Yolanda by Oscar Casares Essay Example

Yolanda by Oscar Casares Essay Example Yolanda by Oscar Casares Paper Yolanda by Oscar Casares Paper miolanda by Oscar Casares is a story narrated by a thirty-six-year-old man reflecting on his experiences during one summer in his youth. The story starts in present day before recounting the experiences of the summer he met Yolanda. She was the young wife of Frank, a controlling older husband, who moved in next door to the narrator when he was twelve years old. The narrator thinks Yolanda is beautiful and develops a huge crush on her, so he cant help but listen to Yolanda and Franks fights and make-up sessions throughout the summer since their houses are so close ogether. His feelings for Yolanda grow when she spends time looking after him when he comes down with chickenpox. Ultimately, Frank and Yolanda have a huge fght and Yolanda ends up crawling through the narrators window into his bed for comfort and protection. The narrator also learns of Yolandas imperfections after that night, although now, as an adult, he isnt fond of recalling them. Casares central idea focuses on loss of innocence, the Journey into the adulthood, and the longing to reclaim that innocence by going back to a time when life had not yet left its scars. The central character is the narrator who tells the story, but his name is never revealed. This narrator is round since the reader gets to see not only what he thinks and feels as an adult, but also what he thought and felt as a teenage boy. He is also a dynamic character, changing from a young, innocent boy, into the adult narrator he is today reflecting back on his younger self. His Journey into adulthood began when he meets Yolanda and develops his first crush. A persons first crush is usually not forgotten because it is often this crush that crashes one into the world of adulthood and sexuality. Yolanda came to the narrators bed that night for shelter, wanting to escape the troubles in her life and feel safe, much like the narrator now goes back to that night to escape his own. Yolanda is a major character in the story and is the object of the narrators obsession. She is a round character, shown through the eyes of the narrator as the perfect woman repressed by her Jealous husband, only to be revealed in the end as a deceitful woman with flaws. In the beginning of the story she is controlled by her husband, but she begins stepping out of that subservient role as the story progresses by attaining a Job, wanting to drive nd buy a car, and eventually in the end leaving her role as a wife completely. Her characters struggle is reminiscent of a teenager fighting to gain independence from their parents, even though in this case it is gaining independence from a controlling husband. It is this transformation from being controlled to being in control that makes her character dynamic. The minor characters include Frank and the narrators mother and father. Frank is the Jealous, controlling husband next door. From him, the narrator learns people like him exist; people who will yell at and do everything they an to control the world, even those they supposedly love. Knowing him takes away a piece of the narrators innocence because before knowing him, he did not realize this kind of person existed. Then there is the narrators mother and father, whose roles seem to simply help propel the story forward by giving more information about Yolanda and Frank. The central conflict of the story is an internal one between the narrators desire to gain back his innocence and having to live with the fact that it is gone forever. He thinks about Yolanda when he cant sleep at night, implying there are numerous troubles in his life that keep him awake. He seems to want to go back in time, even if only in his mind, to before he realized the hardships of life, back to when a perfect world still seemed attainable, his innocence was still intact, and things were different. He tells the story of his loss of innocence and entry into the world of adulthood, but the conflict is ultimately left unresolved. The reader is left to assume that his internal conflict will continue and he will continue to think about Yolanda when he cant sleep at night, since the memory of that night is the last time he felt safe [enough] to fall asleep.

The Country of Jordan - Facts and History

The Country of Jordan - Facts and History The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a stable oasis in the Middle East, and its government often plays the role of mediator between neighboring countries and factions.   Jordan came into being in the 20th century as part of the French and British division of the Arabian Peninsula; Jordan became a British Mandate under the UNs approval until 1946, when it became independent. Capital and Major Cities Capital:   Amman, population 2.5 million Major cities: Az Zarqa, 1.65 million Irbid, 650,000 Ar Ramtha, 120,000 Al Karak, 109,000 Government The Kingdom of Jordan is a constitutional monarchy under the rule of King Abdullah II.   He serves as the chief executive and the commander-in-chief of Jordans armed forces.   The king also appoints all 60 members of one of the two houses of Parliament, the Majlis al-Aayan or Assembly of Notables. The other house of Parliament, the Majlis al-Nuwaab or Chamber of Deputies, has 120 members who are directly elected by the people.   Jordan has a multi-party system, although the majority of politicians run as independents.   By law, political parties can not be based on religion. Jordans court system is independent of the king, and includes a supreme court called the Court of Cassation, as well as several Courts of Appeal.   The lower courts are divided by the types of cases they hear into civil and sharia courts.   Civil courts decide criminal matters as well as some types of civil cases, including those that involve parties from different religions.   Sharia courts have jurisdiction over Muslim citizens only and hear cases involving marriage, divorce, inheritance, and charitable giving (waqf). Population The population of Jordan is estimated at 6.5 million as of 2012.   As a relatively stable part of a chaotic region, Jordan plays host to enormous numbers of refugees, as well.   Almost 2 million Palestinian refugees live in Jordan, many since 1948, and more than 300,000 of them still live in refugee camps.   They have been joined by some 15,000 Lebanese, 700,000 Iraqis, and most recently, 500,000 Syrians. About 98% of Jordanians are Arabs, with small populations of Circassians, Armenians, and Kurds making up the remaining 2%.   Approximately 83% of the population lives in urban areas.   The population growth rate is a very modest 0.14% as of 2013. Languages Jordans official language is Arabic.   English is the most commonly used second language  and is widely spoken by middle and upper-class Jordanians. Religion Approximately 92% of Jordanians are Sunni Muslim, and Islam is the official religion of Jordan.   This number has rapidly increased over recent decades, as Christians formed 30% of the population as recently as 1950.   Today, just 6% of Jordanians are Christians - mostly Greek Orthodox, with smaller communities from other Orthodox churches.   The remaining 2% of the population are mostly Bahai or Druze. Geography Jordan has a total area of 89,342 square kilometers (34,495 square miles)  and is not quite landlocked.   Its only port city is Aqaba, situated on the narrow Gulf of Aqaba, which empties into the Red Sea.   Jordans coastline stretches just 26 kilometers, or 16 miles. To the south and east, Jordan borders on Saudi Arabia.   To the west is Israel and the Palestinian West Bank.   On the northern border sits Syria, while to the east is Iraq. Eastern Jordan is characterized by desert terrain, dotted with oases.   The western highland area is more suitable for agriculture  and boasts a Mediterranean climate and evergreen forests.   The highest point in Jordan is Jabal Umm al Dami, at 1,854 meters (6,083 feet) above sea level.   The lowest is the Dead Sea, at -420 meters (-1,378 feet). Climate The climate shades from Mediterranean to desert moving west to east across Jordan.   In the northwest, an average of about 500 mm (20 inches) or rain falls per year, while in the east the average is just 120 mm (4.7 inches).   Most of the precipitation falls between November and April  and may include snow at higher elevations. The highest recorded temperature in Amman, Jordan was 41.7 degrees Celsius (107 Fahrenheit).   The lowest was -5 degrees Celsius (23 Fahrenheit). Economy The World Bank labels Jordan an upper middle-income country, and its economy has grown slowly but steadily at about 2 to 4% per year over the past decade.   The kingdom has a small, struggling agricultural and industrial base, due in large part to its shortages of fresh water and oil.   Jordans per capita income is $6,100 US.   Its official unemployment rate is 12.5%, although the youth unemployment rate is closer to 30%.   Approximately 14% of Jordanians live below the poverty line. The government employs up to two-thirds of the Jordanian workforce, although King Abdullah has moved to privatize industry.   About 77% of Jordans workers are employed in the service sector, including trade and finance, transportation, public utilities, etc.   Tourism at sites such as the famous city of Petra accounts for about 12% of Jordans gross domestic product. Jordan hopes to improve its economic situation in coming years by bring four nuclear power plants on-line, which will reduce expensive diesel imports from Saudi Arabia, and by beginning to exploit its oil-shale reserves.   In the meanwhile, it relies on foreign aid. Jordans currency is the dinar, which has an exchange rate of 1 dinar 1.41 USD. History Archaeological evidence shows that humans have lived in what is now Jordan for at least 90,000 years.   This evidence includes Paleolithic tools such as knives, hand-axes, and scrapers made of flint and basalt. Jordan is part of the Fertile Crescent, one of the world regions were agriculture likely originated during the Neolithic period (8,500 - 4,500 BCE).   People in the area likely domesticated grains, peas, lentils, goats, and later cats to protect their stored food from rodents.   Jordans written history begins in Biblical times, with the kingdoms of Ammon, Moab, and Edom, which are mentioned in the Old Testament.   The Roman Empire conquered much of what is now Jordan, even taking in 103 CE the powerful trading kingdom of the Nabateans, whose capital was the intricately carved city of Petra. After the Prophet Muhammad died, the first Muslim dynasty created the Umayyad Empire (661 - 750 CE), which included what is now Jordan.   Amman became a major provincial city in the Umayyad region called Al-Urdun, or Jordan.   When the Abbasid Empire (750 - 1258) moved its capital away from Damascus to Baghdad, to be closer to the center of their expanding empire, Jordan fell into obscurity. The Mongols brought down the Abbasid Caliphate in 1258, and Jordan came under their rule.   They were followed by the Crusaders, the Ayyubids, and the Mamluks in turn.   In 1517, Ottoman Empire conquered what is now Jordan. Under Ottoman rule, Jordan enjoyed benign neglect.   Functionally, local Arab governors ruled the region with little interference from Istanbul.   This continued for four centuries  until the Ottoman Empire fell in 1922 after its defeat in World War I.   When the Ottoman Empire collapsed, the League of Nations assumed a mandate over its Middle Eastern territories.   Britain and France agreed to divide up the region, as the mandatory powers, with France taking Syria and Lebanon, and Britain taking Palestine (which included Transjordan).   In 1922, Britain assigned a Hashemite lord, Abdullah I, to govern Transjordan; his brother Faisal was appointed king of Syria, and later was moved to Iraq.   King Abdullah acquired a country with only about 200,000 citizens, approximately half of them nomadic.   On May 22, 1946, the United Nations abolished the mandate for Transjordan and it became a sovereign state.   Transjordan officially opposed the partition of Palestine and creation of Israel two years later, and joined in the 1948 Arab/Israeli War.   Israel prevailed, and the first of several floods of Palestinian refugees moved into Jordan. In 1950, Jordan annexed the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a move that most other nations refused to recognize.   The following year, a Palestinian assassin killed King Abdullah I during a visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.   The assassin was angry about Abdullahs land-grab of the Palestinian West Bank. A brief stint by Abdullahs mentally unstable son, Talal, was followed by the ascension of Abdullahs 18-year-old grandson to the throne in 1953.   The new king, Hussein, embarked on an experiment with liberalism, with a new constitution that guaranteed freedoms of speech, the press, and assembly.   In May of 1967, Jordan signed a mutual defense treaty with Egypt.   One month later, Israel obliterated the Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, and Jordanian militaries in the Six-Day War, and took the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan.   A second, larger wave of Palestinian refugees rushed into Jordan.   Soon, Palestinian militants (fedayeen) began causing trouble for their host-country, even highjacking three international flights and forcing them to land in Jordan.   In September of 1970, the Jordanian military launched an attack on the fedayeen; Syrian tanks invaded northern Jordan in support of the militants.   In July  1971, the Jordanians defeated the Syrians and fedayeen, driving them across the border. Just two years later, Jordan sent an army brigade to Syria to help fend off the Israeli counteroffensive in the Yom Kippur War (Ramadan War) of 1973.   Jordan itself was not a target during that conflict.   In 1988, Jordan formally gave up its claim to the West Bank, and also announced its support for the Palestinians in their First Intifada against Israel. During the First Gulf War (1990 - 1991), Jordan supported Saddam Hussein, which caused a break-down of US/Jordanian relations.   The US withdrew aid from Jordan, causing economic distress.   To get back in international good graces, in 1994 Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel, ending almost 50 years of declared war. In 1999, King Hussein died of lymphatic cancer  and was succeeded by his eldest son, who became King Abdullah II.   Under Abdullah, Jordan has followed a policy of non-entanglement with its volatile neighbors  and endured further influxes of refugees.

Why has political participation declined over time What strategies Essay

Why has political participation declined over time What strategies would you recommend for increasing voter turnout - Essay Example The bill signed into law by Bush which tried to ease the voter registration process by allowing the registration to be carried out when people are getting their driver’s license or even joining the military did nothing to ease the declining political participation. This is so because not all people have time to go in and register even though they are going to get their driver’s license as most are nervous enough about the test to even think about registering as a voter. The other reason is that there are a group of ignorant people who are not aware about them being required to register as a voter before being allowed to vote and by the time they do, it is too late for them to register and hence they simply forego the voting process. Others are not patient enough to go register and they also fore go voting in the elections. The non-citizens make up the second largest reason why political participation continues to decline, the number one being the age. USA has over 20 million non-citizens and majority of them are over 18 years of age which is the minimum voting age. This therefore means that there are millions of people who are eligible to vote but are restricted to do so even though they reside in the US and are also governed by the same leaders they wish to vote for. There are many strategies that can be employed to increase the number of voters turning out to vote in any election in the US compared to the number of people who are allowed to vote. Some of these strategies should be based on the two main restrictions discussed above. The first of these strategies is the complete elimination of the voter registration process. During the period of elections, the election officials should use the necessary legal documents to prove the voter is a citizen and is above 18 years. All these information is available in the government database and

At the instructions box Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

At the instructions box - Essay Example ERM’s role within organizations is the provision of a reliable framework under which the methods and the processes essential in the management of risks are outlined. Expounding the same, it is a reliable tool expressing clearly the organizational objectives putting into consideration a balance between the potential risks and their rewards (Barton et al., 2002). In its capacity, the primary importance of ERM in business premises is the provision of an assurance that eventually enables organizations to effectively control the risks and maximize opportunities. As a case example risk management at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reveals that if done and managed effectively, ERM impacts significantly in value addition, sound response to change as well as maintaining a steady improvement and enhancing adequate response to changes (Simkins & Ramirez, 2008). Although it cannot be quantified numerically, the assumption of ERM inclusion in any organization is expected to have a negative impact since a robust framework that decisions can be based upon is not provided. In turn, risk management becomes a challenge, as there is no reliable tool to balance and mitigate the process. Internal audit relevance in enterprise-wide management is embedded on three categories of roles, which are distinct, and the executive should remain aware of. The first category concerning ERM embarks on assurance, followed by risk management evaluation while the third category involves the management review of the key risks (Institute, 2004). As an indispensable part under ERM, internal auditing serves as a consultant and in turn; the physical duty to manage risks is left as a management’s responsibility. The relevance of the distinctions is providing a controlled process under which the management will be helped to set up and improve the crucial processes. It serves more of an advisory as opposed to actual risk

Critical Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Critical Evaluation Essay The ancient Greek philosopher Thales was born in Miletus, in Greek Ionia. Aristotle the major source of Thales’ philosophy and science identified Thales as the first person to investigate the basic principles, for in the sixth century he broke away from explaining the natural phenomena through myths and adopted rational means of explaining it. In explaining the totality of all things, Thales described one primary material substance as the elemental foundation of all things, for he believed that there must be some natural substance either one or more than one from which other things come into being while it is preserved, and he postulated that this primary principle is water. Being an astronomer on the other hand he was believed to have predicted an eclipse in 585BC. It is therefore the purpose of this essay to critically evaluate Thales’ metaphysics in the context of aim, content and method of philosophy then proceed to clearly underscore his unique contribution to the development of philosophy. To begin with, as pointed out earlier on, Thales was the first philosopher to ask questions about the structure and nature of the cosmos as a whole and is known to be the founder of philosophy of physis which is the study of the totality of reality. Being the first philosopher, he affirmed the existence of a unique principle and cause of all things that exist. He said this principle is water because it is wholly from water that life itself comes from and into which it dissolves, he also declared that the earth rest on water getting the notion perhaps from seeing that the nutriment of all things is moist and that heat itself is generated from moisture and kept alive by it, and that from which they come to be is a principle of all things. He got his notion from this fact and from the fact that seeds of all things have a moist nature and that water is the origin of the nature of moist things (Guthrie, 1978: 55). By saying principle Thales meant the reality that remains identically the same throughput the changes in its characteristics and it continues to exist unchanged throughout the process of the generation of everything (Presocratics, 1995: 42). However, despite postulating that water is a principle, he also had two other propositions which came down from his verbatim and these were â€Å"magnet possesses the soul† because it is capable of moving things like iron, and that â€Å"all things are full of goods†. In saying this Thales implicitly implied that his water principle is the source, sustainer and font of all things and that he used the gods in his assertion for the people’s easy understanding of it (Radhakrishnan, 1953: 28). Having looked at a number of Thales’ assertions and their meanings, it is necessary that we clarify the aim of Thales as regards to philosophy. On this point Aristotle states that philosophy has a purely theoretical character, that is, it is contemplation, and that it simply seeks truth for its own sake. Philosophy is not sought because of any advantage that is extrinsic to it, but it is sought just for itself (Reale, 1978: 17). Therefore in this sense, as Thales was explaining the principle of all things he did not benefit any wealth from it and this is why he was mocked for his poverty, insinuating that his philosophy was of no practical use to him (Presocratics, 1995: 45). Since philosophy does not bake bread nor fix gadgets but rather aims primarily at knowledge, we then see that Thales without any practical benefits tries to find the origin of all things just for philosophy’s own sake. With respect to content, philosophy wanted to explain the totality of all things, that is, the whole of reality without the exclusion of any part or aspect of it, thus distinguishing itself structurally from the special sciences that instead are limited to explaining particular sections of reality, groups of particular things or particular phenomena. In trying to explain the whole of reality the first philosophers were asking the question, what is the principle of all things? (Reale, 1978: 17). Thales in responding to this question in accordance to the content of philosophy, he said water is the principle, for him, he did not necessarily consider the importance of water in life but the thought which most likely must have struck Thales’ mind are those which link water with the idea of life. Hence he observes that food and semen always contain moisture and that the very warmth of life is damp warmth. Furthermore, the composition of all things is moist and that seeds of all things have a moist nature and that water is the origin of moist. Therefore the explanation of water being the principle of things is what is contained in the content of Thales’ philosophy. Finally, on the aspect of method, philosophy wanted to explain the totality which is its object in a strictly rational manner. What is of value in philosophy is its rational arguments, its rational purpose or simply its logos. It is not enough for philosophy to confirm and find out the data derived from experience on a factual level, philosophy must go beyond the facts and experience in order to discover the reasons, the cause and the principle (Reale, 1978: 17). Therefore, Thales with a minimum amount of factual information was able by reasoning to devise an ingenious hypothesis to account for diverse things as gaseous liquid and solid characteristics of the earth, for he believed that all objects are variations of one basic ingredient-water, for water, if heated becomes steam, thus all entities which are gaseous, in its natural state is liquid, and all things which flow must be made up of it and finally, if cooled sufficiently becomes solid (Popkin, 2006: 336). Having looked at a number of things concerning the principle of Thales, we now have to look at a number of contributions which Thales brought forth to the development of philosophy. Firstly, he is believed to have paved way for materialism in metaphysics, which is simply the view that reality is essentially material, and the materialist held that reality is made up of indivisible material particles which move around in a void and combined together to form all the different kinds of things to be found in the world. In this bold speculation the materialist or atomist in particular were following in the footsteps of earlier thinkers (one of them being Thales) who had posited the key idea that underlying the apparent diversity of the world we inhabit, there is a fundamental unit. Therefore Thales is the man who is credited with being the first philosopher and he believed that this unity consisted in the fact that everything comes from or was in some sense made of water (Horner, 2000: 19). Through Thales we have also experienced the transition from explaining natural phenomena through myths to rational and scientific explanation of the origin of nature. At first when explaining the origin of all things, people in Greece referred to a poem called Theogony, written by Hessiod about 725BC. The Theogony contained myths of the gods and speculates in part about the origin and the order of the universe (Audi, 1995: 595). However, with the coming of Thales, the origin of all things was explained systematically using the method of reasoning. The other contribution of Thales to philosophy is that he began the study of cosmology which is branch of metaphysics. Cosmology is a theory of the process of reality and it deals with the science of ultimate reality as a whole. The study analyses and explains the nature of elements of which reality as a whole is underpinned and it establishes whether there are principles that may give us a fuller explanation of the nature of existence (Audi, 1995: 595). In this sense then, we see that Thales gives an account of his principle in line with cosmology, the branch of metaphysics, this therefore entails that Thales started cosmology as he was the first philosopher. Lastly, on the contributions, Thales was the first philosopher to devote himself to the study and the investigation of nature; he is generally regarded as the first who taught the Greeks the investigation of nature. Although, he had many predecessors as Theophrastus has remarked, he surpassed them all to such a degree that they are forgotten, he is as well considered to be one of the seven wise men to undertake the study of natural philosophy for he declared water to be the beginning and the end of all things (Presocratics; 1995, 42). However, despite an articulate explanation on the reasoning of Thales, his method is likely to be criticized, for the one cause that the reasoning process behind his conclusion that water is the first material principle is unknown, so that it becomes a matter of conjecture. Aristotle had no means of knowing the reasons which led Thales to make his statement and when he ascribes a possible line of thought, to him it makes no secret of the fact that he was guessing (Guthrie, 1978: 54). And when we compare the reasoning of Thales to that of other Milesians like Anaximander, Thales’ reasoning is put to the spotlight that he was just guessing because in Anaximander we clearly see that his thinking goes beyond experience, confirming that he was really contemplating rather than just guessing as Aristotle had put it. Another weakness of his explanation of a single principle that was the cause of all reality, is that he never explained the process into which water goes through to become a component of all things more specifically a thing like fire. Other philosophers like Anaximenes, who said the principle is air, explained that through the process of rarefaction air produces fire and when the air condenses through condensation, it gives origin to wind, the clouds, the water, the earth, rocks and other things. This kind of explanation is what was lacking in the philosophy of Thales. In conclusion, Thales of Miletus was one of the first Greek philosophers to seek natural causes for natural phenomena. He traveled widely throughout Egypt and the Middle East and became famous for predicting a solar eclipse that occurred in 585 BC. At a time when people regarded eclipses as ominous, inexplicable, and frightening events, his prediction marked the start of rationalism, a belief that the universe can be explained by reason alone. Rationalism remains the hallmark of science to this day. BIBLIOGRAPHY Audi, R. (1992). Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. Cambridge University Press, New York. Guthrie, A. (1978). A history of Greek Philosophy. Vol 1. Cambridge University Press, Britain. Radhakrishnan, S. (1953). History of Philosophy, Eastern and Western. Vol 2. George Allen Unwin Ltd, London. Reale, G. A. (1987). History of Ancient Philosophy From the Origins to Socrates. State University of New York, New York.

Comparing Success in Horatio Algers Ragged Dick and the Life of Colin

Success in Horatio Alger's Ragged Dick and the Life of Colin Powell What does success mean to you? I think the idea of success is affected by the social system. In America and Hong Kong, which are capitalistic societies affected by the American Dream, success means money and fame. In other societies, success might have different meanings. Some people said money and fame is the true meaning of success, but I think that the true meaning of success is to follow the interest of your own and being good at it, but not money and fame. Overemphasizing on these two factors can only lead to negative effects. Therefore I think the definition of success in capitalistic countries should not be focused on money and fame, because it restricts people from following their real dreams. The idea of success in the capitalistic countries is mainly about money and fame. Capitalism, the social system of America, is based on the principle of individual rights, which is that everyone has the rights to do whatever they want without violating the law. Capitalism has an idea that the individual is sovereign. Therefore a man's thinking determines his choices and actions, and each man is the master of his own destiny. Every man in the capitalist society has the freedom of action, and those actions are necessary to support his own life. The capitalistic idea contributes to the formation of the idea of success because as each person has individual rights, everybody has the right and freedom to own their own wealth. Which is very different from socialism, in socialistic society, the people have to share their wealth with the government. As wealth can be own, people who have more wealth seem to be more successful, money becomes the main aspect of success... ... in the other hand, I think if people reach their goal for money and fame, the real dreams already changed. Overemphasizing on money and fame in success restricts people to follow their real dreams, and also give negative effects to the society. I believe that many people, like me, already changed their goals, and would regret for the rest of their life. Therefore, I do not think people should be fixed because of some social ideas, but should fight against these wrong, fixed ideas. Works Consulted Alger, Horatio. "Ragged Dick." Rereading America. 5th ed. Eds. Cary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Boston : Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001. 298-304 Blue, Rose and Naden, Corinne J. "From Colin Powell: Straight to the Top." Rereading America. 5th ed. Eds. Cary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Boston : Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001. 298-304

Brand Personality Assessment of Royal Enfield Essay

Introduction Manufactured in Redditch, UK, the Bullet was the culmination of designs that date back to 1933. The classic 350 cc model made its debut at the Earl’s Court motor show in 1948 and was an immediate success. Its big brother, the 500 cc came along later, in 1953. In 1955, a satellite factory was established in Madras, India, to meet demands from the Indian Army. When the UK factory closed in 1970, the Madras plant continued production. In 1994, Enfield India was acquired by the large engineering group, Eicher, which has since made a number of improvements to the bike. However, despite these, its distinctive appearance remains unchanged and provides an opportunity to enjoy the privilege of riding a â€Å"classic† reproduction bike. First World War (1911–1920) Inter-war years (1921–1939) Second World War (1939–1945) 1913 Enfield 425cc 1923 Royal Enfield 225cc 1941 Royal Enfield 250cc Royal Enfield in Nepal All the Royal Enfield motorcycle in Nepal is imported from India by Dugar Brothers and Sons. It is manufactured in Chennai, India and by 2013 its Pune branch will also start manufacturing and the facility will be of same capacity. Currently 70,000 to 75,000 units of motorcycle are manufactured in a year. Dugar Brothers and Sons is the sole distributor of Royal Enfield in Nepal. It branches are in Kathmandu, Narayanghat, Birgunj, Nepalgunj and Biratnagar. Among these branches Narayanghat and Biratnagar branch has the highest number of sales. It has many distributors spread around the nation. Among all the branches and distributor the most number of Royal Enfield motorcycle is sold by the dealer in Pokhara and dealer in Butwal’s sales volume is the second highest. The highest number of sales is usually during festival season. Royal Enfield Bullet Electra/classic 350 cc are the two most selling brand here in Nepal and the same product of 500 cc is the second highest selling Royal Enfield bike. Royal Enfield’s most popular brand of today is Bullet and it is often taken as synonymous to Royal Enfield. And this is the only bike in the 350 cc and 500 cc segment of bike here in Nepal. And thunderbird segment is least popular and not sold currently. Royal Enfield was first manufactured in England more than hundred years ago. It has a long legacy and a war history as this motorcycle was used in both first and second world war. It has always been perceived as a quality product and it has been able to retain the same perception even after a century and it has been able to position itself as a Luxurious, Premium and a quality product. Royal Enfield’s target customers for Nepal are upper middle and upper class segment. It faces competition from new brands like KTM Duke, VR and others sports bikes. But it has its own set of loyal customer and these competitors are of very little threat to them as the model and performance both vary largely from other bikes. It is a premi um brand and its part and maintenance cost is high as well and it even consumes more fuel as its millage is about 20-25 Km per liter of petrol and petrol in Nepal is expensive too. It is a luxurious item for Nepalese people and hardly used by a middle class commuters. There is no age limit for the product like Royal Enfield Motorcycle as people from teen to older generation of 45 and above still have the love for the bike. Customers of this bike can be adventure rider, traveler, once that have the love for classic things or admirer of a legacy it carries. Royal Enfield has become very popular among the youngsters of Nepal. They seem to prefer this brand among other. Although it does not have a proper showroom in city area where most bike showrooms are located instead it has only one show room inside the industrial state of Kathmandu but still it has been selling the same unit of bike as it used to when it had its showroom in New Baneshwor as well. Its market share is only about 1% of total market share in the two wheeler segment. People buying Bullet usually find the place to buy the bike as it is a premium product here in Nepal and people generally come prepared through research in internet visiting www.royalenfield.com of India and as same bikes are imported and sold here in Nepal adequate information can be gathered from there and they find the place to buy the bike through friends and relatives or from NTC call centre which will provide the phone number of the distribution centre on demand. The point of difference for the Royal Enfield with other two wheeler motorcycle is its physical strength, quality assurance, retro look and traditional system still incorporated and above all it is the oldest two wheeler company. The price of the motorcycle is not over charged as well for the segment of the bike it lies in. Royal Enfield has not changed with advancement of the technology. This bike is still very similar to the bike that was produces decades ago. But this is what customer mostly like about the brand and it even has even advertised its classic chrome saying â€Å"old school magic, recreated† and this brand has really done well in the market in terms of sales. Nut there is still that segment in the market that would like to own a Royal Enfield but want it with a change and new technology incorporated; keeping this in mind Royal Enfield has come up with a Thunder Bird 500 cc with led light, double disk brakes and other various changes which will soon enter the Nep ali market as well. There are various clubs like Nasa Bullet Club (managed by distributor themselves), Himalayan Enfield and Sector Summit in Nepal that unites Royal Enfield owners and organizes tours and rally. These rally and tour are also a source of promotion and it has been able to lure more customers to the showroom. People like to get associated in such events and to do so they even buy the motorcycle. When other clubs organize such events the distributors mostly participate through sponsorship. They participate in different auto show like NADA Auto Show. They publish print advertisement in popular national daily newspaper every fortnight and even influence some magazines to cover a story of the Royal Enfield. They do not do television commercials but appear in programs like Wheel Factor in news 24 where over all description of the motorcycle is given. The main reason for the company not being able to tap all the potential market is its age old technology which requires special knowledge for the maintenance of the Motorcycle. Customers have different types of problem and most number of customer complain is about the limited number of service centre which makes it very difficult for customer to have their motorcycle repaired and moreover private workshop owner are not capable to repair the bike as it has a very complex engine, and its engineering is also very different from other motorcycles of today which make it very difficult for every motorcycle mechanic to have idea to repair the motorcycle so customers had suggested them to have service centers in different location rather than having a single service centre. Keeping this in mind the Dugar Brother and Sons even had a workshop and training program for the existing workshop owner and the interested new people who want to open a motorcycle workshop. The training was for free and it had a good number of enthusiasts joining the program. Customer’s attitude towards Royal Enfield I had interviewed few Royal Enfield owners and there was mixed comments on the motorcycle. Pride, power and superiority was something that everyone pointed out. They were satisfied with the functionality aspect of the bike and loved the sound emitted by the bike. On asking what made them buy the bike I found out that it was the retro look of the bike, the sound it emits, the powerful engine and the pride that comes with the bike. they even shared their experience they had joining different tours from Royal Enfield owners club, they found such tours very interesting and exciting as they would mostly travelling in a group and in the rest point they would have various activities for entertainment and they could socialize with the likeminded people on the tour as well. Riding Royal Enfield gives them a certain level of satisfaction, joy, pride, excitement and confidence. They said it was very comfortable on a highway; bike really gets lighter as you race it and even turning will be easy. The main problem that everyone indicated was the limited number of service centers and workshops. People have faced many problem due to unavailability of service centers that could fix the Royal Enfield bike and due to the complex nature of bike every mechanic cannot repair and maintain the bike thus the owners really gets in trouble when there is problem in the bike as they have to take the bike to some limited number of service center of Royal Enfield. They said it would be better if the bike adopts some new technology like led headlights, fuel indicators, tubeless wheel etc but without changing the appearance, as it has already introduced self start on the bike and is of huge success. Another well recognized problem was the high maintenance cost and expensive parts of the Royal Enfield. Where normal bikes that run in the street of Kathmandu run on an average of 1 liter engine oil it needs 2.5 liters which makes the regular maintenance cost double the cost of normal bike. Moreover the costly part that is not readily available and takes long lead time for arrival and the labor c ost associated with it is also higher making it more expensive to keep and maintain. It is because of this reasons people despite their outmost love for the bike had to sell their beloved possession, and some don’t even buy the product when they know all these about the product. Positioning of Royal Enfield as a brand Royal Enfield has positioned itself as a premium brand in Nepal and targeted upper middle and above class of people but it is actually for middle class people in India. It is perceived as a quality product. Although it is made in India people because of the age old legacy it carries people are confident on its performance and quality. It is targeted for travel enthusiasts and adventure riders more than for daily commuters. Although its price with reference to its engine cc is not that high its spare parts and maintenance cost is definitely high which makes it more attractive to the upper middle and above class of people. It spends very less in advertisement and promotion, still people find their ways to learn about the bike and buy it even if they have to search for the vendor. People find pride in owning the bike. There are different clubs started by the authorized dealer and likeminded people who love to ride and own the bike. FINDINGS Aaker’s Brand Personality Scale A sample size of 16 responded were asked to fill the questionnaire, which included the five major factors (i.e. sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness) with their underlining facets as suggested by the Aaker’s model. Respondents were asked to rate how descriptive each personality trait was for Royal Enfield on a 7 point scale (1being extremely not descriptive & 7 being extremely descriptive). The summary of the result is shown below Factors| Ratings | Sincerity| 1.0555| Excitement| 1.6420| Competence| 1.3203| Sophistication| 0.9687| Ruggedness| 1.8125| From the obtained result we can say that Royal Enfield as a brand has received high scores on all except the sophistication. The reason behind the brand to score low point in the sophistication factor might be because the customers are actually looking for the age old traditional antic bike which has very less modification to its original design thus making it less sophisticated and people like it that way. Projective Technique Here in the research I have used a comparison task to uncover the true feelings of the respondent about the brand. The respondents were asked to compare Royal Enfield with animal, activity, car, music, perfume, profession, sports, emotion and fabric and provide reason for their selection as well. Royal Enfield and animal Most of the respondent has compared the Royal Enfield with animals like Lion, Tiger, Rhinoceros, Giraffe and Dog. The highest number of respondent however has compared the brand with Lion because of its appearance, its power and king’s status in jungle and the roar which is comparable with the sound emitted by the bike. It is compared with tiger looking at its strength and toughness. Rhinoceros was mostly selected for classic and huge body of the bike. One respondent has even compared the bike with dog keeping the sound in mind he has compared it with the dogs barking. Royal Enfield and car Royal Enfield has been compared with different cars. The highest number of respondent has compared Royal Enfield with beetle because of its classic look. The respondents have a feeling that Royal Enfield is classy and are totally different from other bikes. Similarly, it has been compared with several other cars like Hummer, Ferrari, and BMW because of its sound and advanced technology. Royal Enfield and occupation All the respondents have come up with an individual occupation. Fashion Stylist as an occupation is somewhat mentioned by most of them. Royal Enfield however is compared to Fashion icon because of its classy, antique look and because of its individuality. Moreover, Royal Enfield is also compared to the job of Army, engineer, drilling mining because of the effort and power it possess. Royal Enfield and Sport The highest number of respondents has compared Royal Enfield to Football because of the enthusiasm and excitement it possesses while playing it. Moreover, Golf is the next highest sports that have been compared to Royal Enfield because of its nature. The respondents has revealed that playing golf shows your standard similarly riding Royal Enfield shows your Status and shows your living standard. Royal Enfield has been somewhat been compared to bike racing, ping pong, rugby, swimming, Marathon and Baseball. Royal Enfield and TV Show The highest respondents compared Royal Enfield to a TV show† FRIENDS† and â€Å" How I Met Your Mother†, which has revealed some different opinion towards Royal Enfield, which says that these shows makes you feel so attached to each other and so delighted everytime you watch it, likewise riding Enfield gives you the same feeling of delightness and attachment .One of the respondent has compared Enfield to a show ‘ Mind Your Language’ where the show makes you laugh loud and this laughter has been compared to the sound that Enfield emits. Similarly, Enfield has also been compared to a show like ‘Kofee with Karan’ where I see no relevance . Moreover other shows like Larry King Show, X-factor, Pimp my ride has been compared to the Royal Enfield. Royal Enfield and Perfume Most of the respondents have compared Enfield to ‘GUCCI’ because of its unique fragrance and its brand which depicts that Enfield has its own uniqueness in every other way. Moreover, Enfield has also been compared to AXE because of its strong attachment. Enfield has also been compared to other Perfumes like VERSACE, Channel, Playboy, Hugo Boss, Brut, Euphoria because of its masculinity. Royal Enfield and Fabric Some of the respondents have mentioned silk because of its softness and smoothness and some have compared Enfield with RUG which depicts its roughness meaning the bike is rough and tough. Some other respondents have mentioned that Enfield should be compared to such a fabric which shows its masculine power being very tough one. Some have compared Enfield with leather jackets and some have compared it with Wool and Raymond. Royal Enfield and Emotion The highest number of respondent has compared Enfield with happiness which reveals the fact that riding Enfield makes you feel happy and pleasant. Most of the respondent also has compared Enfield with aggression and violence as the bike itself shows the attitude and the aggression. In a nutshell, Royal Enfield is viewed as a tough bike with the class of its own having features totally different from other bikes. Many respondents seemed to like Enfield because of its classy look, because of the sound it produces, its individuality and the attitude it possess. Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) ZMET is used to have an understanding of how brand is perceived by the customers. The study is conducted with 5 participants who were shown the collage of pictures related to the brand and asked to follow the following steps to bring out their true feelings about the brand. Step 1: The participants were asked to describe the content of the pictures. Step 2:The Participants were then asked to describe the pictures that they thought would be appropriate and asked to explain its relevance. Step 3:The Participants were then asked to sort the images into three meaningful groups and provide a label or description for each group. Step 4: The respondents were then asked to indicate the most representative picture among the 12 pictures. Step 5: The respondents were then asked to indicate the picture that signifies the opposite of the brand. Step 6: The participants were then asked to indicate what does or doesn’t describe the Royal Enfield in terms of color, emotion, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Step 7: Participants were then asked to create a mental map using constructs and relationships. Step 8: Participants were then asked to create a summary image with a final story. After collecting the responses I found out that people related these pictures do reflect the image of Royal Enfield. They found pictures to be rough and tough, cool, showed some attitude, bad boys, junky, biker, loud, stylish, masculine, strength, classy and legendary. Most of the respondents felt that had I included something related with the bike tours and antique bikes as this brand is closely related with bike tours and carries age old history with it. Most of the respondent arranged pictures like bike and its parts in one group and labeled it like cool bikes, antique pieces, old school etc. pictures of bull skull, sword, key rings etc were mostly placed in different group and labeled as bad boys toys, strength and masculine, classy and dangerous. Pictures of jacket, shoes, gloves etc were grouped in one group and labeled as harness, protection, save with speed. Most of the respondent did not find the picture of helmet and leg guard to be related as they felt it off the beat whereas they felt jacket, flag and antique bike to be most related with the bike. On asking the participant to construct a mental map they made up a story using these pictures and made a story full of actions and adventure, some were a lead character in the story and some were just a spectator. Fournier Brand Typology Fournier has indentified fifteen different types of relation a customer can have with a particular brand. Among these fifteen my relationship with Royal Enfield would be Committed Partnership. I wanted to own Royal Enfield bike since very long. I love the sound that the bike emits, its appearance and except for the complex engine structure that needs specially trained mechanic to fix it I love everything about the bike. Even though the bike makes loud sound it is not disregarded in the society and moreover the sound is high only when the bike is started and as it starts to run it gets smoother and emits lower sound. With the century long legacy and a history that beats all the two wheelers of the world trust over bike is definitely high. Its performance on both off road and black top road is very good and could be trusted to function very well even in adverse situation like low temperature. It gives a different feel when I ride it, I feel like I rule the street itself. Conclusion and Recommendation Royal Enfield as a brand has still not lost its charm among the youngsters even after a century of its operation. It has tried to position itself as a bike for a bike lover, a premium brand and a quality product. It has targeted the upper middle class and above class of people, but there is no as such age bracket of people that are targeted as people of different age from teen to old tend to like the bike. It has captured a large share of bike market in the upper middle and above class segment. It follows a differentiation strategy and focuses itself to the specific target market only. The bike is a sole player in the 350 cc and 500cc segment of bike in Nepal. Its age old legacy has been able to attract a good pool of enthusiast to its show room although its presence in the market is not that visible. People generally investigate well ahead and make contact to the showroom via various sources like from NTC call centre, asking people who own the bike etc. People also perceive it to be a premium brand. People mostly associate it with long tour, loudness, biker, bad boys, adventures and masculinity. It still has the power to stand out from the crowd of bike. People like the classic look and features that the bike offers but some small changes like led headlights, disk brakes etc are suggested by the customer, but largely it is preferred in its original state. Various programs like bike tour and different events are organized by the different clubs like Himalayan Enfield which enhances the brand value and keeps the charm for the bike alive. The engine of the bike is very complicated and cannot be fixed by all the mechanics of Nepal and it has very limited number of workshops and service centre that provide the facility, thus customer get into trouble every now and then when they find they need to fix a problem in their bike. Keeping this into mind the company has now started training the local workshop owner to make them capable of working on Royal Enfield and fix the problem. Royal Enfield as a brand is positioned very well. They have targeted the right segment of people. But they are not being able to provide good service after sales. With all the huge investment made on the bike people want it to be in condition and find a feasible location for maintenance. But there are very limited numbers of service centre that can repair and maintain the bike. Moreover the spare parts are not readily available and customer has to wait for week or more for the parts to arrive from India. This has certainly hampered the brand equity. The technology like LED headlights and disk brakes are in huge demand after it started producing the bike with self start and shifted gear in the left side. But bringing in these changes should not affect its original look as people have special love for the appearance itself. Thus the company should look into these aspects to enhance the brand image.

Emerging adulthood Essay

One of the most important features of emerging adulthood is that this age period allows for exploration in love, work, and worldviews more than any other age period. The process of identity formation emerges in adolescence but mostly takes place in emerging adulthood. Regarding love, although adolescents in the United States usually begin dating between ages 12 and 14, they usually view this dating as recreational. It is not until emerging adulthood that identity formation in love becomes more serious.[4] While in the United States during adolescence dating usually occurs in groups and in situations such as parties and dances, in emerging adulthood, relationships last longer and often include sexual relations as well as cohabitation.[5] As far as work, the majority of working adolescents in the United States tend to see their jobs as a way to make money for recreational activities rather than preparing them for a future career.[6] In contrast, 18 to 25 year olds in emerging adulthood view their jobs as a way to obtain the knowledge and skills that will prepare them for their future adulthood careers. Undergoing changes in worldviews is a main division of cognitive development during emerging adulthood.[7] People in emerging adulthood that choose to attend college often begin college or university with the worldview they were raised with and learned in childhood and adolescence. However, emerging adults who have attended college or university have been exposed to and have considered different worldviews, and eventually commit to a worldview that is distinct from the worldview with which they were raised by the end of their college or university career.[ Emerging adulthood is the sole age period where there is nothing that is demographically consistent.[16][17] In contrast, of adolescents in the United States up to age 18, over 95% live at home with at least one parent, 98% are not married, under 10% have become parents, and more than 95% attend school.[18] Similarly, people in their thirties are also demographically normative: 75% are married, 75% are parents, and under 10% attend school.[18] Residential status and school attendance are two reasons that the period of emerging adulthood is incredibly distinct demographically. Regarding residential status, emerging adults in the United States have very diverse living situations.[4] About one third of emerging  adults attend college and spend a few years living independently while partially relying on adults.[19] Contrastingly, 40% of emerging adults do not attend college but live independently and work full-time.[19] Finally, around two-thirds of emerging adults in the United States cohabitate with a romantic partner.[20] Regarding school attendance, emerging adults are extremely diverse in their educational paths (Arnett, 2000, p. 470-471). Over 60% of emerging adults in the United States enter college or university the year after they graduate from high school.[21] However, the emerging adulthood years that follow college are extremely diverse – only about 32% of 25-29 year-olds have finished four or more years of college.[18] This is because higher education is usually pursued non-continuously, where some pursue education while they also work, and some do not attend school for periods of time.[4] Further contributing to the variance, about one third of emerging adults with bachelor’s degrees pursue a postgraduate education within a year of earning their bachelor’s degree.[22] Thus, because there is so much demographic instability, especially in residential status and school attendance, it is clear that emerging adulthood is a distinct entity based on its demographically non-normative qualities, at least in the United States.

The Best Sources for ACT English Practice

The Best Sources for ACT English Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You’re studying ACT English and learning all about important topics like verbs, pronouns, and transitions. Now you just need some practicetests to implementyour new skills on! But before you rush out to take the nearest practice test, make sure it's the right one. Many students use sub-parpractice materials- tests that are formatted strangely or full of the wrong types of questions or even just too hard- and it really hurts their progress. In this post, I'm going to go over everything you need to know about picking out effective practice material and listthe very best sources for practice tests. FeatureImage: Alberto G./Flickr 4 Reasons You ShouldOnly Use AccuratePractice Tests Generally speaking, the best materials to practice with areofficial ACT tests. The ACT English has its own rhythms and quirks, and you'll only learn them by studying the actual test. Ideally, you'd be able to supplement the official tests with extrapractice materials designed to help you study specific concepts. Unfortunately, most unofficial ACT practice tests and questions, including those from big companies like Princeton Review and Kaplan, don'treflect what's actually on the test. (Here at Prepscholar, we believe our program is an exception- but don't take my word for it. Read the rest of this guide and then give it a try- for free!- yourself.) Using inaccurate practice materials not only wastes your time but can alsohurt your progress. I've expanded on some of the most important reasons you shouldn't use bad practice materials below. #1: They Won't Test You on the Concepts You Really Need to Know The ACT English covers a pretty limited set of concepts, and most non-official practice tests will include questionsabout other topics. Even when they do focus on the same concepts as the real ACT, unofficial tests often don't do soin the same ways. For example, a bad testmight ask you whether a period or asemicolon is better between two independent clauses- the ACT does test punctuation, but periods and semicolons are similar enough that it would never ask you to choose between them. If you're using these kinds of materials, you're learning to take the test the wrong way- to look for errors you won't see on the real thing- instead of getting comfortable with the kinds of questions the ACT English section actually includes. #2: They Won't AllowYou to Practice Big Picture Strategies A lot of the worstpractice materials don't use the standard ACT English passage format at all, instead breaking questions up intosingle sentences or even forgoing multiple choice. This change may not seem important, since these types of questions still help you learn the grammar concepts the ACT covers. But ACT English isn't a regular grammar test, and succeeding on it is just as much about understanding how to attack the test as it is about knowing the rules. Make sure to use differently formatted questions sparingly, if at all. #3: They Won’t Help You Understand the Unique Logic of ACT Questions I briefly mentioned this idea above, but it is really, reallyimportant: ACT English tests concepts in it's own specialway. If you spendenough time analyzing official tests, you'll start to spot patterns that can help you answer similar questions in the future. Even the best unofficial tests aren't substitutes for real ACTs. #4: TheyCan Give You a False Sense of Confidence (or Failure) A lot of unofficial tests are either much easier or much harder than the actual ACT. Working with easier tests, you're likelyto end up thinking that you're extremely prepared and then panicking when you take the real thing. With harder ones, it's easy to become discouraged because the tests feel impossible (sometimes they are!). In neither case do you get a good sense of what the material on the official ACT is like, which is a majoraspect of studying for the ACT. 3 Key Qualities to Look for in Practice Material Now thatwe've established some of the issues that come up with weaker materials, let's discuss what you should look for in good practice materials. The best place to start is with real ACTs.ACT, Inc. has released a total of 12 official tests that you can use, which will hopefullybe plenty to carry you through all of your studying. (I'll go over where to find these materials below.) If you do find yourself in need of further study material, however, there arethree questionsyou need to ask yourself as you evaluatepotential practice materials. #1: Doesthe Test Usethe SameFormat as the ACT? The first step to evaluating practice materials isglancingover them and making sure they look the same as a real ACT. Are there fifteen questions per passage? Are the passages roughly 300-350 words long? Are the rhetorical questions worded similarly to those on areal ACT? You'll likely be amazed by how many practice tests don't fulfill these criteria. Make sure not to use materials that don't even look right, because they'll probablybe off in other ways as well. #2: Do the Materials Test the Same Concepts as Real ACT English Sections? This question can be very difficult to answer, since it requires you to have a deep understanding of what's actually on the ACT. As such, you should only turn to unofficial tests if you've used most of the official ACTs available. I recommend working throughone or twoof the unofficial passages to test them: see if anything jumps out at you as obviously unlike areal ACT English section. Are there questions on topics you've never seen on the official tests? Or are there topics clearly missing? #3: Are the Questions of Roughly the Same Difficulty as Those on the ACT? Again, it can be tricky to determine the answer to this question without investing a lot of time into materials that may or may not be helpful. After completing a few of the passages (as I suggested above),compare how many you missed on the unofficial passages with your per passage average from an official test. Is the numbermuch higher? Much lower? If so, think about why- if you suspect the unofficial practice materials differ significantly from official ones, don't usethem. How to Use ACT English Practice Tests in Your Prep Exactly how you use practice tests in your ACT English prep will vary depending on how you're studying for the test (independently, with a tutor, with an online program), but there are three main types ofACT English practice: taking full tests, analyzing questions, and practicing with passages. I've outlined some general advice on how to get the most out of your ACT English practice below. Take at Least 3 Full Practice Tests Part of studying for the ACT is building up the endurance to sit through a three-hour test (even longer if you include the optional writing section)- the only way to do so is with practice. No matter what your study program looks like, it's vital that you take at least three full practice tests and simulate testing conditions as closely as possible. That means timing yourself, sitting at a desk in a quiet room, staying off your phone, and taking only the one ACT-allowed break. Make sure to use official ACT tests for this form of practice, since the whole point is to mimic the experience of test day as closely as possible. Carefully Examine the Questions One of the main reasons to focus on using official ACTs is that ACT English questions follow specific patterns that are uniqueto the test. As such, it can be exceptionally helpful to spend some time picking apart real ACT English questions and analyzing how they work. What concept is the question testing? What kinds of different answer choices are you given? Are there traps meant to trick you into picking the wrong answer? If so, how can you avoid them in the future? The better you understand how ACT questions are constructed, the easier it will be for you to answer them. For some more tips on analyzing questions, take a look at our post on reviewing your mistakes. Do Both Timed and Untimed Practice Many students believe that the key to success on the ACT is answering every single question, so they focus on timed drills in an effort to increase their speed on the test. However, this strategy is a mistake, especially on the English section. Once you’ve set a baseline with a full practice test, it’s better to start with untimed practice and focus on getting a sense for the structure and style of the ACT English section. Then work up to doing timed passages. Practicing for the ACT is just as important as practicing for a big game. The Best ACT English Practice Tests As I mentioned (multipletimes) above, you shoulduse official ACT English tests for your prep whenever possible. I've collected all the sources forofficial ACT English practice materials- both free and for sale- and outlined the best ways to use them. Free ACT English Practice Let's start with some of the free ACT English prep materials online. Official ACT Website The ACT website has free ACT English practicethat anyone can use. Because of the passages' online format, they aren't ideal for taking as a full test or doing timed practice, but they're great for getting a sense of the test's format and the general styleof the questions. There are also helpful explanations for the answers, which you should be sure to read. Current Official ACT Practice Test Every two years, ACT, Inc. releases a real ACT that students can use for practice. The most recent one can be found here and reflects the recent tweaks to the ACT format. Unless you're focused only on ACT English, I recommend taking this test in one timed sitting and doing your best to simulate test day conditions. As the most up-to-date practice ACT available, this test will give you the best sense of what your test day will be like. Other Free Official Tests SinceACT, Inc. has been releasing tests online for a decade, there are four more free ACT practice test PDFs you can use to study. I've included links below. ACT Practice Test 2014-15 (Form 67C) ACT Practice Test 2011-12 (Form 64E) ACT Practice Test 2008-09 (Form 61C) ACT Practice Test 2005-06 (Form 59F) ACT English Practice Tests for Sale In addition to the 6 free tests online, there are some official ACTsyou can purchase. The Real ACT Prep Guide ACT, Inc. puts out a study guide for the test that includes real ACTs, as well as basic information about the test. The major benefit of this book is that has detailed explanations of all the test questions. ACT, Inc. recently released a new edition of this book, but I recommend gettingthe previous version (the 3rd edition), if you can find it, as it has five practice tests instead of three. You can buy the 3rd edition ofThe Real ACT Prep Guideused from Amazon or get the 4th edition new for around25 dollars. You can also likely find the booksat your local library. However, if you do buy or borrow a used book, make sure it hasn't been written in- having another student's notes will just confuse you. Official Online ACT Program You can also purchase an online ACT prep program from the ACT website. It costs 40dollars and includes onefull-length practice test, as well as a collection of practice questions. The high price makesit a considerably worse investment than the book, especially since the tests are designed to be taken online, makingit impossible to properly simulate testing conditions. Nonetheless, if you need the extra practice material and feel comfortable spending the money, this program is a good back up option. What's Next? Now that you know where to find the best ACT English practice, make sure you can make the most of it with these helpful study strategies. Another key part of preparing for ACT English is understanding thebig picture ideas- these 5 key concepts will help you avoid some of the common misunderstandings about the test. Aiming high? Be sure to check out our guide to getting a 36 on ACT English from a perfect scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

How To Design The Best Blog Graphics With Free Tools

How To Design The Best Blog Graphics With Free Tools Writing awesome content for your blog is essential to earning your readers trust and attention.  Yet there’s another overlooked element that can largely increase your blog traffic: design. Studies have found that 60% of us are visual learners, while only 46% of blogs are actually using visual content. Design often gets a bad rap for just â€Å"making things look pretty† (which it should, don’t get me wrong), but more importantly, it guides your reader in their overall experience. In fact, design can even guide your readers decisions since 67% of consumers consider images to carry more weight than customer ratings, reviews, and product descriptions. What do you want their first impression to be? How can you make your reader read more content? What do you want your reader to take away? All of these questions can be answered by using the tool of design. How To Design The Best Blog #Graphics With Tools Anyone Can Use #blogging Have you ever tried any of these tools to design your blog graphics? Adobe color wheel for complementary colors. Aviary for imagery, editing, and more. Bannersnack  for banner ads and promotion. Buncee for combining visuals and text with your images. Canva  for awesome blog graphics, imagery, and more. Chisel for writing words on images. Da Button Factory  for... um... buttons. Freebiesbug for free fonts. Google Drawings  for sketching out a thought. Haiku Deck for turning words into graphics and presentations. imgflip for generating memes. infogr.am  for infographics. Magdeleine for imagery. Matthew Kosloski's hexbook for complementary colors. Online Image Editor for... editing images online. Paint Shop Pro  for sketching out your thought. Phonto for layering text on images. Photoscape  for editing images. Photoshop  for editing images (and a lot more). Picasa  for small graphics you could use on your blog. Picmonkey for free online photo editing. Piktochart  for infographics, reports, charts, and presentations. Pixel Buddha for fonts and icons. PixTeller for making awesome posters. Placeit  for free iPhone and iPad mockups. PowerPoint  for smaller graphics. Prezi  for animated presentations. Quotes Cover for making visual quotes. Recite for turning quotes into graphics. Sellfy for awesome fonts. Visage for  turning your data into beautiful graphics and charts. Visual.ly for imagery and brand creative services. Word Swag for adding visual words to images. Bonus: Skillshare for design classes. Note: Many of these are free, some of the more robust tools require just a bit of investment. This post will help you use any of these tools even better to make sure your blog graphics  are awesome and not just... a visual to have on your blog. The better the visual, the more social shares you'll get. The more shares you get, the more traffic you get. And the more traffic you get, the more opportunities you have to convert your readers into paying subscribers of your brand. 33 Design Tools That Will Help You Create  Awesome Blog Graphics #blogging1. Remember Your Audience And Purpose When you start a design, it's easy to get caught up in all the fun options you have: color, layout, typography, and tons of others.  But instead, you should begin by  focusing on who your audience is and what you want them to learn. Begin by doing some research. What are other people in your industry doing visually? What are they doing well? What are they doing poorly? Are there certain colors that your audience likes or dislikes? These questions will keep your attention on your audience, while guiding you into the beginning stages of design. Design for your audience, not just to have a visual on your blog. #blogging #contentmarketing2. Every Good Design Starts With A Good Idea It's easy to forget that every good design begins with a great idea. Before even getting into the design, consider what your blog topic should be, do some research, and create an outline. It’s really important to have your idea before designing, because without it, your graphics will either have nothing to point to or your graphics will only be an excuse to cover up your not-so-great idea, which never works. Find your idea and make sure it’s a good one so that your design can take it to the next level. Use design to take your  blog  idea to the next level. #blogging3. Design To Draw Attention To Your Content Your reader is probably drawn to your blog because they love the content, so rather than distracting them with the design, let it highlight your work! You’ve spent hours researching, editing, and refining your content- so the last thing you need is a distracting graphic flashing in the sidebar. In order to draw attention to your content, keep the design simple. Find a layout that keeps your line lengths short (about 50–75 characters) and contains a straightforward call to action in the sidebar. Next, find a color scheme that is easy on the eyes, rather than one that’s flashy and neon. This way, the design will direct your readers to the beautiful text, rather than distract. Good design helps  your content stand out. #blogging4. Practice The Fundamental Design Concepts Within the design world, there’s a few general principles that are known to help any design work to the best of its ability. Here’s a few I’d like to share with you. Number 1: Consistency Everyone enjoys what’s familiar. They find it to be safe and comfortable, which is exactly why it produces trust and dependability.  Just as producing consistent content is important, so is creating consistent design. Just as producing consistent content is important, so is creating consistent design.Within your blog, try to have similar styles for things such as your headline, main points, body text, and so on. You can use color, different typefaces, and size to organize your text while making it visually consistent so your reader can read uninterrupted. Just remember to choose a style, and then stick to it. This consistency will encourage your reader to read more content, which then develops familiarity and overall trust. Number 2: Repetition Everyone learns through repetition. I think we’ve all studied for school or practiced for a sporting activity. The more we do or see something, the more we learn. In the case of you blog, using repetition in your design can help the reader learn more from your content. By using repetition, they'll be able to begin recognizing certain visual cues and patterns that guide them through the content in a very successful way.   Number 3: Alignment While some of us may not be organized by nature, nobody wants to stay over at a messy house. The same applies to your blog. With alignment, you can create a grid in your layout that keeps things clean and tidy. A grid  will break up each section of your blog into different parts, making it structured and easier for your reader to find what they’re looking for. This  also keeps your blog consistent from post to post as they’ll have the same layout. By keeping everything organized, your reader will easily be able to read through your blog without tripping over a shoe. Number 4: Hierarchy This is a really fancy word for ‘order’. Within your content, there will be some things that matter more than others, such as your headline. Your headline is very important for drawing your readers in, and making a connection before even entering the blog. Using design, you can make your headline shine visually by making sure it's larger than your body text. You can also add a color that directs the reader’s attention to the headline right away. Within your content, you can create order with your headers and sub points simply by adjusting the sizes and colors. Another option is text formats. If the header is more important, try bolding it. If you have a list you’d like the reader to pay attention to, indent it. These are all ways to create order within your content. Number 5: Proximity â€Å"You are who you surround yourself with.† This is a common thing we all hear growing up, and  it's also true with design. We naturally make associations with things that are next to each other and separate things that are far away. Using blog design, you can make it easier to draw connections within your content if you become intentional with placement and white space. For example, if you have a main point within your blog, and then have a graphic to emphasize that point, keep them somewhat close together. Your reader can then draw a connection from the two combined because even though they’re different in format, they’re close together and have the same message. Then let’s say you want to move onto your next main point. Make sure to include some white space so that the reader can rest, and know you’re moving on. White space works as a period and space, breaking up each idea. While white space can be one of the most overlooked design tools, I highly encourage using it in order to let your reader relax and take a breather. Number 6: Color Everyone has their favorite color, but beyond our general opinion, colors have direct psychological implications. Color can make us feel loved, sad, embarrassed, or excited. Color can even make us feel overwhelmed or super relaxed.  Either way, color is a great way to visually communicate to your readers. Here’s a couple tips: First, don’t use bright colors. Instead choose ones that are more subtle, and have the brighter colors as accents for links and buttons.  Second, less is more. I generally recommend using two to three colors in order to have enough variety, while also staying consistent. Remember, color should be used to draw attention to your content, not distract. Number 7: Imagery In today’s culture, photos, videos, infographics, and charts, are all extremely popular and a great option for helping your audience understand your topic. Sometimes the imagery can even do a better job explaining the content than the text itself since  some of us are more visually orientated. Either way, there are a few guidelines to using your imagery successfully: Use human faces.  One of the first things a baby notices is the human face. Science has shown we’re naturally drawn to faces, so take advantage and use that in your imagery. Second, be creative. Stock photography is a very popular option, but that also means it’s often far less unique. Your audience wants to find gems and takeaways, not something they’ve seen before. In today’s mass-media culture, it's more important than ever to be genuine and unique. Plus, there  are  tons of  great tools out there that can help you in this! (Just check out that list at the beginning of this post.) Lastly, make sure you have the right proportions. Nobody enjoys a squished face or a fat word that’s hard to read. Keep it the right size, and you’ll be all set! Number 8: Icons Icons are a great way to communicate complex ideas super fast. They are little, simplified visuals that represent something greater. We can see them every day driving home, shopping at a grocery store, or on our social media platforms. While icons  don’t go into depth like your content will, they do begin the conversation and get your reader on the same page. Icons can also be a great way to mix up your imagery with some variety!   Number 9: Typography Did you know that some typefaces are easier to read than others? Government documents and traffic signs have a specific typeface for this very reason. In a blog, the ability to read your content is one of the most important parts, if not the most important, so make sure to choose a simple typeface that is easy to read. It’s also great to find one that has different styles such as bold and italic so you can stylize your different headers. In fact, some of the best typefaces are those that are known to be ‘invisible’ because they allow the readers to focus on the content rather than the appearance. Use typography to make your content as legible as possible. The best typefaces are invisible. They help  readers focus on content, not  appearance.Those are the fundamentals you should know about great design. While some of these concepts might seem more complex than others, if you use  them one by one, you’ll soon learn just how complementary they are.  By using a grid with alignment, you’re also creating consistencies†¦ and by using typography you can create an awesome hierarchy within your content, and so on. They overlap more than we think, so just take one step forward, begin with one or two, and watch them do their thing. 9 design fundamentals you need to know for #blogging5. Push Through Creative Block In every creative project, you'll most likely  experience what is known as creative block at some point. This happens for writers as well as designers. It's as if all your wonderful ideas have suddenly ran out, and no matter how hard you think, you feel like a new idea will never come. But don’t worry†¦ here are a few tips that I’ve found to be successful. First, change your atmosphere. Find a new room, new colors, new people to surround yourself with so your brain can switch gears and think along a different track. Second, try putting that aside and work on something totally different. Sometimes thinking through a different project will give you an idea for your previous one. If that doesn’t work, come back to it the next morning. Just as our bodies need rest each night, so does your design brain.  Take a break, relax, and come back with a refreshed mind. And if all else fails, just push through. I've found some of my best solutions because I forced myself to just keep going, reworking each option, until I finally found the solution. While creative block is something we all experience, there are ways to work through it and find awesome solutions. 6.  Here's a challenge for you. There are several awesome resources out there that can help you in your design endeavors. If you feel overwhelmed, just start small. Try out one of these tools and see how it goes. Maybe start incorporating one or two images in your first few posts, and see how it goes. For those of you who are familiar with your blog design, try taking it to a new level. Instead of purchasing your imagery, make something yourself. Get creative and see how far you can go. Finally, if you’re ready to go all in, try creating a graphic that you can give to your readers as a free download. Your readers will love the resource and you’ll get even more traffic. Bonus Tip: Repurpose your graphics for social media!  Tweets with graphics get up to 150% more click-throughs than those that don’t.

Qualitative research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Qualitative research paper - Essay Example important with respect to the African countries where the population living below the poverty line is more than fifty percent of the total population. The lacks of opportunity for strengthening the financial condition of the individuals have multiple implications on the social lives of individuals. The FDI helps in the inflow of money in the economic cycle resulting in the acceleration of the economic growth as well employment opportunities. The literature review section of the study covered various theories and models of FDI and growth of an economy. The determinants of FDI like cross border investment issues, collaborative ventures and various important issues to understand the determinants of FDI was discussed in the first section followed by the Growth Empirical Modeling where the Growth empirical approach, the Intertemporal Optimization approach and the Panel Data Analysis approach has been studied. The gaps of the models have been identified and argued in this section and the conceptual framework of the study is prepared. The main section of the paper is the chapter following Literature review. The factors determining FDI flows to Africa and threshold issues for the foreign investors have been studied here. The approaches identified for the determinants of FDI has been aggregate econometric analysis, survey appraisal of foreign investors’ opinion and econometric study at the industry level of the study. The study has been based on the Aggregate Econometric Approach. According to this approach the basic determinants of the inflow of FDI in a particular country or a region are dependent factors of the size and growth of market and openness of the country at the primary level and various other factors like host country investment environment, factor endowments, infrastructure and technology and country risk at the secondary level. The research methodology studies the variations in long-run rates of the economic growth across the countries by Levine and

Style and periods in Pablo Picasso's Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Style and periods in Pablo Picasso's Art - Essay Example The essay "Style and periods in Pablo Picasso's Art" investigates Pablo Picasso, the artist from Spain and explores the styles and periods of his incredible art. "If an artist varies his mode of expression this only means that he has changed his manner of thinking, and in changing, it might be for the better or the worse." "Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth""The several manners (styles) I have used in my art must not be considered as an evolution, or as steps toward an unknown ideal of painting". He goes on to say that different subjects requires different forms of expression but that art is only the present and is not a manifestation of past or evolutionary events. His concept of his periods were as though they were independent of each other. Though most of his paintings are so full of emotions, there is one specific painting in each period which has been designated as a "summary" painting which shows the lost he had experienced in his life. He lost his mother as a young boy; he suffered when he left Spain during the Spanish revolution; he suffered severe poverty in Paris. His emotions are implicit though the paintings they represent show the parallel of the troubled times. Three major periods will be discussed with one summary painting for each period. His blue period is the use of blue and green hues to show sadness and suffering. He started his blue period as a consequence of the suicide of his good friend. He suddenly threw himself into the abstract influence of Van Gogh Starry Nights. where paintings were no longer meant to tell a story. His blue period often showed women in prison with the children, poverty stricken prostitutes. melancholy. La Vie 1903, is a summary painting, it represents loss, grievance and hostility.(Schneider 92) The mother has a hostile face as though she is blaming her child that she is going to die. The young man is Casagemas who is elongated and has the lover he thought he lost at the cafe. There are two interpretations. In both, Picasso leaves his sad and melancholic blue period. He loved copying other artists but keeping to his own style. The Absinthe Drinker shows how he had been influenced by Gauguin. He used bright colors but shows the blue of the water bottle. (Warncke, blue-period) The blue and green colors were a work of experimenting with lighting. El Greco gave him the death like skin color that would epitomize the death like quality of 20th century suffering of the lower social classes in France. Picasso liked to be melodramat ic "the starving intellectual artist" and the bohemian life are often contributed to having come from him. (Warncke, blue-period) Rose period 1904-1906. He uses red hues and sometimes blue. He didn't like that it be called his transitional year. It is his period of circus and street performers. (Picasso 1923) The Family of Acrobats 1905 shows a group of performers and one woman performer separate from the group. It close examination of this painting, once again the theme of pity and abandonment can be seen in relationship to the way the fat red clown is looking away; the men and young girl are elongated as was Castegamas to show that they are posed. They are looking down to the woman, a sign of rejection and shame.(Schneider 92) He continued doing portraits and drawing circus performers. He was raised in the school of 19th century romanticism. His use of colors in the rose period started to show that the painting was more important that the subject. Eventually his subject became com pletely anonymous. The basis of this period was to completely transform the classicism use of the line. He stops being a portrait painter as his