My Greatest Hope free essay sample

I look in the mirror daily, but one January night I saw myself clearly for the first time. The image reflecting back at me was reality. The bones that protruded from my tiny frame did not bring me comfort as they had in the past. I was a skeleton with no fat or muscle to cushion my weak body. My chicken legs with bulging knees somehow held me up. My eyes, sunken deep within my cheekbones, had dark, black circles surrounding them. Two intense eyes, the windows to my soul, peered at me so dark, so scared, so lost. I stood in front of that mirror, still and silent at the knowledge of what I had become crashed down upon me. I was anorexic and could no longer hide behind my painful denial. Conquering the horrible fear I experienced that night later became my greatest hope. Growing up as a perfectionist with a learning disability made me at times feel inadequate. We will write a custom essay sample on My Greatest Hope or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I developed anorexia my freshman year. Suddenly I had found something I could control: losing weight. Not only did I lose weight, but I also lost my spirit and passion for life. Looking at myself honestly in the mirror, I discovered I was not the person I had meant, or wanted, to be. Facing my anorexia was the easy part. The journey to self-realization was the true struggle. The constant battle with insecurity and negative thoughts held me prisoner in a jail I had built. Endless nights of feeling confused led to days of fighting to release the person I knew was held captive within. If I had written this essay two years ago, I would undoubtedly have chosen to write about my greatest fear. Today I can write about how my fears have been transformed into hopes through this experience. Although my grades during that time dont reflect my ability, I received a different kind of education. I gained self-knowledge and hope for my future. I learned what it is like to have pain. I learned what it is like to feel helpless, paralyzed and alone. I also learned about healing and inner peace. I not only know what it is like to struggle, but I also know what it is like to conquer. These lessons cannot be learned in books. As a result of my experiences, I found a calling in a career in counseling or psychotherapy. I believe that my firsthand experiences will enable me to comfort and guide those who are struggling as I was. In the healing process, I have rediscovered my passion. I truly believe that I am ready for the challenges that lie ahead both as a student, and in life as a whole.

Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere Book Review

Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere Book Review In Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana, Armani Curtis, a young African-American girl living in the Ninth Ward district of New Orleans, is completely uprooted from her world when Hurricane Katrina rips through her neighborhood. In her search to be reunited with family members, she discovers personal strengths and the real meaning of community. The publisher lists the book for ages 10 and older. Summary of the Story Its late August 2005 and 9-year-old Armani Curtis, looking forward to her birthday weekend, cannot wait to join the double digits club. Nothing, not even the persistent rumors of a storm, can burst Armani’s excitement until she notices her parents’ apprehension. Focusing on her celebration, Armani is disappointed when the other members of her family, including her beloved MeMaw, seem preoccupied with threats of a dangerous storm. When her older brother Georgie tells her the next door neighbors are evacuating, she makes him promise not to tell her parents until after her birthday. Despite their worries and a stormy black sky, Armani’s parents celebrate her tenth birthday with a Bar-B-Q, a delicious buttercream cake with blue frosting, and a brand new puppy which she promptly names Cricket. The celebration is cut short when a neighbor bursts into the backyard telling everyone it’s too late to evacuate and to prepare for a major storm.   Powerful winds begin to blow shattering windows and panic ensue when Georgie notices a rapidly approaching wave of water rolling over everything in its path and heading towards their home. The levee protecting their Ninth Ward neighborhood has broken and there is nowhere to go. The family flees to the attic to save their lives, but their nightmare is just beginning. Trapped in the attic with the floodwaters rising, Armani’s asthmatic baby brother is gasping for air while there are only a few bottles of water between them.  Their crisis grows more distressing as Armani’s brother and then her father, jump into the fast-moving floodwater to capture her birthday puppy. Stranded, the family of refugees must wait for rescue while worrying about the outcome of those family members who jumped into the water. Once on dry land, Armani is left to watch over the younger kids while her mom searches desperately for a clinic to help the sickly baby. Armani realizes it is up to her to keep her small group together amidst the crisis around her. In the process, she discovers how to trust, how to survive, and how to nurture hope in the face of great despair. Author Julie T. Lamana Julie Lamana knows first-hand the destruction brought on by Hurricane Katrina. In 2005 Lamana worked as a literacy aide in a Louisiana school. In the aftermath of the hurricane, she helped displaced children and found in her experiences the seeds to write a story. As a child growing up in a military family, Lamana moved many times and found it difficult to create lasting relationships and thus found comfort in books. Now retired from education, she spends her time writing and is currently at work on her next middle-grade book. Lamana and her family Lamana live in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana.   Recommendation and Review For readers who like survival stories, Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere is a fearsome read. Real life scenarios based on Julie Lamana’s personal experiences dealing with Hurricane Katrina create the story foundation for those uncertain first few days in the Ninth Ward district of New Orleans, Louisiana.  These experiences provided material for an authentic, emotional story for readers who value accurate detail and realistic characters. The character of Armani Curtis transforms from a self-centered, judgmental child, to a conscientious young girl who learns to accept and trust others. Despite many warnings of the approaching storm, Armani is determined to not let anything take away from her special occasion. Lamana deliberately highlights Armani’s self-centered character (pretty typical of her age) so readers can clearly identify the great emotional changes the hurricane brings about forcing Armani to put aside her childish ways in order to make independent and protective decisions about her younger siblings. Within a matter of days, Armani’s childhood vanishes.  Fear and distrust color her every action, but over time Armani begins to allow others to help her rebuild trust. Like a gathering storm, this story starts out at a leisurely pace gradually building in intensity. A typical day of riding the bus, dealing with bullies, and sitting on the front porch swing with her beloved MeMaw slowly moves into whispered rumors of a gathering storm. Television newscasts, neighbors’ midnight evacuations, and an ever-changing colorful sky take Armani and her family from a birthday celebration to a fight for survival.   A Gentle Warning for Parents Julie Lamana has personal experience with Hurricane Katrina and she witnessed the devastating physical, social, and mental effects of the hurricane. Hence, she gives readers an authentic story where a very young girl must deal with death, disease, and despair. While not graphic in detail, there is no sugarcoating about the dead bodies floating in the water, the mass looting, or desperate â€Å"crazies† that Armani meets as she struggles to make sense of the chaos around her. A worthy book to understand how a natural disaster affects a community and a family, I highly recommend Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere. Be sure to have a box of tissues close by. (Chronicle Books, 2014. ISBN: 9781452124568)

6 Resume Tips for Recent Graduates

6 Resume Tips for Recent Graduates School can feel like an intense bubble while you’re in it. Classes, papers, grades, and activities take up so much of your time and energy. But then graduation comes, and it’s time and put those skills and that knowledge to use for cash money and a satisfying career. That can be a tough transition, so if you’re high on potential and low on experience, don’t despair. To get yourself ready for the post-graduation job hunt, here are 6 great resume tips for recent graduates. If you already have some experiences from internship or part time jobs, you can also check out our guide on resume best practices 2016.1. Don’t stress about lack of experience.You’re a new grad- no one expects you to have experience beyond an entry level. What you do have already are skills. Your resume should be heavy on the skills you’ve been developing through your academic career: for example, software training and use, presentation skills, and problem solving skil ls. You also likely have part-time work, student employment, or volunteer experience as well. Definitely don’t forget those, even if they’re not obviously related to your future career.2. Think about what you need.It can also be stressful if you feel like your education hasn’t really prepared you for the job market. I’ve been there: I was an English major at a large state university. The school focused on academics and teaching as postgrad options- both of which I’d already ruled out as careers for myself. So I sat down researching what I could do with my English degree, and what my interests were. That led to publishing, and I came up with a plan to get extra training in editing and writing while working general office jobs to get experience and pay my postgrad bills.Thinking about what you really want, and having an action plan to get it can really help you refine your resume.3. Don’t forget the extracurriculars.If you have activities that have helped build skills (student government, Spanish Club, Future Accountants of America), you should take stock of those skills as well. As you get further into your career, you won’t need to lean as heavily on your school activities, but when you’re getting started those skills you picked up can help fill in for concrete experience. If you decide to use your extracurriculars in your resume, be sure to use examples of how they helped build your skills.4. You don’t need to write a novel.Again, no one expects recent grads to come up with a several-pages-long list of accomplishments. A clear, concise one-pager is fine.5. Be prepared to edit.Similar to #3, you don’t need to have one sacred resume doc that fits all. This means you should plan to do several stages of editing. The first round is to go through and figure out what’s necessary to include (skills, training, education, recent honors/awards, work experience) and what’s probably not cr ucial (specific classes you took, the spelling award you got in third grade, or the six months you thought you wanted to be a puppeteer- false alarm).The second round of edits should be specific to each job you’re applying for. Include related honors and awards, any experience you have in that area, and applicable skills. Be creative†¦if your thankless summer job included dealing with customers of (ahem) varying degrees of politeness, emphasize in your resume that you have strong communication and public service skills.6. Play with the format.If you’re following the traditional resume template of education/coursework, jobs, accomplishments, and then general skills, consider switching it up. Quality is more important than format, and you want the reader to be presented with your best side up front. If you feel more comfortable leaning on your skills over your experience, frontload those.For example, your resume could be: skills/training, education, awards, then job s and experience. As long as your resume is a coherent snapshot of you and is written well, you’re not stuck with any particular format.The best thing you can do for your postgrad rà ©sumà © is to put in the time and effort to figure out what you already have working for you, and how to spin it. â€Å"New grad† doesn’t have to mean â€Å"blank slate.† You can totally make it mean â€Å"building a new career on a great foundation.†

The Ancient Art and Its Forms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Ancient Art and Its Forms - Essay Example The first Indian art is believed to be 5,000 years old, which included stone carving and bronze castings. With a great history of Hinduism and Buddhism, the Indians produced many religious pieces of arts. People in ancient Central America around Mexico region began their artistic work 1000 years BC. The region is famous for the production of wonderful ceramics with kilns burning it over 900Â °C (Henry M, 2012, p. pg 123). The Christian era began during the ancient times and is believed to have continued evolving until the modern times. The most striking features of this period include monuments produced by Indians, Egyptians, Romans and many other groups. However, we shall concentrate on two striking monuments like the Minoan Snake Goddess and Totem Pole. Minoan Snake Goddess is an ancient cultural piece of art that depicts the Goddess holds two snakes in each hand. The first production of Minoan Snake goddess dates back to 1600BCE. The piece of art resembles a totem pole by the manner in which it is decorated. An interpretation of the open breast reveals the fertile nature of the Goddess. The snakes are a symbol of renewed life since the snakes are regarded as immortal whenever they shed their skin and renew their strength. The above pieces of art resemble each other in the manner in which they are decorated (Richerson, 1992). They are also symbols of religion. Indians in their temples use the Minoan Goddess symbol. The two pieces of art are 3-dimensional carvings mostly done using the stone. Indians used the stone to produce most of their ancient art and so was Minoan Snake Goddess. Use of colors was highly emphasized ancient artists because colors and decorations brought out the beauty aspect of the intended art. Use of line and shape has also been used in the two pieces of art. Shapes like triangle and cube boxes have been employed in the Minoan Snake Goddess. The same also applies to the Totem Pole piece of art.

NASCAR's New Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NASCAR's New Strategy - Case Study Example The lawsuit filed by a shareholder can be detrimental to NASCAR in the long run as it can lead to huge contingent liabilities. Considering the prevalence of bias in favor of the company-owned ISC, there is a small probability that NASCAR will win the case. The new rating system put forward by Brian France is met by hesitation and resistance from the current drivers. This can also probably discourage other players and hurt the company's operations. Brian France also needs to consider these issues in the face of NASCAR's move in opening a new track in New York City. All of the aforementioned considerations will have a great impact on this market development strategy. Brian France has three strategic alternatives to choose from in order for NASCAR to sustain its position in the market: 1. focus on developing strategic alliances with its sponsors and forging new ones by finding new venues where the sponsors are given more exposure; 2. voluntarily divest its shares by selling some of its stock to other shareholders; and 3. finding new markets such as Canada. NASCAR recognizes that sponsors are the lifeblood of the business organization. Without sponsorships, stock car racing events will not be held and funded. Thus, the move in developing tighter strategic alliances with current sponsors will be advantageous. ... However, this will give NASCAR the problem of identifying ways on how added and enhanced exposure could be given. The company can also voluntarily divest its shares in order to ward off threats of other lawsuits because of bias and unfairness. This can also give the business organization new blood and ideas which can be beneficial in the long run. However, divestiture can posts problems especially on the management aspect. Looking for other markets like Canada will give NASCAR and its sponsors new opportunities to promote their products. However, in pursuing this alternative, the company also needs to shell out huge amounts of investments. RECOMMENDATION: This paper recommends that NASCAR pursue the first alternative that is, pursue tighter strategic partnership with its current sponsors through the identification of venues where they get more exposure. The company can do this by setting up online gaming and putting advertisements in its gaming website. NASCAR timed advertisement during games can widen the sponsor's reach and gives them more exposure thus, maximizing their investments.

Adverse effects of flood in Pakistan

Adverse effects of flood in Pakistan Executive Summary: The Flood of 2010 which affected around 20 million people in Pakistan directly and left them homeless have been the worst flood that Pakistan and the world has ever seen. The research was conducted on the subject of adverse effects of flood in Pakistan and how it has affected our agriculture, banks, economy, imports and exports. The research was basically exploratory in nature in which we gathered articles from various institutions, organizations and newspapers. There is so much material available on the topic that it became a challenge for us to remain specific and to the point. One more problem was that due to many sources there were a clash in the facts figures so we have taken out the reliable resources in order to make it less confusing. The research concluded that the flood has caused unprecedented devastation to Pakistans economy, agriculture, infrastructure, imports/exports and above all, to human lives and dignity. Not only 20 million have to be given food and shelter but for the long term the government and the people have to create jobs so that they can stand on their own feet again. Introduction Natural Disaster is the effect of natural hazards which includes flood, tornado, volcano eruption, earthquake or landslide that affects the environment, leads to financial, environmental and/or human losses. It is terrible event that is not caused by human activity and results in deaths, injuries or damage to property. The resulting loss depends on the capacity of the population to support or resist the disaster, and their resilience. This perceptive is concentrated in the formulation: disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability .A natural hazard will hence never result in a natural disaster in areas without vulnerability, e.g. strong earthquakes in uninhabited areas. The term natural has therefore been disputed because the events simply are not hazards or disasters without human involvement. Natural disasters which occur due to the change of plate tectonics are earthquakes, volcanoes, geyser eruptions and tsunami. These different types of natural disasters have taken away millio ns of lives and have caused trillions of dollars in terms of financial losses. The recent flood in Pakistan was one of the worst natural disasters in Pakistans history and in worlds history. It was one of the biggest disasters that the world have ever experienced not in terms of death but in terms of people affected, area affected and in terms of financial losses that occurred. Almost one- eighth of the population was directly affected by flood. The floods that recently caused great damage to Pakistan had more impact than the combine impact of tsunami in 2004, Haiti earthquake in 2010 and Earthquake of 2005 that affected northern areas of Pakistan. The affected people in these combine three disasters were around 11 million people but in the recent flood affected around 20 million people across Pakistan. Pakistan has experienced floods and the details of those floods are provided below: Flood in September 1992 affected 12 million people Flood in August 1992 affected 6 million people Flood in August 1976 affected 5 million people Flood in July 1978 affected 2.2 million people Flood in July 1995 affected 1.2 million people The Flood of 2010 which affected around 20 million people in Pakistan directly and left them homeless have been the worst flood that Pakistan and the world have ever seen. Only eight million out of 20 million people were affected in the province of Punjab. It has caused billions of dollars losses to Pakistans economy, agriculture, imports etc. According to World Bank and Asian Development Bank the economic impact of recent flood is estimated as much as 43 billion dollars. Topic: Adverse effects of floods in Pakistan. MAP: This map is highlighting the flood affected areas from severe (red) to moderate (orange). C:Documents and SettingsFaizanaliDesktopuntitled.bmp Purpose Statement: To determine the adverse effects of recent floods in Pakistan. Research Questions: How the recent has floods affected Pakistan? Sub-Research Question: How has the floods affected our agriculture? How has the floods affected the banks? How has the floods affected our economy? How has the floods affected our Imports and Exports? Hypothesis: The recent floods have an adverse affect on our economy. LITERATURE REVIEW Effect on Agriculture Agriculture sector have been the backbone of the Pakistans economy and Pakistan is known as agriculture based country. According to the facts provide by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Agriculture is one of the main sector of Pakistans economy employing more than 42% of the labor force and accounts to 23% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The recent floods did not only led to human loss but had a large impact on the agriculture sector directly. It destroyed many crops and over an estimated area of 1.38 million acres were affected due to recent flood of 2010. Pakistans major crops are cotton, wheat and rice. Wheat is one of the Important produce of Pakistan has been severely damaged in the flood. According to the data provided by Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock shows and we quote: Punjab: 44,896 tonnes Khyber Pukhtunkhwa: 80,823 tonnes Sindh: 5,41,696 tonnes Balochistan: 321, 651 tonnes The above facts stated by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock shows that total of 0.6 million tones of wheat has been damaged throughout the county and major places that were affected were parts of Sindh and Balochistan but the government is taking out positives from these flood that is they think that these flood would lead to more fertile land and that would lead to bumper crop in coming year in the flood- affected regions. According to analysis done by Dr. Abdul Rashid, Member Monitoring and Evaluation, Punjab Agriculture Board, he told Dawn.com and we quote This fertile layer will result in good yields in the coming years. According to former Federal Minister for Food Agriculture and Livestock Khair Muhammad Junejo, he said and we quote Flood overall effect for land will be beneficial. Dr Abdul Rashid further said and we quote The floods will recharge the water in the soil and underground water resources will increase. According to another expert Dr Shamsuddin Tunjo, professor at the faculty of Crop Production at the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam is of the opnion and we quote: Plain lands may benefit in the terms of fertilityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the floods erode away rich layers of soil and if water stands for a long time in the land, the next seasons crop may not be grown. C:Documents and SettingsFaizanaliDesktopp09_24420661.jpg This picture surely tells us what has happened to our agriculture land. According to the Facts Stated by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which works under the United Nation Organization: It is almost impossible to measure the gravity of losses to the agriculture sector as they are huge and further unfolding. Almost 80% people in the flood affected areas rely on agriculture for their livelihood and they see it as their main source of income One of the toughest task that the farmers will have to face is to recover their land in time when the new season begins in September/ October. Overall throughout the country millions of people have lost their entire means to sustain themselves in the immediate and longer term, all this is due to the destruction/ damage of standing crops and means of agriculture production. According to FAO although they have completed in half of all flood affected districts shows that 1.3 million hectares of standing crops have been damaged. According to their statistics 0.5-0.6 million tones of wheat stock have been affected. According to their Livestock Department recent flood caused death of 1.2 large and small animals, and 6 million poultry. With the assessment still taking place, the losses are going to affect millions directly and indirectly and will have the direct impact on the countrys GDP as these crops would have to be imported to meet the countrys demand for wheat and rice. Response to needs in the agriculture sector cannot be ignored nor delayed. According to their estimates standing crops on over 10,000 hectares have been washed away and nearly 8000 livestock have been destroyed in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province alone. The worst affected districts are Swat, Nowshera, Charsadda, Shangla and Kohistan. Nowshera and Charsadda are the most fertile areas in the country producing variety of crops. Wheat is the main staple in Pakistan, fulfilling almost 35% of the average per capita calorie requirement in 2008. This year in Pakistan a record harvest took place for wheat around 23.4 million tones prior to flood, the flood water result in serious losses of wheat stocks that were held at household level. The loss of wheat can have a negative impact on the planting of next season which will begin in October/November because the flood have caused loss of seeds, fertilizers, livestock and savings. According to their estimates 1.2 million livestock and 6 million poultry have perished. One of the main reason that this figure is so high is because when people were rescued during the recent flood people did not take their animals with them and opted to save their life. The major challenge faced by different agencies working in Pakistan during this flood was to provide food to animals who survived as the supply was very limited and they face difficult task of transporting this food supply as majority of infrastructure was also destroyed. The United Nation has appealed for emergency assistant of $ 5.7 million for livestock. A closer look has been done by CASSIM Investments (PVT) LTD (18 Aug 2010) They have identified major crops that have been affected due to recent flood in Pakistan and they have given details of damages incurred by different crops. Cotton: It has been worst hit crop, as according to initial estimates we have lost as much as 2 million bales. This will direct impact on our textile industry and will lead to import of cotton. This will put pressure on our current account deficit and lead to deprecation of our currency. Wheat: According to them , they estimate they due to recent flood that have damaged wheat badly will lead to wheat shortage which is main staple in Pakistan. Rice: Pakistan is one of the main rice exporter in the world and they estimate that Pakistan might not be able to meet its target of rice exports this year as they expect losses in crop as well. This will result in loss of foreign exchange and widening of current account deficit Sugar: They have estimated a loss of 500,000 tonnes of sugar cane, approximately 2-3% of the sugar cane demand. They believe it will have minimum impact on the availability of refined sugar. Effect on Economy The congressional research report that was present to the congress member on recent flood in Pakistan stated the economic effects of floods. According to them it is too early to assess the damage caused by flood and it can only be assessed once the water goes away to examine the extent of damage caused to crops, housing, roads and bridges, electrical grid and other critical elements to its economic recovery. According to the preliminary assessment done by the Asian Development Bank and FAO shows that around 14% of cultivated land has been affected by floods, that resulted in loss of 25% of the cotton crop and some other crops, Pakistan has also lost 1% of its livestock and there is danger of this percentage rising due to feed shortages and lack of veterinary care after the flood waters recede. The broader effect of flood can also be felt with price of domestic items soaring and creating high inflation. In addition to this government spending on relief activities is going to widen the fiscal deficit. According to United Nation Organization it estimates that the recent flood will increase Pakistans fiscal deficit expenditures by $4 billion in fiscal year 2010/11. A preliminary evaluation reported submitted to the Pakistans ministry of finance has estimated that there will be zero percent GDP growth and 25% inflation this year. The figure shows that Pakistan is going to face tough challenges ahead in year 2010/11 because the targets set by the IMF (International monetary fund) varied with these figures. IMF set a target of 4.5% GDP growth and with 9% inflation. The long-term economic effects are not easy to assess. According to one source, repairing damaged infrastructure that includes roads, bridges and dames would cost Pakistan whopping $15 billion. There are 44 critical factors that will hamper the speed of Pakistans economic progress over the next few years. Now Pakistan which is already face tough challenges since 2008 has the lowest TAX-GDP ratio in the world with figures acc ounting to 8-9 %. The World Bank and the Asian Development have agreed to give loans $ 1 billion and $2 billion respectively but they have also attached conditions to these loans. The IMF which have provided loan of $ 10-11 billion have asked Pakistan to review its monetary policy and fiscal policy. They have set targets for Pakistan and prior to these floods Pakistan have failed to achieve some of the targets set by the International Monetary fund. The IMF set condition of lowering fiscal deficit to 5.1 % during this year while Pakistan exceeded this limit and had a fiscal deficit of 6.2 % of the GDP, now that flood have occurred it looks impossible that Pakistan would be able to meet the targets set by IMF. Pakistan have to pay back the loan to IMF by 2012/13 and it would cost the country $3 billion per year. Pakistan external debt has already amounted to $55.5 billion which is 56% of the GDP. These figures are a prove that Pakistan which is already unable to meet the requirements set by the international donors will find it impossible to meet the target after the recent flood that have moved Pakistan decades back. According to CASSIM INVESTMENTS (PVT) LTD They have stated that since the entire infrastructure have been badly destroyed specially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Punjab. All this will have to build to revive economic activity and thus this has forced the government to cut down is Public Sector Development Program by almost 50 % this means that all the development projects which were taking place in order to improve the economy have now been stopped and the funds have been shifted towards the flood affected areas. They have also stated that the imports of goods for relief purpose will widen the current account deficit. Foreign Aid will help the country in the short term, but will constrict the amount of PSDP available with the financial cost burden in the future. A current account shortage will cause devaluation of the currency, which is favorable for sectors for exports but if we see in our country it will have negative impact because depreciation would result in high inflation damaging Pakistans fiscal policy and monetary policy. According to an article in Daily Times on August 29 2010 it states that and we quote Government of Pakistan will revise its economic growth targets and major budget projections in consultation with International Monetary Fund (IMF), official sources informed here on Saturday. Damage caused to the backbone of the economy; the agriculture sector of is provisionally estimated at Rs 244.6 billion and losses due to the damage to the infrastructure and private and public properties are estimated to be around Rs 600 billion in all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. Consultation on revision in macro-economic targets is to be taken during the ongoing fifth review of Pakistans economy with IMF authorities at Washington. Economic growth targets and major budget projections for the 2010-13 were approved under the Medium Term Budgetary Framework for the next three years, however, the floods have changed the entire scene on the economic landscape of the country that requires major revision. Devastation caused by the floods across the country has seriously damaged the main sectors of economy especially the agriculture sector and Pakistans development priorities have changed and a major portion of resources are being planned to divert towards rehabilitation of flood affecters. Recent floods across the country have caused devastations worth Rs 244.6 billion in the agriculture sector with maximum damage suffered by the small farmers who have faced a loss of around Rs 98 billion, some facing total annihilation of their crops. While on the other hand, Finance Ministry has convened an important meeting, to review key macroeconomic indicators of the country following devastation of floods. Sources said that meeting of the Medium Term Budgetary Framework (MTBF) being held at Ministry of Finance would review the rolling targets of key macroeconomic indicators for the next three years, which were unveiled in the budget. They recent floods have changed the economic priorities of the country and budgetary targets have become totally irrelevant on the face of massive displacement caused by worst ever floods in the history of the country. This information is expected to be shared with IMF during talks currently underway in Washington that would continue till September 2. Growth target of 4.5 percent for 2010-11 was to reach 5 percent in 2011-12 and 5.5 percent for 2012- 2013 under the MTBF. Sources said that growth target for the current fiscal year as well as for the next two years would have to be revised because of the devastating floods whose impact on economy would remain for the next few years. Inflation was targeted to be brought down to 9.5 per cent in the ongoing fiscal year and 8 and 7 percent for 2011-12 and 2012-13 respectively. These targets have become irrelevant and would be readjusted in view of the present situation; the same is the case with revenue collection targets. The governments revenue collection targets of 15.2 percent of the GDP for the ongoing fiscal year and 15.5 and 15.9 percent for the next two years respectively are unlikely to be met. http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-100730-Pakistan-floods/ss-100819-Pakistan-floods-03.ss_full.jpg One of the many industries drowned in the flood. Dr. Amjad Waheed, CFA, Chief Executive Officer of NBP Fullerton Asset Management Limited (Formerly National Fullerton Asset Management Limited) has written an in depth article on the countrys economic condition and has projected the future trends in our economy. Highlights are given below. Total Losses estimated at 5.8% of GDP. Around 15% of the Pakistani population has been affected by the floods. According to some initial estimates agricultural losses may exceed Rs 250 billion whereas infrastructure losses may exceed Rs 600 billion. Thus total estimated losses of around US$10 billion will equal 5.8% of Pakistans GDP. Economic Growth rate expected to be subdued. We expect agriculture sector to show a negative growth, and industry and services sector to grow by about 3%. We project corporate earnings to rise by 14% over the next four quarters, down from our previous estimates of 18% growth. Fiscal Deficit is expected to balloon to 7.5% of GDP in FY11. The slowdown in economy as a result of the floods will make tax collection target of Rs 1.7 trillion extremely difficult to achieve. On the other hand, government expenditures are expected to rise substantially to re-build the infrastructure in the floods-affected areas and rehabilitate the effected families. Domestic Government borrowing in the form of Treasury Bills and National Savings Schemes is also expected to rise substantially. In the months of July and August 2010, the Government Treasury Bills stock has already risen by about Rs 137 billion. This will also continue to crowd out the private sector. As a result, the budget deficit is estimated to cross 7.5% of GDP in FY11. Inflation and Interest Rates are expected to rise further. The imposition of value added tax from October, damage to crops from floods, projected rise in utility prices and expected additional taxes to support people affected with floods may result in inflation rising to around 15% in FY11. Stock Market performance expected to remain lackluster in FY11. Floods are expected to have a negative impact on the banking industry, auto industry and oil marketing companies, at least in the short run. In the remaining period of FY11 the stock market may not be able to show a double digit growth from the current levels. The Margin Trading System, even if implemented, is not going to make a significant difference to the performance of the Pakistani stock market, in my opinion, as the economic and political fundamentals will take time to improve. Trade and Current Account Deficit are expected to Rise. Pakistans exports will suffer due to damage to the key crops and textile sector resulting from floods, as well as power shortfall and high inflation. Pakistans imports, on the other hand, are expected to show an increase due to import of around 2-3 million bales of cotton and food products. Investors are advised to remain conservative and prefer money market funds relative to equity funds for the time being. Effect on Banks The Moodys investor services changed the long-term local currency deposit ratings and bank financial strength ratings of the big-5 banks from stable to negative, said Muniba Saeed, an analyst at Invest Capital, here Saturday. The change in the outlook of the banks was driven mainly by the impact of flood giving rise to economic challenges. The food shortage and rising input prices will further hinder the corporate sectors recovery due to the slowdown in the economic growth and inflationary pressures. The rating agency expects that higher input prices would lead to a loss of competitiveness in certain export-oriented sectors, especially textiles. According to data from the State Bank of Pakistan, the banking sector exposure to textiles as of June stood at eight per cent of the total exposure, however, the banking sector exposure to cumulative textiles and the crop growing category of agriculture stood at 11 per cent of the total, or Rs635 billion. As textiles being the highest borrower in the manufacturing sector, such dependence are likely to dent the sectors profitability, owing to increased provisioning requirement and resultant increased probability of the non-performing loans. The banks non-performing loans (NPLs) have grown to an alarming level of Rs456 billion by March this year on the back of a sliding economy, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The increasing NPLs are squeezing the profits of the banks, as they are required under the prudential regulations to make provisions against their bad debt. National Bank of Pakistan, the lender with the highest delinquency ratio, faces an increase in loan failures after the worst flooding in the countrys history damaged farmland in areas where the bank lends. Syed Ali Raza, the banks president, said in an interview in Karachi, There will certainly be some impact on non-performing loans. The impact will be containable but it will be there. He continued, While there were immediate losses from floods largely in the agriculture sector, there is a positive side to the disaster as it has refreshed farmland across the country. The yield from those farms is likely to improve with better, more fertile soil and availability of water in the next season. Abdul Shakur, a research analyst at BMA Capital Management Ltd. in Karachi said With around 25 percent of its total lending to agriculture related business, it will be a real challenge for National Bank to register growth in profit, He estimates a 22 percent decline in National Banks profit in 2010. Muhammad Imran, head of research at Arif Habib Investment Ltd. in Karachi said The flood losses and the discount rate rise may limit the ability of borrowers to return loans. Banks may be asked to reschedule and ease terms. The central bank said in an e-mailed statement Given the likely impact of the recent floods, ongoing challenging economic environment, power shortages and security situation in the country, the increased portfolio of non- performing loans and heightened credit risk remain the major challenge for the banking system. Effects on the Imports/Exports The recent floods in Pakistan have badly affected the Pakistans economy. The floods as caused a widespread destruction badly affecting the infrastructure, the farmlands and many industries. The floods have caused destruction to cotton, wheat and rice crops extensively thereby affecting the exports of finished products such as textile, and also raw material such as rice and cotton bales. According to the USDA Report, Due to the devastating floods, Post revises its 2010/11 rice production estimates for Pakistan to 4.4 MMT, a decrease of 32%. Pakistani rice exports for 2010/11 are similarly reduced to an estimated 2.3 MMT, a decline of 36%. Rice is Pakistans second largest export product and the reduction in rice exports is expected to have implications for its balance of payments. However the figures given for cotton are bleaker, as before Pakistan used to export cotton but now this year Pakistan is forced to import cotton from India and other countries to meet its own local demand and also in order to fulfill the export orders. According to Fibre to Fashion (a leading textile news website), More than one million bales of cotton crops have been destroyed, and the Government is not in the capacity to achieve its target of 14 million bales of annual production. Due to this, Pakistan, being Asias fourth largest producer of cotton is likely to fall back by 10-15% of its cotton production. Incessant downpour has damaged the fields in Piplan Layyah, Mianwali, and Mithankot. Regions in the Central Punjab such as Rajanpur, Lyia, Rahimyar Khan, and DG Khan were seriously affected losing thousands of bales of cotton crop. Areas of Ghotki, Daherki, Sukkar, and Naushehro Feroz, Bhakkar, Jhang, Shorkot, and Mianwali were also affected by floods. This devastation has badly affected the Pakistani industry as well, and the destruction would also create difficulties as the raw material would not be available; however there are some positive feelings that the cotton would be imported with already huge shipments in line and that would help in meeting the international export orders. Also Pakistan has been able to achieve concessions from EU for exporting its produce with lesser duties thereby giving a lifeline to the industrial sector. Methodology: Our research is totally based on collection of data through articles, interviews and reports. We have found articles and reports on internet that have been previously written on this topic. We have collected facts and figures from websites of NGOs, Social welfares and government. We have conducted interviews with the NGOs and the welfare organizations to try to get the answers of our research questions. One of our group member also went to the affected places to try to know the ground situation. We have divided our research question into four categories and found their answers individually as well. We have gathered around 40 articles and from that we have shortlisted 17 articles. Analysis If we take into account the data above we can just analyze that Pakistans economy and other sectors have been adversely affected by the recent flood. It is not a vague statements but we have will proved it with facts and figures that although the recent flood have some positive impact as well but the negative effects over weigh the positive effect of recent flood of 2010. According to the statements given by Ali Raza the president of National bank of Pakistan says and we quote: There will certainly be some impact on non-performing loans. The impact will be containable but it will be there. He continued, While there were immediate losses from floods largely in the agriculture sector, there is a positive side to the disaster as it has refreshed farmland across the country. The yield from those farms is likely to improve with better, more fertile soil and availability of water in the next season. He is of the view that yes banks will be facing tough time in coming future but the agriculture sector can take out some positives from this flood that is more fertile land means bumper crop. The availability of water and more fertile soil will benefit the farmers in the long run, at the same time he was of the view that banks will start having a impact of the flood next year means start of 2011 when people would be unable to pay their loans and percentage % of non- performing loans will increase. So this shows that one sector of the economy will have to face tough time in near future while the other sector can take out some positives from the recent flood. According to former Federal Minister for Food Agriculture and Livestock Khair Muhammad Junejo, he said and we quote Flood overall effect for land will be beneficial. This also shows that the former minister is of the view that yes indeed flood have caused damages to farmland in this year but it will have a positive impact in the next year with more fertile land and with availability of water. Abdul Shakur, a research analyst at BMA Capital Management Ltd. in Karachi said With around 25 percent of its total lending to agriculture related business, it will be a real challenge for National Bank to register growth in profit, He estimates a 22 percent decline in National Banks profit in 2010 This statement shows that Abdul Shakur who is one of the experts is of the view that this flood will not only harm agriculture sector but the banking sector as well because banking sector relies heavily on the agriculture sector with quarter of its loans are being given to agriculture sector. When the National Bank of Pakistan will be facing tough time showing profit this means all the other banks will have a much larger impact if the agriculture fails to pay back their loans. The United Nation organization estimates that the recent flood will increase Pakistans fiscal deficit by 4$ billion that means with the current exchange rate Pakistan fiscal deficit will increase by 350 billion rupees. Pakistan who is already face challenges because of their war on terror and does not look good economy wise. Their targets set by IMF were 5.1 % of the GDP for fiscal deficit but they exceeded these targets by more than one percent and achieved 6.2% prior to these flood. This flood will not make things better for Pakistan but worse According to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani the government have decided to cut their PSDP (Public Sector Development Projects) by 50 % this means that from 650 billion government will only utilize around 325 billion and the rest of the funds wil

Titanic

One of the best known films of all time, in my opinion, is â€Å"Titanicâ€Å". Directed by James Cameron in 1997, this film captured both my attention and my heart with the plot of a tragic event hand in hand with a love story with everything but a happy ending. He managed to combine TragedyThe real story behind this film is that of the ship of dreams also believed to be the unsinkable ship and its tragic journey to the ocean floor. The love story that caught all of our hearts is that of Jack Dawson and Rose. They’ve been brought together by this majesty boat from opposite ends of the spectrum in an era where status is everything.Timing was also against them with the pressure of Rose’s engagement to Cal Hockley. Rose’s snobby mother Ruth Dewitt was also a major obstacle to their relationship from the beginning and insists on the marriage of Rose and Cal Hockley because of his inheritance. The story is narrated by aged Rose to a group of explorers who wanted to know more details about the wreck of the Titanic. The movie begins with the exploration of the sunken Titanic by treasure hunter Brock Lovett and his team. They are searching for a necklace called the â€Å"Heart of the Oceanâ€Å".They believe the necklace is in Cal’s safe, which they recover. Instead of finding the priceless diamond, they find a drawing of a nude woman wearing the necklace, dated the same night the Titanic hit the iceberg, April 14, 1912. Rose Dawson sees the painting on TV and immediately contacts the explorers and tells them she is the woman in the drawing. Brock Lovett, being very interested in her story, brings Rose and her granddaughter Lizzy to the ship. When asked if she knows the whereabouts of the necklace, Rose recalls her memories in a flashback and brought us aboard the Titanic.The story begins with Jack and his best friend, Fabrizio, betting everything they have on a game of poker for life changing tickets to board the Titanic, minutes befor e its departure. They win the tickets and head for America on what was believed to be at the time, mans greatest creation, the Titanic. Rose and Jack were part of opposite social classes on the ship. Rose being the part of the wealthy stayed in first class quarters while Jack being part of the third class passengers belonged in the bowels of the ship.It wasn’t until one night that Rose was just fed up by the distress by the engagement and the pressure from her mother, that she come out to the dock and considers suicide. Seconds aways from reaching the point of no return and jumping, Jack comes from behind and talks her out of jumping. From that night on Jack and Rose develop a relationship of friendship with undeniable potential to be soul mates. Jack soon discovers the not so pleasant people of â€Å"high society,† and sees clearly why Rose is so desperate to break away from that world.Jack was looked down upon by Cal, Ruth, and most of Rose’s acquaintances. It was long before Cal and Ruth forbid that Rose see Jack. Weighing out her options, Rose decides to defy her mothers orders and meet with Jack. She soon realizes that Jack’s world and Jack himself is an escape from her marriage to Cal. This leads to one of the best scenes, where Rose takes Jack back to her room and asks him to draw a portrait of her wearing nothing but the heart of the ocean necklace, an engagement present from Cal.The same portrait that was found years later in Cal’s safe in place of the necklace itself. Afterwards, the two find their way to the ship's cargo hold, where, for the first time, they make love. Perhaps one of the most steaming, lust filled scenes in movie history. After that scene Jack and Rose go up to the deck and experience what is going to change everyone’s life on that ship. The ship collides with an iceberg that the ships crew weren’t in time to prevent. They also overhear the crew speaking of the seriousness, so they ge t a heads up. They then rush to inform Cal and her mother.But before Rose reaches her mother and Cal to warn them about the collision with the iceberg, Cal confronts her. He has found the sketch that Jack had painted of her. He then plots against Jack by dropping the necklace into his coat pocket and frames him for being a thief. Jack is then arrested, taken to a room, and handcuffed to a pipe. Rose, being lied to about Jacks action, is then left with no choice but to leave with Cal. Cal, Ruth, and Rose then rush to one of the few life boats on the ship to try and escape what they already know will be a deadly end.As the minutes pass and the ship stands still on the icy cold sea water, panic on the ship grows immensely. As Rose takes her place in the lifeboat, she decides to leave Cal, he mother along with her safety and rejoin Jack on this shipwreck to be. Rose is racing frantically against the panicking crowds in an effort to fin and save Jack. She soon realizes that the deck she has to go thru is already a couple of feet underwater. Without hesitation, she continues and goes on to find the room where Jack is handcuffed.The room quickly begins to flood; and without a key to set Jack free, Rose goes back into the hallways and finds an axe. After only a couple practice hits, she swings the axe down and cuts thru the cuffs. By the time they get back to the deck the ship is halfway underwater. They make their way to the lifeboats but they were only letting the woman and children board. Rose of course didn’t leave him the first and doesn’t leave him this time either. Moments later everyone including Jack and Rose are racing to the front of the boat and it rises higher and higher into the sky.The ship now being in a 90 degree angle, Jack and Rose hold their breath as the boat finally goes underwater. After a few seconds of being separated they find each other in the icy cold water surrounded by fifteen hundred others shouting for help. They are hopin g for the lifeboats to return for them. Meanwhile they come across this floating wooden board, buts it’s only big enough to sustain one of them. Rose lies on the wooden board and holds jacks hands and wait. Wait to die, wait for rescue, just wait. It gets quieter and quieter as the minutes pass, and finally one boat comes back.When Rose realizes that there’s a boat, she tries to wake up Jack only find him lifeless still holding on tight to her hand. Definitely the saddest moment of the movie, this scene brings me to tears. Rose then blows a whistle she had taken from one of the already dead officers floating next to them. With nothing but just a memory of Jack Dawson, Rose survives that’s horrific night to grow old and live life like Jack said she would. Rose finishes her remarkable story, and that same night she reveals that she had this diamond all along and returns it to where she always thought that it belonged.In my opinion of the most memorable scenes was the image of the thousands of people struggling in the ice cold dark waters when Rose came out of the water without Jack. I can picture it so vividly. Another scene that I remembered is where an old couple embraces each other in bed knowing that they were going to drown. The love scene in the car where the windows of the car are fogged up show the passion that Rose and Jack had for each other. Titanic is filled with the most impressive camera movements like the swooping motions around the moving ship which he uses various times throughout the movie.They’re just breathtaking. Probably the most epic and mind-blowing camera moves were those during the collision and sinking of the Titanic. The way you see people falling from the ship slamming into the water, hitting the objects on their way down to the swallowing ocean, one character even hit the propeller. Before the movie hit the big screen, the press was trashing Titanic, mainly because the cost of this film extremely over bud get. Well let me be one of the many to say that it was worth every single penny.There is nothing I've seen in years that comes close to the power and glory of Titanic. Perhaps it’s because the movie was based on a real story. And, of course, it was a movie that contained drama, action, adventure and we cannot forget the romance. Titanic is also a symbol of a time when the movies swept you away in another world and kept you there. Even knowing what is to come at the end, your eyes will be transfixed. It's that good. That’s why I believe this movie will be as popular and well known for many generation to come as it was the year it premiered and as recognizable as it is today. Titanic One of the best known films of all time, in my opinion, is â€Å"Titanicâ€Å". Directed by James Cameron in 1997, this film captured both my attention and my heart with the plot of a tragic event hand in hand with a love story with everything but a happy ending. He managed to combine TragedyThe real story behind this film is that of the ship of dreams also believed to be the unsinkable ship and its tragic journey to the ocean floor. The love story that caught all of our hearts is that of Jack Dawson and Rose. They’ve been brought together by this majesty boat from opposite ends of the spectrum in an era where status is everything.Timing was also against them with the pressure of Rose’s engagement to Cal Hockley. Rose’s snobby mother Ruth Dewitt was also a major obstacle to their relationship from the beginning and insists on the marriage of Rose and Cal Hockley because of his inheritance. The story is narrated by aged Rose to a group of explorers who wanted to know more details about the wreck of the Titanic. The movie begins with the exploration of the sunken Titanic by treasure hunter Brock Lovett and his team. They are searching for a necklace called the â€Å"Heart of the Oceanâ€Å".They believe the necklace is in Cal’s safe, which they recover. Instead of finding the priceless diamond, they find a drawing of a nude woman wearing the necklace, dated the same night the Titanic hit the iceberg, April 14, 1912. Rose Dawson sees the painting on TV and immediately contacts the explorers and tells them she is the woman in the drawing. Brock Lovett, being very interested in her story, brings Rose and her granddaughter Lizzy to the ship. When asked if she knows the whereabouts of the necklace, Rose recalls her memories in a flashback and brought us aboard the Titanic.The story begins with Jack and his best friend, Fabrizio, betting everything they have on a game of poker for life changing tickets to board the Titanic, minutes befor e its departure. They win the tickets and head for America on what was believed to be at the time, mans greatest creation, the Titanic. Rose and Jack were part of opposite social classes on the ship. Rose being the part of the wealthy stayed in first class quarters while Jack being part of the third class passengers belonged in the bowels of the ship.It wasn’t until one night that Rose was just fed up by the distress by the engagement and the pressure from her mother, that she come out to the dock and considers suicide. Seconds aways from reaching the point of no return and jumping, Jack comes from behind and talks her out of jumping. From that night on Jack and Rose develop a relationship of friendship with undeniable potential to be soul mates. Jack soon discovers the not so pleasant people of â€Å"high society,† and sees clearly why Rose is so desperate to break away from that world.Jack was looked down upon by Cal, Ruth, and most of Rose’s acquaintances. It was long before Cal and Ruth forbid that Rose see Jack. Weighing out her options, Rose decides to defy her mothers orders and meet with Jack. She soon realizes that Jack’s world and Jack himself is an escape from her marriage to Cal. This leads to one of the best scenes, where Rose takes Jack back to her room and asks him to draw a portrait of her wearing nothing but the heart of the ocean necklace, an engagement present from Cal.The same portrait that was found years later in Cal’s safe in place of the necklace itself. Afterwards, the two find their way to the ship's cargo hold, where, for the first time, they make love. Perhaps one of the most steaming, lust filled scenes in movie history. After that scene Jack and Rose go up to the deck and experience what is going to change everyone’s life on that ship. The ship collides with an iceberg that the ships crew weren’t in time to prevent. They also overhear the crew speaking of the seriousness, so they ge t a heads up. They then rush to inform Cal and her mother.But before Rose reaches her mother and Cal to warn them about the collision with the iceberg, Cal confronts her. He has found the sketch that Jack had painted of her. He then plots against Jack by dropping the necklace into his coat pocket and frames him for being a thief. Jack is then arrested, taken to a room, and handcuffed to a pipe. Rose, being lied to about Jacks action, is then left with no choice but to leave with Cal. Cal, Ruth, and Rose then rush to one of the few life boats on the ship to try and escape what they already know will be a deadly end.As the minutes pass and the ship stands still on the icy cold sea water, panic on the ship grows immensely. As Rose takes her place in the lifeboat, she decides to leave Cal, he mother along with her safety and rejoin Jack on this shipwreck to be. Rose is racing frantically against the panicking crowds in an effort to fin and save Jack. She soon realizes that the deck she has to go thru is already a couple of feet underwater. Without hesitation, she continues and goes on to find the room where Jack is handcuffed.The room quickly begins to flood; and without a key to set Jack free, Rose goes back into the hallways and finds an axe. After only a couple practice hits, she swings the axe down and cuts thru the cuffs. By the time they get back to the deck the ship is halfway underwater. They make their way to the lifeboats but they were only letting the woman and children board. Rose of course didn’t leave him the first and doesn’t leave him this time either. Moments later everyone including Jack and Rose are racing to the front of the boat and it rises higher and higher into the sky.The ship now being in a 90 degree angle, Jack and Rose hold their breath as the boat finally goes underwater. After a few seconds of being separated they find each other in the icy cold water surrounded by fifteen hundred others shouting for help. They are hopin g for the lifeboats to return for them. Meanwhile they come across this floating wooden board, buts it’s only big enough to sustain one of them. Rose lies on the wooden board and holds jacks hands and wait. Wait to die, wait for rescue, just wait. It gets quieter and quieter as the minutes pass, and finally one boat comes back.When Rose realizes that there’s a boat, she tries to wake up Jack only find him lifeless still holding on tight to her hand. Definitely the saddest moment of the movie, this scene brings me to tears. Rose then blows a whistle she had taken from one of the already dead officers floating next to them. With nothing but just a memory of Jack Dawson, Rose survives that’s horrific night to grow old and live life like Jack said she would. Rose finishes her remarkable story, and that same night she reveals that she had this diamond all along and returns it to where she always thought that it belonged.In my opinion of the most memorable scenes was the image of the thousands of people struggling in the ice cold dark waters when Rose came out of the water without Jack. I can picture it so vividly. Another scene that I remembered is where an old couple embraces each other in bed knowing that they were going to drown. The love scene in the car where the windows of the car are fogged up show the passion that Rose and Jack had for each other. Titanic is filled with the most impressive camera movements like the swooping motions around the moving ship which he uses various times throughout the movie.They’re just breathtaking. Probably the most epic and mind-blowing camera moves were those during the collision and sinking of the Titanic. The way you see people falling from the ship slamming into the water, hitting the objects on their way down to the swallowing ocean, one character even hit the propeller. Before the movie hit the big screen, the press was trashing Titanic, mainly because the cost of this film extremely over bud get. Well let me be one of the many to say that it was worth every single penny.There is nothing I've seen in years that comes close to the power and glory of Titanic. Perhaps it’s because the movie was based on a real story. And, of course, it was a movie that contained drama, action, adventure and we cannot forget the romance. Titanic is also a symbol of a time when the movies swept you away in another world and kept you there. Even knowing what is to come at the end, your eyes will be transfixed. It's that good. That’s why I believe this movie will be as popular and well known for many generation to come as it was the year it premiered and as recognizable as it is today.