How to Add WordPress HTTPS to Your Website and Improve SEO

Back in 2014, Google made the announcement that HTTPS was officially a ranking factor for Google search. That one little decision took HTTPS from thing that only eCommerce stores need to worry about to something every WordPress user should implement if they want to maximize their search rankings. But as important as it is, WordPress HTTPS is, thankfully, also surprisingly easy to implement. Heres how to add WordPress HTTPS to your website.In this post, Im going to show you exactly how to add HTTPS to WordPress using a live production site. Ill cover everything from implementing HTTPS  on your WordPress site to updating Google Analytics and the Google Search Console.Step 1: Add WordPress HTTPS by installing your SSL certificateWeve already discussed some sources for cheap WordPress SSL certificates, so you might want to take a quick detour there if youre not sure where to get started. Because SSL certificates are what get you the HTTPS connection for your WordPress site, the two ter ms will be used interchangeably in this article.If youre using shared hosting, the easiest SSL certificate for you to implement is Lets Encrypt. As Sufyan discussed, Lets Encrypt certificates have the advantage of being both free and widely supported by hosting providers.That second point is essential, because unless youre hosting your WordPress site on a dedicated server, youll need your hosts support to install an SSL certificate.So, to get your Lets Encrypt SSL certificate installed, I recommend you contact your hosts support or consult their knowledge base. Unfortunately, I cant give you exact instructions because the specific process will vary depending on your host.For example, with SiteGround I just need to click one button in my cPanel, but your host might be different:Once your SSL certificate is installed, you can verify that its active by going to https://yourdomain.com. If the certificate is properly installed, you should see something like this:Google is telling you tha t the SSL certificate is active, but the connection still isnt 100% private due to some issues well fix in the next step.On the other hand, if your WordPress HTTPS  is not properly installed, youll encounter something like below and will need to contact your host:Step 2: Install and configure the Really Simple SSL pluginRemember how I said you need to fix some issues to make your SSL certificate function properly? The Really Simple SSL plugin is the easiest way to do that.Google gives that connection is private BUT warning because your WordPress site still includes images or other media which are inserted using the regular http:// URL, rather than your new https:// URL. To fix the issue, you need to go back and update every single image link to https://.Luckily, you dont need to do that manually. The Really Simple SSL plugin will handle that for you. The plugin will also make two other important changes:It updates the URL for your site to HTTPS in the WordPress settings.It adds a 301 redirect to send all human and search engine traffic to the HTTPS versions of your pages. This is essential to avoid a potential duplicate content penalty in Google.To handle all of this, install and activate Really Simple SSL. Really Simple SSL Author(s): Rogier Lankhorst, Mark WoltersCurrent Version: 3.2.6Last Updated: October 15, 2019really-simple-ssl.3.2.6.zip 98%Ratings 19,039,878Downloads WP 4.6+Requires After the activation, you should see a popup like this:Click Go ahead, activate SSL! After clicking the button, youll likely get signed out of your dashboard and be asked to sign in again. Dont worry this is a natural consequence of changing your WordPress URL from HTTP to HTTPS. Just sign in again with your normal username/password.You should see that the URLs in your General Settings now have HTTPS:To make sure all the other SSL settings were properly updated, go to Settings → SSL.  You should see green checkmarks next to all the settings:Step 3: Verify WordPress HTTPS  success on the front-endNow, you should go to the public parts of your site and verify two things:First, make sure that if you enter your URL as http://yourdomain.com, it automatically redirects you to https://yourdomain.com.Then, make sure that you see the green padlock on all of your sites pages. If youre using Google Chrome, it should look like this:Thats all you need to do to add WordPress HTTPS! But, you still need to take care of a couple housekeeping issues if youre using Google Analytics, a CDN, and/or Google Search Console.Step 4: Update your sites URL in Google AnalyticsTo keep your stat tracking accurate, you need to change your URL in Google Analytics from HTTP to HTTPS. To do that, go to Admin → Property Settings. Then, change the dropdown from http:// to https:// under the Default URL setting:Make sure to save your settings. The tracking code you added to your WordPress site will stay exactly the same, so you dont need to update anything beyo nd this page.Step 5: Create a new property in Google Search ConsoleUnfortunately, if youre using Google Search Console, you cant just simply change the URL for your site. So, to create an updated property, youll need to create a new version for HTTPS. Go to the Google Search Console site and click Add Property:Notice how I have two versions for my portfolio site? Thats because I recently switched it to HTTPS.Follow the steps to add your site. You should also add a sitemap for the HTTPS version of your site:Once youve added the HTTPS version of your site, everything about Search Console will function just like before.Step 6: Update CDN  URL to HTTPSIf youre using a CDN (content delivery network), youll likely need to update your URL in your CDN settings as well. Because the exact process will depend on the specific CDN youre using, I cant give you specific instructions.You should contact your CDN or review your CDNs support documents to determine if/how you can update your URL to H TTPS.If you have no idea what a CDN is, you can totally ignore this step!Step 7: Update any links you control to HTTPSIf you link to your WordPress site from any social media profiles or other external sites, you should update all of these links to point to the HTTPS version of your site. You can also email any friendly webmasters who link to you and ask them to update the URL to your site.This isnt an absolute necessity because the Really Simple SSL plugin added 301 redirects to automatically send HTTP traffic to HTTPS. But, it is a best practice, and eliminates the need for redirects.Will switching to WordPress HTTPS cause a temporary rankings dip?Google has been pretty clear that SSL is a positive ranking factor. But, some people are worried that the actual process of switching to WordPress HTTPS  might cause a temporary rankings dip.I only recently decided to add WordPress HTTPS  for my site, so I cant say whether it will affect organic rankings from firsthand experience (Go ogle hasnt re-crawled my site yet). But I have read quite a bit about the subject and the general consensus seems to be that there is no significant temporary rankings dip. As far as URL changes go, this is a pretty minor one, and one that Google can easily understand.If you have any further questions about how to add WordPress HTTPS, let me know in the comments, and Ill try to help!Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

Capital Punnishment essays

Capital Punnishment essays Capital Punishment for the Mentally Retarded In my opinion, people who have mental retardation should not be executed for the crimes that they are accused of. There are many reasons for my answer. By definition capital punishment is an execution of a criminal who is convicted of a crime, otherwise known as punishment by death. It can be carried out in various different ways: lethal injection, electrocution and gas chamber, only to name a few. By definition mental retardation is a lifelong condition of impaired or incomplete mental development. A person is considered to be mentally retarded if he or she has the following three specific characteristics. The first characteristic is a significantly sub average intellectual functioning, or an intellectual functioning level (IQ) below 75 . The average IQ in the United States is considered to be a 100; therefore an IQ of 75 and below is significantly below the average American IQ. For a grown adult to have an IQ of 75 or below is equivalent to that of a child in the third grade. The second characteristic that defines a person who is mentally retarded is a concurrent and related limitation in two or more adaptive skill areas. This means that a person with mental retardation cannot communicate to the level of an average person; they do not have adept social skills; they have no self-direction; and they cannot work for a living. Basically they cannot live on their own because they are not only mentally, but physically as well, unable to care for themselves. They cannot reach the levels of maturity that they should be able to when they reach a certain age. The third, and last, characteristic that helps to determine a person with mental retardation is manifestation before age eighteen, or for the condition to be present by the age of eighteen. There are many factors that can contribute to a person having mental retardation. A few causes relate to genetics or are ...

International Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Human Resource Management - Essay Example In such circumstances, it becomes difficult for the employees working in foreign countries to cope with culture that drastically varies in almost all aspects of the business (Ronny et al., 2007). This may create stressful impact on the expatriate employees. Hence, it becomes necessary for the organisation to provide necessary cross-cultural training to those employees selected for relocation in the foreign countries (Xu, 2011). Literature Review According to Nikolaeva (2010), it is vital for the organisations to provide and prepare expatriates with extensive training before departure in order to ensure that the expatriates are familiar with the cultural differences between the native and the host country. Accordingly, the author emphasises that proper training is extremely necessary for the expatriates, which should reduce any possibility of cultural shock (Nikolaeva, 2010). As per Scagliotti and Mujtaba (2010), pre-departure training creates a comprehensive support system for the ex patriates and makes them familiar with the foreign culture that extensively helps them to reduce their stress in the foreign land. At the same time, they claim that providing cross-cultural training to the expatriates helps the entire organisation to gain substantial knowledge of the cultural differences between the native and the host nation (Scagliotti and Mujtaba, 2010). According to Morrison and Conaway (2007), the organisation operating internationally may suffer from the cultural shock which may hurt its profitability and render organisational initiatives to be inefficient. Hence, it is necessary for the organisation

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 99

Case Study Example Resistance is likely, as was the case of Cisco, and unless an organization has an effective leader who can initiate and influence implementation of the organizational structure, emulation is likely to fail. The organizational structure allows for exchange of ideas among employees and executives and therefore offers opportunities for developments into competitive advantage. Product differentiation and low cost products are some of the advantages that the organizational structure may initiate. Innovation into new â€Å"product design,† product reengineering, â€Å"product innovation,† and new operational procedures for cost effectiveness are some the strategies to competitive advantages that the organizational structure aids (Lamb, Hair, and McDaniel 41). Development of models for product differentiation and niche definition are other positive effects of the innovative environment, which the organizational structure facilitate, and aid competitive advantage. With its organizational structure, Cisco is likely to attract team players as employees. Such type of employees demonstrates qualities such as reliability, communication skills, proactive, cooperative, committed, respectful, and supportive (Brounstein n.p.). This prediction does not bode well with the future, as the new generation of workers prefers independence in

Hinduism - Krishna Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hinduism - Krishna - Essay Example When Devaki got married to Vasudeva, a voice was heard from the sky saying that one of Devaki’s children would kill Kamsa. The voice further stated that the son that would bring about the death of Kamsa would be Devaki’s eighth son. This made Kamsa very frightened and infuriated that he unsheathed his sword with an intention of killing his sister Devaki. However, Vasudeva (Devaki’s husband) implored Kamsa to spare the life of Devaki with the promise that each of the child born would be delivered to Kamsa. In reluctance, Kamsa agreed but imprisoned both Devaki and Vasudeva. When Devaki delivered her first child, the child was slaughtered by Kamsa and his henchmen. This happened each time a child was delivered for the first six children. However, Lord Vishnu intervened during the birth of the seventh and eighth child. It is said that Lord Vishnu assured Devaki and Vasudeva that he would not let them succumb to fate and that he had a plan to rescue the child and the people of Mathura in general. In Gokula, a cowherd’s chief wife had given birth to a daughter. Vasudeva was required to deliver Krishna to the cowherd and in exchange brings the cowherd’s daughter back to the prison. When Vasudeva delivered Krishna to Gokula to the cowherd’s homestead, he found the door open and after the exchange, Vasudeva went back to the prison with Yoshida (cowherd’s wife) baby. When Kamsa went to the prison to kill the baby, a hand reached out from heaven and grabbed the baby before it could be struck with the blade. The baby was later transformed into a goddess Yomagaya. It is said that the goddess Yomagaya asked Kamsa how he would have benefited by killing her while his nemesis had already been born somewhere else. It was during his youth that Lord Krishna killed Kamsa and reinstated Ugrasen as the supreme king of Mathura. The birth of Krishna is considered as a transcendent phenomenon that continues to draw awe and disbelief among the people of Hindu

Protecting Children from Internet Risks

Protecting Children from Internet Risks Risk and consequences of the internet and mobile phones The Internet can be a wonderful tool for learning, but as well as accessing educational information also has the possibility those children may access inappropriate information whilst online. Within the school setting children will have some protection, as school networks will have specialist software to block inappropriate websites. Mobile phones There will be some children within the school setting who have access to the Internet at break and lunchtimes on their phones without censored search engines and it is important to be vigilant for any pupils who may be accessing and sharing inappropriate content with other children (children are more likely to be warned about bringing mobile phones on to school premises). Children are becoming more and more interested in IT by using mobile phones, laptops, iPods, computers etc and should be monitored in and out of the school. Mobile phones can be used appropriately rather than inappropriately as they could be used to communicate with their parents for forgetting work, PE clothes, school bags etc, but can also have devastating consequences for children if they are used inappropriately. Mobile phones can be used as a forum of bullying, both inside and outside the school setting. The support assistant needs to be watchful and should monitor mobile phone use in the classroom, at break ti mes and lunchtimes to see what children are using them for. Most school’s have a policy for no mobile phones to be used or brought onto the school premises, as they can be sued to send abusive and threatening text across the classroom to bully and intimidate others. Children sometimes hide their mobile phones in their pencil cases, up their blazer sleeves or under jumpers and will take any opportunity to get them out quickly when they think they are not being watched, so it is important to be vigilant at all times. The table below shows the risks and consequences of mobile phones and then Internet. Mobile phones Internet Can issue inappropriate content, pornography, cyber chatting (can lead to meeting strangers online and sharing of personal information)-paedophiles and other strangers could take advantage. Online harassment, through e-mails, chat rooms, face book and other files that can be accessed. This could lead to suicide, self harming, mental breakdown etc. Text messages- can be used to torment victims and at any time of the day or night. Cyber bullying to hurt, upset, harass or embarrass others (could lead to suicide as a result) Images or videos can be taken without others consent or knowledge and can be posted online. Identity theft- could lead to a child’s or adult’s identity being stolen as personal information has been shared. Texting- sexually suggestive or explicit messages or photographs (could lead to the victim self harming or committing suicide) The child could be located in the real world by paedophiles etc which could lead to murder, rape and other upsetting factors. Late night texting- can lead to tiredness, lack of concentration, and an inability to function in normal day to day activities at school. Pornography can be easily located through the Internet, and misleading young girls to do things like stripping, prostitution, drug taking, alcohol consumption etc Theft of expensive mobile phones could cause upset. Chat rooms- could be chatting to the wrong person and leading them to run away from home (could lead to murder) Health issues of long term usage of mobile phones. Could get involved with gambling online which could be addicted in the long term. All these negative risks and possible consequences can be controlled by positive parenting strategies for the use of the Internet and mobile phones. The following could be used to control this. Talk often to the child about their safety Set ground rules for using the Internet and mobile phones (have penalties if this is abused) When and where the mobile can be used Do not let other children use your mobile phone for the use of the Internet No sending of mean or unkind messages via mobile phones or email on the Internet Think carefully about what you search for on the Internet, once shared images they cannot be reversed Be discreet in your use of your mobile phone; do not flash it around as it is a target for thieves. Monitor your child’s Internet sites they have looked at Be a good role model Have some daily routine by only using the Internet for one hour a day Take sensible precautions Online bullying and social networking The popularity of social networking sites increase year on year, and although the minimum age to hold an account is 13 years of age, children younger than this are creating accounts or getting family members to make accounts for them. Children are being bullied when using social networking and are suffering at the hands of bullies that are now finding that there is no respite at home as bullying becomes more of a cyber issue. Social networking and cyber bullying has massive consequences for some children, with suicide as the most dramatic consequence. Social networking not only involves one or two bullies, but could also involve a wider range of children that a child is connected with. Social networking also has the possibility of adult contact or content. Support assistants should be vigilant at all times at school to listen out for any comments at school amongst the children. Schools may also give advice and briefings about staying safe online and the dangers of social networking. Cyber bullying is a form of harassment that makes use of the latest electronic technology. Primarily the harassment occurs on the web, but today’s smart phones are being used to harass people too. Cyber bullying differs from the more traditional forms of bullying in that it can occur at any time 24 hours a day. E-mail messages, videos and images can be distributed instantaneously to a worldwide audience with the perpetrator remaining anonymous, often making them difficult to trace. Children and teens are rarely concerned about Internet safety. Cyber bullying can have devastating effect on them. Suicides have been linked to the Internet. Social media sites can be sued for positive activities, like connecting kids with friends and family, helping students with school work and for entertainment, but these tools can also be used to hurt other people. Whether done in person or through technology, the effects of bullying are similar. Children who are cyber bullied are more likely to do the following. Use alcohol and drugs Skip school Experience in person bullying Be unwilling to attend school Receive poor grades Have low self esteem Have low self belief Feel worthless Have more health problems Depression Anxiety And many more Reference/bibliography www.safenetwork.org.uk www.safeinternet.org.uk (7.2) Ways of reducing risk to children and young people from the following. Social networking Internet use Buying online Using a mobile phone The following table shows ways of protecting children and young people from harm and abuse. Protection from harm and abuse Social networking Should not be able to create accounts until the child is older and wiser. Family members friends should not create accounts for the children. To be aware of the sites children young people are using. Make the child understand the risks report anything they are worried about. Understand safety messages. Keep personal stuff private. Block people who send nasty messages. Monitor sites thy have accessed. Internet use Enable confidence in the Internet through training positive experiences. Do not accept E-mails, messages or open files. Encourage children to talk to you if they experience cyber bullying. Use ground rules for using the Internet. Speak to the child to deliver positive safety messages. Talk to the child regarding inappropriate behaviour and sites. Use parental controls- safety blocks etc. Keep the computer in the family room so you can keep an eye on the child. Set Internet rules. Keep personal information private do not share anything with strangers (address etc). Teach children about cyber bullying. Buying online Be careful not to sign up to any sites do not give any personal information. Children should not be allowed to have a debit card so this would stop them from buying online. Secure your own cards, so your child cannot use it to buy goods (only register ion sites with passwords). Encourage children to speak to you if they want to buy anything online. Using a mobile phone Risk to the child’s health. They can reduce the risk by using landline phones, hands free, loud speakers etc. Buy a cheap phone, less risk of it being stolen. Know your child’s phone functions (ask company what safety measures can be put in place). Block certain sites on the Internet avoiding the child to access. Use rules, where, when how mobile phones can be used (not at mealtimes, not at school or during lessons). Do not let other children use your mobile phone. Do not send mean upsetting messages. Think carefully what you share (images) from your phone once sent it cannot be reversed. Be discreet of your mobile phone. Reference/bibliography www.socialnetworking.org.uk Guided learning activity E-safety leaflet Children today are increasingly using ICT at school and at home. It is not just about using computers and the Internet, but includes a huge range of devices, such as cameras, videos, video cameras, remote control devices, DS games, mobile phones and much more. This is often a huge worry for parents but there are many things that can be put in place to help keep children safe online. However supervision and keeping on open dialogue with the child about what they are doing is the most important thing. Many Internet providers offer systems to help keep children safe at home, but it can still be easy for children to stray onto inappropriate material, whether texts or images. One of the ways of protecting children is to place the computer in a family area of the home and not in a bedroom; this will help to monitor what the child is doing when they are using the Internet. The Internet can be an amazing resource, fun and informative. You do not need to stop the child from using the information and games available on it, but you can set simple rules for keeping them safe, make sure they understand the rules and know why they are necessary. Do not reply to nasty messages you receive Do not reply to texts from someone you do not know Keep the message you have received so you can show them to a trusted adult and make a note of the time and date you have received them Do not answer calls from a withheld number that you do not recognise Block numbers from people who are sending you nasty messages Change your number if you are being bullied Do not give your number to someone you do not know Do not send pictures to someone you do not know If the problem is serious you can report it to the police, cyber mentors or child line, parents or teachers Safety concerns regarding Internet usage and use of mobile phones Internet usage Use of mobile phones Inappropriate material (pornography) Sex ting (sending inappropriate texts that make the victim uncomfortable) Cyber bullying Inappropriate images (pornography) Online predators (strangers wanting private information- paedophiles) Strangers calling (with held numbers) Sharing personal information (could be involved in online fraud) Internet access (could access any site in the Internet) E-mail and chat rooms (chatting to strangers about inappropriate material) Video game safety (could play games designed for older children) Sharing pictures and videos Bullying (could be bullied using texts and calls) Social networking sites (accessing inappropriate sites) Harassment (constantly phoning and texting victim 24 hours) Online gaming (gambling) viruses Could be stolen if expensive S- SAFE Keep safe by being careful not to give out personal information when you are chatting online. It includes your E mail address, phone number, school address, home address and password. M- MEETING Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. Remember online friends are still strangers even if you have been talking to them for a long time. A-ACCEPTING Accepting E-mails, instant messages, or opening files, pictures or texts from people you do not know or trust can lead to problems. They may contain viruses or nasty upsetting messages. R-RELAIBLE Someone online might lie about who they are and might give information that is not true. It is best just to chat to your real world friends and family. T-TELL Tell your parents or carer if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, or if you or someone you know is being bullied online or by phone.

Economics :: essays research papers

Coca - Cola On the 14th of June Coca-Cola’s soft drinks were banned from the markets in Belgium and later also in Luxemburg and France. Two failures in the bottling system were the cause for the nausea that the people suffered. According to the article it would have been better if they would have acted fast and told the whole truth. Coca- Cola is in an ologopolistic market and therefore branding plays a great role. It is possible that the company ha lost market shares, due to this accident. In the ologopolistic market the firms don’t compete with price, but rather with advertising and other non-price strategies. Therefore one can predict that this scandal has shifted the demand curve to the left. This accident can be seen as a negative externality. The government should make Coca Cola increase their health controls (internalise their externalities), if scandals of this sort happen again. They can enforce this by either subsidies (reward) of in this case taxation (punishment). People who would usually only buy Coca Cola due to the heavy advertising might try a substitute during the time of the ban. This can be seen as a sort of free promotion for the others in the market. According to the zero sum game, the lose that Coca Cola is making right now is directly proportional to the profits the other firms are making in the respected market. Coca Cola will need to take further actions to restore their brand name that they have established throughout all these years. This will significantly influences their total added costs. A strong brand has very few goods substitutes and it is very difficult for competitors to challenge the supremacy of the brand. This health scandal might have opened the doors fro new competitors. In the long run this can lead to Coca Cola’s costs for advertising to increase or furthermore they could lose control of the market and fall into a disequilibrium. The accelerator theory suggests that the level of planned investments varies with t he rate of change of income or output rather than with the rate of interest. It will be hard for the big American company to fulfil their expectations of expansion in Europe with no investors being pleased with their progress. Best Foot forward at Reebok On October 18th Reebok published a 41 page report on how it is dealing with its workers in Indonesia.

Character Development in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

Writers usually make use of and incorporate certain literary elements into their novels in order to make character development possible. Literary elements—Conflict, Theme, and Symbolism—were employed by Twain, Austen, and Potok in varying levels as well as executed using their own literary styles and techniques in order to show the characters’ development and growth throughout the novels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck braved that era’s social conventions (including his own personal prejudices) by associating with a black man and later helping that person escape from slavery. Jane Austen’s Emma is a lighthearted story about a young woman’s disastrous foray into the pursuit of romantic matchmaking. It shows how Emma’s false presumptions can conflict with the real intentions of the people whose lives she meddles with, and how her misguided actions can create unfavorable results. In Chaim Potok’s My Name is Asher Lev, the young man, Asher, was embroiled in the clash between his passion and the sensibilities of his family and religious congregation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn presents social conditions and attitudes during the late 1800s in America, particularly that towards racism. It chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Huck wherein he faces numerous moral and ethical dilemmas. And just like Twain’s novel, Austen’s Emma is a study on the sensibilities and social norms of her time. It tells the story of Emma, a rich and beautiful girl with a lot of idle time on her hands. Although she lives a trouble-free life, it is uneventful and devoid of excitement—she is a woman, hence, she has no true career prospects. But then Emma discovers that she has a knack for matching couples. She discovers that this endeavor provides her with great amusement so she goes off pairing up the people around her. Lastly, Asher, in My Name is Asher Lev, struggles as he is confronted by two cultural influences—that of the Orthodox Jewish subculture that he grew up in, and that of the pervasive, secular Western culture. He is presented with the dilemma of choosing between art and his religion. Just like Huck’s and Emma’s stories, Asher’s story chronicles his quest for truth and self-discovery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many authors use the element of conflict to bring about and affirm certain facets of a protagonist’s character.   In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck faces the conflict between the society’s expectations and what his conscience tells him is right when he is given the opportunity to help Jim, a black man, escape. He struggles to see beyond the black stereotype—what the society has taught him to be right. In the end, Huck chooses to follow what his conscience dictates—that Jim is a human being who deserves the same rights as everybody else. He admits about Jim: â€Å"I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n† (Twain, 1999, p. 141). In the end, Huck developed a pure, undiscriminating sense of morality that many people of that era did not posses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel Emma, the conflict lies in Emma’s inability to understand the true desires and intentions of the people around her, including her own. Emma does not realize this, and fancies herself as a good matchmaker, and as Austen describes in one episode, Emma was â€Å"amusing herself in the consideration of the blunders which often arise from a partial knowledge of circumstances, of the mistakes which people of high pretensions to judgment are for ever falling into† (Austen, 2003, p. 89). Ironically, what Emma thinks of other people (as evinced in the previous sentence), actually applies to her. In the end, Emma realizes that it’s no good making decisions for others   and manipulating their lives because only they know and therefore should decide what’s best for them. This discovery also leads her to mature and develop emotionally, and in the end, makes her realize what her heart truly desires.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his novel, My Name is Asher Lev, Potok portrays the kind of pain and emotional anguish one can carry when one chooses to embrace those things that come in conflict with one’s upbringing and religious ideologies. In a lecture wherein he reveals the analysis to his novels, which included My Name is Asher Lev, Potok states: â€Å"Ideas from this secular world inevitably impinge upon an individual born in a church community or a synagogue community, especially when that individual embarks on a college experience† (Potok, 1896, par. 7). As a young boy, Asher tries to break free from the conservative Hasidic community that shuns the very thing that he was passionate about—art. However, his dream is met with condemnation from almost everyone around him, including his family. The following litany succinctly expresses the kind of backlash and emotional turmoil this conflict has brought upon him: â€Å"So strong words are being written and spoken about me [†¦]: I am a traitor, an apostate, a self-hater, an inflicter of shame upon my family, my friends, my people; also, I am a mocker of ideas sacred to Christians† (Potok, 2003, p. 3).   Another point of conflict deals with Asher’s relationship with his father. Amidst the weight of the conflict bearing down on him, Asher chooses his own path and tries to discover his own truths. By confronting these issues, he grows as a human being, artistically and emotionally.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One dominant theme in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is that of racism and slavery. The novel is set in a time where blacks are considered to be no more than property. As the story develops, so does Huck’s character and value-system. Eschewing the societal and cultural norms of the time, he adopts a different moral outlook towards the people around him, especially when he decides to help a black man escape from slavery. In a climactic episode, Huck writes a letter to Miss Watson, Jim’s owner, to tell her where Jim was, but then tears up the letter and says to himself: â€Å"All right then, I’ll go to hell† (Twain, 1999, p. 193)—here, he finally decides to ignore social convention and help Jim.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marriage is a major theme in the novel, Emma. In the 1800s, marriage was one of the most important concerns for women, especially since they were financially dependent on men and could not have their own careers. Emma takes this into consideration when planning her match-ups and decides on unions which will yield the best material benefit for both parties. However, Emma eschews the idea of marriage for herself—when her father tells her not to do any more match-making, Emma replies: â€Å"I promise you to make none for myself, papa; but I must, indeed, for other people. It is the greatest amusement in the world!† (Austen, 2003, p. 10). But in the end, she realizes that she too can fall in love, after all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One important theme in My Name is Asher Lev is that of Individualism. This was explored in the context of Asher’s adolescent struggle to assert his identity in an environment that rejects the very thing that makes him stand out. When an uncle compares his work that of Chagall, he replies: â€Å"No, my name is Asher Lev† (Potok, 2003, p. 313). Asher is a visionary and has prodigious painting skills, but he is pressured to conform to the conventions of his society.   He tries to discover his role as an artist and reconcile it with his faith—this paves the way to his personal development, not to mention the realization of his gift’s significance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Twain’s novel, the Mississippi river figures greatly in the story. It is used to symbolize life; the river’s ebbs and flows—its movement—shows the ever-changing nature of life. The changing tides causes Huck and Jim to come in contact with different people and situations. It represents man’s capacity to change—the same way Huck’s attitude and personality changed to embrace the greater morality regarding human existence. It’s also a symbolic representation of freedom—in the confines of the raft, they are safe. They are in a world where laws do not apply, far from the reaches of society. Huck says: â€Å"We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft†Ã‚   (Twain, 1999, p. 107).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Emma, charades and word games are symbolic of the misunderstandings in the story. The same way that it’s hard to guess the intimations and desires of the other characters in the novel, word games are meant to be elusive—one   can easily go wrong and perceive a totally different meaning. In a gathering, Frank makes words for the ladies to decode, but each lady attaches different interpretations to them. Such is Emma’s situation: she does not perceive everyone’s feelings correctly so she makes a lot of false assumptions. This is more evident when she tries to hook-up Harriet and Mr. Elton—she construes Mr. Elton’s words and actions as proofs of his adulation for Harriet, when in fact it is Emma the he is interested in. When she finds out, she woefully reflects: â€Å"The picture!—How eager he had been about the picture!—and the charade!—and an hundred other circumstances;—how clearly they had seemed to point at Harriet† (Austen, 2003, p. 106).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Symbolism, particularly those in paintings, also plays a significant part in the novel, My Name is Asher Lev. Paintings were used to convey the abstract and intangible; Asher said: â€Å"I worked for – what? How could I explain it? For beauty? No, Many of the pictures I painted were not beautiful. For what, then? For a truth I did not know how to put in words. For a truth I could only bring to life by means of colour and line and texture and form† (Potok, 2003, p. 369) In his controversial painting, Asher uses the crucifiction scene as a symbolism of his mother’s sufferings, much to the chagrin of his religious community. But even with all the antagonism towards art, he feels that painting was but a natural way to express his feelings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Literary elements give writers the means to project the qualities as well as develop the personalities of their characters. All protagonists in the aforementioned books were presented with points of conflict that each of them must address and contend with. Various symbolic representations, those that attribute certain intangible meanings to things, events, and other sensuous manifestations, were also utilized in order to highlight the protagonists’ personal issues and struggles. Thematic concepts tell what the stories are about and help reveal how each character progresses. References    Austen, J. (2003). Emma. New York: Oxford University Press. Potok, C. (2003). My name is Asher Lev. New York: Random House. Potok, C. (1986). On being proud of uniqueness. (J. Gladson, Ed.) In La Sierra University   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   website. Retrieved July 24, 2006, from http://www.lasierra.edu/~ballen/potok/Potok.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   unique.html. Twain, M. (1999). The adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Oxford University Press.

The Cat in the Rain Essays

The Cat in the Rain Essays The Cat in the Rain Paper The Cat in the Rain Paper A. E. Hemingway â€Å"Cat in the Rain† Text Interpretation We tend to think of marital life as of a wonderful time, when two soul mates live happily, worshiping each other. However, having a family and seeming happy, one can be misunderstood and feel lonely. And this is the theme of Ernest Hemingway’s story â€Å"Cat in the rain†. The story is about a young American couple, who spend their time in Italy. The reader knows nothing about the couple’s past, and even the American wife’s name is unknown, which is a part of the author’s intention: Hemingway generalizes on the problem of marital life, and builds up a typical image of a wife, unhappy in her marriage. The story begins with the description of a hotel where the American wife and her husband stay. This descriptive paragraph occupies a strong position of the beginning. Everything seems to be ideal with the characters: a cozy room on the second floor, a lovely view from the window, but the author’s description of rain evokes a mood of sadness. To bring this air of melancholy home to his reader, Hemingway introduces parallel constructions: The rain dripped from the palm trees. †¦ in a long line in the rain. The nouns rain, pools, and sea belong to one semantic field – that of water, which comes to be associated with inevitability. Indeed, one cannot hide from the rain. Water is everywhere: it is on the ground, it is pouring from the heavens as though the nature were weeping for something. Alliteration, namely the repetition of the sounds -r-and -l-(Rain dripped from the palm trees, the sea broke in a long line in the rain), brings the necessary measured rhythm into the utterance, imitates the sound of rain. In such a dull evening the American wife sees a cat in the rain, and feels a strong inexplicable desire to get it. Hemingway writes: â€Å"The cat sat under the table and tried to make herself so compact that she wouldnt be dripped on†. The reader easily imagines a small, wet homeless creature, crouching under the table in the empty square. In the course of the story it turns into a symbol of loneliness for him, a parallel character to American wife: both characters are inconvenient and lonely. The girl’s decision to go down and get the cat â€Å"makes the reader acquainted† with her husband. He is lying on the bed, reading. First he proposes to go out for the cat his wife wants so much, but soon the reader understands: he does it out of politeness, not out of love and understanding. His answers are short and indifferent (â€Å"I’ll do it†, â€Å"Don’t get wet†), whereas the wife is explicit in her emotions. When the girl goes downstairs she is greeted by the hotel-keeper, who â€Å"stood up and bowed to her as she passed the office†. Her husband’s attitude radically differs from the hotel-keeper’s attitude towards her: the verb bowed in the latter’s speech implies respect. As the old man seems to be more caring than the husband, she takes a liking to him. To expose this feeling of the young lady the author resorts to anaphoric repetition: She liked the deadly serious way†¦ She liked his old, heavy face and big hands . The implicit details old heavy face and big hands point to those care and support the American wife cannot find in her husband. As the author says: The pardon made her feel very small and at the same time really important. She had a momentary feeling of being of supreme importance. Hemingway juxtaposes two epithets: small and important, and this paradoxical combination emphasizes the woman’s needs and feelings. She needs to be heard, to be understood, and to be important. It seems that the situation improves somehow because in the course of narration the husband â€Å"gets† a name – George, and it is him, who starts the conversation, when his wife returns to their room. He even stops reading for a while: â€Å"Did you get the cat,† – he asked, putting the book down†. The verbal elements – both the interrogative sentence and the phrase forming the gesture detail show that the husband wonders, he seems to be interested. But he doesn’t manage to keep this interest for too long: â€Å"George was reading again†. Then comes the climax of the story. â€Å"I get so tired of it,† she said. â€Å"I get so tired of looking like a boy. † The American wife is tired of her routine, she doesn’t say directly that she is not satisfied with her family life, but the reader can see it in the context. And this internal conflict – the conflict between the wife’s wishes and her inability to realize them – is the main conflict of the story. She says: I want to pull my hair back tight and smooth and make a big knot at the back that I feel. I want to have a kitty to sit on my lap and purr when I stroke her. She wants to have long hair to look solid and respectable. She wants to have children and her own house, which are associated in her mind with silver and candles. And the cat in her dreams is a symbol of refuge. â€Å"I want it to be spring,† the girl says. She desperately needs changes, something new in her life. She needs someone to care about. To disclose the girls emotional state and to accentuate the idea of dissatisfaction the author bases upon parallelism reinforced by the repetition of the verb want (I want). Even this pronoun I makes the reader believe the American wife is lonely: heshe cannot see the pronoun we instead, for instance. The American wife feels insulted with her husband’s behaviour and stays looking out of the window. It is still raining. The rain, a silent witness of this high drama, forms the leitmotif of the story. The image of rain has a symbolic meaning. It symbolizes an unfortunate family life. To the end of the story the author gratifies the girls wish and â€Å"gives† her the cat, but it is not that cat from the street. And though the writer leaves it to the reader to guess a further development of the events, it seems predictable that the girl wont be satisfied, that she will never be happy with her husband. This big tortoise-shell cat does not seem to symbolize home, coziness and, as a result, happiness, it symbolizes a missed opportunity.

In-Vitro Fertilization - A thought paper essays

In-Vitro Fertilization - A thought paper essays I see no problem with in vitro fertilization when used to circumvent the inability to create children. Likewise, using selective breeding to reduce the chances of disease is also a very noble thing to do. One could argue that it would be immoral to not perform such actions if one has the means to do so. The initial differences between natural fertilization and in vitro fertilization are minimal at best. Embryos are normally created in the uterus of a female after a sporadic chain of events involving the interaction of sperm with eggs. In contract, IVF is very much the same process of sperm/egg interaction but the physician simply chooses what sperm gets to interact with which egg. Within these confines, most major religions and ideologies accept IVF as an acceptable form of procreation because the sanctity of the embryo is still protected. The actual process of human creation is still innately natural. The problems really arise from the preparation required in vitro fertilization. Since in vitro fertilization is expensive, time-consuming, and physically arduous to a female, multiple eggs have to be removed to ensure successful fertilization in the fewest number of procedures. Since this guarantees that there will be more than embryo that will form, there is an issue of what to do with the other embryos that arent deemed fit to be implanted into the uterus of the female. This is where I see John Singers logic most fitting. In the 14 days of fertilization, embryos are not susceptible to pain because their cells are undifferentiated. Until the embryo reaches a point of consciousness (not to be mistaken with self-consciousness because some animals exhibit that characteristic and unjustifiably are made to suffer in scientific research), there is really nothing we can do to the embryo which causes harm to it. And hence, why I believe it is moral to discard the embryos that will not be used. If one ag...

Derivatives Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Derivatives - Assignment Example With the help of forward contracts two parties can fix the exchange rate between them for the future transactions (Federal Reserve Bank, 2010). This simple kind of agreement can eliminate exchange rate risks significantly. As the exchange rate is already decided between the two parties, transaction will take place in that rate only. With the help of future contracts also foreign exchange risks can be hedged. This derivative is also somewhat similar with forward contract. But liquidity of this contract is high as it is generally being traded on organized markets (Federal Reserve Bank, 2013). With the help of this contract parties are to buy or to sell a specific currency at a future date, at a particular rate of exchange which is fixed and agreed upon by the two parties in present. Option is also a derivative through which foreign exchange risk can be hedged. With the help of this contract interests of the buyers and sellers are taken care of significantly (Kotze, 2011). According to this contract, buyers have the right but do not have any obligation to buy or sell a particular currency at a particular exchange rate. But sellers have obligations if the buyers exercise their rights. In this way with the help of options foreign currency risks can be hedged. Derivatives are generally used for hedging against foreign exchange currency risks. There are several examples where derivatives have caused significant losses for the company. MG was significantly impacted by the usage of the derivatives. Using derivatives were integral parts of the company’s marketing and hedging programs. In 1993 the organization incurred huge losses related with the derivatives (Nihalani, 2011). The losses were over US $ 1 billion. At that point of time it was the largest derivative loss by any company. The organization was on the verge of bankruptcy. The bank was forced to seek for a rescue package of $1.9 billion from a

Foreign enterprise Manage the JV Company with state owned background Dissertation

Foreign enterprise Manage the JV Company with state owned background -Veolia water's business model in china for its long ter - Dissertation Example Research Methodology 30 3.1 Type of methodology chosen and its justification 30 3.2 Data Collection and Compiling the Empirical Material 31 3.3 Data Analysis Strategy 32 3.4 Research method Analysis and evaluation of limitations 34 3.5 Reliability and Validity 35 4. Veolia Water: Business Model in China 37 4.1 History of Veolia Water in China 37 4.2 Establishing Joint Venture in China 39 4.3 Business Model in China 41 4.4Organizational Culture 43 Reference 45 1. Introduction 1.1 Background of the Study International joint ventures can be described as a fresh, autonomous business body created by two or more autonomous business organizations having different national origins. The underlying principle for the formation of joint ventures is to attain competitive benefits by amalgamating the strengths and unique characteristics of two or more dissimilar companies. The different stages involved in the process of joint venturing comprise of partner selection, contracting and structuring the new entity as well as management of the joint venture (Bilas et al, 2007). The significance of international joint ventures has amplified during the past ten years owing to the rising number of fresh business establishment as well as the boost in the strategic importance of the joint ventures created (Geringer & Herbert, 1991). Though the number of joint ventures taking place across the world has been increasing, simultaneously, the evidence regarding their survival and sustenance is very poor. Various studies have concluded that a large proportion of international joint ventures eventually get dissolved (Hennart & Zheng, 2002). This contradictory position has resulted in numerous researchers, as well as authors, focusing their attention to the aspects that impact the accomplishment, or dissolution, of international joint ventures on the whole, and Chinese-foreign joint ventures specifically. 1.2 Aim and Objective of the Study Over the years it had been observed that though there h as been large number of joint venture establishments between foreign organizations and Chinese State Owned organizations, eventually many of them have been considered to be unsuccessful. This study aims to diagnose the factors necessary for determining the success or failure of the Chinese-Foreign Joint venture. The goal of this study is to comprehensively study the management of a Chinese Joint venture in terms of its cross culture management, human resources management, organizational culture, financial performance. Such a thorough study would be helpful in recommending a solution for such Joint Venture entities so that they meet the altering external environment and can maintain a sustainable business. In order to accomplish the aim of the study, the objective would be to focuses on the Case Study analysis of Veolia Water and its business operations in China. The history of the company in China and its formation of several joint ventures with State Owned Organizations across Chin a would be assessed. The study would further examine the business model of Veolia Water, its organizational culture and its performance in order to examine the effectiveness of its existing business model. With the intention of expansively assessing all the aspects of Veolia Water’s business in China; its organizational