Week Chapter Questions

Team Oriented: You will become part Of a special, elaborate team when you become part of supply management. The team will consist of engineers, operations, and quality people and suppliers to help the firm obtain necessary supplies, materials, and services as the vignette alluded. Competitive Salary: Starting salaries in supply management arena is lucrative. Although education and experience drives your starting salary, possessing minimum education (Associates Degree) and limited to none experience will still prove to be beneficial in regards to your salary. . Describe seven ways in which supply management has an impact on a firm's sales. Listed below are seven ways in which supply management has an impact on firm's sales: Faster to Market: Bottom line – The faster you can introduce a new product or service to the market, the larger market share you will encompass. Improved Quality: Leasing the total number of defects that a manufacture produces, the more they can command prem ium prices. Furthermore, having a reduced of defects can satisfy your customers and alleviate them from amount going to competitors.Price Flexibility: Having a strategic outlook can significantly reduce the total cost. Example: Is it more beneficial to lease a vehicle than to buy one? Would surmise that leasing would; lease vs.. Purchase analysis is the key. Innovation: Collaboratively communicate with your supply base; holds a lucrative percentage of all new successful products. Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Customer service drives sells – up and down – depending on the service rendered. Customer Fulfillment Flexibility: Strategically planning allows more lead-time and flexibility if changes may occur.Shorter Cycle and Lead Time: Improved supplier camaraderie and participation in supplier product and process improvements is advantageous. 13. Why does support for strategic supply chain management have to come from the top management of an organization? Strategic supp ly chain management has to come from the top due to their position. If they are not cascading appropriately, then their subordinates will not buy in to what they are trying to achieve. Chapter 2 1 . Why is supply management's position in the corporation's organizational structure important?Organizational structure significantly influences the department's capability to function optimally and persuade the decision- making process involved in effective procurement. The higher supply management is on the organizational chart, the more he/she can influence corporate strategy considerably. 4. Why are many organizations using a hybrid approach to decision-making authority in their supply management? Organizations are using hybrid approaches in decision-making authority in their supply management, to cut down on cost.In the early 1 sass, the introduction of computers made it considerably more accessible, in regards to procuring goods and services. Electronic billing and payment of invoices , enhanced cash flow while minimizing the total cost of doing business. 7. Identify some ways in which cross-functional teams could be useful in developing new products or completing value analysis functions. Cross- functional teams could be useful in developing or completing value analysis functions in regards to the development or addendum to a statement of work.Take for instance, an upcoming complex food service contract. You may not be a food service subject matter expert – no worries. Surround yourself with subject matter experts, to create the statement of work. Personnel that should be involved are the contract officer, contract officer representative, technical expert(s), lawyer(s), and any other representative that will facilitate with the statement of work. Chapter 3 3. How can engineering product specifications affect the price of the product?Material specified by engineering must be cost effective, to have an idea return on investment in regards to the price of th e product. Preferably, you would like to have your material accessible by multiple suppliers for a more resourceful, low-cost manufacturer. Although, you want to get the best deal (bang for the buck), ultimately, you want to ensure your product is justifiable for your customers. 4. How can a product that costs more save the company money overall? Products that cost more can inevitably save the company none overall by purchasing a more reliable, durable and/or cost efficient product.

New York’s Midtown North

New York's Midtown North is made up of several precincts, with one unique in the city: the CPP, or Central Park Precinct. The precinct is home to 42 species of birds year round, with up to 300 species sighted there at various seasons, and there are also squirrels, birds, fish, rabbits, turtles, frogs and other animals. There are not, however, any human residents. There is an enormous amount of human activity occupying the 840 acres of land and 150 acres of water. In addition to 58 miles of pedestrian paths, 6 miles of vehicle drives and almost 5 miles of bridle paths, there are also world-class attractions, including: 1. Tavern on the Green Restaurant 5. Loeb Boathouse (miniature sailboat club) 11. Bethesda Terrace and Fountain 14. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYPD Web site) The park itself was designed in 1858 by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, two giants of architecture of the period. The nation's first designated public park, Central Park is laid out so that, even when the park is full of people and events, there are hidden, quiet places as well as open fields. Although between 16 and 20 million people visit the park each year, it is possible to feel completely alone with nature among the park's 26,000 trees. (One can also play tennis on 30 courts, or ball on 26 ball fields or swim in a pool at the northern end, or ride a merry-go-round not far from the Central Park Zoo.) (NYPD Web site) In addition, the â€Å"Delacorte Theatre has ‘Shakespeare in the Park' from mid June through the end of August each year. The Central Park Summerstage, located at Rumsey Playground – E. 72 St. and the East Drive, has free performances from June through the beginning of August on Saturdays and Sundays at 3 pm. The New York Grand Opera has free performances at various times throughout the summer†(NYPD Web site). It seems that of all the precincts in New York City, the CPP is uniquely appropriate for Problem-Oriented Policing. In addition, because of New York's position as a ‘world city' and after 9/11, the NYPD has also benefited from learning how to ‘surge,' a tactic that can be invaluable in a precinct where incidents are likely to happen at odd times at specific locations. Surging has lately been perfected for putative terrorist activities â€Å"At least three times a day, New York's intelligence division sends 100 officers to swarm a specific location that their information suggests could be a target. It's called a surge† (Montaigne, 2005). When a surge happens, officers spend the five or six hours after it fanning out into the neighborhood, shops and subway, asking questions and looking for anything suspicious. In 2004 and so far in 2005, there have been no murders in Central Park, and only one rape in 2005. Robbery, however, has increased, with none 6 in 2005 to date, and 4 in 2004. Felonious assault is down ho3wever, from 4 in 2004 to 2 in 2005 to date. There was one burglary in 2004, none in 2005 to date. Grand Larceny is also may be down for the year. In 2004 there were 11, with 7 in 2005 to date. Citywide, the murder rate is down, from 184 in 2004 to 161 in 2005 to date, for a 12.5 percent decrease at current rates. Rape is also down, from 627 in 2004 to 585 in 2005 today, a 6.7 percent rate of change. Robbery was up, however, from 7,638 for all of 2004 to 7,690 to date in 2005. Felonious assaults were down from 5,842 in 2004 to 5,430 t date in 2005, for a decrease of 7 percent. Burglaries were also down, from 9.981 in 2004 to 7,767 in 2005 to date, a 13.5 percent decrease. Grand larceny citywide was also down, although by only 1.8 percent, from 15,258 in 2004 to 14,976 in 2005 to date (NYPD Compstat). These statistics are surprising, in view of the difficulties inherent in patrolling Central Park. In 1965, poet Robert Lowell published a poem called â€Å"Central Park† that seemed to expose precisely what was happening then. each landscaped crag, each flowering hides a policeman with a club† (Quoted by Vitullo-Martin, 2003). Vitullo-Martin noted that â€Å"design elements that helped make the park a refuge from the city-secluded woodlands, hidden coves, paths that curve and dip from sight, Lowell's flowering shrubs-also made the park hard to protect or patrol. Central Park's fame and beauty made it a prized site for concerts, protests, marches, rallies and celebrations. But the huge crowds also attracted crime† (2003). Arguably, the factor that made the difference between then and now can be attributed to the characteristics of Problem-Oriented Policing. Compstat is an integral part of that strategy, showing police captains at a glance where the trouble spots are, both geographically and in terms of types of crime. According to Moore (2005), Problem-oriented policing (POP) â€Å"is a police management philosophy that entails SARA: scanning to identify, specify, and describe specific problems to include analysis in which the causes of the identified problems are explored fully and response that refers to the search for ‘tailor made' solutions to remove the specific or general causes of the problems through implementation of concepts supported by assessment concerning the process where the solutions implemented are evaluated in terms of effectiveness and strategies.† Although Moore's definition sounds overly analytical, in fact, POP depends for success on all the ‘buzzword' tactics of modern business: values, ethics, communication, vision and empowerment. Glassoock, writing in the FBI Journal in 2001, noted that although POP initiatives have had an excellent affect on external, end-product issues-that is, reduction of crime-â€Å"it seems prudent and appropriate to also apply the concept to internal problems.† Glassoock contends that the likelihood of success with the end product is â€Å"much influenced, if not driven, by the organization's internal constitution† (2001). A department must, he says, attend to internal issues with thoughtful deliberation. In addition, he recommends that so-called â€Å"outsiders† such as citizens and business leaders be invited to contribute to initiatives, and goes so far as to say that â€Å"To the extent that a police department remains open to the inclusion of these individuals, the likelihood of successful internal problem-solving increases† (2001). As noted, successful internal operations-including communication and empowerment, especially-are essential to producing the end-product, lower crime rates. New York City and especially the CCP, are heavily involved in just such efforts. Chief among its programs are an Auxiliary Police Unit consisting of men and women from 17 to 60 years of age. They patrol the park in uniform acting as the eyes and ears of the police. There are 42 members, whose work is supplemented by the work of 42 Parkwatchers, â€Å"concerned citizens who keep a watchful eye on the park. When criminal activity is observed they report it to the police† (NYPD Web site). It is obvious that CCP, perhaps more than other city precincts, interacts frequently and effectively with non-officer personnel who are trusted with important work. Another such outfit is the Roadrunners Safety Patrol. These helpers patrol in pairs and carry interwatch radios; there are 72 of them. An additional 70 New York Skaters Association members are also enlisted to provide information to the precinct (NYPD Web site). Perhaps the most famous of the groups assisting the CCP is the Guardian Angel Patrol. There are 61 Guardian Angels trained and enlisted. An essential part of the POP program is the Park Enforcement Patrol, or PEP. Established by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, it is a unformed patrol with the mission of providing safer parks, encouraging the public in the proper use of parks and discouraging the misuse and destruction of park property. â€Å"During the busy weekend and summer periods, and during all special events such as concerts and races, PEP officers patrol the park to help people enjoy the event and to keep order. If park users become ill or are injured, the PEP officer will provide first aid and request an ambulance and police. People in trouble and in need of assistance look for PEP officers. These specially trained officers also assist the N.Y.P.D. by enforcing quality of life violations in the park† (NYPD Web site). Working with them is the only volunteer ambulance service in Central Park, the Central Park Medical Unit, which responds to accidents â€Å"involving park users, bicyclists, rollerbladers, joggers, etc.. The Central Park Medical Unit assists the N.Y.C.E.M.S.† (NYPD Web site). The POP success doesn't depend entirely on uniformed and/or trained volunteers, however. The CCP's Robbery Reduction Unit consists of one Sergeant and five Police Officers who are deployed at â€Å"robbery prone locations† (NYPD Web site). Non-police work also becomes part of the mission in a POP-driven unit such as CCP. For instance, in concert the Central Park Precinct Youth Officers and Community Police Unit conduct truancy sweeps (NYPD Web site). While trying to keep kids in school, the precinct also tries to keep bicycles in the hands of their rightful owners. CCP runs a bicycle registration program in an effort to deter thefts (NYPD Web site). A unique N-Force is a unit consisting of one sergeant and three police officers that focuses on quality of life conditions; they are deployed at â€Å"areas that the precinct commander designates as priority locations† (NYPD Web site). In its dialog with the community, CCP also has a Community Council that meets with police officials to seek ways to solve local problems; the CCP council has 146 active members. Finally, CCP participates in a Thanksgiving Food Drive and a Winter Coat Drive, as well as Toys for Tots to help children in disadvantaged families (NYPD Web site). The first item on the NYPD mission statement is â€Å"To protect life and property, reduce crime, improve the quality of life while dealing with the citizens of this city with courtesy, professionalism, and respect† (NYPD Web site). It is apparent both from the crime statistics in this ‘global playground' and the number, range and type of community and quasi-police organizations that communications, values, vision and empowerment are working in this highly unusual precinct, in which there are no residents, but only visitors of every possible type and intent. Glassoock notes that since the 1980s, â€Å"law enforcement agencies have applied the concept of problem-oriented policing to many community problems, such as alcohol-related crimes, burglaries, graffiti, sex offenses, and trespassing† all of which a precinct that was completely park and special-use structures would be prone to have. Glassoock notes that â€Å"Because POP emphasizes solving a problem as the dominant decision-making mode, officers attaining management positions must rethink their decision-making styles learned earlier in their careers. They must consider that the appropriateness of different decision-making styles varies depending upon whether officers are responding to calls or solving problems† (2001). It is apparent that CCP has been successful.

Booker T. Washington Versus W. E. B. du Boise

Booker T. Washington Versus W. E. B. du Boise Essay Booker T. Washington believed that blacks should not push to attain equal civil and political rights with whites. That it was best to concentrate on improving their economic skills and the quality of their character. The burden of improvement resting squarely on the shoulders of the black man. Eventually they would earn the respect and love of the white man, and civil and political rights would be accrued as a matter of course. This was a very non-threatening and popular idea with a lot of whites. For two decades Washington established a dominant tone of gradualism and accommodationism among blacks, only to find in the latter half of this period that the leadership was passing to more militant leaders such as W. E. B. DuBois During the four decades following reconstruction, the position of the Negro in America steadily deteriorated. The hopes and aspirations of the freedmen for full citizenship rights were shattered after the federal government betrayed the Negro and restored white supremacist control to the South. Blacks were left at the mercy of ex-slaveholders and former Confederates, as the United States government adopted a laissez-faire policy regarding the Negro problem in the South. The era of Jim Crow brought to the American Negro disfranchisement, social, educational, and occupational discrimination, mass mob violence, murder, and lynching. Under a sort of peonage, black people were deprived of their civil and human rights and reduced to a status of quasi-slavery or second-class citizenship. Strict legal segregation of public facilities in the southern states was strengthened in 1896 by the Supreme Courts decision in the Plessy vs. Ferguson case. Racists, northern and southern, proclaimed that the Negro was subhuman, barbaric, immoral, and innately inferior, physically and intellectually, to whitestotally incapable of functioning as an equal in white civilization. Between the Compromise of 1877 and the Compromise of 1895, the problem facing Negro leadership was clear: how to obtain first-class citizenship for the Negro American. How to reach this goal caused considerable debate among Negro leaders. Some advocated physical violence to force concessions from the whites. A few urged Negroes to return to Africa. The majority, however, suggested that Negroes use peaceful, democratic means to change undesirable conditions. Some black leaders encouraged Negroes to become skilled workers, hoping that if they became indispensable to the prosperity of the South, political and social rights would be granted to them. Others advocated struggle for civil rights, specifically the right to vote, on the theory that economic and social rights would follow. Most agreed that solutions would come gradually. Negro leadership near the turn of the century was divided between these two tactics for racial equality, which may be termed the economic strategy and the political strategy. The most heated controversy in Negro leadership at this time raged between two remarkable black menBooker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois. The major spokesman for the gradualist economic strategy was Washington. DuBois was the primary advocate of the gradualist political strategy. Washington learned the doctrine of economic advancement combined with acceptance of disfranchisement and conciliation with the white South from Armstrong. His rise to national prominence came in 1895 with a brief speech, which outlined his social philosophy and racial strategy. Washington was invited to speak before an integrated audience at the opening of the Cotton States and International Exposition held in Atlanta in September 1895. He was the first Negro ever to address such a large group of southern whites Washington is remembered chiefly for this Atlanta Compromise address. In this speech, he called on white America to provide jobs and industrial-agricultural education for Negroes. READ: Resistance To Technology EssayIn exchange, blacks would give up demands for social equality and civil rights. His message to the Negro was that political and social equality was less important as immediate goals than economic respectability and independence. Washington believed that if blacks gained an economic foothold, and proved themselves useful to whites, then civil rights and social equality would eventually be given to them. Blacks were urged to work as farmers, skilled artisans, domestic servants, and manual laborers to prove to whites that all blacks were not liars and chicken thieves. The philosophy of Washington was one of accommodation to white oppression. He advised blacks to trust the paternalism of the southern whites and accept the fact of white supremacy. He stressed the mutual interdependence of blacks and whites in the South, but said they were to remain socially separate: In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress. Washington counseled blacks to remain in the South, obtain a useful education, save their money, work hard, and purchase property. By doing such things, Washington believed, the Negro could ultimately earn full citizenship rights. Several Negro leaders voiced their opposition to Washingtons Atlanta Compromise with its admonition to work and wait. They could not topple Washington from power, but one of them did win recognition as a leader of the oppositionW. E. B. DuBois. DuBois was not an early opponent of Washingtons program. He enthusiastically accepted the Tuskegeeans Atlanta Compromise philosophy as sound advice. He said in 1895 that Washingtons speech was a word fitly spoken. In fact, during the late 1890s, there were several remarkable similarities in the ideas of the two men, who for a brief period found issues on which they could cooperate. Both Washington and DuBois tended to blame Negroes themselves for their condition. They both placed emphasis on self-help and moral improvement rather than on rights. Both men placed economic advancement before universal manhood suffrage. The professor and the principal were willing to accept franchise restrictions based on education and property qualifications, but not race. Both strongly believed in racial solidarity and economic cooperation, or Black Nationalism. They encouraged the development of Negro business. They agreed that the black masses should receive industrial training. The years from 1901 to 1903 were years of transition in DuBois philosophy. DuBois grew to find Washingtons program intolerable, as he became more outspoken about racial injustice and began to differ with Washington over the importance of liberal arts education when the latters emphasis on industrial education drew resources away from black liberal arts colleges. DuBois noted that Washingtons accommodating program produced little real gain for the race. Another factor that alienated DuBois from Washington was the fact that Washington and his Tuskegee Machinean intricate, nation-wide web of institutions in the black community that were conducted, dominated, and strongly influenced by Washingtonkept a dictatorial control over Negro affairs that stifled honest criticism of his policies and other efforts at Negro advancement. DuBois came to view Washington as a political boss who had too much power and used it ruthlessly to his own advantage. Although DuBois admitted that he was worthy of honor, he believed Washington was a limited and misguided leader. DuBois launched a well-reasoned, thoughtful, and unequivocal attack on Washingtons program in his classic collection of essays, The Souls of Black Folk, in 1903. In The Souls of Black Folk, DuBois took the position that the Black men of America have a duty to perform; a duty stern and delicatea forward movement to oppose a part of the work of their greatest leader. READ: on the Epic Poem, Beowulf - Anglo-Saxon Valu EssayIn an essay entitled, Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others, DuBois said that Washingtons accommodationist program asked blacks to give up political power, insistence on civil rights, and higher education for Negro youth. He believed that Washingtons policies had directly or indirectly resulted in three trends: the disfranchisement of the Negro, the legal creation of a distinct status of civil inferiority for the Negro, and steady withdrawal of aid from institutions for the higher training of the Negro. DuBois charged that Washingtons program tacitly accepted the alleged inferiority of the Negro. Expressing the sentiment of the radical civil rights advocates, DuBois demanded for all black citizens 1) the right to vote, 2) civic equality, and 3) the education of Negro youth according to ability. Generally, DuBois opposed Washingtons program because it was narrow in its scope and objectives, devalued the study of the liberal arts, and ignored civil, political, and social injustices and the economic exploitation of the black masses. DuBois firmly believed that persistent agitation, political action, and academic education would be the means to achieve full citizenship rights for black Americans. He stressed the necessity for liberal arts training because he believed that black leadership should come from college-trained backgrounds. DuBois philosophy of the Talented Tenth was that a college-educated elite would chart, through their knowledge, the way for economic and cultural elevation for the black masses. The NAACP was a coalition of black and white radicals which sought to remove legal barriers to full citizenship for Negroes. DuBois was one of the founding members of the organization. Both Washington and DuBois wanted the same thing for blacksfirst-class citizenshipbut their methods for obtaining it differed. Because of the interest in immediate goals contained in Washingtons economic approach, whites did not realize that he anticipated the complete acceptance and integration of Negroes into American life. He believed blacks, starting with so little, would have to begin at the bottom and work up gradually to achieve positions of power and responsibility before they could demand equal citizenshipeven if it meant temporarily assuming a position of inferiority. DuBois understood Washingtons program, but believed that it was not the solution to the race problem. Blacks should study the liberal arts, and have the same rights as white citizens. Blacks, DuBois believed, should not have to sacrifice their constitutional rights in order to achieve a status that was already guaranteed.

Public relations plan for Pilsner Urquel Research Paper

Public relations plan for Pilsner Urquel - Research Paper Example This is because of the three main factors which are time involved during shipping, temperature, and light. The company is trying to overcome this issue by coming up with new supply chain and shipment solutions. At the same time it is important for the company to come up with effective and efficient PR plan to communicate the new improvements in the supply chain to the key audience and gain back the trust of the consumers in the market of United States. This in turn will allow the company to increase its sales and capture more market share. The company is already involved in different PR and marketing activities in this regard like recently company celebrated its 170th anniversary and arranged a complete program and event in this regard (Bloomberg Businessweek; SAB Miller, b). Along with this the company organized second annual master home brewer competition (PR Newswire, a). In this report an attempt has been made to understand the market research process of the company and provide them with the PR plan on the basis of the current situation of the market and industry. In order to come up with the proper public relation plan it is important to do the initial research of the background situation and overall industry trends in effective and efficient manner. This in turn facilitates the company to come up with the PR plan which is effective and conveys message to all target market. The market research can be done either through secondary research sources and methods or primary research sources and methods.... This in turn allows them to come up with effective and efficient strategy and marketing plan, as they are able to identify and understand important trends and changes in the market on timely basis. The interview from the company representative revealed that the company collects and analyze all important statistics regarding the consumer behavior and taste preferences with the help of different qualitative research and testing methods. However, the company has its own labs for testing the quality and taste of the beer. Regarding the media analysis, the company keeps check on different internet and social mediums including their own websites and monitors the stuff posted along with the response of the customers. Pilsner Urquell also monitors and keeps a check on the content posted by different bloggers about the beer. Some of the findings generated from the market and consumer research have been presented and explored here. The management of Pilsner Urquell is working hard to overcome the issues related with the freshness and shipment of the beer to US market. For this purpose, the company is well aware of the current situation of the market with the help of the research activities. The company use set of primary and secondary research methods in order to get hold of important information regarding important market trends. At the same time the management of the company is focusing on new innovative strategies and classify themselves as the trailblazer in the industry, as mentioned by the Pilsner representative. Along with this the company does keep an eye on the actions taken by the competitors but focus more on brining its own strategies and ways. For instance the representative of the company mentioned that some of the

Finance and Growth Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Finance and Growth Strategies - Assignment Example The paper tells that dividends are returns which are paid to the shareholders from the firm’s earnings for their investment in the company regardless of whether the earnings are generated in previous period or the current period. Dividends will influence the capital structure of the firm since retained earnings increase the value of the common stock than debt capital. A firm cannot assume the dividend policy to be irrelevant. In determining the amount to be paid as dividends, the firm should analyze the effect of the dividend policy on the operations of the. However, some financial analysts are of the opinion that dividend policy is irrelevant since it does not change the value of the firm. Investors can adjust the investment portfolios when if their preference is a steady source of income hence they can invest in bonds where the interest payments are certain rather than investing in common stocks where the dividend payments fluctuate. Another argument of the opponents of divi dend payment is that taxation of dividends is higher hence capital gains are more preferable by investors. They propose that the firm should reinvest the earnings which will ultimately increase the value of the firm hence increasing the share value. The firm should utilize its earnings in undertaking more investment projects, repurchasing the common stock and acquiring more profitable companies thus increasing the market value of the common stock... The firm is also supposed to make a decision on the timing of the payment of the dividends whereby interim and final dividends can be paid from the earnings of the firm (Khan 2004). The board of directors is supposed to make a decision on the amount to pay where a constant dividend pay out ratio or fluctuating dividend pay out ratio may be implemented by the firm. The firm may also adopt a residual policy on the payment of dividends. The dividend policy has to take in to account several practical considerations which include the following (Khan 2004). Long term financing decision The dividend policy can be termed as a financing decision when retained earnings are considered as cheap source of finance. The dividend policy should consider the investment opportunities which are available (Khan 2004). If the firm ahs viable investment opportunities which exist, the dividend policy which is adopted should be residual dividend decision where dividends are paid only after enough funds have been allocated to the viable investment opportunities (Khan 2004). Retained earnings are a cheaper source of funds since they do not involve the floatation costs. Payment of cash dividends would reduce the funds available for the long term financing decisions when the firm may not have other sources of finance (Harold 2009). In this case, the firm may decide to pay bonus shares as dividends to the stockholders and invest the retained earnings in other profitable opportunities since the share value of the stocks increase with the increase in the value of the firm (Harold 2009). Financial needs of the firm Retained earnings of the firm are cheaper source of finance for reinvestment purposes. If the internal rate of return of the firm

Literature review of Energy savings companies (ESCO) and marketing Essay

Literature review of Energy savings companies (ESCO) and marketing - Essay Example A true win-win-win if successfully implemented. As far as marketing is concerned it is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and values with others. It is an integrated process through which companies create value for customers and build strong relationships with them in order to capture value from customers in return. Thus for effective functioning of ESCO it has implemented various tools and strategies of marketing. According to European Union energy services, energy services are those activities which are taken up by the companies and market actors, and which result in demonstrable and sustainable savings of supplied/delivered energy in the customer's household and which includes the option of initial investment by other than the household or property owner [1]. The energy service company (ESCO) is in the business of providing broad range of comprehensive energy solutions including the designing and implementation of energy saving projects, energy conservation, energy infrastructure outsourcing, power generation, energy supply and risk management. Sixteen companies have been grouped together in the industry structure that provides projects based on ESCO structure [2, 3, and 4]. Ameresco is the only pure-play ESCO left in the market [5]. The others are Carrier, Honeywell Building Solutions SES, Johnson Controls Government Systems, L.L.C., Siemens Government Services, Inc., TAC Americas, Inc., Trane U.S., Inc., ConEdison, Constellation, FPL Energy Services, Pepco Energy Services, The Benham Companies, LLC (SAIC Acquired), Clark Realty Builders, LLC, McKinstry, Lockheed Martin and Chevron Energy [6, 7 ,8]. The ESCO customers include [9] Working of ESCO ESCO has its own way of working it starts with analyzing the part, then designs the energy efficient solution and installs the required elements, finally maintaining the system to ensure that the energy is saved during the payback period. The savings in energy costs is often used to pay back the capital investment of the project over a five- to twenty-year period, or reinvested into the building to allow for capital raise that may otherwise be impractical. If the project does not provide returns on the investment, then ESCO is often responsible to pay the difference [10]. ESCOs structure is as follows Contract Services Customer ESCO PaymentFinancing payment Contract Bank (ESCO feasibility report. 2007) Initially ESCO installs the energy conservation measures (ECM's) and measure the energy saved resulting from the projects and presents the data to the customer. A common way to calculate energy savings is to measure the flows of energy associated with the ECM, and to apply spreadsheet calculations to determine savings. They have formed a standardized table as follows; Description Typical

Injustice in Iran Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Injustice in Iran - Research Paper Example An interesting and unique case of this phenomenon is Iran. Today it is public knowledge that the American CIA helped to overthrow in 1953 the democratically-elected government of Mohammed Mossadegh in order to establish a regime more sympathetic to Western oil interests. The fact that the US has played such a significant role in modern Iranian history is hardly something worth boasting about. One word that would well describe the history of events in Iran of the last 50-60 years would be tragedy. A despotic government, through the insidious intervention of a foreign power, was installed and which went on to commit many crimes against the people of Iran. The reaction to that regime, the regime of Shah Pahlavi, helped to fuel to the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Today the similarities between the oppression and abuse of power by the Shah’s regime and that of the current Islamist one are quite alarming. It was Karl Marx who famously said that â€Å"History repeats itself, first as tr agedy, second as farce† (Marx 2010). His comments can be applied to Iran where a revolution took place which wanted to overthrow what was seen as a tyrannical and unjust government so as to implement a traditionally Islamist and â€Å"uncorrupt† government. Sadly, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has shown itself to be just as unjust and oppressive as that of its predecessor. The Iranian Shah, after seizing full autocratic power in Iran following the overthrow of the Mossadegh government, instituted a repressive government in order to take and maintain power. A key part of this power structure was the â€Å"Sazeman-I Ettela-at Va Amniyat-I Kishvar† or as it was commonly known, SAVAK, the Iranian National and Intelligence Organization. Founded in 1957, SAVAK kept eyes on domestic opponents of the Shah’s regime and â€Å"staged several operations to influence political events†¦[for] the late 1950’s were a time of great political

Land mine detection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Land mine detection - Assignment Example 1.2 Problems with Depth and Speed An efficient detection system must not be sensitive to the depth of the mine underground and detection should be performed at a reasonable speed (Hussein & Waller 1999). On the subject of depth, if the mine detector is sensitive to the depth of the buried mine, then it will probably not be able to detect mines buried relatively deeper but which will still explode upon contact. Moreover, on the subject of speed, if the personnel in charge of the mine detector do not perform the operation reasonably fast, this will result in relatively more expensive operational costs. 1.3 Problems with the Background Since mines are buried all over different soil types and terrain as well as different local circumstances, then it follows that a good detection system must be extremely specific in the identification of the mine itself and should not be affected by the surrounding conditions (Hussein & Waller 1999). This means that the detection system must remain unaffe cted by the weather, the temperature of the soil as well as the relative amount or mere presence of moisture in the area where the mine is buried. Otherwise, the detection system may fail to identify the presence of the mine. Another problem concerning the fact that mines are buried underground is that even detection of dogs and electronic chemical sniffers can be thwarted because of the presence of residual vapor emissions from explosives that recently detonated (Hussein & Waller 1999). This means that despite the highly sensitive olfactory sense of dogs and the sophisticated nature of electronic chemical sniffers, they are still apt to detect the wrong vapors that would lead them to remnants of explosives and not mines. Other mine detection systems like pulse-induction metallic detectors and ground penetrating radars may be able to detect microwaves, but these microwaves are not pronounced if the mines are non-metallic. Moreover, echoes from the surface and from rocks and tree roo ts may interfere with the microwaves emitted by a particular mine, thus preventing accurate detection. 2. WHAT EFFECT DOES NEW TECHNOLOGY HAVE ON THE COST OF REMOVING LANDMINES? The cost to remove all of the estimated 110 million active mines in the world is around $33 billion and a total operation time of around 1,100 years given the current conditions (United Nations 1997). Moreover, the main reason for the high cost of landmine removal has always been the â€Å"the amount of clutter in typical minefields,† which account for 95% of detected objects by many landmine removal systems (Won et al. 2001). 2.1 Manufacturing and Operation Costs of Modern Mine Flails Mine flails, or devices mounted on vehicles that detonate land mines along its path, are highly sophisticated and complex that their manufacturing and operating costs are extremely expensive. The Aardvark, which operates on a 160 hp turbo charged diesel engine and which has a full armored structure and communication equ ipment, actually operates at the rate of $0.33 per square meter while clearing mines at the rate of around 600 square meters per hour (LandmineClearance.com 2004; Green 1999). Other flails however would cost up to $2 per square meter (Hartley 2003). That means $198

Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Article - Essay Example (Krawczyk, M.et.al, 2008, p. 136). The study concludes that the CC-genotype, BTH and genotype correlate perfectly, and the genetic test provides an unambiguous result. In both positive individual with a negative genetic test there is good reason to suspect secondary causes of lactase deficiency. (Krawczyk, M.et.al, 2008, p.138). In the study 58 consecutives patients are chosen (25 males, 33 females; median age 41 years, range 18 – 82 years) recruited prospectively between April 2005 and July 2007. (Krawczyk, M.et.al, 2008, p.137). These patients were referred by the department with non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms consistent with lactose intolerance (i.e., bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea).All participants signed an informed consent form, and the study was conducted according to a study design approved by the local ethical committee. (Krawczyk, M.et.al, 2008, p.137). The method in genetic test includes the use of a Peripheral venous blood samples for DNA testing were obtained from all patients. DNA was isolated using the DNeasy Blood & Tissue kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). The genotyping procedure consisted of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and SNP detection of the -13,910C>T variant using SNaPshot minisequencing (Applera, Norwalk,CT). (Krawczyk, M.et.al, 2008, p.136). For Hydrogen breathe test (BTH), it was performed after at least 12 hours overnight fasting. All patients were obliged to restrain from cigarette smoking before the test. Additionally, individuals who underwent colonoscopy or were taking any antibiotics in the fortnight before the test were excluded from the study. The test was performed after ingestion of 50 g of lactose diluted in 300 ml of water. The amount of exhaled hydrogen was measured in parts per million (ppm) before lactose ingestion (baseline), every 10 minutes during the first hour and every 20 minutes

Pelvic Floor Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pelvic Floor - Literature review Example This study shall discuss the importance of pelvic floor exercises for the antenatal mother. It shall consider literature on this topic on the benefits of pelvic floor exercises. It shall also discuss possible recommendations for the use of pelvic floor exercises in the future practice. This study is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the current subject matter. Discussion In a paper by Reilly, et.al., (2003) the authors set out to establish whether the supervised pelvic floor exercises during the prenatal period would decrease postpartum stress incontinence in primigravida mothers with bladder neck mobility. Their study was carried out as a single blind and randomized controlled trial in the prenatal clinic in a UK NHS Trust Hospital. It covered about 260 primigravida mothers seeking prenatal care in the clinic at about 20 weeks gestation with bladder neck mobility (Reilly, et.al., 2003). The study called for the respondents to attend s upervised pelvic floor exercises as assisted by a physiotherapist on a monthly basis from 20 weeks of pregnancy. The control group did not undergo any pelvic floor exercises. The study revealed that, as compared to the control group, less postpartum stress incontinence was reported by women who underwent supervised pelvic floor exercises. ... In another study Morkved and colleagues (2003) set forth that urinary incontinence is a major health issue which often decreases the quality of people’s lives. Risk factors for this condition include pregnancy and vaginal delivery. Their study set out to establish whether intensive pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy could prevent urinary incontinence. The authors carried out their study as a single-blind randomized controlled trial at the Trondheim University Hospital with about 300 nulliparous women who were assigned to undergo either pelvic floor exercises muscle training program or no pelvic floor training at all (Morkved, et.al., 2003). The study revealed that there were fewer women in the training group who experienced urinary incontinence at 36 weeks of pregnancy and 3 months after their delivery. The study established that the intensive pelvic floor exercises assisted in preventing urinary incontinence among women during and after pregnancy. In a study by Oli veira, et.al., (2007) the authors set out to assess the impact of pelvic floor muscle training among 46 pregnant women. The authors divided the women into 2 groups, the exercise and the control group. The assessment of the pelvic floor muscle was carried out through the digital vaginal palpation via the strength scale. The study revealed that the pelvic muscle strength became stronger for women in both groups during the pregnancy period; however it proved to be stronger among women in the exercise group (Oliveira, et.al., 2007). The authors concluded that through pelvic muscle floor training, an increase in the pelvic floor muscle pressure and strength at pregnancy was made possible. This is an important development for pregnant women because stronger pelvic muscles help ease the delivery

Chocolate and Brownies Essay Example for Free

Chocolate and Brownies Essay Baking brownies seems easy enough, but have you ever followed every step on the back of the box and weren’t happy with the outcome? I think we all have done that a number of times. If you want to know how to create the most amazing mouth-watering brownies keep reading. You and anyone who will get the pleasure of enjoying the brownies won’t be disappointed with your new and improved recipe. Start off by making a grocery list to purchase the items you do not have. The main ingredients are as follows: 1 small avocado, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, 2 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 tbsp ground chia seeds, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp dark roasted coffee (or instant), 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, 1 ? cup whole grain spelt flour, ? cup cocoa powder, ? tsp baking powder, ? tsp baking soda, ? tsp Himalayan sea salt. This may seem like an extensive list, but trust me, your taste buds will be going crazy as soon as the first bite is taken. Not only are these brownies going to be a delicious satisfaction to the chocolate craving many of us wish to fulfill, but the actually are not as bad for you as you may think. The ingredients listed substitute a lot of the ingredients in boxed brownies such as oils and eggs which may leave you feeling guilty after indulging. Ok, so as soon as you have the ingredients needed make sure you are working in a clean area. Before mixing the ingredients together preheat the oven to 350F, line an 8† pan with parchment paper, or cover with non-stick spray and set aside. In a large bowl, gently smash the avocado with a fork to break apart followed by a hand mixer (you don’t want any chunks). The avocado is used as a substitute and for texture, not necessarily for flavoring as you’ll notice in the final product you cannot taste it at all. Next, add in the brown sugar, maple syrup, oil, chia, vanilla extract, and coffee; mix this until smooth. Put the large bowl aside and grab a medium one. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add these dry ingredients to the wet mix on low with a mixer, or stir by hand until the dry mix is no longer visible. Stir in the chocolate chips, toss in a few extra if you’d like. Dump the mixture onto the baking pan, the batter will be extremely thick but do not worry, dipping your spatula into cold water will make it easier to spread out the batter. Once your batter is the way you want it to be in the pan, place it in the oven and let it cook for 20-25 minutes and no more. The batter may be giving you mixed signals while cooking, but I know from experience how shocking it is that 25 minutes could cook it thoroughly considering how thick it is first going into the oven. Try not to open the oven too much while it is cooking, only check on it after about 20 minutes. While the brownies are baking is a great time to clean up the bowls and spatula you used. Let them soak in hot soapy water because the batter being so thick takes quite a while scrubbing to be completely clean. Also be careful not to make the water too hot, you don’t want to be dipping your hand into scalding hot water. It’s time! The oven has buzzed and you probably cannot wait to peek at your wonderful brownies. Be sure to get oven mitts to remove the dish from the oven, test the center of the brownies with a fork and as long as it comes out clean they are fully cooked. It should come out clean, but if for some reason it hasn’t put them back in for no longer than 2 minutes. Nothing is worse than an over cooked brownie. Let the brownies cool for 20 minutes before diving in. After the 20 minutes has passed, cut the brownies into the size you desire. I have found a pizza cutter to be the easiest to get through the thick layers of fudge. You’re finished! You have just completed the best brownies you will ever experience in your life. Put a large scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and enjoy! Be sure not to give away your secret to others who will be sure to be envious.

Adultery and Society Essay Example for Free

Adultery and Society Essay Much has already been said about Couples – John Updike’s controversial 1968 novel about the lives and indiscretions of well-off couples living in the suburban town of Tarbox, Boston. At first glance, the novel may seem like a run of the mill erotic novel – tawdry and titillating, but nothing more. This was, in fact, the common perception that greeted the novel on its debut in 1968, hence its notoriety as a â€Å"controversial† novel. Much of its hype, however, is not lost, considering the amount of sex – illicit and otherwise – that graces the pages of the novel, as well as the forthright manner with which Updike boldly discusses these activities. Scandal and notoriety prevented a proper and contextual understanding of Updike’s novel, leaving it languishing in literary purgatory. In time, however, with the changes in society and modern views on sex, Updike’s Couples has, to some degree, been resurrected and reevaluated with a different perspective and point of view. Though still shocking in its extensive discussion of adultery and lecherous behavior in general, the novel has finally emerged from under its tag as a bawdy piece of B-rated literature to become one of Updike’s signature novels. No longer viewed as eroticized sensationalism, the novel is now seen as a representation of Updike’s most striking leitmotif: suburban adultery. If not erotica for eroticism’s sake, what then is the central thought in Updike’s Couples? Such is the question that this paper now intends to answer. This paper posits that John Updike’s Couples reflects the collapse of traditional values in the face of modernity particularly in the early 1960s. With the parameters of sexuality shattered by the advent of birth control, wealthy men and women living the â€Å"perfect† life are actually morally in disarray. Society, despite its beautiful and urbane facade, is in reality rotting away and slowly experiencing a moral decay. The beauty of suburbia and its polished citizens stand in sharp contrast to the breakdown of social norms and propriety. Such is the theme of John Updike’s Couples. To prove so, it is necessary to first look into the writer himself, John Updike. Much of his writings reflect his personal opinions, of course, and understanding the writer will most certainly provide a better contextual understanding of the novel. Moreover, it is necessary that a discussion of the era (early 1960s, under the Kennedy administration) be conducted in order to fully relay the circumstances that give way to the morally reprehensible â€Å"system† established by the titular couples. Lastly, this paper shall look into the juxtaposition of aesthetics (the beauty of both the people and the suburban town they inhabit) and the rotten structure of banality they willingly cling to. These are the significant aspects of John Updike’s Couples that shall be discussed. First of all, who was John Updike? Little is known about Updikes childhood, except that he was born to a middle class Pennsylvania family in 1932. John Updikes interest in writing began with his mothers instructions, herself a prolific writer. His mothers influence proved intense and enduring, giving him the strength and courage to continue with writing. Despite the lack of sufficient funds for his education, Updikes talents received recognition and earned him a full scholarship at Harvard University, where he joined the Harvard Lampoon. Upon graduation, he joined the New Yorker, which published his first story, Friends from Philadelphia, in 1954. The story would soon be followed by several more of his writings, all published through the New Yorker. By the end of the 1950s, Updike was reaping the fruits of a successful literary career (Pritchard 2000, p. 2). It was not, however, his writing technique that caught the fancy of critics. Though fluid and never boring, it is not his efficient style that gained support for John Updike. Unfortunately, his choice of subject matter overshadowed his style of writing, essentially giving way to the â€Å"controversial† tag. Couples is just one example of his unique point of view and manner of describing even the most intimate of details (Amidon 2005, p. 51). The mention and overt discussion of sex remained quite touchy, if not entirely taboo, even as society during the 1960s had significantly modernized. The effect of his controversial topics, however, had led to a period wherein his writings were shunned, to a certain degree, and remained misclassified as bawdy erotica. â€Å"Suburban adultery†, a topic most associated with John Updike, is born of his own experiences in grappling with the temptations of sex and desire. The writing of the novel Couples came at a time when he was completely confused in his personal life, particularly with regards to his marriage. Updike was in the middle of a passionate love affair and was, in fact, contemplating filing for a divorce. In the end, he decided not to push through with the plan for divorce (Pritchard 2000, p. 119). The topic, therefore, is described vividly in every scene of the novel, reflecting Updikes own struggle with his inner demons and the destruction of the institution of marriage before his very eyes. The crumbling of his own marriage proved to be the very basis of Couples. To Updike, a certain degree of the story of a failed marriage is â€Å"sad magic† (Pritchard 2000, p. 124). Extramarital relations for Updike are not erotic, despite the manner with which he describes the sexual activities of his characters in the novel. Rather than titillating, the goal of Updikes prose is to portray the emptiness that these affairs and illicit relationships cause. There is no desire to eroticize or sexualize the characters; the idea is to present the weaknesses of their personalities and the ramifications of unbridled desire. It is not specifically aiming for preaching either, focusing only on the emotional hollowness that gives birth to the seed of lust and temptations in the first place. As Updike himself explains, his idea of sex in his literary achievements is far from intentionally erotic. Rather, the idea is to create a portrait wherein sex is a tool; it is a means by which Updike indicts the weaknesses of societys moral fiber. As he said of sex in his writings in an interview with CNN, â€Å"Ive seen it said of my work that its anti-aphrodisiac, that it doesnt – that my descriptions of sex doesnt turn you on. But theyre not really meant to do that. I mean, sex described in detail is not a turn-on† (Austin 1998). Updike is far from a prude, true, yet his writings are not erotic for eroticism’s sake. The goal is to present moral weaknesses, not join banality. Unlike the earlier accusation of critics, the story of Couples is far from erotic, despite its routine use of sexual scenes and explicit activities. The story revolves around the lives of several couples living in an upscale community in Tarbox – a fictional suburb located in Boston. These young couples live wealthy lifestyles and have enough time on their hands to fool around. Piet Hanema, for example, is a serial adulterer. He has trysts with Foxy, as well as with several more of the novels women. His decadence is merely one of the morally bankrupt scenes in the story. It is not just Piet, though, who experiences a life of immorality and lack of a moral center. The couples engage in â€Å"wife-swapping† activities, such as in the case of the Applebys and the Little-smiths. None of the members of the community are entirely above the erotic rondalla, sending everyone in the community into a moral tailspin. In the end, however, it is Piet and his mistress Foxy who are cast out from the lot. Piet, since the beginning of the novel, is insistent on gaining freedom from his marriage. Though initially not bent towards the destruction of his own marriage, in the end, Piet divorces his wife Angela and his thrown out of the apartment with his mistress. As Greiner (1984) points out, â€Å"lovers are drawn as much to what destroys marriage as to what supports it† (p. 146). They are far from completely beyond the trappings of love, hence its effect as a double-edged sword. While it is love that bound two souls together under the sacrament of marriage in the first place, it is also â€Å"love† or whatever passes for it that successfully questions the sacrament and stands as a threat to its stability. Despite accepting the sacrament of marriage and his chained life, Piet needs and wants room, seeking sex and love from elsewhere despite his wifes presence. There is a need to hone his skills as an illicit lover, and the adrenaline rush of such relationships do exist. And yet despite their illicit activities and immoral actions, Updike refuses to view his characters as villains. They are far from perfect, given their morally unstable relationships, and they are all tottering over the edge of hell with their hypocritical Presybterian lives. None of them truly lives up to the Christian ideals, and they can be described as having their own religion – the religion of sex and lust. Despite these errors and flaws, however, the characters are not evil per se. They are, rather, personifications of Updikes understanding of suburbia and the moral decay that goes on behind the facade of wealth and propriety. They are weak, not evil, and are merely caught in the struggle to keep up with the liberal times even with the significant changes in society during this period (Greiner 1984, p. 148). Unfortunately, the highlighting of adulterous Tarbox soon became news across every home in the United States. Rather than view the sublime veins incorporated in Updikes novel, it was soon branded sensationalized and controversial. Protests emerged, decrying Updikes use of explicit words and graphic portrayal of sex. Perhaps most important of these criticisms, however, may be Anatole Broyards criticism of Piet Hanema, noting that there could be no sympathy for a â€Å"fornicator† (Greiner 1984, p. 149). In this the critics see the point of Updikes novel, yet completely miss it as well To classify Updikes novel as no more than a potboiler is to ignore its finer and less prominent points. To many, the adulterous activities and their graphic descriptions are the core of the novel. Looking past beyond such however, is the only way to find the true meaning of Updikes Couples. In the world of Tarbox, sex is just another ordinary day. Despite their preoccupation with it, sex is not the core of the community. It is, of course, an ironic glue that brings various couples together and inevitably unhinges them when the time comes. The characters are simply wandering from one relationship to another, in search not of true love, but of companionship and momentary beauty. Rather than portray the couples as treacherous villains determined to subvert the values of the day, Updike presents them as brats unwilling to succumb to the demands of married life. The central concept of their lives is â€Å"fun†, and with the end of each day, beyond the trappings of the suburban community, husband and wife find themselves alone with the bills, the children, the leftover food and the dishes to wash. To a certain degree, such a relationship is less exciting and not quite as desirable as spending time with the equally bored neighbors (Grenier, 1984, p. 151). The couples, therefore, are far from total villains and much easier to understand as adults with the minds of young children, unwilling accept responsibility yet entirely willing to pursue the cult of fun. To say that they are the product of a determinedly lost generation is to heap unnecessary blame on the characters. It is not that they preeminently wished for the structure of such a morally reprehensible situation. The issues in the novel are, in fact, the product of the times. The characters are merely swept up in the current, following the changing values and transitional problems that occur when modernity clashes with traditional values. There are changes in society, with growing wealth and scientific advances, and it is simply not possible to ignore the changes; the characters succumb to the call of the â€Å"wild† despite their surface urbanity. As mentioned earlier, it is not an innate â€Å"evilness† that Updike wishes to uncover in his Couples. The underlying core is less sinister than what critics and censors of his day had easily assumed. In truth, the story of Updikes novel is no more a potboiler than a thriller. It is simply a portrayal of Updikes own nostalgic view of the changes in society, including the slow deconstruction of a small town similar to the one he grew up in. Throughout the novel, the tone is largely wistful, reminiscent of a different past. There is something in the manner with which Updike contrasts the beautiful town and the rotting away of its core; a resounding sigh seems to escape Updikes lips with every word. Much of the storys very core is essentially reliant on the time frame of the novel. Updike pegs it on the early 1960s, under the Kennedy administration. As he himself pointed out, there is no way that the plot couldve existed in a different era. He noted that the action â€Å"could have taken place only under Kennedy; the social currents it traces are as specific to those years as flowers in a meadow are to their moment of summer† (Neary 1992, p. 144). There is something specific in the era that Updike particularly takes note of: the introduction of the bill and the liberation of women from the yokes of pregnancy. Without fear of pregnancy hanging over their heads, sex outside of marriage becomes a much more realistic possibility. It is what Updike calls the â€Å"post-pill paradise† (Sheed 1968), a world wherein the problem of unwanted pregnancy no longer exists. Updike describes his characters as wealthier than their predecessors, having been born into an era of relative prosperity. There is no limit to their desire for fulfillment, regardless of the price. They are driven by the id, raised in a culture of â€Å"me† and supported by the changing society. It is not just Tarbox which is changing. It is far from a microcosm entirely separate from the rest of society. Updike does not portray the suburb as a cancer entirely separate and different from the rest of the country. Rather, the suburb of Tarbox is a representative of many. The characters, themselves generic, are easily interchangeable and quite possibly recognizable in any town across the United States. In this world of change, not omly the couples of Tarbox are transformed. They are part of a larger social transformation, and Updikes focus on their interactions and illicit affairs present his understanding of society (not just suburbia) in general. The couples, though seemingly too deviant and unbelievable to be considered general stereotypes, are in fact Updikes definition of the moral breakdown of society. It is not an indictment of suburban life (despite the use of the term â€Å"suburban adultery†). The location of his subjects is more of a realistic portrayal than an unfair indictment. His judgment is not one of localization. Rather, Updike is presenting the class most affected by the changes in the Kennedy administration, primarily due to their wealth and social status. It is also in this level that the reality of class versus crass becomes most realize. Behind the beautiful homes and educated facades, there is darkness. The players randomly select their next partner, playing a grand, elaborate and ritualistic game of musical chairs with their neighbors. Play, again, is a significant theme in Updikes novel, being the central concept that drives the couples to pursue sexual adventures again and again. The significance of the time period should not be ignored. Updike describes his characters as the products of national tribulations. Following the Great Depression and World War II, these young couples find themselves thrust into a new America, one that struggles to keep up the facade of decency while slowly eroded away by modernity and the vulgarity of the new world order. These characters are far from intentionally indecent, however. Their initial goal was to be enveloped in beauty, separate from the staleness of the rest of the nation and the vulgarity that threatens to creep up the morality ladder (Sheed 1968). In the end, however, they find themselves in a vulgarity of their own making, hidden under the sheen of decency and beauty that the suburbs signify. Quoting Updike, â€Å"the ultimate influence of a government whose taxes and commissions and appetite for armaments set limits everywhere, introduced into a nation whose leadership allowed a toothless moralism [sic] to dissemble a certain practiced cunning, into a culture where adolescent passions and homosexual philosophies were not quite yet triumphant, a climate still furtively hedonist† (Neary 1992, p. 146). The passage describes Updikes view of the world in which the couples were molded. For all their failures and flaws, these characters were but the products of a bigger problem. Society itself, led by the government, was far from the pristine, moral structure it once was. The Applebys, the Little-smiths, the Guerins, the Constantines, the Hanemas etc. are merely the by-products of a flawed era. The destruction of society, therefore, does not begin and end with suburban adultery. It is merely a microcosm of a larger decay – one that goes beyond the wife-swapping activities of the inhabitants of Tarbox, Boston. In part, Updike’s focus is on the period and the circumstances that give rise to the opportunities for suburban adultery. One significant detail that Updike notes is the introduction of birth control. Whereas the novels of the 1950s focused on the â€Å"everyone is pregnant† motif, in Updike’s novel it is more of an â€Å"everyone is guilty† narrative (Greiner 1984, p. 145). Previously, pregnancy outside of marriage was the biggest obstacle for illicit lovers. Physical consummation, after all, could always leave an undeniable proof in the woman’s womb. With the introduction of the pill, however, a new â€Å"paradise† is opened to the people, with the characters of Updike’s Couples taking full advantage of the situation. These new methods of birth control had, to some effect, liberated the characters from the burdens of pregnancy. Now as long as his mistresses would remain on the pill, Piet would have no problems keeping his affairs in order. No longer would the characters of Updike’s novel fear the repercussions of sex outside of marriage, hence the ease with which they gradually fall into the abyss of sexual debauchery and adultery. And yet it seems as if this is just the tip of Updike’s metaphorical discussion. More than an indictment of the potentially â€Å"evil† consequences of birth control (such as the encouragement of promiscuity, perhaps), Updike’s inclusion of the pill is less of a reproach and more of a symbolism. It is not the pill per se that drives the characters into the arms of others. It is the slow break-down of society, particularly religion. The pill is merely a tool by which society slowly presents its disintegration. In itself, it cannot be identified as the cause of social decay. Rather, it is a sign of the changing times – a symbol of the struggle of the old traditional values to keep up with the changes in the modern world. In Updike’s own point of view, the concept of the novel is not really adultery. It is a discussion of the disintegration of society through the disintegration of church. Marriage, after all, is a sacrament. The destruction of marriage, therefore, does not signify the end of a union alone. It is a metaphor for the slow destruction of the church and its foundations. Sex is the new religion (Greiner 1984, p. 149). With the church crumbling and religion not as reliable as it once was, the characters of Updike’s Couples seek comfort and solace from another source. Marriage is not enough to provide the human warmth the characters require. They are not villains, just people trapped by circumstances and incapable of escaping from the needs of the flesh. It is a religion in itself, this search for fun. Quoting from the jacket blurb of Couples, Sheed (1968) notes how one character is supposed to be a priest and the other a scapegoat. In some ways, the idea of a spiritual leader leading the empty towards greater hypocrisy and shallowness is apt for the story. Fred Thorne is identified as the priest, the leader who organizes parties and games for the bored couples. His party on the night of Kennedy’s assassination is telling; the couples swear to be solemn yet soon revert to their partying ways. In a sense, this invokes a feeling of emptiness, of floating through space. These characters have nothing else but their physical selves to cling to. The government’s leader is assassinated, God strikes his own church with lightning and society is giving way underground to new bores. In essence, they are free of religious and political encumbrances, only to realize that without these structures there is almost nothing to hold on to at all. In the end, there is nothing but the warmth that sex provides – be it illicit or otherwise – giving a physical reality to the world. Without this physical connection, they are lost. The couples move around, shuffle in their beautiful clothing and beautiful homes. Beyond the facade however, are emptiness and a world of gradual moral decay. Works Cited Amidon, Stephen. â€Å"Unzipped: John Updike’s Prose is as Supple as Ever in This Chronicle of a Lifetime’s Erotic Exploits. † New Statesman, 134. 4724(2005): 51 Austin, Jonathan. â€Å"His Characters Allow Updike to be ‘Free’. † CNN. Com, 16 November 1998. Available 27 April 2008, from http://edition. cnn. com/books/news/9811/16/updike/index. html Greiner, Donald. John Updike’s Novels. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1984 Neary, John. Something and Nothingness: The Fiction of John Updike and John Fowles. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1992 Pritchard, William. Updike: America’s Man of Letters. South Royalton, VT: Steerforth Press, 2000 Sheed, Wilfrid. â€Å"Couples. † The New York Times, 7 April 1968. Available 27 April 2008, from http://www. nytimes. com/1968/04/07/books/updike-couples. html? pagewanted=1 Updike, John. Couples. NY: Ballantine Books, 1999

US Justice Departments Case Against Microsoft

US Justice Departments Case Against Microsoft Explain how economic theories and evidence can help in understanding the US Justice Departments recent case against Microsoft, and in Microsofts defense against the accusations. The continuing legal case against Microsoft began initially in September 1996 when the Department of Justice claimed that Microsoft forced computer makers to take Internet Explorer. By January 1997, Microsoft controlled 85% of the operating systems market. By August 1997 Microsoft and Apple Computers had agreed to a $250 million collaboration over various products and programs including most definitively making Internet Explorer bundled with Apple computers as its default browser. Within the next two months the Department of Justice created a suit claiming that Microsoft violated its 1995 consent decree, disallowing Windows operating system to be tied to any other products. Thus beginning a four year roller coaster of trial and appeals leading to presumed wins and losses for both sides, concluding with a November 1, 2002 settlement, finally approved on June 30, 2004 in a U.S. appeals court, citing it is in the public’s interests. Throughout this case in many courtrooms and in front of numerous trial lawyers and judges a number of economic theories have been introduced and cited in the rulings for and against Microsoft. Beginning in December 1997 when Department of Justice Thomas Penfield Jackson, whom later was targeted as bias against Microsoft, stopped Microsoft from requiring the distribution of Internet Explorer with Windows 95 claiming theories of market â€Å"lock-in†, a spoke in the wheel of â€Å"path dependence†. Judge Jackson disputed that Microsoft Windows operating system owes the bulk of its market success to the high number of applications written for it. Also claiming â€Å"lock-in† theory in that Microsoft was barring applicants to enter the market despite the fact that consumer and product tests and reviews showed Windows continuously beating out IBM’s OS 2, which ironically was compatible with Windows and yes came with a browser and had numerous applications writt en for it. Jackson pushed to label Microsoft as going against the Sherman anti-trust laws by reducing Netscape’s market share to create a monopoly over the operating system markets claiming a viable case of â€Å"path dependence.† Path dependency is an argument that presumes that technology markets involve a danger of being â€Å"locked-in† to an inferior technology when subject to changes in the network as the better product is not always the winner and in fact winning and losing is highly based on sheer luck and past historical events. Once â€Å"locked-in† there is little opportunity to switch to the superior of the products as the costs of changing are made very high to protect the monopolistic company. There are many opponents to the theory of â€Å"path dependence† created by Brian W. Arthur. The major point of discrepancy is that Windows dominance throughout the operating system market was created by its economic efficiency and its position can be quickly eliminated with the introduction of system of better quality. Claims also include the caution that if â€Å"lock-in† theories are generally accepted the number of suits filed will increase drastically as many markets are subject to market effects and high seller concentration. This ultimately can be detrimental to the entire marketplace, damaging industry growth creating unsure investors with the inability to seek refuge within productivity effects on a scale base. According to the U.S. courts, Microsoft was establishing â€Å"barriers to entry† and therefore in need of priority anti-trust intervention. The fear being that regardless if a new entry to the market had a superior product to the Microsoft operating system, Microsoft would still ultimately dominate the marketplace as the costs to switch would be tremendous, lying entirely in the hands of the consumer, as all of Windows and each of its compatible applications would be rendered useless, thus creating a â€Å"lock-in† for Microsoft despite its inefficient capabilities. The example disputed throughout numerous debates was that of Macintosh would have been the better solution, however Linux despite being superior would be unable to overcome its â€Å"lock-in† position. The concluding solution: Judge Jackson rules on June 7, 2000, ordering Microsoft to break up and form two separate companies, one producing Windows operating system and the other to handle software app lications, including a barring from uniting for up to ten years. Again opponents to the â€Å"path dependence† claim that Microsoft’s dominance was in fact due to its superior products and a break up of the company would create a detrimental effect to welfare of technology, hampering innovation for years ahead. Bill Gates stated the break up would set Microsoft back some ten years. Also that the anti-trust laws cannot hold the same conditioning they did one hundred years ago over markets such as soy bean production as today’s high-tech markets are subject to rapid innovation and change that promotes aggressive behavior within the industry to stay ahead. This was the basis for the June 14, 2000 appeal by Microsoft over the District Court’s judgment. The appeals court ruled in favor of resisting Microsoft’s need to split into two companies but sided with the District Court in that Microsoft continually abused its monopoly standing within the software business. The major point in fact is that both courts presumably agreed that Microsoft’s success was largely attributed to luck and the â€Å"lock-in† effect coupled with switching costs stifling consumers, rather than pointing to its efficiency contributing to its success. The contradiction that was introduced by the appeals courts against the â€Å"lock-in† theory is that under the â€Å"lock-in† theory only a monopolistic break up could disrupt the network effect cycle and restore the deteriorated competition as cited by the district court. But if this â€Å"lock-in† theory were to hold strong then the appeals court decision to not separate Microsoft would ultimately contribute to its dominance. According to the Justice Department’s economic experts, the break up of Microsoft would create higher prices to accommodate both of the companies that would be trying to maximize profits by creating products that are complementary instead of the current production of a single product. In a surprise turn of events the ruling was turned in favor of Microsoft, claiming, as stated earlier, Jackson’s previous statements to journalists were sufficient evidence of his bias against Microsoft. The Supreme Court, on August 7, 2001, reversed the ruling that Microsoft was an illegal monopoly. On September 6, 2001 the Department of Justice states that it no longer seeks to pursue either the break up of Microsoft or the bundling issue at the center of the case. The next month followed with an approved settlement between the Department of Justice and Microsoft over anti-trust charges, however nine states still sought stricter infractions against Microsoft, seeking to have Internet Explorer placed within the public domain, along with other commitments including the ability of computer makers to remove some Windows features. Following lawsuits have followed, including suits by AOL Time Warner and Sun Microsystems, Inc., both settled through monetary resolve. Finally, on Jun e 30, 2004, the U.S. appeals court approved Microsoft’s settlement with the Justice Department, saying it is in the public’s interest. As the above stated is the path Microsoft has traveled to continue it process of continuing software market innovation, it is necessary to look at what allowed many companies and the justice system to confront and challenge Microsoft’s work ethic and productivity. To speak from the side of Microsoft, Microsoft dominates in software markets where reviews and evaluations show they have the best products and do not in markets where other products are superior. Also, under monopolistic practices traditional views of economics suggest that prices are maximized to maximize profits, however within all the markets where Microsoft has a substantial holding prices have fallen dramatically. Also, the â€Å"lock-in† theory stresses that technology industries get stuck with low quality products, but history shows that in high-tech markets, superior products eliminate inferior ones, as was the case with the superior Excel over Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Word over the inferior WordPerf ect. Reviews are the main contributor to the success of these products. Reviews gave landslide wins to both Excel and Word, where Microsoft Money was the inferior product to Quicken it failed. According to the Justice system these products carried â€Å"path dependence† that â€Å"locked-in† the inferior products (from which of these products the statement is directed is unclear) and therefore â€Å"locked-out† innovative newcomers. Examples of â€Å"lock-in† are products that become highly publicly used such as the telephone or VCR become the norm and consumers will relinquish from trying others products that vary from the standard. The antagonist to this is that the high-tech market changes so rapidly that competitive advantages have a short lifespan. Also, that consumers are able to handle the concept that if everyone knew another product was better and more efficient would not someone find a way to cut the costs to switch to the superior product. Evid ence clearly suggests that yes a single product leading to increasing returns for the company often dominates markets such as software markets, however its replacement often happens at a record speed when a product comes along that is clearly superior. Think of game play consoles; Nintendo GameCube was almost placed into extinction with the introduction of Playstation 2 and Microsoft Xbox, whose prominence will not be countered with the introduction of Xbox 360 and soon Playstation 3. To counter the anti -trust issue against Microsoft, economists have argued that Microsoft has neither raised its prices nor restricted the output of its products, both traditional elements within a monopoly. Microsoft, on the other hand, offers good quality products at prices that are attractive to consumers and this has lead to Microsoft’s large market share. The problem that lingers is why has a company that has made good products at good prices been placed under such large scrutiny. Three ideals that have allowed firms to be exposed are arbitrary law, perfect competition, and economic versus political power. The antitrust laws rely heavily on arbitrary language that reflects the arbitrary rulings within perfect competition. Consider pricing, if one sets its prices above it competitors it can be seen as trying to monopolize, setting prices below can reflect unfair competition or restraining trade and if prices are similar to that of competitors the charge can be a scheme to fix prices. Therefore regardless of any price you set you are in violation of the anti-trust laws. Who is prosecuted is ultimately up to the prosecutors and whom they see as firms that hold large market share or whom is enjoying large profits. Also under the anti-trust laws, the â€Å"essential services† doctrine states that ‘a product or service that becomes widely used and relied upon loses it private character and effectively becomes private property, to be shared with rivals and the government.’ Presumably the Windows operating system became a red mark under this doctrine. The unfortunate factor is that firms are penalized for making great products that are successful. Also, consider the charge that Microsoft held a monopolizing market share. This definition is subjective to the prosecutor as well. Microsoft holds approximately 5% of the worldwide market share, but has 50% of the PC software market and 80% of the software for Intel based PCs. What is the determining factor to decide where a Monopoly is created? The result is that Microsoft has been forced to self-regulate to avoid constant prosecution, and this is the path to slower innovation. Perfect competition is the ideal theory not on how competition actually works but instead on how it should work. Ideally every market should be saturated with a great number of firms and impending newcomers to the market, with each firm holding a small share of the market. Entrance into the market should be cost-free and no firm can change its pricing to change its market share and products should be indistinguishable. Under such profits are rendered non-existent as any profit would be considered an imperfect market and after covering costs the ideal situation is a firm showing a loss. This is in theory but in reality there is no industry that is like this as all of the entrants would decease due to a lack of the ability to survive. This ideal of perfect competition was one of the theories used to combat Microsoft. The concept of economic power versus political power is the ideal that many suits brought up as antitrust suits are contrived as revengeful plot to gain back market share that has been taken from the initiating party. Instead of creating products that are more efficient and more able to compete. The difference between economic and political power is that economic power is the power to create and produce using intellectual capability to achieve no successes, trading voluntarily to the advantage of all parties. While political power is power used to force and punish, involving physical aggrandizement used to overpower other parties. Microsoft is a leading cooperative producer flaunting only economic power. The powers that restrain them are not consumers, for which profit from Microsoft creating economical and efficient products, but instead the rivals bring suit not in the interest of the overall market but only in fear of losing even more share of the market. Traditional economic theory promotes that economic efficiency is derived from price and quality, which determine the outcome within the market. Though the court doesn’t mention the theory of path dependence explicitly, the evidence provided by the plaintiffs strictly resembles the elements enlisted under the Arthur theory. ‘The argument is that a positive feedback loop due to static economies of scale and demand-side network effects led to the so-called intractable ‘chicken-and-egg’ problem, which caused a ‘Microsoft-winner-take-all’ and a ‘Mac-OS/2-Linux-loser-gets-nothing’ solution. Microsoft is also blamed for being an inferior lock-in standard today due to positive feedback. There is no statement claiming that Microsoft gained its dominant market position simply by chance and was able to out do Apple in the battle for the predominance in the OS market in the mid 1980s. There’s also no explicit statement that Microsoft would have been an inferior technology inspired by early luck in comparison with its early competitors in the mid 1980s. Concerning the early technology selection problem during the standard battle between Microsoft and Apple, there’s no link with ARTHUR’s theory within the court’s argumentation. As a result, Microsoft is not explicitly blamed for having been an inferior solution in the past. But Microsoft is implicitly blamed for being an inferior lock-in standard today who gained its dominant market position in the past by positive feedback and whose predominance is protected by the applications barrier to entry. The court claims that Apple Macintosh, OS/2 and Linux haven’t been able to overcome the applications barrier to entry which implies that these alternative OSs are thought to be at least of the same or even of better quality than Windows because no competitor with worse quality could compete effectively with the incumbent. In this respe ct, the court argues completely according to ARTHUR’s theory that there’s almost no possibility to ‘unlock’ the Microsoft monopoly. The judge doesn’t mention explicitly the term ‘inferior lock-in monopoly’ but also demonstrates that Microsoft isn’t believed to survive due to superior product quality but simply by anti-competitive means, which protect and enhance the applications barrier to entry.’ (1a.) Fortunately, for the future innovations within the software market and the constant advance, Microsoft is free to create new efficient products at reasonable products for the future to come. That arbitrary economic theory almost crushed this opportunity and stalemated the innovation process speaks volumes about the need to produce legislation that can be accurately held accountable to guide all firms. Whether there need be strict rules to account for different markets and product types to discern between never changing marketplaces to industries that turnover a week at a time is left unclear. Regardless, Microsoft is not evil for creating a profit on an increasing returns agenda, that is what is available in markets that hold market share and volume advantages. References: JACKSON (1999), U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust-Division, p. 6. Ohios sad legacy of antitrust: John Sherman to Betty Montgomery By James A. Damaskweb, July 1998 Law and Economics of Microsoft vs. U.S. Department of Justice: New Paradigm for Antitrust in Network Markets or Inefficient Lock-In of Antitrust Policy? By Marc-Peter Radke Stuttgart-Hohenheim ISSN 1618-5358, 2001 www.findlaw.com Wired magazine issue 3.10: The More you Sell, the More you Sell. Law and Economics of Microsoft vs. U.S. Department of Justice New Paradigm for Antitrust in Network Markets or Inefficient Lock-In of Antitrust Policy? By Marc-Peter Radke, Nov. 2001 www.cnn.com

Personal Narrative - My Parents Funeral :: Personal Narrative Writing

Narrative- My Parents' Funeral Celery sticks served as slugger bats; olives substituted for baseballs to be smashed across the kitchen. Cousins Sonny and Guido were pitcher and catcher, and my sister Dorrie was a combination of infield and outfield. I came up to bat for the first time just as Gramps called for us to come into the living room. A policeman stood in the doorway. Nonnie and Aunt Sandy were crying. All morning we had been told to stop touching the Thanksgiving dinner or we would be punished. Who expected to go to jail because of olives! Gramps pulled Dorrie and me onto his lap and hugged us close. "Your momma and daddy were going to get Uncle Vince and a truck hit their car. God took them to heaven." He started to cry. I wished he would let us down. His prickly sweater smelled of tobacco, and his mouth was purple from wine. Dorrie and I went home with Aunt Sandy. My stomach was hurting and making tiger noises, but everybody was crying so I was afraid to say I was hungry. In the morning we went to a dark room where Mother and Daddy were lying in coffins. It smelled so sweet in that room, and the red-glassed candles burning everywhere made it sticky hot. Mother wore a lacy pink dress. A pink satin blanket covered her feet. Daddy looked so white, as if he wore makeup like Mother. Folded newspapers were hidden inside his trouser legs. At night we all knelt down on the blue carpet and prayed a long, long time with Father Minnorra from Our Lady of the Angels Church. My knees were sore and I shifted my weight from one leg to the other. Aunt Sandy touched my shoulder and said, "Marie, stop that rocking. Kneel up." The morning of the funeral was very bright. The curtains were opened in the coffin room. Aunt Sandy held my hand. She wore a black hat with a big black feather. Her eyes had big red circles around them, and her mouth was bright red. She reminded me of the clown in my circus coloring book.

Scarlett Letter Essay -- essays research papers

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter has many characters that go through several changes during the story. For example, the young minister Dimmesdale, who commits the sin of adultery with Hester, greatly changes. He is the character that makes the most progress in the story. Dimmesdale, being a minister, acts as a role model to the townspeople. He is the last person who should commit a crime and lie about it, but in the end, he confesses to the town. The fact that he did confess illustrates his courage and morality. Hester and Dimmesdale’s affair goes undiscovered until Hester is pregnant and has a child without having her husband present. As her punishment, Hester is forced to stand on the scaffold in the middle of the market place, with an A on her chest. Dimmesdale hasn’t told anyone that he is the adulterer. He sits in the balcony with the Governor, and others, watching the display, without any expression or emotion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hester and Pearl go to the Governor’s home to deliver a pair of gloves, but more importantly to talk about the possibility of the government taking away her child. After Mr. Wilson asks Pearl a few questions, the Governor decides that Hester is unready to be a mother, and that the child would be better off in the hands of the church. Hester begs Dimmesdale, whom she says knows everything about her and has charge of her soul, to speak for her. Therefore, he does, convincing the Governor to let Hester kee...

Type 1 diabetes :: essays research papers

Squats Versus Lunge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The purpose of my project grade sheet is to get a better understanding of the movement I chose which was squats versus lunges. The body of my research paper will give the reader a better understanding of the following for my specific movement. Anatomy: The origin and insertions that are involved include the Glutes- gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, Hamstrings- lliotibial band, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, adductor magnus, gracilis, semimembranosus. Calves- Gastrocnemius, soleus, peroneus brevis, flexor hallucis longus. Thighs- Pectineus, sartorius, adductor longus, tensor fasciae latae, gracilis, quadriceps, rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis. These muscles originate just beneath the gluteus maximus on the pelvic bone and attach on the tibia. The primary functions are knee flexions which involve bringing the heel towards the gluteus maximus and hip extensions moving the leg to the rear end. Squats and lunges are a simple but very effective exercise for the lower bodies specifically the legs. It helps with balance and coordination which comes very useful for any sporting events as well as muscle development. The hamstrings, gluteus, and quadriceps muscles can be worked by using dumbb ells, barbells or just by simply using your own body weight, which we refer to as calisthenics. The most important point to remember about calisthenics is that if your muscles do not receive more stress than what they are used to, you are wasting your time. The advantages of using dumbbells and barbells are more effective in developing the smaller synergistic (helping) muscles and stabilizer muscles. Synergism is the combined effects of two or more parts of forces or agents which is greater than the sum of individual effects. The bone articulations that are involved include the pelvic bone, tibia bone and femur. The soft tissue ligaments (connects bone to bone) and tendons (connects muscle to bone) that are involved are the anterior and posterior cruciates, patella tendon connects quadriceps muscles to patella, and it also involves the shins. Kinetics: Sir Isaac Newton a scientist during the 1600’s, made observations about the world surrounding him. The observations he came up with and out of those he developed the three laws of motion. Newton’s laws of motion explain rest, constant motion, and acceleration motion; He described how balance and unbalanced forces act to cause the states of motions. In other words they are fundamental to understanding human movement. The laws that account for my movements are the law of inertia, which is the first law, it states â€Å"a body in motion tends to remain in motion at the same speed in a straight line unless acted on by a force; a body at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted on by a force†.

La Belle Dame sans Merci By John Keats Essay

â€Å"La Belle Dame sans Merci† is a poem written by John Keats who was a romantic poet. The first three stanzas of this poem are spoken by the narrator who is talking to the poet, asking him why he’s wondering by himself and looks so sad. He addresses the poet as â€Å"wretched Wight† roaming outside, all alone. The narrator who’s out in the countryside talks about the night and the surroundings what it’s like presently. There are no sedges or birds in the trees. Everything seems to be complete as the harvests are done which marks the end of the year and the fact that there are no leaves tells us it is autumn too which is a time of the year when it seems as though all forms of life have come to an end. Out of curiosity he asks the poet what is wrong with him. The rest of the poem is the poet’s reply. The poet tells us that he saw an extremely beautiful lady somewhere as in the line â€Å"I met a lady in the meads, full beautiful, a fairy’s child†. The poet further describes the lady. He says that she was so beautiful and graceful that she couldn’t have been a human. With such long hair and the grace as she had, she had to be a fairy’s child though her eyes seemed to be wild† or â€Å"disturbed†. The poet makes her sit on his horse and in her presence, sees nothing else as in the line â€Å"I set her on my pacing steed and nothing else saw all day long†. She sings a song of such music and melody that’s it’s definitely not human. A place where there seemed to be no sound of birds is now enchanted by music. The music is not ordinary music or song but that of a fairies and the immortal as in the line â€Å"for sideways would she lean and sing a fairy’s song†. The fairy in this poem represents the poetic inspiration which inspires poets and artists to write and compose. Without this they feel that they are good as dead. The poetic inspiration casts poets into a delightful mood out of which they are able to compose their poetry. It changes a poet’s life when it enters it by brightening it up and leaves it in a nasty way. Just the way poetic inspiration can change the life of a poet when it enters the previous picture of dull and lifelessness also brightens up when the lady is mentioned. In the third to fifth stanza the poet describes the experience in the presence of the lady and the poetic inspiration which are alike. The poet under the â€Å"spell† composes poetry with â€Å"words† as though decorating the fairy that seems to enjoy him poetry [decoration] very much and urges him to continue. He seems to be enjoying all the sensual pleasures which are of taste, sight, music, fragrance and touch. In the lines â€Å"she found me roots of relish sweet and honey wild and manna dew†, the words â€Å"relish sweet†, â€Å"honey wild†, and â€Å"manna dew†, symbolize or express rather, the pleasures experienced by the poet while writing poetry. In the next stanza we find key words which tell us something about the lady. In the lines â€Å"and there she gazed and sighed deep and there I shut her wild sad eyes so kissed to sleep†, the words â€Å"sighed deep† and â€Å"wild sad eyes† tell us that the lady is not happy about something and that she too is troubled over something. The lady who happens to be a fairy, one that belongs to the world of the immortal cannot stay with a person for long. This is because she is from a different world and so after a period of time she must desert the person no matter what and this is what has caused her grief. Even the best of men this world can offer, kings and warriors are no math and she must leave them all. In the same way, the poetic inspiration cannot stay with one person for a long time. It must move on and go to other people and inspire them to compose as well. In the next stanza we see how the poet tries to enjoy his few moments of ecstasy at the most and dream even if it’s on the cold hill side. The poet knows that he too, like those before him will be deserted. In the next stanza he describes his dream, or rather nightmare in which he sees the people who have already been deserted by the lady and become severely ill their life to them was as good as death. Without the fairy that they loved, they had nothing to live for. In the same sense the poetic inspiration allows poets to do what they love to do i.e. write poetry but once that is taken away, so is their ability of composing and they loose interest in life. The men are left with starved lips and pale faces with nothing worth living for. And when the poet wakes up, he find himself in the same situation and all alone on the cold hill side. And so the poet tells the narrator that he had been deserted by the one he loved most and it didn’t really matter what time of the year it was because his life was as good as death.