Saturday, August 31, 2019

Of Romeo and Juliet

anfernee simon According to Duff Brenna, â€Å"All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason, which motivates characters in literature. † This is demonstrated in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and Of Mice and Men. Human beings are often driven by their emotions or passions. Sometimes their actions defy sound reason or judgment. However, due to the emotions that the individuals might be experiencing at that time, their initial response is usually impulsive.I agree Duff Brenna in her assessment of how characters in literature are motivated by their raging emotions and not by reason, common sense or wisdom. One cannot merely act upon how they feel, especially if those emotions are negatives. Negatives emotions, if acted upon, will lead to negative actions; whereas positive emotions will leads to positive actions. In the play, Romeo and Juliet, The Capulet’s and The Montegue’s hated each other’s families. The literary term I used to best describe the story is irony.The irony in the story was that the two families were feuding and the two cross lovers fell in love. The main character in the story that relates to my interpretation of the quote by Brenna is Romeo. Romeo was a teenaged Capulet. He was tall with dark brown eyes. Romeo killed other people and bought poison to kill his self afterwards. For an example, Tybalt was Juliet’s cousin. Romeo and Tybalt were never in agreement with anything. When Romeo tried to be nice to Tybalt, Tybalt got aggressive and attacked him. That behavior resulted in Romeo’s killing of Tybalt.There are many themes that are represented in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The theme that I will focus on is idealism. The two main characters of this novel, George and Lennie, always dreamed on having a dream farm. Lennie loved to play with any animal that had soft hair. The story consisted of mice, rabbits and a dog. That dream that they had doesn’t get f ulfilled because George killed Lennie. George killed Lennie because Lennie had a mental disorder. It was George’s responsibility to take care of him. Lennie was just too much for George to handle, so George had no choice to kill him.Everybody in the story realized that the two men weren’t going anywhere in life. For an example, Crook expresses his doubt about the dream. Nobody ever gets into heaven and nobody gets any land. Crook is simply referring not only to literal ownership, but the dream of contentment about what these simple men fantasize. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men revealed the dreams as well as the pains that these two men experienced in their lives. The actions of the characters in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and Of Mice and Men were motivated by their emotions and not by reason.Duff Brenna is accurate in her statement that â€Å"All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason, which motivates characters in literature . † Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and George in Of Mice and Men both committed actions based upon the negative emotions that they were experiencing. Had they given much thought to the emotions that they were feeling; and had they applied sound reason, I am convinced that their actions would have been different and so would the overall stories of the books.

Friday, August 30, 2019

The Place of Factor X in Friedman and Albright’s Conflict

Three scholars namely Thomas L. Friedman, Madeleine Albright and Francis Fukuyama have offered related thoughts which policy-makers could learn to use in conflict resolution. To all of them, respecting human dignity is apparently the key to conflict resolution. Also, they all try to explain moral choices as the type of choice that must surface in the society to create a harmonious society. However, they have presented different sources for which people reflect on in making moral judgments like identity, rationality and freedom. The articles they have written which are; The Dell Theory of Conflict Resolution, Faith and Diplomacy and The Posthuman Future, respectively have tackled distinct issues but they derive their arguments from human nature. The first article for example discusses about the impacts of economic globalization on state and group collaboration; the second deals with how expertise and consideration of religion could facilitate in the understanding of cultural and religious differences to arrive at peace and settlements thus preventing wars; the third concerns itself with dissecting human nature to prove that technological and scientific development should be regulated to preserve the innate characteristics of humans and maintain their aspirations for unity. I would like to emphasize however that using the third article, Posthuman Future by Francis Fukuyama, the two articles are similar in that they refer to some aspects of human nature that Fukuyama referred to in his study as part of Factor X. But at the same time, I would like to present a personal analysis that Friedman and Albright in their discussions of economic-political behaviour and religious beliefs, are able to introduce although implicitly another aspect of human nature that Fukuyama might have not fully underscored- the human interactions that produce, mould, shape and influence beliefs, behavior, ideologies that yields to mobilization, organization, even conflict and its resolution. Let me begin by sharing what Fukuyama has to say about human dignity. How is moral choice determined? Francis Fukuyama in his new book the â€Å"Posthuman Future† tries to give a fresh perspective on the nature of humans and human values that eventually leads to a discussion of a kind of moral choice that is rooted in human dignity. Fukuyama says that human values are rooted in human nature which in turn is rooted in our genes. Fukuyama defines human nature as â€Å"the sum of the behavior and characteristics that are typical of the human species, arising from genetic rather than environmental factors.† Humans as complex wholes with a range of capacities like rationality, moral choice, sociability, sentience, consciousness, language, and so on that exceed those located among non-human animals is what gives humans moral worth. So while non-humans may possess nature as well, only humans possess dignity. Dignity is what gives humans the following: â€Å"superior†¦ moral status that raises us all above the rest of animal creation and yet makes us equals of one another qua human beings.† Fukuyama believes that dignity resides in what he refers below as Factor X: â€Å"a mysterious ‘Factor X' which is the ‘essential human quality' that remains after ‘all of a person's contingent and accidental characteristics' have been stripped away.† Fukuyama claims that: â€Å"Factor X cannot be reduced to the possession of moral choice, or reason, or language, or sociability, or sentience, or emotions, or consciousness, or any other quality that has been put forth as a grounds for human dignity. It is all of these qualities coming together in a human whole that make up Factor X† It is Factor X that Fukuyama wants to conserve from the command of biotechnologists. In this given equation, biotechnology which consists of the alteration of our biological nature would also alter human nature, transforming human values and undermine capitalism. He further notes that: â€Å"What is ultimately at stake with biotechnology is the very grounding of the human moral sense. We therefore need international regulation to obstruct any technological advance that might ‘disrupt either the unity or the continuity of human nature, and thereby the human rights that are based upon it.† (Fukuyama, 2002) Francis Fukuyama seemingly concerned with the natural order of things fears that with artificial actions like those presented in medicines, cloning and genetic engineering, what could have been naturally designed as the end in our society would change as we intervened in the natural course of events. This assumption leads him to some policy prescriptions as regards the limitations of these developments. One can deduce from his assumptions that our morality and our moral choices will also be affected with these perceived changes. The resolution for Fukuyama in all of humans’ worries that provoke biotechnology is seen in his statement, â€Å"There are good prudential reasons to defer to the natural order of things and not to think that human beings can easily improve upon it through casual intervention† Having read the Dell Theory of Conflict Resolution, one can judge at the outset that the intention was to rationalize the behavior of people and organizations which due to globalization and   in the consideration of their best interests have resorted to collaboration, thus making their human nature progress into economically defined configurations and abstain from war and other skirmishes. Richard Cobden said: â€Å"Free trade is God’s diplomacy. There is no other certain way of uniting people in the bonds of peace† (cited in the Dell Theory of Conflict Resolution). If I were to put it simply, I’d say Friedman as he appears a liberal to me wishes to promote for the sake of resolving conflict among groups and states, human’s embedded rationality as the aspect that makes us unique and thinking life-forms. He is saying that economically speaking, we would rather choose the best possible choice- that one that will entail the least costs and risks and the greater benefits. The least harm would be to preserve the freedom of choice and inherent rights of humans -characteristic of a capitalist system and even prospered in free trade. Now, this has become not only a rational choice for him, but also a moral choice; and dignity derives itself from the consideration of other people’s rights to personal property, opportunity to engage in the globalizing system as free and rational beings and appreciation of what others could do to help others at the same time helping their own selves (comparative advantage). In this case, conflict arises when disrespect against other humans in the form of illegal transactions, abuse of power, unfair decisions and agreements take place. Hence, as far as foreign policy is concern, time has come for policy-makers to lose interest in hard security issues like war but focus on meaningful and friendly trade treaties and the like. On the other hand, the article Faith and Diplomacy by Madeleine Albright takes faith in religion as the basis of human’s moral choices. Looking at human’s capacity and nature to reason and feel- this must be provoked to make people make better assessment of their actions and decisions. It is the domination of a common identity as humans created in the likeness of God that could fashion an intensive dislike to killing other humans and hurting them. The ultimate reason to abhor war and fighting must come from the nature of humans to feel sympathy, pain, sadness from the makings of their religious differences. Hence, international diplomatic relations faced with religious-based insurgencies must take this tactic to eliminate the perspective of dehumanization in wars as an opportunity to maintain order. Human dignity in this case is taken away when one treats another human non-human. He says in the article: â€Å"When participants in a conflict claim to be people of faith, a negotiator who has the credentials and the credibility to do so might wish to call their bluff† Humans have the nature to realize mistakes after some moments of reflection based on reason and sentiments. However as Fukuyama states, Factor X is the totality of human natures, the sum of all parts. Although a lot of other scholars still contest and rebut Fukuyama’s exaggeration of the impacts of biotechnology on the human qualities, I may not delve into those criticisms although one thing is clear to me: that all of these scholars have faith in what humans can do both negative and positive. Conflict is caused by human qualities and characteristics as rational, free beings capable of innovation and complex organizing. What must be given emphasis however more than human nature is human interaction. Their social nature is what brings them to form distinct religious groups and organizations, influence each other to develop new traditions, norms and structures, cooperate and not to cooperate depending on mainstream beliefs and ideologies. I would say Friedman and Albright’s thoughts on moral choice, human dignity and conflict resolution are not isolated from the human aspects that Fukuyama is talking about, although in a separate discussion, they have perhaps unintentionally promoted another way of looking at conflict which transcends the explanations made by Fukuyama.       .   

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Was the Treaty of Versailles Fair?

Was the treaty of Versailles fair? The treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 after the World War one. It was actually a punishment of Germany to start the war and forced it to accept all the blame. The involved requirements were seen to be very harsh. Many arguments were made on the treaty, and the most common question was that whether the treaty of Versailles fair. In my opinion, I am quite agreeing with the decision. Firstly, there is no fair in warfare. Defeat powers should obey the victors’ orders unconditionally, no excuse, and no complaint, just accepting the lost.Secondly, the treaty of Versailles was made by the â€Å" Big Three†, they were Woodrow Wilson from America, Lloyd George from Britain and Clemenceau from French. The terms in the treaty were put up by those three ideas. Their different attitudes and opinions were restricting the others. Nobody would be completely satisfied and also no one could make it extremely harsh or kind. Thirdly, relating the co st of the war. This is also the most important point of my view. In World War 1, numbers of villages and towns were destroyed.The economy and industry in Europe collapsed. From every nation who took part in there barely was a family who hadn't lost a member, nearly 35 million casualties, including a large amount of death of innocent people. How could Germany and her allies pay for this? The treaty of Versailles was deserved. In the treaty, Germany was asked to pay a huge amount of reparations, up to 6600 millions. Some people thought it was very unreasonable. At the time, it was impossible for Germany, but it was not given a time limit.Germany can rebuild the economy step by step till finally being able to pay off the compensation payment. Germen were also very angry about the arrangement of the territories. As a defeated country, there was no doubt Germany need to give back all the colonies, and be planed just as it did to the other country before. In conclusion, I think the Treaty of Versailles was fair enough. The aim of it was to weaken the German power and ensure there was no any more war, nevertheless Germany regained the power in 20 years, rebuilt the industry and military.Germany recovered very fast from the lost. However, they did not cherisher the achievement, launched another worldwide war, which was larger and more disastrous instead. the fact strong proved that the treaty had pushed Germany too hard, otherwise they should not be able to start the war. Moreover, compared to the treaties they made to Russia, the treaty of Brest-Litvosk, which was much more horrible, and the huge cost of the World War 1, Germany was fairly lucky.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Auditing & Accounting Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Auditing & Accounting Ethics - Essay Example The concept of auditor independence during this era did not conceive of auditors as advocates for audited entities; British investors explicitly forbade auditors from investing or working in the businesses that they audited. At the same time, as long as auditors maintained their primary loyalty to the investors back home, the scope of professional accounting services could be reasonably broad. For example, auditors were permitted to keep the books and prepare the financial statements for the entities they audited (Hayes, Dassen, 2005 p.87). At the same time that independence requirements are becoming increasingly important, the auditing profession is tilting a changing landscape that is requiring the profession to face complex and difficult issues. Two of these changes have particular relevance for auditor independence: First, there has been a dramatic escalation in competition to obtain and hold onto auditing business. And second, auditors now often find themselves part of huge national (even multinational) organizations that offer a literal supermarket of nonaudit services and present greater opportunities for potential conflicts of interest. Let me discuss each of these phenomena in turn (Hayes, Dassen, 2005 p.87-88). An honest auditor will behave like someone who is independent, using independence to mean an attitude of mind that does not allow the viewpoints and conclusions of its possessor to become reliant on or subordinate to the influence and pressures of conflicting interests. There is an expectation that the auditor will have performed an audit that will have reduced the chances of a successful negligence lawsuit to a level acceptable to the auditor. In the language of economics, the auditor will perform audit work until the cost of undertaking more work is equal to the benefit the auditor derives in terms of the reduction in the risk of a successful lawsuit being possible. This then represents the minimum amount of work that the reader can expect the auditor to perform. However, all auditors are individuals with different attitudes to risk and return and so one auditor's minimum standard of audit work will not necessarily be that of a colleague (Hayes, Dassen, 2005 p.88). This economic argument, while logical, would be unsustainable if certain auditors took advantage of the general presumption regarding auditor independence in order to obtain increased market share. In other words, for the economic argument to be effective, complete compliance with the principle of auditor independence would be required. In a general sense, auditor independence has borne a relationship to the prevailing commercial environment in different time periods.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Virtual world Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Virtual world - Assignment Example 6 Figure 2: village†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 Figure 3 Figure 1: the village with houses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10 Figure 4 Figure 2: a complete waste management game†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 12 1.0 Abstract The virtual world is an online society, which is in the form of a computer system environment. The main elements of the virtual world are the avatars that are visible to each other in 2-dimension, 3-dimension, and even as textual. The users of the virtual world related or interact through a computer based 3-D system and create objects no matter where they are located physically. The virtual world application enables the ma ny users to use such computer applications at the same time. Virtual world applications are used in marketing, prototyping, training, sales, replication and distance learning. Development of Digital virtual world involves the ability of producing a user-friendly environment where multiple users are able to interact. The virtual world is commonly used in institutions, schools, government organization, institutions, and corporations. Virtual world enables users to meet online and have the feeling of being together thereby enabling partnership of different countries. 2.0 Introduction In the world today, needs are arising of enforcing strong values on waste disposal through education of the masses, coming up with strategic planning and creating tools for effective communication towards enhancing behavioural change. To best capture the majority specifically the youthful population, there has been need to develop a series of game are designed that will capture their attention. Games are v iewed to be enjoyed when played. While people engage in playing games, learning is also enhanced through the game. Youths sand children are expected to gain constructive knowledge through virtualizing their world. Notably, the development of the game involves the same methodologies as applied in the application development. Therefore, this project aims at deploying the Agile Application development method. The Agile game development usually aims at educating children and youths on the collection of waste materials, that helps in conserving the environment. 3.0 Related Work Numerous virtual game applications are available in the market. Simcity Application is an example of a virtual world game where users can play the game by creating and managing modelled societies and world. Simcity does not make use of individual Avatars as a demonstration of the players. The Math - city is an example of simulation-based learning that supports students in their learning process especially in Mathe matical calculations. The advancement in Mathematics is used to promote the growth in the community. Recycle city recommends a point-and-click interfaces that will help in delivering environmental education the people. Nonetheless, this project will employ the 3D virtual world approach that can explore the use of an avatar as association and competition social methods. In this sense, the learner playing the game that involves environmental management techniques will develop the sense and the need of environmental conservation through the game (Kalivarapu et al, 2004, Pg. 7). 3.0 Objectives of the project The project is designed to help

Monday, August 26, 2019

Violent Behavior in the Media and its impact on Violence in the Research Proposal

Violent Behavior in the Media and its impact on Violence in the Physical World - Research Proposal Example Society as a whole is consistently being fed with violent images, ideas and themes from the media that surrounds us. This is particularly important in the present age where mass media is a common method is a common method of advertising and entertainment. Mass media comes in many forms and the term is used to any form of media communication that reaches a large group of people at the same time. Different forms of mass media include newspapers, the Internet, billboards, movies, television and magazines. One form of mass media that is of particular interest is television. From once being a novelty, and a luxury item that only a few could afford, televisions are now commonplace in households, with many who consider themselves ‘light’ viewers watching several hours each day. Many who watch television pride themselves on the ability to distinguish fact from fiction, what is real from what is illusion, yet these distinctions are solely on the part of the viewer, and change as the viewers own perception changes. The high prevalence of television in the lives of a large amount of people, as well as the high number of hours that are viewed by even light viewers leads to concern that there is high potential for what is observed to affect both thought processes and behavior. In addition to this the large amount of information that can be portrayed through the television, both from sounds and visual information is substantial. A factor that has been of interest within the literature for many years is whether the violence and aggression that is prevalent in mass media in general and particularly on television has any influence on the levels of violence and aggression that are observed in the real world. Violence in media can generally be defined as visual or audio portrayals of physical aggression by one character, generally human-like, towards another. In contrast, aggression in the media can be defined as an act intended to either injure or irritate another person . Debate has been wide ranging concerning whether the violence on television plays any role, with opinions and studies indicating different results. This debate is becoming of increasing importance as the prevalence of violence on television continues to rise . Murders and shootings are common in many different genres of television program and movies. Martial arts, expositions and fist fights are all common fare to emphasize a point, or to fill in the gaps between pieces of story . This study looks at the background and need for studies on violence on television, the arguments for the ability of mass media to cause violence,

Nutrition 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nutrition 3 - Essay Example In comparison to breakfast, the dinner consists of the 240 calories, 144 fat calories, 72 fat calories, 4 units of the protein. The total addition of the snacks contributed numerous more calories (716.5) 246 fat calorie 110.4 calorie of the sat fat 17.6 gram of protein compared to the sum of the dinner calorific intake. It is notable that control of the feeding habits especially for the consumption of snacks. The gaining of the excess weight is likely to result from the snack consumption as compared to the general consumption in breakfast and dinner times. On day two of the analysis , the lunch consisted of the coffee , brewed water tap which is 8 Oz 2.4 calorie, 0.4 fat calorie, 0n sat fat and null protein. In the same mode, I consumed muffin , lemon poppy seed which transpires into 390 calorie , 180 fat calorie and 18 sat fat. The second day had total consumption of 2040.7 calories, 882.6 fat calorie, 308.2 sat fat and 113.2 grams of protein. As compared to the other days the second day had a lot of calorie intake as compared to the other food intakes. On third day the total consumption of the day was 1831.3 of calorie, 614.7 fat calorie and 362.7 sat fat calorie and the total protein intake amounted to 37.3 grams. On fourth day, consumption of calories amounted to 1911.6, 711 fat calorie, 317.7 sat fat calorie and consumption of 61.3 grams of proteins. The analysis of the total four day food consumption indicates relatively high amount of intake of the calories averaging close to 2000 but relatively low amount intake of fat calorie and sat fat calorie, however the consumption of the snack is the greatest contributor of the calorie intake. The actual calorie intake is 1911.63 while the recommended calorie intake is 2713.14. This falls nearly to the 70% of the recommended calorie intake. The consumption of the calorie from intake is virtually sufficient reading close to

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Strategic Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Strategic Planning - Essay Example External environment must be analyzed by the organization to determine how n organization can survive in the midst of the competitors. Implementation of strategy- strategy implementation entails the act of putting strategy into practice. In addition, the process involves steps development, methods and strategy execution procedure. The process also includes determination of which strategy to come first. Prioritization of strategies should be based on the seriousness of all issues underlying. Strategy evaluation- this element entails the examination of strategy implementation as well as the strategy outcome. Evaluation includes the process of finding out whether the deadlines have been met, whether the process used in implementation steps and process are working the way they should. Strategic management is a crucial part of organizational business strategies. For any organization to successfully survive in a competitive business environment, it has to gather the right information so that the organization can have a competitive advantage to compete against its competitors. Organizations survival deeply depends on how it outshines its competitors. If the competitors outperform the organization then, it fails. A good strategic management is, therefore, vital for an organization to strengthen its operations in the market. Business models offer a description of how an organization structure is set to maximize the profits. On the other hand, business strategy is used to give a description of how organization engages its competitors. A company like amazon and Facebook has been able to beat their competitors through development of new strategies. Facebook has been successful in increasing its revenue through virtual property owner

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Differences between Cole and Dalton Approach Essay - 1

Differences between Cole and Dalton Approach - Essay Example The approach of Dalton to Corporate security concerns is both traditional and legal. That of Cole is modern, forward-looking and humane. Cole is also fully aware of the legal responsibilities of the service provider, the client, and the personnel engaged by the service provider. Â  Richard Cole’s document has the most comprehensive insurance reporting requirements. As per this document, the contractor has to provide a number of insurance certificates, prior to commencing any services, for the client, such as Worker’s Compensation Insurance, including Employer’s Liability Insurance etc. It is a perfect and an ideal legal document as far as insurance coverage for the employee is concerned. The employee works under the protective umbrella of the perfect insurance scheme. The highlights of the various insurance schemes for the benefit of employees, apart from huge sums assured in the event of mishaps are, a retroactive date prior to or coincident with the agreement inception date, ‘the client is promptly notified in writing of any advancement of the retroactive date’, ‘the contractor specifying if defense costs are included in the limits of liability, the client being promptly notified in writing of any erosion of aggrega te limits’, etc. Such provisions indicate the extensive and deep concern of the managers, providers of the insurance, that the employee is given financial security to himself/members of his family, should any unfortunate mishap occur. Â  

Friday, August 23, 2019

Starbucks, the Global Coffeemaker Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Starbucks, the Global Coffeemaker - Assignment Example 15 List of Tables Critical Success Facgtors 1. Introduction This paper will provide a strategic analysis on the popular brand Starbucks within the business environment of the United States. The focus is the U.S. and International segments which are responsible for company-operated and licensed stores. Also included in the classification of International segment are food service accounts stationed in Canada and the U.K. When Starbucks started its humble beginning, Starbucks founder Howard Shultz said that they wanted to change how people lived their lives. The company has transformed gourmet coffee into a primary food product along with a new American coffee shop (Thompson and Arsel, 2004, p. 631). This innovative company manufactures and directly sells coffee and tea, but its specialties are beverages from roasted whole bean coffee and tea. It operates owned- and leased-stores in many parts of the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe, and the whole world. (MarketWatch, 2012) Starbucks’ model of cafe is unique but it has tapped the coffee lovers’ segment, which is not actually a segment per se since everyone loves coffee. The company has penetrated major developed markets (Canada, China, Japan, Britain, and continental Europe, and even countries in South East Asia). It has conquered coffee lovers and Rome. Starbucks suffered some setbacks when the founder and CEO Howard Shultz stepped down in 2000 to act as chairman. Shares went down and the company was about to collapse had it not for the comeback of Shultz who had to start the company all over again, in Schultz’s words â€Å"own the mistakes† (Harvard Business Review, 2004) and... This paper approves that the management and choice of location of the various coffee houses and stores of Starbucks were distinct and unique for Starbucks. They have an almost excellent choice of location and management is customer-focus. Retail locations are also management properly and are of strategic location. The most important is the supply chain – every product and service is readily available and reaches the various branches within and outside the United States on time. This report makes a conclusion that supply chain management is handled by expert managers and Starbucks’ handling of supply chain operations is superior to its competitors. Their delivery trucks and other means of transportation to transport their products reach their destinations on time, whether this be inside the United States or to various branches worldwide. This makes its strength surpassed its weakness. It values its own people and the people it serves – including the community. This was displayed when Howard Shultz revived the company to enhance the integrity of their assets, which are the company values, culture and guiding principles, gaining once again the trust and confidence of the people and its stakeholders. Manufacturing and distribution are major components of the supply chain, and this Starbucks is good at. Their perfect handling of these processes allow them to have a strong inventory and a strong plus over their rivals McDonald’s or Dunkin Donuts. Although these two have food as additional products to entice customers, Starbucks has perfected the coffee business. It may take a long time before competitors will be able to take hold of Starbucks’ advantage.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Does gay marriage threaten the family Essay Example for Free

Does gay marriage threaten the family Essay The question is clear does gay marriages threatens the family? To my belief yes it does with a capital Y. It is for a very simple reason that it nullifies the basic web of the society, the family. By the term alone, for instance if a two male person established among themselves what they so called â€Å"conjugal love or the so called domestic partnership â€Å"who would be called the mommy and the dad. If they have children by adoption or from the other partner would that child not be confused that his or her mom is physically and physiologically like his dad? In this aspect it also waters down the dignity of a man and that of a woman. For all we know yes we are created equal but were given recognition that each one has his and her role to play. And that part cannot be taken away by some whims of only few individuals. In fact, it is everyone’s concern to value his masculinity and for the woman her femininity. Those who can not recognize this fact is in no way no longer care for respect for the right reason. Ralph Wedgewoods justifications are like a mens rea. Justification does not eliminate one’s malicious act. He justifies gay marriages by attacking the evils in marriages. He could have forgotten that he is once a product of a basic family of a union between a man and a woman. Divorce, children born out of wedlock, abandonment, etc. are ills to our society but must not be taken into account that since we have this evil, marriage is doomed. In fact, a holy marriage is a sanctuary, a place where we could raise good citizens of the world. When love is lacking between a complete man and a complete woman, how can we be so sure that love between the same sexes is less chaotic? I do not deny the value of clean friendship here; same sexes could love each other in a platonic and respectful way. Giving into licentiousness already debases the human dignity, and that dignity is for everyone. Perfect union is only enjoyed by legitimate love. Anything outside of it is simply lust. And when lust diminishes convulsion of consciences regains unless that conscience has had hardened its heart not being able to conceive what is right and what is wrong. Maggie Gallagher’s discusses in her book â€Å"What is Marriage for? †. That gay marriage is nothing new. It could be accepted in Massachusetts and may infiltrate the 50 states of America. Marriage is defined as giving a legal ground for sexual desires of adult individual but it has more to offer. Well it is not simply institutionalizing a marriage and begetting children. It is beyond that. Moreover it is not only for the elite. But justice dictates that if a man and a woman can not properly raise a child it is better for him and her to live continence. Many have fallen into the ifs’ and buts’ of marriage, but if we could only look at one direction and try to research what it really mean to be. Finally, everyone could have a conclusion that marriage is never a license but more of a gift of faith and love. Matrimony is defined in the Humane Vitae (Human life) as Married love which is far from being the effect of the result of blind evolution of the natural forces in which husband and wife through mutual gift of themselves perfect themselves as one in cooperating with God for generating new lives. It is a love that is total. How many have come in to marriage without valuing this basic requirement? They are the ones on the event of sorrows of daily life ran away from their commitment. It is them who forget that married love is faithful and exclusive until death. They never thought that it is a real commitment and not just a sharing of domestic problems. â€Å"Marriage and conjugal love are ordained toward procreation and education of children which are the supreme gift of marriage. † (VI, 1968) This always includes responsible parenthood and the observance of the natural law. Marriage between same sex is not only a direct defiance to God’s will who have created the whole universe but a rendering injustice to ones self. A man with a common sense knew that anything unnatural is a hoax. Never would a man find complete ecstasy on any union that is filled with guilt and full of perversion. In Kerry Howley`s debate, she stresses more on the political side of the issue. The author could have forgotten one dimension of marriage. This social institution is not only bounded by a certain state but is treated more of a sacrament. The unions between spouses are not only by civil norms but out bounds the soul. Religion, the church, and God who created you and me have institutionalized marriage to be the seed of His elects. Here we are not negating the rights of lesbians and homosexuals, in fact our society of today are more civil with them and accepted them as creative and respectable individuals. But to carry on an error of licentiousness we are just debasing their human existence. There are always limitations where we can not be what we want but in the eye of a believer of truth he could see beyond even if his eyes are closed. Let consciences be heard and man will bend his knees, for all we know something out there is of greater value, more precious than gold. Our soul and its eternal end.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

orld Trade Organization Essay Example for Free

orld Trade Organization Essay On November 30, 1999, major governments met at a World Trade Organization (WTO), ministerial meeting at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington. During this meeting an enormous public protest took place in the streets of Seattle. The protestors were representing human rights groups, students, environmental groups, religious leaders, labor rights activists and members of numerous other groups. The groups were not only from the United States, but had come from all over the world. All of these people were peacefully protesting the practices of the WTO in the name of free trade. The protestors stated that the WTO upheld trade practices that allowed child labor, low wages and environmental destruction. The WTO justified these practices in the name of free trade. Tens of thousands of people were in Seattle to protest peacefully, and the protests did start peacefully, but they did not end that way. A small number of anarchist groups were in Seattle to cause civil disobedience and acts of vandalism and property damage. These groups conducted deliberate acts of vandalism on corporate offices in Seattle. The Seattle Police Department did not have the number of officers, even with help from other departments, to handle the number of protestors. The officers used pepper spray, tear gas, stun grenades and eventually rubber bullets to try to unblock congested city streets. Some of the anarchists fought back by breaking windows and vandalizing storefronts. Dumpsters were pushed out into intersections and they were lit on fire and tires on police cars were deflated. The National Guard was finally called in, but did not get to Seattle until the next morning. Once the WTO packed up and went home, the protestors packed up and went on their way. When the meeting finished, businesses had suffered millions of dollars in damage and lost sales, over 500 people were arrested. No deaths were attributed to the protest and no one was seriously injured. There was controversy over city response and the Seattle police chief resigned. The anarchist protestors felt the protest was a success. Before the Seattle Protest, there was almost no mention of anti-globalization in the U. S. media but the protest had forced the media to report on why anyone would oppose the WTO. Good or bad, the message of the protestors was broadcast to the world.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Finding Forrester Analysis

Finding Forrester Analysis The film Finding Forrester is a movie about a young boy, Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown) that lives in the Bronx. He has an intellectual talent for writing, quite contrary to his stereotypical ghetto friends. Jamal meets and befriends William Forrester, once a great Pulitzer Prize winning author who now lives in solitary. Forrester mentors Jamal and teaches him life lessons. Jamal in turn helps Forrester break free of his tough, leathery shell and reclusive life. This movie, although slightly boring and predictable, highlights the breakdown of stereotypes in our culture and the relationships that blossom through pure chance. I do not recommend watching this movie in theaters; save your money. Overall, the storyline is unoriginal and dull. It begins during a casual basketball game. Jamal and his friends notice someone hiding behind a window curtain, looking down at them. Known to the boys as The Window, William Forrester (Sean Connery) lives alone, never leaving his apartment. This may sound interesting, but to me, this is the only part of the movie that raises curiosity and suspense. After school one day, Jamals friends dare him to break into the authors apartment. Jamal climbs in through the window and ultimately gets spooked by Forrester, leaves his book bag behind, and flees down the fire escape. If it were my home, the police would be called; however, Forrester doesnt find it necessary. Surprisingly, the next day Jamals backpack is dropped to the street. Well, Jamal recovers his book bag and he finds his journals marked up with corrections, praises and other remarks. Unbelievably, Jamal, wishing to discuss the editorial markups in his journal, returns to Forresters ap artment. I cannot imagine a teenager returning to confront the owner of the apartment he broke into the day before. After knocking on the door, the grumpy author hollers at him to stay away and tells him he should consider writing a 5000 word essay on why he belongs out of his house. The following day, Jamal returns to deliver the essay by leaving it outside Forresters door. Can you guess what happens next? I can. These two characters officially meet face to face the following day when Jamal returns to ask about the essay he left behind. Forrester allows Jamal to enter his home. After a few racist remarks were sputtered, testing Jamals character, a unique friendship begins. Would you befriend Jamal after he breaks into your home? Also, I do not believe black men or women would tolerate racial slurs or remarks that Forrester feels necessary to express. To me the clichà ©, only in the movies rings true. Resuming with the plot, Forrester is amazed at Jamals writing and begins to couns el him on intellect, writing, and life. During this time Jamal receives a scholarship to an à ©lite private school typically attended by rich children with a far different background than him. There he meets Claire Spence (Anna Paquin) and his professor, Henry Crawford (F. Murray Abraham). Claire shows Jamal around his new school and a strong bond cultivates. However, Professor Henry Crawford believes Jamal is only attending the school for his basketball skills and cant believe he is there for any other reason. After all, Jamal is an avid basketball player. The school is inevitably hoping to receive the coveted trophy at the end of the season and Jamal is the boy to do it. After several weeks, Crawford accuses Jamal of plagiarism when he submits a paper he wrote for a writing contest. Conflict and unexciting suspense finally happens again when the professor claims the paper had similarities to an essay Forrester once published. When Jamal refuses to admit he plagiarized or received permission from Forrester himself, he was eliminated from the competition. I would not go out of my way to watch this movie. The ending, with its rather soft climax and humdrum resolution provides entertainment for Sunday mornings when you have absolutely nothing else to do, but watch television. Although, Sean Connery did a wonderful job playing the character of author, William Forrester, I would rather see him playing the role of 007 in James Bond or something with a bit more excitement. I do not think he could do a horrendous job acting even if he was casted in this monotonous movie. Rob Browns acting of Jamal Wallace is rather mediocre. His movements and actions throughout the film were forgettable. I believe he did a satisfactory job representing his character; I just cant brag about his acting abilities in this film. Although, he never plays a leading role, F. Murray Abraham, is also an experienced actor. He ranks near the top of the list with Sean Connery. He did an acceptable job performing his role as Professor Henry Crawford. Even though his character was slightly far-fetched, his acting was believable. At the very end of the film, Matt Damon makes an appearance as Forresters attorney. He is an excellent actor, but the part he plays in Finding Forrester is extremely small. Overall the actors received a passable grade for their abilities to play their parts in this somewhat lame movie. We expect far-fetched movie plots in science fiction or movies about green, three-headed monsters. While watching this flick, you want to believe what you see is true and some aspects are indeed genuine. Every day, we see intellectual children and teenagers do remarkable things, achieve the unachievable. Personally, if you are going to make a film that others can relate to, specifically, black, inner city teenagers, then everything in the storyline should be realistic. Honestly, I have to admit, I find movies that break stereotypical boundaries motivational, but I would not waste my money paying inflated ticket prices to see Finding Forrester in the theater. I suppose every movie cant be full of suspense and action. To me, this 3 out of 5 star movie is best watched on HBO or Showtime. Save your money. Dont see it at the theaters. Finding Forrester, Dir. Gus Van Sant, 2000, Columbia; Fountainbridge Films; Laurence Mark Productions, DVD, 136 minutes. CAST: Sean Connery: William Forrester Rob Brown: Jamal Wallace F. Murray Abraham: Professor Henry Crawford Anna Paquin: Claire Spence Busta Rhymes: Terrell April Grace: Ms. Joyce Michael Pitt: Coleridge Michael Nouri: Dr. Spence Richard Easton: Matthews Glen Fitzgerald: Massie Zane R. Copeland Jr.: Damon Stephanie Berry: Janice Fly Williams III: Fly Damany Mathis: Kenzo Damien Lee: Clay Matthew Noah Word: Coach Garrick Charles Bernstein: Dr. Simon Matt Malloy: Bradley Matt Damon: Sanderson RATING: C 3 out of 5 stars

The Effects of Advertising Essay -- TV Media Television

Every time we open a newspaper or we turn on the TV, we see sellers of almost identical products spending huge amounts of money in order to convince us to buy their brands. Every year, each typical American watches 1550 hours of TV, listens 1160 hours on radio, and spends 290 hours reading newspapers and magazines. So every day, each American watches 100 TV advertisements, 100 to 300 ads through other mass media, and in one single year receives 216 pieces of direct mail advertising, and almost 50 phone calls from telemarketers (Pratkanis and Aronson 2). All these, because sellers of everything, from computers to detergents, believe that advertising is essential to the product. Ed Ney, ex-chairman of the Young and Rubicam American agency, refers to the mid seventies when many firms still had as a debatable issue if they should advertise or not. Those days have passed. As Ney says, that has happened, because it has been proved that advertising is beneficial to the firms (Clark 16). The critics state that advertising is really beneficial to the consumers: They believe that advertising â€Å"creates† consumers that are better informed about the characteristics of the commodities, and that it does not alter the way in which the companies evaluate their products. Also, they believe that advertising creates price sensitivity for the consumers that buy the best products for their value. Finally, they think that with advertisement, entries for new brands are much easier because of the communication with the potential consumers that commercials offer (Haefner and Rotzoll 87). Advertising, collective term for public announcements designed to promote the sale of specific commodities or services. Advertising is a form of mass selling, employed wh... ... the information that could probably be associated with. Although this problem is not very important in deciding which breakfast cereal to buy, it is very dangerous and sneaky in presidential elections, where the consequences are more conspicuous (O’Barr 205). That is because each candidate has created propaganda that might distort the beliefs of the voters. That is why advertising is appealing to the government. Making an advertising campaign against heroin use as the best way of spending money is debatable, but it enables the administration to be seen caring (Clark 31). So, I believe that advertisements exist only in order to return profits to the advertisers by many tricky ways. Some of these are the use of persuasion at the consumers, the faulty – logic messages, and the influence on children. All these acts, definitely, are not for the benefit of the consumers.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Death of Ivan Ilyich Essay -- Literary Analysis, Tolstoy

In his novella, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy satirizes the isolation and materialism of Russian society and suggests that its desensitized existence overlooks the true meaning of life—compassion. Ivan had attained everything that society deemed important in life: a high social position, a powerful job, and money. Marriage developed out of necessity rather than love: â€Å"He only required of it those conveniences—dinner at home, housewife, and bed—which it could give him† (17). Later, he purchased a magnificent house, as society dictated, and attempted to fill it with ostentatious antiquities solely available to the wealthy. However, â€Å"In reality it was just what is usually seen in the houses of people of moderate means who want to appear rich, and therefore succeed only in resembling others like themselves† (22). Through intense characterizations by the detached and omniscient narrator, Tolstoy reveals the flaws of this deeply superfic ial society. Although Ivan has flourished under the standards of society, he fails to establish any sort of connection with another human being on this earth. Tragically, only his fatal illness can allow him to confront his own death and reevaluate his life. He finally understands, in his final breath, that â€Å"All you have lived for and still live for is falsehood and deception, hiding life and death from you† (69). Tolstoy establishes his satire instantly after the death of Ivan through the cruel and selfish reactions of his friends. The death of a friend would normally conjure feelings of grief and compassion, yet for Ivan’s close associates, thoughts of their futures drowned out any thoughts of death. â€Å"So on receiving the news of Ivan Ilych's death the first thought of each of the gentlemen in ... ...nt factors in an individual’s life. Tolstoy suggests that even though most of Russian society has lived similar to Ivan, an opportunity will always exist to redeem oneself of his past greed. Leo Tolstoy argues in The Death of Ivan Ilyich the importance of compassion in life and the pivotal role it plays in allowing an individual to live a truly satisfying life. In his eyes, the Russian nobility did not actually live since their sole priorities were themselves and obtaining possessions. While the poor, on the other hand, understood the importance of their time on this earth and seized every second of it. Although written in the late nineteenth century, Tolstoy’s work continues to apply to American society even today. People continue to isolate themselves from the world and suppress all difficult emotions, believing that their wealth-oriented lives are noble.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Summer of the Mad Monk Essay -- essays research papers

The Summer of The Mad Monk The year is 1936. Philip Tyler is an imaginative, 12-year-old boy. He lives on a farm outside of the small town of Delia in Alberta but their farm is suffering and their lives are suffering because of the Great Depression. They have lived in poverty for as long as he could remember, so he, like many other boys in that time had to be creative and imaginative. School was nearing the end of the year, and he and his best friend Digger had nothing to look forward to. Diggers father had noticed and he gave the boys an old .22 to work on because the barrel was crooked. Pip and Digger had worked on the thing for weeks and when they were done, it looked funny so they carved the handle to look like an old Colt .44. They had so much pride in their, â€Å"homemade† gun. The next thing Pip knew was that they were in town, when Digger took it out to show Pete McKnight. Pip knew this was not a good idea because Pete was known as the town trouble maker. Pete McKnights face was wiped clean of all expression, and he had a look Pip had never seen before on him, a look of raw envy. Pete took the gun, and was playing around with it when he accidentally shot it off and it went whizzing past the town drunks’ head. It noise was so loud that people came running from everywhere. So they threw the gun in a bush and they ran off. But they didn’t get very far before the sheriff caught them. After that, their parents came for the punishment at the town hall. The sheriff said that they would have to destroy the gun. So he gave the gun to the new blacksmith in town to destroy. The blacksmiths name was Raspinsky. There was something very odd about Raspinsky. He had ice blue eyes that could almost hypnotize a person and he walked and talked like he was authority. They said he was from Russia and that he knew very little English. A few days later he and his father had gone to visit a close family friend, Mr.Hewitt. Jack Hewitt always lent Pip books to read because Pip never had any. This week, Jack lent Phillip, â€Å"The Russian Revolution† which was only fourteen years before. Phillip got very caught up in the book and he started realizing that the Tsars family doctor, Rasputin, had seemed to remind him a lot of Raspinsky. Rasputin was a monk who gave aid to the tsar of Russia family, but many thought that he was evil because he could heal people telep... ... that his parent’s property was right across the road from theirs. So he left the horse there, and he crossed the road trying to feel for their fence. When he found it, a burst of relief overtook him! He followed the fence all the way to his house and he scrambled into the front door. He must have been covered in what felt like a foot of dust on him! He went and took a bath in the wash bucket and then went to the nice comfort of his bed. He had a dreamless sleep and in the morning, he went and filled some canteens. He then went for his horse and then again took off for the cave. When he got there, he was happy to see that Raspinsky wasn’t badly covered in dust. He was happy to see that Phillip brought him some water. When he was replenished, Raspinsky told Pip that he would have to leave the country right away if he were going to escape from the Mounties. Pip was sad but he knew it had to be done. Rasputin mounted Phillips horse and then promised that Pip shall have a good life! Rasputin took for the hills and Phillip waved to him and he waved back. Now Pip had the trouble of getting home, but if it was one thing that Phillip learned it was that nothing is impossible. The End

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Lady Macbeth Essay

The tragic downfall of Shakespeare’s Macbeth can be attributed to his forceful ambition which leads him to commit terrible deeds, selfish greed and weakness that allows him to be easily manipulated. These influencing factors are nourished and encouraged by the three witches and the deceitful Lady Macbeth. Macbeth’s actions of murdering innocent children and women and his damning act of genocide show that he is primarily responsible for his own demise. Macbeths ‘ambition which overleaps itself’ leads him to commit heinous crimes that show his depravity and ultimately leads to his downfall. Macbeth lets his ‘ambition’ rule him and his decisions; his ambition comes before everything else. When he hears that Malcolm will be crowned prince of Cumberland he says ‘that is a step which I must fall down or else o’er leap, for in my way it lies’ this suggests that it is just a stepping stone on the way for him to become king. This ambition leads him to kill king Duncan without any real reason ‘I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition’ and this act of genocide results in a downward spiral to his ruin. Macbeth’s selfishness causes him to be demanding with the witch’s supernatural powers and his own authority, when his greed for knowledge leads him to tell the witches to ‘stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more. ’ And demand them to speak to him a second time ‘speak I charge you’. The power that he has ‘played most foully for’ allows him to do what he wants as he thinks of it stating ‘the very firstlings of my heart shall be the very firstlings of my hand’. Once Macbeth realises he will be ‘king hereafter ‘ he wants nothing more than to kill king Duncan revealing in a soliloquy ‘stars hide your fires, do not let light see my dark and seep desires’. Once Macbeth gains power he will cease at nothing to guard it, he cannot stop his greed, and he is so caught up in his own selfishness that he does not even mourn his own wife. When he hears of her death he states ‘she should have died hereafter’. It is this selfishness that leads him to kill and leaves him with nothing to live for, becoming ‘the walking shadow’ that gives him the consequence of his ultimate downfall. Macbeth’s weakness in character causes him to be easily controlled and egged on by Lady Macbeth. He does not have the strength to resist against Lady Macbeth’s attacks on his manliness ‘when you said you will kill him then you were a man’ and her ockingly asking ‘art thou afeard? ’ as a result; Lady Macbeth influences Macbeth about the murder as well as scolding him. For instance, after she calls him a â€Å"coward† and compares him with herself in a humiliating manner, Macbeth decides to commit the dreadful murder. This shows his weakness in character, because his mind is conflicted; yet, his decisions, which result in a great tragedy, are his own but are heavily influen ced by his scheming wife. At the end of the play, the moral weaknesses of Macbeth are totally revealed along with his mental weaknesses. He is no more the worthy warrior of battle fields. Indeed, he is a paranoid king who copes with guilty hallucinations and tries to secure himself by killing innocent people. For example, in the banquet scene, he sees the ghost of Banquo whose death was ordered by Macbeth and the guests start to suspect his mental health and talk unpleasantly of him. This character flaw of Macbeth makes his manifesting downfall even more tragic. In sum it is Macbeths overriding ambition that rules him and allows him to think of nothing else, selfishness and weak character allows him to be played like a pawn by Lady Macbeth and shows that he is his own enemy with character traits that are taken to the limit and exploited until he became nothing but a shell of his previous self. If Macbeth did not have such domineering traits he would not have met the same fate of eternal damnation that he did.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Pointed Arch (Architecture)

Ride Alias Mr.. Invaded Sheikh Materials and Construction 2nd Semester, Architecture April 16th, An arch is an architectural structure which helps support a structure and the weight above that structure. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamia brick architecture. The systematic use of Arches started with ancient Romans. They were the first to have applied the techniques of arch too wide range of structures. Pointed arch is one of the most important types of Arches. It is an arch with a pointed apex. Another name for pointed arch is â€Å"jovial arch†. ‘Give' meaner a pointed curve.Today, the pointed arch remains a common feature in the European churches. It is a very important feature of European Gothic architecture and Islamic Architecture. The question is where did the pointed arch originate from? Early historians of architecture such as Have (1913) and Riviera (1914) thought that the pointed arch occurred in India carved out of a solid block o f some seventh century temples. However, this information has been dismissed by a famous historian, Hill (1993). Hill believed the Muslim origin of the invention of the pointed arch, which is today, believed to be the truth.Before the discovery of Pointed arches, round arches and barrel vaults were used to make ceilings. These arches had a great weight. Another problem faced with the use of round arches in the churches was, the issues with the shape and weight distribution. For making round arches over a church bay, the bay had to be square in shape because if two sides of a bay measured one width and tow of the other sides measure another width, the tops of the arches across these widths would not be at the same height. Rounded arches could not support the increased height, width and weight of new building designs.Similarly, problems were raised with the use of vaults. Pointed Arches solved these problems. Pointed arches were used to help support the weight of vaulted ceilings. The concept of the pointed arch operates in a similar manner as two leaning objects. Two sides off pointed arch lean against each other for support and the increased force and loads placed on the arches from the ceiling is displaced onto the flying buttresses, which are supported by the ground. The increased roof support provided by the pointed arches allowed building walls to be thinner. Decorative details seen on arches were a natural consequence of Gothic sign.They also made it easier to make more windows and taller heights. -A pointed Arch The first appearance of the pointed arch in the Muslim World was traced to the Al- Ass Mosque (780), however the first building where the pointed arch was used constructively and systematically is the Palace of Shadier in Iraq. Bin Tulle Mosque was a source for the transfer of the pointed arch to Europe. It was built by Mad bin Tulle the semi-independent ruler of Egypt in 870. Due to its good state of preservation the Bin Tulle Mosque provides an excellent example of ninth-century decoration and structural techniques.The central courtyard fade consists of slightly pointed arches resting on rectangular piers with engaged collocates. This was an unusual arrangement for Cairo where marble columns were usually considered for use. There are rectangular arches with engaged collocates between the arches. A band of sunken rosettes divided into eight lobes on either side of each niche forms a cornice running around four faces of the courtyard. Carved stucco work decorates the interior of the mosque. Coffins of the arches of the sanctuary are the best examples where geometric interlace patterns are filled with stylized leaf armament like Samara stucco style.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Character Analysis of the Glass Menagerie

Tom’s double role in The Glass Menagerie—as a character whose recollections the play documents and as a character who acts within those recollections—underlines the play’s tension between objectively presented dramatic truth and memory’s distortion of truth. Unlike the other characters, Tom sometimes addresses the audience directly, seeking to provide a more detached explanation and assessment of what has been happening onstage. But at the same time, he demonstrates real and sometimes juvenile emotions as he takes part in the play’s action. This duality can frustrate our understanding of Tom, as it is hard to decide whether he is a character whose assessments should be trusted or one who allows his emotions to affect his judgment. It also shows how the nature of recollection is itself problematic: memory often involves confronting a past in which one was less virtuous than one is now. Because The Glass Menagerie is partly autobiographical, and because Tom is a stand-in for the playwright himself (Williams’s given name was Thomas, and he, like Tom, spent part of his youth in St. Louis with an unstable mother and sister, his father absent much of the time), we can apply this comment on the nature of memory to Williams’s memories of his own youth. Even taken as a single character, Tom is full of contradiction. On the one hand, he reads literature, writes poetry, and dreams of escape, adventure, and higher things. On the other hand, he seems inextricably bound to the squalid, petty world of the Wingfield household. We know that he reads D. H. Lawrence and follows political developments in Europe, but the content of his intellectual life is otherwise hard to discern. We have no idea of Tom’s opinion on Lawrence, nor do we have any indication of what Tom’s poetry is about. All we learn is what he thinks about his mother, his sister, and his warehouse job—precisely the things from which he claims he wants to escape. Tom’s attitude toward Amanda and Laura has puzzled critics. Even though he clearly cares for them, he is frequently indifferent and even cruel toward them. His speech at the close of the play demonstrates his strong feelings for Laura. But he cruelly deserts her and Amanda, and not once in the course of the play does he behave kindly or lovingly toward Laura—not even when he nocks down her glass menagerie. Critics have suggested that Tom’s confusing behavior indicates an incestuous attraction toward his sister and his shame over that attraction. This theory casts an interesting light on certain moments of the play—for example, when Amanda and Tom discuss Laura at the end of Scene Five. Tom’s insistence that Laura is hopelessly peculiar and cannot survive in the outside world, while Amanda (and later Jim) claims that Laura’s oddness is a positive thing, could have as much to do with his jealous desire to keep his sister to himself as with Laura’s own quirks. Amanda Wingfield If there is a signature character type that marks Tennessee Williams’s dramatic work, it is undeniably that of the faded Southern belle. Amanda is a clear representative of this type. In general, a Tennessee Williams faded belle is from a prominent Southern family, has received a traditional upbringing, and has suffered a reversal of economic and social fortune at some point in her life. Like Amanda, these women all have a hard time coming to terms with their new status in society—and indeed, with modern society in general, which disregards the social distinctions that they were taught to value. Their relationships with men and their families are turbulent, and they staunchly defend the values of their past. As with Amanda, their maintenance of genteel manners in very ungenteel surroundings can appear tragic, comic, or downright grotesque. Amanda is the play’s most extroverted and theatrical character, and one of modern American drama’s most coveted female roles (the acclaimed stage actress Laurette Taylor came out of semi-retirement to play the role in the original production, and a number of legendary actresses, including Jessica Tandy, have since taken on the role). Amanda’s constant nagging of Tom and her refusal to see Laura for who she really is are certainly reprehensible, but Amanda also reveals a willingness to sacrifice for her loved ones that is in many ways unparalleled in the play. She subjects herself to the humiliating drudgery of subscription sales in order to enhance Laura’s marriage prospects, without ever uttering so much as a word of complaint. The safest conclusion to draw is that Amanda is not evil but is deeply flawed. In fact, her flaws are centrally responsible for the tragedy, comedy, and theatrical flair of her character. Like her children, Amanda withdraws from reality into fantasy. Unlike them, she is convinced that she is not doing so and, consequently, is constantly making efforts to engage with people and the world outside her family. Amanda’s monologues to her children, on the phone, and to Jim all reflect quite clearly her moral and psychological failings, but they are also some of the most colorful and unforgettable words in the play. Laura Wingfield The physically and emotionally crippled Laura is the only character in the play who never does anything to hurt anyone else. Despite the weight of her own problems, she displays a pure compassion—as with the tears she sheds over Tom’s unhappiness, described by Amanda in Scene Four—that stands in stark contrast to the selfishness and grudging sacrifices that characterize the Wingfield household. Laura also has the fewest lines in the play, which contributes to her aura of selflessness. Yet she is the axis around which the plot turns, and the most prominent symbols—blue roses, the glass unicorn, the entire glass menagerie—all in some sense represent her. Laura is as rare and peculiar as a blue rose or a unicorn, and she is as delicate as a glass figurine. Other characters seem to assume that, like a piece of transparent glass, which is colorless until light shines upon it, Laura can take on whatever color they wish. Thus, Amanda both uses the contrast between herself and Laura to emphasize the glamour of her own youth and to fuel her hope of re-creating that youth through Laura. Tom and Jim both see Laura as an exotic creature, completely and rather quaintly foreign to the rest of the world. Yet Laura’s crush on the high school hero, Jim, is a rather ordinary schoolgirl sentiment, and a girl as supposedly fragile as Laura could hardly handle the days she spends walking the streets in the cold to avoid going to typing class. Through actions like these, Laura repeatedly displays a will of her own that defies others’ perceptions of her, and this will repeatedly goes unacknowledged.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

How Spongebob Effects The Brain

Pants, the wildly popular Nickelodeon has been under buzz as the cheerful, buzzing sponge can threaten a child's normal development. After much research, studies have shows that the television program has many characteristics that would make a child perform half as well as a child watching a public access cartoon. The every 1 1 second scene change during the T. V show doesn't defend the case anymore, as that causes mass confusion amongst the kids.Aiding to the case Is the total anta education message portrayed, thus making this show blindsided. The plebeian conundrum of the program has created a mass boom amongst a child who enjoys watching this show and also the countless medical professionals who are trying to dissuade parents. Research and countless studies have shown that 4 year olds who have watched nine minutes of Sponge, preformed only half as well as the children who spent the same amount of watching Callous which is a PBS show or drawing.This conundrum Is stated when head re searcher Brown stated â€Å"Technology is great, but we also want to explore how does that impact our 38) When the children are asked to perform four tasks such as playing games that involve rules, the non Sponge watching kids did significantly worse than the children that did not partake in the watching of the show. Eleven seconds doesn't seem Like a long time but It Is plenty of time to ruin a child's thinking capability.According to Christians, a professor of psychology at the university of Washington ; Sponge Squarest' constant rate of the program has a negative and a permanent detrimental effect on the wellbeing of the children. During a single nine minute episode, has over 30 changes with a very fast speed that leave the kids confused causing them to zone out or spun up. This is making the researchers think that the slower(but less amusing shows) that have about 2 changes per episode to be much better for the health of the children.Unlike Dora and Sesame Street which teach th e viewers how to read and write, Sponge entertains the children using utter stupidity and unrealistic motions. This shows children the negative behavior that they should not be portraying in the real life atmosphere. Many child psychologists state that there should be a educational factor that would aid In the learning of the children and also have a factor that can aka the children learn positive behavior.This show Is a negative role model for children as they are like clay, the way they are molded, is the way they will be. The negative harm that this show can cause on children is undetermined. There are many that state that this could be a permanent reaction while many state that this is a short lived reaction but all say that there Is a negative prospect of watching reactions that this would have, but there are some that are positive such as the lack of performance, confusion and of course bad habits. This would be a problem that can have countless problems yet to come.

Power and politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Power and politics - Essay Example tanding the consequences of power and politics, the next appropriate step would entail appraising the merits and demerits of power-wielding and politicking in workplaces. Finally, appropriate recommendations become necessary in either optimizing the benefits of power and politics, or mitigating the negative effects of the two concepts of organizational theory. In the contexts of organizational theory and organizational behavior, workplace politics feature as one of the most influential concept in management of corporations. In essence, politics entails the process of using either formal or personal power in influencing subordinates. Conventionally, presidential politics are iconic processes used in influencing a nation’s citizenship. Presidential candidates and other elected leaders use their formal or personal powers in wooing voters to their sides. Similarly, politics is as alive and practical in workplaces as it is in national and state administration contexts. Typically, workplace politics emerge whenever employees are subjected to an unhappy workplace environment (HEYMAN, 2007). In addition, organizational politics emerge whenever a part or a whole of a company’s workforce is dissatisfied with an existing or a new hierarchical structure. Whatever the cause, organizational politics are meant to exert influential or coerc ive pressure on the opposing side, especially the top leadership. Technically, organizational politics is a coercive approach meant to place those behind a political movement at an advantaged position (WITT, 2010). Essentially, leaders are the spear tips in organizational politics. Formally, leaders are responsibly for coordination, control, influence, and inspiration of subordinate employees within an organization. During politics, leaders intensify their coordinating and influential efforts in negotiating for favors and advantages. Occasionally, political activities within an organization heighten whenever different leaders subscribe to

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Hunting as a Spiritual Exercise with the Earth Essay

Hunting as a Spiritual Exercise with the Earth - Essay Example Nature keeps the indestructible force or the whole universe and possesses the superhuman strength to heal itself – plants, animals and humans. Opposing the forces of nature for example inflicting with its rhythm through damaging the soil with pesticides, emitting carbon dioxide, dumping wastes, and killing uncontrollably animals for food or trophies destroys the balance between Earth and human beings. People have lost the vision to embrace and harmonize their life with nature and invested enormous efforts to modulate the environment in a way which opposes the holiness of the natural surroundings. Hunting uniquely carries in itself the self-actualization, wholeness and expression. These needs are more compound than simply protecting and feeding the tribe. Hunting connects people spiritually with their past and themselves. Shepard (1999) examines the people’s relationship with the natural work and how wildlife and hunting predators had shaped in developing human intellige nce. Shepard (1999) believes that hunting as a defense mechanism benefits humanity as it stabilizes the inner spirit of belonging to community. Hunters are actors into the rhythms of life and death, they bear the feeling of the ecological imagination (Shepard, 1999). Shepard (1999) has the strong determination that hunting is the act of organic relationship with the wildlife and insists that through hunting people inevitably reach out for their spirituality. What he claims in his essays (1999) is that hunting was the instrument which transformed the "tropical forest-dwelling prehumans" into an intelligent being. Hunting embodies the honest relationship between humans and nature, and the fact that hunters are in the border line between life and death. Hunting brings people in contact with the natural world through the most natural way - sacredly kill an animal and justify it as hunters have the responsibility to secure the food. Petersen and Williams (2000) point out that in our mass culture few are the tribes in the worlds that perform hunting as part of their cultural heritage and in the authentic role that hunting conceals - namely the fact that we kill an animal in order to feed ourselves. Hunting was a tribal ritual, which both unified the men against the animal and made it easier for the group to survive. Nowadays, hunters, despite their location, religion, or culture united so as to enjoy the pristine feeling of the "sacred game" - the instinctive and inexplicable moment of subordinating life to our power. Hunting is perceived as commercial and recreational pursuit, however, it is deeply hidden in our cultural heritage and brings its essence. Hunting is an ancient game. Hunting is the ultimate source of gaining power over nature and establishing a relation between the group of hunters and the prey and the hunters and other members of their society - women and children. Petersen and Williams (2000) explain that humans have an intrinsic yearning to hunt and fish. Moreover, he notes that the forest green colour is universally perceived as peaceful and reassuring, whereas the blood like red colour as bringing excitement and agitation. We can not miss mentioning that hunting involves a cycling element, because each species have to chase their prey and to victimize it in order to survive. The cycling element is that you have to kill in order to restore the balance in nature. Hunting also has a natural selection component. The strongest will predominate over the weakest, thus the strongest will pass their genes to the new generation and will secure that they will outlive. Hunting has profound

Monday, August 12, 2019

WalMart - SHRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WalMart - SHRM - Essay Example WalMart – HR Department: The company’s main values and beliefs are – respecting individuals, service to the customers and striving for excellence. In terms of the employees it is seen that although the company promises and portrays being very employee friendly in reality there is little care for the employees. The human resources team is very effective in choosing the right people for the job, however in terms of the management of the employees there is a clear lack on the part of the team. The HR teams are meant to focus on the needs of the employees and to provide the employees with the necessities to keep them motivated. Here however the company focuses on the amount of work that can be extracted from the employees, with not much in return both in terms of pay as well as other benefits. The HR team lacks a clear perspective on the priority and there is no attention given to the needs of the employees. SHRM and WalMart: The HRM team of the company does not cont ribute to the overall strategic growth of the company. It is important to note that although there is a strong strategy that the company adopts in terms of the recruitment process, there is little or no proper management post the recruitment (Dowling, Festing and Engle). The company clearly uses SHRM; however the main elements of SHRM are not taken into account here.

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Family Pet German Sherpard named Sam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Family Pet German Sherpard named Sam - Essay Example This is his flag signaling friendship. This black merges with the soft brown that covers the rest of his body, and enhances his sharp white teeth set in strong jaws, his black button eyes, and long pink tongue. The black eyes seem to sparkle each time he sees a family member, and the long pink tongue is extended as if to extend a warm greeting. Sam’s majestic â€Å"WOOF† is typical of his specie: strong and commanding. It is a wake-up call. The lieutenant calls all to attention; and if you were a stranger, or someone who is easily scared, then you would be forced to freeze into the poster of a soldier on parade. Sam rests by lying down, almost absorbed into the carpet, doormat, chair, or any area that allows him to comfortably blend his soft body, stretching his long, sturdy front legs out in front, and resting his large well shaped head on them. Many times he sits on his equally well- built hind legs and assumes a stately air. This is when he demands that the tiny white spot on his chest, like a lone star, is noticed and get stroked. He keels over like a boat on the ocean. He rolls himself into a fluffy black and brown ball, and whimpers with pleasure. His huge well- manicured paws, showing soft brown padding, reach out to you to return the favor. At these times, Sam is famous for letting out low happy growls that seem like chuckles, and sometimes like spoken words. By scientific standards, Sam has reached midlife but this definitely does not show because his behaviour brings out the youth in him. He is only six years old, and still going strong. He has the energy of a typical child of this age. He is worth his weight in gold, weighing fifty kilograms and showing no signs of fat. He is a healthy dog that is quite friendly with members of the family, both expecting and allowing each person to spend time with him exchanging a handshake, rubbing his head, or being

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 39

Reflection - Essay Example Additionally, I provided helpful information in the presentation and I spelt out a clear definition of leadership, which was supported with several substantive quotes. However, because of the fairness of the assessment process I was also made aware of areas that I need to improve, which include ensuring that I use photos that directly relate to the topic of discussion. Secondly, I need to slow the pace of making a presentation and thirdly, I need to use my own voice whilst making the presentation. In the feedback received, it was noted that I should improve the presentation by using my own voice during the presentation. I will do this by simply making an audio file that directly interrelates with the presentation i.e. words and symbols on a particular slide. Secondly, I will change some pictures to make all the pictures fit with the concept of leadership and that will give the presentation a stronger meaning. I will locate such pictures by simply conducting an in-depth internet search and retrieving relevant pictures that are aligned with the topic of discussion or the concept of leadership. This assignment has helped me in redefining on what a leader is and it has helped me in developing a deeper understanding about the concept of leadership since I used visual images to r clarify further on certain points. The feedback particularly helped me to improve on my self since they highlighted on my weaknesses and they clearly stipulated on areas that I need to improve on. In the beginning of this semester I understood leadership as a practice whereby a person who in this case is a leader is able influence others in order to achieve the goals of the interest they present, which could be individual or organizational. At the end of the semester, I have a different view as well as understanding about leadership based on what I have learnt throughout the semester or whilst making the presentation. In particular, at the end of semester I

Friday, August 9, 2019

A Gold Market Bubble Myth Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Gold Market Bubble Myth - Research Paper Example On the other hand, Marc Feber debunks that idea by explaining that gold’s appreciation to $1,900 an ounce reveals that there is no bubble. It is because the central bank continues to increase money supply which has assisted spur the precious metal to this level. Furthermore, he argues that the gold is not in a bubble as when one buys gold, it is more of insurance in the face of financial market problems and systematic failure (Qt. in Chanjaroen). The prices of precious metals, such as gold, platinum, and silver are driven by a wide range of factors. These factors may include, debt levels, currencies, money supply, inflation, CDS spread, interest rates, and fabrication demands from other sectors, such a electronics, solar appliances, and jewelry. Recently, investment demand proved to be the primary driver as investors used precious metals in comparison to the dollar as a ‘store of value considering inflation, general hedge, and currency depreciation. Signification demand arises from buyers in Asia, pension funds, diversification and investment demands from hedge funds, and central banks monetary demands(Durden). Debt Level Increase vs. precious metal (Bloomberg Industries) (Source: Durden) The major factors contributing to such demand are concerns about an economy on a global scale, inflation risks, and risk of currency debasement. Moreover, gold has always been the preserve of the smart money. Risk aversion and wealth preservation concerns considering currency depreciation are the primary reasons that drive precious metal demand. However, there is no â€Å"greed trade† or public buying of gold in an expectation of guaranteed profits or return. This was the case with the Nasdaq bubble or the recent real estate bubble that had a huge impact on western countries. Retail demand as a result of hype is negligible; however, it is increasing. Moreover, increasing demand on the global level is dealt with by very small supplies as supply is slightly l ower than in 2001 (Durden). Furthermore, historical context provides ample evidence that gold’ resurgence has a long way to go.     

Gender and Sex roles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gender and Sex roles - Essay Example Eunuchs have had a hugely varied life with some of them being constrained to lead a life of hugely ridiculed servants while some others having the good luck of rising to the pinnacle of society in the form of military generals and highly respected court eunuchs. The book by Kathryn Ringrose presents an in-depth study of eunuchs as they were perceived in Byzantine culture that held sway for nearly a thousand years ‘†¦the founding of Constantinople in 324 to its capture by the Turks in 1453’ (p. 3). Most refreshingly, the author has not followed the standard historical procedure of adopting a chronological approach. Rather she has traced the condition of eunuchs through the entire period with special reference to all those that could achieve social status and glory. Another interesting feature of this book is that the author also clearly describes how the medical definitions and legal perspectives about eunuchs kept varying from one century to the other during the ent ire period of Byzantine civilization. The theoretical issues on gender construction in Byzantine Empire through the entire one thousand years have been discussed in great detail. These issues and discussions found their way into medical treatises, ecclesiastical tomes and hagiographies penned during that period. While clarifying that castration was never removal of penis but surgical removal of testicles, the author concludes that castration never robbed a man of his outward symbol of masculinity but prevented a man from procreation. Hence, the term eunuch often referred to a man who has never procreated (p. 14f). The church, therefore, often referred to a celibate monk as a eunuch, one who has not undergone surgical castration but spiritual castration in the sense that he has become devoid of any desire to procreate as his entire attention has been focused on Jesus Christ and God. In a sense such an explanation or understanding of the term eunuch possibly clarified to many the real meaning of what Jesus had hinted at when he said that some people convert themselves into eunuchs for greater glory of the kingdom of Heaven. However, there was a strict separation between those who could not procreate as they were biologically incapable to do so and those that opted not to procreate as a matter of choice. However, around eighth century, eunuchs began to be more readily accepted in higher echelons of society and this spilled over into religious domain too when churches began to allow eunuchs to occupy ‘†¦prominent religious positions’ (p. 118) with Germanos being one of the most famous eunuchs that went on to occupy very high position in the theological hierarchy. While the first part of the book deals with theoretical and conceptual issues of gender construction in Byzantine society the second deals with historical details of eunuchs who rose to occupy prominent social positions either as ministers or military generals. Ringrose has been very cle ar on two points: first is eunuchs within Byzantine kingdom formed a distinct ‘†¦third gender’ (p. 4), and, second is there is an inherent difficulty in accurately describing the lives of eunuchs as most of these accounts have been written by eunuchs themselves. 2. Sturges, Robert S. 2000. Chaucer's Pardoner and Gender Theory: Bodies of Discourse. NewYork: St. Martin's. $45.00 hc.

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Two Companies in the Leisure Industry Coursework

Two Companies in the Leisure Industry - Coursework Example Hence, in addition for being a leisure getaway for the locals, it is also a tourist attraction directly competing with the above mentioned attractions. The idea conceived by a husband and wife architecture team in 1989 and with the backing of British Airways it took them one and half year to complete the project. The London Eye in particular under the operation of the Tussauds Group that is in charge of other popular attractions mentioned earlier. The London Eye had outdone other London attractions in visitors number, which is at around 3.5 million a year (Barfield, 2007). As the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe and worldwide, it has few competitors that are taller. The tallest Ferris wheel is located in Singapore and it stands 165 meters, while the London Eye stands at 135 meters making it the third tallest Ferris wheel after Star of Nanchang at 160 meters. The 32 sealed and air-conditioned capsules can hold 25 people and allow them enough room to walk around. One complete round takes around 30 minutes and because of the involved slow speed, passengers can walk on and off the capsules without it stopping to accommodate them. The current owner as mentioned earlier is the Tussauds Group that was able to buy out British Airways and Marks Barfield, the family who were among the lead architects. The Tussauds Group after its purchase in 2007 by Merlin Entertainment and currently London Eye is officially knows as the Merlin Entertainment London Eye and the British Airways brand name is slowly giving way to the new brand name (Mann et. al, 2001) (BBC News). It is a successful attraction attested by the fact that since its opening around 30 million people had ridden in its capsules. The new owner is also leaving its print on the Ferris wheel by opening 4D theatre. It does not mean London Eyes did not have financial problems since it was besieged financially in the outset and later on, since some of the land it stands on belonged to other sources that had demanded a huge amount of rent, from 64.000 pound a year to 2.5 million pounds a year (Reece, 2001). However, the mayor of London had intervened and was able to obtain a 25 year lease on behalf of the Ferris wheel that will cost it around 500.000 pounds a year. Arena Leisure Plc Arena Leisure Plc is also another UK company based in London and it operates seven of the UK’s horse racing tracks. The company that started in 1997 also has under its wings golf courses, hotels and an interest of at least 47% stake At The Races making is in charge of at least 25 % of the horse racing business in the UK. The company claims that it has three main divisions namely racing, it operates the known UK race tracks, catering, it creates its own events and cater for others’ events, and At The Races is broadcasting what takes place in the UK and Irish horse racing. Its racing divisions consists of seven tracks and it is from this ownership the 25% share of the racetrack control comes from. In addition, t he company is involved in leisure activity that it avails through Lingfield Park Marriott Hotel and a country club with an 18-hole golf club. Its catering division is in charge of catering at the seven horse racing tracks. While its catering division is in charge of catering at the seven horseracing tracks, it has successfully won the bid to provide catering at some of the 2012 Olympic games. The company’

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Loss Control Essay Example for Free

Loss Control Essay This report is basically â€Å"A short History of Fire loss control efforts in the United States†. It includes a historical overview of the situation in the area of minimizing loss of life and property in the early 20th Century, the paper starts with a brief over view of the principle of loss control and the causes for incidents that occur due to various factors, briefly describes the level of expertise and methods being used in that era to apply the principle of fire loss control. For the purpose of which information was obtained through the NIST (National Institute of Standard and Technology) about the available options to planners to minimize the chances and level of destruction due to accidental fires. The paper then shifts the focus on the 21st century and new innovations and options that have revolutionized the efforts of fire loss control. It also briefly mentions the recent technological advancements that are very promising for the new future and have tremendous potential to effectively reduce the occurrence and consequences of such incidents. Loss Control The concept of loss control basically deals with the formulation of strategies, systems and procedures to reduce or completely eliminate the occurrence of incidents which are undesirable and may cause loss of life and property resulting in massive disruptions and costing a large amount of money. (Fire. gov, 1) Mainly these incidents fall into three basic categories which may end up resulting in occurrence of such incidents: 1. Lack of Control †¢ Insufficient Systems Systems are in place but they are insufficient to deal with various unforeseen eventualities resulting in failure to muster an adequate response in order to control and minimize the extent of loss of life and property †¢ Insufficient Standards The standards and benchmarks in place to handle a situation and the guidelines which are in place are insufficient and the standards doe not satisfy the minimum international benchmarks set to deal with situations causing losses. †¢ Non- Compliance with Standards A situation where although the adequate standards are in place but they are not being enforced or followed by the people who are responsible to ensure enforcement and compliance with the standard practices. 2. Basic Causes If careful analysis is undertaken we come to the conclusion that there are usually two basic categories of basic causes that are responsible for incidents taking place resulting in substantial losses 1. Personal Factors The personal factors consist of inadequate knowledge on part of the people working in the work environment which generally gives way to incidents and then inadequate knowledge about how to react a developing incident hence it can be blamed on personal incompetence. 2. Environmental Within environmental factors things like inadequate engineering, equipment, leadership, hence at a critical time the failure of equipment or any resulting malfunction due to faulty engineering or bad leadership decisions can cause incidents to spiral completely out of control and magnify the resultant loss of life n property. 3. Immediate Causes †¢ Substandard Acts (Behavior) This area deals with the behavioral and factors of irresponsible actions on part of individuals, first and foremost factor that comes to mind is the improper use of equipment causing danger not only to one’s own self but also to people working in surrounding areas †¢ Improper Lifting/Failure to lock Out equipment/ Using Equipment improperly FIRE LOSS CONTROL Every year about 2 billion dollars of renovation, reconstruction and destruction and loss of countless lives due to incidents of fire in the United States takes place. Developed Facilities including buildings, of various types and the service systems functioning within them, as well as utilities for transportation, public facilities, power generation, communication systems, water supply and water treatment systems, and waste disposal) (NIST Research, 1) These facilities and systems are a Nation’s wealth, which are valued around $25 trillion dollars, with an average investment of $1 trillion annually employed in new construction, expansion and renovation amounting to about one-eight of the GDP. The quality of these systems and facilities are vital and fundamental to industrial productivity, progress and development and the level of quality of life enjoyed by the masses. The safety of these vital installations from accidental fires and other similar natural, incidental and willful hazards and dangers is critical and extremely significant for the safety of life, avoidance and prevention of injuries, protection and maintenance of property, and the most important issue which is the issue of national security. The basic phenomena around Fire’s include ignition which is largely unintended and accidental, growth due to the unintended materials fueling the fire and ultimately the usage of extinguishing materials suppression of fires, the effects on people and the general public of fires and combustion products, and the resultant negative effects on society of destruction caused by fire and the ensuing losses and investments in fire safety. The various aspects involved in the performance of developed and constructed facilities involve important and critical factors like structural stability which means the structures should be strong enough to sustain and withstand very high temperatures and should not collapse under intense heat, durability and strength of materials and equipment vital for safety and security of the structures and the human lives depending on them, environmental controls which are in place for building occupants in order to ensure their safety and security, functionality intended for the express purpose of the facility, the included costs of construction of the structures, operations within these facilities and structures, maintenance and renovation of facilities making them safe and secure and resistant to any accidental damage, and all other social and environmental effects. (Richardson, 30) This paper basically provides an overview of the history of the fire loss controls efforts in the United State s resulting from research and development and new techniques and fire control technologies.