as this date is representative of the last year they were an autonomous state. Language is important when expressing culture and the use of a language can indicate your current feelings politically (Woolard 1984). The Catalan language as mentioned through the report has been supressed, driving the need for the language to be expressed and recognised internationally. 7.2.5 Survey results A qualitative survey method was undertaken to test the hypothesis of will Catalonia resort to violence to gain independence. The results of the surveys are below (Table 1) Table 1: Combined group results of qualitative survey. Table 1: Combined group results of qualitative survey. The results obtained from the combined groups matches those gathered from the Catalan government in their recent poll. With the representative sample size and closely comparable results the figures gathered are reliable. The survey was conducted in English however the fluency in Catalan and birthplace determined majorly their identity (Webber 1991) which would be closely linked with how they would feel about independence. The difference in percentage between the two opposing opinions (independence vs no independence) is not that high. The surprising figure is that of violence, with many key events happening in the last 12 months such as the arrest of Arthur Mas, change would be assumed. Triggers such as that would provoke a sense of undermining and this may increase the likely hood of violence. Historically within Catatonia has had such events. Figure 6 shows an ice berg model, which is a visual representation of some key events in Catalan history. From the results obtained the mediation stage was considered as the point of conflict Catalonia as both sides have not yet concluded what they want. Figure 6: Key moments in recent Catalan history that has led to a rise in separatism within the state, key events are symbolled.    5.2.6 Social Vulnerability Survey These results are those obtained from quantitative surveys (figure 7). The total number of respondents was 139. Figure 7: Social vulnerability pentagon, highlighting main worries. The closer the result is to the centre the more of an issue they feel as though it is. With the survey showing that people are worried about the governance, environment and future threats gives an idea of the key grievances today. The economy is not a worrying factor as there has been on the rise since 2008 after the recession. The social aspects of life are not worrying factors in society. In regards to the environment, water is not evenly dispersed across the region. The summer months also bring a lot of pollution as tourists leave litter, which was pointed out by a shop keeper during an interview. 5.3 Conclusion To conclude, Catalonia has been experiencing separatism for many generations. The conflict so far within the state has remaining non-violent however this figure could change. The rise in percentage of people who believe violence will start echoes the increasing political tensions however 15% is not enough to accept the hypothesis stated as 85% do not believe there will be a need to resort to violence. The politicians are becoming impatient waiting on a referendum when other democratic places such as Scotland have been allowed to do so, with them not being allowed it feels as though the Franco influences have not yet disappeared. This is reflected on the social vulnerability results with governance scoring low. 5.4 Recommendations The key recommendations for peace within the region are: Allowing the Catalan government, the ability to reinvest the budget which will help in improving infrastructure. The media needs to have an unbiased opinion. Fiscal deficit needs improved and there’s a lot of tension towards Spain and the uneven taxingGentrification of city centre, leaving the city centre inhabitable by people who would be working in the city. 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