Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Black Panther Party Research Essay Research Paper

Dark Panther Party Research Essay, Research Paper Weapons, Social Welfare, and Revolution: The Black Panther Party In late September of 1966, at a little need place in North Oakland, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale started to diagram the Ten-Point Platform and Program, in this manner making the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. From this innovative movement rose a perplexing loyalist association with sections all through the United States that looked to teach the individuals strategically, and from that guidance give the individuals the longing to incline a transformation so as to hold their requests and political agenda satisfied. The Black Panther Party was the model of the nationalist alternative all through the late sixties and 70s, and they had the interest to make change inside what they accepted to be the bigot power development of the United States. The Black Panther Party had the option to shape the individuals, and take divide in activities that would help to actualize cultural modification. The Panthers made timeserving designs for the Black youngster so as to help develop up the network. In add-on, the Panthers other than organized numerous introductions and fights that non just united the Black people group, however close to profited the reason for equivalent rights. Notwithstanding the entirety of the great aspects that the Black Panther Party brought to the Black people group and social equality movement ( or perhaps due to these features ) , the F.B.I. what's more, United States specialists accepted the Panthers to be one of the United States most prominent inside employments. Looking back, it becomes evident that the US power development was defective in their anxiety of the Black Panther Party and their finishes. However, in vindictiveness of this distortion, the Black Panther Party had the option to some degree prevent the specialists s defective way of investigating political gatherings to prevail into the great beyond by offices of the Panther s estate. The Bl ack Panther Party was made on the conviction that the United States was fundamentally bigot, and that this bigotry was attempting to massacre the Black race. The Black Panther Party accepted that to irritate this bigotry, they expected to destruct the force development, and supplant it with an only arrangement of specialists. Bigotry was non just some self-imagined impression taken up among the individuals from the Black Panther Party. Prejudice had been going on in America by organizations of the slave exchange even before the United States was known as the United States. With the terminal of servitude, it was normal that Blacks would have the option to fuse into the rest of American culture and be furnished with the warrants of all work powers populating in the United States as dictated by the Constitution. In any case, it was non expected that the white network would be rather than this change as they were. A definitive signifier of prejudice was depicted in the White supremacist bunch the Ku Klux Klan. This gathering threatened Black individuals all through the South, every piece great as any supporters of the Black fight. In 1930 Dr. Arthur Raper was appointed to deliver an investigation on lynching, at the clasp a much too much successive example in the South. He found that there were 3,724 individu als revealed lynches in the United States from 1889 through to 1930. More than four-fifths of the inhabited that were lynched were Negroes, and short of what one-6th of whom were blamed for colza. For all intents and purposes the entirety of the lynchers were Whites. Of the 10s of 1000s of lynchers and looker-ons, only 49 were prosecuted and just 4 have been condemned. In 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt wouldn't back up an enemy of lynching measure since he contended that the white balloters in the South would neer excuse him and decrease to decide in favor of him at the accompanying political race. The resilience that the constabulary and the specialists had for lynching indicated the negligence of the President and Congress in doing proper rule law and executing that rule law to stop the example of lynching. As the loaded fought back against the oppressors all through the Civil Rights movement, the example of lynching started to gradually diminishing, in any case, the power a gainst Blacks persevered. Thirty mature ages after Dr. Raper s concentrate on lynches, riffraff power and constabulary fierceness against Blacks despite everything happened all the time in the United States ; the specialists was still non paying special mind to Black Americans. In 1966, police savagery was a vocation in numerous nations of the state. The newly framed Black Panther Party for Self Defense sent a solid message thusly toing this activity: they needed constabularies savagery to end, and to make this they proposed the move of self-preservation. The idea of self-preservation, alongside the gathering s bullheaded positions is depicted operating at a profit Panther Party s ten-point plan. The Ten-Point Program depended on simplenesss that any resident of the United States would need. Created by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, the Ten-Point Program turned into a cardinal constituent in the association of the gathering. The arrangement stresses opportunity for the individuals who were being persecuted, and a terminal to the inhibitory specialists. The Program other than firmly upheld the utilization of weapons for self-protection and focused on the second Amendment. With 1000s of transcripts of the Ten-Point Program in manus, Newton, Seale, and Bobby Hut ton went all through the Black people group jointing the Program to the individuals, accumulating support. The three so proceeded to set up the first official focal office of the Black Panther Party in North Oakland. After the imaginative movement of this office in Northern Oakland, association operating at a profit Panther Party started to increment all through Oakland ; accordingly this inclusion spread on a national degree, with sections in 48 regions, and a couple of global parts each piece great. The Black Panther Party was in all features of the term, a patriot gathering. The Panthers felt that the specialists was unequipped for providing a simply experts for all work powers, curiously Black work powers, and that the specialists ought to be supplanted with a framework that could see justness. The Black Panther Party s Ten-Point Program precisely inside informations this end. The Ten-Point Program was an essential want for Black America to gain what White America was allowed without request, and what Black America had been denied of. The Programs requests were basic: opportunity to discover the destiny of Black people group, full business, a terminal to improvement of Black people group by Capitalists, decent housing, health consideration, a terminal to watch fierceness, a terminal to war, and tests for Blacks with a Black jury rather than an all White jury. To be allowed these requests, the Ten-Point Program areas, it is their [ the Black people group s ] right, it is their duty, to lose such specialists, and to flexibly new monitors for their future security. The Ten-Point Program and Platform strikingly required a topple of the specialists, and urged individuals to take up weaponries to ensure themselves against these fundamentalist constabulary powers. The Panther s were suggesting radical adjustment, and the individuals were tuning in. One of the grounds that the Black Panther Party had the option to collect and keep such a great amount of help all through the Black people group was on the grounds that they were really worried about breaking the network. Before the sta rt of the gathering, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale were both associated with the North Oakland Neighborhood Anti-Poverty Center. At this inside Newton was a network coordinator, while Seale was the head of a youngster work undertaking. This involvement with working with the network without a doubt assists with elucidating why a large portion of the cultural plans that the Black Panther Party created were so fruitful. The plans made by the Black Panther Party, which were worked by Party individuals, were alluded to as SPR or endurance pending upset. The principal such arrangement was the Free Breakfast for Children Program. At its stature, the arrangement was a monstrous achievement, taking care of 200,000 children every day. The arrangement began in a Catholic church in the Fillmore domain of San Francisco, so spread to each significant city in America where there was a Party section. Other cultural administrations that the Black Panther Party started to gracefully were free health fac ilities, food showcase giveaways, the manufacture and appropriation of free places, school and guidance plans, senior movement and administration plans, free transporting to jails and detainee bolster plans, and legitimate help plans, among numerous others. For the most segment, these plans were all fruitful in providing Blacks and different minorities with much required cultural administrations. A few plans were so fruitful, for example, the Free Breakfast for Children Program, that the specialists had to follow comparable plans all through the state. People groups inside Black and White Communities started to perceive that the Black Panther Party was in excess of a bunch of Black work powers with firearms ; individuals started to perceive that the Black Panther Party could flexibly a few answers to occupations inside the network. In spite of being reprimanded by the FBI as moving out a Communist agenda with SPR, the Black Panther Party had the option to set together more than 35 c ultural designs for the improvement of the network. Not only was the Black Panther Party had the option to gracefully numerous cultural advantages for the network ; the Black Panther Party was other than exceptionally dynamic operating at a profit political fight and discharge movement. The Panther s required a terminal to oppression and offered upheaval as an alternative. They had the option to politically teach and structure juvenile Blacks who were eager to battle for the gathering. In Oakland, the Black Panther Party perpetually watched the swines with firearms with an end goal to prevent constabulary fierceness. The Panthers instructed themselves on each weapon law on the books and had the option to abstain from being arreste

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Development of an ER Diagram and Database Implementation Free Solution

Question: To give you handy involvement with utilizing Entity-Relationship and Relational Database displaying strategies. Venture Specification Alan Counting, Edward Quals and Peter Rofit are in organization in a bookkeeping practice, CQR. The training has practical experience in tax collection, auditng and money related guidance for little to medium estimated customers. They began the training in 2005 and it has developed to now utilize 25 individuals. These workers incorporate different bookkeepers and office staff. Alan, Edward and Peter accept the training is set out toward a time of huge development and have come to you to assist them with redeveloping their Client Billing (CB) framework so it adapts better to their work processes and supports future development openings. Answer: ER Diagram Social Data Structures Administration Customer Area Representative Charging RATE Area Capability Standardization References: Batini, C., Ceri, S., Navathe, S. (1989). Substance Relationship Approach. Elsevier Science Publishers BV (North Holland). Batmaz, F., Hinde, C. J. (2006). A chart drawing instrument for self-loader evaluation of reasonable database outlines. Chen, Y. L. (2009). Element Relationship Diagram. In Modeling and Analysis of Enterprise and Information Systems (pp. 125-139). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Coronel, C., Morris, S., Rob, P. (2009). Database frameworks: plan, usage, and the executives. Cengage Learning. Elmasri, R. (2008). Basics of database frameworks. Pearson Education India. Kifer, M., Bernstein, A. J., Lewis, P. M., Lewis, P. M. (2005). Database Systems: An Application-arranged Approach: Introductory Version. Pearson/Addison Wesley. zsu, M. T., Valduriez, P. (2011). Standards of circulated database frameworks. Springer. Tzitzikas, Y., Hainaut, J. L. (2005). The most effective method to tame an enormous ER outline (utilizing join investigation and power coordinated drawing calculations). In Conceptual ModelingER 2005 (pp. 144-159). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Yousefi'zadeh, H. (2005). U.S. Patent No. 6,950,848. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Monday, August 17, 2020

50 Must-Read Books about Actors, the Acting Life, Showbiz, and More

50 Must-Read Books about Actors, the Acting Life, Showbiz, and More For those of us sitting in the darkened theatre, actors can seem mysterious and fascinating. We are captivated, watching them transform into each new character, unrecognizable from film to film. We are dazzled to see our favorite stars work their magic live on stage. We wonder about their personal lives, their families, and how they work. And for those of us that pursue acting, we often search for new insights and expertise to help hone our craft and improve our performances. This list of books about actors aims to tackle every angle of the acting biz. So whether you are an avid film buff, a musical theatre nerd, or an audition-weary working actor, you are bound to find some terrific books on this list that will entertain, inspire, and reveal everything you ever wanted to know about the acting life. The following list draws from fiction, memoir, biography, and nonfiction. All descriptions in quotes are from the publishers. Fiction Books About Actors Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter “A dazzling, yet deeply human, roller coaster of a novel, spanning fifty years and nearly as many lives. From the lavish set of Cleopatra to the shabby revelry of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Walter introduces us to the tangled lives of a dozen unforgettable characters.” Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates “Joyce Carol Oates boldly reimagines the inner, poetic, and spiritual life of Norma Jeane Bakerâ€"the child, the woman, the fated celebrity and idolized blonde the world came to know as Marilyn Monroe. In a voice startlingly intimate and rich, Norma Jeane tells her own story of an emblematic American artistâ€"intensely conflicted and drivenâ€"who had lost her way.” Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour “A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world. Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met.” Funny Girl by Nick Hornby “Set in 1960s London, Funny Girl is a lively account of the adventures of the intrepid young Sophie Straw as she navigates her transformation from provincial ingénue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters.” Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett “Dayna Anderson doesn’t set out to solve a murder. All the semi-famous, mega-broke black actress wants is to help her parents keep their house. After witnessing a deadly hit-and-run, she figures pursuing the fifteen-grand reward isn’t the craziest thing a Hollywood actress has done for some cash.” The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer “The summer that Nixon resigns, six teenagers at a summer camp for the arts become inseparable. Decades later the bond remains powerful, but so much else has changed. In The Interestings, Wolitzer follows these characters from the height of youth through middle age, as their talents, fortunes, and degrees of satisfaction diverge.” The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee “Lilliet Berne is a sensation of the Paris Opera, a legendary soprano with every accolade except an original role, every singer’s chance at immortality. When one is finally offered to her, she realizes with alarm that the libretto is based on a hidden piece of her past.” The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by by Taylor Jenkins Reid “Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. She chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job. Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way.” Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser “The tale of Carrie Meebers rise to stardom in the theatre and George Hurstwoods slow decline captures the twin poles of exuberance and exhaustion in modern city life as never before. The premier example of American naturalism, Dreisers remarkable first novel has deeply influenced such key writers as William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Saul Bellow, and Joyce Carol Oates.” Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel “An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilizations collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.” Waiting in the Wings by Tara Frejas Theatre actress Erin Javier has yet to fall in love. But when two (two!) men enter from stage left and right, Erin is confused. Who deserves to take center stage in her heartâ€"Mr. Theatre Royalty whose attention and displays of affection make her pulse race, or a good friend whose steady support has helped steer her to success and fulfill her dream? Whatever Happened to Baby Jane by Henry Farrell “Once an acclaimed child star of vaudeville, Baby Jane Hudson performed for adoring crowds before a move to Hollywood thrust her sister, Blanche, into the spotlight. As Blanches film career took off, a resentful Jane watched from the shadows as her own career faded into obscurityâ€"until a tragic accident changed everything.” Wise Children by Angela Carter “Dora and Nora Chance are a famous song-and-dance team of the British music halls. Billed as The Lucky Chances, the sisters are the illegitimate and unacknowledged daughters of Sir Melchior Hazard, the greatest Shakespearean actor of his day. At once ribald and sentimental, glittery and tender, this rambunctious family saga is Angela Carter at her bewitching best.” Memoirs and Biographies About Actors Bossypants by Tina Fey “From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately half hearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon. Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what weve all suspected: youre no one until someone calls you bossy.” Drama: An Actors Education by John Lithgow “Lithgow brings the theatre worlds of New York and London to life as he relives his collaborations with renowned performers and directors including Mike Nichols, Bob Fosse, Liv Ullmann, Meryl Streep, and Brian De Palma. At once hilarious and reflective, Drama pulls back the curtain on the making of one of our most beloved actors.” Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffanys, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson “In this meticulously researched gem of a book, Wasson delivers us from the penthouses of the Upper East Side to the pools of Beverly Hills, presenting Breakfast at Tiffanys as we have never seen it beforeâ€"through the eyes of those who made it. Written with delicious prose and considerable wit, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. shines new light on a beloved film and its incomparable star.” Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland by Gerald Clarke “The brightest star of the Hollywood musical and an entertainer of almost magical power. The woman of a half-dozen comebacks, a hundred heartbreaks, and thousands of headlines. Yet much of what has been written about her is either inaccurate or incomplete, and the Garland the world thought it knew was merely a sketch for the astonishing woman Gerald Clarke portrays.” I Can’t Make This Up by Kevin Hart “His father was a drug addict who was in and out of jail. His brother was a crack dealer and petty thief. And his mother was overwhelmingly strict. The odds, in short, were stacked against our young hero. In his literary debut, he takes the reader on a journey through what his life was, what it is today, and how he’s overcome each challenge to become the man he is today.” Im Just a Person by Tig Notaro In 2012, Tig Notaro was hospitalized for a debilitating intestinal disease called C.Diff, her mother unexpectedly died, she went through a breakup, and was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. Now, the wildly popular star takes stock of that no good, very bad yearâ€"a difficult yet astonishing period in which tragedy turned into absurdity and despair into joy.” In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero, Michelle Burford “Diane Guerrero was just fourteen years old on the day her parents and brother were arrested and deported while she was at school. Born in the U.S., Guerrero was able to remain in the country and continue her education, depending on the kindness of family friends who took her in and helped her build a life and a successful acting career for herself, without the support system of her family.” A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston “Discussing his life as few men do, describing his art as few actors can, Cranston has much to say about creativity, devotion, and craft, as well as innate talent and its challenges and benefits and proper maintenance. But ultimately A Life in Parts is a story about the joy, the necessity, and the transformative power of simple hard work.” Me: Stories of My Life by Katharine Hepburn “Admired and beloved by movie audiences for over sixty years, four-time Academy Awardâ€"winner Katharine Hepburn is an American classic. Miss Hepburn breaks her long-kept silence about her private life in this absorbing and provocative memoir.” The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography by Sidney Poitier “Here, finally, is Poitiers own introspective look at what has informed his performances and his life. Poitier explores the nature of sacrifice and commitment, pride and humility, rage and forgiveness, and paying the price for artistic integrity. What emerges is a picture of a man seeking truth, passion, and balance in the face of limits his own and the worlds.” The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir by Jenifer Lewis “From her first taste of applause at five years old to landing on Broadway within eleven days of graduation and ultimately achieving success in movies, television and global concert halls, Jenifer reveals her outrageous life story with lots of humor, a few regrets and most importantly, unbridled joy.” Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cummings “With ribald humor, wit, and incredible insight, Alan seamlessly moves back and forth in time, integrating stories from his childhood in Scotland and his experiences today as the celebrated actor of film, television, and stage. At times suspenseful, at times deeply moving, but always incredibly brave and honest, Not My Fathers Son is a powerful story of embracing the best aspects of the past and triumphantly pushing the darkness aside.” Rita Moreno: A Memoir by Rita Moreno “Her remarkable journey from a young girl with simple beginnings in Puerto Rico to Hollywood legendâ€"and one of the few performers, and the only Hispanic, to win an Oscar, Grammy, Tony and two Emmys. Infused with Rita Morenos quick wit and deep insight, this memoir is the dazzling portrait of a stage and screen star who longed to become who she really isâ€"and triumphed.” Robin by Dave Itzkoff “The definitive biography of Robin Williamsâ€"a compelling portrait of one of America’s most beloved and misunderstood entertainers. Williams’s comic brilliance masked a deep well of conflicting emotions and self-doubt. Itzkoff also shows how Williams struggled mightily with addiction and depression…and with a debilitating condition at the end of his life that affected him in ways his fans never knew.” So Close to Being the Sh*t, Yall Dont Even Know by Retta by Retta “Parks and Recreation star Retta takes us on her not-so-meteoric rise from roaches to riches. Throwing her hard-working Liberian parents for a loop, Retta abandons her plan to attend med school after graduating Duke University to move to Hollywood. Retta’s unique voice and refreshing honesty will make you laugh, cry, and laugh so hard you’ll cry.” This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare by Gabourey Sidibe “Sidibe’s memoir hits hard with self-knowing dispatches on friendship, depression, celebrity, haters, fashion, race, and weight. Irreverent, hilarious, and untraditional, This Is Just My Face takes its place and fills a void on the shelf of writers from Mindy Kaling to David Sedaris to Lena Dunham.” Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini “The outspoken actress, talk show host, and reality television star offers up a no-holds-barred memoir, including an eye-opening insider account of her tumultuous and heart-wrenching thirty-year-plus association with the Church of Scientology.” Were Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union “Astonishingly personal and true stories about power, color, gender, feminism, and fame. Genuine and perceptive, Union bravely lays herself bare, uncovering a complex and courageous life of self-doubt and self-discovery with incredible poise and brutal honesty.” Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling “Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether its falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when youre constantly reminded that no one looks like you.” Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher “Carrie Fisher tells the true and intoxicating story of her life with inimitable wit. Aside from a demanding career and her role as a single mother, Carrie also spends her free time battling addiction, weathering the wild ride of manic depression and lounging around various mental institutions. Its an incredible tale.” Yes Please by Amy Poehler “Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice. Honest, personal, real, and righteous, Yes Please is full of words to live by.” You Cant Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson “A hilarious and affecting essay collection about race, gender, and pop culture from celebrated stand-up comedian and WNYC podcaster Phoebe Robinson. As personal as it is political, You Cant Touch My Hair examines our cultural climate and skewers our biases with humor and heart, announcing Robinson as a writer on the rise.” Nonfiction Books About Actors Acting in Film: An Actors Take on Movie Making by Michael Caine “The man whos hypnotized the camera lenses for a quarter of a century reveals the most closely guarded secrets on script preparation, working with the director, forming a character, voice, sound, and movement. Pearl by pearl he lays out the Caine wisdom on everything from set politics to set decorum.” An Actor Prepares by Konstantin Stanislavski “Stanislavskis simple exercises fire the imagination, and help readers not only discover their own conception of reality but how to reproduce it as well. Stanislavskis innovative contribution to modern European and American realistic acting has remained at the core of mainstream western performance training for much of the last century.” The Actors Life: A Survival Guide by Jenna Fischer “With candor and wit, Fischer lays out what it takes to establish yourself in the profession. Fischer’s inspiring guidance will make you feel like you have a trusted friend who’s made the journey and has now returned to walk beside you, pointing out the pitfalls as you blaze your own path toward the life of a professional actor.” The Art of Acting by Stella Adler “Over her long career, both in New York and Hollywood, she offered her vast acting knowledge to generations of actors, including Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, and Robert De Niro. Her decades of experience and teaching have been brilliantly caught and encapsulated by Howard Kissel in the twenty-two lessons in this book.” Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning by Leslie Odom, Jr. “With personal stories from his life, Odom asks the questions that will help you unlock your true potential and achieve your goals even when they seem impossible. These stories will inspire you, motivate you, and empower you for the greatness that lies ahead, whether youre graduating from college, starting a new job, or just looking to live each day to the fullest.” Letters to a Young Artist by Anna Deavere Smith “She addresses the full spectrum of issues that people starting out will face: from questions of confidence, discipline, and self-esteem, to fame, failure, and fear, to staying healthy, presenting yourself effectively, building a diverse social and professional network, and using your art to promote social change. Letters to a Young Artist will challenge you, motivate you, and set you on a course to pursue your art without compromise.” Life Is Like a Musical: How to Live, Love, and Lead Like a Star by Tim Federle “Before Tim Federle became a bestselling author and a Broadway playwright, he worked as a back-up dancer at the Super Bowl, a polar bear at Radio City, and a card-carrying chorus boy on Broadway. This charming and clever guide will appeal to all ages and inspire readers to step into the lead role of their own life. Long-Form Improvisation the Art of Zen: A Manual for Advanced Performers by Jason Chin “This book merges basic improvisation techniques with Zen philosophy in order to create a new way of performing scenes and shows. Based on decades of work with the art form, Jason R. Chin strips away pretense and creates a simple, yet elegant method of improvising longer, more rich scenes and characters.” Making It on Broadway: Actors Tales of Climbing to the Top by David Wienir “Countering the misperceptions about Broadway performers leading glamorous lives, the words of more than 150 Broadway stars provide unprecedented insight into their struggle for stardom. This book shares firsthand accounts of professional actors difficult yet fulfilling journeys to Broadway.” Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway by Michael Riedel “Michael Riedel tells the stories of the Shubert Organization and the shows that re-built a city in grand style, revealing the backstage drama that often rivaled what transpired onstage, exposing bitter rivalries, unlikely alliances, andâ€"of courseâ€"scintillating gossip. This is a great story, told with wit and passion.” Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism by Nancy Wang Yuen “This book not only conveys the harsh realities of racial inequality in Hollywood, but also provides vital insights from actors who have succeeded on their own terms, whether by sidestepping the system or subverting it from within. Reel Inequality follows actors of color as they suffer, strive, and thrive in Hollywood.” Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen “This classic book has helped generations of actors hone their craft, and its advice is as useful now as it was when it was first published. Hagen draws on her own struggle with the techniques of acting as well as her decades of teaching experience to break down the areas in which actors can work and search for realities in themselves that serve the character and the play.” Sanford Meisner on Acting by Sanford Meisner and Dennis Longwell “Follows an acting class of eight men and eight women for fifteen months, beginning with the most rudimentary exercises and ending with affecting and polished scenes from contemporary American plays. Throughout these pages Meisner is delightâ€"always empathizing with his students and urging them onward, provoking emotion, laughter, and growing technical mastery from his charges.” The Tao of Show Business: How to Pursue Your Dream Without Losing Your Mind by Dallas Travers “This book generously offers a delightful, practical, and digestible approach to mastering the entertainment industry one day at a time. Readers gain out-of-the-box strategies for business mastery along with powerful exercises for personal growth.” The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual by Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh “While the manual is written to be understood by beginners with no previous exposure to improvisational comedy, experienced improvisors will find it to be an excellent resource for honing their skills, clarifying concepts, and generally taking their work to a higher level.” If you liked these books about actors, be sure to check out this list of 50 Must-Read Books for Musical Theatre Fans and 13 Awesome Audiobooks Read by Actors.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Food Stamp Living in Low Budget Free Essay Example, 750 words

ï » ¿Food Stamp: Living in Low Budget Food is a basic necessity for all living organisms. Where animals have to hunt for food, humans get the liberty to go to a convenient store and just buy what they want. Food and eating have evolved a lot since the prehistoric times. From eating raw to what is now called fast food, people have come a long way in changing their eating styles. All types of food are available in most places across the world. But the problem arises when people cannot afford to buy food and have to sleep on empty stomachs. The richer section of the society enjoys food like there is no tomorrow and end up wasting a huge amount of food, whereas the poor have to go hungry without proper meals for days. Such a miserable lifestyle leads to malnutrition, which in turn leads to several diseases and ultimately death. This assignment focuses on giving us a first hand experience of the more unfortunate group of people. By engaging in such a project we are sure to understand the pain of living in low budget. We will write a custom essay sample on Food Stamp: Living in Low Budget or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The assignment requires for us to spend only $5 a day for four consecutive days. That amounts to a total expenditure of only $20 during the course of the project. As is expected as a commitment to this assignment, I did not accept any food offered by my family members, friends or relatives. I made all the purchases from stores nearby my residence or college. I have not traveled very far. Following is what food I consumed during the course of the assignment. However, I have not included water among these items. It has been quite a hard experience actually and I missed out on many of my favorite foods due to this. However, on the flipside, the exercise has definitely been a rewarding experience, as I have learned how to make the best use of my money on food, eating what is tasty but at the same time keeping nutritional values in mind. Day 1: Breakfast: One cheese burger - $1, biscuits – 50 cents Lunch: One Sandwich- $1 Supper: Starbucks coffee - $1, One muffin – 50 cents Dinner: Plain yoghurt- 50 cents, two bananas- 50 cents Day 2: Breakfast: Bowl of Kellogg’s Cornflakes– 50 cents, one egg- 50 cents Lunch: One Hamburger- $1.50 Supper: One glass of milk- 50 cents Dinner: Vegetable pasta - $2 Day 3: Breakfast: One glass of milk – 50 cents, one apple - $1 Lunch: Bread and bacon- $2 Supper: One cupcake – 50 cents Dinner: Instant noodles- $1 Day 4: Breakfast: One cheese burger - $1 Lunch: One Sandwich- $1 Supper: Starbucks coffee - $1 Dinner: Chappati and curry - $ 2 My source of protein and fiber were from bread, fruits etc and proteins from milk, egg and bacon. The fast food I have consumed has contained fats and carbohydrates. I have not taken any vitamin supplements. Usually, I take two capsules of Omega-3 daily. I do not think that I have been able to completely meet the nutritional needs of my body as major part of my diet consisted of fast food, within the constraint of a limited budget. I think I could have kept the provision for some fruits and more vegetables, if I have had the leeway of spending some more instead of relying merely on fast food. I have found that my routine has totally changed due to this challenge. I have felt hunger some of the times. I also have felt like my food needs have not been fulfilled. The times when my stomach did feel full, I did not feel good mentally. I have come to notice that my diet included mostly fast food. This is different from my usual diet as I am always keen on eating more fruits and vegetable s of my choice rather than a limited array a restaurant provides. The limited budget in this challenge has also resulted in reduced intake of meat. My consumption of fast food has increased during the course of the assignment and the level of fruits and vegetables has decreased. As mentioned earlier, I have really come to understand the situation and lifestyle of the lesser fortunate groups. I always felt tired and under nourished during the course of these four days. However, I have noticed that I drank more water than I usually take, which helped my stomach feel fuller and, hence, I have been able to hydrate my body amply. This experience has also made me understand the difficult life the poor people have to lead. I have really come to appreciate this assignment as it has made me realize how lucky I actually am to have a family that can provide me enough food of my choice. I have grown to understand more about the seriousness of the assignment as at first I did not really find any need for this kind of a challenge. As far as I am concerned I think this experience would benefit all the participants in such a way as to encourage them to appreciate what they have and be grateful for the life they currently lead. I felt the urge to be more compassionate and donate more for the needy. So, I think, my fellow participants may have felt the same. Another fact is that this assignment must have definitely made them realize the need to have a balanced diet daily. I am sure after this assignment the participants will be more careful about the food they consume and be more charitable as well.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Inventory System Thesis - 1692 Words

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Networking is an essential skill for most business people, but especially for entrepreneurs. The strong association between the entrepreneur as a person and his or her business demands that entrepreneurs should get out into the world and create and maintain business relationships. AIM Global INC. is a marketing company conceptualized to provide unmatched quality distribution of exceptional products and services to local, regional and global markets. A harmony of advanced technology, distinct marketing strategies and excellent product lines, together with the guidance of exemplary leadership secures the success of AIM Global. Knowing for its success Mr. Richard Cabautan joined the team of†¦show more content†¦Our proposed system (Advance Sales and Supplies System) has the capability to track, monitor and gives an alert if a specific product reaches the minimum allowance stock amount. A search index is also added for the users to easily track items from the warehouse that needs to be replenish which include the product location, availability, description and price of the item. Login account for different users will be created for database security purpose. The users that can access the system are Store Manager and the Owner itself. The system will have a database that includes adding of new product and modifying and deleting existing product. The system will compute for mark-up prices. The system can also provide a hard copy of daily, monthly and yearly reports. The Advance Sales and Supplies System can be integrated with other add-on products like bar code scanners, receipt printers, and can also be integrated into the main accounting software. This helps to keep all financial records up to date and available for analysis by management. The benefits to this type of system are obvious. First it is easier to maintain and utilize than a manual system. Entry of sales information is often as simple as scanning in the bar coded merchandise when it is delivered, and scanning the item at the check out counter when it is sold. This scanned information updates inventory records and also records cost and sale price. ProfitsShow MoreRelatedBilling and Inventory System Thesis Proposal5411 Words   |  22 PagesOverview The computerized system has a big contribution in our society such as they can do very detailed work and follow precise instructions without error. In order to know the problem encountered by the staff, the researcher conducted an interview in the Rehabilitation Center located at Sto Nià ±o, Magalang Pampanga. These are some problems in our chosen local like no proper record of the staffs, patients, billing, and retrieval  of data is time consuming and more chances of human error. The basicRead MoreSales and Inventory System Thesis Sample1488 Words   |  6 Pagespeople—smart, timesaving tools that help them be more productive to increase quality and contain costs. That’s where Microsoft ® Office 2010 comes in. It’s not intended to replace your EMR or hospital information system; rather it bridges the gap between these and your other core systems to play a vital role in helping all your staff connect with information, people, and processes—when, where, and how needed. Microsoft Office 2010 Today everyone inside the healthcare provider organization is responsibleRead MoreSales and Inventory System of a Pharmacy6546 Words   |  27 Pagespaper materials and pens to process the sales and inventory. In this new era, there are establishments using automated transaction such as sales and inventory systems while other still depend on the manual procedures like Maureen Edisel Pharmacy. It is owned by Ms. Maureen Edisel C. Igmen, it was established on April 28, 2007. And it is located at Avenida Veteranos St. Tacloban City. The researchers observed that the current aforementioned system allocates a lot of time and effort in generating receiptsRead MoreForeign and Local Studies3842 Words   |  16 Pages[1]According to the Right Pharmacy Management System, the key benefits of the pharmacy management system-automating processes, streamlining workflow and thereby enhancing the customer base-are attracting enough to draw retail pharmacy chains competing in a world of growing challenges. However, the choices are tough with a handful of products and the high cost of customized solutions. This Infosys paper outlines some ideas on selecting the right option. [2] Inventory, to many small business owners isRead MoreSales and Inventory Thesis1775 Words   |  8 PagesCHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Sales and Inventory Control is an inventory tracking system that gives you up-to-the-minute detailed information on each item in your inventory. Youll know exactly how much inventory comes in, how much is on-hand now, and where it goes. While manual methods may have their place, most entrepreneurs these days find that computerizing gives them a far wider range of information with far less effort. Sales and inventory programs now on the market let you track usage, monitorRead MoreInventory Management System of a Printing Press in Dagupan City13913 Words   |  56 Pagesproduction. Focusing in the production process, one aspect to consider is its proper inventory management. The need for proper inventory management system is indispensable nowadays especially in coping up with global competition. As firms deal with their inventory systems, problems still arises and most of which are experienced worldwide. 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RFID that stands for Radio Frequency Identification provides a real time tracking information of parts and products and is capable of maintaining it throughout the supply chain. This technology has proved itself as an efficient method to track the inventory and has a great potential in improving the supply chain management system as a whole. The information system of any supply chain should be effective and fluent; any communicationRead MoreCompany Analysis : Pb And The Erp Re Engineering Project1365 Words   |  6 Pages1 Introduction This chapter aims to provide an overview of the thesis topic including: an introduction to the problem Pitney Bowes (PB) want to solve and the related business topic; the company summary of PB and the ERP re-engineering project which they are undergoing; the objectives and scope as well as the structure of this thesis project. The problem definition will show its importance and rationale to this topic as well as PB. The company summary will provide contextual and valuable backgroundRead MoreEmissioning Model Case Study1297 Words   |  6 Pagescomprehensive modal emission models (CMEM and MOVES) to estimate the environmental measures in real time. The estimation methodology based on OpMode bin provided far more dynamic and accurate environmental information compared to static emission inventory estimation models. The OpMode bin emission rates for each vehicle technology in the MOVES default database represent a base scenario of conditions for temperature, humidity, air conditioning load, fuel properties, and other factors. In this case

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Language Background and the Speech Community Free Essays

Being born in Russia, Russian is my native language. According to the Refugee Council, Russian is extensively used as a language for communication of all the Slavic languages. Statistically speaking, most people in the Russian Foundation and other independent federations are speakers of the Russian Language. We will write a custom essay sample on Language Background and the Speech Community or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Refugee Council, 2008) Moreover, the Russian language is distinguished by the United Nations as one that belongs to the list of six official languages all over the world. (Today Translations, 2008) To illustrate the far-reaching influence of the Russian language, let us enumerate the countries with major Russian speaking populations, such as Belarus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Moldova, not to mention Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Russian is not considered as the official language in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, however it is popularly used in, most especially in business and government communications. Other countries, like Finland for example, also have a Russian speaking population composed of the minority inhabitants. (Infoplease, 2008) The Russian language does not follow a formal system or rules. It concentrates on the reproduction of sounds and stress that is stated in variation with the attached denotative or connotative meaning of the words in a statement. Russian language, together with the Ukrainian and Belarusian languages have emerged from the Slavonic language that originated from the East. (Today Translations, 2008) Since the Russian language is more focused on the phonetic aspect of speaking, the language is primarily based on the Russian alphabet or what historians call the Cyrillic Alphabet. Apparently, the alphabet originated not from Russia, but from Greece. The onset of Greek missions who happened to arrive at Istanbul proliferated the use of the Cyrillic alphabet that is primarily based on the Greek alphabet. Needless to say, the Russian language traces back its influences from Greece. (Orbislingua, 2008) I belong to a community that upholds discipline within the self and as a citizen of Russian and the maintenance of the good of all the citizens, not just oneself. Just like our political system, everything is organized and judged in our every day life according to what is good for all. Close relationships between others is evident in how we deal with others and our way of welcoming them with affectionate actions and gestures. In addition to this, most of us are cynical and distrustful. The uniqueness of the Russian language may be traced to the distinct sentence patterns and sounds and stress produced in speaking Russian. The structure of the sentences does not follow a particular rule or pattern, but is dependent on how the speaker wants to say it. For instance, to emphasize an adjective, it goes first in the sentence. On the other hand, if the noun is emphasized in the sentence, then it goes first. (Orbislingua, 2008) In addition, the use of articles, transitional or connecting phrases and words (such as is, are, a, an, the, etc.), does not really apply in speaking the Russian language. Therefore, if a native Russian speaker attempts to speak in English, then it would be difficult for native Russian speakers to create a complete and a grammatically sound and correct English statement due to certain deficiencies.   Furthermore, most consonants in the Russian language produce sounds that are almost similar to the â€Å"s† sound and utilizes the movement of the tongue in speaking. This greatly contributes to the unique nature and phonetic aspect of the use of the Russian Language. (Orbislingua, 2008) The similarities of the Russian language to the English language, for instance, is evident in the three tenses of English verbs that also applies to the verbs of the Russian language. At times, it also follows the order and structure of the sentences in the English language, however the Russian sentence order and structure is more accommodating to the situation in which two Russian speakers are talking. (Orbislingua, 2008) References Infoplease. (2008). Languages by Countries. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from HighBeam Orbislingua. (2008). Russian language. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from Orbislingua.com. Website: http://www.orbislingua.com/eaha.htm Refugee Council. (2008). Language background of major refugee groups to UK. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from Refugee Council. Website: http://languages.refugeecouncil.org.uk/top_navigation/Language_profiles.htm Today Translations. (2008). Russian Language History. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from Today How to cite Language Background and the Speech Community, Essay examples

Monday, May 4, 2020

Critically Examine the Trend and Size of Poverty in Hong Kong Society free essay sample

This city has not only the 6th highest per capita GDP, but also the highest Gini coefficient in the world (World Bank, 2011). Fortunately, the Hong Kong government isn’t turning a blind eye towards this dilemma but are instead actively looking for a trade-off between economic performance and social welfare. One notable example is the re-establishment of the Commission on Poverty, it is hoped that a clearly-defined poverty line will shed a new light into the poverty situation in Hong Kong. Another important policy in recent years is the implementation of minimum wage law, which has been in effect for two years aiming to guarantee a basic wage for low-income workers, however its effect on overall employment level in Hong Kong is still to be determined. In this essay, I will first examine the overall trend and size of poverty in Hong Kong, then move on to assess the effectiveness of the present social security system, as well as the minimum wage in eradicating poverty in Hong Kong. Poverty, is an ambiguous term especially in Hong Kong. The United Nations places the benchmark for poverty as living under a monthly income less than or equal to half of the median household income of equal size households. This is the definition that the Commission on Poverty is likely to adopt. But before the launch of official poverty line people are considered poor only if they apply for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), which eligibility is largely determined by nominal income. As a result, the number of people applying for CSSA decreased after minimum wage law has been imposed. In this essay therefore, I will adopt the UN definition of poverty in examining its trend and size in Hong Kong. Poverty rate up to the year 2011 was the lowest since that of 2001. Before 2011, there had been an overall increasing trend in both the number of households living in poverty as well as the poverty rate. In this sense, 2011 can be seen as a watershed year; the poverty rate plummeted to 17. 1% when compared to 17. 9% in the previous year, which meant a reduction of 55000 people suffering from poverty. Additionally, the total number of poor households had been rising from 2001 to 2007, but this trend started to decline from then on. The total number of poor households in 2011 was 444,000, when compared with that of the years 2007 and 2010; there had been a reduction of 11,000 and 7000 households respectively. In spite of the declining poverty trend and size, income disparity in Hong Kong has been worsening. In the year 2001, the median monthly income of high-income group was $31,000 while that of low-income group was $10,000, which meant that the former was 3. 1 times that of the latter. However, this disparity continued to grow and in the year 2011, the median monthly income of the high-income group increased to $35,000, while that of the low-income group plunged to $9000, which meant that the high-income group had a monthly income 3. 5 times more than that of the low-income group. In brief, it is undeniable that the declining trend and size of poverty has been promising, but that was largely due to the thriving economy instead of governmental efforts, at the same time, the income gap has been widening despite the implementation of minimum wage law. These statistics all indicate that the current social policies are inadequate in eliminating the imminent threat of poverty. The social security system in Hong Kong is a three-tier system consisting of social assistance and social allowance in the form of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance and Old Age Allowance, mandated occupational pension in the form of Mandatory Provident Fund as well as private saving. In the remaining part of the essay, the effectiveness of the above social security policies in lifting poverty will be assessed one by one. The Comprehensive Social Security Assistance was renamed after the Public Assistance Scheme in 1993 has the sole purpose to provide â€Å"a safety net for those who cannot support themselves financially. It is designed to bring their income up to a prescribed level to meet their basic needs. † (Social Welfare Department, 2012) It is a non-contributory and means-tested scheme financed wholly by the government. CSSA payments can be broadly classified into three categories: standard rate, supplements and special grants. Standard Rates from 2012 is divided into 5 types: elderly person aged over 60 or above, ill health adult under 60, disabled child, able-bodied adult aged under 60 and able-bodied child. The amount of standard rates payable to each type differs, but they are under the same guiding principles; the standard rates for children and seniors are higher than those of the adults, rates for single individuals living alone are greater than those of family members, and rates will increase with levels of severity of disability. Tsoi, 2002) Additionally, there are five types of supplements. Long-term supplement is an annual payment to recipients who have been receiving assistance for at least 12 months for the replacement of household and durable goods. Single parent supplement is a monthly payment to single parent families with special difficulties in bringing up their families. Community living supplement is a monthly payment to old, disabled and certified ill-health CSSA recipients living in th e community instead of any institutions. Transport supplement aims to promote social integration and geographical mobility by providing monthly assistance to certified 100% disabled as well as population between 12 to 64 years of age. Last but not least, the intention of the residential care supplement is to relieve the accommodation burdens of old, disabled and certified ill-health CSSA applicants who are not living in subsidised housing estates. Besides, a range of special grants are also set up to meet applicants’ special needs including school fees, school-related expenses, essential traveling expenses and so on. Famous English philosopher Midgley once commented that redistributing wealth in the form of social assistance has the â€Å"most direct potential impact on the poverty problem. † She identified three necessary conditions in order to fully realize this potential, first, social assistance must be financial by progressive taxation, second, the level of benefit provided must be sufficient to raise recipients out of poverty and third, needy people must have easy access to social assistance schemes and that these schemes would not deter them from applying for help. Tsoi, 2002). With applies the above mentioned three principles to Hong Kong, it is worthy to highlight that Hong Kong only fulfilled the first condition out of the three. In the following paragraphs, the low effectiveness of the CSSA will be discussed with respect to its level of benefits, process of application as well as incentives for its recipients to reintegrate into the job market. The level of benefits by the standard rates of the CSSA cannot reflect the actual needs of its recipients, but are in fact set arbitrarily. At the oment, the standard rates of CSSA recipients are reviewed and adjusted annually by the Legislative Council to reflect the changes in Price Level by the Census and Statistics Department. The Consumption Price Index however, is a reference to the household expenditure of the 25% of the population with the lowest income. It is highly dubious as to whether the household expenditures of the poor households would be an authentic indicator and correspond to what they actually need to support their daily living. In addition, some CSSA recipients described the process of application as humiliating and intimidating. According to a joint project by the Department of Applied Social Sciences in Polytechnic University and Oxfam Hong Kong on Perception and Utilization of the CSSA in 2007, it was found that some recipients felt that their applications were always delayed and mishandled. Some applicants even accused the social security officers as having bad manners and lack empathy. These findings were found out after in-depth interviews and group discussion, although it is questionable as to the representativeness of the sample size, the critique to the â€Å"humiliating† application procedures must point to some bearing of truth that the CSSA recipients feel. Besides, some social workers in the study also complained that â€Å"some officers tend to insult and threaten the applicants by making unreasonable requests†. Going back to Midgley’s third condition in order to eradicate poverty which concerns the access to social security must not deter the needy from applying; the Social Services Department could clearly do a better job. Furthermore, there is always an unspoken concern that receiving CSSA would encourage a â€Å"dependency culture†, especially when the CSSA mechanisms do not encourage able-bodied recipients to attain economic independence. Contrary to common misconception that only able-bodied lazy people and new immigrants would apply for CSSA, most CSSA applicants, amounting to 60% (Oxfam, 2007) treat social security as the last resort to alleviate their dire financial circumstances. However, due to a lack of support services, only 8%-10% of able-bodied CSSA recipients are able to re-enter the competitive job market (Ming Pao Daily News, 2000) through the Special Job Attachment Programme. In addition, the additional cost for attempting to re-enter the job market may ut an extra toll on the families receiving CSSA, let alone some single parent’s families with insufficient child-care facilities may choose to keep on receiving welfare instead of working. In short, CSSA do not provide sufficient incentive for its recipients to re-join the work force, which is the only way to escape poverty. Another aspect of the social security system in Hong Kong is mandated occupational pension, which is in the form of Mandatory Provident Fund in Hong Kong. It is a compulsory, occupation-related scheme with defined monthly contribution by both employers and employees. The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance was passed in 2000 with the hope of strengthening the safety net and retirement protection. Contribution to the MPF is mandated to be 10% of the employee’s income with which 5% is contributed by his/her employer. Besides, the mandatory contribution is adjusted with relevance to employees’ income. After the implementation of minimum wage, the monthly relevant income is readjusted, for employees with monthly income less than $6500, only their employers are mandated to contribute 5% of relevant income, this becomes the minimum contribution. On the other hand, for employees with income higher than $25000, both employers and employees are required to contribute $1250, this becomes the maximum contribution. All MPF contributions will be injected into registered MPF trustee in the market chosen by the employers, but now, employees will be able to choose new MPF scheme annually based on their performance. In the following paragraphs, the limitations of the MPF scheme will be discussed including its limited coverage as well as inadequate retirement protection which undoubtedly hamper its effectiveness. As aforementioned, MPF is an employment-related protection scheme, which means that only people with long-term employment contract will receive retirement protection. The MPF only have limited coverage and do not have universal protection as people excluded from the workforce including the sick, the disabled, housewives, hawkers, domestic employees and so on are unprotected, this amount to quite a sizable portion in the population. Besides, the employers might try to evade from the mandated contributions by altering the terms of employment contract. Employers are legally bound to contribute to MPF for their employees if they are employed for more than 60 days, therefore, some employers may deliberately change the employment contract to 59 days or terminate the contract and re-employ the employees. In brief, the MPF scheme does not provided for universal protection in the sense that a significant portion of the population is left unprotected, let alone some canny employers attempt to alter the employment contract in order to avoid contributing to their employees’ retirement protection scheme. Furthermore, the predicament of the MPF Scheme is that despite its objective is to provide retirement protection and reinforce the safety net, the protection is in fact far from sufficient. MPF is a define-contribution scheme but it is not a defined-benefits scheme, which meant that employees’ contribution is contingent upon many factors including the duration of contribution, returns from investments by the trustees after deducing the high administrative and transaction costs incurred, as well as the amount of contribution. This led to the inevitable unpredictability of benefits which is neither guaranteed by the trustees nor protected by the government. Besides, the scheme was introduced only in 2000, which meant that people around retirement age at that time would receive either little or no protection at all due to the short contribution period. At the moment, elderly poverty was one of the severest forms of poverty in Hong Kong. In short, contrary to its initial intention, the MPF does not guarantee retirement protection, instead only added more uncertainties and unpredictability to lives after retirement. The statutory minimum wage was passed in 2010 and fully implemented Labour Day of 2011. It aims at â€Å"striking an appropriate balance between forestalling excessively low wages and minimising the loss of low-paid jobs while sustaining Hong Kong’s economic growth and competitiveness (Labour Department, 2011). The initial minimum wage rate was set at $28, but the commission set up by the government to review the minimum wage rate biannually has agreed to increase to $30 an hour. From a theoretical standpoint, setting up a wage floor would upset the balance of the labour market by forcing some low skill workers to be laid off. Nevertheless, the government estimated that 273800 grassroot workers would benefit from the law and could sustain a basic level of living by avoiding from being underpaid. After about two years since the law has passed, however, it seems that reports about employers trying to cut the fringe benefits of employees were not uncommon and the actual effect and repercussion of minimum wage on the labour market is yet to be unravelled. In the following essay, I will examine the implementation of minimum wage law with regard to its effectiveness in eradicating poverty in Hong Kong. In order to assess the effectiveness of minimum wage, the first indicator is changes in monthly income of the lower income groups when compared with higher income groups in the lower half year of 2011. If we divide the whole population equally into ten decile groups with the first decile group being the poorest 10% of the people and the tenth decile group being the wealthiest 10%, it was found that in the first three decile groups all experience increase in monthly income ranging from 6. 9% to 9. 3%, while the last three decile groups experience either no change or negative growth in their monthly income (HKCSS, 2011). However, looking at income alone would not be a comprehensive assessment of the effect of minimum wage law given that the economic began to boom around the time minimum wage was implemented. Therefore, a much more reliable assessment would be to compare the living standards of low income households before and after the minimum wage came into force. A study commissioned by Oxfam Hong Kong adopted a two-stage stratified surveys that interview impoverished households with at least one family member receiving minimum wage and compare their livelihood from March 2011 to January 2012. In the following paragraphs, findings from this study will be further analysed. In terms of monthly income, the minimum wage law has indeed increase the nominal household income. About 70% of interviewees, representing 131125 families reported an increase in household income after the introduction of minimum wage. Moreover, 72. 6% of them also reported a rise in individual workers’ income. In spite of an increase in monthly income and in fact, hourly income as well, working hours of workers decreased. The average hourly wage of respondents who stayed in the same job before and after implementation of minimum wage increased, 56. 8% of them even receive an hourly wage that exceeded $28. However, the same group of people who remain in the same job also experience an average cut of about 13. 9 working hours. This reduction of working hour is more often than not, at the expense of the workers’ benefit such as cancelling paid lunch hour or meal break and no overtime payment and so on. 46. % of respondents complained that the previously paid rest days were cancelled since the enforcement of minimum wage law. Taking into account of the loss of paid rest days as well as other fringe benefits, coupled with the reduction in working hours, over half of the respondents, 55. 8% of them experienced a drop in individual income despite the apparent increase in nominal monthly income. In the paragraph above concerning CSSA recipients, it was briefly mentioned that they treat social assistanc e as their last resort to mitigate their financial situation. In fact, most of them felt â€Å"perceivable prejudice† against them. The introduction of minimum wage has a wide application, but it affects most significantly low-income jobs that CSSA recipients crave. About half of the respondents receiving CSSA in the Oxfam study affirm the effectiveness of wage floor as an impetus to quit receiving social assistance. This in brief, could address the need of CSSA recipients to self-reliance and eliminate the stigmatization or label that they feel attached to them by re-entering the job market. Nonetheless, increase in income to a certain extent does not mean or signify poverty alleviation. The most pivotal finding in the Oxfam study is that it reveals 40. 5% of households still live in deprivation despite the minimum wage law. This is because they define â€Å"deprivation† as the inabilities to afford at least three items that are dubbed essential by most Hong Kong residents including dental check-ups, leisure activities, afford to go to private clinics when sick and tea house and so on. According to Townsend (1979), â€Å"a person is considered to be in poverty if he or she does not have enough resources to enable him or her to participate in normal activities commonly engaged by ordinary members in the community and therefore cannot become fully integrated into the mainstream of society. † Therefore, when 40. 5% of respondents, representing 531354 households are still deprived of a chance to engage in social activities simply due to the fact that they still could not afford the items they need highlighted just how ineffective minimum wage legislation has been in eradicating poverty. In conclusion, lifting people out of poverty is a difficult problem that could not be solved by any social policy alone, let alone the many flaws and limitations that are embedded in social policies. However, it is only through identifying the imperfection in social welfare policies could we make improvement on them and hopefully attain the final goal of eradicating poverty at the end.