Blank check

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This article is about the metaphor. For the 1994 film, see Blank Check (film). For the short lived ’70s game show, see Blank Check (game show).

A standard, filled cheque

A blank check (carte blanche), in the literal sense, is a check that has no numerical value written in, but is still signed. In the figurative or metaphoric sense it is used in politics to describe legislation that is open-ended or vague, and could be easily subjected to abuse.

Contents [hide] 1 Literal meaning 2 Metaphoric meaning 3 In literature 4 Blank check company 5 See also

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Literal meaning

Check owners are normally advised to specify the amount before signing. If created accidentially, such checks can be extremely dangerous for their owner, for whoever obtains the check could write in whatever amount of money he or she wanted, and would legally be able to cash it (to the extent that the underlying account contains such funds). The 1994 film Blank Check plays on such a situation.

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Metaphoric meaning

The metaphor of the "blank check" is thus often used in politics. For example, in the US the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution has been called a "blank check," for it gave the President the power to "take all necessary measures" to prevent "aggression" in Southeast Asia. These powers were then used to escalate the Vietnam War. Many in the Congress protested, but were helpless to do so, for the Tonkin resolution’s terms were too subjective to enforce.

This term was also used to describe how the Kaiser of Germany told Austria-Hungary officials they could deal with Serbia however they wanted after Serbian Nationalists assassinated the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This was immediately preceding World War I.

It may also be used in service fields. Customers may tell a company to treat the project as their own, which in essence is carte blanche. (To the extent the service meets normal expectations.)

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In literature

Literature’s most famous carte blanche (literally ‘white card’) was handed out by Cardinal Richelieu in Alexandre Dumas‘ The Three Musketeers:

Dec. 3, 1627
It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has done what he has done.
Richelieu

or in French:

3 décembre 1627.
C'est par mon ordre et pour le bien de l'Etat que le porteur du présent a fait ce qu'il a fait.
Richelieu.

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Blank check company

In economics, the term blank check company can refer to a company in development that has no specific business plan yet.

However, the term usually applies to a shell company with little or no employees, little or no physical assets, and no products whose business plan is to merge with or acquire some unidentified company or companies. (For example: Fortress America)

These very small companies typically involve speculative investments and often fall within the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s definition of penny stocks or are considered microcap stocks.

In the United States, the Securities Act of 1933 (under Rule 419) requires blank check companies disclose the terms and conditions of their offering as well as place any funds received from the offering into an escrow account.

References

http://www.sec.gov/answers/blankcheck.htm

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/blankcheckcompany.asp

the champions league final has over and as we all know that barcelona have won the trophy.so just to refresh, the final match is between arsenal and barcelona, and the match were going pretty well for the gunners(arsenal) as they managed to gun down single goal through the centreback defence (sol campbell) on the 37th minutes through a free kick set piece taken by their captain (theirry henry) and its was a real relieve for the gunners and their fans as they lead the catalunya by only ten players playing on the stade de france ground stadium until the clock lead to the end of first half.

at the second half,i’ve seen that the gunners especially players like freddie ljunberg and thierry henry managed to search for a gap from the catalunya defenders (puyol and marques) and did few tries to add their lead but victor valdez managed to handle the flare from the gunners skippers.after 50 minutes of great defending by the gunners, we’ve seen that players like samuel e’to has scored an equaliser goal (which is supposed to be off-side from my perspective) and then 7 minutes later came another goal make by balleti, it was a poor shot from him actually but the ball struck through almunia legs and deflect it into the goal, the goal has closed the dreams of gunners to lift the european trophy this season.

unsung heroes for the gunners because they have to play by the match by 10 players afters the sending off of jens lehmann, which turn the table around for the gunners to achieve the title.but for me, they have tried their best and they supposed to deserve a win if they managed to hold on for that another last 15minutes but luck were not on their side and thats it.it was certainly a sad atmosphere for the gunners to accept this, but in a competition there will always be someone to win and someone to lose, and we have to accept that.

and again it was a great match, the gunners has given out their 110% spirit and unfortunately couldn’t managed to hold it.it was also the last match for robert pires for the gunners after he already decided to play with the spanish clubs, like villareal, so there goes again another pull off jersey from the experienced players like him.hmmm, im hoping that thierry henry will stay with the gunners because he really need to lift the trophy man, so pagging for thierry henry please stay for like another season.hmmm.so thats all from me, mohd azim abdul ghani the long live arsenal fans :) 

There are probably more clichés, sayings and proverbs on love than any other topic.

It was Tennyson who penned, "‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." The Beatles claimed that "All you need is love." The movie Grease opened with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John running along the beach to the sounds of "Love is a many splendoured thing" and it wasn’t too long ago that The Darkness crooned, "Love is only a feeling."

Is love "only a feeling"?

Most of us believe that love is something that cannot be examined objectively because it involves emotions; there is no metric system for emotions. However, scientific research has shown that our body controls our emotions in more ways than we think. There is, in fact, a science of love - the study of the bodily processes that happen when we "fall in love".

Believe it or not, there are actually three physiological stages of love - lust, attraction and attachment.

Lust

Lust is described as an intense or obsessive desire and it is this longing for someone that marks the first stage of love. Lust is largely caused by testosterone and oestrogen, both of which are androgens (sex hormones). Men and women have both hormones but in different levels; it is the differing levels of androgens that determine the development of reproductive organs in humans.

The main culprit, however, is testosterone. It is the hormone that dictates the sex drive of men and women and it is this steroid that causes one to be out "on the hunt" for a potential partner.

Attraction

If you find yourself in the attraction phase, people would say that you are "madly in love." This is the stage where your heart races when you see the object of your affections, you spend hours gazing into space just daydreaming about him or her, and you start forgetting to do simple tasks because you are too preoccupied with thoughts of your sweetie.

The attraction phase is a good place to be because the chemicals at work in your brain are the ones that bring about the feeling of satiety, happiness and contentment. The three hormones, also known as the "mood hormones", that being about that feeling of walking on clouds are dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.

Dopamine is responsible for causing euphoria, which is a feeling of exaggerated happiness or well-being. Serotonin helps induce energy and a general feeling of assurance. Norepinephrine, or adrenaline, acts directly on the heart, effectively increasing blood flow around the body thus causing the "rush" of falling in love.

Attachment

Any couple in a long-term relationship would have experienced a dull after the excitement of the attraction stage. This fall in energy is actually a better thing than you might think. If couples never moved on from the attraction phase, it would be difficult to cement the relationship into something more solid.

Attachment is what brings couples to the next level in their relationship: the level of commitment. It is very important that this phase develops properly because it is the bond formed here that will determine how the relationship progresses once marriage, children and the responsibilities that come with them enter the picture.

Two hormones that are believed to be involved in this phase are oxytocin and vasopressin.

Oxytocin is most well-known as the hormone that causes muscular and glandular contraction. It helps the secretion of milk from the breast when a baby breastfeeds and is also released during sex. Both actions function to deepen the bond between individuals. Vasopressin, or antidiuretic hormone (ADH), is usually associated with healthy kidney function but it is also believed to play a role in the development of long-term relationships.

It is fascinating to realize the complex processes involved in a seemingly simple experience like falling in love. Every time that cute guy or hot girl catches our eye, the wheels of our body start turning, churning out hormones that enhance the way we feel.

So the next time you feel compelled to dismiss the lovey dovey antics of a couple in love as "nothing but feelings", remember that it is far more complicated than that and take a moment to appreciate that love is indeed a many splendoured thing.

Reference:
"The Science of Love" BBC - Science & Nature. 18 November, 2004. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/love/)