Theory of Comparative Advantage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Theory of Comparative Advantage - Essay Example In turn, the countries would have an opportunity to import goods from the country that had an absolute advantage in those goods (Hall and Lieberman 2007). However, in 1817, David Ricardo disputed the postulation of absolute advantage and instead developed and enhanced the claim of comparative advantage (Hall and Lieberman 2007). According to the author, a country obtains comparative advantage if it possesses the ability to produce a particular good and be able to produce the good at lower opportunity than some other country (Carbaugh 2010). Initially, absolute advantage talked and fore so, resources as key to obtaining absolute advantage in production of goods, comparative advantage on the other hand regards opportunity cost as key in production of goods. For instance, Ricardo postulates that , a likely potential trading partner may be perceived to be absolutely inferior in the production of every single good, where more resources per unit of each good may be required than any other country and still have a comparative advantage in some good (Hall and Lieberman 2007; Maneschi 1998). The comparative advantage comes about because the country is inferior at producing some goods than others (Misra and Yadav 2009). At the same time, a nation that possessed absolute advantage in producing everything as it was perceived could still benefit from trade since it would have a comparative advantage only in some but not all the goods. What is comparative theory? Globalisation in the world has postulated that, trade unlike before can be conducted between countries. As a result, trade between countries has become important and necessary for the growth of international economy (Ezeani 2011). In order to understand how countries may end up coming to be trade partners, one theory developed by Ricardo has become important in explaining such relationships. Comparative advantage, which explains how trade relationships between countries may be established, has come out as a key theo ry in explaining how countries benefit from each other by having goods that they do not produce due to cost matters. Adam Smith emphasised the need of each nation to look for absolute advantage as far as production and consumption of goods is concerned. What when this postulation is analysed in practical sense, then it becomes clear that, absolute advantage may not permit development and healthy growth of trade in the international sphere. Take for example, two countries China and United Kingdom, where China may appear to be inferior in terms production of goods like clothes and aircrafts. In this case, China does not have absolute advantage like United Kingdom, and therefore, the question that can be asked in such scenario, is what China can do, what UK can do, and of course according to absolute advantage theory, there is no way out (Branch 2006). However, another theory that attempt to address this dilemma, which has evolved to become critical in international trade, is the theor y of David Ricardo developed in 1817, and the theory is known as comparative advantage theory (Peng 2010). Using the two examples of China and United Kingdom, comparative advantage theory postulate that, though UK may have absolute advantage in production of clothes and aircraft, this does not rule out China as an able country that cannot produce such goods. China may exhibit some efficiency and capabilities in the production of both goods ((Branch 2006)). As a result of having ability

Art Of Dissolving Boundaries English Literature Essay

Art Of Dissolving Boundaries English Literature Essay The art of dissolving boundaries is what living is all about. 1 Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, an Indian immigrant woman writer anticipates through her writing to dissolve boundaries among people of different backgrounds, communities, ages and even different world. She spent 19 years of her life in India and learned all the costumes and traditions of her own, thus, she knows her motherland very well. But her migration from one country to another made her comprehend about the feeling of dislocation and homelessness. She felt the adjustments to get shifted from one place, which is your own homeland or roots. Before she became a writer, Chitra Divakaruni was only a simple young woman in a novel country, far away from her own country. She was excited at the prospect studying in America, but forlorn missing her family in Kolkata and the traditions of her culture. For her, it has been such a great attempt just to make it to the U.S. because her very traditional family didnt understand why she would want to leave her home. Ultimately, she was able to convince her family to let her go. In 1976 when she came to the U.S., she went through some incidents and realized the gap between the East and the West. Once while walking down on a Chicago street with some relatives she was horrified when a few white teenagers shouted nigger and hurled sludge at her. This incident deeply shamed that she didnt want to discuss even. But somehow it stayed in her mind and acted as the spur kick her to start writing and then one evening, her five-year-old son Abhay came back from school and tried hard to wash off t he dirt color of his skin. Through these episodes she realized that still there is the sense of other and this made her interest to start writing about her own experience of immigration, which are the same for the many other immigrant women. She identified that people still behave them as alien. Divakaruni said in one of her interviews that, It was a big adjustment, moving from a big city like Calcutta to Dayton, Ohio, which, at that time, didnt have many Indians and was not cosmopolitan; I felt a real sense of being other. People were so startled to see an Indian person in Indian Clothesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. I think all people come to a new country with preconceived notions, so there was an adjustment on both sides. 2 It arouses several views to think about once own identity and roots. The question Where are you from? put her in a shock that people even didnt know about them. It would be really a challenge to get settled in a country where all their lives or their appearance would proclaim them Foreigners. Moving to the United States really made me renegotiate my boundaries and in some ways, even reinvent myself as a woman, says Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni 3. For her, writing is the only way to fight for her self-identity. Before her migration she never thought to be a writer, but later on she felt that whatever feeling she had that was also the same for many-many other immigrant women and she wanted to share it with her readers. That understanding taught Divakaruni that she had stories to tell- stories that could get people together and disclose the common humanity in everyone. The totally new experiences or environment turned her into a writer. She spotted a light on it by saying, In some ways, I think that immigration made me into a writer, because it gave me a subject to write about. When I lived in India, I was so immersed in the culture that I didnt really think about it. But when I moved halfway across the world, I began to think a lot about what it meant for me to be Indian, and also how immigration changes us. 4 Thats why all the way through her skills she wants to write about the life of immigrant women and their problems of dislocation or cultural clash. By showing her own culture the author would like to remove the gap between the two different communities. She believes that situations, conditions, circumstances or destiny are the same everywhere only the implication and reactions are different. The main theme of Divakarunis work is immigrant conflict and acquired values vs. adopted one. There are so many challenges if someone is writing about two distinct worlds. She says, Its okay to be an Indian person who loves Indian culture but now Im an American citizen and committed to making life in this country better. We need to remain secure in our own identity but participate fully in the culture, politics and daily life of America. The important part of integration is that you dont give up, you share. For me as a writer, a major challenge is to keep my finger on the pulse of both worlds. That means talking to people on both continents, observing them, learning what is changing with them and what remains the same. This also means that Im writing for audiences that are very different. This is difficult, especially as I refuse to explicate culture. 5 Divakaruni has studied both Eastern and Western literature. She likes to bring the two together in her writing. She feels this is the only way to enrich both traditions. She recognized that different readers will take different things from her works. She really likes that her books have different kinds of readers or observers. She would want South Asian or South Asian American audience, who will read the books and think about the issues in their communities and lives. She hopes that her readers will see that though we come from different places, what we have in common is humanity. She conveys her great desire that people may eventually come together and make a better world. This chapter will provide an introduction to Divakarunis essential theme. She writes to unite people by dissolving boundaries among them. She is a bridge-builder between these two different cultures, one is her own motherland India and another is where she is living United States. May be both these communities are different in their traditions, customs and lifestyle but feeling, emotions and sensibility are the same. Yet, over the course of 15 books, her motivation remained clear her books are a bridge of words, an attempt to take a reader to understand both themselves and those they might have labeled other 6. So, being an award-winning poet and author, Divakaruni senses a lot about her early days in America. As a creative writing professor at the University of Houston, she makes an effort to use her knowledge to help out worldwide students to feel comfortable in their new environment. Thus, such understanding of her life directed her to write, first poetry, and then fiction. The author also writes about family, domestic violence, emotional abuse, cultural alienation, and human trafficking. Thus, we can analyze how Chitra Benerjee Divakaruni promotes healthy family relationships. She recognizes the positive aspects of traditional culture or values and its places in family and community. Like her fiction her life walks in a careful line between the two worlds. Six months ago, she shifted to Houston with her husband and two sons from the Bay Area to Texas, where she teaches at the University of Houston. Like the characters in her books, she sometimes finds herself struggling to keep in equilibrium the demands of family and career, tradition and modernity. According to her the solution is to combine the best parts of both but she also knows that it is not always easy. Its really a juggling act. Some days, its clear what the best aspects are, some days its not, Divakaruni said with a warm chuckle 7. The author talked about the boundaries between the two East and West plus the two different cultures and the differences among the psychology of the human being. She wants to get rid of the gap between her adopted land and motherland. She has experienced both of these worlds very well and realized that each has its own positive and negative aspects. India has valuable traditions, enrich culture or ethics and on the other side the U.S.A. has modernity, freedom plus lots of exposure in every field. Her writing relates to her homeland and culture of origin; it shows the powerful relations to the culture of the native soil. She tried to give knowledge to her readers about her origin or identity as well as the experience of her new home, thus, she wants to be an Indian-American. Divakaruni shared her views in one of her articles Indian Born in the U.S.A. that, In my dark kitchen I bow my head to pray for strength for India, facing, on her 50th anniversary of freedom, the severe challenges of poverty and illiteracy and communal violence. And for us all, children of the Indian Diaspora, here on the other side of the world, who have our own challenges. I pray that we may be able to preserve the values weve gained from our past: love of family, of traditions, of spirituality and the simple life. That we may combine them with what weve learned in our new home: energy and enterprise and how to fight for our rights. This, perhaps, is the best legacy we can leave our children: The art of being Indian American. 8 Aug 21, 1997. Hence, the act of migration implies a bodily shifting out of the familiar place and relocation in the new and unfamiliar land. It was due to the colonial impact and its after effect which created uprooted and dislocation of identity. Edward Saids Orientalism (1978) enlarged the range of the post colonial approach by revealing the Eurocentric Universalism which establishes Western superiority over the East, recognized as the other. In other World (1987) by Gayatri Spivak, Nation and Narration (1990) by Homi Bhaba, The Empire Writes Back (1989) by Bill Ashcroft, Culture and Imperialism (1993) by Edward W. Said and such other works accelerated the study of colonialism and its effect on other cultures. They all are stuffs of Western education and living outside from their native environment. They can imagine a pre-colonial at best; mythological motherland in Africa or Asia to articulate or end up expressing a cross identity. Therefore, the native speaker of English language shifted to th e foreign land and tried to create their self-identity, culture, and individuality in an alien atmosphere. All those hardships and obstacles which they have faced provide them a new mindset. All these experiences are well dealt in Diaspora literature. This concept of Diaspora often focused on a forced displacement along with centered on negative experiences in terms of unfriendliness, disaffection, loss, and persecution. Even as their ancestral deficiency is an overpoweringly negative concept, the idea of the Jewish Diaspora describes a community whos socioeconomic, cultural, ancestral and political networks across boundaries of states, and protect a common shared identity. Although transformed by the influence of nearby cultures; for many the dream of return to the homeland provided a fundamental principle of identity. Thus, Central to the concept of Diaspora is the image of a journey; however, not all journeys can be understood as the Diaspora. Diasporic journeys are not the same as casual travel; they are about setting down and putting roots elsewhere (Brah, 1996) crossing geographical and mental borders. These discussions of the Diaspora are inevitably bound up with the notion of borders and territories the arbitrary lines of social, cultural and psychic demarcation. 9 The migration experience does not finish with the point of settlement or agreement; it is handed down through the age groups, consciously or unconsciously making its role to the way in which those Diasporas bargain their existence through societies in which they and their culture is in the minority. Being in Diaspora means living in a cross-cultural circumstance, one in which fusion, change, and expansion are predictable. Those alerts of the complexities of this recognize the notice to redefine their identity and the requirement to discover a medium through which to articulate their progress. In their process of defining and redefining their individuality and the struggle this involves, South Asian women in Britain have had to tackle the combined issues of gender and society. Most of all, Diaspora is understood as transcontinental the socio-cultural collection reminiscence of diasporic people is a community having its ties to a homeland, which establishes the false appearance of an ideal past. Emigrants inhabit their communal imagined homeland, which has its location in another place and time. A longing and affection for the discarded homeland is the driving force, which hypotheses an image of the lost country. Divakarunis depiction of her inherited home has, is committed to region in part, her otherwise lost Indian personality. Her accounts are derived from a memory blurred by the distance of time and space. A settler or immigrant are distanced by space and time, as they no longer reside in their country of ancestry and the inhabitance of language and culture of the birthplace is removed from their daily lives. To synthetically recreate the milieu of the lost motherland is flowed due to wistful and false memories, which are created in part to endure a sense of identity and maintain a link to the disconnected motherland. Currently there are almost 20,000,000 people of South Asian origin living outside of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the majority in Africa, the U.S., the Caribbean, and Oceania 10. Although there are regional differences in their adaptations in many ways, still tried to display a common Indian identity. They may want their children to flourish in their adopted countries, but at the same time they may wish them to accept Indian family values, share their common culture, and get married to other Indians. In other words, many Diasporas living over as tend to reproduce their Indian culture, language, values, and religion as much as possible. People are getting migrated to other countries because of so many reasons; it could be education, business, residential, and so on. Many writers have also migrated to the West and have been producing a large mass of literature in English which is a powerful organ to voice their emigrant sensibility and migrant experience in the West. The inactive social or cultural hostilities, feeling of isolation from their roots and thereafter a steady search for attaching and assimilating these ancestries in the Western surroundings constitute the center themes in their works. Themes of homelessness, migration, loss of identity, exile, culture clash, cultural assimilation, and rootlessness are often discerned in their works with remarkable similarities. The dilemma of these immigrant writers in a multi-cultural circumstance often get combined with their personal suffering due to bias or a sense of rootlessnesss, if they are rejected by their host countries. Indian Americans writers have made their presence felt in American culture, society, business, and even politics. These writers are writing about common people, identity, a feeling of uprooted, immigrant experience, East-West relations, and life in the United States or the Indian Diaspora. Indian American writing broke new earth from the 1970s and so on. With the relation of immigration laws, Indians migrated to the United States in large number. One consequence of this has been a propagation of women writers. They got the right exposure may be because of the modernity and free atmosphere of the foreign countries. In large American cities, one can easily find their books. Their readership has widened, with many women who are reading novels and short stories in order to learn about their own communities. Indian American women authors wrote about the experiences of immigrant life, which became the reading materials for thousands of immigrants. As it is evidence in the works of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. She has studied both Eastern and Western literature, thus, she likes to bring the two together in her writing; she feels it is a way to enrich both these traditions. Divakarunis books, which are set in both Indian and American, A feature Indian born woman torn between Old and New world values. She gives laser-like sight and skilled use of story, plot, and lyrical description to give readers a many layered look at her characters and their respective worlds, which are filled with fear, hope, and discovery. 11 Most of her work is partially autobiographical and based on the lives of Indian immigrants which she has dealt with. She writes to help people and unite them by breaking down old stereotypes. Divakaruni skillfully expresses the experience or familiarity of South Asians in America. She says that her books are somewhat based on practice plus social observation. But Divakaruni endeavors to interlace such observation with the factor of magic, myth, and ancient culture alongside contemporary culture. She tries to bring a sense of the daily realities of immigrant life and ancient culture together. But she also insists that she doesnt write for a specific spectator in mind. She explains in a soft, gentle tone of voice that, I like to stay close to the story, think about the story, stay close to the characters. I find it distracts me if I begin to think of audience while Im writing 12. Therefore, it shows that she is still attached to her own motherland while adopting another one very well. She only explains her adjustments and conflicts during her journey to the U.S. from India. Divakaruni accepts that both sides have the same problems and circumstances only the way of looking towards those situations are little different. Somehow she realized the frontiers between these two worlds and strived to remove them. Chitra Banerjee has an empathetically personal and boldly imaginative style of storytelling that draws readers into the lives of people across cultures, particularly the lives of Indian and Indian American women. Thus, she has an unusual ability to breakdown different kinds of boundaries, e.g. those between the East/West, prose/poetry, magic/realism, past/present, and native/immigrant. She was able to do all such through the dramatic style and social content of her work. If we look through the geographical point of view there are boundaries or gaps between the East and the West countries, but its all about our psychology only. If we glance it positively and treat all of them as a human being, then there is no boundary as such. No doubt that there is a difference between the culture, lifestyle, atmosphere, customs, and dressing sense; but it doesnt mean that their sensibility is also different. The author tried to show it in the course of her characters that they are able to adopt the new rules of a new country after a lot of adjustments. Divakaruni wants to explain whether they got shift to another country but they have never sensed any boundary between their motherland and foreign-land. They are still attached towards their own roots and homeland. While they have adopted the lifestyle along with the customs of their new home but by some way they still feel the attraction towards their own tradition. Thus, she makes it clear that shifting to another culture or land doesnt mean to leave something; its all about to adopt another home. By her writing Divakaruni illustrates that how difficult it is to remove the border line between East/West and maintain the gap between these two different cultures. Divakaruni brings together wide critical applaud with the publication of her first collection of short stories Arranged Marriage (1995), which pays attention on women who came from India and caught between two worlds. That book also went on to American Book Award in 1996. Many characters in Arranged Marriage deals with this rapid transform in worldview, at once exciting and also horrifying. They have to build a sense of the new condition, which begins to convert them as women. Even it begins to transform their relations with the people in their family like their parents, who are usually back in India and their husbands, who are with them in the novel country. There are kids also who are now born in the new milieu, still wedged between two cultures, so far with an entirely different worldview. Well this is also an awfully chief theme in her another story collection The Lives of Strangers (2001), with movements back and forth between the two worlds. Divakarunis more than 15 books address the stories about to the understanding of women or immigrants in a new nation. Though she said her books are not autobiographical, but many of her characters contribute to similar apprehensions. She is concerned with how we make a new home for ourselves in a place that is so far away and so unlike from our home culture. The author also said that, she is concerned about how we as immigrants change the places in which we find ourselves. She is very much interested in the ways womens roles have changed as we move into different cultures. Eventually, Divakaruni expects that her words will challenge readers to think about what it means to be an immigrant and about larger issues such as family and home. She further says that, What I hope people get out of my books is that it will encourage them to think about important issues. I also hope that they see that although we come from many different places, what we have in common is the humanity we want the same things, we desire the same things. I hope my books will dissolve boundaries and bring people together. 13 Therefore, in her writing Divakaruni keeps on to be stimulated by her students at the University of Houston, many of them are immigrants themselves. In her time at UH, Divakaruni has been pleased to see the increasing variety among faculties, particularly at the highest level with President Renu Khator, who is also from India. Divakaruni talks about the strength of Renu that, Her having come from a different background and really having overcome many difficulties in her own personal background makes her an inspiring role model. She can also understand the struggles of some of our students who maybe come from different backgrounds where they havent been given the kind of support they need for college success. 14 Through her writing Chitra Banerjee wants to share all her experiences and also wish to unite the East/West by telling the stories of different characters. In her novel Sister of my heart (1999), Divakaruni presented two different characters Anju and Sudha, who were born at the same time. They both grew up together in the guardianship of their mothers in India. After marriage Anju went to America with her husband and on the other side Sudha lives in India with her in-laws. Author figured out Anju as a young woman in a new country, far away from home as well as from the sister of her heart Sudha. Anju tries to adjust in a new atmosphere with the past memories of her family and culture. There was no family support for her and she had to do everything by her own. She says while living alone in her new apartment, I dont like walking into the empty apartment. Theres something about the air unpeopled and stagnant, as though its from the bottom of a well that dried up a long time ago that makes me uncomfortable. Thats when the longing for the house of my childhood shakes me the most. How irritated I used to be at the constant commotion milkmen, vegetable sellers, Ramur Ma shouting at the neighbors cat whod snuck into the kitchen, Pishi calling me to go for my bath. Now Id be glad to see even the teatime aunties!15 Thus, through both of these protagonists the author wants to show two different lives in different cultures. Anjus life is entirely different from Sudhas. There is a gap between both of them, but this is physically only not mentally. Distance didnt change anything much between the relationships of these two sisters, after all they are sisters of the heart. They used to keep their connection through phone calls or letters as well as share each and every experience or growth of their life in different surroundings. By showing the life of these two sisters the writers aim is to remove the gap between the East and the West. She also gave us an idea about the contrast between the two different cultures Western culture splendidly as well as Indian. Anju presents her positive attitude and advantage of American customs. She says, Unlike some of the other Indian husbands I know, Sunil has always encouraged me to feel comfortable in America. He taught me to drive and introduced me to his colleagues at work. He bought me jeans and hiking boots, and when I said, Go for it! Hes taken me to malls and plays and dance clubs and the ocean. And finally though money is short, he has been enthusiastic about my going to college to get a degree in literature. 16 By showing the contrast, Divakaruni gave a picture of her motherland plus her current home (America). Thus in her book Sister of my Heart, she discussed the relationship between the older generation of India, who lives in a world full of mystical tales and magical occurrences plus Anju and Sudhas generation which is more drawn to western ideals. She believes that her readers must know about each others culture. If we put a glance on her other works like Mistress of Spices (1997), Queen of Dreams (2004), and Vine of Desire (2002); we will feel the same sensibility among the protagonists. They all are trying to get adjust and make their life better in the new and free atmosphere of the United States, keeping their past in their heart or memories. In her novel The Vine of Desire, the same story runs between the two sisters. Anju was living in America with her husband and now Sudha also joined them with her little daughter Dayita. Now Sudha is also trying to enjoy the new place and learn new things. Sudha turns on the T.V. Anju has told her she must, it will help her to understand Americans. So she watches a weather report that states theres a 70 percent chance of rain; a commercial for paper towels that features a giant male, a dirty floor, and a tiny, agitated woman; and then return of a game show. 17 They all are living far away from India and somehow they have adopted the new culture but still India is alive in their memories as their motherland. Thus, by heart they never go far away from it. Sudha is pretending to be happy, so once Anju asked her disappointedly, Do you miss India? 18. The whole setting of this novel is in America, but we also get a glimpse of India through the inner feelings of the characters. We can know about the different lifestyle of America, their way of thinking, rules, choices, and culture. Sudha also understands that, All the rules are different in America, and she knows none of them yet 19. The author made an effort to explain us about the reason that why people are getting attract towards the foreign culture; its all because of their free rules and open mentality. Thats the technique of the writer to break down the barrier among different continents. She not even presented the combination of east/west but also blends past and present together in her novels very well. It is to be sure that the element of secrecy or mystery is an integral part of Divakarunis work. She skillfully conveys her experiences of South Asian in America. She said that her books are partially based on the experience of social observation. But the author strives to weave such observations with the element of magic, myth, and ancient culture beside contemporary culture. She tries to bring those belongings together- the daily realities of immigrant life and a sense of ancient culture. She does so in her novel Queen of the Dreams that combines the story of a dream-teller mother and her young Indian-American daughter with the event of September 11, 2001. In her novel Queen of Dream, Rakhis mother is a dream teller, born with the ability to interpret and share the dreams of others. Her work is to foresee and direct them through their fates. This gift of vision fascinates Rakhi but she is totally separated from her mothers past in India and the dream world which she inhabits. She puts an effort for something to bring them closer. Rakhi was totally caught beneath the burden of her own painful secret; her comfort comes in the discovery after her mothers death through her dream journals, which began to open the long closed door to her past. Thus, the whole story wonderfully deals with the concept of past and present. It gives us the sense of a new America as well as the sense of traditional India. Via this novel we also get a glance of dream world and real world, there is a fine combination of both of them. Thus, This story of an emotionally distant mother and a daughter trying to find herself transcends cultural boundaries. Queen of Dreams combines the elements that Divakaruni is known for, the Indian American experience and magical realism, in a fresh mix. The tale succeeds on two levels. She effectively takes the reader into an immigrant culture but she also shows the common ground that lies in a world that some would find foreign. The search for identity and a sense of emotional completion is not confined to small corners of the world. It is a dilemma that all readers can understand. (Denver Post) 20 Divakarunis another novel The Mistress of Spicesis unique in its style. It is written with a combination of prose and poetry, thus this book has a very mystical quality to it. She wrote this novel in a spirit of play to collapse the divisions between the timeless one of myth or magic and the realistic world of twentieth century America. Its her attempt to create a modern fable. The novel follows Tilo, a magical figure who owns a grocery store and uses spices to help the customers and overcomes their difficulties. She also develops dilemmas of her own when she falls in love with a non-Indian. This creates great conflicts, as she has to choose whether to serve her people or to follow the path leading to her own happiness. Tilo has to decide which part of her heritage she will keep and which parts she will choose to abandon. The writer has well succeeded in her aim to remove gap between east/west, magic/realism and past/present in her novels which are discussed as above. In her article Dissolving Boundaries, she shared her experience which made her a new turn towards the theme of dissolving boundaries. She shared her feelings in it, It was Memorial Day. I waved good-bye to my two year old son and his grandma as my husband pulled our car out of the driveway, tires squealing. Ill be back in a few days, I called out to my son, with a brand new baby brother for you. As our car speed onto the freeway, I tried to reassure my nervous husband, telling him the pains werent too bad, and that everyone said the second time around was much easier. I had no premonitions at all. I didnt know that a normal delivery would not be possible for me. That the ensuing Caesarean surgery would go wrong in every way. That I would end up having to remain in the hospital for over a month, unable to take care of my newborn. I didnt know that I would balance precariously for weeks on the frail and perilous boundary between living and dying.21 That was really a tough time for her. She went through no dark tunnel, saw no bright lights. She did not rise out her body even. That encounter with death affected her deeply, though not in ways one might expect. She got the sense of life and death. But that time she felt a strange, dizzy sense of emptiness, of peace, in the way Buddhists use the term. She felt as though she drifted between states of death and life, and that it didnt matter which side she landed on. Because the boundary which we humans had drawn between these two states was not as irrevocable, nor as important, as we believed. She committed, I mused a lot about boundaries as I lay in bed recovering over the next few months, learning to live again. And it seemed t

Cable Modem Access :: essays research papers fc

Cable Internet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Internet has been around for over 40 years and despite technological advances in speed, people still complain that it’s too slow. How can people get their favorite songs or visit their favorite sites before dinner is over? This paper will discuss one option, cable internet access.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Until now internet the public had to access the WWW through slow phone lines, connecting anywhere from 300 bps in the infancy of public access to 56k. But now there are several high-speed alternatives to the old phone line, one being the cable modem. Using your cable TV provider as your ISP, people can access the Internet at speeds up to 27 Mbps, but limitations with hardware limit this to about 2Mbps (www.TechTarget.com). This speed is fine for most users. It is also â€Å"always on†. Meaning you do not have to dial-up to your ISP. It is similar to a LAN connection. This hasn’t been done before mainly because when cable TV companies were being formed, the networks were only being set up to send data and not to receive it. The remedy for this was to upgrade the networks not only to be able to receive information, but to handle the larger amount of bandwidth (www.Vicomsoft.com). The way cable internet access is possible is my using a standard cable TV coax line as the medium and a cable modem to connect the computer to the Internet. The cable TV provider has a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) that then goes through the coax line to the home. The coax line is then connected to a splitter, with one line going to the television or set-top box, and the other to the cable modem (www.Techtarget.com). The cable modem then is connected to a PC via a Cat 3 or 5 cable to a network card. Some modems can also be connected via the USB or FireWire port. The type of modem a person needs depends on the standard the provider is using. One may be using the Multimedia Cable Network Systems (MCNS)/ Data over Cable Systems Interface Specification (DOCSIS) standard, and the IEEE 802.14 standard. The faster, bandwidth efficient, better performing, and more robust choice is the MCNS DOCSIS standard (www.Vicomsoft.com). Because this is the standard, most manufacturers have developed their modems to work with it, though some manufacturers have based theirs off of the IEEE 802.14 standard.

My dream and where it would take me Essay

* Brain Storming: – My Dream is a boat I am terribly fond of – Write it in the past tense to give the impression of a memory – Describe My Dream using personification: red birch, comparison to older lady, adventurous, eager to carve through the water – Grandfather was very skilled in this domain, he had a gift – Passed on passion for canoeing and I feel certain passion for the sport when he gives me My Dream – Setting: Prince Edward Island, grandmother’s house, no specific time although indications may show it is set in modern times. – Reasons: keeping Nana company because grandfather passed away and I enjoy her company – Grandmother is becoming more aged, her wrinkles are deeper, an invisible creature steels her energy and she is forced to stay in bed for long periods of time. She reads to me and as a result I enjoy her company. – – give background information on ancestors who were Native Americans and so it was necessary that they be able to manipulate a canoe quickly and quietly (surprise attacks) – Storm arises, wind is fierce and swells are great. I am very alone and although before I appreciate the solitude, now I am terrified – I feel blind, entirely helpless, requires use of new sense: touch and hearing – Fog lets up and I am able to sight a protected inlet on shore – I avoid the rocks and pull My Dream on to shore – I reach land and leave it up to the reader to imagine how I get home, not vital to the topic/plot development – I reach home, Nana is not worried, she knew all along that My Dream would bring me safely home * Plan: – Introduction: – Begin with a walk along the beach while describing some aspects such as sun, sand, wind, ocean etc†¦. – Then, I notice My Dream, impatiently waiting for me to let it spread its wings. – Expose to the reader my feelings towards canoeing: sense of freedom, isolation from corruption of world, feel the presence of my grandfather. – First Paragraph: – Mention setting, grandmother (Nana’s house) – I am keeping her company for the summer because she lives alone on Prince Edward Island. – Nana is an intellectual, she reads to me, I develop passion for reading. – Second Paragraph: – With some technical difficulty, I manage to slide My Dream into the water – Describe my grandfather’s gift for canoeing – When I was younger we spent long afternoons, in the shade of willow trees, with cottages passing us by – I would observe him, and he would observe nature (dolphins, eagles, rays, and turtles†¦) – We would always come back with an adventure to recount to Nana/parents – Third Paragraph: – Portray actual moment when passion began to surface – Namely, fifteenth birthday, when finally I obtain the canoe I always wanted to be solely mine, My Dream – Fourth Paragraph: – Discuss in three or four lines the purpose of Native Americans during their attacks by canoe: surprise – This required perfect skills that made no sound, a tradition that was continued in my family – I begin to paddle, first stroke provokes happy/joyful sentiments – No particular direction, wherever the wind chooses to take me, one should never contradict the wind, it is dangerous – One must canoe at a safe distance form shore – Family of porpoises approach (brings the reader back to theme of calm, beautiful sea, before setting up for storm â€Å"the calm before the storm†) – Fifth Paragraph: – Storm erupts, terrible wind and downpour, I don’t have any extra clothes, pull hood over head for protection. – I feel alone, vulnerable – Fear of My Dream capsizing – Sixth paragraph: – I attempt to imagine how my grandfather might feel – Put my faith in my boat and in myself, giving up was not in my nature. – Seventh paragraph: – I thought about my Nana and how worried she would be when she awoke – Perhaps she would feel just as alone/scared as I was – Eighth paragraph: – It was hard to paddle against the strong current, all my work would constantly be undone by the enormous waves – Mist lifts a little, I amble to distinguish a protected inlet on the shore line (no rocks) – Steer towards it – Conclusion: – the focus shifts to Nana’s house as I am entering – She knew that I would come home, only slightly concerned for she understood that I was similar to grandfather and My Dream would bring me home. My Dream The sand, greeted by the rays of the sun, was warm and dry under my bare feet. Drowsily, I sauntered along to the edge of the water. The wind played with my hair and the salty mist of the ocean kissed me gently on the cheek. I was suddenly aware of My Dream. She had lay there all night and seemed restless for the waves teased her as they hit her bow. How I loved to look upon her. My Dream was composed of red birch, a strong, durable, closed-grained wood with a very even, smooth texture. She had the grace of an elderly lady, yet vibrant with life and eager for adventure and company. Her inviting nature made it impossible to resist the temptation to slide inside and paddle away. However, I could not stray too far from my dear Nana. She lived isolated from society on the north shore of Prince Edward Island and I had come from Toronto to offer her my camaraderie for the summer. Since the last time I had visited, I had noticed she had withered and grown grey. She had a fine sense of humour and so I enjoyed my time with her immensely. I adored the evenings where she would open a classical novel and read to me. This ritual had begun before I was able to read and as a result, I had developed a passion for literature. Oliver Twist, Tom Sawyer, David Copperfield, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins became my childhood friends. Then, her time spent awake grew precious. Her cot had asked for her company incessantly and she never refused such demands. Presently, Nana was resting and so would not miss me, but I would have to return shortly. With no little effort My Dream glided smoothly into the sea. She has been in our family for many generations, yet then she was entirely devoted to me. My grandfather had patiently instructed me in canoeing. He had a passion for it. To most people the ability to manipulate a canoe is a skill. This is too delicate a word to describe the way in which my grandfather paddled. He had a gift. When he sat in our canoe, it was as if man and canoe became one. I can recall the many afternoons of solitude and tranquillity as we travelled along in My Dream. I had the honorary position in front of but facing my grandfather. I would study how calmly and skilfully he manoeuvred the canoe in all sorts of seas, and he would study nature. Although he referred to them as mischievous beasts, he loved the hawk that soared defiantly at high altitudes with its magnificent wings spread wide. His eyes would light up at the spotting of a group of Steller sea lions. They would flaunt their nautical capacities and then would vanish into the ocean trailing their hind feet or flippers behind them. We would invariably return home to Nana and to my parents with an adventure or a sighting to recount. My grandfather had passed his passion for canoeing to me. I am most content when I am nestled in my canoe, gliding through water. Yet, I am not able to precisely pinpoint when this ardour had begun to surface. Surely, it was when my grandfather presented me with My Dream on my fifteenth birthday. He had sanded and polished her and her name had been repainted in gold letters. Rays of sunlight caused her to take on a youthful appearance. My ancestors were Native Indian and in order to triumph in times of war, they planned surprise attacks arriving by canoe. Their rhythmic strokes were at one with the water as they urged the young warriors onward towards their quest. One could only have heard their breathing. Our family has continued to practice such faultless paddling. I placed one of the long, aged paddles, which had been My Dream’s comrade since her beginning, across the gunnels. I slid into the boat with ease. I did not have a chosen course, I would follow the wind. Many people endeavour to challenge the wind, but its dominating character will not tolerate such provocative behaviour. My first stroke was strong, steady and instantly I was euphoric. There was a certain distance one could travel from shore after which the swells were too large for My Dream to navigate safely. After I had reached this distance, I stopped paddling and lay in the abdomen of my guardian. I knew that the oceanic waves would quickly cause My Dream to drift into shore. A family of porpoises playfully approached. I had seen them only just last week. They had grown and soon they would venture off to satisfy their curiosity with the wonders of the ocean, whose manner, they would soon discover, was unruly. Something wet brushed against my cheek. I paid no heed, until yet another splash landed on my forehead. I sat up quickly. A dark, ominous cloud had cast a shadow on My Dream. It had begun to rain and there was no visible land in sight. The waves whipped against the side of the canoe and the spray of the salt water stung my eyes. A fog enveloped My Dream and with a shock, I realized I had forgotten my compass. The wind changed direction numerous times. I was forced to adjust the direction of the canoe to avoid being capsized by the strong wind and high waves. I was entirely dependant on my sense of hearing and touch. I imagined this was similar to being blind. I had always loved to canoe because it offered isolation from the pressures of life. Now, alone, I was terrified. The ocean was quick to anger when a storm came to torment it. I pulled my hood over my head and hoped that this would keep my head dry. I could hear the downpour on the water and on My Dream. The sound was terribly loud and consequently I couldn’t think of anything else. I tried to consider how my grandfather would have reacted if he were here. He had been an excellent judge of weather, and probably would not have gone out at all on that day. My canoe lost all dignity as she was tossed about recklessly. â€Å"We are here together, and I will never abandon you,† I shouted to My Dream, who was showing every indication of being just as nervous and agitated as I was. â€Å"I trust you,† I whispered because I understood that the only way I was going to survive was if I had faith in My Dream and in myself. Suddenly, I had a vision of my Nana, sitting in her rocking chair, balancing back and forth gazing searchingly out of the window of the front parlour. Her face was melancholy and a tear paused a moment before streaming down her cheek. I supposed that she had felt lost and alone, just as I had in that storm. However, her cause was worthier for she had been frightened for me and selfishly, I had been frightened for myself. The current was strong, and trying to paddle against it was laborious and strenuous work. Each time I advanced by a few feet, an enormous wave would undo all my progression. I wanted to cry but I did not have the energy and no one would have heard over the tumult of the storm. My spirits had fallen, I was wet, cold and thirsty. I looked down and a flash of lightening revealed my callous hands. I had hardly noticed that the heavy mist had slightly lifted, and although the torrent continued, the thunder had ceased. The shoreline was hazy, but I could make out a protected inlet. It was not safe to approach the shore anywhere else because it was rocky and would certainly destroy My Dream. I navigated towards it. The waves, having had their fun, let me pass with little trouble. Before My Dream collided with land, I jumped out and pulled her safely on to the sand. â€Å"Is that you?† my grandmother asked as I gently closed the door behind me. I had expected her voice to be shaken and high pitched, as it had been when my grandfather had moved to Heaven. However, her voice was calm. I wondered why she was not concerned. Afterward, she explained that I was comparable with my grandfather in many respects. She had known that I would carve my way through the rough waters and that My Dream would deliver me unharmed to land. â€Å"Yes, it is I Nana.† I answered.

Tda 2.2 3.1-3.3

T. D. A 2. 2 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people 3. 1 *identify the characteristics of different types of child abuse Abuse, harm or bullying of children and young people can take many forms. Sometimes more than one form of abuse is experienced at the same time for example a child may be physically abused as well as neglected. Shown below is a table with examples and characteristics of abuse – FORM OF ABUSE |CHARACTERISTICS |SIGNS | |PHYSICAL |*hitting/kicking/throwing |*bruises/burns | | |*beaten with objects |*not wanting to get changed for P. E | | |*being burnt or scolded |*heavy clothing or wearing lots of layers | | | |(to hide marks) | |SEXUAL |*viewing porn |*self-harm | | |*touching private parts |*personality changes | | |*acts of penetration |*inappropriate sexual behaviours | | | |*medical problems (urine infection) | |EMOTIONAL |*undervalued/bullied |*becoming withdrawn | | |*shouting |*under-confident | | |*negative criticism |*nervous behaviour | | |*showing no affection | | |NEGLECT |*not providing- |*tiredness | |warmth |*hungry | | |adequate food |*frequent illness | | |medical care |*not growing or gaining weight | | |education | | T. D. A 2. 2 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people 3. 2 *describe the risks and possible consequences for children and young people using the internet, mobile phones and other technologies There are many risks that children and young people may be exposed to whilst using modern technology. The internet can also be accessed through mobile phones as well these days so it is made easier to receive more messages and images. Risks when using the internet – giving out personal information (at risk from building ‘friendships’ with other children who turn out to be adults (grooming) *accessing inappropriate info (often accidentally when innocent words are entered into search engine) *taking or receiving photos over the internet which could lead to them being exploited by another person or adult Risks from text messaging – *unwelcome texts that are threatening or cause discomfort *images sent to make the victim feel embarrassed or threatened Risks from mobile phone calls – *silent/abusive calls *stealing the victim phone and using it to harass others to make them believe that the victim is responsible Risks from E-Mails – threatening or bullying E-mails *bullying or name calling through websites/social networks T. D. A 2. 2 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people 3. 3 *describe actions to take i n response to evidence of concerns that a child or young person has been abused, harmed (including self-harm) or bullied, or may be at risk of harm, abuse or bullying It is Paramount for anyone working with children or young people to understand how to respond to evidence of abuse and to understand safeguarding procedures. The very first thing to do is to raise your concerns with another member of staff. In most cases this should be your supervisor or manager. Children who are being abused are usually quite anxious children so it may be difficult for them to talk to anyone about it. When a child tells you or suggests that he/she has been harmed this is called a disclosure. It can be quite upsetting to hear a child speaking about it but it is important to take the following actions – †¢ listen and do not show any shock or disbelief †¢ do not ask any questions (e. g. ‘where did he touch you’) †¢ accept what the child is saying and don’t interrupt or rush them †¢ reassure them and tell them they have done the right thing in speaking to you †¢ NEVER promise to keep what they have said a secret †¢ Follow work procedures T. D. A 2. Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people 3. 4 *Describe the actions to take in response to concerns that a colleague may be: – failing to comply with safeguarding procedures – harming, abusing, or bullying a child or young person If yo u feel that a colleague is abusing, bullying a child or failing to comply with safeguarding procedures then you should take the same guidelines as if it was a family member or stranger. It is very important to give the information quickly to your manager or head teacher. It can be a difficult situation as you have to work with the person and you may even like them but your first concern is for the child. You should never discuss with everyone about it but at the same time it is important for you to get some support from someone as well. T. D. A 2. 2 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people 3. 5 * Describe the principles and boundaries of confidentiality, and when to share information. In any school setting confidentiality is very important. You may have been told private information about a particular child as you may need to know this as it may effect the way you work with a child. This should never be disclosed with other parents or be a discussion with colleagues. As a T. A or support staff, parents may speak to you concerning their own child. You must let them know that you will be discussing it with your supervisor. You do not need permission from the parent to share this with your senior if you have good reason to feel the child is at risk. Do not share with everyone and only speak to the appropriate people (manager, supervisor, headteacher) they can follow up and take action. It is important also that information is shared between the correct professionals and agencies. Over the years there have been many failings in serious child abuse cases – e. g. Victoria Climbie, Baby P, The west family – Where failings by services and agencies have been found to fail in the reports into these children’s deaths. These findings highlighted the importance of sharing information early. There are protocols in every school which need to be followed.