Rules of the Game by Amy Tan an Example of the Topic Literature Essays by

Rules of the Game by Amy Tan Amy Tan, author of the international best-seller novel, Joy Luck Club, continued to explore the relationships of Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters through her various published books such as The Kitchen Gods Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetters Daughter and her latest book titled, Rules of the Game. Need essay sample on "Rules of the Game by Amy Tan" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed College Students Frequently Tell EssayLab professionals: Who wants to write paper for me? Specialists suggest: Essaylab.Com Can Provide You With The Winning Academic Essay Essay Paper Writing Service Get Paid To Write Papers For Students Paper Writing Service Best Essay Writing Service Reviews The Rules of the Game book took off from Tans Joy Luck Club novel portrayed by one of the primary character, Waverly Jong. Nicknamed MeiMei by her family, Waverly narrated her childhood experiences and perspectives as she is time and again influenced by her Chinese and American upbringing, providing conflict to the story as she try to navigate both traditional Chinese culture and the divergent melding culture of Chinese Americans. When she was still young, Waverly was raised in a Chinese culture, surrounded by Chinese traditions and environment as her family live in San Franciscos Chinatown. Her mother, Mrs. Jong, prepared her in her journey towards adulthood through a valuable Chinese teaching called the art of invisible strength. This strategy can be used for winning arguments, gaining the respect of other people, and winning at a later date, which Waverly found out chess games. At age six, Waverly learned to play chess by initially learning the rules by her own and by continuously playing with an old man named Lau Po who taught her complex chess strategies with Chinese names like The Double Attack from the East and West Shores, Throwing Stones on a Drowning Man, The Sudden Meeting of the Clan, A Double Killing Without Blood, and many others. The girl continued to study and join chess tournaments such that at age nine, she is already considered a national chess champion. Waverly is just 429 points away from attaining the grand master status. As the story revolved around Waverlys chess games, the teachings of her mother continued to guide her in her path. Through the art of invisible strength, Waverly slowly found and developed her own inner strength and self-control. She was also taught that invisible strength may also represent female power and the power of foreigners as opposed to the local Americans where foreigners like the Chinese would have to learn the culture and live with it. The power of women as an invisible strength is depicted in this story through the girls journey towards unconventional paths of using her ability to persuade, to shape, control events and to win against male-dominated arenas such as chess games. This symbolism is shown through a magazine message by Bobby Fischer, a chess grandmaster, that there will never be a woman grandmaster. The power of foreigners were also shown here as the power to succeed in a land that is strangely different from what the girl and her family knew of. The conflict between two different cultures Chinese and American and the merging of the two for second-generation settlers (like Waverly) are narrated as little tidbits that add up as the girl grew up. Example of this is the picture-taking scene in front of Hong Sings restaurant where it is known that the live fish and turtles are doomed for cooking. Waverly and some of her friends were taken pictures by a Caucasian man as if they are strange people living in an exotic land. In Waverlys first chess tournament, she played against a fifteen-year old boy who wrinkled his nose at her to show that he was not impressed. Another is the definition of torture of Mrs. Jong as opposed to its American meaning. She doesnt really know what a Chinese torture is, but she knows that Chinese work hard, do business, medicine and paintings. She believes that Chinese people are not lazy as compared with Americans such that Chinese torture is the best torture indeed. The main conflict in the story revolved around Waverlys chess winnings and her mothers pride in her. She is slowly feeling embarrassed and a little angry with her mother for always telling people that she is her daughter who always won chess games. It came to a point when Waverly intentionally informed her mother not to use her so that she can show off to other people. This made her mother very angry with her that she was later ignored in the dinner table. Waverly did not understand her mothers pride of her achievements which also extends to her family. Her mothers influence and teachings to her is slowly readying the girl into a path that is full of rules and would need great strength from within. The girl is embarrassed by her mothers pride, which made her hurt her mother. On the other hand, her mother might have other motives for teaching Waverly nuggets of wisdom based on Chinese culture. Definitely, she would not want to lose her little girl to the American way of thinking; influences that are not fully encouraged in a Chinese traditional culture. The narration of the story was from the girls childhood perspective and did not refer to anything that would have happened when she is already an adult. It portrayed the various stages that the girl went through as she narrated that in the beginning, she was more influenced by her Chinese heritage. Later on, as she begun to play chess, she begun to change such that the merging of Chinese-American culture is slowly developing and gaining strength inside her; appreciating what both can do for her to be successful in life. The conflict in identity is one of the main themes of the story. The teaching of the art of invisible strength and the various scenes narrated along the way all gave insights into the complexities of being a hyphenated American and yet, connected by blood and bonds to another culture and country. Another major theme is the conflict between mothers and daughters, creating a powerful and moving story about irony, pain and sorrow, and the imperfect and many ways in which mothers and daughters love each other. Each of the primary characters tried to show their love for each other in their own ways and yet, surrounded by two cultures that sometimes bind and sometimes break, they each have to learn the ways on how to join each others aspirations and dreams and show true love against all odds. The title, Rules of the Game is aptly given when the themes and central ideas are assessed. The story forces Waverly to discover what game she is playing, how to play it masterfully, what are the rules that she must follow in order to succeed and achieve in her goals. This chess game is a metaphor for her struggle with her Chinese mother. Waverly is the primary actor winning chess games but her mother is also playing her greatest game, which is to win against Americans and to prove the superiority of Chinese people against them. In the final scene, Waverly was left alone to learn and discover what she should do next as she plotted her moves against her mother. The invisible strength that her mother taught her is already at play as she silently contemplated her next moves. Another concept that can be seen in the story is the concept of feminism. Just like the story of Mulan, the Rules of the Game showed that adolescents learn to deal with crises by experience and as a result, they grow and mature. Girls like Waverly and Mulan also learned their place as women in addition to dealing with male resentment that arises when they succeed in their chosen paths. Both characters have inner strengths that were slowly developed and nurtured by their surroundings and experiences. These strengths were harnessed and learned so as to be utilized fully when needed. Both girls were taught the art of invisible strength such that even when they are forced to conform to the societys expectations of them, there is self-control and inner strength that guides them to be non-conformists, enabling them to find their own paths towards self-attainment. Mulan fought like a man for her country and Waverly played chess and won numerous games in a male-dominated arena. Both acted outside of the box and both succeeded and learned. Waverly used her own strength, her mothers teachings, and her own ability to think quickly to defeat her opponents time and again. She has to learn to win against her chess opponents and against her mother who is slowly pressuring her to win more, lose less. The story somehow represented the confusion and bewilderment that first generation Americans felt; how they are finally forced to turn away from their parents customs and traditions, heritage and culture, and try to find their own paths and succeed amidst numerous challenges and battles. Amy Tan once again provided readers with a story that reaches across cultures and generation. Just like her Joy Luck Club novel, the Rules of the Game is clearly written and the lucidity of vision were presented in such a way that you appreciate each characters portrayal, understanding their motives and somehow emphatizing with them. The story inspires us to also have that art of invisible strength as each one of us plot our lives and strive to attain our visions and goals in life. References: Amy Tan: Best Selling Author of the Joy Luck Club A New York Times Bestseller. English 111: Amy Tan, Rules of the Game. Hooks, Amy. How to be a Girl: Problems with Feminism in Rules of the Game and Mulan. (2002). Summaries and Commentaries: Waverly Jong Rules of the Game.

Essay on INTERNET AS SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIVITY AND IMMEDIACY

Essay on INTERNET AS SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIVITY AND IMMEDIACY Essay on INTERNET AS SOCIAL MEDIA: CONNECTIVITY AND IMMEDIACY Essay on INTERNET AS SOCIAL MEDIA: CONNECTIVITY AND IMMEDIACYThe essence of each social platform is to bring together people in accordance with their interests, as well as to give them the opportunity to maintain virtual contact with their friends and acquaintances, to run public debate and share content. Today, one of the most popular social networks is Twitter, which is a special microblogging service for exchanging messages of no more than 140 characters. In other words, it is an on-line diary which implements a live broadcast of visitors’ thoughts in a shortened version, i.e. each post is limited in the size of its content. In the fast paced world of information satiety, this limitation immediately grew into an advantage when brevity allows concentrating only on the essentials. Below, we will discuss which features and benefits of Twitter functioning interested us most during the study.First of all, it should be noted that Twitter is used not only to communicate, but also to find interesting resources and people. There is a long list of benefits of the Internet service, and here are some of them that we have noted in particular:   Getting the information of interest. One can get news from friends in their posts or communicating with them. Users write completely different posts and one can fave only the most interesting ones.   User can place a link to one’s resource from the main page of the account. The posted links are indexed by search engines, and it is an additional back.   Attracting new visitors. Many people use Twitter as a tool to attract new visitors to their websites or blogs by posting brief messages about updates.As for the last undisputed advantage, we are convinced that microblogging service implements more dynamic relationships with readers compared to traditional blogging. Thus, monitoring showed that many bloggers redirecting visitors to Twitter have a more productive relationship with them, rather than in their main bl og. Indeed, Twitter excellently performs the function of RSS feeds, therefore, as Maclean et al. (2013) research shows, many people are watching the updates of their interest namely with its help. As a result, many businesses use Twitter as a marketing tool, effectively complementing the main company website, because it can be used to involve socially active target audience to the corporate website, as well as significantly improve the functionality of interaction with partners through direct stakeholder feedback (Maclean et al., 2013, p. 296; Burton Soboleva, 2011, p.493). On the other hand, this attracted many banal spammers, but in our subjective view, readers themselves take care of them easily outlining them on the background of true twitters.Moreover, Twitter is a unique source of information about what is happening in the world updated in real time (Garfield, 2010). Therefore, today, the analysis of the published posts flow allows researchers to catch a lot of social attitud es. In particular, it seems interesting that the percentage of Twitter references to a candidate in elections to the Congress helped scientists at the University of Indiana to correctly predict the winner in 404 of 406 cases (DiGrazia et al., 2013, e79449). Similar work on the content of the tweets may well become, if not a substitute, a reliable alternative to expensive polls, especially with regard to local elections which rarely attract the attention of specialists in the polls and the national media. Furthermore, such a campaign is relevant for the analysis of public attitudes in countries where journalists and sociologists are actively suppressed, or citizens are afraid to answer questions over the phone, but they have free access to the Internet.In addition, with the growing popularity of social networking, monitoring of the information accumulating in the network is an integral part of doing business. Nowadays, corporate platform of a statistical analysis allows carrying out an automatic monitoring of tweets in real time, as well as setting up automatic notification of emerging â€Å"alarms† such as negative reviews about products or consumer complaints (Burton Soboleva, 2011, p.495). It helps to quickly and accurately determine the reaction of people to the company’s actions. Microblogging on the Twitter platform has also become an important tool for the exchange of ideas and different points of view on the state of the stock market. For example, in a study of 250,000 Twitter posts economists from Munich Technical University have shown that moods present in similar messages from Twitter develop similarly in the stock market, and moreover, they are sometimes one day ahead of them (Burton Soboleva, 2011, p.496).Thus, the high value of data obtained from Twitter does not need to be proved. Through their analysis, experts may successfully predict fluctuations in the exchange rates, observe the spread of epidemics and natural disasters, eval uate politicians’ perspectives and the effectiveness of television advertising, as well as the development of social moods in general. Here, we see one aspect as particularly promising: these data allow a good accuracy in determining both what is happening now and what should be expected in the nearest future. This, in our opinion, is the main advantage of content analysis of Twitter as one of the most dynamic and functional social networks.

Compare and Contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Compare and Contrast - Essay Example ue sense of the word whichever way it is interpreted, the Prioress is the medieval feminine ideal, soft-hearted almost to a fault and academically well-educated. These differences can be easily determined as early as the general prologue as each character is described. The Prioress is shown to be the ideal by the positive statements made of her and her pleasing physical appearance while the Wife of Bath is described with a much less pleasing appearance and behaviors that match. The Prioress is described as possessing all of the attributes a man was supposed to look for in a woman in Chaucer’s time. She was â€Å"smiling, modest was and coy† (General Prologue, The Prioress, 2). She could sing well in the proper way, speak French fluently, had excellent manners so that â€Å"never from her lips let morsels fall, / Nor dipped her fingers deep in sauce† (General Prologue, The Prioress, 11-12), was pleasant to be around in any company and was charitable almost to a fault. Physically, she is given attractive attributes such as a fine nose, bright blue eyes, a small red mouth and a fair forehead. Chaucer tells his reader, â€Å"truth to tell, she was not undergrown† (General Prologue, The Prioress, 39), indicating a pleasant figure that men are not supposed to notice in that way when looking at a nun. Her clothing is neat and is well-maintained as would be expected of a lady high born. The Wife of Bath, on the other hand, immediately breaks the rules of true womanhood by being involved in commerce as a highly skilled seamstress. This vocation not only makes her lowly because she works for a living, but because she is in charge of her income, something that a true woman in medieval times would never dream of wanting. Despite this talent, or perhaps because of it, her behavior is also that of a course, undesirable woman. She tells lewd tales, has been married at least five times and has countless other lovers besides who are only hinted at with the comment that

Project Planning in Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Project Planning in Teams - Essay Example This also allows the formation of work breakdown structure and defining the dependencies and relationships. Using the same, network activity diagram can be formulated which assists in identification of critical activities and paths and time for completion of projects i.e. minimum and maximum. (Thayer, 2000). Following up with the same, the essential cost and time factors can be allocated to each activity allowing the final estimate to be calculated for the project on the whole. Once the plan is in its final shape, it is referred to as the baseline of the project that eventually serves as a benchmark for comparison of each activity's completion. Such comparison lead to creation of experience and knowledge which betters the future planning by individuals involved in the process (Fleming, 2005). A specification document is mainly a written foundation that specifies the major set of requirements of a project. These set of specifications are generally vague in nature. Later an agreement is reached between the customer and the vendor that is a refined form of specifications document and has a legal value and it contains in finalized format what actually a customer needs (Pinto, Jun 2006). Structuring a project is rather an essentiality to proceed with the work. Based on the set of requirements agreed upon by the customer, the project manager formulates a structure according to which resources are allocated (Pinto, Jun 2006). Work Breakdown Structure Work Breakdown Structure or WBS is an important tool in structuring a project that mainly requires breaking a requirement in small bits and pieces that would be later compiled to form the whole of a project. WBS is extremely useful because it defines precisely the requirements of each bit of a project, and secondly, it also assists in formulation of milestones in the project, alongside the ease of having parallel running activities (Pinto, Jun 2006). Task Allocation One the WBS is formed; tasks are allocated to individuals and in

Investment in Libyan Oil Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Investment in Libyan Oil Industry - Case Study Example But owing to reforms being undertaken in the country and improvement in relations with other nations, opportunities are now being explored to take up investments in the country and take advantage of the emerging situation. Libya on its part appears to be making all the right moves. Colonel Qaddafi too has expressed his opinion in favour of reforms together with the vision of applied socialism and popular democracy. Multinational companies and foreign institutional investors (FIIs) are now being given encouraging signals to invest in the country. Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem, supported by Seif al-Islam, the son of Col Qaddafi has started the reforms process. The ban put on the imports of Libyan oil and some exports to Libya in 1982 by some nations has also been subsumed in the emerging scenario. Libya has the largest reserve of crude oil, but despite such a great wealth and a population of just about 6 Million the country could not progress much during all these years (The Economist, 2007). With the improvement in geo-political equations and a conducive atmosphere for investments, the oil sector seems to have become quite attractive in Libya. The main intention of the study is to develop a better understanding of the manner in which Libya has charted the reform course for itself in the past and the investment opportunities being presented to the world. The oil is sector is one which offers huge opportunities from a long term perspective. During the study an effort would be made to analyse the process of reform in Libya. In addition some of the major oil companies will also be analysed to explore how these companies are preparing themselves to take on the global players. In particular the study will try to seek answers to the following key objectives. To analyze the economic condition of Libya and how the sanctions have impacted the economic condition of the country. To study the oil industry of the country and the levels of competition amongst the oil companies. Determine the factors assisting the upward movement of Libyan economy in the rect past. To identify the behavioural patterns of some of the oil majors, investment bankers, etc. During the course of the study efforts would be made to evaluate how these investors respond to the introduction of economic reforms and how the oil industry in general is being affected by these reforms. Analyze some of the fast developing economies and compare their growth vis--vis the economy of a country like Libya. This will be an effort to point out some areas which require attention in order to open up the investments on a larger scale. Oil exploration is more of a technical field requiring skilled workers and managers. During the study an effort would be made to study the HR scenario in the country in general for taking up the challenge of increased activities in the fields of oil exploration etc. Scope of the Report Scope and context of this study will include; 1. Analysis of an overall picture of the Libyan economy and its oil industry particularly after the new regime has come into effect 2. Analysis of some of the major oil companies in Libya. 3. Growing curiosity about the Libyan market and the interest of many

Does spirited away’ reflect traditional japan?

Does spirited away’ reflect traditional japan? To what extent does the world of hayao miyazakis spirited away reflect traditional japan? Anime has been described by Napier (2001, p.8) as â€Å"a richly fascinating contemporary Japanese art form that both harks back to traditional Japanese culture and moves forward to the cutting edge of art and media†. Hayao Miyazakis films are no stranger to featuring portrayals and representations of traditional Japan within the mythical worlds he creates in his films as well as those set in Japan. His imagery is vastly different to the ultra futuristic portrayals featured in the equally popular cyberpunk anime of Mamoru Oshiis Ghost in the Shell(1995), Katsuhiro Otomos Akira (1988) and all of their contemporaries. Spirited Away (2001) is arguably Miyazakis most widely known and regarded film both domestically and abroad, having become the most financially successful film of all time in Japan while also receiving the Academy Award for best animation. While being set in a modern Japan where technology has become more important than history and tradition, in Spirited Away Miyaz aki concentrates on several aspects of Japans cultural history. The protagonist of the film, Chihiro, has lived a pampered life in the city and is naÃÆ' ¯ve and unprepared for adulthood. Her parents are portrayed as greedy and irresponsible in the symbol of the â€Å"credit card wielding father turning into an overindulgent hog.† (Broderick, 2003) The ‘spirit world that she unknowingly enters represents the Taisho period of Japanese history (around 1912 to 1926), a popular setting in Anime, but of particular personal significance to Miyazaki. (Yoshioka, 2008) Childhood memories have influenced his use of this time which does not simply create a feeling of nostalgia, but, as Yoshioka says, â€Å"merges personal experience into a larger sense of past.† (Yoshioka, 2008: p.257) The aspects of traditional Japan displayed in the film vary from the extravagant grandeur of the bathhouse to the simple, yet quaint wooden houses and shops in the spirit town. The bathhouse even includes sliding paper doors and massive ornate ‘Satsuma-ware vases all representative of a prosperous location in Japan during the 1920s. It serves to act as an opposition to the modern character of Chihiro upon who the traditional aspects of Japanese society are lost. (Denison, 2007) Denison writes that the bathhouse â€Å"holds valuable lessons for modern (Japanese) society,† including, not allowing such a healthy eclectic heritage disappear in a culture obsessed with the furthering of technology as well as keeping the Japanese youth educated about their roots and heritage. Some of the major characters in the film also incorporate aspects of traditional Japanese folklore. Spirits have been featured as characters in many ancient Japanese folk tales, generally influenced by the two major religions Shinto and Buddhism. The ancient ‘River Spirit which Chihiro helps to clean appears to have a face which resembles a Japanese ‘Noh theatre mask. Another theatrical mask is also featured on the character of No-Face. The film also alludes to the practicing of religion in Japan and the ignorance of the youth towards it. In a scene at the beginning of the film Chihiro does not recognise some Shinto shrines and her mother explains their role yet it is evident that she does not consider them important saying â€Å"some people think little spirits live there.† (Spirited Away, 2001) It is evident from Miyazakis films as a whole that the ‘spirituality is a common and often prominent theme, particularly, but not exclusively, among his films aimed at children. Certain themes recur in Miyazakis films. In Spirited Away many of these appear such as childhood, materialism and most notably environmentalism. The story of the spirit Haku links to the arguments mentioned so far about the portrayal of tradition. The disappearance of Hakus home the ‘Kohaku River due to materialism has led to his forgetting of the past and even his name alluding to the real possibility of people in Japan being so focused on the future they forget elements of their past, in this case an ancient river paved over to build apartments. (Osmond, 2008) Other Miyazaki films have also included the relationship between the ‘spirits or ‘gods and humans, mainly about the difficulty of the two living in harmony. Princess Mononoke(1997), Ponyo(2008) and My Neighbour Totoro(1988) are examples of this with each also carrying the theme of environmentalism. All of the points mentioned so far have reinforced that the world featured within Spirited Away shows a traditional, typically Japanese culture which aims to critique modern Japanese society as well as educate the films young target audience about the importance of tradition. Thanks to Disneys worldwide distribution deal with Miyazakis production company Studio Ghibli, the market for anime has been expanded so hugely that theres a now global awareness of not only modern and pseudo-futuristic Japan but also heightened understanding of Japanese tradition; â€Å"fans (are) engaged with the cultural origins of anime texts†. (Cubbison, 2005: p.45) This market has been so developed that anime now seems to cater specifically for the international market within its films. The complex identities of Miyazakis characters, such as Haku or Yubaba in Spirited Away are, according to Denison, created to appeal to a Hollywood-saturated world market. These characters employ a number of traits n ot inherently Japanese. Also, some aspects of the architecture and artwork featured in the film are not typically Japanese but contain elements of Western styles. An example of this can be found in the small thatched cottage owned by Zeniba, the kind twin sister of the unpleasant witch Yubaba, the owner of the aforementioned bathhouse. The Anime film industry has varying takes on the issue of tradition, but Miyazaki has taken on the issue whole heartedly in his films. Miyazakis idea of the identity of the Japanese person, along with his concept of the loss of traditional culture in the technological Mecca of contemporary Japanese society, has proved significant in the visual appeal of his films as well as their artistic value. Not only does he reference parts of culture such as art, architecture and religion, but also references traditional theatre and behaviour (such as the removal of shoes before entering a house). Despite the fact that Miyazakis uses some hybridity with other cultures in his portrayal of tradition, the fundamental â€Å"Japaneseness† of Spirited Away is clear and irrefutable.

Mix-tape Phenomenon Essay example -- Music Arts Rap Papers

Mix-tape Phenomenon "This rap game, this rap game / I ain't sellin' my soul for this rap game..." - 50 Cent Just 20 years ago, hip-hop music was thought to be just a simple fad, passing its way through the mainstream of pop music leaving classic dance hall anthems like Kurtis Blow's "Basketball" and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "White Lines (Don't Do It)" in its wake. But today, hip-hop is a worldwide phenomenon, marking its influence in the world of fashion design (Jay-Z's Roca-Wear and OutKast clothing lines), product marketing (McDonald's and Sprite), and even television shows and movies (Eminem's "8-Mile" and most recently, "Honey," starring Jessica Alba). Through the past two decades, hip-hop has proven the genre could stand the test of time, but lately, purists say hip-hop is on a steady decline, thanks in part to "bubble-gum rap" or "hip-pop" created by artists such as Ja Rule and Nelly. Hip-pop is when an artist focuses on making records that will be accepted in mainstream pop radio and gain massive air-play, but "sells-out" the artist's integrity. One way hip-hop is fi ghting back against the mainstream backlash is the emergence of mix-tapes, albums created by street DJ's featuring exclusive tracks, artist-to-artist disses, and occasionally, unofficial album releases. But before looking into what may be the future of hip-hop music, let's take a trip back in time to South Bronx, New York City, circa 1977. "Let's take it back to the concrete streets / Original beats with real, live emcee's / Playground tactics / No rabbit-in-a-hat tricks / Just that classic rappin' from Jurassic." - Jurassic 5 Hip-hop pioneer DJ Grand Wizard Theodore, then 17 years old, was practicing his craft as usual, when his moth... ...in a positive force in hip-hop music. And now that former street DJ's such as Kay Slay and Whoo Kid have released commercial mix-tape albums that, according to McDonald, have sold on par with huge holiday season releases from Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and the G-Unit, the door for other street DJ's looking to establish a name for themselves has swung wide open. "A lot of times, whether its medicine or mechanics, a lot of people spend their life putting something together and then address it to the public and then sometimes the public might say, "Nah," says Grandmaster Flash of the mix-tape's evolution. "But thank god this thing has continued to grow and may it continue to grow. May there be many Ron G's and many Clue's and many more Brucie B.'s. Let's keep this thing poppin'." Relevant Links www.mtv.com www.allmixtapes.com www.mcexposition.com www.ughh.com