Thursday, January 30, 2020
Demographics and Culture of Brazil Essay Example for Free
Demographics and Culture of Brazil Essay Brazil is currently enjoying the number 5 spot as far as big populations in the world are concerned with 190,010,647 people recorded as of August 16, 2007 (C.I.A., 2007, par. 7). Documents show that the population has grown steadily in the years with only 85,240,000 Brazilians in 1967 to 141,452,000 in 1987 (Lahmeyer, 2003, p. 1). This clearly illustrates that in just forty years, the population of Brazil has already doubled its number of natives. With a land area of 8,456,510 square kilometers, Brazil has around 58.2 people per square mile. It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 81% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001, up from 66% in 1980 (Brazil Population, 2007, par. 2). The following are more details on the current population of Brazil: Population growth rate:       1.008% (2007 est.) Birth rate:                             16.3 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) Death rate:                           6.19 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) Sex ratio:      at birth: 1                   .05 male(s)/female under 15 years:         1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years:              0.983 male(s)/female 65 years and over:     0.697 male(s)/female total population:        0.976 male(s)/female (2007 est.) Age structure:  0-14 years:              25.3% (male 24,554,254/female 23,613,027) 15-64 years:              68.4% (male 64,437,140/female 65,523,447) 65 years and over:     6.3% (male 4,880,562/female 7,002,217) (2007 est.) Median age:  total:               28.6 years male:             27.9 years female:          29.4 years (2007 est.) *Source: C.I.A. The World Fact Book 2007 Brazil’s culture is very much influenced by their Portuguese invaders who have ruled the lands for three centuries. It was only in 1822 when Brazil finally became a nation. Although Brazil is a democratic country, education, health, safety (physical and juridical) are deficient in Brazil (Brazil Travel, n.d., par. 1). Brazil is the leading economic power and regional leader in South America yet uneven distribution of income is a pressing problem (C.I.A.). Its economic strength is dependent on its mining, agricultural and manufacturing industries. One of Brazil’s cultural attractions is the Carnaval or Mar de Gras which is annually celebrated at Rio de Janeiro.  The origins of this celebration dates back to the ancient Greek festival in honor of Dionysus which the Romans soon adopted for the Roman God Bacchus as the feast of Saturnalia (World Music Productions, 2007, par. 1). Back then they celebrated it by making slaves and their masters exchange clothes while drinking wine for the whole day. Saturnalia was converted by Roman Catholics into a festival leading up to Ash Wednesday or before the 40 days of sacrifices prior to Easter. It became known as Carne Vale which literally means farewell to the flesh and is a fiesta filled with every known sin the Brazilians could think of. Carnaval, as spelled in Portuguese, is a 4-day celebration. It starts on Saturday, and ends on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi-Gras. (All About Rio, 2007, par. 1). One of the major issues that had put a spotlight on Brazil in the recent years is regarding its environment. The very rich Amazon forest is the habitat of many endangered species and it plays a major role in the weather cycle of the world. If it continues to be cut down, global warming will greatly be affected because the Amazon Forest is one of the world’s best source of rain. Other problems include illegal wildlife trade, air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other cities, improper mining activities, wetland degradation and severe oil spills (C.I.A., par. 7). References All About Rio. (2007). Ipanema.com. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www.ipanema.com/ carnival/ Brazil Population. (2007). Brazil Population. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www. nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Brazil.html C.I.A. (2007). The World Fact Book. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from https://www.cia.gov/ library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html#Intro Lahmeyer, J. (2003). Brazil. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www.populstat.info/ Americas/brazilc.htm World Music Productions. (2007). History of Carnival in Brazil. Retrieved August 31, 2007            from http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/33/
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Corruption of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzge
Broken Dreams and Fallen Themes In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to expose the corruption growing in the family system present in the novel. Finally, the American longing for status as a citizen is gravely overshot when Gatsby surrounds his life with walls of lies in order to fulfill his desires for an impure dream. F. Scot. Fitzgerald, through his use of symbols, characters, and theme, displays for the reader a tale that provides a commentary on the American dream and more importantly on its corruption. Though success lies at the heart of the American dream, Fitzgerald deftly portrays the ease with which this sacred idea can become tainted by commenting on the corruption of wealth. Gatsby exemplifies the American dream in his ideals, in this case the desire for success and self-substantiation; however, this dream become corrupted because he is not able to distinguish the acquisition of wealth from the pursuit of his dream, embodied by Daisy, and is tainted by the illicit foundations of his wealth as well as his desires for an unsuitable married woman. Fitzgerald uses the symbol of the green light at the beginning of the novel to represent Gatsby’s dream and even uses the light to introduce him for the first time. â€Å"He [Gatsby] stretched his arms out towards the dark water in a curious way, and as far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing but a single green light, minute and far away†(Fitzg erald 26). The author uses the light to represent the American dream; initially the color green represented fertility, which plays a prominent role in the dream, but as the story progresses the green light grows to symbolize money. In his essay â€Å"Money, Love, and Aspiration†, Roger Lewis discusses the means by which Gatsby amasses his wealth and poisons his dream. Gatsby’s money does not â€Å"smell†right- however explicitly tacitly condoned by the denizens of Gatsby’s world illegal... ...n dream can poison the family. In addition, at one point in the book, Gatsby works with Nick to bring her over so that he can see her again and show her his house. The moment when they appear truly happy together occurs when they are together in Gatsby’s gardens. Fitzgerald plays upon the classic garden image to show that the two are only happy in their naturally state, but they are not; they live in the world tainted by the actions and more specifically the failings of mankind. Furthermore, Roger Lewis implies the importance of the valley of ashes in the portrayal of the theme of Gatsby. In brief, the world of The Great Gatsby can seem as sordid, loveless, commercial, and dead as the ash heaps presided over by the eyes of dr. T.J. Eckleburg. Indeed, this atmosphere is so essential that one of the alternate titles Fitzgerald considered was Among the Ash-Heaps and Millionaires. Fitzgerald using the valley of ashes, illustrates an environment where love has lost its place, which destroys hope for a family; the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, clearly intended to represent those of god, emphasizes that this lack of love and filial piety in a sin against themselves as well as society and God
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Ma in Management †Strategic Analysis Module Essay
SAA 1 – Evaluating the Suitability of EasyJet’s strategy EasyJet’s existing strategy can be characterised as low price/low value added (route 1 on the strategy clock) concentrating on Luton and Liverpool hubs (not the main UK airports) and targeting routes with little direct competition from other airlines (which builds up elements of access and variety based positioning). EasyJet exploited the major environmental change that resulted from the initial liberalisation of the EU airline market. The attractiveness of this â€Å"low cost†strategic group within the market has brought in new competitors (like BA’s GO) so the industry structure is changing. EasyJet’s decision to buy new aircraft and open new routes can be seen as an attempt to pre-emptively protect and build on their current position. The deals with Geneva airport and TEA also allow them to exploit an EU â€Å"open skies†agreement with Switzerland if finalised using the same strategic approach. The strategy is largely expanding upon existing capabilities in operating a low cost airline. Expanding the fleet of aircraft potentially offers cost efficiency advantages in terms of economies of scale and scope across a bigger number of routes. Standardising on new Boeing 737-300s and 737-700s should also help minimise operational costs as well as the purchase economies from the deal (discounts). Other parts of the value chain are also consistent with this low cost approach – headquarters at Luton rather than a more expensive location (although not mentioned in the illustration the HQ is pared down to a minimum to reduce overheads. Aircraft maintenance is also contracted out). As EasyJet is privately owned then the massive increase in gearing implied by the financing of new aircraft is perhaps less unattractive to investors than would be the case if the company was public. Ideally, it would be helpful to have more information on EasyJet’s current value chain and its capabilities to deliver the â€Å"low cost†approach. The big strategic issue to be resolved is the extent to which their current positioning is defensible if they start to expand – with risks from competitor reaction, perhaps from airlines previously unaffected by their strategy and the capabilities of EasyJet to deliver the same strategic approach on five-times the scale. SAA 2 – Evaluating the Acceptability of Easyjet’s strategy The risks of the new strategy are related to the extent of expansion – both strategically in terms of their ability to deliver on a bigger scale (a five-fold expansion of operations) and financially in terms of the impact of long-term gearing (loans from the banks). Their existing capabilities in this type of business (they were one of the first in Europe) and the potential use of equipment trust certificates to re-finance the purchase at a later date might help. There are few details about the potential returns in the illustration, but this seems to be an expanding sector in which EasyJet already has an established position. It seems to make strategic sense in terms of both protecting their existing position and creating the potential to exploit new opportunities (Switzerland) but more information on projected passenger volumes and revenues would help in assessing both returns and risks (e.g. ROCE, NPV, payback and break-even). As a privately owned airline then the number of key stakeholders is at least reduced by not having shareholders, Stelios Haji-Ioannou is the owner and chief executive. However, the banks are going to be particularly interested in the company given their exposure in terms of gearing – though they should be supportive providing the revenue flows increase as planned! Given the leanness of the organisation then the employees are likely to have a strong input. Governments are likely to be supportive of EasyJet’s approach as it encourages competition – though some may have closer ties to â€Å"national flag carriers†who are potential competitors. SAA 3 – Evaluating the Feasibility of EasyJet’s strategy EasyJet has built up experience as a successful â€Å"low cost†airline and the proposed strategy is an extension of existing capabilities. The cultural web of the organisation is also not likely to see major changes and create problems of managing implementation. The question is whether the system can be stretched into a five-fold expansion. The expansion into Switzerland, with the deals with Geneva airport and TEA, including the switch to Boeing 737s, would seem to be strategically sensible given the potential â€Å"open skies†agreement. The alliance, with an option to acquire TEA, should also offer synergies whilst reducing the risks of further stretching the existing EasyJet system. Financing is a major issue for this strategy – the cash flow for the aircraft deposit and long-term bank loans may indicate adequate financial resources, but conclusions depend upon an examination of this part of the deal in terms of impact on the company’s capital structure (gearing) and cash flow projections. Given the banks have leant the money then some judgements can be implied but, in practice, this would be a critical part of the overall strategy evaluation.
Monday, January 6, 2020
10 Quotes About Summer Love
Summer has always been considered the most romantic of the four seasons. The clear skies, the blazing sun, the gentle summer breeze, and the lazy afternoons flavor the season with passion and warm love. Its also a time when many experience the passion and heartbreak of young love while on summer vacation. The lovers are destined to part at summers end, returning to their distant homes and inevitable loss. These summer love quotes attempt to celebrate this fervent spirit of summer love. Summer Love Quotes Anonymous All we need is the truth in our hand.Someone to call a friend.Never fear the darkness.All we need is just the sun in the sky.And the hope of a summer to come with the meaning of love. Robert Burton What is life, when wanting love? Night without a morning; loves the cloudless summer sun, nature gay adorning. Swedish Proverb A life without love is like a year without summer. Anonymous Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmers yearâ€â€it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul. Francis Thompson Summer set lip to earths bosom bare,And left the flushed print in a poppy there Edna St. Vincent Millay I know I am but summer to your heart, and not the full four seasons of the year. William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summers day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate.Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summers lease hath all too short a date.Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimmed;And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance, or natures changing course, untrimmedBut thy eternal summer shall not fadeNor lose possession of that fair thou owst,Nor shall Death brag thou wandrest in his shadeWhen in eternal lines to time thou growst.So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Alexander Pope But see, the shepherds shun the noonday heat,The lowing herds to murmuring brooks retreat,To closer shades the panting flocks remove;Ye gods! And is there no relief for love? Bern Williams If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance. Carl Sandburg Under the summer rosesWhen the flagrant crimsonLurks in the duskOf the wild red leaves,Love, with little hands,Comes and touches youWith a thousand memories,And asks youBeautiful, unanswered questions. Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook Summer romances begin for all kinds of reasons, but when all is said and done, they have one thing in common. Theyre shooting stars, spectacular moments of light from the heavens, a fleeting glimpse of eternity, and in a flash theyre gone. Kenny Chesney Its a smile, its a kiss, its a sip of wine ... its summertime! Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, Summer Nights Summer loving had me a blastSummer loving happened so fastI met a girl crazy for meMet a boy cute as can beSummer days drifting away to oh oh the summer nights
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