The various theoretical approaches to Employment Relations all fail to Essay

The various theoretical approaches to Employment Relations all fail to provide an adequate explanatory framework for the development and practise found within this function of management. Discuss - Essay Example (Dodge, 1997) These companies do not discover these characteristics on a resume, so they employ behavior-based interviews as well ad in depth interviews of their pertinent candidates. Southwest gathers a group of job candidates in a room and observes how they interact. They ask them questions that will reveal personality traits. (Woog, 1998) Consistent feedback is a key element in keeping employees stuck to their respective jobs. This feedback should go both ways and recommends that managers ask employees open-ended questions to provide an opportunity to express their opinions. Employees today will change jobs many times during their careers. These workers are continuous learners and they keep pace with change, take responsibility for their own careers and are committed to the company’s success. (Nink, 2006) Talent management is a function of HR that needs identification of true talent and retaining of employees who work within their instinctive levels, let alone show prowess which is best suited for meeting the desired needs of the HR function. The role of the government in such an exercise is all the more significant since it has to realize that its role is significant right from the onset. The relationship between the organization and the government is one of a symbiotic one since the organization has to recog nize the talent pool which is available and the government needs to make viable conditions for them to exist and work in the best manner possible. (Bell, 2001) The role of HR thus is to liaison these activities in the best interests of the organization as well as the linkage that it has with the government. This helps the overall mission and vision basis of the organization and helps develop the objectives on a long term basis more than anything else. The need is to realize that talent management can truly play a pivotal role

The Earth energy-balance Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Earth energy-balance - Term Paper Example This phenomenon is known as earth energy budget or earth energy balance. There are many factors that can deteriorate this balance and can contribute to significant changes in the climate of the earth. Earth Atmosphere: To understand how energy is received and returned to maintain energy balance it is important to understand what constitutes the atmosphere. There are five layers that surrounds the earth; exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere and troposphere. Exosphere is the most outer space with particles so far apart that they do not affect the pathway of radiations from sun. Troposphere is the innermost layer that span from the earth surface to about 10 kilometers above. This layer is important as it provides the maximum reflection of radiation as discussed below. The following diagram (fig 1) demonstrates the inner three layers of earth atmosphere. Fig 1. Inner three layers of earth’s atmosphere Incoming radiation: Radiations from sun experience no interference as they travel undisturbed in space to reach the earth’s atmosphere. In the atmosphere, there are different layers with variable densities of gases and other molecules. When these radiations collide with these molecules they are deflected in many directions, a phenomenon known as scattering. An important concept to remember here is that these radiations that reach the earth have very small wavelength and not all but a small selective proportion of electromagnetic radiations can be scattered by molecular collision. (Ahrens, 2012). The rest of energy is absorbed by the earth system in various forms. Most of the energy is absorbed by the solid earth that increases the core and surface temperature. Part of the energy is absorbed by clouds, water vapors and other molecules present in the earth atmosphere. The following diagram (fig 2) represents the overall exchange budget of earth’s energy. Figure 2. Earth’s energy balance It is evident from the diagram that the tot al incoming energy absorbed by the earth system almost equals to the energy returned back to space thus maintaining energy balance. Outgoing radiations: The radiations received from sun can be returned back to space by two basic mechanisms as explained below. Reflection: Some of the energy that enters the atmosphere is reflected back as same short wavelength radiations identical to what was received from sun. Different component of earth’s atmosphere have variable ability to reflect these radiations and this property is known as ‘albedo’. Therefore, various surfaces have variable albedo. For example, deserts have high albedo because they are able to reflect about 40% of the radiations that reach them back into the space. On the other hand, ocean surfaces and rainforests have low albedo as they are able to reflect only a small proportion of radiations. (Ahrens, 2012). It is important to understand that those surfaces that have lower albedo tend to retain heat more than those with higher reflection abilities. By looking at fig 2, it can be observed that only a part of the radiations, about 30%, are reflected back into the space by earth surface, clouds and scattering process. There should be another way of returning the remaining 70% of the radiations which were absorbed by the atmosphere and the earth. Emission: Thermic emission is the most

Gold investment: An overview

Gold investment: An overview Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Overview Since prehistoric time, human are using the gold in trading and value keeping asset. Even current financial activities are always surrounding by the gold issue. The ancient treated the gold as the true form of wealth. Gold has been using early in 4000 B.C as a fashion decorative object in where today Eastern Europe is centred. In 1500 B.C the gigantic gold-bearing regions of Nubia made Egypt a wealthy nation (National Mining Association). By the time the gold has widely recognize as the standard form of medium of exchange for international trade. Gold is represented the royal and honourable in different religious and cultural area. Its aesthetic appearance is the finest ornament above all other metal. Gold play the role in all aspect around us, such as religious customs, reward system, ornament, jewellery, and even the component of industrial product. Gold exist and be using for decade, its intrinsic value is still maintain high and irreplaceable. Investing in gold has been seen as the supreme way of safe haven investment. Gold investment is booming in recent year and the reasons behind this incident can be explained as the investor become more aware of the benefit of the gold and its special features. Gold demand for investment purpose accounted one-thirds of gold demand all over the world which is substantial influential (World Gold Council, 2009). Investment demand for gold has shown as significant increase in the last seven years as investor seeking the fashion to balance their investment portfolio and safeguard against the economy and political uncertainty Generally gold demand can be divided into three main types, which included the Jewellery demand, gold investment demand, and industrial demand. The gold investment can be further divided into physically and non-physically holding the gold. In Malaysia, there are several ways to participate in gold investment and this will be studied in chapter two. 1.2 Benefit of gold investment In portfolio management, prudent investor will have different sort of investment vehicle. The reason for holding diverse investment is to safeguard the portfolio against fluctuations or uncertainty that occurs in the economy system. Gold investment has been studied by many of professional toward its ability to protect the wealth of investors against the overwhelming global financial crisis and economic uncertainty. Generally, the group of similar asset will react correspondingly among each other during the transformation of the economy and financial system. Diversification will reduce investors risk in portfolio investment. Besides the common investment vehicle like company share, bond, and mutual fund, gold investment is an option for investor to diversify their investment portfolio. Portfolio that contains gold investment is generally more robust and less risky as compared other investment vehicle. The inflationary hedging ability of gold is prominent especially during the economic uncertainty period. Gold price react quickly that other commodities when there is any change in the market condition. Conversely, price of the CPI-basket is adjusted slowly to the change of market condition ((Mahdavi Zhou, 1997). Risk factors that may affect the gold price are quite different in nature from those that affect other assets. Purchasing power of gold is maintain even the transformation of the era is remarkably significant (Greer, 2005). In addition, gold is one of the examples of safety investment instrument that have very limited amount of risk associated with it. The credit risk is the possibilities that the debtor unable to repay the loan. Gold is unique which do not involve such repayment relationship. The profitability of gold investment is operating in the accrual basis. The liquidity risk which means the possibilities that the asset cannot be sold as the buyer in the market may not be available during the time of reselling. However the gold market has high demand rate from the individual consumer, jewellery sector, financial institution and manufacturing of industrial product. Thus its liquidity risk of gold investment is very low (World Gold Council, 2009). 1.3 Problem statement Gold investment in Malaysia is less well known by investor, even though it is a superior investment vehicle. Generally, most of the elderly will save their money in fixed deposit. Some of them may invest their money into mutual fund and government bond. The rate of return from the fixed deposit is very low and the intrinsic value of the saving will be overwhelmed by the wave of inflation during financial crisis or recession. The purpose of this study is to find out what are the reasons that affect the intention to adopt gold investment in investors portfolio. In early 2008, the inflation rate surge high, most of the investor who invests in share market suffers a huge loss in the market. The collapse of Lehman brother and many giant corporations in 2008 raised the vigilance of the investors. Many of investors seek for the immunity to keep their capital away from the threat of inflation and downward movement of stock prices. According to World gold council (2009) stated that there is significant increase in the demand of gold investment. Current financial recession and anxiety toward future uncertainty have urge the political and finance officer unearth the solution to withstand the inflation problem. Some professors have suggests the gold investment to investor as the safe haven to protect their wealth against the inflation shock. Gold investment has the special feature of inflationary hedge which have been study by a number of researchers and professionals. Malaysian investors should add the gold investment into their portfolio and hence reduce the risk of investment. However, gold investment in Malaysia is still not widely adopted as compared to other counties such as Singapore, Thailand, China, United state and India. Some investors are eager to make the quick profit from the speculating activities such as short-selling the share and the commodities future. However the speculating activities will create the bubble in the market and finally it will turn into another financial turmoil. The gold price seen not stable in short and is more volatile than other commodities. However the gold price in long-run shown an upward shifting trend and the value of gold is appreciated over the past 30 years. In Malaysia, the gold investment opportunity is very limited and the public are hard to find the advertisement of the gold investment account or the gold investment seminar. The lack of public awareness toward the gold investment is one of the problems in Malaysia. It is imperative to enhance the public awareness to the gold investment and adoption of gold investment in the investors portfolio. Gold investment is very popular in other country such as china and India during the recent years. Based on the statement from the World Gold Council (2009) the investment demand hit high at 656 tones which account for 16 per cent of total gold demand. James Burton, the CEO of the WGC has announced the investment demand for the gold market has a striking increase in the last six years. The rising demand of gold investment is due to the investors seek to further diversified their portfolio and safeguard against economic uncertainty and political instability. However this tide is not yet hit the Malaysia Investment market as compared to other country. As we can see the method of gold investment in Malaysia is enormously limited. This thesis may help the local investment institution to identify the factors that affect the adoption of the gold investment. Thus the local institution can come out with the absolute plan special cater for the local investor. It may help to establish the sound financial investment structure in Malaysia. Besides, investors are furnished to more options of investment and enhance the ability to diversify their investment portfolio. Development of a country required the liberalization of the Malaysia market so that to attract the multinational corporation expand their business locally. Generally, Malaysias local investment institution is lack of competitive advantage as compared to giant foreign investment institution. Hence government always exercise its authority to prevent the foreign institution enter into Malaysia financial market. This will be an obstacle to the government in their liberalization plan. In order to increase the competitiveness of the local investment institution, the research on perception of local investor is indispensable. It would assist the local investment institution to compete with the strong forces from overseas. In the evolution of the world monetary system, the gold is increasingly been esteemed as the new form of currency after the abandoned of the Bretton Woods System in year 1973. The loss of confident towards the paper notes and some professionals have pointed out gold as a true form of medium of exchange. Greer (2005) has defined the money is backed by nothing other than the confidence that its holders place in the issuing bank. The paper notes will be able to exchange for goods and as way to store their wealth. However, it depends on the ability of that government to keep inflation under control. The problem of the fiat money have cause the Zimbabwe nation suffer from the hyperinflation due to the excessive money supply. Malaysian should employ some inflationary hedging instrument to avoid the unwanted event. The rising demand for gold in the countries such as china, India, United state and Australia in gold investment have significantly drive the gold investment as part the portfolio investment tools worldwide. Malaysia is still on the developing stage of this form of investment instrument. Thus we are rarely seen the Malaysian investors holding their portfolio with the portion of gold investment. Even gold is superior and have been widely adopted in other countries. 1.4 Objective of study The General objective of this research is to examine the perception of Malaysian toward gold investment. Investor perception toward gold investment is extremely important when come to the promotion of the gold investment. Here is to study what is investor view on the gold investment. What investor perceive the gold investment and what is image of gold investment that in the eye of investor. Special objectives: 1. To determine the adoption of gold investment in Malaysia There some relevant cause and effect relationship of the low adoption of the gold investment. Why gold investment is not popular and widely adopt by the investor as compare to other investment or saving plan. One of the objectives of this thesis is to discover the factors that associate with the degree of espousal to gold investment. 2. To determine the factor affect the gold investment among Malaysian Gold investment is prominent investment vehicle and is widely embraced. The factors affect the gold investment adoption in Malaysia provide insight to the investment institution to cater local investors need. 3. To determine the relationship between perception and adoption of gold investment Is the Malaysians perception toward gold investment having significant relationship with the adoption of gold investment? The perception is the behavioural aspect of human thinking and the adoption is the actual action takes by the Malaysian. Hence, the relationship will be examined in this research. 1.5 Significant of study Based on the investor perception toward gold investment, bank and the investment institution can formulate the gold investment plan to gratify the local investor needs. Malaysia is gradually moving to the liberalization era in different area especially banking area. Due to the open forces from the foreign financial institution, local banks and investment branches are increasingly focus on the customer services and their facilities improvement. By understanding the local investor perception toward the gold investment, local banks or other local investment institution will be able to compete with other foreign giant finance and investment institution. The local investment institution professionalism and customer service is improved if the research and development are increasingly focused on the development of facilities. In addition, government will be eased when implementing the liberalization plan if the local financial institutions are employed with the strong competitive advantages . Malaysia evolves to a resilient nation as we moving deeply into the liberalization era. Thus the local banking system needs to have more inputs to renovate the investment structure in Malaysia. This research enhances the ability to attract the foreign direct investment due to the liberalization of the market. The demand of Malaysia currency is indirectly driven by the foreign direct investment. Hence it will strengthen the Malaysia currency to other nations currencies rate. This research contributes to the Malaysia financial market stability and development while the losses of the investors had been minimized due to the â€Å"safe haven† protection of gold investment. It enhances the resiliency and stability to country financial market, because the losses of investor is been reduced. In addition, local consumers and market players are given the opportunity to variety of choices and enjoy the privilege in term of banking products and services from the open force of the liberalization. Hence it boosts the local investor and market player confident toward the local banking and finance institution. Gold investment in Malaysia is not well known investment vehicle to investors even though there are rising demand of the gold investment from the global perspective. Thus, analyze Malaysia perception toward the gold investment is a vital driver which directly influences the gold investment demand in Malaysia. During the economy difficulties, the consumer are generally suffer from the rising price of the necessities. The decrease of the consumer spending will detain the recovery of the local economy system. If Malaysians engage in some sort of inflationary hedging instrument, the situation will be ease. The inflation problem will not distress the nation seriously as the investors are protected against inflation. From the gold investment facilities provided in Malaysia, we can draw the conclusion of the Malaysia gold investment industry is not well-crafted as compared to other foreign country. There is the need to produce more research topic related to the Malaysia gold investment industry. The research can extend the investor knowledge toward Malaysia gold investment market and also create the awareness to the gold investment opportunity. Malaysia aims to establish a knowledge-based society which is stated in the National Vision Policy (NVP). Hence, in order to consistent with National Vision Policy the extension of the knowledge in gold investment is one of the significant of study in this research. Diversification enables investor to minimize their risk in their portfolio. Investors are given more option to diversify their investment portfolio instead of the current common type of investment vehicle. The inflation rate surge high every year, the real wealth of the investor is diminish over time if they do not involve in the inflationary hedging activities. Among the inflationary hedging activities, gold investment is the safer form of instrument. It is because gold have the high demand and high intrinsic value instead of the legal tender given by the authorities. In addition, the gold is durable and imperishable even for thousands of years. Thus, it acts as a superb value storing asset among others. Risk adverse investors such as elderly will be able to keep their wealth more efficiently and withstand the uncertainty in future. This study provides the important feature of the gold investment which can benefit investor especially during the economic uncertainty period. 1.6 Organization of study In this research project, there are total of five chapters and the title for this research is â€Å"the perception of Malaysian toward gold investment; an empirical study. In chapter one, the overview of the gold investment and benefit of gold investment is included in this research. Besides, the problem statements give an illustration of the problem of gold investment in Malaysia. After that objective of study and significant is study is developed and explained briefly. Chapter two is the literature review; the information is obtained from various sources such as the, research journal, bank catalogue, newspaper, book, and website. In this chapter, the variables are studied clearly and the independent variables are further justified. Chapter two included the study of gold supply and demand, characteristics of gold and gold investment opportunity in Malaysia. After that, the independent variable is studied accordingly. In chapter three, the Research Framework and model specification is developed. Theory of reasoned action has been employed in this study. After that, the hypothesis is established for ten independent variables. Research design is stated in this chapter and it provides detailed information for the method of study. Research sample, questionnaire design, data analysis method is included in this chapter. Chapter four is about the result analysis which the data will be analyzed and interpreted. Finally, chapter five is the recommendation and conclusion of the study. Chapter 2: literature review 2.1 Gold supply and demand Precious metal has the feature of the currency and it possesses the intrinsic value besides the legal tender given by government (Greer, 2005). Hence, investor tend to put their money in gold during time of uncertainty and when they loss confident toward the paper currency (Rusell, 2009). Recent years, there is an increase demand in this real asset due to the loss of confidence toward the paper currency (Willie, 2009). Gold price is demand on the demand and supply mechanism in short-run. Gold demand is high in the country such as East Asia, India and Middle East. In addition, China, India, USA, Italy, and Turkey accounted 55% of the total gold demand of the world. The gold demand can be divided into the jewellery demand, investment demand and industrial demand (Lutter, 2009). Jewellery demand has a highest percentage to the total gold demand. India is the largest jewellery demand due the cultural and religious tradition which is independent to the economic variable. The investment demand which is the primary consideration in this research mean the gold is been traded over-the-counter market. The investment demand has a dramatically increase over last five year which shown a 412% in term of value (World gold council, 2009). More investors seeking gold as protection against the instability of numerous macro-economic variables such as inflation, currency exchange rate, and interest rate (Levin and Wright, 2006). In industrial demand, gold has been use as the thermal and electrical conductor, the demand arises from the use as an electrical components. On the supply side, it is come from the mine production, central bank holding, recycled gold and gold production. The mine production is inelastic to the changes in price and demand due to the long mining process. Recycled gold is from the process of extract and melt down of the jewellery and electrical components (World Gold Council, 2009). 2.2 The characteristic of gold Gold have variety of characteristics besides the independent variable stated in this research. For example, gold possess the characteristics of liquidity, store of value, durability, unit of account and Malleable. The characteristics of the gold provide strong foundation of the demand for the gold especially during the recession or economic uncertainty period. According to world gold Council (2009), the liquidity risk of the gold is relatively low as compare to other investment vehicle especially during the economic hardship. Murray (2004) said that the gold market provide high liquidity to investor when they are in the need of the fund. According to Sathye (2003), the collateral is a second source of repayment to the loan. The Marketability of the asset is an important consideration to the lending decision. The Marketability of the asset depends on the acceptability of the particular asset. Gold has the characteristic of acceptability. Levin Wright (2006) stated that gold is widely acceptable and investor can sell the gold whenever they need the liquidity of the fund. The According to Harmston (1998), gold can uphold its real purchasing power in long run. He claim that gold have consistent value storing ability even at the economic instability. Sjaastad, Larry and Scacciavillani (1996) claimed that when world inflation is surging higher, gold is performance its remarkable function as a value storing instrument. Dubey, Geanakoplos Shubik, (2003) said that gold is a form of commodity money and it can store the value. However gold is durable as compare to other commodities. Besides, the durability of the gold is prominent as a value storing asset. In chemical term, gold is a chemical element with symbol Au and atomic number of 79. This metal has the high thermal and electrical conductivity, resistance of corrosion and malleable characteristics (Wikipedia, 2009). Gold has an atomic number of 79 and atomic weight of 196.967. Gold has high melting point which at 1064.43 °C. Beside, gravity of gold is 19.3 and can be explained as 19.3 times weight than equal volume of water (National Mining Association, 2004). 2.3 Gold investment prospect in Malaysia Gold is an efficient investment vehicle for preservation of wealth and a store of value during the economy volatility especially the high inflationary period. The special features of gold such as diversifier, safe haven, inflationary hedge, universal acceptance, and transportability have make the gold demand the superior choice for investment purpose. In Malaysia, investors have some ways to participate in the gold investment market either physically and non-physically holding of gold. Firstly, we discuss the physically holding of the gold in Malaysia. The Commercial bank investment branches have contributes some fine-tuning gold investment account such as Maybank, Public Bank, Standard Charter Bank, and Bank Negara Malaysia. Maybank offers their gold investment account which called Gold Savings Passbook Account (GSPA). The minimum first purchase is 5 grams only. The weight of gold holdings can be converted to Ringgit Malaysia at the prevailing market gold price and the selling price will be update at the Maybank website from time to time (Maybank, 2008) Public Bank provides the Public Bank Gold Investment Account for investor to participate at the gold market. Public Bank Gold Investment Account having the similar concept with the Maybank Gold Saving Passbook Account. The only difference is the minimum first purchase is 20 gram. Bank can make available the physical gold upon customer require physical withdrawal of gold. A minimum quantity of 2 grams of gold should be maintained by the customer as an assurance of the account is in active mode (Public Bank, 2008). Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad offered its retail investment gold to investor with the launch of Premium Currency Investment Gold (PCi Gold). PCI Gold is a dual currency investment which means that contain both USD and gold. However the minimum amount of 250,000 is required to operate the account with the possession ranging from one week, two week and one month (Standard Chartered Bank). For the gold investment passbook provided by the Public Bank and Maybank is quite similar, the trading record for the gold investment is recorded in a passbook provided to investor. This type of gold investment in generally back by the real gold. However the disadvantage of the gold investment passbook is the investor will not be given any interest and dividend. Investors just make a profit when they sell the gold at higher price. In addition, the bank will charges the gold investment passbo ok holder when the convert or sell their gold holding. When investor buy the gold through the gold investment passbook the price will be slightly higher that the prevailing world gold price. Bank Negara offers the Kijang Emas Gold Bullion Coins. By issue the Kijang Emas Gold Bullion Coins, Malaysia become the 12th country issue its own gold bullion coins. The Kijang Emas Gold Bullion Coin purchase and reselling price is determined by the prevailing international gold market price (BNM, 2002). Investor can buy other bullion coins in some international company such as the Canadian Maple Leaf, American Eagle, and Australian Kangaroo Nugget. The gold investment that involve in non-physically holding of the gold in Malaysia includes gold fund, gold related fund and units trust that involve gold as a core element. The exchange trade fund (ETFs) which is trade similarly as stock or bond. ETFs track the index movement and performance and it is listed on stock exchange (Bursa Malaysia, 2009). Gold exchange trade fund (ETF) is another option for investors and it is listed and traded just as the stock exchange. ETFs enable investor to take part in gold market without investors physically own the gold because it tracks the price performance of the gold bullion. However gold exchange trade fund is still not available in Malaysia. Investor can invest in ETF in Singapore through foreign trading account offered by a local securities firm and investor is subject to the currency risk Gold fund and gold-related funds can be defined as unit trust funds that pool investor fund for investment in gold and other precious metals and investor vary from individuals, corporations to government institutions with common investment objectives. Investor can benefit from the expertise of fund manager who administer the pool fund investment rather that do internal data collection by themselves. There are only one gold fund is available in Malaysia with the minimum investment set at US$150,000 which equivalent to RM513, 000. For gold related fund, investor can just invest minimum of RM 1, 000 to diversify their investment portfolio. (New Straits Times, 2009) The above information provides an insight and general idea to the way to participate in gold investment industry in Malaysia. Investors need the timely information to make their decision on selecting the proper way go investment and investment instrument. According to Lutter (2008), investor will search for the particular investment vehicle before they add the instrument into their investment portfolio. Investor will normally seek information for these four categories, individual, salesperson and advertisement, public communication instruments and personal observation. 2.4 The independent variables of the intention to adopt gold investment among Malaysian In this chapter, the independent variables that are expected to have significant relationship toward the intention to adopt gold investment will be examined. The dependent variable is the intention that Malaysian investor employ the gold investment as part of their investment portfolio. The potential independent variables are the inflationary hedge, currency rate, diversifier and safe haven, time horizon, third party influences, cultural influences, risk averse, advertisement, and professionalism. The independent variable is grouped according to Maheran, Nursuzila and Aspiyati (2008) which adopt the theory of reasoned action. Besides, some mortification is made to tally with this research special requirement. The advertisement and professionalism is common type of independent variable that influences the adoption of some products or services. Advertisements play an important role to persuade consumer intention to accept the products and services. Professionalism is needed especially for the investment sector; investors are generally employs less information than the agent and the professional in the field. 2.5 Economic Factor and gold investment Purchasing power of gold is maintain even the transformation of the era is remarkably significant and the purchasing power of the contemporary currency is diminished gradually (Greer, 2005). In year 1945, Breton wood agreement which endorse by the United States Congress was set the gold exchange standard. The standard involves setting par values for currencies in term of gold and the member countries is required to convert foreign official holdings of their currencies into gold at the prevailing par value. Breton wood system had fixed the 35 US dollar equivalent to 1 ounce of gold to establish the global currency standard (Dammasch, 2005). According to world gold council (2009), the current gold price is increase sharply and currently one ounce of gold is approximately equivalent to 1079 US dollar per ounce. From the above , we can notice that the purchasing power of US currencies has generally declined due to the impact of rising prices for goods and services. Consequently, gold is always in pursuit by the investor when there is fluctuation in the currencies and economy. According to World gold council (2006), the robust growth of the gold investment demand recent year can be attributed to the factors such as macro-economic and the political instability. Economic factors have high contribution to the gold investment demand and the US dollar plays a crucial role in this aspect. According to Levin and Wright (2006), gold is prominent for its inverse relationship with the US dollar. During the drop in the currency rate of the US dollar recently, the gold price had shown a robust upward shift in the price. The currency factor contributes to investor decision making framework in adoption of gold investment (Boye, 2005). The inflationary hedging ability of gold and currency rate volatility is the key independent variable in this research and it is widely study by many of the professors (eg. Lutter, Sjaastad, Larry Scacciavillani, Worthington Pahlavani and Greer) 2.5.1. Inflationary hedge and gold investment Under the overwhelming financial emergency in 2008, investors are alert to the predictable inflation in the coming future; they realize the advantage of possessing gold, this drive the gold investment demand in China (China research and intelligence, 2009). In consistent with the china research and intelligences finding, world gold council researcher shown that the gold price remains high and stable at around US$ 989/oz in the first quarter of 2009. The scenario is driven by the anxious of investors toward the stability of the financial system, risk aversion, future possibility of inflation and as well as deflation (WGC, 2009). The World gold Council and China researcher predict the gold demand increase during the late 2008 is driven by the inflation and economy uncertainty. In Lutter (2008) study he shown that investor treat gold investment as the superior investment instrument and belief it will give the return which is higher that the inflation rate. Thus investor will demand gold during the inflationary period. According to Worthington and Pahlavani (2007), they claimed that commodities are the best way to hedge against rising prices which reduce the returns of purely financial assets like stocks and bonds. Worthington and Pahlavani point out that gold is special which unlike most commodities; gold is durable, relatively transportable, universally acceptable and easily authenticated. The commodities hedging ability is supported by Ranson and Wainwright (2005)

Teaching Philosophy :: Philosophy of Education Statement Teachers Essays

Teaching Philosophy I believe that teaching is a profession in which the educator has many opportunities to apply her knowledge of content area, personal strengths and creativity, and her life skills to the tasks at hand on a day to day basis. For example, when working in cooperation with other teachers, handling difficult situations with students and even just enjoying the satisfaction of a job well done, all three of the above mentioned qualities come into play. In order to keep all of these in balance, however, it is imperative that the teacher, or teacher in training, has a clear idea of what may be defined as her philosophies of teaching. First and foremost, I have a firm conviction that the teacher and school environment must actively promote, incorporate and develop diversity in the classroom. In today’s classroom it is inevitable that many types of diversity will be present and I believe it is the teacher’s innate responsibility to recognize and support it. Diversity comes in many forms including learning styles and abilities, race, religion and sexual orientation. Any diversity encountered in the classroom should be embraced as a chance to grow and learn for the teacher, the student who is deemed as ‘different’ and the total student body. This personal philosophy has developed within me as a result of my own experiences in a diverse public school system as a student. I intend to both support my diverse classrooms and to help other educators and students to promote, incorporate and develop diversity in their own classrooms. A second dimension in my teaching philosophy is based around the term ‘enthusiasm’. Enthusiasm implies energy, vivacity, creativity and consistent effort and in relation to my philosophy, these qualities are exhibited in a three dimensional model in the classroom. Two of the dimensions depend on the teacher. First, the teacher must be enthusiastic about the most important aspect of her job, that is, the students themselves! She must demonstrate consistent effort and energy when interacting and engaging with her students both inside and out of the classroom.

Night World : Witchlight Chapter 8

Keller was tempted to check the wards, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. She wasn't sensitive enough to the witch energies to gauge them. They'd been put up by Grandma Harman and checked by Winnie, and she would have to trust to that. The wards were keyed so that only the Dominick family and ordinary humans could come inside. No Night Person could enter except Nissa, Winnie, Keller, and Galen. Which meant, Keller thought with a grim smile, that any lost witch relatives of Iliana's mother who came by were going to get quite a surprise. An invisible wall was going to be blocking them from crossing the threshold. As long as nobody on the inside removed the wards, the house was safer than Fort Knox. Grandma Harman had also taken the limo, Keller found. Sometime during the night, it had been replaced by an inconspicuous Ford sedan parked at the curb. The keys had been in a manila envelope dropped through the mail slot in the front door, along with a map of Lucy Lee Bethea High School. Circle Daybreak was efficient. â€Å"I didn't finish my hair,† Iliana complained as Nissa hustled her to the car. â€Å"It's only half done.† â€Å"It looks terrific,† Winnie said from behind her. And the thing was, it was true. There was nothing that could make that shimmering waterfall of silvery-gold look anything less than beautiful. Whether it was up or down, braided or pinned or falling loose, it was glorious. I don't even think the little nitwit has to brush it, Keller thought. It's so fine that she couldn't make two hairs tangle if she tried. â€Å"And I left my scarf† â€Å"Here it is.† Keller lassoed her. The scarf was ridiculous, crushed velvet in muted metallic colors, with a six-inch fringe. Purely decorative. Iliana choked as Keller wound it around a few times and pulled it tight â€Å"A little aggressive, Boss?† Winfrith asked, extricating Iliana before she could turn blue. â€Å"Worried about being late,† Keller said shortly. But she saw Nissa eyeing her, too. Galen was the last to come out of the house. He was pale and serious-that much Keller saw before she shifted her eyes past him. Iliana's mother actually remained standing at the door with the baby in her arms. â€Å"Say bye-bye to your sister's friends. Bye-bye.† â€Å"Kee-kee,† the baby said. â€Å"Kee-kee!† â€Å"Wave to him,† Winfrith stage-whispered. Keller gritted her teeth. She half-waved, keeping her senses opened for any sound of an impending attack. The baby held out his arms toward her. â€Å"Pui!† â€Å"Let's get out of here.† Keller almost shoved Iliana into the backseat. Nissa took the wheel, and Galen sat up front with her. Winnie ran around to get in the back on the other side of Iliana. As they pulled out, Keller saw the outside of the house for the first time. It was a nice house-white clapboard, two and a half stories, Colonial Revival. The street was nice, too, lined with dogwoods that would be a mass of white when they bloomed. The sort of street where people sat outside on their rockers in spring and somebody was bound to have a stand of bees in the side yard making sourwood honey. Although Keller had been all over the United States, sent from one Circle Daybreak group to another, the hospital where she'd been found had been near a neighborhood like this. I might have grown up someplace like this. If they'd kept me. My parents†¦ Do I hate her? Keller wondered suddenly. I couldn't. It's not her fault. Oh, no, of course not, the voice in her mind said. Not her fault that she's beautiful and perfect and has parents who love her and blue fire in her veins and that she is going to be forced, whether she wants it or not, to marry Galen†¦ Which I don't care about, Keller thought. She was shocked at herself. When had she ever let emotion interfere with her job? She was allowing herself to be distracted-she had allowed herself to be distracted all morning-when there was something vitally important at stake. No more, she told herself fiercely. From now on, I think about nothing but the mission. Years of mental discipline came in handy now; she was able to push everything to the side and focus with icy clarity on what had to be done. â€Å"-stopped a train in its tracks,† Winfrith was saying. â€Å"Really?† There was faint interest in Kiana's voice. At least she'd stopped talking about her hair, Keller thought. â€Å"Really. It was one of those BART trains in San Francisco, Like a subway train, you know. The two girls were on the tracks, and the Wild Power stopped the train dead before it could hit them. That's what the blue fire can do.† â€Å"Well, I know I can't do anything like that,† Iliana said flatly. â€Å"So I can't be a Wild Power. Or whatever.† The last words were tacked on quickly. Nissa raised a cool eyebrow. â€Å"Have you ever tried to stop a train?† While Iliana bit a fingertip and pondered that, Winnie said, â€Å"You have to do it right, you know. First, you have to make blood flow, and then you have to concentrate. It's not something you can expect to do perfectly the very first time.† â€Å"If you want to start practicing,† Nissa added, â€Å"we can help.† Diana shuddered. â€Å"No, thank you. I faint when I see blood. And anyway, I'm not it.† â€Å"Too bad,† Nissa murmured. â€Å"We could use the blue fire on our side today.† They were pulling up to a charming old brown brick high school. Neither Galen nor Keller had said a word throughout the ride. But now Keller leaned forward. â€Å"Nissa, drive past it. I want to check the layout first.† Nissa swung the car into a circular driveway that went past the school's oversized front doors. Keller looked right and left, taking in everything about the surroundings. She could see Winnie doing the same thing-and Galen, too. He was focusing on the same danger spots she was. He had the instinct for strategy. â€Å"Go around the block and circle back,† Keller said. Iliana stirred. â€Å"I thought you were worried about me being late.† â€Å"I'm more worried about you being dead,† Keller interrupted. â€Å"What do you think, Nissa?† â€Å"The side door on the west. Easy to pull up reasonably close, no bushes around it for nasty surprises to hide in.† â€Å"That's my pick, too. Okay, everybody, listen. Nissa's going to slow the car down in the right place. Slow down, not stop. When I give the signal, we're all going to jump out and go directly to that door. We are not going to pause. We are going to move as a group. Iliana, are you paying attention? From now on, you don't go anywhere unless Winnie's in front of you and I'm beside you.† â€Å"And where's Galen?† Iliana said. Keller cursed herself mentally. She wasn't used to working with a fourth team member. â€Å"Hell be behind us-okay, Galen?† She made herself look his way. â€Å"Yes. Whatever you say.† There wasn't the slightest hint of sarcasm in his face. He was dead serious. Absolutely miserable, earnest, and dead serious. â€Å"And Nissa, once you've parked, you join us and take the other side. What room's your first class in, Iliana?† â€Å"Three twenty-six,† Iliana said dismally. â€Å"U.S. History with Mr. Wanamaker. He went to New York to try to be an actor, but all he got was some disease from not eating enough stuff with vitamins. So he came back, and now he's really strict unless you can get him to do his impressions of the presidents-â€Å" â€Å"All right,† Keller broke in. â€Å"We're coming to the door.† â€Å"-and he's actually pretty funny when he does Theodore Roosevelt-or do I mean the other one-â€Å" â€Å"Now,† Keller said, and pushed her as Winnie pulled. They all made it out smoothly, although Iliana yelped a little. Keller kept a good grip on her arm as they hurried to the door. â€Å"I don't think I like this way of coming to school.† â€Å"We can turn right around and go back home,† Keller said. Iliana shut up. Galen kept pace behind them, silent and focused. It was Nissa's usual position when the team wasn't heading for a car, and Keller couldn't help feeling the difference. She didn't like having someone behind her she couldn't trust absolutely. And although the enemies didn't seem to know yet that Galen was important, if they found out, he'd become a target; Face it, she thought. This setup is a disaster, security-wise. This is a horrendous accident waiting to happen. Her nerves were wound so tightly that she jumped at the slightest sound. They shepherded Iliana to her locker, then up a staircase to the third floor. The halls were almost empty, which was exactly as Keller had planned it. But of course that meant they were late for class. Nissa slid in beside them just as they opened the door. They entered as a group, and the teacher stopped talking and looked at them. So did everybody else in the room. Quite a few jaws dropped open. Keller allowed herself a grim inner smile. Yeah, they were probably a bit of a shock for a small town. Four Night People-well, former Night People, anyway. A witch who was almost as small as Iliana, with a mop of vivid strawberry-blond curls and a face like a pixie on holiday. A vampire girl who looked like cool perfection straight out of a magazine, with cropped mink-colored hair and a strangely penetrating gaze. A shapeshifter boy who could have taken the place of any prince in a book of fairy tales, with hair like old gold and classically sculptured features. And, of course, a panther. Which happened to be walking on two feet at the moment, in the guise of a tall girl with a tense, wary expression and black hair that swirled witchlike around her. And, of course, there was Iliana in the midst of them, looking like a ballet dancer who had blundered in from the Nutcracker Suite. There was a silence as the two groups stared at each other. Then the teacher snapped shut his book and advanced on them. Keller held herself ready. He had a neatly trimmed beard and a dangerous expression. It was Iliana who took him on, though. She stepped forward before Keller could draw a breath to speak. â€Å"Mr. Wanamaker! These are my cousins! Well- some of them are my cousins. They're from†¦California. Hollywood! They're here to†¦ do research for . . â€Å".† â€Å"We're really just visiting,† Keller cut in. â€Å"A new show about a high school. Not like that other show. It's more of a reality-based-â€Å" ‘It's just a visit,† Keller said. â€Å"But your dad is a famous producer,† Iliana said. She added in an undertone to Mr. Wanamaker, â€Å"You know, like that other producer.† All eyes, including the teacher's, fixed on Keller. â€Å"Yes-that's right,† Keller said, and smiled while clenching her teeth. â€Å"But we're still just visiting.† She nudged Winnie with her elbow, but it wasn't necessary. Winnie was already staring at the teacher, brainwashing him with witch power. Mr. Wanamaker bunked. He weighed the book he was holding as if he were Hamlet holding Yorick's skull. He looked at it, then he looked at Winnie and blinked again. Then he shrugged and looked at the ceiling. â€Å"Okay. Whatever. Sit down. There are some chairs at the back. And I'm still marking you tardy.† But Keller noticed that as he returned to his desk, his posture was very erect. She did the best she could to glare at Iliana without drawing any further attention to them. â€Å"A famous producer?† she whispered through her teeth. â€Å"I don't know. It was more interesting than just saying you're friends.† You don't need life to get any more interesting, Bubblebrain, Keller thought, but she didn't say anything. She found one thing out that surprised her, though, and she found it out quickly. Her job was made harder by the fact that everyone at the school was in love with Iliana. It was strange. Keller was used to getting attention from guys-and ignoring it. And Nissa and Winnie both were the type that had to beat them off with sticks. But here, although the guys looked at her and Nissa and Winnie, their eyes always seemed to return to Iliana. At break, they crowded around her like bees around a flower. And not just guys, either. Girls, too. Everyone seemed to have something to say to her or just wanted to see her smile. It was a bodyguard's nightmare. What do they see in her? Keller thought, frustrated almost beyond endurance as she tried to edge Iliana away from the crowd. I mean, aside from the obvious. But if all this is about her looks†¦ It wasn't. It didn't seem to be. They weren't all hitting on her for dates. â€Å"Hey, Iliana, my granddaddy loved that get well card you made.† â€Å"Illie, are you going to tie the ribbons this year for the Christmas benefit bears? Nobody else can make those teeny-weeny bows.† â€Å"Oh, Iliana, something awful! Bugsy had five puppies, and Mom says we can't keep them. We've got to find them all homes.† â€Å"Iliana, I need help-† â€Å"Wait, Iliana, I have to ask you-† Okay, but why come to her? Keller thought as she finally managed to detach the girl from her fan club and steer her into the hall. I mean, she can hardly be the best problem solver in this school, can she? There was one guy who seemed to like Iliana for the obvious. Keller disliked him on sight. He was good-looking in a carefully manicured way, with deep chestnut hair, deep blue eyes, and very white teeth. He was wearing expensive clothes, and he smiled a lot, but only at Iliana. â€Å"Brett,† Iliana said as he accosted them in the hall. Brett Ashton-Hughes. One of the rich twins who were having the birthday party on Saturday night Keller disliked him even more, especially when he gave her a coolly appreciative once-over before returning his attention to Iliana. â€Å"Hey, blondie. You still coming Saturday?† Iliana giggled. Keller stifled the urge to hit something. â€Å"Of course, I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it.† â€Å"Because, you know, it would kill Jaime if you didn't come. We're only inviting a few people, and well have the whole west wing to ourselves. We can even dance in the ballroom.† Diana's eyes went dreamy. â€Å"That sounds so romantic. I always wanted to dance in a real old-fashioned ballroom. I'll feel just like Scarlett O'Hara.† No, Keller thought. No, no, no. No way is she going there. She's going to the Solstice Ceremony, where the shapeshifters and the witches are meeting, even if I have to drag her by the hair. She caught Nissa's eye and saw that Nissa was thinking the same. Galen and Winnie were simply watching Brett with troubled looks on their faces. â€Å"Yeah, and I can be Brett Butler,† Brett was saying. â€Å"Plus, the indoor swimming pool will be heated. So if you get tired of being Scarlett, you can be a mermaid for a while.† â€Å"It sounds wonderful! Tell Jaime I said so.† Winnie bit her lip. Keller got a fresh grip on Diana's arm and started guiding her away. â€Å"So it's a promise, right?† Brett called after her. Keller squeezed. â€Å"Yes, but-oh.† Iliana managed to smile and wince at the same time, her arm limp in Keller's grasp. â€Å"Oh, Brett, there's one thing. I've got my cousin and her friends staying with me.† Brett hesitated an instant, giving each girl on Keller's team the appraising look. Then he shrugged and flashed a smile. â€Å"Hey, no problem. Bring them all. Your friends are our friends.† â€Å"That wasn't what I was trying to tell you,† Keller said when they were away from Brett. Iliana was rubbing her arm with an aggrieved expression. â€Å"Then what? I thought it would be fun for you to go.† â€Å"What do you mean, ‘then what'? You're going to the Solstice Ceremony that night, so you shouldn't have promised him.† â€Å"I am not going to the Solstice Ceremony that night, because I'm not the one you're looking for.† It wasn't the time to argue. Keller kept her moving down the hall. Keller wasn't happy. Her nerves were all prickling, and she felt like a cat with its fur standing on end. Very soon, Iliana wasn't happy, either. ‘I always eat lunch in the cafeteria!† â€Å"Not today,† Keller said, knowing she sounded as brusque and tired as she felt. â€Å"We can't risk it You've got to be in a room, alone, someplace where we can control access to you.† â€Å"The music room,† Winnie said helpfully.  "I saw it on the map and asked a girl about it in English class. It's open during lunch, and there's only one door.† â€Å"I don't want to-â€Å" â€Å"You don't have a choice!† Iliana sulked in the music room. The problem was that she wasn't very good at sulking, and you could only tell she was doing it because when she offered her cookies to Nissa, she only insisted once. Keller paced nervously in the hallway in front of the door. She could hear Winnie and Galen inside talking. Even Galen's voice sounded white-faced and strained. Something's wrong†¦ I've had a bad feeling ever since we got to this school†¦ and it isn't any easier having him around. Part of her was worried that he might take this opportunity to come and try to talk to her. And part of her, a very deep inside part, was furious because he wasn't doing it. Goddess! I've got to get my mind clear. Every second that I'm not in control of my emotions means an opportunity for them. She was so absorbed in yelling at herself that she almost missed the girl walking past her. Keller was almost at the end of the hall, and she had to do a double-take to realize that somebody had just calmly slipped by. â€Å"Hey, wait,† she said to the girl's back. The girl was medium-sized and had hair the soft brown of oak leaves, slightly longer than shoulder-length. She was walking fast She didn't stop. â€Å"Wait! I'm talking to you, girl! That door is off limits.† The girl didn't turn, didn't even pause. She was almost at the door to the music room. â€Å"Stop right there! Or you're going to get hurt!† Not even a hesitation in the girl's step. She turned into the door. A thousand red alerts went off in Keller's head.

Compare and Contrast High Fidelity Novel and Film Essay

High Fidelity, the novel written by Nick Hornby, and the film adaptation, directed by Stephen Frears, both portrayed the vital information for the plot however, Hornby was able to convey the ideas better through literary techniques. The novel was adapted into a feature film in 2000 starring John Cusack as Rob and directed by Stephen Frears. The movie was accurate in portraying the novel to a certain extent. The film was able to successfully represent the main ideas of the original novel but when it came to the minute details, it was lacking the contributions of the story that gave it a certain tone that the Hornby, was trying to convey to his audience. The most noticeable differences are: the importance, or the unnecessary significance, described of Rob’s previous girls other than Laura; the visual similarities of the characters of the novel to the characters of the film; and the use of literary techniques and filming techniques that add emphasis to the story in different ways from the novel and the film’s perspectives. The opening prologue that sets the tone for the novel describes the top five break-ups that Rob has encountered in his life, making a point not to include Laura, his recently ex-girlfriend, because â€Å"those places are reserved for the kind of humiliations and heart breaks that [she is] just not capable of delivering† (13) . Rob spends the opening of the book talking about his top five break-ups, but after that he only references them again when he was trying to figure out what went wrong in each of his relationships prior to Laura. This is different in the film. The film tries to place more importance on his previous break-ups and relationships than is absolutely necessary. The novel talks briefly about the break-ups in the prologue, but the film draws out Rob’s explanation of the failed relationships trying to give the perception that they are incorporated into Rob’s everyday life. In the film, Rob narrates about his failed relationships while going through his daily routine. He narrates to the audience of each of his top five worst break-ups in times throughout the day where a normal person would carryout their daily routines. Doing this in the film gives the audience the impression that the ex-girlfriends are going to pose as important characters throughout the main character’s journey, which is not in true accordance with the novel. Along with the remembrance of Rob’s top five worst break-ups, the films also imposes emphasis upon Marie LaSalle, an exotic and mysterious artist that Rob has a one night stand with. The novel speaks of Marie in passing, only recognizing her as an artist that Rob had a one night stand with who was the deciding factor in Rob’s wanting to be Laura because he loved her. On the contrary, the representation of Marie LaSalle in the film is that of a potential fling of Rob’s that almost created a love triangle between Rob, Marie, and Laura, a different plot line than what was intended by the novel. Nick Hornby went into great detail about how the characters looked, specifically referencing Rob’s relationships. When comparing the descriptions Hornby gives of each woman that Rob was in a relationship with in the novel to the actresses that were cast to play those roles in the film, there are no similarities other than the lines they spoke. In the novel, Rob describes Laura to have â€Å"her hair cut, same as usual, very short, sixties short, like Mia Farrow, except – and [he’s] not just being creepy – she’s better suited to this sort of cut that Mia. It’s because her hair is so dark, nearly black, that when it’s short her eyes seem to take up most of her face† (121). In the film, however, the actress cast to play Laura, Iben Hjejle, is a blonde with shoulder length hair that does not have big eyes, rather, she has a very strong jaw bone and small eyes. Although the novel was only written a short five years previous to the making of the film, changing the look of Laura in the film may have been done to better suit the style of the early 2000s rather than that of the mid 1990s and to also make a better distinction of the different settings in the novel and film. The looks of London in 1995 were much different than those of Chicago in 2000. The novel wanted to better capture Laura’s style of the 1995 skinhead movement of the European fads, as described in the novel, whereas the film was trying to portray Laura as being more of a punk in modern society trying to break into the working class. Laura was not the only woman in Rob’s life that was not translated correctly from the novel to the film; the description of Maria LaSalle was also lost in translation when trying to create her to be an on screen character. In the novel, Rob describes that â€Å"Marie is pretty, in the that nearly cross-eyed American way – she looks like a slightly plumper, post Partridge Family, pre-L. A. law Susan Dey – and if you were going to develop a spontaneous and pointless crush on somebody, you could do a lot worse† (77). Describing Marie as being similar to an actress from the American television show the Partridge Family gives the impression that she is an all-American woman, given that the audience has an already perceived knowledge for American television shows. Rob is interested in Marie not only for the fact that she is a musician, but also that she is an exotic figure in the eyes of a British man. American women in Europe are just as exotic and mysterious as a non-American woman coming to the United States; men are infatuated with the unfamiliar, thus drawing Rob to Marie. The novel intertextualizes Marie to have looks similar to Susan Dey, who is a white female with a sort of free-spirited style closely related to that of a hippie, leading the audience to believe that Marie LaSalle was an average American, white woman with an Indie style. In the film, however, Lisa Bonet is cast to play Marie LaSalle; she has mixed skin and the style that is closely relatable to Alanis Morissette, who also has a free-spirited style but in a darker manner than Susan Dey. Because the film was not set in Britain, there was a need to find an actress who had exotic looks from the perception of the average American. The film was successful in portraying Marie as an exotic and mysterious character to the American culture thanks in large part to the acting of Lisa Bonet, but the film was not fully able to portray Marie LaSalle as being as unfamiliar to the American culture unlike the portrayal of her in the novel. What made the novel relatable to the audience was the intertextuality that was used to help portray Rob’s ideas so that the audience better understood what he was thinking and relating his situations to. Being that a film is not able to have a continual background of narration, it used music to help portray Rob’s ideas. Using background music as a character in the film helped to better translate the ideas and inner dialogue of Rob that cannot fully be portrayed in the film. In both the novel and the film, he was such a big believer as music being an essential part to a person’s life so this also bettered the adaption of Rob’s character from the printed version to the film. The intertextuality in the novel that was not easily noticeable in the cinematic version was Hornby’s instances of relating Rob’s life to major films easily identifiable to the audience, for instance, when Rob relates his life to the movie When Harry Met Sally. At one point in the novel, Rob is questioning happiness and says that: â€Å"surely people who are happy should look happy, at all times, no matter how much money they have or how uncomfortable their shoes are or how little their child is sleeping; and people who are doing OK but have still not found their soul mate should look, I don’t know, well but anxious, like Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally† (257). In the film, music becomes an aid to better understand the tone and storyline of the scene. I Want Candy† is playing in the background when the film is flashing back to show Rob’s first relationship with Alison Ashworth. This is done to try to express the immaturity that Rob is stuck in at that moment. Since the film cannot have a continuous narrator and the novel does not have a soundtrack, each uses what the other cannot in order to enhance the intended tone and original ideas portrayed in the novel. In conclusion, the fact that the film changed the setting was a major contributing factor of the differences and misconnections of the novel to film. Because the setting was not in England, there was a need to make a transition from British pop-culture and British perceptions to American pop-culture and perception so that the film could be more relatable to its American audience. The use of techniques that can only be used in certain artistic mediums, such as soundtracks and intertextuality, helped to better translate the novel to a film. In all, the film was able to present the ideas and plot in a restricted way but still in an entirety that Nick Hornby was able to do with more detail in his novel.

Demonstrative Pronouns of Spanish

Demonstrative Pronouns of Spanish If youve already learned the demonstrative adjectives of Spanish, youll find it easy to learn the demonstrative pronouns. They serve basically the same purpose, acting as the equivalent of this, that, these or those in English. The main difference is that they (like other pronouns) stand for nouns rather than modify them. List of Spanish Demonstrative Pronouns Below are the demonstrative pronouns of Spanish. Notice that they are identical to the adjectives, except that most traditionally use accent marks, unlike the adjective forms, and that there is a neuter form. Singular masculine à ©ste (this)à ©se (that)aquà ©l (that, but further away in time, sentiment, or distance) Plural masculine or neuter à ©stos (these)à ©sos (those)aquà ©llos (those, but further away) Singular feminine à ©sta (this)à ©sa (that)aquà ©lla (that, but further away) Plural feminine à ©stas (these)à ©sas (those)aquà ©llas (those, but further away) Singular neuter esto (this)eso (that)aquello (that, but further away) The accents do not affect the pronunciation, but are used merely to distinguish adjectives and pronouns. (Such accents are known as orthographic accents.) The neuter pronouns do not have accents because they have no corresponding adjective forms. Strictly speaking, the accents arent mandatory on even the gendered forms if leaving them off wouldnt create confusion. Although the Royal Spanish Academy, a semiofficial arbiter of proper Spanish, once required the accents, it no longer does, but neither does it reject them. Use of the pronouns should seem straightforward, as they are used basically the same in both English and Spanish. The key difference is that Spanish requires use of the masculine pronoun when it substitutes for a masculine noun, and use of the feminine pronoun when it substitutes for a feminine noun. Also, while English does use its demonstrative pronouns standing alone, it also often uses forms such as this one and those ones. The one or ones shouldnt be translated separately into Spanish. The difference between the à ©se series of pronouns and aquà ©l series is the same as the difference between the ese series of demonstrative adjectives and the aquel series. Although à ©se and aquà ©l can both be translated as that, aquà ©l is used to refer to something further away in distance, time, or emotional feelings. Examples: Quiero esta flor. No quiero à ©sa.  (I want this flower. I dont want that one. Ésa is used because flor is feminine.)Me probà © muchas camisas. Voy a comprar à ©sta. (I tried on many shirts. Im going to buy this one. Ésta is used because camisa is feminine.)Me probà © muchos sombreros. Voy a comprar à ©ste.  (I tried on many hats. Im going to buy this one. Éste is used because sombrero is masculine.)Me gustan esas casas. No me gustan aquà ©llas. (I like those houses. I dont like those over there. Aquà ©llas is used because casa is feminine and the houses are distant from the speaker.)A mi amiga le gustan la bolsas de colores vivos. Voy a comprar à ©stas. (My friend likes colorful purses. I am going to buy these. Éstas is used because bolsas is plural feminine.) Using the Neuter Pronouns The neuter pronouns are never used to substitute for a specific noun. They are used to refer to an unknown object or to an idea or concept that isnt specifically named. (If you would have occasion to use a neuter plural, use the plural masculine form.) The use of eso is extremely common to refer to a situation that has just been stated. Examples:  ¿Quà © es esto? (What is this [unknown object]?)Esto es bueno. (This [referring to a situation rather than a specific object] is good.)El padre de Marà ­a murià ³. Por eso, est triste. (Marys father died. Because of that, shes sad.)Tengo que salir a las ocho. No olvides  eso. (I have to leave at eight. Dont forget that.)Quedà © impresionado por aquello. (I left affected by that.) Key Takeaways The demonstrative pronouns of Spanish are the equivalent of English pronouns such as this and these.The demonstrative pronouns must match the nouns they refer to in gender and number.Neuter demonstrative pronouns are used to refer to concepts and situations, not named objects.

Work life balance Essay Example

Work life balance Essay Example Work life balance Essay Work life balance Essay Today people are engaged in many responsibilities and leisure activities for instance family life and education among others because they are more financially stable. This explains the disparity in the concept of work life balance as perceived by people for instance some require free time from work to do their personal activities for example shopping, laundering and family time. To others their employment should support their requirements to decrease their struggle while others demand stress free employments (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001).Therefore, factoring this aspects work life balance can be defined as a balance that enables people to attain satisfaction in their multiple tasks in regards to working hours and working conditions. It should also be a two way concept benefiting both the employee and the employer whereby work life and personal life complement each other (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001). However, the definition of work life balance as perceived by an in dividual is liable to change with time as people gain new responsibilities, commitments and personal interest. Work life balance in an organization is determined by work policies, organizational culture which includes the norms, values and beliefs stipulated in the regulations of the organization, management communication and employment relationship which includes respect and provision of employee’s rights and career advancement through training programs and promotion among others (HBR 2000).Employees perceive work life balance as provision of flexible working hours attained through job sharing and compression of working hours among others to enable them balance between the demands of their employment and those arising from their personal life (Baxter 2000). According to the employers work life balance should help them manage the organizational culture, performance of the organization and implementation of the organizations policies to enable them maintain a good employment r elationship, have the correct quantity and quality of workforce and increase the profit margin of the organization among others (Clavo 2000). Work life balance helps employers to improve the performance of the organization through the increased work output of employees which is done diligently and competently (Clavo 2000).Work life balance helps employees to develop a profound relationship with the organizations utilizing the resources availed to them maximally while still protecting them due to the provision of employee engagement opportunities. Therefore, the business becomes cost effective benefiting the employer even more. For instance in UK it is estimated that about  £3.7 billion and 80 million working days are lost by employers annually because of work stress thus increasing business overhead costs(HBR 2000). In UK for example companies like GlaxoSmithKline, IBM and Lloyd have greatly benefited from work life balance because their improved performance and development can be attributed to the implementation of this concept in the organizational culture (HBR 2000). Therefore, unions and government policies help to avert these conditions and promote implementation of work life balance in businesses (Clavo 2000).Moreover, work life balance has helped employers to meet customer’s demands by changing the flexible schedule of the organization to suit customer’s demands and employee’s needs. For example Bristol City Council extended its operation hours of public libraries to Sunday to meet all the demands of its customers (HBR 2000). Work life balance also presents an advantage to employers in that they are able improve their staffing strategies and thus obtain the best workforce. For instance considering the future of UK a higher percentage of the population will be old in the next ten years to come therefore a there will be an increased demand for young employees who are energetic, motivated and enthusiastic (HBR 2000). On the other han d these graduates will be seeking employment opportunities that are flexible because most will be having elderly people to take care of (HBR 2000).The government perceives work life balance as a tool of fulfilling and implementing their goals and objectives in regards to the improvement of the welfare of population and the economy of UK. Therefore the government, unions and the business culture have formulated policies, principles and regulations in an attempt of promoting the establishment of work life balance in business settings. For instance the European Union aims at increasing the employment opportunities to women to more than 60% by 2010 (HBR 2000).Demanding employments that increase working hours have negative impact on the relationship between families and individuals. Stress resulting from the overload of work is depicted by the communication that ensues within a family setting. Overworked employees also tend to be moody, aggressive and lack the motivation spirit which is replicated into the other family members. The long working hour’s affects the social aspect of the employees therefore cannot spend quality time with their family members such as involvement in leisure activities therefore it becomes difficult for employees to manage their time (Fallon 1997). This deteriorates their efforts and competence because they are always tired and fed up from the workload and stress. Therefore the policies and regulations stipulated by organizations, government and unions play a big part in ensuring work life balance is implemented into UK businesses. For example the government together with unions have established family-friendly employer contests to encourage employers to stimulate work life balance principles into their organizations culture and business plan (Fallon 1997).The relationship between parents and their children greatly drifts a part as parents spend most of their time working because many children demand attention from their parents. C ommunication between the parents and their children is also affected because they are not free with each other (Baxter 2000). The children lack opportunities to seek advice from their parents and in most cases drop them as their role models. In most cases most children became depresses as they perceive their parents to be ignoring and not loving them unconditionally especially when they miss out on important activities such as ceremonies, for example birthdays and important school activities like prize giving days. This explains the increased rate of youth behaviour discrepancy as they become violent, aggressive and indulge into activities such as drug abuse to gain the attention from their parents (Baxter 2000).Most parents end up quitting or losing their jobs in preference to their children. Furthermore the stress that these parents have due to working for long hours makes them to withdraw from their children by being less responsible and caring (Clavo 2000). The government has pl ayed their part by stipulating policies whose mandate demands the adherence of every employer. For instance the Australian government has formulated a fair work bill with the aim of helping employees to manage their time effectively to be financially stable and also spend time with their children. The bill also protects the welfare of the employers by ensuring the performance of the organizations is at its best capability through promotion of work life balance in businesses settings (Gornick ; Meyers 2001).Couple relationships are also not spared from the negative impact of working long hours. Conflicts results especially to couples that have family responsibilities as they seem to withdraw from their responsibilities. This is especially depicted in couples that have pre-school kids as they demand more responsibility, devotion and time from their parents (Galinsky et al. 2001). Stress nosedives their motivation due to increase of mood swing episodes which makes couples to withdraw f rom each other thus spend less time together. This explains the increased divorce cases in the UK courts. The number of couples that visit counsellors to solve problems between them because they are out of their control has also increased. Increase in marital tension and companionship has made many women opt being housewives to eliminate conflicts in their marital relationship (Galinsky et al. 2001).Couples that work for long hours have reduced their sexual pleasures and needs these makes the unaffected partner to result to irresponsible behaviour such as been unfaithful to their partners and alcoholism among others. Unions, government and business have implemented policies and regulations that campaign for the adherence of the employers towards the establishment of a perpetual employment relationship which reduces stress in the lives of employees thus improving the relationship that ensues between couples. Therefore chances of conflict build up are minimal and more time is created to them (Galinsky et al. 2001).The increased need for work life balance due to the increased number of single parents, women in employment, women returning to employment after child birth, divorce cases, juvenile discrepancies, responsibilities and higher demand of social life has improved employment relationships. However, the provision of statutory benefits such as family leave days has deteriorated. Therefore, businesses, the government and unions should aim at creating a balance between the two business principles to further improve business culture which results to the growth of the business and further satisfaction of employees.

A View of the Human Physique As Illustrated Through Different Art Works

A View of the Human Physique As Illustrated Through Different Art Works The following works of art all depict the human body: Woman of Willendorf (Paleolithic, 28,000-25,000 BCE), Pharaoh Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty (Egypt, 2490-2472 BCE), and the Dying warriors of both the east and west pediments of the Temple of Aphaia (Archaic into Classical Greece, 480 and 490 BCE, respectfully). The broad ideas these figures can be associated with, paired with their smaller level details, together demonstrate how cultural ideals regarding body image change and develop over time. The Woman of Willendorf, sometimes called â€Å"Nude Woman,† is one of the oldest pieces of art found. She is eleven centimeters tall and made of limestone. We know very little about her and cannot make any grand conclusions (though we have â€Å"assigned† meaning to her to satisfy these holes). A few other figurines from the last Ice Age have been discovered, and they were of women as well, highlighting curvature and breasts. The Woman of Willendorf has been associated with fertility, given the name Venus, who is goddess of love and fertility. The figure does not have any facial detail. We do have, however, extremely exaggerated breasts and stomach, and the detail of the vulva. This could certainly lead us to the thought that fertility is indeed the symbol here. What does this indicate? Maybe robust women were more fertile and were the idealized size. Maybe a woman’s main purpose was fertility alone. Maybe larger women were considered healthy. We do not have muc h to go by, but this is where we can consider human sculpture history more or less to begin. The Egyptian statue of Pharaoh Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty provides us with a representation of a high-figure male and female during the Pyramid ages. Menkaure and his queen stand side by side, made in sandstone, emerging forward with both their left feet outward (most female figures would not do this, which indicates that Queen Khamerernebty could in fact be Menkaure’s Queen-Mother.) They look forward and their almost-stoic faces give a sense of â€Å"other world† – they are in motion, stepping into eternity, and we are watching them in all their beauty. Menkaure has a very detailed face which feels unique. He has smooth skin with no imperfections and a hardy structure: he is quite the image of youth. He wears a traditional pharaoh headpiece, the royal beard in place, and holds the ceremonial cloths – he is in normal pharaoh stature, and this artwork celebrates him. His queen is constructed beautifully. She has a mature body with breasts shown through her clinging clothing, and again, a detailed, unique face. These figures are beautiful and we look at them in amazement, but they are not exactly idealized like typical royal artwork. They are individuals, set in these roles. We can compare this Egyptian art to artwork from earlier periods: we have developed ideals, styles in art based on the literal trends of Egyptian culture, and furthermore, different meanings and purposes of artwork: this sculpture would function as a piece to ensure rebirth for the king during afterlife. The Dying Warriors of both the East and West Pediments of the Temple of Aphaia provide us with a look at the evolution of Greek sculpture in particular. In 490 BCE, the West Pediment figure was made. It is just one part of a lively Trojan War-scene pediment. We see this warrior fallen; he has been impaled in the chest. He is trying to remove the weapon from his chest though he will probably die, all the while sporting his archaic smile common to the art period (to enliven the work of art; not to portray a particular emotion). His legs are flailing in a sort of schematic, perfected way – it is like a pose. This artwork symbolizes a wounded warrior, but it does not do so realistically. It symbolizes a wounded warrior using limited expression and the current standards – both capabilities and ideals – regarding displaying the full body. On the East Pediment, approximately ten years later BCE, we have a far more complex rendering of a hurting warrior. Not only is our body more realistic in its muscle and skin transitions, but we have bodily movement that is believable. The artist thought about what it was like to fall, and this work expresses that very concept. We also lose our archaic smile, as this marks the beginning of the Classical Period in Greece. The face looks a bit tired, and is downward as the soldier tries to hoist himself up with his shield – another object added to the imagery of the scene. We feel this defeat, and through the Hellenistic Period and beyond, emotional concepts which it seems are skimmed here, are explored much more in-depth. We have looked at a limited number of representations of how cultural ideals around the body change over time. Developing cultures evolve to appreciate certain aspects of the human body, in specific ways and to represent defined values or messages. Some 30,000 years ago, what we now call the â€Å"Woman of Willendorf† depicted a human being, specifically a woman, and a robust one. Maybe this translates to an ideal, or to a symbolism or affiliation with fertility. Fast forward many cultures, and we have Egyptian pharaohs being portrayed. We see political hierarchy and religion, defined body ideals, and individualism having developed, all of which are being represented through art. Fast forward further, and we have established war politics displayed in art openly, fierce propaganda exploration and growing expressions of detail, liveliness, and eventually, concepts of emotion and imperfection.

Critical response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical response paper - Essay Example She later moved to Edmonton to work with abused children and teens in the child welfare system. At the age of 30, she collapsed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Recovering at home, she began her first novel. Therapy is an important part of recovery and for Goobie, a large part of her therapy is writing. As she was suffering from blurred vision she dictated the story a few minutes into a tape recorder. It was about a girl who decides to stop shaving her legs and enter a beauty pageant. The novel Mission Impossible won an award from the Writer’s Guild of Alberta and was nominated for the Governor General Award for children’s literature. According to Goobie there are a lot of negative messages given to children and teenagers in our society. She tries to reverse these as much as possible in her books. Her writing reflects the issues surrounding the anger and powerlessness of those too young to defend themselves. Beth Goobie has worked for a long time with children who have been physically and sexually abused. Expressing these feelings many of Beth’s novels have aimed to try and save young adults. Both her books, Scars of Light and The Only Good Heart are built on the theme of cults, abuse and emotional torture. Books like these have been therapeutic for her mind and a warning to others. In her words childhood is mostly about programming us to keep us in line so that as adults we stay in line and she tries to encourage kids to see beyond that. Goobie is well known for her quirky and dark young adult novels. She published several of them beginning in 1994. She wrote the much acclaimed Scars of light in 1994, in which she wrote about her traumatic experiences as a child in. The brutally realistic poems won her the Pat Lowther Memorial Award and were nominated for a Governor General’s Award for poetry. This was followed by 2 more Sticks and stones and Kicked out in 1995. In

Nationalization of oil industry in Argentina Essay

Nationalization of oil industry in Argentina - Essay Example On the other hand, Argentina believes that they have enough authorities and freedom to formulate policies which are necessary to safeguard the interests of the country. This paper critically analyses the decision to nationalize oil companies in Argentina. Table of Contents Oil & Gas Report Argentina.Q1 2013. (2012). Business Monitor International. November 2012. p.1-93. 11 Romero, S. and Minder, R. (2012). Argentina to seize control of Oil Company. The New York Times. April 16, 2012. 11 Sprinkle, T. (2013). For Argentina’s Nationalized Oil ‘Industry’: A Year of Nothing Retrieved from http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/argentina-nationalized-oil-industry-nothing-232525794.html 11 Introduction â€Å"Exactly a year ago, Argentina President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner announced to the world the expropriation of 51% of Argentine oil company YPF from Spain's Repsol† (Sprinkle, 2013). The declaration of President Cristina was totally unexpected and too k by surprise by many countries. In fact, Spain was shocked by this announcement because of the problems this decision might cause to Spanish economy. It should be noted that Spanish company Repsol is the 15th largest petroleum refining company in the world according to the recent statistics. Moreover, the growth of Repsol is contributing heavily to Spanish economy. Therefore Cristina’s decision has the potential to affect Spanish economic growth in one way or another. Spanish ministers have already warned Argentina about the possibility of a diplomatic and industrial war with Argentina. Before the arrival of Argentina’s decision, the common belief in Latin America was such that countries in this region can develop properly only with the help of privatization and liberalization like policies. That is why Cristina’ decision caused plenty of surprises, not only in Argentina, but also in other countries in Latin America. Cristina is one of the most popular administ ers in Latin America. Moreover, she has taken this decision after a cabinet meeting. In other words, Argentina has taken this decision after a comprehensive debate. They know very much about the benefits and problems this decision might bring to Argentina. In a heavily globalized world, countries are contesting heavily to attract foreign direct investment as much as possible because of the awareness that internal resources alone may not help a country to develop properly. Even communist China does not have any problem in welcoming foreign companies. Moreover, majority of Argentina’s neighboring countries are engaged in activities to welcome foreign direct investments. Under these circumstances, Argentina’s decision surprised many countries, especially Spain. Nationalization of Oil Industry in Argentina It is necessary to know the size and characteristics of Argentinian oil industry before, discussing the merits and demerits of Cristina’s decision. The following table provides a rough idea about Argentina’s petroleum data from 2010-2016. (Oil & Gas Report Argentina.Q1 2013, 2012, p.8) From the above table, it is evident that Argentina’s proven oil reserves may remain unchanged, at least for another three years. At the same time, the total net petroleum exports started to decline from 2010 onwards.

Global Warming Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Warming - Term Paper Example United States has not properly addressed the problem of global warming (Besel 162). Therefore, the subject of subject of global warming is live and undisputed scientific fact that the nation should address quickly. Many scientific activities are responsible for the global warming that people experience in United States and the globe at large. United States is becoming dangerous warmer because of emission of greenhouse gases. These gases include methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. The gases have adverse effects on the environment because they cause pollution. This artificial problem contributes largely to global warming. This is an assertion that the scientific activities drive the climate change and global warming. Scientists have disputed the claims of their responsibility in global warming in various ways. To start with, the scientists argue that carbon dioxide does come from their activities. To them, burning fossils generates a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thi s is an attempt to assert that they do not take any activity in the problem of global warming. They claim that that they have put proper mechanisms to eradicate the emission of carbon dioxide. Second, the scientist stresses that carbon dioxide has been increasing in the atmosphere before the industrial developments. They scientists insist that other types of natural energies such as solar play a big role in global warming. The scientists argue points out those natural sources such as eruption of volcanoes evolve a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Griffin 112). The scientists blame their critics for distorting scientific information to assert their points. Third, the unchallenged scientific fact emanate from the measurement that scientists take on the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These measurements indicate that burning of forests and fossils contributes to generation of harmful gases to the atmosphere. This is an attempt to deny their responsibility in their c ontribution to the global warming and climate change. They argue that natural fluctuations attribute to the sudden increase in temperatures (Maslin 27). It is evident that the undisputed scientific facts have played a big role in global warming. The facts are fallacious. To start with, there was no global warming before scientific revolution. This era of scientific expansion in knowledge and research led to the growth of industries. A natural mechanism ensured a right balance of carbon dioxide that natural processes emitted (Griffin 112). The issue of global warming came into been after the mushrooming of industries. It is therefore a lie for the scientists to claim that they do have a role in the global warming menace. The scientists’ assertion that the current global warming is because of natural fluctuations in the environment is overtly misleading. This is unchallenged scientific facts. The earth has experienced all these climatic swings but there has never been an alarmi ng effect on temperature. It therefore means that scientific processes are responsible for the increase in temperatures in the atmosphere. It is a conspiracy of scientists not to give information of their contribution to the global warming (Besel 163). This is despite the fact that the scientists have the right equipment to provide a qualitative explanation of the issue of global

Deterrence and containment during Cold War Essay

Deterrence and containment during Cold War - Essay Example It should be noted that in the beginning of the 15th century, there were limited number of pigments that were allowing the painters to capture the inner beliefs as stated in the religious guidance. Therefore that was an avid need of pigments that can create fixtures of paintings as well as the texture surface. This need was felt by Tibetans as well as Kashmiri. However, the fact remains that these painters were not able to understand as to what changes were important to be added initially. In order to fully practice Menri style (with sharp streaks of textures, and swirl form of drawing paint) Tibetans developed new philosophy and image building for deities as explained by Indian Pundits3. Exemplary Thangka Paintings: The most profound innovation or development within the Thangka painting was noted during the era of 1500s. Choying Gysto is said to be the master of pigments that redefined the religious figures in a completely new manner. It was much needed because a lot of contribution was not able to make a specific change in the style of painting4. Figure 2 Menri style painting (Gerd-Wolfgang 1989) The core style, which is evident from the painting of Gysto is Menri. Other famous names of the era include Namka Tashi who actually able to bring a new thought in the painting of Thangka. However, he was very strict in the context of making fixed proportions. It has often been said that Namka was able to bring innovation in the style of painting because he actually saw the revelation of Dorjey’s (Chinese emperor) in the full moon. That is why he drew him with strong faith. Specifically, the three obvious styles which can be noted in the painting of Namka were Karma Gadri, Chinese... The most profound innovation or development within the Thangka painting was noted during the era of 1500s. Choying Gysto is said to be the master of pigments that redefined the religious figures in a completely new manner. It was much needed because a lot of contribution was not able to make a specific change in the style of painting . The core style, which is evident from the painting of Gysto is Menri. Other famous names of the era include Namka Tashi who actually able to bring a new thought in the painting of Thangka. However, he was very strict in the context of making fixed proportions. It has often been said that Namka was able to bring innovation in the style of painting because he actually saw the revelation of Dorjey’s (Chinese emperor) in the full moon. That is why he drew him with strong faith. Specifically, the three obvious styles which can be noted in the painting of Namka were Karma Gadri, Chinese form with rich texture and Indian form of strokes. It will not be incorrect to state that he made use of Mensar style in his paintings as well . Following painting can help us understanding the style of Namka.

Money and Life Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Money and Life - Movie Review Example She peels back the history of our financial tangle, tells the story of people drowning in debt, reveals our perplexity and presents possibilities for an economy rooted in love and nature... With the old stories and systems falling apart, this film arrives at the perfect moment to help us bless and release the lies weve lived and simply move on†. Also, it is worth noting that in general the film is high quality and aesthetically beautiful work. Although, the basic idea and argumentation in it, to my mind, is rather weak. In her documentary, Kate Teague explores the poignant meaning and â€Å"irresistible† power of money in our life, sources of debts, outlines the distinguishing moments in the history of money, refers to the functioning and organization of the national monetary system, banking activities, sources and nature of economic crisis. Filmmaker offers a fresh view on the economic crisis as an â€Å"opening† and â€Å"opportunity† towards saving oneself from the monetary â€Å"addiction†. Finally, a new perspective on treating money is given. It is believed that money, which, by the way, was â€Å"invented† by people, originally served â€Å"as a medium of exchange in the agreement with the community† and was intended â€Å"to help people realize their interdependence†. Thus, Teague highlights that it is not the people that should serve money, but vice versa – money should be a medium, never a final destination. Kate Teague (2013) calls everyone to rethink the role of money in the life of individual, community, country and planet: â€Å"We need to examine our relationship with money and gain a deeper understanding of our economic pain as individuals, as a country and as people of the earth. To understand the fundamentals of money so we could â€Å"reclaim life from the rule of money† (Teague, 2013). However, as it was mentioned, the main idea of the film is generally vague. For example, the author suggests the way out from â€Å"the rule of money† through