Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Financial Analysis 334 Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial Analysis 334 - Math Problem Example In this case, if subtract the stock from current assets, still both companies can pay off their debts quite easily as their Acid-Test Ratio is equal to or greater than 1. This shows that to pay every single dollar of debt the company has the backing of adequate current assets. However, if we look the firms through the lens of Interest Coverage Ratio and if our debt commands interest from the company than, we can clearly see that Jones company can cover much higher rates of interest. As a result, Jones Corporation won't default and will be able to pay all its debts and hence a short-term loan should be made to Jones Corporation given the two different scenarios. However, one must also state that if our loan does not command any interest, then this loan should be made to Smith Corporation. b) If we look at the profitability condition of the two companies, we can clearly see that Jones Corporation is more profitable. This can shown by the companies greater net profit over sales ratios as compared to Smith Corporation Ratios. In the light of these ratios, Jones Corporation is earning around $7 on every $100 worth of sales. Similarly, Smith Corporation is earning $4 on every $100 worth of sales.

Monday, October 28, 2019

The dissolution of empire has been critical to the growth of world cities Essay Example for Free

The dissolution of empire has been critical to the growth of world cities Essay King (1990, page x) argues that the dissolution of empire has been critical to the growth of world cities. How far does this apply to London? Modern patterns of development and growth have been shaped and influenced by the historical context of colonialism. Within this context relationships between capitalist and pre-capitalist states or colonies helped forge a world economy, which would later lead to processes of globalisation and the current economic world order. Expansion in the world economy has been exacerbated by the freer flow of labour, goods, services and capital, which are features of the post-war, post-colonial world. King contends that these factors have been critical to the growth of world cities. (King, 1990: x) Urbanisation in many post-colonial states has been rapid, supported by trade with a greater number of nations compared with that of the colonial period. Indeed, many colonial nations have now followed their own paths of industrialisation, instead of relying primarily on their export of natural resources such as timber; their economies are becoming more diverse and are now linked within a global network of trade and commerce that is enabling them to develop significantly. Existing at the heart of these states are primary cities, the administrative and economic centres for their new global roles. World cities can be defined by their size, population and area; they are usually the economic hub of the country in which they are seats of power and dominate in the cultural arena with their iconic architectural distinctiveness and the importance of their historical roles. World cities lie at the junction between the world economy and the territorial national state. (Friedmann and Wolff, 1982) The city of London fills these criteria perfectly, its former position as the centre of the British Empire made London the imperial metropolis of the world. H.G Wells described his impression of imperial London: Its a great place. Immense. The richest town in the world, the biggest port, the greatest manufacturing town, the imperial city the centre of civilisation, the heart of the world. (Wells H.G, 1908:73) In this essay I will be discussing the significance of Kings argument with reference to the city of London. Imperial London will be introduced followed by a discussion of Londons decline and its patterns of modern growth in order to ascertain how far Kings argument applies to the City. Different types of growth are included, but emphasis is largely placed on the geographical and economic dimensions of Londons change and development. Londons imperial role was crucial to the expansion of its fortunes. Growth was inextricably linked with the colonial empire and took place in several key areas during the colonial interlude. Londons Docklands represented a melting pot of colonial trade and commerce and were a critical facet of Londons (and Great Britains) economy that fed aspects of growth into the city centre and enabled it to thrive. In 1700 London handled 80% of the countrys imports and 69% of its exports. Trade with colonies in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent brought in tea, china, rice, tobacco and spices to the City and in 1799 the West India Company began to build docks on the Isle of Dogs for over 600 ships. The importance of Londons Docklands lies in their influential role as conduit of wealth to the City and their symbolic nature as gateways to the empire from its thriving commercial centre. Trade flourished, and London became a market-driven commercial and financial hub for world trade. Manufacturers established themselves in the city centre and markets developed around them supported by a growing number of banks. The city centre, therefore, was a series of markets and had few residential zones; warehouses formed a prominent part of the landscape. Imperial London also witnessed the growth of a market in stocks and shares located at the London Stock Exchange, and the establishment of large insurance companies such as Lloyds of London. Londons rising financial sector was represented by the Bank of England, which issued loans to new colonies whilst giving security to the blossoming economy of Great Britain. The Citys role as a cultural centre was represented by huge investment in museums and theatres and its dominant global position was expressed through monuments depicting colonial glories and exhibitions showcasing British power. Whilst there was growth of commerce alongside growth of the Citys financial sector, trends later developed in the form of rapid suburban growth aided by improved infrastructure in and around London. The London County Council (LCC) took on numerous housing projects peaking at 16,000 units that gradually expanded outwards form the City and were facilitated by improvements in communications, a tramway system and the electrification of the railways. As the new century dawned, Londons position at the hub of the worlds largest empire gave work to half a million in the docks and in import-related occupations.London continued to grow; between 1911 and 1939 its population increased from 7.25 to 8.73 million entirely in the outer ring beyond the LCC boundaries. (Porter, 1994:32) Urbanisation during this period was undoubtedly fed by the provisions created by empire, manifested in a country with a confident and specialised role in the world economy. In this system, London occupied the nodal point of a colonial urban system in which the economies of the metropolis and of such distant cities as Calcutta or Sydney and their respective hinterlands complemented one another and were heavily interdependent. (Sheppard, 1998:313) The testing of imperial Londons power by two world wars and the following dissolution of empire were to dramatically change the face of the City. These influences forced upon London the devastating effects of The Blitz and the processes of relinquishing power to the colonised nations, which had for so long been the source of Londons wealth. Inevitably Londons power began to decline and it was challenged with finding new ways to rebuild and to grow. [London] was sustained by surplus extracted from the colonial economy. With the demise of the colonial power, it lacked the economic base to meet the social costs it generated. [This resulted in] problems of housing, a shortage of economic resourcesand a lack of the institutional infrastructure to deal with social, administrative and political needs. (King, 1990:45) Disappearance of hegemonic power systems took place, and the nation-state grew in significance as a unit of analysis. Within these nation states the seats of power were able to control their own destinies and determine growth within their own political boundaries; this growth was facilitated by the freer flow of goods and capital through the nation states principal cities. The dissolution of empire and the effects of the Second World War led to a dramatic shift in the nature of Londons economy which ultimately affected its growth. The collapse of the manufacturing industries is a case in point, and from the mid-1950s people began to suffer job losses in this area. Between 1971 and 1975 19 per cent of manufacturing jobs disappearedbetween 1978 and 1981 some 98,700 jobs in manufacturing and production were lost. (Coupland, 1992:26-27) Commerce also declined in central London and as unemployment rose a deprived inner city began to emerge. Londons problems were exacerbated not only by the housing problems caused by wartime damage, but by the closure of the docks, which had survived the war but could not survive the break-up of empire. The Empirehad long ensured Londons position as the worlds premier port [.] Independence, however, loosened old trading ties; no longer was trade automatically routed through London, and new nations created trading preferences of their own, selling direct to America, Germany and Japan. During the 1960s Commonwealth trade was halved, and London shrank as an entrepot. (Porter, 1994, 348) The closure of this critical dimension of Londons power represented symbolic as well as industrial and demographic decline. Moreover, while disintegration of manufacturing in London can be attributed to varying factors such as economic recession, the closure of the Docks are inextricably linked to the dissolution of the British Empire. The closure also affected activities linked to the Docklands: transport, warehousing and food processing industries and systems were damaged and the Citys economic woes took shape in the form of rapid demographic change. As people moved outward from Greater London the population began to decrease, from 8,600,000 in 1939 to 6,300,000 in 1991, a trend which continues today. The unemployment rate in the industrial areas of inner-London rose to 14 per cent in 1981, while a new trend of mass immigration from the Commonwealth changed the ethnic composition of Londons population and reflected Londons increasing diversity. The dynamics of Londons decline began to influence new processes of growth, both physical and economic. The new industries that grew up in London were connected to its role as an information city and there was an escalation in the significance of the cultural production sector. Tourism became a major source of income for London. Systems of land-use planning began to determine Londons physical growth, with the establishment of the Green Belt designed to fix an area of permanent countryside around the city in a policy to shift 1,033,000 Londoners and workplaces beyond its boundaries. This policy may have hindered urban sprawl, but it has also led to new types of growth in the form of an Outer Ring, as towns on Londons periphery have had to adapt and grow due to the population exodus from Greater London. Altogether, this Outer Ring added nearly one million to [Londons] population in the decade 1951-61, representing two-fifths of the net growth of the British population. (Hall, 1977:24) The growth of the Outer Ring coincided with various strategies by the LCC including the development of tower-block estates, a move that would later lead to rising social problems in the areas in which they were built. There continued to be a rise in office space in the inner city, as Londons financial sector remained strong alongside an influx of the middle classes into inner-suburb precincts. Consequently improvements in housing took hold mainly in areas such as Notting Hill, Paddington and Mile End. The 1960s were witness to the increased significance of London as a cultural centre and the City became an international heart of fashion, music and design. [T]he City grew impressively from the 1960s, thanks to a combination of accident, expertise, language and geography. (Porter, 1994:374) Redevelopment of London began with the comprehensive reconstruction of Tower Hamlets and in more recent times with the controversial redevelopment of the Docklands. The scale of redevelopment of the Docklands is characterised by the construction of Great Britains tallest building: Canary Wharf. The area creates office space for 40,000 to 60,000 workers and symbolises the emergence of a new and modern London, one that is predominantly concerned with business and finance, and one that continues to exude success due to these sectors. From this discussion we can clearly see the importance of Londons imperial status in relation to its growth. Dissolution of empire has indeed been critical to the growth of world cities as they have become more freely exposed to the processes of globalisation and have had greater control of their position in the world economy. This contention can be exemplified by the current position of world cities, such as New York and Singapore in the economic world order and the growth of former colonys capitals as they engage in directing their own futures, levels of trade and spatial organisation. London, however, is an exceptional case. As an imperial city it was largely dependent on its colonial territories for sustaining its own growth and power. Whereas eighty or ninety years ago, London was at the core of the world system, a generator of powerful economic, political and cultural forces pushing out to the periphery, today it increasingly contends with equally powerful economic, political, and cultural forces pressing in from outside.'(King, 1990:73) This change has increased the vulnerability of Londons economy. All other world cities havehad to adapt to the internationalization of the world economy Paris and New York, for instance; but what distinguishes London is the degree of its former imperial dominance, and the extent to which internationalization has brought foreign ownership, and hence dependence. (Sheppard, 1998:359) Modern London now has to compete with other primary cities which have not had to undergo such a dramatic transition in their character and global position. Significant redevelopment has taken place in recent years and London continues to exemplify the world city. Its prominent role in Europe, its historical importance, imposing architecture, economic wealth and position as seat of power all contribute to make London one of the major cities of the world. The importance of dissolution of empire to many world cities is demonstrated by the increased flow of capital, labour, goods and services which have enabled them to grow. Imperial London already contained these processes which were fundamentally linked with its dominant global role, it is therefore, increasingly dependent and vulnerable within the new world economic order. However, the disintegration of its imperial role has not been completely negative to Londons growth, the City has just had to find time and method to help adapt and reposition itself within a new global system. Within this system London has now found a specific function as a global centre for banking and financial trading, which increasingly determine its international role and its patterns of modern growth. Bibliography. Coupland, Andy: Every Job an Office Job. And Docklands: Dream or Disaster? In Thornley, Andy (ed) (1992) The Crisis of London. Routledge. Friedmann, J and Wolff, G. (1982) World City formation: an agenda for research and action., International Journal of Urban and Regional Research: 6. Hall, P (1977 2nd edition) The World Cities. Weidenfield and Nicholson, London. Ch 2. King, AD (1990) Global Cities: Post-Imperialism and the Internationalization of London. Routledge. Porter, Roy (1994) London: A Social History. Penguin, London. Shappard, Francis (1998) London: A History. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Wells, H.G. (1908) Tono-Bungay. London: Oldhams Press.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Ptolemy of Alexandria, the Influential Astronomer Essays -- Biography

Ptolemy of Alexandria, the Influential Astronomer Ptolemy of Alexandria was the most influential astronomer of the ancient world. The books and theories Ptolemy developed served as a major basis for future astronomers. It was during the Renaissance period that his work became thoroughly studied and revised. Ptolemy collected all ancient knowledge of astronomy and geography including it in his book Almagest around 140 A.D. It follows, he then wrote a four volume astrological study known as the Tretrabiblos. Ptolemy claimed that the scribes of Babylon had been instructed since 750 B.C to keep detailed astronomical diaries. These diaries were written for seven hundred years on clay tablets. The tablets depicted night-sky events along with river level changes and weather phenomena. Modern archaeologists have confirmed the claim by unearthing Babylonian tablets recording observations of Mars and Venus from that time period. Ptolemy used a method of consulting lists of lunar phases, and planetary movements complied over many centuries to look for...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Business Plan for a New Energy Drink Company Essay

1. Table of Contents 2. Introduction 3. Executive Summary: Write this last. It’s just a page or two of highlights. 4. Company Description: Legal establishment, history, start-up plans, etc. 5. Product: Describe what you’re selling. Focus on customer benefits. 6. Market, Sales, and Development: You need to know your market, customer needs, where they are, how to reach them, etc. 7. Strategy and Implementation: Be specific. Include management responsibilities with dates and budgets. Make sure you can track results. 8. Management: Describe the organization and the key management team members. 9. Goals and Strategies: 10. Summary of Financials: Make sure to include at the very least your projected Profit and Loss and Cash Flow tables. 11. Conclusion Company Description Pocket Aces Energy Drink Company was started in North Dakota as a small producer, packager, and distributor of a unique energy drink. Through our natural products, good customer relationships and catchy advertisements we have grown to distribute our product to all fifty states in the U. S. Our customers include service stations, vending machine companies, grocery stores, restaurants, and bars. We are hoping to expand to all of Australia within the next year. Company Ownership Pocket Aces Energy Drink Company is a private, family owned producer and distributor of Pocket Aces Energy Drink. The owners and operators are Bruce, Terry, and Casey Willis. Company History Pocket Aces Energy Drink Company has been in business since 2006. Our company is finishing its third year of operation. The current facility was built specifically for producing, packaging and distributing the product. It is located outside of Williston, ND and provides the area with 200+ jobs. Product. Pocket Aces Energy Drink Company has five flavors of all natural energy drinks. The original formula and four other flavors, strawberry, orange, pomegranate, and our newest hit pineapple banana. Competitive Comparison Pocket Aces Energy Drink Company has set itself aside from other energy drink companies by using only natural components and refusing to draw on ingredients taken from animals, like taurine which is taken from the tissues of many animals especially those from the sea (Common). Another aspect of Pocket Aces Energy Drink that sets us apart is our unique packaging. We use aluminum bottles with screw on lids. They are 100 percent recyclable and don’t have to be consumed all at once. There is no other energy drink packaged like ours at this time. Market, Sales, and Development The energy drink market has many competitors. There are hundreds of brands that claim to give that needed energy boost. Pocket Aces main competitors right now are Red Bull, KMX, and Full Throttle (Comparison). The recent energy drink trend in North America has grown out of the massive popularity for Red Bull, one of the first energy drinks on the North American scene post-Jolt, from a small Thai producer, which still has about 47% of the market share (Brief). The Australian energy drink market is very similar to the market in the United States. Although, there is one more energy drink in Australia to compete with. V is an energy drink brand produced by Frucor Beverages Ltd since August 1997. It held 53 percent of the market share in Australia in 2003 (V). Pocket Aces intends to market all of the energy drinks flavors they have by targeting college students first and then moving to all ages. We intend to appear as an attractive alternative to their drink of choice with our recyclable bottles, great taste, and the fact that we don’t get any of our ingredients from animals. We will first approach major service station chains and then advance to vending machine companies, grocery stores, restaurants, and bars. Management Team Pocket Aces Energy Drink Company is organized into three strategic departments: production and shipping, marketing and sales, and finance and administration. Bruce Willis is the CEO/President of the organization. He is in charge of the finance and administration. Bruce Willis, 54 has been an entrepreneur since he graduated in 1969 from Minot State University, Minot ND with a degree in business management. After owning several gas/service stations around rural North Dakota, he decided to start up his own business developing a new energy drink that tasted good and was all natural. Terry Willis is Vice President in charge of sales and marketing of Pocket Aces Energy Drink Company. Terry, 26 graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University in 2006. She has a Bachelors degree in Marketing and hopes to take over for her father when he chooses to retire. Casey Willis is Vice President authorized to handle the production and shipping aspects of the corporation. Casey, 50 worked as a factory manager for Marvin Windows for twelve years before venturing to start this new business with her husband. She supervises all the production and shipping employees and also is head of the continuous improvement team at the plant. Goals and Strategies Our main strategy at this time is to appeal to potential sellers and buyers of Pocket Aces Energy drink in Australia. We sell an exceptional version of the typical energy drink. To communicate this to the Australian market we will use personal selling, targeted advertisements, and online communication through our updated website. Five Year Plan In five years we plan to be an international company with production factories in all of the major countries we sell to. Our workforce will have increased to meet the needs of the customers. We also hope to build our own recycling plants near all of our facilities. Ten Year Plan Our plan for ten years is to continue growing to all parts of the world. We hope to have the major market share in all of the countries we sell too. Also Pocket Aces Energy Drink Company anticipates expanding our product line and being a major sponsor of sports events like surfing, motocross, and the X games. Summary of Financials. References EnergySip. com. (2007). Brief History of Energy Drinks. http://energysip. com/history. html EnergySip. com. (2007). Common Energy Drink Ingredients. http://energysip. com/ingred. html FactExpert. com. (2005). Comparison of Energy Drink Products. http://energydrinks. factexpert. com/881-energy-drink-comparison. php Wikipedia. org. (2009). V (drink). http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/V_(drink).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Language Obervation Essay

Setting: The observation took place in the child’s home. The child’s home is a semi-detached house in a housing estate Immediate Context: This observation took place in the kitchen. TC is seated at the kitchen table finishing his homework. His father is nearby washing up at the sink. The observation took place at 2.30 in the afternoon. An hour after TC returned home from school. TC’s brother and sister are running around the kitchen while another brother is sitting at the table playing Lego. Name of Child: TC Brief description of the child: TC is a male aged 6 years and 5 months. He has been in school since September 12 months ago. He has one older brother (aged nine) three young brothers (twin 3 year olds and a 2 year old) he has  a younger sister also (aged 2 years). Because of the number in his family he is very active and talkative. Aim of observation: The aim of this observation is to observe TC for a period of time of 10 minutes in order to assess his language development. Observation: TC is sitting on a chair at the kitchen table finishing off his homework he is drawing objects that begin with â€Å"I†. He asks how to spell ice-cream, igloo and ice as these are the shapes he’s drawing. He takes out a sheet filled with words to learn. He is now looking at his words and pronouncing them. TC has finished his homework and packed away his bag. He takes out a sheet a paper. TC -> A â€Å"Daddy how do you spell IGLOO?† A -> TC â€Å" I-G-L-O-O† TC -> A â€Å"How do you spell ICE?† A -> TC â€Å"I-C-E† TC -> A â€Å"How do you spell ICE-CREAM† A -> TC â€Å"Well you already have ice on your page copy that first† TC -> A â€Å"but I need to spell ice-cream† A -> TC â€Å" Write down ICE then put a – then put C-R-E-AM† TC -> A â€Å"Okay† A -> TC â€Å"Are you finished now Ois?† TC -> A â€Å"Where’s Mammy Daddy?† A -> TC â€Å"Show me, what it is?† TC -> A â€Å"No it’s for Mammy, not you; you won’t know what to do with it!† A -> TC â€Å"ok she’ll be here in a minute she’s gone to the bathroom† A1 -> TC â€Å"what’s wrong Oision?† TC -> A1 â€Å"this is a letter for you from teacher† A1 -> TC â€Å"what’s it about?† TC -> A1 â€Å"The parent teacher meeting† A1 -> TC â€Å"ok what have I to do with it?† TC -> A1 â€Å"you have to read it and fill it out for teacher† A1 -> TC â€Å"oh right okay you go on and play so, good boy† Evaluation: The aim of this observation was to observe and record the language of TC, a six year old boy, for fifteen minutes as he finished his homework and engaged in conversation with his parents in order to gain a better understanding of his language development. I feel that I achieved this aim very well and that generally TC’s language development appears to be within the normal range for his age. Certainly, TC’s word pronunciation is accurate. He does make little errors tough e.g. he says â€Å"ate† for â€Å"eight†. This is usual for his stage of development. While children between four and five years pronounce most words correctly, they â€Å"may show some immature sound substitutions† (Flood 2010) One of the theorists I have studied is Skinner (1957), Skinner believed â€Å"that  learning, including language learning, occurs as a result of reinforcement.† Another theorist I have studied is Bruner(1915-). Bruner believed first-hand experience allows children to develop their ideas and thinking, he called this â€Å"enactive thinking†. Bruner stress the importance of the child’s environment in language development. He believes â€Å"The adults and more able peers in a child’s life provide what he calls a language acquisition support system (LASS).† Motherese, recasting, expanding and labelling all part of this system . Key stage of language development Gross Motor Skills †¢ Child tries to understand the meaning of words. The child uses adverbs and prepositions. The child talks confidently, and with more and more fluency. †¢ The child uses language creatively. The child adds vocabulary all the time. †¢ The child is an explorer and communicator; he or she begins to be able to define objects by their function – for example, â€Å"what is a bicycle† â€Å"you cycle a bicycle†. Fine Motor Skills †¢ A young child does not learn well in isolation from other children and adults. The child begins to share as he or she learns. Sharing sharpens and broadens the child’s thinking. This helps the child to learn better – for example, he begins to understand book language, and that stories have characters and a plot (the narrative). †¢ The child begins to realise that different situations require different ways of talking. The child establishes a sense of audience (who he or she is talking to). In summary, TC’s language development in terms of both fine and gross motor skills seems to be just on target and have reached the developmental milestones expected for his age. Personal Learning Gained †¢ I learned more about children’s language development. I know understand the terminology of â€Å"labelling†, â€Å"semantics†, â€Å"syntax†, â€Å"recasting† and â€Å" expanding†. †¢ I learned that in order to do so accurately, a tape recording with transcription is advisable. References †¢ Child Care & Education (5th Edition) (Bruce, Meggit, Grenier) Hodder Education †¢ Planning Play and the Early Years (2nd Edition) (Penny Tassoni, Karen Hucker) Heinemann †¢ Child Development for Students in Ireland (Eilis Flood) Gill&Macmillan †¢ Education & Care in the Early Years (4th Edition) (Josephine Donohue & Frances Gaynor) Gill&Macmillan

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Discussion and Examples of Expectation States Theory

Discussion and Examples of Expectation States Theory Expectation states theory is an approach to understanding how people evaluate other people’s competence in small task groups and the amount of credibility and influence they give them as a result. Central to the theory is the idea that we evaluate people based on two criteria. The first criterion is specific skills and abilities that are relevant to the task at hand, such as prior experience or training. The second criterion is composed of status characteristics such as gender, age, race, education, and physical attractiveness, that encourage people to believe that someone will be superior to others, even though those characteristics play no role in the work of the group. Overview of Expectation States Theory Expectation states theory was developed by American sociologist and social psychologist Joseph Berger, along with his colleagues, in the early 1970s. Based on social psychological experiments, Berger and his colleagues first published a paper on the topic in 1972 in the American Sociological Review, titled Status Characteristics and Social Interaction. Their theory offers an explanation for why social hierarchies emerge in small, task-oriented groups. According to the theory, both known information and implicit assumptions based on certain characteristics lead to a person developing an assessment of anothers abilities, skills, and value. When this combination is favorable, we will have a positive view of their ability to contribute to the task at hand. When the combination is less than favorable or poor, we will have a negative view of their ability to contribute. Within a group setting, this results in a hierarchy forming in which some are seen as more valuable and important than others. The higher or lower a person is on the hierarchy, the higher or lower his or her level of esteem and influence within the group will be. Berger and his colleagues theorized that while an assessment of relevant experience and expertise is a part of this process, in the end, the formation of a hierarchy within the group is most strongly influenced by the effect of social cues on the assumptions that we make about others. The assumptions we make about people - especially who we dont know very well or with whom we have limited experience - are largely based on social cues that are often guided by stereotypes of race, gender, age, class, and looks. Because this happens, people who are already privileged in society in terms of social status end up being favorably assessed within small groups, and those who experience disadvantages due to these characteristics will be negatively assessed. Of course, its not just visual cues that shape this process, but also how we comport ourselves, speak, and interact with others. In other words, what sociologists call cultural capital makes some appear more valuable and others less so. Why Expectation States Theory Matters Sociologist Cecilia Ridgeway has pointed out in a paper titled Why Status Matters for Inequality  that as these trends perpetuate over time, they lead to certain groups having  more influence and power than others. This makes members of higher status groups appear to be right and worthy of trust, which encourages those in lower status groups and people in general to trust them and to go along with their way of doing things. What this means is that social status hierarchies, and the inequalities of race, class, gender, age, and others that go along with them, are fostered and perpetuated by what happens in small group interactions. This theory seems to bear out in the wealth and income disparities between white people and people of color, and between men and women, and would seem to correlate with both women and people of color reporting that they are frequently presumed incompetent or presumed to occupy positions of employment and status lower than they actually do. Updated by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Definition of a Kelvin-Helmholtz Cloud

The Definition of a Kelvin-Helmholtz Cloud Look up on a windy day and you might see a Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud. Also known as a billow cloud, a Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud looks like rolling ocean waves in the sky. They are formed when two air currents of varying speeds meet in the atmosphere and they make a stunning sight. What Are Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds? Kelvin-Helmholtz is the scientific name for this impressive cloud formation. They are also known as billow clouds, shear-gravity clouds, KHI clouds, or Kelvin-Helmholtz billows. Fluctus is the Latin word for billow or wave and this may also be used to describe the cloud formation, though that most often occurs in scientific journals. The clouds are named for Lord Kelvin and Hermann von Helmholtz. The two physicists studied the disturbance caused by the velocity of two fluids. The resulting instability causes the breaking wave formation, both in the ocean and the air. This became known as Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI). Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is  not found on Earth alone. Scientists have observed formations on Jupiter as well as Saturn and in the suns corona.   Observing and Effects of Billow Clouds Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds are easily identifiable though they are short-lived. When they do occur, people on the ground take notice. The base of the cloud structure will be a straight, horizontal line while billows of waves appear along the top. These rolling eddies on the top of the clouds are usually evenly spaced. Quite often, these clouds will form with cirrus, altocumulus, stratocumulus, and stratus clouds. On rare occasions, they may also occur with cumulus clouds.   As with many distinct cloud formations, billow clouds can tell us something about atmospheric conditions. It indicates instability in air currents, which may not affect us on the ground. It is, however, a concern for aircraft pilots as it forecasts an area of turbulence. You may recognize this cloud structure from Van Goghs famous painting, The Starry Night. Some people believe that the painter was inspired by billow clouds to create distinct waves in his night sky. The Formation of Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds Your best chance for observing billow clouds is on a windy day because they form where two horizontal winds meet. This is also when temperature inversions warmer air on top of cooler air occur because the two layers have different densities. The upper layers of air move at very high speeds while the lower layers are rather slow. The faster air picks up the top layer of the cloud its passing through and forms these wave-like rolls. The upper layer is typically drier because of its velocity and warmth, which causes evaporation and explains why the clouds disappear so quickly. As you can see in this Kelvin-Helmholtz  instability animation, the waves form at equal intervals, which explains the uniformity in the clouds as well.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Definition of Suburban Sprawl

The Definition of Suburban Sprawl Suburban sprawl, also called urban sprawl, is the spread of urbanized areas into the rural landscape. It can be recognized by low-density single-family homes and new road networks spreading into the wild lands and agricultural fields outside of cities. As the popularity of single-family houses rose during the 20th century, and as mass ownership of cars allowed people to get to homes located far outside of city centers, new streets spread outwards to serve large housing subdivisions. Subdivisions built in the 1940s and 1950s consisted of relatively small homes built on small lots. Over the next few decades, the average house size increased, and so did the lot they were built on. Single-family homes in the United States are now on average twice the size of those inhabited in 1950. One or two-acre lots are now common and many subdivisions now offer homes each built on 5 or 10 acres - some housing developments in the western US even boast lots 25 acres in size. This trend leads to a hungry demand for land, accelerating road construction, and further spilling into fields, grasslands, forests, and other wild lands. Smart Growth America ranked US cities along criteria of compactness and connectivity and found that the most sprawling large cities were Atlanta (GA), Prescott (AZ), Nashville (TN), Baton Rouge (LA), and Riverside-San Bernardino (CA). On the flip side, the least sprawling large cities were New York, San Francisco, and Miami which all have densely populated neighborhoods served by well-connected street systems allowing residents close access to living, working, and shopping areas.   Environmental Consequences of Sprawl In the context of land use, suburban sprawl takes agricultural production off from fertile lands forever. Natural habitats like forests get fragmented, which has negative consequences for wildlife populations including loss of habitat and increased road mortality. Some animal species benefit from the fragmented landscapes: raccoons, skunks, and other small scavengers and predators thrive, driving down local bird populations. Deer become more abundant, facilitating the spread of deer tick and along with them, Lyme disease. Exotic plants are used in landscaping, but then become invasive. Extensive lawns require pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers that contribute to nutrient pollution in nearby streams. The housing subdivisions making up most of the sprawl are generally built well away from industry, business, and other employment opportunities. As a result, people need to commute to their workplace, and since these suburbs are generally not well served by public transportation, commuting is most often done by car. When using fossil fuels, transportation is a major source of greenhouse gases, and because of its reliance on commuting by car, sprawl contributes to global climate change. There Are Social and Economic Consequences of Sprawl Many municipal authorities are finding out that low density, large-lot suburban areas are a bum deal for them economically. The tax revenue from a relatively small number of residents may not be enough to support the construction and maintenance of the miles and miles of roads, sidewalks, sewer lines, and water pipes needed to service the scattered homes. Residents living in the denser, older neighborhoods elsewhere in town often need to essentially subsidize the infrastructure on the outskirts. Negative health outcomes have also been attributed to living in suburban sprawl. Residents of outlying suburban areas are more likely to feel isolated from their community and be overweight, in part because of their reliance on cars for transportation. For the same reasons, fatal car accidents are most common for those who have longer commutes by car. Solutions to Combat Sprawl Sprawl is not necessarily one of those environmental issues against which we can identify a few simple steps. However, awareness of some of the potential solutions can be enough to make you a supporter of important change initiatives: Be a supporter of smart growth programs at the county and municipal levels. This includes programs that revitalize development in already built-up areas. Reinvesting in neglected city centers is part of the solution, as is taking care of an abandoned property. For example, an abandoned shopping mall can be turned into a medium-density housing development without the need for new water pipes, road access, or sewage lines.Support mixed-used development. People like to live in close proximity to where they can shop, recreate, and send their kids to school. Building these types of neighborhoods around public transportation hubs can create very desirable communities.Support your local land use planning efforts. Consider volunteering for the town’s planning board and advocate for smart growth. Attend fund-raising activities for your regional land trust, as they work hard to protect prime farmland, working waterfronts, exceptional wetlands, or intact forests.Support sensible transpor tation policies that complement smart growth. This includes affordable and dependable public transportation options, investments in maintaining the existing road network instead of expanding it, building bike paths, and developing programs to make business districts pleasant places to walk. Make a personal decision to live in a less environmentally impactful way. Choosing higher density housing can mean lower energy needs, a more active lifestyle, and proximity to work, interesting businesses, art venues, and a vibrant community. You will be able to fulfill most of your transportation needs by walking, bicycling, or public transit. In fact, in a comparison of the environmental virtues of city vs. rural living,  urban dwellers have the edge.In a paradoxical but very understandable way, many people choose to move to low density, outlying suburban areas to be closer to nature. They feel that these large lots close to agricultural lands or forests would put them in close proximity to wildlife, with more birds visiting their feeders and ample opportunity for gardening. Perhaps this appreciation of nature makes them predisposed to finding other ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Broker by John Grisham Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Broker by John Grisham - Essay Example â€Å"The Broker† is Joel Backman, a lawyer/lobbyist who went to prison six years ago for conspiring to sell a satellite system to an unnamed party outside the United States. The outgoing President, Arthur Morgan offers him pardon and he is released from prison, to be scuttled out of the country and hidden away in Italy. Backman had been sent to prison six years ago because he had been the broker in a deal to control the software that operates the latest to-secret spy satellite system. The Director of the CIA convinces the President to pardon him but the motive behind his action is not altruistic. The reason for engineering Backman’s release and helping him to go into hiding is to set him up as bait to fish out the parties involved in the deal for the satellite software. The CIA figures that whoever owns the satellite will find Blackman and kill him for having allowed himself to be caught six years ago. But since they have Backman under surveillance they will have the opportunity to unearth that vital piece of intelligence. Grisham’s book involves politics, espionage and above all the vital element of surveillance that forms an essential component of contemporary intelligence activity. The key element that drives this book on to its climax is the fact that the reader does not know who put up the secret satellites and who’s trying to buy the software and the intense surveillance maintained on Backman as he lives in Italy is geared towards unlocking these secrets. Backman however, has his own plans and he doesn’t plan to let either side get to him. But the information he is privy to about the secret satellite system makes him a prime target. He is constantly under surveillance and the novel demonstrates the extent to which the advances in development of satellite technology have led to its increasingly intrusive role, blurring the lines between

Research proposal (English by Arabic Foreign Language learners) Essay

Research proposal (English by Arabic Foreign Language learners) - Essay Example The subsequent data will be computed for average mean, percentile, ranking and weighted mean. Most people say Arabic compliments are not mere accolades, but, they are relative to the cultural principles inculcated among the people similar to other cultures, which are words of gratitude for any virtuous deed. Conventionally, compliments have become a common part of human verbal communication in the various societies of people in the Universe. Nearly all investigatory studies about human languages where compliments fit in are limited to grassroots viewpoints on how they gained the skills of verbal communication. This was supposed by Larisa and Furuoka in 2007 when they mentioned authors of similar studies like Truitt in 1995, Park in 1995, Kuntz in 1999, Kunt in 1997, Peacock in 1998, Sakui & Gaies in 1999, Kimura et al in 2001, Siebert in 2003 and Bernat in 2006. Apparently, this may carry a lighter weight when used as a proof for the value of languages. This is because authenticities are often based on recorded truth and not on mere viewpoints. This study was concerned mainly with making compliments successful in English by Arabic Foreign Language learners, to avoid circumstances of misunderstanding by the native English speakers or misund

Friday, October 18, 2019

Freedom and autonomy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Freedom and autonomy - Term Paper Example The growth of freedom culminates in an individual’s full acceptance of the political rule of the state, because the ideals of mutual recognition are naturally engraved in the constitution of the sovereign state (Hegel 22). In other words, the basic interest or self-identity of every individual is attributed with ethical value in the general legitimacy and wisdom of the state. Hegel hence places the will to freedom in the historically actual agency of the supreme state. Hegel believes that the state represents the realization of social freedom. This essay analyzes the argument of Hegel that freedom is only possible within the state. The Hegelian Idea of Freedom Hegel argues that the final stage of consciousness, which he largely associates with national consciousness, is the acceptance that human beings are naturally free. According to Hegel, it is only through the nation-state—which he defines as a cultural aggregation of people—that freedom is realized. Hegel ma kes use of the concept ‘rational’ to refer to aspects that advance freedom; in history, the advancement of freedom expresses itself through the nation-state. The importance of a state does not depend on its distinctiveness or individuality that should then be safeguarded at all costs. A nation-state is an institution within which individuals can better attain freedom. Nation-states and their different features are exercised by world spirit to realize an increasingly actual achievement of freedom (Hegel 101-102). This advancement of freedom, Hegel argues, occurs in phases because different states embody different phases of the realization of freedom. A particular state can merely represent one phase of world history. Once the role of a state in world history has ended, it ceases to be a part of world history. And it also ceases to guarantee individual freedom. According to Hegel, only nation-states can play a role in world history. He argues that world history only conce rns nation-states because nation-states are the only means toward freedom. World history is the story of humankind’s movement toward freedom. Hegel believes that the objective of world history is for every individual to attain real freedom. Freedom can only be realized through the state, specifically, in a society where the wellbeing of individuals is embraced but individuals also create their own goals on behalf of the greater good (Hegel 22). Therefore a world-historical nation is an assemblage of culturally connected individuals, enclosed in a state, which further promotes the realization of freedom. According to Hegel, nations that have not played a role in world history have no history in this regard. He then tried to determine whether nations have played a role in the achievement of freedom. Hegel shows how the individual remains autonomous in a state. He uses the concept of recognition as a central ideal for evaluating the legitimacy of the state and other social insti tutions. Individuals should feel and see that their interests are respected and integrated in their institutions, which consequently strengthens their enthusiasm to relate to and give up certain privileges for the benefit of these institutions (Hegel 44-45). Hegel identifies in the notion of recognition an essence of ordering a system of social institutions, progressing from situations of unfreedom through a string of negotiations that promote the utmost

Personal Creative Inquiry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Creative Inquiry - Essay Example This article describes garden as a favorite place to go when an individual wants to relax after a hard day. The earth’s smell is always very natural with some sweet smelling flowers. It provides a wonderfully cool place that enhances good feeling when someone is from a tough day work. Private gardens are always near homes thus boosting and setting mind for relaxation purposes because an individual is not required to either walk or drive long distance to his home after relaxation. Presence of joyfully singing birds, chirping locusts makes garden so peaceful and a natural place to be. It is also worth noting that an individual may experiment with the sense of touching by playing with diverse tangible sensations such as leaves, fruits, and stems thus enabling one to focus on things that are relaxing and renewing. From the gardens, an individual may further surround himself with energizing and invigorating smells by looking for comforting and calming scents such as smelling roses. Relaxing in the garden while the kids are playing around you is a very joyful and fulfilling act that takes someone’s mind away from the tiring job throughout the day. At times, it is very relaxing to dirty our hands by either pruning or just digging worms and picking strawberries for the kids since it makes an individual feel very elemental to the nature and the overall surrounding. Careful working on the garden makes gardeners feel like they are doing what they love most and a way of recovering some of the insubstantial things lost during busy days. My life is very satisfactory and I am doing a lot to help the underprivileged people in the society. I see myself as a president of a large manufacturing company with several employees. I live in a luxurious lifestyle where I can be able to buy anything and travel anywhere. I also have a classy mansionette and sport utility vehicles. My home has a big compound that is covered by very green grass,

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Was Che Guevara a true hero Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Was Che Guevara a true hero - Coursework Example Although a Gemini according to the birth certificate, that predicted a grayish character for him and his life to be of an uneventful kind, Che was in reality a Taurian who a strong and decisive character 1. The trip on La Poderosa Ernesto Che Guevara lived a comfortable life in Alta Gracia in his growing up years2. He was a medical student at the Buenos Aires University and already had travel experiences to many places in South America. He had a keen interest in exploring the land where he lived and had made a six weeks long tour on a bicycle enhanced by a motor. During this tour he got the opportunity to meet the common people of Latin America. At Cordoba Ernesto met his friend Alberto Guevara, who was a biochemist. Along the way Ernesto closely saw the lives of the lepers, the hospital patients and the suffering men and women of the country. The realization dawned upon him that a very big gap existed between the affluent class and the people living on the margins. In January 1952, when Ernesto was in his last semester of his medical studies, he along with his friend Alberto set out on a motorcycle tour. It was a six month long tour that was planned across the continent of South America. They had traveled across â€Å"Argentina, Chile, Peru, Columbia and Venezuala†3. ... At one place in the book The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Guevara the author mentions the worst crash that they faced in whole expedition: â€Å"Alberto came out unscathed, but the cylinder trapped my foot and scorched it, leaving an unpleasant souvenir for a long time because the wound didn't heal†4. The motorcycle soon broke down and they continued with their journey by hitchhiking or on foot. In some places they also traveled on boat. Ernesto at times faced health problems due to serious asthma attacks and at such times they halted for Ernesto to recover at some hospital. Besides the two young men ran out of their stock of money and faced difficulties on the road. Yet they continued traveling and depended mostly upon the hospitality of the people they met on their way. Both Ernesto and his friend maintained diaries. The account of the incidents taking place that Ernesto kept in his diary later became the phenomenal book by the name The Motorcycle Diaries. This book is far from being the diary of a revolutionary famous by the name Che Guevara. The records give accounts of the first-hand experiences of a twenty-three year old medical student and exuberant observant with an eye for detail in his six month long journey with a twenty nine years old friend across thousands of miles. The transformation of Ernesto Guevara Guevara was since childhood a jovial person. In spite of his illness due to asthma, as a child he was always quite cheerful and displayed leadership qualities on playground in school. In parts of the year when he did not suffer from the disease he used to engage himself in sports like â€Å"soccer, table tennis and golf†5. He also practiced riding horseback, swimming, shooting and occasionally rock fighting. He always

Measuring energy balance Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Measuring energy balance - Coursework Example According to Elia & Ritz, (2000), thermodynamic laws elucidate why energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can be transformed from one state to another. Potential energy that is stored in foods in the form of calories is converted to either heat, work or storage (Dulloo et al., 2012). When the body is at rest, metabolism lingers, and there is amount of calories prerequisite to perform this. This is the basal metabolic rate. (BMR) (Westerterp et al., 2002) An analysis of the energy balance is vital in the performance of body cells. When the amount of energy that is used in body activities is less than what is taken in, physiological processes like metabolism, hormonal balance is declined. Also, testosterone echelons and reduction in different types on hormones and physical performance is affected. Thus, the analysis enables us know the amount of energy required to perform different body functions and to solve problems of energy imbalances. Douglas bags system was used to measure the energy balance. The bags are inflatable large and airtight and are mainly used to collect air expelled in the determination of consumption of oxygen and the basal metabolic rate (Schrauwen, Lichtenbelt & Westerterp, 1997). The procedure was performed under two different tasks which were; when one laid down in resting the position for five minutes and also during cycling for three minutes. This was to get different values of energy expenditures. After the air had been collected using Douglas Bags, an apparatus called Servomex was then used. Its purpose was to analyse air volume as well as its composition to give a percentage of oxygen expired during the test and also the percentage of carbon (IV) oxide expired. Lastly, the Douglas Bags were then attached to the Dry Gas Meter majorly to measure the volume of air that was contained in the Bags. After connection, the readings were taken as well as the temperature of the expired air. The second method

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Was Che Guevara a true hero Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Was Che Guevara a true hero - Coursework Example Although a Gemini according to the birth certificate, that predicted a grayish character for him and his life to be of an uneventful kind, Che was in reality a Taurian who a strong and decisive character 1. The trip on La Poderosa Ernesto Che Guevara lived a comfortable life in Alta Gracia in his growing up years2. He was a medical student at the Buenos Aires University and already had travel experiences to many places in South America. He had a keen interest in exploring the land where he lived and had made a six weeks long tour on a bicycle enhanced by a motor. During this tour he got the opportunity to meet the common people of Latin America. At Cordoba Ernesto met his friend Alberto Guevara, who was a biochemist. Along the way Ernesto closely saw the lives of the lepers, the hospital patients and the suffering men and women of the country. The realization dawned upon him that a very big gap existed between the affluent class and the people living on the margins. In January 1952, when Ernesto was in his last semester of his medical studies, he along with his friend Alberto set out on a motorcycle tour. It was a six month long tour that was planned across the continent of South America. They had traveled across â€Å"Argentina, Chile, Peru, Columbia and Venezuala†3. ... At one place in the book The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Guevara the author mentions the worst crash that they faced in whole expedition: â€Å"Alberto came out unscathed, but the cylinder trapped my foot and scorched it, leaving an unpleasant souvenir for a long time because the wound didn't heal†4. The motorcycle soon broke down and they continued with their journey by hitchhiking or on foot. In some places they also traveled on boat. Ernesto at times faced health problems due to serious asthma attacks and at such times they halted for Ernesto to recover at some hospital. Besides the two young men ran out of their stock of money and faced difficulties on the road. Yet they continued traveling and depended mostly upon the hospitality of the people they met on their way. Both Ernesto and his friend maintained diaries. The account of the incidents taking place that Ernesto kept in his diary later became the phenomenal book by the name The Motorcycle Diaries. This book is far from being the diary of a revolutionary famous by the name Che Guevara. The records give accounts of the first-hand experiences of a twenty-three year old medical student and exuberant observant with an eye for detail in his six month long journey with a twenty nine years old friend across thousands of miles. The transformation of Ernesto Guevara Guevara was since childhood a jovial person. In spite of his illness due to asthma, as a child he was always quite cheerful and displayed leadership qualities on playground in school. In parts of the year when he did not suffer from the disease he used to engage himself in sports like â€Å"soccer, table tennis and golf†5. He also practiced riding horseback, swimming, shooting and occasionally rock fighting. He always

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Historical document analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Historical document analysis - Essay Example e for lower taxes and so on, during the great deal people espoused an increased role of government, which could act to ensure the welfare of less fortunate people, serve as a safety net, regulate the rules of the economic game, and ensure that everyone could live a life of dignity and have a chance at happiness. This week’s readings demonstrate that the dynamics of today’s recession have been fundamentally a part of American politics for almost a century. Though all three documents show some degree of recognition that the previous function of the American economy had become untenable, and that some new actions must take place to protect the poor and those with less control over their economic destiny, they also show a repeating, recognizable pattern that has continued to this day – a left which elected a president on the hopes of broadly redistributing wealth, a president that had to back off of his initial promise for pragmatic reasons and thus anger his own con stituents, and a right outraged by the entire process, glumly acknowledging that perhaps a social safety net was necessary, but calling any real redistribution of wealth socialism and anti-American. One of the most remarkable things upon reading these three texts is the fact that Roosevelt, even while still simply campaigning for president rather than actually being president, seemed very conscious of his place in history, and of the requirements of pragmatism that holding the presidency would entail. Instead of opening his speech with the kind of emotional call to action that can be so common in election year campaigning, Roosevelt opens with a somewhat dry recitation of presidential history, invoking Jefferson’s famous duel with Maddison over the role of the government (165). So even before becoming president, Roosevelt was conscious of the way history might view him and his actions, and was conscious of the pragmatic demands of his office. This led to his criticism of the financial system,

Monday, October 14, 2019

Dazed and Confused Essay Example for Free

Dazed and Confused Essay Dazed and Confused List and describe 4 characters that are important to the movie: Randall Pink FloydFloyd is the stud senior quarterback who realizes he doesn’t want to be just a quarterback for the rest of his life and questions his role in the social pack. He cant stand Coach Conrad and the pledge sheet hes making all the players sign. Hes going out with Simone, but hed like to hook up with Jodi. He seems to belong to all cliques. Mitch KramerMitch is going to be a freshman in high school and hes already getting picked on by the senior class. Lack of parental supervision (and help from Pink and his pals) allows Mitch to experience high school life a little earlier than most of his classmates. Kramer is the new kid on the block who, like Pink, has an amazing athletic talent and a way with the ladies| Fred OBannionOBannion is a super-senior who is enjoying his second straight year of hazing freshmen. He has a temper, and when the freshmen get their revenge he blows up and drives away in his piece-of-junk car. | David WoodersonWooderson, a former superstar quarterback and graduate working for the city after realizing that life after his alma matter is sweeter when you live by your own rules. The high schoolers think hes cool because hes older and he has a nice car. Many of the classic lines in this movie to come from Wooderson. | Q: What does the movie teach us about life? The movie dazed and confused is more than just a movie about smoking marijuana. It documents the changes we all face in life, as social and political pressures increase, when one gets older and faces decisions that require you to figure out how to avoid being what others want you to be while staying young at heart. Q: What is your favorite part of the movie? My favorite part in the movie is when they are sitting on the 50-yard line of the football field smoking marijuana, reminiscing and having laughs. While Matthew McConaughey â€Å"Wooderson†, says a very memorable quote, â€Å"Man, its the same bull***t they tried to pull in my day. If it aint that piece of paper, theres some other choice theyre gonna try and make for you. You gotta do what Randall Pink Floyd wants to do man. Let me tell you this, the older you do get the more rules theyre gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin man, L-I-V-I-N†. Q: Why is that your favorite part of the movie? This is my favorite part of the movie because it reminds me of me and my friends back in the day. Plus the quote â€Å"You just gotta keep livin man, L-I-V-I-N† is one of my favorite quotes of life! Q: Do you believe the movie is realistic? Why or why not? I believe the movie is realistic because the director made the characters all so different and have their own personalities. It’s also realistic because the audience can relate to at least one character in the movie. Q: What have you learned from this movie? Society is full of constraints and limitations that people in power: or those looking to capitalize on the weakness of others place on others to get them to act the way they want them to. If you want to be free of such people and situations, you have to learn how to challenge the social constructs and rules that keep you from finding your true purpose in life. Don’t let others tell you what you can and can’t do. This doesn’t mean that you have a right to break the laws, but it does mean that you can be anything you want to be if you are willing to go after it. There are no laws that say you have to be what someone else wants you to be. Q: Who do you think (what age group, or what kind of person) would enjoy this type of movie? I think Teenagers all the way up to Elders; of both genders, would enjoy this movie. Everybody who has watched it will watch again and again, and never will get old to them. For those who haven’t watched it, WATCH IT! Other important Information Director: written and directed by Richard Linklater Producers: Sean Daniel, Richard Linklater, Jim Jacks and co-producer Anne Walker-McBay * Jason London as Randall Pink Floyd * Wiley Wiggins as Mitch Kramer * Rory Cochrane as Ron Slater * Sasha Jenson as Don Dawson * Michelle Burke as Jodi Kramer * Christine Harnos as Kaye Faulkner * Adam Goldberg as Mike Newhouse * Anthony Rapp as Tony Olson * Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson * Marissa Ribisi as Cynthia Dunn * Jason London as Randall Pink Floyd * Wiley Wiggins as Mitch Kramer * Rory Cochrane as Ron Slater * Sasha Jenson as Don Dawson * Michelle Burke as Jodi Kramer * Christine Harnos as Kaye Faulkner Adam Goldberg as Mike Newhouse * Anthony Rapp as Tony Olson * Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson * Marissa Ribisi as Cynthia Dunn Starring: * Jason O. Smith as Melvin Spivey * Shawn Andrews as Kevin Pickford * Cole Hauser as Benny ODonnell * Milla Jovovich as Michelle Burroughs * Joey Lauren Adams as Simone Kerr * Christin Hinojosa as Sabrina Davis * Ben Affleck as Fred OBanni on * Parker Posey as Darla Marks * Deena Martin as Shavonne Wright * Nicky Katt as Clint Bruno * Esteban Powell as Carl Burnett * Renee Zellweger as Nesi White Awards Year| Result| Award| Category/Recipient(s)| 1993 | Nominated| Golden Leopard| Richard Linklater| 994 | Nominated| Young Artist Award| Best Youth Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture Drama Jason London| Rating: (R) Running time: 102 minutes Other: Lawsuit In October 2004, three of Linklaters former classmates from Huntsville High School, whose surnames are Wooderson, Slater, and Floyd, filed a defamation lawsuit against Linklater, claiming to be the basis for the similarly named characters on the film. The lawsuit was filed in New Mexico rather than Texas because New Mexico has a longer statute of limitations. The suit was subsequently dismissed

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Child Abuse Case Study: Peter Connelly Essay -- Toddler Peter Connell

Child abuse does not discriminate against a child because of age, sex, religion, or socioeconomic background. Every child is vulnerable to abuse. Parents today face the possibility that someone they know or a stranger may hurt or take advantage of their children. Research indicates that as many as one out of every four children will be the victims of some kind of abuse (National Child Abuse Statistics). Furthermore, one of the biggest ironies of child abuse is that the family, a child’s primary source of care, love, and security, can also be their most taunting experience. This was the case of 17 month old baby, Peter Connelly. Throughout his short life span, he suffered from neglect and physical abuse that ultimately caused his death. Child abuse is a serious problem that is being taken too lightly. Peter Connelly was born March 1st, 2007 in Haringey, London. In a two month period Peter’s father moved out of the house, while his mother Tracey Connelly met a new guy Steven Baker at a club. On October 13th Peter was taken to the doctor’s office with bruises to the side of his head. His mother told the authorities that he fell out of his crib. Sometime around December Peters mothers thirty-two year old boyfriend, Steven Baker, moves into the home. Within the same month he was rushed to the emergency room with head injuries, bruising to the bridge of the nose, sternum, right shoulder and buttocks. Peter’s mother said he fell off of his seat. Ultimately, his case was referred to social services. Peter was given temporarily to a friend of the family. Pursing this further, on January 26th Peter is returned to his mother, even though Tracey Connelly was still on bail for assaulting and neglecting the baby. Time... ...Baby P Death Named." BBC News - Home. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. . Hughes, Mark. "Baby P's Killers: the Untold Story - Crime, UK - The Independent." The Independent | News | UK and Worldwide News | Newspaper. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. . Layman, Richard. Child Abuse. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 1990. 15+. Print. "National Child Abuse Statistics | Childhelp." Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse | Childhelp. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. . "Timeline Leading to Toddler Peter Connelly's Tragedy | The Sun |News." The Sun | The Best for News, Sport, Showbiz, Celebrities | The Sun| The Sun. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. .

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Jewel: Pieces Of A Shattered Dream :: essays research papers

My opinion of the book mentioned above is that it is extremely well written and inhibits several unique characteristics. The typical biography or autobiography is written in a sober manner, such that the reader is completely bored by the events of the life of the subject. The author Kristen Kemp, wrote this book so that the audience is excited and anxious to discover what happens in the next chapter in the life of the specified individual. An example of the authors exciting style of writing is evident in this quote referring to Jewel's acceptance to Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan; "Just like that, Jewel set out for, possible, her most life changing journey of all." That statement could have been written so that it simply stated that Jewel was going to attend that academy, however, due to Kristen Kemp's writing style, the statement kept me excited to read another chapter. I think that Jewel's life was full of outstanding events that were interesting to read about. I'm glad that I chose this book as compared to other biographies based upon a less eventful life. There were extreme high points in her life, "It was like overnight that Jewel discovered happiness while riding around in a VW van." These times incorporated happiness into the reading, while the low ones "Despite her efforts to make herself feel better, she couldn't escape some of her problems" established sympathy. A variety of mixed emotions are the key ingredient in making a making a reader become involved in the story line. Jewel Kilcher was born on May 23, 1974, and grew up in Homer, Alaska. She lived with her parents and two brothers in a house on an extremely large plot of land. Their house had no TV or running water. Having no running water meant no shower and no indoor plumbing, just an outhouse in the yard. Growing up, Jewel helped take care of the horses that her family raised. She also hayed and worked in the family's garden with her father. Both, her father and mother, were extremely musically inclined and performed all over Alaska. When Jewel was six, she was singing and traveling with them. She acquired an amazing ability to yodel at this age, and soon this became a regular accompaniment with her parents. A few years later, Jewel's parents divorced. She still traveled with her father every once in a while for seven more years.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Psychology and Personality Development

Part 1: What were the results of your MBTI assessment? Do you agree with these results? Why or why not? In what ways does the MBTI assessment relate to Jung's theory of personality development? Part 2: Compare and contrast the MBTI personality inventory with subjective methods of psychoanalytic personality assessment, such as inkblot and word association tests. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these types of assessment? What is the practical usefulness of each, objective and subjective personality inventories, in your chosen career field? What is the relationship between cognition and personality development? Explain how biological and environmental factors can shape our cognitive processes. Give an example that illustrates how one's cognitive processes can shape some aspect of personality. Explain how evolutionary, biological/genetic, and environmental (i. e. learning) factors can result in the development of an aggressive personality. Provide specific examples, when appropriate. How do parents influence a child's personality according to each theory: evolutionary, biological/genetic, and behavioral? Give examples that illustrate how each of these models relates to parenting and children's personality development. What is self-efficacy? How does self-efficacy relate to personality? What â€Å"nature† and â€Å"nurture† factors contribute to one's self-efficacy? Provide specific examples, when appropriate. A summary of the person's life experiences. This section must include all relevant background, including family history, significant life experiences, and important contributions that may have influenced or resulted from the individual's personality development. This section should be 1-2 pages in length. A discussion and evaluation of the ways in which each of the following models would explain the individual's personality development: Psychoanalytic and Neoanalytic theories Psychosocial theories Trait, Evolutionary, Genetic/Biological approaches Cognitive, Behavioral, and Social Learning theories Humanistic theories

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Basic Marketing Plan- Cell Phones Essay

We are the #1 maker of cell phones in the world and we are also aiming for the top of the nascent mobile Internet market. Our products are divided primarily between three divisions: devices (handheld device manufacturing); services and software (consumer Internet services and products); and markets (supply chains, sales channels, and marketing). Our wireless network products business is operated in partnership with Siemens as Nokia Siemens Networks; the joint venture is the #3 player in the wireless networking equipment market behind Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES MARKET STRATEGY Our goal is to re-emerge into the US Market by re-inventing our marketing mix and strategy. The first step will be to revamp our image in the US by altering the current perception of our phones. We need to reposition ourselves in the marketplace as the leader in high quality, contemporary phone devices. When deciding how we would re-invent ourselves we looked at several options. The first option we explored were licensing agreements with other phone manufacturers. We decided not to choose this option because of the strong manufacturing channels we already have in place all across the globe. We also did not want to risk having our name associated with phones that were not of an extremely high quality for fear that this could lower our reputation in the US even more. Another option we evaluated was to enter into a partnership with a DSL phone service provider such as Vonage. We were exploring the option of developing a new break through Voice of IP service but after discussion we deciding this would not allow us to focus on our core products, which are handheld devices. POSITIONING STATEMENT In the US we are currently perceived as a cheap, outdated phone that is only suitable for the very young or the very old. To the Savvy and Technologically inclined consumer we are seem as an overly simplified phone that doesn’t have all of the latest features. Most often the US consumer is not willing to pay top dollar for a Nokia phone so they only get one if it’s given away free with a contract. This perception of us needs to change. We need to reposition ourselves as the world’s leader in handheld cellular devices. We need to expose consumers to our new phones with break through features. We need to bring back consumer confidence so that they believe our phones are stylish, durable, reliable and top quality. We also want consumers to feel as if Nokia is a strong brand name with longevity in the market. We don’t want our phones to be seen as outdated and obsolete so we need to show the US how strong and advanced we are in the R&D department. TARGET AUDIENCE In order to reposition our brand in the US Marketplace we will focus on three specific target audiences. The first being Young Adults aged 17 to 24 and the next being business professionals aged 25 to 40.We will attract men and women alike with various elements that should appeal to both sexes. Our goal will be to launch 2 different campaigns that will gain attention from people in these age groups but from a diverse range of racial backgrounds. The campaigns will be launched nationwide and will focus on showing Nokia in more of an American light with and American attitude. We will go after high school and college students who are interested in having the newest and coolest phone on the market. They will be from an upper class background and influenced by the hot new trends in the fashion, music and technology industries. They will be very image conscious and they want to show that their phone has the newest features. They will be fun loving and exciting individuals with eager and fast paced attitudes. Next we will focus on attracting young and mature professionals aged 25 to 40. This group will be more conservative and business oriented. They will be driven by work and are hoping to move up the corporate ladder. They will typically be from the middle to upper class and highly status conscious. They will not be sensitive to prices, as they will view the phone more as a business tool rather then an accessory. PROMOTION Given the Business objective of re-emerging in the US market and of boosting Nokia’s overall awareness and image as an inspirational brand we will drive the overall brand image through several mediums. Our primary media will be television commercials and our secondary media will consist of magazine ads and sponsorships. We hope to attract the new target audience of 17 to 24 years though the arena of music and television. We will sponsor music concerts and run commercials on cable networks such as MTV and VH1. We will promote sweepstakes were concert tickets and CD’s are given away free To attract our second target audience we will advertise in magazines such as Newsweek and Business Weekly in order to introduce our new phone to in a mature light. We want to appeal to business professionals who are looking to establish themselves and we want them to believe that our phone can help them achieve their goals. PRODUCT STRATEGY Our new product strategy will be to introduce the new Wimax technology to the US through our new phones. In order to take advantage of the Wimax techonology we will need to team up with Sprint who has developed the new faster wireless network. Our new phones will be the only ones available that can access the network at speeds 3 times as fast as 3G. Nokia will receive subscription fees from Sprint while selling the phones to them as a profit. The new technology will allow people to receive internet connection speeds on their phones that are as fast as their cable modems at home. NEW SLOGAN, NEW LOGO With our new phones and our new technology there will also be a new slogan. For the new campaigns we will emphasize that our two new phones are both $200 so the phrase we’ll use will be Two for Two. We will also use the slogan â€Å" Replace your laptop with your Nokia†

Importance of hunting Essay

Like baseball and apple pie, hunting is an American tradition shared by young and old, rich and poor, regardless of social or economic status. Three out of every ten people are against hunting but for what reasons? What makes them stand out from the seven out of ten that are for hunting? My preference supports hunting for many reasons. Hunting is important because without it there would be animals struggling to survive because of the shortage of the nutrient food they need on a daily basis to stay healthy. It would also cut down the number of damage done to vehicles by animals. It also gets more kids outdoors and involved in agriculture activities which is needed now days. Believe it or not hunting is also a big part of our economy bringing in hundreds of billions of dollars each year. The first and foremost reason it’s important is because it reduces the number of abundant animals struggling to survive and causing car wrecks. Many states including Nebraska have opened special seasons for the notoriously known â€Å"trophy† whitetail deer. Whitetail deer are in abundant numbers all over the United Sates, some people see them as pets, but even more people see them as pests. They destroy crops and cause car wrecks. The average claim after a deer collision is 3,100 dollars. Every 1 in 85 people have known or heard of someone dying because of a collision with a deer. The number of these animals is stable because of one thing and that is hunting! Without hunters hunting these animals they would be unhealthy, and over populating the suburbs of the southern parts of the United States and the country side of the Midwest. They would also be causing severe or fatal car wrecks. Deer aren’t the only abundant animal there are many others including wild Turkey, Elk, and Bear. These animals are all struggling because of the three out of ten people that are against hunting, if just one of those three people would change there mind and see that the animals and humans both are struggling even more without hunting it would make a major difference. The second reason is that it gets more kids involved in the outdoors and other agriculture activities. Every year obesity becomes more of a problem for one reason; video games. If more kids were exposed to hunting or to the outdoors alone that could make them see that there’s a much better life outdoors then inside sitting down in front of there TV eating a bag potato chips. If more kids got involved in hunting it would also help the reducing of the abundant animals. This would mean less suffering and car wrecks. Many states are lowering the prices of there youth permits in hope that it will get more youth hunters in the field. All states have a mentor hunting program that takes kids hunting whose parents do not hunt or are not eligible to hunt. The National survey of fishing, hunting, and wildlife recreation, states that the number of youth hunters has tripled since 2006. It also states that the number of car wrecks dealing with deer has decreased 15 percent since 2006. Nearly 80 percent of adult hunters started hunting as youths. They predict that only 15 percent of youth in the year 2020 will hunt. Hunting leads into other agriculture activities. More kids are also becoming irresponsible do to one thing the lack of chores. Every eight in ten kids will tell you they do not have chores. Those two kids that say they do have chores are usually farm kids or have parents who grew up on a farm or engaged in agriculture activities. The third reason is vitally important to are economy and for the future. Many people say that hunting deals nothing with the economy of the world and there wrong. 12. 5 million People 16 years of age and older enjoy hunting a variety of animals within the United States. They hunt about 220 days a year and take about 185 trips. Hunting expenditures totaled about $22. 9 billion dollars. Hunting also generates more then $67 billion dollars in economic output and more than one million jobs in the United States. Hunting also generates $25 billion dollars in retail sales, $17 billion dollars in salaries and wages, and employs 575,000 Americans. If hunting was outlawed think of all the people who would be with out a job! They would struggle JUST like the abundant animals. Like Baseball and apple pie hunting is an important American tradition that should never change because without it there would be animals struggling to survive because of the shortage of the nutrient food they need on a daily basis to stay healthy. Car wrecks related to animals would increase. And it also gets more kids outdoors and involved in agriculture activities which is needed now days. It also boosts the economy, bringing billions of dollars each year. I hope you are on the same page as me now and see that hunting isn’t wrong.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Profits Essay

The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Profits - Essay Example Corporate social responsibility, a term used to describe a the way in which a corporation operates in regard to the community and environment in which it resides and the ethical and moral standards in which it conducts business; is quickly becoming an increasingly important issue as consumers are holding corporations progressively more accountable for their methods of business practices and operations. With today's current global economy, corporations can no longer operate on the level of autonomy that was once common. This is evidenced in the increasing decentralization of the traditional corporate hierarchy that is becoming more common in corporations across the nation. Costlo has been a leader in the empowerment of its' employees. The team environment has attributed to company's' many success including the current high level of employee efficiency and morale. Regardless of these positive aspects of Costlos' corporate environment, the net losses posted for the last two quarters denotes a need for fiscal policy and business model change while attempting to maintain its' current level of stakeholder confidence. As the fifth largest retailer in Over the years, the topic of corporate social responsibility has been gaining ground both in popularity and importance. The traditional Friedman or shareholder view of a corporations' only role in social responsibility is to "use its resources to engage in activities designed to increase its' profits" (Friedman 1970) in itself may be narrow though it is nonetheless true. While earning and increasing profits will always be the basis of success for any business Friedman's belief that ""business" as a whole cannot be said to have responsibility" (Friedman 1970) is becoming increasingly outdated. More importantly, the public perception of corporations is becoming ever more important. Cutting costs by decreasing employee benefits and enacting salary freezes may temporarily increase the company's net profits, it would do irreparable damage to employee morale as well as public perception of the company, possibly alienating our current consumer base. In the long term, this will negatively a ffect profits considerably. Costlo's achievement of becoming the fifth largest retailer in the United States was done so with virtually no marketing. Highlighting the corporations' continued dedication to its' employees and to the communities in which its' stores operate through advertising, is an ideal way to promote a positive public perception. This will serve as a way to build brand name recognition as well as lure back former customers that may have strayed to competitors. Given the current decline in profits, the initial start-up costs for this marketing strategy may further drive profits down in the short-term. These objections by investors, while justified, are short sighted and it should be noted that not looking toward the long-term as a measure of success as well, is just as short sighted. The fact that corporations can be profitable while maintaining Corporate Social Responsibility 3 corporate social responsibi

Monday, October 7, 2019

Historiographical trends from the 1960s onwards and how it affected Essay

Historiographical trends from the 1960s onwards and how it affected the ways in which historians write about women in the past - Essay Example In America, during the reconstruction era, a lot of rights were violated including women's segregation. However, feminism movement was not due to the suffrage only, women's image to the society as mothers, daughters and wives were challenged by women activists. "Gender conflict was as deeper as ever both before and after World War I, and the vote finally granted in 1918, proved a weak tool for a change" (Copelman, 1990). Women suffragists sparked the fire for the feminism movements around the world, with feminism movement expanding into other areas in women liberations. A lot have been documented in various historical journals women's struggle; this history representation has helped a lot in shaping the contemporary history and making historians have critical look at how women were represented in past in history writings. Historiography of women's history has played a vital role in shaping women's history or new history with historians arguing for new historical analysis on how gender has constituted to the social changes and relationships. For Dina Copelman in reviewing article 'Liberal Ideology, Sexuality difference and the Lives of Women: Recent Works in British History' in Edwardian and Victorian political life, there had been complex role of women which could have hard time with liberal natural rights tradition and theories of sexual difference. The study according to Copelman, allows historians to see the relative value of different modes of interpretation in the historical analysis of women and gender. Nevertheless, a lot have been written about women involvement and how women started themselves writing books, biographies, poems and ballads to mention a few. More and more have been written but most historians especially women historians have given detailed account of women presentations or involvement in history and how they had been presented by previous historians. "The history of historiography made remarkable presentation how historians portrayed women in the history writings, she pointed out that women were presented as wives, daughters and mothers and being denied participations in other areas as politics, economic activities and leadership positions." (Copelman, 1990). Like Copelman, other historians reviewed women presentations in history writings with the emergence of gender and feminism movements which picked up in 1960s. Historians in searching of women participations in various activities discovered that very little was written about women as many historians in that time were men, whose focus were on masculinity. "Women were ignored in history writing due to the fact that male historians decided what was historically significant to be written and what wasn't, with war, and politics being in their top lists and ignoring that fact family, social relationships and marriage mattered, the area where women were much involved in, hence being left out of male historian writings." (Millions, European Women and Historical Writing 1400-1800). Many male historians portrayed women as objects in their writings and not as subjects, the inclination which has largely

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Hazards of Aluminium Welding Fumes Research Paper

Hazards of Aluminium Welding Fumes - Research Paper Example The biggest problem is that the diseases do not develop immediately but appear after a few years of exposure. The impact of pollution at the workplace on productivity has been well investigated. Studies on the impact of pollution at work environment in productivity reveal a tendency of reduction in economic activity (Marrewijk, 2005). "Sick Building Syndrome" (SBS) and 'Building related illness' (BRI) gives rise to employee complaints such as headaches, dizziness, disorientation, fatigue, ear, eye and throat irritations. The world demand for high-speed ferries and LNG tanks is being met with an increase in Aluminium welding and casting production. This has introduced a new health hazard to the Aluminium welders and ways are being probed to protect the welders against the Aluminium fumes. In the U.K, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations stipulates that the occupational exposure limit for Aluminium fume should not exceed 5mgm exp 3 of air. Aluminium fumes during welding also generate quantities of ozone gas, which can cause nausea (Rabin, 1997) and unconsciousness. Welding is a process in which metal or other thermoplastic materials are joined together by the application of heat or pore sure or both. Electric welding was introduced in the 1940s. Aluminium welding has been in prominence since 1970. There are several types of welding like Arc welding and Manual metal arc is a common process where the workers are exposed to the fumes. Carbon arc, Cold welding, Electron beam welding, Flux core arc welding, Gas welding, Gas metal arc welding, Gas tungsten arc welding, Shielded metal arc welding, Plasma arc welding, Laser beam welding are the other welding processes where workers are exposed to metal fumes. The welding workers have a high exposure of metal fumes and the exposure depends on the place, confined space, workshop or open air.  

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Women and Society Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Women and Society - Assignment Example (333-340). Is the society ready to embrace the same sex marriages? The part on To Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected is an interesting one and it keeps explaining how enlightened women are constantly stereotyped as males in the society; some are even discriminated (Kirk & Okazawa-Rey 350-357). I propose that these women be appreciated and even motivated to do more in the society. In this era, the society is expected to change its perspective and even learn that women can do well just as the men have in the previous years. In Women and Men Living on the Edge, it is unfortunate how the economic strains impact the humans (Kirk & Okazawa-Rey 358-360). Worse still, the women suffer more in the case of such economic strains since they bear the burden of the children and even the entire family. The women still remain the disadvantaged group in contrast to their male counterparts. This can also be credited to their being in the private sphere at most times. In my opinion, I believe a family comprises of close persons. This does not mean that these persons need to be related by blood. If one has a very close person or friend that has always been there for their tribulations, then in my opinion, that is a family member. A family is simply a group of people with a common need, not necessarily background. I would justify the differences in pay based on an individual’s certifications. A person that is more learned needs to get a higher pay and vice versa. This is because such a person has a high level of expertise and experience in their work as opposed to a person that rarely upgrades their

Friday, October 4, 2019

The Art of Jepanese Buddhist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Art of Jepanese Buddhist - Essay Example â€Å"Buddhist art originated from Indian subcontinents, with contact from other cultures all over Asia and passage of time. The art spread rapidly to other parts of Asia and into Japan† (Kim 267). We are going to use images of Buddha from the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in our university. This paper aims at explaining the introduction of Buddhist art and development that come along as a result of Buddhism in Japan. As said above, Buddhist art owes its origin to the Indian subcontinent, the Buddhist religion and art thought to have come from China into Japan through the Korean peninsula. The Buddhist art encouraged by prince Shotoku and emperor Shomu in Seiko (6th century). This period also known as Nara period and was during the eighth century. This period in conjunction with Heian and Kamakura saw Buddhist art grow to a great extent. Several ceremonies accompanied this period, Nara, one of the most famous eye opening ceremony performed by the Japanese, at that time always accompanied by a sumptuous vegetarian banquet during the fourth of 752 for the Birushana. This ceremony is commonly known as â€Å"Great Buddha† of Todai-ji. These ceremonies get conducted in front of an icon with flowers, incense and candles. As long as the eye opening ceremony had not been performed on the carved woods, these icons got regarded as inanimate wooden substances or plants; Heian period then followed. During the early stages of Heian period, architecture and Buddhist art significantly influenced the traditional Shinto arts and Hindu art. This resulted into Buddhist painting becoming fashionable especially among the affluent Japanese. Kamakura period saw to the blossoming of the country’s Buddhist sculpture which owes its origin greatly to the works of Heian period. Buddhist art seems diverse, bold and creative. The period after 13th century saw a changeover to Zen art from orthodox Buddhist art (Joseph 652). This philosophy introduced into the country vi a Dogen and Eisai on the return journey from China. Hosts of several unique pottery and paintings showing their desire to unravel the true meaning of life can still be found belonging to that time. Art forms like martial arts and Ikebana also came up during that period. The Amida sect of the religion availed the foundation for many famous artworks. Buddhist arts gained popularity among several citizens as they fell in love with the scroll paintings, paintings of Buddhas, paintings applied in worship, hell and other religious themes. While under the Zen, sect portraitures of holy priests such as Bodhi dharma also gained popularity in addition to Sumi-e brush painting and scroll calligraphy. The popularity of Buddhist arts led to an increase in the number of Buddhist’s Temples to about 80,000 Temples in Japan, majority of these Buddhist’s Temples being made from wood. This compelled the Buddhists to carry out massive restoration in order to preserve the holy Temples. The arrival of Buddhism into Japan played a significant role in the Buddhist art, â€Å"its introduction from a Korean kingdom known as Paekche† (Charles 232) as part of a series of diplomatic exchanges that perpetuated into a wider awareness of the material cultures and beliefs of Korea and China. Further cultural exchanges during the 6th and 7th centuries brought not only a writing system (using Chinese characters), but also a religion; consequently, this led to a highly refined material culture and a sophisticated

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Marshall Plan Essay Example for Free

Marshall Plan Essay How important was the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan to the crystallization of Cold War Tensions in Europe in the years 1945-1951? When considering the crystallization of Cold War tensions in Europe one can not overlook the impact of both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. Although events were often ‘a cycle of action and reaction which makes the identification of ultimate causes difficult and probably impossible’ both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan signaled a turning point in relations between east and west Europe. The solidification of Cold War tensions in Europe is, for the sake of this essay, the point at which it was clear that relations between the United Sates and the Soviet Union were unsalvageable as their ideological differences became increasingly polarized. Although the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan were considered by the American administration as ‘two halves of the same walnut’ to fully explore the consequences of the American policies one must look at them separately. The Truman Doctrine hailed in a new era for the US’s foreign policy through the definition of containment and the introduction of formal institutions such as the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence agency and the Department of Defense. This showed a move towards a more assertive foreign policy, arguably provoking the Soviet Union and escalating tensions between the two powers. Similarly the Marshall Plan’s encroachment on what the USSR saw as their sphere of influence through their offer of financial aid triggered a threatened Soviet Russia to intensify their authority over satellite states. Their dramatic actions in Czechoslovakia can be seen as evidence of the importance of the role the Marshall Plan played in escalating tensions in Europe as these events can be viewed as a direct consequence of changing US foreign policy. However to fully appreciate the complexities of the issues covered when looking at the development of Cold War tensions in Europe one must place these events in a wider contextual framework. To ignore the political, social or economic issues which form the background of this timeframe would be to oversimplify the issue. It is therefore imperative to look as the situation from both US and Soviet viewpoints whilst considering the issues the nations were dealing with domestically. By 1951 Europe was undeniably divided, with two power blocs emerging, east and west. Whilst the formulation of these tensions had originated from a shared history dating back to before the war, the culmination of these tensions is undeniably linked to both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan as they ‘solidified divisions of Europe’. The Truman Doctrine, through the role it played in outlining the Soviet Union as the enemy and defining the American policy of containment, was a hugely significant step towards the crystallization of Cold War Tensions in Europe. The Truman Doctrine argued that, after Britain’s need to reduce its participation in aiding Greece, congress must ‘immediately extend financial aid’ because of the threat of ‘communist domination’. However, far from solely asking for economic and military aid for Greece and Turkey the doctrine took on the role of calling for the ‘global containment of communism’. The combination of a definition of the United States’ foreign policy towards communism and the demonstration of their commitment through action did help the move towards a divided Europe. Furthermore it solidified and defined the ideology upon which US foreign policy was made. A key consequence of the Truman Doctrine was the changes it caused in the United States’ decision-making process. As Painter explains, the support elicited for the strategy of containment meant that American administrations were ‘able to act on their beliefs about the relationship between politics, economics and US security’. This signaled an era in which the US would base their foreign policy around their capitalist ideology, one completely at odds with the Soviet Union. These beliefs were strengthened by the introduction of new governmental institutions such as the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence agency and the Department of Defense arguably moving towards a more ‘activist foreign policy’ presenting a clear threat to the USSR. Kennan, seen as the father of containment was a crucial figure in the emergence of Cold War tensions in Europe through his writings that inspired the Truman doctrine. Whilst looking at the effects of the Truman Doctrine it is imperative that we look at the role Kennan took in not only promoting containment as a strategy of foreign policy but also defining the Soviet Union. From Moscow Kennan sent the ‘Long Telegram’ suggesting that the USSR was an aggressive nation and that the only successful form of American foreign policy would be a long term strategy of containment. Kennan encouraged the US to view the Soviet Union as ‘inherently expansionist and aggressive’, in effect suggesting that the USSR should be seen as the enemy. While Kennan explained his actions as not ‘directed at combating communism but restoration of economic health’ in Europe it is clear that his constant rhetoric describing the Soviet Union as a threat that needed to be contained did much to not only encouraging domestic fear and anti communist views but also to provoke the Soviet Union into changing its foreign policy. Kennan would further influence the escalation of tensions through the role he played in the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan, like the Truman Doctrine, may not have intended to divide Europe, for a number of reasons this was the final outcome. Based around the ideas that ‘The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want’ the Marshall Plan was seen as necessary to avoid the spread of communism. The Marshall Plan was seen by the American administration as the ‘next important step against the perceived Russian threat’ as it was imperative to remove the misery and want which was rife in an economically ruined Europe. However, to the USSR the Marshall Plan was perceived quite differently, it was a western attempt to encroach on their sphere of influence. The Marshall Plan had far wider reaching consequences that simply supporting a recovering Europe economically. Through looking at the Soviet reaction to the Marshall Plan we see that it played a key role in the crystallization of Cold War tensions in Europe. The reaction to the Marshall plan by the Soviet Union marked a turning point in relations between east and west Europe as they served to split countries whose ideologies were drifting further apart. As the Marshall Plan was arguably the spark set off the chain of events it can be seen as hugely important in the crystallization of Cold War tensions in Europe. Whilst the Truman doctrine may have put a strain on relations between America and the Soviet Union the Marshall Plan as Myrdal, who guided the Economic Commission for Europe saw it, it would ‘secure the iron curtain and bring on war’. The Marshall plan therefore seems to have been the point at which Europe was split as it presented to the nations of Europe the choice between the two great powers and their ideologies. To revisionist historians such as Kolko the Marshall plan served the purpose of bringing Soviet fears to the fore and thus increasing tensions. It is clear that the Marshall plan ‘forced Stalin to reassess his stance towards East and West Europe’ which escalated Cold War tensions. Many revisionist historians will argue that the Soviet reaction to the Marshall Plan was one natural for a country that felt weak and under attack. It could be argued that the Marshall Plan in the eyes of the USSR was a concerted attempt by the United States to undermine Soviet influence in Eastern Europe. To Taubman and Kolko it is therefore clear that it was the Marshall Plan that sparked the escalation of tensions. Whilst it could be argued that this was not the case as the Marshall Plan was open to Soviet participation Crockartt shows that the US administration took steps to avoid communist participation in the plan. Kennan, who as aforementioned had been clear about his views on containment and the Soviet Union made sure that the plan ‘be done in such a form that Russian satellites would either exclude themselves†¦or agree to abandon the exclusive orientation of their economies’. This therefore encouraged divisions within Europe, as now there was a clear indication of whether or not the country subscribed to East or West ideologies. Furthermore many argue that the inclusion of Soviet states was due to a ‘desire not to invite the charge that the ERP was an anti-communist measure’ rather than a genuine offer of financial aid. One could therefore argue that it was not surprising that the plan caused tensions, as soviet inclusion was highly unlikely. The extent to which the Soviet Union felt threatened can be seen through actions taken as a result of the Marshall plan, seen by historians such as Gaddis as a turning point in the development of the Cold War. The Soviet Union now seemed to act on a wish to unite the communist parties around Eastern Europe through the introduction of organizations such as Comiform. The Communist information Bureau can be seen as an attempt by Stalin to bring the communist parties around Europe under more soviet control. Furthermore the Molotov Plan, seen by many as a Soviet version of the Marshall plan, aimed to provide financial aid for struggling economies that fell under soviet influence. The influence the Marshall Plan can be seen clearly through the introduction of the Molotov plan as it suggests that either Eastern European countries were so affected by their rejection of the Marshall Plan they needed a similar proposal or Stalin felt so threatened he felt the need to create his own version. However perhaps the most striking Soviet reaction to the Marshall Plan was the events that took place in Czechoslovakia in 1948. The impact can be illustrated in the fact that the only remaining non-communist leader in Eastern Europe was removed, shocking the United States and heightening the divisions between east and west, polarizing both powers. The Czech coup, in which the communist part, with strong Soviet support assumed total control over the Czech government and purged any non communist political figures. Furthermore the ‘Stalinization’ of both Czechoslovakia and Hungary’s societies due to fears brought about by the Marshall plan further intensified the differences between east and west. Through the introduction of the collectivization of farming, an emphasis on manufacturing and a suppression of opposition eastern European countries were forced to become more extreme in their politics, separating Europe and increasing Cold War tensions. The reaction by the US illustrated the impact of events in Czechoslovakia as they it aided the swift implementation of the Marshall Plan, the creation of West Germany and in under a year the creation of NATO. It is clear to see therefore that the Marshall Plan played a key role in escalating tensions between the east and west in Europe. However, these views have been challenged. Although the impact of the combination of the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine was undeniable in moving Europe towards a period of Cold War tensions the extent of their impact is a source of debate. The importance of the Marshall Plan is undermined by a number of issues that show that although it may have played an important role in the crystallization of Cold war tensions in Europe it was by no means the only influence. Historians such as Crockartt will point out the fact that one needs to consider the fact that both nations had hugely differing political styles and circumstances. The Soviet Union entered this period with ‘enhanced prestige after playing a key role in defeating the Nazis’and possessed, through ruling communist parties, tight control over their sphere of influence. The United States however placed a much greater emphasis on the justification of their actions abroad through official documents and formal organizations, as they did not, as the communists did, have puppet rulers in foreign governments. Therefore it could be argued that these differences in political style were the truly important factors in the consolidation of Cold War tensions rather than particular events or policies. However, whilst the differing political styles may have been important these were long term issues that had a constant role in the diplomacy between the USSR and the US. It would be difficult therefore to argue that these played any decisive part in the crystallization of the tensions these differences helped to create. Therefore it could be argued that actions such as the announcement of the Marshall Plan and documents such as the Truman doctrine were the real cause of the solidification of these tensions. One must look at this period of time not just as a chronological series of events but place these events within the framework of the political, social and economic features also prominent at the time. Much of the post-revisionist historiography, with the benefit of hindsight, takes into account these complexities and sees the causes of Cold War tensions in Europe as far more diverse. When these issues are taken into account we see that there was a host of issues at the time all culminating to solidify Cold War tensions in Europe. As aforementioned the Soviet Union entered the period with a new identity, that of a great power of the world. Both the US and the Soviet Union had to react to this change of order and historians such as David Reynolds will even argue that the Cold War was inevitable given the shared history between the two powers. However although tensions may have been inevitable, as mentioned earlier, the solidification of these strains seems to revolve around the implementation of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan as they polarized the nations ideologies and pulled them further apart. As Crockartt explains revisionist historians view American economic expansionism for capitalist profits as at the heart of tensions between the United States and the USSR and it was the differences in the two nations ideologies that solidified divisions. American determination to keep ‘western Europe (as a) safe arena for international capitalism’ was the fundamental force of strains between the US and the Soviet Union. The wording of President Truman’s message to congress on March 12 1947 regarding US involvement in Greece and Turkey arguably shows the intertwined nature between American foreign policy and capitalist gains. In his address persuading congress to assist Greece and Turkey Truman refers to capital spent on the Second World War as an ‘investment’ in world freedom. The document makes it clear that, to the US administration economic stability and freedom from communism are inextricably linked. The Marshall Plan can hoever be seen as the manifestation of these ideologies and therefore this argument suggests the Marshall Plan had an even greater influence. Furthermore the importance of the Truman Doctrine in heightening Cold War tensions in Europe is called into question as Painter points out Stalin did little to significantly support the efforts of the Greek communists. Whilst some may argue that this because of the success of US aid, others would see it as undermining the significance of the Truman doctrine as Stalin only showed slight concern for the success of communist rebels in Greece. However this could be because of strains in Soviet relations with Yugoslavia being a greater priority that the potential of a Greek communist uprising. Furthermore although Soviet reaction to the Truman Doctrine may have shown reluctance to act on Stalin’s part, US actions in Greece, Turkey and Iran showed their ‘determination to maintain Western access’ to overseas trade zones. The Truman Doctrine and the Marshal plan played an undeniable role in escalating Cold War tensions between 1945 and 1951. Although they may not have formed the basis of these tensions, which had built up in the post-war years, they seem to act as the nail in the coffin for US/Soviet relations. One could argue that as a result of the definition of not only their differences, but also the definition of the Soviet Union as aggressive and expansionist, the Truman Doctrine waved in an era of hostility. The Marshall Plan further polarized European states as one either subscribed to Marshall aid, or didn’t, in effect the Iron Curtain was drawn. One must never overlook the issues that formed the basis of tensions between the US and the USSR as these similarly contributed to the crystallization of cold war tensions. At the crux of strains between the US and the USSR were the disparate ideologies the two nations held at the heart of their foreign policy and as a result the contrasting ways of looking at events and actions. This period sees the polarization of these ideologies and therefore the solidification between the two nations can be seen as inevitable. However, fundamentally the Marshall Plan and The Truman Doctrine provided a platform for these tensions to develop and escalate and because of this they were hugely important in the crystallization of Cold War Tensions in Europe. Bibliography: Primary Sources: President Trumans Message to Congress; March 12, 1947; Document 171; 80th Congress, 1st Session; Records of the United States House of Representatives; Record Group 233; National Archives. Secondary Sources: Crockatt, R., Fifty Years War: United States and Soviet Union in World Politics (London 1996) Barros, J., Trygve Lie The UN Secretary-General Pursues Peace, 1946-1953 (Illinois 1989) P.125 J. L., Gaddis, We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History (1997) J. L., Gaddis, Strategies of Containment†¬: A Critical Appraisal of American National Security Policy During the Cold War†¬ (Oxford 1982)†¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ Hogan, M. J., The Marshall Plan: America, Britain, and the Reconstruction of Western Europe, 1947-1952 (US, 1990) Review by Charles S. M., in American Visions and British Interests: Hogans Marshall Plan Kolko, G., The Limits of Power: The world and United States Foreign Policy, 1941-1949 (1970) Painter, D. S., The Cold War: An Interdisciplinary History (London, GBR) Taubman, W., Stalin’s American Policy: From Entente to Dà ©tente to Cold War (New York 1982) p.172-3