Essay on Oryx and Crake A Modern-Day Frankenstein

In the novel Oryx and Crake, and the classic Frankenstein, the main characters share very similar characteristics. Both Crake and Victor Frankenstein try to create a new human race which eventually leads to disaster. Also, they childishly refuse to take responsibilities for their mistakes. Even though the two books were written almost 200 years apart, it goes to show that the same problems that affected Victor in 1817 are still affecting the society of the future in which Crake lives in. The embedded Frankenstein story in Oryx and Crake suggests that Crake is a Dr. Frankenstein who refuses to take responsibility for his creations. Crake and Dr. Victor Frankenstein share many similarities, which are shown by their actions. Both Crake†¦show more content†¦By doing this, it foreshadows the troubles in the book that are to come. Victors love for new sciences and interest in things undiscovered is what drives him to create his monster. Victor becomes obsessed with the creation of life. I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation. (Shelley 46) The main problem with Victors creation of the monster is that he one, abandons it as soon as it comes to life; and second, Victor did not think of all possible things that could go wrong, or plan very well for the catastrophic project he was taking on. Even though the outcome of Crake and Victors actions may not have had a positive impact on the society they lived in, neither of them intended their projects to end with the negative and tragic effects that they both did. In Frankenstein, Victor is given another chance by the monster to create a second monster, or be killed. Even though in the end Victor backs down from his creation of the second monster, at first he accepts the proposal. I was moved. I shuddered when I thought of the possible consequences of my consent. (Shelley 145) This quote shows that even though Victor subconsciously knew that creating another monster was wrong, he agrees anyway. He knew how it would end. I believe that what Crake did, ended exactly how he planned it also, and if he had the chance to do it all over

Certain Catalysts Can Affect Change, Gow’s Away Compared to the Help Free Essays

People can act as catalysts for change. Both Gow and Taylor use the main character’s circumstances to affect change in attitude amongst the other characters. In ‘Away’, Tom’s fatal illness causes the other characters to realise the value of their lives and become more positive about life. We will write a custom essay sample on Certain Catalysts Can Affect Change, Gow’s Away Compared to the Help or any similar topic only for you Order Now In ‘The help’, Skeeter’s mission to write a book to uncover the harsh mistreatment of the African American helpers to change the white community’s attitude. In both texts the authors use techniques appropriate to their medium to demonstrate this change in attitude. In ‘The Help’ the character Skeeter is the catalyst for change. The change she causes is a change in mentality towards the African American helpers. This change in mentality is represented through Skeeter’s mother. Gow uses contrasting scenes to show the mother’s change in mentality, which is also represented through the general change in the attitude of the white community. This is shown through the juxtaposition of the early scene where Skeeter and her helpers are sitting in the television room watching an African American speak on TV. Skeeter’s mother finds them watching the African American and commands them to turn it off. With the use of a low camera angle Skeeter’s mother shows authority and power over the African American helpers as well as Skeeter herself. In the end scene Skeeter and the African American helpers are watching the same thing on TV. Skeeter sees her mother and goes to turn off the TV. Skeeter’s mother says to leave it on and joins them on the couch. The camera angle changes in this scene from the early scene whereby Taylor makes use of a low camera angle. Skeeter’s mother does not show authority or power over everyone including the African American helpers. Skeeter is shocked by this change in attitude, but is happy that her mother is finally changing her mentality towards the helpers. Therefore through the use of contrasting camera angles, Taylor shows a change in attitude, brought about by the catalyst of Skeeter’s character. In ‘Away’, Gow also uses the main character as the catalyst for change. Like in â€Å"The Help†, the change he causes is a change in mentality of the other characters. This change occurs due to Tom’s fatal illness, which makes the other characters in the play become more positive and realise how precious life is. The change in mentality is shown through one particular character, Gwen. The techniques used to show the change in mentality is the use of stage directions and dialogue. The use of these techniques show the way that Gwen changes her attitude towards life. At the beginning of the play, the use of repetition of the word ‘no’ demonstrates her negativity. This negativity is changed when Gwen finds out that Tom has a fatal illness and does not have very long to live. This causes Gwen to see her life in a different mentality, changing her into a nicer and more appreciative person. This is shown through the technique of stage directions in the final scene of the play, where ‘the applause is led thunderously by Gwen’. This technique shows the shift in mentality to a much more positive outlook on life. In conclusion, both Gow and Taylor show how people can act as catalysts for change. In both ‘Away’ and ‘The Help’ the main characters are the catalysts for a change in mentality. This change is a time consuming process, however both Gow and Taylor show how valuable this change can be. How to cite Certain Catalysts Can Affect Change, Gow’s Away Compared to the Help, Papers

Emerson And Thoreau Essay Example For Students

Emerson And Thoreau Essay Dance to the beat of your own drummer:; A piece of advice that I have been told my whole life, and have tried my hardest to follow. The words were taken from Thoreaus quote, If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.; Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau changed our lives. How? Well, the answer is not so simple as the statement. To understand fully how they affected our lives, we have to understand the philosophy of Emerson and Thoreau, and the relationship between the two. So lets begin with the relationship between Emerson and Thoreau. Emerson was born in 1803, into a family of ministers. He went to Harvard where he studied theology and philosophy, among other subjects. It was at Harvard where Emerson discovered transendentalism, and his career shifted paths. He started to give lectures on his philosophy of life and the human spirit. It was at one of these lectures that a young, influential man by the name Thoreau first was introduced to Emerson. Thoreau, born in 1817, was the son of a pencil maker. His mother ran a boarding house where she hosted many of the intellectuals of their time. Thoreau attended Harvard as well, and that was where he was introduced to Emerson. He became fascinated with Emersons philosophy while sitting in on one of his lectures. Emerson became Thoreaus mentor and advisor. A relationship that soon deepened to a friendship. Many people claim that Thoreaus ideas were simply taken from Emersons, in fact, some critics call Thoreau Emersons miror. And although their philosophies greatly reflecte d one another, they differed in many ways as well. Emersons writing focused on nonconformity and individuality. In his essay Self-Reliance, he wrote, Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind, and, Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. Emerson writings were also more focused on the self; philosophy of humanism and Independence from society are all things that Emerson wrote on frequently. Thoreau, while focusing on matters of the self in many of his essays, tended to have more of a political overtone to his writing. In Civil Disobedience;, Thoreaus most famous social protest, He explains that it is our civil right to disagree with laws. He believed that people must be free to act according to their own idea of right and wrong, without government interference. In Civil Disobedience, he said that people should refuse to obey any law they believe is unjust. Thoreau practiced this type of passive resistance when, in 1846, he refused to pay poll taxes. He did so to express his opposition to the Mexican War. Thoreau spent one night in jail for his refusal. The essay greatly influenced such reformers as Leo Tolstoy of Russia, Mohandas Gandhi of India, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other leaders of the American civil rights movement. Emerson wrote about nature, saying that in order to find your true self, you must cut yourself off from society and retreat to nature. Thoreau did just this. In 1845, Thoreau moved to the shore of Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. It was there that he wrote one of his two novels ever published; Walden. The book was not only a celebration of people living in harmony with nature, but an example of withdrawing yourself from society to find yourself. An identity untainted by the modern day society. In his novel, he asked the readers to economize, to simplify their lives, and thus to save the time and energy that will allow them to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. Thoreau was very much an activist. Whereas Emerson would simply write an essay on something that he felt strongly about, Thoreau would take it to the next level and participate. For example, in the anti-slavery movement. Emerson never took a stand on abolition; he never stated if he was for or against it. This angered Thoreau. Not only did Thoreau write several essays on the subject, attacking it in the essay Slavery in Massachusetts, and defending the violent abolitionist John Brown, and his raid at Harpers Ferry in A Plea

Using Artificial Intelligence in Educational Processes

Using Artificial Intelligence in Educational Processes Thoughts concerning education, entertainment and communication has been changing during many years. Approximately 30 years ago, students just listened music on their cassette players to have some rest from studying. These days, modern students prefer communicating via their messenger apps, making video calls, sharing moment photos, using their innovate smart devices. That means that we live in a world, where everything can change in a minute. There are many technologies, which contribute greatly to people`s life by facilitating it. The same is about education. There are some significant breakthroughs, which tend to improve the whole system, make it more comfortable and flexible. It is not actually a secret that all students who attend schools or collages are different, with own specific abilities, skills and preferences. No wonder that even the most expensive private educational establishments cannot provide students with personal lectures and in-depth explanation of this or that issue. The chatbots, instead, can provide all students with one-on-one lectures service, what means a personal approach to everybody. Taking this point into account, these chatbots are considered to be the most comfortable, suitable and affordable options in this situation. It is said, the most important aim of any chatbot is to follow a student through the whole curriculum. These bots are involved in communication with each student, determining their troubling subjects and topics. Then, this information is used to prepare a special learning program, which is 100% personalized and is focused on those things students fall behind. Also, chatbots should guide students and check their improvements from the very beginning till the end of the lessons. The most actual question that arises from the chatbots instruction is whether they will replace teachers at work or not? The answer is no, of course. Chatbots are not created to take somebody`s job. Just on the contrary, they will take great efforts on repetitive tasks, what will only make teachers` job more meaningful. We know that teacher`s responsibilities are all about providing them with required knowledge. In this case, chatbots will do that instead of teachers, while they will have more opportunities to keep in touch with students on some friendlier terms and develop their mentorship. It will be very beneficial for those with some learning disabilities. So, how artificial intelligence will influence education?The majority of scientists claim that the construction of chatbots will only make the learning process more efficient and productive. There also exist some other bots, simpler ones, which are used in many schools and colleges. Such programs have one or even several functionalities, which handle target problems. Here are some facts about Artificial Intelligence and chatbots and ways how they can improve the education: Essay scoring: in the future, chatbots will facilitate teachers` job greatly by scoring the overall band for the whole essay, taking into account all specifications and peculiarities.Spaced Interval Learning: this learning concept is about repeating the old material all the time for better memorizing.Feedbacks from students: these days, students` assessments are important for teachers. So, by using new technologies, students will just have to fill in the order form online with the help of chatbots. Undoubtedly, no child should be left behind. These new technologies are implemented for people`s benefit only. The smart chatbot is a useful tool, which will surely help some students to reveal and develop themselves.

Does Content Marketing Help Retain Current Customers

Does Content Marketing Help Retain Current Customers Content marketing is celebrated as an excellent strategy to widen the sales funnel. Producing a variety of content geared toward a prospective customer keeps your brand top of mind, persuading them to move further in the sales process. Rand Fishkin explained it best  when he said that content marketing is at times a long and laborious process of constantly reminding your customers. So its easy to think once that sale is completed, so is the content. This is a huge mistake by marketers- its essentially ignoring and devaluing an individual once they become a customer. Instead there should be a content strategy in place that builds value, strengthens customer trust and increases potential for brand evangelism, upselling and cross-selling opportunities. #ContentMarketing still continues after the sale. It  constantly reminds your customers of you.The After the Close Dilemma After the sale, there is the vital step of keeping your commitments. At its core, it means keeping your customer happy. Did you guarantee your product or service could solve a specific need? Then it had better deliver. In addition to carrying out the agreement, there are natural emotions and hiccups along the way, including: Buyers remorse New influencers and decision makers Resentment or aggression Distrust Failure to build value Ian Lurie of Portent, Inc. describes the post-sale risks perfectly in the following graph: While his example was specific to marketing agencies, every customer goes through a post-sale evaluation of their purchase. Failure on your part to keep commitments and continue to drive home value opens the door for your competition to get the next sale. So what should you be doing to keep the customer? For many businesses, this may mean tailoring content for multiple departments in charge of project delivery, customer service and long-term customer relationship building. Here are recommendations for each of these three key areas, and some examples of companies doing it best. #1 Project Delivery For most business, going back to keeping your commitments falls on the project delivery team. Think of the software, medical or finance industries with a robust sales staff and defined sales process. Often a closed deal is passed to an account manager. And then, unfortunately, a client is often  underwhelmed because the focus is more on the initial sale rather than project delivery. Since most customers have an established and trusted relationship with the sales representative and not the project delivery team, content marketing can help with this sensitive transition between sales and project delivery, helping you  meet a customers expectations and keep them for the long-term. How do you do this? Building Trust With Customers The last thing you want is for your customers to not trust you after youve made the sale. Distrust stems from a variety of circumstances, such as confusion with your service delivery or perhaps a poor experience with your type of business in the past. Content helps lessen any growing  doubt by establishing credibility and initial trust with the prospect. For example, our agency provides our clients with a tip sheet to making web design projects run smoothly. While many of the tips may seem obvious, it positions us as a serious firm that is dedicated to delivering work on time and on budget. It helps customers trust us. Addressing Customer Inquiries How many times have you scrolled through a lengthy FAQ page and never found  an answer? An ideal customer is one that is proactive in educating themselves, so your content marketing should at least  help a customer do that. Free graphic design tool Canva is great at proactively addressing customer questions, taking their help beyond the basic FAQ page. Their DESIGN 101 newsletter guides beginner users on how to create new designs, ultimately drawing them back to the Canva site. While this is a free tool, educating users after their initial sign up keeps the hype alive and more signups coming in. Off the shelf answers like this not only immediately address customer inquiries but save time for the project delivery team. Do more than provide customers with an FAQ. Use email and blog content to help them learn.Does Your Customer Understand The Features? Some of your customers may be purchasing your service or product for the very first time. While the sales process sells the customer on features and expected outcomes, that doesn’t mean that  theyll immediately know how to handle what they just purchased. You will probably have to help them out quite a bit after the sale. For example, You Need A Budget. (YNAB) simplifies their budgeting platform through a library of tutorial videos on how to effectively use their service. Instead of crafting an FAQ and calling it a day, YNAB repurposes many of their customers’ top concerns and questions into video to continue use of the product. If the client does not use the product, they wont see much value in it. Ongoing content ensures continuous usage. Customers purchase based on features and what should happen. They will need help to MAKE it happen.Pointing Out New Needs Upselling is hard, but crucial for service-focused companies  that want to  maintain a viable business. Essentially, you have to be on the lookout to upsell.  A great way to do this is to re-convert existing customers by continuously responding to market demands and creating new product features. For example, when Twitter was rolling out their own advertising platform, Twitter for Business, they partnered with other social media gurus on webinars to educate current Twitter users on social media best practices. By covering new trends in social media, Twitter not only promoted their brand, they upsold Twitter ads. A current customer is still a potential customer. Are you ready to re-convert them to new features?#2 Customer Service In an ideal world, you gathered enough information  in the initial sales process that you’re prepared to react to any client objections, problems or questions. In reality, this isn’t usually  the case. While your established processes, tools, and people have a large impact on the success of customer service, content marketing can also play a role in reducing customer frustration and abandonment. In other words, your content can be that bridge that cross that gap. Addressing Customer Emergencies Customer emergencies are where customer service can either excel or crash and burn. The horror stories of unprofessional and unhelpful customer service departments are shared all over the web. To create a responsive customer service environment, it is important to make sure they have  useful content they can refer to and share with customers. This content might be in the form of informational one-sheets, downloadable help guides, videos or social media that can take some weight off their shoulders when an extraordinary issue arises. A common case study in poor customer service is the airline industry- and the gold standard is Virgin America. Before content marketing was a bonafide strategy, Virgin America’s safety video took a typical safety message  and revamped it for their customers. Delta is doing something similar with their safety videos, too.  I see flight attendants as an interesting mix between safety guards and customer service- this video marries the two in an entertaining way. Solving Common Product Issues Even if you believe your product or service delivery is 100% foolproof, any time  a customer has to handle any part of the execution, chances are theyll run into some issues. Based on how many customers you have, this can become overwhelming for customer service to manage. Similar to creating content internally, many companies are opting to put the content creation in their customers hands. Enabling customers with tools like community forums and knowledge bases is a great way to use content to build customer service (not to mention the SEO benefits). Moz is a perfect example of communities that use  the expertise of their clients to help  new ones. Continuing To Build Trust Remember the importance of building trust during project management? Customer service keeps that foundation secure. Customer mistrust can stem from many occurrences- product recalls, poor media coverage, buggy features, and unsatisfactory delivery–just to name a few. Social media is a perfect tool for a customer service team as long as proper training and processes are in place. Even if you prefer email to handle most of your customers questions, social media can keep you in front of  your followers in a personal way. Dan Norris of WPCurve is an excellent example of continuing to build trust with his potential network. While he lets his service delivery team handle all customer communication, his Twitter followers receive company updates and accomplishments to drive home trust in using WPCurve. Explaining Sensitive Issues Personal concerns and sensitive topics may play out in a business transaction. Its never fun having difficult conversations with a customer, but content can help ease anxieties and keep a project on task. The Vanguard Blog takes the formality and nerves out of personal issues like investment, retirement planning and tax planning through the expertise of Vanguard employees. By publishing blog posts based on common issues and conversations they have with their clients, theyre helping the greater community in handling complex and sensitive issues. #3 Customer Advocacy Within your client base, there are a small percentage of customers who truly love what you do and want to tell people about it. This is a marketers dream, as word of mouth still reigns supreme. Building a customer advocacy base takes a lot of time, but building content that enables your current supporters is a good starting point. Continuing Product Loyalty Once a sale is complete, that doesnt mean your customer is 100% guaranteed to re-purchase when the time comes. Whether it takes days, weeks, months or years for a re-purchase, content can keep your business top of mind when the timing is right. Copyblogger offers membership-only access to third party companies such as New Rainmaker and ongoing discounts to events and training. Their members also receive access to advanced articles, webinars and their community forum for paid members. Continuously providing value after a membership is purchased reminds the customer when theyre ready to renew how invaluable their service has been. Even if your business is not a membership-type business, you can still create a membership feel with exclusive content only available to current or past customers.

A cellular network

A cellular network A cellular network is a radio network made of number of radio cells, each severed by fixed positioned based station. These cells stations cover several different areas and provide large radio coverage. In order for this to happen a variable number of portable transceivers can be used in any cell and moved through one cell during transmission. The use of multiple cells means that if the distributed transceivers are mobile and moving from one point to another point they should change also from cell to cell. This mechanism could be different according to the type of network and change of circumstances. In this case clear coordination between base station and mobile station is must in order to avoid communication interruption. The most common example of cellular Network is a cell or mobile phone, which is a portable telephone that could be dialled or receives calls through base station or transmitting tower. Radio waves transfer signal to and from mobile phone. The coverage area of serv ice provider sometime is split into small cells in order to prevent signal losses and also a large number of active phones in the area. The range of signals could be different in cities and rural areas. All base stations are connected to mobile phone switches centre, which connect to a public telephone network or to another mobile company switch. As the mobile consumer moves from one cell area to another cell, the switch automatically commands the handset and a cell site with a stronger signal (reported by each handset) to switch to a new radio channel (frequency). When the handset responds through the new cell site, the exchange switches the connection to the new cell site. Modern cell phones networks use cell as radio frequencies are limited, shared resource, base stations and handsets change frequency and use low power transmitters in order that limited number of radio frequency can be used at the same time by many users with less interferences. To distinguish signals from a vari eties of different transmitters, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) and code division multiple access (CDMA) has been developed. Advantage of cellular Network over other alternative solutions is: Increase capacity. Power usage reduced. Huge coverage area. Interference from other signals reduced. Reference paper 10 The evolution of the cellular Network started to flourish during the last years in which several different systems were developed; as a result we have first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G) cellular networks and the trend is continuously increasing. The first generation (1G) was used from 1970-1980 and now is retired. In 1990 the second generation (2G) of Networks were launched such as Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Personal Communications Service (PCS), and Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN) and so on. The second generation (2G) of networks replaced the (1G) and became very popular with digital processing, enabl ing wireless transmission of voice as well as data and have different Variety of new features such as a Push to Talk, Short Messaging service(SMS), caller ID, conference calling, voice mail, email messaging and so on.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Essay Example The response of the African American women to these conflicting roles entailed the creation of a new meaning to true womanhood, the basis upon which Jacobs bases her story. Through her struggles, Jacobs fights to redefine the cult of true womanhood from its oppressiveness so as to secure her life and that of the future generation. As a young African American woman slave, having lost her mother and a few years later her mother’s mistress to whom she was bequeathed, Linda Brent fights all odds against sexual oppression from her father, Dr. Flint, to the extent of having an affair with a white neighbor, Mr. Sands, with whom she begets Benny and Ellen (Jacobs 2003, 131). Linda seems to have discovered herself and her intolerance to the oppression and mistreatment that slaves, and particularly the women, were subjected to, causing her to always run away from its perpetrators, not leaving her children behind. The cult of true womanhood The 19th Century African American woman was exp ected to be a domesticator. ... Furthermore, Linda appreciates responsible motherhood as a critical aspect of true womanhood and she sacrifices her welfare so as to ensure the well-being of her children. Even when she plans to escape to the North, she considers all options of having her children escape with her. She fights to see that they do not fall into the bondage of slavery, knowing the oppression involved. This indicates her embrace of motherhood together with the involved responsibilities as an appreciation of true womanhood. The excellence of a woman in domestic tasks made her worth of praise as a true woman. Secondly, submission was a key trait of true womanhood. African American women were to abide by what their husbands and men in general dictated without questioning, since men had God-given authority over women. According to Welter (1966, 156), the society then considered submission as the most feminine virtue that a woman had to portray whereas men were expected to be religious and pure, even though th ey barely had time for these. This submissiveness is portrayed when Dr. Flint objects to Linda’s wishes to marry her love, a young free black man, and in turn Linda asks him to leave and give up on the marriage. Religion propagated this submissiveness as observed of the minister who preached obedience to masters and hard work as Christian ethical obligations (Jacobs 2003, 82). Women were particularly to be passive, submissive responders in this society. To this African American woman, marriage was not to be guided by money but pure love, and its corollary is motherhood, adding to the prestige and usefulness of such a woman. As documented by Littlefield (2007, 54), motherhood for slave women was rooted

Ebay and Market Entry Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ebay and Market Entry Challenges - Essay Example eBay maintains the seller platform much like the United States that is set on fixed auction philosophy, which limits real-time discussion with sellers. GMarket is also more innovative in setting up excitement with buyers and sellers, acting as a middleman for various lottery schemes that provide more incentives (Ihlwan, 2006). eBay attempted to simply export in its market entry strategy, using the same business model that had found success in the United States. In a market where GMarket was an innovator creating incentives-based packages, eBay was having a tough time being the dominant auction and selling site of choice. eBay’s fixed price selling concept was considered unfavorable by Chinese customers used to more direct sales tactics between buyer and seller. The use of mobile technology in China is also limited based on distribution of cellular technology and cultural adoption of this modernized selling format. Therefore, the ability to gain more market share through mobile technology sales was limited or eBay (Chan, 2007). Lack of ability to use mobile sales and marketing in this region limited the brand visibility of eBay with potential target markets and thus made it difficult to establish brand loyalty for eBay. The inability to use technology to improve the competitive position of eBay posed significant expansion problems. Pricing was another reason why eBay found difficulty in Asia, where the fixed price auction format made it appear to buyers and sellers that product listing costs were much higher than competition. The ability of sellers to contact customers and the flexibility of GMarket gives the buyer the ability to instantly reduce prices or add certain incentives, which makes eBay look rigid in pricing structures that is a turnoff to the price-sensitive Chinese buyers. Thus, it should be said that place, product, price and promotion were all negatively impacted by competition and the current sales platform being used by eBay. Simply export ing American talent and technology to this market was a poor market entry strategy since the Chinese online sales environment differed culturally than in the United States. It was a mistake to think that Chinese buyers would maintain the same market characteristics and therefore eBay entered this market without adaptable tools to better fit market conditions and buyer/seller attitudes and brand familiarity with other auction and sales competition. eBay simply did not have any quality tools to differentiate the business from competition other than mobile marketing which is not a common sales practice in the Asian markets. References Chan, Isabelle (2007) â€Å"EBay Has Its Eye on Southeast Asia â€Å", 29 Oct 2007, Business Week. Retrieved August 27, 2012 from http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb20071029_295570.htm Ihlwan, Moon (2006) â€Å"Gmarket eclipses eBay in Asia†, 28 June 2006, Business Week. Retrieved August 27, 2012 from http://www.businessweek. com/globalbiz/content/jun2006 /gb20060628_910393.htm?chan=search RUNNING HEADER: Google and Asian Online Censorship Google and Asian Online Censorship BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL INFO HERE DATE HERE Google and Asian Online Censorship In Asia, Google faced many problems with establishing a market presence and gaining consumer revenues associated with its search engine business. In China, the government censors much of

The Fault And Rise Of John Lasseter Essay Example for Free

The Fault And Rise Of John Lasseter Essay John Lasseter grew up in a family heavily involved in artistic expression. Lasseter was drawn to cartoons as a youngster. Then as a freshman in high school he read a book entitled The Art of Animation. The book, about the making of the Disney animated film Sleeping Beauty, proved to be a revelation for Lasseter. He discovered that people could earn a living by developing cartoons. Lasseter started writing letters to The Walt Disney Company Studios regarding his interest in creating cartoons. Studio representatives, who corresponded with Lasseter many times, told him to get a great art education, after which they would teach him animation. When Disney started a Character Animation Program at the California Institute of Arts film school, the Disney Studio contacted Lasseter and he enrolled in the program. Classes were taught by extremely talented Disney animators who also shared stories about working with Walt Disney. During summer breaks from Cal Art classes, jobs at Disneyland further fuelled Lasseter’s passion for working as an animator for Disney Studios. Full of excitement, Lasseter joined the Disney animation staff in 1979 after graduation from the California Institute of Arts, but he was met with disappointment. According to Lasseter, â€Å"[t]he animation studio wasn’t being run by these great Disney artists like our teachers at Cal Arts, but by lesser artists and businesspeople who rose through attrition as the grand old men retired.† Lasseter was told, â€Å"[y]ou put in your time for 20 years and do what you’re told, and then you can be in charge.† He continues, â€Å"I didn’t realize it then, but I was beginning to be perceived as a loose cannon. All I was trying to do was make things great, but I was beginning to make some enemies.† In the early 1980s, Lasseter became enthralled with the potential of using computer graphics technology for animation but found little interest among Disney Studio executives for the concept. Nonetheless, a young Disney executive, Tom Willhite, eventually allowed Lasseter and a colleague to develop a 30-second test film that combined â€Å"hand-drawn, two-dimensional Disney-style character animation with three-dimensional computer-generated backgrounds.† Lasseter found a story that would fit the test and could be developed into a full movie. When Lasseter presented the test clip and feature movie idea to the Disney Studio head, the only question the studio head asked concerned the cost of production. Lasseter told him the cost of production with computer animation would be about the same as a regular animated feature, and the studio head informed Lasseter, â€Å"I’m only interested in computer animation if it saves money or time.† Lasseter subsequently discovered that his idea was doomed before he ever presented it to the studio head. Says Lasseter, â€Å"[w]e found out later that others poked holes in my idea before I had even pitched it. In our enthusiasm, we had gone around some of my direct superiors, and I didn’t realize how much of an enemy I had made of one of them. I mean, the studio head had made up his mind before we walked in. We could have shown him anything and he would have said the same thing.† Shortly after the studio head left the room, Lasseter received a call from the superior who didn’t like him, informing Lasseter that his employment at Disney was being terminated immediately. Despite being fired, Lasseter did not speak negatively of the Disney organization, nor did he let others know anything other than the project on which he was working had ended. His personal admiration and respect for Walt Disney and animation were too great to allow him to do otherwise. Lasseter was recruited to Lucasfilm by Ed Catmull to work on a project that â€Å"turned out to be the very first character-animation cartoon done with a computer.† Not too long afterwards, Steve Jobs bought the animation business from George Lucas for $10 million and Pixar Animation Studios was born. Lasseter became the chief creative genius behind Pixar’s subsequent animated feature film successes like Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life, and The Incredibles, among others. In 2006, Disney CEO Robert Iger and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs consummated a deal for Pixar to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney. Iger wanted to reinvigorate animation at Disney, and as the top creative executive at Pixar, John Lasseter, was viewed a key figure in achieving this objective. Lasseter â€Å" is regarded by Hollywood executives as the modern Walt [Disney] himself [with capabilities] that have made Pixar a sure thing in the high stakes animated world.† Former Disney Studios head, Peter Schneider, says Lasseter â€Å"is a kid who has never grown up and continues to show the wonder and joy that you need in this business.† Current Disney Studio chief, Dick Cook, says that Lasseter is like the famous professional basketball player, Michael Jordan. â€Å"He makes all the players around him better.† Lasseter now oversees development of movies at both Pixar’s and Disney’s animation studios. Says Lasseter, â€Å"I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have all these new roles. I do what I do in life because of Walt Disney his films and his theme park and his characters and his joy in entertaining. The emotional feeling that his creations gave me is something that I want to turn around and give to others.† Discussion Questions 1. What forms of interpersonal power are evident in the case? 2. In what ways do the two faces of power appear in this case? 3. Does the firing of John Lasseter from Disney Studios and the events leading up to his firing demonstrate the ethical use of power? Explain your answer. 4. Did the firing of John Lasseter indicate the existence of political behaviour in the Disney organization?

The Concept of Love in Ovids Metamorphoses :: Ovid Metamorphoses Essays

The Concept of Love in Ovid's Metamorphoses In Ovid's Metamorphoses, the concept of love seems to vary from character to character. In one case, a god in the form of a man desperately seeks a particular woman and refuses to relent until he has her. In another instance, a female goddess cares deeply for a man and goes to great lengths to protect him from danger. In yet another case, both who are arranged to be married seem indifferent about the matter. This anti-epic certainly does not follow the adventurous theme of the epic. There is no protagonist hero to focus on unless you visualize the god's prey as the hero in his/her escape. The assembled writings seem to be more of a recording of the misdeeds of the gods. It appears that Ovid wanted to write about the desires of gods and people instead of a great adventure. Ovid's work ridicules the concept of marriage and harmony between the sexes. It paints men and women as individual creatures who have little desire of joining with the opposite sex. The male gods are impelled by Cupid's power to chase certain female characters. Of course, the female characters are not interested and choose to evade capture so that they may continue with their individual desires. When the female god Venus falls for a human male and lays with him, she goes to great lengths to protect him from the wild animals. She specifically tells him to be bold "when you approach the timid animals, those who are quick to flee: but do not be audacious when you face courageous beasts" (Ovid 936). The man Adonis chose not to heed the god's warning and went on to hunt a wild boar with the aid of his hounds. The boar that Venus despised killed the human that she lusted after. This is another example of individual wants taking precedence over the joined couple. Pygmalion was so much of an individualist that he created his own mate from ivory. The Concept of Love in Ovid's Metamorphoses :: Ovid Metamorphoses Essays The Concept of Love in Ovid's Metamorphoses In Ovid's Metamorphoses, the concept of love seems to vary from character to character. In one case, a god in the form of a man desperately seeks a particular woman and refuses to relent until he has her. In another instance, a female goddess cares deeply for a man and goes to great lengths to protect him from danger. In yet another case, both who are arranged to be married seem indifferent about the matter. This anti-epic certainly does not follow the adventurous theme of the epic. There is no protagonist hero to focus on unless you visualize the god's prey as the hero in his/her escape. The assembled writings seem to be more of a recording of the misdeeds of the gods. It appears that Ovid wanted to write about the desires of gods and people instead of a great adventure. Ovid's work ridicules the concept of marriage and harmony between the sexes. It paints men and women as individual creatures who have little desire of joining with the opposite sex. The male gods are impelled by Cupid's power to chase certain female characters. Of course, the female characters are not interested and choose to evade capture so that they may continue with their individual desires. When the female god Venus falls for a human male and lays with him, she goes to great lengths to protect him from the wild animals. She specifically tells him to be bold "when you approach the timid animals, those who are quick to flee: but do not be audacious when you face courageous beasts" (Ovid 936). The man Adonis chose not to heed the god's warning and went on to hunt a wild boar with the aid of his hounds. The boar that Venus despised killed the human that she lusted after. This is another example of individual wants taking precedence over the joined couple. Pygmalion was so much of an individualist that he created his own mate from ivory.

12 Years a Slave

The movie is based of the life and times of a man named Solomon Northup, who was born a free man in Minerva, New York, in 1808. In the movie, the book, and his life, little is known about his mother, because they never gave her name. However in all three we know of his father, a man named Mintus, who was originally enslaved to the Northup family from Rhode Island, but he was freed after the family moved to New York.In the movie, a now young man, you saw that Northup helped his father with farming, chores and even worked as a raftsman on the waterways of upstate New York. He married Anne Hampton, a woman of mixed black, white, and Native American ancestry, on December 25th, 1829. They had three children together. During the 1830s, Northup became known as an excellent fiddle player. In 1841, two men offered Northup large sums of wages to join a traveling musical show, but unfortunately soon after he accepted it they drugged him and sold him into slavery! He was sold at auction in New O rleans in 1841.Now Northup had to serve a number of masters, some of course were brutally cruel and others who were more humane. After several years of slavery, he met with an outspoken abolitionist from Canada who sent letters to notify Northup's family of Northup’s current situation. A state agent was sent to Louisiana to reclaim Northup as a slave and he was successful through a number of chances. After he was finally declared a free man, Northup pressed charges of kidnapping against the men who had drugged him and sold him, but the length of the trial was dropped because of legal inabilities, and he received nothing for it. Little is known about Northup's later life after the trial, but he is said to have finally passed away in 1863.Twelve Years a Slave was recorded by David Wilson who is a white lawyer and legislator from New York who claimed to have presented. The story is sometimes believed to have been dedicated to Harriet Beecher Stowe and is even said to have introd uced another key to Uncle Tom's Cabin. Northup's book was published in 1853 which was maybe less than a year after he was set free. It sold over 30,000 copies and is therefore not only one of North America’s many slave books, but also one of the most popular ones.

Office of Strategy Management

Office of Strategy Management In the article â€Å"Office of Strategy Management†, Kaplan and Ditto reveal that there is a disconnection amongst companies between strategy formulation and strategy execution. On average, 95% of a company's employees are unaware of, or do not understand, its strategy. They say that there is a gap in many large organizations between strategy formulation and execution, between ambitious goals and actual performance. The authors submit that if employees are unaware of the strategy, they cannot help the organization implement it effectively. Kaplan and Norton say it doesn’t have to be like that. They have studied companies that achieved performance breakthroughs by adopting the Balanced Scorecard and its associated tools to help them better communicate strategy to their employees, and to guide and monitor the execution of that strategy. While some companies have achieved better, longer-lasting improvements than others, the organizations that have managed to sustain their strategic focus have typically established a new corporate-level unit to oversee all activities related to an office of strategy management (OSM). The OSM coordinates an array of tasks. The function of the OSM is to create and manage the scorecard, align the organization, review the strategy, develop strategy, communicate strategy, manage strategic initiatives, and integrate strategic priorities with other support functions. They assert that the OSM does not do all the work, but it facilitates the processes so that strategy is executed in a more integrated way across the organization. They say that an OSM is applicable with every organization whether it is used or not. I agree with the authors the OSM sets the framework to ensure good communication throughout the company. An OSM can improve a strategy execution, and the communication of that strategy, and to ignore any of the process that an OSM seeks to achieve for an organization could lead to its failure. If the company is working fine it might be necessary, but some form of an OSM might be in place. However an OSM is a must for companies where the communication and the execution of a strategy are poor.

Housekeeping Essays

Housekeeping Essays Housekeeping Essay Housekeeping Essay Marilynn Robinson portrays this intolerant, in her book Housekeeping, the novel depicts two sisters, Ruth the narrator, a quiet, friendless girl who has only her sister, and Lucille who longs for lifestyle of normality and stableness. Both girls struggle to cope with their parents death, abandonment by each and every caretaker they have ever had, and an insecurity of themselves. Eventually the girls are left in the care of their aunt Sylvie, a childless and childlike woman who has spent the majority of her as a drifter and a loner. She is the closest thing the girls have ever known to be a mother. As the novel progresses, Robinson uses Sylvie transcendentalism to lead Ruth into the impermanence of the natural world and human relationships. Robinson makes Ruth choose the lifestyle she desires while she uses Lucille and Sylvie identities to contrast the ideas of conformity and individuality, to show how human beings endeavor to control the uncertainty of the unknown, by using social relationships, and depending on ones family, because they enjoy the permanence and knowledge of the future, when in reality they need only accept these changes by themselves. As Ruth egging to travel in the footsteps of Sylvie she begins to enjoy and accept the feelings of isolation, all while Lucille detests Sylvie erratic lifestyle and housekeeping, because she still longs for a stable life and home, wishing to conform with what is normal, tired of being the outcast and stranger society doesnt accept. Eventually the girls paths begin to separate because of the different goals they each desire, Ruth foreshadows this when she says. In the spring I had begun to sense that Lucille loyalties were with the other world. With fall began her tense and passionate campaign to naturalized to it. The months that intervened were certainly the last and perhaps true summer of my life (Robinson, 95). By foreshadowing the idea that Lucille eventually leaves Ruth, Robinson shows how even the only family that Ruth truly knows, leaves her because it is human nature to want to conform to what is considered normal by society. This leaves Ruth to search for her own individualism and personal freedom, by depending on herself and no longer relying on Lucille. Ruth slowly begins to accept this idea of being by herself before Lucille even leaves her because she knows that it is inevitable and she can always depend on having resell, which is all she needs in the end. When Ruth and Lucille stop going to school, and travel to the forest, Ruth ponders the real reason Lucille travels to the woods with her when she says It is accurate to say that Lucille went to the woods to escape observation. I myself felt the gaze of the world as a distorting mirror that squashed her plump and stretched me narrow. , too, thought it was Just as well to walk away from a Joke so rudely persisted in. But I went to the woods for the woods own sake, while, increasingly, Lucille seemed to be enduring banishment there. (99). In this tote Robinson shows how Lucille travels to the woods not to be with herself, but as a place of refuge from the observations and distaste of society because she is embarrassed of how others think and view her, while Ruth receives those sam e thoughts of how she is viewed so differently by society, she travels to the woods for the ambiance and chance to be with herself. While Ruth enjoys the time she is able to spend in the forest, she feels as if Lucille is only tolerating a punishment that she has to bare until she can return to society and be accepted as someone who is viewed as normal. As Ruth and Lucille begin to grow apart, Ruth only gets closer to Sylvie and her way of life. When Lucille finally grows tired of her erratic life style, she leaves Ruth and Sylvie to live with her home economics teacher, in search of this stable lifestyle she desires. Lucille leaving to live with her home economics teacher shows this idea that humans desperately want this stability and attempt to get it through social relationships and family because the fear what they cannot control. The life Sylvie has chosen does not follow guidelines set by society, and she ignores this by accepting the impermanence of life and legislations, she truly believes that she does not need to depend on anyone but herself. While Lucille is the opposite and hates everything about Sylvie personality, Lucille shows this after she learns that Sylvie had had a very nice conversation with a lady who had ridden the roads form South Dakota, en route to Portland to see her cousin hanged to which she immediately yells Why do you get involved with such trashy people? Its embarrassing! (104). The fact Sylvie does not care who she speaks too again shows this idea of impermanence, how she will meet new and different people every day, and that conversations she has with them are of no importance so there is no harm to them. As to how Lucille sees the conversation with someone strange as a something that Just shouldnt be done because it is not normal and that is what Lucille so badly desires. After Ruth and Sylvie return from the lake clothes dirtied and wet Sylvie says, Dont mind if they stare We walked through town At the drugstore we passed Lucille and her friends, though Sylvie seemed not to notice. Lucille was dressed like all the others in a sweatshirt and sneakers and rolled up jeans, (173). Robinson shows how Sylvie does not even notice Lucille, because she has Just become another face in society, who blends in with the others. While Ruth and Sylvie are still considered the outcasts of the city because of their choices to be individually free and not follow the lines established by society. By the end of the novel Ruth understands why Sylvie chose to be different and to depend on herself, and does the same for herself. The townspeople decline the idea that two self- reliant, transcendentalist women can create their own futures, so they view them as deranged people with no future. Robinsons contrast of conformity and individuality ultimately shows how important not being like everyone else and having ones own identity can be. Robinson shows that in the end nothing is accomplished if everyone does the same thing. By using Lucille hate of anything that is not accepted in society, Robinson shows how crucial it is to be yourself because then you can truly contribute to society. Robinson used this message in Housekeeping because she believes that everyone has something special about them and that they should not just let opportunity pass them by, Just to fit in and be another face in the crowd.

Medical Ethics and Recognizing the Higher Faculties of Humans Assignment

Medical Ethics and Recognizing the Higher Faculties of Humans - Assignment Example Written by Mitch Albom in 1997 to pay for his favorite teacher’s medical bills (CNN, 2001), â€Å"Tuesdays With Morrie† has sold more than 1 million copies and is one of the top literature used to teach and cultivate critical thinking skills in undergraduate health care courses. The novel tackles the true story of Morrie Schwartz, a sociology professor of Brandeis University who developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a summary of the weekly conversation between the author and Morrie which dealt with issues such as marriage, family, relationships, culture, love, emotions, forgiving, aging and death. Mitch described it as their â€Å"last class together†¦[where they] talked all day about what’s important in life once you know you’re going to die† (CNN, 2001). The book is often categorized as a biographical and philosophical novel and is read for entertainment but it also provides different insights for medical practitioners. Over the years, it has served as a guide towards understanding health equity, and social justice in health care. Its lessons about aging and dying provides readers with a unique approach towards dealing with individuals who are terminally ill. The story raises various moral dilemmas, perhaps the most important of which is the understanding of death. In the book, Morrie remarks, â€Å"Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it† (Albom, 1997, p.76). This was a comment not only about the fear of death, but also, the lifestyles that people live. Morrie believed that most Americans do not prepare for death, hence they are unable to appreciate their lives. He expounds, â€Å"[M]ost of us walk around as if we’re sleepwalking. We really don’t experience the world fully, because we’re half asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do† (Albom, 1997, p. 77). People prioritize work over their families because they think they need money in order to enjoy life, but in the process, they waste their time working, never realizing that their families are moving on without them. People have become so involved in materialistic things that they never really appreciate the beauty of nature, â€Å"the loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted† (Albom, 1997, p. 78). Morrie’s insights were unique in that it talks about the failure of the American culture to provide its people with a sense of purpose. The American belongs to a society of consumers – their homes, cars, and bank accounts determine their success. Hence, early in life, most people are already conditioned to work hard in order to fulfill their economic needs. For Morrie, people waste their time running after things that does not provide them with purpose. He says to Mitch,

Organisational Behaivior Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Organisational Behaivior - Assignment Example However, all this changed after 2002, as Luxborough Chiltern increased in size and acquired more employees and projects. The lack of documentation suggests that no formal change management process was implemented and changes made were reactionary and not enacted with the participation of those undertaking tasks. The effects of the absence of a change management programme led to the gradual attrition of skilled labour for a variety of reasons. Certain policies were discontinued without prior consultation or regard to the employees it may affect. Actions such as these, had the effect of invalidating the organisational motto of "Transparency and Fairness for All" as the emphasis was placed on a certain category of employees. This pattern was followed in the reward system with bonuses which excluded a significant portion of the workforce. No consultation were held with regards to salary review, and as a result highly skilled employees have left the organisation as they believe their contribution and qualifications are not adequately recognised and rewarded. Immense pressure was being placed on meeting targets, and this pressure made it difficult for employees to be flexible and meet other commitments for fear of disappointing their respective teams. The list is endless; however the main underlying theme with the problems facing Luxborough Chiltern is that of a lack of communication between the managerial levels and the operational levels. Too many assumptions and judgements are being made which are having an adverse impact on the quantity and quality of the work produced. This lack of communication has been responsible for the resistance to change in this organisation, which has manifested as poor retention rates. If this is not addressed with urgency, Luxborough Chiltern will face a decline as it loses its value - which is its workforce. The recommendations for this situation have to start at the basic level, which is the 8 step change management model, which will form the basis for other additional programmes to rectify this situation. The onus is on the management of Luxborough Chiltern to acknowledge their contribution to this problem, and to recognise that the solutions lie in listening to and involving their workforce. Introduction Following Luxborough Chiltern's (LC) successful amalgamation of several organisations, the organisation has become one of the largest planning consultancies in the country. LC has grown from being a medium sized employer to being one that employs several hundred people. However, it as been an observation that this growth is having a negative effect on LCs retention rate, which is a cause for concern. If our retention rate continues on this downward spiral, this organisation could face serious threats to its reputation, as it would have lost its most valuable resource and the knowledge and expertise entwined within its employees. The problem with the retention rate has really been highlighted by the situation facing the Scarlett team which is now the smallest team in the organisation, and it is also the team that is experiencing a high rate of resignations. The manager for the Scarlett team is new to the organisation and has different

Rules and Regulations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Rules and Regulations - Essay Example Expectation: â€Å"Students raising their hand†; all students will be needed to raise their hand any time they have a question. In addition to this, all students will be required to give adequate time to their colleagues to answer and contribute in the classroom conversation. This is to ensure that all students participate and contribute adequately during classes. Some students if left to decide whether to contribute or not may never contribute in class. As a measure to ensure full participation, constant encouragement to participate in classroom discussions and positive reinforcement will be implemented or encouraged. Expectation: â€Å"preparing to go home†; all students will be required to ensure their classrooms are clean by keeping away materials in the right place. They will put their chairs on top of the allocated desks/tables. The classroom will end by meeting at the assembly hall where the students and teachers discuss what they learned throughout the day (Franco & ODonoghue, 2004). The discussions will be conducted in the foreign language learnt in school in order to ensure effective practice of the

Public personnel management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public personnel management - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that payment in lieu of taxes or otherwise referred to as PILOTs are most commonly paid by large landholding non-profit organizations, especially universities and hospitals and are usually paid on a voluntary basis. It is only logical to argue that because these non-profit organizations receive basic services from cities in which they are situated at, and are funded by real estate taxes, every property owner should pay something in return. These payments are usually made to the local governments by the non-profit organizations because the receive local services like roads, fire protection, and the likes, but are ultimately exempted from paying property taxes because they primarily provide charitable work. In cases of cities that are struggling with budgets, non-profit organizations that are financially healthy and that own a substantial amount of tax-exempt property can be a useful avenue for raising revenue for the city. These cities often want the non-profit organization to chip in some cash in bailing them out of the financial quagmires and to make up for the forgone taxes. So should the non-profits pay PILOTs? The researcher would like to say that they should pay taxes because all owners of any property in the community, whether for-profit or otherwise receive services from the local governments or the cities such as roads, sewers, police services and the rest and these services have been funded by taxes from real estate.

Reptile and Bird Eggs: An Introduction

Reptile and Bird Eggs: An Introduction For a long time now scientist have been studying all types of reptiles since before man walked the earth. When comparing todays modern reptile eggs, and bird eggs we see many differences that are still being studied. Birds are almost found everywhere, while most reptile are only in specific location. They both lay eggs that are diverse internally and externally. We will look at different species of birds and reptiles to find out more about their extraordinary reproductive system and the eggs themselves. Birds Feathered, winged egg laying vertebrates. (Irie, 2010) Approximately 10,000 living species (Deeming, 2007) The only branch of dinosaurs to have survived the Cretaceous Paleogene extinction 65.5 million years ago. (Dolnik, 2001) Scientists theorize that birds evolved from dinosaurs. (Dolnik, 2001) Archaeopteryx lithographica  had two strong legs and walked as a bird does. Its skeleton was reptilian and had the feathers of a bird. (Dolnik, 2001) There are two theories as to why feathers would have developed in the evolution of birds. One is that because the ancestors of birds where becoming warm blooded, they needed the insulation of feathers. Another is that they develop because of a need for flight and gliding. (Dolnik, 2001) This capability to fly gave birds the competitive edge as they could travel over greater distances and areas seeking food. This also permitted them to live in places unreachable to other animals. (Deeming, 2007)   Bird Eggs Bird eggs  are laid by females and  incubated  for a time that changes according to the species. (Deeming, D C; Birchard, G F 2007) A single bird hatches from each egg. (Deeming, D C; Birchard, G F 2007) Lay very typical amniote eggs  with calcified shells. (Dove, 2012) Birds brood their eggs until hatching. Some bird species are naked and helpless at birth, and must be fed by their parents; these birds are called  altricial. (Dove, 2012) Some birds lay eggs even when not fertilized (Deeming, 2007) Cormorant eggs are rough and chalky (Dove, 2012) Tinamou  eggs are shiny (Nathan, 1999) Duck  eggs are oily and waterproof (Nathan, 1999) Cassowary eggs are heavily pitted (Nathan, 1999) Tiny pores in a bird eggshell allow the embryo to breathe. (Irie, 2010) The majority bird eggs have an  oval shape, with one end rounded and the other more pointed. (Deeming, 2007) The eggs wall is shapeable(Deeming, 2007) Numerous animals feed on eggs. (Dove, 2012) Humans have a long history of both eating wild bird eggs and raising birds for farmed eggs for consumption. (Dove, 2012) Brood parasitism  occurs in birds when one species lays its eggs in the nest of another. In some cases, the hosts eggs are removed or eaten by the female, or expelled by her chick. (Irie, 2010) Reptiles Reptiles  are members of the  class  Reptilia  comprising the  amniotes  that are neither  birds  nor  mammals. (Rafferty, 2012) The amniotes are the  vertebrates  with eggs featuring an  amnion, a double membrane that allows the  embryo  to breathe effectively on land. (Dolnik, 2001) Living reptiles are  cold-blooded  and bear scales. (Rafferty, 2012) Reptiles originated around 320-310 million years ago during the  Carboniferous  period, having evolved from highly developed  reptile like amphibians  that became gradually more adapted to life on dry land. (Dolnik, 2001) There are many extinct groups, including  dinosaurs,  pterosaurs, and ichthyosaurs. (Dolnik, 2001) There are 8,240 species of reptiles in the world, inhabiting every continent except Antarctica. (shine, 1999) Lizards and snakes have a single sheet of overlapping scales. (Rafferty, 2012) Other reptiles grow plates. (Rafferty, 2012) The main purpose of the skin is to keep water in the animals body. (Shine, 1999) Reptiles can go without water for long periods, and many species prosper in deserts. (Shine, 1999) Reptiles, like birds, have deliberate control over the muscles in their eyes, which determine their pupil size. They are able to constrict or dilate their pupils at will, not just in reaction to light. (Dove, 2012) The brain of a reptile is not over 1 percent of his body mass. Unlike amphibians, however, the reptilian brain has two hemispheres. (Nathan, 1999) The nervous systems of reptiles are adequately complex and similar to those of mammals. (Rafferty, 2012) Reptile eggs The eggs laid by some reptiles even smaller, and those of insects and other  invertebrates  can be much smaller still. (Nathan, 1999) Chicken eggs have a hard shell while reptile eggs have a soft, leathery shell. (Qualls, 2002) Large macrolecithal eggs, develop independent of water. (Deeming, D C; Birchard, G F 2007) Like amphibians,  amniotes  are air-breathing  vertebrates, but they have complex eggs including an  amniotic membrane. (Qualls, 2002) Dinosaurs laid eggs, some of which have been preserved as petrified fossils. (Dolnik, 2001) Macrolecital eggs are found in  reptiles(Deeming, 2007) Oviparity is typical of birds and reptiles. (Nathan, 1999) Literature Review Dove (2012). Consumption of bird eggs by invasive Burmese Pythons in Florida. Burmese Pythons have been reported to consume 25 species of adult birds in Everglades National Park, Florida but until now no records documented this species eating bird eggs. Deeming, D C; Birchard, G F (2007). Allometry of egg and hatchling mass in birds and reptiles: roles of developmental maturity, eggshell structure and phylogeny. This article looks at a wide range of birds and  reptiles using regression analysis, In birds, initial  egg  mass (IEM) at laying is the most important factor affecting phylogenetic relatedness. For all  reptile  species, IEM phylogenetic relatedness did not. This article also observed for the relationship between  eggmass and incubation period. Shine, R,(1999). Egg-laying reptiles in cold climates: determinants and consequences of nest temperatures in montane lizards. This article studies reptilian life-history and evolution. Many of these species avoid low incubation temperatures by selecting warm nest-sites, reptiles  may adapt to low-temperature incubation rather than avoid it. Bassiana  eggs  tolerate higher temperatures than do Nannoscincus  eggs, but do not develop as rapidly at low temperatures. Dolnik, (2001) Allometry of egg mass, clutch size and total clutch mass in dinosaurs: comparison with modern reptiles and birds. In this article the author presents for the first time empirical allometrical equations matching the mass of dinosaurs with the mass of their  eggs, clutch size and its total mass. Contrast of these equations with those that were planned for modern taxa of  reptiles  and birds shows that dinosaurs can be characterized by intermediate value of allometry index. Nathan, R, and Y. L. Werner (1999). Reptiles and breeding birds on Mt. Hermon: Patterns of altitudinal distribution and species richness This article reviews and analyzes the altitudinal distribution of  reptiles  and breeding  birds on Mt. Hermon over the distance of 2814 m. Species diversity was larger in breeding  birds  than in  reptiles  , declining with rising altitude in both groups, but more sharply so in  birds. The scientist explain that the generalization of vegetation arrangement with increasing altitude may explain this variation, because  birds probably better use the three-dimensionality of densely-vegetated habitats that take over low elevations. C. P. Qualls,  R. M. Andrews (2002). Maternal body volume constrains water uptake by lizard eggs  in utero In this article observations showed that some characteristic of retention in the oviductal environment restricts the amount of water eggs can absorb prior to oviposition. This paper presents proof, from two species of  Sceloporus  lizard, supporting the hypothesis that restricted space within the mothers body cavity physically constrains the ability of eggs to expand, and thereby their ability to absorb water. If such a constraint on water uptake is extensive, it can have significant implications for the understanding the costs of reproduction, and the determinants of reproductive output in squamate reptiles. Anthony R. Rafferty and Richard D. Reina, (2012). Arrested embryonic development: a review of strategies to delay hatching in egg-laying reptiles. This article discusses arrested embryonic development connecting the down regulation or cessation of active cell division and metabolic activity, and the ability of an animal to arrest embryonic development results in temporal plasticity of the duration of embryonic period. Arrested embryonic development is a significant reproductive strategy for egg-laying animals that provide no parental care after oviposition. Irie,Toshiaki, (2010). Retinoid storage in the egg of reptiles and birds In this article storage of retinal has been established in  eggs  from a variety of anamniotic vertebrates, but the retinoid-storage state in  eggs  of oviparous  amniotic  vertebrates (reptiles and  birds) has not been clarified in detail. Scientist studied four reptilian and five avian species and established that retinal was commonly stored in their  egg  yolk. In addition, retinal was the major retinoid in reptilian eggs, with only low levels of retinol, while major amounts of retinol as well as retinal were stored in avian  eggs. In equally reptilian and avian  eggs, retinal was frequently bound to proteins, which were assumed to be homologous to the proteins that attach retinal in the  eggs  of anamniotic vertebrates.

The Morally Obvious :: Ethics Philosophy Moral Papers

The Morally Obvious I. Obviousness. There is no way to contrive an ethical theory which does not rely in the end upon moral judgments that are subjectively "intuitive" or obvious or "just seen". No matter which of the major approaches to ethical theory one takes, an ultimate reliance upon the individual's intuitive judgment is inevitable. If one supposes that moral valuations are sui generis, irreducible, the deliverances of a moral sense or faculty, then manifestly what one "just feels" or "just sees" to be morally valuable will have to be the final court of appeal. If one supposes that moral values are a special subclass of human likings or preferences, say those things men want overall, in the long run, in the light of man's deepest needs and his sympathetic nature, etc., why then those wants and preferences must themselves be finally known by making their presence felt. The presence of a want, of a satisfaction or fulfillment, of pleasure or pain, is known intuitively and immediately. Finally, if mo ral values are perceived by the eye of reason, as a number of philosophers still urge, so that the wrongness of things is known by the mind in a way similar to its knowing 2 + 2 = 4, this too must be seen as an ultimate reliance upon the intellectually "obvious", or the intuitively known. It appears that whether in ethics or in any field of human opinion we can ask for justifications only so far. Even when a successful justification of an opinion can be given, the very success of that justification involves the "just seeing" of how the justification applies to and supports the opinion. Beyond that, we can always request a proof of the justifying premises or considerations themselves, and if we keep asking for a justification for the justification that has just been given, we will soon reach a point where all that can be said is that the thing just seems obvious, and we can only hope that others will think so too. Notoriously, of course, others often don't. I have said that moral judgments must in the end rest upon an "intuitive" judgment of some sort. The word "intuition" is too useful and too close to what I mean to avoid, but it also has technical connotations I wish to disavow. Philosophers often use "intuition" to mean a way of knowing involving no inference whatever and yielding infallible and incorrigible results.

Building a Local Fashion Brand

Executive Summary This report is prepared on the basis of a survey on a local fashion brand (Dishes Doss), & it's a survey to building this brand as a strong brand. The concept of branding has been around for centuries as a meaner to distinguish the goods of one producer from those of another. In fact the word brand is derived from the Old Norse word brander, which meaner â€Å"to burn,† as brands were and still are the meaner. Brands identify the source or maker of a product and allow consumers to assign responsibility to a particular manufacturer or distributor. Most important, brands take on special meaning to consumers.Because of past experiences with the product and its marketing program over these years, consumers find out which brands satisfy their needs and which one do not. As a result, brands provide a shortened device or meaner of simplification for their product decisions. Building a brand is a step by step process. There are four steps or six blocks to build up a brand. Here we applied all the steps or blocks to find out the present brand situation of Dishes Doss. In order of these steps or blocks we made a questioner of 69 questions ; held a survey on 50 people.After the survey we convert the result onto percentage and put it into graph to show the situation. The topic has been selected to building some local fashion brands (dishes Doss). A major objective of the report is to make customer based equity for these brands. After studying the steps of a brand building, we surveyed the information of these brands, on the basis of brand building. 1. 1 . Introduction: To build up a brand two questions often arises: What makes a brand strong? And how do you build a strong brand? To help to find out we study about the CUBE model which has four steps or six blocks.Beside this marketer face two questions are: What o different brands mean to customer? And how does the brand knowledge of consumers affect their response to marketing activity? The challen ge for marketers in building a strong brand is ensuring that customers have the right type of experiences with products and services and their accompanying marketing programs so that the desired thoughts, feelings, images, beliefs, perceptions, opinions, and so on become linked to the brand. 1. 2. Origin of the report: Brand is a very sensitive issue to the marketing people and is a very important issue to the customer.Because a strong brand can create a very highly demand of a reduce of a particular brand. To build up a strong brand one should to know so many things, ; he/she have to go with a four step procedures. And in this report we tried to focus on building a brand as a strong brand for that we select a local fashion brand. 1. 3. Objectives of the study: We make a study to know the Brand identity, meaning, response, relationship with the customers. We tried to know that is the customers are satisfied, dissatisfied, confused about the brand, its service, products and the overa ll factors.The core or the main objective of the study is to building a local fashion brand. To find the robbers, and scope of a local fashion brand ; build it as a strong brand. 1. 4. Methodology: We make a survey on Dishes Doss, which is a local fashion brand with ten famous local fashion brands. We make a questioner consisting 69 questions, on the basis of brand building in categories. Then take a sample of 50 people of different age, gender, ; occupation who use these brands. After getting the answers, we measured the level of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, confusion on different level of brand building. . 5. Limitations of the study: We are in our formal education stage. So this is our first assignment which is n the basis of the practical experience in real life. So, our lack of experience greatly influenced in preparing this report. We faced some other limitations that are given bellow: * It is too much difficult to comment and suggest based on few days study. Assignment repo rt is important to fulfill the Brand Management course, but we do not have enough time for such a detailed process. * Lack of collecting essential data ; information. * The survey is not 100% accurate. The four steps of brand building: The four steps of brand building represent a set of questions that customers invariably ask about brands. The questions are as follows: 1. Who are you? (Brand identity) 2. What are you? (Brand meaning) 3. What about you? What do I think or feel about you? (Brand response) 4. What about you ; me? What kind of association and how much of a connection would I like to have with you? (Brand relationships) By establishing the answer of these questions marketer can build a strong brand in the market among the customers.When customers get a clear answer of their question from the marketer then it become easy to make a decision about the brand. When marketer able to establish he answer of the question then they are on the way of building a strong brand. 2. 1. 1 . Brand Identity/salience: Achieving the right brand identity meaner brand salience with the customers. Brand salience measure awareness of the brand, that indicate is the customer are aware of the brand or not? Or how often and how easily the brand is identified by the customer in order of various situations and circumstances?We have said that brand awareness refers to customer ability to recall and recognize the brand under different conditions and to link the brand name, logo, symbol, and so forth to certain association in memory. Here we will know about the depth and the breadth of awareness thus gives the product an identity by linking brand elements to a product category and associated purchase and consumption or usage situations. Brand depth measure that how likely or easily the brand element come to the mind of customers ; brand breadth measure the range of purchase ; usage situation in which the brand element come to the mind. . 1. 2. Brand Meaning/Performance ; Imagery: The brand performance describe how well the product or service meets customers' more functional needs. How well does the brand rate on objective assessments of laity? To what extent does the brand satisfy utilitarian, aesthetic, and economic customer needs and wants in the product or service category? Five types of attributes and benefits often underlie brand performance, as follows: 1. Primary ingredients and supplementary features. 2. Product reliability, durability, and serviceability. 3. Service effectiveness, efficiency, and empathy. 4.Style and design. 5. Price. 2. 1. 3. Brand Response/]judgment & feelings: Brand image indicate a brand picture in a customer mind. Brand imagery depends on the extrinsic properties of the producer or service, including the ways in which the rand attempts to meet customer psychological or social needs. In this way people think about a brand abstractly, rather then what they think the brand actually does. Thus imagery refers to more intangible aspe cts of the brand, and consumers can form imagery association directly from their own experience or indirectly through some other source of information.Many kinds of intangibles can be linked to a brand, but four main ones are: 1. User profiles. 2. Purchase and usage situations. 3. Personality and values. 4. History, heritage, and experiences. Brand Judgments are customers' personal opinions about and evaluations of the rand, which consumers form by putting together all the different brand performance and imagery associations. The four types of brand Judgments are important, they are: 1 . Judgment about brand quality, 2. Brand Credibility, 3. Brand Consideration, 4. Brand Superiority. 2. 1. 4.Brand Relationship/Resonance: Brand resonance describes the nature of the relationship and the extent to which customers feel that they are ‘in sync' with the brands. Resonance is characterized in terms of intensity, or the depth of psychological bonds that customers have with the brands, as well as the level of activity engendered by this loyalty.

Nuclear Weapons & Cold War Essay

1) How did nuclear weapons affect the course of the cold war? The Cold War period of much conflict and tension was between the United States and the Soviet Union, along with their respective allies, was from the middle of the1940s until the early part of the 1990s. The building up of nuclear weapons was maybe, the most important of the many arenas that the rivaling countries played in. It became known as the nuclear arms race or the â€Å"competition for supremacy† The discovery that uranium was a plenty around the world shortly after the second world ar, helped to solidify the nuclear monopoly held by both the United States and USSR. While the United States had their own resources for uranium, they soon discovered that Eastern Europe was providing a steady supply to the Soviets, until they could develop a source of their own. The United States, who had predicted that the USSR would not have any nuclear weapons until the mid-1950s, was massively surprised when the Soviets detonated their first bomb â€Å"Joe One† on August 29, 1949. It was much like the bomb that the US had dropped on Japan in 1945 nown as the â€Å"Fat Man†. From that point on both governments devoted massive amounts of money, time and resources to increasing their nuclear arsenals. First off, it was the hydrogen bombs and then next came the Intercontinental ballistic missile or â€Å"ICBMs† as they are known. And on Oct. 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the â€Å"Sputnik†, the US followed with their own on Oct. 31, 1959. During this period of innovation, the world became nervous and scared; they discovered just how vulnerable they were. Large underground bunkers were built to save the presidents and he leadership of the nations, individuals were encouraged to construct fallout shelters and they were often taught how to react in the case of a nuclear attack. When both sides realized that any attack upon the other would be suicide for themselves as well, a new policy know as the â€Å"Mutually Assured Destruction† was adapted, and this would, in theory restrain both sides from attacking one another. â€Å"The number of nuclear weapons held by the two superpowers during the Cold War increased drastically because of the need for a first strike and later a second strike force. The highest numbers of nuclear warheads held by these powers was approximately 12,000 for the USSR and 10,000 by the US. This many nuclear weapons has the potential to destroy life on earth more than 1,500 times over† http://www. pwc. k12. nf. ca/coldwar/plain/armsrace. html. And yet, both sides kept exploring and spending large amounts of money and resources on developing nuclear weapons. In many respects, the stockpiling of these weapons was by far the most important contribution made to the world during the cold war period, than any other resource added by any other country. 2) Why has the European Union found it so difficult to achieve political, social and economic integration amongst the member states?  Shortly after the Second World War at the University of Zurich, Winston Churchill gave a speech that called for a â€Å"United States of Europe† and the creation of a â€Å"Council of Europe†. This council became the oldest organization in favor of European integration since 1949. But, in spite all the enthusiasm of the European citizens, the Council’s idea of integration has struggled for many reasons. One of the main reasons is because at the same time as the evelopment of the council another â€Å"European Union† was being formed. This Union was made up of twenty-seven European countries. It was established as the European Economic Community in 1957 under the Treaty of Rome and has undergone many changes since, most notably in 1992 by the Maastricht Treaty†. At first this Union was a welcome relief, growth and restructure was happening over night. The European Union was founded upon a number of treaties, and their laws cover a wide range of topics. Both, a legislative branch and the Parliament govern them. And the politics of he European Union primarily covered the economy. However, there is still a disagreement on how far the Union should expand. Because of the disagreement, the integration and expansion of the European Union has been slow since the end of the cold war period. Enlargement or expansion, together with the signing of new treaties, are seen by some as parallel processes, vital to the Union’s welfare. To many this is known as the â€Å"bicycle theory†. â€Å"The European Union is often compared to a bicycle: if it stops moving forwards it will fall over. The bicycle theory also applies to multilateral trade talks†. Bounds, Andrew (2007). Brussels blog: Bicycle wobbles on the way to Doha, Financial Times. And like most trade talks, both parties want to come out ahead in the end. Thus, the ongoing integration of the European Union and its member states are becoming contested on the grounds that it reduces it’s members’ national sovereignty too much. Politically, the Union struggles because neither they’re laws or their political theory offer the concept of a democracy. Their attitudes remain fixed by the idea of a nation state organization and its people. Socially, this makes them still behind the times. Economically, They struggle with the different economic and resource levels of each of the member states. All these along with the concept of Euroscepticism, or better known as the opposition to the process of European integration, the Union continues to move forward and yet has been forced to make changes to its policies. Amid the post war trauma, the European Union has become a beacon for organized political growth and upbringing. And today, in spite all the worldwide turmoil and confusion, The Union still spreads forth it’s hand in every effort to encourage global peace and umanitarian aid to its member states.  There is no set standard in the process of integration, but today there is a new focus on the complex policy making of the European Union. 3) What was `containment` and how did it influence US cold war thinking? The word containment means to isolate or to make stagnate. In the terms of the cold war, it refers to the foreign policies adapted by the United States under the direction of George Kennan. In the beginning, their policy was to stop all of the outside nations from moving politically towards Soviet Union communism and to ensure that the United States continued to ave, what they thought would be, the upper hand. For ideology as we have seen taught them that the outside world was hostile and that it was their duty to overthrow the political forces beyond their borders. â€Å"(X[Kennan], Foreign Affairs, 1947). They hoped that ultimately in the end thecontainment policies would cause the fall of the Soviet Union and its ally nations. Back in the early days of history, containment was accomplished with the use of brute force or tactics much like an army taking over a castle and then came the use of treaties and political policies, thus being the cold war period. Today this is often accomplished by politically using severe sanctions, as in the United States’ dealings with Iraq and Iran. Espionage and sabotage are other ways of creating a containment among a group of people or nations. During the United States’ cold war containment period the policies adapted by President Truman experienced some major setbacks through the opposition of the Soviet Union, and by the Time the United States pulled out of the Vietnam war and the Koran conflict, there wasn’t mush credit given to the containment policies and ideas, anymore. So the United States started a new heory of â€Å"detente† or peaceful co-existence. Until the election of Ronald Reagan this was a believable concept. President Regan believed that the containment policies did not expand far enough, He felt uneasy about the weapons being held by the foreign nations. He wanted new missiles, placed in Europe to help the United States to become immune to the first strike concept. His new policies become highly controversial and very unpopular in many of the surrounding foreign countries. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed under the direction of Gorbachev and the wanted nd result of the original containment policy had been achieved, this marked the official close of that policy. All though, the US still keeps its military and missile bases in the areas around the former Soviet Union, â€Å"just to be on the safe side they say†, many events have effected the world and the current containment policies. As of 2005, the United States are listed as having at least 700 military bases around the world, like the ones in Iceland and Germany. Some up to date estimates suggest that the real number is much higher.