Friday, March 20, 2020

How to Use the French Preposition Pour (For)

How to Use the French Preposition Pour (For) The French preposition pour  (pronounced poor) is one of the most common in the French language and one of the first that new students learn. The word usually means for, but it has a few other possible meanings as well.  Pour can be followed by a noun, pronoun, or infinitive, and as youll see, it can be used to express causation, intent, and motivation, among other relationships. This word also appears in a number of colloquialisms. Purpose / Intention   Jai achetà © un cadeau pour toi.   I bought you a gift.  Il la fait pour nous aider.   He did it (in order) to help us. Duration of future event In this case, pour functions as a  temporal preposition.   Je vais y habiter pour un an.   Im going to live there for a year.  Il parlera pour une heure.   He will speak for an hour. In favor of   Il est pour la peine de la mort.   He is in favor of the death penalty.  Jai votà © pour Macron.   I voted for Macron. Direction   Il est parti pour Ottawa.   He left for Ottawa.  Voici le train pour Rouen.   Heres the train to Rouen. Point of view   Pour nous, cest une bonne idà ©e.   For us, its a good idea.  Il est tout pour moi.   He is everything to me. Cause / Reason   Jai à ©tà © puni pour avoir volà ©.   I was punished for stealing.  Ce magasin est fermà © pour rà ©parations.   This store is closed for repairs. In place of / In exchange for   Il doit signer pour moi.   He has to sign for me.  Tu me dois 4 euros pour le cafà ©.   You owe me 4 euros for the coffee. Comparison / Relationship   Un pour cent   One per hundred (one percent)  Il fait chaud pour lautomne.   Its hot for the fall. Description   Je suis assez fatiguà © pour dormir par terre.   Im tired enough to sleep on the floor.  Il est trop avare pour nous aider.   Hes too stingy to help us. Expressions Sa bonne constitution y est pour quelque chose.   His strong constitution had something to do with  ou  played a part in it.Elle est pour beaucoup dans le succà ¨s de la pià ¨ce.   The success of the play is to a large  extent due to her. /  She has had a great deal to do with the success of the play.Ne me remerciez pas, je ny suis pour rien.   Dont thank me; I didnt have anything to do with it.Cest fait pour. Thats what its (there) for.à ªtre pour  Ã‚  to be in favourJe suis pour quon sy mette tout de suite.  Ã‚  Im in favour of getting down to it immediately.pour de bon for good, reallypour ce faire for that purpose, to that endavoir pour but aimpour ainsi dire as it werepour lessential mainly, basically An acceptable antonym would be  contre  (against).  Pour que  is an offshoot, a conjunction meaning, so that or in order to.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Consumers Warned of Online Payday Loan Sites

Consumers Warned of Online Payday Loan Sites As you look at the automated ads that surround this article, keep in mind that the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has long advised consumers to exercise extreme caution when using internet payday loan web sites, where loans due by the next payday, can cost up to $30 per $100 borrowed and borrowers typically face annual interest rates (APRs) of 650%. According to a CFA survey of one hundred Internet payday loan sites, small loans involving electronic access to consumers checking accounts pose high risks to consumers who borrow money by transmitting personal financial information via the internet. Automatically Zapping Your Bank Account Internet payday loans cost up to $30 per $100 borrowed and must be repaid or refinanced by the borrowers next payday, said Jean Ann Fox, CFAs director of consumer protection. If payday is in two weeks, a $500 loan costs $150, and $650 will be electronically withdrawn from the borrowers checking account. Many surveyed lenders automatically renew loans by electronically withdrawing the finance charge from the consumers checking account every payday. If consumers fail to have enough money on deposit to cover the finance charge or repayment, both the payday lender and the bank will impose insufficient funds fees. Where Payday Loans Lurk Online payday loans are marketed through e-mail, online search, paid ads, and referrals. Typically, a consumer fills out an online application form or faxes a completed application that requests personal information, bank account numbers, Social Security Numbers and employer information. Borrowers fax copies of a check, a recent bank statement, and signed paperwork. The loan is direct deposited into the consumers checking account and loan payment or the finance charge is electronically withdrawn on the borrowers next payday. High Cost, High Risk Internet payday loans are dangerous for cash-strapped consumers, stated Ms. Fox. They combine the high costs and collection risks of check-based payday loans with security risks of sending bank account numbers and Social Security Numbers over web links to unknown lenders. CFAs survey of 100 Internet payday loan sites showed that loans from $200 to $2,500 were available, with $500 the most frequently offered. Finance charges ranged from $10 per $100 up to $30 per $100 borrowed. The most frequent rate was $25 per $100, or 650% annual interest rate (APR) if the loan is repaid in two weeks. Typically loans are due on the borrowers next payday which can be a shorter term. Only 38 sites disclosed the annual interest rates for loans prior to customers completing the application process, while 57 sites quoted the finance charge. The most frequently posted APR was 652%, followed by 780%. Although loans are due on the borrowers next payday, many surveyed sites automatically renew the loan, withdrawing the finance charge from the borrowers bank account and extending the loan for another pay cycle. Sixty-five of the surveyed sites permit loan renewals with no reduction in principal. At some lenders, consumers have to take additional steps to actually repay the loan. After several renewals, some lenders require borrowers to reduce the loan principal with each renewal. Contracts from Internet payday lenders include a range of one-sided terms, such as mandatory arbitration clauses, agreements not to participate in class action lawsuits, and agreements not to file for bankruptcy. Some lenders require applicants to agree to keep their bank accounts open until loans are repaid. Others ask for voluntary wage assignments even in states where wage assignments are not legal. CFA advises consumers not to borrow money based on giving a post-dated paper check or electronic access to a bank account as security. Payday loans are too expensive and too hard to repay on the next payday. CFA advises consumers never to transmit bank account numbers, Social Security numbers or other personal financial information via the Internet or by fax to unknown companies. Consumers should shop for lower cost credit, comparing both the dollar finance charge and the APR to get the lowest cost credit available. For help with financial problems, CFA urges consumers to seek credit counseling help or legal assistance.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Reading and Writing Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reading and Writing Skills - Essay Example The book "Rereading America† was very helpful to me. The essay â€Å"Learning to read† by Malcolm X was very inspiring. Malcolm X explained how he learned to read despite the challenging conditions he faced in life. I liked the way he struggled to learn how to read and write. He claimed, â€Å"I had commanded attention when I said something. But now, trying to write simple English, I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even functional†.His struggle in jail as he tried to learn how to read and write was a great challenge to me. At least, I had helpful and understanding lecturers, friends, as well as useful reading and writing materials. At first, he started by copying everything in the first page of the book he got into his tablet, including the punctuation marks. He went on copying the contents of the dictionary in his tablet, and after some time, he started making meaningful progress. He claimed that after so much practice in writing, he gained up writing speed. I have copied the same idea and I write a lot to improve my writing skills. I believe that I have learned a lot of writing skills. The only challenging part is that I have not yet gained the full understanding of all the vocabulary in the English world. I still need more work to understand the underlying meanings of some of the complicated words. The essay by Jonathan Kozol â€Å"Still ‘separate, still unequal† was the most challenging piece of reading, yet most educative.... The essay by Jonathan Kozol â€Å"Still ‘separate, still unequal† was the most challenging piece of reading, yet most educative. It is undeniable that Kozol gave an extensive research on the status of education in America by exploring the different society issues which affect the education system. Most of his facts in the essay were illustrated with statistical figures. I learned that in order to make a strong point and to be convictive to the readers, facts represented using statistical figures could be very efficient. It is true that the education system in America is changing for the better, but for the times of Kozol, things were out of proportion. He claimed, â€Å"Even these statistics, as stark as they are, cannot begin to convey how deeply isolated children in the poorest and most segregated sections of these cities have become† (Colombo, Cullen & Lisle, 2010, p. 219). The piece of work really developed the title of his work. Indeed, he presented the image of the society just the way it was. Racial segregation and discrimination were the most difficult society issues at the time. Perhaps, the same still remains in some regions. The most luxurious privatized learning institutions serve the whites, whereas the low-end learning institutions serve the less privileged black Americans in the American society. Although the learning environments may be different, I have learned from Malcolm X that determination is what matters most. It is possible to go to privatized luxurious institution and fail or attend a low-class learning institution and become successful depending on your attitude, focus, and commitment to education. I read this essay several times and I feel that it

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Build a Computer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Build a Computer - Essay Example Both systems have their individual advantages, but the popularity and diversity in the PC is much more. Hardware as well as software can be chosen in order to suit one’s individual needs. With the advent of internet and the usage of computers spreading all over the world, the PC has emerged as the undisputed leader as the most commonly used computer system. A personal computer based on the ‘Microsoft Windows’ operating system is therefore an ideal selection for our school which can have all the essential components and software within a budget of $ 2000. The first and foremost component essential for building a PC is the motherboard and the central processing unit (CPU) (tomshardware.com). A power supply and the computer casing are the other startup essentials in which all components are installed. However, it is better to buy the above components in a preassembled unit which is offered by prestigious brands in all sorts of shapes and specifications. Hewlett Packard, Dell, Gateway, Acer are some of the popular brand names offering such preassembled units with a variety of specifications. The popular motherboards in the market are capable of handling complex computer hardware and software issues and are engineered to handle either the ‘Intel’ or the ‘AMD’ CPU’s. A CPU is the heart of the computer and its speed and processing power influence the overall performance of the computer system. The sound, video and network support come inbuilt in the modern motherboards. The motherboards have slots and compo nents which can take on other hardware needed to enhance the overall performance depending upon the requirement, such as enhanced video capability or coupling ability with other electronic devices dependent of computers for their functioning. Hard disks are the storage media which contain all the data and software needed to run the computer and are

Saturday, January 25, 2020

The Growth Of 3d In Movie Industry Film Studies Essay

The Growth Of 3d In Movie Industry Film Studies Essay The first presentation of 3D films before a paying audience took place at the Astor Theater, New York, on June 10, 1915. The program consisted of three one-reelers, the first of rural scenes in the USA, the second a selection of scenes from Famous Players Jim, the Penman, and the third a travelogue of Niagara Falls. The anaglyphic process used, developed by Edwin S. Porter and W.E. Waddell, involved the use of red and green spectacles to create a single image from twin motion picture images photographed 2 ½ inches apart. The experiment was not a success. The first 3D feature film was Nat Deverichs 5-reel melodrama Power of Love, starring Terry ONeil and Barbara Bedford. It premiered at the Ambassador Hotel Theater, Los Angeles, on September 27, 1922. Produced by Perfect Pictures in an anaglyphic process developed by Harry K. Fairall, it related the adventures of a young sea captain in California in the 1840s. The first feature-length talkie in 3D was Sante Bonaldos Nozze vagabonde, starring Leda Gloria and Ermes Zacconi, which was produced by the Società   Italiana Stereocinematografica at the Cinee-Caesar Studios. The 3D cameraman was Anchise Brizzi. The first feature-length talkie in color and 3D was Alexander Andreyevskys Soyuzdetfilm production Robinson Crusoe (USSR 47), starring Pavel Kadochnikov as Crusoe and Y. Lyubimov as Friday. The process used, Stereokino, was the first to successfully dispense with anaglyphic spectacles. Developed by S.P. Ivanov, it employed what were known as radial raster stereoscreens-a corrugated metal screen with raster grooves designed to reflect the twin images separately to the left and right eye. The most difficult technical problem encountered during the production of Robinson Crusoe was persuading a wild cat to walk along a thin branch towards the camera. After five nights occupied with this one scene, the cameraman succeeded in getting a satisfactory shot. The effect, according to accounts, was riveting, the animal seeming to walk over the heads of the audience and disappear at the far end of the cinema. The first 3D feature with stereophonic sound was Warner Brothers House of Wax (US 53). When it was premiered at the Paramount Theater, New York, with 25 speakers, the Christian Science Monitor was moved to deplore the cacophony of sound hurtling relentlessly at one from all directions. Andrà © de Toth, director of the movie, may have been able to hear the cacophony, but was unable to see the 3D effect, as he only had one eye. During the 3D boom that began with the low-budget Bwana Devil (US 52), over 5,000 theaters in the US were equipped to show 3D movies, but the fad was shortlived. 3D production figures were: 1952-1; 1953-27; 1954-16; 1955-1. In addition there were 3D movies produced in Japan, Britain, Mexico, Germany and Hong Kong, but many of these (as well as some of the US productions) were released flat. Sporadic production resumed in 1960 with the first Cinemascope 3D movie, September Storm (US 60), since when there have been 54 further three-dimensional films References This quick overview of the firsts of 3D movie history was published in the 1993 edition of the Guiness Book of World Records. http://www.3dgear.com/scsc/movies/firsts.html Limbacher, J. L. (1968) Four Aspects of the Film, New York:Viking Norling, J. A. (1915) Basic Principles of 3-D Photography and Projection New Screen Techniques Norling, J. A. (1939) Three-Dimensional Motion Pictures, Journal of Society of Motion Pictures and Entertainment Dec Potter, W. J. (2008). Media literacy (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Walters, Ben. The Great Leap Forward. Sight Sound, 19.3. (2009) pp. 38-41 Main Response Post (History of 3D) Since its invention in 1838, stereoscopy has been used as a technique to create the illusion of a third dimension (Norling 1915). There is a lot of debate about the first 3D film but Larrivà ©e du train filmed in 1903 by the Lumià ¨re brothers, the inventors of cinema, is often referred to as the first stereoscopic movie ever made (Norling 1915). When it was released, audiences panicked because they thought the train was about to crash right into them! Although the technology for creating 3D films has been around for a long time, the technology for viewing these films, as essential as it may be, is a totally different story. This explains why 3D cinema has gone through a few significant changes. 1900 to 1939 was a period of experimentation for 3D. Producers, fans and inventors of various areas lay the groundwork for 3D cinema (Norling 1939). A few films are shot with small budgets in order to try to uncover the secrets of stereoscopic production. 1950 to 1960 is where 3D sees its first bit of popularity. With the commercial success of Bwana Devil, released by United Artists in 1952, 3D cinema captures the attention of the major studios (Limbacher, 1968). They turn out more than sixty films, including Hitchcocks Dial M for Murder and Hondo, starring John Wayne. Although these films were shot with state-of-the art technology, 3D fell out of use because of the poor viewing conditions in most theatres and due to the complex equipment required to exhibit 3D movies (silver screens, polarized glasses, double synchronized projectors, special lensesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)(Limbacher, 1968). From 1973 to 1985 3D is all but forgotten by the general public, 3D cinema resurfaces and several studios, large and small, try to resurrect it (Walters, 2009). They succeed in creating interest thanks to such films as Jaws 3D, Comin at Ya! and Friday the 13th Part 3. However, in spite of its new-found success, the little cardboard glasses still didnt improve the viewing conditions, and 3D disappeared once again. With the invention of the Imax 3D format, from 1986 to 2000, audiences discover for the first time while watching Transitions the emergence of new screening technology, 3D cinema finally comes into its own (Walters, 2009). Although 3D is used only in specialized productions due to the prohibitive shooting costs, it takes its rightful place, along side productions with incredible and expensive special effects. The arrival of computer animation technology, digital cameras and 3D home theatre contribute to the development of stereoscopic production and screening starting 2000 thru to the present (Walters, 2009). The demand for 3D continues to grow and the technology is now entering its second phase of popularity. The popularity of the recent computer animated movie Avatar is evidence that this newer 3D IMAX experience is something the public is fascinated with. 3D movies can have various psychological effects. The basic effects that all movies we enjoy have in common are the emotional effects (Potter, 2008). Without the emotional effects the movies plot would not hold our attention and this happens by them evoking or emotions. 3D movies are particularly known for their play on physiological effects, the visual experience of seeing the movie in 3 dimensions makes a movie seem more real and there for our bodies react releasing adrenaline even thought we know that what we are seeing is not real (Potter, 2008). This leads to one more psychological effect of 3D movies, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. Because of the realistic nature of seeing action in 3 dimensions it can be hard to separate the line between what is real and what is the movie, at least while the movie is being viewed (Potter, 2008).

Friday, January 17, 2020

FMB&T Case Study Essay

This case study is all about a bank by the name of FMB&T. Recently, the CEO and President of FMB&T, Marshall Pinkard, received an e-mail from a Vice President of the company, Ayishia Coles, who also happens to be the company’s Chief Information Officer. Ayishia reported to Marshall with several frustrations. She was having problems with her job because she didn’t have clear cut responsibilities or authorities, which had caused her some trouble in how to deal with people who had come to her for IT solutions. She had expressed that employees from several departments had come to her with problems she could not understand because they were poorly described. She had also expressed that these employees that came to her expected immediate results, but when she tried to be an administrator or facilitator, her efforts were not responded to with open arms. The other departments’ problems seemed to all be very complex and required a lot of time for the IT department to fix, which irritated the other departments in the bank. Ayishia’s last frustration seemed to be that the IT department seemed to simply work in applications development and only had a responsibility to fix the problems of the other departments in the bank. She noted that the IT department had some good ideas for business strategies involving IT developments, but their ideas seemed to be shunned or neglected. Marshall seemed to agree with Ayishia in her request for a formal copy of her authorities and responsibilities, but also pondered the idea that maybe Ayishia had uncovered a major organizational problem throughout the bank. Ayishia’s main frustrations stemmed from her lack of a feeling of authority, although she was an executive Vice President. It seems as though workers in the bank have a problem respecting her, and the study hints that it might be because she’s still new and the employees aren’t as familiar with her and her duties yet. Ayishia may have asked for a formal copy of her duties and powers because she is new and wants something formal from the President to give her and the other employees throughout the company a feel for what her job exactly is. That way Ayishia will feel more confident in her actions and employees will be more open to her help. If I am Marshall Pinkard, I take the situation one step at a time. On one hand, the feeling that Ayishia, a  major leader in the company, is not respected hints that maybe it is time for a massive overhaul in the company’s organizational structure. You can make the argument that the situation will get better with time, but there are other factors that say otherwise. There are problems within the IT department where they basically believe they are â€Å"lab rats† and do a lot of the â€Å"dirty work† for the other parts of the company, while their ideas about improving the bank as a whole seem to be ignored. So Ayishia is a new executive and her department seems to be not only neglected but also under a lot of fire for performing under expectations. That situation poses quite the conflict for Pinkard in that maybe it’s just that Ayishia is new and hasn’t fully settled in yet, like Marshall expected before he opened the e-mail. Maybe the IT department is just having a rough patch with the problems recently, which could possibly be fixed with minor adjustments. But, at the same time, the IT department seems to be integrated in a lot of the bank’s functions and they feel like the runt of the bank in that they are underused and their good ideas are going to waste. Maybe it is time for the bank to give the IT department more power or place them higher up in the order of the business. All of these factors will add to why Marshall will have to gather more information and make a decision very carefully. As far as Marshall’s actions, his first should be to give Ayishia her formal list of responsibilities and authorities as soon as possible. She is the Chief Information Officer, so she should have complete control over the IT personnel and department as a whole, which she doesn’t feel like she has. Next, since the situation is pretty delicate, I would think that the best course of action for right now would be to try the small adjustments for 6 months or so, and then assess the situation again. With that said, the bank has been growing with the way it has been currently organized, and a massive overhaul could result in bad news. Clarifying Ayishia’s roles and duties will hopefully make her life easier, and I would have to see ho w the bank will react to her after she is given that information. There are several other things that could have been the root of the problems Ayishia described, and now that I am aware of them, I want a trial period to see what exactly she was talking about and how to improve those problems. When reassessing the situation, I would take into account how the work environment changes in the trial period, taking note of how Ayishia works  with other employees. I would also take into account what troubles the IT department comes into when helping other members of the bank, and whether or not those troubles are due to the information system currently in place. In general, the main thing to do would be to see how the bank runs after Ayishia feels more comfortable with her job and evaluate the company before making a decision. As far as organization of the IT Department should go, I think that President of the large local branch has a point that individual IT departments would save a lot of time and unnecessary work from corporate. However, the individual IT departments would need to be checked upon by corporate routinely and corporate should still have some controls over each department. Ayishia’s work scope would expand with making sure these departments are up to standard, but I would go with individual IT departments at each branch. However, instead of getting rid of several employees in Ayishia’s department, I would assign them all to work for the various branches and work as corporate delegates, since they are already familiar with how corporate’s system currently works. They would be the branch’s link to corporate and deal with getting what the branch needs from corporate. That way, corporate still has some control, but each IT department could meet their individual needs faster as well. Overall, Ayishia’s situation has raised a cause for concern and improvement through FMB&T bank. Ayishia’s troubles with her job will hopefully be fixed once she receives a formal copy of her responsibilities and authorities, which will be given to her immediately. Marshall Pinkard needs to handle this delicate situation carefully, since he has limited information. He needs some time to do a little trial and error to gather more information and test out making small adjustments here and there. Once Marshall has seen what he needs to see, then it is time to assess whether or not a major overhaul of the bank’s organization is actually needed. Ayishia’s e-mail will hopefully bring the company to make the improvements it needs to.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Definition and Illustrations of Example in Writing

In composition, example (or exemplification) is a  method of paragraph or essay development by which a writer clarifies, explains, or justifies a point through narrative or informative details. The best way to reveal a problem, phenomenon, or social circumstance, says William Ruehlmann, is to illustrate it with a single, specific instance. (Stalking the Feature Story, 1978). The etymology comes from the Latin, to take out. Examples and Observations I argue that there is a sense of belonging, a sense of national/cultural identity that differentiates one people from others. Let me look at Vietnamese students studying in Australia as an example. . . .(Le Ha Phan, Teaching English as an International Language: Identity, Resistance, and Negotiation. Multilingual Matters, 2008)Illustrations affected me more strongly  than reality; a picture of falling snow, for example, whether in black-and-white line drawing or blurry four-color reproduction, moves me more than any actual storm.(John Updike,  Self-Consciousness, 1989)Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.(Dave Barry)There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we know. The keeping of bees, for instance, is a very slight interference.(Henry David Thoreau, Paradise (to Be) Regained. Democ ratic Review, Nov. 1843)Before long I came to regard all kinds of activities — asking for more toast in a hotel, buying wool-rich socks at Marks Spencer, getting two pairs of pants when I really needed only one — as something daring, very nearly illicit. My life became immensely richer.(Bill Bryson, Notes From a Small Island. Doubleday, 1995)ensure that you use specific and relevant examples;include multiple examples to make your point; andprovide an effective argument Functions and MethodsBecause examples are so important for clarification, adding interest, and persuasion, writers rely on them all the time, even when they use other patterns of development. Thus, you will see examples in essays developed largely with cause-and-effect analysis, process analysis, comparison-contrast, and other patterns or combinations of patterns. Say, for instance, that you are using cause-and-effect analysis to explain why sexually active teenagers often do not use birth control. Once you note that teenagers may not always understand when and how pregnancy can occur, you can illustrate with an example you read of a 15-year-old who became pregnant because she thought she was safe since it was her first sexual experience.Regardless of your purpose for using exemplification, your examples will support, clarify, or explain a generalization, which is a statement of something that is typically true in your own life or in a broader context.(Barbara Fine Clouse, Patterns f or a Purpose. McGraw-Hill, 2003)Whether example is a supporting mode or the dominant technique, you need to(W.J. Kelly, Strategy and Structure. Allyn Bacon, 1999) Examples of SuperstitionsMany superstitions are so widespread and so old that they must have risen from a depth of the human mind that is indifferent to race or creed. Orthodox Jews place a charm on their door-posts; so do (or did) the Chinese. Some peoples of Middle Europe believe that when a man sneezes, his soul, for that moment, is absent from his body, and they hasten to bless him, lest the soul should be seized by the Devil. How did the Melanesians come by the same idea? Superstition seems to have a link with somebody of belief that far antedates the religions we know — religions which have no place for such comforting little ceremonies and charities.(Robertson Davies, A Few Kind Words for Superstition. Newsweek, Nov. 20, 1978) MementosIn the small, shabby apartment there were mementos of other places, other things. There was, for example, a childs day bed folded up in a corner of the living room. Toys — if you opened the closet door too quickly — fell on your head. Tiny scuffed white shoes were still hiding — one of them, anyhow — under the headboard of the bed. Small worn dresses, ripped, faded or in good repair, hung on nails in a small back room.(Alice Walker, Meridian. Harcourt Brace, 1976) Memories of Autumn in EnglandSoon it will be the endless evenings, fraught with old, thin memories of Bovril and Sooty, wet streets, lighting-up time, tentative girlfriends gone away to university, beer and colds, waiting outside Halfords for the number 29 bus, melancholy nights with headlights making patterns on the bedroom wall. Autumn is a Sunday evening indefinitely expended. It is the season of the provinces, bedsits in Sheffield, Cardiff sea-mists, raincoats and station platforms, desolation and loss.(Michael Bywater, The Chronicles of Bargepole. Jonathan Cape, 1992) The Lighter Side of ExamplesIt is an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much — the wheel, New York, wars and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons.(Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Pan, 1979)