Assassins Creed in Popular Video Game Culture Essay -- Globalist Agend

Video games have risen in popularity in America the past couple decades where popular gaming franchises influence or reflect modern American culture. Many video game franchises are popular but one franchise that has stood out in video game media is Assassin's Creed. Assassin's Creed is a franchise that consists of video games, spinoffs, comics, graphic novels, animated films, figurines, weapon replicas, clothing, and other merchandise. Only focusing on the video game branch of the franchise, the series began in 2007 with its first installment released. The franchise was planned out as a spin-off for the Prince of Persia series but developed into their own franchise. Currently there are seven main games in the franchise all of which have historical fiction, action-adventure, and stealth genres. The games feature dense narratives, historical buildings with the ability to climb freely on them, and the iconic hidden blade. Since the first game, roughly around 57 million copies of the fr anchise were sold world wide (â€Å"About Ubisoft†). Compared to other popular franchises such as Grant Theft Auto, that sold 150 million, and Halo, that sold 50 million, Assassin's Creed franchise has its fair share of popularity. Not focusing on only statistics, go to any video game convention and you would most likely see people dressed up as assassins or see merchandise of the franchise. So in video game culture now Assassin's Creed seems fairly popular. Considering how popular Assassin's Creed is in America, the game has aspects that reflect common ideas, morals, and traits that are present in American culture as well as other popular American media. The most obvious trend Assassin's Creed has is the violent aspects in the game. Assassin’s Creed is ... ... America, 10 Sep. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. An article by Michael Shermer explaining a reason why Americans might believe in conspiracies. I will use this source to describe the conspiracy trends in American media. It relates to the trend in Assassin's Creed with the concept of Assassins vs Templars and all the conspiracy theories in the historical parts of the game and partly in the modern aspect. This will help me come up with a theory on why people might like this trend and synthesize what it says about our culture. â€Å"Top 100 Most Popular Games.† G4TV. NBCUniversal. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. A brief list of the top hundred popular games that sold in 2012. This the list is valid because other sources, such as GameRadar and IGN, have similar lists with the same games. I am simply using this source to point out the amount of violent games that are popular.

My Childhood lost ? Essay

I was a happy go lucky six year old boy staying at St. Peter’s orphanage. The orphanage had about 20 children. The living conditions were not anything fancy, but we had no complaints either. I distinctly remember the morning of 1st May, 1820 when a wealthy looking middle aged gentleman came to our orphanage. He pretended to be a nice but lonely guy who wanted to adopt two healthy children between the age group of 6 to 10. He met all the children and finally selected Berley, the eldest in the group, and myself. We were thrilled! I assumed that my life would be a bed of roses from now on. Both Berley and myself bade good bye to our friends and â€Å"home† beaming with hope and dreams of a better life ahead. Our â€Å"not so lucky† friends wished us best of luck with tears in their eyes. Berley and I would now be brothers living with a wealthy man. We entered his large palatial house with trembling legs. Before long we were taken to the backyard, which, unlike the rest of the house, resembled a slum. There we met a few more children who stared at us blankly. They looked ugly, unkempt and had dark circles under their eyes. One of them had an amputated finger. Though their sight made us feel uneasy, we decided to concentrate on our first meal. Both Berley and I were expecting a treat but to our disappointment it was the worst food we had ever eaten. Soon the truth surfaced and we realized that the wealthy gentleman had â€Å"bought us† as slaves to work in a factory where he was an overseer. We were trapped for life†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ The next day started at 4 am. After getting ready we went to a dark and stinking factory where they made cotton. I was assigned to pick up dirty waste material that was being generated almost continuously. After working diligently for almost four hours I felt tired and claustrophobic so I decided go for a stroll and explore the factory with Berley. As we were walking out together, our so called â€Å"father† appeared with a big whip in his hand. Without assigning any reason, he whacked both of us several times. I stupidly sat down on the dusty floor and started howling while Berley ran back to his assignment. The overseer got angrier with me and said, ‘Not happy with one beating, eh? ‘ He gave me two hard shots on my back and harshly told me to go back to work. With big tears and a paining back I returned to complete my job. Thereafter I was then forced to go under a large machine & continue the cleaning. By the time I finished I had blood on my fingers due to a minor accident. Berley, my only friend, rushed to comfort me while I was crying For years thereafter this routine continued. Without Berley by my side I would not have managed to cope. However, we both often wondered that if this was indeed industrial revolution for a better future, someone, somewhere had made a mistake†¦.

The Rate Of Inflation And Economic Growth - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 18 Words: 5488 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? CHAPTER 1 Gross Domestic Product as an indicator of wealth and therefore quality of life has long been criticized (Mederly, P. and et al. 2003). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Rate Of Inflation And Economic Growth" essay for you Create order Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the value of total production of goods and services in a country over a specified period, typically a year. The gross domestic product (GDP) or gross domestic income (GDI) is a measure of a countrys overall economic output GDP can be determined in three ways, all of which should in principle give the same result. The most direct of the three is the product approach, which sums the outputs of every class of enterprise to arrive at the total. The expenditure approach works on the principle that all of the product must be bought by somebody, therefore the value of the total product must be equal to peoples total expenditures in buying things. The income approach works on the principle that the incomes of the productive factor must be equal to the value of their product, and determines GDP by finding the sum of all producers incomes (Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S Department of Commerce, 2007). The most common approach to measure GDP is the expenditure m ethod: GDP= private consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exports à ¢Ã‹â€  imports) GDP = C + I + G + (X-M) (Equation 1.1) An event in 1975 that remind us the current GDP in our country where the Malaysian economy slumped into its great recession, with a GDP growth rate of only 0.8 percent, compared to 8.3 percent in 1974. This is one of the effects of increase in oil prices and then substantial price increase in 1973 were bought about mainly shortage of food and raw materials arising from bad weather and increased aggregate demand (Cheng, M.Y. and Tan,.H.B. 2002). According to the above circumstances occurred in 1975, the researcher has choosing one of variables that may relate with fluctuation of GDP which is inflation rate. Inflation means either an increase in the money supply or an increase in price levels. Generally, when we hear about inflation, we are hearing about a rise in prices compared to some benchmark. The study of the effects of inflation on economic growth continues to be an important and complex topic in economics. If inflation has real economic effects, then governments can influence economic performance through monetary policy (Risso, W.A and Carrera, E.J.S, 2009). Therefore, investigating how inflation affects economic growth pertains directly to the optimal design of monetary policy. Results from such studies are particularly important for economies. Besides the inflation, the researcher has considered total employment as one of the variable in the model since economic growth and employment are correlated between each others. The relationship between unemployment and GDP is called Okuns law. It is the association of a higher national economic output with the decrease in national unemployment. This is because in order to increase the economic output of a country, people will need to go back to work, thus lowering unemployment. In order to support the relationship exist between GDP and employment, the researcher has found out the issue supporting the theory that GDP and employment has a positive relationship between each others. According to Hassan, M.K.H. and et al. (2010), in the period of 1996 -1997, the manufacturing sector experienced a rapid growth producing the employment rate in the sector to grow at 7.7 percent per annum but later declining to negative 3.6 percent in 1998 due to the economic recession. In addition, in year 2000, the Malaysian manufacturing sector contributed 33.4% to gross domestic product (GDP), 85.2% to total export and 27.6% to total employment. 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT Inflation is a major source of economic instability because it weakens incentives for work and production, distorts the allocate efficiency of the market mechanism, erodes international competitiveness of the domestic industry, and reduces growth potential. According to study by Fischer and Modigliani (1980) suggested a negative and nonlinear relationship between the rate of inflation and economic growth through the new growth theory mechanism. Furthermore, inflation also damages economic growth by lowering domestic and foreign savings, reducing efficiency of resource allocation, and deteriorating the balance-of payments (Risso, W.A. and Carrera, E.J.S., 2009). According to Cheng, M.Y. and Tan, H.B. (2002), the economy has experienced episode of high (1973-1974, 1980-1981) and low (1985-1987) regimes of inflation, and was able to contain low and stable inflation during the high economy growth period of 1988-1996. The second problem statement that should be concerns since the employment can affect the economic growth and it is important variable to determine the quality of production for national output and next will influence the GDP of our country. For example, in the early 1990s, the unemployment rate increased for about a year following the end of the previous recession. Coming out of a recession, companies are thought to be reluctant to hire many more workers until they are convinced about the sustainability of a new economic recovery while people who had left the labor force during the recession return to seek to find jobs (Seyfried, W.). Therefore, the researcher conducts this research in order to examine the correlation exists between inflation rate and employment with GDP so that we can help the country to mitigate the problem occurs by supporting the governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s policies to increase the countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s GDP. In addition, this research also useful since the results of the studies can be used in policyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s decision for resource allocation in order to accelerate economic growth. 1.3 OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study are to: 1.3.1 Analyze the relationship between Inflation Rate and Gross Domestic Product in terms of magnitude and direction. 1.3.2 Analyze the relationship between Total Employment and Gross Domestic Product in terms of magnitude and direction. 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The significances of this study are as follow: 1.4.1 Researcher This study will help the researcher to complete their course requirement and will be as guidelines for their field of work in the future. The researcher can gain many experiences in order to complete this research. There are lot of weaknesses may be obtained and this will encourage the researcher to provide the better research in the future. Future researcher will know and more understanding about gross domestic product when conduct this research. It will give the knowledge to the researcher to identify the correlation exist between inflation rate and employment and it always make the researcher briefing to know deeply and applied the study. 1.4.2 Organization This study might help the organization in analyzing the countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s economic condition in order to prevent and reduce the risk during the inflation and know the effects of the crisis occurs to them. This study also may give some guidance to them to protect their company and industry itself. 1.4.3 Public This study can inform and gives some knowledge to the public the relationship between economic growth, inflation rate and employment. They also can make preparation to face the increasing in inflation rate and able to survive in that situation. 1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY The researcher chooses to conduct the research about GDP in Malaysia from 2000 until 2010 In this study, the researcher wants to determine the correlation exist between inflation rate and employment with GDP in Malaysia. It is important because as economic planners and forecasters used the GDP per capita in monitoring economic growth trend for time series. The collection of data of GDP, inflation rate and total employment were collected from Department Of Statistics Malaysia in quarterly basis. 1.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Figure 1.1: Theoretical Framework INFLATION RATE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT EMPLOYMENT RATE RATE Independent variables Dependent Variable Figure 1.1 represents the dependent variable and independent variables in this study. The function of theoretical framework has been clarified by Sekaran, U. (2003) which is a conceptual model of how one theorizes or makes logical sense of the relationship among the several factors that have been identified as important to the problem. Figure above clearly discuss the correlation between Gross Domestic Product which is variable primary to the researcher while Inflation Rate and Employment act as independent variable which is influences the dependent variable. 1.7 HYPOTHESIS In classical test of significant, two kind of hypothesis are used. They are Null Hypothesis and Alternate Hypothesis. Hypothesis is a conjectural statement that describes the relationship among variable even negative or positive. Null hypothesis which is represent by H0 symbol to show that the relationship between independent and dependent variable is not exist. However alternate hypothesis is representing by H1 symbol to show that the relationship is existing between both dependent and independent variable. According to Sakaran (2004), a hypothesis defines as a logically conjectured relationship between two or more variables expressed in the form of testable statement. Relationship a conjectured on the basis on the network of associations established in the theoretical framework formulated for the research study. There are two hypotheses that can describes the correlation exists between dependent variable and independent variables. Therefore the hypothesis that can be tested as follows: Inflation and GDP H0: there is no significant relationship between inflation and GDP. H1: there is a significant relationship between inflation and GDP. Employment and GDP H0: there is no significant relationship between employment and GDP. H1: there is a significant relationship between employment and GDP. 1.8 LIMITATION / CONSTRAINTS The limitations / constraints are: 1.8.1 Time constraint The length of time is limited since the researcher does not have much time to make detailed research. The time provided only three months and the researcher need to divide time properly to complete the research because the process of collecting data is quite difficult. 1.8.2 Cost constraint The cost involves is quite high since as a student, the researcher only depend on the loan applied. Examples of cost involve in order completing this research such as cost of printing, cost of maintaining the laptop, cost of surfing the internet and etc. 1.8.3 Data constraint Since the researcher use the secondary data, the collection of data that have been publish are so limited and the related material are not very supporting the topic of research. 1.8.4 Lack of experience The researcher is less of experience in conducting the research therefore needs to refer the researcherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s advisor to process the data and learning the skill that needed as a good researcher. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 DEPENDENT VARIABLE 2.1.1 GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) Generally, according to Chan, W.W. and Lam, J.C. (2000), gross domestic product is a common measure of the economic well-being of a society. When government officials plan for the future, they consider the various economics sectors contributed to the gross domestic products. In the other study by Ivanov, S. and Webster, C. (2007), they use the growth of real GDP per capita gr as a measure of economic growth in line with other publications in the field (see Ivanov and Webster, 2007; Lopes et al., 2002; Plosser, 1992). The function of GDP also has been explained by Kosmidou, K. (2008) where gross domestic product (GDP) is among the most commonly used macroeconomic indicators, as it is a measure of total economic activity within an economy. The gross domestic product growth (GDPGR), calculated as the annual change of the GDP, is used as a measure of the macroeconomic conditions. The significance between GDP, foreign trade and foreign direct investment has been discussed by Liu Ying and Cui Riming (2008) where the economy is highlighted by the significant performance of both its economic growth and its foreign trade and foreign direct investment. Under this background, the correlation of foreign trade, foreign direct investments and economic growth in has become an important issue for academic research. Previous studies support that foreign trade and foreign direct investment have positive impacts on gross domestic product (GDP). In the study by Malul, M. and et al. (2008), the GDPpc is used mainly to compare the standard of living in different countries. It means that the higher of cost of living in a country, the higher earning of gross domestic product of the country. According to Wong, K.Y.(2008),economic growth of an economy refers to the expansion of its production possibility set, as a result of accumulation of primary factors such as labor and capital (physical and human), or improvement of production technologies. However, because the production possibility frontier (PPF) of an economy is not observable, economic growth is usually measured in terms of the growth rate of some observable variables such as real GDP or real per capita GDP. Besides that GDP also one of the result of the countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s economic activities based on the statement of Daly and Cobb (1989), GDP expresses the content of physical flows of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“capital, industrial production, services, resources and agricultural productà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. The scientific research has been conducted by Ligon and Sadoulet (2007) using a sample of 42 countries show that GDP growth, which comes from agriculture is at least twice as effective in reducing poverty compared to GDP growth coming from nonagricultural areas. In order to know the correlation between inflation and growth, Gokal, V. and Hanif, S. (2004), stated that the tests revealed that a weak negative correlation exists between inflation and growth, while the change in output gap bears significant bearing. The causality between the two variables ran one-way from GDP growth to inflation. While, according to some consensus exists, suggesting that macroeconomic stability, specifically defined as low inflation, is positively related to economic growth. 2.2 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES 2.2.1 INFLATION RATE (INF) Inflation on economic growth continues to be an important and complex topic in economics. If inflation has real economic effects, then governments can influence economic performance through monetary policy. Therefore, investigating how inflation affects economic growth pertains directly to the optimal design of monetary policy. According to Andres and Hernando (1999), for example, reducing inflation by one percentage point when the rate is 20 percent which results in an increase in the growth rate of 0.5 percent, compared to reducing inflation by one percentage point when the inflation rate is around 5 percent, which results in a decrease in the growth rate by 1 percent. Furthermore, a study by Mallik and Chowdhury (2001), the structuralisms argue that inflation is necessary for economic growth, whereas the monetarists argue the opposite, that is, inflation is detrimental to economic growth such debate started in the 1950s, focused on developing countries, which had long suffered fro m low-growth rates with high rates of inflation and larger deficits in the balance of payments. In order of inflation, the monetarists argue that price stability promotes economic growth and protects the balance of payments. They argue that inflation is major sources of economic instability because it weakens incentives for work and production, distorts the allocative efficiency of the market mechanism, erodes international competitiveness of the domestic industry, and reduces growth potential. They also argued that inflation damages economic growth by lowering domestic and foreign savings, reducing efficiency of resource allocation, and deteriorating the balance-of-payments. To monetarists, stable prices are the starting point in the process of economic development. The policy choice of a country would be stabilization with growth, or stabilization without growth. Several papers are typical of the monetarist tradition. To argue that, according to Fischer and Modigliani (1980) suggested a negative and nonlinear relationship between the rate of inflation and economic growth through the new growth theory mechanism proposed a model where the agents decide the level of labor output, and an increase in inflation reduces labor supply, and producing a decrease in economic production. On the other hand, a study by Mundell and Tobin (1965), the structuralizes argue that inflation normally accompanies economic growth in developing countries because structural rigidities and bottlenecks in supply sectors prevent the elastic supply of some basic commodities such as food, housing, energy, and transportation. Increased income as a result of growth would expand demand for such basic commodities, and prices would rise. The structuralize position is that economic difficulties in developing countries have roots deeper than just the results of inflation. Thus, structuralizes thought that inflationary pressures and det erioration in the balance of payments inevitably are attendant matters of economic growth. In developing countries, there thus would be a trade-off relationship between economic growth and inflation and an attendant deterioration in balance of payments. If a developing country wants stabilization of prices and balance of payments, it must reduce the speed of economic growth, including a sacrifice of employment. Among scholars who support the structuralizeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ position on a positive relationship between inflation and economic performance, predict a positive relationship between the rate of inflation and the rate of capital accumulation, which in turn implies a positive relationship to the rate of economic growth. But, DeGregorio (1996) and Fischer (1926) pointed out, since money and capital are substitutable, an increase in the rate of inflation increases capital accumulation by shifts in portfolios from money to capital and thereby stimulate a higher rate of economic growth was the first to establish a negative correlation between inflation and unemployment. According to Grier and Grier (2006), it presents evidence on the real effects of inflation and inflation uncertainty on output growth. Their main findings are as follows: Inflation uncertainty has a negative and significant effect on growth Once the effect of inflation uncertainty is accounted for, lagged inflation does not have a direct negative effect on output growth; and As predicted higher average inflation raises inflation uncertainty, and the overall net effect of average inflation on output growth. Differ with theory of Bortis, H. (2004), he argues that inflation is a macroeconomic phenomenon represented by a gap between global supply and global demand. Inflation affects the money-output relationship, as does deflation; both phenomena modify the purchasing power of money over domestic output. In this view, price indices cannot come to grips with the inflation phenomenon. While Cheng and Tan (2002) in their study inflation in Malaysia, suggested that main factors affecting Malaysian inflation were external (foreign trade, foreign direct investment and technology transfer). Malaysia has been comparatively successful in balancing strong economic growth with moderate levels of inflation in the periods preceding and following the Asian Financial crisis. Actually, empirical results related to low and medium inflation are of a mixed nature; some papers (mainly these analysing the developed economies) argues that moderate inflation negatively affects growth (e.g. Alexander, 1997, Gillm an et al. 2002; Gillman and Harris 2009; Gillman et al. 2001; Fischer 1993; De Gregorio 1992 and 1993) while other argues that moderate inflation is actually stimulating growth. On the theory side Friedman (1977) in his Nobel lecture argues that a positive relationship between the level of inflation and inflation uncertainty. Friedman points out higher inflation leading to greater uncertainty, which lowers welfare and efficiency of output growth. On the other hand, Ball (1992) formalizes Friedmanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s hypothesis using an asymmetric information game where public faces uncertainty regarding the type of policymaker in the office. One of the policymaker is willing to tolerate a recession to reduce inflation and the other is not. During the low inflation time, both type of policymakers will attempt and try to keep it low. But, when inflation is high, only the tough type or anti-inflation policymaker will bear the economic costs of disinflation. The argument that central banks should emphasize holding down inflation comes from the beliefs that inflation has an adverse effect on macroeconomic variables, such as output and productivity growth. According to Clark (1982), inflation causes misperception of the relative price levels and leads to inefficient investment plans and therefore affects productivity inversely. Furthermore, inflation erodes tax reductions for depreciation and raises the rental price of capital, which in turn causes a reduction in capital accumulation and therefore in labour productivity. In addition, according to Feldstein (1982) inflation disrupts investment plans by imposing a higher tax rate on corporate profits and through higher effective tax rates on corporate income and accordingly affects productivity (Gilson, 1984; Boskin et al., 1980). Finally, inflation distorts price signals and reduces the ability of economic agents to operate efficiently (Smyth, 1995). According to Chen and et al. (1991), it has documented a significant relationship between the US stock returns and real economic variables such as industrial production, real GNP, interest rates, inflation and money supply. Besides that, there are also otherwise arguments that there is no relation between inflation rate and gross domestic product in the long run. For instance, Faria and Carneiro (2001) investigate the relationship between inflation and output in the context of an economy facing persistent high inflation and they find that inflation does not affect real output in the long run, but that in the short-run inflation negatively affects output. In addition, scholars such as Sidrauski (1967) suggest that there is no relationship between inflation and economic growth, supporting the hypothesis of super neutrality of money. On the other hand, Sarel (1995) asserts that there is a nonlinear relationship between inflation and economic growth. Using 87 countries, he finds the existence of an inflation threshold of 8 percent. Above the threshold there is a negative relationship between inflation and economic growth, whereas under the threshold there is a positive but not significant relationship. The others studies in order to prove Sarelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s result, Judson and Orphanides (1996) divide Sarelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sample of countries into three groups, and they find similar results to Sarel, finding a threshold of 10 percent. Ghosh and Phillips (1998a, b) study 145 countries in the period 1960-1990 again finding similar results. Paul et al. (1997) study 70 countries (of which 48 are developing economies) for the period 1960-1989. They find no causal relationship between inflation and economic growth in 40 percent of the countries, bidirectional causality among 20 percent of the countries, and unidirectional causality for the rest (either inflation to growth or vice versa). Lastly, Mendoza (1998) finds that inflation has had no effect on Mexicoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s long-run economic growth since he conducted the study of inflation in Mexico. 2.2.2 EMPLOYMENT Some of studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between gross domestic product and employment. For instance, according to Okun (1962) and Philips (1958), they found different relationship both of these. Okun found a negative correlation between unemployment and economic growth, then from both propositions it can be deduced a positive relationship between economic growth and inflation while Phillips proposed a positive relationship between inflation and unemployment implying the same type of relationship. In addition, Boltho and Glyn (1995) found elasticities of employment with respect to output growth in the order of 0.5 to 0.6 for a set of OECD countries. While according to Evangelista and Perani (1996) discovered evidence suggesting that restructuring of major economic sectors reduce the relationship between economic growth and employment. A specific research conducted by Seyfried, W., among the G7 countries (Canada was excluded), a positive and significant relationship between growth in value added and employment was found only in Germany and the US. In addition, according to Verdoon (1949) and Kaldor (1966), an increase in output growth of 1 percent leads to an increase in productivity and employment growth of half a percentage point each. It should be noted that the higher the productivity effects of growth, the more difficult it will be to keep unemployment from rising. According to Okuns Law an increase of the economic growth rate by 3 percent (above the normal rate) was expected to reduce the unemployment rate by 161 percentage point. Or, to put it the other way round: The gain of real GDP associated with a reduction in unemployment of one percentage point was estimated to be 3 percent. Several studies also have been conducted to examine the correlation exists between employment and inflation rate. One of the studies by Spithoven, A.H.G.M. (1995), by the end of the 1960s evidently there was no fixed relationship between unemployment and inflation. Empirical research revealed that the relationship was not consistent over time and varied sharply between countries. This was explained as follows: in the short run higher nominal wages attract more labour and engender a fall in the rates of unemployment. As soon as the workers recognize the wage rise to be purely nominal they abstain from work, and unemployment is restored to the pre-wage-rise level, but with a level of prices higher than before. Secondly, according to Brenner (1991), confronted with a combination of unemployment and inflation (stagflation), many governments abandoned efforts to regulate the economy by the Keynesian instruments. They declared fiscal policies ineffective and sought refuge in a mixture of m onetary measures with supply-side economics. According to Keynes (1946), the volume of employment is given by the point of intersection between the aggregate demand function and the aggregate supply function. This was naively interpreted and construed to imply that a rise in costs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" and with this was meant a rise in costs owing to increasing government expenditure à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" will result in an upward shift of the supply curve and will cause greater unemployment and inflation. CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN 3.1 MODEL SPECIFICATION This study is to examine the correlation exists between inflation rate and total employment with gross domestic product. It uses secondary data which is based on time series data. The collection of time series data from 1982 to 2006 and the scope is in Malaysia. The researcher applied STATA software to process the data and log-log model in this study. The model applied a log transformation, since log transformations help, at least partially, to eliminate the strong asymmetry in the distribution of inflation (Sarel, 1995) and (Ghosh and Phillips, 1998a, b). The logarithm equation is written in the Equation 3.1. GDP = ÃŽÂ ± + ÃŽÂ ²1In(INF) + ÃŽÂ ²2ln(EMP) + ÃŽÂ µ (Equation 3.1) Where, GDP = Gross Domestic Product ÃŽÂ ± = Constant ÃŽÂ ²1 = Inflation ÃŽÂ ²2 = Employment ÃŽÂ µ = Error term In above equation, it shows clearly dependent variable that has been applied in this study is gross domestic product, besides that, the researcher also used two independent variables which are quantitative variables, they are inflation rate and total employment. 3.1.1 DEPENDENT VARIABLE The dependent variable is the variable of primary interest to the researcher. The researcherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s goal is to understand and describe the dependent variable, and to explain its variability, or predict it (Sekaran, 2006). Dependent variable of this study is factor contributed to the gross domestic product. According to Zikmund (2000), independent variable is a criterion that predicted or explained. It show that the component contributed to improving of gross domestic product depend on the listed independent variables. 3.1.2 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES According to Zikmund (2000), independent variables that expected to influence the dependent variable. Refer to (Burn and Bush, 2000), independent variables are those variables over which the researcher has some control and wishes to manipulate. In this study, two independent variables will influence the dependent variables. They are inflation rate and employment. 3.2 DATA SET AND METHODOLOGY The collections of data in this research only gain from secondary data and based on time series data which are from 2000 to 2010. The researcher has considered annual data of real GDP, inflation rate and employment. All the data on the growth rate of real GDP, Inflation and total employment were obtained from Department of Statistics Malaysia database. GDP is considered per capita. In addition, according to Aigenger (2005) per capita real GDP is also used as an alternative measure of productivity, as some theoretical models do. Moreover, according to OECD (2001), living standards as represented by per capita income reflects productivity since the former is determined, to a significant extent, by the latter. CPI consider in weight 100 while employment in number of labor. The variables were selected based on relevant economic theories that allow for the interaction among inflation rate and total employment in addition to response to GDP. 3.3 TECHNIQUE ANALYSIS DATA In this research, the researcher has applied unit SPSS in order to determine time series data is stationary or non stationary about the correlation between inflation rate and employment with gross domestic product. The researcher examines the existence of a long-run relationship between inflation and employment with GDP using a vector error-correction model (VECM) after applying Johansenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (1988, 1990, and 1995) cointegration technique. We conduct a test for weak exogeneity in order to do inference. Then, the researcher conduct stability test by using Jarque Bera test in order to test normality distribution between the variables selected. Finally, a modified version of the Granger causality test is applied in order to analyze causality between the variables. 3.4.1.1 Multiple Regression Analysis Multiple Linear regression analysis is an analysis of the relationship between one variable (dependent variable) and set of variable (independent variables). It is used by the researcher to test the hypothesis. As in all hypothesis tests, the goal is to reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis. This technique will identify how much of the variance in the dependent variables can be explained by independent variables. This analysis is used primarily for the purpose of prediction. The regression model can be used to predict the value of the proposed model in the study is: GDP = f (INF, EMP) GDP = ÃŽÂ ± + ÃŽÂ ²1 Inflation+ ÃŽÂ ²2 Employment + ÃŽÂ µ Where, GDP = Gross Domestic Product ÃŽÂ ± = Constant ÃŽÂ ²1 = Inflation ÃŽÂ ²2 = Employment ÃŽÂ µ = Error term 3.4.1.2 Coefficient of Determination (R2) A goodness of fit measure for a Simple Regression Model, the square of the correlations show how well a regression model explains the changes in the values of the dependent variables. In this study, R2 determine the changes in the dependent variable (x) can be explained by the changes in independent variables. This regression can be expected if the forecasting of R2 is 50% and above. R2 = Explained Variance Total Variance 3.4.1.3 F- Stastistics F-Stat is used to test the hypothesis that the variation in independent variable explained a significant portion of variation in the dependent variable. F-Stat = Explained variation / (k-1) Unexpected Variation / (n-k-1) F-stat can be calculated as follow: Where : K= Number of independent variable n = Number of observation 3.3.1.4 T- Statistics T-Stat is used to determine if there is any significant relationship between the dependent variables and each independent variable. Under this method, the hypotheses are as follows: H0 : ÃŽÂ ² = 0 H1 : ÃŽÂ ² à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 t=n-k-1To accept the hypotheses, this T-Stat should be compared with critical value. T-value is the critical level of significance and it can be measured by using this formula : Where; k = Number of independent variables n = Number of observation When the data was analyzed, the result of T-stat should be: Accept H0 and Reject H1, when T-Stat T-value Accept H1 and Reject H0, when T-Stat T-value 3.3.1.5 Correlation Analysis Pearson correlation analysis will be used to analyze the relationship between two variables or to measure the degree of association between variables (Parasuraman, 1986). In analyzing the result, the researcher want to investigate the relationship exists between two variables, dependent and independent variables. The analysis can be interpreted as high, moderate and low correlation based on the score computed. 3.4.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK There is a classical theory that explained the high correlation between the key factor of performance in terms of profitability and independent variable. Dependent variable : Gross Domestic Product Independent variable : Inflation and Employment Inflation Gross Domestic Product Employment Independent variable Dependent variable Diagram 1: Theoretical Framework According to the schematic diagram above, it can be elaborated that the performance in terms of profitability, GDP are determine by the inflation and employment. 3.5 HYPOTHESIS Hypothesis can be defined as a specific statement of prediction. It describes in concrete (rather than theoretical) the expectation in the study. Hypothesis can be defined as logically relationship between two or more variables expressed in the form of testable statement. Relationships are conjectured on the basis of the network association established in the theoretical framework formulated for research study. As in the study, two hypotheses can be made based on the independent and dependent variables. To test whether this is applicable to ROA, it is hypothesized that: Hypothesis 1 H0: There is no relationship between the ROA and LTD H1: There is relationship between the ROA and LTD Hypothesis 2 H0: There is no relationship between the ROA and DER H1: There is relationship between the ROA and DER CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS 4.0 INTRODUCTION The data for this study can be analyzed through the software such as SPSS, Limdep, Minitab or any other programs. It is very user-friendly and interactive and has the capability to seamless interface with different database. It ensures that the data are reasonably good of assured quality for further analysis. This chapter represents the findings and analysis on the factors affecting profitability performance of ROA of Islamic banking and conventional banking. 4.1 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA As for the data analysis, the statistical tools use in this study is the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 15.0 to code the data gathered from the historical data in this study. The statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 15.0 is software designed in making data analysis for the research to be more accurate. As the data has been keyed in the SPSS, there is little analysis that will be conducted by researcher. 4.2 CORRELATION ANALYSIS In this section, researcher used Pearson Correlation Coefficient to study the relationship exists between dependent variables and independent variables, as seen in the correlation coefficient (r). The analysis can be interpreted as high, moderate and low correlation based on the score computed. The score computed could vary from +1.00 to -1.00 but for this study, the researcher decided to use the suggested interpretation for value or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“rà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? in determining the strength of coefficient as proposed by ( Guilford 1956). The interpretation of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“rà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? value is explained in the table below. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“rà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? value INTERPRETATION Less than .20 Slight, almost negligible relationship .20-.40 Low correlation, definite but small relationship .40-.70 Moderate correlation, substantial relationship .70-.90 High correlation, marked relationship .90-1.00 Very high correlation, very dependable relationship (Source: Guilford 1956)

Developing an Integrated Marketing Communication Strategy for Selfridges Departmental Free Essay Example, 4500 words

According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that Selfridge target market includes men and women aged 25 year and above. They target people with higher income and operate in the high-end market. The high-end consumers targeted are those that show interest in fashion, art, style, and luxury. For example, the stores target business people who value a high lifestyle and don t mind spending much money to buy items that display their wealthy and affluent lifestyle. They also target fashion enthusiasts and celebrities such as actors and musicians because they live a high life and their work demand that they remain fashionable and embrace art and creativity. The stores face strong industrial competition from major competitors such as House of Fraser, Harrods and specialist departmental stores. These stores make their own brands, and offer stiff competition to Selfridge since it doesn t manufacture its own brand. The potential market for the stores includes developing new local brands that are specifically identified with the stores rather than sell other manufacturers brands. The stores should also target middle-income customers. Most of the UK population is in the middle-income class. We will write a custom essay sample on Developing an Integrated Marketing Communication Strategy for Selfridges Departmental or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page As they admire the artful architecture, they get to learn about their products and locations where they can get the goods a later date. In addition, Selfridge s windows are also synonymous with the great brand. The windows are uniquely designed to provide protection and aesthetic windows that attract people to the stores. The stores have had several controversies and challenges such as industrial competition and price wars with other departmental wars, poor economic status and political wrangles in the countries it has a presence. However, focus on customer needs and superior marketing strategies enable it to overcome all challenges and increase its growth.

How Autism Affects Regular Brain Functions as Well as...

What is the topic about? Introduction Autism is a complex neurological disorder that is the result of the brain abnormality, affecting a persons regular brain function and also the development of a persons communication and social interaction skills. This neurological disorder is also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which include autistic disorder, Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). [2] People with ASD share some similar characteristics and symptoms, such as troubles with collective communication. However, the differences are when the symptoms begin, severity of the disorder and the exact nature of the symptoms. Autism derived from a Greek word autà ³s meaning self - self isolation and the†¦show more content†¦Similarly, repetition of what they hear is also unexceptional, an event called echolalia. Another unusual habit is how autistic people use odd words that jut out and do not fit with what they are saying, requiring other people to be familiar with them in ord er to comprehend. Repetitive and Stereotyped behaviors: Lastly, there are the repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. People with autism are usually found to be deeply focused on only one part of a piece instead of the whole of it, as well as moving objects. Autistic children will be fascinated by the wheels of a moving car. For instance, and arranging their toys in a line instead of playing with them. The same kind of intense focus can aim to specific topics of interest to autistic people. Examples of this can be the bizarre fascination for vacuum cleaners, train schedules or light houses. Moreover, it is the same for say that autistic people have a need for routines. Every activity of the day, no matter how little, must be the identical ones. Autistic people do not appreciate change, and will mostly become upset if insisted on facing it. They will also do simple motions over and over, or what are called stereotyped behaviors, that may include walking back and forth and flapping thei r hands together. Autism affects all stages of life. It can first be detected when the children are approximately 3 years old. That is when parents or caregivers are capable of noticing the symptoms moreShow MoreRelatedAutism : A Type Of Autism913 Words   |  4 Pageschildren will be born with a type of Autism. This number has doubled since the mid-1990’s (Nature Education). Autism affects 1.5 million people (Howard). Autism develops within the first years of life and is four times more likely to be present in boys than in girls (Kinsey). Some researchers believe autism caused by failure to prune sufficient nerve cells, or to get rid of damaged nerve cells in the proper manner (Howard). 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While psychological insight is oftenRead MoreCase Study of Child with Autism9275 Words   |  38 Pagesbecame increasingly interested in Autism since I had the opportunity to work alongside kids with Autism this summer. Seeing how their minds worked and how they processed information was astounding to me. Ever since this experience, I have fallen in love with children with Autism and I am always thriving to learn mo re about them. With this being said, I am looking to do my research on a child with Autism. I will be looking into the question how does Autism affect language development in children?Read MoreA Descriptive Study of the Practice of Music Therapy in Hong Kong17388 Words   |  70 Pages1998. The way music helped children with autism, Down syndrome and physical disabilities amazed me a lot and inspired me to want to become a music therapist. therapists in Hong Kong. At that time, there were only three music There are twelve registered music therapists practicing locally at the moment, serving a more diversified population of clients including people with autism, developmental retardation, emotion problem, cancer, as well as psychiatric patients and geriatrics. The increasingRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesOrganizational Behavior Comprehensive Cases Indexes Glindex 637 663 616 623 Contents Preface xxii 1 1 Introduction What Is Organizational Behavior? 3 The Importance of Interpersonal Skills 4 What Managers Do 5 Management Functions 6 †¢ Management Roles 6 †¢ Management Skills 8 †¢ Effective versus Successful Managerial Activities 8 †¢ A Review of the Manager’s Job 9 Enter Organizational Behavior 10 Complementing Intuition with Systematic Study 11 Disciplines That Contribute to the

The Hunters Phantom Chapter 20 Free Essays

string(171) " found out a few days ago that he also attacked me, and stole my brother – the brother I’d never known I had – and took him away and made him a vampire\." â€Å"Cookies,† Alaric said gravely. â€Å"Bonnie thinks she could manage to choke down a few cookies. Just to keep her strength up. We will write a custom essay sample on The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 20 or any similar topic only for you Order Now † â€Å"Cookies, got it,† said Meredith, rummaging in Mrs. Flowers’s kitchen cabinet to find a mixing bowl. She clunked a big china bowl that was probably older than she was onto the counter and checked the refrigerator. Eggs, milk, butter. Flour in the freezer. Vanil a and sugar in the cupboard. â€Å"Look at you,† Alaric said admiringly as Meredith unwrapped a stick of butter. â€Å"You don’t even need a recipe. Is there anything you can’t do?† â€Å"Lots of things,† Meredith replied, basking in the warmth of Alaric’s gaze. â€Å"What can I do to help?† he asked cheerful y. â€Å"You can get another mixing bowl and measure two cups of flour and a teaspoon of baking powder into it,† Meredith told him. â€Å"I’l beat the butter with the other ingredients in this bowl, and then we can put them together.† â€Å"Got it.† Alaric found a bowl and measuring cups and started to measure out the items. Meredith watched his strong, tanned hands confidently leveling off the flour. Alaric had gorgeous hands, she thought. His shoulders were nice, too, and his face. Al of him, real y. She realized she was ogling her boyfriend instead of stirring, and felt her cheeks color, even though no one was watching her. â€Å"Pass me the measuring cups when you’re done with them?† He handed them to her. â€Å"I know something scary’s going on, and I want to protect Bonnie, too,† he said, smiling a little, â€Å"but I think she might be milking the situation a little. She loves that everyone’s pampering her.† â€Å"Bonnie’s being very brave,† said Meredith primly, then flashed him a grin, â€Å"and, yes, she might be milking it.† Matt came down the stairs and into the kitchen. â€Å"I think maybe Bonnie should have some tea when she gets out of her bubble bath,† he said. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers is busy putting protective spel s on the bedroom Bonnie chose, but she said she has a mix of chamomile and rosemary that would be good, and to put honey in it.† Meredith focused on mixing the cookie ingredients together as Matt boiled water and careful y measured dried herbs and honey to make the tea to Mrs. Flowers’s exact specifications. When he final y finished fussing over it, Matt picked up the fragile teacup and saucer careful y. â€Å"Wait, maybe I’d better take the whole pot up,† he said. As he searched for a tray to carry it on, he asked, â€Å"Meredith, are you sure you and Bonnie got everything she might need from her house?† â€Å"She was up there for nearly a half hour. She got everything she wanted,† said Meredith, â€Å"and if we missed anything, I’m sure Mrs. Flowers has some extras.† â€Å"Good,† said Matt, his handsome face intent as he picked up the tea tray without spil ing anything. â€Å"I just want to make sure Bonnie’s okay.† He left the kitchen, and Meredith listened to his footsteps heading back upstairs. Once he was out of earshot, she and Alaric both burst out laughing. â€Å"Yes, she’s definitely milking it,† said Meredith, when she’d stopped giggling. Alaric pul ed her toward him. His face was serious and intent now, and Meredith caught her breath. When they were this close, she could see the hidden flecks of gold in his hazel eyes, and they felt like a secret only Meredith knew. â€Å"I love how you take care of your friend,† Alaric told her, his voice low. â€Å"What I love most is that you know she’s pushing it as far as she can, seeing what you’l do for her, and you laugh, but you’re stil going to give her whatever she needs.† He frowned a little. â€Å"No, that’s not right. I do love how you see the funny side of it, but what I love most is how wel you take care of everyone you can.† He pul ed her closer stil . â€Å"I guess mostly I love you, Meredith.† Meredith kissed him. How could she have worried that Celia would come between them? It was like there had been a mist fil ing her eyes, making it so that she was unable to see the simple truth: Alaric was crazy about her. After a minute, she broke the kiss and turned back to the cookie dough. â€Å"Get a cookie sheet, would you?† she asked. Alaric stood stil for a moment. â€Å"Okay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said. Closing her eyes, Meredith summoned al her strength. She had to tel him. She had promised herself she would. He handed her a cookie sheet and she busied herself by scooping spoonfuls of dough onto it. â€Å"There’s something I need to tel you, Alaric,† she said. Alaric froze next to her. â€Å"What is it?† he asked, his voice wary. â€Å"It’s going to sound unbelievable.† He gave a snort of laughter. â€Å"More unbelievable than everything else that’s happened since I met you?† â€Å"Sort of,† Meredith said. â€Å"Or, at least, it’s specifical y about me this time. I’ve been†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was hard to say. â€Å"I come from a family of vampire hunters. Al my life, I’ve been training to fight. I guess taking care of people is a family trait.† She smiled weakly. Alaric stared at her. â€Å"Say something,† Meredith prompted after a moment. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked wildly around. â€Å"I don’t know what to say. I’m surprised you never told me this. I thought† – he paused – â€Å"that we knew each other real y wel .† â€Å"My family†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Meredith miserably. â€Å"They made me swear that I would keep our secret. I never told anybody until a few days ago.† Alaric closed his eyes for a minute and pressed his palms against them hard. When he opened them, he looked calmer. â€Å"I understand. I do.† â€Å"Wait,† said Meredith. â€Å"There’s more.† The cookie sheet was ful , and she cast about for something else to occupy her hands and eyes while she talked. She settled on a dish towel and twisted it nervously. â€Å"Do you remember that Klaus attacked my grandfather?† Alaric nodded. â€Å"Wel , I found out a few days ago that he also attacked me, and stole my brother – the brother I’d never known I had – and took him away and made him a vampire. And he left me – I was only three – some kind of half vampire. A living girl, but one who needed to eat blood sausage and sometimes had†¦ sharp teeth like a kitten’s.† â€Å"Oh, Meredith†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Alaric’s face was ful of compassion, and he moved toward her, hands out. Toward me, Meredith noted. Not away, not afraid. â€Å"Wait,† she said again. â€Å"Elena asked the Guardians to change things to the way they would have been if Klaus never came here.† She put down the dish towel. â€Å"So it never happened.† â€Å"What?† Alaric said, staring at her. Meredith nodded, a helpless, confused smile spreading over her face. â€Å"My grandfather died in a retirement home in Florida two years ago. I have a brother – one I don’t remember, unfortunately – he got sent away to boarding school when we were twelve and joined the military as soon as he turned eighteen. Apparently he’s the problem child of the family.† She took a deep breath. â€Å"I’m not a vampire. Not even a half vampire. Not now.† Alaric was stil staring at her. â€Å"Wow,† he said. â€Å"Wait a minute. Does that mean that Klaus is stil alive? Could he come here, come after your family now?† â€Å"I thought of that,† Meredith said, glad to address the practicalities. â€Å"I don’t think so. Elena asked the Guardians to change Fel ‘s Church so it was as if Klaus never came here. She didn’t ask them to change Klaus and his experience. For him, I think, logical y, he did come here, long ago, and now he’s dead.† She smiled shakily. â€Å"I hope so, anyway.† â€Å"So you’re safe,† Alaric said, â€Å"as safe as a vampire hunter might be. Is that al you needed to tel me?† When Meredith nodded, he reached for her and pul ed her back into his arms. Holding her tightly, he said. â€Å"I would have loved you with sharp teeth, too. But I’m so glad for you.† Meredith closed her eyes. She had needed to tel him, to know how he would have reacted if the Guardians hadn’t changed everything. A great warming gladness spread al through her. Alaric pressed his lips against her hair. â€Å"Wait,† she said once more, and he released her, looking inquisitive. â€Å"The cookies.† Meredith laughed and put them in the oven, setting the timer for ten minutes. They kissed until the buzzer rang. â€Å"Are you sure you’l be okay alone?† Matt asked anxiously, standing by Bonnie’s bed. â€Å"I’l be right downstairs if you need anything. Or maybe I should stay here. I could sleep on your floor. I know I snore, but I’d try not to, I swear.† Bonnie gave him a brave little smile. â€Å"I’l be fine, Matt. Thank you so much.† With one last worried glance, Matt patted her hand awkwardly, then left the room. Bonnie knew he would toss and turn on his own bed, thinking of ways to keep her safe. Probably he would end up sleeping on the floor outside her door, she thought, giving a delighted little wriggle. â€Å"Sleep wel , my dear,† said Mrs. Flowers, taking his place by Bonnie’s bedside. â€Å"I have cast al the protective charms I know around you. I hope you like the tea. It’s my own special brew.† â€Å"Thank you, Mrs. Flowers,† Bonnie said. â€Å"Good night.† â€Å"You are enjoying this way too much,† said Meredith, who came in next carrying a plate of cookies. She was limping, but had insisted that she didn’t need a cane or crutch as long as her ankle was bandaged. In fact†¦ Bonnie took a closer look at Meredith. Her cheeks were flushed, and her usual y smooth hair was a little mussed. I think she’s very glad that Celia’s gone to UVA, Bonnie thought with a smirk. â€Å"I’m just trying to keep my spirits up,† Bonnie said with a mischievous smile. â€Å"And you know what they say: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. My lemonade is having Matt trying to fulfil my every need. It’s too bad we don’t have more boys around here.† â€Å"Don’t forget about Alaric,† said Meredith. â€Å"He helped make the cookies. And he’s downstairs researching everything he can that might be related to this.† â€Å"Ah, everyone catering to me, that’s what I like,† Bonnie joked. â€Å"Did I tel you how much I enjoyed the dinner you made? Al my favorites†¦ it was like my birthday. Or my last meal,† she added more soberly. Meredith frowned. â€Å"Are you sure you don’t want me to stay in here? I know we’ve protected the house as wel as we can, but we don’t real y know what we’re fighting. And just because the last couple of attacks took place in daylight with the whole group around, it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the way they have to be. What if whatever this is can get past our defenses?† â€Å"I wil be fine,† said Bonnie. Intel ectual y she knew she was in danger, but oddly, she didn’t feel scared. She was in a house with people she trusted, al of whom were focused wholeheartedly on her safety. Besides, she had a plan for the night – something she couldn’t do if Meredith slept in the room. â€Å"Are you sure?† Meredith fretted. â€Å"Yes,† Bonnie said emphatical y. â€Å"If something bad was going to happen to me tonight, I’d know in advance, right? Because I’m psychic, and I get warnings about things.† â€Å"Hmmm,† said Meredith, quirking one eyebrow. For a moment she looked like she was going to argue. Bonnie kept her gaze firm. Final y, Meredith put the tray of cookies on the table by the bed next to the teapot and cup Matt had brought up earlier, pul ed the curtains across the window, and looked anxiously around to see what else could be done. â€Å"Okay, then,† she said. â€Å"I’l be right next door if you need me.† â€Å"Thanks, Mer. Good night.† As soon as the knob clicked into place, Bonnie lay back in bed and bit into a cookie. Delicious. A slow smile bloomed on her lips. She was the center of attention now, as if she were a Victorian heroine bravely suffering from some kind of wasting il ness. She had been encouraged to pick out her favorite of the boardinghouse’s many bedrooms and had chosen this one. It was a charming room with creamy rose-patterned wal paper and a maple sleigh bed. Matt hadn’t left her side al night. Mrs. Flowers had fussed around her, fluffing pil ows and offering her herbal tonics, and Alaric had been conscientiously researching protection spel s in al the grimoires he could find. Even Celia, who had never been anything but snippy to her about her â€Å"visions,† promised before she left to let her know as soon as she found something helpful. Bonnie turned on her side, inhaling the sweet scent of Mrs. Flowers’s tea. Here in this cozy room, it was impossible to feel like she needed protection, that she could be in danger this very second. But was she? What was the time frame after one’s name was cal ed? After Celia’s name had appeared, she had been attacked within the hour. After Meredith’s had appeared, she hadn’t been attacked until the next day. Maybe things were getting more spaced out. Maybe Bonnie wasn’t going to be in danger until tomorrow or the next day. Or next week. And Damon’s name had appeared before Bonnie’s did. Bonnie’s skin tingled at the thought of Damon’s name in lake weeds. Damon was dead. She had seen him die – and in fact he’d died for her (although everyone else, in their compassion for Elena, seemed to have forgotten that). But the appearance of his name must mean something. And she was determined to figure out just what. She listened. She could hear the sounds of Meredith moving around in the room next door with a steady thumping that suggested she was practicing with her stave, and from down below came the faint voices of Matt, Alaric, and Mrs. Flowers talking in the study. Bonnie could wait. She poured herself a cup of tea, crunched on another cookie, and wiggled her toes pleasurably under the soft pink sheets. She sort of liked being a supernatural invalid. An hour later, she had finished her cup of tea and al the cookies, and the house was quieter. It was time. She climbed out of bed, her too-long polka-dotted pajama pants flapping around her ankles, and opened her overnight bag. While Meredith had waited downstairs at her house, she had pried up the loose board by her bed and taken out Traversing the Boundaries Between the Quick and the Dead, a book of matches, a silver knife, and the four candles she needed for the ritual. Now she took them out of her bag and rol ed back the rug by the bed so she could crouch on the floor. Tonight, nothing was going to stop her. She was going to reach Damon. Maybe he could tel her what was going on. Or maybe he was in some sort of danger, in whatever plane dead vampires ended up on, and needed to be warned. In any case, she missed him. Bonnie hunched her shoulders and wrapped her arms around herself for a moment. Damon’s death had hurt her, not that anyone had noticed. Everyone’s attention, everyone’s sympathies, had been directed toward Elena. As usual. Bonnie got back to work. Quickly, she lit the first candle and, dripping wax on the floor to anchor it upright, placed it to her north. â€Å"Fire in the North, protect me,† she whispered. She lit them in widdershins order: black to the north, white to the west, black to the south, white to the east. When the circle of protection was complete around her, she closed her eyes and sat quietly for a few moments, focusing herself, reaching to find the power at her center. When she opened her eyes, she took a deep breath, picked up the silver knife, and quickly, without giving herself time to wimp out, cut a gash across her left palm. â€Å"Ouch,† she muttered, and turned her hand over, dripping blood on the floor in front of her. Then she dabbed the fingers of her right hand in the blood and smeared a bit on each candle. Bonnie’s skin tingled painful y as magic rose around her. Her senses honed, and she could see tiny movements in the air, as if flashes of light were appearing and disappearing just out of sight. â€Å"‘Through the darkness I cal to you,'† she intoned. She didn’t need to look at the book; she had memorized this part. â€Å"‘With my blood I cal to you; with fire and silver I cal to you. Hear me through the cold beyond the grave. Hear me through the shadows beyond the night. I summon you. I have need of you. Hear me and come!'† The room went stil . It was the stil ness of expectation, as if some great creature were holding its breath. Bonnie felt like an entire audience stood around her, suspended in eagerness. The veil between the worlds was about to lift. She had no doubts. â€Å"Damon Salvatore,† she said clearly. â€Å"Come to me.† Nothing happened. â€Å"Damon Salvatore,† Bonnie said again, less confidently, â€Å"come to me.† The tension, the feeling of magic in the room was beginning to dissipate, as if her invisible audience were quietly creeping away. Yet Bonnie knew the spel had worked. She had a funny, blank, cutoff feeling, like when she was talking on the phone and her carrier suddenly dropped the cal . Her cal had gone through, she was sure of it, but there was no one on the other end. Only what did it mean? Was Damon’s soul just†¦ gone? Suddenly Bonnie heard something. A light breathing, just a smidge out of time with her own. There was someone right behind her. The hairs rose on the back of her neck. She hadn’t broken the circle of protection. Nothing should be able to cross into that circle, certainly no spirit, but whoever was behind her was inside the circle, so close to Bonnie that they were almost touching her. Bonnie froze. Then slowly, careful y, she put down her hand and felt for the knife. â€Å"Damon?† she whispered uncertainly. A tinkling laugh sounded behind her, fol owed by a low voice. â€Å"Damon doesn’t want to talk to you.† The voice was honey-sweet, but somehow also poisonous-sounding, insidious and oddly familiar. â€Å"Why not?† Bonnie asked shakily. â€Å"He doesn’t love you,† the voice said in a soft, persuasive tone. â€Å"He never even noticed you were there, unless there was something he wanted from you. Or perhaps if he wanted to make Elena jealous. You know that.† Bonnie swal owed, too afraid to turn around, too afraid to see who the voice belonged to. â€Å"Damon saw only Elena. Damon loved only Elena. Even now that he’s dead and lost to her, he won’t hear you cal ing,† the voice lilted. â€Å"Nobody loves you, Bonnie. Everyone loves Elena, and that’s how she likes it. Elena keeps everyone for herself.† A burning sensation began behind Bonnie’s eyes, and a single hot tear ran down her cheek. â€Å"No one wil ever love you,† the voice whispered. â€Å"Not when you’re standing next to Elena. Why do you think no one ever saw you as anything but Elena’s friend? Al the way through school, she was standing in the sunshine and you were hidden in her shadow. Elena made sure of that. She couldn’t bear to share the spotlight.† The words rattled inside Bonnie’s mind, and suddenly something inside her shifted. The icy terror she’d felt just moments ago had thawed, making way for roiling anger. The voice was right. Why had she never seen it before? Elena was Bonnie’s friend only because Bonnie was a foil for her own beauty, her own sparkle. She had been using her for years without caring how Bonnie felt at al . â€Å"She cares only about herself,† Bonnie said, half sobbing. â€Å"Why can’t anyone see that?† She shoved the book away from her and it knocked over the black candle to her north, breaking the circle. The wick smoked and guttered, and al four candles went out. â€Å"Ahhhh,† said the voice in satisfaction, and tendrils of dark fog began to creep from the corners of the room. Just as quickly as her fear had left her, it snapped back. Bonnie spun around, holding the knife, ready to face the voice, but there was no one there – just dark, amorphous fog. Hysteria wel ing within her, she got to her feet and stumbled toward the door. But the fog moved quickly, and soon Bonnie was enveloped in it. Something fel with a clatter. She couldn’t see more than a few inches. Bonnie opened her mouth and tried to scream, but the fog flowed over her lips, and her scream turned into a muffled moan. She felt her grip on the knife loosen and it dropped to the floor with a dul clank. Her vision grew blurry. Bonnie tried to lift her foot but could barely move. Then, blinded by the fog, she lost her balance and pitched forward into darkness. How to cite The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 20, Essay examples

The Holy Trinity by Masaccio Essay Example For Students

The Holy Trinity by Masaccio Essay The Holy Trinity by Masaccio was done approximately 1428. It is a superb example of Masaccios use of space and perspective. It consists of two levels of unequal height. Christ is represented on the top half, in a coffered, barrel-vaulted chapel. On one side of him is the Virgin Mary, and on the other, St. John. Christ himself is supported by God the Father, and the Dove of the Holy Spirit rests on Christs halo. In front of the pilasters that enframe the chapel kneel the donors husband and wife. Underneath the altar a masonry insert in the painted composition is a tomb. Inside the tomb is a skeleton, which may represent Adam. The vanishing point is at the center of the masonry altar, because this is the eye level of the spectator, who looks up at the Trinity and down at the tomb. The vanishing point, five feet above the floor level, pulls both views together. By doing this, an illusion of an actual structure is created. The interior volume of this structure is an tension of the space that the person looking at the work is standing in. The adjustment of the spectator to the pictured space is one of the first steps in the development of illusionistic painting. Illusionistic painting fascinated many artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The proportions in this painting are so numerically exact that one can actually calculate the numerical dimensions of the chapel in the background. The span of the painted vault is seven feet, and the depth is nine feet. Thus, he achieves not only successful illusion, but a rational, metrical coherence that, by maintaining the mathematical proportions of the surface design, is responsible for the unity and harmony of this monumental composition. Two principal interests are summed up by The Holy Trinity: Realism based on observation, and the application of mathematics to pictorial organization. All of the figures are fully clothed, except for that of Christ himself. He is, however, wearing a robe around his waist. The figure is real; it is a good example of a human body. The rest of the figures, who are clothed, are wearing robes. The drapery contains heavy folds and creases, which increases the effect of shadows. The human form in its entirety is not seen under the drapery; only a vague representation of it is seen. It is not at all like the wet-drapery of Classical antiquity. Massacio places the forms symmetrically in the composition. Each has its own weight and mass, unlike earlier Renaissance works. The fresco is calm, and creates a sad mood. The mood is furthered by the darkness of the work, and the heavy shadows cast. Grunewalds The Isenheim Altarpiece is an oil painting on wood, completed in 1515. The altar is composed of a carved wooden shrine with two pairs of movable panels, one directly in back of the other. The outermost scene is the Crucifixion; on the inside there are two others. On the two sides, two saints are represented St. Sebastian on the left, and St. Anthony on the right. Together, these saints established the theme of disease and healing that is reinforced by the inner paintings. On the bottom of the panel, when opened, it appears that Christs legs were amputated; possibly an allusion to ergotism, a disease treated in the hospital where the altarpiece was kept. An image of the terrible suffering of Christ is in the middle. The suffering body hangs against the dark background, which falls all the way to the earth. The flesh is discolored by decomposition and is studded with the thorns of the lash. His blackening feet twist in agony, as do his arms. His head is to one side, and his fingers appear as crooked spikes. .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 , .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 .postImageUrl , .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 , .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4:hover , .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4:visited , .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4:active { border:0!important; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4:active , .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4 .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua62301a507b2e36a2f269de552cfb8f4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Landscape painting with Thomas Cole EssayThe shuddering tautness of Christs nerves is expressed through the positions of his fingers. Up to this point, no other artist has ever produced such an image of pain. The sharp, angular shapes of anguish appear in the figures of the swooning Virgin and St. John, and in the shrill delirium of the Magdalene. On the other side, John the Baptist, a gaunt form, points a finger at the body of the dead Christ. Even though death and suffering are dominant in the altarpiece, there are symbols of hope: The river behind St. John, which represents baptism, and the wine-red sky which symbolizes the blood of Christ. Through these bols, a hope of salvation is offered to the viewer. The use of space is ambiguous in some places: All of the forms are at the same general depth in the painting. However, none of the forms are tangled, or intertwining. Therefore, the space is not badly used. Once again, all of the forms except for that of Christ are fully clothed. Christ is again wearing a small robe around his waist. The other forms are depicted superbly. Their bodies are not lost behind the drapery which they wear, yet they are not seen exactly either. The folds are more delicate, which create a calmer mood. Christs description was already given. The forms are three dimensional, and also have weight. They clearly take up space, and where they are is clearly defined. As in The Holy Trinity, the composition is generally symmetrical, centered around the body of Christ. It is a frightful composition, because of the events taking place. Expression is shown on all of the figures, who grieve Christs death. Overall, the two works are very similar. Masaccio, however, was more interested in the mathematical aspects of painting than Grunewald. Both works are superb, and have their own distinct qualities.