Marks & Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marks & Spencer - Essay Example Long after its competitors had started sourcing cheaper goods, M&S adhered to its ‘buy British’ policy (Mellahi, Jackson and Sparks, 2002). They believed that this was what its customers preferred. They also did not believe in any form of marketing. They only engaged in announcing new stores opening and never promoted the brand or its products. When a product range was not successful they merely sold it a discount. They did not accept credit cards for long time and launched its own in-house store card. They even did not venture into out-of-town retailing. Even when stuck with crisis, the management did not scan the environment and respond effectively to the environment. All their actions and decisions demonstrate that they wanted to remain isolated from the rest of the world, from the retail trends and from consumer expectations. M&S has also been criticized and faces legal issues for its attitude and behaviour towards its workers. The stores have a drab ambience and the ir product range has not been able to keep up with the trends. The retailer has not been able to keep to with the trends and hence competitors have very easily taken over this retailer (Ruddick, 2012). They have been stocking items that have been popular in the past without evaluating the current customer preferences. They have not been able to find the right formula that would appeal to its core customers as well as to the wider demographic in the UK. In addition, the retailer is experiencing stock management mistakes as a result of which the best items remain out of stock. All these have resulted in loss of market share in women’s wear. Its expenditure on marketing has also reduced. Another issue at M&S appears to be unclear organizational capability. A lot of new recruits have been taken in who have yet to familiarize themselves with what the M&S customers want. In addition, M&S has poor online and multichannel capability and a complex and inflexible supply chain (Ruddick, 2012). These factors suggest that M&S had become complacent and believed that customer loyalty that it enjoyed in the past would be sufficient to see them through tough times. However, it has been a lesson for other retailers as well, that with times retail trend has to change. The external environment has to be considered in all decisions to not merely survive but also to gain competitive advantage. Besides, the management must have the capability to evaluate situations and take corrective actions. What use does this organisation make of technology? Where do you think there may be a chance to improve in this area? M&S is making investments in technology to enhance its customer service delivery. For instance, it is investing ?100 million in in-store technology such as iPads for customer assistants and ?150 million on a new website (Ruddick, 2012), and ?2.4 billion on online offering (Ruddick, 2012a). The intention behind equipping the customer assistance with tablets is to improve its customer service, better integrate its customer service and also enable the customers to have access to a wider range of products (Baker, 2012). This would enable them to help customers buy products online that may not be available in-store. In addition, their free apps for iPads allows customers to shop for everything for home (M&S, 2013). M&S is also upgrading its RFID platform to include home good such as bedding, accessories and kitchenware (Violino, 2013). They will

Is it fair to isolate someone just came back from a country that has Essay

Is it fair to isolate someone just came back from a country that has insect borne diseases - Essay Example However, the situation should be viewed in two aspects; economic and financial aspects and social aspect. Isolation is one of the most irritating experiences that one can face after returning home from a long business trip. However, it is of the best interest to the country. Isolation should be done if it is proven that the subject was into zone where there is a high probability of acquiring an infection. The cost of managing the risk of infection is much lower than the risk of managing the actual disease. Thus, screening is necessary. This implies that the person should not be allowed to be in contact with any person until testing is complete. Some illnesses are highly communicable and not easily contained (CDC). Therefore, it is in the interest of the public health to detain the suspected person. Detaining an individual for three moths can only be justified is the person poses an active threat to the health satiation of the country. Most diseases have the capability of ‘hiding’ in the body such that they cannot be detected easily without regular testing for a period. This can justify detaining a person for 3 months. The economic and social costs of managing an individual can be so affordable than managing a viral infection. Moreover, it is worthwhile to note that immediate family members are the most vulnerable to infection, just in case one of them has it. In an extension, with other factors constant, isolation of a family member on suspicion of a disease protects the whole family. There are several contrary opinions which depict the unfairness of isolation. First, the subject is denied his or her social rights to see and interact with the family. It is expected that after being outside the country for 3 months, the family is very expectant to receive a family member. Isolation constricts the social welfare that the family members enjoy. It is not fair for children to have a parent detained or parents having a child

Recent Copyright Battles For Music And Movies Media Essay

Recent Copyright Battles For Music And Movies Media Essay As a fact, one of the principles of American law is that the author of a particular product within a certain period of time can reap the fruits of their intellectual creations. Copyright is a form of protection that U.S. law provides an original works of authorship, it includes including literary, dramatic, musical, architectural, cartographic, choreographic, pantomimic, graphic, sculptural, and audiovisual creative works.  The term copyright literally means the right to copy.  Today, this term is denoting the set of exclusive rights provided by law to authors in terms of protection of their works.  Copyright owner has the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, and in the case of certain works, to public perform or display the work; create derivative works and grant the right of others to do the same on certain conditions.  Copyright protection does not extend to any idea, procedure, process, slogans, principles or discoveries.   It should be noted that intellectual property in the United States is secured by the Constitution of the United States and by number of different regulatory acts. As a fact, Uruguay Round Act Agreements have restored copyright to certain foreign works that are protected by copyright in the country of origin, but were in the public domain in the United States. Also, abolished outdated provisions of the Law on Amendments to the Act of software products (1990) established legal procedures to prevent unauthorized recording and distribution of sound recordings non studious performances of music and music videos, as stated in Copyright Battles Are About Controlling New Technologies. Copyright infringement involves the unauthorized owner dissemination of material protected by copyright, such as software, music, movies, books, computer games. Intellectual property rights are protected by the laws of most countries. Copyright infringement is usually understood as follows:   Make a copy and its sale; Make a copy and send it to someone else; In some cases, the resale of legally purchased copies. In this essay I would like more closely consider music and movies copyright infringement and describe current controversies between supporters and opponents of further hard copyright defending. As a rule, illegal distribution of movies/TV shows copies with recording them to CD/DVD disk and by copying and distribution over social computer networks or Internet,  can be carried out in order to take profit (sale of counterfeit products in shops, stalls) and without (distribution of copies of films on local area networks via the Internet, share movies with friends).  Commercial products of this kind is characterized by that may appear before the official release of the movie (known cases of appearance in the sale unfinished working version of the film stolen from a film crew).  The recording quality can be a very concede a licensed copy, and virtually has no different from it depending on how the copy and the further processing.  There is a system of symbols types of unauthorized copies that are distributed over a network (abbreviations added to the file), as described in The Record Industry Continues Battle Against Free Music Downloads It can be said that illegal copying and distribution of musical compositions copies includes the sale of music albums on audio cassettes and compact discs.  By audio piracy concerns and disseminate music over computer networks.  Exchange of musical compositions in the Internet took a truly grand scale through the development of P2P-technology.  There are many different peer networks, with millions of participants and terabytes of music. It should be noted that one of the most famous cases in copyright field was Capitol vs. Thomas. Jammie Thomas-Rasset (was born in 1977) is a U.S. citizen who was sued by Capitol Records because of file sharing. Her case is considered as a precedent.  She is accused of having distributed 24 songs on Kazaa file-sharing hosting. Her case is considered as the first of several thousand cases in which action is taken under the aegis of the RIAA legal action against illegal file sharing.  She was initially sentenced by a court to claim damages in the amount of 222 000 U.S. dollars.  The sentence was later overturned because of procedural error. The process was due to the decision of Judge Michael J. Davis in September 2008, negotiated by U.S. District Court in Duluth, Minnesota again.  It was initially questioned the validity of the evidence. As a fact, on June 18, 2009 Jammie Thomas was sentenced to a fine of 1.92 million U.S. dollars. After the sentence Joe Sibley, her lawyer went to appeal. As a fact, in January 2010, Judge Michael Davis reduced the fine to 2 250 dollars per song. Consequently, she has to pay a $54,000 fine. The prosecution and defense went against the verdict.  In November 2010, the jury has spoken in the third case against Jammie Thomas the verdict.  She was sentenced to a total compensation of $1.5 million.  The jury was set for each of Jammie Thomas popular songs 62,500 dollars.  The defense has over U.S. media and already announced further steps against the verdict. However, this process is not the only case of music intellectual property infringements, as stated in The Battle Over Music Piracy. In my opinion, an increasing number of such cases show determination of intellectual property owners to fight without any compromises. It is no doubt that music and movie industry around the world brings a lot of money.  Consequently, this activity is directly linked with phenomenon audio and video piracy. Audio/video piracy is the illegal production and distribution audio/video discs or cassettes with stored music/movie phonograms (records). Illegal, it is called because it is made without the knowledge and consent of the author and producer of the phonogram (copyright holders) i.e.  in violation of copyright and related rights in musical/movies works and the proper track.  In order to understand the essence of the above offenses, you need to imagine the nature of copyright. With respect to business entity music/video copyright can be explained as follows. Copyright is a right arising from any person whose creative effort has created some work. Most of all it is the authors of words and music. Creator of the product has the right to be recognized as author of the work, can authorize  or prohibit the use of the product under the name of the author or under a pseudonym; he has the right to publish a product.  Adjacent to the right is a right that arises from the producer of the phonogram.  This is a legal person, on the initiative, by which forces and means was recording of music performance (soundtrack).  Owners of related rights in the record business often are the record companies.   As a rule, owners of copyright and related rights (rights holders) are entitled to remuneration for each form of exploitation of musical works and phonograms, including printing and distribution of works and phonograms on physical media. Naturally, in case of duplicating and distributing pirated works and phonograms owners do not receive remuneration. Audio piracy can not be considered as only U.S. phenomenon,  it rather refers to the phenomena of countries that do not collide in this phenomenon.  (An example often cited Japan).  During 2008, the number sold in the world of pirate music CDs has increased by 950 million units (almost 50-percent growth per year) and reached a record in the history of the mark in 1.9 billion.  This is evidenced by the report of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).  Growth trends persist even today, as described in Copyright Battles Are About Controlling New Technologies. As a fact, for the prosperity of piracy in the world, there are good preconditions.  Firstly, it is standard of living in different countries.  CDs are not essential commodities.  This is not food, for that always pays as much as requested, so buyers are choosing the cheaper pirated products. Secondly, only the government can solve this problem, if show its interest, which is not visible in so-called 3rd world countries.  Audio piracy is a serious, profitable, well-organized business, to defeat which needs a serious legislative framework and the will of the executive power.  Here you can quickly earn good money, and the risk of serious punishment is still minimal, so that piracy continues to flourish.   It seems that the fight against audio/video piracy must be conducted in three main areas: 1.  Law enforcement activities.   2.  Courting.   3.  Corporate regulation.   As a fact, we are well aware that law enforcement do not consider serious enough fight for copyrights, despite all the efforts in this area are undertaken by interested associations and organizations.  All of these efforts, unfortunately, do not give the desired effect.  You do very well penetrate that if a policeman should be wrestling with robbery and banditry, and thus to check the contents of the neighboring stall, which sold counterfeit tapes, of course, in a stall, he will be the last step.  And he came back and got a small kickback for the family, will consider its task accomplished.  Unfortunately, this happens all the time, and we all know that. Therefore it is difficult to say that governments of many countries is actively fighting piracy, despite the seizures, raids on warehouses and factories that produce pirated products.  This is only a few cases and they are in any case do not show the trend. Trend is until enough permissive, as described in The Battle Over M usic Piracy. As for the judicial part of the fight against piracy, then there are obvious signs.  The courts in CIS countries, Russia and China finally began to consider such claims, and already understand how they should act.  But, given the total workload of our judicial system, there is nothing that can be joyful. Apparently, the judicial decisions that protect the interests of copyright holders can be counted on the fingers.  Third it is corporate regulation.  Those who are interested in protecting copyright and related rights are and must make special efforts to ensure that these rights are somehow protected.  I mean associations, producers and record companies. The purpose of such associations is to develop a unified strategy behavior in the market for replacement audio piracy with market economic levers.  Among such measures could be introducing a special brand owner, to prevent unfair competition, development of a unified pricing policy, etc.  It remains to note that achie ving positive results requires hard work on all three fronts. Otherwise, there is no any unexpected police raid, there is no optimization of legislative regulation, or self-sacrificing work of associations and corporations in various market segments, the results did not yield. It should be mentioned that today, in Brazil is preparing legislation that will change the whole system upside down.  They want to formally allow file-sharing (with a pair of paying dollars for the right to use) and to prohibit harassment sharing services and their consumers.  If this law came into force, Brazil will be offshore which will move all the social networking and file sharing, which got the authorities of individual countries, including United States.  And the prosecution games will be simply impossible, as stated in Copyright Battles Are About Controlling New Technologies. As a fact, current trends are aimed against the copyright holders. On January 1, 2006 was founded the first Pirate Party in the world. Its aim is the abolition of copyright and patent law and, thus, the legalization of piracy.  The first among similar parties, it has succeeded at the highest level of legislation and in 2009 received one seat in the European Parliament of the 18 seats allotted to Sweden. Following the Swedish Pirate Party were founded US Pirate Party, the Pirate Party of Germany and others.   A typical program of a pirate party contains such provisions and requirements:   Reduction of copyright term.  The real copyright term at the moment is about four generations, which many believe is a prohibitively long time.  And always prolongs term has no different from the eternal protection.   Legislative prohibition of secret information-gathering about privacy.   Preventing censorship via the Internet.  While it does not exist, however, the assurances of the US Pirate Party, its appearance in the U.S. is a matter of time. To sum it up, I would like to say that society should look for other ways to combat the scourge.  And here are two ways:   To give people reasonable, not so high prices for products of intellectual property, licensing content to make cheap and accessible;   Enable file sharing, to cease harassment of consumers, merchants, to pursue only pirates (using media), and sites that sell pirated files from their servers.   Moreover, it should not be prohibited to give a friend a book to read, a movie to watch. These are the things on that commerce and profiting to pursue, primarily due to the fact that they do not pay royalties.  They can be and are happy to pay the author, but the exclusive rights to works from publishers, and they inflate their prices to avoid competition and pursue pirates (competitors) under the law.  That is to the detriment of both author and consumer.   I think that the problem is that consumers have fewer opportunities of access to culture and education, since all it is too expensive. Even the publishers in a wacky situation they spend huge amounts of money on lawyers, PR (published in the media) and GR (working with officials).  Their money does not pay off.  Everyone would be better to move to a new system with a much cheaper intellectual property.  But  monopoly and collusion publishers do not allow us to move forward into a new era of direct relations between authors and their readers/fans.  

Book Review On Tavriss The Mis Essay -- essays research papers

Carol Tavris’s The Mismeasure of Women offers the reader insight into the inequality and problems women face in society. I approached this book with the assumption that it would glorify women and belittle men. I figured that the author would blame all the problems women face on men. After completing the book I had a very different opinion. The author looked to society for the actual source of women’s inequality and never placed the blame on any one group of people. The book explains that although there are differences in the behavior of men and women in certain situations both types of behavior are equal and for the most part influenced by society. It is for that reason I recommend The Mismeasure of Women for both male and female readers. It offers a wealth of information and insight that would benefit society as a whole, as well as, the relationships between men and women. To help explain my recommendation and reasoning it is necessary to take a short look at what the book is saying. The book starts off by talking about the various reasons society feels women to be inferior to men. It seems to be built into our modern society to view men as the norm. Tavris explains early in the book about the experiments that were set up to study the male and female brain. The scientist’s were trying to prove that the male brain is superior to the female brain. The results were usually not what the scientist expected and were often never published. It was found in the study of the brain and almost all other areas where men and women are thought to differ that the male and female are alike in more ways that they are different. Tavris’s The Mismeasure of Women shows that point very clearly, “Thus, one must not overlook perhaps the most obvious conclusion, which is that basic patterns of male and female brain asymmetry seem to be more similar than they are different'; (Tavris 55). The book points out that many of the stereotypes about women’s behavior are untrue. One of the most important examples of this is the notion of PMS and other so-called women’s disorders. Tavris points out that many of the normal body workings of women are now looked at as disorders needing treatment. The author feels that this further makes the male the norm of society because society fails to turn male behavior and body functi... ... feminine behaviors are influenced and created by society can also be backed up from sociology lectures I have attended. Overall the books arguments are consistent with many other arguments on the same general subject. I spent a great deal of time looking for any point or idea the author left out that could be of vital importance for this book. I came up with nothing. The book presents all the information needed to effectively portray and defend the arguments. I found no area of the book that needed added support and/or thought. I found the areas dealing with women in the military and the workplace to be very well supported. I have known women in the military and they were very pro-war contrary to belief. Carol Tavris’s The Mismeasure of Women offers the reader insight in to the true cause of so-called women’s problems. It provides both men and women with the information to improve relationships between lovers, co-workers, friends and family members of the opposite sex. It increases the awareness of societies influence of the behaviors of men and women without putting the entire blame on any one group of people. In general I recommend this book for all people.

A Psychiatric Disorder with a Biologic Basis: OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder with a biologic basis. It includes intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive rituals (compulsions). The obsessions produce anxiety while the compulsions reduce anxiety. Anxiety is defined as a â€Å"hyperalert state causing excessive autonomic arousal and diminished coping† (1). The obsessions are repetitive thoughts the person cannot keep from having that can include ideas, urges to do something, or images. The compulsions can include excessive hand washing triggered by on obsessive concern about germs. Or, the person may feel constantly unsafe and have to repeatedly check their safety, such as repeatedly making sure that the doors are locked or that the stove has been turned off. The cause of OCD is a neurochemical imbalance in the brain, so medication can be an important part of treatment. It is the fourth most common psychiatric problem in America, occurring as frequently as schizophrenia. 5 million people in the United States have OCD, just about equally divided between males and females. Although OCD is sometimes treated lightly, it is a serious disorder. Up to 92% of people with it say it has interfered with important relationships, and nearly 60% report that it decreased either schoolwork or with their jobs. Daily patterns are affected by the repetitive nature of compulsions or because the person tries to avoid situations that trigger their OCD responses. Three different neurotransmitters have been implicated in OCD: nor epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. Because neurotransmitters are involved, medication can often help in the management of OCD. Diagnosis is based on the individual's symptoms and can include interview, observation, the use of questionnaires, and reports from family members regarding the person's difficulties. In addition to medication, education and brief counseling can help the individual understand his or her disorder. Cognitive therapy can help the individual use logic and rational thinking to combat the effects of OCD.

Black House Chapter Ten

10 AS THE CRUISER with Tom Lund behind the wheel noses down Third Street to Chase roof-rack lights decorously dark, siren off Dale takes out his wallet and begins digging through the mess in the back: business cards people have given him, a few dog-eared photographs, little licks of folded-over notebook paper. On one of the latter he finds what he wants. â€Å"Whatcha doin', boss?† Tom asks. â€Å"None of your beeswax. Just drive the car.† Dale grabs the phone from its spot on the console, grimaces and wipes off the residue of someone's powdered doughnut, then, without much hope, dials the number of Jack Sawyer's cell phone. He starts to smile when the phone is answered on the fourth ring, but the smile metamorphoses into a frown of puzzlement. He knows that voice and should recognize it, but â€Å"Hello?† says the person who has apparently answered Jack's cell phone. â€Å"Speak now, whoever you are, or forever hold your peace.† Then Dale knows. Would have known immediately if he had been at home or in his office, but in this context â€Å"Henry?† he says, knowing he sounds stupid but not able to help it. â€Å"Uncle Henry, is that you?† Jack is piloting his truck across the Tamarack Bridge when the cell phone in his pants pocket starts its annoying little tweet. He takes it out and taps the back of Henry's hand with it. â€Å"Deal with this,† he says. â€Å"Cell phones give you brain cancer.† â€Å"Which is okay for me but not for you.† â€Å"More or less, yeah.† â€Å"That's what I love about you, Jack,† Henry says, and opens the phone with a nonchalant flick of the wrist. â€Å"Hello?† And, after a pause: â€Å"Speak now, whoever you are, or forever hold your peace.† Jack glances at him, then back at the road. They're coming up on Roy's Store, where the early shopper gets the best greens. â€Å"Yes, Dale. It is indeed your esteemed † Henry listens, frowning a little bit and smiling a little bit. â€Å"I'm in Jack's truck, with Jack,† he says. â€Å"George Rathbun isn't working this morning because KDCU is covering the Summer Marathon over in La Riv â€Å" He listens some more, then says: â€Å"If it's a Nokia which is what it feels like and sounds like then it's digital rather than analog. Wait.† He looks at Jack. â€Å"Your cell,† he says. â€Å"It's a Nokia?† â€Å"Yes, but why â€Å" â€Å"Because digital phones are supposedly harder to snoop,† Henry says, and goes back to the phone. â€Å"It's a digital, and I'll put him on. I'm sure Jack can explain everything.† Henry hands him the telephone, folds his hands primly in his lap, and looks out the window exactly as he would if surveying the scenery. And maybe he is, Jack thinks. Maybe in some weird fruit-bat way, he really is. He pulls over to the shoulder on Highway 93. He doesn't like the cell phone to begin with twenty-first-century slave bracelets, he thinks them but he absolutely loathes driving while talking on one. Besides, Irma Freneau isn't going anywhere this morning. â€Å"Dale?† he says. â€Å"Where are you?† Dale asks, and Jack knows at once that the Fisherman has been busy elsewhere, too. As long as it's not another dead kid, he thinks. Not that, not yet, please. â€Å"How come you're with Henry? Is Fred Marshall there, too?† Jack tells him about the change in plan, and is about to go on when Dale breaks in. â€Å"Whatever you're doing, I want you to get your ass out to a place called Ed's Eats and Dawgs, near Goltz's. Henry can help you find it. The Fisherman called the station, Jack. He called 911. Told us Irma Freneau's body is out there. Well, not in so many words, but he did say she.† Dale is not quite babbling, but almost. Jack notes this as any good clinician would note the symptoms of a patient. â€Å"I need you, Jack. I really â€Å" â€Å"That's where we were headed anyway,† Jack says quietly, although they are going absolutely nowhere at this moment, just sitting on the shoulder while the occasional car blips past on 93. â€Å"What?† Hoping that Dale and Henry are right about the virtues of digital technology, Jack tells French Landing's police chief about his morning delivery, aware that Henry, although still looking out the window, is listening sharply. He tells Dale that Ty Marshall's cap was on top of the box with the feathers and Irma's foot inside it. â€Å"Holy . . .† Dale says, sounding out of breath. â€Å"Holy shit.† â€Å"Tell me what you've done,† Jack says, and Dale does. It sounds pretty good so far, at least but Jack doesn't like the part about Arnold Hrabowski. The Mad Hungarian has impressed him as the sort of fellow who will never be able to behave like a real cop, no matter how hard he tries. Back in L.A., they used to call the Arnie Hrabowskis of the world Mayberry RFDs. â€Å"Dale, what about the phone at the 7-Eleven?† â€Å"It's a pay phone,† Dale says, as if speaking to a child. â€Å"Yes, but there could be fingerprints,† Jack says. â€Å"I mean, there are going to be billions of fingerprints, but forensics can isolate the freshest. Easily. He might have worn gloves, but maybe not. If he's leaving messages and calling cards as well as writing to the parents, he's gone Stage Two. Killing isn't enough for him anymore. He wants to play you now. Play with you. Maybe he even wants to be caught and stopped, like Son of Sam.† â€Å"The phone. Fresh fingerprints on the phone.† Dale sounds badly humiliated, and Jack's heart goes out to him. â€Å"Jack, I can't do this. I'm lost.† This is something to which Jack chooses not to speak. Instead he says, â€Å"Who've you got who can see to the phone?† â€Å"Dit Jesperson and Bobby Dulac, I guess.† Bobby, Jack thinks, is entirely too good to waste for long at the 7-Eleven outside town. â€Å"Just have them crisscross the phone with yellow tape and talk to the guy on duty. Then they can come on out to the site.† â€Å"Okay.† Dale hesitates, then asks a question. The defeat in it, the sense of almost complete abrogation, makes Jack sad. â€Å"Anything else?† â€Å"Have you called the State Police? County? Does that FBI guy know? The one who thinks he looks like Tommy Lee Jones?† Dale snorts. â€Å"Uh . . . actually, I'd decided to sit on notification for a little while.† â€Å"Good,† Jack says, and the savage satisfaction in his voice causes Henry to turn from his blind regard of the countryside and regard his friend instead, eyebrows raised. Let us rise up again on wings as eagles, as the Reverend Lance Hovdahl, French Landing's Lutheran pastor, might say and fly down the black ribbon of Highway 93, back toward town. We reach Route 35 and turn right. Closer and to our right is the overgrown lane that leads not to a dragon's hidden gold or secret dwarf mines but to that peculiarly unpleasant black house. A little farther on, we can see the futuristic dome shape of Goltz's (well . . . it seemed futuristic in the seventies, at least). All our landmarks are in place, including the rubbly, weedy path that shoots off from the main road to the left. This is the track that leads to the remains of Ed Gilbertson's erstwhile palace of guilty pleasures. Let us flutter onto the telephone line just across from this track. Hot gossip tickles our birdy feet: Paula Hrabowski's friend Myrtle Harrington passing on the news of the dead body (or bodies) at Ed's to Richie Bumstead, who will in turn pass it on to Beezer St. Pierre, grieving father and spiritual leader of the Thunder Five. This passage of voices through the wire probably shouldn't please us, but it does. Gossip is no doubt nasty stuff, but it does energize the human spirit. Now, from the west comes the cruiser with Tom Lund at the wheel and Dale Gilbertson in the shotgun seat. And from the east comes Jack's burgundy-colored Ram pickup. They reach the turnoff to Ed's at the same time. Jack motions for Dale to go first, then follows him. We take wing, fly above and then ahead of them. We roost on the rusty Esso gas pump to watch developments. Jack drives slowly down the lane to the half-collapsed building that stands in a scruff of high weeds and goldenrod. He's looking for any sign of passage, and sees only the fresh tracks made by Dale and Tom's police car. â€Å"We've got the place to ourselves,† he informs Henry. â€Å"Yes, but for how long?† Not very would have been Jack's answer, had he bothered to give one. Instead, he pulls up next to Dale's car and gets out. Henry rolls down his window but stays put, as ordered. Ed's was once a simple wooden building about the length of a Burlington Northern boxcar and with a boxcar's flat roof. At the south end, you could buy sof'-serve ice cream from one of three windows. At the north end you could get your nasty hot dog or your even nastier order of fish and chips to go. In the middle was a small sit-down restaurant featuring a counter and red-top stools. Now the south end has entirely collapsed, probably from the weight of snow. All the windows have been broken in. There's some graffiti So-and-so chugs cock, we fucked Patty Jarvis untill she howelled, TROY LUVS MARYANN but not as much as Jack might have expected. All but one of the stools have been looted. Crickets are conversing in the grass. They're loud, but not as loud as the flies inside the ruined restaurant. There are lots of flies in there, a regular fly convention in progress. And â€Å"Do you smell it?† Dale asks him. Jack nods. Of course he does. He's smelled it already today, but now it's worse. Because there's more of Irma out here to send up a stink. Much more than what would fit into a single shoe box. Tom Lund has produced a handkerchief and is mopping his broad, distressed face. It's warm, but not warm enough to account for the sweat streaming off his face and brow. And his skin is pasty. â€Å"Officer Lund,† Jack says. â€Å"Huh!† Tom jumps and looks rather wildly around at Jack. â€Å"You may have to vomit. If you feel you must, do it over there.† Jack points to an overgrown track, even more ancient and ill-defined than the one leading in from the main road. This one seems to meander in the direction of Goltz's. â€Å"I'll be okay,† Tom says. â€Å"I know you will. But if you need to unload, don't do it on what may turn out to be evidence.† â€Å"I want you to start stringing yellow tape around the entire building,† Dale tells his officer. â€Å"Jack? A word?† Dale puts a hand on Jack's forearm and starts walking back toward the truck. Although he's got a good many things on his mind, Jack notices how strong that hand is. And no tremble in it. Not yet, anyway. â€Å"What is it?† Jack asks impatiently when they're standing near the passenger window of the truck. â€Å"We want a look before the whole world gets here, don't we? Wasn't that the idea, or am I â€Å" â€Å"You need to get the foot, Jack,† Dale says. And then: â€Å"Hello, Uncle Henry, you look spiff.† â€Å"Thanks,† Henry says. â€Å"What are you talking about?† Jack asks. â€Å"That foot is evidence.† Dale nods. â€Å"I think it ought to be evidence found here, though. Unless, of course, you relish the idea of spending twenty-four hours or so answering questions in Madison.† Jack opens his mouth to tell Dale not to waste what little time they have with arrant idiocies, then closes it again. It suddenly occurs to him how his possession of that foot might look to minor-league smarties like Detectives Brown and Black. Maybe even to a major-league smarty like John Redding of the FBI. Brilliant cop retires at an impossibly young age, and to the impossibly bucolic town of French Landing, Wisconsin. He has plenty of scratch, but the source of income is blurry, to say the least. And oh, look at this, all at once there's a serial killer operating in the neighborhood. Maybe the brilliant cop has got a loose screw. Maybe he's like those firemen who enjoy the pretty flames so much they get into the arson game themselves. Certainly Dale's Color Posse would have to wonder why the Fisherman would send an early retiree like Jack a victim's body part. And the hat, Jack thinks. Don't forget Ty's baseball cap. All at once he knows how Dale felt when Jack told him that the phone at the 7-Eleven had to be cordoned off. Exactly. â€Å"Oh man,† he says. â€Å"You're right.† He looks at Tom Lund, industriously running yellow POLICE LINE tape while butterflies dance around his shoulders and the flies continue their drunken buzzing from the shadows of Ed's Eats. â€Å"What about him?† â€Å"Tom will keep his mouth shut,† Dale says, and on that Jack decides to trust him. He wouldn't, had it been the Hungarian. â€Å"I owe you one,† Jack says. â€Å"Yep,† Henry agrees from his place in the passenger seat. â€Å"Even a blind man could see he owes you one.† â€Å"Shut up, Uncle Henry,† Dale says. â€Å"Yes, mon capitaine.† â€Å"What about the cap?† Jack asks. â€Å"If we find anything else of Ty Marshall's . . .† Dale pauses, then swallows. â€Å"Or Ty himself, we'll leave it. If not, you keep it for the time being.† â€Å"I think maybe you just saved me a lot of major irritation,† Jack says, leading Dale to the back of the truck. He opens the stainless steel box behind the cab, which he hasn't bothered to lock for the run out here, and takes out one of the trash-can liners. From inside it comes the slosh of water and the clink of a few remaining ice cubes. â€Å"The next time you get feeling dumb, you might remind yourself of that.† Dale ignores this completely. â€Å"Ohgod,† he says, making it one word. He's looking at the Baggie that has just emerged from the trash-can liner. There are beads of water clinging to the transparent sides. â€Å"The smell of it!† Henry says with undeniable distress. â€Å"Oh, the poor child!† â€Å"You can smell it even through the plastic?† Jack asks. â€Å"Yes indeed. And coming from there.† Henry points at the ruined restaurant and then produces his cigarettes. â€Å"If I'd known, I would have brought a jar of Vicks and an El Producto.† In any case, there's no need to walk the Baggie with the gruesome artifact inside it past Tom Lund, who has now disappeared behind the ruins with his reel of yellow tape. â€Å"Go on in,† Dale instructs Jack quietly. â€Å"Get a look and take care of the thing in that Baggie if you find . . . you know . . . her. I want to speak to Tom.† Jack steps through the warped, doorless doorway into the thickening stench. Outside, he can hear Dale instructing Tom to send Pam Stevens and Danny Tcheda back down to the end of the access road as soon as they arrive, where they will serve as passport control. The interior of Ed's Eats will probably be bright by afternoon, but now it is shadowy, lit mostly by crazed, crisscrossing rays of sun. Galaxies of dust spin lazily through them. Jack steps carefully, wishing he had a flashlight, not wanting to go back and get one from the cruiser until he's taken care of the foot. (He thinks of this as â€Å"redeployment.†) There are human tracks through the dust, trash, and drifts of old gray feathers. The tracks are man-sized. Weaving in and out of them are a dog's paw-prints. Off to his left, Jack spies a neat little pile of droppings. He steps around the rusty remains of an overturned gas grill and follows both sets of tracks around the filthy counter. Outside, the second French Landing cruiser is rolling up. In here, in this darker world, the sound of the flies has become a soft roar and the stench . . . the stench . . . Jack fishes a handkerchief from his pocket and places it over his nose as he follows the tracks into the kitchen. Here the pawprints multiply and the human footprints disappear completely. Jack thinks grimly of the circle of beaten-down grass he made in the field of that other world, a circle with no path of beaten-down grass leading to it. Lying against the far wall near a pool of dried blood is what remains of Irma Freneau. The mop of her filthy strawberry-blond hair mercifully obscures her face. Above her on a rusty piece of tin that probably once served as a heat shield for the deep-fat fryers, two words have been written with what Jack feels sure was a black Sharpie marker: Hello boys â€Å"Ah, fuck,† Dale Gilbertson says from almost directly behind him, and Jack nearly screams. Outside, the snafu starts almost immediately. Halfway back down the access road, Danny and Pam (not in the least disappointed to have been assigned guard duty once they have actually seen the slumped ruin of Ed's and smelled the aroma drifting from it) nearly have a head-on with an old International Harvester pickup that is bucketing toward Ed's at a good forty miles an hour. Luckily, Pam swings the cruiser to the right and the driver of the pickup Teddy Runkleman swings left. The vehicles miss each other by inches and swerve into the grass on either side of this poor excuse for a road. The pickup's rusty bumper thumps against a small birch. Pam and Danny get out of their unit, hearts pumping, adrenaline spurting. Four men come spilling out of the pickup's cab like clowns out of the little car in the circus. Mrs. Morton would recognize them all as regulars at Roy's Store. Layabouts, she would call them. â€Å"What in the name of God are you doing?† Danny Tcheda roars. His hand drops to the butt of his gun and then falls away a bit reluctantly. He's getting a headache. The men (Runkleman is the only one the officers know by name, although between them they recognize the faces of the other three) are goggle-eyed with excitement. â€Å"How many ja find?† one of them spits. Pam can actually see the spittle spraying out in the morning air, a sight she could have done without. â€Å"How many'd the bastid kill?† Pam and Danny exchange a single dismayed look. And before they can reply, holy God, here comes an old Chevrolet Bel Air with another four or five men inside it. No, one of them is a woman. They pull up and spill out, also like clowns from the little car. But we're the real clowns, Pam thinks. Us. Pam and Danny are surrounded by eight semihysterical men and one semihysterical woman, all of them throwing questions. â€Å"Hell, I'm going up there and see for myself!† Teddy Runkleman shouts, almost jubilantly, and Danny realizes the situation is on the verge of spinning out of control. If these fools get the rest of the way up the access road, Dale will first tear him a new asshole and then salt it down. â€Å"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, ALL OF YOU!† he bawls, and actually draws his gun. It's a first for him, and he hates the weight of it in his hand these are ordinary people, after all, not bad guys but it gets their attention. â€Å"This is a crime scene,† Pam says, finally able to speak in a normal tone of voice. They mutter and look at one another; worst fears confirmed. She steps to the driver of the Chevrolet. â€Å"Who are you, sir? A Saknessum? You look like a Saknessum.† â€Å"Freddy,† he admits. â€Å"Well, you get back in your vehicle, Freddy Saknessum, and the rest of you who came with him also get in, and you back the hell right out of here. Don't bother trying to turn around, you'll just get stuck.† â€Å"But † the woman begins. Pam thinks she's a Sanger, a clan of fools if ever there was one. â€Å"Stow it and go,† Pam tells her. â€Å"And you right behind him,† Danny tells Teddy Runkleman. He just hopes to Christ no more will come along, or they'll end up trying to manage a parade in reverse. He doesn't know how the news got out, and at this moment can't afford to care. â€Å"Unless you want a summons for interfering with a police investigation. That can get you five years.† He has no idea if there is such a charge, but it gets them moving even better than the sight of his pistol. The Chevrolet backs out, rear end wagging from side to side like a dog's tail. Runkleman's pickup goes next, with two of the men standing up in back and peering over the cab, trying to catch sight of the old restaurant's roof, at least. Their curiosity lends them a look of unpleasant vacuity. The P.D. unit comes last, herding the old car and older truck like a corgi herding sheep, roof-rack lights now pulsing. Pam is forced to ride mostly on the brake, and as she drives she lets loose a low-pitched stream of words her mother never taught her. â€Å"Do you kiss your kids good-night with that mouth?† Danny asks, not without admiration. â€Å"Shut up,† she says. Then: â€Å"You got any aspirin?† â€Å"I was going to ask you the same thing,† Danny says. They get back out to the main road just in time. Three more vehicles are coming from the direction of French Landing, two from the direction of Centralia and Arden. A siren rises in the warming air. Another cruiser, the third in what was supposed to be an unobtrusive line, is coming along, passing the lookie-loos from town. â€Å"Oh man.† Danny sounds close to tears. â€Å"Oh man, oh man, oh man. It's gonna be a carnival, and I bet the staties still don't know. They'll have kittens. Dale is gonna have kittens.† â€Å"It'll be all right,† Pam says. â€Å"Calm down. We'll just pull across the road and park. Also stick your gun back in the fucking holster.† â€Å"Yes, Mother.† He stows his piece as Pam swings across the access road, pulling back to let the third cruiser through, then pulling forward again to block the way. â€Å"Yeah, maybe we caught it in time to put a lid on it.† â€Å"Course we did.† They relax a little. Both of them have forgotten the old stretch of road that runs between Ed's and Goltz's, but there are plenty of folks in town who know about it. Beezer St. Pierre and his boys, for instance. And while Wendell Green does not, guys like him always seem able to find the back way. They've got an instinct for it.

Ten Reasons to Learn English

Ten Reasons to Learn English Here are ten reasons to learn English - or any language really. Weve chosen these ten reasons as they express a wide range of not only learning goals, but also personal goals. 1. Learning English Is Fun   We should rephrase this: learning English can be fun. For many students, it isnt much fun. However, we think thats just a problem of how you learn English. Take time to have fun learning English by listening to music, watching a movie, challenging yourself to games in English. There are so many opportunities to learn English while having fun. Theres no excuse not to enjoy yourself, even if you have to learn grammar. 2. English Will Help You Succeed in Your Career This is obvious to anyone who lives in our modern world. Employers want employees who speak English. This might not be fair, but it is the reality. Learning English to take a test such as the IELTS or TOEIC will give you a qualification that others might not have, and that might help you get the job you need. 3. English Opens Up International Communications You are on the internet learning English right now. We all know the world needs more love and understanding. What better way to improve the world than to communicate in English (or other languages) with those from other cultures?! 4. Learning English Will Help Open Your Mind We believe that we are all brought up to see the world in one way. Thats a good thing, but at a certain point, we need to expand our horizons. Learning English will help you understand the world through a different language. Understanding the world through a different language will also help you view the world from a different perspective. In other words, learning English helps to open your mind. 5. Learning English Will Help Your Family Being able to communicate in English can help you reach out and discover new information. This new information could help save the life of someone in your family. Well, it certainly can help you help the other people in your family who dont speak English. Just imagine yourself on a trip and you are responsible for communicating with others in English. Your family will be very proud. 6. Learning English Will Keep Alzheimers Away Scientific research says that using your mind to learn something helps keep your memory intact. Alzheimers - and other diseases dealing with brain functions - isnt nearly as powerful if youve kept your brain flexible by learning English. 7. English Will Help You Understand Those Crazy Americans and Brits Yes, American and British cultures are  rather strange at times. Speaking English will certainly give you insight into why these cultures are so crazy! Just think, you will understand English cultures, but they probably wont understand yours because they dont speak the language. Thats a real advantage in so many ways. 8. Learning English  Will Help You Improve Your Sense of Time English is obsessed with verb tenses. In fact, there are twelve tenses in English. Weve noticed that this is not the case in many other languages. You can be sure that by learning English you will gain a keen sense of when something happens due to the English languages use of time expressions. 9. Learning English Will Allow You to Communicate in Any Situation Chances are that someone will speak English no matter where you are. Just imagine you are on a deserted island with people from all over the world. Which language will you speak? Probably English! 10. English Is the World Language OK, OK, this is an obvious point weve already made. More people speak Chinese, more nations have Spanish as their mother tongue, but, realistically. English is the language of choice throughout the world today.

Ancient Art essays

Ancient Art essays During the late Helladic times of 1100-1600 B.C. there were a number of settlers that settled along the southeastern shores of the Greek mainland. These inhabitants were called Mycenaeans. The Mycenaeans were the first regarded as having come from Crete but not agreed they were descendants of early Greek clans. These people led an inconspicuous pastoral existence in their new homeland. They had tombs that had simple potter and a couple bronze weapons. During the 100 B.C. they created impressive structures such as the Treasury of Atreus which was burial place that was built with stone blocks that taper inward toward the highest points. Another impressive structure built by them was the Lioness Gate at Mycenae, which was built from large stones with carvings of Lions. These Lions symbolized the King for them. The function of the lions were to act as guardians of the gate. It is said that the Mycenae were Egyptian influenced of burial customs together with strong artistic inf luence form Crete. During 1944 in Florence Italy Leonardo Da Vinci painted his most famous portrait, the Mona Lisa. This is portrait was built from very thing layers of glaze, so thin that the entire panel seems to glow with a gentle light form within. The fame of Mona Lisa did not come from the picture alone. The most intriguing part of the picture comes from the sitters personality. The smile of the sitter has been singled out as the most mysterious. The face of the person is very individual and the Leonardo has brought out tow opposites of harmonious balance. The smile can be read in different ways. Such as and echo of a monetary mood and as a timeless symbolic expression. She had an inner glowing, smirk. The identity of the sitter was a mystery for a very long time. Recently researchers found out that she was a wife of a Florentine merchant who was born around 1479. Leo ...

Past Perfect Progressive Definition and Examples

Past Perfect Progressive Definition and Examples A verb construction (made up of had been a present participle) that points to an activity or situation that was ongoing in the past. Also known as past perfect continuous. Also see: AspectPast PerfectProgressive AspectPast Progressive Examples and Observations He knew that she had been dreaming that night and he knew what her dreams were about.(W. Somerset Maugham, Christmas Holiday, 1939)For an hour the old man had been seeing black spots before his eyes and the sweat salted his eyes and salted the cut over his eye and on his forehead.(Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea, 1952)If she had been pretending, she would have hidden for a reasonable time before coming out and telling her story.(C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 1950)I felt like an extraordinary hero. I was only five or six and I had the whole of life in my hands. Even if I had been driving the carriage of the sun I could not have felt any better.(Dario Fo)The jaws fell, the ears drooped more limply. He had been looking like a dead fish. He now looked like a deader fish, one of last years, cast up on some lonely beach and left there at the mercy of the wind and tides.(P.G. Wodehouse, Right Ho, Jeeves, 1934)I was sixteen years old and more, and I had not yet done anything the Grandfathers wanted me to do, but they had been helping me.(John G. Neihardt, Black Elk Speaks, 1932) Mr. Churchill was better than could be expected; and their first removal, on the departure of the funeral for Yorkshire, was to be to the house of a very old friend in Windsor, to whom Mr. Churchill had been promising a visit the last ten years.(Jane Austen, Emma)The past perfect progressive (had been -ing) tells us about the length of the action and the specific point when it ended. It occurs frequently with since or for to specify the duration of the action.(Ann Raimes, Exploring Through Writing. Cambridge University Press, 1998) Also Known As: past perfect continuous

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 40

Case Study Example It provides job rotation which overcomes the boredom of overspecialized work. It increases the responsibility, recognition and opportunity of the employees for achievement of their goals or objectives. The employers are able to retain the productive employees by offering flexible working conditions. The employers are able to attract the skilled and talented workers by providing flexible working hours and alternative working arrangement. The employees generally prefer to work with those organizations that provide perks and benefits to the organization. Google is considered as the best company to work for. It facilitates the employees to set their own daily work schedules. It promotes job sharing where more than one employee performs the job. Therefore the flexibility acts as an important element in motivating and retaining talented work force in the organization. Therefore it is beneficial for both the employers and the employees working in the organization (Lincoln and Kalleberg 40-45). Apart from the benefits of the alternative work arrangement, there are various negative consequences, the negative outcomes for the employers are training the employees, monitoring their work progress on a frequent or timely basis, performance evaluation etc. The training time is increased; it lowers the personnel utilization levels, the chance of error will be more. The financial cost also increases due to the changes in the job environment. The alternative work arrangement will encourage the baby boomers to stay in the organization which will restrict the entrance of new talented individual in the company. The flexibility and the benefit provided by the organization will prevent the baby boomers from leaving the organization. Therefore the productivity and the performance of the organization may be negatively affected. The negative outcome

The Risks to the Health Care Staff and Quality of Service and Essay - 2

The Risks to the Health Care Staff and Quality of Service and Profitability - Essay Example When patients are pursuing the health care talents of care providers, they are usually already experiencing heightened emotions as they attempt to cope with their current health issues. When a client is ill, it can bring feelings of â€Å"guilt, resentment, bitterness, anger, fear, grief and even shame† which, when expressed through less-productive client behaviours, can be â€Å"alarming and unsettling† for care providers (MacDonald, 2004, p.14). For example, in a health care clinic devoted to providing walk-in care to multiple patient demographics, there is always going to be different personalities which adjust to health crises quite differently. Some patients will likely express their fear and anger in more productive, socially-civilized formats while others explode at the health care provider and can even exhibit aggressive behaviour. In this more volatile client environment, health care staff must recognize that these are normal human behaviours and consistently m aintain professional decorum. Unfortunately, however, in more volatile situations where patients are raging out of fear and anger, staff reactions to patient anger â€Å"is often a defensive one that actually fuels more anger† (Thomas, 2003, p.103). For example, in a health care environment where staffing levels are insufficient to meet client demand, the last thing a patient wants to hear are explanations for the delay in service provision. A staffer who offers, â€Å"We’re simply short of help and there are other people ahead of you waiting for service†, will likely create considerable animosity between the patient and the care provider (Thomas, p.103).

Principles of Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Principles of Marketing - Case Study Example With these features of hypercompetitive business arena, the role of marketing in the operation of the businesses becomes more pronounced. Marketing information can be efficiently utilized to cope with competition as well as win the patron age of buyers. In the case of Bottle Brothers, the use of marketing information to adapt to the current business environment is imperative. The pressure from competitors as well as buyers necessitates them to seek for relevant information about their market. Looking at the company scenario, the marketing information which will bring benefit to Bottle Brothers include: customer information like buyer behaviour, consumer preference, perceived customer value, customer profile, and buyer receptiveness to marketing campaigns; competitor information like pricing, brand image, value chain and other strategies; trend in the external environment like technological advancement, cultural preferences, social trends, economic developments, political factors, and others. This paper recommends that Bottle Brothers concentrate on two marketing information namely, consumer preference and marketing technology. ... In satisfying customers, businesses should gain an in-depth knowledge of their specific markets. Companies need to be acquainted with the buyer's preferences. Customer preference tells a company the needs that they want to be satisfied as well as how they want these needs to be provided. It is essential that Bottle Brothers conduct a thorough research on the preference of the customers. This is highlighted by the changing business sphere that the company is operating in. The company needs to know if clients really derive value from purchasing a well-known brand. In its current situation, Bottle Brothers is required to decide how to create a brand image for its products. At the same time, the manufacturer also needs to know the appropriate products that it should sell in the market. The proliferation of other competitors with their own products necessitates an investigation to generate the products which really creates value for its customers. It is extremely important the company focus on designing and producing clothing that suits the requirements of its market. Bottle Brothers can thoroughly outline the preference of its buyers by conducting an intensive market research. However, it is important that the company starts by defining its target market. Doing this as a starting point helps the company in generating the appropriate information. The company can then draft a survey which aims to answers the question discussed above. Bottle Brothers should be able to prepare questions which looks at the major motivation of buyers in their purchases. This can include price, place, quality, comfort, convenience and other relevant factors which are often incorporated in buying decisions. However, the company should focus on

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

Ethics - Essay Example that there is only one right or better way to think about moral problems; â€Å"for example, the same figure can be seen as a square or a diamond, depending on its orientation in relation to a surrounding frame†¦a bird-watcher and a rabbit-keeper are likely to see the duck-rabbit figure in different ways, yet this difference does not imply that one way is better or a higher form of perceptual organization.† (p.229). Gilligan is imperative on the thinking that the conception of the moral domain is comprised of at least two moral orientations, and that these orientations raise new questions about observed differences in moral judgment and the disappointments to which they give rise. Factors such as the necessary distinction between differences in developmental stage and differences in orientation are strong issues in her discussion, and it is stated pronouncedly that her research on moral orientation derives from an observation which was made in the course of studying the relationship between moral judgment and action. Gilligan also speaks strongly about the issue of abortion, explaining that the language of the public abortion debate reveals a specific and significant justice perspective. â€Å"Whether the abortion dilemma is cast as a conflict of rights or in terms of respect for human life, the claims of the fetus and of the pregnant woman are balanced or placed in opposition.† (p.233) Gilligan uses various studies in her research and writing, in order to show the relation between the ethics of care and the issue of justice. One study of particular importance in this case is the one which two medical students were cast to each report a decision not to turn in someone who has violated the school rules against drinking, and who â€Å"cast their decision in different terms. One student constructs the decision as a net of mercy, a decision to override justice in light of the fact that the violator has shown ‘the proper degrees of contrition.’† (p.234). This study

International Business Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

International Business Cultures - Essay Example Globalized business environment causes the flow of human resources from one nation to the other. Managers and employees are required to communicate with people from different backgrounds in a globalized business environment. It is essential for international business concerns while operating in a foreign nation to be able to adapt themselves with the cultural beliefs and values existing in the society of the host country (Bennett, Aston and Colquhoun, 2000). In this reflective report the cultural difference existing between the nations of the U.K. and China have been studied. Both the U.K. and Chinese organizations are observed to have distinctive cultures. The cultural dissonance existing between these nations have been analysed in this report. From my perspective, it is important to study the cultural difference existing between different nations as it helps in taking measures for bridging the gap and develop business ties across international boundaries. The difference in the cultural perspectives is seen to arise from the difference in governance, value system, social thinking, attitude and behaviour. The cultural dissonance acts as a barrier for effective communication. This paper speaks about the cultural differences existing between the U.K. and China as understood by me. The analysis and research work that was conducted by me reveal that employees in the U.K. interact in a casual manner while transacting business or communicating with each other. Casual relationships are seen to be a part of their organizational culture. Business entities are seen to communicate with each other directly in a less formal manner. The U.K. based organizations believe that when casual relationships enhance direct attachments. The direct associations between different organizations are important to transact more efficiently. In the context of China

Detroit and municipal bankruptcy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Detroit and municipal bankruptcy - Research Paper Example This essay seeks to elaborate on why Detroit should pursue bankruptcy. Detroit filling of bankruptcy can follow the city’s current existing population record. According to the census record taken in 2012, Detroit hosts a population of around 700,000 residents. This number stipulates that the city stand among the highest populated cities in the state of Michigan (Rattner 15). The high population implies that the city requires relatively higher resources compared to other cities to sustain the residents within the area. Filling for bankruptcy suffices as a good course because it enables the city to maximize on the available resources from tax exemption policies within the enacted act’s provision. The unemployment rate in Detroit has elevated to significantly alarming records. Since the year 2000, the unemployment rates have changed tremendously. The high unemployment rate is evident around the metropolitan areas where it has risen by over 10% of the national average. Unemployment rate factor is directly inversed to other factors like the homicide rates within the city considering that Detroit has the highest homicide rate and is among the most dangerous cities in the United States of America. The judicial state within the city raises the significance of filing for bankruptcy. In the year 2014, only 8.5% of cases commenced were solved. This number compared to the 30.5% of the cases solved nationwide indicating that the judicial system requires redress. The security system in Detroit also begs for the filling of bankruptcy. In Detroit city, the response to the police calls averages 56 minutes compared to the 11 minutes nationwide. The faulty security and policing system in Detroit are attributive to the lack of resources. The fire trucks and police trucks conditions neglect is evident in that they are old and cannot work efficiently. Nevertheless, just like other

International Business Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

International Business Cultures - Essay Example Globalized business environment causes the flow of human resources from one nation to the other. Managers and employees are required to communicate with people from different backgrounds in a globalized business environment. It is essential for international business concerns while operating in a foreign nation to be able to adapt themselves with the cultural beliefs and values existing in the society of the host country (Bennett, Aston and Colquhoun, 2000). In this reflective report the cultural difference existing between the nations of the U.K. and China have been studied. Both the U.K. and Chinese organizations are observed to have distinctive cultures. The cultural dissonance existing between these nations have been analysed in this report. From my perspective, it is important to study the cultural difference existing between different nations as it helps in taking measures for bridging the gap and develop business ties across international boundaries. The difference in the cultural perspectives is seen to arise from the difference in governance, value system, social thinking, attitude and behaviour. The cultural dissonance acts as a barrier for effective communication. This paper speaks about the cultural differences existing between the U.K. and China as understood by me. The analysis and research work that was conducted by me reveal that employees in the U.K. interact in a casual manner while transacting business or communicating with each other. Casual relationships are seen to be a part of their organizational culture. Business entities are seen to communicate with each other directly in a less formal manner. The U.K. based organizations believe that when casual relationships enhance direct attachments. The direct associations between different organizations are important to transact more efficiently. In the context of China

Brand Consciousness Among Teenagers Essay Example for Free

Brand Consciousness Among Teenagers Essay Mass media is media which is intended for a large audience. It may take the form of broadcast media, as in the case of television and radio, or print media, like newspapers and magazines. Internet media can also attain mass media status, and many mass media outlets maintain a web presence to take advantage of the ready availability of Internet in many regions of the world. Some people also refer to the mass media as the â€Å"mainstream media,† referencing the fact that it tends to stick to prominent stories which will be of interest to a general audience, sometimes ignoring controversial breaking news. Many people around the world rely on the mass media for news and entertainment, and globally, mass media is a huge industry. Usually, mass media aims to reach a very large market, such as the entire population of a country. By contrast, local media covers a much smaller population and area, focusing on regional news of interest, while specialty media is provided for particular demographic groups. The advantage of running operation in mass media is that one can set up a platform of medium to disseminate favorable message. The advantage of attacking mass media is that one can build up his/her reputation for being less biased and more objective. The advantage of co-operating with mass media is that one can ease the worries of being black mouthed by media organizations. The advantage of buying corporate engaged in mass media is that one can get a big asset for negotiation with political parties and the government. Disadvantages of mass media Well I believe it comes down to the parents or guardians to begin with. Of course younger generations shouldnt be watching as much TV if at all. Most of the primetime shows and stations are becoming more and more passive on what not to show. Having younger children subjected to nudity, cursing, sexual immorality, drinking and other negative adult oriented material is of course unsuitable, heck even unsuitable for adults at times. If the parents let their children watch inappropriate shows on TV Im sure studies have shown the likelihood of these children being involved in such problems later on in life.

Pectin Reduces Blood Cholesterol Level

Pectin Reduces Blood Cholesterol Level Xinhao DAI Introduction Pectin is a complex polysaccharide present in plant cell walls, commonly presents in fruits and vegetables, commercially extracted from pulp waster during fruits juice processing. Pectin can be used as gelling agent in jams, marmalades and reduced sugar versions. It creates thickened textures and a homogenous distribution of fruit pieces. The consumption of pectin by human influences transit rate, nutrient absorption rate, and cholesterol absorption and secretion, so pectin is an important dietary fiber. However, the clinical use of pectin is very rarely mentioned (F Brouns, 2012). The degree of esterification (DE) demonstrates the methyl esters in pectin chains. The pectin with DE>50% are high-methoxyl and forms viscous gels in the stomach at pH 2.2-3.5 (Ralet et al., 1994; Sila et al., 2009); the pectin with DE60%) at low pH; low-methoxyl pectin forms gels with divalent cations (notably Ca 2+) at pH 2.5-6 (sugar addition not required) (Thibault and Ralet, 2008). Cholesterol is an important biological molecule, which function as component of cell membrane structure as well as a precursor for the synthesis of the steroid hormones and bile acids. High concentration of cholesterol in human blood is related with coronary vascular disease, atherosis, stroke and many other diseases. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (ESFA, 2010) has published the cholesterol lowing effects of of pectin on glycemia. In general, processing factors like DE, MW, and pectin source (e.g. citrus or apple) may affect the efficacy of pectin (Baker, 1997; Duvetter et al., 2009). Cholesterol lowering in animals Pectin has been reported being able to lower the cholesterol level of blood and liver in various animals, including guinea pigs (Gorinstein et al., 2005), rats (Krzysik et al., 2011), hamsters (Terpstra et al., 2002), chickens (Craig et al., 2006) and rabbits (Ismail et al., 1999). The effect of lowing cholesterol level by nine types of pectin with different molecular composition on 486 male broilers was studies, their serum cholesterol lowing efficacy was ranked as: citrus pectin DE-70 1⠁„4 apple pectin DE-74apple pectin DE-354citrus pectin DE-04low-MW pectin4citrus pectin DE-354cellulose (Craig et al., 2006). The mechanisms of cholesterol lowering in animals mostly are increasing fecal bile acid excretion, reduced plasma triacylglycerol, plasma total cholesterol, hepatic triacylglycerol, cholesterol synthesis and absorption, et al. Some of the mechanisms may be related with humans (F Brouns, 2012). The result of experiments feeding Wistar rats with semipurified diet with psyllium or pectin, cellulose or rice bran supported the hypothesis that the hypocholesterolemic effect of soluble fibers is functioning by increasing synthesis and therefore pool size of bile acids (Hugh B. Matheson, 1995). Another study showed that the hydrophobic amidated pectins significantly modify cholesterol homeostasis in rants and might provide insight of an effective hypochelosterolemic agent. However, the amidation of pectin might reduce its fermentability (M. MAROUNEK, 2007). Overall, pectin influence animal blood cholesterol by affecting cholesterol homeostasis. Cholesterol lowering in humans There are not many clinical studies of pectin cholesterol lowing compared with animal studies. Generally, each gram of pectin lowers LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) by 0.055mmol/L (Brown et al., 1999). A cause-and-effect relationship has been established with 6g pectin in ≠¥ 1 servings for maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentration (ESFA, 2010). The table 1 summarized the most important studies of pectin lowering cholesterol level before 1988 (Kay Behall, 1986) (Cerda, 1988) Table 1. Pectin Lowering Cholesterol Level Studies Before 1988 A recent crossover study involves hyper-cholesterolemic persons receiving either 15g/day pectin (from citrus or apple, with different DE level) or cellulose with food for 4 weeks. The result showed that (F Brouns, 2012): For relative low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (LDL-C), the effect of citrus pectin and apple pectin are the same, while the pectin with higher level of DE level has better hypocholesterolemic effect. Orange pump fiber worked worse than citrus and apple pectin. The pectin with higher molecular weight works better than the pectin with low molecular weight. In the subsequent experiment providing 6g pectin/day for three weeks, citrus DE-70 and high MW pectin DE-70 reduced LDL-C 6-7% compared with control group. The viscous, gelatinizing citrus pectin alter bile acid enterohepatic circulation; enhance cholesterol excretion into stool (Martinez de Prado et al., 1981; Ide and Horii, 1989; Ide et al., 1990; Fernandez et al., 1994; Terpstra et al., 2002). High-viscosity pectin generally diminishes total cholesterol (TC) by 3-7% in humans. Pectin increases gut viscosity, then reduce the re-absorption of bile acids, increase synthesis of bile acids from cholesterol, thereby reduces circulating blood cholesterol (F Brouns, 2012). The high-viscosity pectin might also interfere with the formation of micelles and/or lower the diffusion rate of bile acid and cholesterol-containing micelles through the bolus, consequently reduce the uptake of cholesterol and bile acids. Many study suggested the favourable effect of pectin on lipids(B.R. Sharma, 2006). The source and type of pectin (degree of esterification and molecular weight) affect the effect of lowing cholesterol. In the study by Brouns et al., it is proven that increased DE and MW help promote the efficacy of lowering of human cholesterol level, and even a high dose of pectin with low DE and MW won’t have significant effect. The EFSA pectin cholesterol-lowering claim should require a minimum level of characterization, including DE and MW (F Brouns, 2012). Even though pectin cannot be directly absorbed by human, it can be fermented by the microorganisms in the large intestine and result in the formation of short chain fatty acid, which could be absorbed and metabolized in the colonic mucosa, liver or peripheral tissue (Kay, 1982). Effective doses Experiments indicate that the dose of pectin needed for different people to achieve the lowering of serum cholesterol level is not the same (Grant H. Palmer, June 1966). The intake of 15 grams of pectin per day for three weeks resulted in a mean 13% diminishment of plasma cholesterol levels. A dose of 40 to 50 grams of pectin per day significantly reduced the cholesterol level in both normolipidemic and hyperlipidemic subjects(B.R. Sharma, 2006). In addition with the claim of consume 6g/day pectin to achieve hypochelosterolemic effect, ESFA (2010) also suggest that the consumption of pectin with meals help reduce the blood glucose after meal and the effect can be achieved with at least 10g pectin per meal ((EFSA), 2011). The hypocholesterolemic effect of pectin combined with apple polyphenols has also been reported (EVA N. JENSEN and DRAGSTED, 2009). There might be taste concerns and potential gastrointestinal disturbance if more than 6g pectin/day was ingested (F Brouns, 2012). At least 6 grams of pectin are supposed to be consumed to achieve hypochelesterolemic effect, and this amount is correspond to 7~8 medium-sized apples (EVA N. JENSEN and DRAGSTED, 2009). Some critique suggested that most of the cholesterol lowering effect of pectin is showed in a cholesterol rich, atherogenic diet (A.H.M. Terpstra, 2002). The effect of cholesterol lowing efficiency in regular diet remained quite questionable. Conclusion Viscous pectin can reduce the cholesterol level of animals and human by increasing synthesis and excretion of bile acid and reducing re-absorption of cholesterol. The hypochelosterolemic effect of pectin depends on the dose of pectin, diet composition, and source and physical and chemical property of pectin itself (including viscosity, molecular weight, and degrees of esterification). The effective daily intake of pectin is at least 6g/per according to EFSA, however a minimum level of characterization should be required to achieve the result.

My Philosophy :: School Education Teaching Essays

My Philosophy I believe that there is not one philosophy of education that fully characterizes my views; however, the one that characterizes my view the most is functionalism. I like functionalism because it stresses an importance of schools to provide an equal opportunity for all children to learn in order to be successful. I agree with the instruction of the class being based on student interest, ability, and needs. As a teacher, I want my classroom to be like a second home. I feel that this may be achieved by allowing student involvement. The students should make choices concerning classroom rules, regulations, and opinions on subject matters in which to be studied. By allowing the students to participate in these important aspects of education, I believe the class will be better behaved. I do not believe that the teacher should make all the decisions without consulting the students. I agree with four theories of Rousseau as follows: 1. We need to set up environment, to create a desire for learning 2. The learning environment is very important 3. Let the children think they are in control, but actually you control the environment 4. Children should be happy A school should have a warm, friendly atmosphere where the students can feel comfortable. To make the environment welcoming and comfortable, I would make the classroom look both curious and fun. The walls would be colorful and have many educational pictures, which would give hints to what will be studied, just to let their imagination run wild. The bookshelf should be large and full. I believe that the students should not be persuaded to particular points of view. Each individual student should be treated as an individual mind. They should be encouraged to have their own view point of views and not be afraid to show their feelings and opinions, and I want my students to be open minded to others feelings and opinions. They should also not be afraid to ask questions. The second philosophy I find compatible is progressivism. I like progressivism because it is based on a democratic society; which means that teachers and students work together. When they work together, every student has the opportunity to learn the same as every other student. As a teacher, one of my goals will be to make learning exciting.

Communication Devices :: essays research papers

Recently, while enjoying a sunny afternoon with some friends, a few baby boomers I know were relating some experiences that seem quite pertinent to the subject of how communication is or will change. Young Aaron, the son of a guest, was at a loss when told to call home. It seems our young guest had never had to use a rotary telephone. Confronted with this icon of past technology, Aaron went away with a new experience to relate. Another guest, upon hearing of Aaron's plight, related a similar experience. It seems that Diane had given her son a watch for Christmas. It seems that this wristwatch, complete with hands and a face was foreign to this young child who has had the time electronically flashed at him in numeric form for all of his life, without need of knowing how to tell time conventionally. So it seems in this day and age, that the old continues to be replaced by the newer and faster technology. We in turn are caused to learn newer and faster ways of dealing with these new technologies. Technology grows exponentially, meaning that the more it grows the faster it grows, yet in dealing with this technology we can in turn learn how to decrease our work time while increasing our productivity. We have definitely come a long way from the pony express and telegraph, yet it is not so long ago that we do not still use their predecessors, surface mail and telephones. With current technological advancements it is now possible to communicate across the planet instantaneously, thanks to wide-band technology, fiber optics, and satellites all of which make possible this possible. With the invention of the printing press by Gutenburg in 1434, and subsequently the first book in print, he can be credited as the father of the information age. Accompanying the birth of the information age came an explosion of new technological advances designed to improve how we communicate. These advancement have had many glitches and shortcomings which have been improved upon again and again. in the years since, yet they were always time consuming, Overcoming these time constraints has been the goal of assorted scientists and inventors. Painstakingly they moved forward with limited progress until the twentieth century. With the birth of the twentieth century we see a drastic increase in advancements, which have grown by leaps and

How Piaget’s Work Influenced Instruction and Curriculum Development Essay

Piaget’s theory of intellectual development states that children go through four stages as they grow and develop. These stages are the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operations stage. In the sensorimotor stage, young children use their senses to explore their world. They look, touch, see, smell, and listen to the things in their surroundings and at the same time, they develop what Piaget refers to as object permanence which means that the child is able to retain an image of what he or she experiences such as round objects and pain. Toothman cites Piaget as saying that this stage is composed of substages which are the schemata stage, assimilation stage, and accommodation stage. ( Toothman, n. d. , n. p. ) In the schemata stage, the child develops a mental structure of the things he or she sees around him or her and tries to see which objects bet fit the mental structure. The child then proceeds to the assimilation stage where a child incorporates new information in the existing schema. For example between one ball and another ball, the child may notice that the other ball makes noise when shook. The child then moves to the accommodation stage where he or she makes adjustments in the schema to fit in the object. In the The next stage is the preoperational stage where young children develop a mental representation of the things they experience. For example, they may mentally symbolize animals as having four legs such that anything that fits this mental representation is considered by the child to be an animal. This stage is also accompanied by the use of language. After the preoperational stage, the child goes through the concrete operational stage. According to Hermann, ( Hermann, 1964, p. 250) the child is able to perform mental operations such as classifying objects and arranging them in a particular order. In the last stage which is the formal operations stage, young children learn to think in an abstract manner, reason in a hypothetic manner, and think about thinking. Cherry cites Piaget as saying that the role of deductive logic is very important at this stage where the child determines outcomes for given hypothetical situations based on a general principle. (Cherry, n. d. , n. p. ). Cherry further adds that â€Å"children at the formal operational stage of cognitive development are often able to quickly plan an organized approach to solving a problem. † The work of Jean Piaget has greatly influenced the way schools design their curriculum or program of instruction as well as the way children are taught. Their curriculum of instruction are based on Jean Piaget’s four stages of intellectual development. Teachers as well as school administrators have put great emphasis on manipulatives, language experience, hands-on activities, and discovery oriented instruction. Young children who are in the sensorimotor stage are given plenty of experiences to use their hands and eyes to understand the things around them. For example, in math, young children in this stage are taught how to count using small blocks or understand the different shapes by using toys which teach them how to fit an object into its correct slot or space. In teaching science, teachers do not allow their pupils or students to be mere observers; they are encouraged to touch, feel, smell, hear, and taste. For example, in a lesson about the leaf, young children are not only shown what a leaf is but they are able to experience the leaf by touching or smelling. It is in this manner that children are able to develop a concrete idea of what leaf is. When children reach the preoperational stage, the curriculum and method of instruction changes. Here the teacher helps the young children develop mental images of the things around them by using pictures and words. For instance, the teacher may show the young children a picture of a living organism with four legs and tell them it’s an animal using the word animal. It is here that children are also able to associate words with pictures of objects. In math, teachers do not only teach their pupils how to identify one shape from the other but also associate a word with its respective shape. For instance, the math teacher may show his or her pupils a square and at the same time, say the word square. Adjustments are made in the curriculum and method of instruction as children reach the concrete operational stage. The curriculum and the teacher focuses more on nurturing the abilities of young children to perform mental operations using objects. In the language class, for instance, young children are taught how to arrange the letters of the alphabet in the correct order using blocks. In math, children learn the correct sequence of numbers by having them arrange each flash card containing a number in the correct order. It is also in this stage that children are taught how to solve simple problems using their power of reasoning. The teacher may hold one big ball and one small ball and ask the pupils which ball is big and which is small. In their young minds, the pupils try to see the discrepancy between the sizes of the two balls. In language, young children are able to discover the appropriate initial sound for each letter in the English language. As children enter the formal operations stage, the teacher is already aware that the child is already ready for work that involves abstract thinking. In math for example, children are taught how to solve numeric problems in a step-by-step manner. In science, young children come up with possible answers to problems that might be posed by the teacher and systematically prove their answers through experiments.

Medium Is the Message- Self Assessment

Self Assessment #1 I truly enjoyed this essay. It made me think. The topic puzzled me to the point where I had to figure out what in the world medium meant. I read the box over and over again. I started to underline words that kept showing up over and over again. I tried to understand what MuLuhan is talking about gives me a headache. Once I thought I had it figured out I was shot down and this happened many times. I researched, I thought about it extensively in class and out side of class. I used reasonable logic to find my meaning of medium. This time by golly I think I got it. For the first paragraph I followed directions. I explained exigence. I explained why medium is important for discussion. I related it to how I came to my definition. I also, explained why it needs defining. I feel I did an extremely good job on this part because I under stood. I re-read my work over and over again. Played with what I wanted to say and did the best job I could do to put my message on the page. I feel I did a really good job on this paragraph and am satisfied. My second paragraph was denotation or the dictionary definition and connotation, other’s opinions. I followed direction. I used the Oxford English Dictionary as you requested. One thing that might hurt me here is that I got lazy and did not want to write out the whole thing every time I made a reference to it so I made an abbreviation. OoOoo†¦. Big deal. If you take points away for that, that’s dumb because I know you don’t want to read the Oxford English Dictionary over and over again. I made a reference to, two different definitions. One’s I felt were good. As I read what you gave us in class and developed my choice based on what I felt medium meant and these would be the best for my argument as they were polar opposites. I could have done more internet research or other definition research but I felt I didn’t need it because I felt I got a well developed censes for my connotation. My connotation, I felt it would be smart to do a mix of people, ranging by education, age, and gender. This is how I came to ask my brother, my mom and an old professor of mine. My third paragraph is my prize, my winning grade paragraph. I know I got my definition right this time. I feel it in my gut. I was in the â€Å"zone†, you even told me. I feel I really understand meaning. My sentence, to make it work is beautiful. So beautiful it only took me two sentences to explain myself. To be honest I never cut anything I wanted to say out and I never even went onto two pages because I felt I knew what I was talking about. I feel accomplished and I want to share my writing with other people. The pressure put on by you helped with that. You said it is hard to impress you so I worked hard to at least come close or try to. My essay is work at least a B. AT LEAST! I worked my butt off on this essay. So help me if I get lower than a B I am going to flip out. No I will go crazy. My work here is above average as I completely understood the assignment and gave through analysis. This is some one my best work. I studied the context and I read the book. Off the record, meaning you can not say this information to them. We know I was my group leader and those boys would be no where with out me. I carried them; no I rocked their socks off. Robert was still in this parallel universe land and who knows what they Asian gang bangers were thinking. So that means I had to think twice as much to come up with something reasonable than other people in other groups because I had no real input from my class mates. To be honest I feel this paper is an A-/B+. I spent too much time on this assignment to be just average. The only reason I said, at least, least being the lowest a B is because I did not want to sound cocky. Ali Smith 24 April 2009 English 105. 28 Jeff Cravello The Logical Definition of Medium Logic implies that an intellectual human being must use their brain to break down a complicated situation in order to simplify it into easier terms through proper analysis and extensive research. The more a person uses logic; the more intellectual and professional sounding a person becomes. People in the elite work force praise intellectual superiority because this means you are educated. The more logical and educated a person is, the higher their salary will be. This is some of the reasoning behind as to why people attend college. It is to practice their logistical skills to make the right decisions in life and develop a career based on logistical analysis. Based on this, the exigence related to the word medium is that medium a very complex word that needs simplifying. The only way to come to a reasonable definition of the word medium is through logistical thought. The Oxford English Dictionary definition and every context that contains the word as a tangible object, are too extensively different that the possibilities to find one universal meaning for the word leads to many different possibilities. The only way to find a reasonable definition for medium is to think logically. The Oxford English Dictionary (O. E. D. ) defines medium as, the plural form of media as being â€Å"A middle quality, degree, or condition†¦ something intermediate. † For the context of how Marshall McLuhan’s book, The Medium is the Message, uses the word medium; this definition does not work because it makes no sense. Even defining media does not helps, which by the O. E. D. is defined as, â€Å"newspapers, radio, television, etc. , collectively, as vehicles of mass communication. † Figuring, some words have multiple definitions. Another O. E. D. definition defines medium as being, â€Å"pervading or enveloping substance; the substance or element in which an organism lives, one’s environment. † This makes no sense because how can one word be defined as a tangible object, an environment, the middle between two things and the plural of media if there is nothing in these definitions that connect? Sometimes sources for information can be misleading. On an internet site, www. dictionary. com, medium is defined as fifteen different things. One of those definitions is, â€Å"something intermediate in nature or degree. † This site was no help because all its definitions were the same definition of medium being the middle. So if a dictionary is no help then maybe a person might know what this word means? A Cal Poly Pomona economics professor said that, â€Å"A medium is the average. † An eighth grade boy said it was, â€Å"The middle. † A mid-aged business woman said that, â€Å"medium is the stuff that is in between. † The definitions from each person connect but each person only gave a one sided answer. Given the context, medium is something tangible so the definition for this word is more complex than just being the middle between two things or just an environment alone. The definition for a medium is a propagated material object used to cause a connection to occur and create a surrounding environment that can perceive our signals, waves, and forces between one and another. One way to prove if a definition works, take the word defining and apply it in a sentence. Yesterday, my whole mode changed within seconds when I received word through a medium that I had won tickets to meet my favorite band. Going off this model, when I received the news I heard it through a martial object, my cell phone. A connection was made; therefore my environment, my mood; had changed as I perceived the information from another person to myself. The medium is the message. Works Cited – McLuhan. Marshall. The Medium is the Message. – The Oxford English Dictionary – Debi Smith (50 year-old mother) – J. R. Smith (13 year-old brother) – Professor Amrik Dua of the economics department – www. dictionary. reference. com- http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/medium

Artificial Intelligence in Today’s Society

Artificial Intelligence in Today’s Society Larry Anderson INF103 Instructor Geathers November 21, 2011 â€Å"The goal of many computer scientists since the mid-20th century has been to create a computer that could perform logical operations. †(Bowles, 2010, 9. 2). The journey to achieving this is called Artificial Intelligence, which is considered to be the branch of computer science that is focused on creating machines that engage in human behavior, and intelligence. â€Å"The term Artificial Intelligence was first coined at the Dartmouth Conference in 1956 by John McCarthy. † (McCorduck, 2004, 2. ). â€Å"The Dartmouth conference paved the way for examining the use of computers to process symbols, the need for new languages and the role of computers for theorem proving instead of focusing on hardware that simulated intelligence. †(Krishnamoorthy & Rajeev, 1996, 9. 1). Even though this name was coined in 1956, we saw artificial intelligence 15 years earli er when the electronic computer was created in 1941. Artificial Intelligence is an exciting subject that will only get better with time, allowing humans to do things that were never thought to be reality, until the last few decades. In this paper, I will be telling you about the four main studies of artificial intelligence and their importance to our society, as well as how they are affecting our everyday lives. These four studies are expert systems, natural language, neural networks, and robotics. Mostly all artificial intelligences can be categorized under these four studies. Not only are these technologies making life easier, they are making life more enjoyable for all societies. The first study of artificial intelligence I will talk about is expert systems. Expert systems are computer programs that contain large amounts of information in a certain field. These programs use this large amount of information to solve problems that normally would require human intelligence. The great thing about expert systems is that they can process information, in seconds, which would take humans days. Every expert system is made up of two parts: knowledge, and reasoning. â€Å"The knowledge base of the expert systems contains both factual and heuristic knowledge. †(Engelmore & Feigenbaum, 1993, 1. 2). The knowledge is the information, while the reasoning is the problem solving aspect of the expert system. One common, but powerful paradigm involves chaining of if-then rules to form a line of reasoning. †(Engelmore & Feigenbaum, 1993, 1. 2). For example, if you have these symptoms, then you must have a head cold. Expert systems are affecting our everyday lives by diagnosing illnesses, and predicting the weather. â€Å"One of the first systems was a computer that could perform a medical diagnosis. † (Bowles, 2010, 9. 2). A doctor can enter symptoms into a computer, and then process a few questions for the doctor; after answering the questions the computer will make a diagnosis of the patient. This is very useful to doctors because now they can see more patients, and give promising diagnosis efficiently. The second way expert systems are affecting our lives is by predicting the weather. Meteorologists are using these systems to help predict hurricanes and tornadoes. This is very helpful to society, giving people more evacuation time during major storms. The second study of artificial intelligence is Natural Language, which is considered human language. â€Å"Natural language processing programs use artificial intelligence to allow a user to communicate with a computer in the user’s natural language. (Poole & Mackworth, 2010, 12. 6). The computer can both understand and respond to commands given in human language. The two biggest hurdles in this study are phonetic knowledge, and pragmatic knowledge. Phonetic knowledge concerns how words are realized, and how words are realized as sounds. Pragmatic Knowledge has to do with how sentences are used in different contexts and how that affects sentence interpretation. Even with the tough barriers of language, and the meaning of words computer specialists are producing helpful natural language processing programs to better society. When was the last time you made a customer service call? Natural language is affecting you when you call a customer service number, and an automated voice tells you to say a command. â€Å"Voice-recognition systems are now handling night and weekend toll-free directory assistance calls for big corporations. † (Poole & Mackworth, 2010, 12. 6). For example if you need to check your balance for a cell phone bill, a voice-recognition system can assist, without the need of a human. This allows the human customer service representatives to help customers with more complex questions. Another way natural language is being used is with Google’s real time translation application. With this application you can take snapshots of things in a different language with your phone and it will translate the words into your language in seconds. This can be useful when you are traveling in different countries, needing directions, or when you are selecting from a menu in a different language. â€Å"A neural network is, in essence, an attempt to simulate the brain. Neural network theory revolves around the idea that certain key properties of biological neurons can be extracted and applied to simulations, thus creating a simulated, and very much simplified brain. †(Reingold & Nightingale, 4. 1). The first important thing to understand is that artificial neural networks are an attempt to recreate the computing potential of the brain. However, no one has ever simulated anything as complex as an actual brain which makes it very difficult to finish the whole project. Credit card fraud is very big in the present day, because many people are not using cash; instead they are using credit cards and debit cards to make transactions. â€Å"Nearly 400,000 transactions per day are of fraudulent charges. † (Brause & Langsdorf, 1). Neural Networks are being used to detect fraud transactions with the principal of pattern recognition. Every time a credit card user uses their card there is a pattern of transaction. Neural network software uses information such as how much money a person makes, type of transactions made, and how frequent certain transactions are made to predict fraud. â€Å"Neural network based fraud detection is based totally on the human brain working principal. As the human brain learns through past experience and uses its knowledge or experience in making the decision in daily life problem the same technique is applied with the credit card fraud detection technology. † (Patidar & Sharma 2. ). The last study of artificial intelligence I will be talking about is robotics. Robots are physical agents that perform tasks by manipulating the physical world. â€Å"They perform tasks which are idealizations or extensions of human capabilities. †(Selig, 1992, 1. 1). Robots have four characteristics; sensing, movement, energy, and intelligence. First off, a robot must sense its surroundings u sing light, touch, and pressure sensors. Secondly a robot must have movement; a robot needs to move around in its in environment, whether or not the whole robot moves, or just parts. Thirdly, a robot needs power to function properly, this energy could be solar, electrical, or battery powered. Last, it must have some kind of intelligence, such as software from a programmer in order to operate. Actual robots might seem like far off science fiction, but that is not the case robots have been affecting our everyday life for years. One of the biggest uses for robots today is in the automotive industry. Over the past few decades robots have completely changed the automobile industry in many ways. Even though the use of robots has also led to many workers losing their jobs, it is very cost effective. The robots are used for welding, painting, drilling, sanding, cutting, and moving tasks in manufacturing plants. The robots have improved this industry with a job efficiency that couldn’t be duplicated by humans. These robots have made assembly lines and factories safer by handling jobs that are too dangerous and too difficult for workers to perform. Another great way that robots are working in society’s favor is by cleaning up toxic and contaminated areas that would otherwise be harmful to humans. The biggest reason that robots are able to do these jobs is that they can be easily shielded against hazardous environments and are easily replaceable, unlike humans. Robots are used to clean up nuclear waste or clean ammunition, and landmines all over the world. Robots are also an asset to the military because they can detect and diffuse bombs in a combat zone. These robots are saving lives every day because they are able to go into situations that are life threating to humans and get the job done. The studies of expert systems, natural language, neural networks, and robotics are just in their early stages of advancements, but are already showing important promising characteristics for the future of mankind. We already see these advancements being put to the test by making medical diagnosis, predicting weather, voice automated services, catching transaction fraud, building automobiles, and cleaning up hazardous wastes. There is no doubt that Artificial Intelligence is already affecting society in ways that were never imagined decades ago. Technology will continue to explode into the next few decades, excelling in Artificial Intelligence, how we embrace the advances, will define us as a society. Resources: Bowles, Mark, D. (2010). Introduction to Computer Literacy. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. McCorduck, P. (2004). Machines Who Think. Natick, MA. AK Peters, Ltd. Krishnamoorthy, C. , Rajeev, S. (1996). Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems for Engineers. CRC Press. Englemore, R. & Feigenbaum, E. (1993). Expert Systems and Artificial Intelligence. WTEC Hyper-Librarian. Poole, D. & Mackworth, A. 2010). Artificial Intelligence Foundations of Computational Agents. Cambridge University Press. Reingold, E. & Nightingale, J. Artificial Intelligence Tutorial Review. http://www. psych. utoronto. ca/users/reingold/courses/ai/ai. html Brause, R. & Langsdorf. Neural Data Mining for Credit Card Fraud Detection. J. W. Goethe-University. Frankfurt, Germany. Patidar, R. & Sharma, L. (2011). International Journal of Soft C omputing and Engineering. Jaipur, India. Selig, J. (1992). Introductory Robotics. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall International.