Commedia Del’Arte Essay

Columbina is the perky maid of the ‘Old Man’, Pantalone. She is better dressed than the male servants as she is also a lady’s maid. She usually wears a knee length dress and an apron. The colouring of her clothes can be different in different acts, depending on her relationships with the characters and the scenario. She can be in a similar scheme to Arlecchino (where she is sometimes known as Arlecchina with similar diamonds and triangles), or if she is assigned to a rival family of Arlecchino’s, she can be in that scheme. In cases where she is an independent character, she can be in blacks and whites in the spirit of a French Maid. Columbina does not usually wear a mask but sometimes wears one covering only her eyes. Her signature props are a tambourine and a basket. Her physical appearance is attractive, perky and petite with a tiny waist, wide hips and lots of cleavage. She walks as if she is skipping on air with a little flick of the foot at the end of each step. All her posses are usually seductive and accentuate her cleavage. Her movement continues during speaking, shifting balance from one foot to the other and moving her head sharply as if searching for someone other than the person being addressed. She’s fast and nimble in order to escape unwanted attentions or to butt in, and can escape from a situation. She is happy and carefree, yet when assigned a task moves with speed and efficiency. This is one of her strongest traits in being a good servant. Her speech is sharp and gossipy with frequent variations of pitch. She Loves Arlecchino, but sees through him. She therefore scolds him, punishes him, deserts him, takes him back, but in the end he does not change and she has to accept him for what he is, which is still more lovable than Il Dottore, Pantalone and Il Capitano. She can be very affectionate to other characters as well, and her affections seem to flow through her physically, but she always holds something back. As a result she is pestered by other men, especially Il Capitano and Pantalone. She is always ready to help the Lovers, perhaps through natural sympathy with their plight. She is a spectator herself. She has a very strong relationship with the audience, almost confidential in the sense that she too can see what fools the rest of them are. She also often flirts with the spectators. She appears almost if not before her name is called, always being on step ahead of her master and finishes sentences for her master too, which she sometimes uses in her favour. When a situation gets out of control, she becomes the dominant voice to put everyone and everything back in its place. She even beats the male characters in strength and intelligence, sometimes even her master. ISABELLA Isabella is the daughter of Pantalone, the old man. Because of her fathers status she had the newest fashion, and usually showed off her wardrobe, wigs and shoes often. She wore stunning silk dresses, often in antique Renaissance style with necklaces of gold and pearls. She is young and attractive and modest but at times can be selfish. Isabella did not usually wear a mask but did sometimes wear a small mask that covered only her eyes. Her signature props are a handkerchief, book and a fan. She has a lack of firm contact with the earth. Her chest and heart appear heavy. They are full of breath, but then take little pants on top. Her posture is correct and tall and is always very proud. Her walk is small as her steps are little. Isabella’s posses are of an innocent and happy nature; leaning to one side with one leg pointed outwards, and hands in praying position touching cheek as if sleeping. Another is the back of her hand on her forehead, tilted back as if in agony as well as her chin resting on hands laying on top of each other or fingers interlocked and the head slightly tilted. Her movements are exaggerated, especially her hands and arms, which are like  feathers flapping in the wind. She often manipulates her hankie and frequently looks in a hand mirror. Any imperfection can spell disaster. Her speech is refined, however lacking pretentiousness and is never lost for the correct phrase. The lovers are in love with themselves being in love. They love each other, but are more preoccupied with being seen as lovers. They often feign mild hatred. She is extremely aware of being watched and plays with the audience for sympathy in their plight and ccasionally flirts with spectators. She is flirtatious, headstrong, has dramatic intensity and feigned madness due to passionate love and can be prudish. She can be hot and cold. i.e. prone to mood swings and is a tease with an independent will. She is vain, petulant, spoilt, full of doubt and have very little patience. She has a masochistic enjoyment of enforced separation because it enables her to dramatize their situation, lament, moan, send messages, etc. When her and Lelio do meet they are almost always tongue-tied and need interpreters who proceed to misinterpret their statements, either through stupidity (Zanni), malicious desire for revenge (Brighella) or calculated self-interest (Columbina). Isabella’s attention span is short like a young child’s and her fear that she might be a nobody keeps her hyper-animated. ARLECCHINO Arlecchino has an enduring magical power, a testimony perhaps to the mystery of it origin. He is a servant and jester, usually to Pantalone, but also frequently Il’Capitano, or Il’ Dottore. He wears a tight-fitting long jacket and trousers, sewn over with random, odd-shapen patches of green, yellow, red and brown – possibly remnants of leaves†¦ The jacket is laced down the front with a thong and caught by a black belt worn very low on the hips. The shoes are flat and black. He wears a beret, or later a malleable felt hat with a narrow brim, with a feather or tail of a fox, apparently this was a sign of the wearer being a butt of ridicule. Coloured in deep earth tones with warm coloured diamond shaped patches, Arlecchino is always ready to spring into action in a clumsy yet graceful manner. He is ragged, yet sleek. His wears a mask that gives him a low forehead with a wart and has small round eyes. Arlecchino’s signature props included his batocchio, meaning in Italian ‘ clapper inside the bell,’ which he always carries. He is continuously in a lowered position, with his hands on his hips with his thumbs in his belt. He walks in sly and comical way by taking a couple steps followed by a quick tip toe. This walk shows alacrity; he also uses it to show off in front of Columbina. His joints are often loose and floppy. When Arlecchino spots someone, the mask moves first; he then hops round and into the gesture of greeting. He is physically quick and slow mentally, in contrast with Brighella (who can, however, be fast physically when he needs to be). His gestures extend to the fingertips with each digit having a separate articulation. His speech is guttural and hoarse from street hawking and the are no pauses or silences for the sake of effect – he either speaks continuously or doesn’t speak at all. Arlecchino is in love with Columbina, but his sexual appetite is immediate in terms of any passing woman. He is occasionally aware the audience is there and can make asides during which he gives his full attention to the spectators before returning to complete absorption in the action. His character is a mixture of ignorance, naivete, wit, stupidity and grace. He is both a rake and an overgrown boy with occasional gleams of intelligence, and his mistakes and clumsiness often have wayward charm. His acting is patterned on the lithe, agile grace of a young cat, and he has a superficial coarseness which makes his performances all the more amusing. He plays the role of a faithful valet, always patient, credulous, and greedy. He is enternally amorous, and is constantly in difficulties either on his own or on his master’s account. He is hurt and confronted in turn as easily as a child, and his grief is almost as comic as his joy. Lelio Lelio is one of the lovers (Isabella’s partner) and is usually the son of Il Dottore or has no relations. He is high in stature, but is usually brought low by the hopelessness of his infatuation. He wears the latest fashion, which at that time was to be dresses as a young soldier or cadet. Sometimes he dressed in an over fashionable colour scheme that was very feminine with a great deal of flair. Lelio is young, attractive, modest, courteous and gallant. He occasionally wears a mask that covers only his eyes but often went unmasked. His signature prop is a handkerchief. His feet have a lack of firm contact with the earth, making his stance and walk air like. His chest and heart appear heavy and full of breath. His legs are usually tightly together, with only one foot firmly planted on the ground, and the other crawling upward like he has to go to the loo. He does not walk as much as tweeter, due to the instability of his base. First the head leans the other way to the body sway. Then the arms have to be used, one above the other, as a counterweight like and off balance tip toe. His pose can be anything that might look Vogue and whenever he is sitting, his legs are crossed in a feminine matter. Lelio’s movements are well-to-do but ridiculously exaggerated. His movement comes at the point of overbalance, leading to a sideways rush towards a new focus, with his arms left trailing behind. When stopping at the new point (usually the beloved or some token thereof) before almost touching it. The Lovers (he and Isabella) have little or no physical contact. When there is any, the minimum has maximum effect. Lelio is often holding a handkerchief or flower, etc. in his leading hand. His arms never make identical shapes and because of his vanity, he  frequently looks in a hand mirror, only to become upset by any minor imperfection that is discovered. He is always looking to see if a ribbon or sequin is out of place. A button found on the floor or a blemish in the coiffure equals disaster. His speech makes great display of courtly words and baroque metaphors, also knowing large extracts of poems by heart. He speaks softly in musical sentences which are often flamboyant, hyperbolical and full of amorous rhetoric. When it comes to women, his words are the only thing that shows that he might have any interest. His body language, actions, tone, all contradict any infatuation he may have with a female. The only reason why he would express an interest in a female is because he loves the idea of love. However he seems genuinely more in love with himself and other male characters before he is in love with a woman. He relate exclusively to himself – he is in love with himself being in love. The last person he actually relates to in the course of the action is often Isabella. When he and she do meet they have great difficulty in communicating with each other (usually because of the nerves). And they relate to their servants only in terms of pleading for help. The Lovers love each other, yet are more preoccupied with being seen as lovers, undergoing all the hardships of being in such a plight, than with actual fulfilment. Consequently they frequently scorn each other and feign mild hatred; they rebut, despair, reconcile, but eventually end up marrying in the way of true love when the game is up and they know they cannot play any more. Lelio is extremely aware of being watched. He plays with the audience for sympathy in their plight and occasionally flirts with spectators. Lelio is indispensable. Without him and his inability to resolve problems with Isabella, there would be no struggle between the ineffectuality of youth and the implacability of age. The lovers are never alone on stage –  they always have someone with them or spying on them.

Accidental Buddhist Essay

I’d never heard of this book before I started this class. I’ve always been interested in the nature and customs of different cultures in other countries. That may be one of the reasons why I took this class. I believe another reason is that I had already taken Western Religion and wanted to learn more. This book didn’t really spark my interest at first but after I got to reading it I seemed to keep going back to it and reading more. In the book the author Dinty Moore takes a year and begins to ponder the shift to Buddhism. He does this along with a couple other Americans. Along with some other things that he does he got to a strict Zen Monastery and a loose Theravada Center. Moore also interviews experts and visits a pair of struggling cushion makers. The author gets the extreme honor and pleasure of being able to ask the Dalai Lama a question when he attends a talk at Indiana University. This inspires a little of his own quest for meaning after the God from his childhood left him for the most part but also left a sense of suffering. His travels proved worth while and often modestly told exploration of one mans mid-life quest for something that was spiritually missing. This book moves more towards the less visible and un-promoted side of how Buddhism is starting to filter into today’s American life. For Moore this fits better than the shaved head, mantra chanting, and incense wreathed thought that most Westerners have associated with Dharma. The author looks for something or someway for him to replace what he lacked from his childhood faith. In the book, he seeks guidance towards confronting and being able to answer the big questions that leave us dissatisfied and wanting more information. My favorite parts of this book were Chapters 6 â€Å"Catholic Boy Zen† and 9 â€Å"The Plain-Spoken Theravada. † In Chapter six the author talks to Fr. Robert Jinsen Kennedy who is a Jersey Jesuit that combines Zen and Catholicism. Their intelligent conversation addressed the lack of maturity in ways that Catholicism has been presented to those who came from his generation. There were the last ones to get the pre-Vatican II version of the negative â€Å"thou shalt not† mindset which was combined with a simplified version of God and Jesus that was manufactured for an easy transmission to about a billion followers. Moore acknowledges that his current attraction towards Buddhism may be an overreaction to the Catholicism from his childhood. Even the Dali Lama’s own caution for Westerners not to over romanticize Buddhism as opposed to their â€Å"Judeo-Christian† mentality hits a nerve as the author listens to the Tibetan leader respond in Indiana to his own question. Inside Chapter Nine it reveals a growing comfort with Dharma. Moore takes pains not to glamorize those who adapt to Buddhism. Being well-read in this field his sources remain largely invisible and he aims for an accessible jargon-free presentation that anyone can understand. The author concentrates on overcoming his â€Å"rock† with in, his resistance and his angst, his entrapment in the cycle of suffering, and keeping his anger in. this is similar to many Irish Catholic males of at least a certain age and upbringing. Everything that has happened in his life has compelled him to look for what is missing and wanting to find out more about Buddhism. Moore attempts to get over the thing that permeates our mental habits which he calls the â€Å"if only† postponement of happiness. The author compares this to missing the sights and sounds of a hiking trail because your rushing down it eager to finish. He also compares it to him driving down the interstate thinking of how the vehicles engineering detracts from distractions but it also blurs any sense of the journey’s own beauties and discoveries. One of the things that challenge Mr. Moore to slow down and appreciate wisdom is his fear that forty-five years of work and the worry of twenty years over lost opportunities will zip past him. The author knows full well a few hours of practicing Buddhism over a years’ time won’t bring on dazzling illuminations. However, after he attends a second Zen retreat gets a glimpse of more than he had in the beginning. He tries as a mediator to silence the restless â€Å"monkey man† inside, before calming down: â€Å"Maybe enlightenment is when the monkey just sees the sunset and when the sunset ends that monkey just looks at the stars. Another thing Moore brings up is that â€Å"You can’t slow the brain down with a few brief attempts any more easily than you can stop a speeding freight train with a white picket fence. † To the authors astonishment he adapts well to being able to sit still. Even though there are no dramatic changes in his life he grows calmer, more equitable, and perhaps become a lot happier. Instead of being a self-promoting journey towards insight this book ends up being very quiet. If this book were found at the right time and in the right mood it should be satisfying to a patient and quiet seeker. However, this could be too much for the eager inquirers to handle. Concerning whether God exists or not Moore realizes that he isn’t going to worry to much about it. â€Å"If God does in fact exist, I should live my life according to the principals of kindness, compassion, and awareness. Even if there isn’t a God the same principals apply which is his summation of an intimate Buddhist perspective. † I recently had the opportunity to go and see Dinty Moore speak here at Sinclair. I learned quite a lot about him during his talk starting with that he was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. One of the things that I learned about him is that he sees writing and Buddhism as being connected. While Mr. Moore was on his journey to finding himself he traveled around the country. I learned two aspects of Buddhism are you can’t control outside aspects and you can control the reaction people have. He informed the group that came to see him speak that after writing the book he became a writing teacher. He also let us know that to him Buddhism and other religions have wide similarities.

Poverty Reduction in Uganda

Name: Nguyen, Thi Hai Yen Student ID: 2012470037 Subject: Special topic in international development: African economics and politic Topic: Uganda – The bright in poverty reduction for other Sub – Saharan African countries Uganda is a landlocked and relative small country in East Africa. After independence in 1962, Uganda experienced a decade of relative political and economic stability before 15 years struggling under the power of Idi Amin who lead the country to conflict and reduced country to a failed state and a collapsed economy.It stopped by 1986, when Yoweri Museveni took power brought a period of sustained economic and political renewal to Uganda. Uganda is a relative rich of natural resources including fertile soils, regular rainfall, small deposits of copper, gold, and other minerals, and recently discovered oil. Just like other African countries, export of Uganda heavily depends on coffee with 63 per cent of total export revenues of the country. Uganda has bee n a bright point in Sub – Saharan Africa by being the first country in the region to embark on liberalization and pro-market policies in the late 1980s.Thanks to the right policies, the government has maintained a stable macroeconomic environment and sustained private sector-oriented reforms that graduated Uganda into a mature reformer in 2006. GDP growth accelerated from an average of 6. 5 per cent per year in the 1990s to over 7 per cent during the 2000s. Together with the sustained economic growth in the past two decade, Uganda enabled substantial poverty reduction and some progress towards Millennium Development Goals (MDG).Although other MDGs such as achieving universal primary education, reducing child mortality rates, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases have been slow, the first goal of poverty reduction has been achieved successfully in Uganda. In 2009/2010, Uganda surpassed the 2015 MDG of halving the 56. 4 per cent poverty rate recorded in 1992/1993 to 24. 5 per cent. However, in 2011, at a per capita income at 500 USD or 1300 USD in PPP, ranked 203 in the world, Uganda remains a very poor country and far from the middle income status it aspires to achieve in one eneration. This paper therefore reviews the economic background of Uganda; examines the trends and patterns of poverty; the government strategies to reduce poverty and concludes with challenges in sustaining the poverty reduction achievement and policy recommendations. Economic background Table 1. Sectoral contributions to GDP and Growth Rates in Uganda (from 2001-2010) As can be seen from table 1, Uganda remained high growth rate during the period from 2001-2009 with 7. 9 per cent in average before cool down by 5. per cent in 2010 and 4. 3 per cent in 2011 because of the reduce of demand from the main export markets of Uganda, especially the USA and European countries since the world recession.. In terms of structure, Ugandan economy has a moder n structure in which GDP is attributed largest from the services sector, follow by the industrial sector and least by the agricultural sector. However, in fact, agriculture is the main sector of the economy, employing over 82 per cent of the work force even it contributed only 22 per cent of GDP (2011).The budget deficit has improved by reducing gradually from 10. 2 per cent of GDP on average during 2000 – 2004 to 7. 9 per cent of GDP on average during 2005-2008 and reached 5. 9 per cent of GDP in 2011. Uganda remained high domestic investment rate at 23. 9 per cent of GDP, thus kept the national debt rate at a safety rate compare to other countries. However, after a decade remained one digit number of inflation, the consumer prices in the country became worse in 2011 at 18. 7 per cent in 2011.Economic development has been made as the most important priority of Ugandan government and the economic policy is focusing on the private sector, attracting foreign direct investment, improving access to world markets and on achieving relief from excessive debt. Therefore, it has adopted a number of policy initiatives to jump-start the economy, including the National Development Plan which is the master development plan; Plan for the Modernization of Agriculture, the Medium Term Competitiveness Strategy for the Private Sector, the Competitiveness and Investment Climate Strategy, the Poverty Eradication Action Plan among others.The trends and patterns of poverty in Uganda Table 2: Number and percent of Ugandans that are absolutely poor, insecure non-poor and middle class (from 1992-2010). Table 3: The characteristics of poor, insecure non-poor and middle-class households Table 4: Inequality based on the Gini coefficient (from 1992-2010). Source: UNHS various years and IHS 1992/3 Table 2 indicates that during the 1990s, the proportion of Ugandans whose incomes below the poverty line fell dramatically from 56. 4 per cent in 1992 to 33. 8 per cent in 2000.It meant th ere were 2. 5 million of Ugandan people escaped from absolute poverty within 8 years; they moved to the group of non – poor but insecure which increased significantly by 10. 5 per cent. During 1990s, the per cent of middle class in Uganda also rose sharply from 10. 2 per cent to 22. 4 per cent. The middle class own more household assets, are much more educated and spend more money in education rather than on food items like the poor. The key reason of these trends was increase in average income, rather than by redistribution in society.Income inequality was basically decreased from 1992 to 1997, but increased thereafter; the Gini coefficient was between 0. 37 and 0. 35 until 1997, but rose to 0. 39 in 2000. After 2000s, Uganda did not remain the success which was achieved in the previous decade, when the proportion of people lived with 1. 25$ a day rose by 5 per cent from 2000 to 2003, meanwhile the inequality also increased which measure by the GINI coefficient rose from 0. 365 in 1992 to 0. 428 in 2003, and in urban area the inequality was more clear and increased faster than rural area.The trends were mainly driven by the slowdown of the economic when the GDP growth rate dropped from 8. 5 per cent in 2001 to 6. 5 per cent in 2003 and the agriculture sector which employed majority of the workforce was disappointing when the growth rate fell dramatically by 5 per cent during that period, while the service sector decreased slightly and the industry sector even performed well (according to table 1). The slowdown in agriculture relative to other sectors tended to increase inequality in this period, both because the poor are concentrated in agriculture and the share f labor in the incomes of other sectors may be quite small. The reasons for the recent patterns include a slowdown in agricultural growth during the last three years, declines in farmers’ prices reflecting world market conditions, insecurity, high population growth rate and morbidity rel ated to HIV/AIDS. The trends of poverty in Uganda changed differently in the next period from 2002 to 2010 compare to the previous time; the poverty proportion fell sharply and surpassed the first goal of 2015 MDGs of halving the 56. per cent poverty rate recorded in 1992/1993 to 24. 5 per cent. Uganda became the first country in Sub- Saharan Africa countries achieved the first goal of MDGs before due date of 2015. However, together with this achievement, the inequality in the country rose which measured by the increase of GINI coefficient from 0. 408 in 2005 to 0. 426 in 2010. It seem easy to explain those two diverse trends because of the growth of economic also lead to the rising of income inequality even in the country who have good social welfare system.The middle class of the country also reached one third of the population in 2010 who was claimed that benefited from small business rather than agriculture sector. The emergence of the middle class will lead to greater spending power and, the ability to invest in the future represents an opportunity to accelerate the socioeconomic transformation process. However, the insecure non poor (42. 9 percent) are another group requiring specific attention, while the fight against absolute poverty continues for 24. percent of Ugandans. Ugandan government’s strategies to reduce poverty Uganda is among the very few countries which surpassed the MDGs before 2015, especially in Sub- Saharan region. As mentioned above, over the last 20 years, Ugandan government has implemented a number of policies to jump-start the economy and it has been worked well and lead to the relative high and sustained economic growth rate as well as eradicating significantly the poverty.Among those policies, there were two main programs geared towards reducing poverty which were the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), Plan for the Modernization of Agriculture (PMA). First, the PEAP was adopted in 1997 as the framework for addressing t he key poverty challenges. The plan was made to range the public policies and interventions relevant to poverty reduction. It was highly participatory with the central and local government, the donors, non – government organizations, civil society and economic scholars.The plan was succeeded because it was implemented by the government’s budget and a medium – term spending framework. Right after the adoption of PEAP, the public expenditures on basic services were significantly increased in 1997. One part of Ugandan government’s budget for PEAP came from the assistance of World Bank and International Monetary Fund to help the low – incomes countries develop poverty reduction strategies. The PEAP was revised twice in 2000 and in 2005. The latest version was launched in 2005 which aimed at contributing towards transforming Uganda into a middle-income country.The PEAP was based on five pillars: (1) economic management: aims to sustained relative high g rowth rate by facilitate to investment; improve infrastructure; modernization and commercialization of agriculture, with emphasis on value-addition; improve rural access to finance and to strengthen SMEs; focus on HIV prevalence reduction; (2) Enhancing production, competitiveness and incomes; (3) Security, conflict-resolution and disaster management; (4) Good Governance; (5) human development to strengthen the human resources by improving education system and social health care system in order to improve sanitation, community mobilization, family planning and reduce malaria, HIV/AIDS; improve the water supply in urban and rural areas and increase the role of private sector.In implement of the PEAP, the central government was responsible for ensuring a basic framework of legality, rights and freedom, nondiscrimination among citizens and intervening in the economy to promote economic efficiency, equity and growth, meanwhile the private sector played the key and active role in investm ent; the private sector is responsible for the majority of productive investment and it supports public goods for altruistic, cultural or prestige reasons; civil society works free from the government to handle to advocacy for the interests of groups who might otherwise be neglected; support conflict resolution and finance service in sectors not covered by the government; and the donors plays important role in providing financing public expenditure. Second, Uganda’s Plan for Modernization of Agriculture, PMA, was issued in 2000, and it has been implemented since 2001. The PMA is an integral part of the strategies of the PEAP, and contributes directly to two of the four overarching PEAP goals: (1): rapid and sustainable economic growth and structural transformation, and (3): increased ability of the poor to raise their incomes. The PMA is a framework which sets out the strategic vision and principles upon which interventions to address poverty eradication through transformatio n of the agricultural sector can be developed.The vision of the PMA is poverty eradication through a profitable, competitive, sustainable and dynamic agricultural and agro-industrial sector. Rural poverty is seen to be best addressed through promoting the commercialization of agriculture, and in particular providing a coordinating framework for support services and public goods in rural areas. The PMA core document sets out these principles, but also identifies priorities for interventions and activities in the form of seven pillars, to be implemented by various government ministries and local government, and a non-sectoral conditional grant. The PMA identifies seven pillars where priority actions are recommended.These are: (1) research and technology, (2) national agricultural advisory services, (3) agricultural education, (4) improving access to rural finance, (5) agro-processing and marketing, (6) sustainable natural resource utilization and management and (7) physical infrastruc ture. These two above key programs succeeded in helping Uganda surpass the poverty reduction goal in MDGs. However, Uganda is still very poor country and is still faced with many challenges from internal as well as external factors. Thus, the Ugandan government has launched a new policy framework, the National Development Plan as a response to the success of the PEAP in poverty reduction.It continues the vision of poverty eradication and more focus on economic transformation, wealth creation and equally distribution; in order to transform Uganda society from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country within 30 years. Due to the limitation, this paper just analyzes the two main programs which helped reduce poverty from 56. 4 per cent in 1992 to 24. 5 in 2010 and briefly introduces the new strategies of Ugandan government in the next period. Conclusion and recommendations What Uganda economy has achieved is outstanding among Sub-Saharan Africa region, however, Uganda is still among the poorest countries in the world, the income per capital ranked 203 in 2011 and the inequality has been raising which means majority Ugandans still live in bad and vulnerable condition. 0% of the workforce is working in agricultural sector which contributed only 22% of GDP and the sector easily get negative impacts from climate conditions or the reduce term of trade. Therefore, the Ugandan government needs to take action to sustain the poverty reduction, create more equal opportunities for citizens and improve economic performance. The country could learn from experiences of South Korea, which experienced one of the most dramatic declines in absolute poverty that the world has seen. Compare to South Korea in 1960 when South Korea started its industrialization, Uganda economy at present is in a better status. At that time, South Korea was destroyed by the Korean War, high absolute poverty rate, in the 1950s the majority of Korean people lived in absolute poverty.Even as late as the mid-1960s, between 60-70 per cent of the population was estimated to be living in poverty. The area of Uganda is about 2. 4 times bigger than South Korea with relative rich natural resources. Moreover, the official language of Uganda is English which is very useful and easy to do business abroad. Thanks to the economic transformation, since early 1960s, Korea has been able to achieve rapid growth with equity, and by the mid-1990s, the absolute poverty had dramatically declined to levels as low as 3. 4 percent of the population. Indeed, by 1999, the Korean averages for poverty in single person households was comparable to other OECD countries.There are number of lessons that Uganda can learn from South Korea on its development path: fully utilize the foreign aid which highly supports government expenditure for education, improving health care system, infrastructure†¦; encourage domestic savings and private domestic investment; the government intervention needs to be active and relevant to create stable macroeconomic with a favorable environment for private investment; growth with job-creation, initially led by labor intensive export promotion; highly invest in developing human capital especially primary and secondary education for better – educated labor force; create favorable environment for foreign direct investment with careful collective technology which can spillover to help develop the domestic industry later on†¦ In brief, human capital and technology should be more focus to achieve growth in the long run.Being a latecomer, Uganda has chance to learn from successful economic development model, but the model should be modified to adapt the situation of the country and avoid failures of the early comers. References CIA World Fact book (2011), Uganda, https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ug. html, accessed on 7th October. International Monetary Fund (2005), â€Å"Uganda- Poverty reduction strategy paper†, IMF country paper No 05/307. International Monetary Fund (2010), â€Å"Uganda- Poverty reduction strategy paper†, IMF country paper No 10/41. Government of the Republic of Uganda, â€Å"Plan for modernization of agriculture: eradicating poverty in Uganda†. Jeffrey Henderson, David Hulme, Richard Phillips, and Eun Mee Kim (2002), â€Å"Economic governance and poverty reduction in South Korea†.John Mackinnon, Ritva Reinikka (2000), â€Å"Lessons from Uganda on strategies to fight poverty†. Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (2012), Ugandan government, â€Å"Poverty status report†. The World Bank, â€Å"Uganda: Country at a glance†, http://www. worldbank. org/en/country/uganda, accessed on 7th October. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. The World Bank: http://www. worldbank. org/en/country/uganda. [ 2 ]. Ministry of Finance, Plan ning and Economic Development (2012), Ugandan government, â€Å"Poverty status report†. [ 3 ]. 4 CIA World Fact book 2011: https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ug. tml [ 5 ]. Uganda: Poverty reduction strategies paper, IMF country paper (2005). [ 6 ]. Uganda: Poverty reduction strategies paper, IMF country paper (2005). [ 7 ]. John Mackinnon, Ritva Reinikka (2000), â€Å"Lessons from Uganda on strategies to fight poverty†. [ 8 ]. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (2005). [ 9 ]. Government of the Republic of Uganda, â€Å"Plan for modernization of agriculture: eradicating poverty in Uganda†. [ 10 ]. Uganda: Poverty reduction strategies paper, IMF country paper No 10/41 (2010). [ 11 ]. Jeffrey Henderson, David Hulme, Richard Phillips, and Eun Mee Kim (2002), â€Å"Economic governance and poverty reduction in South Korea†.

Personal Knowledge and experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Knowledge and experience - Essay Example This subject is associated with a very important memory of my life where my personal knowledge and experience assisted in saving the life of my young cousin. Ever since I was a young child, my mother used to guide me to learn from the things that happened in my life and I was guided that experience teaches an individual a lot. It provides a way for a person to avoid repeating the mistakes that others may have committed. When I was a young child, I used to go to my friend’s house on weekends. We used to study together in school and he was one of my very good friends. His father was a doctor and I really admired him and his personality. He was very caring and I felt that he was very sensible. One weekend when I went to his place, an untoward incident happened. His younger brother consumed some toxic substance from a bottle that was kept in the kitchen cabinet. He was a young child and had not realized that was he was consuming could have been toxic for him. His condition deterio rated and he started vomiting as well as losing consciousness. His mother started screaming for help. His father went down and realized the situation. He saw his son and the bottle that was lying nearby. He immediately moved towards the toaster and toasted a bread slice until it was almost burnt. He brought it to his son whose condition kept on worsening and made him eat the burnt slice of bread. He then took him to the hospital. At that particular instance I had not realized the purpose of what my friend’s father had done but I remembered this incident. The next time I went to his house, I questioned him about the purpose of the burnt toast and he explained to me that it was actually activated charcoal which was the most appropriate antidote which had to be given at that time. I researched into the subject and it was a very interesting finding that I discovered. Activated charcoal is basically a universal antidote that can be given in cases of emergency at home as it is an a nti-poisonous substance which can act against most poisons. I found out that it could avoid serious damage that could result from hazardous substances until the victim could be transferred to a hospital. I believed that it was a magical trick for saving someone in danger. I had always believed that I would never have to apply this technique in my life as I was not planning to become a doctor. But I still considered this antidote to be very interesting. My thoughts were proven wrong and after years of that incident a similar accident happened at my house. My relatives came to stay at our house and their young child was wandering in the kitchen. After a while, there were many screams and we all assembled in the kitchen. I realized what had happened when I saw his condition. At the same time, I also noticed the opened bottle that was lying there. My thoughts went back and I repeated the same technique that my friend’s father had done so. It proved to be very effective. This occu rrence provided a very strong explanation of the importance of personal knowledge and experience in an individual’s life. A person can learn from his experiences. It can truly be believed that a person learns from his practical experiences more than from what he reads. There are many meaningful events in the life of every individual which carry important messages. A person should grasp from

The financial sector in Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The financial sector in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example Theoretically, there are different types of financing system followed by different countries. These financing systems are aimed to help the borrower to generate the required funds. These systems also help the government of the country to perform their various economical activities, efficiently. The efficient management of various economic activities of a country such as construction of building, houses and other infrastructure, accomplishment of all the basic necessities of residents of that country like education, medical facilities, employment, etc, production, trading in international market, etc. is the indicators of the prosperity of the country.   In theoretical aspects, the conventional loan is a sort of a traditional mortgage loan which is provided by banks, credits unions, financial institutions and local money lenders. The interest rate for these types of loans is set by money lenders as per their own terms and conditions. This interest rate is relatively high for taking maximum benefits in this type of financing system. There is need of high down payments and mortgage or security for these types of loan. There are several differences in the conventional.  Where as Murahaba financing is also a kind of financing which is known as the 'cost-plus financing'. This financing system is one of the most important systems prevailing in various Islamic countries. There is no additional interest is charged in this type of dealing (International Monetary Fund 2006).

Categorical definition arguement writing about heros Essay

Categorical definition arguement writing about heros - Essay Example His personality used to be exalted. In mythology or in the great epic of the world Ramayana, the hero is Ram. Ram is shown as an obedient, selfless, and the most valiant person of the world. But in the modern time the concept of hero has changed. The hero is supposed to be the person who has glamour due to his qualities. The modern heroes can be of different field such as the hero in sport, cinema, or politics. The hero in modern term is the person who has his influence on the people and he is an idol for them. The influence of the hero could go even to that height where the ordinary people start thinking him as a divine figure and they worship him. In India, especially in South India the people are so crazy about films and the heroes of the film that they have built the temples of these heroes. It is the different thing whether these people deserve worship or not, but the major point here to be considered is that the height of influence of the hero can go at any stage. It is always the quality of the hero to battle hard and reach to the pinnacle of success by overcoming all odds. These heroes have tremendous power and strength. There are different types of heroes; among them are seeker, victim hero, anti-hero, tragic hero, epic hero, culture hero, folk hero and reluctant hero. A Hero is a man who ardently devotes his life to the divine and inner truth and shares his vision with the rest of the world. For Carlyle, this is the definition of a true man: one who is a deep and spiritual being, living his life by divine truths. Carlyle in his book â€Å"On Heroes, hero-worship and the heroic in history,† he talks about the following different categories of the heroes† â€Å"All sorts of Heroes are intrinsically of the same material; that given a great soul, open to the Divine Significance of Life, then there is given a man fit to speak of this, to sing of this, to fight and work for this, in a great, victorious, enduring manner; there is

Slavery And Slave Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Slavery And Slave Trade - Essay Example The movie is themed at exploring how brutal the slave regime was, it is evident when Shola witnesses a pregnant woman being beaten to death. The incident changed the way Shola’s perceived slave to be (Gerima, Sankofa). This reflects and explains factors that led to the resistance and uprising that aimed at fighting slave trade. Various factors including introduction of machinery and the industrial revolution where the external factors that facilitated the abolishment of the slave trade. The internal factors included the enlightenment of the African and the increased population of the African Americans who gave the resistance strength and numerical advantages. The two factors prompted the slaves to deploy various means of airing their grievances. The first tactic deployed by the slaves was the formation of vigilante groups. They were aimed at uniting Africans and used cruel means to fight their masters. The groups where well organized and the information and command came from a single source. The source acted as the leadership structure of the vigilantes. The leaders used their influential nature to convince many African slaves to join the movement. This is evident when Shola’s lover who was a filed slave convinced Shola to join the rebellion (Gerima, Sankofa). The movie explains how the rebellions organized themselves. In this case, the field slave acted as the leader of the rebellion. He did communication; it is evident when he directs Shola to poison her white owners.  

Dangers of Vaccinations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Dangers of Vaccinations - Research Paper Example Vaccination is defined as the injection of a killed microbe in the body as a way of stimulating the immune system against the microbe, thereby preventing a disease. Sometimes called immunization, vaccinations work to stimulate the body’s natural disease-fighting system, the immune system. When healthy, this system is able to detect invading bacteria and other viruses and respond by producing antibodies to fight and destroy them. Vaccination, therefore, prepares the immune system to keep a disease away. A killed or weakened virus is used to immunize against a viral disease, while if the intention is only to immunize against a bacterial disease, a small portion of the dead bacteria is often used to stimulate the formation of antibodies to ward off any invasion of the whole bacteria. Childhood vaccinations are common and most parents prefer them because they help in protecting the kids from a range of deadly diseases. It is, however, difficult to know whether the vaccine itself is safe. While the vaccines have been successful, there have been persistent concerns that vaccinations lead to autism and other dangerous diseases and conditions. Even with the efforts of the public health officials from the United States to shed light on the misconceptions of vaccine safety that have existed for more than twenty years, little success has been realized in the change of perception. A number of parents are becoming reluctant about taking their children for vaccination even though various studies have found no proof that vaccination leads to autism and other diseases

What Does it Mean to be Machiavellian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What Does it Mean to be Machiavellian - Essay Example However, this does not approve violence for the wrong reasons, leading to one’s personal gratification or gains. Machiavelli’s aim in The Prince is to prepare the members of the ruling Medici family of Florence to handle the subjects of their principality. Machiavelli had the clear understanding that moral ideologies were not sufficient to meet the demands of real situations of governing a principality. In such a situation, the ruler has to deal with the needs and expectations of many people. In the present times too, there are debates about the emergence of terrorism as a response to the state policies that suppress the masses. This makes the Machiavellian principles of power in the governing bodies very significant. The ruler of a principality can remain in power only with a complete understanding of its subjects. The uprisings against the rulers may not always branch from a personal dislike to the ruler. Machiavelli observes that â€Å"men, thinking to better their condition, are always ready to change their masters, and in this expectation, will take up arms against any ruler† (6). To retain the power of the ruler over the dissatisfied and demanding masses, the principalities will have to use force when necessary. Machiavelli further states: â€Å"†¦let it here be noted that men are either to be kindly treated, or utterly crushed, since they can revenge lighter injuries, but not graver. Therefore the injury we do to a man should be of a sort to leave no fear of reprisals† (9). Though it is possible to interpret such remarks as cold-blooded decrees that decide the fate of numerous subjects in a principality, the ultimate goal Machiavelli aims at is the effective management o f the people with the help of force when gaining their consent in all issues seems unlikely. The use of violence serves a symbolic purpose as well, in setting an example. It is not a

Galileos Sense Experience Essay Example for Free

Galileos Sense Experience Essay How much can our senses truthfully tell us about the world around us? A person’s five senses provide us with observational information that help us day after day. According to Galileo Galilei, sense experience is misleading in understanding how the world works. In his book On The World Systems, Galileo expresses his view on the senses through the character Salviati, who is introduced by the translator, Finocchiaro, as â€Å"an expert who takes the Copernican side† (Finocchiaro, 4). Salviati is able to prove, even with opposition from the Aristotelian named Simplicio, that sense experience is unreliable in Galileo’s scientific method on the relativity of motion. On the second day of their debate, Simplicio tries to refute the Copernican view that the senses are deceptive. Simplicio states that â€Å"according to the view of all philosophical schools, this criterion requires that the senses and experience be our guides in philosophizing† (Finocchiaro, 212). In response to this, Salviati asks Simplicio to think of a stone falling from a tower and asks him to state how he perceives the motion. Simplicio responds that he â€Å"notices its descent in relation to the tower, for I now see it next to this mark on the tower, then a little below that, and so on until I perceive it land on the ground† (Finocchiaro 213). They come up with the conclusion that, since their eyes would move for a falling rock, it is indeed in motion, while a still rock would not be in motion because they would never have to move their eyes. In this case, their senses show them what is truly happening. However, Simplicio has a different situation to address. To present a more difficult scenario than the last, Salviati tells Simplicio to imagine being on a moving ship and to fix his eyes on the tip of the sail. Simplicio agrees with Salviati that, while he is on the ship, his eyes remain fixed on the tip of the sail â€Å"regardless of any motion by the ship† (Finocchiaro, 214). According to Simplicio’s senses, the tip of the sail is in no motion. Since it has already been stated that the ship is moving, Simplicio’s senses are deceiving him greatly. Salviati explains this phenomenon by telling Simplicio that â€Å"this happens because the motion transmitted by the ship to the sail yard is also transmitted to you and your eyes, so that you need not move them at all in order to keep aiming at the tip of the sail yard; consequently, it appears motionless to you† (Finocchiaro, 214). Thus, the senses are confusing. You can compare this idea to the Earth itself. Although when we are on the Earth our senses make it appear to be fixed and immovable, in relation to other bodies in the universe, the Earth is moving. Salviati begins to look at the greater picture of the universe. He first suggests other ways Salviati could figure out that the ship is in motion such as looking at trees and buildings on the shore but says â€Å"to convince yourself of the earth’s motion by means of such an observation, I would say you should look at the stars which, because of [the observation], appear to move in the opposite direction† (Finocchiaro 218). Salviati believes that looking at the stars is essential in understanding that the Earth moves. The stars appear to us to move but really the Earth’s motion is moving on its axis. Sagredo, who has been quiet most of the debate, suggests the moon as another similar phenomenon to the ones discussed. Sagredo wisely states that â€Å"those who are walking on a street at night, it looks as if they are being followed by the moon at a pace equal to theirs†¦this is an appearance that very obviously would deceive the sense of sight† (Finocchiaro 219). Although it appears the moon is walking next to us at night, it is in it’s own motion around the Earth. The sense of sight is just as deceiving when viewing celestial bodies. In the book, On The World Systems Galileo proves to us that our senses are one of the most unreliable components in observation. He shows us that we need to be careful with our observations whether they consist of rocks, ships, or stars. In his closing statement about relativity of motion and the senses, Salviati concludes that â€Å"we ought to be more careful and less confident in regard to what at first sight is presented to us by our senses, and that they can easily deceive us† (Finocchiaro 218). Sense experience is a faulty part of Galileo’s scientific method. Any inconsistency in sense experience can create inaccurate hypotheses about experiments and observations. Galileo uses On The World Systems to refute the Aristotelian view that the senses are our primary resources in philosophizing. In fact, our senses tell us very little about philosophy at all.

The Varying Roles Of General Contractors Construction Essay

The Varying Roles Of General Contractors Construction Essay Many changes happen to a project during its life-cycle, the most significant of which is a change in the contractual relationship between the parties involved which is the objective of this dissertation to identify a feasible contractual solution to how a general contractor is able to act as both a main contractor and turnkey contractor within a single project. Keywords: collaboration, contract, general contractor, novation, private consortium, public authority, rights and responsibilities Introduction In a construction project there are several parties involved in the completion of the project. These parties can be from the public sector, the private sector or the third sector. The key parties are the owner/client, the architect/engineer and the general contractor. Between these parties there are business agreements in the form of contracts to complete the work in the project, such as: design, engineering, construction, management and maintenance. A construction project is ready for execution after the client/owner (hereafter called client) has completed the prerequisites such as decision on the scope of the project, acquires the funds, the land (site) and necessary approvals from the relevant authorities for the land use and the projects purpose. Upon meeting the criteria for establishing a project, the client will approach architects to submit designs for its selection, or provide a design and full construction specifications There are many ways in which the project could be executed. One way is when the client creates the project under a new company and establishes the various departments such as design, development, building and operations within that company and can execute the project with full control. Alternatively, dependent on many things such as the clients status (i.e. individual, company, consortium, government authority, funding agency, not-for-profit organization, international or regional development banks, etc.,), funding, site, etc., the project could be executed by the client using any of the construction works projects methods which will be later elaborated on in this document. Generally works contracts are awarded in two ways, as a turnkey contract where the client awards the entire project to a turnkey contractor or under a main contract where a general contractor gets to construct the significant portion of the facility (and the design and technical and services are sub-contracted by the client). Problem Statement During the project many changes could happen to the client-contractor relationship, the client and/or the contractor could be bought out by a competitor or investor, merged with another entity or liquidated and become insolvent. For the purpose of this dissertation, let us consider that the change has happened to the client and therefore the contractual relationship that existed with the previous owner and the general contractor is altered. For business reasons the new owner decides to change the relationship with the general contractor, and the general contractor is agreeable to that change to also act as a turnkey contractor for the project. Research Questions What kind of project will allow the general contractor to change its role? How can a general contractor act as both a main contractor and a turnkey contractor within a single project? Delimitation This study is written from a practical perspective, not legal, perspective, and focuses on the relationship between the client and general contractor in a building construction project to identify the parameters within which the general contractor is able to be both a main contractor and a turnkey contractor within a single project. Research Method The research for this study was conducted through qualitative and analytical methods from primary and secondary sources such as: interviews, published articles, reports, documents and books, internet websites, and public domain materials from internet websites (electronic books, archived documents etc.). Definitions Agreement (Also: Contract) A legal document that binds two or more parties to specific and implied obligations. Client-architect contract A written form of contract between architect and client for professional architectural services. Client-contractor contract Contract between owner and contractor for a construction project. Consortium A group of private sector entities who have joined together to bid for a project. Design-Build (DB) A procurement or project delivery arrangement whereby a single entity is entrusted with both design and construction of a project. Design-Bid-Build (DBB) Traditional contracting method in which design and construction phases of a construction project are bid and performed by two independent contractors under two distinct contracts. Design-Build-Finance-Operate (DBFO) Design, Build, Finance and Operate. A contract whereby one company undertakes a contract to perform these things for the length of the concession. General contractor A business entity that provides independent contractor services to owners directly or with the use of subcontractors. Main contractor A company that agrees to furnish labour, materials, equipment and associated services to perform the work as specified for a specified price. Private sector The domain where projects are funded with capital other than from taxes. Public sector The government domain where projects are funded with monies that comes in whole or in part from taxes. Special purpose vehicle (SPV) The project company established by the sponsors which has as its sole purpose the delivery of a project. Subcontract A written form of agreement between the turnkey or main contractor and another contractor or supplier for the satisfactory performance of services or delivery or material as set forth in the plans and specifications for a specific project. Turnkey contractor An individual, company, firm, partnership, corporation, association or other legal entity that is permitted by law to provide the necessary design and construction services, including engineering, architecture, construction contracting, and contract administration. 1.0 Contracts Prior to analysing which form of project will allow the general contractor to change its role and how is the general contractor allowed to change roles within a single project, it is necessary to outline what each individual contractual role and responsibilities are within a project. Such identification allows for a more accurate analysis to answer the research questions presented in the problem statement section of this study. 1.1 What is a Turnkey Contract? A turnkey contract is a business agreement between the client and a general contractor, where the general contractor (now turnkey contractor) is responsible for the design, engineering, construction and management of the project. The construction industry refers to the turnkey contractor as a single point of responsibility, a phrase that reflects the turnkey contractors role and contractual obligations. Note: The client can award the turnkey contract to either an architect or a general contractor, however this dissertation continues on the premise that a general contractor is awarded the turnkey contract. The turnkey contract is a product of the Design-Build (DB) project delivery system i.e. it is a method by which the client controls the project from start to finish. The turnkey contractor may subcontract an architect to perform the design work and trade contractors to perform specific works in the turnkey contract. A turnkey contract can also be used in a Design-Build-Operate (DBO) project delivery strategy. While the turnkey contractor is responsible for providing design, engineering, construction and management services, it is also obligated to operate the facility once it is fully constructed and equipped for purpose. The purpose of DBO is to provide the client with the opportunity to let a turnkey contractor in a multidisciplinary contract: to design, build and operate as opposed to individual agreements to govern the different facets of a project (Sunna, 2009). In a DB project the client has a direct relationship with the general contractor, and the general contractor has a direct relationship with the architect as shown in Figure 1. In the DBO project, the client has a direct relationship with the general contractor, where the turnkey contract (see Figure 1) will include stipulations for operating the facility once completed. Figure An example of a DB project delivery system 1.2 What is a Main Contract? The main contract is a contract awarded by the client to a general contractor to execute the main construction works in the project. The client initially awards the chosen architect to prepare drawings, specifications, and other design elements for the project. After the architects submission is received the client then puts to tender the construction works for the project. This could be broken into several tenders, one of which is the main construction work. The general contractor who wins this bid is awarded the main contract. The general contractor (now main contractor) may subcontract one or more trade contractors to carry out specific works in the main contract. The main contract is a result of the Design-Bid-Build (DBB) project delivery system, a method through which the client controls the project. DBB consists of three parties: the client, the design party and the construction party. The client is responsible for providing the project site, all the necessary clearances from the relevant authorities and funding for the architect and contractors to complete the project. The budget is an important part of the project as it allows the architect to design a building that meets the clients requirements and it determines the scope of the project. The design party includes the architect, specification writers (consultants), engineers (structural, electrical, mechanical), interior designers, quantity surveyors and other participants the architect considers necessary for completing the project. The clients involvement in the project is to monitor and evaluate progress and perform quality assurance that the turnkey contractor is moving according to schedule and within budget. The turnkey contractor in turn liaises with the client and subcontractors on a regular basis to perform its quality, quantity, time and budget control. The construction party consists of the main contractor who is responsible for providing the workforce, material, equipment, machinery and professional expertise to complete the project in accordance with the design and plan documents which are provided by the architects. In a DBB project the client has a direct relationship with the architect and the main contractor (where the architect and contractor have an indirect relationship) shown in Figure 2. Figure An example of a DBB project delivery system 2.0 Private Finance Initiative This section focuses on the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) in an effort to answer the research question: What kind of project will allow the general contractor to change its role? The research on project delivery systems and procurement methods show that the PFI involves both the public sector and the private sector working in collaboration to develop a project. 2.1 What is the Private Finance Initiative? The private finance initiative (PFI) is a way by which public infrastructure projects are funded with private capital. Initiated by the Australian and United Kingdom governments, PFI has been adopted in many countries by corporations, national governments, and international bodies such as the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. In general, under PFI, the government (public sector) is the client and invites the private sector to bid on a project, which includes construction work, services, operation and maintenance. Because these projects require a variety of inputs the government and a single private company or a consortium of companies in the private sector place a bid on the project, and work in collaboration to execute the project. The concept of PFI is to involve the private sector in public sector services or projects, because it has multiple positives it enables governments to provide national infrastructure such as bridges, motorways, power-supply, etc., at an earlier and quicker pace to the public; it provides business opportunities to the private sector; it increases employment; and, it offers better value for money. When a project is awarded, the public and private parties (in this case the government and private companies) create a new private company to manage the project and deposit the required funds in this projects accounts. These funds are used to initiate and implement the project. For a construction project after the building is fully operational, if the private companies made an agreement for the maintenance of the building over a period of for example, 25 years; the government will reimburse the cost of the project (including interest) over time. Alternatively, the government does not pay the private companies their share of the costs but allows the private companies to maintain, operate and manage the facility (bridge, toll road etc.) and recoup their costs and some profit over an agreed number of years. PFI is also known as Design-Build-Finance-Operate/Maintain (DBFO, DBFM or DBFO/M). The private sector designs, finances and constructs a new facility under a long-term lease, and/or operates and maintains the facility during the term of the lease. The private consortium transfers the new facility to the public sector at the end of the lease term. 2.1.1 Contract Process under PFI A government authority signs a contract with a private party (a company or a group of companies) creating a public-private partnership (PPP). The PPP is created for the purpose of providing the PFI contract. A PPP is a legally-binding contract between a public authority and a private consortium for the provision of assets and the delivery of services that allocates responsibilities among the various partners. Before the PPP is established a private company creates a new company in collaboration with other private companies, this is referred to as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). The SPV is made up of private investors, a construction company, a maintenance company and a bank lender/s. SPV contracts with the government creating a PPP, and also with general contractors responsible for constructing and maintaining the building or infrastructure facility. The banks funding PFI projects are repaid by SPV, from payments received from the government over the duration of the PFI contract. The repayments are based on the SPVs ability to meet the requirements specified in the contract. 2.1.2 PFI Project Organisation Structure See Figure 3, the SPV is divided into subgroups: A holding company, private investors/bank lenders and a services or operating company. The primary contract is between the government and the SPV, and the requirements in the specification transmit from the SPV to the holding company, the investors and operating company through secondary contracts, and then filter down to the trade contractors. Figure Example of a PFI project organisation structure What kind of project will allow the general contractor to change its role? A PFI project created through the partnership of the government and the SPV allows for a general contractor to change its role. As shown in Figure 2, the SPV is a part client (from the SPVs perspective) and a turnkey contractor (from the governments perspective). 2.2 How PFI allows a general contractor to change their role Once a PPP contract is signed a new company is formed to finance the project. Referring to Figure 2, the SPV is considered as the client in this project because the government requires additional funding for the service or building project and is allowing the private party (the holding company, the investors and operating company) to partially privatise the project. However, the government is still part owner; from the governments perspective the SPV is both a part owner and a general contractor. Note: In a PFI project a client can also be a general contractor, depending on the project, this is known as owner-builder. In Figure 2 the SPV is both financing and operating the project, depending on how the SPV wants deliver the project, Figure 2 assumes that the general contractor (in the project environment) is a main contractor, therefore the SPV will have a client-contractor relationship. But the government is still a part client to the project therefore the SPV is also considered as the turnkey contractor to the project. 3.0 Novation This section focuses on Novation which is a situation in which a main contractor can be also turnkey contractor. 3.1 What is Novation? The business dictionary defines novation as the substitution of an original party to a contract with a new party, or substitution of an original contract with a new contract. Once the original party is replaced, the original partys obligations are discharged, and the new party is responsible for the replaced partys obligations. Novation can only occur when all the parties involved agree to replacing a party or replacing a contract. For example: novation might occur when one company buys another company where both companies are providing project services to the client, in this case the single company formed by the merger of the two companies will receive the novated contract. By replacing the obligations of the original party the main contractor all the parties involved (client, architect/engineer, and main contractor) in the original contract must agree for the replacing to take place. If the agreement to replace comes into effect, the new party will take over the responsibilities and obligations of the replaced party, i.e. the new general contractor will become a replacement to the original main contractor. According to Michael Rowlinson (2010), if the main contractor is being replaced with a new general contractor the clients role in the project remains unchanged (the client being the contracting party). 3.2 Process of Novation In the early phases of a DBB project, the design work is carried out by an architect selected by the client. The contract between the client and architect specifies the professional services the architect will provide for the projects duration. Part of the contract may include stipulations for the architect to be novated to a general contractor, see figure 4. When the novation occurs, for example; after a general contractor is awarded the main contract before the project is implemented, the client novates the client-architect contract to the main contractor, thereby novating the architects responsibilities and obligations. Generally, the architect is re-hired by the general contractor to complete the design work. The client is only passing the risk and responsibility for design to the general contractor after the tender. In a DB project, the general contractor is completely liable for the design work, including the selection of architects. With novation the client selects the architect and novates them to the general contractor at a later stage. Figure 4 illustrates how novation affects the contractual relationship in a DBB project. The Client (A) contracts with an architect (B) and with a general contractor (C). Later, the client wants to create a single point of responsibility for both design and construction, therefore the client (A) novates the architects rights and responsibilities to the general contractor. Figure Example of before and after effect of novation in a DBB project 4.0 The Case Study A case study is used to illustrate the practice of PFI projects. This case will provide insight to the role of the public and private parties, and how this information is used to find how a general contractor is able to act as both a main and turnkey contractor. 4.1 Newcastle PFI Project Medical Service Facilities Development A contract was signed between the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust (public party) and a private consortium led by Equion plc, in May 2005. The contract was signed for a PFI project consisting of developing the Freeman Hospital and Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle, United Kingdom (UK). The purpose of this project is to improve the medical services in Newcastle, and transferring all of the hospital services from the Newcastle General Hospital site to the new facilities available in the Freeman Hospital and the RVI sites. The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust promoted the project, which had a total capital of approximately GBP 300M. The PFI project involved constructing new facilities, renovating and refurbishing the existing facilities. The Freeman Hospital will receive a cancer and renal services centre, and a new multi-storey car park. RVI received an operating theatre, a new accident emergency department, with all the clinical support services required, such as neurosciences, infectious diseases, traumatic orthopaedics, dermatology and critical care. Additionally, childrens services were integrated into a purpose-built facility adjoining the main development, (Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, 2005). Figure Newcastle PFI project organisation structure See Figure 5, the PFI was established to make the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust responsible for the clinical care of patients, maintenance of equipment and existing facilities, technologically advancement medical equipment, and managing the multi-storey car park, after the new facilities were fully equipped for their purpose. Healthcare Support (Newcastle) Limited, controlled by Equion plc, (through subcontracts) provided the designing and construction work, non-clinical services and maintenance for a period of 38 years. 5.0 Discussion The research on PFI in section 2.0 of this dissertation explains that the public authority is the client in a PFI project; however the public authority is collaborating with a private consortium for ownership of the project. Through this ownership the public authority is allowing the private consortium to partially privatise the finished facility and/or service once the project is complete. Because the public authority requires the facility and/or service to be available, the private consortium is responsible for providing it. Therefore the private consortium is responsible for the design and construction of the project. The private consortium is made-up of separate entities: a holding company, a construction company, an operation and maintenance company, bank lender/s and private investors. The design and construction works are subcontracted to the construction company. Theoretically, the public authority can novate their rights and responsibilities to the private consortium making them the client, however in PFI the private consortium is responsible for completing the project, and novation would not alter their responsibilities in the projects organisation structure. However, if the public authority novated their rights and responsibilities for the project to the private consortium, the private consortium is able to privatise the project in its entirety. Using the data presented in the previous section, the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust is the client through PFI and Healthcare Support (Newcastle) Limited is the private consortium. See Figure 5, the relationship between the Trust and Healthcare Support is a PPP contract: they are legally bound to each other for the provision of the facilities and services within the project. The relationship between Healthcare Support and Laing ORourke is a design and construct contract, whereby Laing ORourke is responsible for the design and construction through a subcontract of the PPP. From Laing ORourkes perspective, Healthcare Support is Laing ORourkes client. It is important to consider that Healthcare Support, although collaborating with Trust, is still responsible for outcome of the project i.e. is responsible for the quality of the design, engineering, construction, management and maintenance for the project. These responsibilities are typical of a turnkey contractor. Now Healthcare support is both a client and a turnkey contractor within the project. In further detail, Healthcare Support is a turnkey contractor to the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, and a client to Laing ORourke. It is also important to note that Laing ORourke is responsible for the design and construction of the new facilities; however Interserve (Facilities Management) Ltd. is legally obligated to Healthcare Support for the maintenance of both the existing facilities and advanced medical equipment. From a Healthcare Supports perspective Laing ORourke is a turnkey contractor (see Figure 5). If Healthcare Support contracted with an architect and a general contractor separately, the general contractor would be a main contractor. Theoretically, the Trust collaborates with Healthcare support, Healthcare support then contracts with an architect to design the project, after the design is approved general contractors place their bids. Healthcare awards the winning general contractor a main contract. 6.0 Summary In the beginning of the PFI project, the public authority is the client and the holding company is a turnkey contractor. The holding company then subcontracts an architect for the design, once the design is approved; the holding company tenders the construction work. The holding company then subcontracts a general contractor for the construction work, where the general contractor is now the main contractor within the project, shown in Figure 6. Figure Example PFI project If the holding company is bought out by a competitor or investor, merges with another entity, the holding company can novate the architects rights and responsibilities to the main contractor, if all the parties agree to this contractual change. The main contractor is now the turnkey contractor, shown in Figure 7. Figure Follow-up to Figure 6 including novation Alternatively, if the holding company becomes bankrupt during the project, the holding company can novate its rights and responsibilities to the new holding company that substituted the original party. This new holding company can re-organise the contracts (through novation) to make the main contractor a turnkey contractor, responsible for the design, engineering, construction and management services for the rest of the project. 7.0 Conclusion Based on the finding of this study, during the project due to changes in the client or contractor status the client-contractor relationship can evolve and a general contractor can act as both a main contractor and a turnkey contractor within a single project through PFI procurement. However, this can only occur through novation: If the client decides to change the relationship with the general contractor, and the general contractor is agreeable to that change, the client is able to novate the contract. A general contractor is able to initially act as a main contractor; however only through novation can a main contractor become a turnkey contractor, because novation occurs within a single project. Therefore a general contractor is able to act as both a main and turnkey contractor in different phases during the projects duration through a novation of the original contract. 8.0 Putting into Perspective The information presented in this dissertation may be used by private sector clients/owners who may or may not have professional experience in building construction projects, and wish to know alternative options when choosing project delivery systems to implement their project. Prospective owners may choose to use the information in this dissertation when considering stipulations for novation in their agreements with building professionals i.e. architects and general contractors, if they (the owner) wish to have control over the designs that dictate the buildings final appearance, and then transfer the responsibility for any ongoing design work to the general contractor. This dissertation can provide an undergraduate studying a degree relevant to project management and the building industry, with information pertaining to alternative contracting and relationships between individual parties in different phases of building construction projects.

ARE WE JUST WHO WE ARE :: essays research papers

To consider that we as humans are born with genetic directions determining who we become in my opinion are only part of the explanation. According to the article by Tom Wolf, Edward O Wilson believed that we as humans are born with genetic instruction that requires development in order to reach a predetermined mental destiny. If this were true, this would give, if anything, an excuse to those in society, who are thought to be inferior to other races as is. This idea would basically support the notion of difference beyond cultural effects. It obviously would also put other groups such as homosexuals in a position to say that they are born a certain way and simply developed their homosexual views through society. This is what had so many different groups opposing the study according to the article. For anyone to be able to prove that there are genetic differences that make one group more or less inferior to another would be an opportunity for the human and economic majority to separate the human race even more. These supposed innate differences would be the blue print for a caste system. Just looking at America history of slavery and ethnic dominance, anyone could understand that the development of a caste system on any level would lead to a civil war on some levels. I wonder exactly what those who sponsor these studies plan to do with the information other than inform. Possibly it was a large corporation who first funded this study because they see opportunity for human control through human assignment. With this kind of situation, it would be as Huxley explained in Brave New World, mental control through predetermined beliefs and life assignments. If any race or group felt they were created for any one specific reason that seemed more or less important than another group would automatically lead to the implication of human being inferior to others. I am not sure even if it is possible how great this information would be for those who are minorities in the world. Also, what about those who are put in positioned to change their situation financially and socially? Obviously, not everyone who is born poor and so-called with little class remains in this state.

A Good Idea :: essays research papers

A Good Idea   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have lost my faith. At times I even call myself an atheist. I do not believe in god and have not since just recently. My mother was a kind, strong willed, caring individual. She also had cancer. My mother became a symbol of fighting this disease because she fought off six reoccurrences in eight years. God decided she should die. If there was a â€Å"God† then why would he let someone who was an inspiration to so many, leave us? I just do not understand. This movie however was able to reach that little part of me that still wonders if there is a being out there that watches us all. Writer/director Kevin Smith accomplishes this by doing away with all the religious jargon and approaches it in a whole new way in his latest comedy Dogma. This work of comedic genius follows Bethany, a Planned Parenthood employee who has lost all faith in god, on her holy crusade to save the world from being blinked out of existence in of all places, New Jersey. Smith takes a new approach to an old subject with Dogma. His ability to transform ideas into scripts and plotlines makes him one of the most brilliant and artistic writer/directors of his generation. Smith takes the religion of Christianity and explains it in ways that seem to bring it to life. Jesus is no longer just a character in a bible story; he appears to us as man who suddenly carries the weight of the world on his back. The holy icon is given friends, personality, and even a sense of humor. Smith is able to accomplish all of this without actually presenting Jesus as a character. The main idea of this movie is presented in a scene that unfolds in a strip joint of all places. Serendipity, a muse, explains to Bethany the explicit argument of the movie: I have issues with anyone that treats God like a burden instead of a blessing like some Catholics. You people don’t celebrate your faith, your morn it. It's not about who's right or wrong. No denomination's nailed it yet, because they're all too self-righteous to realize that it doesn't matter what you faith in, just that you have faith. Your hearts are in the right place, but your brains gotta wake up. This statement encompasses everything Smith wanted to say. I happen to agree with him.

Narrative Voices in Shelleys Frankenstein and Fathers and Sons by Ivan

Narrative Voices in Shelley's Frankenstein and Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev I have chosen to compare the narrative voices of Frankenstein and Fathers and Sons, as the perspectives in these two novels differ from one another. Frankenstein’s narrative voice contains tales of three characters within one narrative, none belonging directly to the author, whereas the narrative voice of Fathers and Sons, is that of the author alone. Examples I will be using are taken from ‘The Realist Novel’ (TRN), and from the novels of Frankenstein (F) and Fathers and Sons (F&S). Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is an example of first- person narrative, with Walton describing his encounters in letters to his sister Margaret, in England. He includes his meeting Victor Frankenstein, of Victor’s experiences with his creation of Frankenstein the monster, and the monster himself and his experiences. This narrative is written in the form of letters, with the use of this epistolary style of writing novels giving verisimilitude to the events, as Walton writes of them as he is told. He is the narrative voice of the whole novel; enveloping the characters of Victor and the monster, the characters of whom, develop as the story progresses. This narrative perspective structures the novel, portraying events as true to life, resulting in its realistic theme. The confession of Victor nestles within Walton’s narrative, with that of the monster nestling within that. This technique of having one story nestling within another follows a Gothic convention, (P.63 TRN). There are many narrative perspectives, which make it a Gothic novel, another example showing this is the atmosphere of mystery and horror, when Victor is creating his mo... ... sharp towards the tip, with large greenish eyes and sandy-coloured droopy sideburns,’ (p.7) and of the monster as described by Victor in Frankenstein, ‘His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness.’ (P.56). In Fathers and Sons, Turgenev reflects the theme of fatherhood, with love and affection shown between Bazarov and his father Ivanovich, Arkady and his father Nikolai and also Nikolai and his small son Mitya. In comparison, Shelley in Frankenstein labours on the abandonment of the monster by his creator. In effect, Victor is the father of his ‘son’ the monster and he has abandoned him at his ‘birth’. This showing of paternal love in Fathers and Sons and the abandonment of it in Frankenstein shows an important comparison between the two novels.

Assess the effectiveness of strategies used to manage the impacts of glacial processes

Guidance:Candidates:(i)should show knowledge and understanding of the problems arising from the impact of glacial processes and landforms on human activity or from the impact of human activities on glacial environments;(ii)should show knowledge and understanding of the strategies put in place to manage these impacts;(iii)should show an assessment of the effectiveness of the above strategies; better candidates should make an assessment of the effectiveness of the strategies discussed throughout, whereas the average candidate may only assess the strategies in passing or perhaps briefly in their conclusion.Candidates need to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the problems arising from the impacts of glacial processes and landforms on human activity or the impact of human activity on glacial environments. There may be a discussion not only of the nature, but also of the seriousness of the impacts.In order to assess the effectiveness of strategies adopted to deal with the im pacts, candidates will need to briefly describe the strategies. Strategies will vary depending on the glacial environment chosen. The assessment should involve an evaluation of both the positive and negative aspects of the strategies adopted in relation to the aims of the strategies implemented.Assess the effectiveness of strategies used to manage the impacts of glacial processes and landforms on Human activity.Problems arising from glacial processes and landformsStrategies used to deal with these (remember to assess +tive and -tive) Many strategies have been put in place to manage the impact of glacial processes. The types of glacial processes they would be managing range from erosional  processes Glacial processes- avalanche, ablation glacial (flooding) & fluvioglacial deposition (landslides) Landforms- pyramidal peaks, arà ªtes, troughs, hanging valleys, lakes, outwash plainIn glacial environments such as the French Alps human activity is very popular with up to 100 million to urists going for holidays each year to enjoy the winter sports available. However strategies must be put in place to control the glacial processes in order to make the area safe to minimize the negative impact on humans. The methods used include prevention and control measures by both soft and hard strategies, but are they successful?An avalanche is a type of glacial process and to deal with it strong, resistant buildings are constructed, as are avalanche barriers on the slopes and trees are planted near to pistes and woods made denser so as to break the flow as well as to hold the snow together reducing the risk of an avalanche starting. The choice of strategy is very much dependent to the nature of human activity, the density of the settlement and the impact the strategy could have on the surrounding nature.Another factor that must be considered is the frequency and intensity of the avalanche as well as the potential impacts like fatality ad damage to buildings and infrastructure. In Verbier Austria they have introduced a way to categorize areas which are at risk of avalanches by creating red and yellow zones. In the red construction of any kind is banned while in the yellow specific safety measures must be applied and a strict building code followed. This should result in buildings that will withstand avalanches, protecting the people inside, even though they will not do anything to stop an avalanche actually occurring.The town of Gà ¤ltur in Austria is predominantly a yellow zone however when the huge avalanche of 1999 struck it was during the day when people were returning the their homes so weren’t able to be protected by this strategy thus the death toll was 4000. Though a great deal of money is being invested in the various strategies, more pressure is being put on the planners, as the alpine towns are swelling thus putting themselves at further risk of avalanches as more and more trees are being cut down and the safe areas to build are almost full forcing more buildings in to the danger zones.Glaciers aren’t the only threat developing towns in the upland have to face. As the globe is going through climate change the rates of ablation in glacial areas is much higher. This is made worse by the increased popularity of the areas for tourists who access them through cars and planes, which contribute to the pollution. Furthermore activities like skiing and snowboarding damage the soil under the snow making it weaker, and young trees are damaged while older trees are removed for ski lifts or roads. These factors all accumulate in the potential danger of landslides, which can also be caused by the fluvioglacial deposition during the summer periods adding to the instability of the land.To deal with landslides, planners ensure that fragile areas are not being used to allow for the regrowth of vegetation. In resorts in the French alps the only means to get there is via train so no extra cars are present. Also codes of conduc ts are enforced to avoid young saplings from being damaged so that the soil in the future will be held together and strengthened by the presence of the roots. However, many of these strategies are there only to lessen the impact of an already present issue. They can not stop landslides from happening as they have little influence over the rate of ablation of the glacier.Rapid retreat of glaciers increases run-off, contributing to the growth of glacial lakes and the conversion of some supraglacial lakes to moraine-dammed lakes. These lakes tend to breach the weak and unstable loose moraine dam, with catastrophic impacts downstream. Strategies for predicting future glacier lake formation are important for an early planning of safety measures, The Ngozumpa Glacier project aims to study the response of glaciers to climate change and to gain data to predict hazards like lake outbursts and slope failures. Glaciers in the Himalayas are some of the most prominent glaciers to undergo shrinka ge due to global warming.In the past years there have been many glacier lake outburst floods with many more unstable lakes currently being monitored such as the Tsho Rolpa in Nepal. These unstable glaciers have engineering projects conducted on them to lower the levels and mitigate the hazards. But, these works are not only expensive but are logistically difficult due to the fragile high altitude environment. However they can be used to develop the potential of hydropower production.Another area with which Hydropower potential has been explored is using hanging valleys. These occur where the main valley has been eroded at a much higher rate than the tributary valleys. After glaciation the latter are left at a higher altitude ‘hanging’ above the main valley. Streams that flow from such tributary valleys fall steeply creating waterfalls. The kinetic energy of the water is turned into electricity. The owners of the power stations must ensure that enough water is in the str eam/river at all times to protect that habitat which can mean that no electricity is produced in the summer. I believe that many of the strategies in place to manage the impacts of glacial process and landforms on human activities are successful as we have better knowledge and technology to deal with them. Yet I do not think that they are utterly effective as they are all very expensive and the majority are to limit the impact rather then to stop it from happening in the first place.

Dreaming Better Dreams Essay

There is no doubt everyone has dream. It is an experience that occurs during sleep. However, dreams are not only all about sleeping experience. We have dreams in life and these dreams are the things that we aspire to have, the status that we want to establish, or the kind of life that we long to have in the future. Thus, at times we are daydreaming that we are there, about to fulfill our dreams. In Mark twain’s The Mysterious Stranger Satan was mentioned as ghost standing at the behind the food processor and admiring a person’s lawn-mowing skills. It was not clear whether it was a dream but dream sometimes appears as one’s night mare. In the ensuing conversation between Satan and the person, Satan says â€Å"dream other dreams, and better† (120). Here, it was not clear whether Satan was advising the person to have a better ambition in life or he was just inciting a person to think of something beyond what he can do in order to make sin. But what ever is Satan’s intension, there is a truth in his statement. One should really have dreams life, a better dream. Dreams as some psychologist say are simply product of our imagination. They say, when we are asleep, our sub-conscious mind becomes active which us to dream dreams. No one likes bad dreams, but everyone enjoys good dreams. In dream, we can do anything that is impossible in real life and when we are awakened we regret that it was only a dream. The truth is we can dream a better dream that is not merely product of our subconscious mind when we are asleep. Our dreams can turn to reality if we could overcome anything that limits us. Our dreams can be fulfilled if we let all our strength, courage, strength, wisdom, and all our best efforts to pull together for a single purpose, achieving our better dreams in life. An ill Time to Laugh In the Bible, particularly in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, the writer states that â€Å"there is a time for everything in this life. There is â€Å"a time to be born and a time to die†, â€Å"a time to weep and a time to laugh. † This is true even today for most us. There is a proper time for everything. In the second prompt, the context tells us that â€Å"Satan laughs at Theodor and at Theodor’s sheepish neighbor who all throw stones at the hanged woman†(109). The scenario led us to think of something dreadful. We do not exactly why the woman was hanged perhaps she was caught in adultery, or that she was a witch but it looks like neighbors were against her who all throw stones at her while she was hanging dead. The only person conscientious of what is going on perhaps is Theodor. Theodor said to Satan, â€Å"It was ill time to laugh, for free and scoffing ways†¦brought him under suspicion. † Satan protested in this statement saying, â€Å"There spoke the race† â€Å"always ready it hasn’t got †¦ you have perception of humor, nothing more; a multitude of you possess that. This multitude sees the comic side of a thousand low-grade and trivial things-broad in-congruities, mainly: grotesqueries, absurdities, evokers of the horse-laugh† (109). There is something we can learn from this statement. Many people see only the comic side of the things around them or of the people they met and laugh at them. We tend to be evokers of the horse-laugh rather than objective in our judgment of anything that we see on others. Most of the time, we laugh at people even when it is an ill time to laugh. Perhaps, our problem is that we could hardly see when the right time to laugh on other people is. The best thing perhaps for us to avoid becoming evokers of horse-laugh is to always bear in mind the biblical statement, â€Å"there is a time weep and a time to die. † Reference Twain, Mark â€Å"The Mysterious Strangers†