Alcoholism and Drinking - Alcoholics Anonymous as an Important Literary

Alcoholics Anonymous as an Important Literary Work Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the great unrecognized literary works of the first half of the twentieth century.   It has been through three editions after its first printing in 1939 and at least fifty-three printings in over ninety countries (xxii).   The wide popularity and circulation of the book certainly affirms this claim.   An examination of the contents of the book will show that it also deserves this title.   It is a rich work because it conveys a basic human condition, though ugly, until that time not often spoken of in public.   If it simply did this and nothing more it would merely be a good book.   But it does more than speak to an ugly condition; it gives a blueprint for change.      The human condition which is spoken about in Alcoholics Anonymous is the dichotomy of the life of the alcoholic.   These alcoholics are not easy to categorize; they are not always a Dr Jekyll by day and Mr Hyde by night.   Bill, who explains his life story in the first chapter, explains how he studied economics, business and law to join speculators on Wall Street.   Up until this point, drinking had interfered in his life, but was not a continuous plague.   Yet, over the course of time he becomes an alcoholic for a variety of reasons, like many individuals described throughout the book.   The alcoholics described are not portrayed as unintelligent, unsuccessful or insignificant.   They are men who have high positions, who are by turns "brilliant, fast-thinking, imaginative and likeable" (139).   The conclusion of a prima facie inspection of these individuals would not include over indulgence of alcohol.   But under the alcoholic influence these attributes worthy of no te slowly atrophy and... ...the book is flexible enough to be implemented in other ways is the indication that it is a book of stature.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, one cannot easily undermine the experience of those who have read the book and changed.   These are the ones who will agree most wholeheartedly with the assertion that Alcoholics Anonymous is a great unrecognized literary work.   Indeed, these individuals are the evidence of this assertion as well.  Ã‚      Bibliography    Alcoholics Anonymous conveys not a singular story, but stories - ones common to alcoholics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story common to alcoholics is one also shared by wives, family members, employers, and so forth.   Thus Alcoholics Anonymous is not just a book for alcoholics but also for those who come into contact with them.   The audience of    "matters medical, psychiatric, social, and religious" (19).     

Bank of Canada Monetary Policy

On the contrary to the policies of the United States, material about Canada’s monetary policy was easily accessible on the Bank of Canada website, straight-forward and easy to understand. It’s clear that their target audience is the average Canadian citizen. They didn’t give the ‘run-around’ so- to- speak, of what their main objectives are, and much of it was watered down so that anyone could comprehend it. The Bank focuses on keeping inflation low, stable and predictable in order to encourage long-term investments for citizens to contribute to lasting economic growth, the creation of jobs and increased productivity – which will ultimately improve standard of living. This strategy is encompassed by the inflation control target that was adopted by the Bank of Canada in 1991, which sets a control range of 1-3 percent, ideally with a 2 percent midpoint. And, looking at historical statistics since its inception, the Bank has been able to maintain this control effectively. For example, inflation rate for 1Q 2013 was 1. 3%. According to the Bank, this monetary policy is implemented by influencing short-term interest rates which is done by raising or lowering the target for the overnight rate. In the end, a reduction in the policy rate, or easing of monetary policy, can be expected to boost total demand for Canadian goods and services, and vice versa. In addition to this, another goal for the Bank is maintaining flexible exchange rates – which they consider best suited for achieving their inflation target. The floating Canadian dollar provides an exchange rate buffer which allows the economy to absorb and adjust to economic shocks it may encounter. Though additional factors like exchange rates and unemployment seem to be important to policy makers, they are not focused on as intently as inflation and little information is available in regard to them. Their thinking is that monetary policy cannot have a systematic and sustained effect on any other variable, thus making it senseless to adopt any other long-term targets. It seems apparent that the Canadian policy strives to remain â€Å"forward looking† in a sense. The Bank places much of its emphasis on long-lasting shocks to the economy, rather than those believed to be short lived. By attempting to keep inflation close to their target, they consider themselves better able to respond to changes in the economic environment in such a way to avoid situations of excess demand or upply. Thus, pressures of inflation rising or falling are kept to a minimum. There’s much argument surrounding whether or not Canada’s policy is really that good or if they have just been lucky over the years. Volatility has increased in the Canadian economy over the years, however, they believe that their â€Å"exceptional† economic performance was the result of an even greater imp rovement in monetary policy and the policy offset the volatile environment, resulting in greater macroeconomic performance. It’s especially important to the Bank to remain credible to the Canadian people by being open and clear about their policy choices. They feel that this credibility keeps expectations to preserve future inflation close to the target and this â€Å"anchors† them to ensure that it happens. Even though Canada’s approach to communicating its monetary policy is much different than that of the United States, one could argue that they may be ‘putting blinders’ on their citizens, to avoid poor performance in other areas. Is their layman, tunnel vision approach regarding inflation control diverting the public from questioning whether or not it the best framework to utilize to drive the economy in a positive direction? The Canadian economy is still struggling to recover from the Great Recession and is trying to find ways in order to avoid the zero lower bound issue, but they put little importance communicating on how they are going to do so with the public.

Fall of Man Depicted in Atwoods Backdrop Addresses...

Fall of Man Depicted in Atwoodsnbsp; Backdrop Addresses Cowboynbsp;nbsp; The sexual politics of the man-woman relationship, or more specifically the sexual exploitation of women by men, is a clear concern in Margaret Atwoods Backdrop Addresses Cowboy. Although the oppressor-as-male theme is by no means an original source of poetic inspiration, Atwoods distinction is that she views the destructive man-woman relationship as a metaphor for, symptom and symbol of, bigger things. From the vantage-point of feminine consciousness, Margaret Atwood empahsizes the backdrop as being not only the woman, but also the land and the spiritual life of the universe; the cowboy is both a man bent on personal gain (possibly an American based†¦show more content†¦Perhaps the creation of a relatively structureless poem intentionally suggests by Atwood that no adequate structure exists to make the images of pain and death meaningful. The literal meaning of the first stanza is not difficult to grasp as it introduces an actor portraying a cowboy against a western backdrop on a movie set. Starspangled suggests his costume is less than authentic and is worn more for commercial appeal than factual representation. The almost-silly west and paper-mache cactus perpetuate the artifice of the western movie by setting a scene which relies on props and phony imagery. Even the actors porcelain grin is weak and easily broken. The implicit reality of this stanza is that the cowboy is a symbol of Americanism. he represents the triumph og man over nature, the taming of the west. the cowboy embodies imperialistic strength and he is idolized for his heroism by millions of people who are influenced by mass-media propaganda, namely, the western movie. The second stanza, though only two lines in length and undifferentiate by lack of punctuation, carries a powerful message. the cowboys virtue is directly compared to the dangerous, criminal potential of a bullet in a simile