Friday, October 25, 2019

Significance of the Earth and Sky in the Film Yellow Earth :: Movie Film Essays

Significance of the Earth and Sky in the Film Yellow Earth Yellow Earth is a foreign film that takes place in China. Although the film was made in the 80’s there is a timeless feeling to the movie, as if the events could be happening at any time. The movie follows a soldier, referred to as Brother Gu as he travels China’s poorer regions recording folk songs. During his travels he stays with a family. While witnessing the poverty of their daily lives, Gu begins to speak about the benefits of the army he is with, the Communists, for the commoners. In the movie we see two arranged marriages contrasted against the Communist city where a woman could marry who she wished or join the army. In the end we are lead to believe Cuiquao, the daughter of the family Gu stayed with, has died trying to reach the Communist army who she believes will save her from the marriage she was forced into. We also see Cuiquao’s younger brother Hanhan running to Gu when he returns. Hanhan was in a prayer meeting where all the villagers where praying for water. When we see him running to Gu we get the impression that Gu, or rather the Communists, will save the villagers. These two events affirm that this is a political film trying to portray the Communist party as the savior of the people of China. There is a particularly poignant shot where the Father, Gu, Cuiquao, and Hanhan are eating outside after Gu has helped the Father plowing. During this shot we see the four characters sitting on the ground eating. We then see the Father stand and talk about life and the harvest. While he is talking we see mostly sky in the background, but the sky is all white giving a very closed in impression. The father then sits back down and we then see an aerial shot with them eating and the majority of the frame is taken up by earth. The earth in this frame looks like a mountain or cliff so that it appears that the earth has been cut open and we are seeing a slice of the inside of it. We then see two more frames of the family and Gu eating.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 33

To her surprise, Elena felt no anger, only a determination to protect Stefan if she could. And then she saw that in the cell she'd assumed was empty, there was a kitsune. The kitsune looked nothing like Shinichi or Misao. He had long, long hair as white as snow – but his face was young. He was wearing all white, too, tunic and breeches out of some flowing, silky material and his tail practically filled the small cell, it was so fluffy. He also had fox ears which twitched this way and that. His eyes were the gold of fireworks. He was gorgeous. The kitsune coughed again. Then he produced – from his long hair, Elena thought, a very, very small and thin-skinned leather bag. Like, Elena thought, the perfect bag for one perfect jewel. Now the kitsune took a pretend bottle of Black Magic (it was heavy and a pretend drink was delicious), and filled the little bag with it. Then he took a pretend syringe (he held it as Dr. Meggar had and tapped it to get the bubbles out) and filled it from the little bag. Finally, he stuck the pretend syringe through his own bars and depressed his thumb, emptying it. â€Å"I can feed you Black Magic wine,† Elena translated. â€Å"With his little pouch I can hold it and fill the syringe. Dr. Meggar could fill the syringe, too. But there's no time, so I'm going to do it.† â€Å"I – † began Stefan. â€Å"You are going to drink as fast as you can.† Elena loved Stefan, wanted to hear his voice, wanted to fill her eyes with him, but there was a life to be saved, and the life was his. She took the little pouch with a bow of thanks to the kitsune and left her cloak on the floor. She was too intent on Stefan to even remember how she was dressed. Her hands wanted to shake but she wouldn't let them. She had three bottles of Black Magic here: her own, in her cloak, Dr. Meggar's, and somewhere, in his cloak, Damon's. So with the delicate efficiency of a machine, she repeated what the kitsune had shown her over and over. Dip, pull up lever, push through bars, squirt. Over and over and over. After about a dozen of these Elena developed a new technique, the catapult. Filling the tiny bag with wine and holding it by the top until Stefan got his mouth positioned, and then, all in one motion, smashing the bag with her palm and squirting a fair amount straight into Stefan's mouth. It got the bars sticky, it got Stefan sticky; it would never have worked if the steel had been razor-sharp for him, but it actually forced a surprising amount down his throat. The other bottle of Black Magic wine she put in the kitsune's cell, which had regular bars. She didn't quite know how to thank him, but when she could spare a second, she turned to him and smiled. He was chugging the Black Magic straight from the bottle, and his face was set in an expression of cool, appreciative pleasure. The end came too quickly. Elena heard Sage's voice booming, â€Å"It is no fair! Elena will not be ready! Elena has not had enough time with him!† Elena didn't need an anvil dropped on her head. She shoved the last bottle of Black Magic wine into the kitsune's cell, she bowed for the last time and gave him back his tiny pouch – but with the canary diamond from her navel in it. It was the largest piece of jewelry she had left and she saw him turn it over precisely in long-nailed fingers and then rise to his feet and make a tiny bow to her. There was a moment for a mutual smile and then Elena was cleaning up Dr. Meggar's bag, and pulling on her red cloak. Then she was turning to Stefan, jelly inside once more, gasping: â€Å"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make it a medical visit.† â€Å"But you saw the chance to save my life and just couldn't pass it up.† Sometimes the brothers were very much alike. â€Å"Stefan, don't! Oh, I love you!† â€Å"Elena.† He kissed her fingers, pressed to the bars. Then, to the guards: â€Å"No, please, please, don't take her away! For pity's sake, give us one more minute! Just one!† But Elena had to let go of his fingers to hold her cloak together. The last she saw of Stefan, he was pounding on the bars with his fists and calling, â€Å"Elena, I love you! Elena!† Then Elena was dragged out of the hallway and a door shut between them. She sagged. Arms went around her, helped her to walk. Elena got angry! If Stefan was being put back in his old lice-ridden cell – as she supposed he was, right about now – he was being made to walk. And these demons did nothing gently, she knew that. He was probably being driven like an animal with sharp instruments of wood. Elena could walk, too. As they reached the front of the Shi no Shi lobby Elena looked around. â€Å"Where's Damon?† â€Å"In the coach,† Sage answered in his gentlest voice. â€Å"He needed some time.† Part of Elena said, â€Å"I'll give him time! Time to scream once before I rip his throat out!† But the rest of her was just sad. â€Å"I didn't get to say anything I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him how sorry Damon is; and how Damon's changed. He didn't even remember that Damon had been there – â€Å" â€Å"He talked to you?† Sage seemed astonished. The two of them, Sage and Elena, walked out of the final marble doors of the building of the Gods of Death. That was the name Elena had chosen for it in her own mind. The carriage was at the curb in front of them, but no one got in. Instead, Sage gently steered Elena a little distance from the others. There he put his large hands on her shoulders and spoke, still in that very soft voice, â€Å"Mon Dieu, my child, but I do not want to say this to you. It is that I must. I fear that even if we get your Stefan out of jail by the day of Lady Bloddeuwedd's party that – that it will be too late. In three days he will already be†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Is that your medical opinion?† Elena said sharply, looking up at him. She knew her face was pinched and white and that he pitied her greatly, but what she wanted was an answer. â€Å"I am not a medical man,† he said slowly. â€Å"I am just another vampire.† â€Å"Just another Old One?† Sage's eyebrows went up. â€Å"Now, what gave you that little idea?† â€Å"Nothing. I'm sorry if I'm wrong. But will you please get Dr. Meggar?† Sage looked at her for a long minute more, then departed to get the doctor. Both men came back. Elena was ready for them. â€Å"Dr. Meggar, Sage only saw Stefan at the beginning, before you gave him that injection. It was Sage's opinion that Stefan would be dead in three days. Given the effects of the injection, do you agree?† Dr. Meggar peered at her and she could see the shine of tears in his short-sighted eyes. â€Å"It is – possible – just possible that if he has enough willpower, he could still be alive by then. But most likely†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Would it make any difference to your opinion if I said that he drank maybe a third of a bottle of Black Magic wine tonight?† Both men stared at her. â€Å"Are you saying – â€Å" â€Å"Is this just a plan you have now?† â€Å"Please!† Forgetting about her cape, forgetting everything, Elena grasped Dr. Meggar's hands. â€Å"I found a way to get him to drink about that much. Does it make a difference?† She squeezed the elderly hands until she could feel bone. â€Å"It certainly should.† Dr. Meggar looked bewildered and afraid to hope. â€Å"If you really got that much into his system, he would be almost certain to live until the night of Bloddeuwedd's party. That's what you want, isn't it?† Elena sank back, unable to resist giving his hands a little kiss as she let go. â€Å"And now let's go tell Damon the good news,† she said. In the carriage, Damon was sitting bolt upright, his profile outlined against a blood-red sky. Elena got in and shut the door behind her. With no expression at all, he said, â€Å"Is it over?† â€Å"Over?† Elena wasn't really this dense, but she figured it was important that Damon be clear in his own mind as to what he was asking. â€Å"Is he – dead?† Damon said wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. Elena allowed the silence to go on for a few beats longer. Damon must know Stefan was not likely to actually die in the next half hour. Now that he wasn't getting instant confirmation of this his head snapped up. â€Å"Elena, tell me! What happened?† he demanded, urgency in his voice. â€Å"Is my brother dead?† â€Å"No,† Elena said quietly. â€Å"But he's likely to die in a few days. He was coherent this time, Damon. Why didn't you speak to him?† There was an almost palpable drawing-in on Damon's part. â€Å"What do I have to say to him that matters?† he asked harshly. â€Å"‘Oh, I'm sorry I almost killed you'? ‘Oh, I hope you make it another few days'?† â€Å"Things like that, maybe, if you lose the sarcasm.† â€Å"When I die,† Damon said cuttingly, â€Å"I'm going to be standing on my own two feet and fighting.† Elena slapped him across the mouth. There wasn't room to get much leverage here, but she put as much Power behind the motion as she dared without risking breaking the carriage. Afterward, there was a long silence. Damon was touching his bleeding lip, accelerating the healing, swallowing his own blood. Finally he said, â€Å"It never even occurred to you that you are my slave, did it? That I'm your master?† â€Å"If you're going to retreat into fantasy, that's your affair,† Elena said. â€Å"Myself, I have to deal with the real world. And, by the way, soon after you ran away, Stefan was not only standing but laughing.† â€Å"Elena† – on a quick rising note. â€Å"You found a way to give him blood?† He grasped her arm so hard it hurt. â€Å"Not blood. A little Black Magic. With two of us there, it would have gone twice as fast.† â€Å"There were three of you there.† â€Å"Sage and Dr. Meggar had to distract the guards.† Damon took his hand away. â€Å"I see,† he said, expressionlessly. â€Å"So I failed him yet again.† Elena looked at him with sympathy. â€Å"You're completely inside the stone ball now, aren't you?† â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about.† â€Å"The stone ball you stick anything that might hurt you inside. You even draw yourself inside it, although it must be very cramped in there. Katherine must be in there, I suppose, walled off in her own little chamber.† She remembered the night at the hotel. â€Å"And your mother, of course. I should say, Stefan's mother. She was the mother you knew.† â€Å"Don't†¦my mother†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Damon couldn't even form a coherent sentence. Elena knew what he wanted. He wanted to be held and soothed and told it was all right – just the two of them, under her cloak with her warm arms holding him. But he wasn't going to get it. This time she was saying no. She had promised Stefan that this was for him, alone. And, she thought, she would keep to the spirit of that promise, if she hadn't kept to the letter, forever. As the week progressed, Elena was able to recover from the pain of seeing Stefan. Although none of them could speak about it except in choked, brief exclamations, they listened when Elena said that there was still a job to be done, and that if they managed to complete it well they would be able to go home soon – while if they did not complete it, Elena didn't care whether she went home or stayed here in the Dark Dimension. Home! It had the sound of a haven, even though Bonnie and Meredith knew firsthand what kind of hell was lurking in Fell's Church for them. But somehow anything would be preferable to this land of bloody light. With hope kindling interest in their surroundings, they were once again able to feel pleasure at the dresses Lady Ulma was having made for them. Designing was the one pursuit that the lady could still enjoy during her official bed rest, and Lady Ulma had been hard at work with her sketchbook. Since Bloddeuwedd's party would be an indoor/outdoor affair, all three dresses had to be carefully designed to be attractive both under candlelight and under the giant red sun's crimson rays. Meredith's gown was deep metallic blue, violet in the sunlight, and it showed an entirely different side of the girl from the siren in the skin-tight mermaid dress who had attended Fazina's gala. It reminded Elena somehow of something an Egyptian princess would wear. Once again, it left Meredith's arms and shoulders bare, but the modest narrow skirt that fell in straight lines to her sandals, and the delicacy of the sapphire beads that adorned the shoulder straps served to give Meredith an unassuming look. That look was emphasized by Meredith's hair, which Lady Ulma dictated be worn down, and her face, which was bare of makeup except kohl around the eyes. At her throat, a necklace made of the very largest oval-cut sapphires formed an elaborate collar. She also had matching blue gems on her wrists and slender fingers. Bonnie's dress was a little clever invention: it was made of a silvery material which took on a pastel tinge of the color of the ambient lighting. Moonlight-colored indoors, it shone a soft shimmering pink, almost exactly the color of Bonnie's strawberry hair, when she was outside. It sported a belt, necklace, bracelets, earrings, and rings all of matching cabochon-cut white opals. Bonnie's curls were to be carefully pinned up and away from her face, in a daringly mussed-up mass, leaving her translucent skin to shine softly rose in the sunlight, and ethereally pale inside. Once again, Elena's dress was the simplest and the most striking. Her gown was scarlet, the same color under blood-red sun or indoor gas lamp. It was rather low cut, giving her creamy skin a chance to shine golden in the sunlight. Clinging close to her figure, it was slashed up one side to give her room to walk or dance. On the afternoon of the party Lady Ulma had Elena's hair carefully brushed into a tangled cloud that shimmered Titian outdoors, golden indoors. Her jewelry ranged from an inset of diamonds at the bottom of the neckline, to diamonds on her fingers, wrists and one upper arm, plus a diamond choker that fit over Stefan's necklace. All these would blaze as red as rubies in the sunlight, but would occasionally glint another startling color, like a burst of mini-fireworks. Onlookers, Lady Ulma promised, would be dazzled. â€Å"But I can't wear these,† Elena had protested to Lady Ulma. â€Å"I might not get to see you again before we get Stefan – and from that moment we're on the run!† â€Å"It's the same for all of us,† Meredith had added quietly, looking at each of the girls in their â€Å"indoor† colors of silvery-blue, scarlet, and opal. â€Å"We're all wearing the most jewelry we've ever worn indoors or out – but you might lose it all!† â€Å"And you might need it all,† Lucen had said quietly. â€Å"All the more reason for you each to have jewelry that you can trade for carriages, safety, food, whatever. It's simply designed, too – you can wrench out a stone and use it as payment, and the jewels are not in an elaborate setting that might not be to some collector's taste.† â€Å"In addition to which, they are all of the highest quality,† Lady Ulma had added. â€Å"They are the most flawless examples of their kind we could get on such short notice.† At that point, all three girls had reached their limit, and rushed the couple – Lady Ulma on her enormous bed, sketchbook always beside her, and Lucen standing nearby – and cried and kissed and generally undid the beautiful jobs that had been done on their faces. â€Å"You're like angels to us, do you know that?† Elena sobbed. â€Å"Just like fairy godparents or angels! I don't know how I can say good-bye!† â€Å"Like angels,† Lady Ulma had said then, wiping a tear from Elena's cheek. Then she grasped Elena, saying â€Å"Look!† and gestured to herself comfortably in bed, with a couple of blooming, dewy-eyed young women ready to attend to her wishes. Lady Ulma had then nodded at the window, out of which a small mill stream could be seen, and some plum trees, with ripe fruit blazing like jewels on the branches, and then with a sweep of her hand indicated the gardens, orchards, fields, and forests on the estate. Then she had taken Elena's hand and smoothed it over her own softly curving abdomen. â€Å"You see?† she had spoken almost in a whisper. â€Å"Do you see all of this – and can you remember how you found me? Which of us is an angel now?† At the words â€Å"how you found me† Elena's hands had flown up to cover her face – as if she'd been unable to bear what memory showed her at that moment. Then she was hugging and kissing Lady Ulma again, and a whole new round of cosmetic-destroying embraces had begun. â€Å"Master Damon was even kind enough to buy Lucen,† Lady Ulma had said, â€Å"and you may not be able to picture it, but† – here she had looked at the quiet, bearded jeweler with eyes full of tears – â€Å"I feel for him as you feel for your Stefan.† And then she had blushed and hidden her face in her hands. â€Å"He's freeing Lucen today,† Elena had said, dropping to her knees to rest her head against Lady Ulma's pillow. â€Å"And giving the estate to you irrevocably. He's had a lawyer – an advocate, you'd say – working on the papers all week with a Guardian. They're done now, and even if that hideous general should come back, he couldn't touch you. You have your home forever.† More crying. More kissing. Sage, who had been innocently walking down the hallway, whistling, after a romp with his dog, Saber, had passed Lady Ulma's room and had been drawn in. â€Å"We'll all miss you, too!† Elena had wept. â€Å"Oh, thank you!† Later that day, Damon had made good on all of Elena's promises, besides giving a large bonus to each member of the staff. The air had been full of metallic confetti, rose petals, music, and cries of farewell as Damon, Elena, Bonnie, and Meredith had been carried to Bloddeuwedd's party – and away forever. â€Å"Come to think of it, why didn't Damon free us?† Bonnie asked Meredith as they rode in litters toward Bloddeuwedd's mansion. â€Å"I can understand that we needed to be slaves to get into this world, but we're in now. Why not make honest girls of us?† â€Å"Bonnie, we're honest girls already,† Meredith reminded her. â€Å"And I think the point is that we were never real slaves at all.† â€Å"Well, I meant: Why doesn't he free us so that everyone knows we're honest girls, Meredith, and you know it.† â€Å"Because you can't free somebody who's free already, that's why.† â€Å"But he could have gone through the ceremony,† Bonnie persisted. â€Å"Or is it really hard to free a slave here?† â€Å"I don't know,† Meredith said, breaking at last under this tireless inquisition. â€Å"But I'll tell you why I think he doesn't do it. I think that it's because this way he's responsible for us. I mean, it's not that slaves can't be punished – we saw that with Elena.† Meredith paused while they both shuddered at the memory. â€Å"But, ultimately, it's the slave owner that can lose their life over it. Remember, they wanted to stake Damon for what Elena did.† â€Å"So he's doing it for us? To protect us?† â€Å"I don't know. I†¦suppose so,† Meredith said slowly. â€Å"Then – I guess we've been wrong about him in the past?† Bonnie generously said â€Å"we've† instead of â€Å"you've.† Meredith had always been the one of Elena's group most resistant to Damon's charm. â€Å"I†¦suppose so,† Meredith said again. â€Å"Although it seems that everyone is forgetting that until recently Damon helped the kitsune twins to put Stefan here! And Stefan definitely hadn't done anything to deserve it.† â€Å"Well, of course that's true,† Bonnie said, sounding relieved not to have been too wrong, and at the same time strangely wistful. â€Å"All Stefan ever wanted from Damon was peace and quiet,† Meredith continued, as if on more steady ground there. â€Å"And Elena,† Bonnie added automatically. â€Å"Yes, yes – and Elena. But all Elena wanted was Stefan! I mean – all Elena wants†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meredith's voice trailed off. The sentence didn't seem to work properly in the present tense anymore. She tried again. â€Å"All Elena wants now is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie just watched her speechlessly. â€Å"Well, whatever she wants,† Meredith concluded, rather shaken, â€Å"she wants Stefan to be a part of it. And she doesn't want any of us to have to stay here – in this†¦this hellhole.† In another litter just beside them things were very quiet. Bonnie and Meredith were so used by now to traveling in closed litters that they hadn't even realized that another palanquin had drawn abreast of them and that their voices carried clearly in the hot, still afternoon air. In the second litter, Damon and Elena both looked very hard at the silken curtains fluttering open. Now, Elena, with an almost mad air of needing something to do, hurriedly unwound a cord and the curtains dropped into place. It was a mistake. It closed Elena and Damon into a surreal glowing red oblong, in which only the words that they had just heard seemed to have validity. Elena felt her breath coming too quickly. Her aura was slipping. Everything was slipping sideways. They don't believe that I only want to be with Stefan! â€Å"Steady on,† Damon said. â€Å"This is the last night. By tomorrow – â€Å" Elena held up a hand to keep him from saying it. â€Å"By tomorrow we'll have found the key and gotten Stefan and we'll be out of here,† Damon said anyway. Jinx, thought Elena. And sent up a prayer after it. They rode in silence up toward Bloddeuwedd's grand mansion. For a surprisingly long time Elena didn't realize that Damon was trembling. It was a quick, involuntary shaken breath that alerted her. â€Å"Damon! Dear – dear heaven!† Elena was stricken, at a loss, not for words, but for the right words. â€Å"Damon, look at me! Why?† Why? Damon replied in the only voice he could trust not to tremble or crack or break. Because – do you ever think of what's happening to Stefan while you're going to a party wearing splendid clothes, being carried along, to drink the finest wine and to dance – while he – while he – The thought remained unfinished. This is just what I needed right before being seen in public, Elena thought, as they reached the long driveway to Bloddeuwedd's home. She tried to call on all of her resources before the curtains were drawn and they were free to step out at the location of the second half of the key.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Knucklehead competitors

You may encounter business situations that require using an interpreter (for spoken communication) or a translator (for written communication). Interpreters and translators can be expensive, but skilled professionals provide Invaluable assistance for communicating in other cultural contexts. 60 Keeping up with current language usage in a given country or culture is also critical in order to avoid embarrassing blunders.For example, the marketing agency Landlord Associates usually engages three native-language speakers to review translated materials to make sure the ensue of the message is compatible with current usage and slang in a given country. 61 Some companies use back-translation to ensure accuracy. Once a translator encodes a message Into another language, a dif rent translator retranslate the same message into the original language.The is back-translation is then compared with the original message to discover any errors or discrepancies. The e time and cost required for profes sional translation has encouraged the development of machine translation , any form of computerized intelligence used to translate one language to another. Dedicated soft ware tools and online services such as Worldly ( www. Worldly. Com ) off ere various forms of automated translation. Major search engines let you request translated versions of the websites you FL ND.Although none of these tools can translate as well as human translators, they can be quite useful with individual words and short phrases, and they can oft en give you the overall gist of a message. Everyone can contribute to successful intercultural communication. Whether a younger person Is unaccustomed to the formalities of a large corporation or a league from another country Is working on a team with you, look for opportunities to help people if t in and adapt their communication style.For example, if a nonnative English speaker is making mistakes that could hurt his or her credibility, you can off ere advice on th e appropriate words and phrases to use. Most language learners truly appreciate this sort of assistance, as long as it is off red in a respectful manner. Moreover, chances are that while you're helping, you'll learn something about the other person's culture and language, too. You can also take steps to simplify the immunization process.For instance, oral communication in a second language is usually more differ cult than written forms of communication, so instead of asking a foreign colleague to provide information in a conference call, you could ask for a written response instead of or in addition to the live conversation. For a brief summary of ideas to Improve intercultural communication in the workplace, see â€Å"Checklist: Improving Intercultural Communication Skills. † For additional Information on communicating Intercultural Communication: Speaking with Multiple-Language Audiences; Media Skills: Podiatrist [LO-5] , Chapter 7 Your company was one of the FL rest to use podiatrist as a business communication tool. Executives frequently and post them on the company's intranet site; employees from the 14 off cues in Europe, Asia, and North America then download the FL less to their music players or other devices and listen to the messages while riding the train to work, eating lunch at their desks, and so on. Your boss asks you to draft the opening statement for a potash that will announce a revenue drop caused by intensive competitive pressure.She reviews your script and hands it back with a gentle explanation that it needs to be revised for international listeners. Improve the following statement in as many ways as you can: Howdy, comrades. Shouldn't surprise anyone that we took a beating this year, given the insane pricing moves our have been making. I mean, how those clowns can keep turning a proof t is beyond me, what with steel costs still going through the roof and labor costs heating up-?even in countries where everybody goes to FL ND cheap labor-?and hazardous waste disposal ergs adding to operating costs, too.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to Capitalize and Punctuate Quotations

How to Capitalize and Punctuate Quotations How to Capitalize and Punctuate Quotations How to Capitalize and Punctuate Quotations By Mark Nichol The guidelines for quoting a person or a publication are detailed but straightforward. Here is a summary of basic procedures. If a quoted word, phrase, sentence, or longer unit of text is described appositively (that is, if a descriptive word or phrase equivalent to the text it describes is immediately adjacent to that text), as in â€Å"Consider the saying ‘A stitch in time saves nine,’† note that no punctuation intervenes between the description (here, saying) and the saying itself. However, if a simple attribution such as â€Å"Smith said† directly precedes a quotation, separate the attribution from the quotation with a comma: â€Å"Smith said, ‘A stitch in time saves nine.’† But if the attribution is an independent clause that sets the context for the quotation (as in â€Å"Smith had this to say about the issue: ‘A stitch in time saves nine’†), use a colon after the attribution, as shown. When a seamless integration of the attribution and the quotation occurs, omit punctuation between them and do not capitalize the first word of the quotation (unless it is a proper noun), even if it began a sentence in its original spoken or written form: â€Å"The commission asserts that ‘as a general rule, the full board should have primary responsibility for risk oversight.’† Reducing a full quotation to a partial one is also a good strategy when a speaker says something eloquent, pithy, or vivid but does so as part of a bland, convoluted, or ungrammatical statement. If the quotation is an incomplete sentence, or you want to isolate the effective part of the sentence, format the partial sentence as described above: â€Å"Smith said that he hoped to ‘knock some sense into people’ with his new program.† (Note that a paraphrase can follow as well as precede a partial quotation, with no intervening punctuation.) However, if it’s not necessary or desirable to use any of the source’s exact words, paraphrase the entire comment: â€Å"Smith said that he hoped to attract some attention to the issues with his new program.† When the attribution occurs in the midst of a quotation, commas should precede and follow the quotation: â€Å"‘As a general rule,’ the commission asserts, ‘the full board should have primary responsibility for risk oversight.’† Note that- in American English, at least- the first comma always precedes the close quotation mark(s), because it is part of the quotation, but the second comma precedes the open quotation mark(s), because it is part of the attribution. (Exercise caution when inserting an attribution near the beginning of a quotation, however; doing so before any significant information is provided within the quotation is distracting- why prematurely identify the source of what is, so far, nearly devoid of context or meaning?) Attribution often follows a quotation: â€Å"‘As a general rule, the full board should have primary responsibility for risk oversight,’ the commission asserts.† If an attribution divides one full sentence from one or more other sentences, the first sentence should end with a comma (or a question mark, an exclamation point, a dash, or an ellipsis) preceding the close quotation marks, but a period should follow the attribution, and the remaining quoted content should begin with a capital letter: â€Å"‘As a general rule, the full board should have primary responsibility for risk oversight,’ the commission asserts. ‘However, other parties may be involved in monitoring risk.’† (Avoid delaying attribution in a quotation consisting of two or more full sentences beyond one sentence, and even consider inserting the attribution in the midst of a long, convoluted sentence so as not to excessively postpone its appearance.) Use a question mark if the quotation is an interrogative or an exclamation point if the content of the quotation preceding the attribution merits that emphasis, employ a dash to indicate suddenly interrupted dialogue, or insert an ellipsis if the speaker deliberately leaves the statement unfinished. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples)The Four Sounds of the Spelling OUThe Difference Between e.g. and i.e.?

Monday, October 21, 2019

Jon D, Rockefeller essays

Jon D, Rockefeller essays John D. Rockefeller created the empire of Standard Oil. His firm grasp of business and his determination to do whatever it took to succeed and be the king of oil propelled him to great heights. But how did he get to the top? After Rockefeller left his job as a bookkeeper in 1859 to seek his own fortune, he joined forces with an Englishman named Marcie Clark. They formed a business as merchants in grain, hay, meat, and other goods. Taking advantage of the extra business that the war gave them, the firm flourished . In four short years, the Clark and Rockefeller Co. made great profits. However, our young John wasn't willing to sit back and relax in just one prosperous venture, the oil business was calling him. Rebates were given as a bonus for giving the railroads big business.{ "The published rates were charged to smaller independent businesses and a lower unpublished rate was charged to big suppliers."} In addition to this price break, the big firms were also given part of the higher prices charged to the smaller companies. Through this, smaller businesses were driven out of the market because they couldn't make as much profit as the larger companies. The strength of Rockefeller's business was in his ability to overpower any competition. He was bigger, stronger, and wealthier than anyone he came in competition with, he could simply starve them out of business. His success was due to the fact that he had a tremendous desire for achievement and the skills to take him there. He was a master of the business that he ran. He chose the best managers, saved money by being efficient in every area of operation and took any necessary steps to control the market. His plants and his company were simply the biggest and the best. By 1900, Standard Oil was in near complete control of the oil industry, controlling 90% of the United States total oil output. This success came at others expense though, and it was catch...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

When College isn’t for Everyone †Smart Options for Smart Kids. EssaySupply.com

When College isn’t for Everyone – Smart Options for Smart Kids Choosing your route We are right to question the value of a college education. Certainly, it is the correct route for a large chunk of students; certainly, it is not the correct route for another large chunk of students. Here’s why: College costs have now reached the point of being absurd. When family resources cannot pay the price, students graduate with debt that will stay with them for almost their entire career lifetimes. The traditional 4-year degree has almost become meaningless in many fields. Student spend their first two years completing general education requirements so as to be more well-rounded, and really only get into their major fields of study their final two years. Two years in many fields today is inadequate, and students must then incur more debt for graduate school. What are the Alternatives? Forecasters are currently predicting those career fields in which there will be large opportunity in the future. Obvious, technology is huge, but so is health care, hotel and restaurant management, e-commerce, construction, green energy, and a host of other service industries, like college essay writing service. These career fields will by no means require a knowledge of Shakespeare, the ability to write a comparison/contrast essay, or an understanding of benzene rings. What’s more, we no longer have the luxury of providing expensive liberal arts backgrounds, so that students may be â€Å"well-rounded† – other countries are leaving us in the dust. So, what choices do students have if traditional college is not for them? Community College-Industry Collaborative Programs Many jobs go unfulfilled because certain industries cannot find qualified candidates. This has led to community college-industry partnerships that specifically train students for careers that are in high demand and for which there is not a sufficient labor supply. Students should check these out – two year of training and into a career – boom! Vocational-Technical Schools There are â€Å"good guys† and â€Å"bad guys† in this business. But state departments of education publish those schools that are reputable and that prepare students well of current and future careers. Highly technical training, such as water treatment, digital design, and medical technology will serve any graduate of these programs quite well. Online Educational Programs There are huge opportunities, including free college coursework, for students who are highly motivated and self-disciplined. Students may not get formal college credit but they do get certificates of course completion with a grade. Many employers re considering these MOOC’s to be every bit as valuable as the credit-bearing courses, especially when they come from institutions such as Purdue, Princeton, and Stanford. If you are the one who says "I  hate writing essays" there is also a great option of help with writing papers being available online. A High School Diploma Won’t â€Å"Cut it† There are no career jobs available for high school graduates today. Part of the reason is that high schools are also steeped in the traditional, general education curricular requirements, and do not offer programs that allow immediate employment in fields with career potential.   The Takeaway Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg decided that a college education was not for them. They have not done too badly. There are many other options for careers, and the required training is far less expensive and far more focused than in a 4-year college. If you think college is not for you, you have good company and lots of options.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Critically compare and contrast three theories of the multinational Essay

Critically compare and contrast three theories of the multinational firm. Which best explains firm behaviour and why - Essay Example The primary drive operating behind their decision to outspread are the cost benefits and profit potentials which lie in different locations (Maheshwari, 1997, p. 246). However, there are certain aspects which influence the profit and cost factors in a certain region. Those are the very elements which instigate the businessmen to spread out. In fact, theories have been framed by eminent observers in the past, to comprehend the factors which actually guide the production decisions of trans-national companies. Three fundamental factors are ownership, location and internalisation aspects which taken together form the essence of OLI Theory of International Production. This however, is part of the neo-classical school of thought (Taylor & Thrift, 1986, p. 9). Likewise there is the Marxist economic theory or the Neo-Imperialist views which support the decisions taken by trans-national companies to spread out their businesses to different nations around the world. Capitalist economies tend t o accumulate a large volume of resources at home which they are restricted from making use of at home due to restrictions imposed over their employment. Hence, they have little option but to generate profit out of their surpluses through deploying them across national borders. Thirdly, the Neo-Fundamentalist Marxist principles say that the primary enticement behind spreading out their businesses is that the industries which gradually acquire a monopolistic position, start enjoying the advantage of huge surpluses. Due to a limited scope for employing them in the nation where they belong, the industrialists deploy them in foreign lands where they have greater prospects of reaping profits (Jenkins, 1987, p. 447-451). The present paper discusses the similarities and differences between each of the three types of economic theories stated above to assess the factors which induce foreign investors towards expanding their businesses across nations. Finally, an evaluation about the theory mo st applicable in context of business houses today will be made as a concluding note. Chapter 2 – Theoretical Framework 2.1 Marxist or the Neo-Imperialist economic theory According to the views of Marxist economists, the developed and developing economies are complementary to one another and make up the entire global system. However, they also emphasise that the latter are usually the ones who are exploited by the former so that there is a continued outflow of surplus resources from the reserves of developing nations to the already burgeoning stock of the developed nations. The essence of the theory is the monopolisation of industrial houses which leads to an accumulation of huge sums of profits in the capitalist nations. On the other hand, the prevalence of anti-trust laws restricts an expansion of their businesses within the domestic frontier through forming cartels. Thus, the surpluses which are reaped stay idle and hence, attain a stagnant rate of growth which is not desir ed by the private producer (Jenkins,