Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Essay Example for Free

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Essay (1)The first thing I would do if I found out I was going to be evacuated from my home is start crying. Knowing that I will be separated from humanity I will also begin to become crazy, knowing what happens too all these people at the camps families suffering and loosing each other by being separated and killed will destroy me. The last hours I have at home I will pack few of my clothes, toothbrush, money, weapons and a journal not a diary because IM A MAN! Why would I pick to bring a journal instead of everything else I might poses you might be thinking is because since I am a man I probably will stay alive and get to write about my daily struggles I will be having in the internment camp. I would be forced to leave behind my phone, my computer, and mostly all my electronics because I wouldn’t want to risk being tracked. My list reveals that I’m going to be weak without all my things that I live on daily this evacuation will change my whole life and family. I actually don’t believe the Japanese Internment compares to the Holocaust, even though everyone has their right to their own opinions I don’t believe they compare. Because so many more Jews were killed during the Holocaust then Japanese being killed in the camps and no offense but the treatment the Jews were given from the Germans were way harsher than the U.S to the Japs. The Japanese had less camps and were given better treatment like food they were sent to these camps so the U.S. could view them and make sure that they weren’t spies. The Jew were sent to the camps and instantly put to work given numbers to represent when they were next to be killed.   Both sides of the internment were one U.S. getting involved was a good idea or a bad one. The United States putting most Japanese into internment camps can be seen as a bad idea because American is known for the Land of the Free. The U.S. putting most Japanese people into camps is definetley unconstitutional it makes people question is America really the Land of the Free? Obviously we know as we read America was just trying to be safe at this time, because in 1942 Roosevelt signs a Relocation in the United States because they believed that the Japanese were a threat to America. We were fighting against them at this time and they just didn’t want threats because they did believe that even though they came to America they still are going  to give information to Japan. That’s why in the book we saw Keikos former teacher be taken away by the â€Å"FBI† because they believed he was a spy. They still got an education, made a low salary and were given food in these camps it wasn’t like they were being slaves. I believe it was a good idea for America to get involved I think they did it smartly too they gave the Japanese camps where they would stay at and have their life I know you’re going to write but it’s not the same they are being forced to move but at this time they were being accused of being spies and doing bad things. Some people also just moved to America and where put into a camp where they can get a place to live, money and food instead of living on the street. It’s also only Japanese people so you’re with your kind. I guess I’m using a Jewish point of view because in our religion we are supposed to only marry Jewish people so I see this as a good thing being together as a race, but also we learn from our past.

Impact of Recession on Movie Industry

Impact of Recession on Movie Industry Foreword Writing this dissertation was a long and exhausting process which included many setbacks and failures. Nevertheless it also was fulfilling and exciting as I was driven by my passion and interest in movies and cinemas in general. I always intended to work for the movie industry one day and hold well- grounded hopes of achieving this goal in the near future. Maybe this dissertation will help to convince the studios of my passion and capabilities. My thanks go to Mr Nick Bowen, who was an outstanding tutor and helped me through rough and inconvenient times with his competence and great sense of humour. I also would like to thank me interviewees Mr Arwed Fischer and Mr Jan Fantl, who provided me with many important information and an inside into the industry. Without them, a big part of the report would not have reached the standard it has now. Finally, I am very grateful for the help of my parents who made it possible for me to go to London and provided me with everything I needed in order to be successful and happy in the future. I do not want to forget to thank everybody else who supported me during this tough time and cheered me up after one of the occasional setbacks. Executive Summary Recently the film studios are experiencing a boost of attendances and ticket sales despite the financial crisis. This already happened in past recessions and therefore will be analysed in this report. One reason for that economical immunity seems to be the technological development such as sound and colour in the past or 3D cinema nowadays. Nevertheless there are some issues the industry has to deal with at the moment, e.g. piracy or substitution goods like videogames. Although 3D movies did fail continuously in the past in terms of economical success, the studios tried it again with an advanced technology and exceeded all expectations when Avatar was released. In this context factors such as rising ticket prices or the limited number of 3D capable cinemas play a big role as well in order to determine the future potential the 3D technology. A few companies already started to produce and sell 3D capable TVs which are supposed to the next economical success the movie landscape. IMAX cinemas suffered a long period of very low attendances and decreasing ticket sales until advanced 3D technology has been used to produce movies. Since then the IMAX group notes record breaking attendances and boosting profits. Two surveys have been analyzed and compared to each other. One, published in 2005 by Opinion Dynamics Corporation alre ady showed some curious facts on 3D cinema and its likely success in the future. The second one has been generated online by the author of this report in 2010 amongst a group of people from 10 countries. In terms of forecasting a success of 3D movies it is very hard for the studios to forecast the success of a single movie or even a whole new technology. They mostly try to find what is most appealing to the audience (unlike independent productions) and therefore have their analysts forecasting risks and returns. Nevertheless DisplaySearch 3D Display Technology conducted a forecast which is quite optimistic and expects increases in every sector of the movie industry (cinemas, home cinemas etc). The recommendations include the authors personal opinion of how the 3D technology will influence the cinema landscape and the options studios have to market it properly. By interviewing people from the movie industry the author gathered some inside knowledge which he tried to apply to his recommendations. Therefore it is expected that the boom of 3D movies will slow down slightly but continue to strengthen again. In the long term it is expected that the new technology will have a positive impac t on the movie industry. 1. Introduction According to Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, the upcoming 3D movie technology is the greatest innovation to occur in the movie business in 70 years. (CNN Online, 2008) This statement shows the hope of the whole industry for more attendances and a revolution in the movie market. An increasing amount of movie studios shift their productions towards the new technology. As a result this is discussed in a rising number of TV-shows, magazines and newspapers. Despite the fact that videogames are becoming more popular and the financial credit crisis has reduced average income, going to the movies still seems to be a big part of daily life all over the world. This happens even though the whole film industry seems to be in a crisis, as will be explained below. Initially 3D movies were produced using 2 separate projectors to produce one double image and running two separate rolls of film. Nowadays the technology is far more advanced which means that digital projectors are installed in cinemas producing sharper and steadier images. There also is a difference in production between real movies and animated ones. Animated movies are not produced with real cameras but use computers to create and render every single shot from two angles. Live action movies on the other hand are filmed by new dual lens digital cameras that are able to capture two points of view. (BBC news, 2009) Movie attendances in the United States decreased by 2, 6 %, falling to its lowest level since 1997, whereas revenues fell from $1,484 billion in 2004 to $1,364 billion in 2008. In the same period the amount of screens jumped from 35,993 to 39,476. To be able to show 3D movies, it is necessary to upgrade to digital screens; here the number increased from only 138 in 2004 to 4,576 in 2008, a rising trend. (Marche du film, 2009) Linking these data leads to the conclusion that the movie industry is keen to establish and invest in a new technology in order to make going to the cinema more attractive to its customers and increase attendances in the short and long-term. The following report analyses the current status of the movie industry and shows the likely economic impact in times of recession on the worldwide market. The industries main current issues and a forecast based on trends and profound market research are also examined. 2. Literature Review This chapter summarises and evaluates the related research of what has been written about the research topic. Opinions and data from many different people, working for the movie industry or being close enough to venture a forecast, have been taken into account and evaluated objectively. The chapter also defines and explains the new 3D movie technology, its history and its characteristics from different perspectives. Furthermore it covers several models and theories and talks about reports and how to estimate their importance. This is followed by an evaluation to point out weaknesses or gaps in the literature. The final part will consist of a link to the initial research question and what the plan for proceeding is. Overall, there are 3 main questions to be covered in this chapter: 1. How did big studios fight back in past recessions? 2. How have technical developments influenced business in the past in different markets? 3. What are current issues in the industry? It also is evident that due to the newness of the topic chosen, there are certain constraints in terms of what kind of literature is currently available. Therefore the main sources cited are websites as well as primary research. 2.1 Comebacks of the Studios in Past Recessions After the first big Wall Street Crash in 1929, admissions rose by 58% compared to the previous year. (Entertainment times online, 2008) According to John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners in America, this means that â€Å"In the past four decades there have been seven recession years in this country, and the box office has climbed strongly in five of those years,† (Entertainment times online, 2008) According to the Academy of Management Journal (1996), between 1936 -1950 property based resources such as long-term contracts with stars and theatres helped financial performance to stabilize. Contrary to the period of 1951-65, when knowledge- based resources such as coordination and production talent and budgets increased financial performance. (Academy of Management Journal, 1996, pp. 519-543) Asking some of the most important and powerful people in the U.S. and UK movie industry shows that the majority believes that the current recession either is an opportunity or even a reason for rising sales. But what is the reason for that surprising success in economic downturns? Besides new technologies, which unfortunately are not always released at the right time, the studios decide to publish more comedies and action movies, to help the audience to escape from their monetary problems. In the USA, three of the top-five movies in terms of gross profit of 2009 are comedies: Mall Cop, Hes Just Not That into You and Bride Wars. (CNN movies, 2009) This permits us to draw the conclusion that a recession does not necessarily lead to a break-down of sales in the movie industry. But did past recessions really have no impact or even a positive impact on the movie industry? Not everyone agrees with the theory of increasing sales in recessions though. Gerald Peary, a documentary filmmaker and critic in Boston, Massachusetts, believes that the market will be flooded with intellectually less challenging movies since they are the ones that are more likely to succeed on the audience with smaller budget. In his opinion The dumber the movie is, sometimes, the more money it makes, which states that Those movies are somehow both critic proof and depression proof. (CNN movies, 2009) Another point of view is represented by Basinger, the film historian who assumes that it is still too soon to predict any trends concerning the recession and movies. She points out that recessions leads to faster changes in the movie scene. Also for her, going to the movies is not highly affected by the crisis, as it still is [] the cheapest and fullest way to abandon your troubles and lose yourself in a story. (CNN movies, 2009) Even in some of the worst recessions, economy ever has experienced, the movie industry mostly has been of the few sectors that was able to maintain its position in the market or even increase admissions. This is due to peoples not changing consumer behaviour. Even though they got affected by economic downturns, most of them still wanted to escape from their misery for a few hours. It also is an opportunity for independent film makers to realize low-budget productions, as movie studios get more cost- conscious when their stocks fall during a crisis. Henceforth studios prefer to invest little money in innovative productions and directors hoping for a reasonable return of investment. 2.2 Technological influence on Business in the past Around 120 years ago, films were little more than drawings that seemed to come alive with motion. Then, in 1877 Emile Reynaud had patented a machine, the ‘Praxinoscope, which projected seemingly moving paintings onto a screen. An upgrade of his invention, the Projection Praxinoscope, which was a large-scale Praxinoscope, got patented in 1888 and was used for public projection. Reynaud started to screen his films, accompanied by music on a regular base. Yet that early atmosphere and technology were very similar to today screenings. (Kinogeschichte, 2009) Using spools to feed and take-up the extended picture band, sequences were no longer limited to short cyclic movements. This was the first and important step for commercial use which has been so essential for successful cinematography. (Exeter, 2000) Nevertheless, there were still many issues concerning films, amongst other things the length of them or the lack of sound. To compensate this problem, it was tried to create a more realistic, narrative and psychological atmosphere using on-screen text and a pianist accompanying the film. Back in 1927, after the introduction of movies with full sound, cinema attendances jumped up from 57 million to 90 million in 1930 (Shmoop statistics, 2009) and made them even more popular. This demonstrates that introducing a revolutionary technology can lead to soaring attendances and higher box office sales for the studios. Also the lack of colour on screen was tried to be compensated to improve the movie experience. One of the first ideas was to tint the film reels but later prising companies such as ‘Technicolor and ‘Eastmancolor, made it possible to use new ways of colouring and achieved the objective of a deeper and more intense atmosphere. (Inventors library) Nowadays black/white movies disappeared almost completely from the world of movies. Although, the success of films like ‘Schindlers List (Steven Spielberg, 1993) and ‘Clerks (Kevin Smith, 1994) shows that it is still possible to achieve commercial and critical success with monochrome. (David Parkinson 1995, pg 112) After releasing the first full-colour, La Cucaracha (1934), coloured movies became more and more popular. In the late 1930s, the films,Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937, Disney), were a huge success. Last one still is considered a milestone as it was thefirstfeature-length animated film. (Filmsite, 2007) Introducing new, revolutionary technologies and giving them the chance to go to maturity stage of the product lifecycle always has been very profitable for movie studios. Be it the implementation of sound or the introduction of colour, people loved to spend their money on being amused in cinemas. 2.3. Current issues in the industry There are more problems and issues the movie industry has to deal with besides the current substantial crisis and recessions. These will be examined in the following sections. 2.3.1 Videogames as substitution goods Amongst many threats for the movie industry such as the highly developed internet, DVDs and an increasing amount of home activities, one of the main problems for the movie theatres and studios is the rising and durable success of videogames. First released in the 1980s, videogames have been designed for a significantly smaller target audience. This was attributed to the fact computers were still in the early stage of their product life cycle and thus the presence of computers in the average household was a much less common occurrence. The commercial use of computers was much more prominent during this period, than their household residential usage. Even with the introduction of platforms such as the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) in the 1990s, the Videogame industry was still viewed as a niche market. It was never anticipated to develop into a competitor of the movie industry as it is nowadays. Currently, the profit generated from videogames equates to that of their movie counterparts. Current trends indicate that consumers have a tendency to spend more on buying videogames as opposed to going to the movies which has been identified as a huge threat for the studios. Just recently, in the beginning of November 2009, Activision Blizzard Incs released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and anticipated more than $660 million in sales from 11-13 million sold units by the end of 2009. Also previous games were big hits in terms of sales as the table below shows. Top video games sales on their first day ( Reuters, 2009) Figure 1 These data can be compared to Top Hollywood worldwide opening weekends: ( Reuters, 2009) Figure 2 As aforementioned and illustrated by the tables (Figure 1 Figure 2) above, it is evident that data solidifies the trend that an increasing number of consumers are changing their consumer behaviour and purchasing videogames which they may enjoy at home. Another possibility for the rising success of videogames could be the fact of potential consumers rather staying home than spending money on transport for getting there and quite expensive snacks and drinks in the cinema. This data backs up the trend that more and more consumers tend to shift from going to the movies to buying videogames which they can enjoy at home. Even if they are more expensive (around $50/ unit depending on the platform) the duration of playing them is far higher than only two hours. This makes them a substitution good with which the studios have to deal with now and most likely even more in the future. On the other hand this also creates new opportunities for the movie and the game industry to work together and create profits by co-operating. This is already working in terms of converting movies to videogames but also the other way around. 2.3.2 Piracy Another very recent issue and problem for the movie industry is the rapid spread of illegal movie copies, also known as pirate copy. In 2007, downloads of movies rose by 50 % in Germany, mostly saved as digital copies. ( Welt online, 2009) According to The Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI), the cost of motion picture piracy is significant high and an essential threat to the studios and the whole industry. The loss for the movie industry was $6, 1 billion in 2006. Taking all industries into account that are related to the movies that number would add up to $20.5 billion annually. This means that not only the studios and related companies lose money. It also means that people are losing jobs. Piracy being absent, 141,030 new jobs would have been added to the U.S. economy in 2006 (IPI, 2006) Henceforth the studios are in an on-going war with the movie pirates trying to reduce losses. The enormous impact on U.S. and worldwide economy forced the industry to consider distinct strategie s to decrease or even stop piracy. Besides Ads, showing movie pirates chased by police and going to prison as for every other federal crime, the industry also adopted a hard line by suing them for compensation. This found its peak in sending four men to prison for one year and ordering them to pay $3.6 million of compensation to major film companies such as Warner Brothers, Columbia, Twentieth Century Fox, Sony BMG and EMI. (CNN Piracy, 2009) They operated a Swedish movie pirate website which has been judged of being illegal. In total, piracy and the recession have reduced DVD sales in the UK by around 10 % and in the US by even 13 %. The problem for the studios is that DVD sales are responsible for half a titles long-term profits and more than double the revenue than from tickets sold. (Independent Online 3D Revolution, 2010) Hence Hollywood always tries to find new ways of protecting their movies and anticipate copyright theft. Consequently they always need new technologies which cannot be hacked but according to Arwed Fischer (Fischer, 2010), it is almost impossible to find the perfect safety. Hackers are able to break any copy protection within days or hours. In fact, this made him quit the job as resources seem to be wasted on nothing. Critics on the other hand state that the way of how to calculate losses for the movie industry is neither transparent nor comprehensible. The studios claim that each single pirate copy is the same as one loss of attendance. This is one of the reasons why mentioned losses are extraordinary high. People that just downloaded the movie and never considered going to the cinema or buying it on DVD are not included in these statistics which makes them quite subjective. On the other hand, the new 3D technology makes studios feel quite safe at the moment as it yet is impossible to pirate 3D featured movies. Hence people who want to experience this new way of cinema must go to the m ovies and pay for their tickets. James Cameron also is aware of this unique selling point when he says: You can pirate a 3D movie but you cant pirate it in 3D, so you cant bottle that 3D experience. (New Yorker Online, 2009) Although this is a justifiable and legitimate objection, piracy remains one of the industries biggest problems. Even if not each ‘pirate can be considered a loss of attendance and ticket sales, it remains an act of stealing. The studios spend millions of Dollars to produce profitable movies which are linked to many jobs. That should not be undermined by downloading movies instead of going to see them in the cinemas and pay the entrance fee. 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction This chapter explains the approaches used to facilitate a precise and specific answer to the initial research question. In order to gather relevant and accurate information both, quantitative and qualitative data will be used. However the authors focus will be on qualitative data collection. The potential bias of primary is quite low due to a wide range of interview partners, all from different sides. Secondary data has been gathered under same criteria in order to minimise the risk of potential bias. Where, if possible, the author tried to look for alternative explanations and to show that he was aware of any potential bias. 3.2 Justification of Research Perspective Every research requires distinct methods recommended for structuring research programs. In this dissertation, it has been chosen to base all outcomes and results on actual data or professional forecasts like interviews, surveys and questionnaires. Copies of them can be found in the appendix. A high level of discipline was necessary and essential at the beginning of the research. Even though it got disappointing at some points, as the researcher took a wrong path, objectives from books by Mark Saunders (2009) helped the author to keep focused and motivated. According to Saunders * â€Å"Data are collected systematically * Data are interpreted systematically * There is a clear purpose; to find things out† (Saunders et al, 2009) 3.3 Primary Data Collection The author attempted to use all the important primary data collection methods such as interviews, networking and surveys in order to analyse the data objectively. This leads towards an accurate answer to the initial research question. Interviews with people from the movie industry such as former employees of copyright companies and cinema owners have given a deep insight into the topic. Interviewees are: * Arwed Fischer, former employee of X-Protect GmbH in Munich * Representative of the Kinopolis group, one of the biggest German cinema chains, who wants to stay anonymous. * Jan Fantl, producer, production manager and former director Several approaches for the interview structure have been considered and led to the following conclusion: Although unstructured interviews have the advantage of complete freedom in terms of content and structure ( Kumar R, 2005), the author of this report decided to mostly use structured or hybrid interviews for his research purposes. This represents a spot in-between the unstructured and structured interviews in Figure 3. That was given due to the fact that face-to face interview were not possible for a number of reasons such as travelling cost or lack of time of the interviewees. Nevertheless personal interviews would have given the author some advantages such as observing his interviewee as well as listening to him or the chance to gather the data more efficiently. (Hollwitz, J. Wilson, C.E. 41-52) Therefore it has been decided to make use of telephone interviews, which are far less costly than personal ones, and mail questionnaires which require accurate question design to match reading comprehension of the interviewees. (Using Structured Interviewing Techniques, 1991) Especially mail interviews have been proofed to be quite efficient because interviewees took their time to think about the questions before answering them. An online survey has been generated and distributed by the author of this report. 47 people aged 22- 50 and from 10 countries filled out this online survey which has been piloted before with 5 people in order to make it more precise and accurate for a wider audience. It was created on the 07.April 2010 and has been closed on the 07.May 2010 .To generate it the online platform www.surveymonkey.com has been used. The complete survey can be found in the appendix of this report. Due to easier access given times and resources it was not possible to have interviews in other countries like the USA or India. At a later point in this report it has been compared to another survey taken by Opinion Dynamics Corporation in 2005 before the 3D technology boomed yet. This will show the process and change of customers opinion on 3D movies. Also a questionnaire has been conducted by the author. It has been sent via to several people of the movie industry. The response rate was rather poor as asked peo ple seemed to be busy. Standard questions have been used in order to facilitate the collection of data and due to limitations in terms of time and resources. The questionnaire can be found in the appendices in section 8.1 As aforementioned, the potential bias has been considered in the evaluation process. Another option to be deemed is the use of a supervisor or mentor. He made sure that collected data was rather objective than subjective and could provide the author with constructive criticism. 3.4 Secondary Data Collection Thanks to a wider range of secondary data available, the author collected a lot of relevant information on the topic. He did this through a critical evaluation of literature, not only from the USA but also from Europe to accomplish a fair and accurate picture of the industry and its potential in the future. Parts of the research were also based on past and current trends and forecasts that justify arguments and recommendations. In order to sufficiently cut down the total amount of data, the author interpreted data sourced mainly from smaller subgroups rather than â€Å"all possible groups† (Saunders et al 2009, p 150 152)This method saves the author valuable time and also makes research and evaluation of data more efficient by using a smaller pool of information. As every other method, this one also has disadvantages, such as gathering the wrong kind of data or using irrelevant data which cannot answer the initial research question accurately. Also some academic literature such as the The Academy of Management Journal has been used to provide a different angle of the research question. A SWOT analysis on the current situation of the 3D Technology and outline possible threats and opportunities for the whole movie industry has been carried out. As a planning tool a SWOT analysis has many benefits like the simplicity of taking one. Nevertheless this can lead to problems like underestimating the value of a SWOT analysis or to an imprecise and weakly conducted analysis. (Ferrel Hardline, 2007, p. 119-120) More benefits can be seen in Figure 4: (Ferrel Hardline, 2007) Figure 4 3.5 Conclusion of Methodology Using all the aforementioned methods and approaches, the author attempted to find an accurate answer to the research question. Giving the reader a deep insight into the topic and a widespread view of the 3D Technology opportunities and risks has lead to a complete understanding of the subject. All data has been analyzed and evaluated neutrally so a conclusion has been objectively drawn. 4. Findings and Analysis This chapter starts with an explanation of the technical side of 3D technology used today followed by an overview of the history of 3D movies and a SWOT analysis. After that, the role of 3D movies in general and in combination with IMAX cinemas as well as the importance of Avatar will be discussed. The chapter will concluded with the comparison of two surveys (for further information please see research methodology) and a forecast. 4.1. How does 3D technology exactly work? First of all, the binocular vision system is based on the fact that the eyes of a human being are spaced 5 cm apart. Consequently each eye sees the picture from a different angle. At the same time the binocular vision system in a brain is using the difference to calculate the distance. The brain also has the ability to show a relationship between those images even though they are slightly different. The brain can choose objects in the two scenes and work out how far an object is between those images. (How Stuff works 3D glasses, 2010) The reason for wearing 3d glasses is to provide different images into your eyes. The movie screen in fact shows two different images and the glasses cause one of the images to go into one eye and the other one to enter the second eye. There are two widespread systems of doing it * Polarization: The majority of the big studios such as Disney or Universal the first choice are polarized lenses for the glasses because they allow colour viewing. Two synchronized projectors project two individual views onto the screen, each with a diverse polarization. The glasses only let one of the images to enter each eye because they hold lenses that are polarized as well. This is comparable with the polarization of sunglasses. (Filmindustry, 2009) * Red/Green or Red/ Blue. Since polarization cannot be used on a traditional TV screen (unlike on upcoming 3D TVs which will be dealt with later on in section 4.7) the red/green system is used. Again 2 images are displayed on the screen, one in red and one in blue/green. The filters of the glasses only allow one picture to enter each eye. The brain has to correlate those pictures as aforementioned. It is not really possible to use a nor

National ID cards in the UK: Debates For and Against

National ID cards in the UK: Debates For and Against â€Å"Introducing National ID cards in the United Kingdom.† The concept of this scheme to introduce National ID card in the UK, is so that any legal citizen of the United Kingdom should be able to confirm their identity simply by producing this card and therefore prove their right to be within the UK without argument. It will do this by holding enough personal data to specifically identify a person as the individual they are claiming to be without question. You may wonder why the Government feel this a necessary action and it seems the main aim of this scheme is that the National ID card is ultimately intended to assist with law enforcement predominantly in relation to terrorism and organised crime. One of the main criteria for this scheme therefore, is that the cards should not be easily forged so that anyone wishing to flout the law could do so easily. These cards are only intended to hold basic data about a person, only enough to prove their identity. However it seems the definition of this ‘basic data’ seems somewhat ambiguous. Primarily, for example, it is intended that the card will only hold information regarding a persons name, address, date of birth and address etc. Scratch the surface however, and it seems that the actual proposal for the ID card embraces much more technologically sophisticated designs because, as previously stated, it aims to avoid being easily forged. Therefore it is intended that it will also hold ‘biometric data,’ that is to say, data that proves a much more physical individuality, such as fingerprint impressions or iris scans. It will do this through implementing the opportunities now made available to us through the ever advancing forms of ICT (Information and Communication Technology). All this in mind it seems the introduction of National ID cards within the United Kingdom seems to be one of the most politically sensitive topics around at this current moment, with people arguing both in support and opposition of the scheme, regarding whether it will protect or control us. In the aftermath of September the 11th we had perhaps become more aware than we had been previously, that we were vulnerable to attack from Terrorists who despised the Western Capitalist Culture such as that which exists both within the UK and America where the attack took place. It was a shock to thousands, if not millions of us all over the world, as we were humbled to witness the devastation that this attack, and attacks like it can cause. For those in support of the National ID card, they claim that terrorist attacks would mean that it would be much more problematic for a terrorist trying to initiate a plan via an assumed false identity because of the designs previously outlined. The idea is that the authorities would question them too vigorously once they inevitably failed to produce a valid ID card, and therefore be obstruct their terrorist strategies. Indeed one of the most adamant supporters of this argument is Mr David Blunkett who is quoted as saying; â€Å"The ability to prove ones identity reliably is an ever-more important aspect of modern life.† (www.publictechnology.net/modules) Indeed Mr Blunketts perspective on this issue is that it represents the answer to our living in fear of attack, as the cards are proposed to be so technologically advanced they will be impossible to forge. Whether this is a valid claim remains to be seen. In addition, the scheme is also seen as a solution to serious and organised crime with the UK and also seemingly much more everyday issues such assisting in the efficiency of public services. Bases persuasive techniques on the basis that those with nothing to hide will only benefit. From this we can see both what the National ID card is intended to be, and why the Government in the main, support this scheme, particularly in light of the ‘War Against Terrorism†. However as previously mentioned, the National ID card scheme is a sensitive current affair and does seem to be becoming an increasing Political Hot Potato with concerns raising particularly in relation to our Human Right to privacy and how these may possibly be infringed upon by advancing forms of ICT. Even though a person may have nothing to hide they may feel that the schemes enforces extra control over them rather than protecting them. Despite assurances from the Government that only very basic data will be held on these cards and that only the Government and ourselves (subject to the Data Protection Act 1998) will have a right to access the information, we are aware that in order to make these cards practically impossible to forge the link has to be made between sophisticated forms of ICT in order to incorporate features such iris scans and fingerprint impressions etc. As a consequence of this, the use of modern technology seems to have caused panic through an idea that we will become a society under the constant supervision of ‘Big Brother’ and that everyone could potentially know our business. In short, there is an opposition to the National ID card as it is suggested it will impact upon our civil rights to privacy, and that rather than the scheme being one to protect us, it would ultimately become one to control us in perhaps what could be identified as a communist trait and therefore undermine the very structure of our current Capitalist society. Indeed an entire website named say ‘No2ID and the Database State’ is based on the very foundation of this argument. In comparison to the Governments webpage (www.identitycards.gov.uk) of ‘frequently asked questions,’ which only briefly touches on the issue. Notably only one question on this page related to ICT specifically and that didn’t really address the concern of ICT exposing our business, rather it related only to defining biometric data; â€Å"A biometric is a unique identifying physical characteristic. Examples include facial recognition, iris patterns and fingerprints.†( www.identitycards.gov.uk) Basically it would seem that those in oppostion tend to be in fear because the design of the cards is intended to be so advanced that most of us will not be able to fully understand the extent to which we are monitored by this scheme. In essence there seems to be an almost operantly conditioned response amongst the opposition, based on previous experience that our human rights will be sacrificed against our will and thus demolish the UK’s characteristic liberal approach to civil rights and its Capitalist structure. For example, as recently as the 27th November 2005 it was revealed by the Mail on Sunday that the database for the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA) is actually profiting by selling ‘our’ data to would be wheel clampers. The scenario being that for a small fee, car park attendants and wheel clampers could forward bills to motorists home addresses because they were provided with them by the DVLA. Indeed the DVLA were exposed as even allowing one wheel clamping company to purchase the information (for as little as  £2.50 per transaction) whose two bosses were actually already in prison for crimes of extorting money from the Motorist. From this we can see that even when respected organisations such as the DVLA are allowed to hold personal data on us we can sometimes be exploited in the pursuit of profit and therefore we can perhaps begin to understand the concerns arising over the National ID card. All this in mind, it is perhaps now relevant to apply this knowledge in order to assess how the scheme will affect the current structure of society within the UK. As a quick overview the UK exists as a Capitalist Society, which thrives on a democratic government and allows us our civil human rights such as the right to privacy. This would seem quite a positive description, especially in light of how civil rights have so vehemently been fought for in the past, particularly in relation to the movement to support the rights of black people that took place in America during the 1960’s. Indeed it is important to acknowledge that both those who support and oppose the scheme do so because they are fearful for the survival of that political societal structure, despite the extremities of approach to the topic i.e., 1. by believing the cards will protect us, or 2) that they will to undermine us. For those in support of the National ID card, it is perhaps a representation of reformism. Meaning that it seems to be an example of a Political Policy ‘whose object is to modify a political practice or aspect of social legislation without changing the fundamental political social structure.’ (Jary D Jary J, 1999) Yet for those in opposition that is not the case and the National ID would in fact change the fundamental political social structure. If as suggested by those in opposition to the scheme that we will become a ‘database state’ surely we are changing the fundamental political structure of our society as we seem to be relinquishing a great deal of our privacy in order to accommodate such concepts. The concern is that we may perhaps ‘sleep walk’ our way over to a more politically left / socialist standpoint and therefore sacrifice our Capitalist structure which arguably at this point in time defines the UK. If this is the case then we cou ld perhaps argue that the decision to defend ourselves against terrorists would in fact actually result in us allowing the terrorists to win, as the Capitalist structure would in fact wither naturally. One of the most prevalent characteristics of society within the United Kingdom is surely that of Capitalism, and indeed one of the main reasons we are vulnerable to terrorist attacks by organisations like Al-Qaeda who oppose it. Whilst there are variations to the definitions of Capitalism as it is notoriously difficult to define, it would seem that the rejection of centralised control is one of the most prevalent motivations of a Capitalist structure. If we were to take on board those, for example who adamantly profess to say No2ID, then we would arguably be acting in the interest on maintaining our social structure of a Capitalist state as they are rejecting avenues for an influx of databases that may ultimately result in a society which will exist via centralised control in this case through the medium of databases. What’s next providing babies with barcodes? What makes this topic so complex henceforth is that those who are on the other of the fence and support scheme such as Mr Blunkett are in fact motivated by this very same desire to preserve and protect our Capitalist state, and so it seems that this is one of the rare political topics that actually where the aim is actually agreed upon by the majority of the nation even if the method is disputed. As alluded to earlier all sorts of arguments exist in relation to the ID card and specifically the impact ICT. We might feel that we could be blinded by science and exploited. We might also be justified in feeling that our personal privacy would be exploited by corrupt people in power (as is alleged to have happened via the DVLA), however it is also felt a necessary ploy in order to avoid counterfeit duplication. All possibly valid arguments, however, what hasn’t been discussed is the actual practical application of this scheme. If, we were to embrace Mr Blunketts main reasoning for the scheme, then surely Police would be encouraged to stereotype and stop those who they felt could possibly be terrorists. In light of the threat from Al-Qaeda this is surely likely to result in a cultural divide, as they would likely stop Asian people thought to dominate the Islamic religion, rather than white people. In relation to the topic of the Civil Rights movement, mentioned earlier, we wo uld arguably be promoting a shift back towards racism. Since the UK is a place that manages to embrace aspects of Liberalism (a concept which promotes such tolerance of religion and personal and economic freedom) without challenging the Capitalism in society, the introduction of the ID card would arguably be a backlash against such positive traits and be quite disappointing. Whether in support of the ID card or in extreme opposition, it does seem that it is inevitable as talks persist and plans continue. It would seem that both sides of this argument have a substantial weight to them. However, change and diversity within society is surely inevitable. It’s surely what defines our history and characterises our culture. For the UK, it would seem that the National ID card will be one of those most significant changes to occur in the next few years. Yet surely it is better to evolve than remain in a static culture otherwise we would never advance. Surely a risk is worth taking even if we are not always in agreement or sure of the consequences. Bibliography Cushing, S (2001) Information and Communication Technology: London: Letts Educational Donnellan, C (2004) Protecting Our Privacy: Cambridge: MWL Print Group Jary, D Jary, J. (1999) Sociology: Leicester: HarperCollins Publishers Websites www.identitycards.gov.uk http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3568468.stm www.news-from-newspapers.com/en/Wikipedia.org/2005/04/21/Capitalism.html http://www.no2id.net/ www.publictechnology.net/modules) http://www.spy.org.uk/spyblog/2005/11/ (Mail on Sunday 27th November 2005) http://www.timesonline.co.uk

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Page 1 of 3 3803 The Treaty of Versailles. (buy this paper) This eleven-page undergraduate paper discusses the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War in terms of the Allies' desire for vengeance, the treaty's punishing territorial provisions, the unrealistic war reparations payments demanded of Germany, and the dire consequences these had upon chances for future peace. 11 pgs. Bibliography lists 5 sources. Filename: 3803 Treaty of Versailles.doc Price: $98.45 3922 The Causes of World War One. (buy this paper) This paper evaluates the causes of the First World War. It shows how scholars have pointed to the forces of nationalism, militarism and imperialism to explain the origins of the conflict. The war was certainly caused by the collision of interests between imperial powers. Overall, the paper reveals that the historiographical debate surrounds the issue of whether it was individual events or underlying forces that caused the war. 6 pgs. Bibliography lists 3 sources. Filename: 3922 World War One.doc Price: $ 53.70 6815 "In viewing the possible impact of the United States towards the War effort "over there", did the United States turn the tide of battle, that is, in all facets, economically, and militarily, did the impact of the United States entry into World War I enable the allies to achieve victory---YES OR NO?" (buy this paper) This is a 6-page paper in MLA style that states that World War I was won on the basis of the entrance of the Americans who through their military and economic help changed the tide of the war. 6 pgs. Bibliography lists 7 sources. Filename: 6815 US War Efforts.doc Price: $53.70 10247 Influence on Public Opinion in World War One. (buy this paper) This 4-pages undergraduate paper examines the role played by intellectuals and of propaganda in the World War I era. 4 pgs. Bibliography list 3 sources. Filename: 10247 Public Opinion War.doc Price: $35.80 2228 The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (buy this paper) This paper looks at the bombing by the Americans on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as an inevitable decision to avoid a long drawn out war with Japan. Essentially, the decision to bomb was the lesser of two evils. 10.5 pgs. 21 f/c. 10b. Filename: 2228 Bombing Hiroshima Nagasaki.doc Price: $89.50 2079 The American Decision to Use a Nuclear Weapon on Hiroshima. (buy this paper) 13 pgs. 17 f/c. 12b. Filename: 2079 American Decision Nuclear.

Robinson Crusoe :: Free Essay Writer

Robinson Crusoe Robinson Crusoe was written by Daniel Defoe. The novel was firstpublished in 1719. It tells the story of a young explorer who becomes maroonedon a deserted island. His experiences of the island change his outlook on life. Daniel Defoe was a short story writer that came from an poor family.Defoe was poor for most of his life and made his living as a butcher and awriter. Defoe mostly wrote short stories and political essays. Robinson Crusoewas a combination of two short stories. Many believe Defoe used RobinsonCrusoe to portray himself in a certain ways. The description was almostidentical to his own and after his wife left him, he felt as if he was marooned on a deserted island. The story takes place in the 1700s on a deserted island somewhere off thecoast of Brazil. The island is fairly large in size and has a small shore. Theinterior of the island has many trees, wild pigs and other small animals and asmall cave in which Crusoe stores food. I walked about the shore lifting up my hands. Look around, I see nothing but water, a forest, and the remains of my ship. At first, I was afraid of wild animals but after some exploration of the land, the only animals I had seen were wild pigs, squirrels, and some small birds.The only possessions that Crusoe retrieved from the remains of his ship were asmall knife, a box of tabacco, a pipe, and a small book that would later becomehis journal. Robinson Crusoe was a young and stubborn explorer. He was extremelytall and strong. His stay on the island changed him from a mean, stubborn manto an open-minded protestant. Standing at six feet, two inches and having my long, thick brown hair back in a ponytail, I felt as if I was eight feet tall. Without the permission of my parents, I was still sailing away from the misery. I held the cargo box is my strong arms, waiting to board my beautiful ship.Crusoe became a skilled craftsman and was an extremely religious man due tohis stay on the island. Being the only man on the entire island, he established afaith in God. He also became more articulate from writing in a journal daily.Overall, his stay on the island changed Crusoe's life greatly. As the story begins, Robinson Crusoe defies his parents and sets out tosea. Crusoe encounters a series of violent storms at sea and ends up in Africa.

Yes to Guns! No to Gun Control!

Yes to guns! No to gun control! Banning Guns Cannot Prevent School Shootings! Imagine yourself at the scene of the Virginia Tech shooting. You hide under the desk that you were sitting at peacefully just moments ago. Gun shots ring though the air as you sit curled up on the cold floor, wondering who the next victim of the evil rampage will be. Don’t you wish you could have had a gun in this moment? Don’t you wish you had a way to defend yourself against the murderer? Because we cannot go back in time, we cannot know how differently the Virginia Tech shooting could have turned out if one of the victims had possessed a gun.We can, however, analyze this and other school shootings to see how they could have been different. Thirty-one states currently have laws allowing concealed handguns for adults with no criminal record or history of mental disorders. The cause of concealed-carry has grown over the past decade or two. More and more people are realizing how much of a posit ive difference allowing guns can really make. Banning guns on campuses doesn’t protect students. Rather, the policy only endangers those who are ethical enough to follow the law.Outlaws are the only ones who will have guns if guns are outlawed. This means that criminals will have guns, and law-abiding civilians will not. Students and teachers should be allowed to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. In 1997 in Pearl Mississippi, a shooter was stopped by an assistant principal who had retrieved a gun from his car. Because he was not allowed to bring his gun into the school, the assistant principal could not stop the shooting earlier. If he would have been allowed to bring his gun into the school, the lives of the shot students could have been saved.In Edinboro, Pennsylvania, in 1998, a passerby stopped a shooter who was reloading his gun by pointing a shotgun at him until the police arrived. If it were not for this civilian, the shooter would have been able to finish reloading his gun and continue his massacre. If a person bearing a gun had not been on the scene at either one of these shootings, much more damage could have been done by the shooters. Sharp-minded civilians with guns, however, were present at both of those school shootings. Without anyone even firing a shot, both of these tragedies were prevented from becoming worse.For a more recent example, consider the Virginia Tech shooting. Obviously, there was no student or teacher with a gun at the scene of the shooting. As I stated before, we cannot know if the tragedy could have turned out differently if someone would have shot the shooter. We can logically see how the tragedy could have been prevented by a student with a gun, though. Imagine if a student or teacher would have pulled a gun on and shot the Seung-Hui Cho before he began shooting people in the classroom. Dozens of lives could have been saved by that quickly-thought action.There is no possibility that someone with a concealed gun would have been on the scene, however, because concealed weapons are not allowed on the Virginia Tech campus. Almost any mass shooting could be prevented by a quick-thinking civilian with a concealed gun. Because one of the criteria for owning a concealed-carry permit is that the owner must be somewhat proficient at shooting, there is a good chance that a murderous gunner could be stopped by one bullet. Banning concealed handguns really doesn’t protect anyone.If a person is intent on killing someone, or is intent on killing a mass of people, he will do it. Someone who is willing to go against the law and kill someone, or kill a number of people, will not mind going against the law about carrying a gun on a campus. And even if a murderer does not bring a gun onto campus, there are many other ways to kill someone, such as a knife, baseball bat, or even bare hands. Guns themselves really aren’t the problem, in fact, â€Å"Guns aren’t bad things or good things . They’re things, inanimate objects, and chunks of metal with no will of their own. So if people bent on murdering will murder, people who will be the victims of the murderer should have some way to defend themselves. The best way for a person to defend themselves against an attacker is a gun, simply because it is so deadly. In a study that analyzed the relationship between concealed handgun laws and crime rates between 1977 and 1995, the effect of those laws was clearly seen. In those 19 years, states that passed laws allowing concealed-carry guns saw an 84% decline in multiple-victim shootings.In addition, after concealed-carry laws had been established for 5 years, murders decreased by at least 15%. Some people say that we cannot trust civilians with concealed handguns in mass-shooting situations because they might shoot an innocent bystander instead of the murderer. As I stated before, however, one of the criteria for obtaining a concealed-carry permit is that the owner m ust be somewhat proficient at shooting. There is a small chance that someone with a concealed handgun would shoot the wrong person in a space the size of a classroom. Others contend that small arguments could turn into shooting battles.I can see why some of my opponents would think this, but people are just as likely to shoot each other over small arguments as they are to strangle each other or stab each other. One of the requirements for a concealed-carry permit owner is, as I stated earlier, that he or she is mentally sound. People who are right in their minds will not attempt to kill someone with whom they have a minor disagreement. And if a person is bent on killing another, they will find a way to do it. According to Craig Medred, editor of the â€Å"Outdoors† magazine, â€Å"The problem isn’t the weapon of choice, it’s the anger.It doesn’t make any difference whether a killer has a gun, a knife, or a crowbar. Guns are used defensively 2. 5 million times every year. There has been many times over the past decades that multiple-victim shootings are prevented by civilians with concealed guns. Because there are people who are bent on killing others, the victims should have an effective method of defending themselves. Namely, they should be able to defend themselves with a gun. Banning guns doesn’t actually protect anybody, so people should be allowed to carry a concealed gun if they wish. Many lives could be saved if concealed handguns were allowed on college campuses.

The Defensive Mechanisms in Ordinary People by Judith Guest

Ordinary People by Judith Guest is the story of a dysfunctional family who relate to one another through a series of extensive defense mechanisms, i. e. an unconscious process whereby reality is distorted to reduce or prevent anxiety. The book opens with seventeen year old Conrad, son of upper middle-class Beth and Calvin Jarrett, home after eight months in a psychiatric hospital, there because he had attempted suicide by slashing his wrists. His mother is a meticulously orderly person who, Jared, through projection, feels despises him. She does all the right things; attending to Jared's physical needs, keeping a spotless home, plays golf and bridge with other women in her social circle, but, in her own words â€Å"is an emotional cripple†. Jared's father, raised in an orphanage, seems anxious to please everyone, a commonplace reaction of individuals who, as children, experienced parental indifference or inconsistency. Though a successful tax attorney, he is jumpy around Conrad, and, according to his wife, drinks too many martinis. Conrad seems consumed with despair. A return to normalcy, school and home-life, appear to be more than Conrad can handle. Chalk-faced, hair-hacked Conrad seems bent on perpetuating the family myth that all is well in the world. His family, after all, â€Å"are people of good taste. They do not discuss a problem in the face of the problem. And, besides, there is no problem. † Yet, there is not one problem in this family but two – Conrad's suicide and the death by drowning of Conrad's older brother, Buck. Conrad eventually contacts a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, because he feels the â€Å"air is full of flying glass† and wants to feel in control. Their initial sessions together frustrate the psychiatrist because of Conrad's inability to express his feelings. Berger cajoles him into expressing his emotions by saying, â€Å"That's what happens when you bury this junk, kiddo. It keeps resurfacing. Won't leave you alone. † Conrad's slow but steady journey towards healing seems partially the result of cathartic revelations which purge guilt feelings regarding his brother's death and his family's denial of that death, plus the â€Å"love of a good woman. Jeannine, who sings soprano to Conrad's tenor†¦ † There is no doubt that Conrad is consumed with guilt, â€Å"the feeling one has when one acts contrary to a role he has assumed while interacting with a significant person in his life,† This guilt engenders in Conrad feelings of low self esteem. Survivors of horrible tragedies, such as the Holocaust, frequently express similar feelings of worthlessness. In his book, â€Å"Against All Odds†, William Helmreich relates how one survivor articulates a feeling of abandonment. â€Å"Did I abandon them, or did they abandon me? † Conrad expresses a similar thought in remembering the sequence of events when the sailboat they were on turned over. Buck soothes Conrad saying, â€Å"Okay, okay. They'll be looking now, for sure, just hang on, don't get tired, promise? In an imagined conversation with his dead brother, Conrad asks, â€Å"‘Man, why'd you let go? ‘ ‘Because I got tired. ‘ ‘The hell! You never get tired, not before me, you don't! You tell me not to get tired, you tell me to hang on, and then you let go! ‘ ‘I couldn't help it. Well, screw you, then! ‘† Conrad feels terrible anger with his brother, but cannot comfortably express that anger. His psychiatrist, after needling Conrad, asks, â€Å"Are you mad? When Conrad responds that he is not mad, the psychiatrist says, â€Å"Now that is a lie. You are mad as hell. † Conrad asserts that, â€Å"When you let yourself feel, all you feel is lousy. † When his psychiatrist questions him about his relationship with his mother, Calvin says, â€Å"My mother and I do not connect. Why should it bother me? My mother is a very private person. † This sort of response is called, in psychological literature, â€Å"rationalization†. We see Conrad's anger and aggression is displaced, i. e. vented on another, as when he physically attacked a schoolmate. Yet, he also turns his anger on himself and expresses in extreme and dangerous depression and guilt. â€Å"Guilt is a normal emotion felt by most people, but among survivors it takes on special meaning. Most feel guilty about the death of loved ones whom they feel they could have, or should have, saved. Some feel guilty about situations in which they behaved selfishly (Conrad held on to the boat even after his brother let go), even if there was no other way to survive. In answer to a query from his psychiatrist on when he last got really mad, Conrad responds, â€Å"When it comes, there's always too much of it. I don't know how to handle it. † When Conrad is finally able to express his anger, Berger, the psychiatrist says to Calvin, â€Å"Razoring is anger; self-mutilation is anger. So this is a good sign; turning his anger outward at last. † Because his family, and especially his mother, frowns upon public displays of emotion, Conrad keeps his feelings bottled up, which further contributes to depression. Encyclopedia Britannica, in explicating the dynamics of depression states, â€Å"Upon close study, the attacks on the self are revealed to be unconscious expressions of disappointment and anger toward another person, or even a circumstance†¦ deflected from their real direction onto the self. The aggression, therefore, directed toward the outside world is turned against the self. † The article further asserts that, â€Å"There are three cardinal psychodynamic considerations in depression: (1) a deep sense of loss of what is loved or valued, which may be a person, a thing or even liberty; (2) a conflict of mixed feelings of love and hatred toward what is loved or highly valued; (3) a heightened overcritical concern with the self. † Conrad's parents are also busily engaged in the business of denial. Calvin, Conrad's father, says, â€Å"Don't worry. Everything is all right. By his own admission, he drinks too much, â€Å"because drinking helps†¦ , deadening the pain†. Calvin cannot tolerate conflict. Things must go smoothly. â€Å"Everything is jello and pudding with you, Dad. † Calvin, the orphan says, â€Å"Grief is ugly. It is something to be afraid of, to get rid of†. â€Å"Safety and order. Definitely the priorities of his life. He constantly questions himself as to whether or not he is a good father. â€Å"What is fatherhood, anyway? † Beth, Conrad's mother, is very self-possessed. She appears to have a highly developed super-ego, that part of an individual's personality which is â€Å"moralistic†¦ , meeting the demands of social convention, which can be irrational in requiring certain behaviors in spite of reason, convenience and common sense†. She is furthermore, a perfectionist. â€Å"Everything had to be perfect, never mind the impossible hardship it worked on her, on them all. † Conrad is not unlike his mother. He is an overachiever, an â€Å"A† student, on the swim team and a list-maker. His father tells the psychiatrist, â€Å"I see her not being able to forgive him. For surviving, maybe. No, that's not it, for being too much like her. † A psychoanalyst might call her anal retentive. Someone who is â€Å"fixated symbolically in orderliness and a tendency toward perfectionism†. â€Å"Excessive self-control, not expressing feelings, guards against anxiety by controlling any expression of emotion and denying emotional investment in a thing or person. â€Å"She had not cried at the funeral†¦. She and Conrad had been strong and calm throughout. The message of the book is contained in Berger's glib saying that, â€Å"People who keep stiff upper lips find that it's damn hard to smile†. We see Conrad moving toward recovery and the successful management of his stage of development, as articulated by Erikson, â€Å"intimacy vs. isolation†. At story end, his father is more open with Conrad, moving closer to him, while his mother goes off on her own to work out her issues. Both trying to realize congruence in their development stage (Erikson), â€Å"ego integrity vs. despair†.