Arguments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arguments - Assignment Example Conclusion: Casey Anthony murdered her daughter. My argument is everyone deserves a fair trial. It would be better for murderers to go free than one innocent person is sentenced to death row or jail. My friend’s argument is murderers must be punished even if some innocent people are sent to jail or death row. I am just concerned if one person’s rights are violated, my rights could be violated. My friend takes the view it would never happen to her. We both walked away agreeing to disagree. 2. The Scope and Limits of Logic Logic can help individuals understand our arguments. By studying logic, individuals can understand how to look at both sides of an argument to make a decision. When an individual only looks at one side of the argument logic cannot take place. It is based on personal feelings and experiences instead of looking at different sides of the argument. No matter how obstinate or one sided a person can be, they still use logic in some circumstances. Everyday ind ividuals debate within themselves on actions. Whether it is to take the Interstate or a side road to work or school, people have to make decisions everyday. So everyone uses logic. By studying logic, an individual can understand the why and how they make decisions.

Modern Information Technology Impacts Our Everyday Lives Essay Example for Free

Modern Information Technology Impacts Our Everyday Lives Essay Over the past 20 years, the world as we know has changed drastically. We have moved from a world that was bound by wires and copper cabling to a world that offers any bit of information you want with the touch of a glass screen from a device that fits in your pockets. In this same period of time, shopping used to involve planning a trip to a brick and motor store and hope they had the product you were looking for, and at the price you wanted to pay. If you lived in a small market, you didn’t have the choices to comparison shop other stores. In today’s age, a consumer can shop from the comfort of their home, and find exactly the right product at exactly the right price. With a click of a mouse and a charge of a credit card, the product will be rushed to the consumer’s house with little to no effort for them. Large retailers like Amazon.com can have a product delivered to a consumer by as early as the next day! This type of convenience has changed our daily ways in many ways, both positive and negative. For example, people can communicate with each other miles apart from their computers and smart phones via email and texting. While some may say this is good thing that allowing distant relatives and friends quick and simple communication without worrying about distance, others would say that email and texting simply takes a lot of the personal touch from the conversation. With retailers moving their sales online, some people believe that the personal touch of being able to talk to someone directly about the product may detract from the experience. Positive Impacts of Modern Technology We should begin looking at the positive impacts that this new technology has on our daily lives. Technology is evolving very quickly, and sometimes consumers have a hard time keeping up with the latest trends, but the impacts are made every day to help improve our lives. Whether we are using computers to communicate by video conferencing with friends and family in another country, or ordering the latest Harry Potter book to be instantly delivered to our Kindles, these technologies are enriching our lives. As retailers move to the web, consumers are able to comparison shop many different sellers with the click of a mouse. There are also dedicated websites out there that allow a consumer to instantly search for a product from hundreds of sellers, and then find the one that has the lowest price and best shipping. On top of this, the internet provides a way for consumers to research the products they are buying. We can look up reviews from other buyers to see if the product lives up to manufacturers claims. When a consumer decides what and where they will buy, they can have the product whisked away from the distribution center and be delivered on their doorstep by the end of the next day, all from the computer of their home. With the massive explosion of social media sites, people are able to find and communicate with their long lost friends and family all from a central location. We can share photos, send messages, and chat in real time with our connections. Although the entertainment industry has been slow to adopt the new technologies in fear of losing money to â€Å"pirates†, we have seen a huge growth of online video. Consumers are able to find and watch their favorite shows whenever and wherever they like. Television sets are now shipping with built in internet connectivity to allow purchasers to access the internet to watch videos and share photos with one another. Companies like Netflix and Hulu have embraced online streaming and are offering thousands of hours of online video for a very low monthly subscription. These services are not limited to just televisions either. Computers, smart phones, and tablets are all easily able to access this same content for on-the-go watching. Online gaming has become huge in the past few years as well. People can play against each other in massive online role playing games such as World of Warcraft, and even console makers such as Microsoft and Sony have enabled their gaming consoles for online play. This brings the world together as a playing field and we are no longer constrained by our living room when it comes to finding new opponents. With the help of Google, people are now able to research topics in record time. With a few keystrokes, users are able to find information on any topic under the sun. Online search engines allow us to research the world’s libraries and other research facilities. We are also able to scour the web for information. This makes student homework much simpler and faster, and allows them to learn more information quicker. Data organization has also become a simpler task thanks to modern technology. Companies can store their entire repository of data onto a simple database server. They can query this server for any bit of information they need within a few seconds. Not only beneficial for companies, home users are able to store their personal documents and photos securely on their PC’s as well as in an off-site â€Å"cloud† and not have any fear of losing this information when a natural disaster occurs. Negative Impacts of Modern Technology While there are many positive impacts on today’s society, there are also many negatives that are introduces as well. Many would argue that there are jobs being lost because of this new technology. Automated and robotic systems have taken the place of humans in the work force. With retailers moving their sales operations online, they no longer need the support staff for their brick and motor stores. Many stores are not able to keep up with the low prices from the mega-retailers online, so they are forced to close down. With the influx of social media as our main communication medium, some think that we have lost the personal touch of spending time with our close friends and family in favor of sitting behind our computers online. People that are only using social media as their main form of communication could lose the ability to interact physically with one another. The many distractions of email notifications and incoming text messages have also become a detractor. People no longer consider it rude to stop in the middle of a conversation to respond to a text message that has just come in to their phone. This could lead to low levels of concentration. At the same time, malicious people have found easy ways to target those that are online. With the vast amount of spam email and harmful virus spreading around the world, more and more people are becoming susceptible to attack. Another negative impact is the illegal use of technology for gambling and other addicting habits. Online gambling sites attract millions of people per day and can completely consume those with weak will power, leading to distressed families and financial means. Underground websites also harbor criminalist activities as well. Pornography and child pornography are trafficked daily on the internet, and the sheer magnitude of the web makes it hard for authorities to track down and eliminate. There are even websites such as TheSilkRoad that sell illegal drugs in the same fashion as Amazon sells normal goods! In Summary Although we cannot stop the negative effects from this new technology, we shouldn’t fear it. Learning to recognize the potential positive impacts this new technology can bring to our lives while at the same time recognizing the potential threats we will be better able to adapt to them and take advantages and enrichments they bring to our daily lives.

Strategies for the Analysis of Big Data

Strategies for the Analysis of Big Data CHAPTER: 1 INRODUCTION General Day by day amount of data generation is increasing in drastic manner. Wherein to describe the data which is in the amount of zetta byte popular term used is â€Å"Big data†. Government, companies and many organizations try to obtain and store data about their citizens and customers in order to know them better and predict the customer behavior. The big example is of Social networking websites which generate new data each and every second and managing such a huge data is one of the major challenges companies are facing. Disruption is been caused due to the huge data which is stored in data warehouses is in a raw format, in order to produce usable information from this raw data, its proper analysis and processing is to be done. Many of the tools are in progress to handle such a large amount of data in short time. Apache Hadoop is one of the java based programming framework used for processing large data sets in distributed computer environment. Hadoop is useful and being used in types of system where multiple nodes are present which can process terabytes of data. Hadoop uses its own file system HDFS which facilitates fast transfer of data which can sustain node failure and avoid system failure as whole. Hadoop uses Map Reduce algorithm which breaks down the big data into smaller part and performs the operations on it. Various technologies will come in hand-in-hand to accomplish this task such as Spring Hadoop Data Framework for the basic foundations and running of the Map-Reduce jobs, Apache Maven for distributed building of the code, REST Web services for the communication, and lastly Apache Hadoop for distributed processing of the huge dataset. Literature Survey There are many of analysis techniques but six types of analysis we should know are: Descriptive Exploratory Inferential Predictive Causal Mechanistic Descriptive Descriptive analysis technique is use for statistical calculation. It is use for large volume of data set. In this analysis technique only use for univariate and binary analysis. It is only explain for â€Å"what, who, when, where† not a caused. Limitation of descriptive analysis technique it cannot help to find what causes a particular inspiration, performance and amount. This type of technique is use for only Observation and Surveys. Exploratory Exploratory means investigation of any problem or case which is provides approaching of research. The research meant provide a small amount of information. It may use variety of method like interview; cluster conversation and testing which is use for gaining information. In particular technique useful for defining future studies and question. Why future studies because exploratory technique we use old data set. Inferential Inferential data analysis technique is allowed to study sample and make simplification of population data set. It can be used for trial speculation and important part of technical research. Statistics are used for descriptive technique and effect of self-sufficient or reliant variable. In this technique show some error because we not get accurate sampling data. Predictive Predictive analysis it is one of the most important technique it can be used for sentimental analysis and depend on predictive molding. It is very hard mainly about future references. We can use that technique for likelihood some more companies are use this technique like a Yahoo, EBay and Amazon this all company are provide a publically data set we can use and perform investigation. Twitter also provides data set and we separated positive negative and neutral category. Causal Casual meant incidental we determine key point of given casual and effect of correlation between variables. Casual analysis use in market for profound analysis. We can used in selling price of product and various parameter like opposition and natural features etc. This type of technique use only in experimental and simulation based simulation means we can use mathematical fundamental and related to real existence scenario. So we can say that in casual technique depend on single variable and effect of activities result. Mechanistic Last and most stiff analysis technique. Why it is stiff because it is used in a biological purpose such study about human physiology and expand our knowledge of human infection. In this technique we use to biological data set for analysis after perform investigation that give a result of human infection. CHAPTER: 2 AREA OF WORK Hadoop framework is used by many big companies like GOOGLE, IBM, YAHOOfor applications such as search engine in India only one company use Hadoop that is â€Å"Adhar scheme†. 2.1 Apache Hadoop goes realtime at Facebook. At Facebook used to Hadoop echo system it is combination of HDFS and Map Reduce. HDFS is Hadoop distributed file system and Map Reduce is script of any language like a java, php, and python and so on. This are two components of Hadoop HDFS used for storage and Map Reduce just reduce to immense program in simple form. Why facebook is used because Hadoop response time fast and high latency. In facebook millions of user online at a time if suppose they share a single server so it is work load is high then faced a many problem like server crash and down so tolerate that type of problem facebook use Hadoop framework. First big advantage in Hadoop it is used distributed file system that’s help for achieve fast access time. Facbook require very high throughput and large storage disk. The large amount of data is being read and written from the disk sequentially, for these workloads. Facebook data is unstructured date we can’t manage in row and column so it is used distributed f ile system. In distributed file system data access time fast and recovery of data is good because one disk (Data node) goes to down other one is work so we can easily access data what we want. Facebook generate a huge amount of data not only data it is real time data which change in micro second. Hadoop is managed data and mining of the data. Facebook is used new generation of storage and Mysql is good for read performance, but suffer from low written throughput and the other hand Hadoop is fast read or write operation. 2.2. Yelp: uses AWS and Hadoop Yelp originally depended upon to store their logs, along with a single node local instance of Hadoop. When Yelp made the giant RAIDs Redundant Array Of Independent disk move Amazon Elastic Map Reduce, they replaced the (Amazon S3) and immediately transferred all Hadoop The company also uses Amazon jobs to Amazon Elastic Map Reduce. Yelp uses Amazon S3 to store daily huge amount of logs and photos,. Elastic Map Reduce to power approximately 30 separate batch RAIDs with Amazon Simple Storage Service scripts, most of those generating around 10GB of logs per hour processing the logs. Features powered by Amazon Elastic Map Reduce include: People Who Viewed this Also Viewed Review highlights Auto complete as you type on search Search spelling suggestions Top searches Ads Yelp uses Map Reduce. You can break down a big job into little pieces Map Reduce is about the simplest way. Basically, mappers read lines of input, and spit out key. Each key and all of its corresponding values are sent to a reducer. CHAPTER: 3 THE PROPOSED SCHEMES We overcome the problem of analysis of big data using Apache Hadoop. The processing is done in some steps which include creating a server of required configuration using Apache hadoop on single node cluster. Data on the cluster is stored using Mongo DB which stores data in the form of key: value pairs which is advantage over relational database for managing large amount of data. Various languages like python ,java ,php allows writing scripts for stored data from collections on the twitter in Mongo DB then after stored data export to json, csv and txt file which then can be processed in Hadoop as per user’s requirement. Hadoop jobs are written in framework this jobs implement Map Reduce program for data processing. Six jobs are implemented data processing in a location based social networking application. The record of the whole session has to be maintained in log file using aspect programming in python. The output produced after data processing in the hadoop job, has to be exp orted back to the database. The old values to the database have to be updated immediately after processing, to avoid loss of valuable data. The whole process is automated by using python scripts and tasks written in tool for executing JAR files. CHAPTER: 4 METHOD AND MATERIAL 4.1  INSTALL HADOOP FRAMWORK Install and configure Hadoop framework after installation we perform operation using Map Reduce and the Hadoop Distributed File System. 4.1.1 Supported Platforms Linux LTS(12.4) it is a open source operating system hadoop is support many platforms but Linux is best one. Win32/64 Hadoop support both type of platform 32bit or 64 bit win32 is not chains assembly platforms. 4.1.2 Required Software Any version of JDK (JAVA) Secure shell (SSH) local host installed which is use for data communication. Mongo DB (Database) These requirements are Linux system. 4.1.4  Prepare the Hadoop Cluster Extract the downloaded Hadoop file (hadoop-0.23.10). In the allocation, edit the file csbin/hadoop-envsh and set environment variable of JAVA and HAdoop. Try the following command: $ sbin/hadoop Three types of mode existing in Hadoop cluster. Local Standalone Mode Pseudo Distributed Mode Fully Distributed Mode Local Standalone Mode Local standalone mode in this mode we install only normal mode Hadoop is configure to run on not distributed mode. Pseudo-Distributed Mode Hadoop is run on single node cluster I am perform that operation and configure to hadoop on single node cluster and hadoop demons run on separate java process. Configuration we can change some files and configure Hadoop. Files are core.xml, mapreduce.xml and hdfs.xml all these files change and run Hadoop. Fully-Distributed Mode In this mode setting up fully-distributed mode non trivial cluster. 4.2  Data Collection The twitter data anthology program captures three attribute. 1) User id 2) Twitter user (who sent Tweet) 3) Twitter text The Twitter Id is used to extract tweets sent to the specified id. In our analysis; we collect the tweets sent to sachin tendulkar. We used Twitter APIs, to collect tweets sent to Sachin. The arrangement of the Twitter data that is composed. The key attributes Which we mine are: User id, Tweet text and Tweet User (who sent Tweet) save all key attribute in Mongo DB .Mongo DB is database where al tweet is saved. After collecting all data we export to csv and text file this file is use for analysis. Fig. 1. Twitter data collection procedure Extracting twitter data using python In this python code firstly create developer account then we get a consumer key, consumer secret, access token and access token secret this are important for twitter api using that key we find all tweets. Initialize a connection to the Mongo DB instance connectivity to Data Base in this code tweet db is data base name mongo db support to collection. >show dbs That commend we see all database those are present in mongo db. >use Data Base name Select particular data base we use. >db Db command use to which data base is open. >show collection This command shows all collection. It means show all table. >db.tweet.find () Use to show all data store in particular data base. >db.tweet.find ().count () Use to that command how much tweet store in your data base. CHAPTER: 5 SENTIMENTAL ANALYSIS OFBIG DATA Last and foremost as well as most important part of data analysis is extracting twitter’s data. Supervised and unsupervised techniques are types of techniques that are used for analysis of â€Å"Big data†. Sentimental analysis has come to play a key role in text mining application for customer relationship, brand and product position, consumer attitude detection and market research. In recent advance there is several promising new direction for developing and advance sentimental analysis research. Sentimental classification identify whether the semantic direction of the given text is optimistic, pessimistic or unbiased. Most of open approach relies on supervised learning models they classified positive and negative option only. Three ways of machine learning techniques Naà ¯ve Bayes, SVM and Maximum Entropy Taxonomy do not perform well on sentimental classification. Sentimental analysis techniques may help researchers to study on the Internet. They would help to find o ut whether a given text is subjective or objective as well as whether a subjective passage contains optimistic or pessimistic opinions. Supervised Machine Learning techniques use class documents for classification. The machine learning approach treat the opinion classification problem as a topic based content classification problems. Comparison between Naà ¯ve Bayes, Maximum Entropy and SVM for sentimental classification, they achieve best precision using SVM. CHAPTER: 6 SCREENSHOT Browser view: This view only use for browser view that show log file of data node and name node. Hadoop cluster on: In this screenshot show on data node name node that means properly install and configure single node hadoop cluster. Data base view: In this screenshot we extract twitter data and store Mongo DB. Mongo DB is a data base where all tweets are stored. How many Tweets store in Data Base: CHAPTER: 7 CONCLUSIONS We have urbanized an architecture that uses PYTHON and Mongo DB in amalgamation with Twitter APIs to study tweets sent to the specific user. We use our architecture to get the positive, negative and neutral, analysis the number of re tweets and the name and Id of the users sending the tweets. Finding all data we analysis them can be used in conjunction with available results on queuing theory, to study the temporary and stable state performance of social networks. The proposed architecture can be used for a monitor correlation among user behaviors and their locations. The application of obtain outcome to study the development of population in under research. In sentimental analysis mining on large datasets using a Naà ¯ve Bayes classifier with the Hadoop echo system. We configure Hadoop in single node cluster and we also provide how to fetch or extracting twitter data using any language of api but in Hadoop cluster file system can do decent job even in the Big Data analysis domain.

William Cullen Bryant Examines Nature :: Biography Biographies Essays

William Cullen Bryant Examines Nature William Cullen Bryant can very easily be linked to the Transcendentalists. Most of his themes in his writings are concerning the nature of life and the nature of nature. "The Yellow Violet" is an example of a poem about the nature of life. "The Prairies," on the other hand, is an example of the nature of nature. Though these two poems of Bryant's are both about the beautiful world of trees, flowers, and fields, they take on a different perspective of nature itself. "The Yellow Violet" vividly expresses the nature of life in a very simple way. Bryant takes the cycle of a yellow violet and uses it to describe the humanistic world around him. It is very clever, too, that when he does this, he uses personification. A "modest flower" (2674) pops out from the dark, damp leaves below and "[makes] the woods of April bright" (2675). While the rest of the forests and fields go on with their life cycle this tiny flower does itsà ­ best to make things pretty and happy. The persona describes this sight as an "early smile" (2675) and that is what kept a smile on his own face. Even the various blooms and colors that surface in May are not as joyful because when the violet blooms, it is the first color you see after a long winter of gray. This modesty of the meek flower is compared to that of a person. It's usually the poorer, less known people in the world that are the ones who really cheer you up. They will never let you down. As the persona in t he poem points out, "So they, who climb to wealth, forget" (2675). This is the most important line of the entire poem. It is basically saying that those who are wrapped up in material things are just th...wrapped up. They are not dependable. Thus, the yellow violet is the modest person, which are far and few, who you can always count on to stand by you in the end and brighten up your day. This is the illustration of the nature of life. "The Prairies," however, takes on a little bit of a different perspective. Instead of using nature as a morality lesson, "The Prairies" is more of an account of the way of nature.

Fashion Channel Market Segmentation Essay

One of TFC’s glaring strengths is that it specializes in fashion-oriented programming. The company is dedicated to fashion programming 24/7, meaning it is in a position to influence the market. Secondly, TFC appeals mostly to women between 35 and 54. The company’s viewership in the segment is 45% compared to 42% and 40% for Lifetime and CNN respectively. This category has the largest number of viewers and at the same time, one of those segments that is able to attract premium pricing. In addition, the company operates under the basic cable package. The package has more than 80 million subscribers in the U.S meaning that a large number of people have access to the channel. Conversely, TFC faces several weaknesses. Firstly, the company has not fully diversified its operations; it only specializes in fashion related programming. This could spell doom for the company, especially if the current trend is an indication of the future. Moreover, there is a section of the top management that is reluctant to accept change in the organization. The implication is that Dana’s recommendations may fail to get ratified for fear of the unknown. Thirdly, the satisfaction level of TFC’s customers is on the decline. The company is quickly losing customers to the two major competitors, and there are fears that the trend is sustainable. The other major weakness is that the organization has not segmented its market. The company ought to segment its market in order to benefit from the premium fee charged for the highly valued demographics. There are a number of opportunities available for TFC in its external environment. To begin, advertisers are ready to pay a premium for higher rating as well as defined demographic programming. Channels with higher rating are able to charge more for advertising meaning that TFC can gain additional revenue if appropriate strategies are developed to help increase its overall market rating. Secondly, there is a more room for the company to increase its market size. Fashion specific programming is continually gaining prominence among viewers in the U.S. market. In addition, viewer’s demand on network content and ad is directly related to the cost of advertisement. The company can thus increase its ad revenue through marketing strategies aimed at increasing viewership. One of TFC’s predominant threats is its two chief competitors: CNN and Lifetime. The two are constantly eating into the TFC’s major revenue base, and may even force the company out of the market. The second threat is that TFC is only entitled to $1 per subscriber. This is quite a small portion that cannot fully sustain the company’s operations. Besides, there is a threat that TFC may get dropped from the basic cable platform if subscribers satisfaction fails to improve. This may mean total loss for business. TFC’s Central Strategic Issue The company appears to lack a clearly defined business strategy. The  company’s product-market focus is vague. For instance, TFC has not segmented its market into different segments. Alternative Strategic Promotional Courses of Action Alternative 1 There are a number of marketing courses of action at TFC’s disposal. The first one, and perhaps most important, is market segmentation. The company should divide its market into different segments and concentrate on maximizing the revenue for the segment of choice. According to the data provided in the case, a combination of Fashionistas (scored 23.1M) and Shoppers/Planners (scored 42.35M) segments appears the most economical alternative for TFC. The two categories of customers are highly involved in matters related to fashion and are thus a suitable target for the company. There is also economic benefit involved if the company opts to back the strategy. Firstly, an admixture of the two segments yields a high profit margin (39%) in comparison to any other alternative. Besides, the alternative will trigger an increase in overall rating by 20%. There is a potential rise in the company’s rating from 1.0 to 1.2 consequently leading to increased revenue. In addition, this segmentation has the highest percentage of viewers 50% (=35% + 15%). The large number of viewers in two segments is thus suitable for the company, especially given that it entirely specialize in fashion programs. The problem with this alternative is that there is an increment in programming expenditure by $20 million. Alternative 2 The second alternative is broad-based marketing. This involves treating the entire market as a single group typified by customers with shared needs. The advantage of this strategy is that it is quite profitable at least in the short-run. Its adoption is likely to earn the company a net profit of more than $40 million (=$94.9 – 54.6). In addition, the approach does not attract incremental programming expenditure. On the other hand, the broad-based alternative will deny TFC the opportunity to earn premium CPM (Cost per thousand). Alternatively, TFC can opt for Fashionista segmentation. Using 2007 as a  base year, the alternative may rake for the company at least a net income of $100 million (=151.4 – 54.6). In addition, the approach is likely to boost the company’s overall rating from 1.1 to 1.2. The company will also be in a position to increase its charges from $2 to $3.5. Conversely, the Fashionista alternative will lead to an incremental expenditure of $15 million. Decision and Implementation Plan The new promotional plan should be positioned towards a combination of Fashionistas and Shoppers/Planners segment. Although there are a number of risks involved in this strategy, the returns are investing in the strategy. One of the greatest challenges for the company is maintaining the loyal customers while at the same time wooing new planners/shoppers and fashionistas. The company must come up with ways of ensuring that they do not lose some customers. This is achievable through evaluating the programs popular among the loyal customers and ensuring they are not disrupted by the new alternative. The company can also benchmark with its customers to learn how they are able to attract a huge number of fashionistas. The fact that the alternative may lead to incremental $20 million expenditure presupposes that its implementation is quite expensive. Benchmarking with Lifetime and CNN can help reduce the cost. Finally, the company should devise ways to foster awareness, perceived value, and interest of its products among consumers. This can be achieved through online marketing and ensuring there is appropriate social media policy in place to avoid misuse of the marketing platform.

Another Kind of Racism Essay

Racism is a disease. Spread by not only words and actions but by silence and inaction. In two stories presented in different media – a novel and a movie—racism is spread by people who feel they are not racists, but who do nothing to prevent and stop racism. The reality is that it is easy to pretend racism doesn’t exist, yet everyone practices it in some way. Those who know racism is wrong and do nothing are the â€Å"perpetrators† of racism. They allow the disease to cling to a group and spread like sending a sick toddler to preschool; touching everything and everyone, infecting all. In T. C. Boyle’s book Tortilla Curtain, racism is present throughout the book – enough to exhaust the reader. In the movie Crash, racism is one element of a complex plot. They teach the reader similar, compatible lessons. The character Delaney from the book and the Cameron from Crash both are used to depict stereotypical persons who claim to fight racism, stereot yping, and discrimination, yet when faced with a situation when it is directed toward them or someone near to them they allow racism to happen as if nothing was wrong. Following these people are dying morals and blind humanity. Delany is a white, affluent, born on the East Coast; he now lives in Los Angeles. Living in a â€Å"gated community† had insulated him from the poverty that surrounded the very edges of the walls of exclusive neighborhood. During community meetings he does not want to discuss the increasing numbers of illegal immigrants; he prefers to focus on the coyote attacks. Until the accident he did not know his life would cross paths with an Illegal Immigrant. He had seen them only in the parking lots where they waited looking for work. He claims to not be a racist, to not be biased, and to not stereotype individuals at these meetings. As he claims this, his car hits a Mexican named Candido. Delaney soothes his conscience by giving Candido â€Å"$20 blood money,† explaining to his wife Kyra that â€Å"He’s a Mexican.† Delaney actions suggest that Mexicans are not â€Å"people.† More than 50 years earlier John Steinbeck’s characters in the book The Grapes of Wrath phrase the issue much of the same way, â€Å"They ain’t human. A human being wouldn’t live like they do. A human being couldn’t stand it to be so dirty and miserable.† Delaney prefers to pretend as if the Mexicans didn’t exist, as the alternative is showing how he feels insecure and threatened by them. This is same way the character of the Hollywood Director Cameron in the same movie allows racism and harassment to occur in front of him to his own wife. He allows her to be violated by a racist white cop. After his wife gets molested, instead of standing up against the cop and protecting his wife; he grovels and thanks the cop for not giving him a ticket, â€Å"Look, we’re sorry, and we would appreciate if you would just let us go with a warning, please.† (Crash, 2004). Delaney and Cameron are hypocrites being perpetrated from both ends of the spectrum; they represent individuals directly affected by racism who fail to respond in a way that causes it to cease, and those indirectly causing the racism to occur and spread. In the movie Crash this is shown by Cameron feeling cornered and lashing out against those around him; in Tortilla Curtain it is shown when the main character gives up fighting against the walls and letting those around him decide for him what is right and wrong. By their silence they allow the racism to perpetuate around them. Individuals like those portrayed in these scenarios run the risk of causing an unending cycle of racism and bigotry that will not stop until someone stands up against it. Their fear feeds those around them. In Crash Cameron is confronted by fellow worker asking about an African American actor. â€Å"This is gonna sound strange, but is Jamal seeing a speech coach or something?†¦This is weird for a white guy to say, but have you noticed he’s talking a lot less black lately?† And the answer is, â€Å"No, I haven’t noticed that.† At first the character stands up to the â€Å"racist† questioner but in the end he gives up, he ignores why Jamal hasn’t been â€Å"sounding Black† and goes on acting as if the words had not been said. In the same way after a canyon fire is set accidently by Candido in Tortilla Curtain; Delaney attacks a Mexican man who is being questioned by the police. â€Å"Delaney looked round at his neighbors, their faces drained and white, fists clenched, ready to go anywhere, do anything, seething with it, spoiling for it, a mob. They were out here in the night, outside the walls, forced out of their shells, and there was nothing to restrain them.† (The Tortilla Curtain, 289) This occurs immediately after Delaney has attacked the handcuffed Josà © Navidad, arrested under suspicion of starting the fire. Delaney’s furious, uncontrolled actions and unexplainable anger towards the Mexicans has incited a full-on riot, with the evacuated residents of Arroyo Blanco ready to attack anything and anyone. The idea of the wall comes up in both movies, with whites being forced outside their walls, and their comfort zones. The results are frightening. The white citizens of the town have abandoned their ordered ways, Delaney has even abandoning his self-imposed rules; he has indulged in alcohol. All have become more like the uninhibited immigrants they dislike and fear. In Crash the audience sees the hatred and racism feed on itself when two suspicious black men attack the District Attorney after complaining about racism towards them. The wife goes off on a rant after the attack and says many racial slurs and insults the locksmith. Her anger spills over into her husband who starts ranting as well. â€Å"Why did these guys have to be black? I mean, why?† (Crash, 2004). Like a disease, racism and hatred spreads from person to person impregnating their souls with bigotry and a blind sense of what is right. In the end both characters lose sight of what is right. More concerned about themselves than how their actions affect those around them. Their arrogance in thinking that they are above the racism and bigotry has significant consequences. The infectious nature of racism in individuals who are intelligent, and who have power and influence, is the real danger. Their thinking is infectious, and once these thoughts are inside someone’s head they don’t leave. It is especially dangerous when these individuals are opinion leaders. These are characters in fiction, but in the real world, people like Delaney and Cameron should not be tolerated. They cause the spread of racism, creating an unending circle of pain and grief for everyone they touch and a wider circle touched by those whom they have touched. Works Cited: Crash. Dir. Paul Haggins. Perf. Don Cheadle and Sandra Bullock. Warner Brothers, 2004. DVD. Frenken, Wiltrud, Angela Luz, and Brigitte Prischtt. T.C. Boyle: The Tortilla Curtain. Paderborn: Schöningh, 2007. Print. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Viking, 1939. Print.

Italian Subject Pronouns

Italian Subject Pronouns HE went to the store, and SHE called to remind him to get wine, then THEY walked to their friend’s house together. What do the words in capital letters have in common? They’re all subject pronouns in English, and they exist to replace nouns that are the subject within clauses. In Italian, they serve that same function. Here’s what subject pronouns would look like in Italian. Subject Pronouns in Italian Singolare Singular io I tu you (familiar) lui (egli/esso) he lei (ella/essa) she Lei you (formal) Plurale Plural noi we voi you (familiar) loro (essi) they (m.) loro (esse) they (f.) Loro you (formal) In modern Italian, he, she, and they are usually expressed by lui, lei, and loro, respectively. TIP: You might have seen the words â€Å"egli, ella, essi, esse†, but note that these are used more in written Italian than in the spoken language. â€Å"Esso† and â€Å"essa† are seldom used. Remember that tu is used in addressing members of the family, peers, children, close friends, and animals. In all other cases, Lei and its plural Loro are used. Finally, note that the subject pronouns Lei and Loro always take, respectively, the third person singular and the third person plural of the verb. Does It Stay or Go? However, when you’re listening to Italian,  you’ll often notice that native speakers will drop subject pronouns because typically the verb conjugations will tell who is completing the action, so using the subject pronouns sounds too repetitive. In the examples below, the subject pronoun in parentheses can be left out of  the sentence. (Io) Vado al cinema. - I’m going to the movies.(Tu) hai fratelli maggiori? - Do you have older siblings?(Lei) vuole mangiare con noi? - Does she want to eat with us?(Lui) vuole giocare a calcio con noi? - Does he want to play soccer with us? When it comes to the third person singular, you may have to use the subject pronoun to specify whether it’s â€Å"her† or â€Å"him†. (Noi) andiamo in spiaggia oggi? - Are we going to the beach today?(Voi) Sentite le notizie? - Did you all hear the news?(Loro) Vanno in Germania. - They are going to Germany. If you remember to drop the subject pronoun, your Italian will already sound a bit more native. That being said, you can use the subject pronoun when you want to add emphasis to a sentence. For example: Offro IO la cena./La cena  la offro IO.  - I’M paying for dinner.Scegli TU il fim. - YOU choose the movie. Another area where you definitely want to use the subject pronoun is when it’s being modified by the word â€Å"anche†, which means â€Å"also† in Italian. For example: Anche io voglio andare al mare. - I also want to go to the sea.No, anche lei mi ha detto che non era la verit. - No, she also told me it wasn’t the truth.

Stars and Stripes Forever †Theology Essay

Stars and Stripes Forever – Theology Essay Free Online Research Papers Stars and Stripes Forever Theology Essay Someone once said, â€Å"Everybody loves a parade.† As a boy, I remember the crowds of people lining both sides of the street in the tiny town of Herrick, Illinois for the annual Fourth of July parade. I miss that parade of people. It was a virtual kaleidoscope of Americana. Regardless of the diversity of people, when the American flag passed by carried proudly by the color guard, we all stood in gratitude for the freedom we hold so dearly and saluted those who paid freedom’s price. What would Independence Day be without the traditional fireworks displays lighting up the night skies across America with dazzling colors and patterns. I love to watch those amazing pyrotechnics accompanied by John Phillip Sousa’s â€Å"The Stars and Stripes Forever†. The grand finale is the red, white, and blue American flag exploding into the night sky. As I watch, I remember the great heritage left me by forbearers such as John Adams. I think of my wife’s ancestors, some of the first Swedish immigrants to settle in the Dakota Territory. I think of my Pakistani oncologist who came to America to live in freedom as a Christian. I think of others in our community who can freely practice their religion, if they desire. I think of the Hispanics and the Asians who have come to America seeking opportunities to live a better life. I pray that the Stars and Stripes will wave forever over America. Our nation’s founding fathers knew how to count the cost of liberty. They considered our freedom much more important than the security they enjoyed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. They paid the price to win our freedom. Someone has said, â€Å"To be born free is a privilege. To die free is an awesome responsibility. Yet freedom is never free. It is always purchased at great cost.† John Quincy Adams warned us, â€Å"Posterity – you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.† In 1776 Thomas Payne gave us this insight, â€Å"What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a price on its goods and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.† How can America continue to be a great nation? She must trust in God. Our American system is really the political expression of Christian ideas. It is a nation founded upon the rock of religion and rooted in the love of man. In 1851 Daniel Webster was reviewing the history of â€Å"this great American family†, he reaffirmed the need and role of God in government, â€Å"Let the religious element in man’s nature be neglected, let him be influenced by no higher motives than low self-interest and be subjected to no stronger restraint than the limits of civil authority and he becomes the creature of selfish passion or blind fanaticism. On the other hand, the cultivation of the religious sentiment represses licensiontiousness . . . inspires respect for law and order and gives strength to the whole social fabric at the same time that it conducts the human soul upward to the Author of its being.† Charles Malik, at one time the Ambassador to the United Nations from Lebanon, put it this way, â€Å"The good in the United States would never have come into being without the blessing and the power of Jesus Christ . . . I know how embarrassing this matter is to politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, and cynics; but, whatever these honored men think, the irrefutable truth is that the soul of America is at its best and highest Christian.† The concluding words of our National Anthem summarize the fact that the United States of America was born out of a commitment to God and His principles found in the Bible. â€Å"Blessed with victory and peace, may this Heaven-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our case if just; And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust!’ And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.† Jesus Christ died – and rose – to make men free – all men, all nations. Through Christ, we are freed from the wages of sin. â€Å"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.† Through Christ, you can be internally and eternally free. â€Å"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life† (John 3:16). Research Papers on Stars and Stripes Forever - Theology Essay19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationWhere Wild and West MeetDefinition of Export QuotasHip-Hop is ArtTwilight of the UAWCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Masque of the Red Death Room meanings

Oprah Winfrey Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Oprah Winfrey - Research Paper Example (Andrew Malcolm, â€Å"A surprise: Oprah pays a real cost for supporting Barack Obama†): According to a survey conducted in 1999 for the most admired and respected women of the 20th century; Oprah got 26 % of the votes coming at second place. Mother Teresa was voted No.1 in this survey. Another poll was conducted in 2003 by Fox News and the poll results showed that 60% of the people thought that Oprah was the most powerful woman. Whereas Hillary Clinton, who is a former first lady and senator was able to influence only 28% of the people who took the poll. (Thomas, â€Å"Oprah Winfrey- Bio Brief†) She was born on January 29, 1954 in Mississippi to Vernita Lee, a housekeeper, and Vernon Winfrey, who was a soldier. Her parents were not very rich people and she did not enjoy a luxurious lifestyle in her childhood. On the contrary, she saw many hard times which have made her the person she is now. Her full name is Oprah Gail Winfrey. (Thomas, â€Å"Oprah Winfrey- Bio Brief†) Her first job was of a news anchor at Nashvilles WTVF, she was the first African-American anchor there. After some time she was asked to co-host a show â€Å"People are Talking†. This was her first step on the road of much bigger things. Then, she finally landed in Chicago to host a low rated morning show â€Å"AM Chicago†. Her personality and interpersonal skills earned that show first place within a span of 12 months. After years of small jobs, she got the job of her dreams to host her own show â€Å"The Oprah Winfrey Show† which is one now of the top-rated shows of the world. Her easy to talk attitude has earned her a great fan following. The great part about her fame is that she uses it to influence people in doing well for the society and in making the planet a better place for everyone to live in. She is considered to be one of the richest people in the entertainment industry and is always involved in giving away donations and helping the poor. She has also made a charity

Employment System in Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Employment System in Middle East - Essay Example In the third section, a linkage is created between the poverty and employment. In the forth section, linkage of social welfare and employment is created and finally in the last section conclusion is given. Middle Eastern countries comprise of the following countries, i.e. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen, Israel, Jordon, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Gaza Strip and West Bank. Not all of these countries are well established but there is a good demand of employment in these countries, especially Africa and Dubai. The Growth level in this system is emerging with the passage of time but unemployment rate has not declined to a greater degree. There is still a large amount of population unemployed. This paper focuses on the linkage between the poverty and employment & social welfare and employment. The section three and four will emphasize the two concepts in detail. In 2004-2006 when all the rest of the world was going through a recession in the employment industry, some middle-eastern countries passed through the job creation phase. There was employment opportunity in these areas because the private sector showed major development. There were a lot of foreign and domestic investments made by the local and foreign companies that boosted, enhanced and created job opportunities for the unemployment class. These job opportunities catered well as not only were the demand of the young, energetic, talented and capable people met but also these unemployed workers now were provided with the platform where they could put their best efforts to achieve their potential goals. But it sad to state that apart from all the opportunities, the unemployment level in the Middle East was still very high and a major sector of the workforce still remains unemployed. Middle East is also faced with another disappointing workforce practice, i.e. discrimination has been observed in the middle-eastern countries, as women who are a foremost source still experience through a high level of unemployment rate. It has also been stated that middle-eastern women are more talented and educated than as compared to men but regardless of all the efforts made they are still lacking far behind. This discrimination is widely observed in Egypt. The Middle East is experiencing high economic growth rate and it has been stated that from 2004 to 2006, its real GDP per capita had a 4.0 percent annual increase. But despite all these growths, Middle East also suffers from 25 percent youth employment (which is the recorded as the highest among all regions). Among the employed the highest level are new job seekers of age range of 15- 24 years who account for 50 percent of the unemployment in the region. On the other hand young people with secondary and post secondary education are also faced with employment issues such as mismatching skills and long queues for

Domestic violence Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Domestic violence - Case Study Example Common assault has been made an "arrestable offence1", in the sense that the police can arrest a suspect at the scene of the assault without possessing a warrant. This is in variance to the previous practice where the police had to leave the suspected assailant with his victim. Common assault is now an alternative verdict in the Crown Court. There are a range of criminal offences, including sexual and physical assault, harassment and criminal damage, which can be used in cases of domestic violence. However, most offences2 do not take into account the cumulative pattern of violent behaviour, some of which may not constitute a criminal offence. There remains a significant problem with consistent implementation however and the judiciary still fails to treat crimes of domestic violence seriously3. The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill received Royal Assent in November 2004 to become the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004. Domestic violence occurs when a family member or a partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate or harm the other. Domestic violence has many forms, including physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, intimidation, economic deprivation or threats of violence. Domestic violence includes physical violence, which consists of direct physical violence, ranging from unwanted physical contact to rape and murder; and indirect physical violence, including destruction of objects; throwing objects near the victim. It also, consists of mental or emotional violence; verbal violence, including threats, insults, put-downs, attacks, and nonverbal threats, including gestures, facial expressions, body postures, economic and social abuse, controlling victim's money and other economic resources. Moreover, it could also comprise of preventing the victim from seeing friends and relatives, actively sabotaging victim's social relationships and isolating victim from social contacts, spiritual abuse. Colleen is married to Wayne, a violent and abusive man. After the birth of their baby, Sven, Wayne put a lot of pressure on Colleen to lose weight, which she did. However, she became anorexic due to this. In this case, the husband Wayne is characterised as a violent in nature and abusive man. Subsequent, to the birth of Sven, Wayne pressurized Colleen to lose weight for which she had to follow the diet restrictions etc, and because of these, she became anorexic. A pattern of behaviour characterised by the misuse of power and control by one person over another who are or have been in an intimate relationship is termed as domestic violence. It can occur in mixed gender relationships and same gender relationships and has profound consequences for the lives of children, individuals, families and communities. It may be physical, sexual, emotional or psychological. The latter may include intimidation and harassment. Thus, the attitude of Wayne comes under controlling behaviour, which prevents someone by force from acting freely. This can include keeping them from seeing relatives and friends and so on. The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 introduced

Issues on Training Employees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Issues on Training Employees - Essay Example Businesses from around the world run global business this way. If an American business obeys a Saudi law by sending a man, Saudis must obey American Homeland Security laws by giving proper identification and taking off shoes when going through airport security. Global businesses can be profitable, if local laws and cultures are respected. This can only be accomplished through proper employee training. After World War II a global market opened up for business around the world. Business started expanding beyond their borders. IBM is an example of a global business. Early on IBM recognized the need for cultural diversity. Formal statements relating to diversity at IBM can be found as far back as 1953 by the then CEO Thomas J Watson Jr, who said: ‘it is the policy of IBM to hire people who have the personality, talent and background necessary to fill a given job, regardless of race, colour or creed.’ (Nicholson 2009) IBM recognized better business practices would be to incorporate the most qualified individual for each job. This task required cultural diversity, not only worldwide, but in their home country of the United States. The statement above was very progressive for the 1950’s. IBM started this policy and continued to this day by following: This type of policy was brought about through laws like the American Disability Act, Affirmative Action, and other labor laws. The work/life balance is important to every country’s cultures. Different cultures expect different work days, work weeks, and vacation practices. The advancement of women can be achieved in the majority of countries that IBM operates in. However, in several Middle Eastern and other Islamic countries this is not legal or even possible. In Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Iran, and other Islamic countries women do not experience the same freedoms as they do in the West. An example would be in Saudi Arabia

Dome shell structure Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Dome shell structure - Research Paper Example good opportunity to learn more about these historical structures on how their evolvement came about, their practice state in the down of this 21st century. Starting from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, the Livestock Pavilion in Raleigh, and the Madison Squire Garden in New York all along to the Olympic Stadium in Munich, also from the Pontiac Silver dome found in Michigan Sydney Opera House in Australia plus Haj terminal in Saudi, this unique landmark structures exist. They make us swollen with pride and we are linked by these unique architectural designs (Buckminster Fuller Institute 1). Each structure is a model on its own. Yet the term unique structures cannot be disqualified. Unique structures refer to inventive long span structural systems mainly roofs to the areas to house people. Particularly they incorporate several structures like grids or space frames, cable and strut, geodesic domes, tension membrane and thin shells. Thin shells plus tension membranes, are regarded as form resistant structures, because they oppose loads by desirable quality of their shape. Structures, which oppose load by bending, may be classified by the use of span - depth ratio. Tensile structures are more competent as compared to arches for they do not buckle. Even if efficient in material consumption, they generate greater pull forces at their support (Buckminster Fuller Institute 1). Spain’s Eduardo Torroja is credited for the systematic study of engineering of the shells’ architecture in the 1930s. Felix Cinderella’s work in Mexico ignited this sudden popularity of the shells in the 1950s. His shells were amazing both outwards and for bold engineering. When a 75mm (3 in.) wide shell was regarded daring, Cinderella constructed a hyperbolic parabolic shell with not more than 16 mm (5/8 in.) wideness for the Cosmic Ray Pavilion at the University of Ciudad in Mexico. The following design was that of Esquillan, it is one of the marvelous engineering of the 20th century, whose

The American Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

The American Revolution - Essay Example The biography of George Washington was originally written by Mason Locke Weems who maintained a subjective approach in evaluating the facts and presented Washington as a folk hero. Although they had lived through the revolution, yet many of the early historians did not have objective grounds for their claims. A new generation of historians surfaced with the start of the 19th century. Today, whatever we know about the American Revolution is primarily an outcome of their compilation of the war events. Historians of the 19th century mutually held a consensus that the American Revolution was morally justified. They were of the view that American victory opened the gate to freedom. The determinists of the early 20th century presented the second school of thought regarding the American Revolution. They thought that the revolution revolved around the conflict of class. The economic motivations were hard to be justified with the widespread rhetoric about equality and republicanism. The determinists analyzed the revolution as more than just an endeavor to gain independence. They thought of it as a means to strengthen a ruling elite American class. The determinists base their assertions on the fact that a vast majority of the people who had signed the Declaration of Independence were rich and took the revolution as a means to strengthen their power. The third school of thought regarding the American Revolution surfaced after the Second World War. Neo-Whigs were the owners of this school of thought.

Issues on Training Employees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Issues on Training Employees - Essay Example Businesses from around the world run global business this way. If an American business obeys a Saudi law by sending a man, Saudis must obey American Homeland Security laws by giving proper identification and taking off shoes when going through airport security. Global businesses can be profitable, if local laws and cultures are respected. This can only be accomplished through proper employee training. After World War II a global market opened up for business around the world. Business started expanding beyond their borders. IBM is an example of a global business. Early on IBM recognized the need for cultural diversity. Formal statements relating to diversity at IBM can be found as far back as 1953 by the then CEO Thomas J Watson Jr, who said: ‘it is the policy of IBM to hire people who have the personality, talent and background necessary to fill a given job, regardless of race, colour or creed.’ (Nicholson 2009) IBM recognized better business practices would be to incorporate the most qualified individual for each job. This task required cultural diversity, not only worldwide, but in their home country of the United States. The statement above was very progressive for the 1950’s. IBM started this policy and continued to this day by following: This type of policy was brought about through laws like the American Disability Act, Affirmative Action, and other labor laws. The work/life balance is important to every country’s cultures. Different cultures expect different work days, work weeks, and vacation practices. The advancement of women can be achieved in the majority of countries that IBM operates in. However, in several Middle Eastern and other Islamic countries this is not legal or even possible. In Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Iran, and other Islamic countries women do not experience the same freedoms as they do in the West. An example would be in Saudi Arabia

The American Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

The American Revolution - Essay Example The biography of George Washington was originally written by Mason Locke Weems who maintained a subjective approach in evaluating the facts and presented Washington as a folk hero. Although they had lived through the revolution, yet many of the early historians did not have objective grounds for their claims. A new generation of historians surfaced with the start of the 19th century. Today, whatever we know about the American Revolution is primarily an outcome of their compilation of the war events. Historians of the 19th century mutually held a consensus that the American Revolution was morally justified. They were of the view that American victory opened the gate to freedom. The determinists of the early 20th century presented the second school of thought regarding the American Revolution. They thought that the revolution revolved around the conflict of class. The economic motivations were hard to be justified with the widespread rhetoric about equality and republicanism. The determinists analyzed the revolution as more than just an endeavor to gain independence. They thought of it as a means to strengthen a ruling elite American class. The determinists base their assertions on the fact that a vast majority of the people who had signed the Declaration of Independence were rich and took the revolution as a means to strengthen their power. The third school of thought regarding the American Revolution surfaced after the Second World War. Neo-Whigs were the owners of this school of thought.

Examining The Concept of Politically Correct Speech Essay Example for Free

Examining The Concept of Politically Correct Speech Essay Lets be politically correct about this. This is a common statement people make when they want to avoid offending people. This is the goal of the concept of being politically correct: avoid offending peoples sensibilities. Case in point, it is not uncommon to call blind people visually impaired. The reason for this is that somehow the word blind became derogatory. Well, actually it didnt and neither did a number of benign words but in the 1990s there was a movement that started with the clear intention of making words as antiseptic as possible. The movement was somewhat mocked at first and pop culture comedian George Carlin quipped It is just a means of people hiding their guilt without really atoning for their sins. But, the politically movement has far from gone away. In fact, it has gained significant momentum in certain quarters. This is good in some ways and negative in others. One of the most negative aspects of the political correctness movement is that perpetually trying to be politically correct has a tendency to hinder communications. That is, when people are always trying to choose their words or phrases carefully they may find the end result to be stilted. That is to say, the words they select in their writing or oral presentations may end up being silly. Again, most people assume a blind person is blind. If one refers to a blind person as optically challenged then one may discover the audience laughing at the choice of words. This is because it is obvious the individual is going really out of the way to avoid hurting anyones feelings. Granted, this end result may avoid offense but it could also yield laughter. If that was not the intended result of your actions then the actions would be deemed a flop. Sorry to be so blunt but this is the common end result of going to ridiculous extremes in order be politically correct at the expense of using good language. There are, however, some benefits to politically correct speech. This is most evident in the workplace. Remember when it comes to success in the workplace success will often be based around relationships with people. If your relationships with others are not as best as they can be then you may discover your career suffering. This would obviously be a bad situation and best avoided. Since one of the most common ways of developing bad relationships is through offending people seeking to be more politically correct in your dialogue would not be a bad idea. If you are involved in the insurance sales business there will be a multitude of people whom you will come in contact. As such, you would want these people to feel as comfortable as possible and opt to avoid using words that may prove offensive. For example, you would want to avoid calling the elderly old if you come in contact with such individuals. Sticking with the term senior citizen would be a much wiser option. Of course, you will want to select words that are sensible and not silly. There is a fine line between politeness and parody when it comes to speaking in a politically correct manner. However, if you use simple logic and common sense in your approach to selecting politically correct terms you will avoid many of the common political correctness pitfalls associated with the movement.

Bargaining Power Of Suppliers

Bargaining Power Of Suppliers This report serves a number of major purposes. First of all, it seeks to understand the development of Information Systems IS/ Information Technology IT theory. Secondly, it narrows the scope to enterprise value chain to evaluate the current practice in this area. Finally, it seeks to evaluate and analyze the future of the companies studied in relation to IS/ IT. 1.2 Definition of Key Concepts The terms e-business and e-commerce are often used interchangeably but they do not mean the same thing. E-commerce means using IT to buy and sell goods and services. E-business is a broader term, covering not just goods and services exchanges, but also all forms of business conducted using electronic transmission of data and information. E-business began when customers and suppliers recognized the advantages of exchanging documents such as purchase orders and invoices electronically, rather than through the postal service. This electronic data interchange EDI could speed ordering and fulfillment dramatically. The advent of the internet allowed businesses, organizations, and individuals to publish World Wide Web pages and communicate to broader audiences. At first, web pages were mirrors of paper documents. But as they increased in sophistication, users recognized that there were things that they could do with Web pages that were not possible with paper media. As internet usage and Web development evolved, managers learned to take advantage of the internets unique nature in many ways. For example, retailers realized changing the price of an item required a few key strokes on the internet versus reprinting promotional materials and price lists in an offline environment. The transparency of the internet, or the ability for mass instantaneous sharing of information also created an almost perfectly efficient marketplace for goods and services. The next stage in the evolution of e-business was to distribute its use throughout an organization. This came in the form of intranets. Businesses created these internal internets to allow employees to communicate with one another and exchange information. Once enterprises mastered internal communication through their intranets, they turned outwards. The link to customers occurred early on. The rest of the supply chain linkage took place in the next stage of the evolution as businesses began expanding on their connection to suppliers, customers and distributors. These included adding supply chain management and customer relationship management functionality. Portals allowed customers and suppliers to link more closely with an enterprise. The current state of e-business is really c-business where the c stands for collaborative. In c-business, the boundaries among enterprises become blurred. Businesses up and down the supply chain work together to achieve objectives that maximize profitability for all of them. 1.3 Overview of the Report Section 1: Introduction Objective of the report Definition of key concepts Overview of the report Section 2: Review of Literature 2.1 Literature review 2.2 General theory 2.3 Research area 2.4 Rationale 2.5 Importance of research area 2.6 Example of e-business application Section 3: Case Analysis 3.1 Case Study 1 3.2 Case Study 2 3.3 Case Study 3 Section 4: Evaluation of the Cases 4.1 Comparison 4.2 Recommendation Section 5 Executive Summary SECTION 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1 Literature Review IT/ IS has been used by companies for over forty years. Initially, their usage was primitive by todays standards, but over time, improvements in computer technology have rendered IS/ IT to be an integral part of the business. Yet, the study of IS/ IT in relation to management is a somewhat recent discipline. Initial research on IT/ IS tended to be more descriptive than empirical since the basic models that are currently used were not yet formulated. These research papers also tended to be overly optimistic about the future of IT/ IS in terms of the benefits they bring to business enterprises. Later on, research in the area took on a more balanced tone as the limitations of IS/ IT were also highlighted. It has also during this time than various strategic management models were incorporated into the framework for IS/ IT. 2.2 General Theory Now let us examine three theories that relate to e-business. 2.2.1 Porters Five Forces According to Michael Porter (1990), an industry is influenced by five major forces and he developed this idea into a comprehensive model. Termed the Five Forces Model, it has greatly influenced strategic management thinking for the past two decades. These five forces are the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the new entrants, the threat of substitutes, and rivalry. Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of buyers refers to the influence consumers have on an industry. Generally, if consumers have very high bargaining power, there are many suppliers competing for a very limited number of buyers (Porter, 1990). As a result, it is the buyer who will dictate the price of goods and services. Buyers have greater power when there are few of them and they command a significant market share, or when they purchase a sizeable proportion of the goods produced in an industry (David, 2009). Also, buyers are powerful when they can threaten to buy products from rival firms. This is called backward integration (Griffin, 2001). On the other hand, buyers are weak if manufacturers threaten forward integration in which the manufacturers take over the distribution and retailing channels (Eitman et al, 2007). Buyers are also in a weak position if there is great difficulty in switching to alternative products and switching costs are high. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The second force is the bargaining power of suppliers (Porter, 1990). All companies that manufacture goods need to obtain raw materials from external parties or suppliers. Hence, it is imperative that companies establish good relationships with their suppliers so as to get favourable prices and a steady supply of raw material. Yet, the supplier-manufacturer relationship is rarely one of equals (Griffin, 2001). Normally, one party has the upper hand. Suppliers have greater bargaining power if there are few of them so they can dictate terms to the customers who are at their mercy (David, 2009). Threat of New Entrants The third force is the threat of new entrants (Porter, 1990). New entrants to a market can seriously affect the market share of existing members and this is a constant source of anxiety for companies. In an ideal free market system, a company can enter and exit a market with the greatest ease and that profits will be nominal. However, in the real world, there are numerous barriers to entry, some of which are the result of economics, while others are the outcome of government intervention (Rugman and Hodgetts, 1995). Threat of Substitutes The fourth is the threat of substitutes, which refers to products in other industries (Porter, 1990). If the costs of the products in a particular industry are too high, customers might switch to products in other industries. Price is not the only variable but changes in technology have the potential to make users flock to rivals (David, 2009). Rivalry Among Firms The final force in Porters framework is rivalry among firms (Porter, 1990). Rivalry is very high when there are a large number of firms in a saturated market, high fixed costs, high storage costs and low switching costs (Barney, 2007). According to Porter, an enterprise can adopt one of four strategies to deal with the five forces in its industry. They are cost leadership, differentiation, cost focus and focused differentiation. IT can assist a firm in achieving these strategies. For example, to attain low cost, the company can adopt production engineering systems whereas to achieve differentiation, it can use computer aided design. 2.2.2 Value Chain The value chain is defined as a sequence of activities that should contribute more to the ultimate value of the product than to its costs. Products produced by an organization rely on different activities of the organization and use different resources along the value chain depending on their specifications. Essentially, all products flow through the value chain, which begins with research, development and engineering and then moves through manufacturing and continues on to customers. The companys value chain is used to identify opportunities that give competitive advantage. Basically, there are two broad categories of a firms activities. They are primary activities, consisting of the creation, marketing and delivery of products and support activities which provide support for primary activities. IT is used to transform the way value activities are conducted and to improve linkages throughout the value chain to give the company greater flexibility. According to Porter and Miller 1985, IT plays a strategic role in an industry that has high information intensity in the product and value chain itself. 2.2.3 Scott Mortons Model Morton improvises and refines Porters model. Morton asserts that the five forces that influence an organizations objectives are its structure, management processes, individuals and roles, technology and strategy. These in turn contribute to five levels of IT-induced reconfiguration. At the lower degree of business transformation, they are termed evolutionary levels. At the lowest level, there is localized exploitation in which the main objectives are domestic effectiveness and efficiency. At level two, there is internal integration between different applications and systems. Cooperation and coordination enhance efficiency and effectiveness here. At a higher degree of business transformation, they are termed revolutionary levels. Level three involves business process redesign which consists of a rigorous change in the company value chain. Level four concerns business network redesign for the reconfiguration of the tasks and scopes of the enterprise network involved in the creation and delivery of products and services. The final and highest level is business scope redefinition in which there is a migration of functions across the companys borders that ultimately change the very nature of the business. 2.3 Research Area This paper focuses on the enterprise value chain of three very different companies. They are Tupperware, Toyota and Facebook. 2.4 Rationale The rationale for the selection of these three companies is to explain how e-business is applied to different industries. Tupperware is a well known manufacturer of high quality plastic containers, Toyota is the worlds largest car maker and Facebook is the biggest online social network site on earth. They are all very different businesses, yet they share one thing in common the usage of e-business in their value chain. The degree of success each business experiences through e-business vis-Ã  -vis their value chain will be discussed in the analysis section. 2.5 Importance of Research Area E-business has become an integral part of the modern corporation and is a means of achieving competitive advantage. Besides that, it also creates opportunities for many third party services. For these reasons, it is vital to critically examine what exactly e-business can do for an enterprise. To demonstrate, the following SWOT analysis is done: 2.5.1 Strengths Around the clock business operation Convenient, fast and effective Global outreach Lower operation cost Lower initial investment 2.5.2 Weaknesses No direct interaction between buyer and seller Low customer penetration 2.5.3 Opportunities The number of people using the internet is increasing daily Over time, people will grow accustomed to doing transactions online 2.5.4 Threats Considerable risks such as privacy issues, security concerns, transaction processing and business policy issues. 2.6 Examples of e-business Applications There are many examples of e-business applications, the most common being EDI which is the computer-to-computer exchange of business documents. Another example is in collaborative commerce. For example, airlines have partnered to create Orbitz, an online travel service that searches the partner airline database for flights. The site also allows users to purchase hotel rooms, rent cars and other services. SECTION 3: CASE ANALYSIS 3.1 Case Study 1: Tupperware Tupperware is a multi-billion dollar United States based manufacturer of plastic food storage containers that has a presence in over 100 countries worldwide. Recently, the company altered its distribution model to a multilevel compensation structure. This inevitably increased the volume of paperwork faced by multilevel sales consultants who found less time to do actual sales. In addition, the order entry system was insufficient to cope with peak sales demands. To overcome these problems, the company implemented MyTupperware which is a web-based order management system. The first problem was solved because the task of entering orders was shifted from distributors to sales consultants. The second problem was solved because the integrated and streamlined communications between the relevant parties and provided better support in the promotion and sales of products. 3.2 Case Study 2: Toyota From its humble beginnings in Japan, Toyota Motors emerged as the worlds largest and most profitable car maker in April 2007. It accomplished this major feat through unparalleled excellence in its production process, and indeed throughout its entire value chain. Central to this success was the Toyota Production System TPS. Initially, Toyota faced the same problems as other automobile makers including slow product design time, uneven quality of production, wastage and obsolescence. These factors hampered the companys ability to achieve competitive advantage. Consequently, Toyota critically examined its strengths weaknesses, though not in the way Western companies do. Toyota adopted the Japanese approach of kaizen, which is a philosophy of continuous improvement by eliminating wastage. By harnessing the power of IS/ IT in its e-business, the company created the TPS as a means to achieve competitive advantage. Consequently, the company achieved tremendous success and its manufacturing process was deemed the gold standard in quality manufacturing at low cost. Unfortunately, this was not to last. In the last two years, Toyota suffered its worst catastrophe in years. Cars produced by its U.S. plant suffered from faulty brakes and there were defects in cars produced by other plants. Consequently, the company made a massive recall, which seriously eroded the reputation of the company. Perhaps the company overextended itself or was lulled into a false sense of complacency. Regardless, the much vaunted TPS has come under scrutiny as people question how a system that was deemed close to perfection could cause such egregious errors. It remains to be seen how Toyota will remedy the situation. 3.3 Case Study 3: Facebook By now, the story of Facebooks founding is well known, thanks to a number of books and the Hollywood movie The Social Network. A Harvard student named Mark Zuckerberg founded the site in 2004 as an online social network for Harvard students before establishing it as a company. Though there are other online social network sites, the secret to Facebooks success lies not just in the features it provides, but the clear user interface which makes it appealing and easy to use. From its humble origins, Facebook has now over 500 million users and has been valued at US50 billion. While the company is phenomenally successful, it is constantly plagued by issues concerning its privacy. Since Facebooks business model is such that it does not charge users for the services it provides, its source of revenue comes from advertising and data mining. This has led to repeated concerns about the violation of users privacy by selling their personal information to advertising companies who publicly share such private information. In addition, there are concerns that users private information is accessible to the public with very dangerous consequences like identity theft. One major error that Facebook made was its Beacon advertising service which informed users when their friends made purchases and were involved in other activities outside of Facebook. Users did not agree to share this information and this caused a public backlash and the company had to rescind the service. Similarly, when Facebook launched its news feed feature, users baulked at the infringement of privacy. They did not want Facebook to post updates whenever they updated their profile, added friends or changed their settings. However, Zuckerberg addressed this problem much better by making a public apology and explaining the merits of this system. While some users were still resistant, the explanation won over many and today, the news feed is one of Facebooks most popular services and is emulated by other online social network sites. A third problem Facebook has is the handling of users personal information when they want to delete their profiles. Unlike other network sites, Facebook made it almost impossible for users to delete their accounts and copies of their personal information were stored indefinitely. This caused a backlash and Facebook has since made it much easier for users to delete their accounts. SECTION 4: EVALUATION OF CASES Case Security Ease of using site Transparency Effectiveness of e-business Case 1 High Average Low Highly effective Case 2 High Average Moderate Highly effective Case 3 Moderate Easy High Highly effective 4.1 Comparison Overall, it appears that of the three, Facebook has been the most successful in applying e-business since its entire business model is based on it. The other two are examples of traditional firms that employ e-business to improve their value chain. Tupperware uses the least extensive form of e-business as it is confined to its sales and after sales services rather than the manufacturing process. Toyota uses e-business extensively throughout its value chain as can be seen in the TPS. However, recent developments indicate that its e-business application may not be as successful as was previously thought. Hence, Facebook is the most successful of the three in harnessing e-business to gain competitive advantage though it must be reminded here that the company still struggles with some security issues. 4.2 Recommendation It is recommended that Tupperware uses e-business more extensively throughout its value chain to include the planning and design and manufacturing process. Toyota should reevaluate its TPS to identify weaknesses in the current system and improve them. Facebook on the other hand should use e-business to gather more feedback from its customers about its services, particularly privacy issues and take them seriously.

Glaucoma in the United States Over the Last Ten Years :: Pathology Health Medical Eye Diseases Essays

Glaucoma in the United States Over the Last Ten Years This research paper examines glaucoma over the age of 40 in the United States, in the last 10 years. Knowing the fact that glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the United States leads us to choose this subject for research. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually steals sight without warning and often without symptoms. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. This nerve acts like an electric cable with over a million wires and is responsible for carrying the images we see to the brain. The two main types of glaucoma are open angle glaucoma, or primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), and angle closure glaucoma. Currently, there is no cure for glaucoma. Glaucoma is a chronic disease that must be treated for life. However, much is happening in research that makes us hopeful a cure may be realized in our lifetime. There is exciting work being conducted by scientists all over the world in the areas of genetics, neuroprotection and neuroregeneration. These areas of study deal with the origins and pathology of glaucoma as opposed to managing symptoms. A cure is on the way. Glaucoma over the Age of Forty in the United States The term "glaucoma" encompasses a group of eye diseases, not a single entity. Glaucoma is described broadly in terms of aqueous fluid drainage through the trabecular meshwork, the major outflow pathway. There are two main types: angle closure glaucoma and open angle glaucoma. Open angle glaucoma is far more common in the United States. The American Academy of Ophthalmology defines primary angle closure glaucoma as "An appositional or synechial closure of the anterior chamber angle caused by relative pupillary block in the absence of other causes of angle closure". The American Academy of Ophthalmology defines primary open angle glaucoma as a "Multifactorial optic neuropathy in which there is a characteristic acquired loss of optic nerve fibers". Classifying glaucoma broadly into angle closure glaucoma or open angle glaucoma is helpful from both a diagnostic and pathophysiological perspective. Problem Statement In the United States, approximately 2.2 million people age 40 and older have glaucoma, and of these, as many as 120,000 are blind due to the disease. The number of Americans with glaucoma is estimated to increase to 3.3 million by the year 2020. Each year, there are more than 300,000 new cases of glaucoma and approximately 5,400 people suffer complete blindness.

Hinduism :: essays research papers

Hinduism hinduism The term Hinduism refers to the civilization of the Hindus (originally, the inhabitants of the land of the Indus River). Introduced in about 1830 by British writers, it properly denotes the Indian civilization of approximately the last 2,000 years, which evolved from Vedism the religion of the Indo-European peoples who settled in India in the last centuries of the 2nd millennium BC. The spectrum that ranges from the level of popular Hindu belief to that of elaborate ritual technique and philosophical speculation is very broad and is attended by many stages of transition and varieties of coexistence. Magic rites, animal worship, and belief in demons are often combined with the worship of more or less personal gods or with mysticism, asceticism, and abstract and profound theological systems or esoteric doctrines. The worship of local deities does not exclude the belief in pan-Indian higher gods or even in a single high God. Such local deities are also frequently looked down up on as manifestations of a high God. In principle, Hinduism incorporates all forms of belief and worship without necessitating the selection or elimination of any. It is axiomatic that no religious idea in India ever dies or is superseded-it is merely combined with the new ideas that arise in response to it. Hindus are inclined to revere the divine in every manifestation, whatever it may be, and are doctrinally tolerant, allowing others - including both Hindus and non-Hindus - whatever beliefs suit them best. A Hindu may embrace a non-Hindu religion without ceasing to be a Hindu, and because Hindus are disposed to think synthetically and to regard other forms of worship, strange gods, and divergent doctrines as inadequate rather than wrong or objectionable, they tend to believe that the highest divine powers are complement one another. Few religious ideas are considered to be irreconcilable. The core of religion does not depend on the existence or nonexistence of God or on whether th ere is one god or many. Because religious truth is said to transcend all verbal definition, it is not conceived in dogmatic terms. Moreover, the tendency of Hindus to distinguish themselves from others on the basis of practice rather than doctrine further de-emphasizes doctrinal differences. Hinduism is both a civilization and a congregation of religions; it has neither a beginning or founder, nor a central authority, hierarchy, or organization. Hindus believe in an uncreated, eternal, infinite, transcendent, and all-embracing principle, which, comprising in itself being and non-being, is the sole reality, the ultimate cause and foundation, source, and goal of all existence.

Analysis of the Digital Audio Player Industry

Digital technology is major breakthrough continues to grow in a fast pace. Several technology firms have explored on the potentials and opportunities of venturing to digital technology. Among digital innovations, digital music players are regarded as the most dynamic. This observation is evident in the growth of these gadgets in terms of sales and production. The digital music industry has established its presence and is becoming an influential economic booster. In addition, the influx of digital music players in the market suggests the positive demand among music consumers. Moreover, the clients being served by digital music players have expanded. Aside from music enthusiasts, digital music players are being used by various segments of the market that includes students, schools, public institutions, and even commercial organizations. II. Issues and Concerns The features of digital music players are the main reasons why players have gained market recognition. Digital music players are portable and require less space. Flash disk players are handy and can be carried to any points. Hard disk players are simply inserted in computers. Consumers are freed from the usual hassles experienced when buying similar products. In addition, digital music players only require small batteries to function. Unlike other gadgets, these players can be played even in far-flung areas. Digital players also come in varied memory sizes. Users who prefer more songs in their players can acquire players with high memory. Aside from those functions, flash disk players can be used to save documents and other important files. Although digital music players are created out of advance technologies, these gadgets are still considered as cheap. Digital music players cost less and are maintained easily. Before, music lovers prefer collecting compact discs of their favorite songs. The existence of digital music players eliminates the idea of stacking the discs in shelves. Instead, music enthusiasts can just collect their chosen music and store in the player. It saves space and reduces the financial burden of users. Moreover, consumers can simply collect more songs through the players without buying more discs. Some digital player makers offer free songs through their websites. Digital music players are one of the most hyped gadgets in the market. Every digital music player maker ensures that their products are well exposed in various target points. These companies have enough resources to fully advertise their new products. The most common form of promotion is through television and print. These makers see to it that their digital music players are well covered by media outlets. Another method of advertising the players is through the Internet. Product websites have been created by these makers to provide information and after sales support. Among the music gadgets available in the market, digital music players have a reputation of adding personal touch. Other music gadgets only include limited songs. But the songs in digital music players are preferred by the users. This is an important aspect that has driven digital music players to success. The players are user-friendly and consider the choice of the users. Digital music players are more than just gadgets but are also personal preference. Despite recent success, the digital music player industry has pressing concerns that are needed to be resolved. The most evident issue in the industry is the emergence of knock-offs. Some individuals and groups are destroying the credibility of digital music player makers by producing their own fake versions. Piracy is a major concern that has affected the industry for years. These fake versions are sold cheap in the market. Consumers who lack the knowledge on authentic digital music players end up buying knock-offs. As a result, users of fake players experience malfunctioning of gadgets. Competition is a positive aspect of the industry. The definition of competition changes when an alternative music player comes into the picture. As digital music players were emerging, there were few who warned the makers about Apple’s version. After the iPod was launched, digital music player makers noticed the decreasing market share of their products. The presence of the iPod is an obstacle in the industry. The Apple gadget has successfully replaced digital music players as the primary music gadget. There are worse news for digital music player makers as the iPod continue to improve its features. III. Recommendations The strategies of digital music player markets have to evolve on product development, marketing and piracy. Manufacturers have to improve the research base to determine possible changes in their current players. The development has to embrace the movements in technology and consider the preference of the users. Continuous monitoring of competitor performance is also important. This will allow makers to develop better players. In marketing digital music players, manufacturers have to define their targets. Despite iPod’s ascendance, it is still dubbed as expensive. This means that a great portion of the market can only afford other music players. Makers have to focus more on the lower earning bracket of the market. Because these consumers have no resources to purchase an iPod, then a digital music player is the best alternative. The marketing initiatives of digital music makers have to emphasize on the gadget’s reputation as a low cost option. It is important for digital music player manufacturers to fight piracy. The most effective way to limit its effects is to a rigorous information campaign. The digital music player makers have to ensure that consumers are aware of the original players and knock-offs. Government policies will also help the industry in solving piracy. Laws on intellectual property rights and prosecution of violators are possible steps for the government. Finally, the continuous public support for authentic digital music players have to be sustained. Conclusion It is undeniable that the digital music industry will remain upbeat. Users keep on growing and product development is a priority among makers. Digital music players are also being exposed to other markets. But there are concerns that have to be resolved. The iPod is still the main competitors of the industry. Piracy persists and damages the reputation of digital music player makers. The way to overcome these adversities requires the participation of the industry and its stakeholders. The possible courses of action involve aggressive information drives, accurate market targeting, and legislations to challenge piracy. References Harvard Law School, (2000), Digital Music: Problems and Possibilities, Date accessed: 10 November 2007, from: < http://www.law.harvard.edu/> MP3 Players, the Basics and History, Date accessed: 10 November 2007, from: < http://www.mp3playerlimelight.com/> USA Today, (2005), Firestorm rages over lockdown on digital music. Date accessed: 10 November 2007, from: > http://www.usatoday.com>