Distributed Software Development :: Outsourcing Careers Technology Essays

Distributed Software Development As new technologies emerge, they often eliminate certain types of jobs. History is littered with many such examples. The number of bank tellers dropped by about 37% between 1983 and 1993.1 The new technology responsible for eliminating those jobs was the ATM (Automatic Teller Machine). More recently, the wide popularity of buying books over the web has caused many book stores to close down. You may have noticed this in your own neighborhood. Since the Industrial Revolution, technology has been blamed for massive unemployment.2 However, more recently, in addition to technology eliminating certain jobs, technology is enabling the transferring (for valid reasons) of certain jobs from the USA and Europe to far away places like India. Software development is a benefactor (or victim, depending on the viewpoint) of this technology. The technologies that were developed by the US in the 1990s boom are facilitating distributed software development. These range from global high-speed networks, ever-cheaper computers, collaborative tools, satellite communication, and the web.3 Requirements documents and software tools no longer need to be snail mailed, rather they can be emailed to pretty much anywhere in the world. This phenomenon of having software developed in far off places such as India, has come to be known as outsourcing or offshoring. While their may be some small differences in these two terms, they are many times used interchangeably. Earlier, outsourcing referred to the practice of turning over noncritical parts of a business to a company that specialized in that activity.4 But now outsourcing affects a business' critical components as well. While jobs have moved over seas before, like Levi Strauss jobs, which is now completely manufactured overseas, software jobs are getting lots of attention because this seems to be the first time white-collar jobs are being affected.5 While outsourcing can be painful for some of the parties involved, I will s how that it is still an ethical practice. Outsourcing is predicted to affect a very large number of jobs in the future. In the US, about 14 million jobs (or 11%) are identified as being at risk of being sent abroad.6 While not all of these are software related, many of them are. The non-software jobs that are also at risk of being sent abroad are telephone call center, data entry, business and financial support, legal assistant, diagnostic support services, accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll.

The American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Essay

â€Å"Check coming today?† The Life Insurance check that Mama will soon be receiving is the source of all the dreams in the Younger family. A major argument that Lorraine Hansberry makes in her play A Raisin in the Sun is the importance of dreams. Dreams are what each member of the Younger family is driven by. Mama wants to have her own home in a nice part of town; she does not want her children growing up in a place with rats. Walter wants to have a successful business so he can surpass the poverty that has plagued his family. And Beneatha wants to get a good education, become a doctor, and marry a nice man. Dreams are especially important to the Younger family as they come from a poverty laden family and desire to live the â€Å"American Dream.† Every member of the Younger family has a dream but each one is different with a different view on what the true â€Å"American Dream† really is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Youngers are a very poor family, and this shows in the setting of a tiny Chicago apartment with several people living in close proximity of each other. Hansberry also shows how the Youngers are a proud family by the way everything is arranged in the little apartment. Everything throughout the apartment was â€Å"selected with care and love and even hope – and brought to this apartment and arranged with taste and pride.† This shows that even though the Youngers do not have much, they are still proud of what they have. In a sense their pride is coming from the fact that they al...

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Brother of the Bride -- Wedding Toasts

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Brother of the Bride Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I'm Neal, the bride's brother. On behalf of my mother, Mrs. Lian White, I wish to thank you all for coming to celebrate this special occasion with us. We are so happy that so many of our friends and relatives are able to come here to enjoy this splendid occasion with us. Today seems like a magical dream. This morning, I proudly walked my sister down the aisle to marry Paul, the man whom she loves so much. It was so beautiful to watch them exchanging their vows in that beautiful stained glass church. Its marvelous seeing these two good people come together. The Bride and Groom Susie is a gem in our family, a blessing to both her parents and me. She's been a good and faithful daughter to my ...

Analysis of SDB

This report aims to provide an analysis of a proposed investment in Sheen Development Bank (SAD) by Unabridged in 2002 and assess whether the P/B ratio of 1. 6 for Unabridged to pay for its 18% stake in SAD is appropriate. The analysis of Newbie's acquisition of Sad's stocks Is based on several aspects of Sad's asset quality, earnings capability and capital adequacy. According to price-to-book ratio of SOB's Industry peers and some acquisition precedents by foreign Investors, Unabridged made a correct decision that It paid 1. Times book value of Sad's stake on basis of SOB's performance. This Is because of Sad's high P/B ratio and low ROE Indicating that SOB's share price was overvalued; therefore, Unabridged acquisition of Sad's stocks was appropriate with a P/B ratio of 1. 6. Finally, this report provide a reasonable recommendation for Investors to make a correct occultation decision In terms of real profitability of occultation targets. Table of contents: Four Chinese banks had be gun to accept investments from foreign banks or financial investors since 1999.As a listed bank with huge developing potentials, SAD was snagged by government officers and encumbered by massive low-quality loans which resulted in high Naps, an under-capitalized balance sheet and disappointing profitability. In order to bring to SAD the best management practices and expertise in banking, the Sheen government was primarily seeking long-term foreign strategic investors. Therefore, SAD decided to sell its four Joint shareholders' 18% non-traceable legal person stake of SAD.At the same time, Newbie's successful experience in South Korean bank and its strong expertise in financial institution significantly enhanced the quality of its loan portfolio and its operating performance. Then, Unabridged was actively acquiring Sad's 18% stake in order to improve Sad's bad performance. This report will analyze how Sad's ratios in its balance sheet influence Newbie's acquisition decision as to Sad's price-to-book ratio. The paper also Justifies that Unabridged pays 18% Sad's shares with a reasonable P/B ratio. 3. 0 Main Body 3. Asset quality Difficulties in cash flows in a bank are always caused by a high NAP ratio. NAP ratio is a crucial tool to assess a banks performance, which is calculated as net non- reforming loans divided by total gross loans. Banks often report their NAP ratio as a measure of the quality of their outstanding loans. The higher the NAP ratio, the more possibility such returns will be lost and vice versa. As is shown in the Appendix 2, the NAP ratio decreased from 22. 7% to 1 1. 6% during the period from 2000 to 2002 Compared with Sad's industry peers, Sad's NAP ratio is higher than the average amount of its peers.The NAP ratio of SAD was only below Bosom's, but far higher than other Joint-stock banks in 2002. Sad's NAP ratio was 1 1. 6% in 2002, to some extents, this ratio means that Sad's cash flows were falling into much more troubles and difficulties than other Joint-stock banks. On the other hand, Loan Loss Reserves by Gross Loans determines the quality of loans of a bank. LARK is a percentage that reflects accumulated provision expenses and gives an indication of the management's expectation of future loan losses. The higher the ratio, the more suspicious the loans are and vice versa.The LARK ratio of SAD declined from 7. 1% to 3. 9% from 2000 to 2002, which was approximately the them. Although the LARK ratio of SAD decreased by nearly 3% during these three ears, Sad's loan loss reserves increased almost 100 million. By comparison with its industry peers, Sad's LARK/NAP was largely lower than the average level. Hence, Sad's high NAP ratio led to a low asset quality in 2002. 3. 2 Earnings capability Obviously, Sad's net interest margin declined by 1% from 2000 to 2002; compared with its industry peers, Sad's net interest margin was 0. % higher than the average ratio of other five Joint-stock banks in 2002. This indicates that S ad's ability of making profits is stronger than the average level. Meanwhile, Sad's non-interest income level ND operating expense were above the average level in 2002. Nevertheless, Sad's ROAR was 0. 9% in 2000 and was only 0. 3% in 2002. This ratio was merely half of the average ROAR of other five Joint-stock banks in 2002 indicating that Sad's profitability of the assets was relatively weak as well as its ROAR at the same time. Sad's ROAR was only one-third of the average ROAR of five Joint-stock banks.Therefore, Sad's performance was not good compared with its industry peers; the reason of Sad's bad performance is that an increasing assets generating low net income. 3. 3 Capital adequacy In commercial banking, capital adequacy ratio (CAR) is used to monitor a banks situation of capitalization by regulators and managers. CAR is calculated as the sum of tier 1 capital (equity and retained earnings) and tier 2 capital (subordinated debt and reserves) and dividing it by its risk-wei ghted assets. Sad's CAR decreased from 10. 6% in December 2001 to 9. % in December in 2002, but still above the Chinese regulatory floor of 8%. It is particularly worth mentioning here that Sob's CAR was 0. 7% higher than the average CAR of other five Joint-stock banks in 2002. Not all the mime the CAR is good if high; a high CAR means that a banks large amount of money is stuck in provisions or risk management, and there would be fewer money left for investment or for the continuation of some activities. Therefore, from the situation of Sob's declining CAR, SAD suffered in substantial loan quality troubles caused by its poor credit management. . 4 Price-to-book ratio It would be appropriate for Unabridged to pay 1. 6 times book value to get 18% stocks of SAD. There were some precedent that foreign banks and financial investors acquired domestic banks' minority-stake from 1999 to 2001. For example, AFC acquired Bank of Shanghai 5% stake at a price-to-book ratio of 1. 5 in September of 1999; and acquired 15% stake of Nanjing City Commercial Bank at a price-to-book ratio of 1. 2 in November 2001. Even if Newbie's acquisition of Sad's stake at the price-to-book ratio of 1. Is higher than If's; however, it was still lower than the average ratio of other three domestic listed banks. Significantly, the price-to-book ratio of SAD was around 5. 5 to 5. 9 from 2002 to 2003; and at the same, the other three banks average price-to-book ratio was 3. 1 to 2. 2. Hence, the appropriate ululation range should be below 2. 2 for Newbie's acquisition. As we can calculate that the ROE of SAD was decreasing from 12. 07% to 9. 02% from 2000 to 2002. P/B provides a valuable reality inspection for investors seeking growth at a reasonable price.Large differences between P/B and ROE, a key growth indicator could sometimes send up a red flag on companies. As a result. Sad's low ROE and high P/B ratio indicate that Sad's shares were overvalued at that time. If a company's ROE is Unabridg ed pays 1. 6 times book value that is far lower than Sad's price-to-book ratio, it would be an appropriate decision. . 0 Conclusion By way of conclusion, this report introduces the background of Chinese banks' stocks acquired by foreign financial investors and analyzes lots of ratios in Sad's balance sheet.The report also proves that Unabridged paying 1. 6 times book value through assessing Sad's asset quality, earning capability, capital adequacy and comparing its industry peers' P/B ratio and analyzing the relationship between P/B ratio and ROE ratio is appropriate. In addition, this report provides a considerable recommendation for investors to acknowledge a banks real performance. 5. 0 Recommendations However, much attention should be paid to comparing a banks key ratios analysis before acquisition its stocks for foreign investors.

ESmith Assignment 10: National and Global Finance Essay

(16.0 points) 1. Choose an example of a type of new company you could start, and then use this company idea to answer the questions below. You might choose a pet store, a restaurant, a tutoring business, or something else. This can be the same type of company you chose in assignment 8 or 9, or it can be different. a. Describe the type of business you chose. (1-2 sentences. 0.5 points) * The type of business I would start would be for family or friends gatherings. This business would be place people come to eat and social, a nice, warm environment. b. Describe at least two ways in which the local, state, or federal government would have an impact on your business. (2-4 sentences. 1.0 points) * Whether businesses owners know it or not, but the government create laws and regulation to protect the business. Two ways the government would have an impact on my business is by setting a price ceiling and price floor. These both determines whether or not my items is too high or low for its’ good. 2. Describe at least one advantage and one disadvantage of price ceilings and price floors. Do you think price ceilings and floors are more helpful or more harmful to consumers and the economy? Explain. (2-4 sentences. 1.0 points) * One advantage of price ceilings is that it helps the consumers to have a chance to buy products, and stop producers of taking advantage of such a catastrophe. The disadvantage between this price ceiling and the common ones is that the price ceiling is set on the equilibrium before the catastrophe and not under the equilibrium. 3. Describe at least two negative outcomes of having too little money and credit in the economy. (2-4 sentences. 2.0 points) * It would cause a scarcity of currency, leading to rapid deflation, and also, overproduction of goods means major markets would plummet in value, outbalancing demand, leading to major losses for the producers. 4. Describe at least two negative outcomes of having too much money and credit in the economy. (2-4 sentences. 2.0 points) * Negative effects of inflation include an increase in the opportunity cost of holding money, uncertainty over future inflation which may discourage investment and savings, and if inflation is rapid enough, shortages of goods as consumers begin hoarding out of concern that prices will increase in the future. 5. Which Fed tool do you think is most important, and why? (2-4 sentences. 1.0 points) * The most important job the Fed has is to manage the nation’s money and the overall economy. Controlling the inflation rate and maintaining employment and production aren’t easy tasks. The Fed has to have some pretty hefty tools up its sleeve in order to influence the economy of an entire country — especially one the size of the United States. 6. Choose one of the following government agencies or laws: FTC, EPA, FDA, CPSC, OSHA, FLSA, EEOC, ADA, SEC, or Affirmative Action. Search online to learn more about the agency or law, and then describe three specific things the law or agency accomplishes. Make sure the information comes from a trustworthy website. Include a link to the website in your answer. (3-6 sentences. 1.5 points) * The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a U.S. agency responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FSMA/ucm247559.htm 7. Describe at least two products that are commonly imported into the United States. (1-2 sentences. 0.5 points) * Products that are commonly imported in the United States are oil, cars, and clothes. These products are very important to humanity. 8. Describe at least two products that are commonly exported from the United States to other countries. (1-2 sentences. 0.5 points) * Products that are commonly exported from the United States are things such as medicines,  aircrafts, and cars. These are products are also important to humanity of different countries. 9. Why does the U.S. government encourage U.S. companies to sell their products in other countries? Explain how this helps the U.S. (2-4 sentences. 2.0 points) * So companies can increase company revenue and be able to dominate international markets in order to establish more stores and spread product around. A good example is McDonalds, they are everywhere. This helps the US because in revenue allows a company to keep its base in the US, increase the national gross product, drive consumer activity, keep jobs, and increase the export business, which goes along with jobs. 10. Find the value of one U.S. dollar in a foreign currency. You might choose the Euro, the Japanese Yen, the Canadian dollar, or another currency. List the type of currency and the current value of the U.S. dollar in that country. (1.0 points) TIP: http://www.google.com/finance/converter is a good resource for foreign currency information. * Here is a good resource for foreign currency information.. 1 USD = 0.7650 EURO ; 1 USD = 83.1800 JPY ; 1 USD = 0.9846 CAD 11. Describe at least three exchange rate factors that are likely to attract foreign investors to a country’s currency. Explain why these factors are attractive for foreign investors. (3-6 sentences. 3.0 points) * Exchange rates are prices that are determined by supply and demand. For some countries the exchange rate is the single most important price in the economy because it determines the international balance of payments. Although no model has been consistent in predicting short-term foreign exchange rate behavior, there are several major concepts that play a role in determining the long-term behavior of foreign exchange rates. The first concept is based on the idea that the current price of an asset reflects all available information; and therefore, only unexpected events cause exchange rates.

Mice and Men – Loneliness

How does Steinbeck present the theme of loneliness in ‘Of Mice and Men’? ‘Of Mice and Men’ is written by John Steinbeck, published in 1937. The novel is set in the 1930s during the great depression in California. The two protagonist characters, George and Lennie are farm workers who have a dream of one-day owning their own ranch. They find work in a ranch near Soledad, after escaping from Weed because of George’s incident. They are met by different characters on the farm that all have a dream. To be lonely means to lack friends or companionship and to feel isolated. Most of the characters are lonely and the only thing that keeps them alive is their dreams. Some of the loneliest characters they meet are Candy, an old man with only one hand, Crooks, a black cripple and Curley’s Wife, a woman who has no identity; she is lonely even though she is married. Although they are all on the ranch together, they are lonely because of who they are and their history. ‘Of Mice and Men’ is an emotional story with many different themes and characters. This essay will describe the way loneliness is portrayed in ‘Of Mice and Men. George Milton and Lennie Small are friends who travel together. They both share the same dream, which is to one day own their own ranch. George is quick-witted and intelligent. He takes the parental role of looking after Lennie, a simple-minded man who in the book is described as a giant. Lennie is kind hearted with huge physical strength. He does not know how powerful he is and likes to pet animals. The other me n on the ranch find their relationship unusual, they do not know of their past. George describes himself and Lennie as the loneliest guys in the world. Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They belong in no place. ’ George feels sorry for himself; he can see the reality of being a ranch-hand. This loneliness therefore makes both him and Lennie have a dream that motivates him to work. It is the one thing that they are living for. The boss believes that George is exploiting Lennie. The other men come to see that their friendship is built upon loneliness. Others such as Crooks, Candy, Curley’s wife and maybe Slim are jealous of their relationship. Although both George and Lennie are close friends, they are still lonely in the sense that they are not alike. Lennie is lonely in the sense that there is no one who is as simple-minded as he is, he does not realise this, as he is too busy playing with his pup. When George and Lennie first arrive on the ranch, they are met by Candy. Candy and his dog’s relationship resemble George and Lennie’s relationship. In the same way, that Candy seeks comfort in his dog, Lennie seeks comfort in George. Candy has a parental role towards his dog, just as George has a parental role towards Lennie. Lennie can be compared with the dog in the sense that he listens, but does not talk; this provides comfort for those who talk to him about their feelings. Both Lennie and Candy’s dog are shot by the same gun (Carlson’s luger). Carlson is unsentimental about Candy’s dog, as he can see no practical use for it. ‘He ain’t no good to you Candy. An’ he ain’t no good to himself. Why’n’t you shoot him Candy? ’ His suggestion is reasonable for the other men in the bunk- house but he seems oblivious to the strong bond between Candy and his dog. Candy tries to justify the reasons for keeping his dog. I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup. I herded sheep with him. ’ In the end, his dog is shot because of his lack of authority towards the other men. Candy is left lonely and deserted after he loses his lifetime companion. He later cheers up after he joins in with George and Lennie’s plan of owning the dream farm. ‘I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off. ’ Candy promises them, that if he died, he would leave George and Lennie his money. This increases his chance of becoming part of the dream. It also increases the chance of the dream becoming reality. Carlson is also a lonely character; he is callous and does not know the appreciation of friendship. He has his gun to look after and care for, the movement of his hands whilst he cleans it show signs of loneliness, he also appears nonchalant. ‘He laid them on his bed and then brought out the pistol†¦then he fell to cleaning the barrel with the little rod. ’ He spends time looking after the gun, he does not take part in the conversation between the other men, he feels happy with his gun and does not see the value of friends and companionship. Curley’s wife is one of the loneliest characters in the novel; she has no identity, she is seen as an object, a possession of Curley’s. Curley’s wife is seen as a flirtatious ‘tart’ by the other ranch-hands, true, Curley’s wife does flirt, she is very conscious of the effect this has on men, but she is not a tart. She wants attention and by gaining that attention, she act the way people think. ‘She had full rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. ’ She likes to dress up and wear a lot of make up, to attract the men. The men on the other hand do not flirt with her, as they are afraid of what Curly might do. This leads to the loneliness of many characters. Although the men think it is wrong of her to flaunt herself sexually and give everyone the ‘eye’, the men all visit a whorehouse for sexual gratification and momentary companionship. Those like George and Whit contradict themselves when they talk about Curley’s wife as being ‘jail-bait’. ‘She’s gonna make a mess. They’s gonna be a bad mess about her. She’s a jail-bait all set on a trigger,’ George senses danger coming his way, but he chooses to ignore it, as he needs the money. During the 1930s, women were seen as possessions of their husbands who were to stay at home. George’s view of women, seem to be very basic and biased, he sees them as instruments to relieve physical urges. ‘She never talks dirty, neither. Got five girls there. ’ George does not express the need for any female companionship mainly because he is too busy keeping Lennie out of trouble. She confides in Lennie and tells him about her dreams of becoming a movie star. Steinbeck uses Lennie as a voice to the reader, it is because of him that the reader finds out about Curley’s wife’s dreams and feelings. Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes – all them nice clothes like they were. ’ She seems to be obsessed by her appearance; she wants the fame and glamour. She appears to have given up her dreams as she married Curly, she feels as though her dreams have been shattered and that she can no longer achieve her goals. Like Curleyâ⠂¬â„¢s wife, Crooks also has no name, it is just a nickname the other ranch-hands use because he is crippled. He is intelligent and very well organised; he has his own room where he keeps his books and possessions. For him, his room is a haven or an oasis. ‘For, being alone, Crooks could leave his things about†¦this room was swept and fairly neat, for Crooks was a proud, aloof man. ’ This shows signs of isolation, as there is no one to comment on the tidiness of his room. He feels isolated and bitter. He is the victim of oppressive violence and prejudice on the ranch. When he first meets Lennie, there is an immediate rejection of friendship mainly due to the anguish of his loneliness. ‘Well, I got a right to have a light. You go on get outa my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room. ’ He does not know that Lennie is unlike the other men, he has been criticised and made fun off, so he does not appreciate the company of others until he gets to know them and their attitude towards him. He tells Lennie of his hopes of having some one to talk to. ‘I tell ya a guy gets too lonely, an’ he gets sick. ’ He admits to feeling isolated, he wishes for a friend to talk to. For a moment, Lennie seems to be a new friend, Lennie sees Crooks as an individual, a person in his own right. Crooks respects him for this and is excited about his new companionship. Again the reader only finds this out when Crooks tells Lennie about his feelings. Crooks admits to not having a dream as he is afraid of disappointment, he does however get caught up in working with George and Lennie in the dream farm. His hopes are shattered by George’s dismissive attitude. ‘I didn’ mean it. Jus foolin’. I wouldn’t want to go no place like that. ’ The lonely characters feel they can confide in Lennie, as they know he will not tell anyone. Crooks is treated as an outcast due to the perspective of race and black people of the time. Black people were seen as outcasts that had no right to mix with the whites. Curley is a small ex-boxer. He is one of the most violent characters on the ranch. He hopes that by being violent and aggressive towards the weaker characters, he will gain authority. He however avoids those he considers to be strong and with authority, such as Slim. He sees everyone with a lower status and sees people as a hierarchy. ‘He wore a work glove on his left hand, and, like the boss, he wore high-heeled boots. According to Candy, the work glove that Curley wears is full of Vaseline to keep his hands soft for his wife. The high-heeled boots give signs of status and height. A debatable character is Slim, is he lonely, does he feel isolated? Because of his calm attitude and natural authority, the less lonely characters rely on him. He is understanding and kind, which is why George tells him of the incide nt in Weed. He does not seem to have a friend, does that mean he has resigned? There is however some hope for him after Lennie is shot, he is the one who comforts George and tells him he done the right thing. You hadda, George. I swear you hadda. Come on with me. ’ The book begins with a calm and peaceful setting of nature. ‘A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops close to the hill-side and runs deeps and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. ’ This shows the peaceful world of nature, it is very calm and tranquil. The pool shows signs of innocence, as it is only a branch of the Salinas River. The river is a sign of the secrets and the future in nature and the novel. The deep green makes it unable to see the riverbed; this shows signs of a faint and perhaps a dangerous view of the future. Despite the movement and the motion of the river, there are still signs of loneliness; there is only the cyclical of nature. The language Steinbeck uses to describe the setting is sophisticated and formal. ‘On the sand-banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little grey, sculptured stones†¦from the direction of the state highway came the sound of footsteps†¦the rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. ‘For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool’ This shows the peaceful world of nature being disturbed by man. The rabbits sensed the presence of danger and hurried away, it is a movement from harmony to discord. There is a contrast between man and nature. The rabbits sat quietly without making a lot of movement and noise, whilst George and Lennie emerge and break the peace. The peace of nature is also disturbed at the end when Lennie is shot. The pool is described as an innocent place; it reflects Lennie’s innocence. There is however, senses of loneliness as neither George nor Lennie speak, there are no sounds of nature from when they emerge. The pool is still and the wind has stopped rustling through the leaves. The language Steinbeck uses to describe the landscape and a character is contrasted with the way the characters speak. The characters use American colloquial slang. The characters also speak of being lonely and wanting companionship. Steinbeck pays attention to the description of the characters; he mainly concentrates on the hands. Lennie’s hands are described as paws, Candy’s has one missing, Curley’s keeps his left hand in a glove, Crooks’ palms are noted (colour). George has strong but small hands, Slim hands are mentioned and Curley’s wife’s hands are only described in terms of fingernails. Steinbeck presents the theme of loneliness through the characters. The language he uses to describe the landscape and characters show signs of loneliness. The character’s past reflect their loneliness and the death of both Candy’s dog and Lennie create the major theme of loneliness. Nature and animals play a large role in the story, the main comparison of man and nature is when Lennie is described as a bear. ‘He walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. ’ Steinbeck wants to show the size and strength of Lennie therefore he compares him to a bear. The book was written during the 1930s during the Great Depression. This was a difficult time for America and its people; Steinbeck shows the fear of the Depression by having the men all work together. No matter how much the men on the ranch stick together and some may support each other, they are still lonely.

Modern Art Essay

The Post-Industrial Era in which we live in now is characterized by the extraordinary rate in development of technology. In sixty years we have managed to completely redesign every aspect of our lives in a way in which we allow technology to do most of the work. Whether we like it or not technology will keep evolving, and as it evolves it will impact aspects of society differently. The evolution of technology has had a very negative impact on artistic values in society and in aesthetics. In his essay â€Å"The Art of Collecting Lightbulbs,† Kimmelman exposes characteristics and qualities contained in art making. As Richard Restak explains in his essay â€Å"Attention Deficit: The Brain syndrome of Our Era,† Technology serves not only as an ally but also as a distraction from our daily activities. As a distraction it also serves as an escape from peoples daily routines, a place formerly occupied by art. Technology also facilitates the process of critical thinking and inhibits creative imagination, this turns out to be gravely detrimental to artistic development. As Technology distracts more people it will take away from the small group of people who are actually passionate about art. Technology now provides an escape from reality to those who need it. This niche was formerly occupied by art. Before Post-Industrial times people would rely on art to release their thoughts, whether it was on a canvas or a sheet of music. Modernly it is much easier to watch TV, play video games, or browse the web, than to set up a canvas to paint. The ease that technology brings with it makes our brains lazy. More often than not we chose to do those activities, which require less energy. This generally wouldn’t be a problem if the issue was choosing the elevator over the stairs, but when it begins influencing the activities we chose to do as a pastime, energy/thought intensive activities, such as art, will suffer. As stated by Restak, â€Å" In our contemporary society speed is the standard applied to almost everything that we do.†(339) This turns out to be very true when analyzed using a quote by David Shenk used by Restak. â€Å" We often feel life going by much faster than we wish, as we are carried forward from meeting to meeting, call to call, errand to errand. We have less time to ourselves and we are expected to improve our performance and output year after year.†(337) With this type of pressure we are not to blame for wanting to take the easy way out, but technology is. As we find lest time for ourselves, we find less time to release our, already hindered, creative thoughts in the form of art. Undoubtedly, if the dentist from Kimmelman’s essay lived in today’s world he would not have half of the time he had in his days to collect light bulbs. That is because I took an extraordinary deal of dedication, and most importantly, attention for him to collect over 75,000 light bulbs (217). Before it affects the time that we actually have to conduct artistic activities, technology already thwarts our ability to think creatively. As Restak quotes â€Å"The clutter, noise, and constant barrage of information that surround us daily contribute to the hectic pace of our modern lives, in which it is often difficult simply to remain mindful in the moment† (336). Being flooded with imagery, sound and text messages, our brain has to divide its attention to respond to all of these simultaneously. â€Å"Our brain literally changes its organization and functioning to accommodate the abundance of stimulation forced on it by the modern world† (Restak 332). So that even if we do have time for art our mind is divided and not able to think creatively. Hugh Alfred Hicks shares a story with Michael Kimmelman in which he was in Paris at a metro station and spotted a tungsten light bulb from the 1920s and took it for his collection (Kimmelman 217). It would be much more difficult for him to spot the same light bulb in a metro station in Paris today, as he would be bombarded by images, live changing screens with times, and advertising. His thoughts about his collection would likely the last thoughts in his mind. Creative thinking is on a downhill spiral. With the Internet we don’t have to wonder about anything anymore. Long gone are the days where we would have to imagine what the Great Wall of China looks like. We no longer have to yearn for answers with passion and fulfill a newly carved void in our minds; all we have to do now is Google images: â€Å"Great Wall of China.† This instant gratification (although convenient) overwhelms our ability to imagine. Our brains are lazy and after years of instantly answering our own questions, we become unable to create pictures in our head. This turns out to be harmful to creating art, as the first ingredient for art making is creativity. Not only is creative thinking decreasing due to technology, so is the actual population of artists. Not modern artists (as in graphic designers etc.) but classical artists. Technology provides us a virtual reality in which classical art is not involved. Although this is seen by most as the evolution of art, it is actually the demise of classical art. The wonderment of impressionist or French realist art has become a rarity. In the modern world we have not time or enough attention span to concentrate on such elaborate pieces. This is partly due to a phenomenon described by Restak, â€Å"The most widespread consequential speed-up of our time is the onrush in images- the speed at which they zip through the world, the speed at which they give way to more of the same, the tempo at which they move†(339). This seemingly never ending onrush of imagery takes away from our ability to sit still and analyze one single image. Since we are accustomed to quick changes in images and visual stimuli, we lack the patience to appreciate classical art pieces. A quote used by Restak of Blaise Pascal provides a good illustration of why this art is on the decline. â€Å"Most of the evils in life arise from a man’s being unable to sit still in a room†(334). As if we weren’t already disperse with all the technology that we carry around, being worried about our texts and tweets, our thoughts are also dispersed, this allows only for quick less elaborate imagery to get through to us. Since our brains are lazy and take the path of least resistance, most classical forms of Art cannot fill that niche. There are very few people left who can actually appreciate 40 minute long Mozart concertos. The radio now plays 4 minute longs songs and actually speeds them up so that they are shorter. Restak explains that our lack of attention has actually become somewhat normal. â€Å"Many personality characteristics we formerly labeled as dysfunctional, such as hyperactivity, impulsiveness and easy distractibility, are now almost norm†(335). In a world where these attributes are norm there is no room for overly detailed portraits or grand escalating music pieces. Our brains are rewired for instant gratification, a gratification seldom found in classical art. As technology helps our society advance to create a more highly efficient less wasteful machine, we can expect leisurely activities to suffer, mainly art. Technology makes it so that we are in more than two places at once whether we like it or not. This creates a split of thoughts in our brains. We try but are unable to, process two tasks at once. Our brains are pushed to jump back and forth between two or more different sections, which handle different parts of our thought process. While all of this is going on, the last thought in our brains is art. As we devote more and more time to our gadgets and videogames, we devote less time to creating and appreciating art.