The Relationship Between the Retail Price of Gasoline and the World Essay

The Relationship Between the Retail Price of Gasoline and the World Demand for Crude Oil - Essay Example It can found in much abundance in one place which cease to exist at some other country. This instability in the geographic distribution of crude oil makes it quite an important resource to be present in any country. The countries with its abundant deposits are on the top of the food chain economically and the countries with lesser deposits of it are quite weak economically. Hence proving the significance of crude oil for economies. Now crude oil is not only used for production of Gasoline but many other petroleum products are extracted from it. From this we can extract that crude oil has more demand as a commodity and is not only required for the production of gasoline. Gasoline is a refined form of crude oil. Crude oil is extracted or purchased in raw form and goes through various refining processes to produce gasoline. Gasoline has become as the basic commodity which has been in use for decades now as the primary fuel for powering transportation. The transportation requirements hav e been increasing each year as the population of the world increases by a significant percentage each year. Hence increasing the amount of fuel being consumed each year and the demand for gasoline. Now gasoline and crude oil have developed a relationship in which the demand for both are increasing but Gasoline is dependent on crude oil for its production hence making it the dependent product. The global demand for both gasoline and crude oil is on the rise and with no new large deposits being excavated the supply is not increasing much and the demand is growing making the prices for both oil and gasoline head upward. The gasoline we purchase majorly includes the cost of Crude oil , the refining , marketing and distribution and the taxes. So from this we can infer that there is a inversely relationship between the supply of crude oil and the price of gasoline. Also in the years we have seen where the oil prices have dropped but gasoline prices have risen which is due to the fact that there are disruptions in the supply of oil due to unrest in the middle east. (Fuel, 2011) We also can observe this for a fact that the prices of gasoline rise accordingly with the rise of crude oil price but they don’t fall at the same rate when price of crude oil falls. The matter behind this fact is that when prices are high , the retailer have to increase it so that they cover up for their profit margins but what makes the retailers bring price down when the price for crude oil falls is competition. In competition the retailers bring down a few cents to draw in more customers and so on the process continues until they reach a point where they reach their original profit margins or the price of crude oil again increases. Also the demand imbalance of gasoline across various seasons also has an effect on retail pricing of gasoline. (US Energy Information Administration, 2003) 2. Explain what Marathon could do to keep the price at the pump the same without losing profits if g lobal crude production decreased by 10%. In such a situation strategic alliances should be formed on the basis of which Marathon can make bulk purchases and at cheaper rates. If such step is not taken then Marathon will not be able to maintain a stable profit margin. By doing this Marathon will be able to purchase inventory to stock up at cheaper costs and also at the same time have enough fuel supply which would be enough to carry out operations even if there is a supply disruption of crude oil. Marathon can employee the use of

Learning to Read and Write Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Learning to Read and Write - Essay Example When the boy made rapid progress, she proudly reported the fact to her husband, who berated her for her pains. She was not only breaking the law, she was doing something 'unsafe'-for learning would make the boy unfit to be a slave, and unmanageable too. Mrs Auld followed her husband's orders-and soon became a new woman. Whereas she had earlier been good and kind, she turned cruel and harsh. The sight of the slave with a book or a newspaper in his hand was hateful to her. She kept the closest vigil to monitor his questionable movements. "Irresponsible power" had corrupted and changed her, through and through. Douglass records how he resorted to various "stratagems" to steal an education, with help from street-urchins and ship carpenters, and by surreptitious use of his young master's copybook, a Webster's Spelling Book, and a powerful book of speeches and dialogues that he was lucky to lay hands on. The story of his determined conquest of his own illiteracy is amazing. No wonder he had to write it out for people to believe that he had really risen from the ashes of oppression, rather than from the rungs of opportunity. Alice Walker's "Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self" tells the story of her finally coming to terms with what seemed to her a life-changing deformity. She remembers her life from around two and a half years till the age of eight as an idyllic period, when she knew she was both cute and sensible and had no doubt that she was the apple of her father's eye. Then, her elder brothers were given guns and pellets to play with and one of them accidentally fired the shot that left the little girl one-eyed and physically scarred for ever, and mentally scarred and scared for almost two decades. When she learns to look at herself through the eyes of her own child, she sees a 'world' unseen till then, and is free to dance again with herself. After her accident, although things changed enormously for her, the physical change was not really noticed by those close to her, and therefore, they failed to notice the inner change in her. Years later, when she spoke of the 'change' to them, they responded by asking, "What do you mean" Walker rephrases the question to herself, (and to her readers), "What do I mean" Others fail to understand her, and she fails to understand herself. It required some surgery to make her confident enough to look at other people again, and, when she did this, others looked at her, and she got a boy friend, popularity, the status of valedictorian and 'queen' of her class. Then, the sight of a beautiful desert made her aware of the blessing of having at least one eye to see it with. Her child it was who finally liberated her. The three-year-old child became aware of her mother's face for the first time in her life. She looked carefully and closely, taking the face in her dimpled palms with maternal gentleness. Walker dreaded the words that would follow, but what the child said must have filled her with an almost unbearable lightness of being. The child's words were, "Mommy, there's a world in your eye." And then, gently, but with great interest: "Mommy, where did you get that world in your eye" Walker says that "the pain left then." She could see her face as something that others could love and as something that she should love. It had taught her all she knew of

Implementation Of Compliance Monitoring Programme Framework Information Technology Essay

Implementation Of Compliance Monitoring Programme Framework Information Technology Essay Only UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) alone has issued over  £13 million of fines in year 2011 so far ( £89m in 2010 and  £23 in 2009). (FSA, 2011) For the larger firms, the monetary value of such fine may be a drop in the ocean. Nevertheless, it may pose a major reputational risk. According to Bank of International Settlements Principles on compliance function in banks (BIS, 2005:14), the responsibilities of the banks Compliance Function (CF) should be to assist senior management in managing effectively the compliance risks faced by the bank. Furthermore, BIS survey on implementation of compliance principles in banks (2008) shows that the core tasks of the compliance function defined in laws, regulations or binding guidance in respondent jurisdictions are monitoring and testing compliance by performing sufficient and representative compliance testing as well as reporting on a regular basis to senior management where the results of the compliance testing should be reported in accordance with the banks internal risk management procedures. (BIS, 2005:14; 2008:3) The importance of an effective Compliance monitoring program is continually growing due to the increased complexity of regulations, rising regulator activity and the growing impact of non-compliance. Compliance monitoring is, indeed, the heartbeat of any CF. The creation of compliance and policy manuals are important, however, such policy management might be irrelevant without an effective compliance monitoring. (ComplianceTrack, 2011) (Appendix) Therefore, it is essential that every CF takes advantage of monitoring process to its fullest in order to protect their companies from negative consequences that non-compliance in their area may have. The aim of this assignment is to briefly outline a framework for Compliance Monitoring Programme for a pan European Financial Services (FS) organisation. This I based on the material discussed in class, further research, as well as my personal experience with Compliance gained in Irish and international companies operating not only in the FS, but also in communications, hospitality and consultancy industries. The Teamwork Compliance, with Compliance Monitoring at its core, is considered as the 2nd line of defence in the overall company Integrated Assurance Framework, also known as the Three Lines of Defence. (Appendix) The business standing in the so called 1st line of defence owns, manages and controls compliance risks through management, procedures, controls, quality assurance. The compliance monitoring then carried out by the CF in the 2nd line of defence provides assurance that the business adequately manages its compliance risks. In the final 3rd line of defence the Audit both internal and external performs the overall assessment of the adequacy of compliance functions. BIS (2005:13) suggest there should be appropriate mechanisms for co-operation among all the above assurance providers within the Integrated Assurance Framework and with the head of compliance. These mechanisms should be sufficient to ensure that the head of compliance can perform his or her responsibilities effectively. Hence, not all compliance responsibilities are necessarily carried out by a compliance unit. Compliance responsibilities may be exercised by staff in different departments. (Appendix1, 2) Such coordination with other assurance providers may lead to one of the three following review approaches (Zurich, 2010): 1. Review execution is performed by another assurance provider (e.g. Internal audit performs an AML review). In this case, CF should support the assurance provider with technical expertise during execution of the review (e.g. support in setting up the review program). 2. Joint reviews. CF participates in a review led by another assurance provider. In this case only one report will be written by the assurance provider who has the review lead. 3. Compliance Reviews. If review types 1 or 2 are not feasible or adequate, CF performs an own Compliance review. BIS Principles (BIS, 2005:14) stress that if some of the Compliance responsibilities are carried out by staff in different departments, the allocation of responsibilities to each department should be clear. As might be expected, PWC research (2009:16) shows, that in practice the three lines of defence can and often do overlap, depending on the organisational compliance structure (e.g. embedded compliance staff in the business who undertake real-time surveillance of transactions to ensure compliance with AML, market abuse or client order handling rules). To resolve these confilicts, PWC recommends to put the CF squarely in the advisory category (i.e. in the second line of defence). This means operationalising the first line of defence where compliance control and day-to-day monitoring becomes more clearly the responsibility of the business, with the compliance function providing oversight and advice. (Appendix) The Virtuous Cycle (Compliance assurance process) 1. Risk Assessment The continuous cycle is usually annual and starts with risk assessment to detect potential compliance issues and risks, in accordance with companys risk appetite. The monitoring is typically (Appendix) planned on risk-based basis as this approach enables resources to be targeted to the areas where they are most needed and will prove most effective, potentially not only saving compliance costs but also gaining greater business support for compliance measures. (Better Regulation, 2008) The following sources need to be considered to determine which compliance risks should be monitored on the highest group company level: 1. Risk assessments, which can, for instance, be categorised by business areas or standards prescribed by regulator (e.g. FSA handbook categories) 2. Regulatory Environment: Laws, regulations, specific requests by the Regulator 3. Monitoring currently executed and planned in the future periods by other assurance providers 4. Local risk assessments and compliance plans Moreover, the required depth, breath and frequency monitoring activities depend on the size and complexity of the nature of the industry and the company itself. 2. Compliance Plan Based on this input, CF establishes its review needs, which should subsequently be discussed and coordinated with other assurance providers in order to leverage on the existing review frameworks and to avoid duplication, gaps and to limit business interruption. All defined reviews on compliance risks, irrespective of which assurance provider executes them, will be included in the annual Compliance Monitoring Plan. This Compliance Plan typically details the what (scope and objectives, problems/risks, priorities), who (resources), when (start and finish dates, major milestones), and how (activities to be carried out and data to be collected). 3. Compliance Data Collection and Testing The Compliance procedure manual tells you how to comply with the regulators rules. How do you, however, ensure that your company has been following this manual? The answer is by conducting compliance testing on a regular basis to see whether those procedures are working as expected, and what the exceptions are. (Cyriac, 2011) Hence, CF should have a process in place that systematically collects all the compliance-relevant information. The list below defines the main issue and risk identification activities that CF can use to monitor compliance risks (Zurich, 2010): Compliance Testing The aim of compliance testing is to conduct detailed evaluation of compliance-relevant procedures and internal controls (manual and automated) built into company business processes to asses whether these are adequate to manage the risk within the scope of CF. Tests should be completed clearly, concisely and accurately, in line with CF and company standard methodologies. Ideally, large portion of such testing population can be sources from company management information system such as records of complaints, errors, exceptions, mitigating actions and their status, trends, and the like. Reasonable sample sizes when testing areas with a volume of data (e.g. trades) should be used. (Cyriac, 2011) Compliance monitoring is meant to be both proactive and reactive. It should collect data to prove the availability of controls and validations and it should also collect data relating to failure. (ComplianceTrack, 2011; PWC, 2005) The actual frequency of tests is dependant on the abovementioned risk assessments. As a general guideline, higher risk areas are recommended to be tested more regularly, at least monthly, medium risk areas, at least quarterly, and lower risk areas, at least annually. (Cyriac, 2011) As mentioned earlier, the CF can take advantage of the connections, resources and expertise within the Integrated assurance framework in certain circumstances where the CF may require to increase the independence, quality and/or frequency of their reviews. The following basic steps may be executed when performing a Compliance test: Review Preparation and announcement Inform the Business about the planned review and discuss review process, scope, timing and collaboration Prepare the review by gathering information and establishing the review program Fieldwork Execute the review according to review program and file supporting review documents and evidence Discuss observations and actions with the Business Testing by Other Assurance Providers Regular meetings should be arranged within the Integrated assurance framework to identify potential issues that might have an impact on compliance risks. Also, CF should be kept in the loop in regards to reports from other assurance providers. Complaints External Perhaps also part of a good MIS, complaint handling procedure should exist where all complaints are registered and tracked for regularly relevant compliance statistics (e. g. number of complaints, summary of major topics, actions taken, status, development needs). Complaints Internal To encourage employees to express concerns, an infrastructure for reports (often anonymous) should be in place (e.g. dedicated contact persons, hotlines, email address, web forms, etc.) and all staff informed and actively reminded of its existence. Reported issues are investigated and acted upon in timely manner and reported to relevant stakeholders (e.g. number of complaints, major topics, status, channels used for reporting). Day-to-day Counselling Compliance should not be seen not just as a monitoring tool but as an active, ongoing support to management. As business progressively manifests the right behaviour embodying both integrity and innovation the need for the CF to police its activities diminishes, and the value-adding counsellor role comes more to the fore. (Appendix?) (PWC, 2005) Having a good relationship with the business is vital to the success of the compliance function, particularly when it comes to assessing the compliance risk of the business. Companies with a mature compliance culture tend to think of the compliance function as a vital element of business operations and no decisions on, for example, new business ventures or services would be taken without the involvement of the CF and its advice on all compliance risk areas. (Metheven, 2011) At the same time, however, the pendulum should not be allowed to swing unreservedly in the counsellor direction. Compliance has a critical role to play in compliance oversight and monitoring in order not only to provide the necessary comfort to (senior) management but also to frame the advice it provides going forward. A clear delineation needs to be set between doing compliance and monitoring compliance. (PWC, 2005) Yet, interestingly, in PWC 2009 (:15) survey of 76 financial institutions based in 16 European countries forty-eight percent of respondents say the difference between the compliance management and the compliance monitoring programmes is still not fully understood within their organisation. Hence, CF should attend all committees where compliance risks may be discussed. Annual Relationship Management plan is a popular solution, outlining minimum required regular meetings with management to discuss potential risks, issues and new developments. Regulatory Environment Monitoring Changes in regulation, laws and industry should be monitored systematically. Where action is required, owner of the particular area should be advised of the matter and the deadline for implementation. CF should ensure the owner has all support needed (compliance, legal etc.) so the deadlines and requirements of the new regulation are met. As usual, it is important to keep all stakeholders informed. Compliance officers increasingly appreciate the need for a coherent dialogue with regulators to gain a better understanding of their changing expectations and the need to monitor the upstream risks of new regulations more effectively. (PWC, 2009:4) To ensure no surprises, or last-minute scrambling and the associated unnecessary expense, particular attention should be paid to monitoring new regulatory proposals. (PWC, 2009:9) How do we do it? UK monitor it, tell us about it, agree deadlines, help us to read the docs ensure interpretation ok, bring directors into the loop,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Regulatory Action Monitoring Reviews, investigations and requests from regulatory bodies should be received and analysed. CF must ensure timely resolutions of such requests, possibly also coordinating the whole process. It is a good practice to share the results of the Regulators activities (e.g. regulatory review report including fines or sanctions where appropriate) and implementation progress (status of internal actions) with relevant stakeholders. Training The best practice dictates that annual Training Plan should be established to communicate regulatory/compliance matters to employees of the organisation. These activities can be measured (e.g. coverage, success rate, completed by deadline) and results used as indicators for next periods. Local CF monitoring Important part of Compliance monitoring in organisations consisting of various units/branches is to ensure that CFs across the company execute their tasks according to the company principles. (Appendix) This can be done by regular meetings of group CF with local CF units (e.g. one-to-one/joint, face-to-face/teleconference/online; discussing risks, activities, infrastructure), reporting (e.g. issues, risks, activities, KPI performance), periodic meetings with key local business stakeholders (e.g. satisfaction, cooperation, added-value, prioritization, resource), regular quality assurance reviews (carried out by CF and/or in cooperation with another assurance provider) Monitoring of Outsourced functions and activities There are strong parallels in approach in terms of controlling third-party networks and outsourced functions or activities. (Appendix) Key control elements stressed by respondents include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Quality of the due diligence exercise prior to entering the relationship à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Contracts and written agreements (service level agreements) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Robust monitoring by the (local) compliance function and testing exercises (for example, mystery shopping) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ongoing communication and training sessions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Metrics/controls/reporting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Quality of the compliance function within the third-party distributor or outsourcer, and compliance policies in place, as well as a clear definition of compliance processes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Onsite reviews by compliance and internal audit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Complaints analysis à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Dedicated unit within the compliance function to oversee third-party distributors or outsourcers. Does IT help? Priority should be placed on the development and use of technology able to help management to really understand, on a timely and consistent basis, what is going on in the business. From the perspective of the CF, a robust technological infrastructure entails both sophisticated tools for monitoring compliance in business activities, together with appropriate tools for streamlining compliance function activities, and facilitating knowledge sharing. (PWC, 2005:11) The apparently low level of knowledge of IT within compliance functions supports the view that, in many organisations, the IT department is not considered to be a key stakeholder in the compliance function, and vice versa. However, PWC believe that technology is a key enabler to supporting compliance within the organisation, and presents a significant opportunity for many organisations. This means the use of technology to: Control and manage processes that cut across systems and organisational boundaries. Compliance touches nearly every operating and administrative unit and business process in an organisation so the task of controlling and managing the compliance process itself is huge. Each of these require appropriate application of technology in order to establish sustainable compliance. (e.g. document management, status reporting, automated internal controls) Appropriate use of IT can improve the quality of information and speed of delivery transferring data from one system to another, replacing manual processes for execution, analysis and reporting, challenging the quality of data, modelling alternatives and delivering reports and dashboard information to decision makers. Reliable information increases confidence to take action. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identify and manage events in a consistent and auditable manner. Technology is used to identify events and report exceptions. This involves optimising control capabilities in existing business and support systems, use of integration technologies to bring together information from disparate source systems and administering and monitoring of risk and control self-assessments and other surveys. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Build accountability into the management and reporting of events. IT help ensure action by creating a closed loop environment that incorporates accountability for each incident and requires action. (PWC, 2005:61) According to PWC (2005) survey of 73 FS (63% banking, 19% investments, 18% insurance) institutions in 17 countries, 36 percent of respondents considered inadequate IT infrastructure for compliance monitoring as one of the biggest challenges of achieving a compliant organisation. (PWC, 2005: 19) 4. Data Analysis Results of reviews on compliance risks, as defined above, should be captured and analyzed. Every Compliance function should systematically monitor and analyze the captured data in order to identify compliance risks, issues, problems and trends. Key Performance Indicators reflecting the monitoring activities can be an important part of the reporting dashboard and help to identify trends on a local and group level. 5. Reporting and Follow up Reports to stakeholders (e.g. those charged with governance) on compliance monitoring and analysis need to present a balanced view of the situation, risks, issues, actions taken, highlighting both positive and constructive/developmental aspects, and proposing improvement actions. Reporting happens according to reporting standards of the particular company but generally include the following: Write and discuss report, observations and actions with the business Share report with relevant stakeholders Follow up actions Sample Reporting Content Executive Summary Background Objective and Scope Description of compliance testing/review carried out Observations Rating of quality of controls and processes under review. Actions 6. Review Being part of the Integrated assurance framework, Compliance should itself be subject to regular view usually annual as mentioned above usually by external and internal audit. Benchmarking with industry peers is also a beneficial practice. Without processes to judge program elements and implement necessary improvements, any compliance program will have difficulty staying efficient, effective and up to date. Well-developed routine monitoring and periodic assessment processes, with clear paths for communication of recommended changes, may be the best sign of a mature and effective management system. (OCEG, 2004:2)

Keyspan analysis :: essays research papers

About Keyspan Keyspan, a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, is the largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeast. In New York State, Keyspan is also the largest investor-owned electric generator. Keyspan has select investments along the gas supply chain as well as a dynamic portfolio of energy service companies. Keyspan’s acquisitions of Eastern Enterprises and EnergyNorth made them the largest gas Distribution Company in the northeast. They have 2.5 million gas customers, including customers in the lucrative New England market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Keyspan has a solid gas distribution, with 1.7 million customers in New York City and Long Island. They have an additional 800,000 customers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Keyspan’s gas utilities are the core drivers of the company and they intend to capitalize on the tremendous growth potential. Keyspan also provides electric service to 1.1 million Long Island Port Authority customers. Keyspan owns and operates over 6,200 megawatts of generating capacity. They plan to add 250 megawatts of electrical generation to New York City by 2003, as well as another 250 to 300 megawatts to Long Island by 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Keyspan’s Energy Services business provides a full array of energy products to the immense Northeast market. Its energy investments sector includes a solid exploration and production business, as well as other investments that utilize their gas and electric core competencies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Keyspan is making investments in new technologies that will benefit its relationship with its customers. Their new technological device is the use of its E-Commerce investment in MyHomeKey.com. This is an Internet portal, which helps customers manage their energy needs. The current mission of Keyspan is to become the premier energy and Services Company in the Northeastern United States, providing a full range of products and services. Its priorities are to grow the core regulated business, to build the energy service business, as well as continuing to grow organically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The goal of Keyspan is to grow its customer base. They would like to be able to sell new products and services, extend their management over a large base, and provide an economy needed for technology investments. Financial Position   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Keyspan is financially solid with a +4 billion ‘market cap’, a healthy dividend, yields of 5-6%, and a strong balance sheet. Keyspans 52 week high was 43.63, while its low was 29.10. Its EBIT (Earnings Before Income Taxes) for the year 2000 is 720 million. For 1999 the EBIT was 529 million.

Irish Literature Paper Essay

Olivia Barragree Mr. Green Irish Literature 3 17 February 2013 Irish Love In 20th Century Ireland, the practice of marriage remained very strict due to the religious standards of the time. The majority of the Irish population remained strictly Roman Catholic while a small population in the north remained Protestant. The Roman Catholic view on marriage remains to be that marriage should stay within the religion and be life-long, or until death due you part. With divorce removed as an option for the women of the time, and the expectation that a woman would get married earlier in life, it became no surprise that many women became unhappy with their love lives. James Joyce’s Dubliners, a collection of short stories, tells the sad love stories of man Irish women of the time. These stories prove that women, whose only goal becomes to get married like society told them to do so at the time, will end up ultimately stuck in a lifelong pursuit of happiness in religious love that drives them to desperation. One of the youngest love stories in the book presents itself in the story of â€Å"Eveline†. In this story Eveline, a teenage girl, finds herself struggling to make her next move in life. She longs for the love of Frank, her sailor, but feels conflicted about what her relationship with him entails. Eveline does not have an easy home life, which makes her decision to leave with her lover all the more difficult. Eveline lives and breathes the poverty stricken life of many Dubliners, and for her this remains familiar and tradition. Running away with a sailor to a faraway land would not be approved of by anyone in the town of Dublin. Her longing to get married and have a normal life drives her to make plans to leave the country and elope. At first she believes that it will be a good thing when she says, â€Å"Then she would be married—she, Eveline. People would treat her with respect then† (21). Eveline believes that getting married will be the answer to all of her problems because traditionally marriage would be the only thing that should matter to a woman in life. In this time, getting married meant sacrificing everything about your previous life in the pursuit of happiness within someone else’s life. The difference in Eveline’s story becomes that she has so many others depending on her already, and to totally give up her previous life would be a gigantic sacrifice. Eveline has many younger siblings who rely on her as a stand in mother, due to the fact that her mother had passed a few years before. Eveline must help also to provide for the family because her father has little drive and spends most of his time drinking and abusing the children. With so many people counting on her the decision to leave and do what most women of her age would do becomes even harder. In her time of need Eveline, â€Å"prayed to god to direct her, to show her what was her duty† (23). Eveline holds faith in God, as most Irish did at the time, and her decision would be made by what she thinks God would most likely approve of. Although Eveline’s religion would approve of marriage, in this instance her marriage would take her away from the people who keep her within the religion. An elopement at the time would have been frowned upon, and although Eveline loved Frank she knew that God would not approve of what she was doing. Her pursuit of happiness was a desperate attempt to get married and escape the life she lived. Although Eveline did not follow the path that most women would have, it becomes clear that women of the time were pressured to marry and sacrifice everything for the man they chose. Eveline’s lover would not have been the ideal choice for typical happiness for the Dublin woman, and this restriction set up by the church drives Eveline to stay where her beliefs and heritage are deeply rooted. Eveline will spend her life pursuing a happiness that cannot exist with the restrictions set in place upon the people within Dublin. In the next story of young love, â€Å"The Boarding House†, we come across a woman raising her two young adult children in a boarding house. Ms. Mooney, the woman, went through a horrible separation after being trapped in an abusive marriage with a drunkard for several years, and this very relationship has left her on her own to fend for her family with the profits from the boarding house. Ms. Mooney is ostracized by many in the society, and many believe she was wrong to leave her marriage and they criticize her attempt to run her own business. Ms. Mooney’s young daughter remains young and generally happy in life, but she seems to be very flirtatious with most the men who live in the boarding house. Her mother at first tries to eliminate this problem by sending Polly to work in the city, but as time passes she slowly lets her move back into the boarding house. Ms. Mooney sees a relationship beginning to develop between Polly and a man who would lose his reputation if people were to find out about the affair, but instead of trying to put an end to the relationship she monitors as if she is waiting for something to happen between them. With the relationships before she had always drove Polly away from the men, but Ms. Mooney, â€Å"knew that the young men were only passing the time away: none of them meant business† (40). She knew that this man would feel responsible for his actions, and if he tried to run away from his problems, his employer would surely fire him because his boss of thirteen years was a great Catholic wine merchant. Due to the religion and social opinion of the time the man is forced into his decision of marrying Polly. Ms. Mooney believed that, â€Å"For her, only one reparation could make up for the loss of her daughter’s honour: marriage† (40). Even after Ms. Mooney had to suffer through the worst possible marriage, she still wishes for the marriage of her daughter. This may seem surprising to modern views, but at the time it was better to be married and miserable than single. The religious dominance of the time forced many young couples like Polly and Mr. Dorian in to marriage that would most likely result in an unhappy life. When we come across the sad story of â€Å"A Painful Case† this is where the social pressures of the time really come in to play. The main character of this short story, Mr. Duffy, is a man who, â€Å"wished to live as far as possible from the city of which he was a citizen and because he found all the other suburbs of Dublin mean, modern, and pretentious† (70). This man hates all that was Dublin of the time because he believes that the people maintained certain ideas and were fairly mean about the way in which they judged others opinions. This man believed that, â€Å"No social revolution would be likely to strike Dublin for some centuries† (72). This statement of this one man’s opinions shows that many believed that Dublin would always have the same mindset about social issues even if modernism would come to the city life. Dubliners were people attempting to move forward, but who were held back by social and religious customs. This thinking becomes challenged when Mr. Duffy meets a woman who will soon become his intellectual companion, Mrs. Sinico, whom remains a married woman. When the relationship begins they talk about things such as philosophy or books, but as time goes on it becomes clear that some sort of intimacy will be involved. Mrs. Sinico lives a very sad life with her husband who works as a merchant. This man does not devote any time to his family or wife and no longer feels any sort of love to this woman. Their relationship has lost its purpose, but due to the standards of society of the time they must stay together even if she and Mr. Duffy were better suited for each other. When Mr. Duffy and Mrs. Sinico’s relationship escalates to a touch of a hand to a cheek one night they realize that what they do will bring them social ostracism, so , â€Å"They agreed to break off their intercourse: every bond, he said, is a bond to sorrow† (73). By breaking off the connection between the two, Mr. Duffy believes he will be doing the right thing because it will eliminate the futile longing they have for one another. The part that he neglects to see becomes the fact that sorrow will remain in Mrs. Sinico’s relationship with her husband. Mr. Duffy’s speak immense truth in the life of Mrs. Sinico because every bond she tries to form with men leads her to immense sorrow. This sorrow becomes her ultimate demise as the pain becomes too much for her and she makes the choice to commit suicide by jumping in front of a newly built tram. Mr. Duffy reads about the suicide in the paper one night as he sits at the diner alone, and at this point he is stricken with immense distain for the woman who killed herself. Mr. Duffy, in an attempt to deal with the pain of loss begins to try to blame Mrs. Sinico and become angry at her for killing herself because she was no longer happy without him. Mr. Duffy becomes filled with immense guilt and must find a way to cope. The sorrow suddenly hits him though when he says, â€Å"One human being had seemed to love him and he had denied her life and happiness† (77). He feels as though the death was his fault and that he should have saved her from suffering through her unhappy life, but due to the social attitude of the time he made the wrong decision. He left this woman to suffer in a life that was most likely chosen due to a younger woman’s desperation to get married and follow the practice of so many other women of the time. These social practices of marriage left her searching for a way to happiness that she could never have. Her marriage that she could not escape trapped her from the outside world which had the potential to make her happy. The story of â€Å"The Dead† comes at the very end of Dubliners which represents a very sorrow filled ending for the book. This story begins with a very vibrant and exciting dinner party, but when the party ends and Gabriel, the main characters goes home with his wife, the sadness really settles in. At the party Gabriel had found his wife immensely attractive and wished greatly to rekindle the love he believed they once had for each other. At the party a guest sings a love song that leaves, Gretta, Gabriel’s wife frozen in thought which makes Gabriel believe that she too thinks of the two of them together once again. The truth sets in though when the couple returns to a hotel where they will be staying for the night. Gabriel, in an attempt to spark some love in their relationship asks his wife what she thought of the song, but to his surprise she tells a very sad story. Gretta tells the story of her deceased lover whom her family would not let her be with. She tells him of the great passion they shared and how the young man had died a month after she had gone off to study at a convent. At a loss for words, Gabriel thinks about how, â€Å"It hardly pained him now to think how poor a part he, her husband had played in her life† (151). Gabriel gives up on finding love for his wife once again, and he now realizes that she does not love him either. These two people remain trapped by the bond of marriage and the fear of being socially unaccepted through divorce. This story of a love where a man had died for his love of Gretta makes Gabriel realize that, â€Å"He had never felt like that himself towards any other woman, but he knew that such a feeling must be love† (152). When young Gretta tells the story of her lover’s death she says that her leaving had killed him, and that he had died for sake of loving her. In response to her loss of her chance at happiness she had married Gabriel in an attempt to replace that love, but to also do the sensible thing of the time. Gabriel and Gretta were forced together, not by choice, but by the expectations people had placed on young people of the time. When they met they had felt a mutual longing for happiness in love, and this feeling had convinced them that they had love for one another. Deep inside, Gabriel realizes this fact and as he watches the snow fall outside he begins to feel a longing to escape Ireland and move westward. In the west ideas were new and people were not looked down upon for their sacrilegious actions or disbelief. At the very end of the story Gabriel talks about the snow that falls outside, and references a newspaper article that says, â€Å"Snow was general all over Ireland† (152). He then says, â€Å"It was falling, too upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked on the crooked crosses† (152). One of the most cold and lifeless things found in the story, the snow, represents the lack of life within the religious communities of Ireland. Too many people of the time had dedicated their lives to pleasing the church and the social standards it set for its followers. This dedication had made many of them unhappy or bereft of meaning in life. The people within this story look for a way to find love and happiness, but in the end they realize that they cannot obtain it where they remain. Throughout the many sad stories of Dubliners the reader can see that the institution of marriage plays a major role in the unhappiness of many of the characters within the short stories. The institution of marriage when ruled by a church’s strict belief system can be very harmful to a healthy relationship. The characters who marry always seem to become trapped by their marriage because they know that they can never escape it in the future. This longing to escape the social standards set for these couples leaves them in a pursuit of something that will never be reached. Without a trapped feeling surrounding them, the pressure to have a perfect marriage would be diluted and prove much more effective than a marriage kept out of fear of religious persecution.

Ray Bradbury’s The Utterly Perfect Murder

The actions of an Individual affect others around them emotionally and physically. In the story ‘The Utterly Perfect Murder by Ray Bradbury, there were two kids, one bullied the other. Doug (the victim) was bullied so Immensely by Ralph that 36 years later It still drives him crazy and makes him want to kill Ralph. The literary device shown here is flashback because the main character has a flashback for most of the story and really has a deeper meaning. This story teaches individuals to be nice to thers and what bullying can really do to a person.The moral of this story is to treat others how you would like to be treated. Doug was bullied for his entire childhood by Ralph. It destroyed Doug and ruined his childhood. Ralph abused Doug so much that 36 years later he still was upset about Ralph. So he decided to get revenge he was going to kill Ralph. Doug had moved out of his childhood home and had moved away during his life. When Doug decided to kill Ralph he took a train inste ad of a plane. Why may you ask, maybe he dldnt have the money or had a fear of heights? Doug took a train because he wanted to think long and hard about the past.Doug had a flashback to his childhood times. â€Å"Where are you, Doug? I need someone to beat. Where are you been Doug I got no one to pinch (Bradbury Pg. 3). † Doug thought about everything on the train and decided he was going to kill Ralph. Bullying impacted Doug immensely. As Doug stands there at the door of Ralph with his pistol in his pocket, he noticed something. He did not shoot Ralph, why? Why not get his revenge and kill Ralph? As Ralph opened the door, Doug noticed that time did not treat Ralph well. The old man standing at the door was fragile and frail.Doug could not kill Ralph. When he saw him he thought that Ralph was defeated later in life Just like he was when he was being bullied. Doug then walked away as Ralph repeated, Ilke a broke record â€Å"Doug, is that you? † without saying a thing. The actions of an Individual can affect others emotionally and physically. In conclusion bullying affects many people even If you think It doesn't. Bullying sucks with people for their enure life Just Ilke a scar but an â€Å"Emotional scar†. Do treat others how you would like to be treated.

How to Succeed in Academic Writing

How to Succeed in Academic Writing How to Succeed in Academic Writing In the olden days when hand-written assignments were the norm, students with good handwriting earned more marks. Back then, instructors made it clear that good handwriting would increase the points you scored on a given paper. Today, hand-written tasks have gradually been replaced by typed assignments. Still, there are specific attributes instructors seek when they are marking academic assignments. Normally, the heads of college departments will dedicate a day or two to orientate new students. In such forums, students will be informed of key points that guarantee success in academic writing. Similarly, a lecturer will attach clear rubrics at the end of each assignment question. In this section, the student will be reminded of the main aspects that the marker will want to see in the final essay. A student is assured of passing an assignment is he/she satisfies the marker in adherence to the stated points. One of the things that help a student to succeed in any academic writing is precision. By this, it is meant that the final paper presented to the marker must fully address the task specified in the assignment. To ensure this, the student must read and comprehend the question before starting to write. Alternatively, he/she could occasionally revisit the question to check for any possible deviation. Secondly, the paper should be broad enough to cover the subject that is provided. This is achieved when the student identifies major keys to the task. Closely related to the element of breadth is depth. Unless there are explicit instructions to â€Å"mention† or â€Å"list†, the student should always provide an in-depth analysis of a given research topic. In academic writing, depth is accomplished through an inclusion of background readings and relevant but recent resources. A mistake commonly made by students when writing an academic paper is to reiterate the thoughts or opinions of other authors. Discussing a concept is different from conducting a literature review. In the former, which is what academic writing is about, it is vital to link the contentions of other authors with your own thoughts. This is where the notion of critical thinking comes in. The student must evaluate whether the background readings offer a logical position concerning the subject. When addressing an academic paper, factors that boost critical thinking are relevance and precision of other people’s ideas. A precise, broad, deep, and critically thought-out paper guarantees high quality content, but this is not enough. The instructor will want to see clarity in the writing. Thus, you must take care to articulate all the concepts properly. Though quotations are helpful, it is detrimental to use too many of them, because this negates the impression of originality and creativity. Again, you have to organize your paper well using headings as appropriate. Avoid using technical words to alleviate ambiguity. Things such as spelling and grammar must also be checked. Last, in-text citations together with a bibliography must be presented in the right format. Our academic writing service can provide you with a superior-quality custom essay, research paper, thesis or dissertation on any topic. All you need is to contact us now!