The Fiscal and Monetary Policy and Economic Fluctuations Essay - 1

The Fiscal and Monetary Policy and Economic Fluctuations - Essay Example Interest rates: The benchmark interest rate in the United States was last recorded at 0.25 percent Trading Economics (2013). It was more than 4% in the beginning of 2008, but settled at 0.25% at the year end. Since then, there has been hardly any change in the bank interest rate throughout the period of five years. (Annexure – I) Inflation: It could be observed from the data relating to ‘Inflation in US based on Consumer Price Index’ that inflation was at its peak in October 2008 at 3.655% and at 0.964% in October 2013. Inflation in US based on Consumer Price Index Year Rate of inflation October 2013 0.964 % October 2012 2.162 % October 2011 3.525 % October 2010 1.172 % October 2009 -0.183 % October 2008 3,655 % Source: globalrates.com (2013) Employment: Unemployment rate was at 6.5 in October 2008 reached its peak at 10 in October 2009 and is currently at 7.3% in October 2013. (Annexure – II) What is the nature of the changes and what are the reasons for t he changes? It could be observed that all the indices were at its peak in 2008 around this time, that is five years before. Interest rate: Reduction in interest rates propelled consumption, consequently demand for the products. Maintaining interest rates at the constant level had its positive impact by keeping inflation under control as well as unemployment, because any increase in interest rates would have fueled inflation which could in turn affect employment negatively due to decrease in demand. Inflation: Inflation would be still under control when the economy recovers from high level of unemployment till full production potential is exploited in the economy. Inflation has become negative due to high unemployment noticed in 2009, but inched up subsequently as the economy grew and the unemployment situation eased. However, there is considerable improvement in the inflation front in the recent years due to effective monetary policies pursued by Federal Reserve, and it is expected to stabilize around the current levels. Unemployment rate: Increase in demand resulted in increase in production. This has created new demand for labor. The unemployment rate has started coming down from the beginning of 2011. What are the strategies based on fiscal and monetary policies that will encourage people to spend money in order to create economic growth? Fiscal policy: Government spending at the time of economic slowdown will increase employment. Multiplier effect will set in due to creation of employment opportunities in the economy, since it increases consumption potential of the people. The increase in aggregate demand caused in the process will attract new investments and thus create further employment opportunities. This cycle continues if the monetary policies are effective in avoiding overheating of the economy. Another important tool in fiscal policy of the government is taxation. For example, by lowering taxes money supply in the economy is increased. Lowering tax es along with or without increase in government spending will therefore be essential for revival of the economy, especially during recessions. Both government spending and taxation, the most important fiscal tools, will have long term impact on the economy. Decrease in government spending and reduction in tax rates could be more effective to avoid overheating in an economy. However, factors like huge accumulated budget deficits and precarious balance of payments position may

Gifted Learners in Diverse Classroom Essay Example for Free

Gifted Learners in Diverse Classroom Essay As our nation becomes more culturally diverse we our schools need to begin modeling and preparing for this diversity. The importance of learning about diversity in culture and stereotypes is of particular concern with gifted learners. This article discusses the Ford and Harris model (2000) which combines higher order thinking skills with culturally relevant content to engage students in analysis, synthesis, and evaluation as they examine different perspectives and become involved in social action. There are several different methods to this model that can be used a social studies classroom to engage gifted learners. The first is the transformational approach where the curriculum is set up to show contributions and perspectives of many groups. This allows students to see various perspectives across the spectrum of cultures. Next, the social action approach has students identify issues that they think might need to be changed and make action plans. They are empowered in both of these approaches. Blooms Taxonomy is used at the highest level in both of these models and students are able to learn from themselves, inwardly, and from each other in order to hopefully develop positive relationships. Along with using these two approaches discussions, infusions of literature and poetry, role-playing, examining primary documents, ethnographic research, photojournalism, and service learning are easily applied to middle and high school classrooms. The importance of keeping gifted students engaged has been well documented. High qualities discussions have in the classroom are a great way for student to share, debate, develop original thinking and analyze various perspectives of other gifted students. In a multicultural classroom discussions could become significant learning experiences for young people by allowing participants to challenge the points of view held by others while reexamining their own beliefs Parker (2001). Multicultural literature infused into the classroom and curriculum can give many cultural perspectives for students to reflect upon. Teachers reported gains in self-esteem and academic achievement in diverse students when given literature in which they felt reflected their own culture. Another good technique that teachers can use in a multicultural classroom is role-play. When students place themselves into the role of another it is found that they internalize the culture while also learning about the content. This use of critical thinking skills, along with cooperative learning is a big part of a multicultural classroom. Role-play is one strategy that enriches instruction and supports the unusual sensitivity to the feelings of others evident in gifted learners (Clark, 2007; Piechowski, 2006). Teachers, who have used the process of ethnographic research, or the study and systematic recording of human cultures, have found that gifted students are enriched with the process. Ethnographic research includes interviews, artifacts and observations. Along with Ethnographic research the use of primary documents is an important part of a multicultural classroom. Examples include manuscripts, diaries, letters, photographs, postcards, posters, audio or video recordings, oral histories, speeches, or official documents (Bogdan Biklen, 2006). Primary documents are increasingly becoming a part of the questioning process on the end of course exams so it is vital that gifted students are given access to them and understand their importance. Photographs, or photojournalism can be impactful for the visual gifted learners. Photojournalism supports numerous characteristics of gifted learners, including their emotional depth and intensity, as well as their strong capacity for processing information, generating original ideas, and comprehensively synthesizing ideas and solutions (Clark, 2007; Davis et al. 2011). Finally, service learning is an area were gifted learners are provided the opportunity be creative with their ideas. In service learning students can find a need in the community and find a method to assist. Because many gifted learners have high levels of empathy this suits them well. Terry (2008) noted that service learning can help gifted learners reach their creative potential as they seek solutions to societys problems, while also assisting them in their journey toward self-actualization. There are many methods that creativity and diversity can be brought into a multicultural classroom. With gifted students choice and variety is important so that the student remains engaged. The gifted learners needs will drive much of the instruction. This is just a few of the ideas that would work in a social studies classroom in particular. As with all things creativity, curriculum and enrichment are the key to keeping students engaged with gifted learners.

Behavior Problems in Schools Due to Lack of Discipline Essay -- Educat

Parents and students seldom dispute the disciplinary actions of school authorities up until the late 1960s. Schools are a place considered to provide instruction, instill good value, and inspire the morals of our nation (Arum 60). The courts decided that it was important to give teachers and school administrators’ authority over student behavior. The authority initiated from the English common law concept of in loco parentis which means in place of the parent. This law allowed parents to give school personnel a given amount of control over their children when they place their children in school (Yell 8). This gave administrators and teachers the ability to guide, correct, and discipline in an orderly and effective learning environment while maintaining practical control of students as they do their job teaching. Loco parentis implies that teachers and administrators have a responsibility to see that school order is maintained by requiring students to obey reasonable rules and commands, ensure others rights are respected, and conduct themselves in a safe and orderly manner while at school (Yell 8). Students are supposed to know what behaviors are acceptable or forbidden. They need to be accountable if they refuse to comply with reasonable school rules by behaving in prohibited ways. Holding the students accountable, means the violators will be subject to disciplinary measures or consequences. As students civil rights revolution evolved, and the increase of these rights emerged, parents and students, began to question, undermine, and challenge school disciplinary practices in court with the help of lawyers in the public’s interest. The timeframe for drastic school discipline changes began around 1969. The Supreme Court ruled how... ..., Barry A. "School Discipline: â€Å"Is There a Crisis in Our Schools?" Australian Journal of Social Issues 35.1 (2000): 73-86. EBSCO MegaFILE. EBSCO. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. Jackson, Toby. "Getting Serious About School Discipline." Public Interest 133 (1998): 68+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. Jost, Kenneth. "Student Rights." CQ Researcher 19.21 (2009): 501-524. CQ Researcher. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. Wintour, Patrick, and Nicholas Watt. "Gove promises to end 'no touch' rules for teachers: Government's 'new deal' in the classroom on eve of Tory conference.† The Guardian. 2 Oct. 2010. ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. Yell, Mitchell L., and Michael E. Rozalski. "The Impact of Legislation and Litigation on Discipline and Student Behavior in the Classroom." Preventing School Failure 52.3 (2008): 7-16. EBSCO MegaFILE. EBSCO. Web. 19 Nov. 2010.

Analysis of Sporstwear

Case I. COMPETITION HITS SPORTSWEAR GROUP’S PROFIT 1. Explain why the sportswear industry in JJB operates may be considered an example of monopolistic competition. Textile Intelligence Reports in 2007 indicate that the UK sportswear market was estimated to have a value of ? 3. 65 bn (US$6. 72 bn) in 2006. The reason behind is that, purchase levels are high. Sportswear items are purchased by almost 90% of people under 35 years of age, and by 76% of the population as a whole according to the research. UK sportswear industry can be considered a monopolistic competition in the sense that there are only about four leading sportswear retailers in the United Kingdom: JJB Sports, Blacks Leisure. John David Group and Sports World. The dominant player in the market is JJB sportswear given the number of outlets and stores it operates 450 stores, the closest is JDB by around 300 stores. Given the wide gap, JJB at some point has control of the control of the entire market sales and distribution and posed a barrier of entry. [pic] Illustration from: http://www. ized. co. uk/current/leisure/2004_5/111004_map. htm Given the above, characteristic of a monopolistic competition exist in this industry. The characteristic of monopolistic market is further expanded on Question 2. In this case of UK sportswear market structure is a pure monopoly. There are quite a number of sellers in the industry and therefore many close product substitutes in existence but nevertheless firms like JJB retain some mar ket power. 2. How does the monopolistic market structure exemplified in the article differ from perfect competition? Below are two comparable sets that differentiate monopolistic market from perfect competition: |Perfect competition |Monopolistic competition | |Many sellers – |Single seller – | |Each firm is relatively small compared to the overall size of the |Monopoly exists when a specific firm has sufficient market/industry | |market. This provides assurance that no single firm can gain control |control over a particular product or service and able to determine | |over price or quantity of the entire market or industry. If one firm |significantly the terms of quality and price by which all buyers will | |decides to increase its output or shut production, the market is |have access to [similar to JJB case] | |unaffected. The market price does not change and there is no distinct | | |change in the quantity purchased or exchanged in the industry. | |Identical / â€Å"homogeneous† products sold by all firms – |Unique product – | |Each firm in a perfectly competitive market sells an identical |For a monopoly to exits, there should be a unique product. Monopoly | |product, they are not perfectly the same but the buyers will not |lacks in providing a practicable substitute goods. | |distinguish any difference. Each competitive firm produces a good that| | |is a perfect substitute for the product of every other firm in the | | |same industry. | | |Price Taker – | | |As a result not one can control market price. If one tries to charge a| | |higher price, then buyers would immediately switch to other cheaper |Price Maker- | |competitor goods that are perfect substitutes. |Since there is no competition, prices are set to maximize profits. | | |However in order to increase sales, prices are reduced by the firm. |Low-Entry/Exit Barriers – |High Barriers of Entry/Exit – | |There are no restrictions, government regulations. Each can do a |There is an assurance of sufficient control and dominant presence due | |start-up cost according to their own resources as long as their output|to a number of assorted reasons for barriers to entry: (a) required | |can perfectly compete and match competitor’s quality and price. government license or franchise as monopoly is often times regulated | | |(b) existing patents and copyrights and (c) high start-up cost needed | |Perfect Information – |Specialized Information – | |As mentioned in point 2, one firm cannot sell its g ood at a higher |Commonly characterized by control of information. Monopolistic firm | |price than other firms. This follows that buyers are completely aware|held exclusively information like a secret recipe, formula or unique | |of sellers' prices. Each firm also has complete information about the |method or technology or production which is often protected by | |prices charged by other sellers. This means that it would be unlikely |patents, copyrights, or trademarks. This also creates legal barriers | |for them to charge less than the current market price. Perfect |to entry. | |knowledge also extends to technology. All perfectly competitive firms | | |have access to the same production techniques. There is a remote | | |possibility that a competitive firm can produce its output faster, | | |better, or cheaper because of special knowledge of information. | | |Nicholson, Walter (2005) | | [pic] Also, For a competitive firm, price equals marginal cost. P = MR = MC †¢ For a monopoly firm, price exceeds marginal cost. P ; MR = MC 3. In the long run, are firms better off operating in monopolistic competition or in perfectly competitive markets? Long-run effects of increasing competition in the monopolistically competitive industry: In the long run, a monopolistically competitive firm will make zero economic profit. However, due to influence in the market it can most of the time raises prices without losing customers but to deflect new entrants, it can lower its prices and leverage on customer loyalty. This means that a firm making profits in the short run will break even in the long run because demand will decrease and average total cost will increase. Also means that a monopolistic firm's demand curve is downward sloping, in contrast to perfect competition, which has a perfectly elastic demand schedule. See illustration in item #2. Long-run position of a firm in a perfectly competitive industry: In the long run positive profit can not be sustained as there is always arrival of new firms or expansion of existing competitive firms. This causes the demand curve of individual firm to shift downward and prices to go downward as well. This means that at the same time the average revenue and marginal revenue curve also points downward. Bottom line, in the long run similar to monopolistically competitive industry, the firms in perfect competition in the long run will also make a normal profit. The horizontal demand curve will touch its average total cost curve at its lowest point Conclusion: When the long-run average cost exceeds long-run marginal cost, JJB’s output is not at the minimum point on long-run average cost curve. JJB can sell sportswear at a lower price in the long run and by taking advantage of economies of scale, such as price discounts. Therefore is not much difference between monopolistically competitive firms vs. Long-run position of a firm in a perfectly competitive industry. The difference lies mainly on the product (homogenous vs. unique) and influence in the market. 4. JJB states that their â€Å"profit margins were hit by a vigorous promotional campaign launched in October and a Christmas/New Year sale†. Illustrate how the promotional campaign is likely to affect their profit margins. Before the promotional campaign: [pic] †¢ Similar to a competitive firm, a monopoly maximizes profit by producing the quantity at which marginal cost and marginal revenue are equal †¢ Above graph is the scenario of JJB prior to price promotional campaign to ward off growing competition. After the promotional price campaign: [pic] †¢ During the promotional campaign, the price maybe less than average cost causing the decline in JBB’s profit. †¢ This gives no incentive for JJB to reduce cost. References: McTaggart, Findlay and Parkin (2007), Economics (5th ed. ) Pearson Education Australia Publisher Nicholson, Walter (2005) Microeconomic Theory: Basic Principles and Extensions 9th edition, Ceneage Learning India Pvt Ltd Publisher PERFECT COMPETITION, CHARACTERISTICS, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, [Online], Available: http://www. AmosWEB. com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2009. [Accessed: September 12, 2009] MONOPOLY, CHARACTERISTICS, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, [Online], Available: http://www. AmosWEB. com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2009. Accessed: September 12, 2009] Antony Davies & Thomas Cline (2005). â€Å"A Consumer Behavior Approach to Modeling Monopolistic Competition†. Journal of Economic Psychology 26: 797–826 [pic] ———————– Average Total cost e d [pic] c Marginal Revenue Marginal cost Demand Revenue Costs and 0 QMAX Quantity Total cost Average Price Demand Price 0 Quantity of Output Price 0 Monopolist†™s Demand Curve’ Competitive Firm’s Demand Curve Demand Quantity of Output Average total cost Marginal cost Demand Price Loss 0 Quantity Price Promotion Total cost Average Profit

Canadian Culture Essay

Canada is located in the northern portion of the continent of North America, extending, in general, from the 49th parallel northward to the islands of the Arctic Ocean. Its eastern and western boundaries are the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans respectively. Its land area totals 3,851,809 square miles (9,976,185 square kilometers). The easternmost portion of the country is a riverine and maritime environment, consisting of the provinces of Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. The central portion of the country, in its southern areas, is primarily boreal forest (the provinces of Ontario and Quebec). This forest region extends across the entire country from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains through to the Atlantic coast, and is dominated by coniferous trees. These variations have had important social and cultural effects. The largest segment of the population resides in the central Carolinian region, which has the richest and most varied agricultural land and, because the Great Lakes waterway system dominates the central portion of the country, is also where most of the major manufacturing is located. The savanna or prairie region is more sparsely populated, with several large urban centers in a network across the region, which is dominated by grain farming, cattle and other livestock production, and more recently, oil and natural gas extraction. The two coastal regions, which have some agricultural production, are best characterized by the dominance of port cities through which import and export goods move. In the northern section of the center of the country, also sparsely populated, resource extraction of minerals and lumber, has predominated. The effect of this concentration of the population, employment, and productive power in the central region of the country has been the concentration of political power in this region, as well as the development over time of intense regional rivalries and disparities in quality of life. Equally important, as employment in the center came to dominate gross national production, immigration has tended to flow into the center. This has created a diverse cultural mix in the central region of the country, while the prairie and the eastern maritime region have stabilized ethnically and culturally. The consequence of these diverse geographies has been the development of a rhetoric of regional cultures: Prairie, Maritime, Central, and because of its special isolation, West Coast. A final differentiation is between urban and rural. Local cultural identity is often marked by expressions of contrasting values in which rural residents characterize themselves as harder working, more honest, and more deeply committed to community cooperation, in contrast to urban dwellers [pic] Canada who are characterized by rural residents as greedy, dishonest, arrogant, and self-interested. Urban dwellers express their own identities as more modern and forward looking, more sophisticated, and more liberal in their overall social values, and perceive rural residents as conservative, overdependent on outmoded traditions, unsophisticated, and simple minded. This distinction is most explicit in Quebec, but also plays a key role in political, social, and cultural contentions in Ontario. Demography . The official population at the last census calculation, in 1996, was 29,672,000, an increase over the previous census in 1991 of about 6 percent in five years. The previous five-year increase was almost 7 percent. There has been a slowing population increase in Canada over the last several decades, fueled in part by a decline in the crude birthrate. This slowing of growth has been offset somewhat by an increase in immigration over the last two decades of the twentieth century, coupled with a slowing of emigration. Statistics Canada, the government Census management organization, is projecting a population increase of as much as 8 percent between 2001 and 2005, mostly through increased immigration. Language Canada is bilingual, with English and French as the official languages. English takes precedence in statutory proceedings outside of Quebec, with English versions of all statutes serving as the final arbiter in disputes over interpretation. As of 1996, the proportion of Canadians reporting English as their mother tongue was just under 60 percent while those reporting French as their mother tongue was slightly less than 24 percent. The percentage of native English speakers had risen over the previous decade, while that of French speakers had declined. At the same time, about 17 percent of all Canadians could speak both official languages, though this is a regionalized phenomenon. In those provinces with the largest number of native French speakers (Quebec and New Brunswick), 38 percent and 33 percent respectively were bilingual, numbers that had been increasing steadily over the previous twenty years. In contrast, Ontario, which accounts for more than 30 percent of the total population of Canada, had an English-French bilingualism rate of about 12 percent. This is in part a result of the immigration patterns over time, which sees the majority of all immigrants gravitating to Ontario, and in part because all official and commercial services in Ontario are conducted in English, even though French is available by law, if not by practice. English-French bilingualism is less important in the everyday lives of those living outside of Quebec and New Brunswick. First Nations language groups make up a significant, if small, portion of the nonofficial bilingual speakers in Canada, a fact with political and cultural importance as First Nations groups assert greater and more compelling claims on political and cultural sovereignty. The three largest First Nations languages in 1996 were Cree, Inuktitut, and Ojibway, though incomplete census data on First Nations peoples continues to plague assessments of the extent and importance of these mother tongues. Immigration and cultures Changing immigration patterns following World War II affected linguistic affiliation. In the period, from 1961 to 1970, for example, only 54 percent of immigrants had a nonofficial language as mother tongue, with more than two-thirds of this group born in Europe. Almost a quarter of them reported Italian, German, or Greek as mother tongue. In contrast, 80 percent of the 1,039,000 immigrants who came to Canada between 1991 and 1996 reported a nonofficial language as mother tongue, with over half from Asia and the Middle East. Chinese was the mother tongue of just under 25 percent, while Arabic, Punjabi, Tagalog, Tamil, and Persian together accounted for about 20 percent. In 1971, the three largest nonofficial mother tongue groups were German, Italian, and Ukrainian, reflecting patterns of non-English and non-French immigration that have remained relatively constant through most of the twentieth century. In the period ending in 1996, this had changed, with the rank order shifting to Chinese, Italian, and German. This is reflected in regional concentrations, with Italians concentrated heavily in Ontario, Germans in both Ontario and the Prairie regions, and Chinese and other Asians most heavily represented in southern Ontario and in British Columbia. A gradual decline in out-migration from Europe, coupled with political changes in China and throughout Asia, leading to increased out-migration from these areas, is changing the ethnic and linguistic makeup of Canada. It should be stressed, however, that these changes are concentrated in two or three key urban centers, while linguistic affiliation elsewhere in the country remains stable. This is likely to change in the early twenty-first century as an aging cohort of European immigrants declines and out-migration from Europe continues to decrease. These shifts will come to have increasingly important cultural effects as immigrants from Asia and, most recently, from certain areas throughout the continent of Africa, come to influence the political and social life of the core urban centers in which they settle. Symbolism. This is an area of considerable dispute in Canada, in large part because of the country’s longstanding history of biculturalism (English and French) and perhaps most importantly because of its proximity to the United States, whose symbolic and rhetorical influence is both unavoidable and openly resisted. Ethnic and cultural diversity in Canada, in which different cultural groups were expected to maintain their distinctiveness rather than subsume it to some larger national culture, which is the historical effect of the English-French biculturalism built into the Canadian confederation, means that national symbols in Canada tend to be either somewhat superficial or regionalized. There are, however, certain symbols that are deployed at both official and unofficial events and functions which are generally shared across the entire country, and can be seen as general cultural symbols, even if their uses may not always be serious. The core values that inform these symbols are cooperation, industriousness, and patience—that is, a kind of national politeness. The Canadian symbolic order is dominated by a concern for order and stability, which marks Canadian identity as something communal rather than individualistic. Canada throughout its history might best be described as a nation of nations. Two European colonial powers dominate the history of Canada and its emergence as a nation: France and Great Britain. In time Britain emerged as the dominant political and cultural force in Canada, but that emergence exemplifies the sense of compromise and cooperation on which Canadian social identity is founded. While Britain, and later English Canada, came to be and remain the most powerful part of the Canadian cultural landscape, this dominance and power exists in a system of joint cultural identity, with French Canada, in Quebec and in other parts of eastern Canada, remaining a singular and distinctive cultural entity in its own right. This complex antagonism, which has been a thread throughout Canada’s emergence as a nation, has also led to a particular kind of nation. Most important, the development of the Canadian nation, however uneven the power of the English and the French, has been characterized by discussion, planning, and compromise. The gradual opening of all of Canada to European control, and its coming together in 1867 as a national entity, was not the result of war or revolution but instead, of negotiation and reconciliation. It was an orderly transition managed almost like a business venture, through which Canada obtained a degree of sovereignty and Great Britain continued to hold Canada’s allegiance as a member of the British Empire. When, in the early 1980s Canada would take the final step towards political independence by adopting its own constitution, it would do so through negotiation as well, and again, the antagonism between English and French Canada, which resulted in the Government of Quebec refusing to sign the constitutional enabling agreement would provide both the drama of the moment, and its fundamental character, one of compromise and collaboration. Leading up to and following the emergence of Canada as an independent political state in 1867, English Canada and English identity dominated the political and cultural landscape. The remaining French presence, in Quebec and throughout the eastern part of the country, while a strong cultural entity in itself, exercised only limited influence and effect at the national level. English symbols, the English language, and the values of loyalty to the English crown prevailed throughout the nation as the core underpinnings of national identity. The dominance of English Canada in terms of national identity, especially in a federal system in which binationalism and biculturalism were enshrined in the founding legislation of the country, exercised a powerful effect on ethnic relations, but that effect was not ethnic homogenization. Instead, the dominance of English Canada served as a major locus of ongoing tension between the two national identities of Canada, a tension which, in he period from the 1960s onward, has come to be expressed in growing French-Canadian nationalism and so far unsuccessful attempts on the part of French Canada to secede from the Canadian confederation. This tension—which is built into the principles of the confederation itself, which recognizes the duality of Canadian national identity— while regularly threatening the unity of the federation, has also had a mollifying effect on ethnic divisions more generally. The main exception to this has been the relationship between the dominant Fren ch-English state and aboriginal peoples. Colonial relations with indigenous ethnic groups worldwide have often been marked by violent conquest. While violence did play a role in these relationships in Canada, more often than not aboriginal peoples simply had their ethnic and cultural identities erased. The use of forced schooling, including the removal of children from their families, for example, sought to annul aboriginal cultural identities Food in Daily Life . The agricultural and ethnic richness of Canada has led to two distinctive characteristics of everyday food consumption. The first is its scale. Canadians are â€Å"big eaters,† with meat portions in particular dominating the Canadian meal. There are generally three regular meals in a given day. Breakfast, often large and important in rural areas, but less so in urban areas, is most often not eaten in a group. Lunch, at midday, is most often a snack in urban areas, but remains a substantial meal in rural centers. Dinner, the final formal meal of the day, is also the meal most likely to be eaten by a residential group as a whole, and it is the largest and the most socially important meal of the day. It is the meal most often used as a social event or to which invitations to nonfamily members are extended, in contrast with lunch which is often, for adults, shared with coworkers. Meat plays a key role in all three of the formal meals, but with increasing importance at breakfast and dinner. Dinner should have some special, and most often, large, meat portion as its key component. Each of these three meals can be, and often are, very substantial. There are general rules concerning appropriate foods for each meal, rules that can be quite complex. For example, pork can figure in each meal, but only particular kinds of pork would be considered appropriate. Pork at breakfast may appear as bacon, or sausage, in small portions. Both of these products are made with the least valuable portion of the pig. At lunch, pork may appear in a sandwich in the form of processed meats, also made from the least valuable portion of the pig. For dinner, pork appears in large and more highly valued forms, such as roasts or hams, which require often elaborate preparation and which are presented to diners in a way that highlights their value and size. The other main feature of Canadian food is diversity. The complex ethnic landscape of Canada and the tendency of ethnic groups to retain a dual cultural orientation have meant that Canadian cuisine is quite diverse in its content, with many ethnic dishes seen as somehow quintessentially Canadian as well. Whether pizza or chow mein, cabbage rolls or plum pudding, Canadian cuisine is best characterized as eclectic rather than consistent in content. There are a small number of food items that are considered distinctively Canadian, such as maple syrup, but overall the Canadian diet is drawn from a panoply of ethnic sources. Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. Ceremonial food does not generally differ greatly in content from everyday foods. What distinguishes food in ceremonial settings, such as state dinners, is not the type of food but the amount of food served and the complexity of its presentation and consumption. Ceremonial dinners are often made up of a long list of dishes served in a rigid sequence, eaten with utensils specified for each portion, and presented in often elaborate arrangement either generally, on the table as a whole, or in the particular portions placed on each diner’s plate. The same general consideration applies to meals for more private special occasions, such as those marking important religious holidays such as Christmas. The number of discrete dishes is usually quite large, the preparation of each is often specialized and involved, and portions consumed are more often than not greater than what one would consume under other circumstances. These more private special occasion meals often involve entire extended families sharing in both preparing and eating the meal. There is another special meal worth mentioning, the potluck. Potluck† is derived from the word potlatch, a special occasion of many West Coast First Nations peoples. The potluck involves each guest preparing and bringing a dish to the event, to be shared by all the diners. The key component of this particular kind of meal is food sharing among friends as opposed to food making for family. In general, potluck meals are meals shared by friends or coworkers. They express the symbolic im portance of the meal as a part of the moral geography of social relations among nonkin, but distinguish this meal as an act of food sharing rather than an act of food preparation. That is, the potluck meal expresses a sense of community and kindness, while the family meal expresses a sense of service, duty, and family solidarity. Basic Economy. Canada is a resource rich, but land and people poor, country. While physically vast, there are geographic limitations on where people can live such that most of the population is located around the Great Lakes, and in the Saint Lawrence River Valley. This has meant, however, that the natural resources throughout the country can be exploited more fully. Key to Canada’s basic economy is its role as a resource base, not only for its own manufacturing, but for export as well. Minerals and ore, forestry products, and in particular in the twentieth century, oil and gas, have been the foundation of the Canadian economy since European conquest of the area. Farming is also key to the Canadian economy, although most of Canada’s agricultural production The single largest area of economic growth in Canada since the 1970s has been in the â€Å"service† sector, the part of the economy which provides services rather than goods for sale. r Trade. Canada exports around the world, but its most important export and import trading partner is the United States. The manufacturing and export of large equipment, and in particular farm equipment, is the second largest component of Canadian manufacturing and trade. At the same time, Canada remains a major resource exporter. In particular, Canada exports raw materials such as petro-chemi cals and oil, minerals and ores, and forestry products. Division of Labor. Labor in Canada is unevenly divided between skilled professional, skilled manufacturing, and general unskilled such as service workers. With increased manufacturing efficiency, the skilled manufacturing labor force has declined in size, though not in economic impact, while the general unskilled labor force has increased; at the same time skilled professionals—whether doctors, computer programmers, and other new economy professionals—has also increased. Access to different jobs is determined in part by education and training and in part by social networks.

The Crucible Power and Manipulation Essays

The Crucible Power and Manipulation Essays The Crucible Power and Manipulation Paper The Crucible Power and Manipulation Paper Abigail Williams is one of the major characters; she is easily established and is clearly the villain of the play. Abigail is a good liar, she can be very manipulative and overall she is a very vindictive character. Abigail is an orphan and an unmarried girl; therefore she occupies a low rung on the Puritan Salem social ladder (the only people below her are the slaves like Tituba). In the play John Proctor has an affair with Abigail Williams; however, by terminating their affair he unexpectedly stimulates her spiteful jealousy. It is for this reason that Abigail begins to manipulate the truth and abuse her power. By aligning herself, in the eyes of others, with Gods will, she gains power over the Salem society and her word becomes virtually indisputable. Abigails motivations never seemed more complex then simple jealousy and a desire to take revenge on Elizabeth Proctor (John Proctors wife), who fired Abigail as a maid from their home after she discovered that Abigail and her husband (John) were having an affair. Abigail is driven by sexual longing and desire for power. Gaining power meant that Abigail could now express withdrawn feelings and act on long-held grudges. Abigail took full advantage of the situation which was occurring in Salem by accusing Elizabeth Proctor of witch craft; hoping to have her sent to jail or even killed. Abigail was conscious of the fact that this lie would result in pure success, having made prior preparation for this charade. Such explicit evidence could not be doubted nor questioned so Abigail took this opportunity to seek revenge on Elizabeth; the woman whom she despised for being the wife of her ex-lover John Proctor, and since Elizabeth had discharged Abigail from their home after the affair was exposed, Abigail was extremely motivated to get vengeance. Moreover, at the end of Act 3, Mary Warren is defeated by Abigail and has no choice but to side with her once more. Abigail succeeds in defeating Mary Warren by again, lying and manipulating the truth. Mary stands before the court to expose the truth about how Abigail and the other girls were not in compact with the devil and that they were all lying about their convention with the devil as well. Mary also attempts to reveal that everything the girls had done and were doing was entirely pretence. However, it is not long before Abigail begins to twist and manipulate the truth. Abigail fallaciously claims that she can see Mary with the devil and that she could also feel a strong wind. Abigail pretends to feel threatened by both Mary and the devil before the court. At first Mary pleads with Abigail and asks her to put a stop to her acting; Abigail: (looking about in the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold) I- I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. (Her eyes fall on Mary Warren) Mary: (Terrified, pleading) Abby! Abigail: (Shivering visibly) It is a wind, a wind! Mary: Abby, dont do that! However when she realises that her efforts are pointless and she would be much better off lying along with the girls, she points the finger at John Proctor and tells Judge Danforth that John is in touch with the devil and that John had threatened to kill her if she did not attend court to give a testimony. Mary: (hysterically pointing at Proctor fearful of him) My name he wants my name. Ill murder you he says if my wife hangs! we must go and overthrow the court, he says! Proctor: (turning, appealing to Hale): Mr Hale! Mary: (her sobs beginning) He wake me every night, his eyes were like coals and his fingers claw my neck, and I sign, I sign Mary: (Sobbing, she rushes to Abigail) Abby, Abby, Ill never hurt you more! Furthermore, even though Abigail is unsuccessful in this attempt she still tries to abuse her power and use it to her full potential by lying to Judge Danforth that a woman, whom she believes to be Reverend Hales wife, comes to her every night threatening to kill her. However, Danforth rejects this accusation made by Abigail as he claims that it is impossible for a ministers wife to be in compact with the devil. The reasons as to why Abigail may have abused and manipulated her power throughout the play might have been the following: To take revenge on Elizabeth Proctor, to be recognized by the Salem society and more importantly to be recognized and acknowledged my John Proctor. A further character in the play who also abused her power was Tituba. Tituba was Reverend Parriss West-Indian slave originally from Barbados. Tituba initially agreed to perform voodoo at Abigails request and lead the other girls to dance around a fire in the forest, at the beginning of the play. Tituba, whose status is lower than that of anyone else in the play by virtue of the fact that she is black, manages to deflect blame of herself by confessing apologetically and then condemning others who she claimed were also in touch with the devil. Not only did Tituba abuse her power but she succeeded in manipulating the situation by lying to Parris about her session with the devil. Tituba manages to rise even as a black slave who was substandard when she obtains a voice; this voice gives her power as well as control over the situation.

Impossible Nest Pas Français

Impossible N'est Pas Franà §ais The French expression impossible nest pas franà §ais is actually a proverb, equivalent to theres no such thing as cant or simply nothing is impossible. In French, you should never say that something is impossible, because, according to the proverb,  impossible isnt even a French word. Likewise, in English, you should never say that you cant do something because the concept of cant doesnt exist. In other words, nothing is impossible and there isnt anything you cant do. It would make a good motivational poster in either language (if youre into that kind of thing). Expression: Impossible nest pas franà §aisPronunciation: eh(n) puh seebl nay pa fra(n) sayMeaning: Theres no such thing as cantLiteral translation: Impossible isnt FrenchRegister: normal Example Tout le monde mavait dit que cà ©tait impossible  ; moi, je leur ai rà ©pondu qu «Ã‚  impossible nest pas franà §ais  Ã‚ » et puis je lai fait. Everyone told me you cant do that; I told them that theres no such thing as cant and then I did it.