The Relationship Between Tourism And Terrorism Tourism Essay

The Relationship Between Tourism And Terrorism Tourism Essay The words tourism and terrorism exist at either end of a continuum of quality of life. The word tourism means living happily, enjoyment, and relaxation, while terrorism means feeling of death, destruction, fears and panics every where. According to Beirman (2003), tourists are primary concerned with travelling to the destination satisfying their desires with minimum complications, threats to their safety and wellbeing , while on the other hand Gilham (2001) said, physical threat or serious disturbances to ones plans are suffer to reduce the prospects of a tourist destination or tourist firm. In past decade terrorism has very severe impacts on the travel and tourism industry than any other industry. The main reason of this may be because the basic objectives of the terrorist groups are to spread fear, as a result the basic safety and security of people threatened. According to Abraham Maslow (1943) the Hierarchy of needs, he said that human nature never satisfied when they have met th eir basic needs for safety and security. When they are able to satisfy their basic needs, then they attempt to satisfy their self actualisation needs such as better life, travel and tourism. According to Essner 2003), the psychological impacts are enough to have severe impacts on tourism. The fear of terrorism is irrational, because in terrorist attack chances of being killed are very little and security environment has demonstrated its negative impacts on tourism in many top destinations around the world. Three industries are dominated in 21st century, telecommunications, Information technology and tourism. According to World Tourism Organization 2008 report, tourism provides employment over 100 millions around the world. Tourism is an important economic sector for UK economy and according to BBC 2010 report; domestic and overseas visitors put an  £115 billions a year in UK economy. The direct contribution in the UK economy was  £52 billion in term of GDP which represent 4% of UK economy. Tourism also provides 1.36 million jobs in 2009 to UK workforce which is 4.4% of total work force. UK is the worlds sixth largest international tourism destination in term on number of tourists, but after September 11, 2001 and July 7, 2005 incidents this industry was badly affected. According to the LCCI (2005) report, it has been estimated that the fall in tourism could cost UK tourism industry over  £300 millions. In this competitive age, the business environment is changing dramatically. Terrorism is the biggest threat to tourism industry because travel is susceptible to the incidents of terrorism. When people travel they always avoid hazards, so for tourists safety is the major concern. During the past decade especially after September 11 2001, there are number of events which have had significant negative impacts on UK tourism. The correlation between terrorism and tourism is undeniable in the era due to industry strength and tourist places are the ideal target for terrorist to create large amount of economic and social disruption in the country. In UK terrorism can be seen in substantial part, as a result of this backlash to the tourism industry. There are number of definitions of terrorism, in the world of Alexander et al (1979) terrorism is a threat or use of enforcement and inclemency to achieve a political goal by means of intimidation fear, and coercion. In the present world context, the European Union (2001) define the terrorism relevant to international business in the following words. Terrorist offences are certain criminal offences set out in a list comprised largely of serious offences against persons and property which, given their nature or context, may seriously damage a country or an international organisation where committed with the aim of: seriously intimidating a population; or unduly compelling a Government or international organisation to perform or abstain from performing any act; or seriously destabilizing or destroying the fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country or an international organisation. According to U.S Department of state (2002), terrorist select businesses (e.g. tourism places) for attack compare to other targets. The most kind of attack is bomb blast, although armed attacks and kidnapping are also some kinds of terrorist attacks. According to Council of Foreign Relations (2002) reported the majority of victims in terrorist attack are civilians. The relatively large number of tourists may not prepare to face these kinds of terrorist attacks. However the scenario has changed as it was at the time of terrorist attack in 9/11. Kunreuther et al (2003) cited that during the days of terrorist attacks in 9/11 a common feeling came into mind of people that it could be me. But with the passage of time this may give way to may be it will not me next time. This kind of behaviour is more common now a day in south Asia. But it is a common thinking that it is extremely easy for terrorist that to attack any where in the world. Even in low cost and low tech attacks, terrorists ac hieve to disrupt the tourism industry. Terrorism has deep history science the cold war but this issue become most salient after terrorist attacks in September 11 2001. This incident affected the UK and international tourism industry in various ways. On one hand the world tourism industry was affected financially, the other hand it suffers due to legal and security issues. The international tourism industry between countries was most seriously affected due to security and safety concerns and legal issue. Especially UK, US and other developed countries were compulsion to protect their territory and people at any cost. Tourism industry in UK and USA found themselves floundering financially in the months after the terrorist attack on world Trade Centre, while rest of the world tourism industry also lost millions of dollars. According to U.S department of state (2002) more than 3000 people of different nationalities were killed in the terrorist attacks only in the United States in September 11, 2001. The attacks were the consp icuous example of terrorism on global level. According to the overview of European commission (2001) this was the one of the major event in the past decades which diversifies the viewpoint and outlook of people around the world. Terrorism affects both the long term and short term perspectives of the businesses around the world. Czinkota (2002) cited that terrorism influenced long term karma of entire industries, for example tourism, retailing and manufacturing industries. After the September 11 terrorist attacks many international tourist destinations have badly affected legally because countries have introduced new laws for foreigner tourists e.g. strict visas requirements, security check and criminal record check etc. UK government also introduced strict immigration law for every one who wishes to come UK for tourism in the effort to prevent further terrorist attacks. The new terrorist laws restricted the tourists for freely travel across the UK borders and require by security department to keep proper track of their activities. The anti terrorist laws have made very complicated for tourism industry to conduct its business activities across the international borders as a result many countries tourism industries have financially struggled. Another major issue that affect the international tourism industry is security and government have to invest huge amount of money to improve both internal and external security. The security is most important becau se terrorist target hot spots to achieve their targets. There is not a vast existing literature which shows the relationship between terrorism and tourism management theories, and the lack of presence of research literature is absolutely visible on the relationship between terrorism and tourism management, which elaborates constructive techniques for tourism industry in the presence of phenomena of terrorism. Terrorism has capacity to create atmosphere of fear and can be intimidate industry in number of ways. This threat of terrorism attacks poses a continuous atmosphere of risk for the tourism around the world. This risk itself creates extension for treatment of risk in management theories. The majority of management literature theories adopt term uncertainty as a factor of unpredictable environment which may influence the performance of firms in certain ways. The environment effected by terrorism also has a factor of unpredictability in it. This study is another attempt to research and investigates impacts of terrorism on the tourism in dustry in UK and we will also discuss different approaches for reducing and handling the terrorism threats. Research aim and objective: Research Aim: This aim of this research is to analyse and explore the effects of terrorism on tourism industry in the United Kingdom after September 11 2001. The second part of my research is to critically analyse and recommend the most appropriate strategies for tourism industry to deal with the terrorist threats or scrutinize the different strategic views to avoid and minimise the impact of terrorism on industry. Research Objectives: This research has the following individual objectives: Critically analyse the impact of terrorism on individual organization and the whole market. Evaluate the managerial performance in organizations, before, during and after the happening of the terrorist attacks and in uncertain environment. Research Questions: What is terrorism and why terrorist target business? What are the effects of terrorism on business? How to development strategy for managers or adopt a better approaches to deal with above mentioned issues? Abbreviation and terminology: Uncertainty: specifically mean the unpredictable environment; it is unpredictable when next terrorist attack will occur. Risk: mean threat; internal and external threat in business environment which may affect the productivity of organisation.

Fiscal And Monetary Policy Economics Essay

Fiscal And Monetary Policy Economics Essay Like the Economics for Dummies states, anti-recessionary economic policies come in two flavors: Fiscal Policy and Monetary Policy. Monetary policys technique is to increase the money supply and lowers interest rates. When interest rates are lowered, more people are about to access loans, buy houses, and increase purchasing power. Fiscal Policy involves lowering taxes and increasing government spending so that the economy will have more after tax money. Fiscal Policy Expansionary and contractionary are two types of fiscal policy. Expansionary policy involves raising government expenditures and lowering taxes so the government budget deficit can grow or the surplus to fall. In 2011, Japan suffered from a natural disaster. The north east area of the country was struck by a tsunami causing their country to endure financial issues. Japan used expansionary fiscal policy to help get them out of that terrible economic situation. Expansionary fiscal policy helped Japan by raising their private consumption growth. Contractionary fiscal policy is the opposite of expansionary policy. Government expenditures will be decreased and taxes will be raised to help the budget deficit or surplus. The Role of Government Budgeting One of the main tools of fiscal policy is the federal budget. Aggregate demand is affected by the government expenditures and taxes affect investing and consuming. The effects of government expenditure and tax revenues are important in the aggregate demand equation because they can cause AD increase or decrease. Government expenditures include transfer payments, purchases of goods and services, and interest payments on government debt Swanenberg. Tax revenues are brought in from social security, indirect taxes, income tax, and corporate taxes. When the amount of taxes brought in is above expenditure expectations, this will factor to a budget surplus. Fiscal Policy Pros and Cons Fiscal policy is the usage of government spending and the use of taxes to control the economy. As defined by Investopedia, fiscal policy is the means by which a government adjusts its level of spending in order to monitor and influence a nations money supply, (2009). Whenever the government makes a decision on what service and good to buy, how much to tax on said good or service, or the payment relegations dispersed, the government is exercising the fiscal policy. The fiscal policy is mostly used to show how government spending and taxation affects the aggregate economy levels. The fiscal policy really was not used as much until after World War II. When there is a surplus in the government budget, (revenue is higher than spending), the fiscal policy is a contradiction whereas when there is a deficit in the budget, (spending is higher than the budget), the fiscal policy is defined as being expansionary, as stated by the Library of Economics and Liberties (Weil 2008). The Library of Ec onomics and Liberties also states, when there is a deficit in the fiscal policy, economists focus more on the difference in the deficit and not the levels of the deficit, (Weil 2008). The fiscal policy however is not perfect. Just like everything in nature, the fiscal policy has its strengths and weakness. According to Dr. Wood, one main strength about the fiscal policy is that since it is basically government ran, it has good stability when used properly in the economy (Wood 2009). Contrary to monetary policy, the fiscal policy focuses on one area instead of the economy as a whole which can result in less mistakes and less headaches. Government interaction aids the fiscal policy by helping with resource allocation. As mentioned before, the fiscal policy is not perfect. Because the fiscal policy deals with the government, there may be little to no room for flexibility, (Wood 2009). An example would be, the government cant decide to raise taxes to compensate government spending. David Weil has stated that, fiscal policy also changes the burden of future taxes, (Weil 2008). The fiscal policy can sometimes result in the domino effect, meaning having one problem can cause more problems, which can result in another problem, and so on. The fiscal policy is usually only implemented once a year so this itself can be a weakness. One reason is because the government may be funding a project, such as a highway being built, and may not be finished in the allotted time, thus causing a problem in government spending. As of October 2012, Forbes has elucidated that the fiscal policy is not as effective as it once was by stating, the Central Bank cant lower its interest rates, (Smith 2012). Smith also goes on to state that, if the government steps in and borrows lots of money then the rate of interest will tend to rise, (Smith 2012). Monetary Policy After the Great Depression, market economies learned that they were not adjusting to economic downturns quickly enough. The lack of response was one of the causes of long-lasting economic crises. Therefore the government started to stick its hand in the economy to keep it from spiraling out of control using fiscal policy. When GDP contracts, the government spends more, and taxes less, which gets the economy growing. Another form of government macroeconomics is monetary policy and it is practiced by the Federal Reserve Bank. The Fed fiddles with the money supply to keep the economy in between inflation and recession. Back in the 1960s President Johnson had to increase government spending due to the Vietnam War. Economists believed as the President kept spending money, it would lead to inflation. The inflation would be caused by an economy that is already stable, plus increased government spending, which only creates higher prices and aggregate supply will be limited. The Federal Reserve Bank and monetary policy was then instituted. Its job is to make the necessary corrections in the economy that the government will not make. The Fed is a private sector. The Federal Reserve Bank affects the economys rate of interest. Our central bank increases the amount of money circulating in the economy because the higher quantity of something decreases its price. With a lower price of money, also called a lower interest rate, more people will be willing to borrow money, which means they spend more money in turn giving the economy a boost. The only problem is some economists believe it will cause prices to spike quickly. So out of fear of inflation, the Fed decreases the amount of money circulating in the economy which raises the price of money, or raises the interest rate. Higher interest rates mean less borrowing, which means less spending, which slows the economy down. Now the fear is the economy will fall into a recession so the Fed lowers interest rates again. The Fed raises the interest rate out of fear of inflation which then causes Recession. The Fed lowers the interest rate out of fear of recession which then leads to inflation. The Fed controls the money supply, which increases or decreases interest rates that can potentially boost or slow an economy and the Fed must keep a good balance because one direction is recession and the other is inflation. Overall monetary policy plays a big part in our economy, without it there would be a lot of confusion in the business world. In particular, the main one would be the banking system. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is the body thats responsible for most of the monetary policy decisions that are made. Monetary Policy has to do with recession and inflation which is very important in our economy. Another important fact about monetary policy is aggregate supply and demand. Monetary policy affects them deeply depending on the economies input, output, and rate of inflation. Strengths and Weakness of Monetary Furthermore, monetary policy that is speedy and flexible and somewhat isolated from Political pressure. It doesnt raise inflation value of money by weaken its purchasing Power. Whenever inflation advance faster than expected, they may sell government bonds to take money out of circulation. This also can minimize access to credit and slow consumer spending. The decisions they had made really had an effective impact on our economy. Monetary policy has stable prices which is keeping inflation low, it also quality business and households to make financial decisions without worrying about sudden unexpected prices increasing. The long term enable policy makers assess. The best policy tends to seek between these short- and long- term goals. Lower interest rates to expand the money supply and stem rising unemployment Rates during recession. Although the weaknesses practicing monetary policy cause the central bank to lose control of currency valuation, it wouldnt be possible for interest rate s. It also devalues the currency; further more monetary policy can achieve low inflation in the long run and affect economic output and employment in the short run. Sustainable Low inflation and economic growth off disagree. When inflationary pressures decrease, the unemployment rate may advance for a short period as the pace of the economy slows. It also can take up to months or even an year maybe even longer to have the intected effect. Conclusion Monetary and Fiscal policy both have their pros and cons. Fiscal policy can result in a nasty domino effect causing one problem to make another and repeat. Fiscal can also have issues with time lags. Although monetary policy is not very effective in a recession, it is flexible and works well to slow down the economy. Many prefer fiscal over monetary because its brings low taxes and low interest rates.

Effective Time Management - The Foundation of Success Essay -- Time Ma

Effective Time Management - The Foundation of Success   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon returning to college, the mature student (any student over the age of 24) soon realizes that their ability to manage time effectively directly impacts their learning experience and their family life. Unlike traditional students, the mature student may have a spouse, children and a full-time job that is necessary for them to survive financially. Adults with families will readily agree that their family alone places serious demands on their time. When adding the responsibility of school, it becomes even more difficult to make time for family, work and personal time. Enough time needs to be spent on these three major facets of life. Too much time spent in one area usually means to little time spent in another, which usually leads to stress. Time management professionals say that stress is usually the result of poor time management. Effective time management has to be the foundation of any successful and productive life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are 1,440 minutes in a day. If one is employed full-time, then about nine hours (540 minutes) of the day is spent at the office and commuting. The time left in the evening for family and self is very limited. Some companies allow their employees to telecommute, in which the company’s network is accessed from the employees’ home, usually via a high-speed or broadband connection. Telecommuting increases available time for family and self by eliminating the employee’s commute. Along with telecommuting, some companies offer Flex-Time. Flex-Time allows the work schedule to be configured differently from the typical Monday through Friday, 9am-to-5pm workweek. One will still work a total of 40 hours that week only one day may be shorter than the rest. Flex-Time is basically a flexible work schedule. Flex-time and telecommuting are examples of Flexible Work Options (FWO). FWOs allow employees the opportunity to find time for their families and s elves by introducing a time management element that â€Å"bends†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Along with the changing nature of office-hours via telecommuting and Flex-Time, there is a need for employees to be more efficient at work. Companies are implementing the â€Å"virtual office† which partly entails telecommuting but with the main focus being a more efficient, yet mobile workforce. With the virtual office, traditional office setups such as permanent workspac... ...s to get these things done and back to the office in one hour: pick up cash for sitter tonight, pick up three birthday gifts, buy her daughter a notebook, pens and a new backpack for school tomorrow, eat, get oil changed and pick up son’s asthma prescription. Well, Super Jane is at it again, she headed to the grocery store/pharmacy and picked up her son’s prescription, three gift cards for various stores to be given as birthday gifts, a salad and enough money for the baby-sitter to take her daughter to the store tonight to get her pens, notebook and new backpack. Now, off to Jiffy Lube where she will eat her salad while waiting for her oil to be changed. In summation, the benefits of time management can be life altering. As one finds ways to get more done with the time available to them, it can lead to an increase in overall self-confidence and a more positive outlook on life. Effective time management is also a very useful tool that can help to reduce stress in day-to-day life. If effective time management becomes a part of one’s life then he or she can find ways to juggle family, career, personal time and education. In essence, effective time management can lead to success.

Understanding Alzheimers Disease :: Alzheimers Disease Essays

Understanding Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disease that destroys mental and physical functioning in human beings, and invariably leads to death. It is the fourth leading cause of adult death in the United States. Alzheimer's creates emotional and financial catastrophe for many American families every year. Fortunately, a large amount of progress is being made to combat Alzheimer's disease every year. To fully be able to comprehend and combat Alzheimer's disease, one must know what it does to the brain, the part of the human body it most greatly affects. Many Alzheimer's disease sufferers had their brains examined. A large number of differences were present when comparing the normal brain to the Alzheimer's brain. There was a loss of nerve cells from the Cerebral Cortex in the Alzheimer's victim. Approxiately ten percent of the neurons in this region were lost. But a ten percent loss is relatively minor, and cannot account for the severe impairment suffered by Alzheimer's victims. Neurofibrillary Tangles are also found in the brains of Alzheimer's victims. They are found within the cell bodies of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, and take on the structure of a paired helix. Other diseases that have "paired helixes" include Parkinson's disease, Down's Syndrome, and Dementia Pugilistica. Scientists are not sure how the paired helixes are related in these very different diseases. Neuritic Plaques are patches of clumped material lying outside the bodies of nerve cells in the brain. They are mainly found in the cerebral cortex, but have also been seen in other areas of the brain. At the core of each of these plaques is a substance called amyloid, an abnormal protein not usually found in the brain. This amyloid core is surrounded by cast off fragments of dead or dying nerve cells. The cell fragments include dying mitochondria, presynaptic terminals, and paired helical filaments identical to those that are neurofibrillary tangles. Many neuropathologists think that these plaques are basically clusters of degenerating nerve cells. But they are still not sure of how and why these fragments clustered together. Congophilic Angiopathy is the technical name that neuropathologists have given to an abnormality found in the walls of blood vessels in the brains of victims of Alzheimer's disease. These abnormal patches are similar to the neuritic plaques that develop in Alzheimer's disease, in that amyloid has been found within the blood-vessel walls wherever the patches occur. Another name for these patches is cerebrovascular amyloid,

Utopia Vs. Dystopia Essay -- essays research papers

Utopia Vs. Dystopia Each person has their own vision of utopia. Utopia means an ideal state, a paradise, a land of enchantment. It has been a central part of the history of ideas in Western Civilization. Philosophers and writers continue to imagine and conceive plans for an ideal state even today. They use models of ideal government to express their ideas on contemporary issues and political conditions. Man has never of comparing the real and ideal, actuality and dream, and the stark facts of human condition and hypothetical versions of optimum life and government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the nineteenth century, man believed in the perfectibility of mankind and in the real possibility of an ultimate utopia, a time when man could all live together in peace. However, the events of the twentieth century have weakened that belief. Both cold and hot wars have followed each other in succession. Revolutions and civil wars have taken place and totalitarianism has become a fact that can hardly be ignored. Therefore, the modern age has become a time in which more anti-utopias have been envisioned than ever before.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A lot of authors have expressed their views on utopia in their novels. Some have done it by creating their own perfect world, while others have chosen a different path. They have selected to voice their opinions in anti-utopian novels, or dystopia. An anti-utopia is simply the reverse of a utopian novel. The aim of both novels is ba...

Meaning of life †Phrase Essay

Origin: A person seeing a table piled high with sumptuous food has a tendency to get too many and/or too large a portion. Since the problem is brought on by the eyes and a lack of reason, the person is portrayed a one whose eyes are bigger than their stomach. Elephant in the room Meaning: An important and obvious topic, which everyone present is aware of, but which isn’t discussed, as such discussion is considered to be uncomfortable. Origin: The theme of the exhibition was global poverty. By painting the elephant in the same bold pattern as the room’s wallpaper, Banksy emphasized the phrase’s meaning, by both making the elephant even more obvious and by giving those who chose to ignore it (like the woman in the tableau) an opportunity to pretend that it had blended into the wallpaper background. Even at the turning of the tide Meaning: The phrase is used to denote some change from a previously stable course of events. Origin: The phrase comes from Shakespeare’s Henry V where he use turning of the tide in a letter. Ear candy Meaning: Music with an instant appeal but with little lasting significance. Origin: The term may have been in use before 1977, although I can find no references to it in print that predate Reddy’s album title. The term did get picked up though and soon became a generic term for music that was initially attractive but with little lasting substance. Candy is of course what the US calls the confectionery that many parts of the English-speaking world call sweets. The sugary, insubstantial imagery is well suited to these phrases. Excuse my French Meaning: Please forgive my swearing. Origin: A coy phrase used when someone who has used a swear-word attempts to pass it off as French. The coyness comes from the fact the both the speaker and listener are of course both well aware the swear-word is indeed English. F Fair and square Meaning: Honest and straightforward, especially of business dealings. Origin: In the 16th century ‘square’ meant ‘fair and honest’ so ‘fair and square’ is tautological. George Puttenham used that meaning of square in The arte of English poesie, 1589:†[Aristotle] termeth a constant minded man – a square man. â€Å"Francis Bacon’s essay Of Prophecies, 1604 is the first known use of ‘fair and square’: Fast asleep Meaning: soundly asleep. Origin: The ‘fast’ in ‘fast asleep’ derives from the Old German ‘fest’, meaning ‘stuck firmly’; ‘not easily moveable’ – as in ‘stuck fast’. ‘Asleep’ derives from ‘sleep’ in the same way that nautical adverbs like ‘aground’ and ‘astern’ derive from ‘ground’ and ‘stern’. To be ‘fast asleep’ was to be stuck firmly in sleep, analogous to a beached ship being ‘fast aground’. Filthy rich Meaning: Very rich, possibly having become so by unfair means. Origin: The phrase comes from the word â€Å"filthy lucre† means money from dishonorable gain. This was first used as a noun phrase meaning â€Å"rich people; who have become so by dishonorable means† like gambling. Face the music Meaning: Face the truth Origin: Comes from the British military. When someone was court marshaled, there would be a military drum squad playing, hence face the music. The term â€Å"drummed out of the military† came from this practice†¦. From stem to stern Meaning: Thorough, complete. Origin: The very front of a ship is called the stem, the rear is called the stern. From stem to stern includes the entire ship. G Get a leg up Meaning: To get a boost or advantage. Origin: This phrase may incorrectly invoke images of a dog raising its leg. In fact â€Å"Getting a leg up† is from the act of an equestrian receiving help in mounting a horse. The helper would create a foothold by cupping the hands to heft the rider upward, throwing a leg up and over the steed. Get of the wrong foot Meaning: Make a bad start to a project or relationship. Origin: The phrase comes from the idiom â€Å"put your best foot forward. † This means to make a best impression. Despite the implication we only have two choices, so if there’s a wrong foot there has to be a right one too and get off on the right foot is also in common use. Graveyard shift Meaning: A late-night/early-morning work shift. Origin: So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a â€Å"bone-house† and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, one out of 25 coffins was found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the â€Å"graveyard shift†) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be â€Å"saved by the bell† or was considered a â€Å"dead ringer. † Grinning like a Cheshire cat Meaning: Grin broadly. Origin: The phrase comes from the novel â€Å"Alice in Wonderland† where she asked the duchess why the cat grinned. The duchess answered â€Å"Because it’s a Cheshire cat! † ‘I didn’t know that Cheshire cats always grinned; in fact, I didn’t know that cats COULD grin. ‘ ‘They all can,’ say the Duchess; ‘and most of them do. ‘ Good as gold Meaning: Well – behaved and obedient. Origin: When banknotes (known as bills in the USA and some other countries) were first introduced they weren’t considered to be money in the sense we now think of them. They were promissory notes or IOUs. Gold or silver was real money as it had intrinsic value. Notes were just promises to pay in coin. UK banknotes, like those of many other countries, still include messages like this, signed by the Chief Cashier of the Bank of England: ‘I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of ten pounds’. So, ‘as good as gold’ ought really to be ‘as genuine as gold’, but the more usual meaning of ‘good’ has taken precedence over the years and left us with the usual meaning of the phrase. H High on the hog Meaning: Extravagantly. Origin: The best meat is on the upper portion of the pig. Rich people have always been afforded this luxury while the servants, slaves and poor have always had to eat pig’s feet, chitterlings, cracklings, etc. – low on the hog. Horse of a different color Meaning: Unlike the subject at hand. Origin: Horses are registered at birth and the registration includes a record of their color. When a horse trades hands due to sale, the registration is also transferred. Sometimes the color recorded on the registration may not match the actual color of the horse leading one to suspect the horse is not the one in the registration. Horses sometimes change color as they age, just as some people’s hair changes color. More likely the horse is not the one represented on the registration but is actually an entirely different horse. Hold your feet to the fire Meaning: To hold one accountable for a commitment, make good on a promise. Origin: Pertains to torture used during the Crusade’s. As a method for extracting confession for heresy, non-believers were positioned in a manner that allowed the inquisitor to apply flames to the feet of the accused. This was done until the accused confessed or died. Head over heels Meaning: Excited, and/or turning cartwheels to demonstrate one’s excitement. Origin: Head over heels’ is now most often used as part of ‘head over heels in love’. When first coined it wasn’t used that way though and referred exclusively to being temporarily the wrong way up. It is one of many similar phrases that we use to describe things that are not in their usual state – ‘upside-down’, ‘topsy-turvy’, ‘topple up tail’, ‘arse over tea-kettle’, ‘bass-backwards’ etc. Hard lines Meaning: Bad luck Origin: Clearly the derivation of ‘hard lines’ is entirely dependent on which line was being referred to when the phrase was coined. There is a reference to lines in the King James Version of the Bible, 1611, and that is the basis of several early citations of ‘hard lines’:Psalms 16:6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

Discuss Jane Austen’s portrayal of her central character in the opening chapters of the novel

Emma by Jane Austen can be described as a social satire of the Regency Age and was first published in 1816. Austen uses the omniscient narrator to immediately introduce the central character, eponymous heroine Emma Woodhouse, in the opening chapter of the novel by describing her as â€Å"handsome, clever and rich with a comfortable home and a happy disposition,† and saying how she â€Å"seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence,† with very â€Å"little to distress or vex her. However, Austen's use of the word â€Å"seemed† may indicate that the reality of Emma's perfect and privileged life may affect her interaction with others and consequently cause her to have many flaws due to the fact that she is good looking, indulged and allowed â€Å"rather too much her own way. † Emma may be described as an exception to society in the way that she is a financially independent with a fortune of thirty thousand pounds, a vast amount of money in the Reg ency age. During this period, many women needed to marry for financial stability and some marriages tended to resemble business contracts as opposed to true love because so much was based on this factor. Perhaps Emma's situation means that she may be one of the few women who is able to marry for love as opposed to finance? Austen often portrays Emma as a meddlesome and interfering character in the opening of the novel. These traits really come across when Mr Knightley, Austen's voice of reason, discusses Harriet's refusal of Mr Martin, an â€Å"intelligent gentleman-farmer,† and blames Emma's influence for her turning down a man who is more than her equal in class and status, factors influential to most marriages in the Regency Age. Austen highlights this importance by referring to different social ranks as the â€Å"first set† and the â€Å"second set. † Mr Knightley guides and advises Emma with well-balanced thoughts and advice that genuinely penetrates through her self-deluding personality. Mr Knightley states realistically that Emma is wrong to meddle with Harriet and encourage her to pursue Mr Elton; he describes Harriet as â€Å"not a sensible girl,† with â€Å"no respectable relations† illustrating the importance of marrying within the right social class and also a weakness in the character of Emma Woodhouse due to the fact that she manipulates situations to suit what she wants and can sometimes avoid reality if it does not agree with her. This weakness can go on to affect and hurt others, for example raising Harriet's hopes and expectations of marrying above her even though this is unlikely to happen. Another character who is responsible for Emma's behaviour is her father, Mr Woodhouse. Mr Woodhouse is at fault due to the fact that he is an over â€Å"indulgent and affectionate† father who fails to see weaknesses in his youngest daughter's character, therefore being unable to correct her mistakes and teach Emma how to consider other people's feelings. Emma's father is also described as â€Å"dearly loved† by her but â€Å"no companion† due to his age and distance from her. Emma's loss of her mother may also affect her personality and explain why she has become so strong-willed and independent minded. The only female influences she has really benefited from include her sister Isabella who moved out after marrying Mr John Knightley and Mrs Taylor her governess who marries Mr Weston, a match Emma feels she is responsible for creating. As well as living within a class-conscious society, Emma conforms to the proper and polite tradition of behaviour, regarded highly at the time. When Mr John Knightley and Isabella come to stay, Emma's â€Å"sense of right,† permits that Mr Knightley dines with them. However, Mr Woodhouse is slightly â€Å"against the inclination† that â€Å"anyone should share with him in Isabella's first day. † This â€Å"sense of right† illustrates how Emma feels it is important to act properly and conform to social etiquette in line with what is â€Å"right. † Although Emma is described as a â€Å"spoiled child† by John Knightley, Austen also illustrates how self-contained her life is on Isabella's visit. Emma urges them not to â€Å"talk of the sea† because it makes her â€Å"miserable† and â€Å"envious† as â€Å"she has never seen it. † Emma's life seems circled around little more than painting and playing the piano and this may be why she feels the need to meddle with other people's relationships for her own amusement. Overall, Austen introduces many themes and social rules and regulations along with the introduction of Emma Woodhouse. Emma seems to be a very lucky and privileged individual although she does not always make the best of her advantageous situation causing her to have an arrogant and self-righteous side to her personality. Emma's situation is not normal and her fortune sets her aside from other women as she does not need to marry for the sake of financial gain and security, this sets her aside from being an accurate reflection of social interaction of the times. However, Emma's conformity when it comes to social class rules and etiquette illustrates the class conscious society of Regency England and the importance of propriety.