Lawrence Ferlinghetti: An American Poet :: essays research papers fc

Lawrence Ferlinghetti is an American poet best known as a leader of the beat movement of the 1950's. The beats were writers who condemned commercialism and middle-class American values. Ferlinghetti writes in colloquial free verse. His poetry describes the need to release literature and life from conformity and timidity. He believes drugs, Zen Buddhism, and emotional and physical love can open the soul to truth and beauty. Lawrence Ferlinghetti was born in Yonkers, New York, in 1919. After spending his early childhood in France, he received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina, an M.A. from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. from the Sorbonne. During World War II he served in the US Naval Reserve and was sent to Nagasaki shortly after it was bombed. He married in 1951 and has one daughter and one son. In 1953, Ferlinghetti and Peter Martin began to publish City Lights magazine. They also opened the City Lights Books Shop in San Francisco to help support the magazine. In 1955, they launched City Light Publishing, a book-publishing venture. City Lights became known as the heart of the "Beat" movement, which included writers such as Kenneth Rexroth, Gary Snyder, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac. Ferlinghetti is the author of more than thirty books of poetry. He has translated the work of a number of poets including Nicanor Parra, Jacques Prevert, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. Ferlinghetti is also the author of two novels and of more than eight plays. In 1994, San Francisco renamed a street in his honor. He was also named the first Poet Laureate of San Francisco in 1998. In 2000, he received the lifetime achievement award from the National Book Critics Circle. Currently, Ferlinghetti writes a weekly column for the San Francisco Chronicle. He also continues to operate the City Lights bookstore, and he travels frequently to participate in literary conferences and poetry readings. Lawrence Ferlinghetti writes in free verse, a style of poetry that does not follow traditional rules of poetry composition. In writing free verse, poets avoid such usual elements as regular meter or rhyme. Instead, they vary the lengths of lines, use irregular numbers of syllables in lines, and employ odd breaks at the end of each line. They also use irregular accents and rhythms and uneven rhyme schemes. But free verse is not free from all form. It does use such basic poetic techniques as alliteration and repetition.

Foreign Direct Investment Essay

There has been a rise tide of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the world’s economy. In the past decade businesses have become global due to the increased liberalization, changing capital markets and changing technology. With easy and effective communication systems investment of companies in foreign countries has been made easy. Foreign direct investment benefits the two countries, the host and the company investing. A high percentage of investment made through FDI involves building and fixtures or machinery and equipment. (www. oecd. org) Growing trade has caused an increase in FDI. Globalization has resulted to broadened markets that call for increased production of goods and services to match the demand. Production levels across the globe have also risen precipitating large corporations to invest in foreign countries. Corporations have the capital and resources to move their production bases to foreign countries. The service sector has also expanded. With technology advancement, skills and expertise have been developed. Corporations have adopted strategies that will increase active global investment and this is evident in the recent cross-border mergers. Strong corporate profitability has enabled corporates invests in the developing countries promoting FDI. Low interest rates and high real estate prices have also led to the underpinning of FDI. With the low US dollar value investors with other currencies gained the comparative advantage in investing in foreign countries. General macroeconomic growth in major economies has been reason behind increased FDI. (www. oecd. org) Countries prefer FDI as a strategy for entering foreign markets to exports and granting foreign entities the right to produce their products under license. Patent disclosure can occur when a local firm is given the product under license. It could give important information about invention and imitation could occur. The MNC’s could lose their workers to imitation product companies. Through FDI, the MNC’s can access larger market and can produce at reduced costs. These will ensure that their profitability levels are higher. FDI provide grounds under which future trade barriers can be countered. Exportation is constrained by transportation costs and trade barriers like tariffs and quotas. Licensing hinders the company from direct control and this creates loopholes that lead to reduced profitability. (Kreinin M. and Plummer M, 2002) Firms based in the same industry can undertake foreign direct investment at the same time when the local demand in the new area can support local supply. They can also locate such firms when there is price competition and cost pressure. Some areas have a comparative advantage over others and this makes them more favorable. They could be endowed with resources that the investors exploit using their technological and managerial capabilities. They reduce their costs as regional manufacturing plants serve regional markets. Political ideology influences government policy towards FDI. Some countries view MNC’s as tools of imperialist domination out to exploit their resources. MNC’s exploits the developing countries and creates dependency in terms of jobs and technology. They contribute to their continued backwardness, as they do not give back valuable output in return to the resources they exploit. Developing countries provide cheap labor and raw materials. Another view is the comparative advantage where countries benefit from FDI. This view is beneficial as host countries allow FDI and gain from it. They acquire products they do not produce and at lower costs. In this view countries produce what they can at least cost. Governments can restrict or promote FDI. If a government protects its domestic industries producing the same output as a foreign corporation, FDI will be discouraged. (Anderson K. and Blackhurst R, 1993) Governments can make policies on the location of multinational corporations (MNCs) that are favorable and that would increase FDI’S. They can also promote or put in place proper infrastructure like good transportation systems, education and transparency all of which works to encourage FDI. Peace and stability are very important factors in influencing FDI. Government must therefore ensure that they maintain law, and order political unrest deters FDI. Grants subsidies and tax concessions encourage inward FDI. There are economic and political agreements that favor regional economic integration like EU, NAFTA and MERCOSUR all of which have implications for business. Economic integration between nations could be though preferential trade area (PTA) where countries are offered tariff reduction and discrimination is reduced to member countries. Free trade area (FTA) could also be offered where countries eliminate tariffs between themselves but maintain their own external tariff on imports. Custom unions eliminate tariffs between themselves but set a common external tariff for instance the EU. Countries could also adopt a common market, economic union or monetary union level. (Kreinin M. and Plummer M, 2002) Economic arguments for economic integration. There is increased trade as countries produce what they have comparative advantage in. Foreign supply is reduced and trade diversity is promoted leading to economic growth. Member countries enjoy the economies of scale Political argument for economic integration is that it promotes peace and stability among member countries. Arguments against economic integration. Dumping of products can occur due to the eradication of barriers. Some countries tend to benefit more than others. Countries may feel as they are losing their sovereignty, which is their sense of pride. (Hoekman B. and Schiff M, 2002. ) The European Union is an economic union where member countries permit free movement of good, services and people and it uses a common currency it was initially known as the European Economic Community or common market. The North America Free Trade Agreement is a free trade agreement of Canada, US and Mexico. It eliminates barriers to trade and promotes fair competition and increased investment opportunities. MERCOSUR- comprises of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It transformed from a custom union to a common market in 2006. The Asia pacific economic cooperation comprises 21 members. It was formed in 1989 through informal dialogue it promotes trade and investment and economic co-operation. The future of this great economic integration is promising. Businesses that are inherent in regional economic integration agreements will thrive if conditions in their regions are favorable. They will respond to the forces of demand and supply. Competition will be high and this will ensure that quality products are produced. References: Peter M. Suranovic. Trends and recent developments in FDI. Retrieved on 22nd January 2008 from http://www. oecd. org/dataoecd/62/43/38818788. pdf. Anderson K. and Blackhurst R. 1993. Regional Integration and the Global Trading System, London and New York, Harvester Wheat sheafs. Hoekman B. and Schiff M. 2002. Benefiting from regional integration. In Hoekman B. , Mattoo A. & English P. Development, Trade, and the WTO: A Handbook, Washington, DC. World Bank. Kreinin M. and Plummer M. 2002. Economic Integration and Development: Has Regionalism Delivered for Developing Countries? Cheltenham, Edward Elgar.

German New Years Greetings Wishes

The German expression,  Frohes neues Jahr  literally translates to Happy New Year. It is widely used in German-speaking countries, particularly in the northern and western states of Germany. Indeed, New Years Eve and New Years Day are big holidays in Germany, with events ranging from fireworks to Rummelpottlauf, where children (or adults) go from house to house singing silly songs and begging for sweets (or schnapps), to parties as well as special drinks and foods. But if you have family or friends in Germany or German-speaking countries to whom you want to send New Years greetings, you may find yourself struggling to find the right words. Sending such greetings can be challenging, especially if you want to get creative. Creative New Years Wishes You may find yourself writing a card or even an email to a German friend or family member with New Years wishes. But you likely want to avoid writing the same New Years well-wishes year after year. Try some of the following more poetic and creative ways of wishing a happy New Year to a friend or loved one. In order to make the English greetings flow, some of the translations are not literal. New Year's Wishes in German German Phrase English Translation Sonne, Mond und Sterne, alles liegt in weiter Ferne, doch das Gute das ist ganz nah – ein glà ¼ckliches und schà ¶nes neues Jahr! Sun, moon and stars, everything lies at a great distance. However, goodness is just ‘round the corner – have a happy and lovely New Year! Das alte Jahr ist jetzt bald futsch, drum wà ¼nsch ich dir einen guten Rutsch. Glà ¼ck soll uns das neue Jahr gestalten und wir bleiben hoffentlich die alten! The New Year will soon be gone, and so I wish you a good year. May luck the New Year us bring and we the same old pals still be. Es wackelt spà ¤t durch Nacht und Wind, ein Ferkelchen das lacht und singt. Es wà ¼nscht nur eines, das ist klar: Alles gute im neuen Jahr! Shaking through the darkness and the windis a piglet which laughs and sings. It is clear to see, it is wishing one sole thing: All the best may the New Year bring! Ich bin die kleine Silvestermaus, steh leider nicht vor deinem Haus. Drum schick ich dir aus weiter Ferne, eine Hand voll Zaubersterne. Alles Gute fà ¼r 2011! I am the little New Year’s mouse, who unfortunately can’t be in front of your house. That’s why I’m sending you from afar, a handful of magic stars. All the best for 2011! Heut’ an Silvester will ich dich grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸en – und Dir mit einem Kuss den Tag versà ¼ÃƒÅ¸en. Doch nicht nur heute denk ich an dich, das ganze Jahr bist Du der Sinn fà ¼r mich. Today on New Year’s, I want to greet you and sweeten your day with a kiss. But today is not the only day that I’ll be thinking of you - you are to me the whole reason for being the whole year through. Endlich ist das alte vorbei, das Neue kommt, ich bleib dabei. I wà ¼nsch dir ein frohes neues Jahr! Finally the old has passed, the new is coming and I’m standing by. Happy New Year! Am Himmel leuchten die Sterne so klar, ich wà ¼nsch dir ein frohes Fest und ein gutes neuesJahr! The stars in the sky shine so clear, I wish you a happy celebration and a happy New Year! Hab Dir bei der Zukunftsbank aufs Konto 2011, 365 Tage Liebe, Glà ¼ck und sà ¼sse Trà ¤ume einbezahlt. Viel Spass beim Ausgeben und einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr! This is what I deposited in your 2011 bank account in the Bank of the Future: 365 days of love, luck and sweet dreams. Have fun doling them out and all the best for the New Year! Lebe! Liebe! Lache! Auf diese Weise mache Dein neues Jahr zu einem Fest, das Dich Dein Leben feiern là ¤sst. Live, love and laugh! In this way, you make your new year a celebration of your life.