Against School Essay

In his essay â€Å"Against School† John Gatto argues that public education cripples America’s kids in many different aspects of their lives. Gatto claims that compulsory schooling is what is wrong with our nation’s educational system. He states that schools are really laboratories of experimentation on young minds and drill centers for the habits and attitudes that society demands. â€Å"I had more than enough reason to think of our schools—with their long-term, cell-block-style, forced confinement of both students and teachers-as virtual factories of childishness (Gatto, Against School). † The only real purpose of schools, Gatto believes, is to turn the children into servants. Throughout their twelve years of schooling students are forced to conform to society’s expectations, and along the way the students and teachers lose the value of a true education. Do we really need school? Does school have to be in this exact design, â€Å"Six classes a day, five days a week, nine months a year, for twelve years (Gatto, Against School)? † Does it mean attending a cold lifeless classroom, surrounded by fellow students that are bored with their studies and a teacher who seems to have little to no motivation left? Gatto specifies a significant number of successful Americans that were not put through the schooling system but still turned out to be productive such as, George Washington. Gatto says, â€Å" We have been taught (that is, schooled) in this country to think of â€Å"success† as synonymous with, or at least dependent upon, â€Å"schooling,† but historically that isn’t true in either an intellectual or financial sense. † Gatto believes the main reason for the existence of schooling is to train uniform citizens and reduce originality, therefore, making every individual the same. Also, he says the school system is made for certain profits to the economy because it encourages obedience to authority and promotes manipulation in children’s attitudes, including the determination of their social roles. The schooling system’s main focus is to integrate the social, economic and political economy into the children’s studies. Ultimately, Gatto concludes that school drills children to be employees and consumers. A child’s capacity for imagination and maturity is limited rather than encouraged by compulsory schooling, which should have never been the case. There still may be a glimpse of hope at the end of this darkened tunnel. Gatto claims that if teachers and parents put enough effort in, they could help kids â€Å"take† an education rather than receive it. When children â€Å"take† an education they are active participants in their future, which becomes the key to their success. However, when students passively receive an education they may have the knowledge on hand but do not know how to put it to use. He supposes he can bring out the best qualities in children by giving them the chance to make decisions and take risks from time to time, rather than confining them to schooling. By encouraging the best qualities of youthfulness, introducing kids to competent adults, allowing children to take personal risks and being more flexible about time, texts, and tests Gatto believes the whole outlook on our schooling system could be changed. Throughout his essay, â€Å"Against School† Gatto warns of the dangers of our public schooling systems yet, his cynicism is balanced with positive suggestions for those who want change. He illustrates how school is a prison where children are forced to grow up at a rapid pace and are denied the right to make their own decisions. On the other hand, he suggests that if you know the logic behind school systems, their traps can easily be avoided and therein lies his answer: â€Å"School trains children to be employees and consumers; teach your own to be leaders and adventurers. School trains children to obey reflexively; teach your own to think critically and independently (Gatto, Against School). † Gatto gives various examples about how teachers can take action to make the school system better but when they don’t reach beyond the norm the responsibility for ensuring a truly educated and mature child may depend upon the parents.

Recognition programs Essay

To measure constructs of employee engagement, benchmarks would be an above average response of high values. A successful research would develop an increase in value rating per employee per category. In essence, the purpose is to develop employee engagement in conjunction with the benchmarks and defined constructs according to the majority values of tenured employees. Benchmarks for evaluation of success can be defined by an organizational increase in retention of employees compared to past trends in the facility, with increase in employee engagement of facility compared to past trends. The recommendation is to focus on team and individual development to ensure that employees become fully engaged within their function and as team members. According to David Beswick of the University of Melbourne: Mangers generally, and anyone formally or informally responsible for oversight of others who are engaged in work or learning tasks, will be aware that some people are participating more out of interest in the task than others are. Others gain their satisfaction principally out the way in which their performance on the task leads to rewards like pay or status or good grades in a course. But typically there is a mixture of motives for which a range of different incentives is relevant. (www. beswick. info 2004) Any recognition program will reflect an organization’s culture and values. Increasingly, recognition programs are part of company’s total quality program. Recognition programs may take several forms, from highly formalized programs induced and implemented by management to informal, spontaneous â€Å"ceremonies† arising from fellow co-workers. Recognition and celebrations are a ways of reaffirming to people that they are an important part of something that matters. Conclusion Engaged employees receive training for necessary skills and are â€Å"on board† with the organization’s goals. Employees will be unable to perform if they lack the skills needed for their roles, so organizations need to identify employees with gaps in their training. Formal performance appraisal presents a good opportunity to do so. Research shows that organizations with good performance appraisal systems have significantly higher levels of employee engagement that those with a poor performance appraisal system. However, for performance appraisal to identify employees with specific needs, managers first need to have a good understanding of the performance appraisal system. Therefore, the training needs of managers should not be overlooked. Managers should be trained to identify performance weaknesses as well as how to effectively tie performance to recognition and rewards. Engaged employees receive training for necessary skills and are â€Å"on board† with the organization’s goals. Employees will be unable to perform if they lack the skills needed for their roles, so organizations need to identify employees with gaps in their training. Formal performance appraisal presents a good opportunity to do so. Research shows that organizations with good performance appraisal systems have significantly higher levels of employee engagement that those with a poor performance appraisal system. However, for performance appraisal to identify employees with specific needs, managers first need to have a good understanding of the performance appraisal system. Therefore, the training needs of managers should not be overlooked. Managers should be trained to identify performance weaknesses as well as how to effectively tie performance to recognition and rewards. ? References Answers Barclays Bank 2006 Barclays Bank Barclays plc Type Public Founded 1896 Location London , United Kingdom Key 2006 Answers Corporation . Retrieved September 15, 2007 from www. answers. com Barclays Bank PLC (2006) Barclays Newsroom. Registered in England. Registered No: 1026167. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP. . Retrieved September 15, 2007 from www. barclays. com Barclays (2004) Annual Report 2004. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP. Retrieved September 15, 2007 from www. investor. barclays. co. uk Beswick, David (2004) of the University of Melbourne. Copyright:  © David Beswick 1997-2004. Retrieved September 15, 2007 www. beswick. info Chowdhury, Mohammed S. (n. d. ) Relative Importance of Employee Values, Attitudes and Leadership Behaviors in Employee Motivation. Monroe College, Bronx, New York Retrieved September 15, 2007 from www. sba. muohio. edu Dreher & Dougherty. (2001). Human resource strategy: A behavioral perspective for the general manager. New York: McGraw-Hill Glasscock and Gram (1995) Secrets of a Successful Employee Recognition System. BT Bastford. LTD. 2000 Kenexa. com (2005) 650 East Swedesford Road 2nd Floor Wayne, PA 19087 Retrieved September 15, 2007 from www. kenexa. com Saunders, M. , Lewis, P. and Thornhill, D. (2003), Research Methods for Business Students, 3rd Edition, London: FT Prentice Hall.

Time Series Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Time Series Assignment - Essay Example Autocorrelation function (ACF) is the  cross-correlation  of a  signal  with itself. It refers to the similarity between observations as a function of the time lag between them. ACF is a statistical tool for finding repeating patterns, for example the presence of a periodic signal obscured by noise, or may be identifying the  missing fundamental frequency (Box and Jenkins, 1994) in a signal implied by its  harmonic  frequencies.   Just like ACF, PACF plots (Box and Jenkins, 2008) are also commonly used tool for identifying the order of an  autoregressive model. The partial autocorrelation of an AR (p) process is zero at lag  p  +  1 and greater. If the sample autocorrelation plot indicates that an AR model may be appropriate, then the sample partial autocorrelation plot is examined to help identify the order. One looks for the point on the plot where the partial autocorrelations for all higher lags are essentially zero. Placing on the plot an indication of the sampling uncertainty of the sample PACF is helpful for this purpose: this is usually constructed on the basis that the true value of the PACF, at any given positive lag, is zero. If the PACF displays a sharp cut-off while the ACF decays more slowly (i.e., has significant spikes at higher lags), we say that the stationarized series displays an "AR signature," meaning that the autocorrelation pattern can be explained more easily by adding AR terms rather than by adding MA terms. The plots clearly displays a sharp cut-off for the PACF and a significantly reducing value of spikes for the ACF implying that we instead use an AR

Ground water contamination issue due to the use of septic tanks in Research Paper

Ground water contamination issue due to the use of septic tanks in Monroe County Florida (Florida Keys) - Research Paper Example Due to the rapid development of the area, the permanent living population for the area has grown to around 85000, against that of almost 10000 living there a few decades back. This along with the incoming tourist rush has put real pressure on the infrastructure of the area, particularly its human sewage disposal program. Several studies conducted during the recent past have shown the evidence of seepage from human sewage to the living area of coral reef. This has been mainly due to the leakages from outdated or mismatched septic tanks and cesspits. Although around 30% of the resident population is served by the central sewerage system, others depend on the network of outdated septic tanks and cesspits. Although, funds are being organized to repair and replace the sewage system by the US Congress in consultation with resident locality members, United States Environmental Protection Agency, South Florida Water management District and Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority; the total cost to rectify the system would range from around 554 million to 1.1 billion dollars. The main hesitation from the local residents to update their sewage system arises due to the unaffordable cost involved, which can go up to $ 10000 to $20000 for each unit, while everyone is keen to clean their mess, as they are aware of its damage to the coral reef and marine environment. Hence govt. help or subsidy is nessary.........(Key Sewage, CBS Radio Network) While the point source of water pollution refers to the industrial pollutants, the non point sources of pollution affect Florida Keys area, as it has very few sewage disposal or treatment systems that are needed by any urban landscape. The non point sources of pollution also include sediments from construction sites, fertilizers or other agriculture products, bacteria from livestock as well as the

Market segmentation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market segmentation - Research Paper Example The market could be segmented into three major groups – young adults (age 22 to 35), middle – aged (age 36 to 50) and senior citizens (51 years and above). Nevertheless, the business scope (in terms of sales volume) of Chevy Volt is relatively high for first two segments because these consumers are tilted towards new hybrid vehicles and eco-friendly products (Welch, 2010). It is justified to argue that GM has currently a small market because there are fewer customers in the market that could easily acquire a $40,000 car in bleak economic scenario (inflation, high gas / fuel prices and unemployment). Indeed, GM sold only 647 vehicles in first 2 months of launch that confirms aforementioned argument (Jin, 2011). It should be emphasized that GM competes with Japanese makers like Toyota, Honda and Nissan that could easily produce and market a hybrid in range of $17,000 – 33,000. Therefore, GM has been planning to increase its production and sell 25,000 units a year. This would definitely enable GM to reduce Volt’s total market price by $8,000 – 12,000, thereby increasing its competitiveness and attracting a large pool of middle – middle customers.

Ethical Scenarios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Scenarios - Essay Example I would ask my teammate to exclude me from her deceptive behavior. By asking Stephanie to lie, she compromises Stephanie's sense of moral judgment and is put in the awkward position of telling a lie or betraying a friend. It would not be in Stephanie's interest to allow herself to be placed in that position. It is emotional extortion and I would only say that if you want to know the whereabouts of my teammate, you need to ask her. Corin is acting in their own self centered world without regards to the team. His actions are bringing the teams performance down and in doing so he has ignored the goals of the team. To achieve goals, Corin needs to set aside his personal feelings and work to achieve the teams objectives. The performance may not mean anything to Corin, but they do to the team and that's what the decision should be based on. Darcie is acting admirably in a goal based ethics system. She has two goals, the team and learning marketing. Neither goal can be achieved by dropping the class. Part of operating with goal based ethics is the concept that the goal is what is important. You may have to sacrifice other self-interest objectives to accomplish your goal. By working with the team she can accomplish both of her goals. Jerry and Samantha are correct in believing that everyone

Human Factors in aircraft operations in unfamiliar airfields Research Paper

Human Factors in aircraft operations in unfamiliar airfields - Research Paper Example As per a study, about 80% of the aircraft accidents happen during either landing or take-off of jets, and, thus, such accidents occur at close proximaty to an airport. Pilots may resort to unsafe acts, which may culminate into aircraft accidents due to human errors and violations of standard norms. This research essay will focus on the human factors witnessed by the aircrew in unfamiliar airfields and suggest ways and means to avoid and overcome fallacies that may lead to aircraft accidents. Introduction Some of the deadliest aircraft accidents happened not in the air but on the runways of airports. About 583 air passengers were killed in 1977 in the Canary Islands, when two jumbo jets crashed on a runway. A runway incursion accident in Chicago’s Midway airport in 1991 killed 34 air passengers. Unfamiliar braking system resulted in an accident in Chicago’s midway airport in December 2005. When a pilot took a wrong runway for takeoff in Lexington airstrip, about 49 air p assengers were killed in August 2006. When the captain was not able to manage for a gusty and strong cross wind during takeoff, the aircraft departed to the side of the runway in December 2008 at Denver International Airport. (NTSB 2012). Airport plays a pivotal role as it is the place where the aircraft is landing, taking off, parking, and taxing. According to ICAO (International Civil Aeronautics Organization), an aviation accident is one, which is happening of a fatal event during the operation of an aircraft. An accident in an airport may involve the following impacts namely as the accident in an airport during landing may involve severe damage to the atmosphere which includes the loss of property or life, and it may also create an acute social affliction. Further, airport accident while landing in a new location may emanate from various environmental factors like failure of equipment, human error and other associated risk elements. (Czerny, 2010, p.4-3). This research essay wil l conduct analysis about the issues faced by the pilots while landing at unfamiliar airfields and will make suggestion how to overcome the same. Issues Faced by the Pilots in Unfamiliar Airfields while Landing or Takeoff The ultimate safety of the aircraft and passengers are entrusted to the captain of the flight. There is a need on the part of the captain to understand strengths and Achilles' heel of each of the crew members and should be able to assign actions whenever it is needed. Under the Crew Resource Management (CRM), flight crew security is covered. In resolution of any probable security incident, captain is needed to treat and respect all crew members equally and properly. Proper training should be given to crew members to develop a strong state of mental ability for handling any critical situation. Each and every crew member should build up the buoyancy to be aware what is to be done in an emergency scenario and to react suitably when an incident occurs. (Williams & Wallt rip, 2004, p354). As per a study, about 80% of the jet aircraft accidents happen during either landing or take-off of flights, and thus such accidents are occurring at the proximate of an airport. Hence, there is a heightened peril of serious injury or death both to passengers and to the nearby communities residing close to the airport. If we analyze the happening of an accident during landing or take –off, one can find many reasons like the type of aircraft involved, the airport infrastructures, human factors and metrological conditions. Wong et

Sears Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sears - Case Study Example The accusations brought against the company were considered to be quite grave and fatal owing to its impact on the reputation and business of the company. The request for reviving the case of Francis Latanowich prompted a review of the case by Judge Carol Kenner which revealed few facts that proved to act against the actions of the company. It was found from the further evaluation that the company mailed the security guard an offer according to which a payment of $28 each month made by the individual would prevent the company from reclaiming the goods that were purchased by Francis Latanowich before turning bankrupt. The act of influencing the debtors to enter into such agreements was known as reaffirmations and is considered to be lawful. Such kinds of agreements are considered to be quite common in the business of retail credit, however, it is perceived to be an unethical behavior by numerous judges. In addition to this, it was made mandatory for credit companies to file those reaf firmations with their respective courts for the reason of evaluating the potency of the debtor by the judge with regard to the fresh payment. The affirmation of Francis Latanowich was not found to be filed by the court and an explanation for such a conduct was demanded from the company by Judge Kenner. This proved to be the other breach that was made by the company. The company was also found to pay no heed to the law in quite a few similar cases that were considered to be illegal. Such grave accusations against the company and the violations of law made by the company called for huge losses as well as adverse reputation for it which would hamper its business operations in the future. The company was already stated to be suffering from huge losses owing to the increasing cases of personal bankruptcies that occurred from 1994 to 1998. In accumulation of the already existing losses, the fresh losses or charges incurred by the company due to violations and unethical practices would pro ve devastating for the survival of the company (Eugene D. Fanning Center For Business Communication, 2010). Recommendations The company should send out a letter of apology to its existing customers through electronic mails as well as through print media entailing newspapers. The company should also make an apology to the public and accept its responsibility regarding the unfortunate event through a press conference. It is

Second Reading report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Second Reading report - Essay Example She held strong beliefs on the need for social service as a calling from the Deity. At this point, I concur with her assertion that every human being is tasked with social responsibility and she puts it in a way that can be explained as God’s delegation to humanity. In addition, interprets the words of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, or Amos as pleas for humanity to enhance justice by denouncing arrogance and iniquity. It is convincing to conclude that Coles achieves his agenda through the call of service to eliminate the rife selfishness by denouncing the culture of narcissism (185). Similar to Coles’ call of service, Mother Teresa utilizes the â€Å"Words to Love† to urge humanity to accept divine intervention to represent Jesus on earth. Her words are convincing and sufficient to grant concurrence. She makes sense by asking humanity to spread the prayer of love. In a broad context, it is through love that individuals can embrace community service. In addition, it is only through having love for neighbors that we can be a representation of Jesus. I concur to the fact that by offering community service and care for others, the love would be as profound as shining Jesus’ light on others through us. John F. Kennedy in the â€Å"Special Message to Congress on the Peace Corps March 1, 1961† deviates from the divine calling aspect of social service to the call of duty aspect. He adopts a global perspective of community service by establishing the Peace Corps. The agency is tasked with providing skilled labor in foreign countries. I hold similar opinions to those represented in the article and concur strongly with J.F. Kennedy’s assertion that the future of freedom lies in the ability for men to live in dignity whereby hunger, poverty, and ignorance become a thing of the past (678). He asserts that economic development entails skilled labor towards the societal demands. The societal demands entail offering to teach in the

M5A2 - Leadership and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

M5A2 - Leadership and Ethics - Essay Example Additionally, Clarke’s roles throughout his career reflect that he had a strong tendency for management rather than as a technical person. Clarke shifted from commercial and marketing positions to the head of stores which had little relevance to his previous positions. Similarly, he later moved from Supply Chain Director to IT Director. Both positions have little in common so it could be surmised that Clarke is more of a manager than a technical person who would be restricted to one field of expertise in TESCO. Moreover, it must also be related that Clarke has been moved around the world when TESCO required solutions to grave problems so Clarke can be seen as an adept manager, especially under pressure. Clarke’s role as a leader is confirmed most after talking to his subordinates. All of the people interviewed, at TESCO, viewed Clarke as an able leader such that they looked up to his example. Moreover, Clarke can be seen as a direction setter for TESCO given that TESCO has switched gears after Clarke took over as Group Chief Executive. 2. Describe the ethical model or framework used by the person to make ethical decisions—include the positives and negatives of your chosen leader's ethical model. Clarke can be seen as using a managerial grid leadership model for taking ethical decisions. The use of the managerial grid leadership model is augmented by the situational theory of leadership where the leader evaluates a situation in order to provide the decision (McKee & Carlson, 1999). The managerial grid model provides for two major constraints that the leader must consider – labour satisfaction and productivity. In addition to these major constraints, the leader may also be considering other smaller constraints such as public image, accountability, legal implications etc. The leader utilising the managerial grid model for ethical decision making tends to evaluate the provided situation in terms of the constraints in the situation (Griff in & Ebert, 2010). The primary aim of the leader is to optimise all available constraints in respect to each other such that no singular constraint overrides any other constraint. It must be kept in mind that labour satisfaction and productivity will operate as primary constraints while other constraints play secondary and tertiary roles only. This particular model of ethical decision making is restricted to Philip Clarke, Group Chief Executive for TESCO only since other managerial grid leadership models would have personalised primary, secondary and tertiary constraints being considered. The managerial grid leadership model for ethical decision making has the distinct advantage of optimising organisational aims and objectives achievement. This takes place as the ethical decision making process optimises inputs for Theory Y under which labour satisfaction is maximised in order to maximise productivity (Griffin & Ebert, 2010). Essentially, as labour satisfaction increases, the achiev ement of organisational aims and objectives becomes easier and simpler but it remains to be seen what direction organisational aims and objectives lie in. Given the nature of economic enterprises, it is common to find productivity at the top of the organisational aims and objectives list but other secondary and tertiary factors may also be available such as safety, ethical practices, corporate social responsibility etc. (Ray,

Philippine Culture Essay Example for Free

Philippine Culture Essay The culture of the Philippines is very diverse. This is due to the colorful combination of different nations with our country. Its culture is reflected by the complexity of the history of the Philippines through the blending of Pre-Hispanic indigenous Austronesian civilizations. There are a number of countries that have influenced Philippine culture such as Spain, United States, China, India, and the Arabs. The influences of these countries are visible in the various practices of the Filipinos up to the present. The Spaniards brought the Spanish language, Catholicism and other religious celebrations such as fiestas. The American influence is evident in the use of the English language and the presence of contemporary pop culture such as fast-food, music, movies, basketball and media. The Arabs and Indians brought Islam to the southernmost island of the Philippines along with their own customs and traditions. The Chinese brought trade and commerce to the country as well as their affirmation of the importance of respect and family. Society The locals of the Philippines are called Filipinos. Their primary ancestors are the Malays who came from the southeastern Asian country which is now called Indonesia. The Philippines is a combined society, both singular and plural in form. It is singular as one nation, but plural in that it is fragmented geographically and culturally. The nation is divided between Christians, Muslims, and other religious-ethno-linguistic groups; between urban and rural people; between upland and lowland people; and between the rich and the poor. Although different in numerous ways, the Filipinos are very hospitable and give appropriate respect to everybody regardless of race, culture and belief. Family In a traditional Filipino family, the father is considered the head and the provider of the family while the mother takes responsibility of the domestic needs and in charge of the emotional growth and values formation of the children. Children see their mothers as soft and calm, while they regard their fathers as strong and the most eminent figure in the family. Another particular trait of Filipinos is their strong respect for elders. Children are taught from birth how to say â€Å"po† and â€Å"opo† to teach them as early as possible how to properly respect their elders. These words are used to show respect to people of older level. Upon arriving home, conservative families expect children to practice the kissing of hands or touching their parents or elder family members’ hand to their foreheads with the words â€Å"mano po† as a sort of greeting. Within the family, the parents are expected to receive the highest respect from the children along with the elder siblings, as they are given the responsibility to look after younger siblings when parents are not around. Answering back or addressing parents or elder siblings with an arrogant tone are not at all tolerated in children. The children are also not allowed to leave the house without their parents’ permission. Upon reaching adulthood, Filipino children are not obliged to leave their homes after finishing school. In fact, most of them maintain their close relationship with their parents by staying at home at least before they get married. Moreover, Filipinos keep close connection with other relatives. They recognize them from the second degree to the last they can identify. Weddings The majority of Filipino weddings are now Catholic weddings, but some native traditions remain. Most have special â€Å"sponsors† who act as witnesses to the marriage. The principal sponsors could be godparents, counselors, a favorite uncle and aunt, even a parent. Secondary sponsors handle special parts of the ceremony, such as the candle, cord and veil ceremonies. Candle sponsors light two candles, which the bride and groom use to light a single candle to symbolize the joining of the two families and to invoke the light of Christ in their married life. Veil sponsors place a white veil over the bride’s head and the groom’s shoulders, a symbol of two people clothed as one. Cord sponsors drape the yugal (a decorative silk cord in a figure-eight shape) over the shoulders of the bride and groom to symbolize everlasting fidelity. The groom gives the bride 13 coins or arrhae, blessed by the priest, as a sign of his dedication to his wife’s well-being and the we lfare of their future children. Death Death in the Philippines is one of the most important occasions in family life, as attested to by a humorous statement that families have large reunions only during â€Å"Binyag, Kasal at Libing† (Baptisms, Weddings, and Burials/Funerals). Once a Filipino dies, it is traditional to hold a wake. Deceased men are dressed in the traditional Barong Tagalog while women are dressed in either black dresses or in their best dress. Relatives that are closest to the deceased are customarily dressed in black, and women use black veils as well. Caskets of Filipinos are often covered with glass, with the inner part of the lid containing ribbons with the names of the deceased person’s immediate family. Behind the casket is a crucifix between two candles. Flowers are often given in condolence to the family, with a message from the donor written on a ribbon attached to the flowers. Family members keep vigil, pray, eat, talk, and socialize with guests. It is traditional, as with the oth er aspects of Philippine culture, to be hospitable to the guests; this is done by offering food and refreshments to those mourning with the family. After the death of a person, a nine-day period of having a novena of prayers and Masses offered up to the deceased is held, although the beginning of the Siyam na araw varies, but usually ends the week after the death. Another period follows after death, the 40-day mourning period. Family members indicate their state of bereavement by wearing a small, black rectangular plastic pin on their left breast or breast pocket area. A ceremonial mass is held at the end of this 40 day period. Common belief states that the soul goes to Heaven after these 40 days, following the belief that Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven after the said period of days. The 1 year death anniversary is also a bit significant, as well as the subsequent birth anniversaries of the deceased. Many foreign relatives come to mourn the death of their lost ones. Death is very emotional experience among those close to the deceased. Values The Filipinos are known to be hospitable. But aside from this trait, there are many other values that the Filipinos possess which help them live harmoniously with their neighbors. These have also made the Filipinos appealing towards others due to their pleasant demeanor. The following are some of the Filipino values: Bayanihan is the creation of an association with neighbors and helping whenever one is in disastrous need. Close Family Ties are something the Filipinos are well-known for. The primary social welfare system for the Filipino is the family. Many Filipinos live near their family for most of their lives, even as independent adults. Pakikisama or harmony, involves getting along with others to preserve a harmonious relationship. Hiya is shame and a motivating factor behind behavior. It is a sense of social decency and compliance to public norms and behavior. Filipinos believe they must live up to the accepted standards of behavior and if they fail to do so they bring shame not only upon themselves, but also upon their family. Utang na Loob or Debt of Gratitude, is owed by one to a person who has helped him great. There is a local saying: ‘Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalinangan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan’, meaning, ‘One who does not look back o where he started, will no get to where he is going.’ Amor Propio is concern for self image. Filipinos believe that how they present themselves to others is an important aspect to be accepted in society. Delicadeza or sense of propriety refers to sensitivity regarding the limits of proper behavior or ethics in a situation. Filipinos try to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Palabra de Honor or word of honor is very important to the Filipinos. They believe that one must keep their word whenever they make a promise for the person to whom one has made a promise will count on it. Beliefs Before the coming of the Spaniards and the introduction of Roman Catholicism, the indigenous inhabitants were believer of animism, or the worship of nature. Bathala was the supreme god of the tagalogs, symbolized by the sun. Other Tagalog gods and goddesses include the moon, stars, and even objects such as trees, shrubs, mountains, or rocks. The spirits consist of aswang (ghoul), tikbalang, (a man having the head of a horse), kapre (a giant that smokes tabacco), tiyanak(resurrected aborted babies), dwende (dwarves and elves), engkanto (minor spirits), and diwata (fairies and nymphs). Food A typical Filipino meal consists of at least one viand (ulam) served with boiled or fried rice (kanin). Filipinos also regularly use spoons together with forks. They also eat with their hands, especially in informal settings and when eating seafood. Accompanying rice, popular dishes such as adobo (a meat stew made from either pork or chicken), lumpia (mat or vegetable rolls), pancit (noodle dish), and lechon (whole roasted pig) are served on plate. Other popular dishes include: afritada, asado, chorizo sausages used in pancit or fried rice, empanadas, mais (corn), mani (roasted peanuts), paksiw (fish, cooked in vinegar and water, some spices like garlic and pepper), pan de sal (salted bread rolls), pescado (fried or grilled fish), torta (omelette). Indigenous Filipino and regional cuisine include: dinuguan, kare-kare (ox-tail stew), kilawen, pinakbet (vegetable stew), pinapaitan, and sinigang (tamarind soup with a variety of pork, fish or shrimp). One delicacy eaten by the Filipino people but are reprehensible to some western cultures is balut (a boiled fertilized duck egg). Popular snacks and desserts indulged in are chicharon, halo-halo, puto, bibingka, ensaymada, polvoron, and tsokolate. Popular local liquors include lambanog, tuba, and basi. Architecture Pre-Hispanic architecture is usually characterized by using indigenous woody materials. The bahay kubo is the mainstream form of housing. It is characterized by the use of indigenous materials such as bamboo and coconut as the main source of wood. Cogon grass and nipa palm leaves are used as roof thatching, although coconut fronds are also used. Most are usually on stilts due to the frequent floods and rainwater during the wet season. Regional variations include the use of thicker and denser roof thatching in mountain areas, longer stilts on coastal areas especially if the structure is built outright on the water. The architecture of some tribes in other regions is characterized by very angular wooden roofs, bamboo in place of leafy thatching and ornate wooden carvings, especially on Mindanao Island. The Spanish introduced stones as housing materials. The introduction of Christianity brought western style churches and subsequently became the center of most towns. Colonial era architecture still survives in Intramuros and Vigan. Contemporary architecture usually favors western-style structures although pre-Hispanic housing is still largely common in rural areas. American style suburban gated communities are popular in the cities, especially Metro Manila and surrounding provinces. Famous Artworks in the Philippines EDSA People Power Monument EDSA, Quezon City The monument towering along EDSA was designed by sculptor Eduardo Castrillo in 1993. The structure was cast to serve as a tribute to the brave Filipinos who marched along the now-historic avenue of EDSA during the 1986 People Power Revolution to overthrow former president Ferdinand Marcos. Quezon Memorial Circle Elliptical Road, Quezon City The Quezon Memorial Circle, the tallest triad structure in Quezon City, was designed by Filipino architect Federico Ilustre. The three vertical pylons of this 66 (Quezons age when he died) meter tall monument correspond to the three major islands of the Philippines(Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao). Each is topped with a mourning angel holding a sampaguita wreath, all crafted by an Italian sculptor named Francesco Riccardo Monti. Housed inside the two-story barrel-like base is a museum with the remains and other priceless treasures of the late President Manuel L. Quezon. The construction of this Carrara marble-made monument was completed in time for the centennial of Quezons birth in 1978. By the mandate of President Ferdinand Marcos, the site was declared a National Historical Landmark under the Presidential Decree No. 260. U.P. Oblation University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines’ renowned landmark, the Oblation, is a masterpiece of National Artist Guillermo Tolentino. In 1935, Guillermo was commissioned by Rafael Palma (then University President) to craft a monument that would express in visual form the second stanza of Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios (â€Å"Last Farewell†). The concrete statue painted in bronze stands 3.5 meter high (to represent the 350 years of Spanish colonization of the Philippines) on a pile of rocks symbolizing the islands of the Philippines. Funding for the statue was raised through a 2-month fund campaign that garnered P2,000. The model for the statue was widely rumored to be Fernando Poe, Sr. though there are sources that claim that the real model was Guillermo’s student apprentice Anastacio Caedo. Andres Bonifacio Monument Bonifacio Circle, Monumento, Caloocan City The sculpture featuring a 45-foot high pylon topped by a winged figure of victory was crafted by national artist Guillermo Tolentino in 1929. It commemorates the famous proletarian hero Andres Bonifacio with his revolutionary group, the Katipunan, fighting for the causes of Philippine Revolution injustice, suffering and resistance. The Supremo in his Barong Tagalog, holding a bolo on his right hand and a revolver on the other, stands in front of 22 darkened bronze figures at the base of an octagonal obelisk, the number of sides of which symbolize the first eight provinces that armed against the Spaniards. Other historic figures on the monument are Emilio Jacinto (the â€Å"Brains of Katipunan†) and the three hooded martyred priests (Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora). Leading to the monument are three steps which represent the three centuries of Spanish rule. Cultural Center of the Philippines Roxas Boulevard, Manila Standing on the 21-hectare piece of land along Roxas Boulevard, Manila is Leandro Locsins (National Artist for Architecture) envisioned edifice that serves as the Philippines national center for performing arts – the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). This architectural work is considered one of the most significant landmarks in the country. Completed in 1969, the CCP main building faces the reclaimed land inManila Bay with its marble facade. At its sides are two arching columns beamed 12 meters from the terrace. In front is a large lagoon with fountains illuminated by underwater lights during nighttime. It houses four premier theaters, an ethnographic museum, galleries, and a Philippine arts and culture library. Manila Metropolitan Theater Padre Burgos Street, Manila The Manila Metropolitan Theater- located at the Padre Burgos Street was formerly Manilas premier venue for theatrical performances. Built in 1935, this art deco structure was designed by the distinguished Filipino architect Juan M. de Guzman Arellano. The bronze sculptures of female figures on the facade of the theater are works by the Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti. Inside, there are relief carvings of Philippine plants that adorns the lobby walls and interior surfaces of the building designed by the artist Isabelo Tampinco. It needed to be reconstructed after the US and Filipino liberation in Manila in 1945, fell into disuse in the 1960s, was partly restored in the following decade, and fell again into disrepair. It is currently undergoing renovation through Manila City government’s project to restore its historical buildings. The Transfiguration Eternal Garden Memorial Park, Balintawak, Quezon City The brass and bronze sculpture entitled â€Å"The Transfiguration† (1979) is one of Napoleon Abueva’s (national artist and Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture) religious-themed creations, found at the Eternal Garden Memorial Park. His other famous masterpieces that attest to his religiosity include the â€Å"Kiss of Judas† (1955) and the â€Å"Thirty Pieces of History†. Pinaglabanan Shrine Barrio Paraiso, San Juan, Metro Manila A major work of art by Filipino sculptor Eduardo Castrillo is his creation the Pinaglabanan Shrine (1974), located in San Juan, Metro Manila. Also known as Spirit of Pinaglabanan, the shrine is composed of three cut and welded brass figures on a 10 x 4.3 x 4.3 meter sculptured concrete base. This was built in commemoration of the first battle of the 1896 Revolution, which happened on this site. Filipino Struggles Through History (Mural) Bulwagang Katipunan, Manila City Hall One of the most striking murals of Carlos â€Å"Botong† Francisco entitled Filipino Struggles Through History (1963) can be found in the Bulwagang Katipunan of Manila City Hall. As commissioned by former Manila Mayor Antonio Villegas, this 270487 centimeter mural was painted in three panels chronicling the history of Manila and the Philippines. It depicts the panoramic episodes of the first great Rajahs of Tondo, the Spanish colonial period, the 1896 Revolution and other events up to the American colonial period. Also seen in this mural are famous Philippine historical personalities such as Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Francisco Balagtas, and Limahong.

GCSE Macbeth Assignment Essay Example for Free

GCSE Macbeth Assignment Essay Shakespeare wrote Macbeth around 1606. This was a very violent time for the newly recognised British Isles. Just three years earlier, after nearly half a century in power, Queen Elizabeth I had died. She was succeeded by James I (or James VI of Scotland). James was of Scottish heritage and his style of rule was very different to that of Elizabeth who had been strong and imposing character. It would seem that James was a weaker monarch and in 1605, just two years after being crowned, there was a plot to destroy the houses of parliament, a symbol of his power. This is famously known as the Gunpowder Plot and is still commemorated every year on the 5th of November. Most agree that Shakespeare wrote Macbeth (or The Scottish Play) to comment on the underlying mood of the time. He sets his play in Scotland to try and win favour with King James and furthermore, makes the subject matter that of assassination and regicide ending in overall failure, to try and warn other possible plotters against the king. King James was renowned for his fascination and hatred of witches and during his reign tens of thousands of witches were killed. Shakespeare thus makes all the carnage and murder in the play the result of the witches prophecies. Our first impression of Macbeth is a very good one. In only the second scene, before we even meet Macbeth, we hear him referred to as brave Macbeth well he deserves that name. Again, before Macbeth is even introduced to us, King Duncan remarks (with regard to Macbeth and Banquo) they smack of honour both. Although we are also told that Macbeths sword was smoked with bloody execution this is most definitely seen as a positive attribute and not as grounds for worry for the other characters. It could however, be a hint from Shakespeare that things are not completely as they seem. Initially, we see Macbeth as valiant and honourable and the man who, almost single-handedly, has saved the battle for his country. At this point, there is no finite indication of the madness that is to follow. In my opinion, right from the scene where we first meet Macbeth, Shakespeare makes it perfectly clear that he is not completely emotionally or psychologically stable. Whilst returning from the battle, Macbeth and his good friend Banquo encounter the three withes that commenced the play. They tell him, All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter. Macbeth is clearly startled by this, but he tries to reason with himself that what has been said cannot possibly be true. After a short jovial interlude with Banquo Angus and Ross arrive and congratulate the two on their victory. Then they endow Macbeth with the title of Thane of Cawdor, and I believe that this is the turning point of the whole play. Macbeth seems almost entranced by this and speaks almost the whole of the rest of the scene to himself. He tries to reason what had just taken place but now, he seems changed. As the play develops, we get a closer insight into Macbeths mental instabilities and nowhere more so than before the murder of Duncan. Shakespeare has purposefully orchestrated a situation to show Macbeths true personality and inner feelings. Macbeth, however bloody and deranged he may seem after his encounter with the witches, is still a respectable man, and killing his king is a very large decision for him to take. Lady Macbeth has completely pressured him into this situation and this in itself shows us that Macbeth is not a strong person at all. We can see this clearly by the fact that Macbeth says We will proceed no further in this business, supposedly putting his foot down. However, by the end of Lady Macbeths response Macbeth is already asking the question If we should fail? This indicates that Lady Macbeth has no respect or fear for Macbeth who, only three scenes earlier was being described as bloody, valiant and honourable. He reminds his wife that Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return to plague thinventor, pondering whether he would be killed if he were to be found out. Possibly in another act of cowardice he never directly tells Lady Macbeth about what he thinks will happen. But instead tells her, This blow might be the be-all and the end-all here. However, Lady Macbeths influence and determination is far greater than his and she forces Macbeth into the committing the deed. Macbeth tells his wife that it would be inhumane to kill King Duncan, I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none. We can also see that there is a definite element of fear in Macbeth, as when speaking, he refrains from using the word murder. Instead he uses euphemisms, done or it: If it were done whent is done. He uses other words such as, surcease and blow, because Macbeth cannot even bear to say the word murder. Throughout the scene we see flashes of the honourable Macbeth described at the beginning of the play. For instance Macbeth displays a degree loyalty to Duncan when arguing with Lady Macbeth because he tells her, as his host who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself. The words who should mean that although Macbeth accepts that he should have said no to his wife, her influenced has forced him otherwise. In fitting with the times, Shakespeare uses Biblical imagery in his writing. Macbeth says That is virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against the deep damnation of his taking-off. Apart from showing us that Macbeth is fearful of the immediate consequences of his actions, this also reveals his paranoia over the effects it will have on his after-life. The belief that someone would either go to heaven or to hell was virtually taken for granted in the early 17th Century. By using religious imagery in his play, Shakespeare makes sure that his intended audience are able to relate to the play fully. Finally, a stronger side of Macbeth then comes out and he says I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition. Meaning that the only thing spurring him on is his ambition and nothing else, not even the pressure being exerted by his wife. He tells her that she is not affecting his actions, and in doing so, attempts to reassert him authority on the conversation. Shakespeare investigates many different aspects of Macbeths psyche in this short scene. On the one hand, contradictory to the picture of Macbeth that we have built up, Macbeth seems to be very weak. This is shown by the way Lady Macbeth has easily manipulated him and in some ways poisoned his mind. In this scene we also see shades of a more gentle Macbeth coming through, with his reluctance and doubt about killing Duncan. This whole scene leaves the audience very confused. Should they feel sympathy for Macbeth as they watch him try to defend himself against Lady Macbeths barrage of out-downs? Or should they dismiss his reluctance to kill Duncan as a symptom of his schizophrenia (and not that his conscience is catching up with or his more humane side coming out)? I am not even sure that Macbeth quite knows what to think, something that works perfectly for Shakespeare as this layer of uncertainty creates suspense within the audience and forces them to carry on listening. After the murder, we are given yet more insight into Macbeths character. Fleeing from the scene of the crime he shows signs of paranoia. After hearing someone in the distance he shouts Whos there? what, ho! He is clearly not thinking as, having just committed a terrible crime; he should have tried to have stayed undetected. The murder has definitely had an effect on him. He then discovers that luckily, it is only his wife and when he meets her anxiety clouds his thoughts. The first thing that he asks is Didst thou not hear a noise? To calm himself down he persistently asks Lady Macbeth whether she heard noises When?, As I descended? trying to reassure himself that he was not detected and there is nothing to worry about. His speech is edgy and uneasy. It that shows that he has not managed to calm down. Shakespeare usually wrote in iambic pentameters and these short one-word questions distort the flow of this pattern and are meant to indicate the paranoia and nervousness of Macbeth and his wife. Macbeth must have been extremely perturbed when he was in the room with Duncan. He says this is a sorry sight, whilst he is looking at his hands. This indicates that the killing was messy and later, Macbeth describes them as hangmans hands. This could mean that Macbeth is disgusted and sorrowful for committing such a disgraceful crime and that he is showing signs of remorse. He continues to use euphemisms, such as deed to block out and forget the murder as much as he can. Shakespeare tries to give the audience the impression that Macbeth is sorry for his actions and not a cold-blooded person. Shakespeare also gives Macbeth another human element whereby he has him looking down at his hands, something that many people can identify with. Macbeth then goes on to talk about the deed. He mentions that when the two grooms were in the room with Duncan one cried, Murder! As Macbeth has refrained from using this tabooed word throughout the passage he must be very unstable to finally use it. Shakespeare also uses an exclamation mark which is meant to startle the audience and create suspense with a short pause. The short pause here is in start contrast to Macbeths other words which are written to be spoken very quickly. This is to give the audience the idea that Macbeth wants to forget his experience and get it off his chest as quickly as possible. A good example is when Macbeth is again talking about the two grooms, That they did wake each other: I stood and heard them; but they did say their prayers, and addressed them again to sleep. What Macbeth says next can also tell us much about his inner feelings. He does not respond to Lady Macbeths remark There are two lodged together, but instead carries on as if she were not there. This is a sure sign, as if it were needed, that he has been deeply affected by the prior events. He speaks in a jumbled fashion but yet his flow is uninterrupted. He refers to the Biblical terms used by the guards, G-d bless us! and Amen. He then says that he could not respond to the statement G-d bless us with the traditional Amen. This is probably because, looking at his blood soaked hands and thinking about what he has done he feels that he has badly dishonoured his religion Muddling his sentences, once more reveals the volatile state of his mind and his inability to think straight. Obsessed with the betrayal of his religion, he continues to talk about his inability to say Amen. He also mentions, I had most need of blessing. Here, Macbeth must be thinking about what will happen to him in the afterlife and whether he will be eternally damned for his actions. Macbeth then carries on to talk about sleep. He tells us that sleep is innocent, hinting that whilst he is asleep, he does not feel the guilt of whatever cruel actions he has taken during the day. He says that sleeps is great natures second course, referring to his life as a meal and saying that his innocent sleep is the best course. Then his words take on a dark tone. Again, completely ignoring what Lady Macbeth has said, he carries on in an entranced state. He says Macbeth does murder sleep Glamis hath murderd sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more. The fact that he can no longer escape to his innocent sleep because Cawdor and Glamis (he does not mention his own name or talk in the first person, probably through guilt) have murdered it evidently disturbs Macbeth. In my opinion, Shakespeare uses makes Macbeth say Cawdor and Glamis to remind the audience of the significance of the prophecy by the witches to the plot of the play and specifically the murder. Finally, the audience are shown that Macbeth is broken and hysterical. Macbeth has given up and is reluctant to carry on. Ill go on no more: I am afraid to think what I have done. Macbeth believes that he cannot carry on through fear of being discovered and that he would be constantly reminded of this great sin. This scene reiterates to the audience Macbeths insanity and shows us many of his emotions that we have already seen such. However, we see yet another side to Macbeths persona in the form of his religiousness. The audience is now confronted with someone who initially was the archetypal hero, but now is the complete antithesis. During the play the audience have seen his rationality and his insanity, his treachery and honour and both his bravery and cowardice. Now furthermore, we see his spirituality. Again, the audience cannot help but be bemused about who the real Macbeth is and at this point in the play, which signals Macbeths psychological demise, this serves a brilliant dramatic purpose in that the audience really do not know what to expect next. The final act regards Macbeths demise. After hearing that Macbeth has murdered his entire family, Macduff (who has had his doubts about Macbeth ever since the murder of Duncan) joins forces with Prince Malcolm (Duncans son who fled to England after hearing of his fathers death).Meanwhile, Macbeth has visited the witches again paranoid of Macduffs challenge to his crown. They told him that he has nothing to worry to about for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth and that he was alright until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane shall come against him. At the beginning of Act 5 Scene 3, Macduff is already advancing on Macbeth. Macbeth seems confident and he insists, bring me no more reports: let them fly all. He is obviously not worried, however desperate the situation may seem because he truly believes that what the witches have told him is true. Shakespeare is possibly hinting this when he uses the word fly which has connotations of witchcraft. We are then reminded of Macbeths valiant side we were told about at the beginning of the play. He shows fearlessness by describing his servant as a cream-faced loon, meaning that he is pale faced and fearful. Macbeth therefore tells the servant to prick thy face, and over-red thy fear. Here telling him to cut himself and cover his face with the blood to look less pale. The Macbeth speaking now able to talk about subjects like shedding blood and feels no need to replace such words with euphemisms. This could be a sign that either Macbeth has lost all the guilt and remorse for his past murders, or that he is completely insane and no longer has any humanity left. We see flashes of this valiant Macbeth throughout the act. An example of this is when he says Ill fight, till from my bones my flesh be hacked. Macbeth is then greeted with the news that in the words of his messenger The wood began to move He wonders whether the witches have deceived him, and he sets out fighting even though it may be in vain. He crosses Siwards son. Macbeth is very arrogant about his clash with Siwards son, because the witches predictions have proved correct so far, and they have told him not to fear any human born of a woman. Siwards Son asks him his name, and as if a man assured of victory he replies Thoult be afraid to hear it. He finally answers My names Macbeth, this short phrase shows how self-assured Macbeth is. It also carries alliteration when spoken. The conflict concludes with Siwards Sons death. Macbeth makes a speech in soliloquy after killing Siward, But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn, Brandished by man thats of a woman born. The rhyming couplet gives his image a boost by convincing the audience that he is invincible. He assures himself that he has power and control over fate. When Macbeth meets Macduff, he tries to take the same tone as with Siwards Son. He tells Macduff that I bear a charmed life, which must not yield To one of woman born Macduff replies Despair thy charm Macduff was from his mothers womb Untimely rippd. At this Macbeth is clearly startled and he curses the witches accusing them of being juggling fiends, because they have tricked him through juggling their words. When Macbeth accepts Macduffs challenge, even though he knows the end is near, the valiant and honourable side of his character shines through again. Macduff calls Macbeth a coward and tells him to yield. Possibly in one final maniac act of desperation he accepts the challenge and does not yield. He says that he cannot be dishonoured, to kiss the ground before young Malcolms feet. This is very clever as it uses distinct imagery that is easy to relate to. He goes on to say I will not yield to be baited with the rabbles curse, saying that if he yields even common people will tease him. He goes forth to battle with Macduff and is killed. Shakespeares Macbeth is on of the classic tragic figures in literary history. He personifies a mans corruption as a result of power. From our initial view of him, as what can only be described as a hero, we see him fall into an abyss of mental instability and eventually insanity. Shakespeare investigates many ideas such as, things not being as they seem, feminine influence and the overall result of regicide. He uses many cleverly crafted semantic fields such as clothes (why do you dress me in borrowd robes) and a mans face (Theres daggers in mens smiles). These all work as clever imagery to further entice the audience. Apart from being a tragic hero, Macbeth is also one of the most complicated of all of Shakespeares characters. He goes through almost every emotion that we have a word for, and his feelings always contradict. First we think he is a fearless warrior, and then we see him bullied by his heartless wife. This serves a superb dramatic purpose for Shakespeare as the audience are never sure what to think or what to expect next. The conclude, the play Macbeth is undoubtedly one of Shakespeares greatest masterpieces and is a timeless piece of theatre with its core, being the dramatic enigma that it the character, Macbeth.

Feeding the World: A Challenge for the Twenty- First Century

Feeding the World: A Challenge for the Twenty- First Century Is human originality enough to produce adequate amount of food to provide for the 10 billion people that are expected to live on Earth by 2050 without causing excessive damage to the environment? Vaclav Smil attempts to answer this question in this book; Feeding the World: A Challenge for the Twenty- First Century Vaclav Smil is a ‘Distinguished Professor Emeritus’ at the University of Manitoba, a member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Additionally, in 2010, he was recorded amongst the top 100 global thinkers. Vaclav Smil is regarded by many as an incredibly productive and resourceful author whose publications span over a plethora of related fields. Smil’s publications predominately reign over the areas of agriculture, food processing and production and human population. As well as being known for his knowledge pertaining to China, Smil work in the areas of crops, the general biosphere and fertilizers is acknowledged by several experts in their respective fields. Moreover, Smil is widely regarded as an informative author whose work focuses on informing its readers through the use of technical data combined with comprehensive reasoning and his own opinions. There have been a significant number of evaluations pertaining to food production and its consumption in the face of today’s rapidly growing society. These evaluations tend to vary in their respective approaches depending on the field of study that their writers stem from. In this regard, biological and physical scientists normally attempt to base their arguments around the ‘carrying capacity’ system which is applied to yearly populations. These scientists can then tap into inquiries such as how many individuals can the Earth’s resources provide for. Economists, however, investigate the growth in the production of food over the course of several alongside recognizing policies and trends that have served as a basis for this growth and using this combined knowledge to make predictions of future food production. Vaclav Smil, being a geographer, utilizes the same concepts biological and physical scientists use in his book. Smil, through his book, presents a case in which he advocates for future food demands to be met through the increase of efficiency rather than the increase of supply through additional inputs. Increasing efficiency, he argues, can not only be done through the more effective and efficient use of crop inputs, such as water and fertilizer but also by reducing the post- harvest losses suffered globally. Moreover, he reasons that these methods of increasing efficiency in the near future should be led by a desire to reduce the environmental impact of high- input agriculture and in doing so, will reduce strains on the environment. Smil’s investigation allows him to arrive at a somewhat warily optimistic conclusion where he believes that a world population of ten billion as predicted by the UN to be the stabilizing human population can in fact be sufficiently fed without excessive damage to the biosphere through the means of a more efficient food system. This optimistic conclusion is predominately cemented by the concept of ‘economic slack’ existing in the present-day production structures and that the chance that this slack can be reduced is quite good. However, this reduction of ‘economic slack’ standpoint needs the challenging task of creating plant breeding and associated research capabilities in order to supply deliver original and effective equipment to deprived farmers Smil wrote this book not only to inform readers but also to counter some of the arguments made by other authors who have also written to express their views on the problem of feeding the world in the near future. Smil, as is made evident through the arguments he presents in his book, does not share catastrophist or techno- optimist views, the latter of which advocate technology as the key for solving the dilemma. Smil argues that in an effort to gain public fear of the current state of agriculture and of the global food stock, catastrophists tend to emphasize and exacerbate relatively short and temporary periods of decline or stasis in order to express their concerns but these concerns, as Smil explains are often misplaced and that ‘perfectly non-catastrophic explanations such as weather and changing policies for fertilizer subsidies, support prices or diets’ can serve to counter most arguments catastrophists present. Smil does agree with catastrophists in the sense that population needs to be stabilized but this stability, according to Smil will happen eventually and the world will in fact be able to feed the individuals at this stable point with negligible impacts on the environment. Smil does not make an effort to find a middle ground between the ‘catastrophes’ as he terms Lester Brown and Paul Ehrlich and ‘ebullient cornucopian’ as he calls Julian Simon like many expected but rather attempts a serious evaluation utilizing the best science applicable to the inquiries being dealt with. First Chapter – ‘Reasons for concern’ Looks at the growing population.Even though its slowing dramatically, the UN predicts the world populatin wll reach 9.9 billion by 2050 in the medium – variant scenario, an increase of 48% from 1999. ‘Dietary transitions’, Smil argues will add to food demands. This phenomenon is where rising incomes created by economic growth in poor countries produce dramatic changes in diet.There is a decrease in staple grain consumption and a substantial increase in meat and other animal products consumed, accompanied by a rise in total fat consumption. In other words, even with the slowing of population growth, in addition to the continuing demand for staple commodities, the increased demand for foods such as milk, eggs, meat, vegetables, and so on will require continued growth in output. Second Chapter Appraises the biophysical basis of agriculture and stresses the importance of microbial ecology of the soil. Smil acknowledges the use and importance of synthetic fertilizers by stating that only food for 2-3 billion people could have been produced without them, depending on the diets of the general populations. Alternative or organic agriculture on a wide scale basis could help?This might be a solution but can argue against their respective uses and whether they will really help or not. C4 crops which include corn are more photosynthetically efficient than C3 crops that include wheat and rice. This is a solution – should we plant more corn? Availability of land, water and nutrients will be adequate on a global basis. However, regional disparities/ scarcities will be made much worse by anthropogenic climate change. Can link to the point of climate change impact on agriculture difficult to access Third Chapter Focuses on the environmental impacts of agriculture. Soil erosion and its effects on yield. Loss of topsoil is often cited as having a major negative impact on food- growing capacity, but how robust is the evidence that degradation- induced productivity losses are rising? The problem may be real and urgent in many regions; for example in large parts of Africa the annual soil degradation equates to millions of metric tons of grains and tubers lost per year. But from a global perspective, the losses may not be significant. The view that emerges from Smil’s account is that the inputs and assumptions underlying calculations of global resources are in many cases debatable. The variations in estimates give comfort that the world as a whole probably has the resources to adapt to demand and produce sufficient food. ‘Fortunately there is nothing inevitable about excessive erosion’ (p. 78). Qualitative soil degradation and how best to maintain soil productivity. Solution Modern high yielding crop varieties are somewhat less sensitive to soil and climate conditions than the farmer- selected varieties- take advantage of this and plant more modern crop varieties. However, these modern crop varieties have not fully escaped the ‘Darwinian’ features associated with natural selection. This means that improved varieties suited to one region in India are not suited to another region. Environmental pollution from pesticides and fertilizer. Even though Smil hyped it up, it can lead to negatives when used in excess. Nitrate concentrations are quite high in the Rhine and other major rivers in Europe. Smil points this out but fails to mention that the heavy fertilizer applications in Europe are encouraged by the subsidies of the Common Agriculture Policy. This failure to mention this fact stems from his reluctance to thread upon political waters. It is difficult to predict the effect of global warming on agriculture due to its complexity and the dynamic nature of its impact.A solution – the yield loss due to heat and moisture stress maybe, at least, partly, offset by the enhancement of photosynthesis and higher water use efficiency. Usually, books on world food prospects are influenced not only by their sources of information but also by then innate optimism/ pessimism of the author, often most apparent in chapters on the environmental changes wrought by agriculture. However, from this chapter, Smil emerges not only as a stern judge but as a long term optimist. For example, ‘there is no shortage of preventive measures for dealing with nearly all of these concerns’ (p 66) Fourth Chapter Here, Smil expresses the core of his vision that agricultural output can be increased through improved efficiency without additional inputs, except for knowledge and genetic enhancement. His ideas are similar in many regards to those of precision agriculture. Smil states that the primary task for agricultural research is not ‘to make every plant transgenic, but rather to come up with more precise solutions for farming’ (pp. 138-39). Precision farming is information- intensive and involves optimizing the timing and amount of inputs. He focuses on the better use of fertilizer and water. Fertilizer can be used more efficiently with better timing and placement, recycling of crop residues and better crop rotation.It is estimated that around 15% of the potassium, 30% of the nitrogen and 40% of the phosphorous is replaced by fertilizers. However, there is a critical need to increase fertilizer use in sub- Saharan Africa. Soil fertilizer is declining there and crop yields falling because of insufficient use of fertilizer. African soil and rainfall make much of the continent subpar for growing food. Despite this, the price of fertilizer in Africa is often two to four times that of the world price. In other words, the region that probably needs fertilizer the most has to pay the most for it. This input problem cannot be fixed through Smil’s ideology, which is heavily against the increase of inputs to solve the dile mma of feeding the world. In order to lower the high prices of fertilizer which results in large because of poor infrastructure and trade networks that are not developed enough to create a low- cost and competitive market, one must invest in them. There are enormous opportunities to improve the efficiency of water use. Possibilities include growing more water- efficient crops and water conservation practises such as reduced tillage. Unlike energy, water once used, can be reused after its quality is restore by appropriate treatment. There is a need to increase water supplies especially in some arid areas, but water harvesting and the use of saline water should be used extensively. Water is generally wasted because it is underpriced. In India, payments for electricity for pump irrigation are by pump size at very low rates and there are many illegal hook-ups that make it free. On the other hand, in Israel, about 60% of irrigation was by drip systems by 1990, with very high rates of efficiency. Which is a major reason water use could drop 30% and crop yields per unit of water application doubled. Reasons against drip irrigation More, generally, what Smil is advocating is the substitution of increasingly plentiful capital and knowledge for increasingly scarce natural resources. Fifth Chapter Explores ways to improve animal efficiency of animal food production. Although consuming animal products is fundamentally inefficient compared to vegetarianism, in a fascinating examination of human evolution, Smil sees a case for 10- 20 kg of meat in the average annual diet of humans, a level which is far exceeded in affluent countries. Close to half of all cereal grains produced globally are now fed to animals. Smil calculates the feed efficiency of different animals per unit of edible product.The most efficient is milk, followed by herbivorous fish, eggs, and chicken, with beef being least efficient Eat and produce less beef? Aquaculture – advocates. Fish yields on continental shelves is, on average two orders of magnitude higher, and that of ponds is ten times higher still. However, narrow genetic basis is a challenge to aquaculture: the practise is dominated by a handful of freshwater herbivores and the contribution from marine species rests on even fewer carnivores. Smil believes that transgenic fishes may offer many advantages by growing faster and by tolerating cooler or warmer waters. For example salman with an anti- freeze protein gene from the winter flounder is already available which allows them to survive is very cold environments Sixth Chapter Opportunities to reduce post- harvest losses, which may be as high as 40% and more for some African crops. Smil notes how little attention has been given to post- harvest losses and that there is not a single national or international organization that focuses exclusively on the topic. Insect pests and plant pathogens, which account for huge losses in some conditions should be a target. China for example, suffers heavily from post- harvest losses resulting from improper storage of crops (roughly one- seventh of its cereal harvest every year), low efficiency of animal feeding Seventh Chapter Discusses human nutrition needs and how our understanding of them has evolved. Global average per capita energy requirements are about 2000-2100 calories daily, much less than the estimated supply of 2800. So malnutrition is the result of unequal assess Eighth Chapter Examines the dietary transition in detail and considers what the available evidence suggests would be an optimum diet. Smil agrees with others who have concluded that traditional Mediterranean diets, with lots of complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables and moderate amounts of meat, are the healthiest. Ninth Chapter Deals with the question of ‘Who will feed China’ asked by Lester Brown by saying that ‘the Chinese will’. Smil makes it clear that China clearly has the potential to feed its future population. ‘A combination of well-proven economic and technical fixes, environmental protection measures, and dietary adjustments can extract enough food from Chinas agroeconomic systems to provide decent nutrition during the next generation s without weakening the countrys environmental foundations.’ (p. 315) China provides an excellent country to examine in detail because of the constraints faced, the widespread opportunities for improved efficiencies and the implications for the rest of the world leading to the idea of if China can do it, so can the rest of the world Water shortage is becoming an increasing problem in Northern China and there are vast plans to move water from the South to the North. However, water in China is substrantially underpriced like in India and thus used wastefully. Smil has a wonderful example of water in Beijing costing only a fifth as much as in Winnipeg, which is his home and has plentiful water supplies. Smil also provides ample evidence that the amount of farmland in China has been substantially undercounted, and hence the yields are lower than what they could be and the room for yield improvement is considerably greater Smil appeals to the experience with the energy price increases in the 1970s to show that producers and consumers did reduce inefficiencies in energy production and use when price incentives were provided to them Sexual Trauma Intervention: A Case Study Sexual Trauma Intervention: A Case Study Responding to Sexual Trauma: Sandra’s Case Effects of sexual trauma Sexual assaults have severe immediate and also long-lasting effects which can be devastating on the emotional, on the physical and also the relational health of the sexual assault victims (Gilliland James, 2013). The overwhelming stress of sexual assault normally alters personal adjustment, the psychobiology and the systems of the victims. A traumatic experience usually impacts the entire person; how we learn, how we think, our way of remembering things and the feelings about ourselves, how we feel about others and our ability to make sense in the world. All the above factors are rooted in our psychobiological development and also in our experience of human evolutionary (Gilliland James, 2013). Sexual assault trauma can affect person’s adjustment in all levels, posttraumatic stress disorder is a very disabling and chronic condition and the magnitude of PTSD is extremely high after rape. Just like Sandra, rape victims are likely to suffer from a severe depression, become substance abusers and make suicidal attempts. In the case of Sandra, she seeks counselling because she was depressed, after several sessions she discloses that she was raped by her uncle from an age of 4 to 9 and she also experienced two other rape cases while in high school and these trauma experiences made her to be completely depressed. Sandra had also developed substance problems. As she discloses, she spend most of her time drunk from the age of 18-22. As a result of PTSD she ended up sleeping with several men because she was traumatized and depressed after undergoing several rape experiences. Sandra also discloses several suicide attempts; she had one suicidal attempt but fortunately the car tire blew out before she reached her target. This is one of the effects of sexual assault to Sandra. She is a survivor of child sexual abuse and this makes her vulnerable to re-victimization. Victims of sexual assaults tend to be powerless, helpless and hopeless (Walker, 1994). This explains why Sandra slept with more than 70 men; in order to avoid feeling powerless and helpless. Thus, Sandra’s behaviour is an outcome of sexual assaults. Intervention strategies Psychoeducational Effective treatment for Sandra’s case includes psycho-educational intervention strategy. Although this approach alone does not fully eliminate the symptoms in the long term, it has proved to be the most effective when combined with anxiety management strategy. Rape victims usually feel more relieved when they realise that they are not crazy, but are experiencing PTSD manifestations, which is a reaction experienced by most raped women. I advocate for the use of this intervention strategy in the treatment of Sandra since she needs to accept understand that her symptoms as response to trauma but not pathology (Hunter, 2009). This will enable her strengthen self-esteem and also boost her sense of self-worth. As Sandra needs to raise her daughter the use of this method will help her identify inner strengths which were not disrupted by the trauma, including perseverance, the coping skills and intellect (Kress, Trippany, Nolan, 2003). Cognitive Therapy Intervention Strategy This intervention strategy is most appropriate when addressing symptoms such as shame, loss of interest in specific activities, detachment, numbing and guilty (Hunter, 2009). While using this method the victims are trained on how to identify the beliefs and particular thoughts which they experience during the state of negative emotions. In this intervention strategy, the victim is assisted in evaluating challenges and validity of various ideas and hence replaces most irrational beliefs with the more rational as well as with beneficial thoughts. I would use this intervention strategy in the treatment of Sandra as it will help her stop maladaptive beliefs that all her familymembers are abusers and hence replace it with positive thought. This method will also help her to challenge self-blame and the blame which is perpetuated by her mother and the significant others (Kress, Trippany, Nolan, 2003). Cognitive therapy treatment is normally designed in a manner that it assists victims to restore their personal power disrupted during the assault (Walker, 1994). Since all the perpetrators use violence and power, women tend to view all power related issues as negative. This refrains victim from gaining personal power. Cognitive therapy on Sandra will enable her replace the negative views of power and control with positive beliefs of adequate power. As a result, Sandra will gain courage to so stop using substances and hence use her power to control her life as well as that of her daughter. Cultural, legal and ethical issues Women reaction to sexual assault should be considered within sociocultural context. To some extent, rape is not just a crime of sex and should be further conceptualized as part of crime of power. Sandra’s rape case is one of the patriarchal system tools which demonstrate gender inequality as well as devaluation of women in the society (Vonk, 1999). Sandra’s rape experience restricts her freedom and ability to use power. Although most feminists examine rape on the lines of power and gender, various cultural variables such as class and ethnicity are keys factors in women’s response as well as the trauma recovery. Factors to consider include her cultural differences while accessing the services, the feelings she have while reporting the crime, and how her community receives rapes disclosures (Vonk, 1999). Perpetrators of rape should be given heavy penalties including life term sentences. If Sandra was a male victim The effects of sexual trauma are more severe on female than in men. However, in some instances some men find it challenging to recover from the sexual assault trauma. Men become more powerless and hopeless when sexually assaulted than women, a man will do anything just to avoid feeling powerless and if Sandra was a man he could possibly turn away from the victim’s role and assume the victimizer’s role. This is one of main effects of sexual trauma in male as they try to identify themselves with the power of their victimizers (Hunter, 2009). Notably, men becomes more addicted and attracted to substance abuse than women. In that regard, if Sandra was a male, it could be difficult for her to stop substance abuse. Male victims are also likely to seek ravage on their perpetrators more than the female victims (Kress, Trippany, Nolan, 2003). Thus, in addition to psychoeducational and cognitive therapy intervention strategies, exposure therapy has proved to be more appropriate. This strategy assist victims to overcome the painful memories encountered during the assault. It is done by confronting the victim with specific emotions, situation and thoughts which are related to the incidence of rape (Walker, 1994). Male victims are more likely to recount feelings, thoughts as well as the memories and hence, a well-structured approach will be more appropriate in helping male victims face these realities. References Gilliland, B. E., James, R. K. (2013). Crisis intervention strategies. Page 194 Hunter, S. V. (2009). Beyond Surviving Gender Differences in Response to Early Sexual Experiences With Adults. Journal of family issues, 30(3), 391-412. Kress, V. E. W., Trippany, R. L., Nolan, J. M. (2003). Responding to sexual assault victims: Considerations for college counsellors. Journal of College Counselling, 6(2), 124–133. Vonk, M. E. (1999). An ethic of care: A framework for ethical decision making with survivors of sexual assault. Social Thought, 19(1), 49-62. Walker, L. E. (1994). Abused women and survivor therapy: A practical guide for the psychotherapist. American Psychological Association.

put me in coach :: essays research papers

With the increasingly frantic, crass commercial push for premature seasonal spending, the holidays seem to commence earlier and earlier every year. Walk into any mall on Nov. 1 and you'll find holly-adorned halls already decked. The first Christmas catalogs come so early, you can swat mosquitoes with them. The broad definition of the holidays as a "season of giving" is a sentiment whereby spiritual, secular, and commercial interests collide: To give, you've got to spend. This year, though, just about every American--whether he or she celebrates Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or Ramadan--can probably pinpoint how early the urge to give set in. For many, the most immediate response to Sept. 11 was to give: time, blood, cash, comfort to their fellow Americans. The spirit of unity and generosity that's prevailed in the wake of the attack on our country dovetails nicely with the ideals of the holiday season, although that "peace on earth" thing seems pretty much shot to hell. At any rate, this year holiday shopping and tourism aren't just an indulgence, they're a patriotic duty. President Bush and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani have urged us to keep recession at bay by spending like mad and following through with any travel plans we may have, and why not? When else are you going to have a built-in excuse for both compulsive shopping and touring? Besides, as far as demonstrating patriotism goes, both sure beat enlisting. Travel and tourism businesses especially have been feeling the pain of the post-Sept. 11 pinch, and they could probably use a boost. Which is why, on a balmy November morning, I'm boarding a charter bus for a day trip to New York. I've convinced a few game colleagues to join me, figuring we can help give an ailing local business a shot in the arm, furnish a beleaguered metropolis with some tourist bucks, and get some Christmas shopping done to boot. Pikesville-based Superior Tours--whose Manhattan-bound bus is a fave among my friends for its quirky perks as much as for its reasonable cost ($40 round-trip)--haD reportedly been having trouble filling it's once-popular New York runs. put me in coach :: essays research papers With the increasingly frantic, crass commercial push for premature seasonal spending, the holidays seem to commence earlier and earlier every year. Walk into any mall on Nov. 1 and you'll find holly-adorned halls already decked. The first Christmas catalogs come so early, you can swat mosquitoes with them. The broad definition of the holidays as a "season of giving" is a sentiment whereby spiritual, secular, and commercial interests collide: To give, you've got to spend. This year, though, just about every American--whether he or she celebrates Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or Ramadan--can probably pinpoint how early the urge to give set in. For many, the most immediate response to Sept. 11 was to give: time, blood, cash, comfort to their fellow Americans. The spirit of unity and generosity that's prevailed in the wake of the attack on our country dovetails nicely with the ideals of the holiday season, although that "peace on earth" thing seems pretty much shot to hell. At any rate, this year holiday shopping and tourism aren't just an indulgence, they're a patriotic duty. President Bush and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani have urged us to keep recession at bay by spending like mad and following through with any travel plans we may have, and why not? When else are you going to have a built-in excuse for both compulsive shopping and touring? Besides, as far as demonstrating patriotism goes, both sure beat enlisting. Travel and tourism businesses especially have been feeling the pain of the post-Sept. 11 pinch, and they could probably use a boost. Which is why, on a balmy November morning, I'm boarding a charter bus for a day trip to New York. I've convinced a few game colleagues to join me, figuring we can help give an ailing local business a shot in the arm, furnish a beleaguered metropolis with some tourist bucks, and get some Christmas shopping done to boot. Pikesville-based Superior Tours--whose Manhattan-bound bus is a fave among my friends for its quirky perks as much as for its reasonable cost ($40 round-trip)--haD reportedly been having trouble filling it's once-popular New York runs.

gatdream American Dream Alive and Well in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

The American Dream is Alive and Well in 2002 "...One Nation, under God, indivisible, with justice for all." Most Americans have heard and said this pledge to allegiance hundreds of times. The question is, do we really believe in the power of its meaning? It's a shame that America, land of the free, is also the land of capitalism, scandal and discrimination. Though we have the freedom to bear arms, freedom of speech, and freedom of religious and political affiliation, some Americans claim that they do not have the freedom to be themselves. Images from the media of aesthetic beauty and financial success bombard the majority of Americans on an everyday basis. It is only natural for one to attempt to 'improve' himself or herself by living up to the standards imposed by society. Unfortunately, America's brand of 'self-improvement' often comes with a price. I agree with the definition in Webster's College Dictionary of the American Dream: 'an American ideal of social equality and especially material success. Though the American Dream is very much alive for many, it is not necessarily well for most. Ron Suskind, author of the national bestseller, A Hope in the Unseen, writes about the real-life story of Cedric Jennings. Jennings was a high school senior at a crime-infested school in Washington, D.C. Jennings beats the odds in Suskind's novel of the American struggle, and gains acceptance into Brown University (an Ivy League school). Jennings dealt with more than the average high school turmoil in his four years at Frank W. Ballou Senior High School. He couldn't even accept his award for a year of perfect grades in fear that his life would be threatened: "Pride and such accomplishment is acceptable behavior for sterling students at high schools across the land, but at Ballou and other urban schools like it, something else is at work" (Suskind 17). This is the crab in the bucket syndrome (a phrase coined by educators, Suskind explains) where one crab pulls the other crab down, and keeps them from climbing out of the bucket. Though Cedric is aware of the jeers he receives from his classmates for his accomplishments, he continues to hold his head up high when he thinks of his "green light": to graduate from Ballou, and continue his education at an Ivy League school. As I read A Hope in the Unseen, I thought of the unfairness of the American ideal.

Do We Really Need a Cosmological Constant? :: essays research papers

In 1916, Albert Einstein made up his General Theory of Relativity without thinking of a cosmological constant. The view of that time was that the Universe had to be static. Yet, when he tried to model such an universe, he realized he cannot do it unless either he considers a negative pressure of matter (which is a totally unreasonable hypothesis) or he introduces a term (which he called cosmological constant), acting like a repulsive gravitational force. Some years later however, the Russian physicist Friedmann described a model of an expanding universe in which there was no need for a cosmological constant. The theory was immediately confirmed by Hubble's discovery of galaxies' red shift. Following from that, Hubble established the law that bears his name, according to which every two galaxies are receding from each other with a speed proportional to the distance between them. That is, mathematically: V=H D where H was named Hubble's constant. From this point on, the idea of a cosmological constant was for a time forgotten, and Einstein himself called its introduction "his greatest blunder", mostly because it was later demonstrated that a static Universe would be in an unstable equilibrium and would tend to be anisotropic. In most cosmological models that followed, the expansion showed in the Hubble's law simply reflected the energy remained from the Big Bang, the initial explosion that is supposed to have generated the Universe. It wasn't until relatively recently - 1960's or so, when more accurate astronomical and cosmological measurements could be made - that the constant began to reappear in theories, as a need to compensate the inconsistencies between the mathematical considerations and the experimental observations. I will discuss these discrepancies later. For now, I'll just say that this strange parameter, lambda- as Einstein called it, became again an important factor of the equations trying to describe our universe, a repulsive force to account not against a negative matter pressure, but for too small an expansion rate, as measured from Hubble's law or cosmic microwave background radiation experiments. I will show, in the next section, how all these cosmological parameters are linked together, and that it is sufficient to accurately determine only one of them for the others to be assigned a precise value. Unfortunately, there are many controversies on the values of such constants as the Hubble' cons tant - H, the age of the Universe t, its density , its curvature radius R, and our friend lambda.

Department of Homeland Security Essay

The Department of Homeland Security was established in the year 2002 as a part of the United States effort to combat against terrorists attacks. It was also instituted to respond against natural disasters that will greatly affect the United States people. Its primary goal is to protect the civilian inside or out of the country. Its main functionality is to prepare for actions to respond to domestic crisis. Â  It also provides regulation on cyber security issues. The said department set color codes to describe the threat levels of terrorists in the country. Being well regarded as one of the largest department in the federal cabinet, this department should think of ways on how to perform its function to protect the people of the United States of America. From the said functions of the department of homeland security, it is the role of the concerned department to deal with problems arising that would threaten its citizen. It should not interfere with the scope of work of the other departments. There are a lot of work to be done in monitoring possible threats by the terrorists against the lives and properties of the United States people. Likewise, the department also helps in dealing with people affected by various calamities such hurricanes, earthquake, flash floods and other nature-driven calamities. With respect to the military’s role, the main difference is that the military is not being used to meddle with the domestic issues or internal affairs but for combat and monitoring of the country’s security. Normally, military is under the command of the Department of National Defense, the department focused on military affairs overseas. This can show the major role differences played by both the military and the homeland security department. In the same way, the military should be cautioned not to go beyond its jurisdiction particularly with the civilian communities. Their participation should be limited on providing assistance on calamity-affected populace together with the other agencies of the government.

Trader Joe’s No average Joe Essay

trader Joes is an Ameri brush aside in camera held chain of marketplace stores founded by Joe Coulombe. monger Joes shake off been successful rail line for long judgment of conviction with their unique advanced(a) strategy of al herding natural and original fertiliser forage products with only one give away of an point in time for rugged price. Their unique agriculture of relaxed beach environment and laboursaving intentional employees makes their customer to stay stanch to the provoker. beleaguerinal percent of principal Joes has in-house products that denounce them from competitors and disfranchised to replicate. trader Joes ass young educated mass who loss to eat healthy for minuscule prices. They muckle really expand their business by investing in securities indus pick uping, favorable media, trueness- card program and building parking garages and clear bigger broader market segment in nourishment industry. This also give help them combative avail oer their competitors as they will have solid brand image and be successful over the long term.SWOT AnalysisThe strengths of dealer Joes atomic number 18 marketing natural & fresh market at abject prices, introducing smart products to their stores frequently and offering intimate customer go. trader Joes sell natural and native food at cheaper price than its competitors. They profane in absolute majority one item rather than vitiate lot of similar items, which gives them competitive advantage over other supermarkets. trader Joes introduce 10-15 new products every calendar week and had limited season items and thus customers like trying new items and were getting high hat product for as such(prenominal) time as stores had the products for. principal Joes employees were knowledgeable, helpful and happy, which made them communicate much die with customers and build a long dogged relationship. This aided in Trader Joes customers becoming loyal to the comp all.The weaknesses of Trader Joes ar lack in tender media, low advertisement, and targeting small market segment. Firstly, Trader Joes didnt have any interaction with media ab bring out the bon ton. In addition, they were non utilizing the free social media tool and were not communicatingwith their fans on Facebook or Twitter. They didnt much advertise about the play along which is a weakness because this would hurt the sales they terminate get by advertising since they were selling natural and thorough products for low prices. Lastly they targeted only smaller clustering which would also affect that revenue or else of targeting broader segment of passel.Since to a outstandinger extent than than people atomic number 18 graduating and becoming educated, Trader Joes arouse target them to get higher market sh atomic number 18 and by marketing they open fire convey their goal to these educated people. moreover, they have opportunity to offer baby colligate products as lot of people buy baby products when they are at mart shops.Threat to Trader Joes are that their secretive private label betters enkindle be identified by competitors and fag imitate. Other treat is that the company can loose its charm when they recruit because they are no more special to customers.door guards Five ForcesThe menace of new entrance is medium because Trader Joes is not a supermarket company, so capital requirement is manageable. Getting good quality food for cheaper price is hard to deliver but it is not impossible. However, brand severalize is difficult to build that Trader Joes has done after so many years.The bargaining power of suppliers is low as Trader Joes corrupt very large quantities of each item in their store, which make the suppliers to give them worst price. Moreover, suppliers wanted secrecy from Trader Joes not disclosing the low price as the to other competitor store suppliers were selling for high prices. If the price of an item change m agnitudes for suppliers, they can pass that on retailers in food industry.The bargaining power of Buyers is high as customers have lot of other marketplace stores option to goto if they thought prices at Trader Joes were high. However, in Trader Joes case they were offering natural, healthy and organic food items far cheaper than their competitors. So customers wereloyal to Trader Joes.The threat of substitute in food industry is medium because people can eat outside more often rather than cooking at home. Moreover, other brand of an item efficiency be more likable by the customers over Trader Joes brand.The book of competition is high as undivided Food and Kroger are trying imitate what Trader Joes are doing, and since they already have brand name achieved, it is not hard to get their prices down by negotiating with suppliers and make their own brand name organic food.In conclusion, the food and grocery industry is attractive since more companies are going towards natural and organic food. With repair marketing techniques , good customer service and quality products, it would be good investiture in this industry.Environmental ScanTrader Joes demographics are college students, health conscious, out-of-work professors, and more or slight important educated customers.Socio-Cultural environment learns that night club is gearing towards more natural and organic food and becoming health conscious. More people are having homemade food from savings perspective.Political environment show that FTC has tighten regulation to keep competitive environment. Also, due to Obama Care there is roughly savings for people that makes grocery products more affordable.Technological environment shows that there is more Point of Sales systems available with electronic shelf labels and scanner. In addition, self-checkout registers and advertising by dint of mobile apps are getting more common.Economic environment factor shows that during scotch downturn, in which i people ply to shop more at grocery stores. The gas prices has been low which gives disposable income to try new items at grocery stores.In conclusion, environment analysis suggest that people in the currenteconomy are getting extra income that they can fall on food that are natural, organic and healthy for them. With competitive market, the trend is contemptible towards healthy and low price options.From the SWOT, Porters Five Forces and Environment Analysis, I recommend Trader Joes to increase marketing and advertising their brand much more, create more parking lieu or redesigning outside of current stores, and large customers incentives to keep them returning to Trader Joes. Trader Joes should start using social media tools and use mobile applications to reach out to their fans and show they care about them. This requires less capital investment and offer with child(p) way to reach fans and building new customers.Trader Joes should make great shopping experience by making their pa rking lot bigger. They can built parking garages or decks to accommodate lot of customers increasing revenue of the company. Trader Joes should give customers incentives through loyalty-card program, and offer coupons on their website and mobile apps that can be added to customers loyalty cards to be easily redeemed. This will motivate customers to come back to their stores and buy more products, thus increasing the company sales and profit.