Marketing Plan for a Mobile Application Business Plan Coursework

Marketing Plan for a Mobile Application Business Plan - Coursework Example There is extensive requirement of a holistic time management applications in the market, which Personal Time Manager would be able to fulfill. It would be able to assist people to plan out their official and personal activities (Blythe, 2009). Apart from managing the office projects, the time management apps would be also helpful in tracking progress and reminding the user, whether his/ her daily goals are met or not. A single app capable of managing, tracking and reminding every detail would be surely a unique selling proposition (USP) for the company. Moreover, this app would be able to grab the customer base of those apps which do not have multiple usages. This section would be including a comprehensive analysis of the marketing plan for Personal Time Manager. Aspects like market segment, target customers, competitors, buyers, and strategies would be also included in the domain of this marketing plan. 5.1 Marketing Segmentation Market segmentation is a part of the marketing strate gy which assists in segregating the consumers in homogeneous groups based on their needs, preferences, and other criteria. Though there are many products for which segmentation is not required because these are manufactured for the mass, but in this case the product or service is a paid time management application for Smartphone users, such as for customers using Iphone, Android based phones, Mac or iPad. Segmenting the market would assist the company to choose and identify the segment that they want to target for their product or service. However, users of mobile applications can be segregated on the basis of their age, gender, income level, as well as usage (Brassington and Pettitt, 2007). The users or customers can be segregated on the basis of their income level, need for time management, and frequency of usage. Income level is considered because generally students do not prefer to buy apps for mobile phones. They rather download freeware from internet; while professional prefer to have paid services because they find them secure, original and convenient. Further, they also extensively require time management apps to fit in every function within scheduled time. The frequency of usage in such cases is high. Even companies buy such apps for their employees, and it is used consistently in the organizations for scheduling daily operational functions (Buono, and Savall, 2007). 5.2 Competitor Analysis The market of mobile applications is extremely competitive because there is abundant availability of mobile apps. Even when there are various freeware in the market, there is a wide user base for paid time management and productivity apps. In such a scenario, Personal time Manager will face difficulty in the market (Evans, Ahmad, and Foxall, 2009). Personal Time Manager would face competitors like Microsoft OneNote, SmartTime, Microsoft CloudOn, OmniFocus, SpringPad, Wunderlist 2, Google QuickOffice Pro HD, MediaFire, Astrid tasks, Google Docs, Evernote, Remember t he Milk, Any. DO, Toggl Online Timer, TeamWeek, Spotify, Checklist Wrangler, Shopper, Remind You, Things, and many more (Mobi Thinking, 2013). Most of these applications assist the mobile users to keep track of their time, tasks, documents and online files, but none of them can claim to be

Ernest Hemingway Essay Example for Free

Ernest Hemingway Essay Ernest Miller Hemingway was considered one of the great American authors of the 20th century. Hemingways unique style of writing set him apart from other authors of this time and of today. He influenced many generations of authors with his style of using powerful, precise words. He used few adjectives, simple verbs, and short sentences in his works. Hemingway believed that his writing should be based on knowledge that he had acquired on a particular subject through his own personal life. In a passage from Hemingways Death in the Afternoon, he wrote If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. This is in fact why Hemingway wrote most of his novels and stories in the first person point of view. Hemingway was also known for the dialogue he wrote between his characters. This allowed the reader to see his characters emotions and inner thoughts. Ernest Hemingways style challenged readers to look below the surface for the meaning of his words. This was known as the Iceberg Theory because the tip of an iceberg is the only visible portion above the sea while the largest part is far below the sea. The Hemingway hero, a male character who faces violence and destruction with courage, and the Hemingway code, unemotional behavior in difficult and dangerous situations, were also trademarks of Hemingways style. To better understand Ernest Hemingway as an author, one must first look at Hemingway as a person. Ernest Hemingway was born in 1899 in Illinois. As a young boy, Hemingway enjoyed hunting and fishing at the family cabin in rural Michigan. These outings allowed him to gain appreciation for Mother Nature, and to look for adventure in many parts of the world. This love of the outdoors was reflected in many of his writings, such as The Green Hills of Africa published in 1935. During Hemingways high school years, he was editor of the school newspaper. This was the beginning of his writing career. Shortly after graduation, Hemingway went into battle during World War I, where he was an ambulance driver. He became injured and returned to Illinois where he landed a job with the Toronto Star. He became a war correspondent, moved to Paris, and got the opportunity to interview many European political leaders, such as Mussolini. These two events influenced Hemingway to write his first best-seller, A Farewell to Arms, in 1929. Hemingways job, a reporter and journalist, required him to write short and to-the-point articles, which was how he wrote as an author. In 1929, this style of writing led Hemingway to write and publish his first work, Three Stories and Ten Poems. Hemingway the author was born. Ernest Hemingway was married four times. The first two marriages failed because Hemingway was unhappy, the third failed because his wife was unhappy, and the fourth continued until the end of Hemingways life. Hemingway never had a female as the main character in his works. In 1939, Hemingways father committed suicide after battling high blood pressure and diabetes for many years. The painful experience of his fathers death influenced the novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls. Hemingway moved to Cuba in 1945 where he wrote The Old Man and the Sea, a novel about an old fisherman who battled a giant marlin and the sea. This novel won Hemingway a Pulitzer Prize. In 1954, this novel also won Ernest Hemingway the Nobel Prize for Literature. He could not attend the ceremonies because of injuries he received in a near fatal plane crash. Hemingway was forced to move back to the United States in 1960 because of the communist movement led by Fidel Castro. Hemingways health began to deteriate. His injuries from the plane crash prevented him from enjoying his love for the outdoors and his love for writing. Hemingway sank into a state of depression and shot himself, just as his father had done some years earlier. Hemingway had several unfinished works, such as The Garden of Eden and A Moveable Feast, which were published to satisfy the reading public who longed for more of his great style of writing. Hills Like White Elephants and A Clean Well-Lighted Place were two short stories written by Ernest Hemingway during his career as an author. They both show Hemingways ability to entertain the reader with his short, simple well-known style, along with a bit of Hemingways personal beliefs and life. They are short on words, as a journalist would write, but not on the themes, that Hemingway the author wanted to convey to the reader. Hills Like White Elephants was a story about a girl and an American male who were discussing the fate of their unborn child. The story took place in a bar or cafe in Spain. Hemingway made the reader look for the true meaning of the story starting with the title by using symbolism. The story had nothing to do with hills or white elephants, but Hemingways choice of words and his use of dialogue between the two people soon guided the reader to realize that the title represented the real problem being dealt with by the girl and the American. The hills represented the two choices, or decisions, the girl had to make, either keep the baby alive in her womb or have an abortion. The hills might also have represented the difficulties of relationships. One hill is described as fields of grain and trees, or fertile, while the other is described as having no shade and no trees, or barren. The white elephant symbolized the mystery of what life had to offer, or something that nobody wantedthe baby. The dialogue used between the girl and the American showed the reader that the relationship was strained, Just because you say I wouldnt have doesnt prove anything. The American also tried to get the girl to see things his way by saying that the abortion he wanted her to have is perfectly simple. The story was typical of Hemingways Iceberg Theory. There was more going on in the story than just a conversation at a bar. The story was also a bit different from most of Hemingways other works. He seemed to have made the girl more superior than the male, more like a Hemingway hero, and also allowed her to display the Hemingway code, I feel fine. , even though she was faced with a big decision in her life-one that could change it no matter what she chose. A Clean Well-Lighted Place was a story about an old man, a young waiter, and an old waiter. This story also took place in a bar in some Spanish speaking country. The story dealt with the light inside the cafe and the darkness inside the old man. The cafe was a place the old man could escape the darkness, boredom, and nothingness-the Nada, of his life. It is well lit and represented a place the old man could seek comfort. Hemingway used this character to demonstrate that darkness, or death, awaits us all. Again, He used dialogue to let the reader see how the characters emotionally felt. The young waiter was aggravated by the old mans presence and said, I wish he would go home. Hemingway did not give the characters in this short story names because that was not necessary information for the reader. The reader only needed to feel the ideas in the story, Hemingway believed that it was not his name that was important but his words in his works. His concise wording gave the reader a chance to see his characters personalities. The young waiter stated that An old man is a nasty thing. which showed the reader that he had very little respect for the aging. During Hemingways final years, he resembled the old man in the cafe. Both were depressed and Hemingway wrote that he tried to commit suicide. The only difference between them was the old man did not succeed and Hemingway did. This story was also typical of his Iceberg Theory. There was much more going on in the bar than just people drinking. The old man also demonstrated the Hemingway hero and the Hemingway code. He faced death with courage and tried to show little or no emotion about his life ending. Many criticized Ernest Hemingway for his personal and sometimes less than perfect lifestyle, but very few critics can find fault in his literary works. They are works of a brilliant author who was very skilled at what he loved to dowrite. According to the July 7, 1999 issue of Time Magazine, Ernest Hemingway deserved the Nobel Prize for Literature and the trumpets of fame that went with this prestigious honor. He received this award for his best selling novel, The Old Man and the Sea. He broke the bounds of American writing, enriched U. S. Literature ?. and showed new ways to new generations of writers. He was only one of five other American born writers to receive this honor. It also stated that Hemingway wrote this novel over 200 times before he felt it was ready for publication and that perhaps he was his own best critic. The words Hemingway wrote were described as ?. an organic being of their own. Every syllable counts toward a stimulating, entrancing experience of magic and fibrous and athletic, colloquial and fresh, hard and clean. Ernest Hemingway was referred to as an artist and brilliant with whatever words he chose to paint with. Ernest Hemingway was a very interesting person and an enriching author. I enjoyed reading and studying the two short stories, Hills Like White Elephants and A Clean Well-Lighted Place. His style of using dialogue, symbolism, and concise wording made these works a challenge? but a challenge I liked. Hemingway worked timelessly to perfect his writing so that it could be appreciated by readers of all ages? even those of us who thought literature was not for them. Bibliography Ernest (Miller) Hemingway. DISCovering Authors. Online Edition. Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 12 April 2007 http://galenet. galegroup. com/servlet/SRC Hunt, Douglas. The Riverside Anthology of Literature. Dallas: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Kramer, Victor A. Hemingway, Ernest. World Book Online Reference Center. 2007. 12 April 2007. Kunitz, Stanley J. Twentieth Century Authors. New York: The H. W. Wilson Company, 1955. Segall, Mary T. Portals. Philadelphia: Harcourt Brace College, 1999.

The Powers of the Core Executive

The Powers of the Core Executive My chosen question shall see me discuss how the reform of the British State affected the power of the core executive. I shall be focusing on key themes such as looking into the concept of the core executive and how its seen to have traditionally operated, including the Westminster model. I shall discuss debates into the relationships and powers within the core executive, focusing directly on Thatcher v Blair. I will go onto discussing the reforms within the British State, explaining what they are and how they operate, and how they affect the core executive. I shall look at the different perspectives of the contemporary core executive by looking into the hollowed out and differentiated policy systems. Lastly I shall look at contingency core executive model before concluding. ******Concept of the core executive and traditional perspectives of its operation ie Westminster model†¦.. What is the core executive? The core executive is at the very centre of British government. It covers the very complex web of institutions, networks and practices surrounding the Prime Minister, cabinet, cabinet minister as well as committees and the less formalised groups. Smith.J.M (1999). It focuses on roles not just structures; also it has to be ready to react at all times as certain incidents such as the London riots would have caused a reaction within the core executive. This is known as fire-fighting, managing a crisis suddenly sometimes a matter of life and death. POLITICS AND GOVERNENCE pg 96. The treasury is always within the core executive, as every time it agrees to commit resources to a specific area its denying its resources elsewhere. Therefore the treasury maintains a structure of balance within the core executive. POLITICS AND GOVERNENCE IN UK PG 116. Westminster Model is seen to be an organising material, one which is built on the assumption that there is parliamentary sovereignty. It is argued that the Westminster Model was failing due to the reform of the government and as a member of the European Union. Smith.J.M (1999). It is a dominant figure over the central government, with its governing party mainly in the House of Commons. The main characteristics of the Westminster model apart from parliamentary sovereignty are that the cabinet ministers have collective responsibility, party discipline maintained and voters are offered a choice between parties, GOVERNENCE PG 48. ******Debate over relationships and power in core executive- cabinet v PM v Presidential style government, maybe utilising Thatcher and Blair example†¦.. There is an on-going debate over relationships and powers within the core executive. Along with this are the different styles of government which every leader adopts to their own personal style. The main figure head is the Prime Minister, in which all policies have to be passed and accepted before they take their place within society. The Prime Minister also represents the country during international debates and relations. The Cabinet is another prominent figure within the core executive it tends to consist of around 20-23 ministers, each is appointed by the Prime Minister themselves. The Cabinet helps with government business such as public expenditure and constitutional issues. The Cabinet is strongly supported by the Civil Service. McEwan.N (2004). The Prime Minister V Cabinet debate has gone on for many years and shall continue to be seen as a battle between two important figure bodies. Relating strongly to the circumstances and the resources that are available at the time, may determine who may take the leading role. Prime Ministers are dependent on the support of the cabinet and without the appropriate team work wouldnt be a successful unit. Blair V Margaret Thatcher. Its believed that the resignation of Margaret Thatcher was forced upon her as she failed to recognise her dependency on colleagues within the core executive. This was due to her ignoring pleas and views from colleagues during a recession and unpopularity in the polls. During 1980 and 1990 Thatcher was seen to be a strong figure but this started to deteriorate rapidly causing more resignations under her such as John Major. THE CORE EXEC IN BRITAIN PG 102. Tony Blair did follow some traits left behind by Margaret Thatcher, but he also introduced significant changes to the way in which the government was run. Blair and Thatcher between them are the two longest serving prime ministers in the last hundred years. Thatcher when in government instituted reforms within British government, as well as opening up economic and global competition. BRITISH POLITICS PG 302. *****Reforms in the British state, what are they? What has been their effect? How have they affected the core executive There have been many reforms within the British state over the years, with each prime minister bringing in reforms that they believe are needed at that time. Margaret Thatcher had big involvement in the reform of the central government when she was in power. Thatcher wanted to reduce the size of the state by reducing the amount of civil servants. This was mainly due to privatisation; thatcher believed that by reforming the central government it would become more efficient and better value for money. CORE EXEC PG 200. With many new reforms being introduced this brings implications to the core executive such as resources and relationships, and how they are utilised. Thatcher wanted to increase the power of authority and was committed to ensure that the reforms she brought in wouldnt be easy to reverse. CORE EXEC PG 212. Tony Blair was known to be trying to adjust the way in which the core executive was set up, after Margaret Thatcher. With the British state being a parliamentary one the core executive works within a parliamentary framework. The core executive has lost power, due to the reform and the movement of powers within the core executive. It is believed by Rhodes that the differentiated polity has had a great impact on the core executive making it more about co-ordination rather than direction of power. PAGE242. A key issue that comes out of this is that the ministers within the core executive can identify what needs to be done to improve British society, but its whether they have the approp riate resources to do so. *****Different perspectives of the contemporary core executive ie Rhodes hollowed out model and differentiated polity and Richards and Smiths dependency/resource exchange and contingency core executive model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ There are different perspectives of the contemporary core executive; I am focusing on Rhodess hollowed out and differentiated polity models. Rhodess Differentiated Polity model is one of the most complex attempts at providing a contemporary organising perspective on the British system of government. There are many key strands to the differentiated polity including policy networks, power dependence, governance, intergovernmental relations and a hollowed out state. GOV AND P.P IN UK PG 20. The hollowing out of the state is the most important aspect of the differentiated polity model. The hollowing out of the state summarises many changes which have taken place in the British government. GOV AND P.P IN UK PG 26. Rhodes 1997 states that central government authority has been reduced and dispersed:- Upwards to the supranational level. Outwards through privatisation and market testing. (Core executive.) Downwards, through the creation of quangos and agencies. British government is seen to be hollowed out from the top as a result of our membership with the European Union. A few factors that are seen to be responsible for hollowing out are globalisation, Europeanization, internationalism and privatisation. Privatisation can benefit the government such as it helps raise a lot of money, which can be then spent on public expenditure. It also encourages private investments as well as reducing power of trade unions. Globalisation and its causes are hard to identify and it has many levels. Consequently its brought down to economic, social, political and scientific developments in which people associate globalisation. GOV PUB POL UK PG 126, Prime Ministers and Cabinet officials believe that globalisation has changed politics and made it problematic. ******Conclusion†¦..

Ernest Hemingways Big Two-Hearted River and Sigmund Freud Essay

Ernest Hemingway's Big Two-Hearted River and Sigmund Freud Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"iceberg theory† suggests that the writer include in the text only a small portion of what he knows, leaving about ninety percent of the content a mystery that grows beneath the surface of the writing. This type of writing lends itself naturally to a version of dream-interpretation, as this story structure mirrors the structure of the mind—the restrained, composed tip of the unconscious and the vast body of subconscious that is censored by the ego. Psychoanalyzing Hemingway’s fiction is double-sided—we must first analyze the manifest and latent contents that he probably intended, i.e., â€Å"This fishing trip will be a metaphor for a sexual act,† and then we must consider the manifest and latent content that he probably did not intend, but that arose from his own subconscious in the transference of writing, i.e., perhaps within thirty pages of intentionally masturbatory imagery, Hemingway was actually expressing his sexual repression rather than glorifying his manhood, as many literary critics in the past have claimed. Whether or not the manifest content is intentional, however, Hemingway’s precise and abundant revisions serve as a very effective tool for presenting strings of images and actions that are concrete and straightforward but not always fully developed, comparable to the strings of images in a dream. Through a sort of dream-interpretation, we uncover a new reading of Hemingway’s â€Å"Big Two-Hearted River† and we discover the techniques of dream-work, such as condensation and omission, enacted in art. From start to finish, â€Å"Big Two-Hearted River† proves to fall almost perfectly under Freud’s symbolism theories. In the first sentence a... ... readers who will not interpret his work psychoanalytically, and who will possibly find a new variation on their selves through reading the oedipal complex presented in the latent content of â€Å"Big Two-Hearted River.† For those reading psychoanalytically, however, the piece is brimming with latent meaning. Whether Hemingway understood his transference, or not, cannot be determined, and shouldn’t be determined, but one cannot help but wonder whether he resisted the analyst who questioned a title as phallic as â€Å"Big Two-Hearted River.† Biblography Freud, Sigmund. Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1966. Freud, Sigmund. â€Å"On Universal Tendency to Debasement in Sphere of Love.† Therapy and Technique. Collier Books, 1970. Hemingway, Ernest. â€Å"Big Two Hearted River.† In Our Time. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1970.

Fast food restaurant Essay

The pace of modern life is fast, and nowhere is it faster than in America. We want fast transportation, fast communication, fast computers, fast photos, fast music, fast repairs, and fast service from the businesses we patronize. It is from the last of these that we got fast food. At first, it was a matter of fast service. Fountain and Fast Food Service was the title of a trade magazine, which published statements like this from 1951: â€Å"The partners have become old hands at spotting the type of conventioneer that will patronize their fast food service. † Gradually service disappeared, and in 1954 we find fast food by itself in the title â€Å"Fountain and Fast Food. † Incidentally, the trade magazine renamed itself Fast Food by 1960. In February of that year, the magazine noted, â€Å"Delicate scallops are really fast food†¦ because they come ready to cook. † And in July it remarked, â€Å"Fast food type restaurants do the lion’s share of business for breakfast and noon meals eaten out. † The fast food revolution was a quick success throughout the land, and two decades later it was conquering the world. â€Å"The U. S.outcry against infiltration from the south is matched in vehemence by our neighbors’ outcry against fast-food imperialism and the gradual Americanization of their own societies. † noted the Christian Science Monitor in 1982. Thanks to fast food, families that formerly ate home cooking now eat out or bring back take-home fast food in record numbers. Its virtue is speed, not quality. Its less than ideal nutritional value may have influenced the coining of another term twenty years later, one that also puts a four-letter epithet in front of food: junk food (1973). Gale Encyclopedia of US History: Fast FoodTop. Home > Library > History, Politics & Society > US History Encyclopedia Fast food is what one eats in the vast majority of America’s restaurants. The term denotes speed in both food preparation and customer service, as well as speed in customer eating habits. The restaurant industry, however, has traditionally preferred the designation â€Å"quick service. † For hourly wage earners—whether factory hands or store clerks—take-out lunch wagons and sit-down lunch counters appeared at factory gates, streetcar stops, and throughout downtown districts in the late nineteenth century. For travelers, lunch counters also appeared in railroad stations nationwide. Fried food prevailed for its speed of preparation, as did sandwich fare and other fixings that could be held in the hand and rapidly eaten, quite literally, â€Å"on the run. † Novelty foods, such as hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, came to dominate, first popularized at various world’s fairs and at the nation’s resorts. Soft drinks and ice cream desserts also became a mainstay. Thus, â€Å"fast food† also came to imply diets high in fat and caloric intake. By the end of the twentieth century, the typical American consumed some three hamburgers and four orders of french fries a week. Roughly a quarter of all Americans bought fast food every day. The rise of automobile ownership in the United States brought profound change to the restaurant industry, with fast food being offered in a variety of â€Å"drive-in† restaurant formats. Mom-and-pop enterprise was harnessed, largely through franchising, in the building of regional and national restaurant chains: Howard Johnson’s, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, and Taco Tico. Place-product-packaging was brought forcefully to the fore; each restaurant in a chain variously shares the same logo, color scheme, architectural design motif, and point-of-purchase advertising, all configured in attention-getting, signlike buildings. Typically, fast food restaurants were located at the â€Å"roadside,† complete with driveways, parking lots, and, later, drive-through windows for those who preferred to eat elsewhere, including those who ate in their cars as â€Å"dashboard diners. † Critical to industry success was the development of paper and plastic containers that kept food hot and facilitated â€Å"carry-out. † Such packaging, because of the volume of largely nonbiodegradable waste it creates, has become a substantial environmental problem. In 2000, Mcdonalds—the largest quick-service chain—operated at some 13,755 locations in the United States and Canada. The company’s distinctive â€Å"golden arches† have spread worldwide, well beyond North America. Abroad, fast food came to stand as an important symbol of American cultural, if not economic, prowess. And, just as it did at home, fast food became, as well, a clear icon of modernity. Historically, fast food merchandising contributed substantially to the quickening pace of American life through standardization. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, it fully embraced mass production and mass marketing techniques, reduced to the scale of a restaurant. Chains of restaurants, in turn, became fully rationalized within standardized purchasing, marketing, and management systems. Such a system depends on a pool of cheap, largely unskilled labor, the quick service restaurant industry being notorious for its low wages and, accordingly, its rapid turnover of personnel. Bibliography Jakle, John A. , and Keith A. Sculle. Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. Pillsbury, Richard. No Foreign Food: The American Diet and Place. Boulder, Colo. : Westview Press, 1998. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. —John A. Jakle Gale Encyclopedia of Food & Culture: Fast FoodTop Home > Library > Food & Cooking > Food & Culture Encyclopedia What is termed â€Å"fast food† in the United States today most commonly consists of hot, freshly prepared, and wrapped food items, served to customers across a counter or through a drive-up window. Known as both â€Å"fast food† and â€Å"quick-service food† in the restaurant industry, these items are routinely sold and delivered in an amount of time ranging from a few seconds to several minutes; they now vary widely in food type, encompassing virtually all kinds of meats, preparation methods, and ethnic cuisines. Inexpensive hamburgers and french fried potatoes are still the products most readily identified as fast food, but the list of items sold in the format continually increases. Fried fish and shellfish, hot dogs, chicken, pizza, roast beef, and pasta are commonly sold at quick-service outlets. In addition to these staples, many quick-service restaurants sell a broad menu of Americanized Mexican, Greek, and Chinese foods. Some fast-food outlets offer specialty items, such as sushi, clams, or ribs, and others even sell complete â€Å"home-cooked† meals over their counters. Though menus and delivery formats vary greatly, fast food’s chief common denominators include immediate customer service, packaging â€Å"to go,† and inexpensive pricing. The precise origins of fast food are vague, probably predating written history. Hungry people are as old as civilization itself, as are entrepreneurs eager to satisfy their hunger. Food vendors in ancient cities sold prepared items to passersby on the street. The actual foods varied greatly, depending on period and culture, but they generally comprised simple, inexpensive fare sold to people of modest means. Immigrants brought a variety of food styles to America, often preserving these for decades as a comforting connection with their ethnic past. Though many immigrant foodways were elaborate and ritualistic, most groups had one or two simple items that they consumed on a daily basis. As a rule, immigrant groups preferred their indigenous grains: corn from the Americas, rice from Asia, and wheat from Europe. Often these served as the basis for the â€Å"peasant† foods of their homelands. Pasta and flat breads came over with Italians; tortillas, beans, and tamales arrived with northbound Mexicans; and Germans brought dark breads, along with a variety of fatty sausages (which later mutated into the hot dog). Asian immigrants continued to eat rice as the basis of their diet. In the early twentieth century fast food remained primarily the fare of the masses. Vendors wheeled their pushcarts daily to factory gates, selling their wares to hungry workers. Often catering to the tastes of the particular factory’s dominant ethnic group, they charged customers pennies for basic items such as sausages, meatballs, or stew. Though popular among male industrial workers, this pushcart version of fast food never became mainstream cuisine. The urban diner was the transitional phase between the vendor’s pushcart and modern fast food. Most early diners were small restaurants, with limited seating, sometimes constructed out of converted railway carriages or streetcars. They served simple foods to working-class customers on a â€Å"short-order† basis, usually cooking each meal individually when ordered. Menus varied, but fried foods were common. Though diners often emphasized speed in delivering food, customers routinely lingered before and after eating. The hamburger still stands out as the single most important American fast food, though the precise origin of this meat sandwich is the subject of historical disagreement. People have eaten chopped beef throughout the ages, and it was long a fixture in many world cultures. The lineage of the American hamburger seems to point directly, as its name indicates, back to the German city of Hamburg. First appearing on American restaurant menus in the mid-nineteenth century, ground beef patties bore the title â€Å"hamburg steak. † By the century’s close, vendors regularly sold meatballs wrapped in slices of bread at county fairs and summer festivals. Regional legends attribute the invention of this snack to several different individuals, but its true originator remains a mystery. The Rise of Modern Fast Food Our modern image of the fast-food restaurant dates back to 1916, when Walt Anderson began selling â€Å"hamburger sandwiches† from an outdoor stand on a Wichita street corner. Anderson simply flattened a meatball and placed it between two halves of a bun. His sandwich quickly became popular, attracting long lines of hungry buyers. By 1921, Anderson had joined local insurance broker Edgar â€Å"Billy† Ingram to form the White Castle System. After opening several identical restaurants in Wichita during their first year, the partners quickly spread their business to neighboring cities, then to nine major urban areas throughout the Midwest and on the East Coast. What separated the White Castle System from earlier short-order restaurants was its very streamlined menu, comprising only hamburgers, coffee, Coca-Cola, and pie; a uniform architectural style; and strict standardization of food quality, preparation methods, and employee performance. By the close of the 1920s, White Castle’s aggressive marketing and rapid spread had made the hamburger one of the most popular foods in America. Other entrepreneurs soon noticed White Castle’s success in the hamburger business. Very closely copying White Castle’s products, architecture, and company name, competing new chains also thrived, carrying the hamburger craze across the nation to smaller cities and towns. The White Tower chain appeared in 1925, eventually challenging White Castle’s dominance in several northern cities. Krystal’s, opened in 1929 in Chattanooga, soon became the hamburger powerhouse of the southeastern states. White Castle’s hamburger sandwich, along with its many imitators, became a daily staple for many working-class Americans. It proved so successful, in fact, that by 1930 the president of the American Restaurant Association identified the fast-food hamburger as the most important food item in the nation. Hamburgers became even more a mainstream food during the 1930s. The larger restaurant chains began marketing their products to middle-class buyers, and even more Americans became burger lovers. Despite the harsh economy of the Great Depression, most fast-food chains continued to thrive, and in many cases grew considerably. Most continued selling the White Castle–style hamburger, but late in the decade the Big Boy chain spread east from California, introducing its new double-decker hamburger sandwich along the way. By the end of the Depression, America was a solidly hamburger-eating culture. After prospering in the Depression, however, the fast-food industry suffered a serious setback during World War II. Shortages of necessary foodstuffs, such as meat, sugar, tomatoes, and coffee, meant limited menu offerings and often a significant loss of business. Attempting to continue providing meals to their customers, fast-food restaurants experimented with different items that were still in abundance, including soy patties, chili, and french fried potatoes. Even more damaging than commodity shortages was the very low unemployment rate, which meant that most workers bypassed the restaurant industry in favor of higher-paying work. Adjusting to this labor shortage, chains soon replaced their all-male workforce with women and teenagers, two groups who would become their most common employees. Despite attempts to find palatable alternative foods, and despite the shifts in workforce, much of the fast-food industry was a casualty of the war; by 1945, more than half of America’s restaurants had closed down, including several of the major fast-food chains. Rebuilding the fast-food industry after the war proved a slow process. No single chain emerged to claim dominance, and little innovation occurred. Individual companies struggled to restore their prewar prosperity, and new regional chains tried to gain a foothold. Suffering the effects of escalating costs and still under the threat of continued shortages due to unstable food supplies in war-torn countries, fast-food restaurants often had to double prices to remain in business. As population shifted from America’s cities to suburbia during the 1950s, the fast-food industry quickly followed. Early chains such as White Castle and White Tower, resisting moving to the suburbs, were quickly eclipsed by upstart franchised chains. Burger King and McDonald’s outlets became common fixtures at suburban crossroads, selling burgers, fries, and shakes to hungry families. Burger King’s Jim McLamore and McDonald’s Ray Kroc each sought to build one of his restaurants in every American town, and they opened hundreds of new Burger Kings and McDonald’s each year in the 1960s. To accomplish this rapid expansion, they relied heavily on franchise investors, enforced strict product uniformity throughout their chains, and aggressively advertised in every newly opened territory. With McDonald’s and Burger King’s success, Burger Chef outlets soon appeared nearby. Arby’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Taco Bell were not far behind. By the late 1960s, fast food no longer meant just hamburger restaurants, but had diversified to include quick-service pizza, roast beef, chicken, and tacos. To give an idea of the dimensions to which the fast-food industry has grown, in 1999 Americans consumed over 26 billion pounds of beef, much of it as hamburgers. In that year McDonald’s alone had more than ten thousand restaurants in the United States, from which it grossed in excess of $13 billion in revenue. Criticism of Fast Food Despite the widespread popularity of fast food in modern American culture, critics abound. Since the 1930s, articles and books have condemned the industry, exposing allegedly poor sanitary conditions, unhealthy food products, related environmental problems, and unfair working conditions. Whether it warrants the attention or not, the fast-food industry is still regularly cited for exploiting young workers, polluting, and contributing to obesity and other serious health problems among American consumers. American beef consumption, and more specifically the fast-food hamburger industry, is often blamed for the burning of the Amazon rain forests to make way for more grazing lands for beef cattle. Early foes of fast food cited the deplorable filth of many hamburger stands, in addition to claiming that the beef ground for their sandwiches was either spoiled, diseased, or simply of low quality. In fact, many critics maintained that much of the meat used in fast-food hamburgers came from horse carcasses. The high fat content of fast food was also controversial. Despite deceptive industry claims about the high quality and the health benefits of their products, in the 1920s and 1930s concerned nutritionists warned the public about the medical dangers of regular burger consumption. This distrust and criticism of fast food continue today, extending even further to include dire warnings about the industry’s use of genetically modified and antibiotic-laden beef products. Most major chains have responded to recent attacks by prominently posting calorie and nutritional charts in their restaurants, advertising fresh ingredients, and offering alternatives to their fried foods. Despite a few more health-conscious items on the menu, fast-food chains now aggressively advertise the concept that bigger is better, offering large â€Å"super-size† or â€Å"biggie† portions of french fries, soft drinks, and milkshakes. Critics point to this marketing emphasis as a reason for an excessive and greatly increasing per-capita caloric intake among fast-food consumers, resulting in fast-growing rates of obesity in the United States. Increased litter is another problem that critics have blamed on the fast-food industry. Selling their products in paper wrappings and paper bags, early outlets created a source of litter that had not previously existed. Wrappers strewn about city streets, especially those close to fast-food restaurants, brought harsh criticism, and often inspired new local ordinances to address the problem. Some municipalities actually forced chains to clean up litter that was imprinted with their logos, but such sanctions were rare. Fast-food wrappers became part of the urban, and later suburban, landscape. Since bags and wrappers were crucial in the delivery of fast food, the industry as a whole continued to use disposable packaging, superficially assuaging public criticism by providing outside trash receptacles for the discarded paper. Years later, environmentalists again attacked the industry for excessive packaging litter, criticizing both the volume and the content of the refuse. By the early 1970s, the harshest criticisms focused more on the synthetic materials used in packaging, and less on the carelessly discarded paper. Critics derided the industry’s use of styrofoam sandwich containers and soda cups, claiming that these products were not sufficiently biodegradable and were clogging landfills. Facing mounting opposition from a growing environmental movement, most of the major chains returned to packaging food in paper wrappings or small cardboard boxes. Labor activists have criticized fast-food chains’ tendency to employ inexpensive teenage workers. Usually offering the lowest possible wages, with no health or retirement benefits, these restaurants often find it difficult hiring adults for stressful, fast-paced jobs. Many critics claim that the industry preys on teenagers, who will work for less pay and are less likely to organize. Though these accusations may have merit, the industry’s reliance on teenage labor also has inherent liabilities, such as a high employee turnover rate, which result in substantial recruiting and training costs. Companies have countered criticism about their use of teenage workers with the rationale that they offer young people entry-level work experience, teaching them: both skills and responsibility. Despite the relentless attacks, hundreds of millions of hungry customers eat fast food daily. The media constantly remind American consumers about its supposed evils. Most are conscious of the health risks from fatty, greasy meals; most realize that they are being served by a poorly paid young worker; and if they choose to ponder it, most are aware that the excessive packaging causes millions of tons of trash each year. But they continue to purchase and eat fast food on a regular basis. Fast food remains central to the American diet because it is inexpensive, quick, convenient, and predictable, and because it tastes good. Even more important, Americans eat fast food because it is now a cultural norm. As American culture homogenized and became distinctively â€Å"American† in the second half of the twentieth century, fast food, and especially the hamburger, emerged as the primary American ethnic food. Just as the Chinese eat rice and Mexicans eat tamales, Americans eat burgers. And fast food has grown even beyond being just a distinctive ethnic food. Since the 1960s, the concept has extended far beyond the food itself, with the term becoming a common descriptor for other quick-service operations, even a metaphor for many of the negative aspects of mainstream American life. Theorists and pundits sometimes use the term â€Å"fast food† to denigrate American habits, institutions, and values, referring to them as elements of a â€Å"fast-food society. † In fact, â€Å"fast-food† has become a frequently used adjective, implying not only ready availability but also superficiality, mass-produced standardization, lack of authenticity, or just poor quality. In the last two decades of the twentieth century, fast food gained additional economic and cultural significance, becoming a popular American export to nations around the world. Some detractors claim that it is even deliberately used by the United States, as a tool of cultural imperialism. The appearance of a McDonald’s or Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on the streets of a foreign city signals to many the demise of indigenous culture, replacing another country’s traditional practices and values with American materialism. In fact, the rapid spread of American fast food is probably not an organized conspiracy, rather more the result of aggressive corporate marketing strategies. Consumers in other countries are willing and able to buy fast-food products, so chains are quick to accommodate demand. Thought of around the world as â€Å"American food,† fast food continues its rapid international growth. Bibliography Boas, Max, and Steve Chain. Big Mac: The Unauthorized Story of McDonald’s. New York: Dutton, 1976. Emerson, Robert, L. Fast Food: The Endless Shakeout. New York: Lebhar-Friedman, 1979. Halberstam, David. The Fifties. New York: Villard Books, 1993. Chapter 11 discusses the origins of the McDonald’s empire. Hogan, David Gerard. Selling ’em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food. New York: New York University Press, 1997. Jakle, John A. , and Keith A. Sculle. Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. Langdon, Philip. Orange Roofs, Golden Arches: The Architecture of American Chain Restaurants. New York: Knopf, 1986. McLamore, James, W. The Burger King: Jim McLamore and the Building of an Empire. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998. Mariani, John. America Eats Out. New York: William Morrow, 1991. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Tennyson, Jeffrey. Hamburger Heaven: The Illustrated History of the Hamburger. New York: Hyperion, 1993. Witzel, Michael Karl. The American Drive-In: History and Folklore of the Drive-In Restaurant in the Car Culture. Osceola, Wisc. : Motorbooks International, 1994. —David Gerard Hogan AMG AllGame Guide: Fast FoodTop Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Games Guide Release Date: 1989 Genre: Action. Style: Maze Random House Word Menu: categories related to ‘fast food’Top Home > Library > Literature & Language > Word Menu Categories Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier For a list of words related to fast food, see: Cuisines, Meals, and Restaurants – fast food: cheap, mass-produced dishes served quickly at walk-in or drive-in outlets; convenience food Wikipedia on Answers. com: Fast foodTop Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia For other uses, see Fast food (disambiguation). A typical fast food meal in the United States includes a hamburger, french fries, and a soft drink. Pictured here are burgers from In-N-Out Burger McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut fast food restaurants in the United Arab Emirates Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for take-out/take-away. The term â€Å"fast food† was recognized in a dictionary by Merriam–Webster in 1951. Outlets may be stands or kiosks, which may provide no shelter or seating,[1] or fast food restaurants (also known as quick service restaurants). Franchise operations which are part of restaurant chains have standardized foodstuffs shipped to each restaurant from central locations. [2] Contents 1 History 1. 1 Pre-modern Europe 1. 2 United Kingdom 1. 3 United States 2 On the go 2. 1 Filling stations 2. 2 Street vendors and concessions 3 Cuisine 3. 1 Variants 4 Business 5 Employment 6 Globalization 7 Criticism 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links History.

Con Evaluation Instrument

Some say that there are pros and cons when it comes to the instruments used to evaluate a class room teacher. There is no perfect method used to evaluate a teacher. But the formative and summative evaluations are the best way to critique your teacher and give positive and negative feedback. I was able to obtain an observation form from my local school district. This was an example of a formative and summative evaluation. The form was broken up into four parts. They are as follows: Organizing Content Knowledge for Student learning, creating an Environment for Student Learning, Teaching for Student Learning and Teacher Professionalism. Most of these categories are very good. Only one needs some work. This evaluation form asked very good questions that can effectively evaluate a teacher. The first question was: Does the teacher articulate clear learning goals for the lesson that are appropriate for the students? This is crucial for students. Do they understand what is expected of them for that particular lesson? The goals should always be clear and concise and the teacher should be able to explain to the students what he/she expects of them. There were several other questions that were strong. Sections one, two and three all ask direct questions about the teacher and his/her jobs. These questions pin point the important things that go on in the classroom. The teachers’ actions in his/her classroom will be reflected positively and negatively within these questions. At the end of the form the teacher is allowed to comment on what he/she thinks about the evaluation. It is important to get feedback from the teacher that has been evaluated. They may provide explanations to why the behaved in such a manner when they were getting observed. Be it positive behaviors or negative behaviors. The last section of the evaluation: Teacher Professionalism needs to revise. This section contained four questions. Two questions ... Con Evaluation Instrument Free Essays on The Pro/Con Evaluation Instrument Some say that there are pros and cons when it comes to the instruments used to evaluate a class room teacher. There is no perfect method used to evaluate a teacher. But the formative and summative evaluations are the best way to critique your teacher and give positive and negative feedback. I was able to obtain an observation form from my local school district. This was an example of a formative and summative evaluation. The form was broken up into four parts. They are as follows: Organizing Content Knowledge for Student learning, creating an Environment for Student Learning, Teaching for Student Learning and Teacher Professionalism. Most of these categories are very good. Only one needs some work. This evaluation form asked very good questions that can effectively evaluate a teacher. The first question was: Does the teacher articulate clear learning goals for the lesson that are appropriate for the students? This is crucial for students. Do they understand what is expected of them for that particular lesson? The goals should always be clear and concise and the teacher should be able to explain to the students what he/she expects of them. There were several other questions that were strong. Sections one, two and three all ask direct questions about the teacher and his/her jobs. These questions pin point the important things that go on in the classroom. The teachers’ actions in his/her classroom will be reflected positively and negatively within these questions. At the end of the form the teacher is allowed to comment on what he/she thinks about the evaluation. It is important to get feedback from the teacher that has been evaluated. They may provide explanations to why the behaved in such a manner when they were getting observed. Be it positive behaviors or negative behaviors. The last section of the evaluation: Teacher Professionalism needs to revise. This section contained four questions. Two questions ...

Comparison Contrast on Anorexia and Bulimia essays

Comparison Contrast on Anorexia and Bulimia essays In todays society, where physical characteristics are used to measure beauty and success, people are willing to push their bodies to extremes to achieve physical perfection. As an overweight woman, I may be considered a failure of societys beauty test. However, my high self-esteem and acceptance of my body allows me to not be disturbed by what, to some, may seem as a sign of failure. Unfortunately, there are people whose desire to be accepted by society causes them to develop eating disorders. The two most common are called anorexia and bulimia (WebMD.Com Eating 1). The Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, association (ANRED), states Anorexia and bulimia affect primarily people in their teens and twenties, but clinicians report both disorders in children as young as six and individuals as old as seventy-six (ANRED Statistics 1). Anorexia and bulimia are both serious eating disorders with differences and similarities in their symptoms, diagnosis, causes, treatments and prognosis. Although anorexia and bulimia share many of the same symptoms, they also have many differences. About half of people with anorexia also have symptoms of bulimia (MayoClinic.Com 2). According to the American Anorexia Bulimia Association (AABA), some symptoms of anorexia are: excessive exercising, depression, weakness, exhaustion, constipation, and loss of menstrual period in women (AABA Anorexia 1). They also state that bulimics suffer from those symptoms as well. (AABA Bulimia 1). Although there are similarities, each disorder has its own unique characteristics. A major symptom of bulimia is binging and purging. Bulimics practice binging, eating large amounts of food at one time, and purging, causing themselves to vomit, or defecate, in an attempt to prevent weight gain (Reyes 1). Anorexics, however, restrict their diets and starve themselves in attempt to stay thin and if possible, lose more weight (&qu...

How to Publish a Book a Comprehensive Guide - Freewrite Store

How to Publish a Book a Comprehensive Guide - Freewrite Store Before you start Congratulations – you did it! You wrote a book (if you haven't yet, check out this article with 10 steps to follow). Pat yourself on the back and take a few moments to acknowledge what you’ve achieved. Okay, what next? Writing your book is just the first step in your journey to becoming a published author. It’s a journey that ends with your book in the hands (or on the device) of your audience – your readers.   Publishing has come a long way in recent years, with more options available to authors than ever before. You can choose to go down the traditional route with a publishing house, or you can self-publish your book in printed or electronic form (or both). Both processes have pros and cons, and both can be extremely successful when they’re done the right way. Whether you’ve already decided which path to take, or you’re still trying to make up your mind, here’s a helpful guide on how to publish your book. Keep reading: 10 Writing Submission Strategies to Get You Published Before you start You’re probably raring to get your book out there, but before you release it into the wild, it’s important to get it reviewed. Firstly, it’s a good idea to give it to a couple of ‘beta readers’ who are willing to give you honest, constructive feedback. They will be able to help you identify if there are any gaping holes in your plot or parts of the story that don’t make sense. Keep reading: Story vs. Plot Once you’re sure your narrative is solid, it’s helpful to engage a good copy editor to weed out any bad spelling, grammar, awkward sentence structure, and offensive terms or jargon. If you can’t afford a full copy edit, a thorough proofread is the next best option. You can find editors and proofreaders at reasonable rates on e-lancing sites like Fiverr, Upworkand Freelancer. Of course, you can edit your own work, too, but don’t underestimate the advantage that comes with a fresh pair of eyes. Keep reading: 3 Ways to Expedite Your Editing Process How to prepare your manuscript Whichever method of publishing you decide to pursue, the first thing you need to do is prepare your manuscript to the correct standards. Criteria will differ depending on the publishing method and the individual publisher’s requirements. Most publishers list them on their website, and it’s important to follow their instructions carefully if you want them to look at your book. For traditional books, most publishers like you to set your manuscript up on an A4 document with 3cm margins using left-aligned 12-point Times New Roman text. Use a single space between sentences and double-space your lines with no extra lines between paragraphs. Begin each chapter on a new page and indent each paragraph or section of dialogue. Make sure each page is numbered, and your title and your name are in the header. Don’t forget to include a title page with the name of your story, the word count, and your contact details. How to get an agent A lot of traditional publishing houses don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts, so it’s a good idea to get yourself a literary agent to handle that side of things for you. Google literary agencies in your area and check if they have any agents who are open to submissions and have an interest in your genre. Once you find someone who seems like a good match, you’ll need to prepare your submission to send to them. Often the agency will have guidelines on their website detailing what they want from you, but if not, it’s safe to assume they will accept a query letter, a synopsis, and the first three chapters of your book. Your query letter should be a one-page, clearly written letter that introduces you and your book. Describe why you’d like to work with that agent, include your book’s premise and word count, and finish with a sentence or two about yourself. Your synopsis should be around 500 words that summarise the plot of your book and the emotional journey of your characters in straightforward language. It’s a description – not a sales pitch. Start by sending your submission to between ten and fifteen agents and be open to their feedback, both positive and negative, when they respond. If you get very few responses, you may need to review your story to see why it’s not hooking people in. However, don’t give up after the first few rejections. Literary agents turn down submissions for a huge number of reasons, including being too busy or having lots of other similar submissions. If you’re getting warm, encouraging feedback with their rejections, then keep trying! Once you’ve secured an agent, it’s their job to sell your manuscript to a publisher. If your agent is successful, the publisher will buy the rights to market your book. Normally, you’ll receive an upfront payment (although it may not be large) and a proportion of the royalties from sales. The publisher will then handle the production and marketing of your book, and, all going well, you’ll see it in bookstores and may receive some written reviews. The great part about traditional publishing is that once you’ve sold your book to the publisher, they do all the hard work getting it to market. The downside is that you hand over control of your work to a third party, and they take a significant share of the profits. How to self-publish your book Self-publishing has become increasingly popular as online platforms like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing have made it easier than ever to sell your work to a global audience with little to no investment up-front. If you write in a genre or format that doesn’t typically generate much interest in traditional publishing circles, you want speed to market, or you just prefer the concept of being in control of every aspect of your publishing career, then self-publishing could be the best option for you. Just like traditional publishing, you’ll need to get your manuscript into tip-top shape before you unleash it upon the world. Getting your book edited properly is especially important in the self-publishing arena because you won’t have a publishing house’s own editors reviewing it before it’s released, as you would if you went down the traditional publishing route. You’ll also need to get a cover designed. If you’re selling through large platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Barnes Noble Press, your cover thumbnail will be competing with dozens of others on the same page, so it needs to stand out and entice the reader to click on it. Unless you’ve got good graphic design skills, it’s worth paying a designer to create an eye-catching cover that will do your book justice. If you opt to do it yourself using a design app like Canva, make sure you use royalty-free images (or purchase the correct rights for the use of the stock image you choose). Next, you’ll need to write a great description of your book that sells your story and hooks the reader in. Your description should be around 600 words, and it’s essential that it be completely error-free. Nothing puts off a prospective reader faster than typos in the book description. Take some time to research the different e-book publishing options available to you and decide which one suits you best. Typically, e-book publishers won’t charge you to upload your book but will take a small percentage of your sales to cover the service that they’re providing to you. Some publishers also offer a print-on-demand service whereby your reader can order a hard copy, which will be printed at the time they order it, and the purchase price will cover the printing costs plus your profit. Some companies also offer you the ability to print your book in bulk, at cost, so that you can supply copies to local bookstores. Once you’ve selected which company you will use to publish your book, research their requirements for formatting your manuscript for upload. Some companies, like Amazon, provide an app that does it for you, while others require a bit more manual input. A cleanly laid out Word document is a good place to start and is compatible with most platforms. Before you upload your book, you’ll need to decide what metadata you will tag it with. Metadata are things like your book title, subtitle, author name, book description, and the categories and keywords with which you will tag your work, to will help people find your book when they search for a specific genre or topic. Check what your chosen platform’s metadata requirements are so you are well-prepared with optimal choices when the time comes to upload your book to their system. Once your self-published book is uploaded and ready for people to buy, it’s time to shout about it from the rooftops. Create yourself an online presence where you can engage with your audience – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts are great places to start, and all can be set up for free. You can even create yourself a free website using services like Wix, Weeblyor WordPress, which have professional-looking built-in templates and easy-to-use interfaces. If you have a marketing budget, Facebook offers you a low-cost way of sending targeted ads to other users. What is vanity publishing and why should I avoid it? Vanity publishing (aka vanity press or subsidy publishing) is a form of self-publishing where the publisher asks you to pay them an up-front fee to get your book printed. The fee covers their production costs, plus a profit margin. Typically, they’ll accept any manuscript, regardless of quality, and will put in little to no effort to market your book, because they’ve already made their money. It’s unlikely your vanity-published book will ever make it into a bookstore, and you will struggle to recoup your investment. Many authors have lost thousands of dollars on vanity publishing. Remember, legitimate publishers will never ask you for money. They’ll only accept your book if they think that it’s great and they can market it. Then they’ll shoulder all the financial risk of getting it published. It’s in their best interests for your book to do well, because if it doesn’t sell, they don’t make their money back. In short, if you are approached by a publisher who invites you to submit your manuscript, asks you to pay them, and is vague about what they will deliver - don’t reply. It’s almost guaranteed to be a scam. So, now you know the next steps, and the traps to avoid, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get your book published!    About the author: Claire Wilkins is a freelance copywriter and editor from New Zealand. She loves to write about travel, health, home, and proper punctuation. After a career in financial services spanning almost three decades, Claire left the corporate world behind to start Unmistakable - her writing and editing business. She creates website copy, blogs, and newsletters for creative agencies and small businesses, and specialises in polishing existing content until it shines. In her spare time, Claire enjoys cloud-spotting, singing in the car and editing video.

Retirement Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Retirement Planning - Assignment Example My plan is to work in the private industry for 40 years to then retire. Retirement is very important because it represents the golden years of a person’s life. People expect to enjoy retirement with their love ones. In order to truly enjoy retirement it is important to be financially independent. I will graduate at 25 years of age. The average salary I expect to earn during my career will be approximately $50,000. A retirement calculator on the CNN Money website was used to estimate my retirement goal. My retirement goal is to save $500,000. My expected retirement age is 65 years of age. I estimated my life expectance at 78 years since that is the average life expectancy in the United States (CultureGrams, 2012). My expected pension income and social security income are $1000 each. Based on these variables the retirement calculator gave the following output. Your Results You will need a total of $1.7 million ($496,418 in today's dollars) to retire at 65 years old (Cnn, 2012). The second tool available at the CNN website was an asset allocation display. I stated that I needed the money in 20+ years. I selected that I was willing to take a reasonable amount of risk. I stated I could not afford to miss my target and during market sell-offs I see an opportunity to buy more stock. The result of the calculator is illustrated below: Suggested allocation: (Cnn, 2012). The suggested allocation provided by the CNN calculator provides a list of potential allocation of assets. My plan to save $500,000 by retirement age can be achieved if I implement a proactive saving strategy that uses a wide arrangement of investment and retirement tools. Three retirement instruments that I plan of use as part of my diversified portfolio are IRA, Roth IRA, and 401k plans. An IRA is a retirement savings account that allows taxpayer to save money without paying taxes for the income placed in the IRA account. Money placed in an IRA account accumulates interests every year. The money cannot be taken out of the IRA account until retirement age reaches. Bottom of Form A Roth IRA is, â€Å"An individual retirement plan that bears many similarities to the traditional IRA, but  contributions are not tax deductible and qualified distributions are tax free† (Investopedia, 2012). A 401k plan is a company sponsored retirement plan that allows individuals to set aside tax-deferred income towards retirement. There are other financial instruments that can be used to save money towards retirement. One of the most popular forms of investments is common stocks. Common stocks give investors ownership in a publicly traded company. The investors that keep stocks for a long time earn dividends from common stock as well as a capital gain once the investment is sold. The safest type of stock that an investor can choose is blue chip stocks. A blue chip stock is a stock issued by a well known company with an established record of making money and paying dividends (Teweles, Br adley, Teweles, 1992). An example of a blue chip stock is Microsoft. Due to the risk associated with penny stocks and foreign stocks I will stay away from these two types of stocks in order to minimize the risk of the portfolio. Another good investment instrument that is often chosen by investors is corporate bonds. Corporate bonds pay the investor the coupon rate on a yearly or biannual basis. The principal of the bond is paid at maturity age. Most bonds are of $1000 denominations. A portion of my retirement

Taking the Next Step in the Death Industry Essay

Taking the Next Step in the Death Industry - Essay Example Raji (2007) stated that consumer passes through various stages of decision making process before taking a decision regarding the purchase of product (p.13). It is further mentioned that need for a product is the first stage in buying decision process (Raji, 2007, p.13) and various researches suggest that customers go through five stage decision making process which includes information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchasing and post purchase evaluation apart from need recognition (http://tutor2u.net). Morticians may follow the decision making process of buyers and could include the webpage service in the package of funeral products explaining the benefits to the consumer and friends like allowing long distance relative and friends to send condolence messages and other notes. According to Clow (2007) dual channel marketing is â€Å"when firms sell the same goods or services to both consumers as well as businesses†(p.107). In present scenario, Nancy and Margo are targeting morticians as they are in direct contact with the relatives and friends of the deceased person. It is further pertinent to mention that the website will also setup links to the newspaper wherein the short obituary will include the web address which itself will create direct customer relations for the website. This makes it clear that Nancy and Margo, through morticians are creating market for themselves as well as developing direct relations with the customer, thus giving an indication of the use of dual channel program. The strategy of Nancy and Margo, not directly promoting the service to patron, is correct because morticians, who deal with funeral materials and accessories, can strike a deal with them along with the materials instead of Nancy and Margo going to the patrons and promoting their website. The concept of providing website dedicated to deceased person is innovative and may strike a chord among people living in technological era. Though

Sum up the key points of these 4 reading as a presentation draft Outline

Sum up the key points of these 4 reading as a presentation draft - Outline Example Examples of clients were prostitutes and petty offenders but the CLHs were distinct from facilities for convicts. Social investigation that developed in early 1980s and involved enlightenment and perspectives facilitated development of the history of CLHs. The facilities were further filthy despite their environment that upheld cleanliness. The outcasts could be identified from their moral and physical orientations and even though they resented civilization to represent a more ancient generation, they depicted aspects of civilization. Investigations could therefore classify them as both outcasts and members of the society. The lodgings were further classified as heterotopias and membership was controlled by set of rules. Heterotopy was evident from existence of ignorance and intelligence, idleness and industry, animosity and affection, decadence and Godliness, and bodily indifference and affirmation. By laws initially governed the CLHs but acts such as the Town Improvement Clause act , Common Lodging Houses Act, and the Public Health Act were later enacted to govern the Common Lodging Houses. Despite existence of the regulations that were initially associated with success, there were rebellion and negligence in enforcing the regulations as data shows number of punished cases for breach of the regulations. Negligence among enforcement officers was also common and some offenders were caught and charged. In response to the negligence, authorities preferred dialogue instead of the legal process, an approach that could have further facilitated breach of the established status. Authorities however undertook frequent checks for promoting adherence to existing rules but diversity among the lodgers and their desired freedom limited governance initiatives such as transformation of the scope of the CLHs (Crook 2008, p. 414- 436). The study explores the scope and role of public baths in Victoria and associates the bath with power, freedom, and

Accounting and Managment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Accounting and Managment - Research Paper Example Coombs & Jenkins (2002) Costly: For a better idea of the real cost of budget preparation, consider a company where 160 employees devote time to some aspect of budgeting. At an average cost of approximately $105,000 per employee, the company s annual cost of budgeting is nearly $17 million. Van der Stede (2003) Are irrelevant to today's environment: Budgets are developed and updated too infrequently. In today's turbulent business environment, the budgeted numbers could change daily and, as a result, the budget would be out of date before the financial year has even begun. (Barr, p38) Inflexible: Budgets are too reactive and inflexible and are a barrier to change. There are very few companies that actually update their budget during the fiscal year, purely because it is too complex and time consuming. Management and governments also spend very little time each month working on strategy, as most time is spent on data collection, reconciliation and accountability for public funds. Niskanen (1971) Internally focused: Jeremy Hope and Robin Fraser (2003) argue that budgets focus on cost reduction and not value creation. Budgets focus on internally generated targets that are comfortably achievable by you, but appears difficult to your superior. This breeds sub-optimalisation and does not promote growth of shareholder value. Production oriented: According to Stefan Sering and Maria Goldbach (2002), the traditional budget was developed in the manufacturing era where production costs and revenues were predictable, whereas today, an event such as 9/11 can change the way you do business at the drop of a hat. Concentrate on numbers: In the form of incrementalism-where the previous year's appropriation is the starting point for budget formulation, with negotiations focused on increments or decrements, state budgets. It is quite evident that while making budgets, the emphasis is on numbers and cost cutting. Aaron Wildavsky (2001). Does not include non financial information: The budget structure does not reflect changes in the company's organization and processes, and people were budgeting many costs largely under someone else's control. Hope and Fraser (2003) argue that front line managers are unable to regulate their own performance and financial planning processes. And therefore individual behaviours are not better aligned with corporate strategy. They don't reduce costs but protect them. This comes from the age old "use it or lose it" mentality. Staff knows that if they don't use a budgeted expense, it will get pulled from the next year's budget as management sees it as unnecessary especially in the public sector. Any unused balances are cut from the next annual budget. Brimson, Antos and Collins (1999). They encourage managers to play games with it. Budgets can encourage 'gaming' and perverse behaviour. Finance managers are more than familiar with "managing the slack" and making the budget "presentable" to the board. This, however, creates a culture of dishonesty and can lead to greater troubles such as fraud. Jensen (2001) They are results oriented. According to Hansen and Mowen (2006), when budgets are resource driven rather than output driven, then managers concentrate on resources and may fail to see the link between resources and output. When the need arises for cost cutting they make cuts on

The Gendered Landscape Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Gendered Landscape - Essay Example He is also believed to be frequently watching over us, the sand in his hourglass slowly decreasing as it slips through the hand of time. No wonder the saying â€Å"time wasted will not be recovered†. Him being elderly and having white beard symbolizes flow of time and its effect. His scythe show that time cuts down all things; it is a symbol of harvest, death or end of existence. For example, the end of the year (Petre, 2005). The green man is normally related to natural vegetative divine beings and is often interpreted as a figure of rebirth. Green man is a symbol of nature spirit of man dependence on and in union with nature. It may interpret to embrace negative and positive attributes of colour green as green colour may signify a young man with natural vitality and love. On the other hand, the green man can signify hostility and death. Some people say that the green man appears whenever there is a requirement to protect the environment. It is a blend that compromise between a pagan and Christian doctrine. It is seen in churches as a decorative feature and it is also a pagan spirit associates with nature (Anderson & Hicks, 1998). The Cyborg is a machine that characterizes the human being. Science fiction has included the Cyborg into human culture. The Cyborg is as a result of merging of technology and human form. It is evident that those archetypes of green man and the Cyborg signify the wish for human transformation. In my view, there is a need to embrace the Cyborg because technology will soon outshine normal human capability. Gender fits perfectly into this discussion in that the facets of green man and the Cyborg clearly are male and female respectively. This is because green man poses the characters of strength and love while the Cyborg poses the nature of nurturing. Piccinini is an artist who gets her inspiration from real life genetically modified organisms and

THE ENGLISH SYSTEM OF EDUCATION AND SKILLS Essay

THE ENGLISH SYSTEM OF EDUCATION AND SKILLS - Essay Example ligation to make contributions to the cost of their education once they are in work†¦ The Inquiry favours a combination of student tuition fees (on a loan basis) and the continuation of means-tested maintenance grants and student loans as the best way to seek contributions from higher income families and graduates in work†¦ to make a flat rate contribution of around 25 per cent of the average cost of higher education tuition, through an income-based mechanism." (Dearing) The removal of up-front fees and the limited return of grants are insufficient to offset the experience of student debt, especially by low-income families. Many poor families are positively deterred from entering HE due to the fees and concern of getting into debt. â€Å"We have neither the quantity nor the quality of necessary vocational skills†¦ Our skills base compares poorly and, critically, all of our comparators are improving. Being world class is a moving target.† (Leitch) Many of the initiatives other than those dealing with funding are positive for the UK higher education system. The thorny issue remains funding. The Leitch review published in 2006 also makes some suitable recommendations for the present-day UK HE system. These were made in response to the government’s concern in 2004 to engender greater skills in adults due to demographic changes in the workplace. 1. Students from poorer backgrounds would not be at a disadvantage, otherwise they may not be have the means to acquire HE at all, or they may feel obliged to opt for cheaper degree courses instead of selecting on the basis of academic considerations. High student fees are the single biggest obstacles to continuing their studies into higher education. 2. Enabling contributions by students should only be directed at students who are able to afford to pay for their own studies. Even then, students should only be expected to pay if and when they have obtained employment, and earning more than a minimum amount of

Accounting and Managment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Accounting and Managment - Research Paper Example Coombs & Jenkins (2002) Costly: For a better idea of the real cost of budget preparation, consider a company where 160 employees devote time to some aspect of budgeting. At an average cost of approximately $105,000 per employee, the company s annual cost of budgeting is nearly $17 million. Van der Stede (2003) Are irrelevant to today's environment: Budgets are developed and updated too infrequently. In today's turbulent business environment, the budgeted numbers could change daily and, as a result, the budget would be out of date before the financial year has even begun. (Barr, p38) Inflexible: Budgets are too reactive and inflexible and are a barrier to change. There are very few companies that actually update their budget during the fiscal year, purely because it is too complex and time consuming. Management and governments also spend very little time each month working on strategy, as most time is spent on data collection, reconciliation and accountability for public funds. Niskanen (1971) Internally focused: Jeremy Hope and Robin Fraser (2003) argue that budgets focus on cost reduction and not value creation. Budgets focus on internally generated targets that are comfortably achievable by you, but appears difficult to your superior. This breeds sub-optimalisation and does not promote growth of shareholder value. Production oriented: According to Stefan Sering and Maria Goldbach (2002), the traditional budget was developed in the manufacturing era where production costs and revenues were predictable, whereas today, an event such as 9/11 can change the way you do business at the drop of a hat. Concentrate on numbers: In the form of incrementalism-where the previous year's appropriation is the starting point for budget formulation, with negotiations focused on increments or decrements, state budgets. It is quite evident that while making budgets, the emphasis is on numbers and cost cutting. Aaron Wildavsky (2001). Does not include non financial information: The budget structure does not reflect changes in the company's organization and processes, and people were budgeting many costs largely under someone else's control. Hope and Fraser (2003) argue that front line managers are unable to regulate their own performance and financial planning processes. And therefore individual behaviours are not better aligned with corporate strategy. They don't reduce costs but protect them. This comes from the age old "use it or lose it" mentality. Staff knows that if they don't use a budgeted expense, it will get pulled from the next year's budget as management sees it as unnecessary especially in the public sector. Any unused balances are cut from the next annual budget. Brimson, Antos and Collins (1999). They encourage managers to play games with it. Budgets can encourage 'gaming' and perverse behaviour. Finance managers are more than familiar with "managing the slack" and making the budget "presentable" to the board. This, however, creates a culture of dishonesty and can lead to greater troubles such as fraud. Jensen (2001) They are results oriented. According to Hansen and Mowen (2006), when budgets are resource driven rather than output driven, then managers concentrate on resources and may fail to see the link between resources and output. When the need arises for cost cutting they make cuts on

THE ENGLISH SYSTEM OF EDUCATION AND SKILLS Essay

THE ENGLISH SYSTEM OF EDUCATION AND SKILLS - Essay Example ligation to make contributions to the cost of their education once they are in work†¦ The Inquiry favours a combination of student tuition fees (on a loan basis) and the continuation of means-tested maintenance grants and student loans as the best way to seek contributions from higher income families and graduates in work†¦ to make a flat rate contribution of around 25 per cent of the average cost of higher education tuition, through an income-based mechanism." (Dearing) The removal of up-front fees and the limited return of grants are insufficient to offset the experience of student debt, especially by low-income families. Many poor families are positively deterred from entering HE due to the fees and concern of getting into debt. â€Å"We have neither the quantity nor the quality of necessary vocational skills†¦ Our skills base compares poorly and, critically, all of our comparators are improving. Being world class is a moving target.† (Leitch) Many of the initiatives other than those dealing with funding are positive for the UK higher education system. The thorny issue remains funding. The Leitch review published in 2006 also makes some suitable recommendations for the present-day UK HE system. These were made in response to the government’s concern in 2004 to engender greater skills in adults due to demographic changes in the workplace. 1. Students from poorer backgrounds would not be at a disadvantage, otherwise they may not be have the means to acquire HE at all, or they may feel obliged to opt for cheaper degree courses instead of selecting on the basis of academic considerations. High student fees are the single biggest obstacles to continuing their studies into higher education. 2. Enabling contributions by students should only be directed at students who are able to afford to pay for their own studies. Even then, students should only be expected to pay if and when they have obtained employment, and earning more than a minimum amount of

View from the Bridge Essay Example for Free

View from the Bridge Essay A view from the bridge: a kind of metaphorical title the obvious bridge is the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. Italian immigrants had been coming to New York for a long time and they tended to gather in communities as America is a very multi racial cosmopolitan area. Catherines aspirations are to cross the bridge to go out, to work, and to go out with her lover Rodolfo. 1) Home: poor and simple but they open it to show their generosity- opportunity to show their loyalty to the Sicilian family. But Eddie says it is his home so he is entitled to his respect provider, it represents food, clothing, the upbringing not just the physical home. Catherines view gratitude for home and she wants to get a job to then pay for furniture for the home e. g. rug. Simple home and cosy, small Beatrices world but is still shared by all people. It represents the hard work and poverty yet the generosity of the people. Workers flat, clean, the flat is Eddies space and his home he wants his respect. Generosity show by: B! Your cousins and yet she is not annoyed for having to look after people and have extra mouths to feed, simply embarrassed as the host: didnt even buy a new tablecloth. Catherine wants to repay Eddie and B for bringing her up. When she gets a job and has enough money she wants a rug and new plates etc she is proud of the home but wants to contribute now she has come of age excitement. Pg 11. The idea is that these people are poor it is a struggle to keep going and they offer shelter to Sicilian relatives and immigrants to get work and send money back to their family. Their willingness to share and Eddies duty to look after family means hard physical work. The home and the family itself have their tensions, jealousies and loyalties. Beatrice does not work her place is in the home. Eddie where, where am I going? This is my house page 61. Massive change before and after Marco and Rodolfo arrive- before; love, poverty but warmth and humour, cosy, struggle Eddie = provider the family with laughter and nurture, welcome and generosity in food, shelter and roof in spite of lack of wealth, loyalty- Catherine looked after and brought up here. After, in Act 2, the home changes to mean respect and his name I want my name back! Hatred, Bad relationships, coldness, tears, fighting the generosity now needs to be owed back this is how you repay me? now deserving something in return. 2) Street: Alfieri tells him that there is no law nothing that Eddie can do to stop Rodolfo and Catherine he must let her go. The only way is to betray them and give them up to the authority as illegal immigrants but the Italian community will take revenge like they did with the young boy whose head bounced like coconuts. Loyalty lies with family and to Sicilian immigrants. Eddie has to rid of Rodolfo to betray the family. Bowling, Louis. Brooklyn paramount where Catherine and Rodolfo see the film. 3) Place of work: Red Hook docks, waterfront, long shore men, piers, plumbers yard. Red Hook docks signify mans world sea breeze links to Sicily and Italy, the comradeship of the men e. g. you coming bowling tonight Eddie? they are good friends, hard physical work and mafia links illegal immigrants come on the ship called submarines they are brought in, own dockers slang, word is associated with the docks and the sea. The labour you feed and keep your family. Miller creates an impression of the docks as a place of manliness but gives an air of underlying Italian immigrants. We learn that they are called submarines. Smells of coffee and bananas and spiders when unloading rough district where Catherine wants to work Eddie is very protective as it is not a place for women. Plumbers yard around where Catherine wants to work, plenty can happen in a block away. Red Hook build huge ships, all about the docks and hard work grafting. Eddie gets embarrassed of Rodolfo he is not manly enough he sings on the docks! For immigrants the work is easy to get, until the mafia are paid off, then they have to scramble like everyone else. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Sister Carrie Symbolism

Sister Carrie Symbolism The naturalistic writer presents his theme through symbolic detail. The use of symbolism in Sister Carrie offers some evocative effects to this novel, namely, it eases to determine the elements, expose the reality and consolidate the theme. In this way the symbolic degree of the narrative put down straight over the events and occurrences of the simple story itself. Dreisers use of symbolic detail permeates the novel ranging from careful descriptions of dresses and adornment to descriptions of great American cities and their surroundings. The author must make the reader aware that the details are important to the meaning. According to Donald Pizer in his The Novels of Theodore Dreiser: A Critical Study, Dreiser is much more successful as a symbolic than as a metaphoric writer. Dreiser generally accomplishes this end through a kind of incremental repetition (qtd. in Ward, web) of important details. Occasionally, however, he shows a lack of subtlety when he addresses his reader directly to reveal his intention. By recording carefully Carries reaction to specific events Dreiser shows her moving from her early naà ¯ve optimism to her final disillusionment and despair. Carries sensitivity to details provides the emotional centre of the novel. The most important patterns of details, in addition to clothing and money, are mirrors, the theatre, hotels, and restaurants; interiors and dwellings mainly. These comprise the walled and gilded city to which Carrie seeks entrance. Rocking to dreamland Symbols in Sister Carrie are what E.K. Brown, in his Rhythm in the Novel called rhythmical symbols because they constantly reappear in various contexts changing in character and situation during the novel. The rocking chair as a symbol of dream for Carrie in Chicago and of escape for Hurstwood in New York, and it is an obvious example of a rhythmical symbol. .(qtd. in Pizer, 1976: 91) Throughout Sister Carrie, the symbol of the rocking chair is employed by Dreiser to reflect the restlessness, the feverish activity, which leads Carrie to no satisfying destination( Gerber,1964: 62). Early in the novel Carrie is seen rocking in her sisters flat on Van Buren Street , dreaming of escaping with Drouet. As Drouets mistress in Ogden Place she desires a luxurious life, fame, applause, refinement. The rocking chair is a symbol of Carries continued frustration and her inability to make a choice, wavering instead from one possibility to the other. Just before Hurstwoods two visits which occur along chapters eleven and twelve Carrie sits rocking in her chair. Dreiser takes the opportunity to foreshadow the future outcome of her desire: She hummed and hummed as the moments went by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and was therein as happy though she did not perceive it, as she ever should be(87). In New York when living with Hurstwood, she sits rocking to and fro, thinking how common place( 229) her pretty flat is compared with what the rest of the world was enjoying(229)- the rest of the world made of those who had money and had a better life than hers.( Gerber, 1964: 62) In contrast to Carrie, after losing his business, Hurstwood uses the rocking chair to meditate over the lost days, the exhausted funds and his lack of strength. In the chairs slow and repeated motion he finds a narcotic dream of security. The final view of Carrie is moving. She now finds herself rocking in her chair, successful but unhappy, accomplished but unfulfilled (Gerber, 1964: 63), she dreams of new conquests which undoubtedly will or must bring her joy. Yet she accepts for the first time that happiness may not be for her, that perhaps her fate is forever to be the pursuit of that radiance of delight which tints the distant hilltops of the world (369). Dreiser creates a universe where life takes on the aspect of a fierce, grim struggle in which no quarter was either given or taken, and in which are laid traps, lied, squandered, erred, through illusion. (Dreiser, 1991: 82) And even the survivors of the struggle to become a king, are left without a trophy. The symbolic action of rocking is most fitting: Carrie is at once discontent, physically uneasy, reasonably energetic, and passively waiting for better fortune to come and find her. At the end of the novel, Carrie is still rocking. Her dwellings are different now and better by material standards-she is now in a lush New York hotel-but the action is the same and is symbolic of everlasting discontent. (Gale, 1968: 88) Carrie has reached in her quest the empty terminal, which Dreiser points out, so many Americans reach especially those who ascend from humble beginnings and are deceived by the life around them into believing the money ideal to be all in all. (Gerber, 1964: 63) Dreisers symbolism reveals the separate and distinct worlds of Sister Carrie. There is the realistic world of the reasonable mind in the imagined world of the emotional world, a world described in the novel as: Elf-land, Dream Land, or Kingdom of Greatness. This is the world from which Hurstwood emerges as an ambassador to bring Carrie back with him. It is this world from which Carrie ironically becomes a citizen ironically because it never seems to yield the rewards and beauty it promises. Life is a constant battle fought between the giant armies of frustration and desire. Dream symbolism provides a method of revealing what the world outside thinks of Carries behaviour. Minnie, Carries sister, functions in the novel as a choric figure. In her dream, the standard judgement of Carries actions is revealed. Carrie leaves the world of her sister to go to a dark and dangerous world below the surface of the ground. The swirling waters and unplumbed darkness of that world without a rigid morality seem certain to destroy the naÃÆ' ¯ve girl. It is no more necessary to accept Carries estimate of her sister Minnie as absolute and unbiased truth. Each girl unconsciously sees the other as a projection of herself, and thus interprets the life of the other as it would seem to herself. Clothes and Appearance The finest clothing made is a persons skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this.   ~Mark Twain( il las sau il elimin pt ca doar acest subcapitol e introdus de un citat?) The most obvious and well-known recurring symbol in Sister Carrie is that of clothes- clothes as an index of taste and social position and for Carrie of a naÃÆ' ¯ve but moving desire for a fine and pleasing life. (Pizer, 1976: 92) One can acknowledge the fact that appearance, while not including value and morals, as should be of more importance, defines oneself and helps them establish a place within the social system. Sister Carrie serves as an outstanding model to portray this idea. To the majority of the characters, how they appear and act hides the reality of which they live. Dreiser carefully lists in precise detail everything Carrie owns: a cheap imitation alligator-skin satchel, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦], a yellow leather snap purse,[à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and four dollars (1). Since Carrie does have enough money to pay for a real alligator-skin satchel, she holds a fake with the intention that she appears to be something else than she is. False appearances are a dominating theme through out Sister Carrie. Because so little is revealed about Carries identity, the first impression left by her is formed not by what she does or by what she opinions but by her belongings. Dreiser ends the description of her with the precise amount of money she holds. This stress on money will be a major theme all through the rest of the novel.    To Carrie, the feeling of completeness comes only when dresses magnificently. On her first day at work, she feels ashamed with her female co-workers. After leaving her obscure work station, she proceeds to the lobby where she encounters other young women. As she walks past, She felt ashamed in the face of better dressed girls who went by. She felt as though she should be better served and her heart revolted.(31) Being of middle class stature, she thinks degraded and believes she can get no respect or attention from these, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ better dressed girls.(31) Though she is extremely attractive in her lesser state, as proven by the young men who flirt with her, she feels only remorse because she was not lavishly displayed. Carries first come across with mass fashion comes with her visit to the Fair, a Chicago department store. In this episode she is not shopping or more appropriately, having no money she is only window shopping. (Geyh, 2006: web)   Carries call to the department store prove her interest in conspicuous consumption; it had developed a new and curiously intimate relationship between purchaser and consumer goods. (Eby, 2001: web) As she observes the eye-catching goods available for sale, Carrie could not help feeling the claim of each trinket and valuable upon her personally [. . . .] The dainty slippers and stockings, the delicately frilled skirts and petticoats.[. . .] all touched her with individual desire (22). But the lure that attire and other personal possessions have for Dreisers protagonists-that he calls the voice of the so-called inanimate! (98)-lets us to notice that memorable change. Every one of of the fancy items tempts Carrie although she cannot afford to pay for any of them; thus a capitalist economy manipulates the desire of the consumer without ever completely satisfying it (Eby, 2001: web). Carrie realizes how far removed she is from its glamour and attraction. Although she desires for herself the frilly dresses, the jewellery and trinkets heaped upon the counters, she keenly feels how none of these are in the range of her purchase. An outcast without employment (17), a mere job-seeker, even the shop-girls could see she was poor and in need of a paying job. The coveted items of clothing put on display in the department stores, restaurants, hotels and streets, are for Carrie, matter of both conscious and unconscious desire, but the desire is unrelated to any organic, biological need. The clothes are functional primarily as indicators of what Carrie might possess and be, of this desire, but also indicators of she is not , of her class bound status as a daughter of working-class parents, and of all that exceeds her grasp.( qtd. in Geyh, 2006: web) The importance of clothes in Sister Carrie arises from the choice that one can exercise over them as a conspicuous performance of prospective being. Drouet seduces Carrie buying her the clothes that would be the appropriate costume only for the role of mistress. The clothes are ones that she could not even explain let alone wear were she to stay in her role of working girl at her sisters flat.. Similarly, Carries first acting job in New York translate into a paradoxical ability to buy the clothes for the role of a young actress. ( Fisher, 1991: 554)( se intelege ca citatele sunt ale lui Fisher?) While Carrie is the main character whose existence thrives on the dependence on her looks, she is not the only one who Dreiser chooses to make a victim of appearance. At Carries first meeting with Drouet on the train from Colombia City to Chicago his clothing and conduct built up for her a dim world of fortune, of which he was the centre ( 6) The young man whose charm and audacity caught Carries attention on the train also suffers from the value he places on appearance. While uttering her first words in their first sparked conversation, she notices his, Flush, colourful cheeks, a light moustache, a gray fedora hat. (3) She further observes him noticing every light detail of his suit and the jewellery. His suit was of a striped and cross pattern brown wool, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the low crotch of the vest revealed a stiff bosom of white and pink stripes. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] his fingers bore several ringsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (3) From this quote, one can come to the conclusion that Drouet is a ra ther wealthy man with many refined tastes. In reality, He was not a moneyed man. (32) When in the presence of those who were fortunate, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ he straightened himself a little more stiffly and eats with solid comfort. (32) This defines his social status since he is well known among the prosperous. Carrie soon realized all the city had to offer her, such as wealth, fashion, eases every adornment for women, and she longed for dress and beauty with a whole heart (21).    Carrie is aroused by something promising in the entire material prospect that Drouet had to offer (5). While her background does subconsciously caution her momentarily, she ignores her misgivings in exchange for the happiness that Drouets success might bring her. While Drouet did work, he wants to hide his reality. His false preens dazzles many, including Carrie. As soon as Carrie sees that Drouet is not as well off as she originally perceived him to be, she turns to another man, another man who, like D rouet, was masking his own reality behind his allure of money and position. Mr. G. W. Hurstwood is the second gentleman to catch Carries fancy. He is the manager of a renowned restaurant and is known as a successful man about town. Many see him as a solid man of good physical stature, rather young, and is known for his, fine clothes, his clean linen, his jewels, and, above all, his own sense of his importance. (33) On the surface, Hurstwood is a man of power. He holds a valued opinion among many and some kind of effect on many more, Drouet and Carrie included. With all of the appeal, there is no possible way for anyone to see Hurstwoods personal life. No hint of the slightest inconsistency of the glamour can be found. People of social royalty know and see his family on many popular social outings. His wife is a charmer as well and many have high hopes for their young daughter. One would not conceive that Hurstwood and his wife were having heated arguments leading to marital problems. Due to the fact that many knew the family and how affluent in all aspects t hey are, most overlooked Hurstwoods callings on Carrie. Appearance, which led to this mans social status, kept people from considering this. Looks and charm is the only thing that kept this man from suspicion. Later in the story when Hurstwood social status declines, clothes and implicitly appearance reflect this time the reality. Gradually running out of money Hurstwood is not preoccupied with his appearance, he once rigorously guarded. Still, for the sake of old times, he tries to bring to light the old self. This fact emphasis Hurstwoods desire to keep appearances even though his social status was not the same. As Hurstwood experiences life as poor individual he begins to see the life of his wealthy past as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a city with a wall about it (328) on the other side Hurstwoods shabby clothes expose his state, the opposite but equally conspicuous equivalent to the display of state, that is the normal function of clothes.( Fisher, 1991: 554) In contrast to Carries new clothing which makes her part of her new world, Hurstwoods clothing is now threadbare part and worn. It is not sufficiently warm for him to weather in the cold winter. Clothing reveals the complete inversion of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾marriage of Carrie and Hurstwood. As Hurstowoods preoccupation for the lack of money increases he tells Carrie that they do not afford to buy her any new clothes, she had not failed to notice that he did not seem to consult her about buying clothes for himself. (340) A few short years ago he was struggling breadwinner who occasionally indulged himself in new clothing to meet the world, while Carrie remained home, running the household in her outdates garb. In Sister Carrie: An Introduction, written by Kenneth S. Lynn, the author summarizes Carries arrival in Chicago. He then proceeds to say that she is, depending solely on personal appeal to enable her to work out her salvation. He goes on to criticize Drouet and Hurstwood as well. Drouet has no reality; take away the salesmans clothes, and he has nothing. (qtd. in Pizer, 1976: 40) This quote aimed to describe Drouet, shows that though his flashy clothes are a trademark of his, he really comes down to nothing. Hurstwood is in the same situation and as Dreiser says after a passer-by inquires if he is a motorist, he finally realizes that he is nothing. Carrie is taught manners and how to become a lady. Because clothes can be changed more rapidly than apartments they become a more sensitive index to changes of state. Clothes are ones address. Only hotels are places of living sensitive enough to the fluctuations of self to equal clothing as performances of the monetary condition of the self. In New York after they separate, both Carrie and Hurstwood, move through opposite ends of the spectrum of records the need of a society in which money will be kept in the stock market so that its waverings of value can be represented in the daily newspaper rather in land or goods which are, by comparison, subject only to year-long or decade-long readings of change of worth. As the rocking chair is to fortunes wheel, second by second rises and falls, so too are clothes, hotels, and newspapers to the long-term indexes of fortune and value. ( Fisher, 1991: 554) Every feature of these characters is a show put on display like that of a theatrical play. None have a real personality because it has been erased by the tantalizing temptation of being that name on the front page, or the cause of a hush fallen over a room as they enter. They even manipulate simple features to deceive their prey audience. As far as personalities being deciphered, as mentioned earlier, these three critical characters have no real personalities. They display the best well thought out personality that the situation demands. When they are in the company of a wealthy benefactor, the room and scene is filled with gaiety on their plastered surface, but they loathe for the life. Each of these three characters uses their appearance to obtain material goods and respectable social standings. They all achieve this, yet in the end, they wind up in desolate isolation. Had these characters accepted their lives as they would have came to be, and not used deceit to con the unknowing, perhaps they wouldnt have ended up in a lesser state then they stood at originally. Money In this novel, together with mirrors and clothes, money represents social status. Dreiser chose to draw a realistic portrayal of America for what it really was- materialistic (Gerber, 1964: 52). Life is presented in relation to this driving force and seems to undergo all destinies, involving everyone, as participants in the mad-cycle of the booming economy. The money ideal would be exposed as the great motivating purpose of life in the United States: ones relative affluence at any level of society determining the degree creature comfort one might enjoy, the measure of prestige one might own, and the extent of social power one might command (Gerber,1964: 52-53). Sister Carrie completely reaffirms Americas mania with money because all characters status symbol is determined economically. Dreisers characters are often fascinated with the physical reality of money (Pizer, 1976: 91); the money she has accepted was two, soft, green, handsome ten-dollar bills (39). The physical transfer of money is an act which promises so much for both the body and the spirit that it either entails or suggests the sexual (Pizer, 1976: 91) Carries impoverished situation incites genuine pity, but Drouet offers her money having hidden desires and intentions. This allows him to touch her hand, the first act in establishing physical contact with her. The apparently harmless offer of loaning money to Carrie and the pleasant lunch are a first step into obtaining it. Giving her the money somehow permits him to feel her hand, the first move in creating physical intimacy with her. In reality, he is trading the occasion for sex. ( Pizer,1976: 92) The lunch and the loan are only the first step in getting it. As she feels the twenty dollars in her hand, Carrie fells that a she was connected to him by a strange tie of affection.(47). Having money as a principal weapon, Drouet has obtained the right to commence physical closeness with Carrie. Several times in the novel, including in this moment, an exact dollar sum is named. Carrie lives in a world of prices regardless of whether she is at work, out shopping, at home or on the street. Her labour worth is set to four dollars and fifty cents per week; accommodation costs four dollars per week; car fare amounts sixty cents per week; an economical lunch is ten cents; etc. By accepting Drouets money, Carrie unconscientiously establishes her worth to him at exactly twenty dollars. Carries desire maintain secret her intentions from Minnie and Hanson confirms that she is at least partly alert that she is selling herself. (Ward, 2000: web) Carrie symbolizes the collective values of the burgeoning American consumer culture. To her, money represents power; one might easily judge her and include her in the money-hunters category of people; those that would be happy to be trapped on a desert island if only she had a large amount of money. (Ward, 2000: web) She had not acknowledged the fact that money and nothing else is worth nothing. Only in relation to consumer goods does it represent anything of value. Chapter seven begins with one of Dreisers frequent discussions on the meaning of money. The true meaning of money yet remains to be popularly explained and comprehended (47). What Carrie does not understand, a fault she has in common with almost all of humanity, is that money should be paid out as honestly stored energy (48) not as a usurped privilege (48). Carrie definition of money would be simple and straightforward- something everybody else has and I must get (48). Dreiser then continues to give a remarkable explanation of money. Essential in his observation is that if an individual has money, it must be spent in order to recognize its value. Carrie as well as Drouet belong to this category. If not earned honestly money in this novel are obtained by theft or beggary. Money serves as a modality of characterization, consequently everyone in the novel is dependent on money to describe who they are and what they do. In the game played at the first meeting of Carrie and Hurstwood, Dreiser provides a miniature model of the characters, forces, and movement of the novel making symbolic use of the ordinary details. In this game of chance and skill Hurstwood manipulates his hand so that Carrie can win all the money while Drouet remains ignorant of what is happening. Dont you moralize Hurstwood says to Carrie, until you see what becomes of the money (74). This passage is like a vision from future, unconscious words evocative of what was to come. Social status is changed with money, at the same time offering those who acquire it the possibility to acknowledge the supreme wealth or the supreme lowering of status. For example, in the very beginning of the novel, Carrie rides in a train, the way poor people do then in a street car, as the fashionable girls of the time and finally she is forced to walk, forced to return to her initial status. This completes a chain that marks the gradual lowering of Carries status in the society until she reaches the lowest point, the point where she not only has no job but is also forced to walk around the city. Being Drouets company in the restaurant Carrie is aware of the decline. She observes that he affords to travel by train and she immediately associates means of transport with wealth. Lost between thoughts she hears him mentioning that she has to return home if she does not accept his offer, but she does not acknowledge the significance of this fact. She only sees a stage coach passing by . This serves as a visual reminder that a wealthy life can be lived only in a big city like Chicago, and is crucial to making her accept Drouets proposal. Her choice gives her a sense of well being, dragging her out from her state of dreamer, and, by the ending of the chapter, she is already riding the car from her vision. After Hurstwood and Carries affair and escape to New York, Hurstwood soon finds himself having to think carefully about small disbursements like rent and cab fare. Although he has sufficient money to invest in new businesses, he turns down many prospects because they are too low-class for him. Not only is his money very important to him now, but so is his respectability. Having to live so frugally as he searches for a job humiliates him (Balling, 1967: 61). The importance of Hurstwoods reputation to himself underscores the materialism in America. Being who you are to yourself is not as important as being someone to others (Gerber, 1964: 60-61). Hurstwoods decline pushes Carrie further away from him. Mrs. Vances decision to cut off her connection with Carrie because of Hurstwoods appearance exposes the dehumanizing nature of consumer society (Ward, 2000: web). While Hurstwood gradually sinks toward deprivation and suicide, Carrie once again moves foreword and appears on stage. Carries constant drag to something better was not to be denied (Thorp, 1963: 472). Her choice to leave him is almost completely motivated by finances, as was her decision to marry him. Mirrors reflections of the self Mirrors should think longer before they reflect.   ~Jean Cocteau Another important symbol is the mirror in which Carrie attempts to see inside herself to discover the truth or to reflect upon some problem. Like the rocking chair, the mirror represents the two poles of Carries thought, for it is also used by her simply to admire her appearance in new clothes. Both the rocking chair and the mirror fuse the desire for material satisfaction with the realisation that Carrie is never happy if she continually desires something new. Naturally, Carrie is never conscious of the symbolic import of these articles, but certainly the author is, and so, it is hoped, is the reader. Mirrors-both factual and the metaphorical mirrors of others reaction to her-contribute to this construction of identity as Carrie glimpses the ideal as reflected in them. The Mirror as the narrator notices convinced her of a thing which she had long believed. She was pretty, yes, indeed. (58) The process of mirroring through which Carrie creates her identity is, however not merely a matter of dress: it is bound with her natural acting ability. (qtd. in Geyh, 2006: web) Able to perceive the nature of those little modish ways which women adopt when they would presume to be something, Carrie mimics, mirrors, the gestures of those whom she admires: she looked in the mirror and pursed her lips, accompanying it with a little toss of the head, as she had seen the railroad treasures daughter doà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦She became a girl of considerable taste. (78-79) The urban environment itself offers numerous sites of such indemnificatory mirroring, from half-lit display windows of department stores in which one might see ones own ghostly reflection, to posh restaurants like Sherrys where the floor was of a reddish hue, waxed and polished, and in every direction were mirrors-tall, brilliant, bevel-edged mirrors-reflecting and re-reflecting forms, faces, and candelabra a score and hundred times (235) (Gyeh, 2006: web) Looking in the mirror is often considered a form of narcissism. This is particularly evident in the store episode when Carrie looks at herself with the new clothes on. Her sense of well-being is enhanced, to the point where she starts to feel a warm glow (70) creep into her cheeks. This is again shown up in chapter eight, when she realizes that she is beautiful after looking in a mirror. The two antithetical potions of Carries mind, her conscience and desire, make another appearance in chapter ten. There, standing before the mirror, she sees that her face reveals a more attractive girl than she was before but her mind, a mirror prepared of her own and the worlds opinions(70), reveals a worse creature than she had been before. She wavers between these two images, uncertain of which one to believe. The inner mirror, the reservoir of social and acquired moral option, must be watched closer by the reader. Sister Carrie is a study in depth of the character; what happens inside Carries mind is actually far more important than her outward fortune of trials and ordeal. Carries difficulties, more basic in the recent past, have now become mental ones, and altogether so turned about in all of her earthly relationships that she might well have been a new and different individual (70). In the mirror she sees a pretty face, but when she looks within herself she sees an image composed of her own judgements and those of society that makes her experience a certain moral queasiness. Carrie wavers between these two reflections, wondering which one to embrace. Her conscience, only an average little conscience (73), is shaped by the world, her own past life, habit, and convention, all welded together in a confused way. Her conscience bothers her because she failed to live with moral correctness even before she tried. Carrie is in a winter mood, full of silent brooding. Nevertheless the secret of her conscience grows more and more feeble. Before, the mirror only was an indication of vanity and represented the ability to imitate things. Now Dreiser remarks that the mirror is the symbol of a good actress as well, a good actress serves as her own mirror to her audience (Gyeth, 2006: web). Carries vocation and power as an actress find their fullest expression on stage, where she creates not only a series of idealized versions of herself, but also an array of miniature mise-en-scà ¨ne- shadow plays-of the city and its inhabitants outside. (Geyh, 2006: web) Carrie was possessed of that sympathetic, impressionable nature which, ever in the most developed form, has been the glory of the drama. She was created with the passivity of soul which is always the mirror of the active world, the narrator observes. (117) Carries greatest ability is that she can mirror back to people that they want to see. Newspapers The frequent symbol in this novel is the employment of newspapers to designate people who are no longer capable to see the future, people that are suppressed by the past and sometimes by the present. The newspaper represents old news as it presents things that have already happened. Individuals who fall back on the newspaper thus fall into the class of have-beens, of those who already lived their life and experienced the world. The first who reads the newspaper in the novel is Sven Hanson followed by Hurstwood. The two are reading the newspaper in the evening as a form of entertainment and because it is the only way they could find out about their own world. Hurstwood is scrolling the paper for the first time in chapter twenty. The paper symbolizes the past, and the incapacity to rise in the future. Thus, his wife is already making the decision concerning the future of the family, and the future vacation. In this scene between Hurstwood and Julia, the first finds in the newspaper a refuge from his wifes demands and from what his entire family represented to him. This way he tries to avoid domestic quarrels and pretends to read the newspaper. By contrast Carrie, reads the paper to see if she is written about in one of its articles. The newspaper gains more importance and is more often used by Hurstwood than ever before. Each day he could read in the evening paper (143). Later Dreiser describes Hurstwood as s pending his time reading newspapers, as the only enjoyable activity left. This again suggests that Hurstwood can only live by looking at the past rather than into the future. The significance of newspapers reaches the pinnacle in chapter thirty five during the storm. Hurstwood is entirely ruined as a man that he uses the paper even for trivial news suc