‘Of Mice and Men’ By John Steinbeck Essay

Its like my weekends never change, it’s like a daily routine being alone and cold with no one to talk to. Books, all I have is books, I read so much my head hurts sometimes. Line after line, headache after headache, in a way imp already used to it. It’s a Saturday night and all the men have gone to the whore house in town or should I say Suzy’s place. I wonder sometimes why I can’t go but it’s always the same because I’m black. Why would anyone want to dance with a black man? Why would anyone want to sleep with a black a man? Why would anyone want to drink with a black man? I’m just so alone. I actually got a bit of company today from a guy called Lennie. Lennie is a huge man, shapeless face, with large pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. He came in while I was rubbing ointment on my back. At first I felt angry and that my rights were being invaded. I told him that he wasn’t allowed in but me being a black man and him being white it was like he had power over me so I let him in. A big guy like him and a crooked man like me I could have never stopped him. The only people that have entered my room are the boss and slim and when they have entered I have been powerless to stop them. Well, Lennie came in and I started to question him on his relationship that he had with George which realty intrigues me. I was jus talking and he was just laughing at me because he didn’t understand what I was talking about. I asked him what he would do if George never came back, what if George dies what would he do, but Lennie was adamant that George would be safe and that he was careful. He started to approach me and I felt so scared and small that I leaned back into my corner, I told Lennie that George would be alright and that he was safe. I didn’t expect Lennie’s response to be so aggressive. It jus shows how close Lennie and George are. I didn’t really want to upset him but I did, I just wanted him to feel how lonely my life is. I have no one to confide in and I only have my judgment to rely on. I explained to him that I jus kept all my feelings and my worries inside and that I start to feel sick because I have no one to express my emotions to. Lennie is so dumb to understand it felt like I was talking to myself for at least 10 minutes. I told him about my child hood with the company of my brother when we used to live on a farm and that my father didn’t like us paying with white children and that we had each other so we should play together. I didn’t think about what friends I had when I was younger but now I realize why my father told us not to play with them. I was telling him this because I wanted him to know what life was like for a black man but obviously it was like I was talking to myself again. After I had told him all of this I felt like I had made a friend and that all the stress I had kept in had gone out of my system. I didn’t feel so lonely after all but I had a gut feeling that by the time Lennie had gone I would be back to my old ways again. Lonely, depressed and in need of a friend. At that particular moment I felt really good about myself. About 10 minutes later Candy came in looking for Lennie. He looked really uncomfortable about coming into my room. I know that me and candy have been on the ranch for a long time but he has never come into my room. When he came in him and Lennie were talking about getting their own piece of land which Lennie had been talking about before. While candy was talking I was starring a him thinking about how isolated I am compared to everyone else who have lived in one room but with the company of each other. I joined in with their conversation about getting their own land, they were very convinced that they would get it but I thought different, I told them about all the other ranchers that have wanted the same thing but have never as far as a step to getting their own land. Even when they heard the stories of other ranchers they were still adamant that they would get it. I still disagreed with them, but when Candy told me how close and hard they have worked to get this land I gave up and asked if I could join them. I didn’t really have much future on the ranch so the thought of being free was very tempting. We were all very excited and then Curley’s wife came in as usual looking for her husband Curley. We all looked at her scornfully and didn’t take any notice of her when she spoke. She asked again if we had seen Curley and Candy told her to get out because she wasn’t wanted and that her husband wasn’t here. I kept myself quiet because she didn’t listen to Candy and she surely wasn’t going to listen to me. For a while it felt like we had united together to stop her from coming in, but she was still at the door peering in. Then I attempted to get her to go away but she came back with a vengeance saying that I should keep my mouth shut and that she could get me strung on a tree so easily. It was like she tore through my defence. Candy tried to defend me but there was no stopping her. We had to face it that we were powerless to stop her. Candy then told her that all the men were back from town and then she went in a flash. I felt so small that I crawled back into my corner again because I knew that what Curley’s wife was saying was true. There was no point in fighting back, that’s one thing I dislike about Curley’s wife is that she is always putting people down. By the time she had left George came back. I was staring scornfully at Candy and Lennie even though Candy had tried to defend me I had lost every bit of friendliness towards them. George looked at me like he could tell something had gone on. After a couple of minutes of awkward silence they were leaving, while they were going a told them I didn’t want to join them on their farm and George looked confused then they left. I went back to rubbing ointment on my back. I changed my mind about the farm because it just seemed odd for three white men to share a house with one black man. They could turn on me jus like Curley’s wife did and I didn’t want to take any chances, suppose they chucked my out where would I go I couldn’t get a job anywhere else because there is so much unemployment in California. There isn’t a lot of banks and I would be left without money for food, clothes and rent like the millions of other people in California. I had heard of farmers losing their land and the banks dispossessed their families and were left homeless. If a get left on the street I would be picked up and taken away and beaten or taken to a refugee camp. I would hate to be taken to a refugee camp because I don’t want to end up lining up in a big queue waiting for food. I like the ranch because I have my own room, I have lots of possessions and my room is neat and tidy, although it is next to the manure heap. I don’t like the ranch because I get left out and can’t join in with all the other games the ranchers play. I don’t have any regrets in life because before I got kicked in the back by the horse I tried to live my like to the fullest and the best way I could. Now they have all gone, I have time to reflect on what has happened tonight and my life. I have time to think about what I’m going to do tomorrow. I can read a few books if I please without being disturbed. If I had the power, I would make everyone have equal rights, all the white and black people not to fight and make them get along together. I would want everyone to have their own piece of land and that they could work under their own rules. Everyone to be happy and live life to the fullest, I would like there to be a rule that any black man could go into a whore house and have a drink any time he wants and not worry about getting criticized because of the colour of their skin and last of all I will make violence an offence and that anyone that engages in violence will be sent to prison.

American Writers Essay

Introduction This is a kind of work that I like very much to do because of help me to remember and memorize everything that I learned and help me to broaden my vocabulary. In this journal I’m going to do a brief analysis of everything that I learned in classes, poems, films, magazines, authors, books and other things. My objectives in this journal are not only get a good mark but also, as I mencioned, learned something else. So, enjoy this travel! â€Å"Introduction to Poetry† by Billy Collins 18/09/2012. â€Å"Two Trains Running† by Tony Hoagland 18/09/2012 What is poetry? 20/09/2012 Poetry is a form of writing in which the author chooses the length of the lines, and not the publisher. Terry Eagletor â€Å"High Windows† by Philip Larkin 20/09/2012 Poems about writing poetry 25/09/2012 â€Å"Purity† by Billy Collins â€Å"I go back to May 1937† by Sharon Olds 25/09/2012 â€Å"Paradelle for Susan† by Billy Collins 25/09/2012 â€Å"Duck/Rabbit† by Billy Collins 25/09/2012 Factors that influenced interpretation 2/10/2012 Example: â€Å"The Sick Rose† by William Blake. Satan Says (Pitt poetry series): Sharon Olds (1980) 4/10/2012 â€Å"The sisters of sexual treasure† â€Å"First night† â€Å"Indictment of Senior Officers† â€Å"Satan says† â€Å"Tricks† â€Å"The language of the brag† â€Å"Night terrors† â€Å"Late† â€Å"The housewives watching morning TV† â€Å"Prayer† The Dead and the Living: Sharon Olds (1984) â€Å"Poem to my first lover† â€Å"New mother† The Unswept Room: Sharon Olds (2002) â€Å"His Costume† â€Å"Blood, Tin, Straw†- 1999 16/10/2012 â€Å"Coming of Age, 1966† by Sharon Olds â€Å"The Toilet† by Gcina Mhlophe 18/10/2012. Extract of a novel â€Å"Dirty Weekend† by Helen Zahavi 23/10/2012 Introduction to the Sherman Alexie’s book â€Å"Flight† 6/11/2012 Chapter 1 and 2 Chapters 3 to 10 of â€Å"Flight† by Sherman Alexie 8/11/2012 Magazine â€Å"Native Peoples† 8/11/2012 â€Å"Flight is supposed to be beautiful . It’s supposed to be pure. † 13/11/2012 Movie â€Å"War Party† by Franc Roddam 15/11/2012 Literary and non-literary texts J M Coetzee- â€Å"The Life and Times of Michael K† Toni Morrison- â€Å"A Mercy† Anita Heiss- â€Å"Avoiding Mr. Right† Zane Grey- â€Å"The Spirit of the Border†. Stephen King- â€Å"The wolves of the Calla† Literary texts| | â€Å"A Mercy† by Toni Morrisonâ€Å"The Wolves of the Calla† by Stephen Kingâ€Å"The Spirit of the Border† by Zane GreyThese, are literary texts because express the inner and subjective reality of the author, allows various interpretations and not intended to inform but recreate the reality. | | Feminism 18/10/2012 â€Å"In a different voice†:Carol Gilligan â€Å"Writing a woman’s life†: Carolin Heilbrun â€Å"Ariel†: Sylvia Plath â€Å"As Novas Cartas Portuguesas†: Maria Teresa Horta

Advantages and Disadvantages of Building Restoration

Advantages and Disadvantages of Building Restoration Using examples explore the advantages and disadvantages of allowing redevelopment and reconstruction of historic buildings. For the purposes of this discussion it is primarily important to determine what is meant by historic and to rationalize the terms redevelopment and reconstruction. The terms will be used in the context of preserving and conserving buildings. This includes maintaining their predominant features and characteristics, whilst enhancing new features in keeping with the style and building constraints relating to traditional use of materials and resources. According to English Heritage buildings exist across the UK that span over a thousand years. They also work with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and local authorities to allocate buildings such as these according to their criteria for listing – or categorizing for the purposes of their historic importance. These are identified using the following criteria: Those having architectural interest: bu ildings which are nationally important for the interest of their architectural design, decoration and craftsmanship; also important examples of particular building types and techniques. Those deemed of historic interest: this includes buildings which illustrate important aspects of the nation’s social, economic, cultural or military history. A variety of places that have a close historical association with nationally important buildings or events. Places which have group value, especially where buildings are part of an important architectural or historic group or are a fine example of planning (such as squares, terraces and model villages) [1] English Heritage define historic in relation to a number of factors. All buildings constructed before 1700 are automatically listed. Similarly this is the case with most properties up to 1840. A number of post 1945 buildings are also included in these terms. A comprehensive breakdown of listed buildings statistics across the UK is illustrated below: 38% are domestic dwellings 15% date from before 1600 nearly 20% date from the 17th century 31% from the 18th century 32% from the 19th century 3% from 1900-1944 0.2% from 1945 or later [2] Introducing conventional features can have negative consequences on properties such as those defined above. Not only for cosmetic or domestic purposes but also in relation to implementing safety measures into a property. and accessibility by way of lifts and hand rails etc for the benefit of people with disabilities. There is also a trend for interpreting properties of historical interest into entertainment or ‘edutainment’ orientated experiences which can be argued devalues the historic importance and often encourages historical inaccuracy from the learning perspective. The final consideration to be made in relation to this essay question is the notion of whether old buildings should remain preserved exactly as they are without any enhancement, improvements, additions or restorations. That they should reflect the period they were constructed in and be immortalized as a historical or scientific study. This paper will seek to exemplify many of these issues relating to the redevelopment and reconstruction of historic buildings which covers a broad argument for discussion. The English Tourist Board published a paper in 1991 entitled ‘Maintaining the Balance’ which proposed new schemes designed to ensure that historic town environments worked in sync with their communities whilst providing the visitor with a traditional experience. Visitor Management Plans were adopted and Town Centre Managers were recruited as means of taking these initiatives forward. The conservation and preservation of built heritage often involves maintaining tight restrictions and limited planning opportunities which is not conducive to new housing projects or business opportunities which could generate enterprise and economic benefits. Inste ad many of the UK’s classified historic towns remain stagnant and non progressive. [3] Similarly there are currently plans to renovate and restore the city centre of Amsterdam in keeping with its cultural heritage. The city centre is divided by two groups of residents. One enjoys the aesthetic benefits of living in this area, while the second are simply living centrally for the purposes of work and being close to amenities. This second group is unconcerned with the historical importance of the city and is not prepared to invest in maintaining or developing it as such. Often when areas such as this are under preservation orders high costs are incurred for maintenance and renovation in the style accustomed to the period. This in turn raises the rents of properties which become too high for existing residents to afford, eventually forcing them out of their homes, as is feared in Amsterdam. [4]

Does Racism Contribute to the Over-Representation of Black African Essay

Does Racism Contribute to the Over-Representation of Black African -Caribbean Women in The Mental Health System - Essay Example This paper looks at how racism, prejudice, suppression, and psychiatric diagnostic processes develop stress that leads to the onset or the persistence of mental illness in black women. While ‘black’ is a term associated with non-whites, the focus of the study here will be from the experiences of women from African-Caribbean origin. The world that we live in is a mixture of the rich and poor, the strong and weak, the affluent and the down-trodden, and men and women. Women have never been given equal rights analogical to men. The rich and powerful countries still dominate the weaker and poor nations. The lives of the people in rich countries continue to be an illusion to those living in the poor countries. However, even in rich countries, certain section of society continues to live under constant threat and under-privileges. It’s a fact that women, whether white or black or brown, continue to suffer from discrimination, but those belonging to ethnic minorities are worst hit. This is no different in the UK, where the face of racism rises above law to suppress any move to vindicate them. The condition of the black and minority ethnic women remain appalling to such extents that represent the poorest, unhealthy, and least educated part of the society. Invariably, to say the least, they are insignificantly the worst represented in the corridors of power than both white women and the rest of the UK population. Research studies have confirmed that the situation of these black and minority ethnic women in the UK highlights the massive inequalities and over-exploitation in health, education, employment and pay. Lucy Ward, the social affairs correspondent of ‘The Guardian’ featured a report published by the Fawcett Society (a womens equality pressure group) on data on the 2.3 million BME women in the UK (2005), which made up of just under 4% of the total population and

Corporate Governance in an International Context Essay

Corporate Governance in an International Context - Essay Example of a board with the overall performance of firms by conducting an empirical research using a sample of 30 UK listed companies from Morningstar Company Intelligence. The method of data collection employed in this detailed analysis is random sample of thirty out of 1779 UK listed companies that were selected from the Morningstar Company Intelligence. As mentioned earlier, besides broad focus on the board of directors, the study included specific analysis of important aspects of companies, such as turnover, ROCE, EPS, number of employees, board size, percentage of non-UK activities turn over, number of non-executive directors, CEO/chair duality, number of female directors and international directors. Analysis of this information was very imperative in fulfilling objectives of the research. Subsequently, we utilized the tool of SPSS to acquire descriptive statistics of the raw data along with doing descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis that will be very effective in presenting the data in understandable manner. Empirical research is supposed to state a certain problem or a research question and then come up with theories and assumption. It is important to first design the research and after the methodology is determined, random sampling is employed so that the data can be gathered and analyzed. A sample is a â€Å"smaller (but hopefully representative) collection of units from a population used to determine truths about that population† (Field, Miles & Field, 2012). Sampling is important because it saves the time, energy and resources and gives results that can be calculated mathematically and are accurate. Probability sampling is a technique in which all elements e.g. people, families etc. have an opportunity to be included in the sample and the probability that any of them can be included mathematically. Simple random is a type of this technique and it selects the target population from the sampling frame in a completely random fashion. It is

Compare the logic of Mill's utilitarianism with what he references as Essay

Compare the logic of Mill's utilitarianism with what he references as its compliance with the golden rule of Jesus of Nazareth - Essay Example The philosophy of utilitarianism is a theory found in the subsection of normative ethics. The theory proposes that every course of action taken by an individual is governed by the outcome of the result. In most cases, as the theory proposes, the action is justifiable if it has a positive impact to the lifestyle of an individual. The rationale behind this impression made by the theory is based on the fact that if a specific course of action makes one happy then the action is justifiable. The action may not fall in line with the ethics of the society but it is valid in the theory of utilitarianism. Such justifications are what that make the theory dismissed by most people in the society. This is because the members of the society hold high levels of ethics in relation to the action of different individuals. As long as a specific course of action negatively affects the lifestyle of another person, then the action should be considered as unjustifiable and unethical. Basically, utilitaria nism is a self centered concept that focuses on the on the impact of the action on the person taking the action (Meredith 2011). It tends to overlook the impact of the action to the recipient. ... The comparison of the theory to this rule to the theory of utilitarianism shows that the two concepts are in line with each other. This is based on the fact that Jesus proposes that one should unto others what he/she would like others do unto them. In this case one would tend to do unto others things that bring happiness. In this case, the course of action taken by an individual would be focused on the impact that the action has on personal life. Therefore, if a specific action would evoke feelings of happiness to oneself, the person would tend to take the course of action towards the people around him/her with the rationale that he/she would have wanted the same course of action to be directed towards his personal life. On the concept of love your neighbor as you love yourself, the same rationale applies. This is where one would engage in actions that show love to those around him because of the sense that it is the same thing that he or she would want from the person affected by th e action. Utilitarianism is solely focused on the maximization of happiness to the lifestyle of an individual. This is the base line for any course of action taken by an individual. The theory may appear to be self centered because the actions of an individual are not focused on the affected parties by the action. The theory’s main focus is on the lifestyle of the person engaging in the act. Therefore, the affected party by the course of action is not of great significance in the theory. This therefore is the reason as to why the theory is dismissed by most members of the society because it only focuses on one side for a specific course of action taken by an individual. Many societies

A Little Line of Thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Little Line of Thought - Essay Example Lines mark the every day boundaries that people cross. Whenever we travel, we come across numerous types of divisions and limits that many may not even pay attention to, and everyday, we come across millions of naturally occurring demarcations, boundaries and divisions in the physical world. A line represents any type of demarcation that separates two things physically. These are geographical boundaries exists between states, cities, counties, countries, and even continents. An example of this is the phrase "county line" which marks political territory and boundary of a county. Thus, it also limits the county's sovereign, area of responsibility, and subject. One of the largest examples of a line, literally and figuratively, would be the Equator. This imaginary line across the circumference of Earth, divides the entire Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres. From county and city lines to the Equator, our world is teeming with lines, many of which lie outside the physical world. These lines clearly demarcate and denote the existence of partition or boundaries in a locality. A line also denotes the separation of different functions when used in an economic sense. It is used profusely in the world of manufacturing where it represents a series of persons arranged to perform certain tasks in order to create a final product. This is described as the "assembly line" or "manufacturing line." The best known form of an assembly line was created by Henry Ford. It is an arrangement of employee which specializes in performing small tasks in the creation of a certain product. This definition of line embodies an ordered system of operations that allow for the sequential manufacture of goods at their various stages of production. Each individual in this type of line assists in assembling one product, by performing a certain small task, adding to the finished product. An assembly line, therefore, speaks of a separation of functions within the line itself and on the other line. For example, the two product lines produced by a company indicate the separation of two diff erent functional areas with the same manufacturing department. The word line also describes two opposing ideas which are debatable. A line can be an official or prescribed policy that takes place in the political arena. This describes an agenda of a political party, as well as specific ideological elements specific to the organization's partisanship. The word "party line" clearly exemplifies this. The term is used profusely in the chapter of politics, especially in the world today, where the division along political platforms are fierce. It describes the set of beliefs or agendas, policies that are representative of any political division or organization. A prime example of a party line could be the minimum wage policy of the Republican Party in the U.S. today. Many conservatives (Republicans) favor a policy of letting the free market establish wages, and some maintain there should be no minimum wage at all. When used in the political aspects, line represents the opposition between existing political ideologies and becomes the basis in the crea tion of laws. The word line is exceptionally useful when describing items or concepts related to war or battle. A line is the battle

If a man has the means to feed himself and protect himself he is free Essay

If a man has the means to feed himself and protect himself he is free. In your opinion, to what extent is this statement relevant for the 21st century - Essay Example The objective of this essay is to analyze the relevance of this statement n the 21st century. Considering the ethics of the discussed statement, it must have relevance at given time. The ideology of freedom suggested here is non-competitive and sharing in nature. However, in the globalised 21st century, where freedom is defined in terms of economic and social competence and people compete with each other for materialistic achievements, food and protection won’t satisfy the needs of men. Hillary Rodhan Clinton, The Secretary of States has stated three essential elements of a free nation which includes a â€Å"representative government, a well-functioning market, and civil society† (Clinton, 2011). Taking this policy of the government into account, it can be assumed that the discussed statement is not given importance in today’s market driven society. However, further analysis of the current policies will reveal that the materialistic objectives ultimately lead to the basic need of food and protection for men. For example, a representative government, func tioning market, and civil society are all indicators of a food secure and protected society. Ironically, the process of achieving the materialistic objectives, most times results in denying the larger objective of food and protection for fellowmen. Bradley J. Birzer , The Commonwealth Men and the American Revolution, Thursday, June 30, 2011, The Imaginative Conservative, Retrieved on 26 September 2011,

The But for test Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The But for test - Essay Example Such pandects believe that as far as justice is concerned, one person should not be the reason for other person suffering injuries or any physical calamities and so as long as the law can proof that but for the defendant’s action, the complainant would not have suffered, the defendant should be made to face the full damages caused. The other school of thought also hold the idea that laws are meant to be amended and changed to suit the human society. For this reason, they see nothing wrong with logical changes that arise from the need to protect the larger interest of society. With such two schools of thought all seeming to have some point to prove, the discussion and conclusion of the paper would bring one of the schools of thoughts higher to the other. How Fairchild (2003) have affected the original application of the ‘but for’ test The Fairchild (2003) emanated from the case, Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services Ltd [2002]UKHL 22. In the case, the wife of Mr. Fairchild was seeking justice for her husband, who had worked for different employers, who had all, in one way or the other negligently exposed him to asbestos. Since Mr. Fairchild died as a result of suffering pleural mesothelioma, Mrs. Fairchild was actually suing the employers for negligence. As far as the ‘but for’ test was concerned, her major claim was that ‘but for’ the exposure that her husband suffered at the hands of the different employers, her husband would not have died. But there was going to be more than just this contextual assumption.... as long as the law can proof that but for the defendant’s action, the complainant would not have suffered, the defendant should be made to face the full damages caused. The other school of thought also hold the idea that laws are meant to be amended and changed to suit the human society. For this reason, they see nothing wrong with logical changes that arise from the need to protect the larger interest of society. With such two schools of thought all seeming to have some point to prove, the discussion and conclusion of the paper would bring one of the schools of thoughts higher to the other. How Fairchild (2003) have affected the original application of the ‘but for’ test The Fairchild (2003) emanated from the case, Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services Ltd [2002]UKHL 22. In the case, the wife of Mr. Fairchild was seeking justice for her husband, who had worked for different employers, who had all, in one way or the other negligently exposed him to asbestos. Sinc e Mr. Fairchild died as a result of suffering pleural mesothelioma, Mrs. Fairchild was actually suing the employers for negligence. As far as the ‘but for’ test was concerned, her major claim was that ‘but for’ the exposure that her husband suffered at the hands of the different employers, her husband would not have died. But there was going to be more than just this contextual assumption as the judges who heard the case would have different interpretations of the ‘but for’ test to give as far as the case that was presented was concerned. Basically, she had to proof that the sole cause of her husband’s contraction of mesothelioma was as a result of the inhalations he had from his employers are there exists several environmental factors that can expose a person to the disease causing

Research proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Research Proposal Example In this research I will be using Alveson’s situational approach theory as it will enable me get an in-depth view and perception on meaning of leadership sharing (Alvesson, 1997). My proposal topic is ‘situational analysis of shared leadership in a self managing team’. This topic means that some people have no leaders at their workplace thus share leadership roles among themselves especially in self managing teams (Hicks & Bone, 1990). The aim of this proposal is to identify how self managing teams define leadership in their work meetings and work plans. In addition, this proposal aims to show how self managing teams determine the direction of the whole team towards their project and also the self managing team’s relationships, team identity and individual’s team member’s identities. Furthermore, the proposal aims at identifying the constraints faced by self managing teams by different factors like social factors, gender, cultural backgrounds and ethnicity. Leadership is a very tricky affair especially for self managing teams as they are bound to be conflicts. However, according to Alvesson (1996), situational approach gives leadership the team accomplishment which does not follow the norm of doing what the leader proposes (Alvesson, 1996). What makes this proposal interesting is the idea that leaders have always had a problem with leadership. There have been cases of suicides, failed projects, lost money and dysfunctional cases in many organizations. This negative situation befalls these companies because of their leaders and their leadership skills. In this proposal I will be doing a literature review, I will formulate some research questions, discussing methods used, and a conclusive conclusion. The proposal research will take up to two months of research and two hours per day for the two months. I have narrowed my research to a particular team of family run food joint. This

Meaning of life, Life Essay Example for Free

Meaning of life, Life Essay Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We all live in this big labyrinth of suffering. Th only way out of the labyrinth is death. † To live is to suffer, to survive to find meaning in the suffering. Few peopl e actually commit suicide to liberate themselves form suffering. Most people find meaning or purpo se for their life so that they have the motivation to live on. Some think that suffering make them wis er, some think that suffering is a test of faith, there will be rewards for them in the after life if they c an endure the suffering on earth. Some people couldnt understand but keep going on with their life for their loved ones. Some people keep themselves busy to dodge from the question. My view on this question is that suffering does not make life any more or any less meaningful. Beca use as an atheist, I believe that there is no God, the Universe does not have a divine plan for us. Tha t the existence of life is just purely a miraculous accident. When we die, we stop existing. The time we spend on Earth will not amount to anything in an afterlife in another dimension. Therefore, life i s inherently meaningless, with or without pain and suffering. Human are powerless in the face of m eaninglessness . The only way we can deal with life is to embrace the fact that there is no intrinsic va lue in life. We can only create our own meanings. One can create meaning of life with or without su ffering. But since suffering is an inseparable part of our life, it more or less give us insights on mean ing of life. Dr. Bernard Rieux can best exemplifies my point of view. When the plague got out of control and O ran was placed under quarantine, it didn’t stop the doctor form battling the plague, fighting the war t hat was doomed to fail. At this point, many would wonder what is meaning of of the doctor’s action s when they are all in vain. The answer can be found in a dialogue he shared with Tarrou. Tarrou asked the doctor why he was so committed to fighting the plague if he does not believe in G od. The doctor replied that whether or not God exist is irrelevant and he didn’t have the time to thin k about what waits him in the future and what will come out of his actions. The only thing he knew that there were sick people suffering and they needed to be cured. Even though he admitted that his struggles against death would only be temporary victories and that the plague was what he referred as an†endless struggle†, he said that this was not the reason to give up struggle. From the dialogue, we can see the doctor was aware of the intrinsic meaninglessness of his life, bec ause he said he wouldnt waste time to think about the existence of God and what his action will lea d to him. If he deemed his life has inherent meaning, he should have thought about the above questi ons. Thought he considered that his life is inherently meaningless, the plague gave me the meaning. The meaning lies in the other people. The doctor was fully aware that his attempts at lifting people out of misery is an impossible task as more and more people became infected and die. And there were no effective cure. Basically, his sitti ng around and doing nothing or wearing himself off to save the patients might just possibly lead to s ame outcome. However, the doctor did not stop his work in face of his powerlessness to alter the situation. Becaus e under this situation, he was left with only two choices, ignore it or act on it. There was no third op tion. The doctor chose the later one because he couldnt bear to see people suffer and doing nothing about it. It’s meaningless to battle the unwindable battle against the plague. It was not defeating the plague that gave meaning to the doctor. It was the people gave him meaning. It was his compassion for others that keep him going in times of suffering. From the case of Dr. Rieux and his battle against the plague, we can see similarities in the real worl d. The plague is like the amoral universe, and Dr. Rieux represents all the human beings. We are po werless in face of the meaningless of life, just as Dr. Rieux was powerless in face of the plague. But we do have a choice, we can create meanings for ourselves just as Dr. Rieux has learnt from sufferin g and found meanings in helping people. Winston Smith from 1974 1984 somewhat share some similarities with Dr. Rieux in terms of action upon the unchangeable, though he was not such a noble and heroic person as Dr. Rieux. In his case, the unchangeable was the Big Brother. Winston Smith lived in a state where every moves, every wo rds ands every thoughts he made were monitored by the Party. In the instance of living in an extrem e state where even having disloyal thought against the party is in violation of law. The meaning of li fe for Smith was not to start a revolution and topple the party, and change the system entirely. Thou gh Smith had thought about it and desired it to happen. Deep down he believed that it was impossibl e to achieve the goal and sooner or later he would be arrested by the Party. Nevertheless, he set out t o challenge the limits of the Party. He kept a diary which has† Down with the Big Brother† written o n it over and over again. He had an forbidden affair with Julia. Also he joined the Brotherhood whic h he believe is the enemy of the Party. I think the meaning for Smith did not lie in being the hero. What was important for him was to stay as human as possible. Through the rebellious acts against the Party in his own ways, he got to keep his spirit and his human side. That was the meaning he could find for himself. Despite the fact that he was completely compromised at last when he was brought into Room 101, where he was tortured to an extreme degree and indoctrinated to cure his â€Å"insaneness†. He was com pletely broke and dehumanised. His passionate hatred towards the Big Brother turned into absolute l oyalty and love. He should not be blamed for betraying Julia and not upholding what he believed in the first place in such extreme conditions. After all, he did try to rebel against the Big Brother even t hough deep down he knew he couldn’t do anything to overthrow the Big Brother. Dr. Rieux and Winston Smith resolved the question of meaning through their rebellious acts against the plague and the Big Brother. There are people who find suffering itself reveals the meaning of lif e. Father Paneloux is a good example to illustrate this point of view. In his first sermon addressing t he plague. He said that the plague was a punishment by God. That it was the result of the sin of all c itizens. He criticised the people for not attending church and repenting for their sins. Therefore the p lague was reminder of God’s power and the Oran residents should start to change their habits and st art to fear God again. Unlike Dr. Rieux, who is an atheist, Father Paneloux based his life and work on his christian faith. F rom a Christian point of view, everything happens on earth has purpose and fit into the grand plan o f God. Therefore, it was his job to make sense of the suffering of the plague so that he and the peopl e listening to him will be able to endure and continue to believe in God. From his interpretation of s uffering, the meaning of life for Father Panels was more easily understood than Dr. Rieux and Winst on Smith. The meaning of life was really simple, that is to serve and honour God in his will. Though he changes his view on suffering drastically after witnessing the death of an innocent child. He did not view suffering as a punishment anymore. He said that the reason why a innocent child sh ould suffer was not something that human would necessarily understand no matter how hard they tri ed. They just had to keep in mind that it was God’s will. One must keep his faith and God and find t he good in bad situation. In spite of a changing tone, the meaning for Father Paneloux remained the same- to serve God. To conclude, life itself is inherently meaningless. Not even religion can provide an universal answer to the meaning of life. There are no answers for that and never will be. Suffering does not make one’ s life meaningful. But through suffering one might find meanings in life and live a meaningful life. Wu Ngai Ching, Ivy 20189319 Grade: 21/25 ? 19/25 (due to 2-day late submission) Comments: ?Ivy – In terms of the main thesis of the essay, you’ve done a good job delineating your own atheist view on the meaning of life and drew 3 examples from the 2 works to discuss what m ight be the meaning of life for them. Your argumentation is quite right and your analysis of e ach of their reaciton and thoughts on this difficult question is right on. ?However, you simply â€Å"narrated† through the whole essay without really giving detailed or c oncrete evidences from the book. I wish you could provide some passages or quotes from se veral particular moments in the book to clearly illustrate your point. This is one of the ways t o demonstrate that you’ve actually done the reading, and that is also what we’ve been doing in class – making your point across by providing specific passages/instances in the book as c oncrete evidence. So please remember to do so for your final paper!

A marketing plan for a small gym

A marketing plan for a small gym I will be opening a small business. It will be a gym called Maximize Yourself. It is a private business, this seemed fit because it is a new business and incase it fails, I will have limited liabilities. The Goal of any business would obviously be to make a profit, but to enjoy yourself whilst doing so is important. The goal of enjoying is going to happen automatically because I love fitness training and being able to help others achieve their fitness goals makes it all worth the while. To jump start the business and start making quick profits, debts are required to be repaid, bank overdrafts will be paid as soon as possible to jump start the profit making process. The gym offers amazing services and products including, clothing, supplements, and protection gear and of course fitness training. The gym will have 6 employees including 2 women and 4 men. The women will be mostly concerned with boxing and fitness training and the men focus more on the main gym room, boxing, and also rehabilitation done by myself. All employees are able to answer any questions that members might have, give tips on how to do exercises, and even offer nutritional plans to those of whom are looking to improve their diets. The gym is located in Ryde because there are no other gyms in the area and it is a high traffic area. There is also a pool nearby and sporting clubs in Ryde making it an advantage because people would want to stay in shape and have nice bodies to show off. Also the fact that there are no competitors nearby makes it less of a hassle to have to constantly keep up with competitors. The gym is open 7 days a week, from 8 am to 8pm on Monday to Friday and 8 am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. Maximize yourself gives bonus offers whether its free boxing and fitness training classes, or discounts for multiple members entering at once, discounts for people who refer others and of course for loyal long term members. This business is all about, overcoming objectives using various strategies, achieving goals, helping people with their fitness goals, and enjoying a job at a gym. Because the gym is in the establishment stage it needs to build a reputation, and to do this we are giving special trial offers and also advertising via commercials and radio broadcasts, etc. Business Description and Ownership It will be a small business, its called Maximize Yourself, it will be a Private Company because it is a new business and if it fails it will limited liabilities. The goals of the business will be to make a profit and to do this it will need to build a reputation, starting with ads like commercials showing free trial offers and deducted prices on equipment in the opening month to get some customers. It will be located in Ryde because there arent many gyms there and its a high traffic area. I will be the owner and start off with 6 employees that have personal training experience to help customers with training and they will ensure all equipment is in place and help with questions that members might have. Employees will rotate between jobs and I will manage financial statements like cash flow in and out of the business. The purpose of the business is to help people with physical goals whether its building or losing weight and in doing this make profit. I will need to manage my funds for the equipment I will be buying with a loan and then repay them when I can. Purpose of plan Preventing failure and guiding a business to achieve its goals is the main purpose of a business plan. By setting targets for the business a giving a design it enables it to evaluate its progress against identified reference points. In order to have a clear direction with the business and a path for the future a well written business plan must be created. It can show how the business could perform in the future and the priorities that are set for the business. The goals of Maximize yourself include: Making a profit (Financial goal, short term/long term) Satisfaction in work self achievement (Personal goal) Long term security Financially (Financial goal, long term) Sponsorship by supplement/ body fitness companies (Social goal) Successful business (Personal goal/Financial goal, long term) Increasing market share (Financial goal) Help people achieve their physical goals (Personal goal/social goal) According to the textbook a business plan outlines: A description of the business (Name, address, organisation and management) The businesss goals A market analysis Customer needs and size of the market The goods and/or services the business provides The industry in which the business operates Marketing/production/financial/employment relation strategies. Situation Analysis This is to make an analysis of the position of the business at the present time SWOT analysis Strengths Great Locations Brand new equipment No bad perspectives of the business because its new Buildable reputation based on service Good manager Skilled and qualified Workers Good use of technology 4 rooms (gym room, fitness training room, boxing room, rehabilitation room) Great reputation (over 100 members) New and updated equipment Large rooms for easy transition between equipment and rooms Weaknesses Low amount of staff and therefore longer shifts Still an expanding financial position High costs required for quick profits No reputation Opportunities Expanding to new locations A growing market means more people will participate Can attract more people due to it being a multigendered gym Threats Increased rent costs Possible changes in governmental regulations. Competitors (Runyaway gym) Competitor Analysis Runyaway Gym Strengths Low prices Many workers A lot of equipment Great reputation Good finance Trained employees Qualified and experienced managers and workers Weaknesses Due to it being popular it has high membership costs Its large reputation means that the Gym could be filled with members at certain times Opportunities Much easy chance of expanding to new locations Large profit allows it to Buy out competitors Threats Competitors (Fitness First) A lot of gyms are starting up Loss of members due to high costs Market Analysis provides enough information to convince a lender or investor that the business has enough existing or potential customers to achieve a certain amount of sales even though theres competitors Target Market and market research The reason maximize yourself is located in Ride is because there arent any gyms in that area, but there is sporting teams and swimming pools which will influence people to want to workout out, lose weight and get fit, to look and feel better and what better way then joining the gym and pursuing their goals . The businesses main focus is: Helping people achieve their physical goals with prices that wont burn a hole through their income. A place to socialise and possibly meet future husbands/wives and also to share tips and make new friends. Also teenagers will be a major topic, due to the fact that there is suddenly a revolution of mostly teenage boys wanting to get into shape a build muscles to show off to the girl in summer. -Aged people, to keep their fitness levels up and maintain their dietary needs. -Lastly, mothers, having to lose those stubborn few pounds to achieve the body they had before getting pregnant Market Segmentation The division of the total market into small segments based on the similar characteristics of a customer group. This is a prediction of how many members the gym will have in the first 2 months, and their age range. AGE AMOUNT OF MEMBERS 10-15 5 16-18 15 19-26 44 26-35 19 36+ 17 This is a prediction of what areas of the gym they will be doing Age Bodybuilding Boxing Body Fitness Cardio/weight loss room 10-15 1 4 0 0 16-18 9 4 2 0 19-26 24 10 2 8 26-35 4 2 2 11 36+ 1 5 1 10 Objectives and strategies Objectives are specific goals. They need to be S.M.A.R.T which means they need to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. Key business functions Operations: The physical production of a good or the provision of a service. Since my business is a gym it is service based. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Its an advantage because: -There isnt that extra hassle of having enough stock -Making sure its not over stocked -Finding the latest new products to sell to appeal to consumers needs and compete with other businesses -Having to constantly innovate into the business later on in the business life cycle. This is a disadvantage because -If what your providing isnt selling then you could always innovate new products into your business, but when its service based there is no backup, therefore it means that your service must be so good that it will appeal to others and keep consumers interested -It costs a lot more to replace equipment used for services as opposed to just replacing a product -The fact that you cant actually advertise how good your service is as opposed to saying how good a product is in an advertisement. Also having a good description of the good or service, including: -Technology used -Materials and equipment required -Supplies used Testing and evaluation expenses The service the business will provide includes: -From open till close, 7 days a week, at all hours, there will be personal trainers available throughout the gym answering any questions members might have and also helping out people with their workouts, and giving tips on how to maximize their time in the gym to get the best possible results and help them to achieve their goals fast. -Personal trainers that will constantly give feedback to members and support them as they strive to achieve their goals. -A range of knowledge ranging from bodybuilding and body fitness to fat burning and rehabilitation, also kickboxing will be taught by a former champion. The businesses service will be amazing because all employees will have experiences of at least one of these categories and will be able to share experiences and accomplishments and help members do the same. Objectives for the gym include reducing cost of merchandise like supplements, and gym gear, also lowering membership costs or giving free offers, a strategy to accomplish thisis to lower the prices but be aware of competitors prices so the business has a fighting chance, its at a reasonable price, and its still making profit. Another objective will be to improve quality of the service and the products sold, strategies involve researching about the new and latest product but for the sake of them being beneficial as opposed to them costing more then requiring members to pay more for products, also introducing new employees or exercise categories like yoga to attract a variety of consumers. Marketing: This involves finding out what consumers need and want and linking these to the businesses product/service. These may result in a new promotional campaign. Appealing to consumers needs and wants is one of the very daunting tasks of the establishment stage, because it requires finding out what the consumers want and being able to provide that with your business. In terms of a gym, consumers want to be able to achieve their physical goals without getting ripped off, they want to be able to be able to get their moneys worth, be in a comfortable, friendly and inviting environment that would make them want to continuing using the gym without the hassle of being in a crammed room that contains weights, bikes, boxing bags and boxing rings, and be able to navigate throughout the gym with ease. In words this is easy, but being able to be a competitor on the market and show consumers just how good the gym is, will be a challenging task. An objective of the business will be to increase the number of members of the gym by 5 percent in the first year. Strategies to achieve this objective will include trial offers and deducted prices, also special offers that include discounts on equipment and classes to get new members and allow them to experience the gym and potentially keep them as members and possibly have them refer other people to the gym. The main strategy is to find what the consumers want and being able to provide it, also giving people a reason to joining your gym as opposed to going to another gm which will be a competitor. To do this the gym will be for both male and female and for all ages. Other objectives include increased market share which also allows the business to have a chance against competitors and last of course increased profits by 10 % in 12 months. Strategies to achieve this include introducing new products that appeal to consumer demand like the latest supplements or the newest workout machine; this will potentially get more members and also extend current members membership. Marketing strategies must be consistent, the following must be taken into consideration: -Position: Knowing consumers perspective on your product/service and being apply to use this information to improve your business -Price: Set prices, how it was determined and how it is compared to competitors. -Place: Available distribution methods must be assessed Accounting and finance: Provides the financial information needed for sound and viable decision-making. All small businesses must have the following to function properly and also to keep track of money. Financial requirements are needed; new businesses must have a clear idea of the amount of funds they will need. This could come from debt financing or the original owners equity, keeping track of the businesses budget and cash flow is crucial because it lets the owner know what areas are making profit and which areas are slowing the increase in profit. To keep track of these, businesses use a range of tools such as financial forecasting which tells the owner whether or not they can afford to produce the product or provide the service, this helps with a gym because it helps to show which products are selling, and whether or not the quality of their service is good based on the amount of members that they have or the amount of members the have ended their membership. Also theres financial records, this is good for small businesses so they can keep track of their finances, they will need to have, revenue statements (Income, profit and loss of the gym), cash flow statements (the money coming into and going out of the gym), balance sheets and budgets. Also theres breakeven: A planning tool that can be used to forecast how much of the product must be produced, or the service must be provided to cover costs of product and cost of paying employees to cover costs and make a profit. Lastly, financial controls are needed, which is having controls in place to ensure the business stays on track. These controls allow corrective action to be taken and without controls, the businesses ability to succeed start to be questioned. Objectives include reducing debts, that being said reducing the bank overdraft for all the equipment and land that was bought from $35000 to $25000 after 6 months, strategies for this to be done include getting more members to make profit and to do this, the gym will need to be advertised and show special offers to get consumers attention. Another objective includes increases profits by 10 % in the next 12 months by advertising more to make more money, also by continuing to sell products and providing services. Employment Relations: Due to such easy access to technology and raw materials, a businesses staff has become a valuable asset. The gym has an excellent range of staff hand picked by the owner due to their experience and the fact that they did a personal training course, or completed a course for the area of the gym they are working in. A challenge for the owner is keeping the employees interested in the job, this can be bother an easy or hard task depending on whether or not they like the job to start with. Objectives include increasing the pay of the employees. Even though the business is still starting out, a rise in pay should still occur because there wont be much members at first and itll make it easy for the employees to get bored of their jobs. Also rewards and bonuses will be given to employees who deserve it. 10% increase in employees pay in 12 months. A strategy to achieve this will be to possibly cut back the owners pay for a while or by advertising more to sell more products and get more members to make more money to be able to pay the employees. The numbers of staff, and the skills they contain have a large impact on strategic goals, the employment relations of the gym has objectives such as: Ensuring that the employees understand what their job is and whats expected, ensuring a healthy and safe environment, measuring and evaluating their perfomances. Strategies to achieve them include buying fresh new equipment and products, training the employees for a few weeks, keeping track of employee achievements. Job Description Must have a resume showing all recent achievements. Most have completed a personal training course or have certificates in the area they wish to work in. Also at least 3 years experience of the job. Also a medical check is needed to ensure that there is no injuries that will affect the employee on the job. Staffing requirements Rostering is the process of allocating particular staff to complete particular duties. Employees: Steph Greensburg Personal trainer (Completed personal fitness course) Penelope Chaaya Personal Trainer, boxer (Body Fitness course) Tim Stevens Personal Trainer, bodybuilder ( Personal training course, 5 years experience) Alex Dagher Personal Trainer, Boxing (3 Year personal training course) -Simon Rassy Former boxing champion (degree in personal training) Charles Chaaya (Boss) Personal Trainer, Physiotherapist, Rehabilitation doctor (degree in personal training, 4 year course of physiotherapist, 3 year course on body fitness) ROSTER Example: 1 hour break Day (8am-2pm) Area (3pm-8pm) 6pm on Saturday and sunday Area Monday Charles Chaaya Steph Penelope Gym room Boxing Room Rehabilitation room Charles Chaaya Steph Penelope Gym room Boxing/cardio Fitness training Tuesday Alex Tim Simon Cardio/fitness Gym room Boxing Alex Tim Simon Cardio/fitness Gym room Boxing Wednesday Steph Alex Charles Cardio/fitness Gym room Rehabilitation Steph Alex Charles Cardio/fitness Boxing Gym room Thursday Steph Tim Penelope Cardio/fitness Gym room Boxing Steph Tim Penelope Cardio/fitness Gym room Boxing Friday Charles Simon Alex Rehabilitation Boxing Gym room Charles Simon Alex Gym room Cardio/fitness Fitness training Saturday Steph Penelope Tim Cardio/fitness Boxing Gym room Steph Penelope Tim Cardio/fitness Boxing Gym room Sunday Charles Simon Alex Rehabilitation Boxing Gym room Charles Simon Alex Rehabilitation Boxing Gym room Price / Promotion The pricing of Maximize yourself will be based on whether it is an affordable amount, and whether or not it beat competitor pricing. There will be promotions of cheaper trial offers to let people try out the gym and see whether they like it or not. There will be free trials for boxing classes and body fitness classes to also attract a wide range of consumers. Also bonuses included free boxing or body fitness lessons with 3+ month memberships, this will also be to gain members. Apart from profit being a main goal, it is important to have an environment where people dont feel trapped in a maze and can move around freely, and these offers will allow the consumers o discover just how good the gym is. There must be a distinguish between maximize yourself and other gyms, that being, and amazing service and of course amazing prices. Ways of Promoting the gym include: A commercial -Social networking sites -Radio -Door to door sales informing residents of the cheap offers -Discounts for referrals -bonuses for long term members Membership Fees Single visits: $5.00 per person 1 week pass: $20.00 1 month membership: $55.00 3 months membership: $140.00 6 months membership: $240.00 12 months membership: $400.00 OR free boxing/Body fitness classes: membership cost+$15.00 Classes will be posted on a timetable hung up in the gym: Boxing: 1 Class: $8 1 Month: $55 Body Fitness 1 Class: $5 1 Month: $35 Supplement Prices MUSCLE MASS Protein bucket: 1kg: $30, 2kg: $50, 4kg: $80 Creatine Powder: $30 Fat burner supplement: $40 Bulk Building supplements: $60+ depending on product. Products: Bodybuilder and 100% Natural shirts: $15 each Training Singlets: $10 (Different Colours) Gloves for weights: $20 (different colours) Belt for weights: $40 (different colours) Product Due to Maximize yourself being a new gym it is obvious that it will have new top notch products, including trademark brands which are easily bought due to a friend of the owners being a seller of them giving him discounted prices. Due to the spacious layout of the gym the equipment will be spread accordingly allowing free movement without bunching into equipment and interrupting others during their workouts. Obvious products will be sold such as supplements, shirt, singlets, gloves and belts. The products of course vary in size to suit different sized customers and the maximize yourself logo will be on the lower back of the shirts/singlets and imprinted on the belts and gloves. Place How and where the product is distributed. Maximize Yourself did not create the supplements they are going to sell. Although everything else is owned by the business and they are all made by a retailer then send to the business when stock is ordered. Only Maximize yourself will be able to sell the equipment due to it being exclusive distribution. Description of the product/service Even though Maximize Yourself is service based it sells many great products. Services include the following: The gym area, this is where all the main equipment is, this room is mostly used for bodybuilding and contain all the weights and machines that assist with bodybuilding, there will always be a personal trainer in there helping people with their weight training and giving out advice/ answering questions. Also the other trained staff who run boxing classes and fitness training class simultaneously are expertly trained and will give you your moneys worth. Whether thats to learn how to defend yourself, lose weight or get fitter, theyll supply the help. Equipment inside the gym Bench press x 2 $500 Power racks $800 Rubber floors- $1000 per square metre Rubber mats x 8 -$100 Cable equipment (For all muscles) 45 degree leg press $400 45 degree back extension $200 Dip / pull up assist machine $200 Medicine balls x 6 $120 Set of Dumbbells- $1500 Fitness step x 4 $360 Barbell set (10kg 70kg) $2500 Smith Machine x 2 $3000 Rowing machines x 3 $2000 Treadmills x 3 $4000 Exercise bikes x 12 $5000 Boxing bags x 5 $600 Boxing ring $3000 Helmets x 20 $800 Boxing gloves x 20 pairs $600 Personal Trainers Steph Greensburg Personal trainer (Completed personal fitness course) Penelope Cruz Personal Trainer, boxer (Body Fitness course) Tim Stevens Personal Trainer, bodybuilder ( Personal training course, 5 years experience) Alex Dagher Personal Trainer, Boxing (3 Year personal training course) -Simon Rassy Former boxing champion (degree in personal training) Charles Chaaya (Boss) Personal Trainer, Physiotherapist, Rehabilitation doctor (degree in personal training, 4 year course of physiotherapist, 3 year course on body fitness) Classes Boxing See instructors for details Fitness training See instructors for details Boxing Class Learn how to fight and defend yourself with our top notch boxing instructors. Fitness training Intensive cardio, bodyweight training like pushups, dips, squats, lunges, abdominal circuits. Opening hours Monday Friday: 8am 8pm Saturday Sunday: 8am 6pm Front Counter Drinks Singlets Shirts Supplements Gloves Belt Boxing gloves Wrist pads Maximize yourself offers great discounts like: Free trials Discounts for loyal members More people=less you pay Financial Forecasts Balance Sheet Maximize Yourself Pty Ltd Current assets Cash $10000 Accounts Receivable $20000 Inventory $30000 TOTAL $60000 Non-Current assets Equipment $150,000 Land $250,000 Building/Property $100,000 TOTAL $500 000 Other Current Assets Good Will $100,000 TOTAL assets: $660 000 Current Liabilities Overdraft $80 000 Accounts Payable $30 000 TOTAL $110 000 Non Current Liabilities Mortgage $600,000 TOTAL $600 000 Owners Equity Shareholders funds $167,000 Capital $80,000 Retained Profits $40,000 Total Liabilities + Equity $997 000 Liquidity = Current Assets . Current Liabilities =$60000 = 0.55 $110,000 Cash Flow Statement Cash flow from operating activities Receipts from customers Payments to Suppliers and Employees Net cash provided by operating activities $120000 ($110 000) $10 000 Cash Flow from investing Activities Payment for Property, plant and equipment Net cash provided by investing activities ($50000) ($50000) Cash Flow from Financing Activities Repayment of borrowing Net cash provided by financing activities Net increase (decrease) in cash held Cash at beginning of year $40000 $40000 ($5000) $(20000) Cash at end of year ($25000) Critically review the plan and process In all honesty, I actually enjoyed doing the assignment, sure it was EXTREMELY long but it involves me being creative and actually doing an assignment about a topic I like for once. I must admit, if it wasnt for my plan and help from the business teachers I wouldve had no clue what I was doing. Now that I think of it, I regret not setting out my plan correctly, I left to much of the report if not ALL of it for the last due date, this left me with a mess load of work, plus the fact that I didnt manage my time and ended up having to do more than half the assignment in the last two days. I regret not asking as many questions in class. It was startling having a different teach teaching the subject after having Mrs Jones for so long but I eventually adjusted. I was disappointed in my slow progression and poor time management skills, and having assignments for other subjects just made it all the more less motivating in proceeding to complete this assignment. One of my worst flaws is my short attention span, something as little as seeing an item on my desk would cause me to stop and daydream, also knowing that I was one click away from face book and msn. On top of all these distraction is my MAJOR distraction! My Xbox 360, my mentality was always, play now, do business later, Im so good at this game, I cant just stop playing now im owning' is what I always said to myself, even whilst making progress I thought about getting off the computer and going to play. Another factor was friends, theres always someone to have a discussion with, and of course anything to get out of doing work right? Overall I believed I achieved what I planned to and was glad due to the relief of completing such a detailed assignment. I believe a few more lessons dedicated to actually explaining the assignment mightve motivated me to have completed some work sooner. Although Im g

Arguments for and Against Capital Punishment

Arguments for and Against Capital Punishment Jump to: Arguments in favor of Capital Punishment  | Arguments  Against Capital Punishment Introduction Capital punishment is a legal process in which a person is put to death by the country or state law as a punishment for a crime. It is also known as death sentence or death penalty. Capital punishment sends the message that such criminal acts will not be tolerated in the society. It works on the simple theory that people desist from doing a particular action when they know that they will have to pay a high price for the same. There is no doubt that death penalty is one of the most debatable issue in our society. In support of death penalty people argue that it discourage others from resorting to similar crimes, those who oppose it are of the opinion that it is not as effective it is promoted to be. Many countries still keep the capital punishment in their penal laws. This is a practice that has been there since time immemorial as a sign of the Law of Moses, which integrated a retributive approach that was characterized as an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  [1]   There are 7 types of capital punishments known to world. These are:  [2]   Death by Hanging Execution by Firing Squad Lethal Injection Gas Chamber Executions Death by Stoning Death by Beheading Electrocution. Capital Punishment in Bangladesh The capital punishment is one of talkative issue in present day Bangladesh. In the international environment death penalty is actively implemented and well protected. In some cases, it is also a debatable matter in the domestic area. According to Amnesty International report, Bangladesh is a retentionist country.  [3]  That means Bangladesh is the promoter or supporter of capital punishment. There is a lot of evidence which support the statement of Amnesty International report. The practical natures of the explanations or evidences support the elimination of the death penalty in Bangladesh. Crimes punishable by death in Bangladesh There is a wide range of crimes are currently subject to the capital punishment in Bangladesh. According to the Penal Code 1860, here is a set of crimes which are subject to the death penalty in Bangladesh: Section 121: Waging war against Bangladesh 132: Abetting mutiny 194: Giving false evidence upon which an innocent person suffers death 302: Murder 305: Assisting the suicide of a child or insane person 307: Attempted murder by life-convicts 396: Kidnapping of a child under the age of ten (with intent to murder, grievously hurt, rap or enslave the child) and Armed robbery resulting in murder. According to the Special Powers Act 1974: Section 15: Sabotage 25: Hhoarding of goods or dealing on the black market, counterfeiting, smuggling, and poisoning or contamination of consumables or attempt of any of these offences. In addition, there is an act, Women and Children Repression Prevention Act-2000, to prevent violence against women and children. Under this act the capital punishment is available for: murder or attempted murder involving burning, use of acid, trafficking of women and children for illegal or immoral acts, sexual assault of women or children occasioning death etc. Criminals Excluded From the Capital Punishment The persons who are below 18 years old at the time of committing crime will be excluded from the capital punishment.  [4]  In 2009, the U.N. Committee on the Rights reiterated this alarm and suggested that Bangladesh explain its clarity of the child to include all people under the age of 18. U.N. papers point out that Bangladeshs situation is that it does not implement persons for crimes committed while under the age of 18, that capital punishment for such individuals are infrequently-if at all-meted out by courts and that Bangladesh is allowing for altering the 1974 Children Act to assure a clear legal exclusion.  [5]  Women are not applicable for death penalty during pregnancy period. Women with new born children also will not punishable by death sentence.  [6]  The people who are mentally sick are excluded from death penalty. During committing the criminal act if the person is in unsoundness of mind or is incapable of knowing the nature of the act will not be punished by capital punishment.  [7]   Courts and the Judiciary of Bangladesh Bangladesh operates under a judicial system. It was mainly come from the British common law tradition. The Supreme Court is the highest appeals court in Bangladesh. It is divided into the Appellate Division and the High Court. The High Court hears appeals from subordinate courts. Under the writ jurisdiction, the High Court issues orders to enforce fundamental rights and grant other available summons. From the High Court division, the Appellate Division hears appeals. An important function of the Appellate Division is supervising the subordinate courts and tribunals.  [8]   Legal basis of Capital Punishment in Bangladesh Capital punishment is subject to prior approval of the honable high court division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. All capital punishments in Bangladesh are carried out by hanging according to the Bangladesh government law.  [9]  Like other nations in the region, Bangladesh does not have a jury system: suspected criminals are tried and sentenced by a judge.  [10]  Those sentenced to death have an automatic appeal hearing before the High Court. If that appeal fails, the person also has the option to lodge additional appeals with the High Court and, if those fail, with the Supreme Court. Should all these avenues of appeal fail, the condemned persons final chance is to appeal to the President for clemency.  [11]  The Jail Code also affords an avenue for appeal, whereby prisoners can appeal to the jail authorities within seven days of being brought to jail this appears to apply to those prisoners extradited from overseas. Additional to these safeguards, is the requirement that the High Court approve all death sentences pronounced by a lower court before they can be put into effect. A hea ring is held in which all documents relating to the case, including the lower courts judgment, are compiled.  [12]   Clemency process The Code of Criminal Procedure specifies that executions require not be permitted by the executive.  [13]  The main executive obstacle to execution of a capital punishment is the privilege of mercy, approved by the Constitution and defined under the Code of Criminal Procedure and Penal Code. Damned persons petition the President for clemency. In addition, the government which may mean the legislature or some other executive official-may alter capital punishment.  [14]   Available statistics on Capital Punishment in Bangladesh The information or statistics about capital punishment are not publicly reported in Bangladesh. It only comes in publicly, when it is about a sensational or political matter. For example, the February 2010 hanging of 5 persons accused and tried for the murder of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was widely reported; the same holds true of the 2007 hanging of members of the JMB who were accused in the 2005 bomb attacks on two judges at Jhalakathi.  [15]  There is No official information are available regarding the number of death penalty handed down, or the number of capital punishments carried out. According to the International Federation for Human Rights (2010), there are about 75,000 prisoners all over Bangladesh and 40-45 percent of them are convicted prisoners. In one district jail outside Dhaka, out of the 2,300-2,400 estimated total prison inmates, 90 prisoners are on death row.  [16]   The following table includes the number of capital punishments reported in Amnesty Internationals annual reports for the past five years, as well as the numbers reported by Hands Off Cain. Number of Executions, Bangladesh, 2005-2010:  [17]   Capital Punishment and the attitude of Bangladesh Government Bangladesh is a country where there is actually no right to life. Exercising the capital punishment violates the common human rights. In 2010, five people were given the death penalty within a day. On January 28 of the same year, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh made the decision to execute death penalty of the killers of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.  [18]   On the contrary, on 7th September 2010 Zillur Rahman, President of Bangladesh, pardoned 20 prisoners death row. Those people were sentenced to death in 2006 by a Speedy Trial Tribunal (2002) for the murder of a then-ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activist Sabbir Ahmed Gama.  [19]  In the history of Bangladesh it was the first where President gave pardon a huge number of death prisoners at a time. The important thing is that the benefited prisoners are supporters of the present governing party (Awami League). Amnesty International welcomed the pardon of President Zillur Rahman in their international report. At the same time it also argued that it is not ethical to favor only supporters of the governing party.  [20]   Though the death sentence is a permanent punishment, the legislative authorities should ensure that criminals are not released by the politically motivated grounds. Problems of Bangladeshs criminal justice system Lack of fairness and transparency. Political interference and arbitrary police control over the complaint mechanisms. Criminal justice system is politicalized, inefficient, and unprofessional. As far the administration of justice, the judiciary system does not enjoy independence. Lack of judicial competence and commitment to upholding the rule of law. The countrys medico-legal system still is not acceptable by international standards. Lack of interpersonal respect between lawyers, judges, political parties, medico-legal experts seriously hampers effectiveness of the administration of justice. Is the Capital Punishment an Effective Crime Deterrent? Capital punishment is based on the principle that the peril of death makes probable criminals think twice before doing to some serious crimes such as murder, rape and makes them totally give up on such criminal act. The effectiveness of death sentence to prevent criminal from doing serious crimes is questionable, whether it really discourages people to do crimes. A study in America discloses that 88 percent of American criminologists believed that capital punishment was not effective crime prevention. In this study about 87 percent of the respondents thought that capital punishment would have no major impact on crime rates in the country as such.  [21]   On the other hand, many criminologists think that death penalty in itself is one of the several factors which makes a person indulge in crime. The example of Canada wherein the murder rate decreased after elimination of capital punishment in 1976.  [22]  One important thing is that the criminal who is planning to do any crime, he or she will never get affected by the threat of being caught and convicted. In addition, the time gap between the sentencing of convict and his actual execution is quite lengthy. As time elapse the preclusion effect of sentencing a person to death starts decreasing. Now the people who support the death penalty may argue that to speed up legal process and execute the death sentence early. But then, speedy trials would again mean more chances of an innocent person being sent to the gallows, and that is something which we cant afford to do. There are some studies which support the death sentence as crime prevention. A study showed that eighteen lives are saved for every criminal death penalty.  [23]  The legislative authorities of Bangladesh argue that the capital punishment is essential for control the serious crimes like murder. They also think that capital punishment will transmit the message of ultimate results of murder to the potential criminal. This so-called prevention of criminal act is shown to not be working effectively, as incidents of serious crimes rise each year. For example, according to the Bangladesh Police website, there were 3592 murders during 2005 and 4219 murders in 2009.  [24]   Arguments in favor of Capital Punishment There are two types of criminals in our society ones who commit crimes under unavoidable circumstances and other ones who commit crimes intentionally. The people who commit crimes intentionally, they do not feel any kind of guilt for their actions and they do not hesitate to do same again. So, it is important to implement capital punishment for making such criminals to realize that they are not the decider of life and death. Here is some supports behind the capital punishment: Fear of Death: All people have the fear of death, even though death is inevitable. Implementing death penalty for serious crimes like murders or rapes will absolutely make the criminal think twice before doing any brutal crimes. There are some killers who are commit killing only for fulfill their hobby. Capital punishment will send the message to the criminal that, he or she is preparing own grave by killing someone else. No Escape: No one can getaway from the death, but any one can escape from imprisonment. There are so many evidences of jail escaping illegally by managing political leader or prison inspector. After escaping the criminal commit crimes again and making the innocent suffers. So this is unethical to let innocent people die and criminal live. Justice not Killing: Sometimes the people who do not support capital punishment, they think death penalty is all about revenge in the name of law or justice. However it is very important for our society to teach criminals about the importance of life. Saving the Innocent: To save innocent people there is no other alternative way without death penalty to the serious criminals. If we allow criminals in the imprisonment, then suffer for the innocent people will be huge. Law Should Provide Justice: Capital punishment issued by law is fair and justified for the society. The innocent victims do not get any chance do crime, then why should we give the chance to the criminal with imprisonment. Arguments against Capital Punishment Some people think that reason of the death penalty is to send a right message to the society. Such harsh punishment means that no serious crime will be tolerated and the responsible must be punished for his or her act. Denial of basic right: Death penalty violates human right the right to life. Human being life has a essential value. The holiness of human life is denied by the capital punishment. Life is priceless. The possibility of error: Capital punishment is decided by the collected evidences against the individual. Sometimes those collected information and investigation might be wrong or manipulated. So in case of imprisonment, after finding error in judgment individual may be released and compensated for the injustice. However, in case of capital punishment judge can do nothing without feeling guilty for taking innocent life. Lack of Deterrence: The goal of capital punishment is to deter serious criminal activities from the society. However, according to the available information, the capital punishment has not been effective in controlling the murder rate. For example, according to the Bangladesh Police website, there were 3592 murders during 2005 and 4219 murders in 2009.  [25]   Racist Factor: Death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment for human being. Most of the people in all over the world think that death penalty is a way of minimizing the number of minorities in a particular country. Killing is Expensive: Keeping one person in the prison for entire life is less expensive compare to give death penalty. Long and complex process of death penalty cases is the biggest drawbacks of capital punishment. Justifying circumstances: There is possibility for individuals to suffer from emotional trauma, violence, destructive social environment to commit such terrible crimes. So it is unethical to blame only them for their activities. Recommendation Observe existing law with a view towards diminishing the scope of crimes that attract the death sentence to only those with deadly consequences. All mandatory death sentences should be revoked as unconstitutionally controlling the judgment and freedom of the judiciary, as required under international standards. Other convicts may under no situation be entrusted to carry out a capital punishment, a practice that is not in conventionality with the domestic legal structure and constitutes an inhuman and degrading treatment for concerned prisoners. Make public information about the death penalty and executions to permit an informed public debate on the capital punishment. Assign a committee of high level jurists to inform on the purpose and situations of implementation of the capital punishment in the country. Conclusion Death penalty is as basically wrong as a cure for crime as charity is wrong as a cure of poverty. Bangladeshs constitutions Article 35 prohibits torture, cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment or treatment.  [26]  There can hardly be any argue that the capital punishment does not amount to brutal punishment, which is banned in the countrys supreme law. In fact, such brutal punishment comprises a violation of the Constitution by deflation the natural dignity of human beings. The reality concerning the criminal justice system must be understood to assess how hazardous the use of the capital punishment can be in Bangladesh. Essential policies or steps should be taken to reduce the reappearance of crimes that are presently penalized by the death sentence in the place of continuing with this unsuccessful prevention. Bangladesh should obey to national and international statement for human rights. And Bangladesh government should eliminate the death sentence system immediately, if they believe on human rights.

We All Must Take Responsibility :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

We All Must Take Responsibility "She is a really responsible person." "He doesn't take responsibility for his actions." "She was responsible for the accident." How many times have we heard statements similar to these? A definition of responsible might be accountable, reliable, dependable, or trustworthy. Based on my observations and experiences, I believe many people have a problem translating that into their everyday lives. If something bad happens, it must be someone else's fault, or someone should have to pay. A few months ago, I was involved in my first car accident. I think it's pretty remarkable that this was my first accident, considering that I've been driving for almost thirty years. The accident itself was pretty traumatic. I was at a complete stop behind two cars that were turning left, when a large van traveling at about thirty-five mph rear-ended my car. I was fortunate to escape with only some large bruises and a very sore knee; however, the car didn't fare quite as well. What was more amazing than the accident itself were the actions of the young man who ran into my car. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, he lied to the police and to his insurance company about the events that took place. His version was that he was driving behind me when I ran into the car in front of me, then bounced back into his van. Perhaps if he'd had more time he might have been able to concoct a more credible story, one that actually made sense. In the end, the police and his insurance company saw through his lies and everything was taken care of. But in the meantime, my car was towed away and I was left with no car. What's amazing to me is that he never got out of his van to see if anyone was injured, and he never apologized for smashing two cars and causing me the inconvenience of being without a car for five weeks while the damage was repaired. Several months ago, there was a tragic fire near the Quad Cities. Unfortunately, two young children lost their lives when one of them started a fire in their apartment.

Editorial On Drinking :: essays research papers

I walked into the house where the "party of the century" was going to be held. I was psyched to be going. At the time I was a little naive freshman invited to my first official high school party at a senior’s house. I was at the party no more than 30 minutes when this boy offered me a drink. Thinking nothing of it, I agreed. He brought back a half-filled cup. Before I took a sip, I recognized a familiar smell, one I really couldn’t my finger on. It wasn’t Pepsi and I knew it wasn’t Sprite. Then it hit me, I was being offered alcohol. I was only a freshman, and I was being offered a glass of alcohol. My first glass of alcohol. I could not believe it. Was this what growing up meant? Being able to drink and do exactly what my parents and teachers had been telling me not to do for as long as I could remember? I looked around the room, and saw other people drinking the same stuff, then I saw them stumbling around, and some were in the corner puking. This never happens to the people on the beer commercials on TV, why should it happen to these kids? As I saw these people, my peers, the truth finally hit me, alcohol isn’t for teenagers, no matter what the commercials say. Not only does alcohol make you look ridiculous, it’s illegal for people my age to be drinking. In a survey conducted by the Associated Press in 1998, almost half of the American teenagers were drinkers. This same substance I had been told to refuse my entire childhood was being consumed by nearly half of my peers. According to that same survey, nearly 9 out of 10 teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 years of age had their first alcoholic beverage after their 11th birthday. At this point, was I suppose to become a statistic or be that one out of ten people who doesn’t use alcohol? In D.A.R.E., the drug education program children are taught up until they enter high school, they always tell you to â€Å"Just Say No†, but I bet they have no clue what goes through the mind of naive teenagers who see all of their peers having a â€Å"great time† while they try to be the good kid and refuse.

Ishmael Essay -- essays research papers

A review of... Ishmael   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the past few centuries there have been a handful of books written that offer up ideas about humanity that are so completely new to a reader but are so completely convincing that they can force a reader to take a step back and assess all that they know to be true about their life and their purpose. Daniel Quinn has succeeded in creating such a book in Ishmael, a collection of new ideas about man, his evolution, and the â€Å"destiny† that keeps him captive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I began reading Ishmael I was amazed by the ideas offered by Quinn. Like in Rambo and the Dalai Lama by Gordon Fellman I was looking at the world not as it must be but as it could be. I was very suprised and excited, that as a member of â€Å"generation X† that tries so hard to create their own destiny, that I had never perceived or questioned â€Å"Mother Culture†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first one hundred pages if Ishamel I found a number of convincing ideas that I believe I will take away with me. The greatest of these being that the technology that we believe will prolong our existence is the same driving force that propells us to extinction. I believe that Quinn illustrated this idea superbly with his narrative of the aeronauts. Man knew that he could fly but he didn’t know all the rules. And instead of leaving it be until he did he was so sure of himself that he made his attempts blindly and came to a much quicker end than if h...

Transport of Karachi

Karachi is the economic and financial hub of Pakistan generating approximately 53. 38% of the total national revenues. Approximately 75% of the population falls in category of poor or low income groups while the rest constitute middle or high income groups. Urban transportation system of Karachi has no mass transit system and people rely mainly on bus services. The people on average take 13. 5 million mechanized trips per day, of which 52% is made by public transport. Urban Bus Scheme and Karachi Circular Railway are major project deemed to relieve the congestions on the roads of the city. Only Urban Bus Scheme, however, has yet shown considerable activity on part of public transport planning and implementation. This system lacks inter-modal integration and sustainability due to which this system has failed to cater to the growing commutation demands of masses. This research study aims to investigate the demand and supply gap of the sector in light of institutional capacity to develop and maintain. Also, this study attempts to compare public transportation system of Karachi with comparable metropolis like Mumbai, Delhi and Beijing. In last, the study attempts to explore socio-economic reasons behind delay of Karachi Circular Railway. The study has adopted descriptive and thematic analysis approach to achieve the objectives. All the analysis, hereon, are done on secondary data gathered for the purpose. This study concludes that an integrated, multi-modal and sustainable public transportation system can only be achieved by giving a holistic approach to planning, execution and capacity building of the sector. 1. 1Population Overview During the last 50 years, Pakistan’s population has increased from 33 million to 152. 3 million in FY 2005, thus, making Pakistan the s1- LITERATURE REVIEWeventh most populous country in the world (Karachi Mega Cities Preparation Project, 2005). According to the 1998 Census Report, Karachi had a population of 9. 2 million in 1998 compared with 5. 2 million in 1981, a growth rate of 4. 5% per annum. In 1998 the National population was 130. 5 million, and that of the Sindh province 30. 4 million. Growth rates since 1981 were 2. 61% and 2. 80% respectively, indicating rapid urbanization in Karachi, which was also much higher than the national average growth for urban areas of 3. 5% and also for that of Sindh at 3. 52%. On this basis population in 2015 for Karachi would reach 20. 7 million and 26. 4 million in 2020. (Karachi Mega Cities Preparation Project, page 4, 2005) Karachi, the capital of Sindh is the commercial hub and the gateway of Pakistan. It generates approximately 53. 38% of the total collections of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR Report, 06-07). The city handles 95% of Pakistan’s foreign trade; contributes 30% to Pakistan’s manufacturing sector; and almost 90% of the head offices of the banks, finan cial institutions and multinational companies operate in Karachi. The country’s largest stock exchange is Karachi-based, making it the financial and commercial center of the country. It also comprises about 40% of the total banking and insurance sector of the country. Karachi contributes 20% of GDP, adds 45% of the national value added, retains 40% of the total national employment in large scale manufacturing, holds 50% of bank deposits and contributes 25% of national revenues and 40% of provincial revenues. Karachi Mega Cities Preparation Project, page 3, 2005) The CDG (City District Government) of Karachi is divided into 18 zones or towns. These towns are governed by the town municipal administration. Each town administration is responsible for infrastructure and spatial planning, development facilitation, and municipal services (water, sanitation, solid waste, repairing roads, parks, street lights, and traffic engineering) in a town, except those functions which are retained within the CDG. Intra-city transport now falls under the Local Government. Karachi Mass Transit Cell, City District Government, 2006). Apart from in-migrants from Pakistan’s provinces, a large number of migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries have settled in the city. With an average monthly household income of Rs. 15000, there is considerable variation in income distribution. Roughly 75 percent of the households fall in the category of poor and low income groups, and 25 percent constitute the middle and high income groups (Karachi Strategic Plan 2020, 2007). It is no longer possible to overlook the urban decay in Pakistan. Streets are littered with waste, drains are overflowing with sewage, low-lying communities are inundated after rainfall, traffic congestion is ubiquitous, and the violent crime in urban centers is on the rise. The State either has divested from, or is no longer able to offer, reliable mass transit, good quality and affordable primary education, and healthcare. This has given the opportunity to the private sector to take up ome of these roles (Vision 2030, 2006) 1. 2Transportation – Facts And Figures The population of Karachi City District relies almost entirely on the road network for urban transportation. There is currently no mass transit system per se, although many commute using the network of bus routes. There are nearly 13. 5 million mechanized trips made each day within the CDGK area, of which 52 percent are made by public and 48 percent by private transport. There are 1. million registered vehicles in Karachi (almost 50 percent of the national total) and private vehicles – mainly motorcycles and cars – now constitute 83 percent of total registered vehicles while buses and min-buses constitute only 1. 5 percent (Karachi Mega Cities Preparation Project, page 14, 2005). In 2002 the total registered vehicles and cars were growing at twice the growth rate of the population while the vehicle fleet is dominated by cars and motorcycles, which account for 92% of the vehicles as compared to 6% for para-transit vehicles and 2% for public transport vehicles. The buses/minibuses are the most important mode of public transport in Karachi and better transport management strategies, service, accessibility, and affordability can help reduce the use of private vehicles (Urban Transport and Sustainable Transport Strategies, 2007). The intra-city road network has a radial pattern, consisting of a series of arterials, a few circumferential roads with inconsistent links and a disproportionately large number of local and collector roads. In terms of connectivity, the network is deficient in secondary roads that provide feeder service to major thoroughfares. The weakness has basically arisen from the piece-meal development focused on residential schemes in the past (Karachi Strategic Plan 2020, 2007). The availability of public transport has not grown at the same rate as the population in Pakistani cities (Sohail et al. 2006). With growth rates for private vehicles at over 9 percent, there are now over 280 new vehicles added to the streets of Karachi each day (Karachi Mega Cities Preparation Project, page 14, 2005).