Wright Family Essay Example for Free

Wright Family Essay Following is an estate plan designed for Wright Family. It consists of Margaret and Tom Wright, and their first child is about to come. Their objectives are: 1. To grow their wealth to ensure that their debt levels are reduced in the long term. 2. To have sufficient funding to ensure that their and their children’s needs are met, without both having to work full-time. 3. To ensure that their joint assets are protected as far as possible from any potential litigants. Thus, the aim of clients is to preserve and enhance the value of their estate and to avoid adverse consequences for their intended beneficiaries. Circumstances Margaret and Tom Wright are bright young professional couple expecting their first child soon. They come from middle class background. Tom is a partner in a medium sized accounting firm and Margaret is a doctor working in a local clinic. Both are doing well in their fields as Tom is a partner in middle sized accounting firm and Margaret has prospects of becoming a partner in the clinic where she works. Tom is quite a bit older than Margaret and has an eight year old son from his ex-wife whom he has divorced. As a result of his divorce, he has significant borrowings that funded his property settlement. Tom feels that his ex-wife and his son have been adequately compensated and now his key objective is to ensure that Margaret and their new baby are fully provided for in the event of his death. He wants to ensure that his former wife cannot overthrow any arrangement he establishes for the benefit of Margaret and his new child. Similarly, Margaret would like to ensure that Tom benefits from her assets, and not his former wife or his son. They want to have sufficient funding to ensure that their needs and, most importantly, the needs of their children, are met. Ideally, they would like to be able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle without both having to work full-time. Funding Tom and Margaret Wright have certain assets which shall provide them funding for their estate. They are: Tom’s Assets: 1. Interest in his accounting practice ( through a discretionary trust which he controls solely), 2. The equity in which is funded through a life insurance policy on his life in the event of his death, 3. Some superannuation (a portion of which has been ‘split’ with his former wife), 4. The family home that he and Margaret share, that is mortgaged to about 80 per cent of its value, 5. A trust funded by an advance of his inheritance from his parents, that he uses to fund his child support payments. Margaret’s Assets: 1. Savings from her years of working, 2. An investment property with the inheritance she received from her parents. In addition to these existing funds, they can also look for increasing their funds in future. This can be done by investing more in municipal bonds, real estate, modified endowments, stocks and mutual funds. Though the return through any investment varies, but careful planning and expert advice can yield expected results. Options and impediments From available facts, it appears that Margaret and Tom Wright are people of modest wealth who need to reduce taxes, protect their assets and secure enough to maintain their lifestyle. They are also at risk of litigation from certain parties and they would like to mitigate that risk. Considering their circumstances and objectives, it shall be wise for them to formulate an estate plan before actually finalizing their funding and investment strategy. An ideal estate plan ensures speedy transfer of estate to the intended beneficiary without any hassles. It also maximizes the value of estate by minimizing taxes and other expenses. The idea is to take benefit of various exemption clauses present. A major tax that comes in case an estate is transferred to a beneficiary is the estate’s tax. This can be reduced if the value of estate owned by the deceased is less at the time of his death. Most of the planning strategies achieve this by transferring the estate step by step by using annual gift tax exemptions in cases where a will is present. â€Å"Estate planning for people of modest wealth is challenging because they face significant death taxes but do not have such a large base of wealth that they can easily afford to make significant lifetime gifts or other transfers to reduce the taxes which will arise when they die. †

Nuclear Iconography in Post-Cold War Culture :: Culture War Nuclear Iconography Essays

Nuclear Iconography in Post-Cold War Culture I wish in this paper to sketch a project involving nuclear iconography and post-Cold War culture. At the heart of this project is the claim that the current historical moment forms a legitimation crisis for the scientific, military, industrial, governmental, and "cultural" institutions whose interests are configured in the design, manufacture, deployment, and "use" of nuclear weapons. Within this moment, a variety of progressive and regressive movements have been intitiated through the production and reception of nuclear weapons rhetoric. The role of visual iconography in nuclear hegemony has traditionally received minor attention (e.g., compared with the "nukespeak" of foreign policy, mass media news coverage, and literary works). Recent scholarly articles and books have attempted to correct this verbalist imbalance by examining the genres and discourses of nuclear art (e.g., painting), cinema and photography. Collectively, this work establishes that the Bomb is -- after W.J.T. Mitc hell -- an "imagetext" in which verbal and iconic discourses interanimate to produce ways of (not) seeing and forms of (not) feeling that have historically positioned cultural subjects in relation to the technologies, policies, figures, locations, events, and institutions (in both senses as "customary practices" and "formal organizations") which have constituted the nuclear condition . . . "Now Do You See It?": Post-Cold War Nuclear Iconography I am interested in the role of visual rhetoric in maintaining this "war of position" between military, environmental, arms-control, pacifist, industrial, scientific and federal interests [in post-Cold War culture]. Issues in this research include the nature of verbal and visual codes in nuclear representations (e.g., in critical disagreement over the success of nuclear landscape photography in evoking viewer knowledge of the deadly, invisible radiation which "really" suffuses its depicted objects), the uses to which images are put in various social contexts (e.g., in museum exhibits commemorating the Japanese atomic bombings), and the consequences of images for existing power relations between nuclear authorities and citizens (e.g., in legitimating the "accelerated" -- and arguably incomplete -- cleanup of contaminated nuclear weapons plants by federal agencies and their contractors) . . . . . . A preliminary survey of prominent nuclear weapons images suggests [this] "new" theme in this process, unique to the post-Cold War era . . . . . . "Museumification" This theme describes the inter-related processes by which the partially decrepit and moribund nuclear apparatus is being dismantled, appropriated, recycled, commodified, and memorialized in contemporary culture (e.

Foundation and Empire 4. The Emperor

CLEON II commonly called â€Å"The Great.† The last strong Emperor of the First Empire, he is important for the political and artistic renaissance that took place during his long reign. He is best known to romance, however, for his connection with Bel Riose, and to the common man, he is simply â€Å"Riose's Emperor.† It is important not to allow events of the last year of his reign to overshadow forty years of†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica Cleon II was Lord of the Universe. Cleon II also suffered from a painful and undiagnosed ailment. By the queer twists of human affairs, the two statements are not mutually exclusive, nor even particularly incongruous. There have been a wearisomely large number of precedents in history. But Cleon II cared nothing for such precedents. To meditate upon a long list of similar cases would not ameliorate personal suffering an electron's worth. It soothed him as little to think that where his great-grandfather had been the pirate ruler of a dust-speck planet, he himself slept in the pleasure palace of Ammenetik the Great, as heir of a line of Galactic rulers stretching backward into a tenuous past. It was at present no source of comfort to him that the efforts of his father had cleansed the realm of its leprous patches of rebellion and restored it to the peace and unity it had enjoyed under Stanel VI; that, as a consequence, in the twenty-five years of his reign, not one cloud of revolt had misted his burnished glory. The Emperor of the Galaxy and the Lord of All whimpered as he lolled his head backward into the invigorating plane of force about his pillows. It yielded in a softness that did not touch, and at the pleasant tingle, Cleon relaxed a bit. He sat up with difficulty and stared morosely at the distant walls of the grand chamber. It was a bad room to be alone in. It was too big. All the rooms were too big. But better to be alone during these crippling bouts than to endure the prinking of the courtiers, their lavish sympathy, their soft, condescending dullness. Better to be alone than to watch those insipid masks behind which spun the tortuous speculations on the chances of death and the fortunes of the succession. His thoughts hurried him. There were his three sons; three straight-backed youths full of promise and virtue. Where did they disappear on these bad days? Waiting, no doubt. Each watching the other; and all watching him. He stirred uneasily. And now Brodrig craved audience. The low-born, faithful Brodrig; faithful because he was hated with a unanimous and cordial hatred that was the only point of agreement between the dozen cliques that divided his court. Brodrig – the faithful favorite, who had to be faithful, since unless he owned the fastest speed-ship in the Galaxy and took to it the day of the Emperor's death, it would be the radiation-chamber the day after. Cleon II touched the smooth knob on the arm of his great divan, and the huge door at the end of the room dissolved to transparency. Brodrig advanced along the crimson carpet, and knelt to kiss the Emperor's limp hand. â€Å"Your health, sire?† asked the Privy Secretary in a low tone of becoming anxiety. â€Å"I live,† snapped the Emperor with exasperation, â€Å"if you can call it life where every scoundrel who can read a book of medicine uses me as a blank and receptive field for his feeble experiments. If there is a conceivable remedy, chemical, physical, or nuclear, which has not yet been tried, why then, some learned babbler from the far comers of the realm will arrive tomorrow to try it. And still another newly-discovered book, or forgery morelike, will be used as authority. â€Å"By my father's memory,† he rumbled savagely, â€Å"it seems there is not a biped extant who can study a disease before his eyes with those same eyes. There is not one who can count a pulse-beat without a book of the ancients before him. I'm sick and they call it ‘unknown.' The fools! If in the course of millennia, human bodies learn new methods of falling askew, it remains uncovered by the studies of the ancients and uncurable forevermore. The ancients should be alive now, or I then.† The Emperor ran down to a low-breathed curse while Brodrig waited dutifully. Cleon II said peevishly, â€Å"How many are waiting outside?† He jerked his head in the direction of the door. Brodrig said patiently, â€Å"The Great Hall holds the usual number.† â€Å"Well, let them wait. State matters occupy me. Have the Captain of the Guard announce it. Or wait, forget the state matters. Just have it announced I hold no audience, and let the Captain of the Guard look doleful. The jackals among them may betray themselves.† The Emperor sneered nastily. â€Å"There is a rumor, sire,† said Brodrig, smoothly, â€Å"that it is your heart that troubles you.† The Emperor's smile was little removed from the previous sneer. â€Å"It will hurt others more than myself if any act prematurely on that rumor. But what is it you want. Let's have this over.† Brodrig rose from his kneeling posture at a gesture of permission and said, â€Å"It concerns General Bel Riose, the Military Governor of Siwenna.† â€Å"Riose?† Cleon II frowned heavily. â€Å"I don't place him. Wait, is he the one who sent that quixotic message some months back? Yes, I remember. He panted for permission to enter a career of conquest for the glory of the Empire and Emperor.† â€Å"Exactly, sire.† The Emperor laughed shortly. â€Å"Did you think I had such generals left me, Brodrig? He seems to be a curious atavism. What was the answer? I believe you took care of it.† â€Å"I did, sire. He was instructed to forward additional information and to take no steps involving naval action without further orders from the Imperium.† â€Å"Hmp. Safe enough. Who is this Riose? Was he ever at court?† Brodrig nodded and his mouth twisted ever so little. â€Å"He began his career as a cadet in the Guards ten years back. He had part in that affair off the Lemul Cluster.† â€Å"The Lemul Cluster? You know, my memory isn't quite – Was that the time a young soldier saved two ships of the line from a head-on collision by†¦ uh†¦ something or other?† He waved a hand impatiently. â€Å"I don't remember the details. It was something heroic.† â€Å"Riose was that soldier. He received a promotion for it,† Brodrig said dryly, â€Å"and an appointment to field duty as captain of a ship.† â€Å"And now Military Governor of a border system and still young. Capable man, Brodrig!† â€Å"Unsafe, sire. He lives in the past. He is a dreamer of ancient times, or rather, of the myths of what ancient times used to be. Such men are harmless in themselves, but their queer lack of realism makes them fools for others.† He added, â€Å"His men, I understand, are completely under his control. He is one of your popular generals.† â€Å"Is he?† the Emperor mused. â€Å"Well, come, Brodrig, I would not wish to be served entirely by incompetents. They certainly set no enviable standard for faithfulness themselves.† â€Å"An incompetent traitor is no danger. It is rather the capable men who must be watched.† â€Å"You among them, Brodrig?† Cleon II laughed and then grimaced with pain. â€Å"Well, then, you may forget the lecture for the while. What new development is there in the matter of this young conqueror? I hope you haven't come merely to reminisce.† â€Å"Another message, sire, has been received from General Riose.† â€Å"Oh? And to what effect?† â€Å"He has spied out the land of these barbarians and advocates an expedition in force. His arguments are long and fairly tedious. It is not worth annoying Your Imperial Majesty with it at present, during your indisposition. Particularly since it will be discussed at length during the session of the Council of Lords.† He glanced sidewise at the Emperor. Cleon II frowned. â€Å"The Lords? Is it a question for them, Brodrig? It will mean further demands for a broader interpretation of the Charter. It always comes to that.† â€Å"It can't be avoided, sire. It might have been better if your august father could have beaten down the last rebellion without granting the Charter. But since it is here, we must endure it for the while.† â€Å"You're right, I suppose. Then the Lords it must be. But why all this solemnity, man? It is, after all, a minor point. Success on a remote border with limited troops is scarcely a state affair.† Brodrig smiled narrowly. He said coolly, â€Å"It is an affair of a romantic idiot; but even a romantic idiot can be a deadly weapon when an unromantic rebel uses him as a tool. Sire, the man was popular here and is popular there. He is young. If he annexes a vagrant barbarian planet or two, he will become a conqueror. Now a young conqueror who has proven his ability to rouse the enthusiasm of pilots, miners, tradesmen and suchlike rabble is dangerous at any time. Even if he lacked the desire to do to you as your august father did to the usurper, Ricker, then one of our loyal Lords of the Domain may decide to use him as his weapon.† Cleon II moved an arm hastily and stiffened with pain. Slowly he relaxed, but his smile was weak, and his voice a whisper. â€Å"You are a valuable subject, Brodrig. You always suspect far more than is necessary, and I have but to take half your suggested precautions to be utterly safe. We'll put it up to the Lords. We shall see what they say and take our measure accordingly. The young man, I suppose, has made no hostile moves yet.† â€Å"He report none. But already he asks for reinforcements.† â€Å"Reinforcements!† The Emperor's eyes narrowed with wonder. â€Å"What force has he?† â€Å"Ten ships of the line, sire, with a full complement of auxiliary vessels. Two of the ships are equipped with motors salvaged from the old Grand Fleet, and one has a battery of power artillery from the same source. The other ships are new ones of the last fifty years, but are serviceable, nevertheless.† â€Å"Ten ships would seem adequate for any reasonable undertaking. Why, with less than ten ships my father won his first victories against the usurper. Who are these barbarians he's fighting?† The Privy Secretary raised a pair of supercilious eyebrows. â€Å"He refers to them as ‘the Foundation.'† â€Å"The Foundation? What is it?† â€Å"There is no record of it, sire. I have searched the archives carefully. The area of the Galaxy indicated falls within the ancient province of Anacreon, which two centuries since gave itself up to brigandage, barbarism, and anarchy. There is no planet known as Foundation in the province, however. There was a vague reference to a group of scientists sent to that province just before its separation from our protection. They were to prepare an Encyclopedia.† He smiled thinly. â€Å"I believe they called it the Encyclopedia Foundation.† â€Å"Well,† the Emperor considered it somberly, â€Å"that seems a tenuous connection to advance.† â€Å"I'm not advancing it, sire. No word was ever received from that expedition after the growth of anarchy in that region. If their descendants still live and retain their name, then they have reverted to barbarism most certainly.† â€Å"And so he wants reinforcements.† The Emperor bent a fierce glance at his secretary. â€Å"This is most peculiar; to propose to fight savages with ten ships and to ask for more before a blow is struck. And yet I begin to remember this Riose; he was a handsome boy of loyal family. Brodrig, there are complications in this that I don't penetrate. There may be more importance in it than would seem.† His fingers played idly with the gleaming sheet that covered his stiffened legs. He said, â€Å"I need a man out there; one with eyes, brains and loyalty. Brodrig-â€Å" The secretary bent a submissive head. â€Å"And the ships, sire?† â€Å"Not yet!† The Emperor moaned softly as he shifted his position in gentle stages. He pointed a feeble finger, â€Å"Not till we know more. Convene the Council of Lords for this day week. It will be a good opportunity for the new appropriation as well. I'll put that through or lives will end.† He leaned his aching head into the soothing tingle of the force-field pillow, â€Å"Go now, Brodrig, and send in the doctor. He's the worst bumbler of the lot.†

Edgar Allan Poe Essay examples - 692 Words

Short Stories + Terror = Poe American Romanticism brought a new era to America and American literature. Within literature of the Romanticism era came the development of the gothic novel. Edger Allen Poe is one of the well-known gothic authors which arose from this era. Throughout Poe’s career he wrote many short stories following one theory which he created - that every aspect of a short story should lead to one single effect. For Poe many of his stories have the single effect of terror. In Poe’s story â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† he creates the single effect of terror through his description of the house, the entombment of Madeline, and Madeline’s appearance at the end of the story. At the beginning of the story, the narrator†¦show more content†¦Instead of burring her in the family cemetery far away from the house Roderick, Madeline’s brother decides to burry her beneath the house( 752). As the narrator describes, Madeline is pl aced in a vault which is â€Å"small, damp, and entirely without means of admission for light†(Poe 272). After Madeline is placed in the vault the lid of her coffin is â€Å"replaced and screwed down† and the iron door to the vault is secured. Madeline is now screwed alive into a coffin and locked into a dark vault. The mere thought of Madeline’s entombment should evoke terror into any reader. Finley Madeline’s appearance at the end of the story is the last and most crucial part in creating the story’s terror. Roderick and the narrator along with the reader have now assumed that Madeline is dead. While the narrator is reading to Roderick, he begins to hear noises that coincidently coincide with the actions in the story he is reading. The story is about to reach its climax when the narrator finds Roderick sitting in front of the room door mumbling. Before the narrator can figure out what Roderick is saying the bedroom door abruptly opens and Madel ine appears in her white robes bloodied by her struggle, falling upon her brother to bring both of them to their deaths(Carpenter 753). In retrospect Poe creates a masterful terror in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† through his description of the house, Madeline’s entombment and the crucialShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poe721 Words   |  3 PagesEdgar Allan Poe Edgar Allen Poe, born is 1809, was an American short story writer, poet, and critic. He is commonly know as the father of detective stories. His most well know work of art is his poem The Raven (Werlock). Although Poe had a short lived career, his literature continues to influence many writers in the United States and Europe. He worked with many genres such as: gothic tale, science fiction, occult fantasies, and satire. While many critics consider his works of literature as grotesqueRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe792 Words   |  4 Pagesauthor, Edgar Allan Poe, on Sunday October 7, 1849. In Massachusetts on the 19th day of January in the year 1809, Edgar Poe was born to actress Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe and actor David Poe Junior, making him an older brother to Rosalie Poe, and a younger one to William Henry Leonard Poe. Poe may, perchance, have been named after a character in the play that his parents were performing that year. He was never formally adopted, however, Edgar Poe was r enamed Edgar Allan Poe when the John Allan familyRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe1245 Words   |  5 Pagesbe discussing about my poet Edgar Allan Poe. Poe had written numerous of poems and stories but the one I chose was â€Å"Annabel Lee†. This poem was written in 1849 which was a long time ago. Even though this poem is centuries old, it is still a well known poem. This whole project includes a biography, literary movement, and a explication about the poem. The biography includes where Poe grew up and how his lifestyle were. Through research and sources, I found out that Poe lived a hard life. He was inRead MoreThe Rise Of Poe By Edgar Allan Poe1635 Words   |  7 PagesThe Rise of Poe The words people use and how they use them holds so much power within themselves. It seems that, people are always searching for the right words to express their true emotions towards a certain subject. Artists and authors manage to make a living off of knowing how to use the right words to reach through to their platform. Though within his time, Edgar Allan Poe did not have an established platform and was seen as estranged; he still dabbled as an author and has made many famous shortRead More Edgar Allan Poe Essay515 Words   |  3 Pages Edgar Allan Poe nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Edgar Allan Poe, the first master of the short story, had written many short stories from mysteries to morbidity. Edgar was born on January 19,1809 in Boston, Massachussettes. Edgars Parents, David and Eliza, were both in the acting business. Poe also had a sister, who is rarely spoken of. When Edgar was young his father fleed from the family, leaving Edgar, his mother, and sister alone. At the age of two Edgars mother died of tuberculosis. Edgar wasRead MoreDeath By Edgar Allan Poe975 Words   |  4 Pagesabout the topic, and the fear of not knowing this leads it to be a taboo subject in many discussions. Edgar Allan Poe defied this sense of taboo and wrote many works centering on the topic of death. It is Edgar Allan Poe’s discussion of death in his works that reveals the innate human perversion of the discussion of death. The reason for his discussion of death may find roots in his personal life. Poe was born into a traveling family in 1809 and had two other siblings. His parents tragically lost theirRead MoreThe Biography Of Edgar Allan Poe841 Words   |  4 PagesThe Biography of Edgar Allan Poe â€Å"Lord, help my poor soul†, the last and final words of the amazing writer, Edgar Allan Poe, before his sudden death in 1849. Edgar Allan Poe wrote dark and treacherous stories and poems that often lead to the questioning of his mental state. Poe lived a rather difficult life in which writing was his escape. He at one time was in so much debt that he could have never payed it back even if his career took off. No one ever knew what had happened to Poe, only that heRead More Edgar Allan Poe Essay1589 Words   |  7 Pages Edgar Allen Poe Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allen Poe’s contributions to American literature have become increasingly more prominent as the years have passed. As short fiction has become a more accepted genre in literary circles, Poe’s theories are studied with more passion. Although he lived a rather melancholy life, Poe did experience moments of joy, and desired to capture the beauty through poetic form. Indeed, what he left behind for the literary world was his gifted genus, revealed throughRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe Essay1575 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe was a bizarre and often scary writer. People throughout history have often wondered why his writings were so fantastically different and unusual. They were not the result of a diseased mind, as some think. Rather they came from a tense and miserable life. Edgar Allan Poe was not a happy man. He was a victim of fate from the moment he was born to his death only forty years later. He died alone and unappreciated. It is quite obvious that his life affected hisRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe Essay812 Words   |  4 PagesEdgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe was one of Americas famous poets, fiction short-story writers, and literary critics. He is known as the first master of short story form especially in tales of horror, and mystery. The work he produced was considered to be some of the most influential literary criticism of his time. His poems made him one of the most famous figures in American literary history. His influence on literature is seen in all literature books in schools everywhere. Some of his famous